Author: Cameron Shooshtari

Cameron Shooshtari is a south Texas native and is currently the newly appointed PR Director for RV Nightly, a campground next to the Circuit of the Americas Formula 1 Racepark in Austin, TX. He loves Ridley Scott movies, gochujang on all foods, and is available for weddings. For $10k he will sit at a table, of your choice, and read the paper. For $15k he will run interference on any annoying relatives of your choice. For $20k he will give a toast to the bride and groom, on the spot, without any prior information about the couple and absolutely embarrass himself. twitter

Fall Into ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ With The First Official Trailer

by Cameron ShooshtariOctober 17, 2013

Wes Anderson fans rejoice, the imaginative director’s latest project ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ will be upon us soon and from the trailer we can already see that this movie is filled to the brim with many talented actors. Just how many actors? Well, reddit user FennekFox goes into just how much talent is in the film:

“Overall a ridiculously impressive cast. You know how many Oscar nominations and wins this crowd has? I didn’t either, so I looked into it:

16 nominations among the cast spread out over 11 actors, albeit Owen Wilson’s and Jeff Goldblum’s nominations are not for acting.

3 wins for F. Murray Abraham, Adrien Brody and Tilda Swinton.

Wes Anderson himself has 3 nominations.

Also lots of more talent behind the scenes: Alexandre Desplat, who writes the music, has 5 nominations (from the last 7 years!). Milena Canonero, who’s obviously done a great job once again with the costume design, has 3 wins and 5 nominations. And set decorator Anna Pinnock has 3 nominations.

In total I found 32 nominations and 6 wins. But there may be more. The trailer looks fantastic, so perhaps some of these nominees can turn into winners. Ralph Fiennes performance looks awesome, I hope it’s him.

And before you ask: no I don’t have too much time on my hands! Knowing this was important to my well-being.”

The movie is described as a chronicle of the adventures of Gustave M. (Ralph Fiennes), a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori), the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend.

I’m not particularly worried about the balance of screen time the actors will receive. Anderson has an excellent track record of remembering to rely on the actual plot to move the story and not by relying on star power alone.

‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ will be in theaters on March 7, 2014.

Geekscape Comics Reviews: ‘Code Monkey Save World’ #1

by Cameron ShooshtariOctober 15, 2013

For many people, including myself, the haunting yet whimsical lyrics sung by GlaDOS at the end of the critically acclaimed 2007 computer game Portal were our introduction into the mind of Jonathan Coulton and the unique universe he has constructed within his songs.

Code Monkey Save World is based around the character from another popular Coulton song, ‘Code Monkey,’ which centers on a monkey who works as a computer programmer and details an accurate portrayal (Coulton worked as a computer programmer in the past) of working in a corporate environment. That’s where the similarities to the song end, and the comic takes Code Monkey off on an adventure to save the secretary from his office (who he secretly loves), and save the world in the process with help from Skullcrusher, a supervillain from another Coulton track who also pines for the affections of a girl.

The writing, by Greg Pak (Batman/Superman), does a great job of sprinkling in many other Coulton references (the half monkey/half pony created by Skullcrusher, for instance) while helping to move the story forward, and keeps it interesting while expanding on popular characters, including the secretary (now known as Matilde) and Laura the Robo Queen (from the song ‘The Future Soon’). Pak is provided a deep well of source material from Coulton whose lyrics are burned into the pages with each frame.

The artwork (drawn by Runaways Takeshi Miyazawa) is very well done, and carries a good flow with the writing so as not to appear disjointed or confusing on the eyes. The Coulton universe comes alive in front of you, and it’s interesting to see how Pak, Miyazawa, and their team interpreted what these characters should look like. Facial expression is important to convey how a character is feeling, and is something which the artist completely captures. The colors match the mood and themes of the various scenes while making sure to keep the action alive and popping.

The idea for the comic began on twitter when Pak was encouraged by Coulton to create the project after joking that the supervillain characters from Coulton’s songs would make for an interesting team. Together, they formed a Kickstarter for the project and after receiving over $300,000 from backers (after asking for only $39,000, making it 872% successful) work went underway. The comic will be 96 pages and Coulton will also accompany the book with an acoustic soundtrack of his songs that inspired the series.

There are so many unique songs Coulton has cooked up that could be used in this project. His ability to capture the best ideas from various pop culture examples combined with his own life experiences and creative touch means that this series can be the visual equivalent of listening to his music, but with the added bonus of his musical world becoming intertwined together to create a lasting story.

