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Science fiction films are a staple of modern Hollywood's slate of blockbusters, with franchises that feature space-faring adventure, futuristic technology and other-worldly creatures being some of the highest-grossing movies of the last few decades. Science fiction movies also have a long history in Hollywood, dating all the way back to the classic films of Geroge Mellies like A Trip to the Moon.

But many science fiction films do not stand the test of time, or fail to meet the expectations of audiences on release, as evidenced by Roger Ebert's scathing reviews of many of the films he had to see in that genre. The worst that science fiction movies have to offer throw away the genre's roots in telling tales about deep themes, replacing human stories with cheap thrills.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Was a Bad Direction for the Franchise

Michael Bay frequently incurred the ire of film...

It’s truly an exciting time for gamers and fans of Hollywood’s most iconic actors, Henry Cavill and Gary Oldman, as they’ve finally given us a look at their avatars for the game that’s looking to shake up the industry, Squadron 42.

Cloud Imperium Cloud plans to redefine the space action genre with its upcoming title. (Image via Cloud Imperium Games)

Developed by Cloud Imperium Games(Cig), the minds behind Star Citizen, Squadron 42 is a long-awaited single-layer title that’s been under development for over a decade at this point. The addition of such big Hollywood names has undoubtedly added even more to the hype.

Star Citizen Spin-Off Squadron 42 Reveals Key Details and Characters The Star Citizen spin-off features a stellar cast of Hollywood actors. (Image via Cloud Imperium Games)

At last weekend’s CitizenCon, thousands of gamers flocked to Manchester, UK, to find out what’s coming...

Another horror franchise will soon be revived with a new reboot in the works for I Know What You Did Last Summer. As the new film moves forward with its production, the original movie can currently be streamed for free.

Right now, fans can watch I Know What You Did Last Summer on the free streaming platform Tubi. Released in 1997, the film is one of the most celebrated slasher movies of the decade, joining Scream as one of the best of its era. Both I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream also happen to be written by Kevin Williamson, who will direct the upcoming sequel Scream 7. The movie, directed by Jim Gillespie, was based on the original 1973 novel of the same name by Lois Duncan.

Related This 2014 Indie Horror Gem Is One of the Scariest Movies of the 21st Century

It Follows is one of the best horror films of the 2010s,...

We’ve talked about System Shock 2. We’ve reviewed the System Shock remake. And yet, we’ve never got to talking about the one that started it all back in 1994. Oddly, that seems fitting for a title that despite its acclaim that has only grown over the years, it was overshadowed upon its release by the likes of Doom. And yet, System Shock was nothing like Doom, despite being lumped into the crowd of “Doom clones” at the time. In fact, many of the mechanics that were introduced in System Shock (that weren’t in Doom) ended up becoming the standard for what we expect from our first-person shooters. Once all of the shooting was over, of course.

The year is 2072. You are an unnamed hacker who’s just been caught trying to get in the backdoor of TriOptimum Corporation’s network. As a result, you are brought aboard TriOptimum’s Citadel space station.

(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)

"Scary, absurd, inessential." That's how critic David Denby described director Renny Harlin's 1999 shark movie "Deep Blue Sea" in his review for The New Yorker. I think it's fair to say that history agrees with his first two points. That third point, however? That one has been challenged greatly as the film was a success in its day and has gained a much larger following in the years since its theatrical run. It's now a franchise with two direct-to-video sequels. More than that, one could easily make the argument that it's the second-best shark movie ever made, only behind Steven Spielgerg's all-time blockbuster classic "Jaws."

Spielberg didn't invent the shark movie with "Jaws," but there was very much a dividing line between...

Xbox 360 has been a pioneer when it comes to digital gaming. This legendary console was launched in 2005 at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. This seventh-generation console directly competed with the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii. With this console came the Xbox Live Arcade, starting the trend of digital storefronts for games.

However, digital games are way more convenient than physical games, but they lose their aura when players decide to jump on newer platforms. And this is exactly what’s going to happen with this iconic console’s storefront.

Xbox 360 Storefront to Shut Down on July 29

The Xbox 360 store will be officially closed from July 29. | Image Credit: Xbox.

According to Microsoft’s official Faq page, the company is officially going to close the Xbox 360 storefront on Monday, July 29, 2024, after almost two decades. That means you won’t be able to purchase or download any games and DLCs on the Xbox 360 console.

