Microsoft teases at Battletoads Return

For this and more make sure you check out IGN.com

During the Windows 10 event at GDC 2015, head of ID@Xbox Chris Charla hinted that there may be a future for the classic game series Battletoads.

While speaking about games being played between Windows 10 devices, Charla revealed that the Battletoads would be making an appearance in the recently-announced Xbox One version of Shovel Knight. He then went on to cryptically say "I wonder when we'll see them next?"

This isn't an official announcement, but several hints in the past have pointed to the possibility that Rare's tough-as-nails brawler could be making a comeback to modern platforms. Xbox head Phil Spencer has noted his fondness for them in the past and even sported a Battletoads t-shirt while presenting at the Windows 10 event earlier this year. Additionally, in November 2014 Microsoft filed a trademark for Battletoads, explaining to IGN that this was done "as part of its [Microsoft's] business strategy," but had no comment beyond that point. .

Microsoft Sutdios' Creative Director Ken Lobb also hinted at the possibility of Battletoads and other Rare franchises making a return in the future, responding to the question with "Yeah, someday."

 

For all of this and more check out IGN.com or IGN News on YouTube! 

'Captain America,' 'The Walking Dead' lead 2015 Saturn Awards nominations

Check out this article from: hitfix.com

It was a good day for Marvel with the release of the 41st annual Saturn Awards nominations (geared toward genre work on the big and small screen). "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" led overall on the film side with 11 nominations, while "Guardians of the Galaxy" picked up nine. Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar" had a strong showing, too, with 10 mentions.

This year's Best Picture Oscar winner "Birdman" popped up four times, including in the Best Fantasy Film Release category where it dukes it out with films like "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" and "Into the Woods."

Somehow Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" is deemed a fantasy film, too, while this is the second group, I believe, that has chalked Paul Thomas Anderson's "Inherent Vice" up as an "action/adventure" film. OK… Additionally, the lack of "John Wick" -- anywhere -- is a significant WTF if you ask me.

On the TV side, it was "The Walking Dead" leading the charge with seven tips of the hat.

Check out the full list of nominees below. Winners will be announced on June 25. (Why not just get it over with sooner?)

And as the film awards season finishes its death throes, remember to relive it all at The Circuit.

Best Comic-to-Film Release
"The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"X-Men: Days of Future Past"

Best Science Fiction Film Release
"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
"Edge of Tomorrow"
"Godzilla"
"The Hunger Games:  Mockingjay - Part 1"
"Interstellar"
"The Zero Theorem"

Best Fantasy Film Release
"Birdman"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
"Into the Woods"
"Maleficent"
"Paddington"

Best Horror Film Release
"Annabelle"
"The Babadook"
"Dracula Untold"
"Horns"
"Only Lovers Left Alive"
"The Purge: Anarchy"

Best Thriller Film Release
"American Sniper"
"The Equalizer"
"Gone Girl"
"The Guest"
"The Imitation Game"
"Nightcrawler"

Best Action/Adventure Film Release
"Exodus: Gods and Kings"
"Inherent Vice"
"Lucy"
"Noah"
"Snowpiercer"
"Unbroken"

Best Actor in a Film
Tom Cruise, "Edge of Tomorrow"
Chris Evans, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
Jake Gyllenhaal, "Nightcrawler"
Michael Keaton, "Birdman"
Matthew McConaughey, "Interstellar"
Chris Pratt, "Guardians of the Galaxy"
Dan Stevens, "The Guest"

Best Actress in a Film
Emily Blunt, "Edge of Tomorrow"
Essie Davis, "The Babadook"
Anne Hathaway, "Interstellar"
Angelina Jolie, "Maleficent"
Jennifer Lawrence, "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1"
Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"

Best Supporting Actor in a Film
Richard Armitage, "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
Josh Brolin, "Inherent Vice"
Samuel L. Jackson, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
Anthony Mackie, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
Andy Serkis, "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