The premiere issue of Code Monkey Save World scores a clear 9 out of 10, and I can’t wait to see what Pak has in store for the code crunching monkey. The issue hits Comixology on Wednesday, October 15th, and a hard-copy trade paperback will be available once all four issues have been released!

Be sure to let us know what you think of the book once you pick it up!

Troy Baker Performs Monologue As The Joker And Settles Our ‘Arkham Origins’ Fears

by Cameron ShooshtariOctober 13, 2013

Briefly: Batman: Arkham Origins will soon be out this month on the 25th, and the big question for Batman fans was how will the new voice of the Joker compare to that of the legendary Mark Hamill’s depiction. At a recent panel during New York Comic-Con, fans caught a glimpse of insanity as the new Joker (played by Troy Baker) recites a famous Joker monologue from Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke and absolutely nails it. Hamill should be proud.

Kevin Conroy (who has voiced Batman in the past two Arkham games) will not be reprising the Dark Knight, who will instead be voiced by Roger Craig Smith, best known for voicing Ezio Auditore (Assassin’s Creed) and Chris Redfield (Resident Evil) among many other roles.

Are you planning to pick up Batman: Arkham Origins when it launches later this month? What are you most looking forward to seeing in the game? Sound out below!

Have Fun With Sarah Silverman At FunFunFun Fest 2013!

by Cameron ShooshtariOctober 12, 2013

Last year was my first FunFunFun Fest and I gotta say, it was actually pretty damn fun. I loved the musical acts (RUN DMC absolutely killed it!), the interesting people you encounter, the abundant variety of food choices, the taco cannon (you heard right), and the comedy acts. Last year we had David Cross, Hannibal Buress, Wyatt Cenac, Doug Benson, Jon Benjamin and many other talented comics.

With less than a month away, FFFFest organizers recently announced one last addition to their comedy lineup this year with the multitalented Sarah Silverman. She will be joining other esteemed comedians including Patton Oswalt, Doug Benson, Craig Robinson, Tenacious D and many others.

Are you going to the festival? I will be covering the event for Geekscape, so please let us know if you make it out!

FOX Lands Deal For Batman Inspired TV Series “Gotham”

by Cameron ShooshtariSeptember 24, 2013

After a lengthy bidding war, FOX has acquired the rights to create the television series, “Gotham,” based on the popular DC comics Batman universe.

The show, which is being developed by Bruno Heller, creator of CBS’ “The Mentalist,” will be about a younger Jim Gordon, still a detective in the Gotham Police Department. Bruce Wayne/Batman will not make an appearance, but the show will have other characters and villains from the Batman universe.

The Commissioner Gordon character was introduced in Detective Comics (1939) as a supporting character to Batman and has remained virtually unchanged ever since. Armed with his signature bushy, salt and pepper mustache, Gordon is one of Batman’s most loyal allies in the fight for justice in Gotham City. He was most famously portrayed by Gary Oldman in the Christopher Nolan ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy.

Personally, I think this could be a potentially great series and a great avenue of exploration for the DC universe. Gordon is one of my favorite characters in the series and it will be interesting to see how they fill the void without Batman in the picture. I’ve been looking forward to a grittier ‘Law & Order’ direction for the Batman franchise, so we can see how the criminal justice system in Gotham functions (or doesn’t). I hope we’ll also get to visit other Gotham locations like Arkham Asylum or The Iceberg Lounge.

Source: Deadline

Geekscape Interviews: ‘Mortal Kombat: Legacy’ Star Casper Van Dien

by Cameron ShooshtariSeptember 21, 2013

Along with director Kevin Tancharoen and actress Samantha Jo, I also had the awesome opportunity to speak to Casper Van Dien, who plays Johnny Cage in the upcoming second season of Mortal Kombat: Legacy. Read on to learn all about Casper’s thoughts on playing the character, lifelong ambitions, and even more! If you’re looking for even more Mortal Kombat: Legacy, be sure to check out this week’s Geekscape, in which Jonathan interviews Legacy‘s Liu Kang, Brian Tee!

CS: Somebody told me you’re a big gamer, is this true? If so, what are some of your favorite titles/series? Were video games important to you while growing up? Why do you think video games make such lasting impressions on the people who play them?

CVD: I Love video games. I would not consider myself a big gamer as I see what real gamers do. I am awed as to what the “gamers” are actually able to do. Growing up I played every game I could get my hands on. I had Atari and intelivison and loved going down top the corner store to throw my quarters in the latest games coming out. Right now the coolest game out there is MORTAL KOMBAT.

