Tekken: Rise of the Tournament is set to be directed by Prachya Pinkaew, a man who knows how to film a fight scene.

Pinkaew has never had a huge breakout success in the United States, but his films Ong-bak and Chocolate are both highly regarded among fans of kung-fu cinema. Pinkaew also stated that he is more interested in casting actors that look like the characters from the game, than he is at securing big-name famous actors. For an example of why casting an actor in a video game movie based on his or her bankability rather than their appropriateness for the role is a bad idea, just click here.

If you need more convincing as to why Pinkaew may be able to deliver a good kung-fu movie that happens to be called Tekken, just keep in mind that he directed the fight scene below from the movie The Protector. The elaborate four minute sequence of a man fighting through dozens of thugs to find his elephants (the story isn't really the cool part here), contains no cuts or edits. It's just a dude with a steady-cam, following another dude who really wants his elephants.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

[via Joystiq and Cannes]

We got a small tease back in November, and a physical puzzle earlier this month, and now Ron Gilbert is releasing character concept art for a few of the characters of his upcoming project with Double Fine.

From left to right above we have, The Monk, The Hillbilly, and The Time Traveler. Gilbert describes The Monk saying, "Yeah.... He's all about peace and enlightenment," The Hillbilly as, "Oh no! It's The Hillbilly!," and doesn't offer any meaningful description about The Time Traveler.

Outside of these few character concept designs, we really know nothing about Gilbert's game, other than him saying, "This is an idea that has been in my head for a long long long time. It predates Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island. It's a game that needed to be made."

We should find out more at E3.

[via Grumpy Gamer]

Mario will probably never look like crazy stop motion, but we could dream.

Ignore the crazy dude in sunglasses, and check out this slick stop motion video of Super Mario Bros. Level 1-1 made by YouTube user MysteryGuitarMan.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

[Source: Dorkly]

Happy Diablo weekend to you. We hope you have a very Diablo weekend. May there be enough Diablo to satisfy all your desires. Roll Diablo beautiful Diablo Diablo. Diablo! Some of us might play Max Payne 3.

Tim Turi: This weekend I’ll be juggling my time as gaming’s biggest sad sack, Max Payne, and my brutal barbarian in Diablo III.

Andy Reiner: I'm in the studio all weekend to record Tripping Icarus' fourth album. Any free time I can find goes to Diablo III. Chris Kluwe, our bass player, and I are even playing the game between takes.

Ben Hanson: I have Max Payne 3 and Diablo III, and only one of them is tickling me in ways I never thought I could be tickled. When I started Max Payne 3 I came to the realization that I’m tired of shooting people. You know what I’m not tired of? Having my Witch Doctor hurl thousands of shattering clay pots filled with giant leaping spiders at the undead, Diablo 3 is just neat like that. I also downloaded the original Playstation game called Threads of Fate and I might play a bit more of that. Oh, and I will most likely continue playing the new Mario Tennis game for the 3DS, it is really great so far.

Jeff Marchiafava: This weekend I’ll be having two wildly different gaming experiences: I’ll be shooting dudes in the face in Max Payne 3, and building my own blocky home in Minecraft. Max Payne has all the explosive, gritty action I was hoping for. In my Minecraft world, I just set up a little farming area for growing sugar cane and wheat, and tamed my own pet wolf. I think I may have a multiple personality disorder.

Matt Helgeson: Going to see Blue Oyster Cult at the Ho-Chunk Casino in Baribou, Wisconsin.

Kyle Hilliard: I'll be playing Max Payne 3 and empathetically listening to my wife's complaints about trying to play Diablo III. I might also compete in a spelling bee.

SEGA is releasing a number of classic titles on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network starting next week. All PSN games will be available individually while XBLA games will be available in several package deals grouped by title.

Here’s the breakdown:

PlayStation Network - May 22nd ($4.99 each)

• Wonder Boy in Monster Land (Arcade)
• Wonder Boy in Monster World (Mega Drive)
• Monster World IV (Genesis/Mega Drive)
• Super Hang-On (Arcade)
• Revenge of Shinobi (Genesis/Mega Drive)
• Alex Kidd in Miracle World (Master System)

Xbox Live Arcade - Release Date: May 23rd

Monster World Collection (800 MSP)

• Wonder Boy in Monster Land (Arcade)
• Wonder Boy in Monster World (Genesis/Mega Drive)
• Monster World IV (Genesis/Mega Drive)

Alex Kidd & Co. Collection (800 MSP)

