100% accurate Switch 2 leaks

The Switch 2 reveal blowout is nearly upon us! With Nintendo's recent announcements of reviving Rhythm Heaven and Tomodachi life, nothing is off the table at this point. This is going to be a once in lifetime Direct that goes beyond E3 caliber. The Switch was so successful that now Nintendo is willing to revisit literally anything because it will sell, and they have an unbelievable lineup for the Switch 2. How do I know this? Well, because my uncle is best friends with Mr. Nintendo. Yeah, my uncle and John Nintendo go way back. They went to high school together and have kept in touch all these years. Mr. Nintendo trusts my uncle like nobody else to keep his secrets, so obviously he shared them with me.

April Fools 2014 Redux: Samurai Jack is back!

Well, folks, it took about ten years of trying but old Genndy finally did it. He finally got a movie studio to buy into the idea of a Samurai Jack film for reals. Sony seems very pleased to have the man on board and already has him slated to direct a sequel to Hotel Transylvania as well as the upcoming Popeye animated film and Tartakovsky's own film tentitively titled Can You Imagine? which he will write and direct. After dropping hints about the possibility of a Samurai Jack film in 2012, it looks like Sony has decided to go through with it and is reportedly fast tracking it to a late 2015 or early 2016 release.

Genndy, however, is a busy man. So he's brought on fellow Samurai Jack alumnus Randy Myers to co-direct the movie that will be written by Tartakovsky and Paul Rudish. The film is tentatively titled "Samurai Jack: Back to the Past" and will star Phil LaMarr back as Jack with Greg Baldwin replacing Mako as the voice of Aku, once again taking over his role as he did with Uncle Iroh. Music will be handled by series composer James L. Venable. Although the plot is vague at this point, the Sony Pictures Animation press release notes that "Jack's journey will finally conclude as he manages to get back to the past and face off against the mighty Aku."

Plans for the film were apparently finalized after the recent resurgence in interest for the show. The comic book launched by IDW last November has been selling better than expected, and despite airing at 4am, the Toonami ratings for Samurai Jack reruns remain surprisingly solid, thanks in part to the show trending on Twitter every weekend.

I couldn't be happier about this! I've been waiting for ten years... and so has Genndy. He's had an ending written for about as long as the show's been off the air. Personally, I hope it connects back to "Jack and the Creatures" where Jack finally finds a portal but is blocked by an unstoppable warrior who says he can't use it yet. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

If you want some more tidbits, be sure to read the Sony Pictures Animation press release on their website.

(Even though this was a joke, it basically came true!)

Nintendo to release Super Mario 64 HD in 2016

Not an picture of the actual thing.

Don't you think it's weird that Nintendo just shut down that harmless fan recreation of Super Mario 64 in HD the other day? Turns out there's a reason behind it. Although it's not expected to be revealed until E3, Nintendo is hard at work on an HD overhaul of Super Mario 64 set to release next year for the game's 20th birthday. It's no wonder they don't want their own game being confused with a fan creation. The game will have a retail release next year on Wii U and will use amiibo to unlock additional playable characters from the DS version. It will contain other "extras" as well, though there are no details on these. The leak, of course, comes by way of NeoGaf, the place where all leaks originate. You can read the post here if you're so inclined. Who's excited!?

E3 2013 Day -1

Plenty of stuff starts trickling out the week prior to E3. Here's the roundup so far:

• In my review of Metal Gear Rising I called the game a "badass simulator" and concluded "I doubt I'll have more pure fun with a video game this year." Looks like I might have to eat those words.

Crowdfund ALL the shows!

Three years ago, I did an april fools gag about a fake tv channel started by a couple of guys that were upset about their favorite shows always getting cancelled. I called it ResurecTV, and it was backed by JJ Abrams' company Bad Robot. Fast forward to today, and that's basically goddamn happening. I sure have a way of calling these things. 

In development for several years SMGO.tv (Show Must Go On), just exited beta on Saturday. The purpose of the website is to take to crowdfunding in order to resurrect cancelled tv series. The process works like this:

• Suggest a show. If it gets a good number of suggestions, it goes to voting.
• The voting stage gauges how may people are actually willing to donate, after a minimum is reached, they get in touch with the production company.
• Next, the show goes into the funding stage. This part works like Kickstarter, with rewards and everything. If the show meets the minimum budget, it goes to the next step.
• The show goes back into production for one season, then it can be watched online at SMGO.tv. If you backed the show, you get to watch commercial free!

Basically, this is the best thing ever. I can't believe somebody actually did this. There's a number of shows up for voting now that I don't give a crap about, but I'm pleased to see the excellent Motorcity is not only included, but 40% away from going into funding! Apparently, during the beta, both Young Justice and Green Lantern got such overwhelming support that SMGO is already in contact with Warner Brothers about crowdfunding the show. These two will no doubt go straight to funding relatively soon.

