South Park: The Game was featured in the most recent issue of Game Informer magazine, and it’s already looking like Obsidian plans to retain all the sharp wit and outlandish humor of the Comedy Central series. As initially reported in an earlier post, the game will utilize Dungeon Siege III’s game engine, and borrow heavily from RPG games like Final Fantasy and Paper Mario. The game also retains the 2D look of the cartoon series, which definitely gives it the feel an old school brawler set in the South Park world.

The game will play host to most of the cartoon’s large cast of characters all set against a fantasy backdrop that fits perfectly into the craziness that you would find on the average episode of the show. South Park: The Game will also feature some of the “baddies” from the show; including gingers, vampires, and hippies, as well as have a few new bad guys created for the game. Please check out the new images below:

Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego? Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Where in time is Carmen Sandiego? Mill Creek Entertainment will be answering the first question on February 21st, when they’ll be releasing the complete series in a four-disc set on February 21st. While it may have been almost two decades since the show premiered, the trail hasn’t gone cold.

Based on the computer games, Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego? is the animated series that features siblings Ivy and Zack, agents of ACME, tracking down the notorious Carmen Sandiego of VILE. The show took place in a virtual reality game, and The Player would be theoretically playing the game. With concepts such as time travel and the holographic C.H.I.E.F., the series avoided realism at times, but was a great way to introduce history and the world filled with action,

Mill Creek Entertainment is best known for the budget TV series releases, combining such classics as Ultraman with such oddities as Super Robot Red Baron, and released the series based on Pole Position.

Would you go through this series again? As Ivy was my first cartoon crush as a kid, I think I just might.

Source: Facebook via TVShowsOnDVD

A gaming console used to be such a simple concept.  If you wanted to play games in your house, you bought a game console, and voila, games in your living room.  Sure, you probably watched shows and movies on the same television, but you had bunny ears, a VCR, a cable box, or your neighbor’s cable line to do that with.  With the current generation, across all platforms, the gaming console as we know it has now merged with media delivery, and the result is that we have machines that can stream Netflix, ESPN, and even a selection of our cable offerings directly through our gaming consoles. Sure, there’s a convenience factor in play here, since having everything done from one box makes it easier to switch between content, but from a gaming perspective, is this a good thing?  It helped me come up with this week’s question:

Do you prefer to have your gaming console and media entertainment delivery separate?

(You may need to refresh the page to see the poll)

All gamers make time to enjoy other forms of entertainment; you can’t watch a TV show while being engrossed in a game (well, I suppose you COULD, but you wouldn’t be paying full attention to something).  I think some integration is good (I’m still waiting for a game to use Pandora as its radio station, so that you don’t have to be limited in the music selection of your game), and I’m all for combining social networking aspects to your gaming (leveraging Facebook to find people interested in playing games you like, for example), but there is a trade-off. The gaming console becoming the entertainment console means that my family now uses the machine more. This is great, until I need to wait for my family to finish watching their shows before I can use my Xbox.  Fortunately, for now the shows on my Xbox can be viewed on other TVs, but as this becomes a more integrated experience, what happens when all of my cable boxes are replaced by a single Xbox, streaming its content around to the TVs?  If I have to wait to play, I don’t know if that’s going to be a good thing.  Sure, right now this is largely hypothetical, but the entertainment console is already in our living rooms, no matter what we use.  The question is, are you ready to give up your gaming time for it?

View previous ASQ: Holiday Console Sales - View next ASQ: Physical Or Digital Game Copies

A Simple Question (ASQ) is a weekly segment for Platform Nation.  Give a response and let the world know what you think; there is no right or wrong answer here. If you have a suggestion for a question, hit me up on twitter @vttym.

New details have emerged on the new South Park game that is being developed by Obsidian.

The story takes place in South Park and you will play as the new kid in town during an adventure that started from some  live-action role playing.

As with any self-respecting RPG you will be able to create a character in one of several classes: wizard, paladin, adventurer, rogue or a new style which will be made up by Cartman.

The game will utilise the engine developed for Obsidian’s Dungeon Siege III and will match the 2D art style used in the show. The battle system will borrow elements from other game such as Paper Mario and Final Fantasy VII. The battles will be turned based and you will be able to improve the power of an attack by pressing buttons during it. You will also be able to customise your weapons with enhancements that deal additional elemental damage.