CS: What’s your favorite thing about playing Johnny Cage? He is also an actor so do you find it easy to slip into his character or have you brought something different to the table that hasn’t really been done with the role? What should fans be excited for that you feel is worth mentioning about the new season?

CVD: I love that I was asked to play Johnny Cage. Here he is, an actor that is struggling in his life and career and he sees this shot in the tournament as a way to have purpose in life. As cocky as he is at his core he has this desire for recognition.

CS: Johnny Cage has just won the MK tournament, what’s the first thing that you do as him?

CVD: Make sure my SunGlasses are ok. Then Strike a pose.

CS: What unique challenges have you faced and overcome as an actor?

CVD: I am always facing the challenge of having to prove myself as an actor. It is the struggle and challenge that an actor has to face if they want to be in the mix to play

CS: What is a regular day in the life of Casper Van Dien like?

CVD: There really does not seem to be many regular days. I have 5 children and films and shows that take me all over the world. That being said I like to do some form of physical exercise, read a little and watch films and shows.

CS: What are your other personal ambitions or goals that you’d like to see done?

CVD: I want to direct a film one day

CS: If you could play every role in a movie which would you choose and why?

CVD: Every role in a movie? Well… That sounds like a Jerry Lewis or Peter Sellers or Eddie Murphy Film. It would have to be a comedy. Maybe I would have to do the movie not as me but as Johnny Cage. Johnny Cage Starring as Everyone in “It’s a Wonderful Life”… or “the Notebook.” “Expendables 5”- Johnny Cage as every action star that has ever lived & their mothers. That could really show Case Johnny’s chops.

http://youtu.be/46l9Zc7DBxE

Geekscape Interviews: ‘Mortal Kombat: Legacy’ Star Samantha Jo

by Cameron ShooshtariSeptember 20, 2013

I just had the opportunity to speak with Samantha Jo, who plays the fan-blade wielding assassin, Princess Kitana, in the Mortal Kombat: Legacy web-series. She discusses her role, how she became Kitana, and how awesome she is. Be sure to also check out my interview with Mortal Kombat: Legacy director Kevin Tancharoen!

CS: “What’s your favorite thing about playing Kitana?”

SJ: “There are so many to choose from. I think it would have to be that she uses fans. I was actually trained to use fans in Wushu so that would be my favorite thing just because it’s so random and quirky, I mean, who the hell uses a fan as a weapon? I do! *laughs*

CS: “What’s your least favorite thing about Kitana?”

SJ: “If the wardrobe was the same as in the game then that would be my least favorite thing. It was actually very respectful and conservative given the game’s wardrobe.”

CS: “Do they keep in mind the costume when it comes down to the stunt work and moves you have to perform?”

SJ: “I don’t think it was specifically made for the stunt work. I think that Kevin just had an idea in his head that Kitana and Mileena are female assassins and in order to do their job you can’t really be wearing little flimsy bikinis and I thought it was absolutely great that that was his idea because that’s what was in my head to I mean we’re assassins and we go out and we kill people, that’s our job and it wouldn’t really make sense if we’re falling out of our costumes. If you know what I mean.” *laughs*

CS: “Were you more interested in the stunt work when you started out in your career or did you always see yourself getting more serious about acting?”

SJ: “It’s hard to say. I never really planned out exactly where I thought I would be. When I was younger I did commercials and print modeling then I joined martial arts and got really into the competitions and that led me to stunt work and now stunt work has kind of come back to acting from what I was doing as a kid so I think in general I just absolutely love performing so anything that presents itself as an opportunity I take it. I’m really just trying to get as much experience in life as possible but seeing as the acting has been more prevalent lately I find it really interesting, I’ve been taking more classes and getting more into it. It’s a lot of fun and I like exploring what my brain and my thoughts can come up with as opposed to what I can just physically do.”

CS: “What are some common misconceptions people have about actors that you’ve noticed?”

SJ: “I think as a kid, and anyone not in that world, it looks extremely glamorous and you’re like ooh look at their hair, their makeup, it’s so pretty and all these big dance numbers and these big action scenes and you’re like that must be so cool to hang out on sets but I think once I started in stunt work and I was on bigger film sets I got to see that a lot of the time it’s rolling in the dirt, being messy and really silly stuff and it’s not all that glamorous. It’s a lot of fun but a lot of times on set it’s very messy and your hair isn’t always blowing perfectly in the wind. That was my big misconception, I thought it was more glamorous and all these starlets being all perfect but it’s not; everybody is just people and things happen, things get messy and that’s just life.” *laughs*

CS: “If you could play every part in a movie which would you pick and why?”

