Comic Con | Geekscape

Geekscape LACC 2021: Giancarlo Esposito!

by JonathanDecember 9, 2021

‘The Mandalorian’ and ‘Breaking Bad’ actor Giancarlo Esposito joins me on stage at LA Comic Con! We talk about his approach to acting, what he learned from Michael Mann and the line Vince Gilligan gave him that unlocked Gus Fring! Along the way we talk about building a creative life for yourself! Also how to be courageous and go big! And then I surprise everyone (including Heidi) with a very public on stage proposal with Giancarlo as my wing man!

This was a big moment and thank you to everyone who was a part of it! Now enjoy it for yourselves!

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Geekscape 539: Film Threat’s Chris Gore Talks Virtual Cons!

by JonathanApril 16, 2020

With the Corona Virus keeping us quarantined in our homes and Summer just around the corner, there’s no doubt that major geek events like the San Diego Comic Con are going to cancel or postpone until later in the year! That leaves the door open for 2020 becoming the year of the Virtual Comic Convention! Already, several virtual online comic book conventions have started to spring up to give fans their fix… but how do they hope to compare to the real thing? What do they mean to celebrities, exhibitors, fans and indie creators? Luckily, FilmThreat’s Chris Gore guests on a new Geekscape to share his insight on the future of virtual cons! How did last weekend’s virtual WonderCon go? Can SDCC move to later in the year? Can comic book shops, indie exhibitors and publishers survive until then? And how does this change the landscape for film, TV, comics and videogames going forward? It’s all in this episode so enjoy!

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What’s Hot at Keystone Comic Con? Our Top 5 Must-See Moments!

by Dennis FinocchiaroAugust 21, 2019

This weekend, Geekscape’s Dennis Finocchiaro is heading to Keystone Comic Con in Philadelphia, which runs from 8/23-8/25. Here are his top five must-see moments of the upcoming convention.

5. The Cosplay. Philadelphia always comes out and puts on a crazy show when it comes to costumes at conventions. This one shouldn’t be any different! Can’t wait to see the variety and creativity.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0rD0nLD57m/

One from SDCC, but Keystone has its own amazing cosplay.

4. Artist Alley. One of my favorite parts of a con is walking around artist alley and seeing who is represented. Some of the best conversations I’ve had at conventions were with artists and writers.

3. John Carpenter. Can’t wait to see this horror legend! His panel should be one of the more interesting I’ve been to. Halloween? Yes please! The Thing? Definitely a great movie. They Live? Sure!

John Carpenter’s *The Thing* is a classic horror film.

2. Harry Potter Reunion: For the first time in Philadelphia, Ginny, Fred and George Weasley, (Bonnie Wright, James Phelps & Oliver Phelps) are having a Q&A and I cannot wait. Being a huge Harry Potter fan, this is a must-see moment of the con for me. Of course, I’d rather my personal favorite from Harry Potter, Neville, come to Philly for a visit, but this should be epic.

1 – Tom Holland. He would have been #2 on this list, but after all of the drama between Sony and Disney over Spider-man, this has been moved to number 1. The kid known for spoilers might not know much, or maybe he has the inside scoop. He is speaking Sunday, and it is sure to be a big moment.

Tom Holland at SDCC. Will he slip up and give us more information in Philadelphia?

In the Philly area? Will you be headed to KeyStone Comic-Con? Let us know what you’re excited to see!

Derek’s SDCC 2019 Recap: Friday / Saturday

by Derek KraneveldtJuly 20, 2019

If you missed my pre-con / Preview Night recap, head here!

If you missed my Thursday recap, head here!

Note: Friday was a bit of a chill day, so rather than publishing a smaller piece, it’s been combined with Saturday. That said — the Star Trek Picard Museum here is definitely worth a look!

Friday

With Mondo changing their line policy yesterday, I knew that I had to be at the convention centre early if I wanted any chance to get the Metal Gear poster that I completely fell in love with when it was announced last week.

So, as I did yesterday, I went into Hall E, went up the escalator and around the building, and waited. And waited. And waited. Today’s sea of people took far longer to be let in. The moment we were headed down the escalator to gain entrance to the exhibit hall, every door seemingly opened and people that had just arrived were getting in well before those of us who arrived 90+ minutes prior. This sucks, and I wish that 50 years in they had a better way to manage the opening of the convention. That said it must be an incredible stressful process, and I can’t imagine that any way that they could do it would result in everyone being happy.

As I did yesterday, I speed-walked over to Mondo as fast as I possibly could. They ran out of tickets about five people in front of me — as I sulked my way away from the booth, there were, naturally, a bunch of people in the very first line of the day, who also somehow had several tickets for later in the day proudly displayed in their SDCC badge holder.

Lame.

I went to take a look at the Mattel booth, as that Macho Man figure is still calling my name, and it was capped as well. The show floor at this point had a more hectic than usual feel, and for whatever reason I wasn’t feeling super hot, so I decided to dip out of convention centre until the morning rush calmed down a bit.

I traversed over the skybridge to meet up with Mikaela (she was just finishing up at the apparently tiny HBO Watchmen activation). We planned to head into the Petco Interactive zone, but I thought it would be a better idea to go grab some food instead. We walked around for a bit before finding some delicious tacos (and some breakfast soda because the coffee machine was broken).

At this point I just kind of wanted to sit for a bit, so we ate slowly and worked on articles, and after awhile decided to head over a couple of blocks to the Jean-Luc Picard exhibit. This offsite over at the Michael J Wolf Fine Arts at 363 Fifth Ave, from 11-9 on Friday and Saturday, and 11-5 on Sunday. It’s basically a museum exhibit celebrating the life and career of Captain Picard, and even though I’m not super into Star Trek, I absolutely appreciated the event. You can take a look at a couple of photos from the exhibit below, and check out my full write-up right here.

Following the Picard exhibit, we headed up just a few blocks further to a short but sweet meet up for Quantic Dream. We weren’t too sure what to expect here as details were light, but there were a ton of fans in Quantic Dream-themed cosplay (mostly Connor from Detroit: Become Human). Once we were inside, we got some cool Quantic Dream swag like stickers, a lanyard, and a bracelet, and both Bryan Dechart and Amelia Rose Blair from Detroit: Become Human were there to sign posters, chat, and take photos. Mikaela definitely fangirled as she absolutely adored the game (even writing a great piece about it here), and I was very glad we went.

Next up, I actually ended up winning a spot to the Funko X SDCC booth for 1:15. This wasn’t the main Funko booth, but a special booth selling just three SDCC 50th Anniversary items, including a Toucan Pop!, a Toucan PEZ, and a Batman with an SDCC 50 shopping bag. It was the only slot for the entire convention that Mikaela or I won in any lottery, so I’m thankful to have been able to pick up these items (and to start my Pop! collection which Mikaela has been resisting for years.

We then made a quick stop on fifth to check out the Syfy drum line, which featured some cool music, and some 90’s trivia between convention goers hosted by Orlando Jones. It was a super cool time.

Once we were done here, we headed back to our hotel for some water, and to get off of our feet for a bit (and to write up an article), and then Mikaela and and I headed down to the Amazon Prime Video Experience (once again) to try to jump into the The Boys premiere. The line was long, but shaded, and we met a few interesting people from Australia and Winnipeg that made the wait go by much more quickly. We made it in, had some food and drinks, and watched the first two episodes of the upcoming series (introduced by much of the series’ cast, including Karl Urban). As you can probably expect if you’re familiar with the book at all, the show is pretty hyper violent, super vulgar, and got a lot of laughs (and groans) from the crowd. On each seat there was a cool ‘F**k Supes’ foam (middle) finger, which is definitely a cool piece of merch that I didn’t see given out at any other point. Overall the event was a blast, I can’t wait to see more of the series when it launches on 7/26. Also I got to say hey to Karl Urban, which was a pretty rad moment for sure. A huge thanks for Amazon Prime for hosting us!

One the event was over, we walked back to our hotel and promptly went to sleep.

For Saturday, I’m committed to finally getting that Macho Man Randy Savage figure (unless the line is too long and then I’m not that committed), and we’ll also be hitting up the premiere of Carnival Row in the evening!

Saturday

After a semi-late night, I woke up far less tired than I’d originally anticipated.

I didn’t have too much on the docket today, but really wanted to try to get that Macho Man doll. Instead of flooding in and waiting forever in Hall E, I decided to just wait outside for B to open up, which is much closer to Mattel’s location, and which always seems to open up before I’d ever get down the escalator.

Because of this new strategy, I didn’t get to the convention centre until about 9AM. I knew that these doors wouldn’t open until 9:30 or so (and I think everyone else did too) but that didn’t stop much of the line from groaning and complaining every few minutes that they had to wait. I get that this part of the waiting definitely stinks (especially out in this heat), but I just don’t anticipate any good way to get this many people into a building at once. That said — I wish that they’d do as they say they do, and let everyone who goes through Hall E as instructed in first.

I b-lined it to Mattel. Naturally, the line was capped, and the crowd around the capped line was so heavy that security was threatening to shut the booth right down. I hung around for a few minutes to see if things would clear up. They definitely didn’t, and within 10 minutes both the best John Hammond figure, and my precious Macho Man were sold out for the day. I then ran over to Entertainment Earth to see what the cool Kenner Darth Vader Prototype stock was looking like, and it was sold out as well.

Yep, pretty much all of these people were trying to get to Mattel.

So I gave up on that stuff, and instead went over to the Geekscape booth to find team playing hackey sack in the middle of the aisle. I joined in for a bit, and we were freaking terrible at it, but it’s absolutely these weird little moments that make SDCC super memorable.

Shortly afterwards, a signing was about to start at the booth, so I decided to get out of everyone’s way. I ran down to Mondo to check stock on a couple of the day’s drops, not that I had a ticket, but for the last hour of the day, the booth was open for purchases. I asked a couple of guys how they managed to get such early tickets, and which door they entered at as it simply feels like there are no good options. One of them offered to grab the poster that I was looking for (since it was different than anything that they were looking for, and a ticket let you buy up to one of each thing available at any given time), and I was stoked. Then, unfortunately, the poster that he was hoping to grab sold out, so he just gave me and our other line friend his ticket and left.

So… I went wild and bought three more items. I went very quickly from “Oh I haven’t spent very much money yet,” to “Oh shit I’ve spent way too much money.” But I don’t buy anything like this for most of the rest of year, so I’m not too worried about it. I ended up grabbing this year’s limited The Babadook and The Transformers: The Movie poster, along with the somehow-still-in-stock Metal Gear Solid vinyl (the poster, however, was long gone). In any case, I’m super thankful to have had this opportunity at all, so a huge thanks to those friends in line who helped me it.

I then went back to the booth, grabbed my big-ass poster tube, and then very carefully walked everything back to the hotel (new Mondo’s dangling in the wind rather than in the tube, as there was simply no good place to put everything together).

Then, it was time for BBQ. We ended up at Kansas City BBQ, which is just across the street from our hotel, and which was used for a couple of scenes in Top Gun, and has become the self proclaimed ‘Top Gun Bar’. It didn’t take long to get in, but took about an hour for our delicious meat to arrive. They warned us of this though, so it wasn’t a big deal.

Next up, we moved onto the Borderlands Museum Of Mayhem, which somehow only had about a 20 minute-long lineup. It was pretty busy inside, but it waiting in line got you some pretty rad swag, like masks, cool posters, and keychains. The are a ton of art pieces up around the museum, including a number of pieces of fan art, alternate key art for Borderlands 3, some amazing pieces made out of stained glass. There are also some huge standees of prominent Borderlands characters throughout the exhibit, and a couple of photo ops as well. You can also find some hidden codes around the area that should unlock sweet goodies in (I believe) Borderlands 3, and also a sweet gift shop covered in cool Borderlands merch. If you’re really brave, you can also have a Borderlands logo shaved into your head.

If you’re in San Diego, you can head to the museum at Sparks Gallery – 530 Sixth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101 from 12-5 on Sunday. It’s a cool experience, with a generally short wait, and some sweet swag for stopping by.

Following the Museum of Mayhem, we grabbed some Berkeley Pizza to bring back to a hungry Matt at the booth, and Mikaela went out to take cosplay photos while I hung out with the guys at the booth. Jonathan and I recorded a quick podcast segment talking about all of the in-progress Marvel announcements in Hall H (fuck yeah Blade) and soon after it was time to head out.

Side note — if you’re leaving SDCC at close, don’t expect to get anywhere quickly, as this is what it looks like, and also, this Starscream cosplay may be the best outfit I’ve seen this year:

At 7, we were back at the Prime Video Experience for the premiere of Carnival Row, a series created by Pacific Rim creator Travis Beacham, which stars Orlando Bloom and Cara Delvingne. The series is “ set in a Victorian fantasy world filled with mythological immigrant creatures whose exotic homelands were invaded by the empires of man. This growing population struggles to coexist with humans — forbidden to live, love, or fly with freedom. But even in darkness, hope lives, as a human detective, Rycroft Philostrate (Bloom), and a refugee faerie named Vignette Stonemoss (Delevingne) rekindle a dangerous affair despite an increasingly intolerant society. Vignette harbors a secret that endangers Philo’s world during his most important case yet: a string of gruesome murders threatening the uneasy peace of the Row.”

Travis himself, and a bunch of the cast, including Orlando Bloom, Cara Delevingne, Tamzin Merchant, and David Gyasi we’re present, and actually showed up dancing in weird costumes for some time before finally revealing their true personas. Take a look at a few photos from the event below!

This definitely ended up being Orlando Bloom

The series looks impressive as hell, and I was beyond excited to attend the event and check out the first two episodes. Reviews on the series are embargoed for the time being, but I’ll just say that I cannot wait for August 30th so that I can see what happens next. The world of Carnival Row is beyond fascinating, and I just can’t wIt to jump into it. Again, a huge thanks to Amazon Prime for hosting us again.

Following the premiere, and with just one day left of SDCC (which both feels like it just started and like it’s been going on forever at the same time), it was then time for some much needed rest.

As Sunday is typically a smaller day at the convention, and as following the close of the show floor I’ll be busy breaking down the booth and spending one last night with my Geekscape family, this will be the final recap for SDCC this year. Look for additional coverage from the team in the coming days, and look for an SDCC wrap-up episode where Jonathan talks to booth guests (and me) about everything SDCC.

