Tag Archives: Media

Ghost in the Shell’s rad PS1 soundtrack is finally coming to the West

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The soundtrack to the spider-bot-crawling 1997 Ghost in the Shell game adaptation is coming to the West for the first time. Titled Ghost in the Shell: Megatech Body (as an ode to the Fuchikoma mech you pilot in the game), the soundtrack was produced by Takkyu Ishino. It’s available to pre-order on iam8bit ahead of its 2025 release.

The PS1 game adaptation had late-90s gamers piloting a spider-like mech (first appearing in the 1991 manga), blasting enemies to smithereens with twin machine guns and guided missiles. Masamune Shirow, the original manga’s author, wrote and illustrated its story and art design.

But as 90s shooters often figured out, firing guns nonstop for hours on end is much better with a badass techno soundtrack pumping in the background like an energy drink for your ears. In addition to Ishino, it includes “warehouse-shaking bangers” from Mijk Van Dijk, The Advent, Joey Beltram and Brother from Another Planet (among others).

Promo for the Ghost in the Shell soundtrack coming to the west. Details about three different versions.
iam8bit

The soundtrack album first arrived in Japan alongside the game in 1997 in a single-disc version and an expanded two-disc limited edition. In an apparent nod to the original, the 2025 soundtrack for the West will be available on CD (23 tracks), a double LP (11 tracks) and a 12-inch picture disc ( a “carefully curated” six tracks).

You can now pre-order the three Ghost in the Shell: Megatech Body variants on iam8bit. The CD (packaged in a “stunning 3D lenticular case”) costs $43, the vinyl version is $55 and the picture disc (which comes on an illustrated two-sided disc that pays homage to the original release) costs $50. The soundtrack is expected to arrive in Q2 2025.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/the-ghost-in-the-shell-ps1-soundtrack-is-finally-coming-to-the-west-194447885.html?src=rss

Do you want a giant Redbox machine? Now’s your chance

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Redbox is as dead as disco, but that doesn’t mean it can’t (sorta) live on in your living room. Redbox’s parent company folded with hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid debts. It also left over 24,000 of its iconic red machines at various retail locations, as reported by The Wall Street Journal and spotted by Gizmodo.

The machines are heavy, cumbersome and difficult to dispose of, with a former RedBox executive suggesting it costs $500 to remove one of the kiosks. This is compounded by the fact that some of the machines are actually embedded in concrete. The retailers plan on salvaging them for scrap, at a loss, which has led collectors to take the initiative to scoop some up before they hit the scrap heap.

Jacob Helton, a 19-year-old from North Carolina, picked one up from a drugstore because he “felt like Redbox is important in the history of American media.” He went on to make the point that “its collapse marks the end of the video rental era.” Now he has a giant DVD-renting machine in his garage.

Now, before you roll up to a local Walgreens and ask about the dilapidated Redbox machine sitting outside, there are some caveats. First of all, these things are heavy and extremely difficult to transport. As mentioned above, some are even dipped in concrete.

Also, these machines suck up massive amounts of energy during use. Walgreens told a judge that it costs the company $184,000 each month to power 5,400 kiosks. That breaks down to around $35 per month for a single machine. They also have to be regularly maintained. However, if you do have a large DVD collection, each machine can hold around 500 of them. You can pretend to rent them out to friends and family and, well, that’s about it.

Redbox was on top of the world just ten years ago, boasting of nearly $2 billion in yearly revenue and installing over 43,000 kiosks across the US and Canada. It managed to hang on a bit longer than Blockbuster, but now it’s gone forever.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/do-you-want-a-giant-redbox-machine-nows-your-chance-172806520.html?src=rss

John Mulaney will host a live variety talk show on Netflix

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Comedian and writer John Mulaney will host a live variety talk show on Netflix, the streaming company announced in a post on X. The show may be similar to Mulaney's Everybody's in LA, a live talk show that streamed on Netflix for six episodes in May 2024. 

Mulaney's production company will produce and he'll be the showrunner, but no other details were revealed. However, at an event in LA, Netflix's chief content officer Bela Bajaria said Everybody's in LA showed what a weekly live talk/variety show could look like on the service. "[It] was just so bold and original and fresh and then unpredictable," he said, "And I think it'll be really fun to get to do a live show with him." 

Netflix has developed a reputation for not giving shows time to develop an audience even if critics love them — with Jeff Goldblum's Kaos being the latest example. However, Bajaria admitted that viewership for Everybody's in LA wasn't huge, so the streamer is clearly willing to deviate from that strategy in some cases. In fact, Netflix has stuck with comedians even when they generate controversy, as its history with Dave Chappelle has shown. That's possibly because comedy specials and talk shows are dirt cheap to produce compared to scripted series. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/john-mulaney-will-host-a-live-variety-talk-show-on-netflix-123021266.html?src=rss

Steam now tells gamers up front that they’re buying a license, not a game

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Steam appears to have started posting a notice in its shopping cart that purchases on its storefront are only for a license and not a game, according to a notice spotted by Engadget. It looks like an attempt by the company to get ahead of a new California law coming next year that forces companies to admit that buyers don't actually own digital content. 