SJ: “You have awesome questions! I would have to say….ah man….all I can think of in my head are those Eddie Murphy movies where he gets to play everyone.” *laughs* “I guess for now I’d say Miss Congeniality because I’d like to explore all the different personalities of pageant girls. I’ve met a couple of them and they’re just so different from each other. I think that’d be a lot of fun.”

CS: “You’d also have to play Michael Caine.”

SJ: “Oh, of course! That’s the best part.”

CS: “Are you much of a gamer in your free time?”

SJ: “The only games I actually just played was Mortal Kombat and my husband tried to get me to play Call of Duty but I’m a big fail at that so no I’m not really a gamer. I do enjoy MK because it was a huge part of my childhood but I get confused by all the buttons and end up button mashing and especially in games like Call of Duty my thumbs can’t move at the same time so I end up looking in one direction and to other players it looks like I’m just running sideways.” *laughs* “I admit, I’m no good at games.”

CS: “What do you think you did differently to stand apart in your audition for the role of Kitana?”

SJ: “I met Kevin at a gym and he saw me practicing fight and thought “Wow this girl can really fight,” and I seemed to have looked the part so it just kind of happened from there. He hired me for season one and everything went well and then season two came along and there was a little bit more dialog so I did audition and I’m not really sure if there were other casting choices but I think I had a one-up in that I was already Kitana in season one and the character kind of hits close to home for me.”

CS: “How’s that?”

SJ: “The whole family dynamic. I love my brothers to death, they are the best brothers in the world, but growing up you do have your issues with them and so they were two boys and I was the only girl so it was always like them two and then me left out so I understood the idea of feeling alone. That whole sibling rivalry, competing against each other all the time and not being friendly with each other, that whole dynamic I really understood. Of course now I want to clear my brothers and admit that I love them.” *laughs*

CS: “How does Samantha Jo start her day and end it?”

SJ: “I start my day after waking up from a good nine hours of sleep. I’ll either make pancakes or breakfast or I’ll go to Shoops on Santa Monica because they have dog bowls so I’ll get my dog, my husband and I breakfast. Check the mail. Go home. Read for a long time. Go to the gym and then maybe a coffee shop and read some more. Go home and then watch a movie or two and then go to bed. Yeah, sounds about right!”

CS: “Okay, you’re Kitana and you’ve just won the MK tournament and saved the realms from Shao Kahn. What’s the first thing you do?”

SJ: “I go back to Edenia and be with my people and I make sure that they’re okay and I just live and be happy and spread some happiness! Mmhmm.”

CS: “What other projects or personal ambitions do you work on as well?”

SJ: “Personal projects? My husband and I have recently got into woodworking stuff. I always want to have a project going like building a new coffee table or building a new bed, those types of projects I really like or even just projects around the home. I love HGTV so it really inspires me whenever I’m bored I find something around the house to upgrade.”

CS: “What else do you think fans will be excited to see when it comes to Kitana?”

SJ: “I think the words ‘Fatality’ have been around the board lately so I think fans can definitely look forward to that. People who were at comic-con did get to see quite the scene and I think that scene in particular, our fight scene’s dramatic ending, is surprising and might I say gory so I think fans will be really excited by that scene. Other than that it’s just diving back into the family dynamic with Kitana and Mileena and their sibling rivalry. You don’t want to miss that episode but how could you because they all come out at the same time! I can’t wait, I think I’m just going to put on my sweatpants and sit in front of the TV and just go at it.” *laughs*

Mortal Kombat Legacy’s second season debuts on September 26, 2013 and can be viewed in its entirety on the Machinima YouTube channel. Also, be sure to listen to last night’s Geekscape, where Jonathan interviews Legacy‘s Liu Kang, Brian Tee!

http://youtu.be/46l9Zc7DBxE

Geekscape Interviews: ‘Mortal Kombat: Legacy’ Director Kevin Tancharoen

by Cameron ShooshtariSeptember 19, 2013

Kevin Tancharoen is the director of the Mortal Kombat web-series and will also be helming the big screen version as well. I talk with Kevin about the challenges he has faced, the news media on violent video games and where Mortal Kombat will go from here.

CS: “The MK movie will be separate from Legacy; do you personally think this is a good idea from a storyteller’s point of view? Does it give you more room to tell the story you want?”

