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Australia's PS3 Ultimate Blu-ray Movie Kit is only kind of ultimate

by Griffin McElroy { Aug 29th 2009 at 10:00PM }

The word "Ultimate" really gets thrown around a bit much in retail circles -- for instance, in our minds, the "Ultimate Blu-ray Movie Kit" would possess every Blu-ray movie ever made, a PS3 Slim, a machine that somehow produced delicious sandwiches, and a date with which to watch the aforementioned films. The date would also have to hate sandwiches, because -- hey, hands off, those are our sandwiches.

Sadly, Australia's recently released "PS3 Ultimate Blu-ray Movie Kit" doesn't include any of those things -- rather, the $60 AUD (or $51 U.S.) bundle only comes with a PS3 remote and two films. Both of the two currently available bundles come with 300, but their second films vary -- one includes 10,000 B.C., while the other comes with Batman Begins. If you're having a hard time choosing between the two, then you should probably get out of our sight and never come back.

[Via Engadget]

Zack Snyder signs three-game deal with EA

by Justin McElroy { Sep 29th 2008 at 9:55AM }

After you sign Steven Spielberg to develop video games with your company, what's the next step? Scorcese? Zombie Orson Welles? Nope, not even close. EA announced this morning that it just signed a three-game development deal with Zack Snyder, the man behind 300 and the upcoming adaptation of Watchmen. Snyder will work in conjunction with EA Los Angeles, the same house currently toiling with Spielberg on its next critical darling.

There's no word on what sort of games he'll be making, but if he dips into the Zack Snyder back catalog, we'd like to humbly suggest a balls-out Dawn of the Dead game over an adaptation of Morissey's "Tomorrow."

Ubisoft buys 300, Sin City effects studio

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jul 8th 2008 at 4:30PM }

Ubisoft has purchased Hybride Technologies, the Montreal-based visual effects studio behind several commercial, television and film projects; the studio is best known for its work on the films Spy Kids, 300 and Sin City. Ubi CEO Yves Guillemot says the acquisition is part of the company's plans to extend its brands to other forms of entertainment.

Hybride and Ubisoft will move forward by sharing technology and developing tools for video games and visual effects. The acquisition is initially expected to generate sales of 6 -7 million Euros. We're certainly curious to hear what the first game will be that uses Hybride's artists post-purchase in its production.

Glory! Freedom! This is PATAPON!!!

by Andrew Yoon { Mar 13th 2008 at 12:00AM }

We do not know who made this incredible fan art, but we want to know you. This Patapon piece is inspired by the blockbuster action movie, 300. Not only does the piece accurately recreate one of the film's most iconic moments, it does so with the blood-curling beat of the Patapon tribe: Pata-Pata-Pata-Pon.

Update: canecodesign is the artist. Check out the DeviantART page.

Europe: Next week brings a 300 for 100 rental offer

by Dustin Burg { Dec 20th 2007 at 2:30PM }

New European (and possibly Canadian) Xbox Live members are in for a video rental treat next week. A treat so satisfying it'll make you bring back the once over used "this is Sparta!" phrase.

In celebration of the launch of the Video Marketplace to new markets, Microsoft and Warner Bros have partnered up to offer the movie 300 at a super discounted rate for 24 hours. Starting December 28th through the 29th, 300 will be available for rental in Europe for the try me price of 100 Microsoft points. Sparta screaming worthy, no? The tipster email doesn't detail whether the 100 point price tag applies to the SD or HD version and doesn't exactly outline which countries the discount will apply to. But a discounted viewing of 300 is a discounted viewing. Hopefully a little more info will roll in by next week and hopefully our Canadian friends will get in on a cheaper (fingers crossed) HD viewing of 300. Sparta lives!

