Author - Ripper71

Otakon Vegas Report and Photo Gallery

2017/01/21

I love conventions that allow cosplay, it lets people be who or how they want to be amongst others that, for the most part, won’t judge them. There is of course costume judging but otherwise you might see a huge group of characters from the same show walking together, made up of people who didn’t even know each other beforehand. It brings people together! Some characters are a bit obscure so that only the hardcore fans will know what the costume is at first sight, while others are mashups between multiple characters – or even a re-imagining of how that character would be in our world. What it comes down to is that the limitations of a cosplay character is only that of the imagination… and safety issues (no real 7 foot steel swords allowed).

Some people buy a costume because to them being in the skin of the character is all that matters while others might spend hundreds, even thousands of hours putting their costume together trying one type of assembling before giving up and trying again. The detail has increased with the affordability of 3D printers to make armor and weapons but at the same time there are a lot of costumes that just require sitting down, creating patterns and sewing away. To me and to many involved in cosplay, it is how much fun they have in the end – that they love how they feel to be their hero that matters most.

Otakon Vegas is a little different than most of these events because Otakon is a broad look at Japanese culture from anime and manga. At Otakon Vegas, you get to see real life Japanese Sumo wrestlers show their flexibility as well as learn about the tradition of their art and what sparring actually looks like. I have seen martial arts sparring before, even done some mix martial arts myself, but to see a man who weighs 300 pounds wrestle a man who weighs 600 pounds and feel the floor as one or the other gets thrown to it is amazing. There were rooms just dedicated to anime all day and night, others just dedicated to video games and even a couple floors of booths to buy various object and trinkets. There was even a dubbing room where you could test your voice acting skills.

There were a lot of people sitting in halls doing nothing as they waited for one event of another which I found odd since there was always something scheduled, most of the time a few things available simultaneously. I just chalk it up to Otakon Vegas still being young and having not quite caught it’s groove yet. It would be cool to have better places to hang out at the show – perhaps throw some props and background sheets up for the cosplayers to take pictures with? Just an idea. Otakon Vegas just needs a bit of tweaking but I definitely recommend going now to get your own feel for it while it is young.

For tickets, event info, and more, check out the Otakon Vegas official website.

Photo Gallery

A Look Back At CES 2017

2017/01/16

Ripper71

CES, News, Screenshots / Photos

Usually when I do a look back at CES it is a pretty lengthy read since it involves me running from place to place and taking everything in as fast as I can afraid I will miss something important. This year was different because only a couple days into the conference I got a flu bug that had me down for the count and hallucinating for days. As a result I like most other people who couldn’t make it had to rely of press releases and b-roll offering that I wasn’t even able to understand until it was old news. So this year this will mostly be a large photo gallery with just a few mentions of things here and there.

Press Days And CES Unveiled:

This is usually when the big boys of technology pit press conference against press conference to try to provide the most interesting and sometimes flashy news. This year to try to make this a little less competitive they split the press conferences into two days so it wasn’t one long rushing day followed by CES Unveiled. The result was a little odd though because a lot of the big flashy boys were still scheduled against each other and the result of the split up meant two really long days with CES Unveiled at the end. CES Unveiled is one of my favorite things about CES because it give you a little taste of some of the bigger companies and a large number of the smaller ones that are spread around the massive space of CES that you probably would have missed in the throng of crowds. The whole Unveiled event is also held in a large room with gourmet food treat stations in the middle and bars full of free booze in every corner. They even have ice carved to say “CES” that they run the alcohol through the top of and it is nicely cooled when it comes out the bottom. As a result some people didn’t abide while others definitely abide WAY too much. Me, I got to try a new IPA for my Untapped, looked at a few booths for thinning hair (I need them), saw a computer, a bed, and a recliner massager all of which would definitely improve my quality of life and empty my bank account and a bunch of other stuff that I can proudly say I looked at having had too many snacks but not alcohol. Honestly I don’t think I saw one thing I didn’t want to try out.

CES Convention Center:

This year CES was celebrating its 50th anniversary which is really quite incredible when you think of an entertainment based organization. It’s saving grace is probably the breadth and width of the conference and it can’t hurt that it takes up pretty much every available foot of space in Las Vegas, 2.47 million net square feet actually. It also has pretty much every imaginal use for an electronic from the way you wake up to how you get to sleep at night. Trust me the how you get places is definitely covered as the automotive area expanded and the how you see places is very well shown by the massive growth of drones over the last few years. Convention floors, hotel suites, even walkways were packed with people trying to show you how they are attempting to change the world.