Thanks for following along! I really appreciate you coming along for the ride!

Derek’s SDCC 2019 Recap: Thursday

by Derek KraneveldtJuly 18, 2019

If you missed recap of pre-convention or preview night, head here, and you can also check out my Prime Video Experience recap right here!

It’s the first full day of San Diego Comic-Con, and unfortunately it started with a bit of a frustration. I rolled out of bed to see a tweet from Mondo that their line policy (which based on my recap last night, they seem to have outgrown) was changing. Their previous system was essentially ‘we’re full, check back later,’ but as they announced this morning, but as of today, they’d instead be handing out timed tickets letting you know what time you could return to shop.

Mikaela had an event to cover first thing, so I ran over to the convention centre (which was not yet open) to try to get my hands on a ticket for the booth. At 12PM, Daniel Danger was set to be there to sign his new IT artwork, and as I currently have three Daniel Danger Mondo prints on my wall at home (and loved IT), I was hankering to get my hands on this too.

Convention staff guided us through the E doors, up the stairs, and essentially around half of the building to stand in a massive crowd. We were told that this would be the fastest way in, and that other doors wouldn’t open until this crowd was in. Once 9AM hit, (which is when the expo hall itself opened up) this crowd started being let in in chunks, and by about 9:15 I was headed down the escalator back towards the expo hall. As it turns out, they had also opened all of the other doors, much of the crowd was already inside, and door E turned out to be pretty much the slowest way into the building.

I went over to Mondo (on the other side of the expo hall) as fast as I could, and I was able to get a ticket… for 6:00 (the last block of the day). I assumed that IT would be long gone by then (only 225 available), and I was also set to be away from the convention centre for an event starting at 6. Thankfully Matt said that he’d take a look for me at that time. He’s basically my hero.

I then ran to room 6A, as my favourite panel at SDCC, the WWE/Mattel panel was set for 11:15. There was one panel before it, the Funko Funkast Live, which was actually a really fun time. I don’t collect Pop! figures because once I start I would never be able to stop, but the group had me laughing and showed off a ton of cool reveals. There’s even a cool looking mobile puzzle came called Funko Pop Blitz in the works, which I’ll definitely be checking out whenever it ends up releasing. Also, now I need to convince Mikaela that we can collect Pop! figures.

A lot of the front area of the panel room cleared out pretty quickly once Funko ended. I was able to move up pretty much in the center, just three rows back, and ended up with the best seat I’ve ever had for this panel, which I’ve been going to for years at this point.

The WWE/Mattel Panel always features a handful of WWE superstars, and some executives from Mattel. The presentation always starts with a bunch of new toy reveals, and then ends with a Q&A with the WWE superstars. I’m not really much of a toy guy, but it’s always fun to see the announcements, and it’s need to get to see the performers in an environment like this. This year, some of the most well received announcements included a new Chyna figure, which would mark her first in 19 years, and a brand new line of WWE / Masters of the Universe toys. These looked awesome (and super cheesy), and were introduced with a special video by Triple H. They showed off a few of the designs on screen, and then revealed a special, physical prototype figure for Kofi Kingston, who is apparently a huge MotU fan, and it seriously looked like he was going to cry for a long time after this announcement. The Q&A felt fairly standard to start, with cute kids talking about being inspired, and asking performers what inspired them. Then, a guy dressed as ‘Macho Manana’ grabbed the mic, and… well, it ended up being WWE Superstar Drake Maverick, who is in San Diego on a mission to track down R-Truth and the 24/7 Championship, and to win it back so he can finally consummate his marriage. It sounds silly, but it’s the absolute most entertaining thing in WWE right now.

Following the panel, I was lucky enough to snap a quick photo with Drake, who did not break character until he disappeared into another room (even yelling “I will consummate my marriage,” before disappearing entirely). It was a fantastic moment, and a great end to the very best WWE / Mattel panel that I’ve had to opportunity to attend.

He just never broke character and looked so sad the entire time.

Next up, I tracked down Mikaela, we grabbed a quick snack, and stopped at the hotel to drop some things off. She left almost right away to conduct an interview, and I stayed behind to catch up on some writing.

Shortly afterwards, I figured that it was probably a good time to peruse the show floor, as my next appointment wasn’t until 6 (and I needed to see how those IT prints were coming along), so I eventually wandered back to the convention centre to check out some of the show floor that I hadn’t visited yet. Mondo said that IT was probably still going to be in stock (phew), so I started making my way back to the Geekscape booth (#3919 if you’re in San Diego), and promote got distracted again trying to see what the Entertainment Earth and Mattel booths were like. As it turns out, they were capped. They’re always capped, and both the Slim Jim Macho Man doll and Mario Kart figures were sold out for the day anyways. Dang.

Things were (are always) pretty hectic on the show floor, so Mikaela and I decided to head out into the Gaslamp to see what we could see. As always, protesters were out in full force, and the conventiongoers were spilled out into the area by the hundreds, filling the streets still blocks away from the convention center. We caught the tail end of a Syfy drum line (I love that they do these things), and then wandered over behind the Omni hotel to take a look at the Detective Pikachu activation. The movie releases on digital in just a few days, so Warner Bros Home Entertainment is in San Diego showing off a few pieces of Ryme City. The activation starts in a Pikachu-ed our train car, before moving into other rooms, including Howard Clifford’s office, a small piece of the Ryme City market, and a room with a Pikachu photo-op. Take a look at some photos from the activation below!

Next up, we went over to the Panda Express pop-up, which I thought was absolutely hilarious. Now, I love me some Panda Express, but everyone here was just so energetic, the staff was freaking screaming out in excitement, there was a dancing Panda (and the playlist was all fire or heat related songs which I thought was so funny), and again, this store won’t exist in a week. It was all in celebration of a new limited time dish, the Sichuan Hot Chicken. They even created a character named Pep-Pep the Sichuan Wonderpepper, who is a a little fireball looking dude who is pretty cute. The place was fun, the line was less than 5 minutes long, and the place offered up free samples of this new and delicious chicken, as well as beverages. Thank you Panda Express!

We were both pretty exhausted at this point (long before this point, actually), but there was still more to do. Next up we were headed to the Oxford Social Club for an event revolving around upcoming EPIX series Pennyworth, which is set in “1960s London, where Bruce Wayne’s legendary butler, Alfred Pennyworth, forms a security company and goes to work with Thomas Wayne, Bruce’s billionaire father.”

The event was held at the Oxford Social Club over at 435 Fifth St. The offsite is open to the public for Friday and Saturday from 10AM-7PM, and potential attendees will need to give a secret password to “access to the Velvet Rope, a high-society London lounge filled with gambling, drag, and cabaret performances, plus live music from the era. You’ll also find yourself inside a library that leads to an eerie poetry reading in the posh hidden headquarters of the Raven Society, as well as a dank dungeon where the membership’s darker deeds become clear.”

We went down some interestingly lit stairs which were guarded by some creepy looking… well, guards. I was actually wearing a Finn Balor shirt, and one of them even gave me a too sweet on my way in. Once inside, everything was styled like the 1960’s, even the cocktails that the servers were offering us (an Old Fashioned, renamed ‘The Alfred’, and another drink, called ‘The Esme’). Inside we were treated to musical performances, secret poetry readings (a guy was even hand-writing these poems for the event, and according to him his wrist was very tired). There was a library where ‘Raven Society’ members were giving attendees postcards, which they could fill out and address to their friends, and drop in a box to actually be mailed out, and also a torture chamber which made for a pretty neat photo op. Overall, the event was a fun way to be introduced to some of the themes of the show (and get a couple of cool photo-ops), and it definitely made me hopeful that the show will be picked up in Canada, as EPIX simply doesn’t exist there.

Following the Pennyworth event, a sleepy Mikaela headed back to the hotel (and even saw a DeLorean on the way), and I headed over to Seaport Village to meet up with Jonathan, Matt, and Gui for some food. Everyone else had pretty much already eaten when I arrived, and so everyone just sat around telling old convention stories and we laughed our asses off for something like an hour.

At this point, I was beat, and decided to call it a pretty early night. For Friday we were set to be up early (and probably out late), so it was important that I get a decent sleep as I’ve been simply exhausted so far. Matt and I returned to the hotel room, while Gui and Jonathan went elsewhere, and after a bit of chatting we all turned in pretty damned early.

Until tomorrow, this has been Thursday at SDCC!

Mikaela’s Journey To SDCC 2019: Part I

by Mikaela MaxwellJuly 16, 2019

It’s been a few years now of watching Derek prep for SDCC, helping to pack up his belongings, and hiding secret love notes for him to find throughout his week away.

Derek and Matt getting some scoots in at SDCC 2018

The past couple of years, I’ve begun to dip my toe in the Geekscape waters… well, more like wade in all the way to my lady bits! I’ve been playing some games, doing some writing, jumping on podcasts, and most importantly turning our @GeekscapeForever insta into a cosplay dream scene. Last year I was able to funnel the on-site Geekscapist’s experiences at SDCC onto our Instagram page from afar.

But this year is a game changer. This year I’m diving in head first!

This year Mikaela is on scene at SDCC, taking it all in for the first time ever, and documenting every step of the way for the world to watch on @GeekscapeForever.

I am so incredibly excited… and nervous… and stoked about all the incredible things that are about to happen!

My journey started with a 2 AM wake up call from Derek, after sleeping a grand total of 3.5 hours, and a trek out to the airport with a Grumpasaurus Rex at my side! (Apparently Derek got even less sleep than I did, zero hours, and was not up to his usual perky standards!)

So excited to be taking off on our adventure, who needs a full night’s sleep!?

Despite our lack of sleep and moderate ability to function, we arrived at the airport and got off the ground without a hitch! I was once again reminded of how lucky we are to live on the west coast, watching a ferry float by as we began our flight toward Seattle. And on the next flight we got to fly right next to a mountain top poking through the clouds, so freaking beautiful! I have to remember how freaking fortunate we are to be on this amazing adventure when we are standing in yet another line a couple days from now!

On our flight from Seattle we listened to the pre-SDCC 2019 edition of the Geekscape podcast, and oh man was it ever funny, and not SDCC related at all! I don’t think I’ve ever laughed out loud so much while jammed into a giant flying air sausage with a bunch of other humans. It was also super cute to watch Derek get increasingly excited as we simultaneously got closer to San Diego and got closer to him seeing his friends after so long. I’m excited to see Jonathan again, to meet the rest of this posse that Derek loves so much, and to experience this amazing event that has such a huge impact on his life!

It’s funny – I’ve been so focused on prepping for doing the work we’ve come here to do, and figuring out what I want to check out, who I want meet, visiting people etc., that it never really hit me that we were actually just going on a sweet adventure to another part of the world as well! That is until we walked out of the airport and up to a sidewalk lined with freaking palm trees! Oh Hiiii California, we are in you!! So now I’m just getting extra excited. What a freaking adventure this week is gonna be!

San Diego is pretty amazing as soon as you step off the plane

We arrived at our hotel, which is basically 2 doors down from the convention centre and I felt like a small town poor girl showing up at a super fancy place where I didn’t belong, but was so thrilled to be there! Our hotel has amazing views of all the activities that are being put assembled around the convention centre and it’s pretty freaking great! And to top off the hotel experience somehow Jonathan, Matt, and Derek and I somehow all managed to arrive, from all over the place, there within minutes of each other!?

As quickly as we assembled, we peaced outta the hotel room and headed over to the convention centre to put together the booth. First though we had to stop off at ROCKIN BAJA For the infamous mango salsa! Honestly, it totally lived up to its hype and I would eat it any day! While there we also met up with Gui, another Geekscapist! This is my first time meeting Gui and Matt and I can see why Derek loves these people. These are truly his people, and all three of them are lovely!

The boys in their happy place… now where’s that mango salsa!?

After eating we truly went to set up the booth. Walking into the convention centre was pretty insane. I’ve been to a few different conventions now, though none of them at this scale, and I’ve never been behind the scenes on it before. It was super neat to walk into the chaos of hundreds of giant booths being madly assembled in a rush to be ready for Wednesday. It’s so crazy to have the curtain pulled back and see that all of this comes together just like anything else, with hard work and man power.

Setting up our booth was fun, I got to figure out how to put up the back drop, and meet a couple friends of Matt’s who came to help out. At one point we realized that the table cloth had been forgotten in LA. But then Gui and I came up with the great idea of covering the entire table in Geekscape post cards and the table top ended up looking soooo badass. So if you’re around come on by and check it out at booth 3919, just don’t set anything down on it cause you’ll never be able to find it again 😂

After getting the booth half set up, sweating sooo much, and deciding the rest could be done tomorrow, we split up and Derek went to track down a sweet Stranger Things Soundtrack cassette tape At the FYE shop. Meanwhile Jon, Gui, and I finished the sweet table top and headed out to meet up with everyone else for dinner. We ended up at the Coin-Op Game Room for dins and drinks and loud conversation. Then split off again to do a couple errands before rendezvousing back at the hotel. What a freaking day.

It’s been a pretty crazy, unbelievable, overwhelming day. My heart feels full and my body feels tired and we haven’t even started yet!? And I am so ready to see what tomorrow brings!

SDCC 2018: Derek’s Long-Winded SDCC Recap – Thursday

by Derek KraneveldtJuly 19, 2018

Read pre-convention and preview night here.

Today started off a bit rough.

Naturally, it’s the first full day of the convention, there are new volunteers all over the place, and it’s one of the busiest events in North America, let alone San Diego.

This morning I was in a bit of a rush, as the panel that I’d wanted to see more than any other (the WWE/Mattel fan panel, naturally) was set to begin at 11:15am. Last year there were several panels prior to this one, so after each panel a myriad of people would leave, and I would creep up to get a better seat. This year there was just one panel before, so I needed to get there quickly.

But that didn’t exactly work out.

The San Diego Convention Centre is huge There are doorways (8 doors wide) marked A-G, and then a separate entrance for the ~6000+ seat Hall H (which holds the biggest announcements, and which people began lining up for on Tuesday). The auditorium was set to open at 9am (though was always advertised for 9:30), and in trying to find where to line up at 8:45, I started at G, was told to go to A, who told me to go to C, who told me to go to F, who told me to go back to G where I (and eventually thousands upon thousands of other people) gathered (likely after going through the same runaround that I did.

