Manhunt 2: Electric Snuffaloo

I remember being assigned a review of Manhunt with the warning that it would be the next great hyper-controversial lawsuit-engendering game, a la Grand Theft Auto. And it is pretty brutal, what with, you know, the slitting of throats with stray shards of glass and such. But as with Bully, it never actually generated much [...]

Industrial Robots Are Cooler Than You

Somebody hooked up a big industrial arm to a Wiimote, then gave it a sword.

Another Party I Wasn’t Invited To

People who work at Bungie are happier than you. Somehow it seems wrong that 4×4 Halo 3 matches are being played somewhere in the world, and I am not at that place. All I can do is press my nose against those smeared-out .jpegs and whine like a whipped puppy.

Doonesbury Shows the Nerd Love

I don’t know if anybody but me followed this story arc in Doonesbury, or indeed whether anybody besides me under the age of 50 reads Doonesbury anymore. Anyway, Trudeau seems to be paying more attention lately to Mike’s nerdy daughter Alex, who goes to MIT. Granted, the whole Battlebots-esque scenario is about 9 years out [...]

Whedon Ankles Wonder Woman

“Ankles” being Variety slang for “bails.” According to Whedonesque, and subsequently every entertainment trade outlet in the ‘verse, Joss Whedon is off the Wonder Woman project. Let’s see, how much can I legally quote?

Serious students powerless against drunken jockocracy

Is it just me or is there a serious lack of non-Super Bowl counter-programming? I know there are a lot of people out there who are really excited about the bone-crunching matchup of [plural noun, animal] vs. [plural noun, animal], but honestly, I just couldn’t care less. (Jock-on-jock violence? Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown)

The Explosion Will Be of Extraordinary Magnitude

I’ve refrained from commenting on the whole Mooninite invasion of Boston, the city that I am, I’m embarrassed to say, from. It’s been admirably covered and commented upon elsewhere, notably by my colleague Jim Poniewozik on his blog. The whole incident kind of reminds us of the hermetic nature of nerd culture — the fact [...]

Conan O’Brien and Serena Williams Play Wii Tennis

Isn’t it cute when famous people try to play video games? Warning: too-short tennis outfit alert.

God of War 2 Boss Battle

This really is pretty cool: Kratos vs. Giant Gold Guy With Blue Glowy Eyes. Especially given that it’s on PS2. Pulse-pounding previous-gen action! Some further notes on the battle here.

Rowling: Hallows, Goodbye

The press release from Scholastic apparated (unsplinched) in my inbox this morning at 7:00 precisely: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be published on July 21 of this year. There’s a good summary of what’s known about the book, and the outstanding plotlines left to be resolved, in Wikipedia.