An in-game smart phone will be used for the games menu system with different apps for different functions; for example, a Facebook-like app will allow you to manage your character as well as keep track of your popularity with the various factions.

South Park: The Game is currently scheduled for release sometime in 2012.

Source: DigitalSpy

Did you pick up Fate/Extra? The role-playing game released by Aksys Games last month hit the PlayStation Portable. The title is the latest in the franchise that started with Fate/stay night, which was released in 2004 as an adult visual novel game. In Fate/Extra, players fight for the ability to have their grandest desires fulfilled. As with Aksys tradition, the game came out in regular and limited editions.

In another world, Fate/zero took place. As a parallel universe to Extra, Aniplex has announced they’ll be releasing the series in Blu-Ray box sets in America. Right Stuf‘s listing for the series defines the extras as

Contains episodes 1-13, including unaired new footage.

This box set includes exclusive box artwork by Takashi Takeuchi, the Fate/Zero Original Soundtrack volume 1, the Drama CD, and a production materials booklet (Japanese) featuring exclusive staff interviews, conceptual art, and more plus a separate translation booklet in English.

Special Features: Trailers, TV Spots, Textless Opening and Ending.

All this seems to shape up to a very nice Japanese animation box set. Good amount of extras, both physical and on disc.

Given the price, $498.98 (before pre-order discount), and it better be filled with extras. In comparison, the long-running DC show Smallville just released a complete series box set, combining ten years worth of episodes, extras, and discs for a little over $200 before discounts.

If you pick up this box set (volume 1, with more on the way), Aniplex of America should make your own grandest desires come true.

Source: ANN

Rejoice! The guys in charge of Netflix have finally seen the error of their ways. After witnessing the fallout from their Qwikster announcement a couple of weeks back, well…they’ve apparently decided a one-account setup was preferable.

It is clear that for many of our members two websites would make things more difficult, so we are going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs.

This means no change: one website, one account, one password…in other words, no Qwikster.

While I’m glad they’re keeping things simple, this lack of conviction is also a little worrisome when it comes to the future of Netflix.

Person Of Interest is now three episodes into its first season, and looking pretty good. The show is the brain child of Jonathan Nolan (Dark Knight, Memento, Inception), and it also has J.J. Abrams producing. Not only does the show feel like it was written by a Nolan, but it look’s like a Nolan film through and through. Interestingly enough it’s based on a screenplay written by Abrams and Nolan, which Nolan adapted for television later on. Here’s the wiki synopsis –

“Mr. Finch (Michael Emerson), a mysterious billionaire, has developed a computer program that predicts the identity of people connected to violent crimes that will take place in the future. However, the program has its limitations; for example, it cannot predict whether the person will be a victim, perpetrator, or witness, nor can it predict when or where the crime will take place. Unable to stop the crimes on his own, Finch hires John Reese (Jim Caviezel), a former CIA field officer who is presumed dead, to help stop the crimes from taking place.”

The plot really isn’t that innovative, and in fact it feels like a mishmash of other notable science fiction and revenge-hit man story lines. You’ll probably instantly catch the whole Minority Report vibe, though unlike Minority Report the pre-crime aspect of the show is not driven by psychics, but instead a super computer and all the recording devices it can connect it’s self to. In the show it is referred to simply as “The machine” and little has been explained about how it actually works up to this point. That’s where Abrams stuff show’s through. Especially when Finch is on screen you get the feeling a great deal more is going on, and more than likely the mystery in the show is going to be treated like lost(they even use flash backs in the same manner).

Person Of Interest is at its best when John Reese is kicking ass, imagine Batman with a gun and the willingness to kill. Though it should be pointed out Reese seems to only kill those who he has to, this is something better explained by watching the show, but the way he handles shootouts without killing anyone is actually rather cool. Some of the action sequences are so well done that it could easily be mistaken for cinema, I frankly don’t recall ever seeing shootouts, or hand to hand fight scenes of this caliber on television. It’s especially surprising when you consider its on CBS, but leave it to a Nolan and Abrams to excel where others generally fail miserably. I haven’t sat down weekly for a television show since Battlestar Galactica was on, this has brought me back to the couch, and the only way I see this show being derailed, is if they drop the ball on the mystery portion of the show. I mean I enjoyed Lost, and even Fringe for a while, but in the case of Lost things really dragged and faltered mid-way into that series. I realize Abrams had little to do with it at that point, so I don’t hold it against him, I just thinks it’s a concern with this type of story-telling. Yet, still the balance of visceral action, and sci-fi/mystery is phenomenal at this point. It’s even got a tragic love story as a sub plot, which if I’m right will later play into the over all plot.