During the day it is a mad rush to get from one meeting to another then at night if you are lucky and know the right people you might find yourself watching Sting well into the night. Yes that Sting, I’m told. Next year maybe I’ll get into it, next year. Because you can bet there will be a next year of CES as long as the world has a way to power their devices.

ShowStoppers:

One event that isn’t designed to relax you into the night but instead helps you know a bunch of the little folks who may someday prove to be the trending giants is an event called ShowStoppers. It is a great deal like CES Unveiled but there are less of the big boys present, in fact there are often big parties the same night and the exhibitors at this event often don’t even have a booth or suite space in that 2 and a half million feet of show. For them they don’t get days to talk folks into their gadget, they have minutes as part of a few hour night. We get to chat with old time friends like Alex Verrey who this year was working with some nice looking headsets called Lucid Sound instead of where he usually hangs his hat which is at Mad Catz who was showing less audio and other peripherals instead. Soul Sound was having a lot of fun around the place and one of the companies thanked me for suggesting their little robot would help teach kids in school how to get started in coding, they now have 100,000 of units helping children learn in our countries schools. Previous years I had helped get word out about a project to get low cost solar lighting into third world countries. I guess what I am trying to say is ShowStoppers is a place to watch and think of others because you never know if someone around the world may benefit from a suggest of how a product can actually help humanity.

Closing The Show (For Me):

During the Showstoppers I started to feel a little weak, I just thought it was the long hours. I got to meet one of the PR people I have always wanted to meet because of her great announcements and her knowledge of who is moving and whom is shaking. After meeting some cool PR people and getting to check out the awesome GameSir G3s game controller, I went to rest a bit and that rest got long then I realized I was full on sick with the flu and running a brutal fever. Suddenly CES was over early for me with the last days where I get to kick it with a buddy named Keven and give a friend a copy of an old jewelry selling broadcast I used to work at still in my pocket. I still feel cruddy but time waits for no man, I have sumo wrestling and cosplayers at a convention to see tomorrow. And there is always CES 51.

Monster Firecracker Pholite Speaker

2017/01/13

Ripper71

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

I have used several wireless, portable speakers over the years. One of the first ones I had looked like a really large ice chest and ran off a half dozen “D” batteries. It gave some pretty good sound with a nice connection, the problem was its size and weight. Over the years there have been plenty of companies working on it and, thankfully, Monster (now Monster Cables) was among them and they felt that creating a unit with great sound was key but why not also add a speaker phone and photo fill illumination while they were at it. With that, they brought us the Monster Firecracker Pholite Speaker.

Light It Up:

I’ll be honest at first I thought the light option was a strange one. Everything else made total sense, if you are poolside during the summer you want to have a water resistant speaker that can fill the yard with beats and you don’t have to go grab your phone and possibly get it wet if you get a call, hit a button and away you talk (though it would be nice if you tell the person at the other end they have just joined the pool party). Aiding in preventing water, dust and other environmental damage is a rubber plate that covers a 3.5mm input in case your Bluetooth just isn’t doing the job and a micro mini port located under the same plate to make sure to keep a little sand from stopping the festivities.

It’s small yet looks and feels rugged, it has a solid screw down pack clip so you can clip it on, screw it tight and go hiking letting the group listen to your tunes while knowing if you take a bit of a slip you will still be fine and if you get a call after hitting a quick button you can continue your ascent hands free of the call. If you wind up hiking late you have a flashlight on your Firecracker you can fire up and keep safe on the trails which is a surprising recurring accident or death issue in any outdoor environment.

What is even more interesting about the flashlight on the Firecracker is that it isn’t just designed to be a flashlight it is also designed to be a filler light. Those into photography will usually get this reference immediately and those not into it will probably get it without realizing it. The name is somewhat straight forward in that it is a light that fills in area where there is too much shadow. For example if you have a friend you want to take a picture of in front of a building during a setting sun you would turn on this light and it is the proper kelvins to front light the subject to make them not look all shadowy. The 5000 degree kelvin light would also be great as a plugged in light for webcasters such as Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and Periscope that can be adjusted to try to help remove some of the washed out look of the caster by turning down the brightness of the monitor and using the light at wherever fills in best.

Most importantly you have a Monster product which means you can rely on big boom coming from a little box.