KT: “It’s something that I’ve constantly battled back and forth but I finally settled on thinking it’s a good idea, the reason being because it gives me more creative freedom and it doesn’t let Legacy impact the movie so we can keep doing Legacy for multiple seasons if I’m so lucky to keep it going. I would like that to be its own entity because for me Legacy’s format works better in a TV series type storytelling. I can picture multiple seasons in the sense that I can do longer episodes that can stretch out to 45-minute episodes. Mortal Kombat to me could be like Game of Thrones because I could kill off main characters like they do. But for the film we wanted to do its own thing because that will spawn, hopefully, its own series. This mythology has been around for 20 years so with the film it’s an opportunity to take the mythology that’s there and add another layer on top of it so that there are some new characters and can live on for another 20+ years with the games, or with another movie, so it’s something we’ve been very conscious about.”

CS: “How do you plan on setting the movie apart, creatively speaking, from the other live-action MK movies that have come before?”

KT: “I have great memories of the other live-action movies. The first one was amazing for me when I was a kid and I think everyone has a nostalgic love for it but I don’t think that movie would work in this generation. In this generation obviously movie audiences are more sophisticated and require deeper storytelling and better visual effects. Mortal Kombat was a really good video adaptation for the 90s but for this one, my instincts are to go gritty and more grounded. If you saw Mortal Kombat: Rebirth you could tell that was my approach and I think Mortal Kombat is inherently dark. When we played it as a kid the reason everyone loved it was because of the fatalities and that was some dark material for back then. I think that’s what separates MK from other video game franchises such as Street Fighter or Tekken, MK feels dark and is inherently kind of evil so I want to make sure that comes across in the feature film adaptation.”

CS: “Fans are really hoping that the movie isn’t “tamed down” or won’t be as gory as the web-series or game so can you assure fans that the movie is going to live up to their expectations for a Mature rating?”

KT: “I think there is no version in 2014, or 2015, that people would want to see a watered down Mortal Kombat. MK in its beginning stages WAS a rated R franchise. Before MK there wasn’t a ratings system for video games and a lot of people like to speculate that MK is the reason we have video game ratings now. Ed Boon likes to joke that games are rated M for Mortal Kombat so I definitely want to do a rated-R Mortal Kombat that has everything people want.”

CS: “Is it challenging to balance in the violence, which made the games so popular, with the narrative of the story? I guess a better question would be why do you think people want to watch Mortal Kombat when they could be playing it?”

KT: “It has been challenging to balance the violence with the storytelling because, as much as MK is known for the violence, I don’t want the violence to be gratuitous or over-the-top because then it gets silly and I don’t want to do that. I think when it comes to MK, for me anyways, I’m always attracted to the storylines; whether I’m opening a bio-card, or the ending sequence telling everybody what happened after they beat the tournament, I actually really enjoy all of that stuff so to see it in live-action is why I think people want to see it. Especially with the new games I’ve talked to a lot of the fans who’ve played MK9 and they say “You know what? We really like story mode,” and I think that’s really impressive for a game built around two people fighting each other. It would be different for story driven video games like The Last of Us or Resident Evil where it’s really dependent on the story but MK is just two people on opposite sides of a screen fighting each other and the fact that they were able to throw in really good stories that people were interested in was a very good job on their part (NetherRealm Studios).

CS: “So the mythology of the series is what keeps bringing people back?”

KT: “I believe so, yeah. Everyone has their favorites and if you go to the YouTube comments on our trailers you’ll find people arguing about the mythology. You know what else I think is hilarious about the people who watch our series are these superfans who, more than anything else, all of these fanboys for some reason seem to be hardcore fashion designers. Like they’ll point out “That outfit is wrong!” and I find it funny that that’s the thing they are so passionate about is you know, “That costume’s not right!” We have a limited budget so I like to make sure people know that we can’t exactly build something like a Spiderman costume but even with these big movies they tear apart the Spiderman outfit, Thor costume, etc. and I think everyone has it in their mind how they would build their own superhero costume so it’s something that is really close to them.”

CS: “Do you take in a lot of fan based criticism from what you read?”

KT: “Yeah definitely I read a lot of it and take it all in. Obviously with the Internet you’re going to get people who will be haters no matter what, simply because it is the Internet, but there’s a lot of really good criticism too when people hone in on very specific story moments and compliment the cinematography. All of that stuff is something we take to heart knowing that we have a very limited budget yet we’re still trying to make it look as compelling as possible.”

CS: “Could you talk about the various martial arts styles that you use in the series?”

KT: “We do multiple styles depending on the character because if we were going to use just one style I think it would just simply get repetitive and boring. I’ve never liked a martial arts sequence when it’s just a martial arts sequence, there’s gotta be a story behind the fighting and people constantly try to put story into the fighting and breaking up the fighting so it’s not just top-to-bottom heavy including dialog and things like that. The fight choreographer has obviously been a huge part of this and he’s been with me since MK: Rebirth so he’s lived MK in a live-action sense for as long as I have so it’s constantly something we go back and forth finding different styles.”