[Thanks, Boff]

Metal Gear Solid 4 has over 200 developers

by Ross Miller { Oct 15th 2007 at 6:29PM }

How much manpower is Hideo Kojima throwing at Metal Gear Solid 4 to ensure quality? Over 200, according to Kojima Productions' Ryan Payton. In an interview with Gamasutra, Payton noted how important the game is to Sony, remarking that "the way things are turning out, this could be the first 'must have' PlayStation 3 title on store shelves. Or, if not the first, then the second or the third."

For clarification, Payton said that the massive team are all working in the same location on the same title, making the size all the more impressive. He did note, however, that following the release of MGS4 the team size will likely get "a little bit leaner and meaner."

Although not confirmed, we suspect Kojima Productions currently has the following quote written above its front doors: "No retreat, no surrender. That is Kojima law. And by Kojima law, we will stand and fight...and die. A new age has begun: an age of freedom. And all will know, that 200 developers, gave their last breath to defend it!"

Blu-ray sales growing, PS3 getting interactivity update

by Jem Alexander { Oct 12th 2007 at 11:30AM }

Blu-ray is, once again, dominating over HD DVD. One film in particular - the new record holder for highest selling dual format HD movie - was recognized as being a huge boon for the format. 300 on Blu-Ray outsold its HD-DVD counterpart by a ratio of 2:1. Total sales now exceed 400,000 across both platforms. 300, in particular, resonated quite well with the PS3 demographic.

PS3 will also receive a firmware update in the future which will "boost its Blu-ray interactivity functionality." Hi-Def Digest thinks it might be be an upgrade which allows the PS3 to support Blu-Ray Profile Spec 1.1. Currently, many Blu-ray discs are crippled by the lack of Java interactivity. A simple firmware update should make Blu-ray even more competitive and give it access to high definition content that's been exclusive on HD DVD.

[Via N4G]

Everquest movie moving forward (directly to video we presume)

by Kevin Kelly { Oct 8th 2007 at 10:00PM }

Since the Gears of War movie wants to be like 300, it should be no surprise that the EverQuest movie wants to be like 300 as well. In fact, they've hired 300 screenwriter Michael Gordon to try and bring some of his magic to the script. Hopefully that doesn't mean someone will be shouting "THIS! IS! EVERQUEST!" throughout the film.

Unlike Stuart Beattie, who is writing Gears, Gordon doesn't have an impressive set of credits to his name, other than 300. Couple that with the waning popularity of EverQuest every year, and the World of Warcraft film that is being readied, and it smells like a recipe for video store shelves and Netflix accounts.

However, we could be wrong and this could smash box office records, sweep the awards, and bring tears to millions of eyes around the world. We're just sayin' ...

THIS. IS. SPARKETPLACE! 300 on XBLVM

by David Dreger { Aug 14th 2007 at 2:30PM }

300 is on Xbox Live Video Marketplace for Live members in the U.S. It's available in both Standard Definition and High Definition, the HD rental weighing in at 5.3 GB. Really, that's all we gotta say about it. Er ... go download it now? Seriously though, it's really an epic film that we enjoyed in theatres, and having the HD DVD allows us to appreciate the quality of its digitally distributed cousin.

[Thanks, J.R.]

300 on Blu-ray sells a ton, 300 on HD-DVD... not that much

by Colin Torretta { Aug 8th 2007 at 5:00PM }

According to Time Warner, 300 has quickly become the fastest selling high-def movie of all time, shifting more than a quarter million copies since its release a little over a week ago. The Spartan epic, easily outpaced The Departed and Casino Royale which both took a couple months to hit just 100,000 sold.

When broken down between format types, 65% of consumers picked up 300 on Blu-ray, while 300 on HD-DVD accounted for only 35% of the sales. According to the USA Today article, this mirrors sales for the year with Blu-ray handily trampling HD-DVD with solid 2:1 sales.

The HD-DVD cabal can pretend that PlayStation 3 sales don't impact the high-def format war (a point they try to make in every single press release they send out), but it's clear that they're wrong. The PS3 has made a huge impact on the ridiculous format war, and this latest piece of info just drives that home. The real question at this point isn't "Who will win?" but instead "How long until Universal and Toshiba just give up and go Blu?".