All and all Person Of Interest is fantastic, from its realistic approach to the unrealistic, the killer over-all production value of the show, excellent acting, and the mere fact a Nolan is involved are all reasons to give this show a watch. To generalize a bit and put it another way If you enjoy shows like Lost, Fringe, or movies like Taken, Man On Fire, The Bourne Identity, then this show is perfect for you. I’ve tried not to give too much away here as that’s part of what makes the show great, is going along for the ride (blind), but if your still not interested in “Person of Interest” Check out the promo below, find a way to catch up if you’re not already watching, and catch it on CBS Thursday nights.

Looks like Pac-Man’s getting an extra life as a TV series.

Nestled in the heart of an article announcing various things is an announcement of a new Pac-Man series. While the article came to light for the confirmation of a Power Rangers RPM/Power Rangers Samurai crossover, a small paragraph reveals details.

41 Entertainment (41e) is appointed by Namco Bandai Games as the worldwide distributor of the new Pac-Man 3D (26×26) series, set to debut in fall 2013.   Producing the new Pack Man series in stereoscopic 3D is Arad Production’s Avi Arad (Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, Fantastic Four and X-Men) and Rick Ungar (Biker Mice from Mars, X-Men Evolution, Legend of the Dragon).  The series is penned by Tom Ruegger (Scooby-Doo, Animaniacs, and Batman – The Animated Series) and Paul Rugg (Animaniacs, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated).  The series feature animated created by Sprite Animation.  41e will privately screen the new Pac-Man 3D for clients at its booth at Mipcom (3D glasses and all).  In the 1980s, Hannah-Barbera and Namco produced an animated Pac-Man TV series.

Avi Arad has had tremendous success with Marvel properties on television. Rick Ungar, Tom Ruegger, and Paul Rugg have tremendous animation history dating back to the early 90′s. A stereoscopic 3D TV series will be a first for the medium, unless something else beats it by 2013. The rotund and yellow hero has previously had a forgettable Ruby-Spears series.

This isn’t confirmation that the series will actually be produced. For years, a Centipede series was on-and-off production for Cartoon Network. Pac-Man can be viewed in 3D at the moment on the 3DS. With a movie rumored in the works, is the Pac-ocalypse at hand?

Source: Cynopsis Media

Dragon’s Lair was a groundbreaking moment in the video game industry. Running off of a LaserDisc (think DVDs the size of vinyl records), it came out in 1983 and effectively created the Quick Time Event. With beautiful animation from Don Bluth, the game stands as one of three arcade games in the Smithsonian. With over 60 ports in it’s history, it stands the test of time as a classic game.

The cartoon series, on the other hand, does not.

The legendary videogame Dragon’s Lair was a blockbuster (and quarter guzzling) sensation when it first debuted, spawning sequels, imitators, and a beloved Saturday morning cartoon series. Developed by the powerhouse animation crew put together by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, the Dragon’s Lair cartoon made many contributions to the Dragon’s Lair saga, from naming the Dragon “Singe” to rounding out the cast with such memorable supporting players as Bertram the horse (voiced by animation legend Peter Cullen) and Timothy the squire (voiced by Michael Mish). Mimicking the action of a videogame, Dragon’s Lair pauses the action and asks the audience which action Dirk should take next in his never-ending quest to protect the kingdom of King Ethelred and his beloved Princess Daphne. But enough talk! Dirk the Daring faces doom throughout this 13 episode, 2-disc set and he needs YOU to help him decide what to do next!

Warner Archive releases “made on demand” DVDs that might not sell well in general release, but have their niche fans. As part of the Hanna Barbera Classic Collection, this 13 episode set runs $29.99.

Are you ready to take some more interactivity away from video games by just hitting play on this DVD? Were you a fan of the show or game, and need this release?

Source:TV Shows on DVD