Tech Specs:

“Baby Blaster” form factor
Built in super-bright 7 hour flashlight
- High-intensity daylight, 5000K
- 500 Lumens
Pure Monster Sound™ wirelessly with NFC
Stereo (from 2 Full-Range Drivers) with passive bass radiator
High intelligibility mic for calls
25+ Hours of continuous play
Splash resistant (IPX-5)
Heavy-duty cabinet with color-matched strap and carabiner clip
Sealed Port for aux in (3.5mm) and power
Black, Gold, Red, Green Camo

Last Call:

Monster Firecracker Pholite is like a multi-army knife of sound, give giving big booms, solid pairing, great chat sound and even great multi-use light source all in one little box. Right now it is a little hard to find in the U.S. but it can be found on Monster’s website for about $130 dollars. Make sure to grab it on your way out the door so you will be ready for whatever life asks of you.

Monster Firecracker Pholite Review Score

[mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eeee22″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eeee22″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eeee22″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eeee22″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eeee22″ type=”fa”] (5 out of 5 Stars)

GameSir G3s Gamepad Review

2017/01/13

Ripper71

News, Peripheral Review, Peripherals News, Reviews

I game a lot, someone might say I’m always gaming (I have a game running in the background right now). I started at about 5 years old and the only thing I collected more than game systems is game controllers and setups. The controller that comes with the system isn’t always what the player will find fits their gaming style best but sometimes, such in the case of the GameSir G3s Gamepad, one controller can be the one to rule more than one system.

Game On:

First off the controller looks like a PlayStation 3 controller and quickly and easily pairs with the systems. The controller is a little lighter weight than the normal PS controller for a reason we will get up to later and as a result can be far more comfortable for much longer. This also is nice in case you decide to add adapters or extra padding to your controllers making it become so that some parts like KontrolFreeks FPS stick extender.

One of the best reasons the controller also works with Android phones which attach onto the GameSir G3s’ individual mobile bracket that can be connected around the controller and expanded to fit your Android device in. Then you simply connect to the two systems, download a couple games and away you go on a portable system using a full size console controller. This of course makes the device a bit top heavy but since you can screw down the desired angle of the device onto the top so you will have it as forward, back, or evenly heavy as you find comfortable. The bracket folds up nicely in your pocket when you aren’t using it so that it is always handy.

Another nice aspect of the GameSir’s versatility is that it goes great with Window’s PC systems using a USB dongle so it is wireless and if you are more used to PlayStation controllers than Windows ones this is a great opportunity to use that style. The GameSir G3s also works with Smart TV/boxes

Tech Specs:

32-bit high-speed MCU chip, high sensitivity and on time response.
Support iCade, X-input, D-input and Android native mode games.
Lasts for 18 hours working time, built-in rechargeable battery, double shock vibration.
Multi-Platforms: Android/Windows/PS3. Connection: 2.4GHz/Bluetooth 4.0/ Wired connection.
Free App “Happy Chick”game emulator brings you more authentic gaming experience, you can scan the QR Code in User Manual to install it.

Game Over!:

GameSir’s G3s is the controller you want around your house and on the go. Whether it is your Android, Smart TV, PC or gaming console the G3s is the controller you need. It usually retails for about $80 dollars but, right now, it is priced at 60% off on Amazon so get it while the getting is good!

GameSir G3s Gamepad Review Scored:

Final Fantasy XV Review

2016/12/17

Ripper71

News, PlayStation 4 News, PlayStation 4 Review, Reviews

I, like many gamers who are a bit older, played all the Final Fantasy games and one-off titles like Final Fantasy Tactics when they came out. When the opening title for Final Fantasy XV comes up and it says “For Fans and First-Timers”, that is a rather bold statement because the groups generally want two different styles of gameplay. The veterans want a challenge that the years of game progression have provided and the first-timers want to be able to just jump in and play without some massive learning curve. So how could Final Fantasy XV cater to both? It’s time to find out!

First Strike:

First off, if you are a first-timer to the Final Fantasy, know that the setting of the franchise has become an interesting hybrid of medieval fantasy and modern technology. For instance, your character might drive a sporty Regalia automobile then climb out and fight a demon using electric swords, daggers, fireballs and finish them off with a couple gunshots. Then you will make camp and one of your party who has cooking as a skill will make some kind of gastro-creation that might be something like a stuffed bell pepper with a side of potatoes melody to increase strength and health until the next time you camp. During that time you will look at the pictures you saved to your digital camera from the day and decide which you want to keep and of those any you might want to save on your real life social media to share.