Win a signed 300 themed Elite or just buy one

by Dustin Burg { Aug 1st 2007 at 2:00PM }

Our chums over at Engadget got their hands on one of only twenty Comic Con exclusive 300 themed Xbox 360s that we mentioned last week and they're giving it away! Oh, did we mention the 300 Elite comes with a copy of 300 on HD DVD and is signed by both comic book legend Frank Miller and director Zach Snyder? Well now we did and it makes this giveaway all the sweeter. To enter, simply head over to Engadget and comment on their post telling them what your favorite 300 scene was, that's it! You can enter once from now through August 12th when they'll select the lucky lad who'll walk away with this uber rare 360. Or, if you don't win, you could always buy one off eBay. It'll leave you broke, but at least you'll be in the possession of one sexy 360.

Splinter Cell fans have urge to buy 300

by Richard Mitchell { Aug 1st 2007 at 12:30PM }

If you've been sneaking around in Splinter Cell: Double Agent multiplayer lately, you may have had a strange desire to purchase 300 on DVD (and Hi-Def!). X3F reader NitroFrost sent us the image above, in which you can behold the power of in-game advertising. The new ads apparently seemed to arrive at about the same time as the recently released downloadable content. As usual, seeing an ad like this makes us wonder how players actually feel about them. Frankly, it's hard for us to argue with 300's awesomeness (in the true sense of the word), but we're not sure that it adds to the experience. What say you, fanboys? Do ads ruin the experience? Does it depend on the product being advertised? What if it were Doritos or Sprite, for example)? Let your voice be heard in the comments below.

The '300' Xbox 360 Elite, win it with Engadget

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Jul 31st 2007 at 6:28PM }

Perhaps you feel that your home console setup is a bit spartan and lacking in sleek electronic devices which, with their distinct electronic hums, loudly proclaim to the world that you are a serious gamer. You sir slash madam, need this 300-themed Xbox 360 Elite. Covered in bloody artwork, as well as the identifying scribblings of Frank Miller and film director Zack Snyder, the prize is accompanied by a 300 DVD/HD-DVD combo disc and a protracted "they only made 20 of these" bragging session.

Winning is as easy as heading over to Engadget and leaving a comment about your favorite scene in the film. So go leave a comment. Over there. At Engadget, not here. Don't make us kick you into an oddly exposed pit!

Blu-ray movie releases for the week of July 30th

by Colin Torretta { Jul 30th 2007 at 8:30PM }

This week's release list may as well only have one title, because what a title it is. 300 hits Blu-ray this week to rabid pre-orders and has been getting ecstatic reviews for its top-notch digital transfer. Audio in particular is supposed to be amazingly bombastic and satisfying. The title has been one of the top-requested Blu-ray releases since it broke onto the scene earlier this year in all its muscly Spartan glory. Some other movies are coming out too, but come on -- nobody cares.

Here's the list anyway:

300
Shooter
Blue Planet (IMAX)
Roving Mars (IMAX)

See? Nothing else but 300. If the rest of the releases were Spartan children they would have never come back from the wilderness. Instead there'd just be a very fat and happy wolf.

We want a bloody 300 themed Elite!

by Dustin Burg { Jul 25th 2007 at 2:00PM }

A Bringing it Home Comic-Con press release just hit our inbox (viewable after the break) officially detailing all the Comic-Con XBLM goodness and talking about some special 300 themed Xbox 360 Elites. That's right, Microsoft and Warner Bros. have partnered to create 300 (total) Xbox 360 Elites themed with 300 style blood splatter. Yup, they're hot. But before you get too excited know that these Elites will only be given away during a special movie screening at Petco field during Comic-Con, which means we have no chance at winning one of these. Oh well ... they are still sort of pretty, so feel free to check out additional pictures of the 300 themed Elite as well as the official Comic-Con Bringing it Home press release after the break. THIS. IS. A 300 THEMED ELITE!

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