Last week, an “Iron Man” game came out aligned with the theatrical release of the “Iron Man” movie.

The movie did fine despite “GTA IV” pulling in $500 million dollars, but not much has been said about the game (though it seems that people are renting it).

Would the “Iron Man” game have generated more buzz away from its movie release but also away from the release of “GTA IV”?

Other movie games planned for this summer are sticking with the standard practice of coming out with the film. The “Speed Racer“ movie and game are out this week, next week is “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” and later on this summer “Kung Fu Panda,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Wall-E“… well, you get the idea. Summer blockbusters typically come with video games in tow.

However, this got us thinking about the new “Batman” movie. In summer 2005, “Batman Begins” had a game published by EA and developed by Eurocom that was released day and date with the film. Then the movie sequel “Dark Knight” was officially announced in August 2006 and hits theaters on July 18. Yet so far, we haven’t heard anything about a “Batman” game for July.

Last May, IGN reported a rumor that EA tapped Pandemic Studios to create a new Batman title based on the “Dark Knight” movie. Not much else was known. On April 2, 2008, IGN confirmed the rumor but the information was then immediately taken down. Multiplayer reached out to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, but representatives would not comment on the status of the game.

Also, “Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull,” which enters theaters on May 22 does not have a scheduled movie-based game. We asked Lucasarts why there isn’t a “Crystal Skull” game but received no response before press time. In 2005, an “Indiana Jones” game for next-gen consoles was announced, but no release date has been given. Meanwhile, “LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures” hits retail on June 3, but does not include the storyline from “Crystal Skull.”

Maybe the people behind the “Dark Knight” and the “Indiana Jones” games (as well as 2006’s “Superman Returns” game) know something we don’t.

Could licensed games benefit by not coming out day and date with the film?

Are movie-based games still relevant to gamers when the it comes out much later than the film, and perhaps tied to a DVD release?

Or does the game really miss out by not being released with the movie?

Analyst Michael Pachter, developer Kellee Santiago and reporter Brian Crecente agree: big games like “Grand Theft Auto IV” don’t pose a threat to Hollywood’s summer blockbusters.

You can read their explanations in my story at MTVNews.com.

Here’s a highlight from Pachter on why he doesn’t think “Metal Gear Solid 4” is a threat to the movies coming out against it in June:

‘MGS’ will have no noticeable impact on movie attendance,” [Pachter] said. “Its audience are even bigger geeks than the ‘GTA’ audience, so if they weren’t playing ‘MGS,’ they would be playing some other game.” The theory is that hard-core gamers, when not playing one big game, are spending their time playing other games [rather than going to the movies].

More Pachter and more from the rest in my story at the link above. Hollywood, don’t worry! Unless… is it all a trap?

Here in San Francisco, there are some really nice perks to being surrounded by so many game publishers. I don’t imagine I’d get the same opportunities back in cold ol’ Illinois.

Last night, I did what Tracey John did not. I went and saw an early screening of this weekend’s “Iron Man” movie starring Robert Downey Jr.

I didn’t have to pay a dime for it. It was a promotional screening for the press, sponsored by Sega. On Tuesday, Sega released an “Iron Man” video game based on the movie. It came out on the same day as “Grand Theft Auto IV,” but it’s not really the same audience.

Last night was a busy one. Not only did I spend two hours in a theater with “Iron Man,” but Sony held an event to promote “Secret Agent Clank” on PSP, too.

Read more…

In March, I faced a daunting dilemma.

I wondered whether or not I should lend my early copy of “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” to a nine year-old for his birthday party.

Now I face another tough choice: Should I go to an early screening of the Iron Man movie tonight or should I stay home and play “GTA IV”?

Last month, an analyst claimed that the release of “GTA IV” on April 29 may affect the ticket sales for the Iron Man movie, which is out in theaters on May 2. At first I scoffed at the idea, but now I’m not so sure.

For some, it might be a no-brainer: “GTA IV” is the most anticipated game release of the year. Duh. But I’ve heard so much hype and read so many previews, impressions, reviews and whathaveyou, that maybe I should take a step back and see the blockbuster flick first. After all, the window for getting “GTA IV” early and playing it before everyone else has passed now. But there’s still time to see the Iron Man movie before wide release and brag about it… if it doesn’t suck.

Also, the movie is about two hours long, and obviously “GTA IV” is much longer than that. It’s possible I could try to do both. But is Iron Man worth the two hours playtime I’ll miss from “GTA IV”?

Dear readers, make up my mind for me and tell me what I should do by 2pm EST. My social life and nerd cred rests in your comments…

[UPDATE 4/29, 11:04am - Two things just came for me in the mail. “GTA IV” and the two passes to see Iron Man tonight. Why are they taunting me?]

[UPDATE 4/29, 3:05pm - My decision… Thanks to everyone who commented. After careful consideration, I decided to go home and play “GTA IV.” As much as I’d love to see Iron Man, I’d be thinking about the game the whole time anyway. In fact, I am going to fake being sick right now so I can go home and play. But shhh! Don’t tell Totilo.]

Did we know that film director Uwe Boll kinda sorta almost got involved with making movies based on “World of Warcraft” and “Metal Gear Solid“?

Yeah, we knew.

But these are the kinds of stories that don’t get old. The ever-excellent MTV Movies blog reminds us of both, with fresh quotes from the famous filmmaker on his near misses with some sure hits.

• On getting snookered by Frenchmen who claimed to have an official “Metal Gear” movie script, Boll says: “This is how it is sometimes.”

• On getting shut down by Blizzard when he inquired about making a “World of Warcraft” movie: “Maybe a bad movie would destroy that ongoing income.”