Then 9AM came and went. Then 9:30 came and went and it was hot as hell and there was absolutely no shade and everyone was shoulder to shoulder so it felt like forever. At 9:40 an employee came out and told us that the doors next to the ones we were gathered at would be the ones to open first and people started freaking out. Screaming, yelling, swearing around little kids, probably some crying, wailing out “You’re killing us,” the works, really. Sure, it was annoying (and warm… so warm), but turning into a freaking baby was not at all appropriate.

Eventually I made it into the convention centre, and still made it into the room where the WWE panel would be held with time to spare. I grabbed a single seat in the front row, albeit at a super extreme angle, hoping that after the first panel finished I’d be able to move in a bit more central.

The first panel was about kids who do voiceover work, and included talent such as Zach Gallison, Kristen Li, Layla Hayes, Justin Felbinger, and Sean-Ryan Petersen reading scripts in character, chatting about who they’d like to work with, and a bunch more.

The panel ended, almost nobody left (I managed to move two seats closer to the centre) and after a short time the panel began. Cathy Kelly came out first, followed by two dudes from Mattel (sorry, I don’t remember their names), Curt Hawkins, Zack Ryder, Becky Lynch (who was a surprise), AJ Styles (who was a huge surprise), and Matt Hardy (who was announced for the panel, but who I’d forgotten would be there. The crowd went freaking crazy for nearly everyone.

The panel started with some Mattel announcements, including some amazing new additions to the Elite series of figures and a technology called True FX which is a new inkjet printing process that will launch in 2019, and will add even more detail to the already impressive figures.

they showed off a bunch of new figures (including a Vanguard 1 and Mower of Lawns figure in the Elite series) before taking audience questions. Many of the questions felt similar to those asked at last year’s panel, and the guy who yelled at the Mattel lady last year about missing figures was back again to yell about the lack of B-Team figures even though the B-Team has only been a thing for like five seconds.

One fan asked the superstars to choose someone who no longer wrestles for WWE that they would fight if they could. One crowd member yelled out “BROCK LESNAR” and all of the superstars laughed really hard. It was a freaking hilarious moment.

After the panel ended, I made a quick pit stop at the Wired Cafe for a bite to eat and something to drink (a huge thanks to Wired for hosting us again this year, and be sure to look for some expanded thoughts on this year’s cafe from Shane in the next day or two) before meeting up with Shane and Courtney for the Shadow of the Tomb Raider offsite event at the Moonshine Flats (344 7th Ave).

This place was bonkers. The bar had been completely transformed into a jungle-like setting, complete with real snakes, tons of foliage, pieces of ancient (I assume) temples, and way way more – there was even a pit of skulls that made for a cool photo op. The most unique part of this offsite however, was the eating challenge. Three volunteers would go to a table that had three covered plates on it, and at the count of three they’d reveal the “exotic” food underneath. On the plate could be a Black Forest Scorpion, a Manchuria Scorpion, a Superworm, a Giant Water Bug (which was regarded as the short straw in this challenge), a Grasshopper, or some Silkworms. If you could eat the entire insect(s) you were able to spin a prize wheel, which could net you a shirt, a year of Xbox Game Pass, a copy of the game when it releases, or raffle tickets that could win you an Xbox One X.

I did the challenge.

I didn’t want to do the challenge, but Shane and Courtney were being little babies, and if we were going to cover this offsite someone had to do it.

Naturally, I drew the short straw, and had to eat a giant water bug. It was freaking disgusting. Super salty. Super dry (though I think I felt a couple of weirdly moist bits in there too). The other two people finished eating their bugs (I’m not even sure what they had) and then they watched me continue chewing for what felt like forever.

Naturally, we got this on video, so look for that in the coming days. For now, these photos will have to do.

I also had an opportunity to play a new demo for Shadow of the Tomb Raider which felt fantastic, and would have had me pre-ordering the game if I hadn’t already done that months ago. Naturally, the mechanics in Tomb Raider are already rock solid, so it’s the plot and atmosphere that are really going to make or break this one – we didn’t see too much story in the demo, but of course the game has an incredible team behind it, so I’m not worried at all.

Once we finished up at the Shadow of the Tomb Raider offsite, it was time to get back to work. We went back to the hotel (I wanted to scoot there but nobody else did), and Shane, Courtney, and I all published some articles before heading out again. You can read about my experience at the DC Universe offsite that I mentioned yesterday right here, and additional thoughts on the LAIKA Live experience right here, and you should probably check out this amazing transit station themed after Stranger Things.

Once we split up, Shane and Courtney went back to the floor to check out the Star Wars: Heroes and Villains clothing line, while I went over to PetCo park to check out the Rocket League third birthday party. Somehow the line was tiny (it didn’t stay like this for long), and I was pretty much able to walk right in. I received a cool (and understated) t-shirt, along with a coupon for a free Salty Shores popcorn and drink. The party was actually right on the field, which was pretty cool and made for a few neat photos. The field had some fantastic real-life licensed cars that have in-game counterparts like Batmobiles, the Jurassic Park Jeep, and the DeLorean. There was a gaming area where you could play Rocket League on Switch or PC against other attendees, and a stage with live DJ (and sometimes Greg Miller). There was an awesome looking weird inflatable soccer game that had quite a lineup, and a ton of people were just chilling on the field absorbing everything that was going on around them.

I knew that WWE Superstar and UpUpDownDown creator Xavier Woods was set to be present at the party, but the event had already been on for an 90 minutes or so when I arrived. It turns out that he and Becky Lynch (who is my favourite female WWE Superstar) were filming an episode of UpUpDownDown on the field. Xavier saw my shirt and called me over (I was wearing my UpUpDownDown shirt) and I made some sort of awkward fool out of myself while he tried to talk to me on camera (sorry Xavier). I was even almost on Xavier and Becky’s team for the inflatable ball soccer thing, but just before this would have happened the WWE decided that they just wanted Becky vs. Xavier. I hung around for a bit longer (which included seeing Xavier face off agains a little kid in Rocket League, and seeing Xavier and Becky dance away at what would be the end of the episode) before heading out to meet up with Shane and Courtney. It was freaking amazing, and it made my convention.

The rest of the night was pretty relaxed. Shane, Courtney, and I decided to hit up a party sponsored by Lions Gate Games for the Power Rangers Legacy Wars. We didn’t end up making it inside however, as the building was at capacity when we arrived and as we didn’t really feel like waiting (though we were pretty close to the front), so we just grabbed some shitty sandwiches at the first place that didn’t have a line, and returned to the hotel to finish up our articles for the day.

Today was great. It’s now been a full day of San Diego Comic-Con… and I still haven’t even hit the show floor yet. Tomorrow I’ll be busy checking out activations for Amazon Fire TV, Mr. Mercedes, The Purge, and more… plus I need to get my hands on some Mondo prints (which I’ve missed out on so far).

Thanks for reading this far, and I hope that you come back for more!

Note – sorry about the weird images. Geekscape is having major issues uploading images currently, so I’m making it work any way that I can!

SDCC 2018: To Comic Con Or Not? – Invisible Illness And Geeking

by Courtney DossettJuly 19, 2018

– I was nervous to do comic con this year. Even more nervous than last year when I got thrown in the mix last minute (more last minute than most things at SDCC). Last year, I had zero idea what I was getting into; I had never gone to any sort of convention, never done a real interview, or met with any industry people. I think I did a pretty good job of navigating not only my first convention, which is one of the largest in the world, but also a new city where I technically didn’t know anyone. I had never met anyone from Geekscape in real life (apart from Shane) until I got to the convention center the first day, which in itself was really nerve wracking.

Meeting new people ended up being the easy part. Derek, Natalie, Josh, Jon, Heidi, Gui and Zack ended up being just as kind and amazing as they were online – they made me feel like I was really a part of the family almost instantly. The hardest part for me was all the walking, standing, and getting stepped on, which are difficult for most healthy people. But I’m not considered “healthy”.

If you’ve listened to the Geekscape Games Podcast, you may have heard me talk how I sometimes struggle with gaming because of my Rheumatoid Arthritis or RA. RA is an autoimmune disease, which means that my body’s immune system can’t quite distinguish between foreign cells, like bacteria, and cells in certain parts of my body, and so it ends up attacking itself. This mostly affects my joints, but can also affect any connective tissues in the body as well as some of the major organs. When my immune system attacks a joint, it’s called a “flare” which basically means the joint swells up, becomes warm to the touch, and causes a lot of pain. I have to take a pharmacy’s worth of medications to try and keep my condition in check, and things like stress, diet, illness,weather etc. can cause my condition to flare up. This also means that I’m also almost always tired. Imagine having the flu and that all over tired achy feeling, but that’s your normal everyday life. Some days are better than others, and I can move through my day more or less normally. But I’ve found those days to be more and more rare over the past 9 years since my diagnosis. Simple things most people don’t think of doing, like shaking hands, can ruin my day if someone gets overzealous and grips my hand like it’s gonna run away, and mean that I can’t really use it the rest of the day for anything.

So imagine that being your baseline – kinda tired, kinda sore, and you haven’t even started your day at the con yet. Now try and navigate through a new place, pretty much alone, getting exposed to all sorts of germs (cons are super dirty people), and walking everywhere all the time. And if you’re not walkling, you’re standing, because you’re in a line, or waiting to walk, or there just isn’t anywhere to sit. I think I ended up averaging about 5 miles of walking each day of the convention. I completely wore out the brand new pair of shoes I had been advised to buy (thanks Shane!) and most of a bottle over OTC pain killers. I was completely wiped out for the next week when I got home, and picked up some sort of con crud that caused a lot of discomfort and stuck around almost until it was time for PAX West in September.

With all that in mind, I almost didn’t come to San Diego this year. I love seeing my Geekscapists and getting to meet cool people in video games and spend time with everyone, but I was afraid that my health wouldn’t be able to hold up or I would be short changing myself for the rest of my summer, sacrificing the next month or so for one week. I ultimately, obviously, decided to go, because I want to make sure that I use my good health times for times like this when I can make good memories, and share stories with others.

So this is that story. A girl at a con, who looks healthy and normal, but isn’t, trying to do as much as she can to do what she loves, with some of the people she cares about most. I’ll try and share some tips and tricks for others of you out there who also fight the good fight against invisible illnesses or other disabilities. Hopefully my story will help inspire you to go to a convention, or a concert, or a party when you’re unsure of whether or not you should because of your condition. There is no reason why we shouldn’t be out doing what we love because of something our bodies are doing.

We got this.

SDCC 2018: Go Broke At The Horton Plaza FYE Pop-Up Shop!

by Derek KraneveldtJuly 18, 2018

Last year I had an incredible time at Horton Plaza during San Diego Comic-Con.

First up, I had my first taste of Panda Express there. The orange chicken made my life complete, and I can’t wait to head back for another round this year.

FYE had not one, but TWO pop-up shops last year. One had a variety of FYE offerings, including soundtracks, shirts, exclusive Funko Pop figures, and so much more, while the other was a WWE exclusive store, featuring toys, title belts, cereal, Money In The Bank briefcases, and pretty much every WWE product under the sun.

FYE has returned to Horton Plaza for another pop-up shop this year. This one isn’t WWE specific (though it still has WWE items), but the convention hasn’t even started yet and I’m already about to go broke by shopping at this store.

Seriously, this place is amazing.

It’s also packed. Matt and I visited after breakfast this morning at 11am or so, and the store had a massive line. The Freddy Krueger Funko Pop cereal was flying off the shelves, and apparently they only had four Glow shirts left because the guy working there couldn’t find my size (though I don’t think he really looked, either).

The pop-up even has some artist signings during SDCC:

Thursday, July 19:
Jason Freeny: 6pm – 7pm
Ron English: 7pm – 8pm

Friday, July 20:
Allison Cimino (Rock Love Jewelry): All Day
Jason Freeny: 6pm – 7pm
LIGHTS: 8pm – TBD

Dave Porter From Breaking Bad: 12:00 – 1:00pm

Saturday, July 21:
Andrew Bell: 5pm – 6pm
Jason Freeny: 6pm – 7pm

Sunday, July 22:
Jason Freeny: 6pm – 7pm

Take a look at some of what’s up for sale via my photos below, and be sure to let us know if you plan to attend! The pop-up is open until 9PM on July 22nd!

Man, that Glow shirt (and maybe lipstick for Mikaela), and those Transformers / Ready Player One records really spoke to me.

PS – Sorry for the Imgur links. Geekscape is having major issues uploading images currently!

Derek’s Emerald City Comic-Con Recap – Sunday

by Derek KraneveldtMarch 4, 2018

Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened? That’s what I was trying to tell myself as Mikaela and I woke up this morning. It felt as though we’d only just arrived in Seattle, and like Emerald City Comic-Con had only just begun – when in actuality, it was just a matter of hours before we’d be making the drive back to Vancouver and back to our real lives (and bills and jobs).

We prettied ourselves up for the day and then packed up what felt like a million bags. As we left our AirBnb for the last time (we brought our bags down to the car and left it parked there until we were ready to leave the collection, thankfully our host was cool with this), I realized just how much we’d lucked out on the location. Sure, it was a little outside of what we were comfortable spending (or what we could comfortably afford), but it took so much weight off of our shoulders to be a miniscule five minute walk away from the convention centre, rather than having to drive into the city each day to search for expensive, needle-in-a-haystack parking. Being so close to the convention centre simply allowed us more time at the convention itself, which (aside from the Szechuan sauce) was the whole reason we were there, of course.

After grabbing some tasty sandwiches from a local cafe, we (finally) made our way up to Artist’s Alley. The area has its own freaking floor at ECCC, and I honestly have never seen another Artist’s Alley that comes even close in size. It was freaking massive, spanning two and a half giant rooms. Almost every booth was packed with people, and we spent almost two hours just looking at all of the amazing art on display. It wasn’t long before Mikaela found numerous prints that she absolutely fell in love with, and after we browsed the entire Artist’s Alley Floor, we went back to buy some. Up to this point, aside from food we hadn’t actually purchased anything at the convention… today would definitely be different.

