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World Video Game Hall of Fame announces 12 finalists for the Class of 2017
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior fought against Mortal Kombat for the hearts (and quarters) of arcade players in the early 90s. Next month, they’ll square off again as two (of the 12) finalists the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017.
Announced this morning by The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games, this year’s finalists also include Donkey Kong, Final Fantasy VII, Halo: Combat Evolved, Myst, Pokemon Red and Blue, Portal, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, Wii Sports, and Windows Solitaire.
“These 12 World Video Game Hall of Fame finalists span decades, gaming platforms, and countries of origin… but what they all have in common is their undeniable impact on the world of gaming and popular culture,” said Jon-Paul C. Dyson, the Director of The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games. “Whether it’s a pop culture icon like Donkey Kong, an innovator and true original like Portal, or a game like Wii Sports that transformed millions of living rooms into interactive zones for all ages, they’re among the most influential games of all time.”
An international advisory committee made up of journalists and scholars familiar with the history of video games will advise the Hall of Fame’s selection of this year’s inductees, which will be announced on Thursday, May 4, at 10:30 AM (Eastern Time).
You can learn more about all of this year’s finalists after the break. (more…)
J.J. Abrams confirms Portal and Half-Life films are still in development
Way back in 2013, film director J.J. Abrams and Valve CEO Gabe Newell told the world that movies based on Half-Life and Portal were in the works at Abrams’s Bat Robot Productions. Last night, during HBO’s gala premiere for the premiere episode of Westworld, Abrams reconfirmed that both adaptations are still on track.
Speaking to IGN, Abrams revealed that he actually has a meeting with Valve next week, and that he’s hoping to make an announcement concerning Portal “fairly soon.” While the cagey director wouldn’t elaborate further on the agenda for that meeting, he did say that they’re very close to finding a screenwriter:
“We are having some really interesting discussions with writers, many of whom…once you said you’re doing a movie or show about a specific thing that is a known quantity you start to find people who are rabid about these things. As someone who loves playing Half Life and Portal, what’s the movie of this, it’s incredible when you talk to someone who just ‘gets’ it, it’s like, oh my god, it’s really the seed for this incredible tree you’re growing.”
And in case you were wondering, Abrams had a hearty laugh at the mere mention of Half-Life 3. So… Half-Life 3 is probably going launch on May 7, 2017… because as we all know, that’s World Laughter Day.
Portal board game teleports to your tabletop this Summer
Cryptozoic Entertainment has just announced their product preview for 2014, which included a board game based on the beloved Portal franchise. The best part is that the “custom playing pieces include test subjects, sentry turret, weighted companion cube, and delicious cake.” The tagline even says it comes with cake, and that it isn’t a lie. How exciting!
The final name is not yet determined, but the tentative name is “Portal: Uncooperative Cake Acquisition Game.” Also, the good news is that it was “designed by the creators of Portal and Portal 2,” which means it should at least be close to the humor we know and love from the series.
The Portal board game has a tentative release date of Q3 2014. It will be for two to four players, and will cost $50.
Posted in News, Tabletop Games
Tagged Portal, Portal 2
J.J. Abrams and Gabe Newell tease possible game/movie collaboration
Star Wars Episode VII director J.J. Abrams and Valve CEO Gabe Newell spent the morning addressing the crowd at the 2013 D.I.C.E. Summit. Their talk, “Storytelling Across Platforms,” kicked off the conference and was heavily promoted before the four-day gathering of developers began.
Apparently, there was a good reason for that.
Abrams and Newell’s panel concluded a few minutes ago and they dropped a massive bombshell before they left. Are you ready? Abrams announced that he wants to partner with Valve on a video game and Newell announced that he wants work with Abrams (and his Bad Robot production company) on movies based on Half-Life and Portal:
Abrams: There’s an idea we [at Bad Robot] have for a game that we’d like to work with Valve on.
Newell: We’re going to find out if there’s a way we can work with you on a Portal and Half-Life movie.
Oh. My. God.
[Source: Kotaku]
For Learning! Snag a free copy of Portal until September 20
Valve has seemingly perfected the “demented schoolteacher” genre with the two Portal games. Encouraging players to look at science and puzzle-solving in new ways, they’ve become more than just games. And now, Valve has taking that a step further with their new Learn With Portals site.
Designed as an educational destination for teachers and students, Learn With Portals wants to make “physics, math, logic, spatial reasoning, probability, and problem-solving interesting” cool. Step one in this coolification of learning: give away a free download of Portal from now until September 20.
So teleport yourself over to Learn With Portals and download your free copy today. For Science. For Learning. For Fun.