Author: Derek Kraneveldt

Derek Kraneveldt is Geekscape's managing editor. A media, comic, and technology enthusiast, he's happy to call Geekscape home. Looking for more from Derek? Keep up with him on twitter or email him here!

‘Pokémon GO’ Has Finally Launched In Canada!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Yesterday, you couldn’t play Pokémon GO for the majority of the day, and apparently it was because of hackers.

Today, you couldn’t play Pokémon GO for the majority of the day, and that’s because Niantic finally released the game on the Canadian App and Google Play stores.

At this point, the game becomes less and less reliable with each and every new country that it releases in. While we’re obviously not surprised at all, as Pokémon GO has become a phenomenon like nothing any of us has ever seen before, we’d all love some sort of communication or insight from Niantic in regards to their plans to fix things. Today marked some of the worst server issues that I’ve experienced with the title thus far, with 9/10 thrown Pokéballs requiring a reset of the game.

In any case, we’re glad that the great white North can finally, legitimately play the game… Not that it was really stopping any of us. My recent trip to a tri-lure in Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Park had me hunting with 100+ other trainers, and if you glance at the displays of passers-by anywhere in the Vancouver area, you’d easily see Pokèmon GO running on 7/10 of those devices. 

Have you been putting up with the constant servers issues since the game launched last week? What’s the rarest ‘Mon that you’ve lost thus far?

Geekscape’s San Diego Comic-Con Schedule 2016!

by Derek Kraneveldt

It’s finally, finally here!

No, not SDCC, dummy. You’ll have to wait until Wednesday for that. I’m talking about the booth info and signing schedule for the Geekscape booth!

We’ve met so, so many of you over the years, and the greatest thing about San Diego Comic-Con each year isn’t the incredible panels, bankruptcy-inducing exclusives, blink and you’ll miss them celebrities, or you better take pictures because your friends won’t believe you parties, but honestly seeing you ‘Scapists, new and old at our booth, catching up, and really feeling the culture that we try all year, every year, to create and sustain. Every year at San Diego Comic-Con, we meet some new friends, gain a few writers, and have an incredible, re-energizing (and absolutely exhausting) time, and that’s what Geekscape is all about.

There’s always a lot of new stuff going on here at Geekscape. We’ve got some “sick vids” as Shane O’Hare would (probably) say up on GeekscapeTV (and everyone is loving our newest correspondent El Chucho), The Geekscape podcast celebrated its 400th episode (and you can watch the entire, production-value filled video right here) and has made the jump from TRadioV to sister brand ZHollywood; Geekscape Games has lasted longer than anyone thought it would, and has now been running for nearly two years, and the Horror Movie Club podcast is over a year old, and is taking the internet by storm.

Of course, we’ve got some pretty cool stuff going on at SDCC too. We’ll be in the same, familiar booth as last year, #3919, and have an awesome signing schedule which you can find below.

Thursday, July 21st

HeidiCox2

12PM-1PM – Heidi Cox (Stalking Lavar)

Casper

1PM-2PM – Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers, Sleepy Hollow)

SGBrowne

2PM-3PM – SG Browne (Breathers, Lucky Bastard)

BenBegley

4PM-5PM – Ben Begley (The Funhouse Massacre, The Hangover Games)

Friday, July 22nd

InmanRobinson

12PM-1PM – Jason Inman and Ashley Robinson (The Red Shirt Diaries, Geek History Lesson)

EricDeanSeanton

 

2PM-3PM – Director Eric Dean Seaton (Legend of the Mantamaji)

SpaceCommand

4-5PM – The Space Command cast with creator Marc Zicree!

JuddWinick

5PM-6PM – Judd Winick (Green Lantern, Pedro and Me, Hilo)

Saturday, July 23rd

DweebDarlings2

 

12PM-1PM – The Dweeb Darlings

DanielCorey

2PM-3PM – Daniel Corey (Moriarty)

JuddWinick

4PM-5PM – Judd Winick  (Green Lantern, Pedro and Me, Hilo)

How’s that for jam-packed?

Remember, you can find us at booth #3919 all weeks! We hope to see you there!

Also, we have some sweet, sweet t-shirts for sale, so if you want to represent, you know where to pick one up!

What are you most looking forward to this SDCC?

The ‘Pokémon Go’ Servers Are Down, Hackers Claiming Credit

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Last week, Nintendo and Niantic delayed the global launch of Pokémon GO amidst major, consistent server issues that players have been experience due to GO being one of the biggest mobile (and potentially gaming in general) launches of all time.

