Archive - 2016

Transport Fever Announced with Trailer

2016/04/11

Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

April 11, 2016 – More than a visionary, you are the heart of the economy, giving life to the cities and shaping their futures as you conduct the flow of commerce through elegantly designed networks of transit and shipping in Transport Fever, coming to PC later this fall.

Whether by land or sea or air, Transport Fever draws upon 150+ years of history with over 120 detailed trains, aircraft, ships, buses, trams, and trucks that age as time passes.

Construct stations, harbors, and airports, linking hubs of trade to meet the needs of evolving cities and shifting populations. Upgrade your infrastructure to keep up with the times and connect cargo chains to enable economic growth as you establish your transportation empire.

Let your imagination run wild in Transport Fever’s endless mode, or put your planning skills to the test in campaign mode with historically inspired missions from Europe and North America. Creating new roads and rails is simple with Transport Fever’s flexible tools, as it features arguably the most intuitive and powerful track construction tools ever seen in a game. This allows any player to easily adapt to, or even modify, the randomly generated terrain. But the fun doesn’t have to end here, as there will be a wealth of content available to players thanks to game’s extensive modding support through Steam Workshop, which allows players to further explore the depth of their imaginations and create brand new empires.

All of this adds up to make Transport Fever the next generation of transport simulation games, and helps it to represent the next step forward in the genre that the beloved Transport Tycoon series breathed life into so many years ago.

Coming to PC this fall, Transport Fever is the follow-up to the fan-favorite simulation game, Train Fever, and the second collaboration between Urban Games and Gambitious Digital Entertainment. Transport Fever features an upgraded railroad and street construction system, brand new boat and plane transport simulation options, campaign mode and improved UI.

For more information about Transport Fever please visit http://store.steampowered.com/app/446800 or http://www.transportfever.com and follow us on Twitter, @GambitiousInc.

The Collider 2 Challenge Gameplay Trailer

2016/04/11

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

April 11, 2016 – Wroclaw, Poland/ Recently several members of the Techland team took part in setting the high score for the The Collider 2, the latest game from Techland’s sister studio ShortBreak. They recorded their heated competition and compiled a special video that showcases the Clash Mode, one of the two core gameplay modes in The Collider 2.

In the Clash Mode, players put their eye-hand coordination to the ultimate test as they try to stay alive as long as possible at the near light-speed velocities, at the same time maneuvering between never-ending obstacles and lethal traps. Techland’s high score of 10,875,432 will also be the first target for players to beat in the first online tournament after the game’s launch.

The Collider 2 launches on Steam on April 19th, 2016 for $9.99 / €9.99 / £6.99 with full VR support included.

Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 420X Headset – A Review (Xbox One)

2016/04/10

Judgeman

Geek News, News, Reviews, Tech Review, Xbox One News

Turtle Beach, one of the premier video game headset manufacturers, has just released a new wireless headset for the Xbox One, the Ear Force Stealth 420X Headset (shortened to the 420X for the rest of this review). The 420X might just be one of the best headsets I have ever owned, and most definitely the best one I’ve had for a console. The headset fits quite nicely, never pinching nor feeling to small for my head, and is incredibly comfortable to wear for hours of gaming.

Features

The 420X is completely wireless while in use, the only cord that comes in the package is used to connect the headset to the Xbox One for charging. Using a USB wireless connector, the 420X stays connected for up to 30ft, which is perfect for me to grab a soda from the garage and still be able to talk between online games. All the controls for the 420X are on the headset, including game and voice volume, bass boost, mute, and a button for presets. The power button is on the right ear cup, dead center so you can easily feel for it and turn it on or off while the headset is being worn. The 420X also features a removable omni-directional boom mic, so you can use your headset for music or mobile gaming.

I love the fit of the 420X on my head. Comfort for me is pretty high on my must have list for gaming headsets, if the headset hurts after a few hours of gaming, then it just isn’t a good quality headset. The 420x has synthetic leather ear cups that fit over the ear, keeping outside noise to a minimum while keeping your ears from sweating. I also love how the ear cups swivel to match the shape of your head.