Suggested...

Max Payne is a very popular and beloved video game series that is known for its innovative gameplay and good story. The game’s protagonist was a former NYPD detective, who turned into a vigilante after the brutal murder of his family.

In 2008, Max Payne got a movie adaptation which was highly anticipated as the game’s story was captivating and fans always thought it was made for the big screen. But the movie didn’t perform very well and most fans think that’s the case because Mark Wahlberg was picked as the protagonist.

Mark Wahlberg’s Misfit Casting as Max Payne

Mark Wahlberg’s Portrayal as Max Payne | RatPac Entertainment

Mark Wahlberg is a great actor and can draw people to the theater but many fans thought that Wahlberg’s depiction of Max Payne was very poor. His portrayal lacked the depth and intensity that the character showed in video games.

The bigger the studio movie, the more moving pieces you have to contend with. You've got myriad departments toiling away on set design, set construction, costume design, sound design, stunts, visual effects, ladder storage and so much more. There's also the nettlesome matter of wrangling actors.

We kid actors because, for the most part, we love them. They're extraordinarily inventive creatures who can vanish into a part via Method burrowing or subtle, barely perceptible adjustments. They can get precious about their choices and throw a tantrum or ten, but if you earn their trust early on and talk to them like actual human beings they're marvelously directable. Hit the jackpot, and they'll make you look like a genius.

Oftentimes, the biggest problem with actors, especially on big productions, is availability. You book them for a certain chunk of time, and then they're off to the next gig. This can prove...

Mark Hamill has embodied several roles over his career. The most prominent, of course, is Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise (a role he almost lost to Robert Englund.) Others remember him for providing the voice of Batman's archenemy the Joker, and serving as a foil to the late, great Kevin Conroy. Recently, he took on voicing He-Man's nemesis Skeletor in Masters of the Universe: Revelation and its sequel Masters of the Universe: Revolution, both on Netflix. There's one role of Hamill's that not many people know about, and it happens to be a science fiction movie as well. That movie is Wing Commander, based on the video game of the same name.

With the actor’s strike finally over, Matthew Lillard can finally talk about the plum role he has in Five Nights at Freddy’s. In a recent THR interview, Lillard mentioned being thrilled about how fans have reacted to the film, noting:

“Being 53 years old — and being around the block a couple times — I have a much deeper sense of appreciation in this moment than I probably have ever had because I didn’t expect it. I realize that these opportunities don’t come around that often. It’s been a really rich, joyful moment because I can sort of sit back and appreciate it on a deeper level.”

Lillard’s character, who has a rich mythology in the game, could well wind-up being a recurring presence in the Five Nights at Freddy’s world, especially with the film such a huge hit in theaters and on Peacock. But, it turns...

With the releases of The Last of Us on HBO and The Super Mario Bros. Movie in theaters, video game adaptations have become part of the entertainment industry conversation in a major way. In old times, video games were seen as a poor source for adaptations; movies such as Double Dragon, Wing Commander, and House of the Dead made it appear as if the concept was cursed. However, more and more adaptations have broken this trend, proving to either be massively financially successful, massively critically successful, or both, creating a surge of interest in the medium.

With The Super Mario Bros. Movie pulling in record breaking numbers this weekend, we wanted to know what movie based on a video game has been your favorite. If you don’t see your favorite, click “Other” and let us know in the comments.

Favorite Video Game MovieSuper Mario Bros. (1993)Double Dragon (1994)Street Fighter (1994)Mortal Kombat (1995)Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)Wing Commander (1999)Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)Resident Evil (2002)Lara Croft: Tomb Raider- The Cradle of Life (2003)House of the Dead (2003)Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)Alone in the Dark (2005)Doom (2005)BloodRayne (2006)Silent Hill (2006)Doa: Dead or Alive (2006)Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)Postal (2007)Hitman (2007)In The Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2008)Far Cry (2008)Max Payne (2008)Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)Tekken (2010)Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)Silent Hill: Revelation (2012)Need For Speed (2014)Hitman: Agent 47 (2015)Warcraft (2016)Assassin’s Creed...

You just can’t get away from David Warner. Whether you’re watching an episode of Babylon 5 or hearing his voice as Ra’s al Ghul in Batman: The Animated Series, there’s a ubiquity to David Warner that all true fans of superheroes, science fiction, and fantasy know without thinking about it. Yes, Warner did a lot of work that wasn’t sci-fi or fantasy, but his omnipresence within those genres is partly what made him so beloved. Warner passed away recently at the age of 80, and because he’s been in soooo many things we’ve all loved, it feels difficult to accept that he’s gone.

