One thing we’ve learned is there are too many games and too little time to play them all. This also means there isn’t even enough time to give all of them awards, but we try our best. Today we take a look at both the most time consuming efforts of the past year as well as give some awards for games that deserve some notable mentions as well.

Game Most Likely to Consume Your Life: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Two Hundred and Fifty Hours. By most estimates, this is how long it’ll take an average player to explore MOST of the content of Skyrim. To give some perspective, if the average person works a 40 hour a week job, Skyrim would take six and a quarter full work weeks to complete. Now, we realize that most gamers work jobs outside of the gaming industry and cannot devote a full forty hours a week to a single game.

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Presented without much in the way of comment (well, just a little) is the first trailer for Christopher Nolan’s third, and presumably final, installment in the Batman franchise. This time around the new film is called The Dark Knight Rises and based on this new trailer it looks, in a word, awesome.

We know people use that word often and sometimes it tends to lose its meaning. However, in this case, it fits completely.

The movie looks awesome and like any good trailer you get a lot of info about the movie but don’t really know what’s going to happen in it. If only other trailers could do this, and be as good as this, and not give everything away.

Of course, you can be sure the folks responsible for this film know what they’ve got and know, with absolute certainty, the movie will do huge box office and people will flock to see it over and over again. So, they don’t really have to do that much to promote it. The movie pretty much sells itself.

July 20, 2012 can’t get here fast enough. Check out the trailer after the break.

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Two of the best filmmakers working today have giant blockbusters planned for 2012. Christopher Nolan and Ridley Scott are both bringing continuations of their star making franchises to the big screen. While Nolan is ending his run in the Batman universe with The Dark Knight Rises, Ridley Scott is breathing new life into the dormant Alien franchise with a prequel that may or may not have all that much to do with the previous films.

The Dark Knight Rises poster focuses on Bane walking away from a shattered Batman cowl. This really sells the concept of finality that this film brings. It is also nice to see the filmmakers not shying away from the fact that the character of Bane was created for one purpose, to break the bat.

Prometheus on the other hand is a far more intriguing one-sheet. The large head that dominates the poster raises more questions then can be answered. There are also a lot of small little design choices that echo the fact that this movie is set in the Alien universe. That posters sits rater nicely next to previous Alien films.

Check out both new posters in their full glory after the jump.

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For those who can’t stop talking, reading, or imagining what Chris Nolan’s ultimate film in the Batman franchise will be like, you’ll be in luck on December 16th, as a specific 16 theaters, all 70mm IMAX capable, will be screening a 6-minute Dark Knight Rises prologue attached to the front of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. Deadline‘s got the report.

The prologue for The Dark Knight Rises will not screen with digital Imax or regular digital or 35mm film presentations of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Regular, non-Imax versions of Ghost Protocol open December 21. The list of theaters follows. Moviegoers should confirm theaters will be playing the prologue for The Dark Knight Rises before purchasing tickets.

That last note is especially important, because not many theaters may be supporting this, even if they say they will. Be sure to check out the full list after the jump, and find out which theater works for you, and which to skip when seeing Tom Cruise scale a skyscraper.

Dark Knight Rises hits theaters on July 12, 2012.

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Everyone knows that Wednesday is new comic book day. While picking up your new issues consider looking at some of the trade paperbacks and hard covers of past issues and story lines. But which ones should you choose?

That’s why every Tuesday, The Flickcast will recommend a collection of comics that are just as good, if not better, than the issues you are currently buying. Books that deserve to be read, and bought the next time you walk into your local comic book store.

“I’m only human; They don’t believe I can penetrate their stronghold. They don’t believe I pose a threat. Wrong.” – Batman – JLA #3

Everyone has their favorite superhero team. For some, it is the X-Men, for others it is the Avengers, but for me, it will always be the Justice League. The team’s membership includes not only Superman and Batman, which just by themselves are unstoppable, but includes classics like Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and Aquaman.

Now, the Justice League has over sixty years of publishing history. So a reader wanting to read the Justice League may be a little confused about where to start, and that’s where our Trade Paperback Tuesday pick comes in.

JLA: Volume 1 collects the first nine issues of Grant Morrison and Howard Porter’s run in the 1990′s plus a Secret Files special. Morrison treated his Justice League team as if they were the Greek Gods themselves protecting their kingdom from their castle in the clouds. (This Justice League had its Watchtower base on the moon!) His team also included the “Big 7″ of DC Comics, and eventually expanded to a membership of twelve.

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Batman: Arkham City is about to unleash it’s first major DLC, and Warner Bros has just released the pack’s first trailer. The Nightwing DLC gives you a new character to play, exclusive maps and another Batman: The Animated Series skin. The new content adds in the fan favorite Nightwing  who began his crime frighting career as the original Robin.

Nightwing as a character brings a few new tweaks to the already stellar fighting mechanics. His history as an acrobat has not been ignored with some incredible agility displayed in the trailer, and his wrist shooter looks to be executed very well. The weapon of choice for the newest hero in this game is his dual batons, these dangerous blunt weapons also appear to have some connective electric properties. Undoubtedly these will be a blast to stick into the faces of random goons for hours and hours.

If there is a single problem I have had with the Batman Arkham games it has been with character design. It took me a long time to get behind the main looks in Arkham Asylum, and only Two-Face really gels with me right now in Arkham City. Principle amongst the new characters whose design I don’t like is Robin, so my excitement level goes through the roof when we see a Nightwing that looks perfect.

The DLC hits on November 1st and you can catch the full trailer after the jump.