Since then, the game has slowly been rolling out to new, mostly European countries (sorry, Japan and Canada), culminating with a launch in 26 new countries early this morning. It also appears that the game’s servers have been down all morning, with most players blaming the outage on the gigantic expansion of the game’s availability.

Apparently, this may not be the case, as hacker group PoodleCorp has taken to Twitter to take credit for the ongoing outage.

https://twitter.com/PoodleCorp/status/754298236093857792

They noted that this attack “Just was a lil test, we will do something on a larger scale soon.”

https://twitter.com/xotehpoodle/status/754329907300339712

It’s tough to tell whether this was a true attack, or just another server failure (as has been all too common with Pokémon GO since its launch), but with nobody able to log in, and for such a long time, there’s definitely something different about this outage.

Bastards. What are we supposed to do with this warm Summer day now!?

Are you playing Pokémon GO? Of course you are. What’s been your best catch so far?

Here’s The Key Art For ‘The Walking Dead’s Seventh Season!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: While we’re not likely to see our first footage from the upcoming seventh season of The Walking Dead until next week, AMC has officially debuted the key art for the upcoming episodes.

It’s an aggravating piece of art, because WHO THE HELL DID NEGAN KILL AT THE END OF SEASON SIX!?

We won’t know until October, but for now, here’s the image.

KeyArtTWD

Be sure to check back next week when we should see the first trailer for season seven, and stay tuned to Geekscape for everything SDCC!

SDCC 2016: The ‘Doctor Strange’ Comic-Con Poster Is Here!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: We’re just four days away from the official start of 2016’s San Diego Comic-Con, and Marvel has just debuted a gorgeous SDCC poster for its upcoming Doctor Strange.

The film follows the story of the talented neurosurgeon Doctor Stephen Strange who, after a tragic car accident, must put ego aside and learn the secrets of a hidden world of mysticism and alternate dimensions. Based in New York City’s Greenwich Village, Doctor Strange must act as an intermediary between the real world and what lies beyond, utilizing a vast array of metaphysical abilities and artifacts to protect the Marvel cinematic universe.

The poster will be up for grabs as some slick swag next week in San Diego. We definitely want one (or two). Take a look at the image below, and be sure to let us know what you think! Doctor Strange hits theatres on November 4th.

strange-1

The ‘Star Wars: Rogue One’ Sizzle Reel Is Incredibly Exciting, Insanely Gorgeous!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: If you were a fan of the spectacular The Force Awakens sizzle reel that was shown off at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con (and who wasn’t), you’re in for a freaking treat.

Disney has released a new sizzle real, featuring insanely gorgeous clips, behind the scenes looks, an incredible amount of practical effects, interviews with the cast and crew, and well, it’s just a phenomenal video that should garner a hell of a lot of excitement from fans and non-fans alike.

I loved hearing Gareth Edwards in the video noting that “The pressure is so high. We’re making a film that’s right touching my favourite film of all time, but then if you’re too respectful of it that you don’t do anything new or take a risk, then what are you bringing to the table?”

Star Wars: Rogue One looks entirely different from anything Star Wars that we’ve seen thus far, and I can’t freaking wait to get a closer look. Take a look at the sizzle reel below, and be sure to let us know what you think!

‘Fallout Shelter’ Now Available For PC, Huge Update Imminent!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Yeah… you probably don’t need a break from Pokémon GO just yet, but Bethesda’s wildly addicting Fallout Shelter has finally released on its third platform.

That’s right! The game is now available to download for PC, so if you’d prefer building a vault with a mouse and keyboard instead of your digits, you can do so right now via the Bethesda Launcher.

I put a good two dozen hours into Fallout Shelter when it first released on iOS last year, and I have to say that the title felt tailor-made for a touchscreen and your fingertips. In any case, regardless of the platform you’re playing it on, the massive 1.6 update that Bethesda revealed for the game back at E3 should also be available for all platforms later today.

If you’re memory’s a little foggy, the update will add a massive amount of content to the game (certainly enough to get you playing it again), including new dwellers, enemies, a new combat system, and the ability to venture outside of your vault to do quests. OUTSIDE THE VAULT GUYS.

Yep, I’m going to download this one again.

Are you still playing Fallout Shelter? Does the imminent update make you want to jump back into it? Be sure to sound out in the comments below!

This Week’s ‘Prelude To Transformers: Combiner Wars’ Is All About Starscream!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: We’re now just a few weeks away from the launch of Transformers: Combiner Wars, and following last week’s Victorion offering, Machinima has just debuted the third episode in a four-episode ‘Prelude’ series that will lead into the main series debut on August 2nd.

