Batman Day – Batmobile Drag Race July 19, 2012

Okay it’s not technically gaming related, but it is a competition.  I’m sure many of you have always asked yourselves, “What is the fastest Batmobile?”  Our friends over at Bat in the Sun have the answer.

Their series Super Power Beat Down takes two of the most iconic things in comics, science-fiction, fantasy and gaming and pits them against each other for the fans.  They also bring in various experts from across the web to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each side and concludes with a final battle to decide who is the best!

For their premiere episode, they took two of the most iconic cars of all time, the George Barris developed Batmobile made for the Adam West Batman TV show and the Batmobile created for the Tim Burton directed 1989 Batman movie!  Who wins?  Watch and find out!

Coming next for Super Power Beat Down?  Lara Croft vs Nathan Drake.

And if you’re a huge fan of the Batmobile like I am, there was a fantastic documentary about the Batmobile which was produced in conjunction with The Dark Knight Rises.  A 22-minute cut of the documentary premiered at the San Diego Comic Con and was broadcasted on TV shortly afterwards.  The documentary is going to be released on The Dark Knight Rises Blu-Ray in Fall 2012 (technically making this documentary the first confirmed special feature on the disc as well as a release announcement of the disc itself) as well as Digital Download.  If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s a preview!

Batman Day – Angry Video Game Nerd July 19, 2012

I can’t think of a better way to kick off gameXcess.net’s Batman Day coverage than with the Angry Video Game Nerd!

Released a few years ago, James Rolfe, better known as “The Angry Video Game Nerd” released a two part video series where he reviewed some of the best (and worst) Batman video games of the 80s and 90s, including some games that I had TV commercials really liked.

It’s a hiliarious video with some great nostaliga.  Check it out!  Oh and if you’re at work, don’t crank up the audio on this one.

Keep your eyes on the site.  More Batman content is coming!

The Dark Knight Rises premieres at Midnight tonight in theaters and IMAX.

The Last of Us Comic Con 2012 Cutscene July 17, 2012

During the San Diego Comic Con 2012, we got to preview a scene from the highly anticipated PS3 exclusive game, The Last of Us, which is being developed by Naughty Dog, the creators of the Uncharted series.  Take a look.

It’s clear that Naughty Dog really outdid themselves here.  Their characters are able to convey emotions beyond what we had seen before in their previous work.  It’s the job of the characters to make the player feel as if they are part of the world, and to set the stakes for success and failure.  By having the characters act like people, it properly conveys the danger.  The game is more tense, making the world all the more real.

The Last of Us is coming in 2013 exclusive to the Playstation 3.

Halo 4 Fiction Panel – San Diego Comic Con 2012 July 16, 2012

The good folks at Halo Waypoint have posted up a video of the entire Halo 4 Fiction Panel, which was recorded at this year’s San Diego Comic Con.  I’m a huge fan of the Halo Expanded Universe, and have tons of the art books, graphic novels, bestsellers, and the Blu-Ray.

With the release of Halo 4, the developers promised that more story will focus around the game this time around than just being limited to the expanded universe, but there are still plenty of new things that they are doing in the expanded universe in anticipation for Halo 4, like the Forward Unto Dawn Live-Action movie serial.

So give it a watch!  It’s moderated by Frank “Frankie” O’Connor, formerly of Bungie.

Halo 4 is coming November 6th, 2012 exclusive to the Xbox 360.

Gears of War Judgement Release Date July 14, 2012

Originally announced at E3 2012, Gears of War: Judgement is a game which takes place before the events of Gears of War 3.  Instead of following the story of Marcus Fenix and his partner Dominic “Dom” Santiago, the game will instead follow the story of the other two members of Delta Squad, Damon Baird and Augustus Cole.

Gears of War: Judgement will release March 19th, 2013 exclusive to the Xbox 360.

So if the game’s going to be a prequel about Baird and Cole, does that mean that the series leads Fenix and Dom will make an appearance in the game?  Maniac asked that question to Carlos Ferro, the voice of Dom in Gears of War, yesterday at the ConnectiCon press event.  Stay tuned for that answer!

UPDATE:  The video is up, sadly the answer was no.

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Live-Action Movie Trailer July 13, 2012

I present to you the trailer, fresh from the San Diego Comic Con, for what may be the closest thing we ever will get to a feature-length live-action Halo movie.

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn will release its first part on October 5th, 2012 to Halo Waypoint and Machinima Prime.  A feature-length director’s cut of the movie will be included in the Halo 4 Limited Collector’s Edition, which will release on November 6th, 2012.

Playstation 3 Firmware 4.21 Released July 6, 2012

When running the system update program on the Playstation 3 last night I noticed Firmware 4.21 was released.

No release notes were included with the update, so its unknown what it does, and it is currently not required for access to the Playstation Network.

You can download Firmware 4.21 by using the System Update feature in the Playstation 3’s settings menu.  It’s currently not required to access the Playstation Network but that may be subject to change.

Final Fantasy VII PC Re-Release Announced July 4, 2012

One of the most beloved Japanese Console Role-Playing Games of all time is going to be getting a re-release, and its for the PC.  Final Fantasy VII, the game that literally wrote the book for JRPGs, is coming back to the PC.

This is no mere re-release of the original PC port of the game which came out in the late 90s.  The PC version of the game will be updated to support modern computer hardware and operating systems.  Online users will also get support for online cloud saves, game achievements, and a whole lot more.

My words cannot do this justice, just take a look at this trailer for yourselves.

I think Square has heard my pleas, but they didn’t need to go all out like this.  Hopefully this will convince them to re-release the console version of the game on retail disc as well.

The new version of Final Fantasy VII is coming soon to PC.  It is already out for the PS1 and can be purchased for download on PS3 and PSP through the Playstation Network.

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Live-Action Teaser July 2, 2012

As previously announced, there is going to be a live-action prequel series in anticipation for Halo 4’s release in November, 2012.  And now, Microsoft has just released the first trailer for that series, called Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn.

You can watch the teaser right here on Halo Waypoint or watch it below!

The full trailer for the series will be released during the San Diego Comic Con between July 12th to July 15th.

The first episode of Forward Unto Dawn will release in October, 2012 through Machinima Prime and Halo Waypoint.  A Director’s Cut of the series will be included with the Halo 4 Legendary Edition.

This isn’t the first time a live-action Halo series has been produced, but this is probably the most ambitious one that Microsoft has done.  Microsoft had previously released a three-part series which was edited into a short film for Halo 3’s launch, called Halo: Landfall, which was produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Neill Blomkamp.

Halo 4 is coming November 6th, 2012 exclusive to the Xbox 360.

Assassin’s Creed III 4th of July Trailer July 2, 2012

In the US, the 4th of July is a national holiday where we celebrate the liberation of our country from the British Crown.  In Assassin’s Creed III, you’ll be taking part in that liberation as you control a new assassin through the fight for America’s independence.

Quite fittingly, in honor of the 4th of July holiday, Ubisoft has released this new trailer for the game.  Check it out!

Assassin’s Creed III is coming October 30th, 2012 to the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.