As we've been reflecting on the last ten years, we've been asking ourselves whether any true "masters" of science fiction and urban fantasy have emerged, especially in film and television. It's certainly been a decade of highs and lows, of old masters who've begun to fade and bright new stars just cresting the horizon.

To that end, I've attempted to chart the relative "master levels" of various directors and television producers over the several years. This is an utterly unscientific chart; I looked at the projects these folks have had since 2000 and assigned each one a "master level." The number reflects my understanding of the projects acclaim, its ability to attract an audience (i.e. box office/Nielsen numbers), its awards, whether it succeeded in something unusual (such as a relatively popular foreign language film in the case of Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth or Dr. Horrible's status as a breakthrough web film), and the nebulous sense that it add or subtracted from the individual's "geek cred." The numbers themselves are largely subjective and, of course, you should feel free to nitpick.

The greater purpose was to offer a watercolory sense of whether any "masters" have emerged from this crowd. Certainly, the last year has brought low some of the genres' promising potentials. Joss Whedon entered into the decade riding high on a Buffy/Angel cocktail. Though his name wasn't enough to overcome Fox's confusing treatment of Firefly, but the show's eventual cult popularity led to the Serenity feature film, and the Whedon brand helped make Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog an important moment for web-based content. Perhaps this all made Dollhouse — which has been, by turns, frustrating and brilliant — all the more disappointing, its impeding demise fairly readily accepted, even by Whedon's fanbase. Similarly, Ron Moore's Battlestar Galactica, despite being regarded by some readers as the most overrated scifi of the decade, was regarded by many as a turning point for smart, politically savvy space opera. But a rocky final season punctuated by finale filled with dei ex machinae left a lot of folks sour on the entire series. And the Wachowskis, while doing a solid (though Alan Moore-enraging) bit of cinema with V for Vendetta, never quite lived up to the promises of The Matrix.

But there have been plenty of masterful bright spots as well. Bryan Fuller gave us some beautiful urban fantasy with shows with Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls, and Pushing Daisies, even if many of his efforts (including the truly amazing The Amazing Screw-On Head) were prematurely axed, or shafted before ever getting off the ground. Guillermo del Toro brought us to great heights with Pan's Labyrinth, even if his other eye candy films didn't hit the same heights.

So have we seen any masters? Peter Jackson has certainly come close. Granted, The Lord of the Rings movies are high fantasy, but they showcased Jackson's ability to handle a difficult epic in a way that not only pleased JRR Tolkien's fans, but also won him mainstream accolades. And his remake of King Kong, which should have been automatically anathema, proved both profitable and well-reviewed. The Lovely Bones has been his blip, earning him his worst reviews in 20 years. But it's more likely that 2009 will be remembered as the year Jackson introduced the world to filmmaker Neill Blomkamp, demonstrating that he has a good eye for new talent and the Hollywood cache to bring that talent to light. It's not for nothing that he made this year's power list.

Another power list member, JJ Abrams, has also given us a good spate of fun and thoughtful science fiction. While he didn't give us the decade's best monster movie, he did manage to reboot the Star Trek franchise in a way that was respectful to what came before and drew in folks who never turned into the TV shows. Of course, we still have yet to see as Lost will end and whether Fringe will survive.

Chris Nolan is on the list of promising possibilities for eventual masterhood. Although Memento wasn't science fiction, it took a "what if" concept (here, what if a man searching for his wife's killer had no short term memory) and portrayed it in a thoughtful, suspenseful, and ultimately heartbreaking way. And he not only shot fresh blood into the corpse of the Batman franchise, he made it Oscar-worthy. And now he's continuing the science fiction thread with Inception.

And, of course, there's the question of whether James Cameron will prove the kind of science fiction as much as he claimed to be the king of the world. His foray into science fiction television, Dark Angel, never fared particularly well in the ratings; it was eventually canceled in favor of Firefly, and it never achieved the posthumous popularity of the later show. But perhaps Avatar is the reinforcement of his previous scifi successes, proof that he can still be relevant where other long-time directors have started to fade away. Hopefully, we won't have to wait another 12 years to see his next installment.

Personally, though, after seeing the delightful Monsters Inc. followed by the superb The Incredibles and WALL-E, I have my fingers crossed for Andrew Stanton and Pixar Studios. Here's hoping that John Carter of Mars is something phenomenal.

Still, singling out directors and producers as possible masters might be missing the point entirely, even when we're talking about movies and TV. Alan Moore might well be your science fiction master, not just because he has written so many fantastic books, but also because those books have captured the imagination of so many directors in the last several years — albeit with varying results. And in the coming years we'll see how comic book writer Brian K. Vaughan — who has been working on Lost as well as the Buffy Season Eight comics — translates to the big screen when Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, and Runaways hit theaters.

So who, if anyone, do you see as your science fiction master? Someone from the list above? Perhaps Russell T. Davis for reviving and expanding Doctor Who? Or maybe writers like Jane Espenson, who have worked on so many of the shows we love? And, with filmmakers like Neill Blomkamp and Duncan Jones arriving on the scene, who might prove themselves master of the genre in the next ten years?

Graph by Steph Fox.

Here's a bonus chart, with more data:

The 1990s were a pretty weak time for movies based on both video games and superhero comics. On the video game side, there were Super Mario Bros., Street Fighter and a couple of Mortal Kombat films. And on the superhero front, Batman acted out the law of diminishing returns. And that was about it. (I'm going to pretend Steel didn't exist.)

And then in the 2000s, CG visual effects caught up to the amazing superpowered spectacles that comics and games had led us to expect. In 2000, Bryan Singer, well-regarded director of The Usual Suspects, directed X-Men, which was a huge success. And the floodgates of superhero movies opened. Meanwhile, we got movies based on Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, and a ton of others.

But superhero movies have vastly outgrossed video-game movies, according to Box Office Mojo: $7.2 billion to $900 million. (And to be fair, the site lists 77 superhero films, and only 28 video-game films.) Not only that, but directors like Singer, Christopher Nolan, Sam Raimi, Jon Favreau and Ang Lee have been willing to venture into superhero films. By contrast, the most well-known video-game directors are people like Paul W.S. Anderson, and... Uwe Boll.

Why is this? There seem to be a few reasons. For one thing, many of the most successful video games haven't yet made the leap to movies. Neill Blomkamp's Halo film could have been the X-Men of video-game movies, but it fell apart. Ditto for Gore Verbinski's BioShock movie, which seems to have stalled out due to budgetary concerns.

And it's possible that translating video games to movies requires a higher level of CG mastery than translating comic books — the CG renditions of superhero comics just have to live up to our memories of 2-D pen-and-ink drawings. A live-action CG rendition of a video game, meanwhile, has to look cooler than the already impressive computer graphics most games serve up these days.

But also, movie adaptations of video-game films have generally employed the same kinds of story logic you used to see in the Joel Schumacher Batman films. Like, really — the Doom film, which featured evil alien parasites whose tongues could tell if you were genetically evil or not. Let me just repeat that: They had tongues that could genetically scan you and figure out if you were evil. No superhero movie in the past decade has shown that level of disrespect for the audience or the material. Sure, the Tomb Raider and Resident Evil films were a lot better — but even the mediocre superhero films showed a certain commitment to telling a semi-coherent story. Most comic-book heroes have decades of stories in the bank, however contradictory and full of holes, and the films have gotten slightly better about drawing on them.

But maybe the crux of it is that superhero films learned the difference between respect for the format, and respect for the characters. In some superhero films earlier in the decade, you saw some half-assed attempts at making "comic book panels" and captions on the screen — this was especially heinous in Ang Lee's Hulk. But as the decade went on, superhero films learned that the format wasn't what made these worlds awesome. Meanwhile, even as video games became more cinematic, the movies based on them haven't been able to distinguish between paying homage to video-game action, versus translating it to the different format.

But the other thing that becomes apparent, after you look at all of the superhero and video-game films of the past decade, is that the overall level of quality of both has been pretty bad. For every X-Men 2, Spider-Man or The Dark Knight, there are plenty of films like X-Men 3, Wolverine, Catwoman, Daredevil, and so on. Uwe Boll would have to work overtime and weekends to make a film half as bad as Catwoman. Superhero movies have won, in part, due to sheer quantity — if you generate a large enough mountain of crap, some good stuff will rise out of it. But also, a movie doesn't have to be good to make ten squillion quatloos.