Best Supporting Actress in a Film
Jessica Chastain, "Interstellar"
Scarlett Johansson, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
Evangeline Lily, "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
Rene Russo, "Nightcrawler"
Emma Stone, "Birdman"
Meryl Streep, "Into the Woods"

Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Film
Elle Fanning, "Maleficent"
MacKenzie Foy, "Interstellar"
Chloe Grace Moretz, "The Equalizer"
Tony Revolori, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Kodi Smit-McPhee, "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
Noah Wiseman, "The Babadook"

Best Film Director
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, "Birdman"
James Gunn, "Guardians of the Galaxy"
Doug Liman, "Edge of Tomorrow"
Christopher Nolan, "Interstellar"
Matt Reeves, "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
Bryan Singer, "X-Men: Days of Future Past"

Best Film Writing
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
"Whiplash"

Best Film Editing
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
"Edge of Tomorrow"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"Interstellar"
"Unbroken"

Best Film Production Design
"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"Interstellar"
"Into the Woods"

Best Film Music
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
"Godzilla"
"How to Train Your Dragon 2"
"Interstellar"

Best Film Costume
"Dracula Untold"
"Exodus: Gods and Kings"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"Into the Woods"
"Maleficent"
"X-Men: Days of Future Past"

Best Film Makeup
"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
"Dracula Untold"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
"X-Men: Days of Future Past"

Best Film Special/Visual Effects
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
"Edge of Tomorrow"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
"Interstellar"

Best Independent Film Release
"Grand Piano"
"I, Origins"
"A Most Violent Year"
"The One I Love"
"The Two Faces of January"
"Whiplash"

Best International Film Release
"Bird People"
"Calvary"
"Force Majeure"
"Mood Indigo"
"The Railway Man"
"The Theory of Everything"

Best Animated Film Release
"Big Hero Six"
"The Boxtrolls"
"How to Train Your Dragon 2"
"The LEGO Movie"
"The Wind Rises"

image.jpg


Read more at http://m.hitfix.com/in-contention/captain-america-the-walking-dead-lead-2015-saturn-awards-nominations#uWEIDabPclsoPKqi.99

Blizzard Reiterates Commitment to WoW Subscription Fee

Another post from IGN.com so go check them out for more! 

BY LUKE KARMALI Following today’s news that World of Warcraft players will soon be able to buy game time without spending their real world cash, the MMO’s various detractors are likely to be crowing about the imminent demise of Blizzard’s behemoth. Their glee may be somewhat misplaced however, at least according to lead game designer Ion Hazzikostas.

“I don’t know if I would characterise this as in any way being a move away from WoW being a pure subscription MMO,” he said ahead of the news. “I think it’s just offering more access and flexibility in terms of how those subscriptions are paid. At the end of the day, every player in the game has an active subscription or a month of game time that’s been purchased by them or someone else in order to play the game. It’s just about the dual objective of broadening access and letting people have more flexibility about how they pay while striking a blow against the third-party goldselling market that’s been a blight on the game for such a long period of time."

The main aim of the move then isn’t to test the waters for a full shift to free-to-play in the months ahead, but instead about trying to edge out the more destructive elements of the in-game economy. It’s the lucrativeness of the illicit third-party gold trade trade that sees thousands of accounts hacked every year as those involved look for a quick means to gather gold before selling it on. After floating the idea of the WoW Token late last year to a positive response, Blizzard is now happy to make its plans public.

“We needed to get a sense of whether this is something there’s broad support for among our playerbase,” Hazzikostas explains. “We certainly saw advantages in kerbing the behaviour of illicit goldsellers and the third-party market, we’re well aware of all the negative impact that’s had on players who have their accounts compromised and cleaned out in this never-ending thirst for gold, but we floated it at the end of last year to say we were considering it. We were happy to broadly get a very positive response from a large segment of the playerbase on both sides of the potential transaction, who were excited to make use of this feature and had maybe made use of it in other games, and that kind of steeled our resolve that this was the right move going forward for our game.”