CS: “What other movies or filmmakers do you look to for inspiration?”

KT: “My roster of filmmakers is probably very similar to a lot of other people. I grew up loving Fincher movies you know and I think JJ Abrams, he has become a superstar, and I like his pacing and his editorial style it’s just nonstop and I really like that. I’ve taken a lot of inspiration musically as far as editing style and musical transition, oddly enough, from Christopher Nolan because if you watch his movies they are a wall-to-wall score and I find it really cool how he’s able to do that and set a tone very, very well. Those are the three guys that I really like. Obviously I think everyone’s a very big Tarantino fan. There hasn’t been a single movie he’s done that I haven’t absolutely loved and I don’t think there ever will be another version of Tarantino. When I grew up the first book that I picked up when I wanted to get into filmmaking in general was Robert Rodriguez’s ‘Rebel Without a Crew’ and for some reason my Sixth Grade teacher let me do my biography report on Rodriguez. She was really cool especially given the content of his movies and being in Sixth Grade I’m not legally allowed to watch rated-R films but she was like “Yeah sure, as long as your parents are alright with it,” and I’d be “Okay, great! I’m going to talk about El Mariachi.” *laughs*

CS: “Immediately after tragic events the media is usually first after violent video games as the culprit. For example, media outlets have already begun tying the tragic Navy Yards shooting that just took place with recent games like GTAV, Call of Duty, etc. If you were on a conservative talk show right now and I was the host, what would you like to say to me given the chance?”

KT: “Well I’d actually just to love for them to try to explain to me the logic behind those statements. I don’t understand the connection how, I mean, I think I watched something on FOX where they said “It’s not about gun control it’s about controlling the video game content,” and I just thought where in the Navy shooting did video games come into play yet guns were not? I would love for them to try to explain to me, as a child, why me playing MK is going to make me buy a harpoon and throw ice cubes at people. I don’t understand the connection but maybe they’ll say it’s because I’m so desensitized but I believe FOX News all day long was blaming GTA and Call of Duty but not blaming gun control. It doesn’t make any sense to me so my argument would be silly to them because I simply don’t understand it. To me it just doesn’t connect, if you’re going to say games like Call of Duty are a bad thing yet they’re going to encourage people to join the army. I don’t get it. *laughs* It was such a “go to” scapegoat for a lot of conservatives to take the focus off of gun laws. They just don’t want to talk about it so they blame video games as long as possible.

CS: “What other franchises or personal projects would you like to work on after you pass the MK torch?”

KT: “Since I was a kid I’ve always wanted to jump into any sort of live-action Ninja Turtles. I know they’re doing it right now but I don’t know if whether or not I’m lucky enough to be able to do one of their sequels. The version of Ninja Turtles that I’ve always wanted to do might be too dark for them. If you watch the first movie again that movie would never get made nowadays. *laughs* But, I loved it. You know I think the tone was what Eastman and Laird had always wanted. I recently bought this print from this great artist that shows Leonardo battle-scarred on the ground with his sword cut in half, he’s crying, he’s got blood all over himself and he’s got his brothers facemasks tied to his arm and I was like that is so depressingly awesome. I don’t want to kill all of the turtles but I would want you to think that they could die and play the brother dynamic. There are so many good drama elements within the Ninja Turtles when it comes to family and feeling like you’re not a part of society. There’s so much angst *laughs* in the mythology that hasn’t been tapped into that I think is really cool and there’s a very unique opportunity to tell a great Ninja Turtles story.”

CS: “What games are you currently playing?”

KT: “I made a lot of time for The Last of Us and I’ve already played it twice. I just remembered within the first ten minutes I couldn’t believe what I was playing. It was so immersive. I think it was, for me, kind of like the watershed moment when it comes to really actually feeling like I’m playing a movie. I’ve experienced that in certain elements like Resident Evil 4 was really knee deep in that, but, with The Last of Us it felt like I was playing some sort of expensive feature film where I actually felt for the characters and was genuinely scared when I had to go around the Clickers and it was a really good experience. I haven’t dared to go to a video game store to pick up GTAV yet but I might later today or tomorrow if it’s not sold out everywhere. I’ve been reading people on twitter saying they waited four hours, I’m not going to play it at 3 am so I’ll just wait until everybody’s cooled down a bit.” *laughs*

CS: “Any last words for fans to be excited about for the second season?”