But one thing's for sure: The House That Bryan Singer Built won't stand forever. Something's going to come along and knock superhero movies off their perch, establishing a new Hollywood feeding frenzy. Will it be video-game films? Maybe, if the ten video game movies that are in the pipeline actually get made, and achieve Dark Knight/Iron Man levels of success. It really only takes one movie to make half a billion dollars to turn on the firehose of copycats and sequels.

And even though Avatar isn't based on a video game, it's enough like a video game that if it has a strong enough second and third weekend, you could see the gears (of war) turning in the studio execs' heads. Avatar could turn out to be the movie that supercharged the video-game movie genre, since its strengths can so easily translate to recreating Dead Space or Bioshock. And of course if Tron Legacy does gangbusters next year, it could also provide a shot in the arm.

But right now, the up-and-coming genre seems to be toy movies instead. The two Transformers movies did superhero numbers, and appealed to a similar sense of nostalgia and escapism to superheroes. And there are tons and tons of toys out there waiting for their moment on the big screen — and unlike video-game companies, toy companies don't have any concerns about making sure the movies do justice to their existing stories. A toy movie doesn't have to tie in with existing continuity or jibe with the stories that have already told. A toy movie has one purpose only: To sell toys.

And that means toy movies can be dumber, and yet also more spectacular, than superhero films and video-game films combined. Just look at the Transformers films — they're so overstuffed and bloated with nonsense, they can barely move, but they have the power to spew crap for miles in all directions. And now there are films based on Monopoly, Battleship, Viewmaster, Stretch Armstrong, Battle Bots, and countless others on the way. Actual directors, like Ridley Scott (Monopoly) and Peter Berg (Battleship), are signing on to these projects.

Toy movies could well win out in the next decade, because the key to success will be casting the widest net for nostalgia among adults aged 18-49. Everybody feels vaguely nostalgic for Monopoly or Battleship — and it's just a matter of time before we get Steven Spielberg's Sorry! or David Lynch's Yahtzee. It's like the perfect combination: Everybody feels nostalgic, but nobody will complain that they got it wrong. How on Earth do you get a Yahtzee movie wrong?

It already seems like we're maxed out on superhero films, when Warner Bros. puts the kibosh on Superman and Wonder Woman movies and a Green Lantern film starring "it" boy Ryan Reynolds struggles to get made. If Marvel follows through on its plans to put out four movies a year, we could discover just how many superheroic origins the movie-going audience can stand. So maybe we'll see more of a blend of action/nostalgia pics, with films based on comics, toys, video games and other sources. Or maybe toy movies will just crush every other film genre, until there's nothing but massive CG recreations of your old plastic playthings, as far as the eye can see.

Co-written by lead Mass Effect game writer Mac Walters and Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic's John Jackson Miller, with art from Star Wars: Legacy's Omar Francia, the comic "reveals an essential moment in the life of Commander Shepard," according to publisher Dark Horse Comics:

The eagerly anticipated sequel to the blockbuster science-fiction epic that IGN.com named the #1 Xbox 360 game of all time, Mass Effect 2 begins with the disappearance of Commander Shepard. The story of what happens next — exclusive to these comics — will have the commander's companion Dr. Liara T'Soni undertake a deadly mission of extraordinary importance in the Milky Way's lawless Terminus Systems.

Mass Effect: Redemption is released January 6th, ahead of the January 26th release of the videogame.

Thanks to Graeme McMillan, Meredith Woerner, Annalee Newitz, Lauren Davis, Briana Cavanaugh, Chris West, Jeff VanderMeer, Andrew Liptak, Pete Gofton, James McGirk, Dennis Woo, Rachael Parker, Brian Williams, Rina Weisman, Chris Hsiang, Jessy Randall, David Fraser, Tim Todd, Chris Newman and Kiriko Moth, plus anyone I missed.

Tron

This is the all-time classic of trapped-in-a-game stories, and it's the first type of story that you see a lot — hero gets sucked inside the digital/computer world, and turned glowy or avatar-y. In this case, the evil Master Control Program is trying to keep the users from monitoring its functions, because it wants to gain absolute power. So when Flynn challenges its rule, the MCP digitizes him and then forces him to take part in a series of deadly disc-throwing, bike-racing, tank-battling games against computer programs.

Running Man

There's the "guy gets sucked inside video game" story, which is like Tron. And then there's the "condemned prisoner gets forced to take part in brutal gladitorial games in an ugly unitard" story, and this is the most perfect example. Partly because it features Arnold Schwarzenegger bringing his A-game, acting wise. But also, it gets major points for use of chainsaws and barbed wire and stuff.

Star Trek: "Gamesters Of Triskelion"

And this is the third type of "trapped in a game" story. There are some vaguely superior aliens (except that they kind of suck) and they kidnap other species and force them to compete/fight for their amusement. There needs to be a gangsta rap about hustling for the quatloos.

Doctor Who: Vengeance On Varos

Doctor Who has done many, many "trapped in a game" stories. There's "Vengeance On Varos," which is pretty much the classic "prisoners forced to take part in deadly games" scenario. There's "The Five Doctors," which is the epitome of "superior aliens kidnap lesser species and play deadly games with them for amusement, with the added wrinkle that the superior aliens are the Doctor's own species. There's also "The War Games," which is what it sounds like. And "The Celestial Toymaker," which features a superior alien games master who's inexplicably Fake Chinese.

Gemini Game by Michael Scott

This is another classic standard — teenage twins Liz and BJ create a hot-selling virtual reality game called Night's Castle. But then it gets invaded by an evil virus, causing havoc. Liz and BJ are trapped inside the game trying to fix it.

Death Race 2000

In a dystopian future, the totalitarian Bipartisan Party keeps an iron grip partly by distracting the people with its televised deadly cross-country race — and top racer Frankenstein is the latest person in a long line to bear that identity, having no choice but to race and/or die. In the recent remake starring Jason Statham, it's more like Running Man — another "felons forced to take part in deadly games" type deal.

Lexx, "The Game"

Kai plays against Prince in a deadly game of chess — and if Kai loses, his crewmates will die. But if Kai wins, he gets reunited with his soul. So Kai accepts Prince's terms, and Stan and Xev get turned into literal pawns.

Deep Space Nine, "Move Along Home"

Quite possibly the most annoying episode of DS9 ever, this episode features the Wadi, aliens from the Gamma Quadrant who force Sisko, Bashir and their friends to play really dumb games, with the refrain of "Move along home," every time they complete one of the asinine challenges. And then there's also the DS9 episode where O'Brien befriends the Tosk, an alien who's been bred to be the prey in a lifelong hunt.

Dungeons & Dragons (cartoon)

A group of kids gets on a spooky roller-coaster fairground ride at a fair, and winds up pulled into the dark world of D&D, where they must play the game in order to escape. Here's a clip from "The Dragon's Graveyard," the most controversial episode, which was almost banned because of its violence and because they contemplate killing their nemesis.

"Arena" by Frederic Brown.

This famous short story is basically the same deal as the Star Trek episode of the same name: Humans are fighting a bunch of lizard aliens, so super-powerful godlike beings pick one representative of each side and force them to fight in a barren landscape. The solution to the puzzle is different, and the human actually does take the opportunity to kill his enemy. You'll have to get your entertainment right here! There's also an Outer Limits episode with a similar premise, "Fun And Games," according to Wikipedia.

Legend Of Neil

We've raved about this webseries, about a guy who gets sucked into a World Of Warcraft-style online game world, before. Neil gets drunk and plays Legend Of Zelda, and decides to masturbate while asphyxiating himself with his Nintendo game controller, which somehow leads to him getting trapped inside the game, where he hangs out with psychotic fairy Felicia Day.

Arcade

From Albert Pyun (the director who brought you Cyborg and the original Captain America), and writer David S. Goyer comes this great movie, about a video game that takes over your brain. You must win the game — or get sucked inside it forever. Or something. It's all because they used human brain cells in making their new game console. Video game developers — do not do that. Human brain cells do not belong in your wii controller. They will turn Wii Boxing into a deadly death sport. Seriously!

Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome

Two men enter — how many leave? (How many do you think?) This is another subset of the "hero forced to compete in a deadly arena" genre — here, it's humans forcing each other to take part in ritual combat in an arena. Mad Max is pitted against Stevie Wonder's second worst song, Master Blaster, and there can be only one victor. The "trial by combat" thing is a common feature in science fiction, including many many television episodes.

Spacehunter: Adventures In The Forbidden Zone

You know what's cooler than Arnold Schwarzenegger having to navigate a deadly maze of games and traps? Molly Ringwald having to do the same thing! Okay, maybe not. It's the handiwork of the evil Robodog, whose deadly maze is almost unescapable, even for classic brat-pack actors at the start of their careers.

Stargate SG-1, "Avatar."

There are at least a couple classic Stargate episodes featuring a deadly game of death — but "Avatar" is our favorite, because Teal'c kicks major ass in it. He gets stuck inside a V.R. game training module, where every time he dies, he's brought back to life. The only way out is to win or get inside the Elevator of Surrender. And every time Teal'c dies in the game, his chances of dying in real life due to a heart attack increase. Here's an awesome music video of the episode's events, to the sounds of Michael Jackson.

Philip K. Dick, Game Players Of Titan

It's a dystopian future, and the last inhabitants of a depopulated Earth amuse themselves by playing a board game known as the Game, for huge amounts of property as well as each other's wives. (Um, yeah.) The game is administered by the Vugs, amorphous gambling-loving aliens from Titan, who turn out to have different factions with their own agendas. The rules of the game start to change, and it turns out the endgame is a lot more sinister than you'd realized. Other notable Dick works: Maze Of Death, and The Three Stigmata Of Palmer Eldritch.

Farscape, "John Quixote"

Chiana brings back a fancy virtual-reality game, and Crichton gets sucked into it, finding himself reliving his exploits in the Uncharted Territories, and then moving on to a scary fantasy world. The game plays out Crichton's fears, and he encounters dark reflections of people knows in the real world.

Star Trek: The Next Generation, "The Game."

We've already made fun of the silliness of this game once before. Trust Riker to get everyone on the ship addicted to a time-waster.

Vivian Vande Velde, Heir Apparent

Fourteen-year-old Gianne is connected to a virtual reality game of kings and intrigue, only to find it has a malfunction and she must win quickly, or it will kill her.

Ben 10, "Game Over"

Here's another one we featured in our list of suckiest fictional video games. Ben gets stuck inside a really weak game involving flying discs and aerial combat — and if the game controller is turned off, he'll be trapped there forever.

X-Files, "First Person Shooter"

In this Wiliam Gibson-scripted episode, Mulder and Scully find themselves inside a VR game with sexy-but-deadly cowboys. Good thing Scully's got riot gear and funky goggles. And a virtual machine gun.

Scooby Doo And The Cyber Bunch

A group of computer nerds makes a special video game about Scooby Doo, and our heroes get digitized and beamed inside the game in a very Tron-inspired sequence. There they must face killer video game icons, deadly tests... and computerized versions of themselves.

Lost In Space, "The Deadly Games Of Gamma 6"

Faux Klingons challenge Dr. Smith and the Robinson family to a series of games of death — and if they lose, the Earth is forfeit. Here's a great scene of Daddy Robinson playing Russian Laser Roulette (which turns into a bong if it doesn't shoot) with one of the Kling-nots, who blinks first.

Existenz

This is the total classic "sucked into a video game" movie — you never quite know if our heroes have escaped from the game or not, and the scene of down-and-dirty spinal installation of a weirdly organic-looking video game port in the guy's spine is pretty memorable.

series 7: the contenders, are you afraid of the dark "tale of the pinball wizard"

Charles Stross, Glasshouse

This one is sort of a social experiment as well as a game — a group of people volunteer to be ported into random bodies inside a simulation of 1990s Earth. The better they do of embodying their pre-ordorained roles, the more points they get. But there's no way out of the game, and over time it becomes clearer that the people running it are actually trying to create a new society.

The Game

It's vaguely five minutes into the future, and Michael Douglas applies to take part in an alternate-reality game where the game intersects with your real life. He can't ever quite escape from the tentacles of intrigue and stuff. Notable for being one of the first pieces of fiction about ARGs, as well as for its sinister game/life overlap.

Saw

People are trapped in a game by a psycho who makes them do puzzles. It's like every psycho GM you've ever gamed with, rolled into one.

Cube

In this classic by Vincenzo Natali, director of the upcoming genetic thriller Splice, a group of people wake up in cube-shaped rooms in a building that turns out to be cube-shaped in turn. They have to navigate a series of deadly traps to escape from the mega-cube, but their sanity starts to come apart.

Hellraiser: Hellworld.

In the umpteenth Hellraiser movie, there's an evil game, and someone commits suicide while playing it. And then all the other players get invited to a mansion where everything is the game, and (wait for it) you can never quit playing.

Nightmares

This early 1980s horror movie features four different stories wrapped together, and one (which we featured previously) shows Emilio Estevez taking on the "Bishop Of Battle" video game — only to find that if you win, the console blows apart, and the video game monsters come into the real world and attack you.

Jumanji/Zathura

In this Robin Williams vehicle (and its quasi-sequel, directed by Jon Favreau), there's a board game and stuff from the game becomes real and invades the real world, menacing our heroes' lives. In the second movie, the board game is actually an outer space game, and the entire house gets whisked out into space, where the kids are menaced by aliens and helped by a friendly astronaut.

Evolver

Wow. How did I not know about this movie already? Every time the video game system Evolver is activated, it learns and "evolves" becoming more powerful... and more deadly. And Evolver is played by William H. Macy. And in this trailer, John "Q" DeLancie explains to us how Evolver hates to lose and will just get smarter and harder to beat, until...

After seeing District 9, we're sad we'll never get to see Halo done by Neill Blomkamp and Peter Jackson, because those are some storytelling and visual-effects chops. The truth is, video game movies don't have to suck — as long as someone better than Uwe Boll is in the director's chair, and you avoid the kind of bizarre decisions that went into giving us Doom.

So here are the ten movies that have a better chance of reaching screens than Halo right now - some of which might even be great.

The game: Dead Space.
Who's in? D.J. Caruso, director of Disturbia and Eagle Eye (and in line to direct Y: The Last Man) was announced as director of this film recently.
What's the Hollywood summary? As Variety puts it, "Set in deep space in the 26th Century, the thriller focuses on an engineer who responds to a distress signal from a mining ship, only to find it infested with monstrous creatures called Necromorphs, human corpses that have been re-animated by an alien virus. The engineer and his team retrofit most of their weapons from tools on the mining ship, and try to stay alive long enough to discover the "hive mind" that is controlling the creatures."
Is it really more likely than Halo? There's a production deal, but nobody's written a script yet, and Caruso still wants to make a Y movie. He's also in pre-production on a movie called Jack The Giant Killer, and working on The Defenders, according to IMDB.

The game: BioShock
Who's in? Gore Verbinsiki, director of the Pirates Of The Caribbean movies. With a screenplay by John Logan (Gladiator, Star Trek: Nemesis).
What's the Hollywood summary? Says Variety, "Story takes place in the underwater city Rapture, where a pilot crash-lands near a secret entrance and becomes involved in a power struggle."
Is it really more likely than Halo? Maybe not. Back in April, Universal put the project on hold due to concerns about its high budget (around $160 million.) But Variety adds: "All parties vow that "Bioshock" will not become another "Halo," the would-be live-action adaptation of the Microsoft game that was canceled when Universal and Fox got cold feet over budget fears." So there you go. They vow. And Verbinski bailed out of Pirates 4 to do this project, so he's motivated.

