What a looooooooooong year, eh? A lot happened in 2008 and nothing really feels settled going into 2009. But that doesn’t mean there was nothing to celebrate or at least commemorate in the year that ends today.
So, for better or worse, here’s a look back at Nerdvana’s biggest stories of 2008 — in no particular order, but categorized by medium or theme:
Tech/Toys:
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Microsoft cuts Xbox 360 prices - Trouble in Circuit City
- PlayStation Home beta goes global
- Apple’s new mobile apps
- Happy 50th birthday, LEGO!
- Nerdvana looks at podcasts for geeks
- Hello, McFly! The future of sneakers is here
- Animated superhero classics on iTunes
- Video games overtake DVD sales in U.S.
- Ready or not, the flying kill-bots are coming
Comics:
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Scott reports from San Diego Comic-Con - Phoenix Cactus Comicon
- Cover artist James Jean ends his Eisner-winning run on ‘Fables’
- Marvel Comics takes a page out of ‘Ender’s Game’
- Marvel’s ‘Secret Invasion’ shakes up the superhero world
- ‘Batman R.I.P.’ arc concludes – and a hero’s ‘final fate’ is written
Movies:
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Fox, Warner Bros. fight over ‘Watchmen’ (developing story) - Disney dumps third ‘Narnia’ chronicle
- A long-expected party: Guillermo del Toro to helm ‘The Hobbit’
- ‘Iron Man’ is a fanboy’s dream come true
- ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Harry Potter VI’ pushed to summer 2009
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Joker vs. Batman: Nothing can prepare you for ‘The Dark Knight’ - ‘Hellboy 2’: The sleeper hit of the summer
- Hollywood’s new obsession: Anime
- DC to mimic Marvel’s movie method?
Gaming:
- What was hot (and not) at E3
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‘GTA IV’ delivers the goods - ‘World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King’ conquers PC game sales record
- DSi: Nintendo to release new DS with camera, memory card slot
- ‘Wii Fit’ review: A solid workout for your body and mind
-
‘ZELDA’ movie? April Fools! - Dungeons & Dragons goes Fourth
- McCain campaign slams D&D players
- Valley gaming convention calls it quits
- Eight isn’t enough for ‘Mega Man’
- ‘Metal Gear Solid 4’ is stealth action gold
- ‘Diablo,’ the Lord of Terror, shall rise again!
- ‘Bioshock’ on PlayStation 3, finally
- ‘RockBand 2’ brings about ‘Chinese Democracy’
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LucasArts, BioWare reveal new MMORPG ‘Star Wars: The Old Republic’ - Great story highlights ‘Star Wars: The Force Unleashed’
- Darth Vader, Yoda bring the pain in ‘Soulcalibur IV’
- ‘Street Fighter IV’ dated for PS3, Xbox 360
- Atari assimilates ‘Star Trek Online’ developer
- Bad times for Mesa-based game developer Cheyenne Mountain
Television:
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David Tennant to leave ‘Doctor Who’ - Shakeup, then shutdown, for ‘Stargate Atlantis’
- Carlyle tapped to command ‘Stargate Universe’
- ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ launches
- ‘Star Trek’ still boldly going after 42 years
- Exhibit explores past, future of ‘Star Trek’
- BBC opens its archives to celebrate 45 years of ‘Doctor Who’
Deaths:
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Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, ‘First Lady’ and voice of ‘Star Trek’ - Iconic science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke
- Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax
- Heath Ledger, ‘The Dark Knight’s’ amazing Joker
- Don S. Davis, General Hammond on ‘Stargate SG-1’
- Famed comic book artist Michael Turner
