Watchmen Gets First Blu-ray Game/Film Hybrid Debut

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Warner's release of Zack Snyder's Watchmen adaptation will mark the first packaging of a new film and game on Blu-ray with Watchmen: The End is Nigh The Complete Experience.

Though Sony earlier this year touted the potential for game/film hybrids on the same Blu-ray disc, The Complete Experience will instead package the two End Is Nigh games and the director's cut of the film on separate Blu-ray discs. "Exclusive artwork" will of course be featured, along with the standard fancy box. The second chapter of the beat-em-up will see Rorschach and Nite Owl helping to solve the case of a missing girl named Violet Greene. Both episodic games are also set to be packaged for a single Xbox 360 retail release, while chapter two will be available separately for digital download on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network.

All of the Watchmen-related releases are scheduled for a July 21 debut.

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    May 21, 2009 11:31 AM

    Nick, wasn't Stranglehold for the PS3 the first game/blu-ray package?

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      May 21, 2009 11:36 AM

      sssshhhh They don't want to talk about that limited edition that I still see sitting on the shelf at ebgames.

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      May 21, 2009 11:41 AM

      Maybe they mean the game in the movie on the same disc?

      I thought Stranglehold the game and movie came on separate discs, but in one package.

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      May 21, 2009 11:42 AM

      Well, this is slightly different. That was a throw-away copy of Hard Boiled--a film that's been out for years--in standard definition, and only playable on the PS3. This is starting a new trend where we'll see films debut on Blu-ray alongside their tie-in games.

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        May 21, 2009 11:54 AM

        Ah I gotcha, that clears it up. Forgot Hard Boiled was just a DVD version.

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        May 21, 2009 11:54 AM

        Hard Boiled was in HD. 720p, but it was in HD. And yeah, it was only playable on PS3, and even then, you had to launch the game to view it. Kinda dumb.

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          May 21, 2009 12:06 PM

          Really? I could swear it was SD. Looks like you're right, though. In any case, yeah, the fact that it was tied to the game was dumb.

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            May 21, 2009 1:33 PM

            I seriously doubt Hard Boiled would benefit from a proper HD transfer. It's an old, relatively low budget Hong Kong action flick shot on pretty poor quality stock.

            I read somewhere that most films shot this century should look better in HD but for older films it depends on the quality of film used and how it was shot. Lawrence of Arabia and West Side Story are some of the oldest films that'll benefit because they were shot using the Super Panavision 70 process.

            Slightly OT: I'd love to see the Kenneth Branagh directed Hamlet on Blu-ray. Not only is it the only unabridged theatrical adaptation of the play but it's also the last film shot entirely on 65mm film. I'm surprised it hasn't already been released!

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              May 21, 2009 1:39 PM

              I'm with you on Hamlet. It was originally supposed to come out on HD-DVD, but was canceled. It's supposed to be coming later this year.

              I haven't seen it since it was in theaters. It's amazing.

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                May 21, 2009 2:40 PM

                I have this on laserdisc, I still pull it out from time to time. Absolutely beautiful movie.

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