The Flickcast

‘Star Wars: The Old Republic’ Goes Free-To-Play This Weekend Only

Posted on March 15, 2012

One of the best new MMOs out there is going to try to lure you in with a weekend of free play. Now all you worry warts and feet daggers have no excuse to not jump into this new world and decide first hand if it is worth the price of admission.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is officially offering a weekend pass to new users, which allows players access to eight different classes and the ability to advance your character has high as level fifteen. This limited free-to-play time period begins today and ends on Monday the 19th of March.

The MMO world really needs to evolve with the times and understand that continuous worlds with monthly subscriptions might not be the best tactic anymore. There has been a steady movement towards the free-to-play model in the past few years, and while this specifically is only a weekend free pass, giving anyone and everyone a free chance to play is a step in the right direction.

At the very least many new people will get to experience the clashing of lightsabers in a pretty great game this weekend, and that is wonderful. Head over to the Star Wars: The Old Republic page now and get in on the action while it is offered for the dirt cheap price of nothing.

FaceTime Not Supported Via 4G LTE on New iPad

Posted on March 15, 2012

Well, this is a bit disappointing. Granted, it will probably only affect a small percentage of you out there, but it’s still kinda lame.

According to reports, even if you have Apple’s shiny new iPad and want to engage in a little FaceTime with a, um, friend, you won’t be able to do it, even if you have super fast 4G LTE. It will only work over Wi-Fi.

If you try, you will be prompted to connect to an available Wi-Fi network. Curiously, if you are using your iPad as a Wi-Fi hotspot, which you can with the Verizon version, FaceTime will work if you initiate a call using an supported iPhone or iPod.

Apple has so far been moot on this issue but you can be sure people are going to be asking about it. After all, in many cases 4G LTE is as fast (or faster) than available Wi-Fi networks so the fact that FaceTime isn’t supported is difficult to understand.

Again, this isn’t a critical point for most of you, we just found it interesting as it gives a bit of insight into how Apple deals with wireless carriers. Of course, it could be a decision on Apple’s part. . . but we kinda doubt it.

Blu-ray Review: ‘The Town: Ultimate Collector’s Edition’

Posted on March 15, 2012

As skeptical as I was when Ben Affleck took his first turn as director, he managed to prove himself more than adequate to the task with his first film Gone Baby Gone. Now with his latest directorial effort, The Town, he proves once again that all those years spent working with other directors, with a bit of his own talent thrown in, is more than enough to craft a suspenseful and entertaining crime thriller.

As this is a review of the Blu-ray Ultimate Edition of the film and not a full review of the film itself, suffice it to say I enjoyed The Town enough to watch it more than once. In fact, I’ve seen it at least three times. First, in a theater. Then, on Blu-ray and then again on Blu-ray in this Ultimate Collectors’s Edition.

The cast is excellent, especially Jeremy Renner and, somewhat surprisingly, Blake Lively. I also enjoyed watching Jon Hamm’s performance and, sadly, one of the last onscreen appearances of Pete Postlethwaite. Affleck is also quite good in the movie and has matured as an actor. At this point I can almost forgive him for Daredevil. Almost.

‘Diablo III’ Releasing on May 15th, But You Can Pre-Order Now

Posted on March 15, 2012

For those of you anxiously awaiting news of a release data for Blizzard’s Diablo III, this post is for you. That’s right fans, Blizzard on Thursday announced that the highly anticipated follow-up to the hit game Diablo II will be available on May 15th.

However, that’s not the best part. Digital copies of Diablo III can be pre-ordered starting today for $59.99. Call it a late Xmas present if you want.

In case you’re not familiar with Diablo III, it picks up twenty years later with a new generation of heroes who must face the forces of evil. In the game, players will be able to choose from a barbarian, a monk, a demon hunter, a witch doctor and a wizard.

For more, click through for the full press release from Blizzard.

HBO Prevents Horse Genocide By Canceling ‘Luck’

Posted on March 15, 2012

We’ve heard of shows being canceled due to difficult cast members, poor ratings, or a lack of a budget, but an abundance of deaths? That’s new.

That seems to be the case with HBO’s freshman show Luck, about the comings and goings of a horse track and its characters that surround it. The Dustin Hoffman-starring vehicle seems to have been the victim of too many horse deaths to continue on the network. Here’s the official message from HBO:

It is with heartbreak that executive producers David Milch and Michael Mann together with HBO have decided to cease all future production on the series LUCK.

Raimi & Cronenberg to Work Together on ‘The Knife Man’ Adaptation

Posted on March 15, 2012

It looks like two horror icons will be working together on a television adaptation of The Knife Man. The exciting part is the harshly grim nature of the subject matter fits right into what David Cronenberg (Scanners, The Fly) and Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Drag Me To Hell) are both best known for.

The Knife Man follows John Hunter, a man from humble Scottish origins, who rose to become the most famous anatomist and surgeon of the eighteenth century. In an age when operations were crude, extremely painful and often fatal, Hunter rejected medieval traditions based on ancient Greek Orthodoxy to forge a revolution in surgery founded on pioneering scientific experiments.

Hunter’s scientific genius led him to become a central figure of the Enlightenment, which led him to be revered by fellow scientists and to become friendly with high society. Unfortunately, Hunter’s experiments required human corpses, and most were not donated. His tireless quest for human corpses immersed him deep in the sinister world of body-snatching.

The First Game Play Footage Of The New Game ‘MechWarrior Online’

Posted on March 14, 2012

There has been a wonderful recent trend of classic game franchises that were dormant being given new life with current generation updates. The most recent franchise to get a respectful update is the PC classic MechWarrior.

MechWarrior was a high water mark in PC gaming in the ’90s, offering incredible game play and even better graphics. Back in it’s heyday, no consoles could compete with the graphical power of the top tier PC games, and as such MechWarrior was very much a gamer household name.

Obviously things have changed, and the once proud franchise has almost all been forgotten. That is until the brand new MechWarrior Online releases later this year. The game boasts inedible graphics and real time giant robot physics (if there can be such a thing), meaning over-heating, terrain, weather, and gravity are all going to be factors you must contend with.

At the recently concluded Game Developers Conference, the first game play footage of the new game was revealed. It looks like a nostalgia sandwich wrapped in a shiny, next-gen wrapping. Just watching the game play footage harkins back to a bygone time in PC gaming. First-Person robot destruction still looks like a blast.

Check out the new footage after the jump.

‘Community’ Returns Tomorrow Night and We’ve Got Previews and More!

Posted on March 14, 2012

Even though things looked a bit dire last year when NBC put one of our favorite shows, the awesome Community, on extended hiatus, all now is well in the TV Universe again as the show is set to return tomorrow night. To commemorate this great occasion, we’ve got a ton of videos to share with you today.

Among them are vids where Gillian, Yvette, and Joel (who wants to make out with all of you) discuss the big return of the show. Plus, take an early look at Greendale with some sneak peeks and get your fix of the Dean and Jeff as Jim Rash joins Joel on the NBC lot. That’s Academy Award Winner Jim rash to you.

Check out all the videos (and a coupe extra pics) after the break. Look for Community tomorrow night (Thursday) at 8/7C on NBC.

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