Following Artist’s Alley, Mikaela spent some time seeking out some standout cosplayers. She’s already posted a number of these images to the GeekscapeForever Instagram account, but a gallery of all of the images taken (along with Mikaela’s thoughts on the convention as a whole) should pop up within the next couple of days. There was an unbelievable amount of intensely high-quality cosplay at ECCC, and I still think that (as I mentioned yesterday) the Western Championships of Cosplay competition was one of the coolest things I’ve seen at any convention – the sheer amount of time that these artists put into their work is beyond mind-blowing.

The hours were flying by at this point – we waited in a huge line to grab some delicious pizza from the convention centre cafeteria, and then proceeded to spend more (and more) money on the show floor. Mikaela ended up buying the Planned Parenthood benefit book from A Wave Blue World (which I mentioned yesterday), a comic by a local artist that had some gorgeous watercolour-style artwork, several miniature pop-art style prints, a cool print of a narwhal (her favourite animal) and an 11×17 print from what turned out to be a Vancouver-local artist. I’ve been pretty successful at not buying anything (or is it just not being able to afford anything) at the last batch of conventions that I’ve visited – I’m not sure if it was just Mikaela egging me on or if my willpower simply disappeared today (or if not having to carry things back across several flights like at SDCC was just super attractive), but after wanting to pick up Skybound’s Superfight for years, and being so impressed with demo we’d received of The Grimm Forest board game… I ended up walking away with both of them (and I can’t freaking wait to give them a try).

Mikaela’s haul. We’re going to need some new frames!

From there, we did a bit more wandering and a little more cosplay watching, and before we knew it it was (sadly) time to make our way back to the car. Time flies when you’re having fun is a statement that is at its truest at comic book conventions. No lie.

I made us stop pretty quickly so I could taste that sweet, sweet Szechuan sauce one last time, and the rest of the drive back to Vancouver was pretty uneventful. We spent much of the ride gushing about how much fun we’d had, how organized the entire convention felt (like really freaking organized and smooth) and just how much we’re looking forward to the next one. Of course, just before heading over the border we made a quick stop at Buffalo Wild Wings (which is way tastier than anything we have up in Canada), before waiting in the border line for almost an hour.

New games! Who has played either of these?

We finally arrived home, walked in the door, threw our junk on the ground, and instantly went to bed (at like 9PM). We were beat, and Mikaela had school in the morning. Our trip to ECCC was finished.

The trip itself couldn’t have happened at a better time either. Mikaela has been doing some damned intense schooling over the past couple of months, and my day job has been extra busy (and extra stressful) for some time as well. It’d been quite some time since we’d been able to just spend a decent amount of quality time together, and the trip to Seattle for Emeral City Comic-Con gave us just that. As busy and intense as these events can be, it felt relaxing and refreshing for us to be able to share that intensity together. Thanks for that, Emerald City!

That’s another one in the books… and now it’s just four months until San Diego. Time to start getting ready!

Thanks for tagging along, look for more coverage (and cosplay) in the coming days, and let us know what you’d like to see more of at our next convention!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf2TSIUAbtb/?taken-by=geekscapeforever

SDCC 2017: We Tried The ‘Final Fantasy’ Trading Card Game! Did Square-Enix Summon A Hit?

by Josh JacksonJuly 28, 2017

With as many properties that have developed card games over the years, it was only a matter of time before Final Fantasy got in on the action. With decades worth of characters, creatures and lore to pull from, it seems natural that players would want to gather their favorite heroes and do battle with fancy, glossy decks. At the Square-Enix booth at San Diego Comic Con, the company offered demos to new players who wanted to see how well the game translated to the TCG format. Not being one to shy away from a new card game, I took the time to see what kind of spells I could conjure the heroes from Final Fantasy IX.

Each player starts with a deck of exactly 50 cards made up primarily of Forward and Backup characters. Forward characters are your main line of defense, taking the front of the field as they use their abilities and strength to fight off the opposing deck. Except for the first turn, players can summon as many characters as they want as long as they have the CP for it. This number, which is at the top-left of every card, shows you how much you need to pay, as well as which element it needs to belong to. The exception to this rule are Light and Dark cards, which can use any element. CP is gained by either dulling, (the FF equivalent to tapping), or discarding cards from your hand to gain 1 or 2 CP respectively. From there, your line of defense is set.

Fortunately, unless the character has the Haste ability, each new summon suffers from summoning sickness, which is TCG speak for not being able to act on the turn they’re summoned. When they can act, you have the option to either defend, which subtracts from their HP for that turn only, or take the damage, which results in you taking one damage point. The first player to deal seven points of damage wins, but each time a player takes damage, they get to draw one of seven damage cards that they set aside at the beginning of the match. If that card has an EX Burst ability however, they can trigger that move immediately without cost, potentially turning the tide of a game. Even when you see an opening, you might want to be careful about attacking with your whole party. Each Forward that attacks becomes dulled, meaning they can’t act until their next turn. So if you attack with everyone you have, that means you won’t have any way to defend yourself if the opponent mounts a comeback.

Aside from the main characters, Summons are one time use characters that disappear after being brought on the field to use their powerful abilities. Most Backup characters feature the DS remake versions of the Onion Knights from Final Fantasy III filling the roles of generic jobs like Monks, Thieves and Mages, with their own abilities to trigger if not being tapped for CP. This helped make every card feel special, even the ones that might serve as fodder for your Forwards. Speaking of special, although the cards that I’ve seen break away from conventional TCG thinking by having no holographic versions, each one uses thick, glossy paper with some of the most iconic art from the series taken from the games.

In my brief time with the game, the only major concern I have is the flexibility allowed to customize your decks. In the game that I played, many of the Final Fantasy IX characters relied on each other to get stronger. For example, Stiener’s strength increased depending on how many IX characters fought alongside him, while Zidane had a similar skill. In other words, they would be far less effective if paired with a mixed deck. I hope that the booster packs allow for more flexibility than I’m seeing here, but either way, the game was a blast to play.

I’m looking forward to seeing the game’s growth in North America and seeing what the cards can do once we have all of the expansions. For now, I’ll just wait patiently for a Final Fantasy VI deck and dream of the day I can clean house with Celes. Do you have room in your binder for the Square Enix’s card game? Share your thoughts with us below!

SDCC 2017: A Very “Honest” Interview With Screen Junkies Andy Signore & Joe Starr!

by The_aczJuly 27, 2017

A week ago I had the opportunity to interview some of the incredibly talented people behind Screen Junkies and their Honest Trailers. I got to sit down with creator Andy Signore and Writer/Geekscape alumni Joe Starr. We talk about the process of honest trailers, our favorite movies of the year so far, and more! If you want more Screen Junkies after the interview, give them a visit on their youtube channel or their website screenjunkies.com.

SDCC 2017: A Blast From The Past! ‘Sonic Mania’ Panel Recap!

by The_aczJuly 26, 2017

Even though 2016 marked Sonic’s 25th anniversary, it’s 2017 that’s really the year of Sonic.

We’re not only getting one, but TWO Sonic games this year. One of them is the next 3D entry titled Sonic Forces, but the other has much more people talking. It’s a brand new 2D pixel art tribute to the blue blur’s early days. I’m of course talking about Sonic Mania. I got the chance to play Mania at E3 this year and really enjoyed. Now just 3 weeks out from release, Sonic Mania is speeding toward the finish line with one final stop to make in the form of San Diego Comic-Con. I was lucky enough to get invited to the panel, and it didn’t disappoint.

Moderated by everyone’s favorite video game Social Media, Aaron Webber took to the stage to introduce the panel for the evening which included Takashi Iizuka (Head of Sonic Team), Christian Whitehead (Lead Dev & Programmer), Tee Lopes (Composer), Tom Fry (Art Director), and Simon Thomley (Programmer). After everyone was introduced, they went on to talk about the origins of the game. Sonic Mania began development in early 2016 and was code-named Sonic Discovery.

They were very nervous about initially presenting the game to Iizuka, but after they showed him Studiopolis Zone, Iizuka absolutely loved it. He had always wanted to make another 2D Sonic game, and after seeing what was presented to him, he had great faith that the team would do it justice. He even went as far as to pull out a whiteboard and write it’s name right besides the original 3, and Knuckles. And so, Sonic Mania was born!

Next, the team moved onto programming. They talked about how they loved chronicling their favorite glitches as they made the game. They started making a top 10 list, but that quickly expanded to 20, and then 30, etc. They even showcased some of them. One was of Tails stuck in the ground, and another one called to mind the infinite Knuckles jump from Sonic Boom. Then Webber presented his favorite of all the glitches, and that was this.

Next, Tom and Tee talked for a bit about their contributions and history with Sonic. Tom talked about how Mania was his first time spiriting for a game. He stated that even though the game is meant to be a send-up to the Genesis era of Sonic, the game is a bit beefier than that and would need something more along the lines of the Sega Saturn to run it. Tom had always wanted a Sonic game for the Saturn, and said that the designs for the characters are what he’d think they’d look like on that console.

Tee also commented about how he wanted the Saturn, but had to keep his good grades in school according to his dad. He ended up maintaining the grades, but found out that his dad accidentally bought him a Sega Master System instead. No need for disappointment, this sparked his love for the hedgehog!

Finally, they decided to end the panel with 3 big bangs! The first was our first look at the special stages! No longer will fans have to suffer through the dreaded half pipe, but instead a revised version of the UFO from Sonic CD. There’s now only one UFO, and to catch him, you must collect blue orbs to increase your speed. Once you reach Mach 3, you’ll be able to catch him. Rings are also very important as they extend the time that you can be in the area.

The next 2 things were also big surprises for fans. Remember that awesome Pre-order trailer a couple of months back? Turns out that the same guy who made that trailer also made an intro for the game in the same Sonic CD style! Finally, the 3rd and final reveal was that the dev crew created a special introduction manual for the game, and everyone at the panel got a copy of it! What a great way to celebrate 26 years of everyone’s favorite blue Hedgehog. The best part is that this is only a pit stop. We’re still 3 weeks out from the main course. Sonic Mania will release on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4, and PC on August 15th.

My Overwritten Journey To SDCC 2017: Day Two – Meditation, Renee Young, And Still No Mango Salsa

by Derek KraneveldtJuly 21, 2017

Read day 0 here.
Read day one-ish here.

I slept so freaking well last night.

It was a pretty relaxed evening as you may have read in yesterday’s piece. I turned in at about 12:30 AM after putting on the finishing touches to that article, and between the T3, melatonin, earplugs, and exhaustion, I passed out nearly right away.

Because of those glorious, orange ear phalluses, I barely recall hearing any snoring whatsoever. It was Bobby Roode level glorious, and I woke up far more energized this morning than I did yesterday. I did’t set an alarm, as I figured I’d simply wake up when the sun rose (it was pretty gloomy in the morning so it wasn’t actually that bright). I started stirring around 8AM when Matt was preparing to leave the hotel, and (I think) when someone started singing some sort of improvised Puyo Puyo theme song, which is bound to become this Con’s DANGANRONPA or SPRING BREAK chant.

Matt and Zack left the room while Jonathan and I got ready for our day. I showered, cleaned up, and took my sweet, sweet antibiotics. We were about to leave to grab breakfast when Jonathan realized that he hadn’t completed his daily meditation session (which is something that’s become pretty important to him since I saw him last Comic-Con. He invited me to partake – meditation is not something that I’ve ever tried or really thought about before, and today’s session was far along in a chapter with a specific goal, but I joined in. It was an interesting, relaxing experience that I enjoyed more than I though I would, and as Jonathan explained the purpose around the process, along with what it means and what it’s doing for him, it became something that I would love to explore and experience more of when I return home (which I’m sure is something that my fiancé will love).

Jonathan and I went to 7-Eleven to have a quick Chiller Club reunion (my first Chiller in more than a year, and I definitely had forgotten how tasty, sugary, and addicting they are). We then hit up a secret Subway that was super dead and right across the street from our hotel (the steak, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich is to die for). I took a quick look at Facebook, and naturally my Facebook memory for the day was a picture of mango salsa from a couple of years back. Why must you torture me like this?

The floor was about to open just as we finished eating, so we began the walk back to the convention centre, and into the BELLY OF THE BEAST (the San Diego crowds, not the Steven Seagal classic). Here, we learned that a year after everyone was expecting Pokemon Go‘s first legendary creature to drop, Niantic revealed that at the ongoing Pokemon Go celebration in Chicago, attendees will have the very first opportunity to claim a legendary bird. Pretty freaking cool. We chatted about the game and how it’s changed, and the conversation alone made me want to jump back into the game after a substantial period of not even opening the app.

We did a quick tour of the crowded show floor before making our way back to the booth, where the BOX OF MYSTERY AND DANGER (where attendees could earn their way to free stuff, or potential death) had found itself refilled with even more Loot Crate swag care of Natalie. I grabbed a couple of pairs of themed socks (Optimus Prime for myself, Superman for my dad, who’s a big fan and even has a Batman/Superman logo tattooed on his arm).

I split up from Matt and Jonathan and headed upstairs. It was approaching 11AM and I wanted to be sure that I could attend the WWE and Mattel panel at 1PM. I thought that I should grab a coffee to keep my energy up, so I ordered a Cold Brew from one of the local Starbucks kiosks. I walked away before taking a sip and then realizing it was a Raspberry Iced Tea instead. I planned to go back so that I could get my sweet, sweet caffeine fix, but I couldn’t find the damned kiosk again.

I jumped in the back of the line for Room 5AB, where the WWE Panel would be taking place in just a couple of hours.

Naturally, there were still a couple of panels to go before then, starting with a panel called ‘Wonderstruck: From Page to Screen with Brian Selznick’. Going in, I knew nothing of Wonderstruck or Selznick. Pretty quickly, however, I realized that Selznick wrote the book that the Martin Scorseze film Hugo was based on (a film that I freaking loved, and haven’t seen in way too many years). Selznick moderated the panel, which took us through his stories writing the book, the experience of it being made into a film, and giving us a behind the scenes look at the Amazon Studios adaptation of another one of his bestsellers, Wonderstruck, which was directed by Academy Award Nominee Todd Haynes, and looks like a very, very beautiful film. Selznick noted that Amazon was even able to finish up the film’s first trailer preceding the panel, and he debuted it for those in attendance. The trailer solidified my interest in the film, and I can’t wait to watch it when it debuts later this year.

