2015 | Geekscape

Gamescom 2015: Seagate And Microsoft Team Up To Deliver The 2TB Game Drive

by Josh JacksonAugust 16, 2015

As anyone who owns an Xbox One or PS4 can tell you, that 500 GB internal hard drive doesn’t take you very far. In this age of mandatory installs, 50 GB updates to fix titles that launch in a broken state, free games every month with each online service, or the plethora of DLC that fills the online marketplaces, it won’t be long until you’ll need some more space. While the PS4 is still behind on the external hard drive front, the Xbox One allows most 3.0 USB drives to plug into its USB ports.

Jumping on this growing need for gamers, Seagate and Microsoft announced at Gamescom that the two companies are teaming up to deliver an Xbox branded hard drive. Named the Seagate Game Drive, the green and black casing immediately identifies it as part of the Xbox brand, with a small, single cord storage device. At 2TB, Seagate is promising that you’ll never have to delete games again, holding a minimum of 50 games at a time.

Retailing at $109.99 and sold at nearly every major electronics outlet, Xbox owners shouldn’t have too much trouble finding it at their favorite shop. Xbox One owners, will you be plugging in this drive when your data starts running low? Keep an eye out for a full review in the coming days!

SDCC 2015: ‘One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3’ Doesn’t Care About Continuity, And Its Better Off For It!

by Josh JacksonAugust 3, 2015

As you could probably tell from our E3 preview of One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, if you’re a fan of the long running manga and anime series, and ESPECIALLY if you’re a Dynasty Warriors player, you can’t go wrong with the upcoming Musou game. Featuring over 35 characters spanning the hundreds of chapters from the series, there’s going to be plenty to dive into while setting sail for the Grand Line!

Following the story from the very beginning, players who missed part of the One Piece lore and dedicated fans who want to relive the series’ greatest moments will have something to look forward to from its massive campaign. But what if you don’t want to wait for hours to be able to wipe out armies as Ace, Shanks or any of the Straw Hat Pirates post time skip? Luckily for us, that won’t be a problem.

During our playthough of the Comic-Con build, we were able to play as the above characters and more during Luffy’s first fight against the Navy. When asked, we were informed that regardless of where you are in the story, you or your partner can choose anyone who’s unlocked at that point. Much like Hyrule Warriors before it, the game aims to give players the freedom to use who they want regardless of whether or not silly things like a sense of time, or the CPU already using that character gets in the way. Whether or not you’ll need to complete the stage at least once before being given free reign was unclear, but one way or another, we’ll have our chance to screw with the One Piece timeline.

What say you, One Piece fans? Let us know in the comments, and tell us whether or not you’re going to be chasing down the ultimate treasure when One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 launches for the PS3 and PS4 on August 25th.

Empire Debuts New Stills From ‘Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice’!

by Derek KraneveldtJuly 29, 2015

Briefly: Still feeling mixed about Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice? Even after that much better SDCC trailer? Really?

Well, maybe this new batch of stills from the latest issue of Empire Magazine will help.

The stills feature (naturally), both Superman and Batman, as well as Wonder Woman (in Diana mode). Supes definitely looks pissed in one of the shots, and we also get a great shot of Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne getting ready to suit-up.

You can take a look at the images below, and be sure to let us know if you’re excited for the upcoming film! Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theatres on March 25th, 2016!

Anime Expo 2015: The Hyuga Clan Arrives On The Battlefield In ‘Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4’

by Josh JacksonJuly 28, 2015

E3 has come and gone, but I have to say that the insane action of Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 still has a pretty strong hold on me. Once we hit the Anime Expo floor and noticed an updated build with even more characters to play with, we couldn’t resist putting our ninjutsu skills to the test for a second time, with the addition of series mainstay, Kakashi, to the previously established cast of Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Obito and Madara, the bigger story was seeing all three Hygua children as fighters as well. While Neji and Hinata are expected at this point, Hanabi, Hinata’s younger sister who has only ever been playable in 2008’s Naruto Ultimate Ninja 3 as somewhat of a joke character, makes her big return to follow up her prominent role in The Last: Naruto The Movie. We took this opportunity to play as her alongside the rest of her family, and came across some surprises along the way.

Hanabi essentially uses altered versions of her family’s attacks, consisting mostly of chakra sealing open palm strikes. Her version of Neji’s Kaiten still envelopes her in a protective shield that blows away any opponent caught in its radius, but unlike her older cousin, she travels across the stage while performing the move. This allows her to corner enemies who are attempting to flee, creating a different set of strategies both when fighting as and against her. Similarly, Neji himself uses many of the hard hitting 8-Trigrams techniques, using his fingertips to assault his enemies’ weak points. Not to be outdone, Hanabi has her own more elegant version, which serves to be just as effective. If up close and personal isn’t your style, Hinata brings in the long distance combat. While her strikes aren’t as punishing as the rest of her family, she makes up for it with her 8-Trigrams Vaccum jutsu, which launches a huge amount of force from her palm, attacking opponents at long range.

Even if each member has their own strengths and weaknesses, it’s clear that the three are at their best together. As with previous games, creating a three person team of characters that have close relationships with each other can result in some unique Ultimate Jutsu attacks. This is no different when it comes to the Hyuga clan, who can cover for each other quite well when dropping in for support attacks. Once its time to activate their ultimate attack, the team doesn’t disappoint, surrounding the enemy at all sides and pummeling each of their chakra points. If three wasn’t enough, the head of the clan, Hiashi Hyuga, drops in to help deliver a four pronged finishing blow, all with the amount of flash that we’ve come to expect from the series.

