\Rayman Origins was released last week as one of the launch titles for the Playstation Vita, and while it’s no stranger to the gaming world after its release on Playstation 3 last year, it’s still one of my favorite titles for Sony’s new portable.

I’m coming at this review from the perspective of someone who absolutely, positively loved the original Rayman on Playstation. The colors, the environments, the gameplay. My twelve year old self found it amazing. I was fascinated by the idea that, while the PSX had all this graphical power (hey, at the time, it did), that a developer would choose to create a cartoony, side scrolling platformer instead of something three dimensional.

Rayman Origins takes everything great about the original Rayman, all those awesome fun things that were magical about it on the Playstation, and brings them to the Vita. While this game was originally available for the Playstation 3, it just shines on the portable.

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It seems the popularity of vampires would be winding down with the over-saturation of the market, but Hollywood is moving away from your modern vampire, as seen in Twilight, True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries, and seems to be looking toward the past to keep the craze going. There has been a sudden explosion of projects based on the classic vampire, Dracula. Names ranging from Adam Sandler to Park Chan-Wook are involved in some kind of story about the classical bloodsucker.

According to Deadline, Sony has purchased a pitch from writer Jason Keller that will tell Dracula’s origin story, with Joe Roth and Palak Patel set to produce. Sony would only admit that they intend to start a period franchise, and with Keller credited for the upcoming Snow White re-imagining Mirror Mirror, that might put two franchises on his plate.

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Sony released its newest console, the Playstation Vita, into the wild today. I got my hands on the console about a week ago, and after some quality time with the system I’m ready to deliver a verdict. Whether you’re thinking about picking up the device today or sometime down the road, read on to hear all about the Vita and what this tiny portable can deliver.

Design

Physically, the device doesn’t look very different from the PSP, but it is much improved. Rounded corners and edges make the Vita fit comfortably in your hands, and the smooth, flat touchscreen on the back is comfortable to rest your hands on. The Vita has the standard controls we’re used to from Sony: left and right triggers, D-pad, circle x triangle and square buttons, and volume buttons on the top of the device.

The big addition is the two, very nice left and right analog sticks that are a huge improvement over the PSP. Another welcome addition is the inclusion of a power button, instead of the power switch on the side of the PSP that I would constantly accidentally hit and turn off the device at pivotal moments in games. The Wi-Fi switch has been removed in favor of an option to turn wireless on or off in the menu.

Sony has done away with UMD discs, in favor of very small, proprietary game cartridges.So far, it seems that purchasing the games via the Playstation Store is the better option, considering there’s a 10% discount for buying digital and by downloading the games you don’t risk losing the incredibly tiny catridges you would get by purchasing a physical copy. Storage is yet again proprietary, and we can’t say we’re surprised about that.

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Sony’s newest handheld, the Playstation Vita, doesn’t launch officially in the US until February 22nd, but if you’re one of the antsy few like myself who just needed to get your hands on  just a bit earlier than its official US Launch date, the “First Edition” bundle was available for sale yesterday if you preordered. Before I write up my full review on the Vita, I wanted to share my initial reactions to the system, especially for those of you who are still on the fence about picking it up next week.

First things first- the Vita is beautiful, both asthetically and physically. I love the way this device looks, and I LOVE the way it feels in my hands. The 5 Inch OLED screen obviously makes the Vita easy on the eyes, and games look great. I’ve never found myself questioning how much better this looks than the PSP- it’s astounding how much power they’ve packed into this thing, without making it very heavy or cumbersome.

If you’re a veteran of the PSP, or any Sony system really, the Vita is easy enough to pick up and play. They’vre rearranged some buttons, which I really appreciate, as the volume and start buttons on the PSP were too low for me to reach comfortably before. The biggest change has been the addition of a second analog stick. I cannot stress how much better these analog sticks are than the PSP’s, which I had break on me multiple times on multiple PSPs.

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Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance co-director Brian Taylor is set to write and direct a live action adaptation of the iconic video game Twisted Metal. Sony Pictures has offered Taylor a 7-figure deal to head up the film.