The four-part Prelude to Transformers: Combiner Wars reveals the current state of Cybertron from the distinctive points-of-view of four characters – Optimus Prime, Victorion, Starscream and Windblade. The digital episodes will launch weekly.

This week, no longer a villainous Decepticon, the powerful Starscream reflects on being part of a new unified leadership that rules Cybertron!

The series is available on YouTube, go90, and other social media platforms, and its certainly garnering my excitement for the eight-episode main series.

The Prelude to Transformers: Combiner Wars episode breakdown is as follows:

1)    Optimus Prime, the former leader of the Autobots, reflects on the great war and how it finally ended with a duel between him and the mighty Megatron.

 

2)    Victorion, a Combiner born from the magic of the ‘Enigma of Combination’, describes her anger with this new state of affairs and proclaims her intention to save the Transformers galaxy from the chaos created in the aftermath of disbanding the Autobots and Decepticons.

 

3)    Starscream, no longer the villain we once knew him as, is now a member of a great ‘Council’ along with The Mistress of Flame from the planet Caminus and Rodimus Prime.  The burden of responsibility is heavy on the three due to the destruction and loss of life from the ongoing Combiner Wars.

 

4)    Windblade, once an official ‘City Speaker’ to the gigantic ‘Titans’ is tired of the bureaucratic non-action of the Council, who seem to sit idly while her people and her cities on Caminus perish. She decides that the only way to end the Combiner Wars is to take matters into her own vengeful hands.

Watch the Starscream episode below, and be sure to let us know what you’d like to see in the main series!

https://youtu.be/OLo8mWubeZA

SDCC 2016: ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ Gets Some Gorgeous New Key Art, Two New Stills!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: We may still be a week away from the actual convention, but that hasn’t stopped AMC from giving us our very first look at the upcoming episodes of Fear The Walking Dead.

The network has just debuted some slick new key art for the popular series, and two new still images to go along with it.

Now, I’m sure this isn’t all that we’ll see from Fear at this year’s Comic-Con; we’ll certainly see the first trailer for the main series, and I imagine we’ll see some for the spinoff as well. On top of that, convention goers will also have the opportunity to board the Abigail themselves on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9:00am – 9:00pm PT.

Fear the Walking Dead takes us back to the beginning of the zombie apocalypse – a time when the world was changing rapidly for reasons unknown, before anyone understood exactly what was happening, when life as everyone knew it was upended and altered in ways no one could have ever imagined. The series also stars Frank Dillane as Nick, Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alicia, Ruben Blades as Daniel, Mercedes Mason as Ofelia,and Lorenzo James Henrie as Chris.

Take a look at the key art and images below, and let us know if you’re excited for the return!

FearKey

Walkers - Fear of the Walking Dead _ Season 2, Episode 8 - Photo Credit: Richard Foreman Jr/AMC
Walkers – Fear of the Walking Dead _ Season 2, Episode 8 – Photo Credit: Richard Foreman Jr/AMC

 

Frank Dillane as Nick Clark - Fear of the Walking Dead _ Season 2, Episode 8 - Photo Credit: Richard Foreman Jr/AMC
Frank Dillane as Nick Clark – Fear of the Walking Dead _ Season 2, Episode 8 – Photo Credit: Richard Foreman Jr/AMC

The Global Launch Of ‘Pokémon GO’ Has Been Delayed Amidst Server Issues

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Sorry, world.

While seemingly every single person populating the US, Australia, and New Zealand has been playing Pokémon GO non-stop for nearly a week a this point, the rest of the planet (including the Great White North, where I’m situated) has been waiting (im)patiently for the unbelievably anticipated title to hit their respective App and Google Play stores.

While Niantic was originally planning to roll the title out to additional regions in the days following its soft launch, it now sounds like it could be some time before Canada, Europe, and even Japan (well, and everywhere else) will be able to start their new addiction.

In an interview with Business Insider, Niantic CEO John Hanke let the outlet know that the expansion of the game has been “paused until we’re comfortable.”

While the game’s reliability has been constantly improving, errors, crashes, and server outages are still consistent problems at peak times (and it seems like it’s always a peak time).

I don’t think that Nintendo or Niantic could have guessed the absolute phenomenon that they now have on their hands (Hanke stated that “We thought the game would be popular, but it obviously struck a nerve,”) so the server problems that have plagued the online-only game aren’t surprising whatsoever. Hell, I’m playing in a country where the game hasn’t launched yet (which isn’t overly hard to do), and I witnessed 50-75 players rush to a Lure Module placed a couple of blocks from my house. I have never seen anything like this before.