So it’s safe to say that the Hyuga Clan are as bad ass as ever. Who else do you want to see make the cut in what might be the last Naruto game? Let us know in the comments, then check out the latest trailer, which also reveals the big bad of the series, Princess Kaguya, in her video game debut.

SDCC 2015: ‘Lego Dimensions’ Hopes To Rebuild The Toys To Life Genre

by Josh JacksonJuly 28, 2015

Between Skylanders, Disney Infinity and Amiibo, all three formats have made a killing through selling their versions of game compatible toys, with the latter creating a full blown Amiibogeddon. Considering the wild success of these Toys To Life franchises, it was only a matter of time before the Lego brand decided to take their own crack at the genre.

Longtime Lego game developer Traveler’s Tales hopes to bring their platforming prowess and trademark charm to Lego Dimensions, a title that brings numerous worlds together to create one huge collectable gaming experience. Including series’ such as the DC Universe, The Lord Of The Rings, The Simpsons, Back To The Future, Portal, (as in Valve’s Portal,) and so many more, will we have room on our shelves, (and enough money in the bank,) to open up to a fourth collection? We were invited to get some hands on time with the game at San Diego Comic Con to find out if its worth it.

The demo was a strange mash up of characters that we would never have imagined would share a game together. Try to picture this; Gandalf, Scooby Doo, Batman, the 13th Doctor from Doctor Who, Portal protagonist, Chell, and The Lego Movie‘s Wyldstyle, (with a cameo from Homer Simpson), running through one of GLaDOS’ test chambers, complete with her taunts through the PA system and adorable turrets who look to rip you to shreds. Yet, in the world that Lego Dimensions has established, it makes perfect sense. What was especially noticeable about having so many characters on screen at once was the fact that unlike other games in the genre that typically restrict you to two characters at a time, you can bring in as many characters and vehicles as you can fit on the portal.

On the subject of the portal itself, this base is divided into three sections. The back section is where the world is placed, which much like Infinity‘s Play Sets, is a piece that unlocks the single player world that players will traverse through. Characters and vehicles littered the left and right side in front of it, but this set up wasn’t just for show. Some puzzles required the characters to grow bigger or smaller depending on the situation, which was achieved through moving each Lego person onto the respective side that was assigned the proper power. Using the base as part of the game play is an interesting idea, one that brings a level of interactivity to the game that its competing titles lack.

Yet, despite these unique features, the core game play is exactly what we’ve come to expect from a Travelers Tales Lego game. The platforming, movement, stage progression and even combat felt almost exactly like any one of the many Lego titles that have hit the market over the last ten years. So if you pick this up, expect to fill a stud meter, destroy objects in the environment to rebuild them into new items and solve character specific puzzles. The advantage that Lego Dimensions has however, is that unlike the standalone games that typically have a half a dozen character types that have unique puzzle solving abilities, this one has the potential to offer many more than than. Chell for example, is the only character that can use the Portal Gun, which was necessary to transport the team from one spot to another at times.

With so many characters already announced, I can only imagine what kind of possibilities they might bring to the game. Then again, more characters means more money to spend, so we hope you have that cash ready! At the very least, each game piece doubles as a real Lego set, so once you finish the game, the fun can continue by making new objects with the pieces provided and integrate them with the rest of your real sets. Or you can just display them, if you’re more like the Will Ferrell type. Either way, gamers and collectors alike will want to keep their eyes peeled and their imaginations open when Lego Dimensions launches on September 29th, with the starter set bundled with Batman, Gandalf, Wyldstyle and the Batmobile priced at $99.99.

Anime Expo 2015: Hand-On With ‘Sword Art Online: Lost Song’

by Josh JacksonJuly 27, 2015

Last year when we played Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment, this game about gamers trapped in a game felt hindered partially by its slow pace. This issue is looking to be fixed in its upcoming remake, but would new installments learn from this mistake? It seemed obviously so in Sword Art Online: Lost Song, the upcoming PS4 and PS Vita title that looks to move Kirito and friends into a more fast paced, action focused affair while maintaining the illusion of an MMORPG. How well does this new system translate into the game? We put our monster slaying skills to the test in a brief demo at Anime Expo and Comic Con 2015 to find out.

For the purpose of the demo, Kirito and an AI controlled Asuna and Leefa were thrown into a huge, wide open field. Littered with monsters both on land and in the sky, it was up to us to take out as many monsters as possible within a 10 minute time limit, just enough time to dig deep into what this new world has to offer. On the subject of how big the field is, Lost Song puts the power of the PS4 to good use, never encountering any slowdown despite how much was going on at one time. I found myself stepping away from fights and just flying high enough to enjoy the scenery, watching all the chaos going on below.

Speaking of flying, Kirito can now switch between land and air battles on the fly. Him and his team can now activate their attacks at will, coming off much more like an action game compared to previous SAO games, giving us plenty of ways to take down all kinds of threats. In order to keep the MMO feel, special attacks are still set to Macro style quick commands that are brought up by holding the shoulder buttons. Certain attacks would deliver huge damage to even the toughest enemies, but would also cost more ability points. If you have no points, you’re stuck with standard attacks, so in typical RPG style, you’ll have to manage these closely if you want to make sure to take out your biggest foes. When one person isn’t enough, delivering enough damage will give your team the chance to activate a triple team attack, inflicting huge damage and team boosts along the way. Keeping an eye on instant messages on the side of the screen will keep you clued in on what their status is, and sending across an encouraging message through emotes can only help!