Aesthetic

The 420X is a very clean looking headset, which is pretty typical of Turtle Beach. Most of the headset is set in a matte black color, with some green highlights around the ear cups. The Turtle Beach logos are also green, and glow green when the headset is on. This is just your clean looking, basic design for a gaming headset, which I love.

Performance

I was able to use the 420X extensively over my testing period, focusing on a few different types of games. Games like Dark Souls 2, The Division, Black Ops 3, Far Cry Primal, and Borderlands 2 sounded fantastic through the headset. During multiplayer, I was able to hear footstep directions to give me a better indication of where my opponents were. With single player games like Dark Souls 2, the music and sound effects really came through nicely and added to my immersion into the game. Voice communication was clear with no issues at all, though finding the mute button was somewhat difficult at times. I guess my only complaint with the 420X really is that it was hard to find the controls while the headset was on. Feeling for the mute button was difficult, and I had a hard time remembering which volume control wheel controlled which volume.

Specifications

Digital Signal Processor: Digital Signal Processor for independently controlled chat, game and mic signals
Audio mute: Audio mutes automatically when carrier signal is lost
Battery: Rechargeable Lithium Polymer
Shut down: Automatic shut down after approx 10 minutes of carrier loss or silence to conserve battery power
Weight: 8.6oz
Speaker Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
Battery life: >15 Hours
Speakers: 50mm with Neodymium Magnets
Digital Wireless RF wireless carrier reception.: 2.4GHz
Speaker Impedance: 32 ohms
Microphone Design: Removable Omni-Directional Microphone
Earcup Design: Around-Ear (Closed)
Headband/Earpad Material: Perforated Synthetic Leather (Black) with Foam Cushioning

Final Thoughts

The Ear Force Stealth 420X Headset by Turtle Beach is the best headset I have ever used for the Xbox One or Xbox 360. The wireless connectivity is a must with my current living room set up, the voice communication was clear, and the headset was incredibly comfortable to wear over long periods of time. I do wish the controls on the ear cups were a little easier to use or the buttons and wheels separated over both ears, but that is a fairly minor issue unless you are adjusting these items constantly during game play. The price is set to be around $150 MSRP, which could be considered a little steep, but worth it if you are looking for a quality wireless headset.

[easyreview title=”Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 420X Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

Review of the Garmin tactix Bravo Smartwatch

2016/04/10

Jerry Paxton

Action Sports, Airsoft News, Airsoft Reviews, Articles, Geek News, News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

Recently, we got the chance to check out Garmin’s newest iteration of their tactix smartwatch, the tactix Bravo. Featuring carbon-coated, stainless steel construction and a highly scratch-resistant sapphire lens, it will take a lot to damage this watch during those MilSim airsoft games in rugged terrain. Additionally, the watch was designed to be as non-reflective as possible, as to not inadvertently give away your position to opposing players. The tactix Bravo is available in two flavors: One with a silicone watch band and another that includes two nylon watch bands (one in olive drab and the other in black). Either of these options are fine, but depend more on your personal needs. If you plan to wear the watch in a personal, outdoorsman style of operation, you might want to consider going with the silicone band. If you are wearing the tactix Bravo on top or underneath your combat shirts and gear, you may consider the nylon band option. Measuring 2 inches by 2 inches, with a depth of 0.6 inches, the tactix Bravo is a rather large watch.

The tactix Bravo features a host of sensors designed to be of benefit to those of you in the field – whether it be for real world tactical operations or multi-day airsoft games in rugged territory. By hitting the down page button on the tactix Bravo, you can get to a compass, barometer, and altimeter – all of which seemed particularly accurate while I trekked across Southern California. The compass features both the degree of the direction you’re facing as well as the general direction (e.g. “NW”, “N”, NE”) for ease of use.

Pairing up with your smartphone via the Garmin Connect app is very simple, thanks to the tactix Bravo’s built-in ANT+and Bluetooth connectivity. Once paired, the Garmin Connect app will keep track of your activity levels on a daily basis, as well as have the ability to interface with other fitness apps on the app store – like My Fitness Pal. The information is extremely valuable – whether you are on a regimented diet and exercise plan or just curious about how many calories you burn doing your daily activities.

