For the past 8 years, I have thoroughly enjoyed Alternate Reality Games (ARG) that tie in with major media releases, whether it is a new movie, tv show, video game, or even a studio album (Nine Inch Nails’ Year Zero). My best attempt at describing these experiences is to call them “chaotic interactive narration”. Instead of using a standard chronologically unified story or game outline, clues and challenges are strewn across a number of media platforms (websites, videos, real-life locations, etc…) which has players ending up collaborating with others across the country, if not the world, in order to reveal the complete story and beat the “game”. These games provide a deeper look into the mythos of a film/game/tv show and I have always emerged highly entertained. If you have not participated in an ARG, I would highly recommend doing so.

There are a few characteristics that are mostly found in all ARGs. First off is the initial bait, or rabbit hole, that gets players interested. More often than not this is done through a website, which is usually hinted at in a video or ad. Next is a partial basis in reality. There’s no need to role-play or create a character in order to participate. Some examples from past ARGs are gathering information at a specific location or solving a puzzle using real-world knowledge. Portions of the game have been found in the most random of places; from dozens of custom “underground” websites, to in-person conversations, and even deciphering clues in hex code. Another shared characteristic is the lack of standard marketing tactics. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a marketing company openly state their involvement with an ARG or attempt to directly push the game at a target demographic. Instead, it usually spreads via social media and word of mouth, eventually encompassing a larger demographic than what would be initially targeted.

One of the primary characteristics of an ARG is the “this is not a game” mentality, which is uniquely shared by both the game’s creators and the players themselves. The ARG coordinators (sometimes referred to as “puppetmasters” or “PMs”) never directly interact with players. Instead, they utilize in-game characters and/or clues to help…or hinder…player progression. Due to this lack of direct contact or set direction, players will band together online to share resources, which ends up creating a “hive mind” of sorts. Even with these expanded resources, there is a chance that parts of the game/story may not be found, which can significantly alter the game. ARG designers keep this in mind by intentionally leaving “white space” in the story so they can adapt it to incorporate the players’ content.

While sites like ARGN and Unfiction can more extensively portray past and current ARGs, I will point out a few that I enjoyed participating in.

Disney has always found a way to collaborate with almost every major company on the planet. From food to toys to jewelry, the faces of Mickey and friends have been plastered everywhere.  Now, Disney joins the ranks of Volton, Power Rangers, Mazinger Z and tons of other shows with the announcement of their own giant robot toy.

Bandai announced they are releasing King Robo: Mickey and Friends. In classic giant-robot form, the nearly 9″ tall robot is made up of several smaller robots (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto, Steamboat Willie, and… Pluto’s dog house?).

Die-hard Disney fans can pick up this unique robot next March in Japan for ¥13,440 (US$169). Folks in Japan will get to check out the toy’s first public showing this weekend in Akihabara.

Check out past the break for a gallery of each character’s robot doppelganger.

Disney already had my attention with “Wreck-It Ralph,” but now it has my attention for a different reason altogether. A new Japanese trailer, released earlier today, spins the tale of videogame villian Wreck-It Ralph trying to become the “good guy,” into focusing on his moe companion, Vanellope von Schweetz, who is a character in a racing game called “Sugar Rush”.

I understand why Disney went down this path, even going as far as to change the name to “Sugar Rush”. The go-kart game with tracks made of candy and sweets is something the producers feel would come from Japan. Focus on that part of the story, and bring in AKB48 to perform a new song for the soundtrack, and you should, in theory, have Japanese movie gold. Time will tell, but at least we can check our the new Japanese trailer here and catch some new scenes not yet seen in the American ones.

Disney’s next animated feature, “Wreck-It Ralph,” has hit all the right video-game nostalgia notes for me so far. Featuring characters from classic franchises such as Street Fighter, Pac-Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, and even Super Mario Bros., it’s basically a who’s-who of my childhood.

To ignite even more of those nostalgic feelings, composer Henry Jackman (Winnie the Pooh, X-Men: First Class) researched arcade games and incorporated their classic sounds into the film’s score, bringing the arcade and its individual games to life. This just solidifies my need to buy the soundtrack asap.

While director Rich Moore loves what Jackman has brought to the film, he wanted to accent it with some additional artists. “When it came to the music of ‘Wreck-It Ralph,’” said Moore, “we wanted to work with some really talented artists and I love that they aren’t necessarily the people audiences expect to hear in a Disney animated movie. But when they hear the music and how it supports the story and drives the emotion, they’ll say, ‘This is perfect.’”

And which artists did Moore have in mind? AKB48.

AKB48 will be featured in the video game “Sugar Rush,” which is described as a candy-coated cart-racing game in a land of sweets. Producer Clark Spencer said, “We’ve always thought of Sugar Rush – with its nod to anime – as a game that may have originated in Japan. So we went to Japan and got the hottest J-pop group to perform the song that really sets the tone for the ‘90s-era cart-racing game: young and hip.”