If this sounds like a lot to take in, you’re not alone. My biggest issue with Lost Song in these early stages was that there’s so much to do, that it made the controls confusing to remember. Rarely feeling intuitive, there were plenty of times where I would get knocked down from the sky and slowly fall to the ground for what felt like ages until I figured out how to recover. Finding the right attacks and commands in the heat of battle often led to pressing the wrong one, keeping me from finishing off the giant dragon in the sky that I had worked so hard to take down. With more time and practice, this issue is sure to fade, but expect a decent learning curve when you pick up the game this fall.

All in all, Sword Art Online: Lost Song feels like a step in the right direction. Its faster paced game play is definitely a lot more fun, and if the controls can be ironed out, we have the potential to have a great game on our hands. As always, keep an eye out for updates as they become available, and feel free to leave any questions in the comments!

Anime Expo 2015: ‘Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden’ Goes Old School On 3DS

by Josh JacksonJuly 27, 2015

As the years have gone by, Dragon Ball Z games have gotten bigger and fancier, with numerous 3D fighters on nearly every console imaginable. It’s a long time since the days where the only way you could get your Super Saiyan gaming fix was to buy expensive imports and mod your consoles. Still, some of these old games had an undeniable charm that gamers who experienced them still swear upon, but thanks to Namco Bandai, it will be a lot easier to bask in the glory of 2D DBZ this fall with Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden for 3DS. We got our hands on the demo at AX this year, and put our power level to the test.

Promising over 100 characters that serve as both battle and support players, everyone from Baba to Launch was spotted in between your Goku’s and Vegeta’s, showing that it really runs deep with the history. The demo allowed us to put together teams of three after choosing between Goku, Vegeta, Teen Gohan, Piccolo and Fat Buu. Each character had their own value, which is the cost one will have to pay when putting their team together. If you don’t have enough points, you’ll have to replace your stronger fighters with the Krillin’s and Yamcha’s of the world. For this version however, the number was set so high that it didn’t restrict our ability to choose who we wanted.

Once the fights started, it was immediately noticeable that it shares some of its mechanics with its 3D brethren while bringing in the foundation of a 2D fighter. The X and Y buttons are pressed in sequence to set up combos, while the A button shot energy blasts and the shoulder buttons guarded and charged up Ki. If you want to set off your character’s signature moves, certain combos have to connect to activate some flashy looking 2D animations to match up with the gorgeous character sprites, despite being a little pixelated. Tapping the character portraits on the touch screen allowed us to swap characters at will mid battle, helping us mix up the fight when we were backed into a corner. The battle ended once the entire opposing team was defeated, leaving our set of warriors standing tall.

Playing Extreme Butoden really took us back to a simpler time of anime fighters, and it was an exciting (ki?) blast from the past. Promising an updated roster featuring everyone from Golden Frieza and Beerus to Yajirobe and Oolong and everyone in between, there’s sure to be enough content to please DBZ fans both young and young at heart.

Pre-ordering from Amazon will net you a download code for Dragon Ball Z: Super Butoden 2, an SNES game that was previously a Japan only release, in addition to six bonus support characters, so if you like what you see, that seems like the place to buy from come October 20th.

EVO 2015: Necalli Claws His Way Onto The ‘Street Fighter V’ Roster

by Josh JacksonJuly 21, 2015

It looks like Blanka won’t be the only savage fighter this time around.

Remember that tease at the end of Ken’s reveal trailer? Some thought the painted face was E. Honda, while others guessed it could be a new character altogether. It turns out it was the latter.

Introducing Necalli, the animalistic fighter who looks and fights like the love child of Iori Yagami and Heavenly Sword‘s Nariko. Serving as an in your face rush down character, Necalli uses aggressive clawing and grab attacks to pressure his opponents into submission. When his V-Skill and V-Trigger come into play, he’s able to attack from afar with a controlled ground explosion, or will channel a powerful energy that changes his appearance respectively, with the latter altering his move set, frame data and Critical Art! With what could be considered two different move sets, opponents will have to be on their toes when going against this new threat.

As one of 16 characters debuting at launch, four of which will be brand new, it’ll be interesting to see how players take to Necalli when Street Fighter V launches next year. If these aren’t enough, all future DLC will be potentially free as well! Make sure to sign up for the PS4 beta by pre ordering before July 23rd, and let us know what you think of the game’s progress below.

Former WWE Superstar “Edge” Is Atom Smasher In ‘The Flash’ Season 2!

by Josh JacksonJuly 20, 2015

Casting news just keeps rolling in!

After the announcement of a slew of new characters coming to Arrow and The Flash when they return this fall, The CW announced that Central City’s speedster is getting one more meta human to face off with. Only this one is Rated R.

Retired WWE Superstar, Adam “Edge” Copeland, has been revealed to play Atom Smasher. As a former hero who developed dark tendencies after his mother was killed, it’s unclear as to whether or not Copeland will be a tortured former hero, or a straight up bad guy for Barry and his friends to take down and illegally imprison. What is clear from CW’s comments to Comicbook.com is that Atom Smasher will be a force to be reckoned with.

“One of the most powerful enemies we encounter this season, Atom Smasher has come to Central City to kill The Flash. His incredible strength and ability to grow to enormous size makes him more than a match for Flash and the entire S.T.A.R. Labs team will have to come together to find a way to defeat him.”

As a huge wrestling fan, it’s great to see Edge’s acting career gaining steam post retirement. With Haven and now Flash as part of his resume, it’ll be exciting to see what direction he takes the character in when he debuts.

The Flash returns for its second season on October 6th.

EVO 2015: All DLC Can Be Unlocked For Free In ‘Street Fighter V’!

by Josh JacksonJuly 20, 2015

As one of the biggest perpetrators when it came to nickel and diming in their games with downloadable content in the previous generation, it looks like Capcom is working towards regaining some goodwill.