The game: Duke Nukem
Who's in? Depth Entertainment, the studio that produced Max Payne. (So if you liked Max Payne, you're all set.)
What's the Hollywood summary? No details are available, but basically a wisecracking guy fights aliens. Says Scott Miller with 3-D Realms: "We're taking an all-new direction this time around. I haven't seen that old material in years, and can't even remember what it was about. So, we're starting from scratch on a story. Our first order of business is to create a Duke Nukem storyverse, which is similar to a story bible, and fleshes out all of the characters, their histories, motives, and gives a very detailed description of the Duke Nukem "universe." Once this is created, we then have the foundation to create a story and a script. This storyverse document will also be useful for future projects."
Is it really more likely than Halo? Max Payne got made, didn't it? Picture Mark Wahlberg in a tank top.

The game: Area 51
Who's in? Comics god Grant Morrison was hired to write the screenplay in 2007 for Paramount Pictures. No director or stars are attached, though.
What's the Hollywood summary? Says Variety, "Set in the U.S. government's most top-secret military facility, storyline revolves around a hazardous materials specialist who is called in to investigate a viral outbreak that could be extra-terrestrial in nature."
Is it really more likely than Halo? Um, well... there's been no movement since Morrison was attached as screenwriter in 2007.

The game: Mass Effect
Who's in? Avi Arad, former head of Marvel movies and producer of the Spider-Man and X-Men movies, signed on last September.
What's the Hollywood summary? The story follows Commander Shepherd and his crew as they save alien species from the systematic eradication that a random species must face every 50,000 years from a pitiless mechanical foe. And a crusty bureaucray stands in their way at every turn.
Is it really more likely than Halo? Arad has a track record of getting movies made, obvously — but there's been no news in almost a year.

The game: inFAMOUS
Who's in? It was announced in late July8 that Sheldon Turner, writer of The Longest Yard remake and Up In The Air, pitched a movie adaptation and Sony picked it up. Former Marvel exec Avi Arad (and Ari Arad) will produce.
What's the Hollywood summary? Says the Hollywood Reporter, "inFAMOUS centers on bike messenger Cole MacGrath, who survives an explosion that destroys entire blocks of Empire City only to find he has new electricity-derived super powers."
Is it really more likely than Halo? Sony seems highly motivated to make it happen, especially since sister company Sony Computer Entertainment published the game, from Sucker Punch Prods.

The game: Asteroids
Who's in? It was just announced that Lorenzo di Bonaventura (G.I. Joe) will be producing, with a screenplay by Matthew Lopez (Race To Witch Mountain.) No director or stars yet. (Insert your own joke about various Hollywood stars who could play convincing chunks of space rock.)
What's the Hollywood summary? Says di Bonaventura, "We've crafted a really strong, deep mythology for the thing. Without divulging too much about it, it's two lead characters – two brothers – who have to go through a seminal experience to figure out their relationship, against this huge backdrop."
Is it really more likely than Halo? Well, G.I. Joe did pretty well. So, yeah.

The game: World Of Warcraft
Who's in? Sam Raimi is signed up to direct, after he's done making Spider-Man 4. Charles Roven (The Dark Knight) is producing.
What's the Hollywood summary? Says the Guardian, Warcraft "is set in a medieval-style fantasy world called Azeroth populated by humans and such Lord of the Rings-style races as orcs, trolls and dwarves, but also the undead and blood elves. Players must choose whether to join the nefarious Horde or the Alliance faction."
Is it really more likely than Halo? It's pretty much a done deal. Raimi is supervising the start of production while he works on Spidey. It may even be decent.

The game: Gears Of War
Who's in? Len Wiseman (Live Free Or Die Hard) is directing, from a script by Chris Morgan (Wanted), with Bowen and Godfrey of Temple Hill producing for New Line. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson won't star, because "a Doom connection would not be smart for us," says Wiseman. But he's hoping Kate Beckinsale will play Maria, the doomed wife of second-in-command Dominic Santiago.
What's the Hollywood summary? Wiseman told Comic Con that the movie will include Emergence Day, when the enemy Locusts emerged from underground and revealed themselves to the human inhabitants of the distant planet Sera. That would make the movie a prequel to the games, which take place long after Emergence Day. Also, Wiseman says there would be more bad-ass female soldiers.
Is it really more likely than Halo? It's still in the early stages, but Wiseman seems pretty determined to make it a reality.

The game: The Sims
Who's in? John Davis (Norbit, Eragon) is producing for Fox, with a screenplay by Brian Lynch.
What's the Hollywood summary? A couple of kids get their hands on the Sims Enhancement Pack, says Davis, and then mayhem results: "What they realize is that they can scan their world in, because this is the most life-like, real Sims game ever. As they are playing this, they are all of a sudden realising [that] what they are playing on the game is having an effect on the real world. So in effect, through the game, they are able to control their world. It's wish fulfillment, and obviously it turns against them."
Is it really more likely than Halo? It was announced in 2007 and has been stalled since then. But never underestimate Hollywood's sadism.

The Hughes Bros previously directed Menace II Society and From Hell, among other projects. Albert Hughes said the movie takes place 30 years in the future after a series of wars have left the planet environmentally devastated. The human population has gotten incredibly small, and they live Mad Max style in broken down cities that seem to have partly reverted to an almost medieval style of life.

Visually, the movie looks something like The Matrix crossed with Road Warrior, with silvered, smoky air and stylized fights. In a discussion at Comic-Con after the clips aired, Washington said that he'd done almost all the fight scenes in the movie himself, after training with two people who had worked with Bruce Lee. In addition we saw the "motion graphic novel preview" of the movie. It was stark and intense, done entirely in stark animation. We see Eli beaten by his drunk dad, and then watch as Eli's parents give their money to a televangelist's ministry. Eli eventually steals and burns his parents' checks to the ministry, after waiting until the two of them are asleep with drinks in hand. Then he kills his parents in a blaze of fire. "And I've been wandering ever since," he says. This is backstory for his character that helps us understand his badassery in the movie.

Allen Hughes said he and his brother were drawn to the project because it was "uniquely different." He added:

[The story] reminded us of what we liked about the original Planet of the Apes. It's an adventure-journey with something to say about society.

Gary Oldman plays Eli's nemesis, who wants a rare book that Eli carries. Oldman elaborated:

[It's] An old important book. I want this because it's a means to absolute rule and power for me. With this book I can guide, lead and control, and manipulate.

After seeing the motion graphic novel backstory of Eli's life, I couldn't help but wonder if the book is the Bible.

The movie looked very promising - a nice antidote to the usual post-apocalyptic fare. And with heavy hitters like Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman tearing it up on screen, it's sure to be intense.

So first off, let's talk about the trailer. Wow there's a ton of nods to past scifi epics including Star Wars jokes (which sadly still make me swoon even to this day) gritty BSG visual appeal, RDA and insane laughs. But here's my one issue: it seems like the delightful David Blue is seriously carrying the weight of the show's funny on his shoulders. In order for the Destiny to get off the ground, we're going to need to see that crew click together with "Sheppard and McKay playing with remote control cars in the hallway" style chemistry. Still the moments in the trailer are clever.

At the panel show creators Robert Cooper and Brad Wright addressed the fans who were worried they'd made a BSG out of their Stargate. Wright spoke straight into the crowd, and said that they are aware of the anticipation and that they respect the fans and know they are here because of you (it's true what is this, the 16th season?) and they want to make sure you have something great to watch.

The look, according to Wright will be, "much more handheld, much more dynamic." Cooper agreed, but maintained, "At it's core it really is still Stargate. People like you and I, in extraordinary circumstances." He lamented that television shows have gotten to the point where everyone is a superhero these days, which is why we appreciate the real people of the gate, who have to face big challenges. It's exploration with a sense of humor and hope, not all depressing and dark. So while it's good that they are promising original Stargate themes are we have to brace ourselves for the docustyle.

The cast came out looking all shiny and new. Minus one sunglasses-wearing Robert Carlyle — hey, when you're Robert Carlyle, you too can wear your sunglasses indoors. The much younger faces of the SGU series were put to the test over their Gate knowledge. Elyse Levesque and Brian J. Smith even shared a story of going to the MGM booth to take pictures in front of the Gate (nerds) and the workers there asked if they wanted to sign up for a competition to guest star on the series. Aw just like us!

The audience was then allowed to ask the cast their own questions:

Can people who haven't watched SG1 or SGA pick up on SGU?

Cooper: It's going to happen very fast. If you do miss an episode you may be left behind. I think you will be surprised by some of the major shake ups and

Will the franchise ever stop building up really enjoyable doctors and then killing them off?

