Baby's First GDC

I've wanted to attend the Game Developers Conference for years. I used to watch every demo, every panel, tried to grab every bit of second-hand information I could. I saw it as this magical gathering with exclusive, mind-blowing gaming tantalizations abound and hoards of free swag to be got. This year, I happened to have a pass given to me by a stranger that was flying out of town the next day to attend PAX. Suffice to say I was ecstatic, if not a little apprehensive about walking into the Moscone Center effectively pretending to be someone else... but hey, the worst they could do is throw me out – right?

Sir Terry Pratchett Passes Away at 66.

Gods, do I not want to report this news.

First reported by his official fanpage, then confirmed by the BBC, Sir Terry Pratchett passed away this morning. The beloved author was the creative force behind the incredibly long running Discworld series, as well as the Long Earth series, and the fan favorite Good Omens, written with Neil Gaiman. He was 66.

We'll have a full tribute to Pratchett and what he meant to us and our lives later today.

"Powers" Squanders Potential with Uneven Script

This review will contain spoilers for the pilot episode.

Five minutes in to the first episode of "Powers," the Playstation Network adaptation of the comic book by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming, you know exactly what type of show this is going to be. After an intriguing and well shot beginning featuring a young girl, a dirty old man, and a mysterious drug overdose, we snap immediately to an Entertainment Tonight feature starring Mario Lopez. The feature is about our main hero, Christian Walker (Sharlto Copley), and covers his entire backstory in the most awkward exposition dumb starring Lopez since an episode of Saved by the Bell.

Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion Launch Campaign for Convention-based Comedy

Do you miss Firefly? Well, join the rest of the galaxy in continuing to wait. But if you miss the actors from Firefly, wait no longer! (Or rather, wait a little longer.) The hilarious Alan Tudyk and his sidekick, Nathan Fillion, have teamed up to produce Con Man, a comedy about what it's like to be an actor from a cancelled-too-soon science fiction series working the convention circuit. It's a real stretch for them, let me tell you.

The promotional video on their IndieGoGo Page promises appearances from Felicia Day, Gina Torres, James Gunn and Seth Green, with more surprises to come as they raise more money, I'd imagine. Right now, the total they're looking for is only to produce the first three, ten minute episodes, but if they smash their funding goals they'll produce the whole series, and build a spaceship.

If that sounds like something you'd be interested in seeing, go forth! Click the link above, and give them your money!

UPDATE: As of 12:07 pm PST, they've already funded the first three episodes. But keep giving them your money so they can make the whole series!

Tron 3 Shooting this Fall?

This one was buzzing about the internet earlier today, but we were waiting for some more reputable sources to post it - now Badass Digest has. Apparently, Tron 3 will be filming this fall in Vancouver, with the original director, Joseph Kosinski, returning to helm the franchise. No word on anything else so far, and since the only source is a anonymous, keep your grains of salt handy.

I absolutely loved Tron: Legacy - it was one of my favorite movies of that year. The script isn't the strongest, but it's servicable, and the direction and design of the world really take it to the next level. I'm ecstatic to see how Sam and Quorra's story continues in and out of the real world - hopefully, this picks up the threads of the first film, with Cillian Murphy's cameo appearance building into a full, villainous role.

And of course, it absolutely will not work without Daft Punk.

Glad to see Disney is still committed to this franchise, despite their relentless pursuit of the destruction of Tron: Uprising.

At Least Twenty New, Canon, Star Wars Books Coming

One of the really tough things about getting new readers into the Star Wars Expanded Universe, back before it was destroyed by the new Lucasfilm initiatives, was that it contained too much material. Removing it was said to be an effort to streamline the universe. Well, now it looks like we might head back in that direction anyway. Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Lucasfilm will release twenty new books in an effort to bridge the gap between the original Star Wars trilogy and the new film, The Force Awakens. And thanks to the new Story Group initiative, all of these books are officially canon.

Not all of these are novels - the report seems to include new comics from Marvel, new sticker books from Doring Kindersly, and a "Ships of the Galaxy" book from Studio Fun. (If it's anything like the gorgeous Ships of the Line books that Trekkies have been getting, that's exciting.)

On the novel front, we're getting a book called Star Wars: Aftermath, likely to take place just after the original trilogy, with no author announced yet. (Timothy Zahn, Timothy Zahn, oh please, Timothy Zahn.) Also from the EW report:

Cecil Castellucci (author of Tin Star) will write Moving Target, an adventure following Princess Leia; Jason Fry, who earlier wrote Darth Maul: Shadow Conspiracy, will be the author of The Weapon of a Jedi, about Luke Skywalker; Claudia Gray, author of the Evernight series of fantasy books, will write a book titled Lost Stars; and Greg Rucka, a comic book scribe and writer of the Atticus Kodiak novels, will pen Smuggler’s Run, a Han Solo tale.

The most exciting news out of that is Greg Rucka writing a Han Solo novel - I can't wait to read that when it comes out. More news as it comes, but let us know what you think of the new, in-canon, Expanded Universe in the comics.

Finally, The Intense Story Trailer for Daredevil is Here

As discussed on this week's Geekly Roundup Podcast, Marvel's first Netflix Original series, Daredevil, is looking better and better. The series is taking the Marvel universe to a dark place, deep in the heart of Hell's Kitchen, where Charlie Cox's Matt Mudock will do battle with a terrifying Vincent D'Onofrio as the Kingpin. Hit the jump to see the full trailer.