That is just how you get started with the game too, the combat design is flexible, with options both for real-time and turn-based fighting. In the older games, you might have four characters lined up on the bottom of a screen and a few monsters on the top. You would decide the attacks and then hit the button to proceed. In this case, you can figure out which move you will do with your characters against monsters all around on the screen then decide where they will go after that attack. It takes a bit of getting used to but is a fun type of fighting design, though if you want you can just play like other 3D open world games and just run around selecting your attacks and getting things killed.

As I mentioned it is a 3D open world and it is seeded with tons of side quests and repeatable missions/bounties. You can pick up a bounty, run out and earn your gils (currency) then camp, head back and ask the designated quest/information guy about what next can be fought and where items of interest such as energy sources for spells, food spots for recipes and treasure chests to get new gear and weapons. Don’t expect the new gear or new weapons to be too exciting at the start, a bronze amulet for example, but if you get some decent food buffs on you and you get an okay weapon upgrade you can start doing some decent damage quick. As long as you stick to the daytime. You have to grind pretty hard to be able to fight the demons that come out at night and with all this I am still mostly talking about the starting section.

You start with your bros who are going to be your cabinet when you become King, for now you are a prince in an arranged marriage. I used that as my excuse for why I was grinding out in the wastelands, it’s like a last road trip with my buddies before getting married. With that being said it isn’t going all “What Happens In The Wastelands Stays In The Wastelands” because Prince Noctis doesn’t even have eyes for the half dressed mechanic who you want to make tons of nonpolitical correct jokes in real life.

He is all about what next bit of fun and mischief he and his best friends can get into. That is something that stands out really heavy in the latest game, it is a total bromance story and feels fine with it. You make jokes with each other as you run around, you cheer each other on during combat, you actually reach down and help a teammate up when they have fallen. When I was beat to crap and on the ground trying to recover one of my friends would shout to another to cover me and he would stand in front of me long enough to get some health and magic energy back.

Once you take a certain amount of damage the only way to fully recover it is to give it a night camping or potions to juice back up but remember juicing in the the game is scarce so you might want to save them for boss fights. When fighting you can do special combos like the strongest Gladiolus Amicitia might hold out his weapon and you can jump off it and sink a blade deep from above. You can also switch between characters and have your buddy Prompto to take some specialty shots at the birds your blade swinging friends have a hard time hitting so you don’t have to hope the AI will think of it.

The AI seems to work really well though making sure your friends are doing their part in the battles when you stumble upon enemies which can spawn up pretty much wherever. I’ve had bounties to go fight some creature and have some other harder creature pop in my way before getting to them and taken them out before the smaller bounty. Sometimes you are lucky enough to stumble upon foods, magic elements, minerals or treasures on your own while exploring and the nice thing about the open land is once you get a campsite saved or area uncovered you can usually get back there through auto drive or auto camp.

For reasons I won’t say here this road trip hits some pretty heavy potholes when it reaches its destination and the story comes into heavier play though the game still keeps battle in there to keep things from getting too stagnate. The story line… well that might be kind of the weakness of the story with at times leaving you scratching your head and saying why am I doing things this way or why wouldn’t I rest up and camp here and the answer is simple, it wasn’t in the script.

There are also mini games to be found in the game which I got just as addicted playing as I did the main game at a couple times because they didn’t skimp on quality making them either.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how amazingly gorgeous everything looks in the game and how clear and beautiful the sound is. Running around on a Chocobo along cliff sides or walking bazaars and taking in the great giant majesty of towered towns just…well makes the game a pleasure for fans and first-timers.

Incoming Free Goodies!

If you need more incentive at the time of print for this article it was coming up on the Final Fantasy festive season on December 22, 2016 where all players who own the core game get a New Game+ mode, players who complete the game can start again with gameplay data intact. A new photo frame feature will also be available for photos taken by Prompto.

The Holiday Pack also has the Warrior’s Fanfare, sheet music that provides additional AP when players earn an A+ in offense outside of training, and a Nixperience Band that stops party members earning experience to make things harder.

The pack also gives you an entry to the Moogle Chocobo Carnival in late January 2017, and a Choco-Mog t-shirt to celebrate that event.

Players who own the Season Pass will get all that plus The Tech Turbocharger and Armiger Accelerator for supercharging your tech bar and the Armiger bar, each operating at the cost of freezing the other. Blitzer’s Fanfare provides AP when players earn an A+ grade in Time and Tactician’s Fanfare for Finesse (Finesse is not my strongest feature usually).