Cooper: No, we kill the doctor right away in this one.

Wright: He's serious. [or some sot of agreement to that nature confirming the eventual killing — I was laughing].

Sure, Stargate Universe is darker, I think it's pretty obvious that some people are going to die within the first few episodes (I'm pretty sure I know who now) but couldn't the Gate stand to get a little grittier? But so far the cast seems like the witty bunch Syfy needs to put out a Gate consistent and respectful to the past fans, but add on a new level of depth that, frankly, the show has earned.

The best part of this panel is, I don't have to describe the footage for you, because it's right here for your viewing pleasure. So check it out and please let me know what you think.

Here's a description of the clips we got to watch:

The Pep Talk

A room of assembled newbie soldiers are sitting in a room in Pandora's Hell's Gate station while the grouchy, Na'Vi-hating Colonial Quaritch explains their new mission. "You're not in Kansas, anymore. You're in Pandora." Everything on Pandora he explains, is deadly. Every plant and animal out there "wants to kill you and eat your eyeballs. Worst of all are the Na'Vi, who are designed for survival, their bones reinforced with natually occurring carbon fiber.

"My job," he continues, "is to keep you alive. I won't succeed —" he waits a beat "— not for all of you."

In the meantime, Jake Sully, a paraplegic soldier, has rolled his wheelchair down the aisle. As the colonial continues listing precautions, Jake muses in voiceover, "Nothing like an old school safety briefing to put your mind at ease."

Meet the Avatars

Jake enters a room filled with medical technology with fellow Avatar-driver Norm Spellman. Avatars, we learn from Jake's voiceover, are bodies designed to look like the Na'Vi, grown in vats using a combination of human and Na'Vi DNA. Humans then "drive" the Avatar bodies as they explore Pandora. In the tank, we get our first look at the Na'Vi-shaped Avatar: it's an incredibly lanky, blue-skinned creature with zebra stripes and a long tail pointed into a diamond at the end. The facial features are leonine, with enormous golden eyes and large, pointed ears.

"It looks like you," Jake tells Spellman.

"No, it looks like you," he replies. "Meet your Avatar."

Getting Your Space Legs

Jake pulls himself into a medical capsule. Sigourney Weaver, as botanist and Pandora conservation advocate Dr. Grace Augustine, marvels that, in Sully's condition, he's decided to head to the most dangerous place in the universe. Cheekily, Jake responds, "Maybe I'm sick of doctors telling me what to do."

He lies down, and Augustine lowers the cover of the capsule. Jake is about to connect to his Avatar for the first time, and other team members monitor his readings on transparent panes. Looking at a chart of Jake's neural pathways, one doctor comments, "That's a nice brain," to which Augustine quips, "Go figure."

They look through a window in the next room, as Jake connects to his Avatar. Jake wakes up in the tank and see two other team members in hazmat suits. Soon he's out and lying on a table. Spellman is next to him, also in his Avatar. The one team member is slowly testing Spellman's motor skills. As soon as Jake gets on the table, he excitedly tries out his new feet, wiggling his toes. Delighted with the response, he leaps awkwardly to his feet. His body hasn't caught up with his excitement, and the team members and doctors start yelling at him to sit down. His long tail whips around, nearly hitting one of them.

"This is dangerous!" shouts a doctor.

Jake, though stumbling, is unfazed, "This is great!"

Monsters of Pandora

Jake, outfitted with a gun and fatigues, is in his Avatar walking through an Amazonian jungle. Spellman and Augustine are behind him in their Avatars, but Jake spots something in the distance and wanders off to investigate. He finds a small grove of tall, orangey beige plant made of single spirals of spines. Jake goes to touch a plant, but before he can, it whirls down and contracts into the ground. Intrigued, he tries it again and again until all the plants contract at once, revealing an enormous beast behind them. This is a massive, prehistoric-looking monster, resembling a vicious, mutant tortoise with a hammerhead-shaped snout over four narrow eyes. As it snarls at Jake, a fan of striking purple fronds flares on top of its head.

Spellman and Augustine enter the grove and Augustine warns Jake not to shoot the creature, as its armor is too tough for the gun to be of use, and it's making a territorial display. "Stand your ground," she says and Jake runs at the creature, making himself as big as he can. The tortoise creature runs off, and we can see a handful of similar creatures nearby.

Jakes whoops in victory. "That's right. Who's tough?" But behind him, we see a far more frightening beast crawling out from the trees. This one has a narrow head, with fearsome teeth at the very front, and black and red spines waving from its neck. The head looks almost like a moray eel's, but the dark body looks like a tiger's. It leaps out toward the other tortoise creatures, scattering them.

Jake turns to Augustine. "What about this one? Stay or run?"

Without hesitation, she screams, "Run!" and does. Fast. Jake runs too, but the eel-tiger-spiney beast chases him through the jungle. At one point, Jake dives into an opening of a tree to escape, but the beast shoves its slender head inside, cornering him. Jake starts shooting at it, which distracts it long enough for him to slip out, but he's forced to drop his gun in the process. The beast continues to chase him, snapping him up in his mouth by his backpack, but he manages to free himself from the pack and keeps running.

Don't Shoot

Jake is alone now, no shirt, no pack, only a pointed stick for protection. As he wanders through the jungle, we see Na'Vi woman Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) watching him from a tree. She pulls up a bow and cocks an arrow, preparing to finish the job the beast started. But while she holds the arrow, an ethereal white creature that resembles a comb jellyfish without the jelly pulses down from above and gently lands on her bow. She silently takes this as a sign and relaxes the arrow.

You're Like a Baby

Jake is being attacked by yet another set of beasties, these like scrawny furless dogs. Neytiri shoots a dog thing wrestling with Jake — then, leaping through the air, she fends off the others. As the last few scatter, she bares her teeth and hisses, feral. The dog thing she shot is still alive, and she prays over it in Na'Vi — a soft, Native American-sounding language — then slits its throat.

Jake retrieves his stick from a pool of water and suddenly notices the bioluminescent beauty of Pandora. I cannot overstate how incredible this looks — the plants are a spectacle of greens, blues, pinks, and purples without being the slightest bit gaudy. Some of the plants look like jungle flowers, others like hanging butterfly wings. Whenever Jake touches anything, the glowing vegetation ripples and pulses. Even his freckles glow green.

He interrupts Neytiri's praying to thank her. "I would have been screwed without you."

Neytiri stops, indignant. "Don't thank," she says in thickly accented English. "You don't thank for this. This is sad. This is your fault. They don't need to die." She furiously waves him off. "You're like a baby, making noise."

He responds, "If you care so much about your forest friends, why save me."

"Why save you? You have a strong heart, no fear. But you're like a child." She walks away from him across a thick tree branch glowing with moss.

Jake follows her, hopping along to keep up. "If I'm like a child, then teach me." He tries to engage her, "Where did you learn English?"

She ignores the question. "You're like a baby."

He catches up with her. "Take me with you."

She shakes her head sharply. "Go back." She starts to turn away, but then something catches her attention. The comb jellyfish creatures are back and are floating around them en masse. Jake starts to flick them away, but Neytiri grabs his hand and commands him to stop. She lets go and they settle on his body, covering his outstretched arms and head.

"They are the seeds of the Sacred Tree," she explains, awed, "very pure spirits."

When they disperse, Jake is calmed but confused. "What was that all about?"

Neytiri waves him to follow her. "Come! Come!"

Jake lopes behind her. "Where are we going?" She doesn't respond, so Jake admires more of the glowing fauna around him. He taps a green anemone-like plant like a drum and smiles with delight as the color ripples. Similarly, the deep purple path beneath them glows with more intensity with each footfall.

Dragonrider

Jake is now among the Na'Vi in a cave behind a waterfall. The other Na'Vi are male, but Neytiri is there as well. The alpha Na'Vi walks up to Jake and calls him something that sounds like "Shakes-a-Leaf" and says with a smirk that he will go first.

Jake edges along a ledge behind the waterfall. Where the waterfall ends, he sees a bevy of dragons fluttering and grumbling on a rocky cliff. The dragons have iguana-shaped heads with two long, lilly-shaped tubes sweeping back from the crown. Their wings bend down into claws and then bend up to end in three dragonfly wings on either side.