What have you thought of Pokémon GO so far? Do you agree with Josh’s initial impressions? Be sure to sound out in the comments below! #TeamValor!

‘Prelude to Transformers: Combiner Wars’ Continues With A Victorion Focussed Episode!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: We’re now less than a month away from the launch of Transformers: Combiner Wars, and following last week’s premiere, Machinima has just debuted the second episode in a four-episode ‘Prelude’ series that will lead into the main series debut on August 2nd.

The four-part Prelude to Transformers: Combiner Wars reveals the current state of Cybertron from the distinctive points-of-view of four characters – Optimus Prime, Victorion, Starscream and Windblade. The digital episodes will launch weekly.

This week, Believing that she was created for a higher purpose, Victorion makes a promise to save the Transformers galaxy.

The series is available on YouTube, go90, and other social media platforms, and its certainly garnering my excitement for the main series.

The Prelude to Transformers: Combiner Wars episode breakdown is as follows:

1)    Optimus Prime, the former leader of the Autobots, reflects on the great war and how it finally ended with a duel between him and the mighty Megatron.

 

2)    Victorion, a Combiner born from the magic of the ‘Enigma of Combination’, describes her anger with this new state of affairs and proclaims her intention to save the Transformers galaxy from the chaos created in the aftermath of disbanding the Autobots and Decepticons.

 

3)    Starscream, no longer the villain we once knew him as, is now a member of a great ‘Council’ along with The Mistress of Flame from the planet Caminus and Rodimus Prime.  The burden of responsibility is heavy on the three due to the destruction and loss of life from the ongoing Combiner Wars.

 

4)    Windblade, once an official ‘City Speaker’ to the gigantic ‘Titans’ is tired of the bureaucratic non-action of the Council, who seem to sit idly while her people and her cities on Caminus perish. She decides that the only way to end the Combiner Wars is to take matters into her own vengeful hands.

Watch the Victorion episode below, and be sure to let us know if you’re looking forward to all eight episodes of the main series!

https://youtu.be/tAIbv090O80

‘Pokémon GO’ Is Rolling Out On The App Store And Google Play!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: While Josh’s in-depth look at Niantic’s Pokémon GO made us wary at just how much fun the addicting-looking title may actually be, it appears that it won’t be long now before you can download the game yourself and draw your own conclusions about it.

That’s right. Pokémon GO has finally begun to roll out on the iOS App Store, as well as Google Play. Currently the game is only available for download in the always-first Australia and New Zealand regions, but that mean’s that it won’t be long before North Americans, Europeans and the like will be able to throw their first Pokéballs too.

As a previously avid player of Niantic’s Ingress, I was beyond excited when the company announced Pokémon GO. As Josh mentioned, the positives far outweigh the negatives, but just don’t expect a full Pokémon experience.

Honestly, I’m terrified for my relationships and my phone’s battery at this point, and I’m stoked to be headed down to San Diego in just over a week, where I should see an entirely different assortment on Pokémon than I will in my Vancouver homeland.

Are you excited for Pokémon GO? Be sure to sound out in the comments below! If you’re in Australia or New Zealand, you can click here to download the game on iOS, and here for Android!

Pokemon GO Screen 4

This Fourth Of July, ‘Sausage Party’ Warns Us That Grills Kill!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Another fantastic promotional video from a Seth Rogen project. You did see that Preacher trailer from last month where he played every character, didn’t you?

Sausage Party tells the story of one sausage setting out on a quest to discover the truth about his existence. After falling out of a shopping cart, our hero sausage and his new friends embark on a perilous journey through the supermarket to get back to their aisles before the Fourth of July sale.

Obviously, tomorrow is a day where a lot of food is bound to be eaten, and countless hot dogs, burgers, potatoes, and every other food imaginable will will meet its demise.

That’s what Sausage Party‘s latest promo is all about.

Will you be killing the grill this Fourth of July?

No seriously, what are your plans?

Sausage Party hits theatres on August 12th.

Pro Wrestling’s Cody Rhodes To Appear On ‘Arrow’ This Season!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: It looks like the Stephen Amell / Cody Rhodes feud is not quite finished yet, which I certainly wouldn’t have expected based on the fact that Rhodes left WWE back in May.

Amell himself had multiple RAW appearances throughout last year, and faced Rhodes’ Stardust character in a tag-team match during WWE’s Summerslam Pay-Per View last August.

Both Amell and Rhodes appeared at the “Wrestling Rivals” panel at Heroes & Villains FanFest in Secaucus, N.J. During the event, Amell let loose that Rhodes would appear in the third episode of Arrow‘s upcoming fifth season.