When you open your shopping cart with items inside and before going to payment, a notice at the bottom right states: "A purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam." This is the first time our editors have seen of a notice like this (and we use Steam a lot), so it appears to be relatively new. 

Steam appears to have started posting a notice in its shopping cart that purchases on its storefront are only for a license and not a game
Engadget

Last month California governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2426 into law, forcing digital marketplaces to make it clear to customers when they only purchase a license to access media. It will not apply to permanent offline downloads, only digital copies of video games, music, movies, TV shows or ebooks from an online storefront. Companies that fail to comply could face fines for false advertising if they don't explain in clear language the limitations of a given digital purchase. The law followed situations like Ubisoft deleting The Crew from player's libraries after the game's servers shuttered. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/steam-now-tells-gamers-up-front-that-theyre-buying-a-license-not-a-game-085106522.html?src=rss

Mash-up of Grand Theft Auto and Hamlet is coming to theaters in the US

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Mubi has secured the US rights and global SVOD rights to Grand Theft Hamlet. In this documentary, two out-of-work actors attempt to stage an entire production of William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet within the game world of Grand Theft Auto Online during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mubi plans to give the film a release in early 2025, and Mubi's own posts on X say that it will be in "US theaters and streaming globally."

The movie is composed of more than 300 hours of GTA footage. Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen might be the main drivers of making the play the thing, but they looped in other random players through in-game auditions to fill out the cast. This piece of theatrical machinima won the documentary feature jury award at its premiere during SXSW. It also currently boasts a 95 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so the critics and early reviewers are into this mash-up of iambs and uzis.

The Bard has seen many a retelling over the years, and Hamlet seems to generate particular interest for gaming-flavored interpretations. The Danish prince was in a VR production via Google collaboration in 2019, he made an appearance in MMORPG Mabinogi back in 2011, and got to star in his own quirky video game in 2010.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/mash-up-of-grand-theft-auto-and-hamlet-is-coming-to-theaters-in-the-us-195758396.html?src=rss

Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime is making a tabletop RPG party game

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Blizzard co-founder and ex-CEO Mike Morhaime’s publishing company Dreamhaven just announced a new game that mixes elements of tabletop RPGs with party games like Jackbox. Sunderfolk looks to be a more casual pick-up-and-play take on something like Gloomhaven.

The title has been “designed for players who love tabletop, board and video games.” It’s a two-screen experience, with players actually controlling many aspects of the game on their smartphone. You know, just like the immensely-popular Jackbox franchise. The “tactical couch co-op RPG” is being advertised as a way for veteran tabletop players to introduce the genre to their inexperienced friends.

Sunderfolk can be played by up to four players at once and there are six hero classes, like bard, arcanist, ranger and some of the other usual suspects. The TV is the main screen and the phone acts as a controller as folks navigate the game board. The story follows a beleaguered town as it is attacked by various monsters. In other words, it’s a standard fantasy RPG.

The unique control scheme looks to eliminate some of the barriers of entry with this type of game, like the steep learning curve and lengthy set-up time. Like many tabletop RPGs, it’s cooperative in nature and not competitive. You and your friends against the world.

Four people playing the game on a couch.
Dreamhaven

While the designer’s say Sunderfolk was made with couch co-op in mind, there will be online play. The game releases for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S sometime in 2025, with an affiliated iOS/Android companion app.

Kotaku got to try the game during a preview event and came away mostly impressed, saying that “working in tandem with other players quickly turned into a thrilling spectacle that felt right out of a TTRPG game night.” However, the site also said that the complexity of the gameplay may fail to lure in newbies. In other words, it’s more Gloomhaven than Jackbox.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/blizzard-co-founder-mike-morhaime-is-making-a-tabletop-rpg-party-game-174323950.html?src=rss

Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime is making a tabletop RPG party game

Posted on by

Blizzard co-founder and ex-CEO Mike Morhaime’s publishing company Dreamhaven just announced a new game that mixes elements of tabletop RPGs with party games like Jackbox. Sunderfolk looks to be a more casual pick-up-and-play take on something like Gloomhaven.

The title has been “designed for players who love tabletop, board and video games.” It’s a two-screen experience, with players actually controlling many aspects of the game on their smartphone. You know, just like the immensely-popular Jackbox franchise. The “tactical couch co-op RPG” is being advertised as a way for veteran tabletop players to introduce the genre to their inexperienced friends.

Sunderfolk can be played by up to four players at once and there are six hero classes, like bard, arcanist, ranger and some of the other usual suspects. The TV is the main screen and the phone acts as a controller as folks navigate the game board. The story follows a beleaguered town as it is attacked by various monsters. In other words, it’s a standard fantasy RPG.

