You’re probably already well aware (I mean, it’s not even Sunday yet and we’ve been seeing fantastic commercials releasing in droves including a fantastic Pokemon ad), but Super Bowl 50 is less than two days away!

If you’re anything like me (and if you’re reading Geekscape, you probably are, and I’m sorry)… you have little to no interest in the event. Unless there is booze, that is, and in that case I am VERY interested in it.

So, we at Geekscape have put together our Top 5 favorite alternatives to watching the big game!

5 – Blood Bowl

Blood Bowl Image

Blood Bowl is the Warhammer: Fantasy take on football itself. Set in the mythical land of Warhammer, it pits two players against each other in a turn based game of football. Each player chooses from a selection of fantasy races, naturally with their own advantages and disadvantages. Additionally, players can hire and level up non-fielded characters such as Cheerleaders, Assistant Coaches, and even Healers. All boost the statistics of the players on the field. The best part of the game, is where the actual BLOOD comes into play. It’s not just about moving the ball down the field, its about trying to injure or kill opposing players.

You can play Blood Bowl all old school (on the tabletop itself, painting up figures and sets). OR you can find a digital version of the game on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Google Play, Amazon Store and iOS.

For more information check out the Blood Bowl Fan League!

4 – Online Gaming (Rocket League, CS:GO, League of Legends)

Rockete League Image

Around major events like the Super Bowl and national holidays, the online servers for A LOT of games see their populations dwindle. The casual players get all wrapped up in the festivities, and all that’s left are the die hard players.

If you really want to test your skill in games like Rocket League or CS:GO, then there is no better time than this very Sunday. You can tell your friends and family that you’re practicing for the eSports league, and that they will be watching you play League of Legends on the big screen in a few years…. Hey, a Geek can dream about more than just cartoon ponies, can’t he?

3 – Sports Related Manga

Prince of Tennis Image

Much like the Rule 34 of the internet (my favorite rule, if you’re curious), if it exists, there is a Manga about it. Japanese manga are so ubiquitous that essentially everyone around is able to find something they’re interested in confined to a half-inch thick book.

From titles like Prince of Tennis, King Golf, Hikaru no Go, and Initial D, you are sure to find the book of your fancy.

Check out this list of The Top 50 Sports Related Manga’s from OtakuSmash and be amazed. I never would have dreamed I be interested in fishing manga!

2 – Kaiju Movie Marathon

Godzilla Kaiju Image

If you have no interest in watching a bunch of big guys run around a field and beat each other up for a few hours, then why don’t you watch a bunch of big guys in MONSTER SUITS run around and beat each other up for a few hours!

There are so many to choose from that you don’t even have to limit yourself to just Godzilla and friends! Get some buddies, fire up the Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Torrents (not Torrents) or if you’re a die hard Kaiju fan break out those antique VHS tapes.

For a lighthearted twist on the big monster movie genre, you can snag yourself some episodes of MST3K! Their personal twist on the Gamera films always leave me in stitches.

1 – ACTUALLY WATCH THE GAME!

watching football image

Didn’t see this one coming, did you? I know this may be counter intuitive to what this entire list is about, but actually watch the game! Get some of your friends together, get some bad food and alcohol and enjoy the damned festivities. Even if you’re like me and have ZERO interest in football, there is so much to offer.

The commercials alone should be enough to attract all the Geeks. We have plenty of hilarious commercials that will be the talk of the Twittersphere (or… Facebookverse?) come Monday, and you don’t want to be out of the loop. Keep an eye out for appearances from some internet famous (it’s a thing) people like The Texas Law Hawk and Giorgio Tsoukalos. We will also see plenty of Geeky ones too. The biggest (for us geeks) is the long-awaited Pokemon 20th Anniversary ad. Yeah, we all have already seen it, but seeing it on air is going to be exciting!

Aside from the commercials, of course there is also the legendary Half-Time show. Last years Katy Perry performance literally had me smiling from ear to ear (she always does), and for the last 11 years we’ve all been hoping for another wardrobe malfunction like we had back in 2004.

If you don’t have television, or are a cordcutter don’t fret! There are plenty of free, LEGAL, options to watch the big game. LifeHacker has compiled a giant list, but the easiest is snagging the CBS sports apps on your favorite streaming platform.

SO GEEKS! What are you going to be doing come Sunday? We’d love to hear what everyone has planned!

Join Derek, Josh, Juan and Shane as they discuss the last week in video games!

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This Week:

System Shock 3 information has been leaked.

Things get heavy when we talk about the race to the bottom / free-to-play market.

Final Fantasy VII in game footage released.

Nolan North was so funny at The Game Awards

Value of video games?

Ni No Kuni II announced.

Smash Bros. direct incoming.

Nintendo NX rumours and discussion about Nintendo’s future.

We have a lot of unplayed Steam Games.

CS:GO R8 Revolver and adjusted spray pattern controversy.

Fallout 4.

Yo-Kai Watch.

WWE 2k16.

John Cena!

Listener Mission Objective:

Do you think modern AAA video games are worth $60? More? Less? Why?

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Valve is a company that likes to take risks and innovates in ways other companies don’t. Their inventory and item crafting system for Team Fortress 2 changed how the community interacted. Now it appears that they are doing it again. This time with, trading cards? We got a Press Release from Valve today and it reads:

 

May 15, 2013 — Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Counter-StrikeHalf-Life, Left 4 Dead, Portal, and Team Fortress) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced Steam Trading Cards, a new service that rewards gamers for gaming on Steam.

 

Released in beta today, Steam Trading Cards allows customers to earn Steam rewards for playing the games they love. Those who participate will receive game-specific trading cards that can be collected to earn rewards such as game badges, profile backgrounds, emoticons, coupons, and more.

 

The group of titles participating in the Steam Trading Cards beta includes Don’t Starve, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Team Fortress 2, Portal 2 and Half-Life 2. The service will expand over the coming months to include many more titles on Steam.

Some of the available cards for CS: GO
Some of the available cards for CS: GO

They seem like they are taking what they did with TF2 and bringing it to the entire system. Some of the cards can be obtained just by playing the game while some need to be collected through other means.

The biggest feature that this is bringing is the Badge Crafting. Players can take certain cards they’ve collected and craft them into badges. Badges give the player experience points that level up their Steam Profile. This gives them on gameplay bonuses like avatars, emoticons for chat and more friend slots. The big feature you can get are random rewards. These can range from profile showcases for certain games, background image wallpapers all the way up to free DLC and discount coupons.

For more information on the new cards or to sign up for the beta head on over to the official trading card page.

What I think is going to be the greatest game of 2012, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, gets a launch trailer. No words are needed. You should just watch.

 

This damned source film maker is awesome! Counter Strike: Global Offensive comes out August 21st. I have it preordered…DO YOU?

Today. Today is the day we got the call. To return to our computer rooms. Adjust the lumbar in the chair. Turn the lights down and the blue LEDs up. August 21st is the day  the next game in the LEGENDARY Counter-Strike series ships.

The E3 news machine is running on all cylinders. Valve announced that CS:GO will be released August 21st for $15 on STEAM, PSN and XBLA. Forget Mass Effect 3. Forget Assassins Creed 3. Forget Diablo 3. CS:GO is the only number 3 you will ever need.

Make sure to check out the CS:GO Steam page for more info.