KT: “I’m just excited for everyone to finally be able to see it and binge watch it and I’d be very curious to hear everyone’s opinion on how we handled Liu Kang because it was very different. I know a lot of people don’t necessarily like Liu Kang but with that said I didn’t either at first which is why we took the character to a completely different direction so I’ll be very curious to hear how people react to it.”

Be sure to check out season two of Mortal Kombat: Legacy when it premieres on September 26th!

http://youtu.be/46l9Zc7DBxE

Give Your Computer Diabetes With ‘Cookie Clicker’!

by Cameron ShooshtariSeptember 9, 2013

Ready to waste some time? Then you better check out Cookie Clicker. The game’s simple: you click and collect cookies which you can spend on upgrades and buildings to make even more cookies, which you can spend on even more upgrades and….

The guy responsible for this addictive bakery goes by Orteil, a French programmer who also created Nested, an interesting game where you expand on a universe folder to find super clusters, and then individual galaxies to a star system which leads to a planet that might support life to the separate organisms that live there and so on. It’s basically an infinite Matryoshka doll.

He plans to continue updating Cookie Clicker and even port it to various mobile platforms. Seriously, it’s awesome.

If this is just a genius marketing ploy agreed upon by all major pastry distributors then I’m not even mad. Play it, love it, and let us know how far you get!

Geekscape Games Reviews: ‘War Thunder’

by Cameron ShooshtariSeptember 6, 2013

It’s April 9, 1940 and the German invasion of Norway is fully underway as the sun glares at me through my iced up windshield. My aircraft, a British Spitfire Mk.II, roars through the air while being rocked around as the deafening airblasts from the anti-aircraft flak cannons explode around my ship and curiously sync up to the brass blasts from the John Williams score titled ‘TIE Fighter Attack”*. The flak is coming from the naval destroyers that I am dangerously edging close to, so I quickly veer away from the oncoming fire towards a teammate who needs assistance. Suddenly, an enemy fighter is cornering me on my six as he closes the distance for his guns to be effective. Before he can line me up in his sights I roll hard to my right and drop my speed so I can circle around him. He anticipates this and also matches my speed. I point my nose down and plummet to the frozen trees while kicking in my afterburners and reach a tremendous amount of speed before sharply pulling up and looping over my pursuer. In his confusion he tries to also perform a loop but doesn’t have the right amount of thrust so I catch him before he can complete the maneuver and with one blast I take out his rudder. The damage is done and he spins out of control into the rock and ice. Welcome to War Thunder, a free-to-play online World War 2-era combat flight simulator that has taken over my free-time and that of thousands everywhere.
*You know the scene, when Han and Luke have to jump in the Falcon’s turrets and fend off the TIEs after escaping the Death Star. There is no Star Wars soundtrack used in the game, but listening to the score while playing is one of the best combinations I have discovered. After all, George Lucas heavily borrowed from WW2 aerial battle stock footage for his films. It’s only fitting to be played with this game during multiplayer.

My first complaint about the game is that I didn’t hear about it early enough, when it’s open beta was launched back in November 2012. I have no idea how this game eluded my radar for so long which is why I wanted to share it with any others who might have missed this gem. I’m also fascinated with WW2-era history, especially when it comes to the engineering marvels that were developed by the various powers that were fighting throughout the world at the time. I don’t believe this game would be as successful were it set in any other time and I think Gaijin Entertainment has perfectly captured the essence of what makes WW2 still one of the most infamous and captivating wars in human history.

The first thing I suggest is to complete the tutorial missions that will guide you and teach you everything you need to know. This is an extremely easy game to jump into and learn in a short time. There is no steep-learning curve but mastering the skies against other players is another thing. However, the challenge of going up against another player and making it out alive in a dog-fight is extremely enjoyable and addictively fun.

The controls are excellently well mapped and mouse users don’t have to worry about the need for a joystick. The controls feel much more realistic and responsive than say, the jets from Battlefield 3. If you prefer to use a joystick then that’s not a problem either. I haven’t tried it with a joystick yet but will update this article later on when I do so. The developers made the game in mind for many different controller types so it’s only a matter of choosing what you’re most comfortable with.

War Thunder is a visual treat. Rays of sunlight will cascade through your cockpit and fog will actually obscure your vision of a mountain that may, or may, not be in front of you. Enemy gunfire will punch holes in your aircraft’s hull or rip it to shreds. Even the aircraft, which number over a hundred, have all been painstakingly recreated from their actual real-life counterparts. The gunners that sit in the turrets and pill boxes don’t look like they were molded in clay by a five-year-old. Detail is everywhere. However, some textures on the ground noticeably stand out. Some buildings on the base are painted “flat” on the surface of the map. Mountain edges sometimes produce a strange pixelated “shimmering” effect. These are small problems in a game that is for the majority a feast for the eyes. I can’t wait to experience this game via Oculus Rift when those become available soon.