Some may be sceptical about the efficacy of such an approach – after all, Blizzard has spent over a decade trying to eradicate goldsellers from World of Warcraft without much success. Why should the WoW Token succeed where the mysterious Warden Programme, Authenticators and dedicated support staff have failed? According to Hazzikostas, the answer lies in base economic theory. Supply and demand dictates that as long as there’s a demand for gold, players will be willing to bend the rules in order to get at a supply of it without thought for the consequences. The theory, therefore, is that by providing a legal and secure means of getting gold in-game Blizzard can become the major supplier of gold once more, cutting off the need for players to look elsewhere.

“Ultimately, the reality is it’s driven by demand. The gold-selling market wouldn’t exist if there weren’t players looking to do this,” Hazzikostas agrees. “As long as the demand exists, the market will exist and the product will exist. As we’ve seen, the illicit creation of this market has tremendously negative effects on the rest of the game and other players. The majority of the gold that ends up being circulated comes from compromised accounts that were cleaned out, sometimes that have been hacked or botted, and we’re fighting an ongoing war against the supply. But I think offering players a much more secure, legitimate option instead of going to a dodgy third-party site - so you can do it legitimately in-game with no worry of being scammed and also helping out another player on the other end of that transaction – it’s just win-win for everybody.”

Though the WoW Token clearly embraces elements of Eve Online’s PEX system, in reality it’s closer to the C.R.E.D.D. model that debuted in Wildstar. Warcraft showed itself long ago to be an amorphous beast, one capable of critically appraising the greatest strengths of its rivals before finding out how best to incorporate them. It’s a trait that’s enabled the MMO to continue growing while its many competitors fell by the wayside, and Hazzikostas isn’t afraid to acknowledge it keeps Blizzard at the front of the pack.

“I think there’s no question we looked at how C.R.E.D.D. worked out in Wildstar, I mean that’s a game that’s certainly more similar to us and our ecosystem than something like Eve. Eve obviously pioneered this with Plex, but theirs is a very different version and a very different game where you can have your spaceship destroyed and lose your Plex and it’s an economy and a world that’s much more driven by money and in-game currency as a direct analogue for power.

“[In WoW] while more gold is useful, it’s not the same lifeblood it is in other games. But looking at how it worked out elsewhere certainly gave us confidence that this was the right way to go.

“I’m certainly not going to object to a characterisation of us as a group that’s willing to adapt and evolve and move with the times because I think we totally do. We’re also looking to improve upon the experience and the features that are out there.”

 Pricing isn’t final yet but, as each Token offers 30 days of game time, it makes sense that it’ll be around as much as a month’s subscription. Despite Hazzikostas’ protestations over this not marking a shift towards free-to-play, it’s still an incredibly significant day in Warcraft’s history. For the first time ever you’ll soon be able to play all the game without purchasing a subscription using real world cash. After a lengthy period of stagnation, the MMO business model is finally changing with even the big dogs finally starting to embrace new forms. Where we go from here is anyone’s guess.

Again for more info from Blizzard and World of Warcraft check out IGN.com

Suicide Squad Movie: Jared Leto's Hairdo?

Taking blurps from the recent post up at IGN.com, David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) and Jared Leto (@JaredLeto) shared an entertaining back and forth on Twitter. Of course this isn't big Suicide Squad movie news but still entertaining none the less. Suicide Squad starts filming next month in Toronto.

Here is their Twitter exchange: 

           Something will happen tomorrow. #skwad

          - David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) 

 

          TICK TOCK . . .

image.jpg

          - Jared Leto (@JaredLeto)

          Should we? #SuicideSquad

image.jpg

​          - David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies)

image.jpg

           - David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies)

 

 

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

Leonard Nimoy, Spock of ‘Star Trek,’ Dies at 83

Taken from NYtimes.come

Leonard Nimoy, the sonorous, gaunt-faced actor who won a worshipful global following as Mr. Spock, the resolutely logical human-alien first officer of the Starship Enterprise in the television and movie juggernaut “Star Trek,” died on Friday morning at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. He was 83.

His wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, confirmed his death, saying the cause was end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Mr. Nimoy announced that he had the disease last year, attributing it to years of smoking, a habit he had given up three decades earlier. He had been hospitalized earlier in the week.

His artistic pursuits — poetry, photography and music in addition to acting — ranged far beyond the United Federation of Planets, but it was as Mr. Spock that Mr. Nimoy became a folk hero, bringing to life one of the most indelible characters of the last half century: a cerebral, unflappable, pointy-eared Vulcan with a signature salute and blessing: “Live long and prosper” (from the Vulcan “Dif-tor heh smusma”).

 Mr. Nimoy, who was teaching Method acting at his own studio when he was cast in the original “Star Trek” television series in the mid-1960s, relished playing outsiders, and he developed what he later admitted was a mystical identification with Spock, the lone alien on the starship’s bridge.

Yet he also acknowledged ambivalence about being tethered to the character, expressing it most plainly in the titles of two autobiographies: “I Am Not Spock,” published in 1977, and “I Am Spock,” published in 1995.

In the first, he wrote, “In Spock, I finally found the best of both worlds: to be widely accepted in public approval and yet be able to continue to play the insulated alien through the Vulcan character.”

“Star Trek,” which had its premiere on NBC on Sept. 8, 1966, made Mr. Nimoy a star. Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the franchise, called him “the conscience of ‘Star Trek’ ” — an often earnest, sometimes campy show that employed the distant future (as well as some primitive special effects by today’s standards) to take on social issues of the 1960s.

His stardom would endure. Though the series was canceled after three seasons because of low ratings, a cultlike following — the conference-holding, costume-wearing Trekkies, or Trekkers (the designation Mr. Nimoy preferred) — coalesced soon after “Star Trek” went into syndication.

The fans’ devotion only deepened when “Star Trek” was spun off into an animated show, various new series and an uneven parade of movies starring much of the original television cast, including — besides Mr. Nimoy — William Shatner (as Capt. James T. Kirk), DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy), George Takei (the helmsman, Sulu), James Doohan (the chief engineer, Scott), Nichelle Nichols (the chief communications officer, Uhura) and Walter Koenig (the navigator, Chekov).

When the director J. J. Abrams revived the “Star Trek” film franchise in 2009, with an all-new cast — including Zachary Quinto as Spock — he included a cameo part for Mr. Nimoy, as an older version of the same character. Mr. Nimoy also appeared in the 2013 follow-up, “Star Trek Into Darkness.”

His zeal to entertain and enlighten reached beyond “Star Trek” and crossed genres. He had a starring role in the dramatic television series “Mission: Impossible” and frequently performed onstage, notably as Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof.” His poetry was voluminous, and he published books of his photography.

He also directed movies, including two from the “Star Trek” franchise, and television shows. And he made records, singing pop songs as well as original songs about “Star Trek,” and gave spoken-word performances — to the delight of his fans and the bewilderment of critics.

But all that was subsidiary to Mr. Spock, the most complex member of the Enterprise crew, who was both one of the gang and a creature apart engaged at times in a lonely struggle with his warring racial halves.

In one of his most memorable “Star Trek” performances, Mr. Nimoy tried to follow in the tradition of two actors he admired, Charles Laughton and Boris Karloff, who each played a monstrous character — Quasimodo and the Frankenstein monster — who is transformed by love.

In Episode 24, which was first shown on March 2, 1967, Mr. Spock is indeed transformed. Under the influence of aphrodisiacal spores he discovers on the planet Omicron Ceti III, he lets free his human side and announces his love for Leila Kalomi (Jill Ireland), a woman he had once known on Earth. In this episode, Mr. Nimoy brought to Spock’s metamorphosis not only warmth, compassion and playfulness, but also a rarefied concept of alienation.

“I am what I am, Leila,” Mr. Spock declares after the spores’ effect has worn off and his emotions are again in check. “And if there are self-made purgatories, then we all have to live in them. Mine can be no worse than someone else’s.”