It would be impossible to list every single one of Warner’s projects, so instead here is a curated David Warner movie marathon, highlighting some of his greatest sci-fi and fantasy hits, and a few deep cuts you may not have seen.

“Do you like scary movies?”

Nearly 25 years ago, “Scream” lit up theaters and revolutionized the horror genre. Directed by bloody maestro Wes Craven, the 1996 slasher flick poked fun at horror tropes of the ’70s and ’80s, delighted audiences with its buckets of blood and churned out four more sequels, the latest of which hits theaters in early 2022 and is aptly named “Scream.”

The original film starred a young cast with bright futures, though not all of their characters survived until the credits rolled. Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette are series mainstays, but the original “Scream” cast included Drew Barrymore, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, Jamie Kennedy and Rose McGowan as high schoolers terrorized by a killer in a ghostly mask. Throughout the film, the movie-obsessed friends debate the identity of Ghostface and share tips on surviving a horror movie, including don’t have sex, don’t drink or do...

Peter Lamont, a legendary production designer who worked on James Cameron’s “Aliens” and many of the James Bond films, and who won an Oscar for his work on Cameron’s “Titanic,” has died. He was 91.

Lamont’s death was announced on the 007 official Twitter account Friday alongside a photo of him on set of the 1964 Bond film “Goldfinger.” No other details about his passing were given.

“Peter Lamont was a much beloved member of the Bond family and a giant in the industry. Inextricably linked with the design and aesthetic of James Bond since ‘Goldfinger,'” 007 producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson said in a statement.

The statement continued: “He became production designer on ‘For Your Eyes Only’ (1981) working on 18 of the 25 films, including nine as production designer. He was a true success story proving that with talent and hard work you will achieve your dreams. He won...

On July 28, 1999 Renny Harlin’s Deep Blue Sea swam into theaters and was the first big shark movie to terrify audiences. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Saffron Burrows, LL Cool J (“In the House”), Thomas Jane (“The Thin Red Line”) and Michael Rapaport (“Cop Land”), the thriller grossed over $73 million.

Fans of the beasties wanted more. Deep Blue Sea 2 debuted in July 2018 and was released direct-to-video.

Today, Deep Blue Sea 3 is available to watch, so dive in for the deadliest, bloodiest return to the deep blue sea yet.

https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/deep-blue-sea-3

Welcome to Little Happy, a tiny man-made island in the Mozambique Channel that’s home to a flourishing nursery of marine life, where Great Whites come to mate and give birth every year. This peaceful conservatory is overseen by Emma Collins and her team of environmentalists, determined to continue her late father’s legacy. This idyllic...

Over the last few decades, entertainment mediums have increasingly become more intertwined than ever before, merging to bring us unique and inspirational audio-visual experiences that we might never have imagined in the past.

In the digital age, whether it’s via desktop or mobile devices, we can now download video games and movies in a matter of moments thanks to high speed internet connections. Sometimes, we can download and enjoy an epic movie, then play a video game based on that movie, which is just as epic. The difference with a video game is that we can become the protagonist, changing the course of a story to suit our own preferences.

We now have video games based on movie franchises, and vice-versa, with movie franchises based around video games becoming increasingly popular. Resident Evil, Tomb Raider and Hitman have all transitioned quite well from games console to cinema screens, even...

What do porn stars do when their lives in the adult film industry end? That’s the question at the heart of documentary filmmaker Bryce Wagoner’s film “After Porn Ends,” its sequel, “After Porn Ends 2,” and its new follow-up, “After Porn Ends 3.” The film looks at the tragedies and successes of people who left an industry that famously uses up young talent. Some have no regrets about their years in the industry. For others, a career in the adult industry has proven to be a conduit to certain despair. Johnnie Keyes: Johnnie wasn’t the first black adult performer, but he was the first black Porn Star. Coming from poverty he enlisted in the army and became a champion boxer. Using the GI Bill he got a drama degree and starred in Jesus Christ, Superstar. After a chance casting in Behind the Green Door, he found himself...

Matthew Byrd May 3, 2019

The Star Citizen story somehow just got stranger thanks to a new report that reveals the insanity behind the game's development.