Best quote from this two-part series is about how Boll doesn’t feel the need to please hardcore gamers: “And to be honest, the real gamers are the typical download guys, right? They don’t pay anything for movies, because they illegally download the movies. So why I should please these guys? I need the normal audience.”

Last month, we got to see “Speed Racer“ on the Wii in action and learned that it’s a cross between “F-Zero” and “WipEout.” Even though no Wii Wheel was present, we did get some answers about how it works with the third-party title. But forget about us — take a look at “Speed Racer” yourself and see what you think of the very first gameplay video.

“Speed Racer” on the Wii hits stores May 6.

What happens when the speed of “F-Zero” meets the crashes of “Burnout” and is wrapped in the eye-popping colors of “WipEout?” You get the latest movie based spin-off game “Speed Racer.”

The Wachowski Brothers-produced movie hits theaters this May. “Speed Racer” the game will hit Wiis and DSs right around the same time, courtesy of WB Games. (The PS2 version will coincide with the DVD release later this year). The game is also the first third-party title to be compatible with the Wii Wheel.

After spending a little time with the game, it’s hard not to compare it to some of the more classic racing franchises.

Read more…

Waaaaaaalt!

Sorry.

I spent this past weekend playing the four-hour adventure that is Ubisoft’s “Lost: Via Domus” (last visited by Stephen in January) You can scope out more of my critical thoughts at 1UP. As a hardcore fan (some might say “obsessed,” but I call it “passionate”) of the television show, completing “Via Domus” was a forgone conclusion, for the same reasons I made it through “24: The Game” a few years ago.

The stories presented in the weekly episodes aren’t enough; the games provide me with more.

I didn’t boot up “Via Domus” expecting to enjoy the game itself; rather, this experience was purely about fan service and having a little fun in a mysterious island of my own. What intrigued me, though, was “Via Domus”‘ storytelling. It got me thinking about the wildly different approaches licensed products take.

Consider the following approaches (some with movie games, but you get the point). Which was wisest?

• “Lost: Via Domus“: Invented character who sees the major events occur around them, but doesn’t participate in them
• “24: The Game“: Story occurs between two seasons, thus avoiding stepping on TV’s toes and simultaneously bringing a new story for fans
• “Sopranos“: Road to Respect: Set in the same world as the show, incorporates main character interactions, but plot is otherwise separated
• “Scarface: The World is Yours:” Occurs after the film, thereby contradicting the movie’s ending but freeing it from its storyline
• “The Godfather“: Also features an invented character, but unlike “Via Domus,” the character is an active player in major events from the films

“Lost” is a series anchored in meticulously doling out answers to its layered mysteries. Devising a story that allowed the player to explore Lost’s world without contradicting the already established doesn’t sound simple. Maybe “Via Domus” should have taken a cue from the sentiments in last season’s “Greatest Hits” episode, embraced the existing moments and simply let us become part the show’s most pivotal moments.

I don’t want to punch 4-18-15-16-23-42 inside the hatch as Elliott, some random background castaway that’s suddenly been shoehorned into the storyline. I want to be John Locke. Or Desmond Hume. Or Jack Sheppard. Or maybe I’m just too hard to please as a fan.

Readers, what do you want out of your licensed games that so heavily rely on good stories? Is there a better approach?

Nothing, actually. Uwe Boll, the infamous director behind such works as “In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale” and “BloodRayne,” told Multiplayer in an e-mail that he didn’t attend Los Angeles film celebration this past Sunday.

In fact, Boll has never attended the Oscars, nor does he plan to change that. Does that explain the ceremony’s lowest ratings in history? Maybe not, but in addition to simply not living alongside much of Hollywood’s elite in the Los Angeles area, Boll is currently busy completing production of his latest project, an adaptation of Ubisoft’s “Far Cry.”

Anyone who followed my work at 1UP likely realized I’m an unabashed fan of Boll’s work, albeit one could argue it’s for all the wrong reasons, if you’re interested in the kind of movie that’s nominated for an Oscar. Boll’s films have a certain intangible appeal.

Oh, and for those that were wondering if Boll thought anyone was snubbed by the Academy this past weekend, worry not. “They made good choices,” he said.

For more Boll — including a clip of the man himself telling Multiplayer how to pronounce his name — check out our index Uwe Boll posts.

San Francisco — Games became bigger than music last year, Microsoft exec John Schappert proclaimed as part of his keynote address Wednesday to kick off the Game Developers Conference 2008, adding that every monetary measure attests to that fact.

And with that bold statement out of the way, Schappert (the corporate vice president of Xbox Live) and a variety of developers argued that the Xbox 360 could make a good run at YouTube, not just with the likes of “Gears of War 2″ — which was not quite properly announced during the keynote — but with a suite of new Xbox 360 functions that are designed to enable the (almost) average person to upload games to the 360 for friends to rate and play.

The YouTube target was made clear throughout the presentation. Shappert claimed that in any given day there are 30 percent more pieces of user-captured content uploaded from “Halo 3″ to that game’s official site than there are new videos on YouTube. And the flow works the other way too: In an Xbox 360 developer’s reel, MTV’s Harmonix revealed that consumers had already purchased more than 3 million downloadable songs for “Rock Band.”

Microsoft’s more interesting — and most YouTube-esque — reveal of the keynote came at the start. Chris Satchell, the company’s head of XNA game-development tools, said Microsoft was ready to embrace indie games. XNA is a free toolset for garage developers that has been available for more than a year but hasn’t supported an easy way to get playable games to the public. Enter Community Games, a new feature for their Xbox Live online service that makes games produced with the indie-focused toolset available for download to the more than 10 million Xbox 360 owners.

Naturally, one would wonder how Microsoft intends to open the floodgates without the 15-year-old boys of the world immediately taking advantage of the newfound openness.

Read the rest of the story at MTVNews.com