Born in Boston on March 26, 1931, Leonard Simon Nimoy was the second son of Max and Dora Nimoy, Ukrainian immigrants and Orthodox Jews. His father worked as a barber.

From the age of 8, Leonard acted in local productions, winning parts at a community college, where he performed through his high school years. In 1949, after taking a summer course at Boston College, he traveled to Hollywood, though it wasn’t until 1951 that he landed small parts in two movies, “Queen for a Day” and “Rhubarb.”

 He continued to be cast in little-known movies, although he did presciently play an alien invader in a cult serial called “Zombies of the Stratosphere,” and in 1961 he had a minor role on an episode of “The Twilight Zone.” His first starring movie role came in 1952 with “Kid Monk Baroni,” in which he played a disfigured Italian street-gang leader who becomes a boxer.

Mr. Nimoy served in the Army for two years, rising to sergeant and spending 18 months at Fort McPherson in Georgia, where he presided over shows for the Army’s Special Services branch. He also directed and starred as Stanley in the Atlanta Theater Guild’s production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” before receiving his final discharge in November 1955.

He then returned to California, where he worked as a soda jerk, movie usher and cabdriver while studying acting at the Pasadena Playhouse. He achieved wide visibility in the late 1950s and early 1960s on television shows like “Wagon Train,” “Rawhide” and “Perry Mason.” Then came “Star Trek.”

Mr. Nimoy returned to college in his 40s and earned a master’s degree in Spanish from Antioch University Austin, an affiliate of Antioch College in Ohio, in 1978. Antioch College later awarded Mr. Nimoy an honorary doctorate.

Mr. Nimoy directed two of the Star Trek movies, “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” (1984) and “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” (1986), which he helped write. In 1991, the same year that he resurrected Mr. Spock on two episodes of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Mr. Nimoy was also the executive producer and a writer of the movie “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.”

He then directed the hugely successful comedy “Three Men and a Baby” (1987), a far cry from his science-fiction work, and appeared in made-for-television movies. He received an Emmy nomination for the 1982 movie “A Woman Called Golda,” in which he portrayed the husband of Golda Meir, the prime minister of Israel, who was played by Ingrid Bergman. It was the fourth Emmy nomination of his career — the other three were for his “Star Trek” work — although he never won.

Mr. Nimoy’s marriage to the actress Sandi Zober ended in divorce. Besides his wife, he is survived by his children, Adam and Julie Nimoy; a stepson, Aaron Bay Schuck; and six grandchildren; one great-grandchild, and an older brother, Melvin.

Though his speaking voice was among his chief assets as an actor, the critical consensus was that his music was mortifying. Mr. Nimoy, however, was undaunted, and his fans seemed to enjoy the camp of his covers of songs like “If I Had a Hammer.” (His first album was called “Leonard Nimoy Presents Mr. Spock’s Music From Outer Space.”)

From 1995 to 2003, Mr. Nimoy narrated the “Ancient Mysteries” series on the History Channel. He also appeared in commercials, including two with Mr. Shatner for Priceline.com. He provided the voice for animated characters in “Transformers: The Movie,” in 1986, and “The Pagemaster,” in 1994.

In 2001 he voiced the king of Atlantis in the Disney animated movie “Atlantis: The Lost Empire,” and in 2005 he furnished voice-overs for the computer game Civilization IV. More recently, he had a recurring role on the science-fiction series “Fringe” and was heard, as the voice of Spock, in an episode of the hit sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.”

Mr. Nimoy was an active supporter of the arts as well. The Thalia, a venerable movie theater on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, now a multi-use hall that is part of Symphony Space, was renamed the Leonard Nimoy Thalia in 2002.

He also found his voice as a writer. Besides his autobiographies, he published “A Lifetime of Love: Poems on the Passages of Life” in 2002. Typical of Mr. Nimoy’s simple free verse are these lines: “In my heart/Is the seed of the tree/Which will be me.”

In later years, he rediscovered his Jewish heritage, and in 1991 he produced and starred in “Never Forget,” a television movie based on the story of a Holocaust survivor who sued a neo-Nazi organization of Holocaust deniers.