Of course, the tactix Bravo can receive your texts, emails, and app notifications as you like, and the Garmin Chroma Display is refreshingly crisp and can even be seen clearly in daylight! For those of you who do airsoft night games with night vision goggles, you will be happy to know that the tactix Bravo has a night vision mode! This enables a change in the display’s color scheme and light output to be optimized for your night vision equipment. As a fun additional feature, the tactix Bravo can even control a Garmin VIRB XE action camera, but I couldn’t test that feature as I don’t have a VIRB XE camera on-hand.

One of the coolest parts of the tactix Bravo’s feature set is its built-in GPS receiver. Similar to the Garmin Foretrex series, the tactix Bravo will display your current path and also display waypoint information and leave a trail of virtual “breadcrumbs” along your path. Furthermore, it will also display your current location in MGRS, Degrees Minutes Seconds and more. MGRS is extremely important for those of you in the military, being the geo-coordinate system standard for NATO. According to the specs of the tactix Bravo, it features an omni-directional stainless steel EXO antenna, with GPS/GLONASS satellite reception. I am not sure what that means in terms of the technical side of things, but I can tell you I was able to get GPS satellite reception inside my apartment just as fast as outdoors – so it means better reception all around!

At Garmin’s Connect IQ website, you can download additional pages for the tactix Bravo, with choices for speedometers, watch faces, navigation data, and more. It is really interesting to see the expandability that has been created for the watch from independent developers. Going down that road, if any of you are developers interested in creating new data pages for Garmin devices, checkout the Connect IQ developer portal.

Navigating around the various screens and pages of the tactix Bravo interface is very simple. The watch has a small array of buttons: Up, down, back, action, and backlight. These all do pretty much what you would expect. After selecting whatever option you prefer, you press the action button to proceed into that option. Hitting the action button from the main display will bring up the list of activities you can perform. There is a wide variety of choices – with the tactix Bravo even having Jumpmaster and Tactical sport modes! The Jumpmaster will help you if you ever decide to jump out of a perfectly good airplane while the tactical mode enables the GPS and sensor logging and is great for when you are actually playing your airsoft games. The jumpmaster mode can be used for HAHO, HALO, or Static line jumps. Of course, for those of you looking to be active people sans airsoft or military/tactical needs, you can also choose from things such as swimming, hiking, and trail running – to name just a brief few.

Overall, the Garmin tactix Bravo smartwatch is an excellent activity tracker and wearable watch that will provide some essential navigational capabilities during your stints in rugged terrain – whether you are playing in an airsoft game, camping, or in the field. The tactix Bravo retails for $699.99 and is available now on a variety of online stores as well as Garmin’s official website.

Blue Microphones Yeti Review

2016/04/10

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

Blue Microphones have long been known for their quality and this reputation has only grown – especially in this day and age of podcasts and game stream channels. Blue Microphones flagship USB-based microphone is the “Yeti”. Available in two flavors: standard and “Pro”, the Yeti family of microphone shares a similar design save for an XLR port on the Pro model. The Yeti has a professional aesthetic and is available in a variety of classy color schemes: Whiteout, Silver, Platinum, and Blackout.

The Blue Yeti’s build quality is excellent, and the microphone has a very solid feel in its three and a half pound form factor. While it sits on a removable base stand, it should be noted that there is an external shock mount available for the Yeti, which can be found on Blue’s official website. Something to note is that the Yeti stands about a foot high once connected to its base unit. It lives up to its namesake in being a monster in regards to the space it takes up. Be sure you have room on your desk or recording area to place it.

Using the Yeti is as simple as plugging it into a USB port on your computer. Any audio recording software should be able to utilize its input. I used SONAR and it had no trouble getting it to accept the microphone. As it is a USB-based microphone, however, I highly suggest consulting your audio software instructions on adding one USB microphone into your recording session. One really cool feature to note about the Yeti is that it allows you to plug a set of headphones into a latency-free monitor port on its bottom side. You will be able to hear exactly what the microphone is picking up that way.