A new report by Forbes on the development of Star Citizen includes some quotes from people close to the game that shed a little more light on the extent of Cloud Imperium Games' money mismanagement and questionable design direction.

"As the money rolled in, what I consider to be some of [Roberts’] old bad habits popped up—not being super-focused,” said Mark Day, a former Wing Commander producer whose company was hired to work on Star Citizen back in 2013. "It had got out of hand, in my opinion. The promises being made—call it feature creep, call it whatever it is—now we can do this, now we can do that. I was shocked.”

Day and others speak about Roberts' tendency to serve as an ideas man...

Matthew Byrd Oct 17, 2018

The unbelievable success of Star Citizen continues a million dollars at a time.

Ok, who keeps giving money to the Star Citizen team?

Following the release of the star-studded trailer for Star Citizen's Squadron 42 single-player campaign, Roberts Space Industries (the game's parent company) reported that they received $379,254 on October 10 and $600,000 over the next three days. This brings the game's lifetime funding total to an astonishing $195,768,020. If you measure its untraditional funding and release structure against the funding and release structure of other games, then Star Citizen is currently the fourth most expensive game ever made. 

Before we go any further, it should be noted that this astonishing amount can be attributed to more than just the release of a trailer. Star Citizen's alpha 3.3 was released to the game's public test servers. It's a somewhat substantial release (at least in the context of this game) that not only...

Oscar-winning set decorator Michael Ford, who worked on franchises including Star Wars, Bond and Indiana Jones, has died aged 90.

During a glittering career, Ford won Oscars for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration in 1982 for Raiders Of The Lost Ark and in 1998 for his work on Titanic. He also received Academy Award nominations for his work on Star Wars films The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi.

Born in the UK, Ford’s career began in the 1960s. Early movie credits in the 1970s included comedies Up The Front and The Alf Garnett Saga while popular TV shows from the same decade included Space: 1999 and The New Avengers. In the 1980s he worked on movies such as The Living Daylights, six-time Oscar-winner Empire Of The Sun and Licence To Kill while in 1995 Ford worked on his third Bond title, GoldenEye. His final film was adventure sci-fi Wing Commander in...

Ford’s credits included Titantic and Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back.

Michael Ford, the two-time Oscar-winning set decorator whose credits included Titanic, several James Bond films and Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back has died at the age of 90.

Ford began his career in the early 1970s, working as an assistant art director on several UK features including Up The Front and The Alf Garnett Saga. He also held the same position on TV series The New Avengers.

In 1980, he took up the position of set decorator on sci-fi blockbuster Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back,...

Ford’s credits included Titantic and Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back.

Michael Ford, the two-time Oscar-winning set decorator whose credits included Titanic, several James Bond films and Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back has died at the age of 90.

Ford began his career in the early 1970s, working as an assistant art director on several UK features including Up The Front and The Alf Garnett Saga. He also held the same position on TV series The New Avengers.

In 1980, he took up the position of set decorator on sci-fi blockbuster Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back,...

Congratulations, Brad Peyton: You’re the director of the best video game movie of all time.

On the surface, that’s less an honorific and more a line of dubious praise. It takes real effort to be the best at anything, of course, but the bar for video game movies is set low enough that it demands another, even lower bar to record accurate measurements. Do a Google search for “video game movie lists.” The results range from “tolerable when drunk” to “soul-crushingly bleak”: Angry Birds, Resident Evil entries 1 to 6, Assassin’s Creed, Wing Commander, In the Name of the King: A...

It’s time to catch up with some of the most interesting cinema-centric books of the last few months, and it’s a diverse list. There’s some Lego, some Nolan, some Star Wars (of course), and even some vintage Stan Brakhage. That’s range.

Off the Cliff: Making of Thelma & Louise by Becky Aikman (Penguin Press)

The career of Ridley Scott is full of peaks and valleys. One of the peaks was the release of Thelma & Louise in 1991. The cultural impact of this story of two female outlaws cannot be overstated, and Becky Aikman’s account of the making of the film helps explain why. Thelma & Louise involved a unique cast of characters, including stars Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis, as well as a young hunk named Brad Pitt. But the most memorable figures here are Scott, who knew his career needed a change but could not originally see...