A lot of love has also gone into the sound design. Everything sounds like it was recorded from real WW2 battles. From the idle hum of each and every plane to the explosive crack of a torpedo hitting the broadside of a battleship, War Thunder brings the noise when it comes to sound effects. Now, as you can already tell, I don’t think their music choices were great selections. I like music to engage what I may be doing in the game. Bringing on a composer to write some epic dog-fighting battle music to keep me on my toes is well needed for War Thunder.

When you start you have five countries to choose from: U.S., England, Germany, Russia and Japan. Each has over forty ships to choose from with even more on the way. By participating in various missions, either single-player or online, you will accrue experience points and silver lions (game currency) for the various duties you perform in each mission. Whether you choose to solely dog-fight other players or take out the enemies ground forces you will gain experience for both your personal flight career and that of your specific country. For example, I picked England for my country so the more I use British aircraft the more options I will gain access to (purchased with silver lions) while I keep leveling. Each country’s aircraft has different weaknesses and strengths that you will need to keep an eye out for. You can take your time leveling up each country so don’t worry about what you select at the beginning. Players are also able to upgrade their planes with silver lions for better parts that become available with more use. You can also spend points on how accurate your gunners will be or how long it takes before your guns can be reloaded.

In addition to unlocking the many various aircraft, players can also unlock medals and achievements for specific tasks performed in their aircraft or for their military career. Dozens of skins and decals, of which only 4*, can be placed on your aircraft including the usual eyes and shark teeth can be placed and customized in size and angle.
*Decals are for Premium Accounts

Physics play a big role in this game. Just as if I were in a real aircraft, G-Forces brought upon by the sudden turning at such fast speeds can possibly cause your pilot, and even your crew, to black out and lose control of the aircraft. If your crew blacks out then you won’t have a gunner to defend your ass. Specifically firing on certain parts of an enemy fighter might just punch some holes in the fuel tank, meaning they will have to land to enact repairs if they can survive your encounter. Remain too low while you drop your bombs and you too might get caught in the surrounding blast. This realism is a masterful combination with the already rich, life-like graphics.

Multiplayer

Players can team up with 3 other friends in a squad to assist each other in multiplayer or co-op games. Servers can support up to 32 players (16 on each side.)

There are 3 separate modes that players can choose from to change how their match will play.

Arcade Mode: A much more simplified flight control scheme. The location and the aircraft selection are not tied to historical events. Players on either side can choose aircraft from any country.

Historical: Players must only choose aircraft of the corresponding side they are on. If you’re playing The Battle of Britain and are on the British side then you can only select British aircraft. Also, aircraft behave realistically, ex: If you’re flying too fast you risk your wings being ripped off.

Full Real Battles: You must begin the Full Real Battles Tutorial before playing this mode. Missions are very long, no 3rd person, aircraft begin on ground with engines off, flight dynamics are also more extreme and there are no markers or mouse aim. You must use a joystick.

Once you select the mode you can then select the mission type of which there are 3.

Operations: Defeat all ground forces. Can be played in Historical Mode only.

Domination: Capture and hold all airfields.

Ground Strike: Simplified version of Operations for Arcade Mode only.

There are currently 17 maps, including: Attack on Pearl Harbor, Battle of the Bulge, Battle of Peleliu, and the developers intend to include even more locations in future patches. They are well-detailed, sprawling maps that appear to accurately portray the landscape for each corresponding location. The maps will also make you think about what kind of armament you might want to put on your aircraft. Some maps are based on naval battles so you will want to outfit your aircraft to be able to carry torpedoes (if available.)

War Thunder is best played with buddies over a voice chat program. Coordinating with your squad will definitely give you a much needed edge in battle against opposing forces. Having two players fly as bombers while two other players fly in fighters to intercept enemies who go after the bombers is a useful tactic. Experienced teams can decimate opposing enemy bases in a short amount of time. Every multiplayer match feels unique and never feels repetitive.
Gaijin Entertainment is going all in with War Thunder and even has plans to introduce player controlled land and naval units in future releases. War Thunder is available on PC through Steam and will also be released for the Playstation 4 later this year.

We know you’re interested. Head to War Thunder‘s official website, and download the game now! War Thunder scores a worthy 4/5.

— Cameron Shooshtari