Like the game, the film will revolve around an underground event that pits a number of combatants in a fight to the death. They are outfitted in armored weaponized cars that are pimped out with heavy weaponry that includes missiles and machine guns. Each character is set to have their own specialty weapons and style similar to the game. The sole survivor will get any wish granted.

It is rumored that the film will include such signature contestant characters as Sweet Tooth, a homicidal clown who drives an ice cream truck, and Doll Face, a young woman who is trapped behind a porcelain mask and who drives an 18-wheeler.

This is the first project that Taylor will helm solo. He has always teamed with Mark Neveldine on such films as the Crank series. There have been two so far, and they are talking about making a third, in 3D, as well as a possible future Ghost Rider. The team will continue to write and direct films together.

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We had already heard that Cole from Infamous and PlayStation Japan’s anthropomorphic cat duo of Toro and Kuro were coming to the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita version’s of Street Fighter X Tekken. But now in their latest trailer, the team at Capcom may have put the final two nails in the coffin of the argument over which version of the game to buy.

Exclusive to the two Sony consoles will be two gaming classics. First, making his return to the fighting games arena after being left out of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is Mega Man. But, this isn’t the same Mega Man that people have become accustomed to over the past twenty years. This Mega Man is returning all the way back to his old school gaming box cover roots from the very first Mega Man release. With his classic gritty costume in all its yellow and blue glory, this Mega Man even holds a gun as opposed to his arm equipped Mega Buster.

In another surpisingly wacky move, Pac Man has been added to the roster as well. That’s right. Pac Man. Now, we were as skeptical about how this would work when we first read it too. But if you check out the trailer below and see him in action, it almost begins to make some sense. Pac Man isn’t just going in by himself. Instead he will be operating some crazy wooden mech in combat. Think of it as a low tech version of Tron Bon’s robot from Marvel vs. Capcom.

Take a peek after the jump of the latest trailer featuring Pac Man, Mega Man, Cole, Toro and Kuro all in action. Stick to the Flickcast for more information on Street Fighter X Tekken as it becomes available.

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The upcoming reboot if the Spider-Man franchise has a larger air of mystery then usual for a tent poll comic book film. This comes from the fact that just a couple years ago the franchise was alive and relativity healthy, but Sony went directly for a reboot instead of riding the Raimi series to an unfortunate end.

Sony recently released the official synopsis for the film which confirms what a lot of people inferred from the trailers and production stories.

“The Amazing Spider-Man” is the story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets.

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As most people know, many of the electronic components sold in the US are manufactured overseas because of cheaper labor costs. This has always been a mixed blessing as it provides more affordable products, but also prevents more jobs from coming to American shores. Though from the look of things, not many American laborers would be lining up for a job at Foxconn.

Foxconn, one of the world’s largest electronic component manufacturers for companies such as Apple, Dell, HP, Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft, reportedly dealt with the threat of a mass suicide from some 300 workers from the Foxconn Technology Park in Wuhan, China from the WantChina Times. Gameplanet also reports that these workers were specific to the XBox 360 line.

The dispute reportedly began after workers went to company officials looking for wage increases. Foxconn denied the request and offered employees the option to either continue working at the current wage or be given a dismissal package. Many opted for the latter. Upon this, Foxconn reneged on the offer.

Microsoft’s Phil Spencer, in response to the situation was quoted, “Foxconn has been an important partner of ours and remains an important partner. I trust them as a responsible company to continue to evolve their process and work relationships… That is something we remain committed to – the safe and ethical treatment of people who build our products. That’s a core value of our company.”

Later, Microsoft released a general statement regarding the incident stating, “Microsoft takes working conditions in the factories that manufacture its products very seriously, and we are currently investigating this issue… We have a stringent Vendor Code of Conduct that spells out our expectations, and we monitor working conditions closely on an ongoing basis and address issues as they emerge. Microsoft is committed to the fair treatment and safety of workers employed by our vendors, and to ensuring conformance with Microsoft policy.”

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When DC Universe Online debuted last January, it became the first MMO available for the PlayStation 3. Sony Online Entertainment wants to celebrate the first anniversary of this hit game by providing a special mission and item in game today.