Neytiri is on the ledge behind him, instructing him on how to obtain a dragon mount. "If he chooses you, you will know. You will have one chance."

"How will I know?"

"He will try to kill you."

Jake makes an of course he will face but presses on through the throng of lizards. Quickly, one starts grumbling at him. "Let's do this," Jake says, swinging a whip-like rope.

The men laugh in Na'Vi, "This moron's going to die."

He swings the rope at the dragon, binding its snout closed and, holding onto the end of the rope, scrambles onto the dragon. The men are still laughing, but Neytiri calls out, "Make the bond!" But before he can, the dragon throws him. He falls over the edge of the cliff, but manages to hang on and pull himself up. He holds down the dragon's head and forcibly inserts his braid into the lily shaped tube, forging the bond."That's right," Jake grunts into the dragon's ear. "You're mine now."

They're not done, though. Neytiri calls out that "First flight seals the bond," and before Jake can consider that, she shoves both rider and dragon off the cliff.

They plummet and fumble and tumble and manage a few seconds of clumsy flight before Jake finally says in exasperation to the shrieking dragon, "Shut up and fly straight."

Miraculously, it does, and they begin to glide along smoothly. Surprised and satisfied, Jake instructs it to "Bank right."

It's been a full year since Disney surprised us and blew our minds with a surprise glimpse of the Tron sequel we didn't even know was coming. Now, for the first time, we got to see some actual scenes from the movie, and it fully uploaded us into the cyber-world.

First Clip:

We see Flynn's Arcade from the outside. A voice-over says, "I said I would tell you if I heard anything about your father. I just got a call from the arcade. That number's been disconnected for 20 years."

Sam Flynn drives up on his bike and unlocks the front door of the arcade. The Flynn's set is recreated perfectly, we even see the couch in Flynn's apartment upstairs, covered in bed sheets. The arcade is dark, but one machine is obviously on in the back. As Daft Punk plays, Sam walks to the back past the tarped machines. He pulls the tarp off the final game and it is on, clearly labeled "TRON." Sam starts to put a coin in the machine, but drops it. As he goes to pick it up, he notices a scratch in the tile floor. On a hunch, he pulls the TRON cabinet out and discovers a secret passage behind the machine. Sam walks into the passage and the machine ominously slides back into position, closing the door.

Lightcycle test footage:

We see a city inside the computer. Everything is black, with buildings and blocks outlined with a faint blue glow. We see the Blue Guy, hiding behind one of the blocks from an aerial searchlight. Suddenly, he leaps out and a blue lightcycle digitally appears beneath him in mid-air. The lightcycle is black and glossy, with blue lines, and leaves a translucent blue stripe behind it, very much an updated version of the movie's lightcycle color trail. He is immediately pursued by a guy on an identical lightcycle, except the lines on his outfit and cycle are light green.

They drive off toward the distant city, with the cycles dodging objects and driving down stairs. The Blue Guy spots a narrow passageway through a mountain and drives for it. The Green Guy doesn't respond quickly enough, and tiny batwings shoot out of his cycle, bringing it to a stop (Who knew drag resistance existed in computers?). The Blue Guy continues through the tunnel and comes out on the other side, heading for the bridge that will take him into the city. But the Green Guy heads him off at the pass, and the cycles crash with a boom that physically shook everyone in the room.

The boom is also loud enough to shake Kevin Flynn, who opens his eyes in another part of the computer. Where the other characters' features are obviously animated, he looks normal, and is dressed completely in white and sits in an unnaturally white room. He watches as the two battle, apparently walking toward a window. When the Blue Guy is knocked to the ground, the Green Guy pulls out his disc and the Blue Guy protests, "but it's only a game."

The Green Guy reveals his face and responds, with a smirk, "Not anymore."

Update: We just got word from an anonymous tipster that the Green Guy is, in fact, CLU, Flynn's program from the original Tron. A closer look reveals that his face is that of a young Jeff Bridges.

First off, if those are arrow-carrying Moblins, then that's hilarious, because I always thought their spears were more arrow-like. Other great Z references in the gallery include mummies and the life potion — also, I spy a Blue Candle, so hopefully Neil will start burning down the forest and pissing off even more bad guys. The new series premieres in two weeks on Monday the 27th over at Atom. Don't miss it.

If you haven't seen the glory of Neil here's the first episode. It's full of self degrading, foul humor, and you won't be disappointed.

Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | More Video Clips

Look for Neil and friends, including cast members Sandeep Parikh and Tony Janning, at San Diego Comic Con on Thursday at Booth 3445 at 1:40 and on Saturday at 4:30 Felicia Day will join up with the rest of the group for a Rock Band session. And, of course, there will be a panel on Saturday at 7:30 in Room 7AB. Let's hope they bring back Felicia Day as the flashing, cutter fairy. Hopefully her appearance at the Con solidifies her commitment to that wonderful character for future episodes.

In Gamer, Kable (Butler) is the poor death-row inmate sold into slavery in evil Michael C. Hall's real-life video game. Butler is a puppet for a wealthy user, competing in a first person shooter war game. The kid pictured above can literally step into Kable and control his every move, pinning him against other inmates. After a certain amount of never before reached wins, Kable gets his freedom.

Official synopsis:

Set in a future-world where humans can control other humans in mass-scale, multi-player online gaming environments, a star player (Butler) from a game called "Slayers" looks to regain his independence while taking down the game's mastermind (Hall)

Here's the high res. version of that image:

Gamer will hit theaters September 4th.

io9 pal Ed Grabianowski explains it all over at Robot Viking:

Part of what makes these sets so cool is how rare it is to find terrain sets with a modern theme at all. The Mayhem Junkyard set just came out a few weeks ago, adding a dirty, grungy setting complete with crushed cars, piles of used tires and the dingy front office that you find in every junkyard. The only detail missing was a girly poster on the wall.

The Mayhem Junkyard is just the latest Mayhem setting, though. Mayhem Industrial includes a trucking company, industrial equipment and trucks. Streets of Mayhem is a gritty urban street scene perfect for a ton of modern and sci-fi RPGs and miniatures games, including a certain special Robot Viking project (that I promise isn't dead!). Mayhem Downtown will give your superheroes all the tall buildings they can possibly leap over, brood on the ledges of or swing from via synthetic webbing.

Get the scoop on how to deploy these cool gaming sets in your next post-nuclear D&D game. Read the rest of Ed's review at Robot Viking.

Sure, X-Men Origins: Wolverine may try to act as a beginners' guide to the breakout character from Bryan Singer's X-Men movies - We try to pretend that Brett Ratner's X-Men: The Last Stand doesn't exist 'round these here parts, thank you very much - but there's only so much you can fit into one movie. For all the rest, click the links below.

A Brief History Of Wolverine
A beginner's guide to Wolverine's complicated backstory.

The Secret Origin Of Wolverine
Who came up with the character, and just why he's always been a bit of a creative orphan.

All In The Family
It's not just Wolverine, you know; meet his kids. And he has a few.

The Best There Is At What He Does... Which Is What, Exactly?
What are Wolverine's powers? We explain.

Wolverine Eternal
You can't keep a good man down. Especially when he literally can't stay dead. We look at why Wolverine just doesn't know how to quit.

Deus Ex 3 is a prequel to the other two Deus Ex games. In it, you're Adam Jensen, a private security officer working at a company that develops biomechanical augmentations for the human body, just one stepping stone towards the nanotech augmentations of the other games. Jensen witnesses an attack on his company, and has to investigate. Besides Shanghai, the game will take you to future versions of Detroit, Montreal and two other cities.

Here are some more bitchin images:

[EIDOS Forums]

Dragonball: Evolution is the live action adaptation of Akira Toriyama's manga Dragon Ball. Fans of the original manga and anime series are seething with questions. Does Justin Chatwin look enough like Goku, who's supposed to be 12 years old in the original manga? Is James Marsters, playing Piccolo, green enough? Regardless of these quibbles, the movie's goofy haircuts, landscape-leveling super martial arts, and magic orange balls with little stars in them are all recognizably Dragon Ball.