Wing Commander (1999) Director: Chris Roberts Stars: Freddie Prinze Jr., Matthew Lillard, Saffron Burrows Today marks the return of director Luc Besson to the world of sci-fi adventure with Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets, so Awfully Good Movies is about to fly to the galaxy of a less exciting intergalactic voyage: 1999's Wing Commander, starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and Matthew... Read More...

Prince William shared a special moment with a WWII veteran as he attended an air display to mark the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight on Tuesday.

The royal dad is patron of the Flight, which was formed to honor the planes involved in the Battle of Britain.

William arrived at Raf Coningsby in Lincolnshire by helicopter before spending time with the veterans. During his visit, he made a special connection with 99-year-old veteran Ken Wilkinson when he bent down to talk to him in his wheelchair.

It’s a touching move that William’s late mother,...

Another week, another episode – this time retro themed – of the Pop Addled podcast, part of the ever-growing podcast roster here on Nerdly!

Pop Addled is a pop culture podcast with nerd tendencies. Join Keenan, Sam and Timmy as they discuss movies, music, video games, sports, TV, comics, and any intersection thereof. Their brains have been thoroughly addled by pop culture and they’re here to share their twisted thoughts with you!

If you haven’t heard the show yet, you can check out old episode on Libsyn and iTunes; and we’ll be bringing you the latest episodes from here on out…

Retro Movie Special – Wing Commander (1999)

It’s time for the next movie on the list of our video game movie retro specials. This time we watched Wing Commander. Ben, who you might remember from Top 5 worst changes to Star Wars, joins Timmy and Keenan as they discuss this gem from 1999. Please rate,...

A few days ago, developer and publisher Cloud Imperium Games released the latest monthly developer diary for their gigantic space exploration game Star Citizen. Check it out below. Directed by Wing Commander creator Chris Roberts, Star Citizen raised an incredible… Continue Reading →

The post $149 Million Budget Game Star Citizen Gets a Stunning New Development Diary appeared first on Dread Central.

Tim Curry has stolen my heart and he’s taking it into Communist space.

Full-Motion Video games were a mid- to late-1990s fad that were either semi-playable movies (where you shot at bad guys running on screen) or incorporated live-action cutscenes into otherwise animated games. Think Who Framed Roger Rabbit? but on your grandma’s PC. They’re usually all as silly as you’d imagine, either aimed at a younger audience delighted to watch some over-the-top fantasy or an older audience wowed by the possibilities of technology. It seems like the perfect home for character actors and infomercial escapees to camp it up with little career risk and some quick cash, right?

The weird thing is how many A-list actors — or at least people you’d never expect — appeared in these games. What’s even weirder is how crazy most of their roles were. Nobody’s a heartfelt dramatic lead, they...

The very first movie trailer debuted in November, 1913. It showed backstage rehearsal footage of an upcoming production of the musical The Pleasure Seekers. The actual play itself debuted the same month.

In contrast, today you can catch the sneak peak to the first look of the first cut of the promotional trailer of any given movie upwards of a full year before the actual film is released. How starved for content is our culture?

Think now, how literally days into pre-production of a given franchise the hype machine starts a’rollin’. When George Lucas and his menagerie sneezed a bit too loud, Entertainment Weekly and any other number of film blogs lit the net on fire. Speculation then is answered by some unseen specter of a source, second-handed, to an iffy-looking kid with a smartphone. And soon enough, Donald Glover is pitching to be young Lando.

Smash cut to the...

All it takes is a glimpse back on the annals of cinema history to realize that nothing particularly memorable has come from bringing a hit video game over to the big screen. Sure, the long-running Resident Evil franchise has proved it can rein in box office loot, and a lucky few like Mortal Kombat and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (both of which are set for reboots, natch) have developed cult followings despite their considerable flaws. However, more often than not, video game films wind up in the “how the hell did this get made?” file of film lore. Think cinematic disasters like Super Mario Bros., Wing Commander, Alone in the Dark and many others that have categorically cemented the near-impossibility of making a beloved video game property work as a narrative feature film.

This year could have changed all that. With Warcraft angling to be the next Lord of the Rings,...

Matthew Byrd Sep 11, 2019

Here's everything we know about System Shock 3, including latest news, release date, trailers, and more!

System Shock 3 is officially a go as OtherSide Entertainment, as development begins on this highly-anticipated sequel.