Other items included are The Key of Prosperity that increases the rate at which fallen enemies drop useful items and the Stamina Badge that lets Noctis sprint and hang without using up stamina. Season pass holders receive a Festive Ensemble outfit and a set of exclusive photo frames in January of 2017 as well.

Last Slice:

Final Fantasy XV is a game where the more you put into it the more you get out of it, take your time, play is through slowly, then play it through again and enjoy a nicely done addition to the Final Fantasy franchise. If you find a problem while playing it don’t worry about it too bad, just report it, the staff behind Final Fantasy XV have been listening to players’ concerns and making adjustments and updates because they truly want to stand behind there statement of a game “For Fans And First-Timers.”

Final Fantasy XV Review Score:

[mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”] (5 out of 5 Stars)

Snakebyte Zoopa Q 165 Riot Drone Review

2016/12/17

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

I got my first drone quite a while back before they were really on the commercial market and I could not have been more excited. I had impatiently waited its arrival and as soon as it arrived I tore it from the box and powered it up. That is when I discovered that, unless you had something built into a drone to keep it self-balancing, I would spend months just trying to get it to hover a couple feet off the ground without just flipping upside down. After that, I would see dozens of drones, all out of my price range and because apparently even keeping a desktop exec toy one from flip flopping was pricey.

We are now entering the days where drones get whole sections of trade shows and they go from the sizes smaller than a beer coaster to ones that can accommodate take passengers. So for the first time since all those years ago I am trying out a new drone in the form of the Snakebyte zoopa Q 165 Riot.

First Flight:

The zoopa Q 165 Riot is about the size of a mouse pad and uses 2.4Ghz technology to facilitate communications between itself and the remote control. The controller is larger and designed to remind you of an old school RC controller but it only uses a small part of the space, most is for comfort. It has two sticks – one for up and down and the other for directional input. There is a speed button so you can use it at a lower speed indoors and not break anything too much or if you are outdoors in a clear area you can open it wide up and maybe even race a friend who has it. Then there is the coveted 360 Flip Button.

Out of a lot of drones it really is this particular button that makes all the difference. If you have a quality drone it should do everything in it’s power to keep you from flipping it over because that is an instant dirt nap for the machine. But they have built into this one so that all you have to do is be going forward, hit the button and it will do the magic flip that will impress your friends, start conversations with strange women without having a dog or baby (and the poo that comes with them) and be an overall talking matter. Just don’t hit the said people with the drone, then the conversation will be less fun…

In the manual, it says to give the drone a starting room of about 3×3 feet for fun flying. Personally I found a much wider area such a park with minimal trees and dogs around to be a better choice when getting started and learning the controls. Blades can get damaged or broken upon impacts (which is why it comes with four spare ones that are easily changed out), but softer landing zones will decrease the chance of this happening. The first thing we want to do is fire them up and try to fly them over the family pet, not only cruel it can damage both. Outdoors for starts, indoors when mastered.

Don’t get bummed if it takes you a while to learn to fly it, whenever you see someone flying it on TV or convention, know that they have had tons of practice. They didn’t just unbox it and start doing aerial acrobatics. The zoopa Q 165 Riot has a nice battery life, especially for a starter model, and my suggestion would be to bring a backup battery that has a USB port then you can use the USB charger kit that comes with the system and juice it back up in the field. The zoopa Q 165 Riot can stay aloft for around 8 minutes. The remote control runs off 6 batteries so it should last you for quite sometime. Acme.com and Snakebyte seem to have thought of most things you would need to get airborne and make repairs to stay airborne. The blades even have protective plastic rings to try to maintain their longevity.

One of my crash landings did result in a repair that required a piece that was not duplicated in the box so I contacted their service people and I have a fresh part so fast it was almost as though it had never broken. Getting a company to stand behind a product can sometimes be a battle but they did so terrifically.