The girls weren’t the only artists Disney brought in. Both Skrillex and Owl City will be producing tracks for the soundtrack. Buckner & Garcia, who are behind the 80′s pop-hit “Pac-Man Fever,” were tapped to write a new song for “Wreck-It Ralph” as well.

This isn’t the first time Disney has tapped a Japanese music artist for one of their film’s soundtracks. Cars 2 featured a track by Perfume.

‘Wreck-It Ralph’ will hit theaters on November 2, 2012 and the soundtrack will be available on October 30, 2012.

Click past the break to watch the latest trailer for “Wreck-It Ralph,” and count how many video game characters you recognized. (There are over 188 character cameos throughout the movie.)

Also, check out the latest Japanese trailer, complete with new scenes not found in the American trailers.

An English-subbed trailer for Studio Ghibli’s From Up On Poppy Hill began streaming recently. This film was initially released in Japan in July 2011, so why is a trailer being released just now? For starters, Madman Entertainment will be releasing the film in Australia next month. Second, Studio Ghibli themselves are producing an English-language version of the film. Ghibli is receiving some help by Hollywood blockbuster producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall.

One thing that may surprise fans is that GKids, not Disney, is handling the film’s distribution stateside. GKids signed a deal with Studio Ghibli to distribute 13 of the studio’s anime films in North America, including Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, and Spirited Away. Disney will retain the home video rights to the same films, while GKids will hold the theatrical and non-theatrical distribution rights. I’m surprised Disney agreed to this deal; it’s not like them to share a license in this way.

Even though GKids announced that From Up On Poppy Hill will be released in theaters, don’t be expecting anything widespread anytime soon. Initially, the film will receive a VERY brief run somewhere in Los Angeles County this November in order to qualify for the Academy Awards. GKids will re-release the film in theaters across North America in March 2013, with a Blu-Ray/DVD release sometime thereafter.

The singular fact that Hayao Miyazaki’s son, Goro, directed this film is enough to keep some viewers away, due to his less-than-stellar directorial debut of Tales from Earthsea in 2006. However, it was Hayao Miyazaki who wrote the script, which is adapted from the shojo manga Kokuriko-Zaka Kara. It’s quite possible that this film can be seen as Miyazaki attempting to mentor his son in order to someday succeed him.

From Up On Poppy Hill follows a group of Yokohama teens in their quest against a wrecking ball that threatens to destroy their school’s clubhouse in preparation for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Check past the break for the English-subtitled trailer and to give us your opinions on the film.

Wreck-It Ralph, Disney’s 52nd animated feature film, will feature plenty of your favorite voice actors reprising their video game roles.

According to the recently released list, a number of Street Fighter characters will appear. Some of the credited characters include M. Bison, who will be voiced by Gerald C. Rivers. Ken will be voiced by Reuben Langdon (Dante in the Devil May Cry series). Plus, Ryu will be voiced by Kyle Hebert (Adult Gohan in DragonBall GT, Kamina in Gurren Lagaan).

Roger Craig Smith (Chris Redfield in Resident Evil, Ezio in Assassin’s Creed) will be voicing Sonic the Hedgehog.

Other video game characters appearing in the movie are Dr. Eggman (Sonic the Hedgehog), Q-bert, Pac-Man, and Paperboy.

The story follows Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly), an 8-bit video game “bad guy” who decides to travel through the interconnected world of the arcade to change his fate and become a hero.

The film will open throughout North America on November 2.

Check out the trailer after the break, and see how many familiar faces you can spot.

Monday June 11th, 2012. I got to go to the preview for Cars Land, the new land they just completed at Disney California Adventure that opens this Friday June 15th, 2012. This is the latest of a great many updates Disney has done to revitalize and expand the DCA park. My one sentence review would be simply this. Mission Accomplished!

But that would be a totally boring review.

I do need to warn you. This is a rather long one and may contain spoilers, such as they are. However, at the end of the day, I would rather give you guys as much detail as I can than not enough. So here we go.
I have to say I was very heavily impressed at the level of detail they achieved. It is literally like you walked into the town of Radiator Springs. They apparently brought in Imagineers from all around the world, from all the parks to work on this one. They have pulled off nothing short of a masterpiece with this one. It is nice to see that even decades after Walt’s passing, the Imagineers still care and that the company Walt Disney built is still committed to bringing their “A Game”. Despite some stumbles along the way.

They have outdone themselves with this new land. As you go through the stone arch and into the valley of Radiator Springs you are greeted by the lofty spires of Cadillac Ridge. Ok , this is where I have to admit to my periodic denseness. At first I didn’t get it. I thought “Cadillac Ridge” ok its Cars Land, of course they would name it that. Then one of the people we were there with pointed out the shapes of the formations jutting out of the tops of the ridge. Doh! Ok I get it now. It just adds still more to the level or creativity of this new land.