Even better, OtherSide Entertainment confirmed that Warren Spector will be leading System Shock 3's development team. That team also includes tech director Jason Hughes (Wing Commander and Epic Mickey), design director Sheldon Pacotti (lead writer of the first two Deus Ex games), art director Arturo Pulecio, and a host of developers who worked on the original System Shock that include Creative Director Paul Neurathm and Lead Designer Tim Stellmach.  

To put it another way, OtherSide Entertainment has assembled a bonafide all-star team of gaming experts and series veterans to go to work on a sequel that is, roughly, 17 years in the making. 

Sadly, we know painfully little about this game, which would seem to indicate that...

So, we’re almost at the halfway point for movie year 2016. Since we’re a few weeks into the Summer flick season, the studios are trying to hedge their bets (and investments) by delivering entertainment with a recognizable name. There’s been a glut of sequels (two this very weekend), and two franchise films based on comic book characters (Cap’s latest is the year’s biggest hit). Hmmm, what other properties are ripe for cinematic exploitation? Ah yes, games! Just a few weeks ago Angry Birds, an animated romp based on an “app”, grabbed the number one box office slot from the shield-slinger! And this weekend sees a live action/CGI-animated hybrid based on an immensely popular on-line video game that began 22 years ago. Now, the studios have been trying to lure game players into the multiplex for years, well over twenty since those Super Mario Brothers made the...

To proclaim that film adaptations of video games have a spotty history of box office success would be an understatement. In fact, the only such effort to inspire more than a single big-screen sequel has been Resident Evil, and most attempts to achieve similar success have resulted in epic disasters like Super Mario Bros., Wing Commander and Bloodrayne over the years. So, it’s worth noting that Ratchet & Clank – the first feature-length film based on the massively successful video game series – had the odds stacked against it from the start.

Whereas some video game films (like the aforementioned Mario adventure) are misguided enough to disregard the mythology that fans have grown to love, the narrative of Ratchet & Clank remains remarkably true to the 2002 game that launched the franchise as well as the revamped PlayStation 4 version that recently hit shelves. The story chronicles the origin story of the titular heroes (voiced...

Prince William and Princesss Kate made an emotional trip back to where they spent the first years of their married life on Thursday. The couple visited William's former airbase in North Wales to say a poignant farewell to the helicopter search-and-rescue service that is coming to an end after more than 75 years of search-and-rescue operations at Royal Air Force Valley. William, 33, and Kate, 34, who stunned in a deep red coat from one of her go-to designers, Lk Bennett (a royal rewear!) and a chic dark brown hat by Lock & Co, arrived on the base by helicopter. The event commemorated the...

Chris Roberts, creator of the Wing Commander series who now presides over the development of Star Citizen, has offered an update on the game’s first-person shooter component, and how it differs from its genre contemporaries.

Kick-starting an informative new video series entitled “10 from the Chairman,” today’s information dump gauges the shooting mechanics that fans can expect to see in the final, consumer-ready build of Cloud Imperium Games’ ambitious title, which is set to be much “more lethal” than those found in Call of Duty.

Rather than the hyper-kinetic set-up that allows players to run and gun at will, Star Citizen‘s first-person shooter sections will require an element of tactical play. Stealth is one of your most precious tools in Robert’s crowdfunded title, and here the Game Director specifies why that separates Star Citizen from the pack.

“Absolutely. That is part of the core design,” Roberts said in the video,...

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The $90m+ Star Citizen adds some major names to its voice cast...

In crowdfunding terms, Star Citizen is an absolute behemoth. According to the developer, Cloud Imperium, the space sim recently crossed the $90m mark, which places it among the most expensive videogames yet made. Then again, the money flung in the game's direction by its estimated one million backers makes sense when you consider its pedigree: Star Citizen's director is Chris Roberts, the game designer behind the hugely popular Wing Commander series. 

Nor is it necessarily difficult to see where the money's going, particularly in light of its recent announcement. At CitizenCon, the game's annual fan jamboree, the single-player mode's voice cast was announced - and it's about as starry as you could possibly expect.

Mark Hamill and John Rhys-Davies, both veterans from Wing Commander, make return appearances. They're joined by Gary Oldman, Mark Strong, Gillian Anderson,...

Gary Oldman, Gillian Anderson, Andy Serkis, Mark Strong, Ben Medelsohn, Harry Treadaway, Jack Huston and Mark Hamill are set to lead the star-studded cast of the upcoming major video game title "Star Citizen". Rhona Mitra, John Rhys Davies, Liam Cunningham, Sophie Wu and Craig Fairbrass also star in the PC space simulator which is actually made up of two components.