Last Landing:

The Snakebyte zoopa Q 165 Riot is a terrific entry level drone with some features you might hope to see on pricier models. The battery life is good, the flight system has a fairly straightforward learning curve, and you get a big boost in fun thanks to the 360 Flip feature. If you aren’t an expert flier, this is a great drone to go with. If you are an expert, I have heard that removing the chassis can… never mind I have said too much!

zoopa Q 165 Riot Drone Review Score:

[mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eeee22″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eeee22″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eeee22″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eeee22″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star-o” color=”#eeee22″ type=”fa”] (4 out of 5 Stars)

Batman – The Telltale Series Season 1 Review

2016/12/16

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

I think I have played every Telltale Games adventure title there is, and with good reason. They way their serialized episodic gameplay is dependent on your decisions is truly exciting in how it changes the story of the game. So let’s say you are talking to an enemy in the first episode of the game and decide not to answer his question. That big bad might attack you and you decide you want to show him who is boss and maim his arse. Then he turns out to just be an overprotective good guy who saves your life over and over through the series… with that arm missing you decided to remove in episode one. Oops, that was your bad, because Telltale games put you in the character like few other games ever could. Most recently, that character was Batman, the cowl just about everybody wishes they could don.

There have been a few commercials lately about Batman games getting the VR treatment which has fans who were on the fence jumping down and forking out cash. Because the old saying goes…

but thanks to Telltale you can be Batman while not having to dine on ramen for months (BTW, you start to sweat that stuff out, trust me I know).

Cowl On:

Most of the Batman games are about driving around in the Batmobile and using and improving those wonderful toys and gadgets. Many of the games over the years (and some of the comics even) deal with the decisions and actions of Batman without addressing Bruce Wayne more than how he covers up his bruises and cuts and dealing with Selena Kyle when she crashes one of his functions. Being the most famous billionaire playboy in Gotham would have the paparazzi working overtime to get pictures of him, especially if he is reclusive, and keeping up this Bruce identity and life would be just as challenging if not more so than The Bat, people hang of the every gesture and decision of Bruce whereas most only see the aftermath of Batman.

Telltale games really understood that and made it so you weren’t just playing with toys over Gotham but also dealing with how you handle a mob boss crashing Harvey Dent’s fundraiser and reaching out to shake your hand infront of the Gotham elite. Do you make an enemy of one of the underground’s biggest bosses right when Bruce is coming out of the shadows to support Dent or do you try to play nice with Bruce in hopes that as the Bat you can get matters fixed? Don’t worry that was just one minor scenario in the first episode which is loaded with decisions like this.

Just because Bruce gets more attention don’t think there isn’t action in the game for Batman to handle and get them from classic enemies with great backstories and original interactions. You will feel the weight of juggling the two identities like you never have in a Batman game before and maybe, just maybe, you might want to be Batman a little less than always. If the weight begins to feel too heavy though there is actually a multiplayer mode where other players vote on the choice to make!

You don’t just make the decisions of Batman and Bruce how you make the decisions will impact the gameplay. As I mentioned before if you decide to make rougher fighting choices you might have both the bad guys and the public fear you. How you handle Bruce’s decisions both publically and behind closed doors will decide what of the many betrayals of Batman that have been used over the years. In this game it is all about Telltale’s traditional animation style which looks like it was lifted right from a graphic novel and set in motion. I have loved this style since the first time I saw it in Fables: The Wolf Among Us which then got me to go and play The Walking Dead Season One and Game Of Thrones, so by now I am used to the animation and play style that has carried through. The major key to know is that when it comes to fighting or even dialog choices, everything is timed so that a delay can mean no decision or silence – think fast!

Last Pow!:

Batman: Telltale Series is by far one of my favorite Batman games to play and is in my top 2 when it comes to Telltale games. The writing, the depth of development that is left to the player and the beautiful stylized animation all helps me know I will be playing it again. Maybe even on the multiplayer mode from the beginning so that I can see what team Batman would play as. The only complaint about Batman: Telltale Series is that it had to end, so hopefully they will come out with a season two soon!

Batman: The Telltale Games Series Review Score:

[mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#848484″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#848484″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#848484″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#848484″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#848484″ type=”fa”] (5 out of 5 Stars)

Great American Comic Convention Las Vegas After-Action Report

2016/12/11

Ripper71

Comics News, Geek News, News, Screenshots / Photos

One of the greatest parts of my job is going to conventions. I love them – I physically train for them (they can be an endurance challenge), I do homework on them, and then I go and take in the sights and sounds in a manner that fellow Firefly “Browncoats” would simply call “shiny”. Some of them are massive and literally impossible to take everything in during an entire week, others are so intimate that legends of their industry become friends. That has been the Great American Comic Convention in Las Vegas the last two years.