At EVO, the team behind Street Fighter V revealed that the copy you buy early next year will be the only copy you ever need to own. In lieu of the “Super” or “Ultra” versions that have become a running joke over the years, (so much so that the company teased itself when it released Super Ultra Dead Rising 3 Arcade Remix Hyper Edition EX,) the team promised that all content would be rolled out over time as its completed, which can potentially extend the life of the game for years to come.

But how much will this cost? According to Capcom, it’s free if you want it to be! While the option to purchase these characters with Zenny, (which is bought with real money,) the hilariously named Fight Money can be earned through regular play. Fight Money can be cashed in to buy the new content in game, allowing players to travel back to ten years ago and actually unlock new fighters just by playing the game. Exactly how difficult it will be to accumulate this currency has yet to be detailed, but the fact that everything can be used in game without paying an extra dime is definitely a step in the right direction.

To me, this is the best case scenario of what DLC can be. When it was first promised all the way back in the original Xbox days, it was advertised as a type of PC expansion set for consoles, which would expand our games for years to come with huge amounts of content. What we ended up with, was disc locked content that was already completed and planned before development, content being pulled out of games to sell later, and releasing bare bones titles that would later sell the same kinds of items that would have been unlockable only a few years prior. If this model proves successful for Capcom, we can only hope more of the industry will follow suit.

Don’t forget to pre-order in time to join the PS4 online beta on July 23rd! Let us know what you think of the news, then get your games ready and throw down with us later this week!

Source: IGN.com

SDCC 2015: Release Date And Details Announced For ‘Disney Infinity 3.0’

by Josh JacksonJuly 15, 2015

Disney Interactive has announced that their upcoming Star Wars themed Toys to Life title, Disney Infinity 3.0, will hit stores on August 30th. Aside from the game itself, the studio plans to release close to a dozen new figures to go with it, so we hope the next month is enough time to get your cash together!

Aside from the Starter Pack, (which includes the Twilight of the Republic Play Set, Anakin Skywalker and Ashoka Tano,) day one will see the release of Yoda and Obi Wan Kenobi’s standalone figures, Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren, and Zeb Orrelios from Star Wars Rebels, and a set of Star Wars Power Discs. Of course, if you want even more goodness from a galaxy far far away, Playstation owners can also purchase the Star Wars Saga Starter Pack, which gives them early access to Luke, Leia, the Twilight of the Empire Play Set, and Boba Fett.

Outside of the Jedi, Disney won’t leave themselves in the dust. In addition, the Inside Out Play Set will release on day one as well, (which is bundled with Joy and Anger,) with Sadness, Disgust and Fear releasing as standalone toys. If you want your Toy Box characters outside of the Play Sets, Disney also has you covered with the releases of Mickey, Minnie, Mulan, Olaf, Sam Flynn and Quorra, alongside a Tomorrowland power disc pack to customize your Toy Box with.

I know, this is already a huge amount of toys to buy on day one, but the last release can be free of charge! If you pre-order, each person who does walks away with early access to the Toy Box Takeover, a multiplayer expansion normally priced at $19.99. Serving as an action adventure mode supporting 2 players locally and 4 players online, players will be able to take any toy from the previous or current game and travel across multiple Disney, Marvel and Star Wars worlds in their quest to stop Syndrome. Later this Fall, Toy Box Speedway, a Kart racing expansion, will also release, but you’ll have to pay for that one.

Here’s the full press release:

Disney Interactive Announces North American Release Date for Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition,

Offers Toy Box Takeover Expansion Game as Pre-Order Incentive

New Information and Assets Released for Toy Box Expansion Games

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – (July 8, 2015) Disney Interactive today announced that the Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Starter Pack, featuring the Star Wars™ Twilight of the Republic Play Set, will be available in North America on August 30, 2015. The following will also be available at launch:

Star Wars™ Twilight of the Republic Play Set (Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano figures included) for players who choose to digitally download the Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Software; additional standalone figures (Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Power Disc Pack

Star Wars Rebels™ figures (Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren, and Zeb Orrelios)

Star Wars™ Saga Starter Pack

Disney•Pixar’s Inside Out Play Set (Joy and Anger figures included) and additional standalone figures (Sadness, Disgust and Fear)

Disney figures (Mickey, Minnie, Mulan, Olaf, Sam Flynn and Quorra)

Tomorrowland Power Disc Pack

Additional Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Play Sets and figures will be available throughout the fall.

Fans who pre-order a Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Starter Pack at participating retail stores will receive an early copy of the Toy Box Expansion Game, Toy Box Takeover, an action-adventure valued at $19.99, featuring multiplayer gameplay allowing players to use all of their favorite Disney Infinity characters across Star Wars™, Marvel, Disney and Disney•Pixar.

Toy Box Takeover is one of two new Toy Box Expansion Games available to play in Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition. The second will be Toy Box Speedway, a kart-racing game, also set for release this fall. Toy Box Expansion Games unlock additional hours of gameplay inside Toy Box 3.0. Players place a Toy Box Expansion Game Piece on the Disney Infinity Base to unlock pre-built games that instantly take them into the action, mixing and matching characters from across The Walt Disney Company and using unlocked toys and gadgets to complete missions.

Toy Box Expansion Game Overviews:

Toy Box Takeover

When Syndrome gets his hands on Merlin’s magic wand, it’s up to the player to stop him. Using their favorite characters in Disney Infinity, they must battle across multiple worlds, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Marvel’s Upper Manhattan, The Old West, or The Incredibles Volcano Lair to defeat the bad guys before they ruin the Toy Box forever. Players can complete missions with family and friends via two-player local co-op or four-player online.