The final panel before the WWE / Mattel presentation was called ‘Sherlock Comics With Stephen Moffat’, during which showrunner and writer Stephen Moffat chatted with the audience about the Sherlock manga and mostly just reminded me that I need to freaking watch Sherlock. I spent some of this panel working on some other pieces (like my expanded thoughts on The Tick Takeover event here), but the amount of passionate Sherlock manga fans was pretty incredible. Also a lot of that artwork is pretty bad-ass, and it’s amazing just how much some of it looks like Benedict Cumberbatch. The Q&A question that received the most fanfare was definitely when a fan asked if we’d ever see any crossover manga with Doctor Who, to which Moffat replied that he’s only in charge of one property, and he begged and pleaded to the Doctor Who show runner, who simply said no.

The panel ended, the room cleared, I got a seat as close as I could, and then it was finally time for the WWE panel that I’d been waiting all morning for. This was more interesting to me than the Hall H panels that I’d visited last year, and almost any of the offsite events that I’ve had an opportunity to visit over the past five years. This is something that I’ve become super passionate about over the past 18 or so months, and to see these athletes that I spend so many hours watching each month in a setting such as this was worth the trip alone.

I’ll have a whole write-up on the panel in the coming day or so, but it was truly incredible to see just how passionate all of the fans were. For some of the superstars, it was their first visit to SDCC, and they all looked honoured to be a part of this presentation.

The hour flew right by (probably aided by me typing as fast as I could as a means to be able to write as much about the event as possible) and at its closure, before the superstars exited, they thanked the fans for helping them get to where they are today. The superstars spoke of their favourite career moments so far and what they still hope to accomplish, about the most meaningful advice given to them as they rose through the ranks, Brie talked about being a new mom and wanting to return to the ring, while Nikki revealed that her neck issues aren’t completely gone, and why we haven’t seen her in the ring since Wrestlemania.

People began to clear the room, and I attempted to approach the stage as a means to get a few closer photos for my write-up. The crowd made getting anywhere near the superstars pretty tough, but Renee Young, who is incredibly charismatic, and who I may (possibly) favour over much of the in-ring talent (male or female), was kind enough to stop for a photo. I was so excited for this. I don’t often become star struck these days after years of doing this kind of stuff, but in this moment, I did. It’s sure to be a convention highlight for me for years to come. Also, #SaveTalkingSmack.

Once the panel finished up and I could make my way out of the room (on the way I ran into Noelle Foley who was not a part of the panel, but was apparently there watching). Turns out that there was a signing with much (if not all) of the talent from the panel at the Mattel booth immediately following, but by the time I got in line there were substantially more people around than the alloted time would have allowed.

I left the lineup and quickly checked in with the Geekscape booth before headed to the Wired Cafe for a couple of beverages and some snacks. While in the tiny lineup to check-in, a DirecTV (who is sponsoring the cafe this year) employee took the opportunity to ask if I was familiar with the service. “I’m from Canada,” I answered. “Sorry,” he responded.

So no, I am not overly familiar with DirecTV.

Many of the booths at this year’s cafe were themed after upcoming AT&T (they make TV now?) series Mr. Mercedes. The bar had some themed cocktails, there was a neat wall made up of smartphones and tablets that were all playing in-sync footage, there was a stand offering themed, frozen treats, and there was a booth that was printing Mr. Mercedes themed t-shirts (which I definitely snagged one of). Also, while last year’s one-day Wired Cafe had a lineup around what seemed to be the entire hotel, this time around it’s again expanded to three days, and I was able to walk in with less than two minutes of waiting. Thanks again to Wired for hosting us, as it’s a great opportunity to get in some conversation, some food, and some beverages off of the show floor and away from the incredibly long lineups.

I stayed at the Wired Cafe briefly before heading to the Hotel Palomar for a special reveal of J!NX and Hot Topic’s upcoming Fall Collection, and to have a couple of drinks and some fucking delicious tacos. I’m not sure what was on it, but it was salty as hell and the meat tasted amazing (and went really, really well with a Dos Equis. I took a look at the Fall lineup, which had some neat, subtle t-shirt and long sleeve designs, a cool bomber jacket, and a lot of really, really soft cotton. It was a neat, small event, and it certainly made me excited to check out the lineup when it hits Hot Topic this Fall.

There wasn’t a lot going on at this point. Courtney and I decided to meet up at the Wired Cafe for a drink. On the way here, I saw an amazing Syfy sponsored drum line that was playing theme songs from a myriad of old cartoons (and even some Star Wars tracks). Courtney became associated with the brand when I was in a bit of a hiatus, and at this point we hadn’t really talked one on one. I was curious to know what she was into, how she became a part of Geekscape, and more about who she is as a person. It was great to have a one on one conversation with her, and to get to know a little more about her life outside of Geekscape Games. She lives just a couple of hours South of me too, and I think it’d be cool to meet up again in person outside of the hustle and bustle of SDCC.

We hung out at the Wired Cafe until it shut down, and then made our way back to the booth to reconnect with Jonathan and Zack. The Box of Mystery and Danger was almost empty at this point, and we met up with some cool con-goers that came by the booth (like Skip, the 60+ year old Scuba Instructing Dr. Evil cosplayer). It was great to finally have a seat, to charge my phone, and to make plans to have some dinner with the Geekscape family. Would I finally get my Rockin’ Baha? Read on to find out!

No. No I would not get my Rockin’ Baha.

There were apparently plans to grab some grab some quick food, and then to potentially go swimming at the hotel pool as most of us are planning for a bit of an earlier night, as were all fairly exhausted from walking around, talking, shilling podcasts at the booth, and the San Diego heat to do much more this evening.

Naturally, Matt Kelly tried to hit on more girls and invite them to the hotel pool. He struck out again, unfortunately (though he did get a hug out of the deal). But man do I admire his effort.

As we left the convention centre and began walking in the general direction of the hotel, we passed a Hooter’s restaurant. Someone made a joke about going there to eat, and I noted that I’d never been before so I didn’t know anything about the experience. Matt noted that the experience was “feeling like a creep and eating half-assed food,” to which I replied “So a day in the life of Shane O’Hare?”

I miss you, Shane.

We ended up back at Horton Plaza, and I intended to go for another round of Panda Express. It turns out that they were pretty close to closing for the night, they had a bunch of old looking food in the warmers, and they were completely out of Orange Chicken. I quickly exited and went to Steak Escape instead, where I grabbed some sort of Philly Cheese Steak sandwich that also had bacon on it, and Matt was pretty quick to tell me that the sandwich was totally inauthentic. He also said something about how where he’s from, people just order ‘Wit’ and the restaurant knows exactly what they’re talking about. Weird shit.

The hotel pool closed at 10PM, and we made it back to the hotel just before 9:30. The rest of the group opted to head up to the pool for 30 minutes, while I instead opted to finish up a couple of articles (like my thoughts on The Tick Takeover and the WWE Pop-Up Shop, along with the one you’re reading now), and give my fiancé a call now that she’d be finished work for the evening.

Josh and Megan put on some New Japan wrestling (which I’ve never watched before and was actually really cool) and Zack passed the hell out pretty much immediately. It’s 11:30 now, possibly the earliest that I’ve ever turned in on a San Diego Comic-Con evening, and I’m beyond ready to turn in for the evening to do it all again tomorrow.

Yeah, the floor was substantially busier today.

My Overwritten Journey To SDCC 2017: Day 0 – Tooth Pain And Two Planes

by Derek KraneveldtJuly 19, 2017

It’s been a rough few days leading up to what (hopefully) amounts to an incredible time down in ‘murica.

Last week, I dealt with several days of fairly excruciating mouth pain before finally accepting that it wasn’t going to go away and making an emergency dental visit. Turns out that I had a pretty serious infection in one of my lower molars, and that it was going to require a root canal asap or I would die. Okay, I’m hyperbolizing a little, but it pretty much felt like it.

I’ve avoided the dentist since I moved to Vancouver almost two years ago. Actually, I’ve avoided the dentist for most of my adult life. I’d had a dentist that I didn’t really jive with for most of my childhood, and an extremely painful extraction of a seriously messed up tooth when I was a teenager. Rather than making an adult decision at some point to go for checkups more regularly in an attempt to avoid having any further mouth pain ever again, I chose the way, way easier route and have been like once in the past few years. Then, you go when it hurts, and things turn out way, way worse than if you had just gone regularly in the first place.

So, a week of antibiotics as the (inside of the) tooth was gnarly AF (I’ve never used that unironically before), a Tylenol 3 every few hours that didn’t really seem to alleviate anything ever, seven days of essentially no sleeping due to some of the most constant, uncomfortable pain that I’d ever felt, and a week at my customer facing basic technical support day job made nearly unbearable due to the. constant. forever. throbbing. pain

Two days ago (It’s Tuesday as I write this on my flight down to San Diego, a few days later than I typically travel), part of a root canal happened. The experience began feeling like a typical filling — I wasn’t feeling much due to freezing, naturally, but I was still pretty grossed out because dental offices have a very distinct weird smell and I totally hate the feeling of breathing in that constant, white cloud of dust that just seconds ago was a part of your teeth.

That was cool for awhile (as cool as a high-pitched drilling in your mouth can be, and I thought that things weren’t too bad. Then, in a freaking instant it turned into the worst, sharpest, most excruciating pain of my life. My entire body began radiating heat, I could feel an instant stream of sweat begin to run down my back, and for a time, I was legitimately close to vomiting and had a pretty tough time controlling my breathing.

I never thought that I’d write so many words about dental work… damn.

To cut it short, I’m on a plane to San Diego with a tooth jammed full of cotton that’s been soaked in some sort of medication to hopefully cull the infection that’s still inside of it. I’m on another week of antibiotics, again as it was so infected that the first run didn’t bring it down enough (they kept saying that it was a very ‘hot’ tooth like it was impressive or something), and I can pretty much only eat soft food for the next week because there’s a thin, temporary filling overtop of said cotton, it’s pretty brittle, and if it breaks at any point over the next five days I’ll be far, far worse off financially than I already am because now I’m in the United States instead of Canada.

Approaching my first flight substantially later than I should have boarded it.

Also as this plane continues to ascend, the work in progress tooth keeps giving me a weird, popping feeling, and I’m fucking terrified that the incredible freaking pain that I experienced in the chair on Sunday is going to return. In which case it’s going to be a long, long two hour flight.

Update: Plane landed, pain did not return. Woo.

A two hour flight that I nearly missed, to boot.

I needed to make the flight down to San Diego later in the day, as I can’t take a lot of time off of work, and needed to get a shift in before flying out (otherwise I’d have been flying out tomorrow morning which would have led to even less time with the Geekscape family. I near-sprinted from work to grab the train to the airport (my lovely fiancé surprised my outside the train station with some delicious snacks for the plane, it was a super nice surprise). Usually I fly directly from Vancouver to Los Angeles, and don’t need to worry about connecting flights, so delays (there have been plenty of those over the years) don’t really matter. This year, my journey takes me from Vancouver to Portland, and then from Portland to San Diego. Somehow I booked a connected flight on Expedia with about 40 minutes between legs, and then, naturally my first flight was delayed by about 25 minutes.

As I mentioned above, I’m on the flight to San Diego, so obviously I made it. This success definitely involved sprinting through the PDX airport, and I’m pretty sure that I kicked over the luggage of a small child as I tried to make it to the gate before cutoff. I’m Canadian, so of course I apologized profusely (and I meant it too, it was a pretty cool looking bag).

I planned to catch up on some Netflix during the flight (after finishing this week’s pre-SDCC Geekscape episode featuring Matt Kelly) – I queued up a few episodes of Adi Shankar’s Castlevania series, Netflix Original Documentary Don’t Speak (because I can’t make it a day without watching something that’s related to professional wrestling in some way), and the first episode of The Good Wife. It seems like a pretty freaking random assortment of content in retrospect.

But, as the flight progresses, and as San Diego approaches, I haven’t watched any of it, and I instead find myself becoming more and more nervous for what awaits me when the plane lands. The past ~10 months have been, incomparably, by far, the very worst of my life, and it’s been an inexplicably long time that I haven’t opened up about to essentially anybody, including my Geekscape family. I head to San Diego feeling substantially less close to some of these people that I have been in the past, and substantially less close to a lot of these people than I want to be. For the past 10+ months I’ve been closed off to them, not because I want to be, but because I just feel completely closed off from everything. I hope like hell that I’ll land and it’ll be easy, and at the same time I’m pretty terrified that it won’t be. Hell, overwriting this SDCC ‘diary’ (or journal if I want to be more manly) is more than I’ve opened up to these people in as long as I can remember. I miss these all of these guys a freaking ton.

If you’ve been a regular around these parts, or at least listen to the Geekscape podcast, you may remember last year’s pre-SDCC episode where I revealed on air, weeks before I told any of my friends, most of my family, and pretty much anyone else, that I was going to be a father. I simply can’t go into it (I won’t look cool to the dude next to me if I break down crying on this plane), but it’s a year later and Idon’t have a baby. Instead, I’ve got a little card with some incredibly tiny hand and footprints on it, a little tiny urn that holds about a baby’s worth of ashes, a bunch of extra pounds, and probably some serious depression issues that I’m too scared to talk to anyone about.

And… where do I go from here?

I say that I’m terrified of what happens when I land, but I also don’t think that I’ve been as excited about anything as I am about this in quite some time. I really hope that seeing and hearing these people again is the start of an upturn to my personal stock after a long and significant decline. I’ll be in San Diego for five days, with people that I love, doing what I’ve loved doing for years, surrounded by incredible events, installations, people I admire, and a week-long yearly culture that’s almost indescribable to people that haven’t experienced. It’s freaking San Diego Comic-Con, and it’s freaking hours away at this point.

Looking back on previous conventions, it’s hard as hell to remember who you see, what you do, and the experiences that you have each day. On top of standard news and event coverage, this year I want to get a little more personal, so I plan on doing a piece like this each day to chronicle everything that I’m experiencing. Shit got real on this ever darkening plane (the sun is setting now and the dude near the lights hasn’t turned any of them on), and I anticipate that further pieces will be much shorter, easier reads and will mostly just chronicle the cool shit that I’m seeing and doing.

In any case, if you made it this far, thanks.

Update: Plane landed and I almost forgot my iPad Pro on it. Big thanks to the lady that told me it was still under the seat.

Matt and I grabbed Subway at like midnight. Subway in America has much, much more meat on it than it does in Canada, and for less money. I’m moving to America.

