It wouldn’t be a Harry Potter premiere without a little rain; in this case, a deluge with some hail thrown in.
The HP Half-Blood Prince Potter Facebook page has some video and pictures from the event.
LucasArts opening up vault for direct download of ‘classic’ game titles
LucasArts announced via Twitter that they are going to be releasing many of their older PC game titles for direct download. The first batch of ten classic games, including Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, LOOM, Star Wars: Battlefront II and The Dig will be re-released on July 8 via Steam, the online delivery system from Valve Entertainment. Steam will also be the download system for the PC version for the upcoming Monkey Island remake The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, coming out July 15.
The full list of games being released on July 8 contains some classic graphic adventures, and some more recent action titles:
- Armed and Dangerous
- Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure
- LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure
- LOOM
- Star Wars Battlefront II
- Star Wars Republic Commando
- Star Wars Starfighter
- The Dig
- Thrillville: Off the Rails
This is only the first batch of classic LucasArts games to be released – and noticeably some popular game franchises are absent, possibly to be re-released in future batches: Maniac Mansion, X-Wing, Dark Forces, and Grim Fandango. No pricing information is yet available.
Meanwhile, the new Monkey Island game from Telltale Games, has its first episode coming out tomorrow, Tales of Monkey Island – Chapter 1: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal for PC. The Wii version will be released in the coming weeks.
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis was also included as a bonus game in the Wii version of Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings, released in June 2009.
Download Droidmaker for free
On the basis of it being mentioned in Heilemann’s widely-linked Maker of Films post, Michael Rubin is making his book Droidmaker available for free in PDF.
This is likely a limited-time thing, so nab them quickly… Or you can go buy the book, since as I recall it’s pretty hefty – too much so to read the whole thing on a screen. Plus, that’s just the right thing to do… Now I gotta wonder where my copy is. (Probably went into a JadeCon teacup auction, come to think of it…)
UPDATE: Rubin has posted a Droidmaker FAQ.
R2-D2 becoming quite the little famewhore
In addition to hiding out in Star Trek, now we have word that Artoo shows up someplace in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. If this continues then he’ll be shacking up with some cheap starlet and things will just get all Beneath the Dome again. Resist, Artoo! Resist!
Drive-by movie news: The Last Airbender blows, Transformers 2 sucks, Avatar leaks, and Alice in Wonderland… Burtons?
At least the effects are good. The first trailer for M. Night Shyamalan’s live action adaption of Avatar: The Last Airbender is not the most captivating teaser ever, but it only blows in the literal sense. (And, well, there’s still that whole racebending thing…) The trailer unveiling (it’s attached to Transformers) also unleashed the film’s official site and a flurry of set visit pieces: MTV, SciFi Wire, io9, SuperHero Hype and IGN. But the movie isn’t out for a year, so don’t go expecting too much just yet.
Oh, Michael Bay. Everyone hates Transformers 2! (Really!) Including Roger Ebert, in fine form. For some reason, this warms the cockles of my black little heart…
The other Avatar. Footage of James Cameron’s Avatar, the 3-D one, was screened in Europe.
And since we’re on a name-brand director jaunt… First look at Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland.
Binary Bonsai finds a rare Lucas interview
Michael Heilemann has unearthed an hour-long 1971 interview with George Lucas.
Video: Buffy vs Edward (Twilight Remixed)
A little something for those of us who’d like to see more staking with the stalking.
UPDATE: OH BARBIE NO.
Frank Marshall confirms Indiana Jones 5
Empire magazine gets the scoop from producer Frank Marshall that a fifth Indy film is in the works, confirming earlier reports from Shia Labeouf that a Indiana Jones 5 script was starting up. Just no more aliens, ‘kay?
Harry on the Way with Oven Cleaner
The LA Times’ Hero Complex is indulging in a Harry Potter countdown by posting new interviews every day until the movie premiere.
The first entry is from the scriptwriter on the joys of Jo Rowling’s attention to detail.
Well, something is up with Indy V
Shia LaBeouf lets the archeologist out of the fridge with the BBC: “Steven [Spielberg] just said he cracked the story on it before I left, and I think they’re gearing that up.”