Like most manga, Dragon Ball is a single story, not part of a universe of characters like DC or Marvel comics. But with over 8,000 pages of comics since 1984, countless anime and video games, and lots of characters with names like "Trunks" and "Vegeta," it's easy for outsiders to get lost. Here, we answer some basic questions about the arguably unfilmable series.

What is Dragon Ball?

What is Dragon Ball Z/Dragon Ball GT/Dragon Ball Kai/etc.?

What exactly are the Dragon Balls? (Spoilers, though not for the movie)

So is it science fiction or fantasy or what?

Bulma, Goku, Piccolo, Chichi-what's up with the names?

Isn't Dragon Ball just a bunch of speedlines and ripped dudes with bad hair screaming "It's over 9,000!"

What do fans think of the live-action version?

Jason Thompson is the author of "Manga: The Complete Guide" and the forthcoming Del Rey graphic novel "King of RPGs". As a manga editor for Viz and Random House, he has worked on the English editions of Dragon Ball, Yu-Gi-Oh!, YuYu Hakusho, Uzumaki, Fullmetal Alchemist and many other titles.

We got a chance to talk to the delightful Kristin Kreuk about starring in the action-packed video game adaption and origins story Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li. Kreuk spilled about recreating a true-to-the video-game spoof clip with some cast-mates, challenged those that said she's too tiny to be Chun-Li's leg and explained why you won't be hearing her say "yup yup" in this film - but who knows, maybe in the sequel?

Were you nervous taking on this beloved character? Although, surely you've dealt with fan expectations before?

I think the reason I decided to take this character was because of the Spiritual arc of the script, even though in the movie you see her street fighting, for me that was what was appealing, and I thought it was a way to encourage people, in our own little way, to do that in their own lives.

So, when taking on the character, I didn't think of it as "Millions, millions and millions of people love her," but I did go, "Do I want to do another one of these characters?" Because I've done so many, and I know what it's like. I know that people are going to hate me as the choice, and I know that people are going to love me as the choice and I know that it's going to be split. And I don't know how game fans are, but I know how comic-book fans are. So I know how it's so brutal and so amazing at the same time. And I get that, so at least I'm versed in it.

Whenever we write about you and Chun-Li, people always bring up the difference in body types between you and the video game character. Although, I don't really know anyone who's that size. And she is a video game character, after all. Is that hard for you hearing [criticisms about your body type] when you're making a realistic translation of the game?

I actually can't think of any Asian women that fit that body figure - maybe some halfies - but nope, not even close. And it's funny, because my proportions are... Well, I'm small, which is totally fine with me. I think it's more important to have a believable character than somebody who fits what the physical is. It's sort of like going outside in, instead of inside out. And I think inside out is more important.

This is a pretty tormented character. How did you try and understand who Chun-Li is, and did you explore any of the past Street Fighter mythology?

Well I think some of the mythology is there, and Justin [the screenwriter] was on set and I drilled him, because I signed on about a week or two before I left for Thailand. So the character, she's one of those crazy characters with a perfect childhood, which is funny because I'm familiar with this character. She has this wonderful childhood and these great parents who are encouraging of her. And at a very important age, her father is taken away, right in front of her eyes by this really horrible man, and she doesn't know how to deal with that.

And I think there's a shift in her at that point, and she becomes a little angrier and a little wanting things to be different. I honestly think that her mother kills herself after that experience. I mean she dies from cancer, but I think that was a part of why her mom left as well. I mean, I made all this stuff up in my head. But really, her arc is learning to let go not only of her physical attachments but more importantly her emotional attachments as well. Losing her family was so important to her, but [she's] understanding that getting revenge won't change what happened, and that her anger did not make anything better. By doing, that she was blinding herself. When we're driven by emotion, our filters are on.

In the end of the movie, Chun-Li kind of blows off the possible set up for a sequel, does that mean you won't be involved in a possible sequel?

I have no idea what will happen, if they do a sequel, they're going to do whatever they're going to do. I'm signed on, so if they want me I am obligated to be there. But apart from that, it's all up to the producers.

So you have a contract for multiple Street Fighter movies?

I believe it's only one more. I believe so.

So I noticed you did the spinning kick.. but I didn't see the other special moves for your character, or any yup-yupping?

[Laughs] No, there's not going to be any yupping - "Yup yup." It would have been odd. It would have been unintentionally funny. We did some choreography with the side kicks at one point. But we ran out of time to shoot it.

Who was your favorite character to fight with, because you tackle everyone really?

It was fun fighting with Neal [McDonough who plays the evil Bison] because he's such a good fighter and our fight is much more hand-to-hand combat, which I think is more fun than the wire work. The fight with Taboo, who's Vega, was more wire-work-oriented, and he and I didn't fight too much. It was mostly me and his double, or he and my double.

Did you at any point consider putting on the costume and having some fun, I mean no one is in the Street Fighter-wear on set. But just for kicks?

We were actually reading what was online and everyone was saying, "This isn't realistic, it's not like the game." So we thought, we should do something that's just like the game, that would be hilarious. So what we actually did, and I don't know where this footage is. We bought gloves for Michael [Duncan, who plays Balrog], who is the loveliest man. We thought it would be really funny if Chun-Li and Balrog had a fight on the street in the style of Street Fighter, where you fight on a straight line. And we did it! We filmed the whole thing. I wore an Asian mandarin collar, I put my hair in the buns, we went out to the pool and we shot it with the temple in the backdrop by the hotel. And he's in short shorts and the whole kit and caboodle. I do the side kick and I say "spinning bird kick" and we did the whole thing. It's somewhere, I don't know where it is. What we wanted to do is put in all of the power bars and all of the video FX, it was all planned.

So to change gears for a quick second, if Smallville gets another season will you guest star again?

If they go, I don't know. I think that the character is pretty much done, unless it's really necessary, I think that it might...I just think that the show has changed so much that it would be weird to have Lana come back and be all super powered.

Did you get irritated as an actress that after you left, they started hinting at your bigger destiny on the show.

That's a funny question. I've never been asked that before. I haven't thought about it. After I left, I left. It would have been nice to have that development for Lana, not necessarily with superpowers. I would have loved to played her growth earlier.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li will be in theaters on February 27th.

Since the dawn of the internet era, various vendors have tried to find a way to make comic books easily accessible on a digital platform. Obviously, none of them caught on. That's about to change. The iPhone, already the Jesus Phone for millions of Apple addicts, is getting ready to become the new Buddy Jesus Phone for millions of comic book fan-boys. The iPhone's 3.5-inch, 480-by-320-pixel high-resolution screen, relative ease-of use and portability finally provide a perfect platform for comic-viewing pleasure. It's why companies like UClick, along with a competitor, iVerse, have already started selling comic books for the iPhone on iTunes, each purchasable as $0.99 downloads through the app store.

In a session here at New York Comic Con, we had a chance to hear a little bit more about a not-so-well-known comic distribution company named UClick. UClick works with comic creators to transfer the medium from a page-by-page format to a more iPhone-friendly panel-by-panel format, creates, then distributes the one-issue apps you can buy on iTunes. Shena Wolf, UClick's comics producer, manages this process by basically, moving speech bubbles around, adding letterboxing and providing other tweaks to the non-artwork areas of the panels to make them fit the constraints of the iPhone.

Unlike other companies that have tried to hokey-up the digitization of comics with AudioBook-like voice-overs or animations and noise-tracks, UClick tries to transfer the experience seamlessly to the iPhone screen. They don't. They transfer a better experience.

It may be minor, but sitting with an iPhone and viewing their most popular converted title - Jeff Smith's Bone - is truly an impressively enjoyable experience. No longer are you accidentally viewing a frame or two ahead because of the nature of multi-panel pages; you're actually able to see it panel-by-panel — just like the artists originally created it. Also, because the iPhone is backlit, you're able to see more vibrant colors and artwork than you'd ever see on crudely-printed paper.

It's not just good for the readers. The model also works well for the content creators. Jorge Vega, owner of Kid Kong Entertainment and Two Fisted Press, writes the comic book Kaeru-Boy, distributed on the iPhone by iVerse, a UClick competitor. "I can leverage the ease of using the platform...downloading from iTunes... allows me as an independent creator to drive more, easier sales. Because of the $0.99 price point, it'll bring in potential new readers." Vega also loves the portability of the iPhone, saying it's "like a virtual long box."