When I was a kid I didn’t usually read super hero comics like most kids, I was into House Of Mystery, Chamber Of Secrets, Swamp Thing, mostly the spooky comics with some Scooby Doo and some much loved Sgt. Rock (my friends collected G.I. Joe and I preferred the more realistic Sears Sgt. Rock action figures). I also read The Nam a lot, my dad bought those for me and they were deeply important because they helped me understand what he went through in country.

In college I would sometimes eat ramen and drink cheap beer to pick up the latest Punisher, Swamp Thing, Hellraiser and my all time favorite John Constantine Hellblazer. When I got into the geekdom reviewing business after college I still had a love for all these things and with the exception of the Holy Grail of cons, San Diego, I started going to cons for everything from electronics to broadcasting equipment to my lifetime loved comics.

If you had told me as a kid I would talk to the first artist to do Swamp Thing comics Bernie Wrightson last year at Great American Comic Convention I wouldn’t believe you. If you told me that the event would be so intimate that over the last two years at GACC I would actually become friends with one of the cover artists for Punisher, Hellraiser and Hellblazer Tim Bradstreet I would have probably suggested to stop drinking cheap vodka, if you had told me that Mike Golden who penned the first issues of The Nam would remember me, joke around all weekend and then mention me in his panel I might have cried for how deep those comics strike home with me. If you told me Allen Bellman would call me over to his table around a group already there because he want to talk to ME about the 75th anniversary of Captain America (I wasn’t wearing anything media, he just looked at me and decided I was who he wanted to talk to) and shake my hand over and over I would be stunned to silence.

25 years ago when I was the entertainment reporter for a college newspaper I told the entertainment reporter for the Los Angeles Times that the Rugrats weren’t the “in” thing on college campuses right now it had become Ren and Stimpy, an animated dog and cat that started at a fringe cartoon festival and had become a viewing party sensation coast to coast. This last weekend I got to go up to the artist Bob Camp and hand him two printed out copies of that article, one for him and one he signed for me.

Great American Comic Convention is one of my favorites because it is intimate enough to actually have a full conversation with Neil Adams, hang out with Mat Nastos, check out the guns on John Romita Jr. while meeting such groups as Very Awesome Girls and Critical Care Comics that help the community. There is also the artist alley of the up and comers, just waiting for that big break which we have seen happen at shows. If you haven’t made it to this convention in the past make room for it in the future to meet the guys behind the inked pages.

Great American Las Vegas Comic-Con Photo Gallery

Abattoir Movie Review

2016/11/27

Ripper71

Film Review, Halloween, Movie News, News, Reviews

I love horror movies – especially those horror movies that make you not only jump, but also think. So, when you give me one that does both it is like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup for my brain. Abattoir, based on the graphic novel of the same name, starts with a quote from one of the father’s of transcendental thinking, Henry David Thoreau, and has actors like Lin Shaye, Dayton Callie, and Joe Anderson. Putting all this together, I got the feeling that Abattoir was going be an odd and suspenseful ride.

I sat down in my empty house, all the lights out and just a few feet from the screen with potty breaks taken care of in advance. And I watched. Then I shook my head and watched again. Two days later and some housemates come in and I am there in the dark watching the same movie. You might want to take this as a point to great acting, great story, great directing and you would be right on these but most of all it would be for understanding.

“Our houses are such unwieldy property that we are often imprisoned rather than housed by them,” Henry David Thoreau quote at the top of the film. I totally nod in agreement to its relevance and tone for starting the flick and this theme carries on through the whole film. I will keep this review spoiler free giving you little more than you could gleam from a movie description that would accompany it’s rental and scenes that would be seen in a preview. I’m just going to give you a slight taste here so you might tell if it is to your liking and if you want to make a meal of it for a couple of days that will be up to your palate.

After the brutal and very creepy murder of sister, brother-in-law and nephew, Jules goes back to reminisce at the house only to find it had been sold, escrow and renovations done all in a week after their deaths. The renovations consisted of tearing out the entire room they were murdered in. If you don’t know housing you couldn’t really get any of that done in a week even paying cash which the buyer did.

So Jules makes the journey to find out who did it as well as discover some family secrets along the way. This is where I stop with the details and tell that the directer and cast tried to keep very true to the source material even when it made performances seem a tad hammy and when shots seem to lack movement inside the camera shot because they are an example of a graphic novel comic frame. There is an amazing beauty to the lighting and effects that are at the same time somewhat simple but then help tell the tale in a believable fashion.