• Super Hang-On (Arcade)
• The Revenge of Shinobi (Genesis/Mega Drive)
• Alex Kidd in Miracle World (Master System)

Xbox Live Arcade - Release Date: May 30th

Golden Axe Collection (800 MSP)

• Golden Axe (Arcade)
• Golden Axe 2 (Genesis/Mega Drive)
• Golden Axe 3 (Genesis/Mega Drive)

Streets of Rage Collection (800 MSP)

• Streets of Rage (Genesis/Mega Drive)
• Streets of Rage 2 (Genesis/Mega Drive)
• Streets of Rage 3 (Genesis/Mega Drive)

[Source: SEGA Blog]

Amidst  financial difficulty, 38 Studios released an environment fly-through video of its long-development MMO Project Copernicus.

The roughly 2-minute video gives you a good sense of the world the team has been working on for nearly six years. We don't know much about the game other than it takes places in the Amalur universe. A release date has not officially been announced, but Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee said at a press conference today he believes it's slated for June 2013.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

I was a fan of Nail'd, and if you were too, then you should mark your calendars for the arrival of Mad Riders on XBLA, PC, and PSN this month.

The game comes out May 30, and will cost $9.99 or 800 Microsoft Points.

Mad Riders features 45 tracks, shortcuts, boosting, and aerial stunts, and if Nail'd is any indication (click for the review), it should be a pretty fast and crazy experience.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Publisher Deep Silver is considering its options for the next Dead Island game and will make an announcement in due course.

A rumor surfaced earlier this week on IGN Germany that stated Deep Silver has signed developer Yager to create Dead Island 2. Yager is currently finishing up development on Spec Ops: The Line for 2K Games.

Deep Silver has denied the rumor, saying it has not begun work on a sequel just yet. “We are neither working with Yager on Dead Island 2 nor do we have any contractual agreement with Yager about any project at this point,"  Deep Silver development director Guido Eickmeyer told IGN.

“Yager and Deep Silver do have a very close relationship, based on personal and professional connections between the parties. There is a legitimate chance that we will - at some point - work together on a title - and I would not even exclude the possibility that this could be something within the Dead Island franchise.

"We have the greatest respect for this team, we absolutely love what we have seen so far from SpecOps - and we are constantly discussing potential opportunities. However, we have neither something in place or in discussion between the parties that would explain such a news, nor do we have Dead Island 2 in concept or production with external partners.”

The first Dead Island game was developed by Poland-based Techland and has since shipped over 3 million copies. The developer also recently registered a trademark for "Dead World," which could be a potential name for the next game.

[Source: IGN]

It was announced this afternoon that 38 Studios has paid the state of Rhode Island the $1.25 million it owed earlier this month.

Yesterday, Curt Schilling (pictured above) delivered a check, but it lacked funds to pay it. Gov. Lincoln Chafee said today the check has now cleared. It was revealed yesterday 38 Studios did not make payroll for the week. As of now, Chafee says they have still not paid their employees and estimated that it costs over $4 million a month to operate 38 Studios.

Chafee also said at the press conference the upcoming MMO, Project Copernicus, is slated for release in June 2013.

Schilling said on his Facebook page late yesterday, "To all the prayers and well wishes to the team and families at 38, God Bless and thank you! We will find a way, and the strength, to endure."

38 Studios' next payment of $2.6 million is due on November 1, 2012. The governor said he believes they'll be able to make it.

[Source: WPRI]

Ubisoft and developer Gearbox Software have been all too quiet about Brothers In Arms: Furious 4. The game was due out in 2012, but we've seen nothing since it was announced at E3 last year.

It was discovered by Internet sleuth superannuation that Ubisoft recently dropped both trademarks for the game. When asked for comment, a representative told Game Informer, "We don’t have anything to share at this point in time."

This recent news doesn't mean Brothers In Arms: Furious 4 is canceled, but it's certainly not looking too good. Game Informer has reached out to Gearbox for additional comment.

[Source: superannuation]

EA announced it will waive distribution fees on Origin for crowd-funded games for 90 days. The program is only available to projects that are fully-funded, complete and ready-to-publish.

“The public support for crowd-funding creative game ideas coming from small developers today is nothing short of phenomenal,” said David DeMartini, Senior Vice President of Origin at EA. “It’s also incredibly healthy for the gaming industry.

"Gamers around the world deserve a chance to play every great new game, and by waiving distribution fees on Origin we can help make that a reality for successfully crowd-funded developers.”

One of the confirmed projects appearing on Origin is Wasteland 2 from inXile Entertainment. “I have had a long relationship with EA and it is great to see them recognize and support the crowd-funded games model,” said Brian Fargo, CEO, inXile Entertainment.