Also, Matt Kelly got out of bed to come with me. We had a good chat and he’s a super supportive guy.

Lots of laughs so far, I’m glad that I’m here.

We Recap The First Ever East L.A. Comic-Con!

by Melissa SanchezMay 25, 2017

It was 11:06am and already 92 degrees out as a horde of people wrapped around the corner of Cesar Chavez Ave. on a Saturday morning. To most passerbys, one would assume the line was for some sort of event a neighboring church was having, but in fact the crowd of both young and old were in line to enter the first ever East LA Comic Con.

An idea in works for well over a year from Peter J. Mellini, the owner of Nostalgic Books and Comics in San Gabriel Valley, this event was meant to showcase the talent and culture of the community of East Los Angeles. With well known cons like SDCC and WonderCon, and smaller cons popping up every day it seems, what makes East LA Comic-Con any different? Boasting a large Latino demographic in East LA, this freshman convention aimed to spotlight the vendors and talent, as well as bring out the attendees that make up a fair portion of this community. Represented were your expected comic book vendors, local artists, a few rare sellers of collectibles and something that is not common at most comic conventions, a modest Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling) presence.

There were three rooms attendees could enter to visit vendors; two small narrow rooms and one larger more spacious square room. For someone in a wheelchair like myself, it was difficult to navigate especially because some areas had steps which made my browsing limited. I often found myself very sardine-like (but to be honest we all feel this way at every con, right?!) or head on with a stroller trying to make my way through the aisles. While most of the staff and attendees were polite, I don’t think much thought and preparation was put into accessibility and crowd control. The event capped after I was let in and people had to wait until others exited before more could be allowed entrance. I’m not sure was the capacity for El Gallo Plaza where the event was held is, but I heard well over 3,000 people showed up for the free event throughout the day.

The artwork and merchandise itself as stated before was not typical of what you would see at most comic conventions. Very heavily Latino influenced, one could find anything from a print of Darth Vader in a Zoot Suit to Frida Kahlo drawn as a Chola caricature. Holding a presence at the convention was Lil’ Libros, a company who sells bilingual children’s books with tales of infamous Latino icons like Zapata, Frida Kahlo and La Llorona. A big hit though were cosplayers Monkey Monsters Cosplay, aka Han Cholo, Princess Loca and Artudito. The family is infamous for their Star Wars cosplay with a Cholo twist. As for general cosplaying, I didn’t see many when I was there, but I did spot a Wreck-It-Ralph, Pikachu, Deadpool and a Ghostbuster. Though definitely a unique experience, I also would have liked to seen more variety. All in all it took me less than 45 mins to go through the whole convention, and I took my time!

I give East LA Comic Con an “A” for effort, the intent was there but it lacked tangibility. Again the addition of more vendors and panels would have strengthened this — I know a lot of vendors and artists were turned away because of space, which is understandable, but the amount present felt a little underwhelming. Panels were announced to have taken place during the day but were cancelled last minute, which would have been a nice and interesting atmosphere. A bigger space and accessibility next year is a necessity and an actual vendor list and booth/table numbers would have been helpful instead of just randomly stumbling across vendors.

For first time convention goers I do think this was a great small community based event to attend, especially for those who know nothing about this world; and making it free is guaranteed to draw in more curious minds which is a smart play on Mr. Mellini’s part. But for experienced con goers like myself I felt the event was a bit lackluster and can only hope they learn from this year and make next year better by moving it to a bigger space and including more diversity. And if we’re lucky, maybe Geekscape’s own El Chucho will make an appearance at next year’s con!

I Am Everywhere: ‘The Walking Dead’s Next Season Gets A Negan-Filled Trailer!

by Derek KraneveldtSeptember 15, 2016

Briefly: It’s almost time!

Well, we still have just over a month of waiting before last season’s cliffhanger is finally solved (who. did. he. kill?), but AMC has just debuted an exciting new teaser for next month’s premiere.

It’s pretty much all Negan, and he’s pretty much all bad-ass.

Take a look at the teaser below, and be sure to let us know who’s dead!

SDCC 2016: Hands-On With ‘ReCore’!

by The_aczAugust 11, 2016

ReCore has been a mysterious game. Ever since it’s initial trailer over a year ago, many people have been scratching their heads wondering just what kind of game this is. It seemed to just come out of nowhere with big names like Keji Inafune and Armature Games, a studio comprised of former Retro Studios employees.

I got the chance to try the game out during Comic Con, and aside from some of the technical problems, ReCore feels more like a Mega Man game than Mighty No.9 does (which is weird seeing as how Inafune worked on both projects.). The game feels like a great balance between classic Mega Man and Metroid Prime. What about it makes it fun though?

Gameplay in ReCore is split into 2 sections, platforming and combat. Both styles are fun, but the platforming sections in the game were very well done. Most of the platforming will have you jumping from platform to platform in order to open doors, flip switches, or complete puzzles. Movement feels very nice, especially the jumping since you can double jump and then transition into a dash hover. While easy, this makes most of the platforming fast and fun.

Puzzles are also really well implemented. While only a handful in the demo, most of the puzzles centered around using one of your robot companions, a spider named Seth. With him, you can grapple onto slopes and platforms that you normally couldn’t. While he does move automatically, it feels really satisfying when you’re able to pull off one continuously long grapple move. This is only one of the different ways that your robot allies can be used (more on that in a bit.).

Let’s talk a bit about combat. This is where the similarities to Mega Man come into play. In the demo, there were 3 different kinds of enemies and 4 different bullets. The plain bullets feel a bit un-necessary most of the time since they did the weakest amount of damage. The main reason for this is because most of the enemies are color coded which means that they’ll take more damage if hit with the correct colored bullet.

While it does sound a bit tedious, switching bullets is instantaneous with the help of the D-pad. You can also charge up a shot by holding a fire button which is what you’ll probably want to use most of the time since that does the most damage, but you will have to wait for the ammo bar to recharge afterwards.

The other part of Combat is also taking advantage of your robot allies. The demo contains 2 of the allies, Mack the Dog, and Seth the Spider. Only one can be summoned at a time, but you can command them to attack and retreat whenever you want, so if you’re a strategic type of person when it comes to combat, then you’ll have plenty of fun with this game.

Now for all the good that the game has, there are some things that concern me. While the combat system right now is fine, it could really use some tweaking as it still feels a bit stiff. Perhaps a dodge roll would help the combat flow better. The game also seemed to have some pretty bad frame rate issues throughout the demo. They didn’t happen all the time, but they were often enough to be a problem. This mostly concerns me seeing as how the games release is a little over a month away, so hopefully they fix it up by then.

In the end, ReCore is a very compelling game with some great ideas, but is hampered by some pretty inconsistent performance issues that could really bring down the whole experience if not fixed. What Inafune and Armature have here really is something special, and I can’t wait to try out the rest of it. ReCore will release on September 13th for Xbox One and Windows 10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnKT9ZCGgBE

SDCC 2016: Hands-On With ‘Pac-Man Championship Edition 2’!

by The_aczAugust 10, 2016

Comic con may have ended almost a month ago already, but that won’t stop us here on the site from posting more about it!

While attending preview night, I had the pleasure of getting to try out Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 which had been announced earlier that same day. For those not in the know, Pac-Man Championship Edition was a very popular downloadable title for XBLA, PSN, and Steam back in 2007. it became so popular and well known that the game even received an upgraded version 3 year later with Championship Edition DX which added more mazes, ghosts, modes, and more!

From what I got to play so far, I can easily say that Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 has added and changed up so much stuff, but yet, still feels just as fun and familiar as it did 6 years ago. The gameplay is simple, traverse through a maze for about 5 minutes trying to eat as many pellets, fruit, and ghosts as you can. In the demo I played they introduced a brand new mechanic to the game, bounce pads.

While it may seem a bit of a small addition on the outside, these bounce pads really change up the game. Running onto one will propel Pac-Man in an arc to a corresponding bounce pad. In fact, a lot of the pellet trails will have you weaving in and out of the bounce pads as you flawlessly dodge ghosts. Speaking of ghosts, they’ve gotten quite the change.

Now, the main ghosts still act as they do. You hit them you die, but, the surrounding ghosts have changed quite a bit. The secondary/side ghosts are now a bit more transparent and actually don’t kill you. Instead, they’ll attach themselves to the main ghosts and follow you from there. You can also bump into the ghost line to make the ghost bigger. There are also some really cool instances this time around where if you eat a long ghost trail after getting a power pellet, the game will show a dynamic camera angle of Pac-Man absolutely destroying the ghosts, and it’s just as satisfying as it sounds.

Overall, from what little time I had with it, I was very impressed by how much similar, but different Championship Edition 2 really is. The best part is that the release of the game is only about a month away! The game will launch in the U.S on September 13th 2016 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Were you able to try out the game at Comic Con? What are your thoughts? Tell us in the comments below!

SDCC 2016: From Pac-man To Mario Panel Recap!

by The_aczAugust 3, 2016

As mentioned earlier today in my interview with him, Pat Contri (Pat the NES Punk) hosted his first ever comic con panel this year, and he even brought some guests along.

The panel consisted of Pat himself, His friend Ian Ferguson, James Rolfe (Angry Video Game Nerd), Andre Meadows (Black Nerd Comedy), and Pixel Dan. Overall, a nice well rounded group of people to give an abridged version, but fun take on the history of video games. They even had a great turnout as they completely packed the room and even had to turn away some people (whoa!, that’s crazy).

The start of the panel didn’t necessarily start where most people expected it to. While most VG history articles, videos, etc usually like starting around the Atari era, Pat & co. decided to take a different approach and start at the very VERY beginning of games. They talked about how Ralph Baer (may he rest in peace) and how he is one of the most important and commonly overlooked influencer who helped get games where they are today. They also touched upon the creation of Pong, the rise of the pong consoles, and of course the age of Atari. They even had a really fun video that talked all about the fall of Atari and the infamous video game crash of 1983.

Next, they went on to talk about the Nintendo age and how they single handedly saved the market in the U.S from becoming completely dead and obsolete. After that, they went on to talk about the console wars and their own personal experiences growing up with either Nintendo or Sega, and how people around them acted. Then they talked a bit about the mid to late 90’s with the introduction of the PlayStation , rise of PC gaming, and how it was to see Atari and Sega finally drop out of the console war.

Finally, they talked about the present day and the rise of retro games and nostalgia. They talked about how surreal it was to see something like the NES Mini coming out and how a lot of indie games like Shovel Knight are very much inspired by the developers having that nostalgia for playing those kinds of games when they were younger. After that they took a quick Q&A, and just like that, the panel was over. GAME OVER (I’m so sorry, please forgive me.) There was this really cool guy that came dressed up as a Tiger Electronic though.

20160724_154949 — Man, I really need to get a better phone. These photos are pretty blurry.

What do you think of the panel? Where you there for it? Did you enjoy it? Tell us in the comments below!

SDCC 2016: Talking Retro Games With Pat The NES Punk!

by The_aczAugust 3, 2016

On the last day of Comic Con, I had the chance to attend a history of retro video games panel (more on that later.) The main host of the panel was Pat Contri, A retro game collector and reviewer on YouTube who usually goes by the online name Pat the NES Punk. I had the opportunity to quickly talk with Pat about his panel, his new NES guide book coming out, and more. Check it Out!

Buy Pat’s Book!: Click here
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Check out our recap of Pat’s Panel!: Click Here

SDCC 2016: ‘The Magicians’ Panel Recap

by Kari LaneAugust 2, 2016

Season 1 of The Magicians ended with a jaw dropping cliff hanger, but fans were able to learn more about the highly anticipated season 2 at Comic-Con and catch a glimpse of what is to come. You can watch all of season 1 on Syfy.com

Sera Gamble, one of the writers, said of the main characters, “…they will all be back in one form or another.” If you have seen the season 1 finale, you know this statement can fill you with hope and dread at the same time.

Lev Grossman (the author of The Magicians books) moderated the panel and asked Gamble how the show got started. Gamble replied that it was actually Amazon that recommended his books to her. John McNamara, another writer for the show, commented, “I read it and it blew my mind.” He went on to say, “The scariest things in there are not the monsters but what people do to each other.” McNamara and Gamble then optioned the book with their own money to get the show started.

Grossman posed an interesting question to the actors on the panel, “Which of you auditioned for a different part?” Olivia Dudley, who plays Alice, said she auditioned for the role of Julia while Jade Tailor, who plays Julia, auditioned for Margo. Hale Appleman said he auditioned for Penny and said, “I would not have made a good Penny.” It is amusing to think of what the show would have been like if the actors ended up playing the roles they originally auditioned for.

Stella Maeve answered the question of what is the “hardest thing to do for your character” by saying, “For Julia, everything. These characters are flawed…hart to get into it.” She went on to say how it was difficult because many times she would not agree with her character and what she does. Summer Bishil felt it was, “grounding the hilarity between Margo and Elliot.” She added the writing helped and she focused on staying true to the script. Arjun Gupta, Penny, revealed, “taking Penny to a place where he was at a point of almost suicide.” Rick Worthy, Dean Fogg, humorously added, “In the pilot, initially I thought I died….Long story short…they found a brilliant way to keep me around.” Dudley talked about the physicality of Alice and how that affects her character. This was the “first time I got to play a character where everything is on the inside.” Before every take, she tenses up to remind herself that Alice holds it all in. Speaking of Alice, if you were wondering how drinking that “god spunk” was, she was able to make it herself and it was lychee. Jason Ralph, Quentin, rounded off the group saying it is challenging for him that his character thinks so fast.

Remember that Talor Swift song? Who could forget that magical dance number? Guess how much they paid for the rights to the song….$50,000! McNamara said that “the guy who wrote the check said, ‘Can we agree that we will never do this again?'” Ralph loved it though because “I got to be a pop star for the day”.

Maeve thinks that the fun thing about the books and the show is that they are “not afraid to make fun of themselves.”

Dudley went on to say, “We get to go to these worlds and comment on them, like a human”. That grounds the show because weird things happen and the characters actually acknowledge the strangeness. It is like they say what you the viewer are thinking.

Grossman asked, “What prop or wardrobe item from the show would you steal?” Worthy wants the dean’s office because there is “a lot of cool stuff in there.” He also likes the dean’s wardrobe and he loves the dean’s glasses! Bishil, just like Summer would say, “I would steal my stripper heels.” Appleman would “probably steal all of Eliot’s clothes and the Physical Kids’ house.” Dudley and Ralphy actually took home items! Dudley confessed she took home Alice’s glasses but “I brought them back.” Ralph took a jacket because it fit so well.