A feature of many Blue Microphones microphone units is their multiple pickup patterns, and the Yeti is no different. It features four different audio pickup patterns: Cardioid, bidirectional, omni-directional, and stereo – each with its own strengths:

STEREO MODE
- Uses both the left and right channels to capture a wide, realistic sound image—perfect for recording acoustic guitar or choir.
CARDIOID MODE
- Well-suited to podcasts, vocal performances, voice-overs and instruments. Cardioid mode records sound sources that are directly in front of the microphone, delivering rich, full-bodied sound.
OMNIDIRECTIONAL MODE
- Picks up sound equally from all around the mic. It’s best used in situations when you want to capture the ambience of “being there”—like a live recording of a band’s performance, a multi-person podcast or a conference call.
BIDIRECTIONAL MODE
- Records from both the front and the rear of the microphone—ideal for recording a duet or a two-person interview.

Switching between these four modes is very easy – simply rotate a knob on the backside of the Yeti – each mode is denoted by a small icon. These icons represent the sphere or arc of pickup for each mode. I get them confused so I suggest you simply look at your instructions or on the Blue Microphones website for clarification on which is which. I have had the pleasure of previously using a Blue Microphones “Snowball” model microphone, and had solid results. The Yeti is even better, with a much more stable base stand as well as better range of motion when connected to said stand.

Overall, the Yeti from Blue Microphones is an exceptional microphone – whether you are a podcaster, video game streamer, or budding musician looking to lay-down some tracks. Its plug and play capabilities mixed with the Yeti’s four pickup patterns makes it especially handy in just about any situation.

[easyreview title=”Blue Microphones Yeti Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

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The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood Review

2016/04/08

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, Misc Review, News, Reviews, Screenshots / Photos

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has finally opened at Universal Studios Hollywood. No longer will the taste of butterbeer and chocolate frogs be relegated to the guests of Universal Studios Orlando. We got the chance to attend the park’s big media event on April 5th, 2016 – not only getting to see legendary John Williams conduct but, also, to hang out in Hogsmeade and give it the full review treatment.

The event began with us on the red carpet, getting to take shots of various celebrity guests. From the Harry Potter films were Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley), and Warwick Davis (Griphook). Of course, there were plenty of other celebrities walking around, including Steven Spielberg and Billy Bob Thornton!

After the red carpet was concluded, we were ushered into the pit area of the stage setup near Hogwarts Castle. We were lucky to get a spot on the risers that had been setup to get a great view of the event. The opening ceremony featured speeches from numerous Universal and Warner Bros executives as well as L.A. Mayor, Eric Garcetti. Finally, some of the cast was brought on stage as was legendary, iconic composer John Williams. Williams then proceeded to conduct the L.A. Philharmonic as Hogwarts Castle became the canvas for some seriously awesome projection effects – topping the whole thing off with some great fireworks/pyrotechnics. The technicians behind the opening ceremony need to be commended for what was a great experience.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood is very similar to its Orlando sister – with some exceptions. The footprint of the Hollywood Wizarding World is only 6 acres, much smaller than that of the Florida attraction. This will not be visible to most guests, however, as much of that extra space in Florida was taken up by an additional roller coaster ride. Our Wizarding World of Harry Potter actually has an additional street not seen in Orlando, containing the wand shop. Overall, I actually like the flow of Hogsmeade in the Universal Studios Hollywood park a bit better. As expected, the architecture of the various Hogsmeade buildings and other minor details are all extremely well designed, and stepping into the area immerses you into the world created by author J.K. Rowling.