The unique control scheme looks to eliminate some of the barriers of entry with this type of game, like the steep learning curve and lengthy set-up time. Like many tabletop RPGs, it’s cooperative in nature and not competitive. You and your friends against the world.

Four people playing the game on a couch.
Dreamhaven

While the designer’s say Sunderfolk was made with couch co-op in mind, there will be online play. The game releases for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S sometime in 2025, with an affiliated iOS/Android companion app.

Kotaku got to try the game during a preview event and came away mostly impressed, saying that “working in tandem with other players quickly turned into a thrilling spectacle that felt right out of a TTRPG game night.” However, the site also said that the complexity of the gameplay may fail to lure in newbies. In other words, it’s more Gloomhaven than Jackbox.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/blizzard-co-founder-mike-morhaime-is-making-a-tabletop-rpg-party-game-174323950.html?src=rss

Dead Island 2 and Gris join the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for October

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October’s PlayStation Plus Game Catalog lineup is certainly stuffed to the gills. There’s something for everyone, from zombie classics to narrative adventures and beyond. Let’s take a look.

The biggest draw here is likely Dead Island 2. For a while, we weren’t sure if this game would ever come out, but it did and it’s a blast to play. The action-heavy zombie slaying sim is set in Los Angeles and boasts six playable characters. There’s three-player co-op and, of course, more gore than you can shake a bloody baseball bat at. The game’s available for both PS4 and PS5.

Gris is a stylistic 2D platformer that was a bona-fide hit when it was released several years back. We said it “might be the prettiest game” ever made, so the graphics and vibes are strong with this one. It’s a relaxing mixture of puzzles, exploration and platform jumping. The dev team has another game on the way, called Neva, that also looks quite pretty. 

It took 13 years, but we finally got a new entry in the Monkey Island franchise. Return to Monkey Island continues the comedic adventures of Guybrush Threepwood, as first seen in several iconic Lucasfilm titles from the 1990s. Reviews were kind, with many players calling it a true return to form. As a warning, this is an old-school adventure with roots in the point-and-click genre.

Those are the big three, but this month’s drop also includes Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, Overpass 2, Tour de France 2023 and The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me, among others. PlayStation Premium members are also getting some games, including The Last Clockwinder for PS VR2 and Dino Crisis.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/dead-island-2-and-gris-join-the-playstation-plus-game-catalog-for-october-162432379.html?src=rss

Dead Island 2 and Gris join the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for October

Posted on by

October’s PlayStation Plus Game Catalog lineup is certainly stuffed to the gills. There’s something for everyone, from zombie classics to narrative adventures and beyond. Let’s take a look.

The biggest draw here is likely Dead Island 2. For a while, we weren’t sure if this game would ever come out, but it did and it’s a blast to play. The action-heavy zombie slaying sim is set in Los Angeles and boasts six playable characters. There’s three-player co-op and, of course, more gore than you can shake a bloody baseball bat at. The game’s available for both PS4 and PS5.

Gris is a stylistic 2D platformer that was a bona-fide hit when it was released several years back. We said it “might be the prettiest game” ever made, so the graphics and vibes are strong with this one. It’s a relaxing mixture of puzzles, exploration and platform jumping. The dev team has another game on the way, called Neva, that also looks quite pretty. 

It took 13 years, but we finally got a new entry in the Monkey Island franchise. Return to Monkey Island continues the comedic adventures of Guybrush Threepwood, as first seen in several iconic Lucasfilm titles from the 1990s. Reviews were kind, with many players calling it a true return to form. As a warning, this is an old-school adventure with roots in the point-and-click genre.

Those are the big three, but this month’s drop also includes Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, Overpass 2, Tour de France 2023 and The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me, among others. PlayStation Premium members are also getting some games, including The Last Clockwinder for PS VR2 and Dino Crisis.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/dead-island-2-and-gris-join-the-playstation-plus-game-catalog-for-october-162432379.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Nintendo’s latest hardware is not the Switch 2

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We’ve been waiting and waiting, and Nintendo finally did the right thing and announced an entirely new piece of hardware. Alas, it’s not a new console but a very Nintendo-looking smart alarm clock. The Alarmo has motion sensors that let you snooze it based on your movement. (There is a physical snooze button too.)

You’ll also be able to check how much you move around while you sleep, and the clock has sleeping sounds and music to drift off to.

TMA
Nintendo

You can set the clock’s background with scenes inspired by the likes of Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 3, Pikmin 4 and, er, Ring Fit Adventure. The company says it plans to add more games as updates in the future. And when it’s time to wake you up, Alarmo will use music and sounds from those games.

For now, the curio is only available if you’re a Nintendo Switch Online member in the US and Canada. Other regions will have to wait, although as I finished writing today's TMA, Nintendo's UK site had the clock available to buy. You can order the $100 Alarmo online now, and Nintendo says it will be available at retail early next year.

— Mat Smith

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-nintendos-latest-hardware-is-not-the-switch-2-alarmo-111617400.html?src=rss