It is easy to wonder how similar actors are to their characters. Sometimes the line between actor and character blur. Gupta admitted, “So many times I have called people by their character names.” In thinking about how he is like Penny, Gupta said, “I would like to think I am a lot nicer than Penny but I don’t know if people think that.” Grossman the authority on the subject, said, “Olivia, you are the most like Alice”.

When asked what magical ability he would choose Ralph replied, “If you go by the rules of this world, you don’t just have one power. You’re a magician…you can just study a lot.” Grossman quickly replied that maybe Ralph is most like his character. Bishil shocked the panel by saying she would like to “turn poop into gold. It’s a daily thing…a lot of gold.” Ah Margo. The crowd loved her power choice.

There was a question from the audience about the spell casting and if it is choreographed. The action is described in the book, and serendipitously the finger tutting phenomenon happened right when they started making the show. It is rather cool to watch the character cast spells. Yes, they do have a choreographer.

Ralph was asked to pick between Olivia and Julia but he would not, though he had a nice response saying, “They both had specific times in his life.”

Gupta and Tailor are happy they are more in the show than in the books when asked what they like with the adaptation of the books.

For those wondering about the time loops, Gamble said, “I wouldn’t count out going back and looking at other time loops.”

Yes, we will find out why Elliot has two books. Not really a spoiler but makes a whole lot more sense after you have seen the show.

Ralph and Gupta were asked about their character’s relationship and Ralph feels they are “similar souls on a different path.” They are foil characters but they both want the same thing, magic.

If you wonder about how the show follows the books, Gamble explained, “We see the big plot points as spots on a map, and maybe we get there a different way than Lev and the book.”

If you aren’t already excited for season 2, they will have a centaur!

Here is a fun behind the scenes look at what is coming in season 2!

Also, here is the exclusive first scene of next season that they premiered at Comic-Con!

SDCC 2016: Geekscape Interviews ‘Injustice 2’ Director Ed Boon!

by J.C. MarquezAugust 2, 2016

Moments before the Injustice 2 development team took the stage at San Diego Comic-Con to reveal more details about the highly-anticipated fighting game, Geekscape managed to sit down with the game’s director Ed Boon to get answers to many of the fans’ burning questions. The Injustice 2 Director is quickly asked what new changes and/or features will be coming.

The next question brought to the table asked how much of an influence does the current run of DC films and television shows (Green Arrow, Flash, and Supergirl) have on the development of the game in terms of move sets and costumes.

Ed Boon wasn’t willing to specify just what those things were that would be ‘cool in a game’, so he was then asked if any studios have come to him personally about adding a specific scene from classic DC films or animated shows.

Speaking of DC shows, Katie Cassidy, who portrays Black Canary on Green Arrow, posted this now deleted image on her Instagram account back on May which carried the tagline “The process of game making! Freakin awesome!!”

kcbc — Does this tease a Black Canary entry in Injustice 2? If so, does that mean we can expect characters and skins from other DC shows and films?

Fans speculated that due to the elaborate motion capture camera setup, coupled with the familiar fighting stance she’s in, that Black Canary will ultimately be included in Injustice 2.

No clear ‘yes’ or ‘no’ was given, but it would be difficult to imagine–due to the popularity of Green Arrow, Supergirl, and Flash–that characters and/or skins from those shows fail to make it into the game as either in-game unlockables or future DLC packs–which brings us to the next obvious question: are there plans for DLC packs upon release?

For those familiar with games like Destiny, the loot system can be either kind or cruel. Before players begin to panic over the prospect of a loot system which mimicks the aforementioned game, the gear system will more than likely mirror the one found in the Injustice game for Apple and Android. The mobile incarnation of the game allowed players to use in-game currency or actual cash to open digital card packs which awarded the player new DC characters and gear pieces to improve them.

No word was mentioned over how one acquires gear pieces or the chances of landing a rare item. The conversation then moves to whether or not there were any features or characters NetherRealm wanted to include in Injustice: Gods Among Us, but due to time and/or budget constraints they were unable to do so.

At the time of this writing, the only members of the original Injustice roster making a return to Injustice 2 are Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman. The complete Injustice: God Among Us roster (including all DLC packs) featured a total of 30 playable characters.

Going by what Ed Boon confirmed in that half of the Injustice: Gods Among Us roster will return, that means only 11 of the remaining 26 characters will make it to Injustice 2. Who those characters will be is anyone’s guess.

Ed Boon was asked what he feels is the team’s greatest accomplishment in terms of translating a character from the comics to the video game.

When asked about the chances of seeing Injustice as a full-length feature film:

I was curious and asked if any actors from the current crop of DC shows and movies have approached Ed Boon in an attempt to get their character in Injustice 2.

Injustice 2 is scheduled for release next year.

Be sure to keep it locked onto Geekscape this week as we have interviews with Phil Lamar (Aquaman) and Laura Bailey (Supergirl) coming out this Wednesday and Thursday!

SDCC 2016: ‘The Expanse’ Panel Recap

by Kari LaneJuly 29, 2016

The Expanse panel at Comic-Con was held in the Indigo Ballroom which was full of enthusiastic fans for this new series. The Syfy channel series is based on the books by James S. A. Corey (the pen name used by the collaborators Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) and has had numerous articles sing its praise. Currently, five of the nine episodes are available to watch on Syfy.com and the entire season is available for purchase on Amazon Prime. If you have not checked out this series and you enjoy realistic sci-fi, drama, intriguing stories, an ethnically diverse cast and a gritty mystery, you need to go watch it now!

Adam Savage (best known for Mythbusters) moderated the panel. He opened by saying The Expanse is his “new favorite show” because it is real science. In this future, technology has not made everything perfect, and getting around the galaxy is a difficult journey. Also, Naren Shankar (executive producer) pointed out in this show, space and space flight were made to be a character. If you have watched the show, you will know they succeeded.

The Expanse has received a lot of recognition for its talented and ethnically diverse cast. Cas Anvar, who plays Alex, a Pakistani pilot with a Texan accent said, “That’s the beautiful part of the show…it doesn’t have racism. It has planetism.” Savage added that his wife was surprised to see what Anvar looks like after just hearing his Southern accent in the other room. In terms of diversification, actress Shohreh Aghdashloo said, “This is the best show I have ever been on” and actress Dominique Tipper said “same”.

The character of Joe Miller, played by Thomas Jane, gives the narrative a film noir feel. He is a detective on the Belt (the area relatively stuck between Earth and Mars) and he stumbles upon a missing person case that he cannot leave alone. Jane added that he feels he looks like the rat from Ratatouille that has drowned, which is a fair description because his character goes through quite an ordeal. Mark Fergus, one of the show’s creators and writers commented that, “Miller is like the uncle that won’t leave.” Jane pointed out that his character, Miller, “feels like an outsider but wanted to hang with these people.”

In regards to the special effects on the show, Shankar said they were not necessarily limited by what they could do but rather, “Your ambitions expand to what you have available.” This is not a show where there are crazy effects in the characters’ daily lives per se (there are definitely some amazing visuals though) because it is grittier and Fergus points out that you, “…get all the dramatic stuff back that has been lost with technology.” The characters are the focus, not the tech because the tech is commonplace to the characters (like a cell phone today).

Savage asked Dominique Tipper, who plays Naoimi (a woman who can hold her own against any man), “Does Naoimi bring out your inner badass?” Tipper replied “no” because it is part of who she is. However, she added (with her British accent) that when she watches the show at home sipping tea, and she will think about her character, “Wow that was a bit harsh”. When the cast was asked if they are like their characters, all of them chimed in saying that they are rather similar to their characters. Tipper cut in though saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I am absolute fucking delight to be around!”

One of the many complex characters on the show is Avasarala, played by Shohreh Aghdashloo, and she explained her character’s motives by saying that, “she had dedicated herself to her mission – Earth must come first” and that she wants to “make it a better place for our children’s children.” She went on to say this was the first time a character surprised her. Aghdashloo was asked by Savage, “How is it to be a female actress and get to say a lot of bad stuff?” She replied, “I am having a blast to be honest with you. I say a lot in the second season. What I love about this character is that she does not shy away from the truth.” One of the questions from the audience touched upon how brutal Avasarala is in the pilot and how that is different from the books. Fergus mentioned how they did not want the character to “be just an administrator. She has to get her hands dirty” and, in the pilot episode, that was an quick way to show her character and make you interested to know more.

One of the emerging leaders is Holden, played by Steven Strait, but unfortunately Holden is a bit of a slacker. Strait explained, “The more responsibility he has, it chips away at him…He refuses to pick a side and he becomes more gray. He can’t work only in black and white. By the end of season two, you will find he is a very different character from season one.” One problem with Holden is that he is a bit distant and hard to connect with. Strait elaborated on how they tried to make his character relatable by saying that they “…wanted to keep Holden’s journey as realistic as possible…want to show him struggle with each level of responsibility that he takes on. He struggles a lot through it but that shows his humanity.”

Though The Expanse is based on a book series, Shankar commented that they “…are doing a unique adaptation” because they are staying true to the books. They are also incorporating the novellas and they will “change the timelines a little”, but the “authors keep them on track.” It sounds like a rather symbiotic relationship where both parties are working together and figuring out what works best for their medium.

One of the teasers but not really a spoiler for season 2 is that we will see more of the Mars perspective and we will see it right at the beginning of the season!

Here is a fun video they screened about what it takes to act on this show!

https://youtu.be/T36JADaJh58

Check out the trailer for season 2

https://youtu.be/3gj8tRaFIfs

SDCC 2016: ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ Panel Recap!

by jake108July 29, 2016

The Legends of Tomorrow panel got off to a great start. Of course, having Supergirl as a lead-in helped too. Check out some of the panelists entry!

https://twitter.com/jake_108/status/758134640800518144

After everyone got out to the stage, the panel began showing exactly what we all wanted to see: A Season 2 Sizzle Reel. Check it out below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUrbrdZj-I4

As you saw from the trailer, the Legends seem to be taking on some people who are running rampant through time, taking advantage everything and everyone throughout time. Without the Time Masters in place to regulate who does what via time travel, it’s up to Rip Hunter and his crew to do the regulating themselves. However, let’s not forget what the ultimate endgame was for the Time Masters. Back in season one, it was revealed that the only reason why the Time Masters were working with Vandal Savage was to ensure the survival of humanity as a species. To them, it was the lesser of two evils in dealing with Savage. At some point in the future, a Thanagarian invasion will be launched at Earth, and Savage’s army won’t be there to stop them. In case you’ve forgotten what a Thanagarian is, well, it’s the species in which Hawkman and Hawkgirl received their powers from via that crashed meteor in ancient Egypt. Now, back to season 2.

As you saw from the trailer, we’ll be seeing some villains that we recognize from other DCTV properties, namely Damian Darhk. Darhk was a great villain in Arrow, he just wasn’t handled very well. His supernatural abilities will definitely play a integral part in the formation of the Legion of Doom. The Legion of Doom reveal was one of the best DCTV reveals at this year’s Comic-Con. The roster of this team of super-villians includes, Damian Darhk, Eobard Thawne aka The Reverse-Flash, Captain Cold, Malcolm Merlyn, and more. In the comics, the roster is constantly in flux depending on what arc they’re involved in. Still, this Legion of Doom is bound to be pretty awesome with the likes of Reverse-Flash, Captain Cold, and Malcolm Merlyn all working together.

Aside from the Legion of Doom reveal, we also got some news in who’s going to be appearing as part of the Justice Society of America. Citizen Steel, Dr. Mid-Nite, Stargirl, Obsidian, Commander Steel, Vixen, and Hourman are members of the JSA, but I’m sure Berlanti and his crew have a few more in store for us. If I had to create a brief wishlist for who I wanted to appear in the JSA, the two first names out of my mouth would be Jay Garrick and Alan Scott, the Green Lantern. Regardless, all this is shaping up to be great.

To wrap up, there was no mention of how Flashpoint would be changing anything in Legends of Tomorrow. Since we learned last season that time is constantly in flux, there’s really no telling on how minimal Flashpoint could be for the Legends crew if they’re way out in the future or a hundred years in the past. Still, Eobard Thawne has to get out of his cage at some point. Among the last reveals, we learned that we’ll be seeing Mayor Oliver Queen within the first few minutes of the Legends of Tomorrow season 2 premier. We’ll also be seeing some tension between Mick and Vixen, as Mick gets more aggressive now that he’s out of the shadow of Captain Cold. A love interest for Sara Lance is rumored, but not confirmed. Last, but not least, we’ll be seeing a pretty big twist involving Rip Hunter sometime before the midseason break. Can’t wait to see what is!

https://twitter.com/jake_108/status/756997100458512384

Legends of Tomorrow returns this October!

SDCC 2016: ‘Gears of War 4’ Panel Recap!

by jake108July 28, 2016

Gears of War is a franchise that is almost as synonymous with the Xbox brand as Halo. So when Gears of War 4 was scheduled to have a panel at this year’s SDCC, I had to go!

First off, the panel showed off the customized Xbox One S. The console features the deepest etching ever done on a console, which does add some incredible detail. The console itself will feature some sound effects, similar to themed consoles in the past. It was also announced that buying the console will also net you some exclusive in-game content. Die hard Gears fans will want this console, but I can also imagine some fans gauging their own interest for a console that’ll set them back over $450.

The panel would go on to bring out a surprise guest in John DiMaggio. It was recently revealed that Marcus Fenix would be making a return to the franchise as a father. By the time Gears of War 4 picks up, his son, JD Fenix is already an adult doing adult COG things. The rest of the voice acting talent includes Lauren Bailey, Liam McIntyre, and Eugene Byrd. Side note: Bonus points if you recognize the two last names from a couple of DCTV shows.

In an effort to keep the voice acting as authentic as they could, some scenes involved all four voice actors coming together in one room to act out a scene. These scenes seem to have great emotional impact on the story and sounds like it might tug at our heart strings when the game is released. In another instance, Rod Fergusson himself laid on the floor and had Lauren Bailey step on his face as she recited a line meant for a member of the Swarm.