In 2002, having illustrated his books of poetry with his photographs, Mr. Nimoy published “Shekhina,” a book devoted to photography with a Jewish theme, that of the feminine aspect of God. His black-and-white photographs of nude and seminude women struck some Orthodox Jewish leaders as heretical, but Mr. Nimoy asserted that his work was consistent with the teaching of the kabbalah.

His religious upbringing also influenced the characterization of Spock. The character’s split-fingered salute, he often explained, had been his idea: He based it on the kohanic blessing, a manual approximation of the Hebrew letter shin, which is the first letter in Shaddai, one of the Hebrew names for God.

“To this day, I sense Vulcan speech patterns, Vulcan social attitudes and even Vulcan patterns of logic and emotional suppression in my behavior,” Mr. Nimoy wrote years after the original series ended.

But that wasn’t such a bad thing, he discovered. “Given the choice,” he wrote, “if I had to be someone else, I would be Spock.”

 

Daniel E. Slotnik and Peter Keepnews contributed reporting

 

Again this post came from NYtimes.com 

Star Clipper is closing but not all is lost!

Everyone is St.Louis was very saddened by the news of long loved Star Clippers closing in just a few days. It would seem that all has been lost ... or has it. The Wizard's Wagon just made this announcement. 

"COMICS AT THE WIZARD'S WAGON!!!!

That's right, The Wizard's Wagon is carrying comics. And to make sure we do it right, we have hired Jon Scorfina to join our management staff. For those who don't know Jon, he is currently the General Manager of Star Clipper, with years of experience serving the Loop's comic needs. As soon as he finishes his last day there he will be joining us. And he's already helping us make sure we have the comics you want.

Currently we just have a selection of Trade Paperbacks. Starting next Wednesday we will start receiving new issues.

We will be doing Pull & Holds, so if you want us to start getting you the new issues of all your favorite comics bring us your list."

This is great news for the Delmar Loop area! We are very excited that not only is The Wizard's Wagon carrying comics now but they are working with Jon Scorfina to help make the transition into comics a smooth and successful one. 

Now its time to head on down to the loop and hand over your pull list to The Wizard's Wagon!

Jump Street/Men In Black Crossover?

image.jpg

Chris Miller didn't rule out merging the JUMP STREET franchise with the MEN IN BLACK universe for 23 JUMP STREET after it was leaked that Sony was considering the idea, but the question is will it actually happen? It just might be crazy enough of an idea to work, and during an interview with Coming Soon, Miller again says there could be a JUMP STREET and MEN IN BLACK crossover movie. However, Miller also says he's still trying to figure things out with Sony, stars Jonah Hill andChanning Tatum, and 23 JUMP STREET screenwriter Rodney Rothman.

Well, it’s very, very early on in this crazy fever pitch, but it’s definitely a really interesting concept that makes you think. Talking about it, developing it with Jonah and Channing and Rodney and the studio, we can’t just do the, “Hey, it’s the same thing again” schtick because we did that already.

The next film won't be based on one of the sequel posters from 22 JUMP STREET though since Chris Miller considers them to be canon.

Those are canon, all 22 sequels. If we’re going to do something, it’s got to be different but still have that same very specific Jump Street flavor to it.

While I enjoyed the JUMP STREET movies much more than I expected to, I'm not sure how I feel about the duo jumping (pun intended) into the MEN IN BLACK world for the next film. I will say that if Chris Miller andPhil Lord weren't involved I'd have almost no hope for the project, but since they are, I am a little interested in seeing what they would do with a crossover movie.

Chris Miller and Phil Lord were behind the camera for the first two episodes of the upcoming FOX comedy The Last Man on Earth(created by and starring Will Forte), and it will premiere on March 1, 2015.

 

joblo.com

#unitetheseven

image.jpg

 

Zach Snyder, director of Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice shocked everyone last night with this first look of Jason Momoa as Aquaman

 @ZachSnyder tweeted: "There is only one true king. #unitetheseven"

The former Game of Thrones star is set to appear as the character in March 2016 and then star in Justice League: Part One in 2017 followed by a solo Aquaman movie in 2018. 

