Thanos & All the Digital Fanfare That Titan Brings With Him

            When this summer’s blockbuster hit The Avengers ended, Marvel fans definitely walked out more excited than they walk in to see the movie in the first place. It was not because of all the cool and amazing special effects the film had, or all the fantastic cars they came driving in, or even the fact that the team had shawarmas at the very end; it was absolutely because of none of that. The true reason was all because of a scene that lasted no more than a mere minute, that interrupted the ending credits nonetheless, that revealed to us the face of a Mad Titan. That titan goes by the name of Thanos, and if you do not know who he is, don’t worry because you will definitely see his ruthlessness between now and the next installment of the Avengers.

The Avengers/Marvel

            With the release of The Avengers on DVD, Blu-ray, and other digital formats this week, talk of Thanos’ role in future Marvel movies has once again become a hot topic. For some people, that minuscule glimpse Marvel gave us just wasn’t enough. A couple of days ago IGN.com informed us that in order to get a better picture of the monstrosity that is Thanos, owners of the home video, through the Marvel Second Screen app, fans can finally get that full and clear image of this character and all the details that went into making him a reality. Also, for those, who like me, thought Thanos was purely digitally rendered for the closing scene, Marvel has since confirmed that there was indeed a face behind the mask of Thanos. The man who, at least through motion-capture, brought Thanos’ demeanor and facial expressions to the big screen was a stuntman-turned-actor that goes by the name of Damion Poitier. If Mr. Poitier is eventually destined to play the role of Thanos beyond this brief cameo, the only ones who know it are the fates. And the fates are definitely not talking, and the same can be said for Mr. Poitier, the other directors, and the producers over at Marvel, for neither of them have given any indication that the role of Thanos is already set in stone and spoken for. But exactly what role will Thanos play in future Marvel movies?

Marvel Second Screen Experience/Marvel

            The list of movies that are involved in the “Phase 2” lineup leading up to the sequel to The Avengers were announced by Marvel at this year’s Comic-Con 2012. A couple of films from the lineup have already gone into production and some are filming even, like Iron Man 3. Will Thanos have an impacting role in any of these or will he just jump around the secret endings up until the next Avengers makes its way to theaters? Who knows but multiple sources, such as Collider.com and FirstShowing.net, have already seemed to confirm that Thanos will not only be a, if not the, villain for Avengers 2, but will also play a significant role in the upcoming intergalactic adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy. Of course, it would not be a surprise to any of us if we see Thanos pop up at the end of any of the other films that are slated for Marvel’s “Phase 2” of The Avengers. After all, fans cannot forget that Thanos the Mad Titan did make his first appearance in the 1973 Iron Man series. Could we get another glimpse sooner rather than later? Who knows, either way, judging by the wake a 50-something-second cameo has left throughout the Internet, fans that surf it can only imagine the ramifications Thanos can and is sure to cause across the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Is This App-crazed Market Strong Enough to Make OUYA a Success?

             In the gaming world very few people have not heard about this new console system that is called Ouya. Even outside of gaming circles, and without having been released yet, Ouya has already made pretty noticeable headlines. This console project was started on infamous project-funding website called Kickstarter.com. While on Kickstarter, they originally had a goal of $950,000 in order for the project to go through and receive the money pledged. For those who may not know, Kickstarter.com is a website where people or companies present projects they would like to work on to the website’s audience. After pitching their idea they wait for people to donate to their initiative. Each project has their monetary goal that needs to be at least reached, if the amount pledge to donate does not meet or exceed the threshold the pledgers do not get charged and the project receives no funding. In Ouya’s case, their $950,000 threshold was not only achieved, but rather they surpassed their expectations and by the end of the pledging cycle, roughly 63,500 people backed the idea by pledging almost $8.6 million dollars.

OUYA Gaming System & Controller

The majority of their success can be attributed to, in my opinion, two things the system has going for it. The first thing is the price of the system; with a donation of just $99 one could have easily been guaranteed an Ouya console. That same price is also the retail price of the system and can still be pre-ordered through their website. So, not only will this system be released at a lower price point than practically every portable gaming system even, but it also allows owners of the system to open up the hood. And that is the second thing this system has going for it, the fact that it already comes fully equipped with a developer kit built into the system so that anybody that knows how to create apps, like those that we play with on our phones, can create games for this system. The developer specifics page tells us that this console is built using Android programming. App gaming is not only cheaper to produce than current console models, but it also opens the playing field as to who can create these games. If you can create an app you can potentially build a game for Ouya. For those that do end up creating games for this console, Ouya will come with its own marketplace, since all their games will only be sold digitally, allowing you to sell your game without any hurdles or red tape.

Even though there are many questions that still await answers with this system, by the amount of support the project has received states the potential success it may have within their market. Will this system beat out mainstream consoles, or will this system revolutionize the video game industry? To answer both, probably not; but what this game system can do is open up the app market to console style gaming. In the long run it will probably act as a stepping stone to more mainstream console gaming not only for gamers but developers as well. Who knows, maybe the next best gaming sensation can come from a seven year-old.

Is Sony’s Pub Fund Initiative Video Gaming’s Future?

            In 2009, Sony announced that it was creating the Pub Fund for independent game developers. What the fund is, in a nutshell, is Sony covering the development costs (with advanced royalties) for a project with the agreement that they get exclusivity to the title in order to release it through the PlayStation Network. There is an approval process developers must pass in order for Sony to green light the financing. They also do not seem to care what stage of development an idea is at, because it has been said that they are willing to consider games that are at the beginning stages of idea development. This fund has proved its worth and value for Sony with many exclusive titles having been released in the past three years. The program has been so successful for Sony, that in 2011 they announced their continued dedication to the initiative by saying they plan to put $20 million into this program over the course of three years.

            The program has brought so many hits to the PlayStation 3 (PS3) console through their PlayStation Store, that they are now looking for developers to pitch ideas that will make the most of their new PS Vita handheld system. Now developers have another system and peripherals to work with. The inclusion of the Vita, along with its cross-functionality with the PS3, clears the way for more creativity to be put into games. This is also a winning solution for Sony because since the games are created exclusively for the PlayStation family of hardware, developers can more narrowly focus their attentions and what these systems can do that others may not. When creating cross-platform games, developers usually need to take into account the capabilities of all the consoles they intend to port to. This in some cases may hinder a game’s full potential. This argument of building better-suited games for the PlayStation network, is only affirmed by the rave reviews and following the majority of these Pub Fund games get.

            Sony is so optimistic and sure about the success of their program, that they say they are unmatched by their competitors in this specific field. SCEA Developer Relations head, Ted Regulski, says they not only pay better royalty rates than their competitors they also make the process easier for the developers than other publishing fun initiatives do. If there are any future game developers out there, this may be a good idea to look into. Not only because it gives you yet another financing option, but also because you get to keep full rights over your intellectual property. It should also be noted that exclusivity clause is not forever; should the game perform well on the PlayStation platform developers may choose to port to other systems further down the road in the future.