“Having Origin waive their distribution fees for 90 days for fan funded games is a major economic bonus for small developers.  We look forward to bringing Wasteland 2 to the Origin audience.”

Characters don't pop into the world fully formed. For the vast majority of the time, our favorite heroes and villains are the result of a long cycle of brainstorming, sketching, and revising. If you'd like to see an excellent glimpse of how a well-known character was born, from concept to the end result, the Animation Academy has a fairly exhaustive look at Spyro the Dragon's genesis.

The series of drawings shows how Spyro evolved from a one-word description – dragon – into something significantly more interesting. Insomniac designer Charles Zembillas started with a few humble sketches, and then he iterated on them until he arrived at something that's significantly more interesting. The gallery is a fascinating look at the creative process, whether or not you're a Spyro fan.

Thanks for the tip, Chris!

Sly Cooper's upcoming time-traveling adventure will be hitting a larger audience than previously expected. Sanzaru Games has announced that its upcoming Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time will be available on both the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Vita.

In addition to the Vita news, Sanzaru president Glen Egan revealed that Carmelita Fox will also have a part to play in the game. Sly's love interest is fully playable in Thieves in Time, and players will be able to use a new over-the-shoulder aiming system that is designed to make targeting easier than before. If you're a die-hard Sony fan and you have both a Vita and PS3, you'll be glad to know that the game supports cross saves. In other words, you can play the game on your Vita and seamlessly pick up where you left off on your PlayStation 3.

Check out the complete post on the official PlayStation Blog for more details. To learn more about Thieves in Time, take a look at our preview.

Remember shortly after Diablo III was officially unveiled when fans were upset about how colorful the game looked?

Possibly as a response to those early criticisms, Blizzard hid Whimsyshire, a world full of smiley clouds, rainbows, and enemy unicorns, in the game. Fans (the ones who have been able to play) have discovered the level only a few days after Diablo III's Tuesday launch.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

There's lots to see, but little to hear if you don't speak Japanese in Pokemon Black and White 2's animated introduction.

It's got a much higher quality of animation than the Pokemon television series, plenty of Pokemon on Pokemon action, rocking guitars, baseball caps, and a girl wearing glasses that don't have any lenses in them. She's basically wearing a wire on her face.

Pokemon Black and White 2 are coming out next month in Japan, and we should see localized versions of the two games in North America in the fall.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Konami confirmed the release date for the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. The game is coming on June 12.

This version only includes Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. It also features "Transfarring," which enables players to transfer and save data from their Metal Gear Solid HD Collection on PlayStation 3 to the Vita version.

The touch-screen and rear touchpad. are used to zoom in on cut-scenes, peek around corners, interrogate enemies, cycle through weapons, and perform rapid attacks with their knife, Konami says.

Update: The check 38 Studios hand delivered to the state bounced this afternoon. According to WPRI, the EDC will still accept the overdue $1.125 million payment if 38 Studios can find a way to come up with the money.

----------------------------------

The situation at 38 Studios is getting worse. The studio is reportedly paying the overdue $1.25 million it owes the R.I. Economic Development Corporation, but did not make payroll this week.

Judy Chong, a spokesperson for the EDC, confirmed the news to WPRI today. 38 Studios employed 379 full-time employees as of March 15, including 288 in Rhode Island, the report says.

Owner Curt Schilling met with state officials earlier this week to seek additional help. No decision was made. The parties will meet again on Monday.

[Source: WPRI]

Batman: Arkham City's story-based download content Harley Quinn's Revenge hits May 29. Warner Bros. put out a new trailer to show what you can expect.

The content will run you $9.99 if purchased through Xbox Live, PlayStation Network. It's also added as a bonus in the upcoming Game of the Year edition, which ships the same day. It also includes all previously released downloadable content (Catwoman Pack, Nightwing Bundle Pack, Robin Bundle Pack, Challenge Map Pack and Arkham City Skins Pack)

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Ubisoft will be running a two-week multiplayer beta on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this summer for its upcoming action shooter, Far Cry 3. Find out below how to get into the action.

The beta includes six playable classes and several maps and modes to explore in 16-player matches. The progression system will be active, so you can unlock hundreds of upgrades and other ways to customize your experience. For more details on how Far Cry 3's multiplayer works, check out Dan Ryckert's hands-on preview on Domination mode.