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Video game composing is fast becoming a significant player in the entertainment scoring world. As games become increasingly cinematic we are seeing more opportunities for the composers of these projects to get more recognition and exposure. The best example of this is Oscar winning composer Micheal Giacchino who first turned heads with music from the Medal of Honor series.

Aside from the changing perception of video game soundtracks, I also wanted to give this score a listen because Batman has long had an amazing history with film and TV music. Dating all the way back to the Adam West series, the music associated with the Bat has been an eclectic mix of styles and sounds that seem to all work perfectly with the capped crusader. So does the new video game live up to those lofty standards? Do we have another worthy addition to the Bat-Music pantheon?

The first thing you will notice about the soundtrack is that it is front loaded with songs, these are the “big draw”, but not what I am interested in. We will come back to these later. The score portion of the soundtrack begins about halfway down the track list. The music is written by Nick Arundel who has some video game experience, but not many listed credits I can find. Hopfully the high profile nature of this game and the quality of his music will change that.

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We love how Batman and Bruce Wayne have been portrayed over the years. Whether it’s whimsical and lighthearted as played by Adam West and Diedrich Bader, or dark and mysterious as played by Kevin Conroy and Christian Bale.

Now we’re getting an interesting look for the first time, as Ben McKenzie portrays Bruce Wayne as a pompous, young playboy. At least that’s what we’re getting in this brand new clip from Warner Home Video’s Batman: Year One.

Taken straight from Frank Miller’s Year One story arc from 1987 in which we follow the years from when Bruce Wayne donned the cape and cowl and decided to fight crime. Here, we get a far less confident and mysterious Bruce Wayne, and much more of the billionaire playboy philanthropist that we never got to see.

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Warner Interactive and DC Comics announced today that as of November 1st, gamers will be able to download Nightwing as a playable character in Batman: Arkham City. The downloadable content pack will run for 560 Microsoft Points ($6.99 in the PSN Store), and include two new challenge maps – Wayne Manor and the ‘Main Hall’. Nightwing, much like the downloadable Robin character, will come with his own unique weapons and gadgets to put to use against the thugs in Arkham City.

In keeping with the ‘bonus skins’ available, the Nightwing DLC will also contain an alternate Animated Series character model. It was also announced recently that the pre-order Robin bonus (granted to those who reserve the game at Best Buy) will be available to the masses on November 22nd for the same price.

Aside from a robust amount of downloadable goodies, it has also come to light in the past few weeks that the cast of Arkham City will be much larger than some may have expected. While villains like The Penguin, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze and The Riddler have all received their own trailers, many of Batman’s foes within the game have yet to step fully into the spotlight.  It has been confirmed that, in addition to all of the above, the following members of the Rogues Gallery will appear in-game: Calendar Man, Poison Ivy, Solomon Grundy, Bane, the Mad Hatter, DeadShot, Talia Al’Ghul, Black Mask, and of course, Prof. Hugo Strange.

Check out the gallery after the jump for the images and videos released so far for the new heroes and villains of Batman: Arkham City – available October 18th, 2011.

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Warner Home Video seems to be an unstoppable juggernaut of quality animated content over the past few years. From getting their start with Justice League Unlimited to continuing in the trend with several major DVD and Blu-Ray releases a year featuring some of our favorite DC characters, there doesn’t seem to be a stop to how good these animated adaptations can get.

And the hits keep coming this month, as they release an adaptation of Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One comic in a feature-length film. You can expect this one to get pretty gritty, considering the source material, as well as some of the huge names they have for the cast.

Batman: Year One is based on the landmark 1987 DC Comics titles from 12-time Eisner Award winner Frank Miller and illustrator David Mazzucchelli. The film depicts young Bruce Wayne’s return to Gotham City in his first attempts to fight injustice as a costumed vigilante. The playboy billionaire chooses the guise of a giant bat to combat crime, creates an early bond with a young Lieutenant James Gordon (who is already battling corruption from inside the police department), inadvertently plays a role in the birth of Catwoman, and helps to bring down a crooked political system that infests Gotham.

Primetime television stars Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Ben McKenzie (Southland, The O.C.), Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) provide the core voices for Batman: Year One.

Check out the exclusive clip, as well as how to get your hand on the film early after the jump.

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Warner Brothers released a new trailer for Batman: Arkham City today, prominently showcasing Harley Quinn and the Joker’s new look. The Clown Prince of Crime has definitely seen better days, having become almost as disfigured as Two-Face after his encounter with the Titan serum from Arkham Asylum. In true Joker fashion, however, he is as maniacal as ever – giving BatFans even more reasons to be excited for this title.

Dialogue in the trailer hints that the conflict between the Dark Knight and Joker may be “Coming to an end;” and since this will be voice actor Mark Hamil’s final portrayal of the iconic clown (though he has hopes for one more project), we may experience their final battle in the upcoming release.

Check out the new trailer below – Batman: Arkham City releases on October 18th, 2011 in North America, and on the 21st in the UK.

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There’s an old adage that says, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” If there was any character in the DC Universe that didn’t need a reboot, it was Batman. Batman had been strong before the reboot.

He fought Darkseid, traveled through time, discovered his lost son, Damian, and founded Batman Inc., an international corporation devoted to stopping crime funded by his alter ego, Bruce Wayne. The stories and characters of the Batman mythos did not need a reboot.

So how is Batman in the New 52 DC Universe?

I’m pleased to report that he is still awesome. In fact, Batman hasn’t changed much at all post-reboot. His costume is different, but every detail of his story is exactly the same as it was before the relaunch.

Batman #1 is truly meant for old comic fans, and people who have never read a comic before but know who Batman is. Although, the writer could have spent a little more time explaining who the various Robins were; the book does use a clever exposition device that gives you their name, their current code name, and their relation to Batman.

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