By finally creating a way to fit a comic book cleanly and neatly in your pocket, it's made the entire process of consuming content easier and more transportable. Frankly, I love it. For comic book fanboys, it's great to have a system allowing readers to buy and consume comics whenever they want with a better user experience, at a lower price point and that can be brought anywhere. Sure, if you're a collector who collects for the sake of cold, hard cash, you won't be happy to see this software succeed. But frankly, you should probably go to hell.

[UClick, iVerse]

Champions Online will be an vastly action-oriented MMO — the brief clip screened featured battles with exploding forcefields and clashing katanas. Unlike games where a single enemy is encountered, Champions will have its heroes fighting off squads of attacking henchmen at first, with new strategies and tactics introduced as gameplay progresses and your advancing character comes into contact with hardcore villains and supervillains. The game is especially interested in elevating the level of personalization and character-building, allowing for unique modification of powers and putting more power than ever in the hands of players.

What's special about this game?

—Customization! A huge part of what they're excited to bring to Champions Online is enabling players to have hands-on creativity within the game's world. The game will be classless, featuring pre-defined themes and power sets, but your character will be defined by the skills and talents you choose, entirely self-constructed. There will be opportunity for hybrid characters that can switch between offense and defense capabilities, and characters in general will be able to temporarily take over the action role of a team member if they go down. You'll be able to select various roles, switch up your build, and learn about more powers than you'll be able to use at once. The mobility of switching between active and supporting roles is an exciting development, meaning no one team member will feel forced into a box by their chosen skill-set.

—The Nemesis System — the creators seem the most excited about this new, extensive feature. You'll be able to build your own villain that you can fight once you build up your reputation. You can customize your villain entirely, choose their power sets and minions, even create a background and mythology for them. The game's creators suspect that as much time if not more will be pored into villain-creation than into heroic character-building. You'll be able to invite people to fight with you, then show off your nemesis-constructing skills when your personal villain attacks. This element of being able to create and share the result with friends is one of the features creators wanted most for Champions Online. By the time you're creating your own nemesis, you'll be very well-acquainted with the game, and your own villains will likely be the most difficult enemies you encounter.

—Action-oriented MMORPG — There will rarely be static fights and there will always be somewhere interesting to go. You'll be able to constantly move around, with lots of interaction in many different environments. There will be constant activity on the game, marked at first by fighting off swarms of lower-level minions. If you've always wanted to take on a ring of bad guys and show them how it's done, this will be your chance. It'll feel heroic to battle coordinated attackers, feel even better when you reach more challenging solo opponents.

—A Variety of Vistas — Champion Online's creators wanted to bust out of just being set in city-scapes. Millennium City (set in the ruins of a very old Detroit) will be the hub of adventuring, but there will be a ton of different places in the world to visit and find new challenges. Every area will have a strikingly different feel. A few of the settings the panel let slip featured a desert, a location in Canada, and Monster Island. While "everything and the kitchen sink" is in Millennium City, there will be many types of neighborhoods/genres within the disparate cites sites. Each place will look and feel distinct, and offer a different type of gameplay, from typical showdowns to espionage to crime-solving.

—Complex Storylines — One writer shared that "the amount of dialogue and scripting is insane." He had recently submitted 29 pages of dialogue for one neighborhood of one setting. Although there are several overarching storylines threaded throughout, there willl be tons of stories and missions that mingle horror and comedy with heroism.

Info from the Q & A:

—The stats operation system will be unique, and you'll be able to use items, talents, and "perk rewards" to alter your status.
stat operation: use items and talents and perk rewards, able to alter your stats

—Will there be unusual weapons? (The questioner wanted a guitar). There will be a lot of unusual weapons on top of more than 200 "mundane" weapons, plus we are promised "crazy fun cool new stuff."

—You'll be able to band together with other players to form "supergroups."

—Can you punch people through plate glass? There'll be breakable surfaces, along with interesting things to pick up and hurl (the biggest at the moment is a tank, but they hinted there may be an F-14 jet to throw at some point).

—Do you have to grind out levels with the daily grind so many other games require? Certain levelling-up is a feature of most MMOs, but the creators believe that Champions Online is unique because there are no limitations to where superheroes can go and what they can do; the genre gives more freedom, and players will be involved in creating their own content.

—Will there be super-vehicles? The game's creators are starting to work on vehicle tech, aware that some players are interested in "supercars and motorcycles and superpogo sticks," and are in development stages with those ideas. Super-vehicles aren't guaranteed for launch.

—What happens at the max level? Work is progressing on the endgame now. Items will continue to mean upgrades to your character, and they're working on having an arena-like fight club. The game is built to be in the hands of the players, and the endgame will grow with player suggestion and input.

During yesterday's Cryptic panel, we got a sneak peak at the highly-anticipated Star Trek Online MMO game. This absolutely gorgeous-looking game is set in the year 2409, 30 years past the events of the ST:TNG film "Nemesis." Klingon compromises have fallen apart, with the Klingon Empire on the verge of all-out war. There will also be "an ancient threat from the past." You'll be able to play as either a Starfleet officer or as a member of the Klingon Defense, with both choices at Captain rank. Yes, you will be a Captain of your own starship. You'll be able to select your bridge crew and command them, as well as pilot the ship yourself.

Early on you'll choose your career path — either tactical, engineering or science-based. But the game seeks to bring to the fore what the creators feel to be the fundamentals of Star Trek: space, shipboard and ground exploration. Gameplay will be focused on beaming down to planets for a variety of missions, mastering shipboard concerns and, of course, exploring the final frontier.

You'll be able to have "total customization" of your own alien races, with the ability to modify characters down to the slightest skin-textures and features. While you'll also be able to choose from all of the "known and loved Trek races" to play, if you've ever wanted to father your own alien species, this will be your chance. The brief glimpses and stills we were given of the actual game look extraordinary. The graphics are detailed, rich and look better than the space scenes in most movies. We got to see the character-design elements in action, and the level of detail will please even the most exacting of fans.

After the panel, I asked game producer Craig Zinkievich whether we could expect a high level of social interaction to be available between players along with missions and character-building. He confirmed that character interaction would be very present in the game — just as it is in the Star Trek universe — with sites like space stations offering places to congregate. "And pleasure planets?" I suggested, to which he laughed and skirted the issue — but implied that it could be a possibility, and definitely isn't ruled out. See you all on Risa?

The experiment, dubbed the Future Immersive Training Environment (FITE) Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD), will be, according to the ONR:

A critical, one-of-a-kind futuristic training program in which warfighters would train here at home in preparation for the types of small, urban and borderless conflicts that have spread throughout the middle east and other regions of the world . . . [it will be] a realistic, live-action virtual environment, that provides warfighter trainees feedback that allows for combined arms integration.

Apparently it will emphasize the "human" side of warfare, which is an odd assertion to make about a computer simulation.

Navy researcher George Solhan said the goal is to create "physically and mentally adaptable joint warriors winning and surviving in all phases of warfare." It's fascinating that as warfare becomes more virtual, via robots and UAVs, training also becomes more virtual. I'm curious about how Solhan believes a videogame-style simulation will create "physically adaptable" warriors - is this game sort of Guitar Hero-ish, or Dance Dance Revolutiony with a foot pad?

If $36 million sounds like a huge budget to you, consider that Grand Theft Auto IV cost $100 million. Final Fantasy XII cost $35 million.

SOURCE: Office of Naval Research

Image via US Dept of Defense

UPDATE: What might this virtual reality system look like? It may be similar to an immersive training program that the Navy created last year. Here's a description of that one:

Trainees use their regular tactical equipment, but weapons are modified to shoot special effects small arms marking system (SESAMS) rounds, which are similar in concept to paintball rounds. Trainees and role players use paintball masks for added protection. As the trainees move from room to room, they may encounter live role players or virtual characters. Occasionally, pyrotechnics are used to increase realism.

Read more about that via the US Navy. (Thanks to commenter Ghost in the Machine.)