Fortunately, the previous reports got some critical information wrong. Tony Scott (the brother of Ridley Scott) confirmed that another movie in the franchise is, indeed, in the works but it is a prequel and not a remake.  Phew!  I think I heard fans around the world collectively breathing a sigh of relief.

Aside from that, there really isn’t a lot of information on the project but the fact that it’s a prequel has made me feel a lot better.

What do you think?  Would you have been okay with reworked version of the original?  What do you think would be included in the prequel?  I’d love to learn more about Ellen Ripley’s life before she boarded that ship and, of course, a more fleshed out explanation of the origin of the aliens would be awesome.  I’m suddenly looking forward to this!

image: 20th Century Fox

Post from: EveryJoe

FPS news abounds at Jace Hall’s show. You’ve got some teasers for Aliens: Colonial Marines (i.e. that Aliens shooter by Gearbox Software), the Borderlands FPS/RPG hybrid, id Software, and Doom IV, among other things.

Get this: Gearbox made a real-life pulse rifle from the Aliens films. Yes, the thing actually works. And Gearbox’s reason for creating such a weapon? Because they can. Since the developer is making an Aliens FPS, why not make an authentic pulse rifle that can kill people? Makes sense.

As for Doom IV, let’s just say we’ve never seen this kind of approach development before. I just wish they thought of it sooner. Earlier than Doom III, at least.

Post from: EveryJoe

Once again, Sony has drawn anger over the PlayStation 3. This time, the group frothing at the mouth is the Church of England. The reason? Resistance: Fall of Man, the only good FPS to date that came out of Sony’s already-controversial console.

The Church of England is pissed at Sony for using the Manchester Cathedral as the setting of a mission in said shooter, and that Sony didn’t seek permission to use the cathedral in the game. The Church said it’s is considering legal action if Sony doesn’t say sorry, withdraw the game from store shelves, or modify the mission in question to remove the building’s interior.

Obviously, Sony has no plans of stopping the sales of Resistance, especially since the game has sold over a million copies.

Sony is also being criticized for using Manchester because the place has a gun crime problem. Way to go, Sony. Bill Gates hates you, gamers hate you, Tony Blair hates you, now Manchester and the entire Church of England hates you.

Even Mothers Against Violence, a Manchester-based organization, is joining the fray by seconding the Church’s action.

While each side’s arguments hold water, I just can’t help but question the Church’s motives for this one. If the game in question were Psychonauts, there probably won’t be a rush for legal battle.

As for the Church’s chances, it looks pretty slim. The U.K.’s Copyright Designs and Patents act says it’s not infringement to “represent artistic works that are on public display.” Alex Chapman of law firm Campbell Hooper told GamesIndustry.biz that this includes buildings and sculptures that are permanently situated in a public place or in premises open to the public.

That sounds exactly like the Manchester Cathedral to me.

On the other hand, the cathedral is certainly put into a bad light, and the situation doesn’t help the locale’s gun troubles. Here’s the rub: there aren’t any laws against corporate insensitivity. If there were, Sony would have burned at the stake for the PS3 prices.

Thanks to CartoonChurch and Matt Wardman for the hilarious cartoon.

Post from: EveryJoe