A picture like this makes us wonder if he will be tweeting out other character reveals? 

 

Does Jason Momoa look pretty sweet or what? What do you think? 

 

 

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

Board Game News 2.17.15

GHOSTBSUTER The Board Game - Kickstarter

1.png

Cryptozoic opened the floodgates of funding on it’s kickstarter for Ghostbusters: the board game last week to flurry of backers.

There is not a whole lot of information concerning actual gameplay at the moment except that it will be a 1-4 player co-op with varying tile placement and varying difficulty depending on which enemy your team of paranormal scientists will be facing. The game seems to have a basic roleplaying stat based combat mechanic along with some roll and move aspects to get to different spots on the board being plagued by ghosts.

I was a little hesitant to back this project myself given the pretty high price tag, $80 for the base game and $125 for a “deluxe” set including exclusive minis and glow in the dark dice. Also Cryptozoic has a pretty spotty track record with board game duds featuring the Walking Dead, Hobbit, and Big Bang Theory properties. However their Adventure Time: Card Wars, Archer, and DC Deckbuilding properties have proved that this company is capable of making some decent games once in a while. Something I’m hoping to see with their entry into the Ghostbusters franchise, one of my most beloved fandoms.

The thing that put me over the edge and convinced me to jump in on this project was the amazing kickstarter exclusive stretch goals. The original game only offered up a few recognizable enemies but now that they are including a miniature of the ecto-1 instead of the proposed cardboard piece as well as some Zuul, Vinz, Gozer, and Jeanine Melnitz minis I am far more interested in the $80 base game. The $125 version only offers up a few different bosses, a sandman and a “Super Sized” 100mm Stay Puft Marshmallow man (Which I would just use my pop vinyl stay puft and design my own rules around anyways), an art print, glowing dice, and a few extra game tiles. Not quite worth the extra moolah in my opinion.

Another interesting thing that builds value is ALL OF THE STUFF that comes with this game. Despite the possibility for some pretty uninspiring mechanics this game has a lot of great miniatures and artwork.

If you are a big fan of the Ghostbusters I strongly suggest checking this kickstarted out HERE.

 

Floating Market - Kickstarter

Floating Market is another interesting game looking to get some dollars on kickstarter. The premise is based around the players acting as kids trying to get enough fruit from a Taiwanese floating market to make a yummy fruit salad. They do this by placing their miniatures at different boats and rolling a set of dice to see which boat produces the fruit they want. The first player to get all the fruit they need wins the game.

The worker placement mechanic combined with a settlers of catan style resource production mechanic seems like it will make a pretty fun lightweight strategy game. The artwork and components seem to be of good quality and the production company has a good history of putting out quality games. The $29 dollar price tag is a great deal on this game especially since it will undoubtedly be a $50 MSRP when it releases to the public.

 

Shield Wolf Miniatures

Shield Wolf Miniatures in Greece is producing some pretty nice 28mm fantasy miniatures for it’s “War is Coming” game. The funding on this project is a bit more unorthodox than others since instead of a “pledge x get product x” system Shield Wolf is offering different “Coin Purses” based on each pledge level. The Coins, in turn, can be redeemed for different miniatures in their line, adding a whole extra step to the kickstarter process.

The upside on this project is that the miniatures look extremely well detailed and the project is already pretty well funded. Also Shield Wolf is offering a 100% money back refund if you are not satisfied with their product, a sign that they are supremely confident in their work.

The downside is that very few of the actual miniatures are shown on the site. Most images seen are only 3d computer models which can vary greatly from the actual product. Also this is a young company without any mass production experience. These kinds of companies with grand plans and not much solid product to show off oftentimes can be skeptical investments and y’know the whole investing in anything from Greece can be seen as little risky too at this moment.

If you’re feeling like taking a chance on a young company with big dreams this seems like it will be a pretty decent product especially if it means you can get your hands on this mammoth.

