Nerd Update: Captain America, Resident Evil, Futurama, and Wonder Woman

Lots of tasty tidbits for all my fellow nerd-faces out there, so let's dive right in.

New (extended) Captain America Trailer

A little while ago, I treated you all to a nice primer to prepare you for the upcoming Marvel film Captain America: The First Avenger. The trailer that accompanied that information (and debuted during the Super Bowl) was very exciting, though decidedly short. Today, a much meatier trailer has surfaced. This collection of scenes delves even further into Steve Rogers' recruitment into Operation: Rebirth. Cooler still, we get our first look at Cap hurling his iconic shield. If you look closely, you can see two different shots in quick succession. The second shows the shield being hurled down a tight corridor, ricocheting off some walls and into the screen. Really cool, and demonstrates that Cap will have the control over his shield-throw that we see in the comics. Confirming this point further is the first of these two shots, where we see the shield flying back into Cap's hand. In the comics, Cap has always been able to use the shield as a boomerang of sorts, taking out multiple enemies with one throw and flying back into his hands (defying just about every law of physics in the process). It has always been a question how this could be shown in the films, as we know Marvel is taking a very realistic approach here. But it looks like, at least to some extent, the boomerang shield throw will be included. Check out the full trailer here:

More Captain America: The First Avenger Videos

Resident Evil Overhaul

Fans of the popular Resident Evil series of video games have a lot to be excited about this week, as a wealth of new titles have been announced. Today, Capcom revealed its plans to bring two of the best titles in the series--Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Code: Veronica X--into the current generation with downloaded versions available this Fall on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. Better still, Capcom will be upgrading both titles' visuals to make full use of the PS3 and 360's HD capabilities. Check out IGN's gallery to see some comparison shots demonstrating how the upgrade will serve Resident Evil 4. I'm already drooling at the prospect of replaying those titles in luscious HD, especially Code: Veronica, which I haven't touched in years.

We also have more news about a previously rumored game, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. The title has been confirmed, and is due out this Winter for the 306 and PS3. It is being developed by the folks behind the more recent SOCOM titles (Slant Six Games), and is billed as a team-based, four-player cooperative shooter that takes place during the original viral outbreak in Raccoon City. Player's can join up online and fight together for survival, accumulating XP to upgrade their characters with as they tear through zombies and other biohazards. No screenshots have been released yet, but my guess is this will play from an over-the-shoulder 3rd-person perspective, much like the more recent RE games and the developer's own SOCOM titles. I'm definitely intrigued, though after the forgettable online co-op Resident Evil: Outbreak games, I'm also a bit wary.

Either way, add to this the fact that the 3DS launching this week in the US. Portable gamers should already know to look forward to two new RE games on the handheld: Resident Evil Revelations and Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, with the former being a completely original title, and the latter a port of the "Mercenaries" mini-game found in Resident Evil 5. Taken together with the news above, their is a whole bunch of sweet survival horror coming our way this year.

"Futurama" Renewed


Good news, everyone! After brining the show back from the death last year, Comedy Central has renewed "Futurama," one of my personal favorites, for another season. Set at 26 episodes to air over the next two years, us Earthicans have a lot of ridiculous futuristic exploit to look forward to. Hooray!

"Wonder Woman" castings and costume shots


More superhero news here. A while back, it was announced that Adrianne Palicki of "Friday Night Lights" fame will take on the roll of Diana Prince/Wonder Woman in David E. Kelley's upcoming television adaptation. We now also know that the sultry Elizabet Hurley has been cast as a currently unnamed villain. My money is on Circe, an evil sorceress and one of Wonder Woman's oldest villains. She definitely fits the character's look. Carey Elwes (Saw, The Princess Bride, Robin Hood: Men in Tights) has also been cast as a recurring character, though no word on who he'll play either.

The big news? We have our first shots of Palicki in Wonder Woman's iconic garb. Looks like the producers have taken some liberties with the costume, though. Not sure how I feel about it overall, looks kind of cheap and flashy, and I don't like that they went with full pants, though Palicki definitely bears a nice resemblance to Diana. Check out this shot, and let me know what you think in the comments.