Toy Box Speedway

Players can join their favorite Disney, Disney•Pixar, Marvel’s and Star Wars characters and vehicles in an action-packed kart-racer. With nine franchise-themed tracks to choose from – Sugar Rush, Frozen, Tatooine, a classic Star Wars location, San Fransokyo, Agrabah, Monsters Inc., Halloween Town, Gravity Falls or Marvel’s Knowhere – they can choose from three different game modes including Time Trial mode, Race mode and Combat mode. Players put their driving skills to the test as they attack opponents with gadgets and weapons and earn trophies across three challenge cups.

Rated E10+ by the ESRB, the Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Starter Pack available in North America on August 30, 2015 for $64.99, includes the Star Wars™ Twilight of the Republic Play Set, the Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Base, Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker character figures, and a web code card that unlocks content for PC and mobile devices.

Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Video Game and Base are required to play the Toy Box Expansion Games. Toy Box Takeover and Toy Box Speedway will be sold separately at the suggested retail price of $19.99 each later this fall.

All figures and Power Discs from the 1.0 and 2.0 editions of Disney Infinity will be compatible with Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition in the enhanced Toy Box 3.0.

We were lucky enough to try out the Play Sets and the Toy Box Speedway between E3 and Comic Con, which you’ll be able to read about really soon! Until then, let us know if Disney has you hooked and what content you’re planning on buying! And don’t forget, follow our Twitter feeds @geekscapedotnet and @geekscapegames to find out how to win a Darth Vader figure in advance!

SDCC 2015: Design Your Own Alternate Costume In Capcom’s ‘Resident Evil Zero’ T-Shirt Contest

by Josh JacksonJuly 15, 2015

Back when I played Resident Evil 2 for the first time, one of my favorite things to do after I finished the game was to run through the entire thing all over again in the alternate costumes that were unlocked for second runs. At a certain point, I’m pretty sure I developed a strange obsession with making Leon dress like a construction worker and find the right camera angles that would make his armpit hair visible, (which probably explains more about me than I’d care to admit.) Nonetheless, they were a simple, yet memorable way of extending the life of the game. After playing around with these new duds, I never thought gamers would get the chance to submit their own designs, but Capcom is giving us the chance to do just that with their Resident Evil 0 T-Shirt contest!

By heading over to the game’s site, would be designers can use the provided tools to create their own shirts for the game’s protagonist, Rebecca Chambers, to wear. Different voting tiers are opening up starting now, and lasting until the end of July for the first round. After all the rounds are done and the votes are tallied, the winning design will be included as a downloadable item when RE0 launches in 2016! Even if you don’t participate, everyone who votes will get the content for free when it launches.

Head over to the site and give it a shot, then head over here and share your spookiest designs with us! Killing zombies is easy, but being creative? That’s the most difficult task of all. Good luck!

SDCC 2015: Shadaloo Meets Cobra In The Upcoming ‘Street Fighter X GI Joe’ Comic!

by Josh JacksonJuly 14, 2015

What happens when two of the world’s most evil organizations join forces? We get a potentially awesome comic book!

Announced during Capcom’s Street Fighter V panel at Comic Con, IDW Publishing is releasing Street Fighter X GI Joe, a crossover event that brings together the Real American Heroes and the World Warriors. As the kind of stuff our Saturday mornings were made of back in the day, it’ll be interesting to see how well these worlds mesh together when the series is released in 2016.

While details are few, this sounds like an idea that’s crazy enough to work, (or at least give us a good laugh along the way.) Considering how well other comic crossovers have worked in the past though, I feel like this has a chance to surprise people throughout its run as much as the announcement surprised us in itself. Just imagine all of the wacky shenanigans a super powered dictator and an egotistical commander can get into together!

Will this series be on your radar? Let us know what you think!

SDCC 2015: A Brand New Ken Fights His Way Into ‘Street Fighter V’!

by Josh JacksonJuly 14, 2015

In one of the least surprising announcements imaginable, Ken was revealed as the next fighter joining the cast of the upcoming Street Fighter V. As the only character aside from Ryu who has appeared in ever main line game, Ken is essentially known as American Karate guy, who gains a flaming uppercut and a few technical changes from his Japanese counterpart. Once the cocky martial artist actually appeared on screen though, dare I say something was actually different about the fighting game veteran!

At the Street Fighter V Comic Con panel, the Capcom-Unity team, (as well as SFIV’s project manager and SFV‘s executive producer, Yoshinori Ono,) promised us that Ken’s drastic change in appearance wasn’t the only aspect of the character that was getting an overhaul. For the first time in series history, the team promised that the fighter we affectionately know as “red Ryu” will be a completely unique character who uses powerful, “showstopping” attacks that helps players fight aggressively, (and look good doing it!) His unique V-Skill would further separate him from the rest of the shotokan fighters by adding flaming properties to all of his moves, allowing him to extend combos while gaining a quicker back step when it’s time to play defensively.

From the trailer alone, we can see that his Hurricane Kick has been retooled to go in a diagonal arc, and can even be converted into a type of dive kick from the air. While some of his old moves carry over, it’s easy to see that Ken stands out much more now than he has in the past, but does this promise carry over to the main game?

Watch the trailer for yourself and see what changes you can spot? And who is that mystery character at the end of the video? Let the speculation begin in the comments!