 

Magic: The Gathering board game

8.png

Wizard of the Coast released the box art for their new Magic: the Gathering board game featuring miniatures of their most popular planeswalkers. The initial impressions that I’m getting from this is that we are going to see a lot of the same slap dash paint jobs, googly eyes, and droopy staffs that we see from their heroclix lines. Low budget miniatures aside it seems that this game will be borrowing heavily from the heroscape game system featuring highly customizable armies and terrain which isn’t a bad thing at all.

 

Legendary Encounters: Predator Expansion

Upper Deck announced the follow up Predator expansion to it’s Legendary Encounter franchise. The only information available at this moment is that it is slated for release in July. If this game is anywhere near as good as the Alien Legendary Encounters it will be an instabuy for me.

 

Lord of the Rings Card Game: The Lost Realm Expansion

Fantasy Flight issued a preview of it’s newest expansion to the Lord of the Rings LCG, The Lost Realm. This expansion will feature the Dunedain of the north. Most of the gameplay mechanics will involve reducing the threat of enemies in the staging area, a mechanic that is sorely needed in the game.

 

The Settlers of Catan

Mayfair Games announced that they are officially shortening the name of their flagship game “The Settlers of Catan” down to simply “Catan” which is what most gamers have been calling it anyways. Along with the shorter moniker Mayfair will also be releasing an updated 5th edition featuring a more in depth rulebook which will also be the standard for all tournament play. The new 5th edition will also feature new artwork and will be compatible with all 4th edition versions of the game.


As always, thank you very much for checking out the latest board game news here at livingthenerdlife.com!

-Levi Bushue

Spider-Man is joining the Marvel Universe

In a joint press release on Marvel.com, Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios have announced that they are collaborating to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel cineverse and create new Spider-Man movies together. After lots of speculation and rumors, a deal Spider-Man fans have wanted has become a reality. A new Spider-Man will make his first appearance in a Marvel movie, followed by a standalone movie on July 28, 2017. The only announced Marvel movies between now aand the standalone film are Captain America: Civil War and Dr. Strange, which means Spider-Man will likely be in Civil War. The Spider-Man standalone film is the exact date as previously announced Thor: Ragnarock, which likely means that Thor will be moved back a month.

Rumors of Spider-Man's appearance in Avengers: Infinity Wars now seem extremely valid. The most interesting part of the press release is this: "Sony Pictures will continue to finance, distribute, own and have final creative control of the Spider-Man films." This is the only thing that gives me pause about the whole deal. But thankfully, Sony's control is limited to Spider-Man films. This deal opens up so many stories and characters to cross over, and as a fan, I could not be happier.

Via Marvel:

Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company said: "Spider-Man is one of Marvel's great characters, beloved around the world. We're thrilled to work with Sony Pictures to bring the iconic web-slinger into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which opens up fantastic new opportunities for storytelling and franchise building."
"We always want to collaborate with the best and most successful filmmakers to grow our franchises and develop our characters. Marvel, Kevin Feige and Amy, who helped orchestrate this deal, are the perfect team to help produce the next chapter of Spider-Man," said Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. "This is the right decision for the franchise, for our business, for Marvel, and for the fans."
"Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios share a love for the characters in the Spider-Man universe and have a long, successful history of working together. This new level of collaboration is the perfect way to take Peter Parker's story into the future," added Doug Belgrad, president, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group.
"I am thrilled to team with my friends at Sony Pictures along with Amy Pascal to produce the next Spider-Man movie," said Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. "Amy has been deeply involved in the realization on film of one of the world’s most beloved characters. Marvel's involvement will hopefully deliver the creative continuity and authenticity that fans demand from the MCU. I am equally excited for the opportunity to have Spider-Man appear in the MCU, something which both we at Marvel, and fans alike, have been looking forward to for years."

 

This is huge and I can't wait to see what comes of this friendship between Sony and Marvel! I am hoping they have also talked about the X-Men and the possibility of having them in future Marvel movies as well.