No information was revealed about Rhodes’ role, but Rhodes teased that “You can probably expect Stephen and I to get into another fight.”

We can’t freaking wait. The rivalry has been hilarious thus far, and as disappointed as I was when Rhodes left WWE in May (because I’m a huge fan and would love to see him in the ring as much as possible), I’m certainly glad that Rhodes appears to be making his rounds.

Are you looking forward to Arrow‘s fifth season? What did you think of last year’s offering? Be sure to sound out in the comments below!

RhodesAmell

Geekscape Mobile: ‘Her Story’ Is Now Available For Android Devices!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: If you’re a regular around Geekscape or the Geekscape Games podcast, you’ll know just how big a fan I was of last year’s independent mystery title, Her Story.

As our Favourite Games of 2015, and countless other Best of 2015 lists exclaimed, Her Story was one of the very best gaming experiences of 2015, which I’m pretty sure that nobody expected out of an independent, Full Motion Video title.

We were sucked into the mystery, the murder, the case, and well, Her Story, and though the title was quickly released on OS X and iOS (along with its Windows counterpart), it never made it over to Google’s mobile platform.

Until now, that is.

Her Story just hit Google Play, it’s $2.99, and it’s one of the most memorable titles of the past few years.

Missed it so far? What are you waiting for!?

‘Bioshock: The Collection’ Leaks On 2K Games Website! UPDATE: Officially Announced!

by Derek Kraneveldt

UPDATE: 2K Games has officially announced Bioshock: The Collection for PS4, Xbox One, and PC!

The collection will release on September 13th, include Bioshock, Bioshock 2, and Bioshock Infinite, plus all of the single player DLC, and “a never-before-seen video series, “Director’s Commentary: Imagining BioShock.”

All this, for a cool $59.99.

Briefly: It seems like there have been rumours of the Bioshock series making the jump to the Xbox One and PS4 since the current generation of consoles was released back in 2013.

After what feels like eons, the rumours appear to be rumours no more, as Bioshock: The Collection leaked briefly today on 2K Games’ own website (this follows an ESRB leak earlier this year).

While we still don’t know much about the collections, it is said that it will contain Bioshock, Bioshock 2, and Bioshock Infinite.

You can take a first look at the game’s cover and key art below, and we’ll be sure to share more news when 2K makes it official!

Cover

Wallpaper

AMC Renews ‘Preacher’ For An Expanded Second Season!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Well that didn’t take long.

After releasing just five episodes, AMC has renewed Preacher for an expanded second season.

While the series, which is the #2 new series on cable this year, will run just ten episodes during its debut season, next year we’ll be watching 13.

“‘Preacher’ is a special television program and we’re eager to share with fans the rest of this wild first season and, now, an expanded second season,” said Charlie Collier, president of AMC, SundanceTV and AMC Studios. “What Sam, Seth, Evan and the entire creative team have achieved in bringing Garth Ennis’ graphic novel to the screen is extraordinary. We look forward to more time with these unforgettable characters be it in Heaven, Hell, Texas or beyond.”

The series stars Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer, Joseph Gilgun as Cassidy, Ruth Negga as Tulip, Lucy Griffiths as Emily, W. Earl Brown as Sheriff Root, Anatol Yusef as DeBlanc, Tom Brooke as Fiore, Derek Wilson as Donnie Schenck and Ian Colletti as Eugene/Arseface.

I’ve only had an opportunity to watch the pilot thus far (which I certainly enjoyed). Those of you who have been following Preacher weekly, are you excited that a second season is happening? Sound out below!

Watch The Full Trailer For ‘Bojack Horseman’s Third Season!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Just last month we learned that Bojack Horseman’s anticipated third season would be hitting Netflix in its entirety on July 22nd (while many of us will be at San Diego Comic-Con and totally not able to watch it).

Today, the company released the official, hilarious trailer for the upcoming episodes, and I’m damned excited to binge through all twelve episodes.

This year, “What is success? Can two people ever truly connect? Why is Mr. Peanutbutter so annoying? BoJackHorseman tackles life’s big questions.”

Take a look at the trailer below, and be sure to let us know what you think!

https://youtu.be/VESKjoxAmZg

SDCC 2016: You Won’t Recognize Him, But This Entertainment Earth C-3PO Exclusive Is A Must-Buy!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: San Diego Comic-Con fast approaches (too fast, I’m not ready), and we’re getting to the point that exclusive announcements seem to be flooding our inboxes by the minute.

This latest announcement from Entertainment Earth may be one of the best exclusives I’ve seen announced for this year’s SDCC thus far.

You probably don’t recognize him… but it’s a convention exclusive The Force Awakens C-3PO that stands 18 inches tall.