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s signature attraction, taking guests on a trip through Hogwarts Castle and a flight alongside the likes of Harry Potter and more. The attraction is similar to the Universal Studios Florida version with one HUGE exception: Our ride features 3D video. This was somewhat of a controversial move, as during the area’s soft opening phase, it was reported that certain people were getting motion sickness because of the 3D video. Park engineers added fans in the ride cars that blow cool air onto the riders faces, which seems to have helped greatly. Personally, I could have done without the 3D video gimmick. The glasses/goggles given to riders that allow you to see the projection effects in 3D limit your field of vision and the 3D seems up-converted from 2D video with that slightly blurry look. Still, the overall ride experience is a lot of fun and I had a great time when I removed the glasses and took in as much of the physical, practical set pieces as much as possible. The ride designers did a spectacular job on this one. My biggest concern about Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is one that also plagues the Florida version of the ride: Its small seats. Be sure to utilize the test seats they have in front of the attraction to see if you will fit on the ride. Also, take time to enjoy the various set pieces located throughout the ride’s queue area. Along your walking route, you will see Harry Potter, Professor Dumbledore, and more in hologram form – the actors returning to their roles to film these small segments for the ride. I especially dug the moving portraits, made famous in the film.

Outside of the Forbidden Journey attraction, we had a terrific time taking in the sights around Hogsmeade. My favorite location was the Hogs Head Pub, where Universal Studios Hollywood set designers have recreated the watering hole and inn from the books with outstanding detail. A hog’s head (hence the name) mounted on the wall is an animatronic character and will randomly survey the room and snort. Be sure to listen at the base of the stairs leading to the Hogs Head Pub’s second floor. You are not permitted up there but, maybe you can overhear the people who are…

Also worth mentioning are the three special, Harry Potter themed beers that Universal Studios has ordered to serve at the pub. They have three themed offerings: a stout, a red, and a lager. I got the chance to taste each and they were all very good – each with their own taste offerings. Speaking of the previously-mentioned butterbeer. If you haven’t had the opportunity, I highly suggest you try it when you visit the park. Just be warned: You WILL become addicted to its sweet, sweet goodness. I prefer the frozen butterbeer but they also offer a more beer-like version. From what I hear, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando also has butterbeer ice cream and hot butterbeer! Those will, hopefully, be coming to our park at some point soon. If butterbeer or regular beer are not your favorites, you will also find pumpkin juice in Hogsmeade.

On the food front, the Three Broomsticks restaurant will provide some very good eats – way better than most theme park fare I have encountered. My favorite offerings are the bangers and mash plate, but you will also find shepard’s pie and a whole lot more. If your sweet tooth needs satiating, you should checkout Honeydukes candy shop. They have candy… LOTs of candy. I also discovered that they have butterbeer fudge. JUST. DO. IT!

A big part of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is that the fun comes from exploration. Designers have installed actual props from the films throughout the area while not drawing undue attention to them. It all feels like it comes from the world of the books and films. There are so many easter eggs littering the area, it is a Harry Potter overload of information. For instance, I was personally surprised when entering the men’s restroom that park designers have built decorative, European style water tanks above each urinal and stall. Of course, they don’t do anything, but you find them in the area of Britain in which Harry Potter is based, so you find them here. I have also heard that there are some strange, ghostly moaning sounds coming from the girls restrooms. If you are female, you should probably go investigate.

Also, be sure to stop by Ollivanders Shop to purchase your own wand. A cool thing to do in Hogsmeade is to use your wand to interact with the various displays and store fronts with magic. The catch is that only certain wands will interact with them – look for the wand boxes with gold labels foil labels. I personally picked up the wand style wielded by Sirius Black (portrayed in the films by Gary Oldman). After getting your wand, look inside for the map of Hogsmeade with the various spells you have to cast at each interactive location. Be very specific, though, as you don’t want to have a negligent spell discharge!

Overall, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood is an outrageously-excellent addition to the venerable movie studio and theme park. You could spend the entire day just wandering around and taking in the ambiance – not to mention taking turns on the rides. With the opening day being officially sold out on Universal Studios website, its success seems guaranteed – now we just need to find out when Diagon Alley will be constructed!

[easyreview title=”The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

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Homefront: The Revolution Releases History of Apex Trailer

2016/04/08

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

RYESONG RIVER, NORTH KOREA – 8^th April 2016 – APEX today announced record FINANCIAL RESULTS for its fiscal 2016 ending March 31, 2016. The company posted net income of $804.3 billion on yearly revenues of $2.34 TRILLION, driven by growth in consumer electronics thanks to the ongoing performance of the A8 and stunning launch of the new 9x powered by the latest Kaesong processor.