While the full game is a massive multiplayer ongoing universe along the lines of others in this field such as "Eve Online," this one also features a more traditional story-based single-player campaign element titled "Squadron 42" built on the CryEngine (the "Crysis" games) and with Oculus Rift support. All these cast members are a part of this 'Squadron 42' element which is dubbed the "spiritual successor to Wing Commander".

The story is set in a 30th-century Milky Way and centers on the fictional United Empire of Earth, a galactic analogue of the late Roman Empire.

What a time to be alive. With no fewer than 17 video game adaptations currently in development with movie studios of various descriptions – seven of which have planned release dates – it almost seems as if someone, somewhere, thinks they have found the secret formula that makes these endeavours potentially good. Why else would producers continue to pour their funds into a genre that has previously delivered such gems as Doa: Dead Or Alive, Wing Commander, Alone In The Dark, Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun Li and, of course, Double Dragon?

Perhaps technology has a lot to do with it. Just as the technical quality of video games has increased exponentially in the twenty seven years since the release of Double Dragon, so film technology has also progressed in the two decades since the release of its film adaptation. It is not possible to create a great movie using only visual effects,...

Blazing a trail in 1995, Hackers tackled web culture on screen before the internet really took off. The cyber-thriller helped kick-start the career of a major Hollywood A-lister and swiftly became a cult classic thanks to its Hacker Manifesto.

As Hackers celebrates its 20th birthday today (September 15), here's what happened to the six stars who made up the cyber-punk crew.

Angelina Jolie

Hackers handle: Acid Burn

In 1995, Jolie was a fast-rising 20-year-old actress with Cyborg 2 and some big music videos (including Meat Loaf, Lenny Kravitz and The Lemonheads) on her CV. New York Times critic Janet Maslin was non too plussed about Jolie's performance, saying of her character: "Kate stands out. That's because she scowls even more sourly than [her co-stars] and is that rare female hacker who sits intently at her keyboard in a see-through top."

Now, the 40-year-old is an Oscar-winning superstar with humanitarian work spanning more than a decade and...

Not content with giving Shakespeare a "grimdark" makeover in the forthcoming Macbeth, for his next trick Michael Fassbender will attempt to redeem that most derided of genres – the video game movie. As star and co-producer of a big screen adaptation of Ubisoft's stab-happy Assassin's Creed franchise, Fassbender is going where few A-listers have previously ventured. Can he bring credibility to this most scorned of cinematic sub-species?

It may comfort Fassbender to know he doesn't walk into the (uncanny) valley of potential professional suicide alone. By the time Fassassin's Creed (as we're calling it) reaches screens circa December 2016 the world will already have passed judgment on Moon director Duncan Jones's Warcraft, a $100 million plus riff on popular Mmorpg World Of Warcraft. That's two A-list video game adaptations within a year – a state of affairs unimaginable ever since the crash and burn of the Bob Hoskins-fronted $50 million dud Super Mario...

Not content with giving Shakespeare a "grimdark" makeover in the forthcoming Macbeth, for his next trick Michael Fassbender will attempt to redeem that most derided of genres – the video game movie. As star and co-producer of a big screen adaptation of Ubisoft's stab-happy Assassin's Creed franchise, Fassbender is going where few A-listers have previously ventured. Can he bring credibility to this most scorned of cinematic sub-species?

It may comfort Fassbender to know he doesn't walk into the (uncanny) valley of potential professional suicide alone. By the time Fassassin's Creed (as we're calling it) reaches screens circa December 2016 the world will already have passed judgment on Moon director Duncan Jones's Warcraft, a $100 million plus riff on popular Mmorpg World Of Warcraft. That's two A-list video game adaptations within a year – a state of affairs unimaginable ever since the crash and burn of the Bob Hoskins-fronted $50 million dud Super Mario...

It’s almost August and that means Netflix is about to give their content a refresh. Some of the notable titles leaving include: Family Ties: Season 1-7, Unbreakable, and Titanic. So if you haven’t seen some of these titles, plan your nights accordingly. We of course can look forward more than a few new titles including The Hurt Locker, White God (pictured above), and Girl Meets World season 1.