The film is a heavy one but extremely well told. I can’t state enough how movie is not light, you really need your thinking cap on. There are plenty of twists but the more you are thinking the more they feel like progressions of the story instead.

One of the last lines is “It is said that one can never go home again but I wonder do we ever truly leave.” I wonder if Abattoir ever leaves you once you have watched it.

Ninja Loop And Petite Loop Product Review

2016/11/25

Ripper71

Misc Review, News, Reviews

Anybody who knows me in real life or reads me regularly knows that I am disabled with a combination of degenerative bone disease and nerve damage. Last night I went to a very fancy dinner for a relative and I had a hand spasm that causes food to go flying off the table. Because these spasms occur frequently, I carry a combination wallet/phone case and I’m always using devices or cases that I can strap to my hand to keep it from flying away. For the last year, I have been using an As Seen On TV product called The Love Handle which is a 3M adhesive plastic bar attached to a case with a stretchy fabric on it to slide over my fingers. It works extremely well but has resorted in me using very utilitarian cases because any design would be covered by the bar. So tonight I am trying out Ninja Loop and Petite Loop to see if they offer me another solution that might give me some case choices while maintaining the phone safety,

Getting A Grip:

Each of these has a style to meet a slightly different functionality while at the same time getting the job done. First I will start with a Ninja Loop since it seems the closest to my current Love Handle. Instead of anchoring on the outside like the Love Handle the Ninja Loop has a self-adhesive that attaches to the inside of the case, passes through one of the holes at the bottom of the case, up the back of the case with room for about two fingers to hold between the ribbon and the case, then through the lens cutout and attaching again inside the top of the case using the self-adhesive. Where you send the Ninja Loop through the bottom decides how you will hold it so this is important to take into consideration and it will also decide how much of the outer part of the case is shown. If you bought the case for the design on it rather than function then the Ninja Loop might not be for you (don’t rule out the Petite Loop) or you will want to pick one in a color that goes well with the pattern. If you have a bulky protective case where you have to use and adapter plug to get to the headset and charging jacks or if it is a all weather proof case then this might not be the one for you but for others it’s simple but effective features have some definite pluses.

For testing I used a plain black case for my iPhone 6Plus by Ballistic. The case is specifically made with acidental dropping in mind, maybe even stopping a mugger’s knife so I felt secure with giving the Ninja Loop a good a proper testing. First off when you start trusting your phone to a ribbon it is a bit disconcerting. Even knowing the obvious physics behind it I had to train my hand to let the ribbon slide between my fingers and hold by it while using my thumb to hit button all over the place. The next test was to shake my hand around a lot to simulate someone running but also to simulate a spastic motion of my hand. Even with some heavy spastic moves it still held up. The hardest part has to be training your mind to accept the Ninja Loop as sturdy enough to not send your phone flying away into traffic or falling overboard while taking a picture of a sunset at sea. Once you attach it it will stay there until you decided to remove it, which might be done to mix up the colors fashion wise or maybe you got a stain on it out for sushi and you don’t want it to look ugly or start to smell like fish. Cost effectiveness is definitely an important aspect of it.

The Petite Loop was up next and though it’s design of use is different I could see this one becoming their best seller. It is a loop of ribbon that self-adhesives to the back of your phone and comes out the charging port of your case. Since every phone has a charging port and the ribbon isn’t very large then Petite Loop is unobstructive but completely usable. You can any design or style to your case and it will show all of it while at the same time adding a great sense of security. You just slide it over your wrist then when you swing the phone forward to use it then let it just swing back onto your wrist when you are done with it. That makes it great for on the go in heavily traffic ed areas where a phone might get jostled from your hand or when you are doing something athletic it can just swing from you wrist until you are ready to use it. If you are concerned about it maintaining it’s hold then there is a fun video I will post at the end where they use a fish scale and show 33 pounds of pull on the wristband and it still maintaining attached to your phone. Once again the Petite Loop is also so affordable that if you get anything on it you can just replace it or if you change cases and the style conflicts pick up another, you can afford it.

Letting Go:

The Ninja Loop and Petite Loop were originally a Kickstarter project, but they are off and running and for good reason. The “Loop” family of products are extremely user friendly, come in a variety of styles to fit whatever the user needs. They could even be used in tandem or with other products and will make me feel much more secure with my disability and handling of my technology.

Ninja Loop And Petite Review Score

[mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eded00″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eded00″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eded00″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eded00″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eded00″ type=”fa”] (5 out of 5)