It was at this point that the panel would announce a fifth character voice actor in Jimmy Smits. Smits will be playing Oscar Diaz in the game. We were shown a snippet of dialogue featuring Diaz, and I must say, I would have never guessed Smits was behind the voice.

We then started to get into gameplay. While Horde 3.0 wasn’t talked about a bunch, it was stated that Horde 3.0 aims to be less tower defense-y and more “scrappy.” I assume this means we’ll have a wider range of tactics at our disposal, more weapons, and a wider area in which we can place sentry turrets. As for the multiplayer, the sawed-off shotgun WILL NOT be in Gears 4.

As the panel drew to a close, we got one final reveal. JD Fenix’s name was used to interrogate Rod Fergusson, causing him to state what the “D” in “JD” stood for. At this point, John DiMaggio and the rest of the panel kept shouting, “What’s the D?!” Eventually, Fergusson broke. JD Fenix’s full name is James Dominic Fenix. His middle name is an obvious nod to Marcus’ fallen partner, Dom.

Finally, one of the more surprising announcements was that Fergusson himself alluded to some talks behind the scenes involving the creation of a Gears of War movie. Nothing was confirmed, but if Gears 4 has a big opening, we can expect to hear more about a potential movie.

That’s all they showed this year, but we can expect some more announcements as the game gets nearer to completion.

SDCC 2016: Zack Snyder Surprises Fans With The First Trailer For ‘Justice League’!

by Derek KraneveldtJuly 23, 2016

Briefly: This we did not expect.

Earlier today in the still-ongoing Warner Bros. panel in Hall H, the studio finally screened the first, impressive trailer for next Summer’s Wonder Woman.

Now, director Zack Snyder himself has debuted the first footage for Justice League.

The trailer re-introduces us to each member of the League, and begins with Ben Affleck’s Batman in search of Aquaman.

The tone looks starkly different than the dark and brooding Batman v. Superman, and offers a much more lighthearted feeling. As one would expect, it’s a gorgeous trailer with a bunch of slow motion… and the oft-questioned ‘The Flash’ effect actually really cool.

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

SDCC 2016: Finally, ‘The Walking Dead’ Season 7 Trailer Is Here!

by Derek KraneveldtJuly 22, 2016

Briefly: Finally, the moment of San Diego Comic-Con that everyone seems to be waiting for.

Nope, not some new Marvel news (that Luke Cage trailer though), some insane exclusive, or the first teaser trailer for some movie that we won’t be seeing for two or three years.

Following the key art from last week, and the Fear the Walking Dead trailer from earlier this morning, AMC has officially debuted the trailer for The Walking Dead’s seventh season during its Comic-Con panel today.

Naturally, the mystery over who met Lucille in the season six cliffhanger has not been solved, and we’ll have to wait until October to find out. During the panel, Kirkman noted that “You’ll see who was at the end of that bat and what happened from there.” And that the Negan’s victim is “beloved to everyone.”

Without further adieu. Here we go:

The Walking Dead returns on Sunday, October 23rd!

SDCC 2016: The ‘American Horror Story: Fearless VR’ Is One Of The Scariest VR Experiences Yet!

by Derek KraneveldtJuly 22, 2016

Briefly: Shane already shared just what you’re in store for if you visit the fantastic FXHibition art installations outside of the Hilton Bayfront at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.

This morning, we returned to the now familiar territory to experience the one attraction that we missed out on yesterday, and it was definitely worth the wait.

We’re talking about the American Horror Story: Fearless VR, an intimate experience that FX didn’t really detail in the press release, didn’t allow us to take photos of, and an experience that was encompassed in a foreboding, plain black silo. Creepy, creepy stuff.

SAN DIEGO, CA - JULY 21: A general view of atmosphere at FXhibition during Comic-Con International 2016 at Hilton Bayfront on July 21, 2016 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for FX) — SAN DIEGO, CA – JULY 21: A general view of atmosphere at FXhibition during Comic-Con International 2016 at Hilton Bayfront on July 21, 2016 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for FX)

If you’re looking to experience the AHS: Fearless VR without spoilers, just know that it’s totally cool, extremely well done, and quite freaking terrifying. I attended the experience with our own Shane O’Hare, and upon completion of the VR, Shane noted that what he had witnessed terrified him, gave him intense feelings of claustrophobia, and that he would not go through it again… after also stating that it was one of the best VR demos he’d experienced thus far.

SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT!

Alright, now that we’ve got that spoiler warning out of the way, let’s talk about just how cool this experience was.

Six people enter the silo at a time, and the experience takes five or six minutes to enter and exit (so you can gauge your place in the sure-to-be-long line). Inside the silo, it’d be hard not to notice the sleek, white walls and semi-translucent ceiling, which all marks a start contrast from the smooth, black ‘bed’ that those in attendance will lay on.

SAN DIEGO, CA - JULY 21: Guests enjjoy the AHS Fearless VR Experience at FXhibition during Comic-Con International 2016 at Hilton Bayfront on July 21, 2016 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for FX) — SAN DIEGO, CA – JULY 21: Guests enjoy the AHS Fearless VR Experience at FXhibition during Comic-Con International 2016 at Hilton Bayfront on July 21, 2016 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for FX)

The FX ‘doctors’ cover you with a white sheet, help you put on your VR headset and headphones, help you become oriented, and once everyone is set up, the experience begins.

Everything is pitch black when an ominous voice warns you that you’re about to experience some of your deepest, darkest fears. The image fades in, you’re looking down towards your feet and laying on a gurney, and at that point it’s painfully obvious that you’re a corpse in some sort of gruesome morgue.

You spend a moment looking around and almost everything is off. The corpse on the gurney beside you has no head, you can see a body on the floor, everything is a Silent Hill level of dirty, you hear flies flying around you. Nothing about this is comfortable, and you quickly feel your skin begin to crawl.

A door opens in front of you, and a silhouette begins to approach. After a moment, she comes in to focus, and it’s the terrifying American Horror Story nun walking towards you, coming inches away from your face before beginning to push your gurney. You’ll notice heads and other body parts in jars as she pushes you down the hallway, and if you turn your head, something that you just saw may no longer be there. The gurney begins to move faster and faster, and you feel your stomach become unsettled due to the high-speed that your brain thinks that you’re moving at.

At this point, things become a little foggy, and I’m not quite sure what order the events take place in.

The nun continues pushing you, and eventually places you in a tiny, claustrophobic as hell cold chamber. It’s extremely dark, and turning your head will only let you see just how enclosed you are. After a moment of extreme silence, your perspective begins to shift and the gurney is suddenly falling into a foggy forest. You hear wildlife calling out, and it’s not long before three hooded figures appear from the fog, and as they approach you it becomes clear that they’re not walking, but floating ever closer.

The figures lift you up with some sort of telekinesis, and then literally burn you at the stake.

A hard cut, and a terrifying clown is standing stationary, just staring at you. It gets closer and closer before finally snapping. He then throws several dangerous objects at you, which are nearly impossible to not attempt to dodge.

The third object hits you in the face, another hard cut, and your gurney is again moving (on its own this time around). You’re now travelling through the halls of the Hotel Cortez. After a moment the ominous voice returns, warning you not to look down. An instant later, and the gurney enters, and begins to fall, down one of the hotel’s many elevator shafts. Though you’re stationary, you feel your stomach churn as you freefall down the shaft, gurney turning and flipping as it hits the walls.

You think that this must be it, but then the elevator races towards you. It stops just long enough for you to see the sharp, metal spikes protruding from its bottom, before it crushes you underneath it.

The ominous voice returns, letting you know that ‘The experience is now over. Please remember that everything you have seen was just a simulation.”

Then the nun comes back for one final jump scare, and the experience ends.

Holy hell that was freaky.

The FXHibition can be found across from the Hilton Bayfront, and is open Friday 10AM – 6PM, Saturday 10AM – 6PM, Sunday 10AM – 4PM.

SDCC 2016: Headed To SDCC? You’ll Definitely Want To Visit VR Con As Well!

by Derek KraneveldtJuly 20, 2016

Briefly: As a huge fan of all of the virtual reality experiences that I’ve had the opportunity to try thus far, and as someone who does not have the computing power to run a virtual reality headset, you better believe that I’m excited to check out VR Con during this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.

VR CON was created to celebrate the boldest and coolest in the exploding areas of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Mediated Reality (MR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Wearable Computing. VR CON, which will travel to cities around North America and beyond, covers entertainment, gaming, education, travel, design and more.

VR CON @ COMIC-CON is Comic-Con International’s officially-sanctioned event that showcases the latest from the leading equipment makers, film studios, television networks, game builders, publishers, brands, designers, influencers and innovators. The event will be held at the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter hotel, which directly faces the San Diego Convention Center, home of Comic-Con International.

An early sneak preview of world renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson’s upcoming game Space Odyssey is expected to be a highlight attraction for attendees. The multiplatform game will allow players to travel through space, build their own spacecraft, and explore the cosmos. The game will include virtual reality missions, available on home and mobile devices – and eventually at museums, space centers, and classrooms.

Here’s a rundown of everything happening at VR Con, which begins tonight (Wednesday, July 20) with a preview day, which includes a media reception in the space from 3-6 p.m. PST, allowing international media and blogging communities a first experience of this premiere event. A public preview follows from 6-9 p.m. on Wednesday, and regular days and hours are: Thursday & Friday (July 21-22) 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; Saturday (July 23) 9 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sunday (July 24) 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

– Thursday – Saturday (July 21-23), VRLIVE, the first VR and 360-degree live-action network, will live stream host Mark Kassen’s interviews planned with Randal Kleiser, Director of Grease and Defrost; Guy Shelmerdine, Catatonic Director Tony Kaye, American History X Director; Andrew Shulkind, VR DOP for The Strain’s Comic-Con VR Experience with Headcase VR; and others leaders in the field.

– Thursday (July 21) panel: “Dent the Future VR” – 2-3pm in the San Diego Convention Center Expo Hall Room 23A-B. This panel expands on the Dent team’s “Building the Holodeck” VR/AR panel from last year, with an update titled “State of the Holodeck.” Panelists scheduled include: Tony Christopher (CEO and President, Landmark Entertainment Group), Mary Jesse (Chief Strategy Officer, ‎VRstudios), Julian Reyes (VR Producer, FUSION), Chanel Summers (Co-Founder, Syndicate 17), Michael Licht (Co-Founder and Creative Director, Emblematic Group), and Mark Murphy (Co-Founder and Creative Director, Neil deGrasse Tyson Presents Space Odyssey).

– Friday (July 22) panel: “Creating Your Own Universe” – 7:30-8:30 p.m. at the San Diego Convention Center, Expo Hall Room 5 A-B. Leading creative voices will discuss the development of a multi-platform universe that engages in the VR and AR spaces as well as the traditional animation and gaming markets. Moderated by Len Wien (co-creator of Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Swamp Thing and Wolverine), the panel also includes Peter Beagle (creator, The Last Unicorn), Bob Rafei (CEO, Red Button Entertainment), Sinclair Fleming (Director or Engineering/VR, Radiant Images), Russell Naftal (Co-Managing Partner, VR Werx), and Mark Murphy. The event will be live streamed by VRLIVE in partnership with Radiant Images (airing via the Comic Con HQ Channel and YouTube360).

– Saturday (July 23) panel: “Creating Universes” – 11:30am-12:30pm at the Horton Grand Theater. Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson hosts an A-List panel of creators, including Len Wein, and Bill Prady (co-creator, writer, executive producer, The Big Bang Theory) who will discuss how universes are formed with the imagination and with science. Renowned artist Rob Prior (Game of Thrones, Star Wars) will provide a live painting exhibition during the panel. VRLIVE will live stream the event.

In addition to Space Odyssey, other projects and developments on display will include:

– Columbia Memorial Space Center – This Los Angeles-area space learning complex will provide space artifacts to complement Space Odyssey.

– Mars 2030 / NASA – Backed with support from NASA, Fusion Media’s Mars 2030 is underscored by a singular mission: do everything possible to make the player feel like they’re actually on Mars. That includes starting with a massive, detailed recreation of an actual part of the planet’s surface.

– Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul in VR – VRWERX previews its “scary as hell” VR attraction based on Paramount Pictures’ movie franchise.

– Time Zombies – VRstudios’ gaming and entertainment division, VRcade, takes players through the dark and ominous streets and back alleys of an abandoned English town in 1910, where Zombies lurk in every corner and hiding place ready to attack.

– Tiltbrush – Tiltbrush is one of the truly cool experiences to emerge in the VR space. Some of the top creators in comics and animation will be playing with this unique tool and sharing their creations on site.

– Pure McCartney – Rock out at a concert by the incomparable Sir Paul McCartney, presented by Jaunt.

– Circle of Life 360 Experience / The Lion King on Broadway – Get enveloped in the world of one of Disney’s epics, by “being” on stage of the hit Broadway musical.

– Defrost – VR series written and directed by Randal Kleiser and featuring Carl Weathers, Bruce Davison and Harry Hamlin. It was shown at the Sundance Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival in 2016.

– New York Times and other VR stories – Experience war in Syria and life in other places in the world through VR stories filmed by Emblematic Group, whose founder Nonny de la Peña has been named the “Godmother of virtual reality” by the Guardian.

– 360 Portal – A unique, immersive, mind-blowing experience utilizing a globe.

– Visions of China – A fully immersive tour of some of the most beautiful and exotic landscapes and venues of this enchanting nation.

– Heavy Metal – The iconic sci-fi/fantasy anthology magazine is expanding across multiple media platforms including immersive entertainment, and will spotlight their upcoming projects including VR/360.

– Phoenix Rising / Captain Power reboot – The 1980s sci-fi TV series Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future is coming back from the past, with the space drama now titled Phoenix Rising.

– Pokemon Go – VR CON is an official Poke Stop, and will be dropping Poke lures throughout the show.

– VR LIVE Studio – Radiant Images and partner VRLIVE, the first VR and 360-degree live-action network, are setting up VR LIVE STUDIO at VR CON, and will live stream host Mark Kassen’s interviews

– Comic-Con HQ Channel – A live-stream from VR CON will be filmed and appear on this new digital channel from Comic-Con International and Lionsgate Studios.

Sounds like an action-packed event. Better block off a whole day for this one.

Are you planning to hit up VR Con while in San Diego this week? Be sure to let us know!