Valve Teases Left 4 Dead DLC Reveal Soon, Simultaneous Xbox 360 Release

Solid details on the first batch of Left 4 Dead downloadable content should be out “shortly,” according to Valve writer Chet Faliszek. But, in true Valve tradition, it appears the announcement has already been postponed, as it was expected “before Christmas.”

Though details are light, Faliszek confirmed that the upcoming download will bring new scenarios, as “what we want to do is just deliver more content you can play at this point.” These new scenarios will be released on the “[Xbox] 360 at the same time as the PC,” instead of receiving a later Xbox 360 release a la Valve’s Team Fortress 2.

Owners of the PC version can also expect the long-promised SDK at some point, which should allow for the creation of custom maps, scenarios and other mods.

“We should be announcing that before Christmas, what the DLC is,” said Faliszek in a Kotaku video podcast, seemingly recorded December 15. “The holidays aren’t actually so much delaying it as the press guys–[marketing VP] Doug [Lombardi]‘s been taking some time. We’ll have an announcement shortly, I don’t know exactly when.”

As for a movie editor that would let users capture and edit in-game footage–something Valve apparently hinted at in an E3 interview–Faliszek merely noted that the team wants to make sure that playable content will be “the first out–after that, I hate to speculate.”

While pricing was not discussed, the new content is expected to be free for PC owners, continuing in Valve’s tradition of providing PC gamers with free post-release support. However, it is uncertain if the Xbox 360 DLC will be free, as Microsoft is apparently forcing Valve to charge for the upcoming Team Fortress 2 DLC on Xbox 360.

Source: ShackNews.com

Projected Manga Releases Down in 2009

The number of volumes of manga that publishers are planning to release in 2009 is down nearly 10% from the number actually released in 2008 according to a survey conducted by ICv2 for the ICv2 Guide #62–Anime and Manga. In the ICv2 manga survey at the end of 2007 publishers indicated that they planned to publish 1,731 volumes of manga, an 18% increase over the 1,468 volumes released in 2006, but the actual number of manga released in 2008 appears to be around 1,356 as publishers cut titles during the second half of the year. The total from ICv2’s 2009 Manga Survey indicates that publishers are planning to release 1,224.

After a solid first three quarters of 2008, independent retailers report that sales of manga slowed during the fourth quarter, and the major book chains also cut their graphic novel and manga orders for Q4 (see “Bookstores Feel the Pain”). Declining sales have put pressure on publishers that has manifested itself in layoffs at some publishers (see “Tokyopop Says Worst Retailing Environment”) and the decision to shut down Broccoli Books (see “Broccoli Books Shuts Down”).

The North American anime market has been suffering for several years now, and attrition has reduced the number of players. In the new Guide, ICv2 analyzes both the positive (the strength of the remaining players, the lowering of licensing fees and a reduction in what was, given the size of the market, a surfeit of releases) and the negative (continued high levels of illegal downloading, a shrinking anime footprint on American TV, the move away from packaged media toward Internet distribution) trends affecting the American anime industry.

For the full ICv2 Top 25 Manga Properties from this issue, see “ICv2 Top 25 Manga Properties Fall 2008.”

For the full ICv2 Top 10 Anime Properties from this issue, see “ICV2 Top 10 Anime Properties Fall 2008.”

For information on the release of ICv2 Guide #62: Manga/Anime, and information on how to get the ICv2 Guide, see “ICv2 Releases ‘ICv2 Guide #62: Manga/Anime’.”

Source: icv2.com

Previews: What If? Secret Wars

What If? Secret Wars will be arriving in comic book shops on January 2nd. Until then we’ve got a preview of this issue courtesy of Marvel Comics.

“From the Watcher’s Datalog: When a handful of Earth’s heroes and villains were kidnapped across several light years to the alien Battleworld to fight a Secret War, Doctor Doom thought he’d successfully stolen the power of the cosmic entity called the Beyonder. However, Doom was unaware he had only stolen a portion of the Beyonder’s near limitless abilities and the tables were turned, stripping the uber-villain of his newfound godhood. But what if…? What if events occurred differently? What if Doom discovered his mistake before it was too late and won the Secret War? In other words…’What If Doctor Doom Kept the Beyonder’s Power?’ And featuring the conclusion of a special five part back-up story, ‘What if the Runaways Became the Young Avengers?’ In this issue ‘Young Avengers Assemble!’”

Written by Karl Bollers and C.B. Cebulski, with art by Jorge Molina and Patrick Spaziante and a cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Marko Djurdjevic.

Source: ComicNews.info

New Comics Shipping For The Week Of 12/31/2008

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Video Review – Angel RPG by Eden Studios

This is part two of our posts on Eden Studios‘ line of Cinematic Unisystem titles. This time around it’s all about Angel, the RPG, the Core Rulebook.

Bright eyes, beautiful people, and broken promises fill the fabulous parties and elegant conference rooms. Loneliness, despair, and hunger haunt the city streets and tenement apartments. In Los Angeles, the facade makes the heartache all the more bitter.

