watchmen-movie posts

As promised the first Watchmen downloadable movie tie-in game release, The End Is Nigh, is now available to download and purchase via Valve's Steam service. the $19.99 game from developer Deadline Games and publisher Warner Bros. Interactive is a fighter-brawler with you taking on the roles of either Nite Owl or Rorschach in both single player and two player co-op modes. It's set in the movie/comic book world's version of 1973, before the events of the main storyline.

Our sister site Joystiq has posted up their review of the game (based on playing the Xbox 360 version) and . . .well, its a mixed result to be sure. This is the first of two planned downloadable Watchmen games but so far there's no word yet on what the second game will be like nor when it will be released (although we suspect it might be timed with the movie's DVD/Blu-Ray release).

Update: The full game can also be downloaded and purchased via Direct2Drive.

The biggest comic book movie of 2009 is a little over a week away but even closer to release is the game version. Today Valve's Steam service began taking pre-orders for Watchmen: The End is Nigh, the "M" rated fighter-brawler game based on the "R" rated movie (and itself based on the classic Alan Moore-Dave Gibbons comic).

Developer Deadline Games and publisher Warner Bros. Interactive are taking a risk by making this rather high-profile game available only via digital download. Usually games based on films sell well but also tend to be on the mediocre side. Pre-ordering the game will set you back $19.99.

If you have been wondering when the first planned downloadable Watchmen movie game will be released, wonder no more. The game's official web site has now put a countdown clock in place signaling that Watchmen: The End Is Nigh is now scheduled for release on March 4, two days before the movie version of the classic graphic novel is released in theaters on March 6.

The web site indicates that the PC version of the game will be available to download via Steam and Direct2Drive. A "trial version" (presumably a demo) will be released on the same date. As we have reported before this third person brawler-style of game takes place in the movie's version of 1973 where the team of Nite Owl and Rorschach battled thugs on the streets. Actors Patrick Wilson and Jackie Earl Haley will reprise their movie roles to voice their respective characters in the game. There's no word yet on what the price of the game, developed by Deadline Games, will be.

While Warner Bros. Interactive plans to release a modern day downloadable brawler game to promote the upcoming Watchmen movie, the film's marketing machine have already created a fun browser based game that has the look and feel of a Double Dragon-themed arcade game.

The Minutemenarcade.com web site is the place to go to play the game which allows you to play as one of the Minutemen, the super hero team that in both the original graphic novel and film were in place during WWII. You can play as either the first version of Nite Owl and Silk Spectre as you guide them to beat up some thugs. It's simple but fun for at least a few minutes and its free. You will have to pay to get the real downloadable game Watchmen: The End is Nigh when it is released around the time the movie comes out in early March.

If you have been waiting on the edge of your seat to find out who will be hosting this year's Spike TV Video Game Awards...well, you need to get out more. However, we can tell you that actor-funny musician-panda voice guy Jack Black will be taking on the hosting duties for this year's event which the cable TV network will broadcast live on Dec. 14.

Black's appearance as host is almost certainly timed to work with some world premiere game footage of the long delayed Double Fine title Brutal Legend (Black is one of the voices in the game). Other games that will have new footage shown at the event include the game adaptations of the movies Terminator Salvation and Watchmen. New footage will also be shown of Mafia II, the Illusion Softworks open world crime action game that we haven't seen in a long time in any form. More surprise announcements are supposedly in the works. As we have previously reported, Sims and Spore creator Will Wright will receive the first ever "Gamer God" award from Spike TV at the event.

Electronic Arts continues to try to reach out to Hollywood filmmakers to get more game ideas. A couple of years ago they signed Steven Spielberg to a three-game deal (only one of those games has been released so far, the critically acclaimed Wii puzzle game Boom Blox). Variety now reports that EA has signed hot movie director Zack Snyder to a similar three game contract.

Like the EA-Spielberg pact, the new EA-Snyder deal will be based at the publisher's Los Angeles offices. While no info on the games themselves has been revealed, Snyder has the option of making any of the games he helps develop with EA into movies. Snyder gained fame for his 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead and had a major box office success in 2007 with his adaptation of the Frank Miller comic book 300. His next flick is the highly anticipated adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' classic graphic novel Watchmen. Warner Bros. Interactive plans to release a game version of the movie in two downloadable episodes.

Earlier this week we reported on plans to release a downloadable episodic game based on the upcoming super hero movie Watchmen (itself based on the classic comic book by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons). Now 1Up.com has posted up the first real preview of the title which they exclusively got to see behind closed doors at last week's E3.

Developed by Deadline Games and published by Warner Bros. Interactive, the Watchmen game will actually serve as a prequel to the movie's events and features Nite Owl and Rorschach as playable characters in a city setting that takes place completely at night. According to the preview the game sounds like it will be an action-brawler as the two characters will fight criminals in their own distinct combat styles. As the movie will be rated "R" look for the Watchmen game to be rated "M" as things will certainly get bloody. The game will be scripted by long time comic book writer Len Wein (who also served as the editor for the original Watchmen comic) and Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons will be an advisor on the game.