Here are some sweet reasons why you should probably pick one up:

– “You probably don’t recognize me with my red arm.”
– Exclusive limited edition chrome C-3PO action figure!
– Fresh from the Battle of Takodana in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
– First-ever C-3PO action figure at this scale with his classic reflective finish!
– The protocol droid stands 18-inches tall.
– He’s shiny and gold, just like in the movies!

It’s huge, it’s gorgeous, and it’s just $60 at the Entertainment Earth booth (#2343).

This convention exclusive “is a shiny gold robot boasting 7-points of articulation. His chrome finish is as shiny as you please, with a red arm to honor his fallen friend from the days following his adventures on Endor. C-3PO comes packaged in an amazing premium edition box featuring an exquisite Resistance symbol backdrop and gold foil highlights.

At 18-inches tall, it’s “the first time a C-3PO action figure has been offered with his classic reflective finish at this scale. It’s like a mini-replica of the suit Anthony Daniels wears in the film, so you can almost hear his voice in your head! You’ll thank Jakks when you bring home this Resistance spymaster and famous translator.”

Yeah, we’ll take two (one to open and one to leave in the box, duh).

Be sure to let us know if you’ll be picking one up!

JK04622lg

Netflix To Finally Appear At SDCC With ‘Luke Cage’?

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Netflix doesn’t go to San Diego Comic-Con.

The company has been producing some of the most loved, talked about, recommended, and anticipated series for years now, and though they craft some of the very best products bearing the Marvel moniker, Netflix still hasn’t made an appearance in San Diego.

That, according to Deadline, is set to change this year with Luke Cage.

It appears that Cage himself, Mike Coulter will be in attendance, along with showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker and co-star Alfre Woodward. Rumour has it that Netflix will debut some new footage from the anticipated series, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a panel added to the schedule sometime in the near future.

Are you looking forward to the series? Are you planning to attend the SDCC panel? Be sure to let us know in the comments below! Luke Cage premieres on September 30th!

‘Prelude to Transformers: Combiner Wars’ Launches Today With An Episode Focussed On Optimus Prime!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: We’re finally just a month away from the launch of Transformers: Combiner Wars, and Machinima today debuted the first episode in a four-episode ‘Prelude’ series that will lead into the main series debut on August 2nd.

The four-part Prelude to Transformers: Combiner Wars reveals the current state of Cybertron from the distinctive points-of-view of four characters – Optimus Prime, Victorion, Starscream and Windblade. The digital episodes will launch weekly.

The series is naturally launching with Optimus Prime, and honestly this may be one of the coolest releases that I’ve seen from Machinima… well, ever.

The series is available on YouTube, go90, and other social media platforms, and its certainly garnering my excitement for the main series.

The Prelude to Transformers: Combiner Wars episode breakdown is as follows:

1)    Optimus Prime, the former leader of the Autobots, reflects on the great war and how it finally ended with a duel between him and the mighty Megatron.

 

2)    Victorion, a Combiner born from the magic of the ‘Enigma of Combination’, describes her anger with this new state of affairs and proclaims her intention to save the Transformers galaxy from the chaos created in the aftermath of disbanding the Autobots and Decepticons.

 

3)    Starscream, no longer the villain we once knew him as, is now a member of a great ‘Council’ along with The Mistress of Flame from the planet Caminus and Rodimus Prime.  The burden of responsibility is heavy on the three due to the destruction and loss of life from the ongoing Combiner Wars.

 

4)    Windblade, once an official ‘City Speaker’ to the gigantic ‘Titans’ is tired of the bureaucratic non-action of the Council, who seem to sit idly while her people and her cities on Caminus perish. She decides that the only way to end the Combiner Wars is to take matters into her own vengeful hands.

Take a look at the first episode below, along with some key art for the main series, and be sure to let us know if you’re excited!

https://youtu.be/v4i9u_HALwQ

Pretty cool, huh?

Combiner

Brock Lesnar Is The ‘WWE 2K17’ Cover Star!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Following the first roster reveals from back at E3, and the Goldberg reveal trailer from earlier in June, WWE has officially announced the superstar that will grace the cover of this year’s WWE 2K17.

With the heavy Goldberg focus in the game’s trailer and marketing thus far, many fans were expecting to see the superstar (who didn’t have the greatest WWE run, per se) on the cover of this year’s anticipated title.

Instead, we’ll see The Beast himself, Brock Lesnar.

Naturally, Lesnar seems pretty happy about the news:

WWE notes that “The selection also marks the first time that Lesnar will be the sole Superstar appearing on a WWE video game cover.”