Obtaining a beta invite is a matter of buying Ubisoft's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier at GameStop when it comes out on May 22nd, or hoping to snag one of the codes Ubisoft will be giving away through its social channels at Facebook and its community sites and partners.

Far Cry 3 comes out September 4 on 360, PS3, and PC.

Full Disclosure: GameStop is the parent company of Game Informer.

When the HBO Go app launched on Xbox 360 in March, cable providers Comcast, Time Warner and Bright House did not support it. Now, all of them do.

Comcast was the first provider to support the app a few weeks after. Today, Time Warner and Bright House are on board, too.

" Believe it or not, we really, really do want our customers to enjoy the content they love on as many devices as possible," said Jeff Simmermon of Time Warner. "We take the 'any content, any device' mantra seriously, and we’re delivering on it this week in spades."

[Source: Time Warner]

Microsoft has revealed the first screenshot and box art for Forza Horizon, due out sometime this coming fall.

It will likely be part of Microsoft's E3 press conference, so we'll hopefully hear more then. Thoughts so far?

[Source: ForzaMotorsport.net]

Ubisoft confirmed the new release date for Rayman Origins 3DS. A demo for the game is also now available on the Nitnendo eShop.

The demo includes three unique levels: Swinging Caves, Playing in the Shade and Shooting Me Softly. Check out new the new trailer and screenshots below.

Rayman Origins is out on June 5 for $29.99.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Blizzard has issued an apology over the persistent server issues Diablo III players encountered during the game's launch earlier this week.

In addition, the company said it's delaying the release of the real-money auction house beyond the original May 22 date. Blizzard will have an update in the near future. How has Diablo III been for you?

Game Informer is working on our review of that game at this moment. Look for it sometime next week.

Below is Blizzards statement in full:

Diablo Players:

We’d like to extend a very sincere thank you to everyone who joined the global Diablo III launch celebrations this week, as well as to everyone who was ready to jump into Sanctuary the moment the game went live.

To that end, we’d also like to say that we’ve been humbled by your enthusiasm -- and we sincerely regret that your crusade to bring down the Lord of Terror was thwarted not by mobs of demons, but by mortal infrastructure. As many of you are aware, technical issues occurring within hours after the game's launch led to players experiencing error messages and difficulty logging in. These issues cropped up again last night for the Americas and Europe servers. Despite very aggressive projections, our preparations for the launch of the game did not go far enough.

We’ve been monitoring the game 24/7 and have applied several optimizations to help our systems better weather the global rush. As of late last night, specifically 11:50 PM PDT on May 15, all systems have been online and running relatively smoothly. We’re continuing to monitor performance globally and will be taking further measures as needed to ensure a positive experience for everyone. This includes some maintenance to implement additional improvements for each region.

In order to make sure everything is continuing to run as it should, we’ve decided to move out our target launch for the real-money auction house beyond our original estimated date of May 22. We’ll post further updates on that in the near future.

Aside from the tremendous number of players simultaneously logging in to the game, one of the launch-day service issues was linked to the achievement system. Some players began to notice early on that achievements were either not being earned properly, or not being saved between multiple logins. We’re investigating this issue and will provide a specific update as soon as possible.

We greatly appreciate everyone’s support, and we want to sincerely apologize for the difficulties many of you encountered on day one. Please visit the Battle.net Support site or Support forums for the latest service-related updates or for help in troubleshooting any technical issues you may be having downloading, installing, or while playing the game.

Thank you again for your patience while we reinforce the gates of Sanctuary and further strengthen it for your onslaught.

Respectfully,

Blizzard Entertainment

[Source: Blizzard]

Today marks the day J.C. Padilla scored the highest video game score ever recorded, when back in 2003 he reached 2,181,619,994,299,256,480 points in Giga Wing 2 for the Dreamcast. If that doesn't excite you, perhaps one of these blogs by the community will.

Blog Herding Stats:

Period Reviewed: May 07 – May 13, 2012
Number of User Blogs: 90
Number of User Bloggers: 53
Number of User Blogs Herded: 10

Community Blogs:

Weird Should Be A Compliment
Doctor Apozem talks about how weird shouldn't necessarily have negative connotations when referring to an atypical video game design and challenges us to seek these games out and give them a try.

Cutting Corners – Tricks Of The Trade
Community blogger xking595x examines techniques used by the developers in the construction of video games while wondering if part of the science is creative ingenuity or simply cutting corners.

Video Game Addiction: The Brutal Truth
An interesting and potentially provocative blog by PatManDude101 providing his scientific explanation of why we enjoy playing games as much as we do and why they can be so addictive. See if you agree.