So tell your family, tell your friends, and tell all the random strangers you meet! I want this to take the hell off! Lets bring back ALL the shows!

Korra picked up for 26 more episodes

Probably your reaction right now.

The latest news out of Comicon is that Nickelodeon has picked up Korra for another 26 episodes, bringing the total up to 56. For reference, the original Avatar series ran for 61 episodes. Confusingly, Nick is referring to the show in terms of two "seasons", while the creators split things into four "books". Here's how it break down:

Season 1: 26 episodes
- Book 1: 12 episodes
- Book 2: 14 episodes

Season 2: 26 episodes
- Book 3: 13 episodes
- Book 4: 13 episodes

The story of Korra's production has been pretty all over the place, but here's the condensed version for those of you who are curious:

The Legend of Korra was originally intended to be a 12 episode miniseries, but Nick ordered another 14 episodes halfway through production for an even 26 episode season. However, the show's creators (Mike DiMartion and Bryan Konietzko) wanted to do things in smaller arcs and intended to make them in bunches of 12 instead of 20 (as with the original series). But Nick changed the plan and wanted an industry-standard 26 episode season and ordered 14 more episodes in the middle of production. This time around, they ordered a second batch of 26 episodes enough in advance that the arcs can be split evenly. Since I might not be explaining this clearly, let me use another example.

Last year, Comedy Central picked up Futurama for another production season of 26 episodes. However, those episodes are split into two 13-episode television seasons aired a year apart. That's what's happening now, except the team got late notice with the first season.

Anyway, this presents an interesting opportunity. The first book had an air of finality about it because it was intended to be final. But now, since books three and four have been ordered in advance, Mike and Bryan have an opportunity to create deeper, interlocking story arcs. I wasn't a fan of the "everything started is completed ended" approach of book one, but I think the new production schedule will eliminate that with the next 44 episodes. It's unfortunate that book one happens to be the shortest, because it easily could have spanned a full season length. I do hope the future books leave room for more interconnectivity, and I really hope Mike and Bryan hire some real writers.

Check out Halo 4's Forge and a new map!

I cannot believe how good this game looks.

You know my favorite types of Halo maps? The snowy ones. Sidewinder, Containment, and even Solitary, the icy remake of Prisoner, are some of my favorites. But not Snowbound or Avalanche. Halo 3 was a bad game for snow maps. Halo 4, however, is looking like a great game for snow maps! Longbow was revealed back at E3, but now you can see it in action for the first time in the competitive match posted after the break! Plus, new and improved Forge mode developed by Certain Affinity, the dudes behind the many Halo 2 and Halo Reach map packs! The improvements made so far look great, but what I really want is an environmental editor. Here's hoping it'll be announced closer to release!

Epic sale is epic

I don't usually post about video games sales here on the site (that's something I leave for Facebook), but this "Dads & Grads" sale from Amazon is an epic exception. The selection here is really, truly fantastic and the prices are equally great. Below are some of the highlights. Keep in mind, these prices are for new copies.

• Borderlands GOTY Edition: $20
• Rage: $10
• Battlefield 3: $37
• Starcraft 2: $40
• MGS HD Collection: $30
• Arkham Asylum GOTY Edition: $15
• Arkham City: $20
• Saints Row The Third: $40
• Modern Warfare 2: $20
• Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning: $40
• Twisted Metal: $40
• MK vs DCU: $15
• Mortal Kombat: $20 (console or Vita) or Komplete Edition: $40
• The Darkness 2: $20
• Codblops: $20
• Street Fighter X Tekken: $40
• FEAR 3: $15
• BlazBlue Continuum Shift Extend: $30 (console or Vita)
• Bit.Trip Saga (3DS): $16
• Bit.Trip Complete (Wii): $20

The Wii U Info Dump Post

This post will be continually updated as new information becomes available!

Don't ask.

E3 Day -1

Nintendo's got a special Wii U event today... and that's about it. Check back starting at 6pm EST!

E3 Day -2

The vampires in Dawnguard are pretty kickass.

The Calm before the storm. Not a whole lot today, but a few good tidbits nonetheless, including how you can get Dawnguard for free! Plus, now it looks like you'll only have to wait till tomorrow afternoon for some sweet, sweet Wii U information!

|News| Nintendo to reveal more Wii U details prior to E3

|News| Limited Edition announced for The Last Story

|News| Game Genie is back!

|News| Marathon Trilogy now on iOS for free

|News| Xbox owners can sign up for the Skyrim: Dawnguard beta and get the expansion for free!

|News| Penny Arcade Adventures dated for July 10th

|News| Transformers: Fall of Cybertron coming to PC

|News| Tomba coming to PSN June 19th

|Rumor| Wii U gets HBO Go

|Rumor| Vita getting Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation

|Rumors| Wii U getting Kingdom Hearts HD Collection, Diablo 3, and Sonic Racing.

|Rumor| Wii U will have achievements, social networking, and more.

|Rumor| Sony partnering with Gaikai for streaming PS2 backlog

Watch a new trailer for Ni No Kuni after the break!

|E3| Gears of War Judgement outed by GI

You killed all the Locust in Gears of War 3... now kill them again in Gears of War Judgement! GameInformer officially revealed the covers today of this Xbox exclusive, due to be shown off at the Microsoft press conference Monday. The game is believed to be a prequel because look at how young Cole and Baird are. It's also been confirmed that the game will have a multiplayer mode and that Epic-owned People Can Fly (developer of Bulletstorm) is "involved" in some capacity. We'll keep you updated!