As much as I’m not a fan of Lesnar, featuring the part-timer on this year’s cover is likely the smartest move that WWE and 2K could have made. Lesnar (and his theme music) is returning for another MMA bout with UFC 200 on July 9th, and I’d imagine that a lot of WWE fans will be tuning into the Pay-Per-View to see The Beast face Mark Hunt, and I’d also imagine that, win or lose, seeing Lesnar in the octagon will garner a lot of interest for WWE, and possibly its latest video game.

2K has not revealed whether or not its beloved Showcase mode will return (and whether or not Lesnar will be the focus), but if there’s anything I’d ask for, it’d be an expanded and less repetitive career mode.

Are you looking forward to WWE 2K17? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

‘Sharknado: The Fourth Awakens’ Reveals Cameos, Including WWE’s Seth Rollins!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: We’re just over a month away from the highly anticipated premiere of the fourth (yep, fourth) Sharknado film, and Syfy has just revealed a long list of individuals who are set to make an appearance in the upcoming sequel.

Sharknado 4 will take place five years after the East Coast was ravaged in Sharknado 3. Fin, his family and the cosmos have been blissfully sharknado-free in the intervening years, but now sharks – and ‘nados! – are being whipped up in places (and ways) that are completely unexpected…

Sharknado fans were able to vote whether or not Tara Reid’s character, April Wexler, will return for the film, the result of which poll you can watch below.

As far as cameos go, there are a lot of them, including our pal Andre “Black Nerd” Meadows, and even WWE superstar (and former champion) Seth Rollins. Now I’m even more excited.

Here are the rest of the cameos:

YouTuber Andre “Black Nerd” Meadows as a Train Conductor
Comic Carrot Top as an Uber Driver
Chippendales Dancers as themselves
YouTube/Vine star DeStorm Power as a National Guardsman
Dolvett Quince of The Biggest Loser as a Trainer
Erika Girardi from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as Tech Frances
Comic Gilbert Gottfried as Today correspondent
Pro wrestler Seth Rollins as AstroTech Lopez
Steve Guttenberg as Car Owner
Hayley Hasselhoff as Supervisor Mary Jane and Taylor-Ann Hasselhoff as Pilot Shaylin
YouTuber iJustine as Supervisor Brock
MMA fighter Roy Nelson as Donnie the Paparazzo
Vanderpump Rules‘ Stassi Schroeder as Koening and Jax Taylor as a Guardsman
Paul Shaffer as himself

Sharknado: The Fourth Awakens premieres on July 31st, and I really can’t wait to see what Syfy has planned for SDCC.

Watch The Trailer For ‘The Strain’s Third Season!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Boy do I ever need to catch up on The Strain.

FX has just debuted the trailer for the upcoming season, and it looks just as tense, terrifying, and fabulous as every episode that I’ve seen thus far.

As season three begins, New York City is a battleground. Written off by the federal government, the people of New York City must fight for survival on their own. The question is who will win? Humans or strigoi? Our heroes win victories, but are not winning the war. Beset by personal conflicts – betrayal, disappointment, paranoia – our group is splintering. Meanwhile, the Master is close to executing an irreversible transformation of the world. Is there still hope to save the city and humanity?

Season 3 is set to premiere on August 28th. Take a look at the trailer below, and be sure to let us know what you think!

https://youtu.be/VWzw-bYa3lw

Official Synopsis For ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2’ And ‘Doctor Strange’ Revealed!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Following the epic first trailer for Doctor Strange, Marvel has just revealed the official synopsis for the highly anticipated film, while also releasing the synopsis for the even more anticipated (at least by myself) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Doctor Strange will hit theatres on November 4th, and it “follows the story of the talented neurosurgeon Doctor Stephen Strange who, after a tragic car accident, must put ego aside and learn the secrets of a hidden world of mysticism and alternate dimensions. Based in New York City’s Greenwich Village, Doctor Strange must act as an intermediary between the real world and what lies beyond, utilizing a vast array of metaphysical abilities and artifacts to protect the Marvel cinematic universe.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 won’t release until May 5th, 2017, and its synopsis will have you itching for literally any news about the film:

“Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.”

Who are Peter Quill’s parents? Which fan-favourite characters will we see? Damnit, it’s going to be a long wait.

Which film are you more excited for? Who do you hope to see in the Guardians sequel? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

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‘Suicide Squad’ Gets 11 Slick Character Posters!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: We’re just over a month away from the highly anticipated Suicide Squad, and Warner Bros. has pushed the film’s marketing campaign to a whole new level.

