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Disney’s got an 8-bit video game-inspired film slated to come out later this year entitled Wreck-It Ralph, and it looks… well, not very much like a typical Disney film, to be sure.

Wreck-It Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) is the villain in an 8-bit arcade game, and he gets tired of his lot in life – namely to destroy buildings that Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer) then rebuilds. Felix then gets all the glory, too, of course. Wanting some glory of his own, Ralph jumps into newly installed first-person shooter Hero’s Duty, determined to be a hero. Accidentally releasing an enemy that threatens the entire arcade, he must team up with Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) from Sugar Rush to save the day.

Director Rich Moore (“The Simpsons,” “Futurama,” and “The Critic”) had this to say about the movie: “I love the idea of a very simple 8-bit video game character struggling with the complex question: ‘isn’t there more to life than the role I’ve been assigned?’ In his quest for the answer, we journey with our hero through three visually distinct video game worlds. It’s unlike anything anyone’s seen before, and I’m thrilled to be to creating it here at Walt Disney Animation Studios.”

Wreck-It Ralph is due out December 26. Hit the jump for some sweet screenshots from the movie, which look decidedly un-Disney-like. Expect the video game tie-in to be announced any time now. (more…)

After a ton of Internet backlash, BioWare has announced that they will be re-editing their novel, Mass Effect: Deception. Irate fans went so far as to create an in-depth Google Document citing all of the issues in the book. They even color-coded them so you know how serious each offense really is.

BioWare’s community coordinator, Chris Priestley, had this to say on the BioWare forums:

Mass Effect fans have been asking for a comment on recent concerns over Mass Effect: Deception. We have been listening and have the below response on the issue.

The teams at Del Rey and BioWare would like to extend our sincerest apologies to the Mass Effect fans for any errors and oversights made in the recent novel Mass Effect: Deception. We are currently working on a number of changes that will appear in future editions of the novel.

We would like to thank all Mass Effect fans for their passion and dedication to this ever-growing world, and assure them that we are listening and taking this matter very seriously.

I know people are upset about this, but this entire thing is comedy gold – so much so that even Penny Arcade mocked it, something that feels more endearing to me thanks to its well-placed Dragonlance joke.

This violist plays along with Super Mario Bros, including all of the sound effects and the “Game Over” screen. Can someone let him know my birthday’s coming up, and give him directions to my house?

Ever want to know about the entrepreneurial history behind the start of the video game industry? Gamers at Work: Stories Behind the Games People Play is a book you might be interested in.

Written by Morgan Ramsay, the founder of Entertainment Media Council, this book brings the history of the video game industry to light through interviews with some of gaming’s most successful – and notorious – names. Trip Hawkins, founder of Electronic Arts, is on the list, along with Warren Spector (founder of Junction Point Studios), Ted Price (founder of Insomniac Games), and, of course, Nolan Bushnell, the infamous cofounder of Atari… and the founder of Chuck E. Cheese.

The book takes readers – presumably gamers – on a journey through the turbulent history of the creation of the video game industry as we know it today, following the stories of these men and others through their successes and failures. After reading The Ultimate History of Video Games, I don’t think anything can surprise me, but I’m definitely going to read this book anyway, because I’m a sucker for books about the industry.

To find out more about the book, check out the website at gamersatwork.org.