Worse still, the shadows hide more than human misery. Vampires stalk alleys and boardrooms; demons linger over murders and plan conquest; evil lawyers cover tracks, set up schemes, and bring expensive brainpower to the diabolical. Over it all, the end of existence looms.

Inside this gorgeous tome, we’ll show you how. Here, you will find:

• An introduction to roleplaying and the Angelverse
• A guide to character creation, including pre-constructed Heroes and White Hats, as well as the entire Angel Investigations Cast, for your quick-play pleasure
• The Angel Unisystem, streamlined for cinematic action and adventure
• A primer on not-so-normal abilities, from magic and psychic arts to demon and supernatural powers
• Rules for creating special organizations-anything from law firms to detective agencies to hunter societies
• A guide to the people and places of the City of Angels
• A rundown on the wicked, including vampires, demons, zombie cops, and other critters
• Blow-by-blow instructions for creating Angel roleplaying Episodes, Seasons and Series
• A complete Episode to hit the streets and start investigating right away

Here’s Kurt Wiegel again to talk about the Angel RPG Core Rulebook: Read more

Disney Pulls Out of Third ‘Narnia’ Film

Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media have confirmed that for budgetary and logistical reasons the Burbank-based studio is not exercising its option to co-produce and co-finance The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader with Walden.

The Hollywood Reporter says the third installment was in preproduction and set for a spring shoot for a planned May 2010 release. The development puts the participation of the talent attached in doubt, adds the trade. Michael Apted was on board to direct a script by Steven Knight. The key players of the second installment, “Prince Caspian” — Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, William Moseley and Anna Popplewell — were to return for the third film.

Walden has a strong relationship with the C.S. Lewis estate and will shop “Treader” in hopes of finding a new partner. The most likely candidate at this stage is Fox, which markets and distributes Walden fare under the Fox Walden banner.

Any partnership on a “Narnia” movie will require a substantial investment, however. “Caspian,” which filmed in the Czech Republic, Mexico and New Zealand, cost $200 million. The first film, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” was shot mostly in New Zealand for $180 million.

Source: ComingSoon.net

Judge Says that Fox Owns Rights to Watchmen

United States District Court judge Gary A. Feess concluded on Wednesday that 20th Century Fox should prevail on crucial issues in their lawsuit with Warner Bros over the rights to the comic book movie adaptation Watchmen.

Feess says that “Fox owns a copyright interest consisting of, at the very least, the right to distribute the Watchmen motion picture. The parties may wish to turn their efforts from preparing for trial to negotiating a resolution of this dispute or positioning the case for review.”

What does this mean for the Watchmen film? Well, I’m no lawyer but it basically sounds like Warner Bros does not have any rights to distribute this film. There are several options available for the Warners. They could take this through the appeals courts or negotiate with Fox.

Not to long ago the LA Times ran a piece concerning the case and here was what they thought would wind up happening.
“The more likely outcome is Fox studio chief Tom Rothman or Warners’ head Alan Horn striking some sort of compromise deal in which the studios share the movie’s costs and proceeds. But because Warners already is sharing the portion of the film it didn’t sell to Paramount with financing partner Legendary Pictures, the studio doesn’t have that much to divvy up.”

I think a deal get’s done. Will Watchmen keep it’s March release date? That I am not certain of but it doesn’t look promising.

Source: ComicNews.info

Funimation Acquires Rights To ‘Nabari no Ou’ & ‘Vandread’

Funimation Entertainment has announced that it has acquired rights to the 26-episode ninja-themed Nabari no Ou anime series from D. Rights Inc. Produced by J.C. Staff, the Nabari no Ou anime, which is based on a shonen manga by Yukhi Kamatami, aired in Japan earlier this year. Yen Press has acquired the rights to 10-volume (and still ongoing) Nabari no Ou manga, and plans to publish the first volume of the series in May of 2009.

Kunihisa Sugishima, who directed Speed Grapher, helmed the Nabari no Ou anime, which follows the adventures of a typical contemporary teen who is reluctantly drawn into a secret world of ninja intrigue. Funimation plans to release an English dub edition of Nabari no Ou in the U.S. in 2009.

Funimation has also acquired full rights to the Gonzo science fiction anime series Vandread, which Geneon released here in the U.S. back in 2002. Funimation will release both the 13 episode Vandread, which aired in Japan in 2000 and the 13-episode Vandread: The Second Stage, which was broadcast in Japan in 2001.

Source: icv2.com

Eartha Kitt dies at 81 – Rest In Peace

Even more sad Christmas news: CNN has reported that the singer and actress Eartha Kitt passed away today. She was 81.

Kitt was a woman of many talents, with her song “Santa Baby” getting gold last week. But perhaps she was most admired by the comic-reading set for her purring portrayal of Catwoman on the 1960s Adam West “Batman” television show.

According to representatives, Kitt died in New York after battling with colon cancer, her daughter Kitt Shapiro at her side. Read more

Merry Christmas from TC Games and More!

All of us at TC Games and More hope you all have a safe and warm holiday.

Now, what would you like for Christmas?

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