E3 Day -3

Konami starts the day off with a bang! Click on to see the first trailer of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, a brand new trailer for Dishonored and more!

E3 Day -4

E3 has begun... four days early! Every day through the end of E3, Installation 04 will be posting all the latest news (plus rumors, leading up to the show) and videos, updated all day long! Today, there's some particularly good stuff. We've got the the first trailer of Skyrim's Dawnguard expansion, screens of Dead Space 3, and a pretty sweet new fighting game from the studio behind Mortal Kombat. Plus more!

Toonami is back, but it still needs your help

Yes, Toonami returns to the airwaves this Saturday night with an all-new lineup. But that doesn't mean you can just sit back and feel satisfied with yourself just yet. See, the budget for Toonami is very, very small. The April Fools' airing was meant as a one-time thing, but fan feedback and support was so overwhelmingly positive that the network decided to bring it back only nine weeks later. But now we have to prove that we meant it. Jason DeMarco, producer of Toonami for all 11 years of its previous run, is back behind the wheel and imploring fans to follow through. If they have the ratings, they'll get a bigger budget and this will literally build a better cartoon show, so to speak. So, what's in store for the star of this so called "experiment"?

STOP THE EVERYTHING, TOONAMI IS BACK

THEY DID IT. OR WE DID IT. I DON'T KNOW. BUT I DO KNOW ONE THING AND THAT IS TOONAMI IS COMING BACK. IT IS ALIVE. REALLY. MAY 26TH. FUCK.

The Mac version of Dusforce is broken... but you should still buy it

I picked up the just released Mac version of Dustforce today, the indie platformer about the war on filth. Unfortunately, the game is completely unplayable. It loads up and the sound works but... that's it. Apparently, I'm not alone with this problem and the devs say they're working on it. In the mean time, head on over to the Steam forums and give them your info if you're having the same problem. If you don't have the game but are interested in the Mac version, I suggest you pick it up anyway because it's part of Steam's midweek sale for the next two days. You might as well grab it while it's $5 and wait for the patch. Both versions were updated today with a new level editor.

There is a new RollerCoaster Tycoon coming May 22nd

Did you used to play the hell out of RollerCoaster Tycoon as a kid? Have you been missing the good 'ol days, wishing Atari would put out a new one? Well do I have news for you! RollerCoaster Tycoon 3D is slated for release on the 3DS May 22nd. The game has gotten zero publicity and that release date may not even stick, but it's good to know the franchise isn't forgotten. I personally loved these games and I'll probably pick this one up too to relive my childhood. It's being developed by n-Space currently working on Heroes of Ruin for the 3DS, and best known for their crazy experimental GameCube FPS Geist.

Earthworm Jim coming to DVD... if you want it bad enough

Recently announced: Earthworm Jim the complete series from Visual Entertainment Inc. It'll be available July 10th for $25. That is, if interest is proven high enough. Obviously, VEI wouldn't even attempt to put out EWJ on DVD if there wasn't some demand for it, however the company has a weird policy in place. Basically, they've got these sets all ready to go but they won't actually be produced if there aren't enough preorders. If you're interested, make sure you preorder. You can even save $8 if you buy from Amazon.

On an Earthworm Jim related note, Mezco currently has a pretty sweet Jim figure up for preorder. It'll run you $17 and also ships in July. I used to have a really crappy Earthworm Jim action figure as a kid. I loved that thing to death but it's battered and broken now. I will definitely be picking this one up to relive the glory days of my childhood... by sitting it carefully on my shelf. Past the break, you'll find a comparison of Jim from then and now.

New Saturday night Fox animation block shows major potential

Fox just announced a new Saturday night animation block set to launch in early 2013. It's called Animation Domination HD (I bet the execs stayed up late to come up with a title that brilliant) and it's headed by Nick Weidenfeld, who used to head up Adult Swim. Except, based on the info currently available, it looks like ADHD will kick AS in the ass. Why, you ask? The first confirmed show is Axe Cop: The Animated Series. You read that correctly. It's been greenlit for six 15-minute episodes, with the intention to expand the show to a half hour. But that's not all! Erin "Egoraptor" Hanson has also been hired to create a series of shorts for the block! Now let's just hope the block stays on for more than two weeks. This is Fox we're talking about here.