Available August 1

Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein (1999)

In this animated adventure, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore revel in their new gig at a movie theme park by wandering the grounds after hours. Among the attractions is the spooky Frankenstein’s Castle, where a real mad scientist is bringing the monster to life. But when the boys cross paths with the creature (Frank Welker), they soon learn that appearances can be deceiving, and Frankenstein is more misunderstood than malevolent.

Asylum (2005)

A...

New on Netflix in August: The original series "Narcos," about Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, starring Wagner Moura of "Elysium;" and the site's first Spanish-language original series, "Club de Cuervos," about a brother and sister who inherit a soccer team.

You'll also be able to stream the critically acclaimed film "White Dog," Best Picture Oscar winner "The Hurt Locker," the Kristin Wiig dramedy "Welcome to Me," and Simon Pegg as an assassin in "Kill Me Three Times."

There are also new episodes of "Doctor Who," "Revenge," "Once Upon a Time," "Transporter: The Series," and "GIrl Meets World." Happy binging!

Here's a full rundown of what's new on Netflix in August 2015, provided by Netflix. As always, all titles and dates are subject to change. We've also go you covered in terms of what's leaving Netflix in August 2015, in case you were wondering.​

Available August 1

"Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein" (1999)

"Asylum...

We may remember Independence Day, The Matrix, The Phantom Menace. But what about these forgotten 90s sci-fi films? And are any worth seeing?

Think back to the science fiction cinema of the 1990s, and some of the decade's biggest box-office hits will immediately spring to mind: The Phantom Menace, Jurassic Park, Independence Day, Men In Black, Armageddon and Terminator 2 were all in the top 20 most lucrative films of the era.

But what about the sci-fi films of the 1990s that failed to make even close to the same cultural and financial impact of those big hitters? These are the films this list is devoted to - the flops, the straight-to-video releases, the low-budget and critically-derided. We've picked 50 live-action films that fit these criteria, and dug them up to see whether they're still worth watching in the 21st century.

So here's a mix of everything from hidden classics to forgettable dreck,...

Prince William, a seven-months pregnant Princess Kate and Prince George are settling back into life in chilly Britain after a blissful Caribbean vacation. The royals jetted back to the U.K. late last week after about two weeks in a posh resort on the island of Mustique. There, along with Kate's family, the couple enjoyed the sea and took strolls and made the most of their time with 18-month-old George before the future heir's little brother or sister arrives. About to start her third trimester, Kate is due in April. At the center of the family break was a discreet...

Indie developers Storm Isle Productions is nearing completion on their kickstarter and need your help.

Storm Isle Productions, based out of West Virginia, has taken their love of the real time strategy game NetStorm: Islands at War and are working to expand the mythos in their indie game, Disiples of the Storm, working with Netstorm's original talents, Jim Greer, Beverly Garland, and artist Morgan Ogburn.

As of Sunday night they have four days to complete their kickstarter but are lacking a little over half of their $50,000 goal. That's where y'all come in. If you are a fan of the original Rts Netstorm then you will enjoy this game just as much.

Disciples of the Storm (Dots) is a unique, fast-paced, real-time-strategy game which will have some elements of role playing. Dots game play takes place on the world of Sonus, shattered by a continuous war among the Tempests of Rain,...

One of the hallmarks of ‘90s gaming that I’m still trying to forget is the fascination with full-motion video. For a few years, games were really obsessed with putting in digitized footage of real actors to make them seem more “real” – but what mostly happened was we got to watch a lot of C-list celebrities (hi, Dana Plato!) stumble their way through games that were neither entertaining nor fun. Not every full-motion video game was a dud, though. There’s something completely charming about the hammy performances found in games like Dracula Unleashed. Then there’s Wing Commander III – which is free today on EA’s Origin service. Wing Commander III is not a great game, but I'll be damned if it doesn’t have a great...

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Peter Charles Marquardt, an actor and video-game producer who played the drug kingpin villain in El Mariachi and appeared in other Robert Rodriguez films as well, died in Austin July 19, at the age of 50, an Austin funeral home has confirmed. Marquardt also appeared in Rodriguez’s films Desperado and Spy Kids 3D: Game Over, as well as several short films. Separately, he was voice talent and an associate producer for Austin-based Ion Storm on several video games, most notably Deus Ex in 2000 and Wing Commander IV in 1996, and was co-producer on one game, Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3. A funeral director at Cook-Walden/Forest Oaks Funeral […]...