Gamertell

When it was announced that Max Payne, the third-person action game developed by Rockstar, would receive the cinematic treatment, gamers were excited. After all, the game was regarded as one of the best in terms of storytelling and thus did an excellent job in allowing players to empathize with Payne’s various tribulations throughout the experience.

Sadly, those heightened expectations did not lead to critical praise, as it was roundly criticized by reviewers left and right. By the time the dust settled, Max Payne would end up being dismissed by everyone as just another failed example of a video game property making an…

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During Comic Con 2008, many games and comics were featured. And who wouldn’t want to attend a special preview of today’s most talented directors and animators create independent film masterpieces. The Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival consisted of movies that fell into seven categories: action/adventure, animation, comics-oriented, documentary, humor/parody, horror and science fiction/fantasy. On July 27, 2008, the top films in each category were announced and awarded.

This year’s Comic-Con International: Independent Film Festival are…

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Marc Silvestri, the owner of Top Cow Comics confirmed last week on his MySpace page that Top Cow’s popular heroine Witchblade is coming to the big screen in 2009.

Filming for the comic-to-film adaption of Witchblade is scheduled to begin September 2008. So far, Platinum Studios the developers of the film are planning for a 2009 release. A cast has not yet been announced yet but it looks like…

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The popular anime and videogame series Dragonball is about to go live on the silver screen. No joke. In fact, actress Jamie Chung has just been casted as Goku’s love interest, Chi Chi, and will join Justin Chatwin (Goku) and James Marsters (Piccolo) have already been casted in the live-action adaptation of the popular Japanese comic Dragonball.

The film will be produced by Stephen Chow, a successful Japanese cultural export of all time, and directed by James Wong. The setting of this film is a science fiction action-adventure that will center on an adult humanoid alien named Goku who, after discovering he was sent to Earth to destroy the population, tries to fulfill the wish of his dying grandfather and collect all seven of the world’s mystical Dragon Balls to keep them out of the hands of the evil aliens.

Fans of the game and anime franchise already know the back story of the series and I’m sure will be cautious about the live action release for fear of disappointment. And who wouldn’t, the series has grown since its first release in Japan.

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This seasons marks one of the lowest points in television history as a number of high profile shows will only have half of their normal seasons run while others like Lost and 24, might not air at all.

While this year is certainly a downer for the TV industry, this season has marked one of the brightest years for the gaming industry. As we enter into the first weeks of the holiday season a number of high profile games have already been released across the board, on all gaming platforms. Whether you are a Wii lover and can’t get enough of Mario Galaxy, a 360 fan boy who is spending your nights fragging your buddies on Xbox Live or a devoted PS3 follower who just knows that great things are around the corner for your beloved system, this holiday seasons has already gotten off to a great start and certainly has a title or genre for just about everyone.

Already a number of great games have come out, and for once, living up to their hype. Halo 3 certainly kicked off this season as it helped Microsoft post their first positive revenue ever, even helping the Xbox do the unthinkable by surpassing the Playstation 3 in sales over in Japan.

Other third parties-titles including Call of Duty 4, Assassin’s Creed and the Orange Box have reminded us why you spent that $400 to $500 bucks for your system to begin with.

Even the latest outing for Mario has become the highest rated game in history.

With so much to keep your attention away from the boob-tub, is there really enough time to watch reruns of shows you stopped caring about long before the strike? The only real question for gamers that remains - one that you might have asked your self years ago when television was still relevant before we were bombarded by reality shows, rehashed dramas and cookie-cutter comedies - is what should you devote your time, money and energy too this holiday season?

Read [Orlando Sentinel] Also Read [Los Angeles Times]

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Depending how you look at it, Marvel Comics Digital Comics is either the end of comic books as we know it or the beginning of a new era for the struggling comic book industry.

To combat the lost of mainstream sales in the direct market, Marvel Comics will now offer its complete lineup of heroes for online reading and download. For a monthly fee of $4.99 (billed as one payment of $59.88) or a general $9.99 per month fee, fans of such heroes as the X-Men, Spider-man, The Avengers and Captain America can now forgo heading to their local comic book store and instead view these and more including new titles from the comfort of their own home. Fans can also relive classic adventures, milestones and major events in the Marvel Universe.

While this might be the best way for the industry to survive for the short-term future, part of the real joy about comic books has always been the collectors’ market. Building your own collection until your basement and closets are to the breaking point has been a staple for the fan for years. With the digital age upon us now, it might be interesting how the most hardcore and loyal of comic book fans view Marvel’s step into new media. Whether it will be embraced or rejected by the most harden of fans and general public, we shall have to wait and see. 

One can not ignore that in recent years however, that comic book based properties have become an important fixture in both the movie and video game industries. Repeatedly shattering weekend box office records and a growing list comic book-based based properties including Iron Man, Watchmen, The Incredible Hulk and Batman: The Dark Knight all do to be released summer 2008 with video games to no doubt follow, the same growth can’t be said for comic books industry. Online shopping, large chain retailers and illegal downloads have forced a number of comic book stores to close their doors, there has been growing doubt as to what and if, the comic industry can survive into the next century.

For the film and gaming industry, which seems to have trouble finding original-proven materials to develop, comic books have been the go-to source for future film and game properties. A number of high-value franchises including Spider-man, X-Men, Batman and Superman all of which have a built in audience and fan following have been real eye-openers for those who doubted that the American public no longer cared for our classic heroes. Marvel Comic is now banking that they can grab this growing fan following of these film and cross them over into the digital age. Whether or not this will change the face of collecting, time will be the ultimate judge for the industry.

Read [Geek Alerts] Also Read [PC World] Site [Marvel Digital Comics]

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The cast list has been announced for Uwe Boll’s latest game-based movie masterpiece, including the talents of Rick Yune (Fast and the Furious, Die Another Day), Lance Hendriksen (Pumpkinhead, Aliens) and Ralf Moeller (Far Cry, Postal, Seed). The storyline will involve a band of witch hunters and their prey.

The film is set to begin shooting…

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