“Apex’s dominance of the global consumer electronics market and communications technology remains unchallenged,” said JOHN Tae-se, CEO. “This year we are proud to announce the expansion of our advanced weapons division based on Apex’s ground-breaking achievements in biometric technology, that will provide the world’s military and law enforcement agencies with the ultimate in reliable, personalized peacekeeping equipment.”

Corsair Extends PSU Warranty Policies

2016/04/08

Jerry Paxton

Hardware News, News

FREMONT, CA – April 8^th 2016 – Corsair®, the world’s most awarded and recommended PC power supply brand¹, today announced the immediate increase in warranty from 7 years to 10 years for several series of Corsair computer power supply ranges. From today all current and future Corsair AXi, HXi, RMi and RMx PSUs will benefit from an additional three years of warranty, with no extra registration or action required by customers.

Corsair’s commitment to PSU quality and longevity has always been at the heart of its entire PSU line-up, and is why millions of customers have chosen Corsair PSUs to power their PCs. This commitment isn’t just made at the manufacturing level – it’s also at the heart of Corsair’s customer support experience, ensuring customers who choose a Corsair PSU have faith and confidence in their purchase for years to come.

It’s that confidence in the durability and longevity of Corsair’s wide range of PSUs that has allowed it to increase the warranty of all AXi range (launched in 2012), HXi range (launched in 2014) and RMi/RMx range (launched in 2015) PSUs from 7 years to 10 years, ensuring buyers a decade of peace of mind for their PC’s power supply.

Customers are not required to register or provide additional information to benefit from this extra coverage. The extended warranty is granted worldwide and across all eligible PSUs sold to date and on all future sales of the eligible PSUs.

With an extra three years of warranty, enthusiasts, system builders and gamers alike can be confident that their Corsair AXi, HXi, RMi or RMx PSU will provide, efficient, stable power well into the next decade and beyond.

Please refer to the qualifying product list below

AXi Series™ PSUs launched with a 7 year warranty. Now have a 10 year warranty.

HXi Series™ PSUs launched with a 7 year warranty. Now have a 10 year warranty.

RMi Series™ PSUs launched with a 7 year warranty. Now have a 10 year warranty.

RMx Series™ PSUs launched with a 7 year warranty. Now have a 10 year warranty.

The warranty of all other Corsair PSUs remains unchanged.

Web Page:

For more up to date warranty information, please visit

http://www.corsair.com/support/warranty

Tropico 5 and Dungeons II Console Launch Dates

2016/04/08

boothby

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Xbox One News

Ridgewood, NJ – April 8, 2016 – Kalypso Media are pleased to confirm that two of its upcoming console titles will launch together on May 24, 2016 across North America and May 27 across Europe and Export territories – with Dungeons 2 arriving as a console exclusive on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, and El Presidente making his Xbox One debut complete with exclusive content in Tropico 5 Penultimate Edition.

Dungeons 2 challenges players to assume the role of The Dungeon Lord and craft a network of terrifying dungeons, using its resources to fuel a campaign against the forces of goodliness. Order your servant snots to do your bidding and fill your coffers with gold, amass an army of lurching minions and then head to the surface world of the humans to conquer The Overworld. The Dungeons 2 PlayStation®4 edition will also boast an impressive collection of additional on-disc content including the “Pixieville,” “Morningwood,” “A Chance of Dragons,” “A Song of Sand and Fire,” and “A Clash of Pumpkins” add-on packs, which add more skirmishes, missions and enemies for the Ultimate Evil to eviscerate.

Tropico 5 Penultimate Edition for Xbox One will contain the full version of the acclaimed strategy game plus the ‘Bayo del Ofato,’ ‘Big Cheese,’ ‘Mad World,’ ‘Generalissimo,’ and ‘Joint Venture’ add-ons, as well as five new, exclusive Xbox One sandbox maps, a new controller-optimized user interface and of course Xbox Live Achievements. That’s a lot of content for your Tropician dollars!