Today, the company released 11 slick new character posters, re-reminding us just how bad-ass, cool, and well cast these characters are.

In the film, U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do. However, once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die trying, or decide it’s every man for himself?

Take a look at the new posters below, and be sure to let us know who you’re most excited to see more of! Suicide Squad hits theatres on August 5th!

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‘Star Trek’, ‘Charlie Bartlett’ Actor Anton Yelchin Has Died At 27

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: It’s another sad, sad day in Hollywood, as the world reacts to the death of another young star.

Anton Yelchin, who portrayed Chekov in Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond, as well the titular character in 2007’s criminally underrated Charlie Bartlett was found dead near his home early this morning.

According to TMZ, who was first to report the news, the actor was found pinned between his car and a brick mailbox, which was attached to a security gate. They note that “the engine was running when his body was discovered, and the car was in neutral. The driveway was on a fairly steep incline. It’s unclear why he got out of the car.”

As a huge fan of Anton throughout his career, this news came as quite a shock. Our thoughts go out to Anton’s family and friends.

Wow, 2016 has been quite the upsetting year, hasn’t it?

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Rumor: Sony’s Playstation Neo To Launch This Holiday Season?

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: It was just a few weeks ago that Sony finally, officially commented on the existence of the new, more powerful Playstation 4 console (or Playstation Neo, or Playstation 4.5… or whatever else you may want to call it), and while Sony didn’t reveal or comment any further on the console during this year’s E3 expo, rumour has it we may be playing slightly better looking PS4 titles sooner than we thought.

In a new report from Eurogamer’s Richard Leadbetter comparing the features and specs of Playstation Neo and Microsoft’s own Project Scorpio, he notes that “Several sources have indicated to me that PlayStation Neo launches this year, despite its E3 no-show. If that is the case, it’ll be interesting to see how developers utilise its resources, and whether 4K really is the focus. And we can be equally as sure that Microsoft will be watching just as intently as it gears up for its own next-gen roll-out.”

If these sources are accurate, we may be playing Playstation Neo long before the holiday 2017 release of Project Scorpio.

Do we sense a Playstation Neo / Playstation VR bundle incoming? We sure hope that your wallets are ready.

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Source: Eurogamer

Quantic Dream’s ‘Indigo Prophecy’ Heads To PS4!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Because enough new games weren’t announced in the past week, here’s another old game that you’ll probably want to experience once more.

Quantic Dream has revealed that its 2005 classic cinematic adventure title, Indigo Prophecy, will arrive on Sony’s PS4 this July for the cool cost of $14.99.

The game comes exclusively to the PSN store on July 18th, and will feature 1080p output, as well as trophy support.

I’m a huge fan of Quantic Dream and all of their titles thus far. I had a great time replaying Indigo Prophecy when it released on iOS last year, and it looks like I may be in for another play through this July!

Quantic Dream revealed their next title, Detroit: Become Human at Sony’s E3 press conference this week.

Will you be picking up the remaster? Are you a fan of Indigo Prophecy? Sound out below!

The CW Reveals Premiere Dates For ‘The Flash’, ‘Supergirl’, And More!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: As disappointed as I am that iZombie won’t make its third season debut until the 2017 midseason, The CW has just revealed it’s Fall season premiere dates, and it looks like we’re set to have a phenomenal Fall in front of our television sets.

Of course, Supergirl has made the jump from CBS to The CW (and is now filming in my home city, which is pretty neat), and as such, a few other series have shifted around from their typical places.

Here’s what The CW has coming for us this Fall:

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4
8:00-9:00pm THE FLASH (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00pm NO TOMORROW (Series Premiere)

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5
8:00-9:00pm ARROW (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00pm FREQUENCY (Series Premiere)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6
8:00-10:00pm IHEARTRADIO MUSIC FESTIVAL NIGHT ONE

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7
8:00-10:00pm IHEARTRADIO MUSIC FESTIVAL NIGHT TWO

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10
8:00-9:00pm SUPERGIRL (The CW Premiere)
9:00-10:00pm NO TOMORROW (Premiere Episode Encore)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13
8:00-9:00pm DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00pm SUPERNATURAL (Season Premiere)

MONDAY, OCTOBER 17
8:00-9:00pm SUPERGIRL (Original Episode)
9:00-10:00pm JANE THE VIRGIN (Season Premiere)

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21
8:00-9:00pm THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00pm CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND (Season Premiere)

I’m also really looking forward to checking out No Tomorrow and Frequency, so… well, I’m going to need to quit my job or something so that I can catch up on everything I’m already behind on.

What CW series are you most looking forward to this year? Sound out below!

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