“We broke a lot of new ground with last year’s launch of DC Universe Online, both by successfully creating the first PS3™ MMO community and adding true action combat to the genre,” said Lorin Jameson, Executive Director of Development, Sony Online Entertainment. “The free-to-play transition at the end of last year is a proof point that our community is stronger and larger than ever. We are very proud of what we’ve accomplished thus far and look forward to continuously striving to improve the game.”

To celebrate the game’s one-year anniversary, players will receive a special one-of-a-kind One Year Anniversary Cape that features a number “1″ on the back. The cape will be granted to players through their mission journal on January 11. The character must exist on the 11^th to be eligible to receive the mission. However, players do not need to log in on the 11^th; as long as the character exists on the 11^th, players will receive the mission the next time they log in.

The game went free to play late last year and has been a hit among MMO fans and comic book fans a like. More on what the game has accomplished in it’s first year after the jump.

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Those who caught Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig get in all kinds of trouble in the American remake of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo probably left the theater wanting more. And even though the film didn’t do very well in theaters, they’ll be getting just that.

Entertainment Weekly brings us the exclusive.

According to Sony, the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo sequel, The Girl Who Played With Fire, is still moving forward despite the lingering perception that Dragon Tattoo has underperformed. “[Dragon Tattoo] continues to do strong business and nothing has changed with respect to development of the next book,” a Sony rep tells EW.

In November, Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal told us that The Girl Who Played With Fire was definitely a go, with a targeted late-2013 release date.

But Dragon Tattoo, which has grossed $60 million in the U.S. since its release on Dec. 20, is being perceived as something of a box-office disappointment (although moviegoers are enthusiastic — it received an A from audience-survey firm CinemaScore — and it seems to be holding up well over time as it chugs toward the $100 million mark).

So if you haven’t seen the film yet, you had better rush out while it’s still in your local theaters. And if you have, and don’t feel like waiting a year+ for more, check out the original Swedish trilogy on Instant Netflix today.

We preface this whole news piece with the fact that the source is the National Enquirer, so this is to be taken as more allegation than fact.

Bill Murray has been the stick in the mud that has kept Ghostbusters III from getting past the script phase.  He is willing read any script Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd send to him, but his demands for a worthy story and a quality script are well known.

Allegedly now that might not ever come to pass. Murray is said to have sent back the most recent script to the production offices, in a box shredded to pieces. Accompanying the shredded screenplay was a note saying:

“No one wants to pay money to see fat, old men chasing ghosts!”

That was apparently the straw that broke the camels back and now Ramis and Aykroyd are furious and are set to make the movie with out him.

Obviously this story has a rather outrageous feel to it, and it’s source provides no assurance that it is true, but if it were Murray is being a bit of a jerk.

Many people are excited to see “fat, old men chasing ghosts,” and people would gladly pay. There is reason to have faith in this project, but Murray keeps dashing those hopes, it is like a bad tease and if this is true you have to wonder if Murray ever truly intended to return to the role.

The PS Vita is Sony’s latest attempt to conquer the handheld gaming market. The technology is impressive, but the marketplace has never been more crowded with the growth of phone and tablet gaming, and the of course Nintendo’s iron grip on portables. The Vita hit stores in Japan last week in advance of it’s early 2012 worldwide release and it made a very admirable showing.

Reuters is reporting that the first two days of the system’s launch saw 321,400 units sold. That number is smaller than the Nintendo 3DS’ initial launch of 371,00 units sold, but is impressive considering the context.

The 3Ds was launching a new technology attached to the incredible successful DS brand. The Vita is coming out after a history of sub par Sony portable devices, including the PSP Go which was a bomb. The sales numbers are very nice for Sony but they need to maintain sales over a few years before the new portable device can be called a win.

In hopes to maintain a strong open for the device Sony has a solid 24 game launch window lineup and will be pushing PS3 to PS Vita connection to make the device a regular part of Sony gamer’s experience.

The Vita will be hitting US shelves in February in Wifi and 3G/Wifi models.