To celebrate the long-awaited release date announcement for Tropico 5 Penultimate Edition, the Tropican Ministry of Propaganda and Misinformation has kindly produced a trailer for the Xbox One title, as it prepares to welcome Xbox players to Tropican shores once again.

Wizard World Las Vegas Comic Con Wrap Up

2016/04/07

Ripper71

News

Las Vegas is a strange town. Internationally famous people like Elton John or Bill Marr might spend months here and just about every music act at one point or another will pass through, but when it comes to celebrity conventions there is a big giant hole. It may be due to the fact that the celebrities show up for non-celebrity conventions like CES or NAB, which aren’t always public. You find yourself standing and watching CEOs give presentations with one of the all time top scoring NBA players joking by your side or have a professional gamer who makes almost a million dollars sit down at their rig and take on retired special ops soldiers in a first person shooter match. Finally, it looks as though we have some conventions moving in that will bridge the gap of cultural celebrities and comic celebrities and I think Wizard World Las Vegas is a terrific example of this.

On The Floor:

To start it off each year and to make sure that the press gets a few words with at least a couple of the celebrities before the real craziness begins, Wizard World Las Vegas started as they usually do, with four celebrities attending a press mixer. This year two of the celebrities that struck particularly home with my wife and I were Barry Bostwick and Patricia Quinn, who played Brad and Magenta in the Rocky Horror Picture Show (which was our first date 24 years earlier, almost to the day). When it came time to snap pictures with them Barry called my wife and I over saying “I like the look of this guy!” Surreal is kind of an understatement on such a moment. Cosplayer Jackie Craft was definitely making an impressive scene in her full suit of armor from WoW though she was geeking out on seeing Victor Dandridge of Vantage:Inhouse Productions whose publishing work has inspired her for some time. Personally I dressed up in green beads, eyeglasses and ties and ran around with Dandridge seeing who could seeing who could make the sillier St. Patty’s Day drunk face. All in all a great way to start the weekend.

Once the show itself kicks off there are basically three things you have to decide between and sometimes more within them. If you have done a decent size con before this is no surprise. You have booths you can look through, panels you can see and autographs/photo ops to be had and how much cosplay you want to take in. Each one of these will each a surprisingly fast amount of your time and you really almost need to research as much in advance what is going on to catch what is most important to you. I spent only a few minutes the whole event at looking at booths, I brought help to take in cosplay and I did a photo op and then panels, panels, panels.

I am a proud Browncoat and a few years back at a Hollywood charity event Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk reached out to shake my hand on their way out of the event and the woman running the event screamed “NO!” and slapped my hand. Stunned we all walked our separate ways but that had been my last chance to meet part of the Firefly crew. So when I had a chance to meet the lovely Jewel Staite I ponied up the money, got my 5 seconds of happiness and have a lovely picture that everyone says has one of the biggest smiles they have ever seen on my face.

When it came to panels I saw a really long list of them but some of the highlights that if you have to pick from that you should choose are Michael Golden (Batman, Dr. Strange, The ,Nam), Women In Geekdom, Psychology Of (Insert Character), Jewel Staite, any WWE player, and the Cast Of SHIELD. Above all however (maybe not Staite but that is personal) the person you have to see at the conference is Michael Rooker Vs. The Audience. They just give him a microphone and he is off into the audience like a madman talking to everyone, answering all kinds of questions and the only way you can keep you eyes on him is if you pull The Exorcist maneuver and spin your head around. I met him in an elevator last year and realized what a wild man he was then saw him at Wizard World last year and was amazed and this year it was no different.

The only complaint I could have about the whole conference was putting Jason Mewes up against Rooker in the same time slots. I have had personal conversations with Mewes at other events in the past and he is quiet and very sensitive since cleaning up his act and having the energy being sucked out of his room by the Rooker panel made it so that a lot of people missed out on a really terrific guy.

I am so glad that Wizard World Las Vegas is established and growing and I look forward to next year’s already and if it passes through your town do yourself a favor and go regardless of your geekdoms there seems to be a bit for most.

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