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SDCC 2015: Check Out The Five Minute Trailer For ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’

by Josh JacksonJuly 11, 2015

At Comic Con 2015, Warner Bros. revealed their latest trailer for the upcoming spy thriller, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Based on the 1960s television show, the film stars Superman, (Henry Cavill,) the Lone Ranger, (Armie Hammer,) and Alicia Vikander play a team of international spies during the heart of the Cold War. While the American and Russian are constantly at each other’s throats, the team must come together to tackle a mission with the fate of more than just their warring countries at stake.

The latest trailer gives an extended look at what we can expect from the upcoming action flick. As you’d expect, the car chases and explosions are plentiful, all set within a throwback time period. But more importantly, what is it with Brittish actors playing Americans so well? Cavill manages to fool us again!

What say you on The Man From U.N.C.L.E.? Is it currently on your summer viewing schedule when it releases in August? Watch the trailer below, then tell us what you’re excited about!

SDCC 2015 2015: The Latest ‘Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice’ Trailer Just Might Change Some Minds!

by Josh JacksonJuly 11, 2015

So Batfleck might not be so bad!

During Comic Con, the latest trailer for the upcoming Superman sequel, Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice, showed us more of what to expect from the growing DC cinematic universe. What that means is more Superman, more Batman, being able to see Wonder Woman in action, and a very un-bald Lex Luthor.

It’s clear that the U.S. Government felt the same as most Man of Steel viewers when it came to its final battle, placing sole blame on Superman for the near destruction of Metropolis. Perhaps a bigger enemy to have than Washington is the goddamn Batman, who is known for not taking personal loss too well. After one of Wayne Enterprises’ buildings, (and likely hundreds of employees), became collateral damage during the showdown with Zod, Bruce is making it his personal mission to take the Kryptonian threat down.

There are way too many references to go over for one article, but it’s clear from the trailer that the team is working VERY hard to bring this seasoned, grief stricken Batman to life, all while planting the seeds for many of the biggest DC storylines that helped us fall in love with them in the first place. The mythos run deep here! And by the way, let’s just take a minute to acknowledge how badass Wonder Woman looks in this!

What references can you spot after watching the trailer below? Had your opinion changed over Ben Affleck as Batman yet? And what do you think of the direction of the film? Personally, I went from not caring at all, to being on edge over how this will play out. Mission accomplished, right?

Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice will release on March 25, 2016.

Geekscape’s San Diego Comic-Con Schedule 2015!

by Derek KraneveldtJuly 6, 2015

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 things about San Diego Comic-Con each year isn’t the panels, exclusives, celebrities, or parties, but honestly seeing ‘Scapists, new and old, at our booth, catching up, and really feeling the culture that we try all year to create. We always meet some new friends, gain a few writers, and all around have a good time, and that’s what Geekscape is all about.

There’s always a lot of new stuff going on at Geekscape. We’re about to launch a new design of the site, we’ve got some great new shorts up on GeekscapeTV (especially from our new correspondent El Chucho), and launched two new podcasts in the last year; Geekscape Games, the awesome yet unfortunately sporadic video game oriented podcast that I’m a co-host of, and the brand new Horror Movie Club podcast, which is, naturally, all about horror films.

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 (right across from Legendary Entertainment), and have an awesome signing schedule which you can find below.

Thursday, July 9th

10-11am – Clerk’s Marilyn Ghigliotti & Brian O’Haloran
11-12pm –Breathers, Less Than Hero author Scott Brown
12:30-1:30 – Red Shirt Diaries
2pm – Moriarty, Red City writer Daniel Corey

Friday, July 10th
10-11am – Clerk’s Marilyn Ghigliotti & Brian O’Haloran
11-12pm – Doomed! Documentary
12-1pm – Chris Gore
1-3pm – Sleepy Hollow‘s Orlando Jones
3-4pm – Red Shirt Diaries
4-5pm – MMA Fighter and creator of Zombie Cage Fighter Nate Quarry

Saturday, July 11th

12pm – Chris Gore
2pm – Space Command
3pm – Trisha Hershberger
4pm – Black Nerd Comedy and Katie Wilson

Sunday, July 12th

12pm – Chris Gore

But that’s not all! Jonathan, of course, is the writer of Lion Forge Comics’ Miami Vice (and soon Super Action Man), and as such, he’ll be busy promoting the book as well!

There’s a Miami Vice 30th Anniversary Retrospective panel on Thursday from 6:00-7:00 p.m. in room 29AB. The panel will feature series creator Anthony Yerkovich and actors Edward James Olmos (“Lt. Castillo”), Michael Talbott (“Det. Switek”), and Olivia Brown (“Det. Joplin”), as well as Jonathan London and Lion Forge editor Shannon Eric Denton.

He’ll also partake in not one, but TWO signings at the Lion Forge booth (#2300). 4:00-5:00 on Thursday, and 11:00-1:30 on Friday, both with Michael Talbott (Stan Switek) and Olivia Brown (Trudy Joplin)!

If you’re an early riser, we’d also love to invite you to the very first Cosplay 5K! We encourage you to wear a costumer (to protect your identity, of course), and come out for a fun run (before the crowds) and some cool prizes!

What are you looking forward to at SDCC? Don’t forget to come by booth #3919 and let us know!

We Slay Monsters And Stomp Goombas In ‘Puzzle And Dragons Z/Super Mario Edition’

by Josh JacksonMay 18, 2015

Nintendo had a large presence at this year’s Wondercon, with numerous games on display. Some of which had yet to be released, offering gamers their first chance to try out these upcoming titles. One such game was Puzzle and Dragons, the mobile game turned 3DS crossover, featuring both an original game mode, and a Super Mario Bros. themed campaign that trades mystical monsters for Goombas and Koopa Troopas. We tried out both modes to get the scoop on whether or not the Big N’s latest collaboration is worth checking out, and so far, we see reason to be excited.

