batman

Big thanks to everyone who came through last night's 404 Meet-up at the CNET Gotham holiday gift guide. Friendships were made, business ideas launched, and plenty of stickers were given; it was one of our most productive meet-ups to date!

We'll wrap up last night's event and show a quick interview segment on today's show, then launch into the headlining news of the day: Logitech has announced that it made a huge mistake with its Revue Google TV set-top box, and the company has no plans to upgrade or reinvent the existing hardware. Tune in to find out your other options for streaming Web content to your TV.

We'll also chat about near-field communication (NFC) chips making their way to luxury goods like Louis Vuitton wallets, Prada bags, and Nike sneakers to battle bootlegers, a six-year project to tweet the events of the second World War, and Jeff gives us his quick-take of "Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword."

We've been talking about games like Battlefield 3, Batman: Arkham City, and Uncharted 3 a lot on the show, and Blockbuster just gave us two copies of each game to give away in conjunction with Blockbuster's promo running through Nov. 22 where if you buy a copy of the game in-store you receive a free month of unlimited game and movie rentals!

We have PS3 and Xbox 360 copies for Battlefield 3 and Batman: Arkham City and two copies of Uncharted 3 for PS3 to give away. Here's how to enter:

And that's it! Just remember that you need to be a U.S. resident to be eligible and the contest ends November 22. We'll select the winners at random, so good luck!

Stream or download today's show after the break!… Read more

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--To celebrate today's release of the eagerly awaited Batman: Arkham City, Rocksteady Studios and Warner Brothers Interactive last night transformed the GameStop store on the outer fringes of Hollywood into a mini Gotham City where bleary eyed fans could snag a late-night copy of the PS3 and Xbox 360 title.

About 200 fans of varying ages (some in event-appropriate costumed attire) waited patiently outside the store until the doors opened and the store welcomed them into a mock-up of the game's seedy urban world. Those in attendance had a chance to meet game writer Paul Dini, and they could win prizes (such as two life-size Batman statues on display). … Read more

Today on preGame we venture into the dark and ominous world of Batman: Arkham City. It'll be tough following up one of 2009's games of the year, but from what we've been able to play, we think the team at Rocksteady Studios nailed it.

Next, we'll be showing off an incredible amount of gameplay we were recently treated to for the upcoming game Sonic Generations. In this veritable Sonic all-star game, players can play as "new" and "old" Sonic in a collection of 2D and 3D levels. We've got Sega's Aaron Webber in the studio to explain the process involved in creating such an epic Sonic experience for fans new and old.

Got an idea for preGame? E-mail us! pregame [at] cnet [dot] com.

Be sure to subscribe to the show: RSS (video) | iTunes (video)… Read more

Following up one of 2009's best games is no easy task. Batman: Arkham Asylum not only provided an addictive and compelling third-person action-adventure title, but it completely redefined superhero games. There was really no debating at the time: the team at Rocksteady Studios had made the best Batman--and perhaps the best comic-book-inspired game ever.

We've strapped on the Dark Knight's boots for another tour through Gotham's worst and lived to tell the tale. … Read more

This week on preGame, we're sitting down with one of the year's most anticipated games, Gears of War 3. Tune in for a chunk of live gameplay from early on in the game. Then, we'll put the pedal to the metal in Burnout CRASH!, the latest downloadable title from EA's Criterion Games.

But before we hit the demos, we'll run through this week's news including new details on the Battlefield 3 beta, the PS Vita's battery life, and hands-on impressions with Batman: Arkham City.

Finally, make sure to listen carefully this week as we're giving away free digital copies of one of Mark and Jeff's favorite games of all time, Resident Evil 4, for Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network!… Read more

It's amazing to think how many comic book characters--some from decades ago--are still relevant to pop and geek culture today.

Lately, it feels like there's no end in sight to the surge in superhero-movie releases. In our gallery below, we look at the original comic depiction of several larger-than-life beings compared with their most recent movie equivalents. The differences are astounding, and truly indicate how far animation and artistic quality has evolved over the years.

While we didn't feature every comic book character who's had a makeover recently, we think you'll still enjoy our selections consisting of mostly Marvel (Stan Lee) and DC comic stars. The gallery includes Captain America, Thor, Superman, Green Lantern, Iron Man, Tin-Tin, Spider-Man, X-Men, and Batman. Think there's someone we missed that should be on the list? Leave a comment with your suggestions and we may revise the gallery down the line.

On a related note, it's worth sharing that DC Comics plans to reboot all of its franchises beginning this September.

… Read more

In the first of two special videos from the San Diego Comic-Con, CNET TV's Brian Tong talks one-on-one with the living embodiment of the convention, director Joss Whedon. They discuss the Avengers movie, the new direction for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and how music can help you find a happy place.

Adam West takes the stage in the second video, talking scratchy tights, yummy taffy, and the thrills of Comic-Con.

A skilled Lego hobbyist has pieced together a detailed monument to The Dark Knight in time for Comic-Con in San Diego.

Flickr member "Orion Pax" (Alex Schranz) gave CNET and Crave permission to share his Batcave creation. Schranz reports that he "terminated" between 8,000 and 9,000 parts to build the cave.

In other words, the bricks in question are committed to this one-of-a-kind build. Lego Batman's lair stands on a 40-studs square base, 68 standard bricks high. If you don't know the size of a standard Lego brick, what in Gotham did you spend your childhood doing?

Schranz installed a neon lamp behind the scene for its moody lighting, and he took these photos with a Canon EOS 1000D. The entire project took about one week to finish.

"I always felt like doing something with all the collected Batman (Lego pieces)," Schranz said. "I'm working on a new piece now, and it should be done in a week or so."

For a more thorough tour of the Caped Crusader's plastic home, check out our gallery. … Read more

Going all the way back to the original red-highlighted Batmobile on up to Christian Bale's modern and aggressive Tumbler, Batman has always had the coolest, most powerful cars.

Casey Putsch at Putsch Racing took the inspiration for his personal Batmobile from the 1989 Michael Keaton film version. He calls it the world's only real Batmobile. He makes that claim based on a very powerful and loud argument: a turbine engine.

That's right. Let's linger on that a moment. This car has a military-spec Boeing turbine engine culled from a drone helicopter. Turn up your speakers and watch the video below to get an idea of what it sounds like.… Read more