Spore, the movie?

After several years of waiting, video game fans will soon be able to get their hands on the long-awaited new title from legendary designer Will Wright, Spore.

But if the game's publisher, Electronic Arts, has its way, a much wider audience of fans may someday be exposed to the game. Or at least a version of the game.

That's because, according to a Reuters report Wednesday, EA is hoping that it may one day be able to license the film and/or TV rights to Spore.

Speaking to Reuters in Singapore, where he is in the middle of an ambitious publicity tour prior to the game's September 7 release, Wright addressed the issue of EA's long-term goals for its newest major franchise.
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Wii's winning moment at the Beijing Games

Score gold for Nintendo who's found a spokesperson in Japanese Olympic swimmer Kosuke Kitajima. The gold medallist who truimphed in the men's 100m breaststroke at the Beijing Olympics apparently credits Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games for helping him achieve his world record-breaking win.

In a comment making the rounds of the Web, he explained: "See, Mario does the breaststroke. And thus, it's perfect mental training for envisioning the actual Olympic hall." Of course, he's also grateful to his coach, his parents, and his country.

Excuse me now while I go practise my hurdles on my Wii, so I can trounce Liu Xiang at the 2012 Olympics in London. Hooyah!

Via The Hochi Shimbun

The new Lara Croft: More agile than ever

Gamers can dream that Angelina Jolie will one day take her cinematic Lara Croft into the video game world. But for now, they'll have to make do with the lovely Alison Carroll, a competitive UK gymnast who looks downright sporting in her multiple-holstered, black-booted garb.

Carroll, 23, will be the real-life incarnation of the famed game heroine at promotions for the series' latest installment, Tomb Raider: Underworld.

Game creator Eidos Interactive says Carroll embodies the essence of Croft--"brawn, brains, and beauty" (and er, bustiness, perhaps?). The company says Tomb Raider: Underworld has upped the ante on Croft's athleticism, and the character will tackle her trademark high adventures with movements and skills reminiscent of a highly skilled gymnast.
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Wear your A/V jacks!

Are you proud to be an A/V technophile? If you are, here's one way to flaunt your tech passion in public. Wear the A/V tee from Threadless.com. Available from extra-small to extra-large sizes for both guys and gals, the T-shirt features just about every imaginable socket found on your beloved TVs and amplifiers. For an American company, it's also comforting that its European counterparts are not forgotten with a pair of Euro Scarts in its array of HDMIs, component-videos, digital optical audios, etc.

There's no excuse not to grab a piece, too, since it costs just US$20 each (not including international shipping charges) through its Web portal.

Photo credit: Threadless.com

Vizio VP322, the world's smallest plasma

Before the Vizio VP322 came along, we always said that plasma-screen HDTVs basically started at 42 inches and went up from there. One exception was Panasonic's 37-inch size, which is still available in the form of models like the TH37PH10UK professional model, but now that Panasonic is into LCD at that size, it no longer markets a 37-inch plasma to consumers.

Vizio, one of the few budget companies that bothers with both plasma and LCD, has taken another tack in introducing the smallest plasma yet. The 32-inch VP322 is the same size as the company's popular VO32L, an LCD model, and it has the same list price. But a few items on the spec sheet are different, including native resolution, contrast ratio, or course, response time. So do those specs translate to visible differences between the Vizio and other budget LCDs?

As usual, the full review tells a different story from the specs. The plasma's higher contrast ratio didn't translate into better black levels, and the difference in resolution was negligible. This plasma's main weakness is color accuracy, which is only partly balanced by the advantage of superior picture uniformity. In the end we prefer some budget LCDs, but the Vizio plasma still might appeal to bargain hunters who want to go glass.

Via CNET Crave

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