Are We Doomed To Repeat The Past?
Noobtubin8er muses about past events from the world of video games and questions whether the industry has learned from them or if we're doomed to repeat them.

Skyrim: From Riften To Markarth
Ever wonder how extensive Skyrim is? Community member footthumb chronicles his travels on foot from Riften to Markarth in this fascinating journal that sheds a little light on how big the game really is.

Top 10 Healers
The support characters who often patch up their wounded teammates are often under-appreciated and seldom thanked – until now. This top ten list by thegodofwine7 recognizes some of our favorite healers.

How Special Is Spec Ops?
In what has become an almost weekly feature, Kyle Wadsworth provides stunning details from the demo on the soon-to-be released third-person military shooter that is said to challenge your morality.

Apple Console Speculation
The recent rumor that Apple was joining the video game console fray was short lived and not widely discussed, but Zachary Pligge has a few comments on the issue including his overall expectations.

My Thoughts On The Elder Scrolls Online
Fans of the Elder Scroll series continue to weigh in on the recent announcement of the MMO. Drym Shyuan has a few reservations that he discusses with the community.

The Wii-U Is Going To Break The Tradition
As the release of Nintendo's next generation console draws closer, more gamers are wondering how well it will be received. Stonecutters908 shares his thoughts on the lineup of titles available at launch.

Community Reviews:

This Experiment Is A Success
A solid review by one of the regular contributors to the user reviews, Orochi Assassin LEVON provides a thorough analysis of Radical Entertainment's Prototype 2 before awarding the game 8.25 out of 10.

L.A. Noire Review
SamuraiZero posted a number of reviews this week, including one covering L.A. Noire, a game that seems to be hit or miss. The review provides the highs and lows of the game and scores it 8.50 out of 10.

Mass Effect 2: Blastoise Review
While reviews of Mass Effect 3 keep arriving fairly regularly, Roxin17 posts one for its predecessor, a game that many feel is every bit as good. He gives Mass Effect 2 a very respectable 9.25 out of 10.

From Hero To Zero
Craigaleg gives the first attempt by Lionhead Studios to publish an Xbox Live Arcade title based off the Fable series his video review attention. Check out the companion blog here: Video Review – Fable Heroes.

Community Podcasts:

The Indie & Mojo Show Episode 33
Indiejones and Mojomonkey12 welcome a new host (and future Game Informer intern) to their team as the group talks about Darksiders, The Walking Dead, Dark Souls, Minecraft, and League of Legends.

Robot In The Corner 2-28
This week the hosts talk about The Avengers movie before sharing the answers to their listener question, "Which developer are you most anxious to see a new game from (sequel or new IP)?"

Don't forget to send your feedback, recommendations, and community events in to my personal Game Informer account located here to ensure this feature continues to provide the content you're eager to read.

Happy Blogging!

Your friendly neighborhood blogging community (05/07/12 – 05/13/12):
aidanrinku; Anticitizen-One; Black Rook; born4this; bros6sis2; Caudex (5); Chris Mrkvicka; Chris, the savior of the galaxy?; Christopher Williams; Craigaleg; Cru Hunter; DarkKnight401; Derreck; DJH; Doctor Apozem (2); DrJoeystein; Drym Shyuan; footthumb; GoldvsSilver (2); Harry; indiejones; J Warrior; Jack, The Quixotic Gamer; JC; Jolt the Cynic (5); jordanthegamer (3); KAGEHOSHI-; Kyle Wadsworth (2); Le Hannibal (4); LGAR; Mike (3); my pants are on fire; nathan98; Noobtubin8er; Oni no Tenshi; PatManDude101 (2); PonstoryGame; Prince of Snark Euphoric Ennui I; Rabid Chipmunk; Romars202129 (2); Senshuro; sorryjzargo (4); Stonecutters908; Stranger (7); The Great Cubone (3); the Mysterious Stranger; thebrazilian27; thegodofwine7; ThisBlueSquid; UltiMat3ProDGy07 (2); xking595x (3); Zachary Pligge; and of course yours truly...Saint.

Video Game Quote of the Week:
"Anyone who disagrees with me is mentally ill and should be shot." – Pastor Richards, GTA: Vice City

Warner Bros. Interactive released three new LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes shots that parody Batman: Arkham City's black and white marketing campaign, which in turn pays homage to DC's old Batman: Black & White comic book series. For comparison, I've included both the LEGO Batman 2 and Arkham City shots.

Let's hope Warner Bros. doesn't re-release this game with the same box art design for Arkham City's Game of the Year edition.