Starting off by jumping into what I’m familiar with, the Super Mario Bros. mode was fairly straightforward. In both versions, the player must create a party that consists of different elements, then tackle dungeons while trying to line up matching colored gems to trigger attacks. If you have a teammate who’s color matches the gems, then they fire off an attack. Fail to finish off your opponent, and they get a chance to drain your ally’s HP. The key to success was to trigger combos, that caused falling gems to line up after your move, helping multiply your damage while allowing multiple party members to attack at once! It was a sight to see classic Mario enemies get taken down with a swarm of magic, but I rarely felt like I was in control. I couldn’t see what gems were above my stack, so these combos often felt completely random, taking away from any skill involved.

Surprisingly, the Mario mode felt pretty plain. With the demo consisting of nothing but selecting a level, (based on classic Mario stages,) beating the enemies and eventually winning, it felt like nothing more than a bonus mode. The standard mode however, felt much more fleshed out. Treated as a full RPG, complete with towns to explore, NPC’s to bother, and dungeons to crawl through, I felt myself wanting to discover more about this world. Replacing the familiar Mushroom Kingdom enemies with more mythical based creatures breathed new life into the exploration aspect, leaving me with a need to get deeper into the story, and witness how this puzzle turned RPG experience would turn out.

But alas, it wasn’t to be. It was a demo, after all! Needless to say, while I wish I felt like I had more control over the outcome of my battles, I’m excited about what the final product will offer. Thinking about picking up Puzzle and Dragons Z/Super Mario Edition on May 22nd? Let us know in the comments!

The Nintendo World Championships Return At E3! Find Out How To Qualify!

by Josh JacksonMay 13, 2015

UPDATE: After this story was published, Nintendo detailed how players will qualify for the competition! On May 30th, select Best Buy stores will have qualifying rounds nationwide, with the winner of each earning an invite to the finals in LA, hosted at Nokia Theater on June 14th! On top of that, anyone who plays Mario Maker at a Best Buy on the dates in the story will receive a 30th anniversary Mario pin while supplies last!

Check out the press release below:

On May 30, select Best Buy locations in major cities around the country will host qualifying tournaments for the Nintendo World Championships, which were last seen in 1990. The winners from each regional event, plus competitors invited by Nintendo, will meet on June 14, at the NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles for a multi-round Nintendo game competition. In the end, one player will be crowned the 2015 Nintendo World Champion. Fans in Los Angeles will have the opportunity to attend the tournament, while others can watch online. More details about the qualifying tournaments will be shared in the coming weeks.

Original story:

Talk about nostalgia! For the first time in 25 years, Nintendo will revive the Nintendo World Championships at this year’s E3!

Taking place on Sunday, June 14th, (the Sunday before the year’s biggest gaming convention,) the company has teased a wide range of games for players to compete in, including the NES classic, Track And Field, Donkey Kong Country for the SNES, Wii Fit, Wii Sports and even GameCube involvement, although no particular game was teased. It looks like the competition will span the entirety of Nintendo’s home console history, which will be right up the allies of the longtime gamer.

In addition, the company rounded out its reveal with the rest of its E3 schedule, including their E3 Digital Event, live Nintendo Treehouse coverage from the show floor, and a return to Best Buy stores for gamers to try out a flagship convention title, this time in the form of Mario Maker. Not quite Smash Bros., but we’ll take it!

The schedule is as follows:

Nintendo World Championships 2015: June 14th

Nintendo Digital Event: Tuesday, June 16th at 9AM PT

Nintendo Treehouse Live @ E3: Ongoing throughout the convention.

Mario Maker at Best Buy: Wednesday, June 17 from 4-9PM, and Saturday, June 20th, from 12-5PM

Details as to how one enters the contest, confirmation on what games will be featured, or whether or not people will be able to participate outside of Los Angeles is unclear, (although the specification of LA in the reveal video suggests that it will be exclusive to those in town,) but it’s obvious that the company is trying to recapture some of the magic from last year’s Smash Invitational. I for one, know our fearless leader and former contestant will be eager to try his hand at the competition 25 years later. Are you?

Tell us what games you hope will be included below, and throw in some E3 speculation while we’re at it. What do you hope to see?

The Saint Mort Show Episode 123: TanoshiiCon Returns

by SaintmortApril 11, 2015

Once again Matt joins some of the people behind TanoshiiCon to discuss what excitement is ahead of us this year at the con. We also get into our geek history, our geek knowledge and think back to how awesome local music used to be. Make sure to check out TanoshiiCon on April 25th

Pick up your copy of the Carrie Double Feature from Scream Factory.

Follow Saint Mort on Facebook and Twitter and SoundCloud.

If you really like the show get Matt something nice off his AmazonWishList

Subscribe to Us on iTunes

Check Out Some Of Emerald City Comicon’s Best Cosplay!

by Derek KraneveldtApril 1, 2015

Emerald City Comicon has come and gone, and along with 80,000 eager geeks, hundreds of extremely talented cosplayers descended on the Washington State Convention Centre.

I had a blast talking to some of the costumers throughout the weekend, and the ECCC Cosplay contest featured some of the best cosplays that I’d ever seen. I took a few photos of the costumes I saw at the convention, so take a look below, and let us know which one is your favourite!

It’s hard to see in the photo, but that Halo 4 baddie was too big to fit on the stage!

Grab A Bottle Of Jack Because ‘The Legend Of Zelda Wii U’ Will NOT Be Released This Year!

by Shane O'HareMarch 27, 2015

What an amazing way to start a weekend! Eiji Aonuma, director of Legend of Zelda Wii U, just released the video that pretty much ruins 2015 for a lot of gamers.

https://youtu.be/7y1VKSVeGD0

I still appreciate that they want to make the game the way they want, and not rush to make release dates. (We touch on this subject in Level 22 of the Geekscape Games Podcast) This news alone wouldn’t be world ending, but we got ourselves handed a one two punch of bad Zelda news. Just, read this tweet and shed a single tear.

Mr. Aonuma & team will be hard at work on #Zelda and have decided not to show it @ E3. Thanks for your patience! https://t.co/bwu3nd3fNi

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) March 27, 2015

March 27th 2015 will forever be known as Zelda Black Friday.

Watch 10 Minutes Of New ‘Dead Island 2’ Footage!

by Derek KraneveldtAugust 26, 2014

Briefly: Dead Island 2 surprised all of us when it was revealed at this year’s E3, and following the gameplay trailer from a few weeks back, Eurogamer has just published a fantastic interview/walkthrough with the game’s developer.

Here’s the story: Several months after the events on Banoi, the United States military has put the Golden State under full quarantine. Now a restricted zone, California has become a bloody paradise for those who refuse to leave their homes and an action-packed playground for renegades who seek adventure, glory and a fresh start. Combining the classic Dead Island elements of immersive close combat, action and role-playing, Dead Island 2 features crazy, never-before-seen handcrafted weapons and over-the-top characters in taking players from the iconic Golden Gate to the celebrated beachfront boardwalk of southern California’s Venice Beach.

I’m really looking forward to playing this one, as I largely missed out on the first games in the series. In any case, Dead Island 2 looks exponentially more polished and should play much more smoothly than Dead Island or Riptide did.

Take a look at the interview below, and let us know what you think.

Watch The First Gameplay Trailer For ‘Dead Island 2’

by Derek KraneveldtAugust 11, 2014

Briefly: Dead Island 2 surprised all of us when it was revealed at this year’s E3, and Deep Silver has just launched an excellent first gameplay trailer for the title.

The video marks one of the bloodiest trailers that I’ve seen in some time, and it looks to be a great expansion on everything that Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide accomplished over the years. The game looks creepy and silly, all at the same time, and I can’t wait to see more.

Take a look at the trailer below, and let us know what you think.

New ‘Dragon Ball Z’ Film Confirmed For 2015; New Teaser Trailer Emerges

by Josh JacksonJuly 25, 2014

Following up on the success of the lastest Dragon Ball Z movie, Battle Of Gods, (of which you can check our thoughts on the film here), a new movie in the popular anime franchise has been confirmed for 2015’s Golden Week in Japan.

Little is known about the project, but like the last film, series creator, Akira Toriyama, will be directly involved with the development of the project. The only other details that have emerged are from the recently revealed teaser trailer and innitial reveal from V-Jump Magazine, which hinted at a much darker film this time around:

Now, despair begins

In addition, the text in the trailer reads:

There’s someone I want you to revive

Now, let the speculation begin! Has someone stronger that Beerus and Whis appeared? And who do you think is being revived? Considering the end of Battle Of Gods opened up limitless possibilities for the future of the franchise, literally anything can happen, which is what makes this so exciting! Let’s just hope it’s not Broly again. I’m sick of that guy.

Source: Kanzenshuu.com

E3 2014: ‘Dead Island 2’ Coming In 2015, Watch The Reveal Trailer

by Derek KraneveldtJune 10, 2014

Briefly: I don’t think that anyone saw this coming.

During last night’s Sony E3 conference, Deep Silver officially revealed Dead Island 2. The reveal trailer wasn’t as incredible as the first Dead Island‘s announcement video, but hopefully the sequel can match what many of us were hoping that the first game could deliver.

It definitely looks less serious than Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide, which may be exactly what this series needs.

The press release states that “Several months after the events on Banoi, the United States military has put the Golden State under full quarantine. Now a restricted zone, California has become a bloody paradise for those who refuse to leave their homes and an action-packed playground for renegades who seek adventure, glory and a fresh start. Combining the classic Dead Island elements of immersive close combat, action and role-playing, Dead Island 2 features crazy, never-before-seen handcrafted weapons and over-the-top characters in taking players from the iconic Golden Gate to the celebrated beachfront boardwalk of southern California’s Venice Beach.”

Take a look at the trailer for Dead Island 2 below, and let us know what you think! The game hits Xbox One, PS4, and PC in 2015.

The Release Date For The Sequel To ‘The Avengers’ Revealed?

by Shawn MaddenAugust 9, 2012

Pretty much right after the news broke that Joss Whedon will be helming and scripting the highly anticipated re-assembly of Marvel’s The Avengers, Marvel Studios issued a statement detailing his contract. In doing this they just may have revealed when we will see the team assemble next. And apparently an “insider” at MTV News backs this up:

“Marvel has a very set agenda of what they want to do, they are already kind of ahead of the game [on the sequel] because they’ve got the guy that did it before doing it again and something tells me Joss already has the template [for the film],” an inside source told MTV News. “In terms of the time frame, I think that it is well in the works. … It looks like the release date might be May 1, 2015, but that can change depending on people’s schedules.”

I mean if you look at the studios upcoming slate of movies, the 1st of May in 2015 seems a pretty damn obvious, especially considering Whedon’s contract and “creative contribution” ends in June of 2015. It would also follow Marvel Studios trend of releasing their big films towards the start of May just like they did with Iron Man, Iron Man 2 (which was the last week of April), The Avengers AND the upcoming Iron Man 3.