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Transformers: Titans Return Second Chapter Images

September 11, 2017 – Hasbro, a global play and entertainment company, and Machinima, the premiere digital video programmer of gamer and fandom-focused content, are releasing the first images from the second chapter of the upcoming digital series, TRANSFORMERS: TITANS RETURN.  Continuing the massive worldwide interest in Transformers: Combiner Wars, TITAN RETURN debuts this November worldwide on Verizon’s mobile entertainment destination, go 90 – except in China, where it airs on Sohu.com. The series features 10 episodes at approximately 11 minutes per episode. Since launching the trilogy’s first installment of the digital series in August 2016, Transformers: Combiner Wars, has garnered more than 125 million global views on across a variety of digital platforms.

About Transformers: Titans Return

TITANS RETURN stars Peter Cullen, who originated the voice of Optimus Prime in the 1980s animated Transformers series and will be making his Prime Wars Trilogy debut in the upcoming installment as the voice of Optimus Prime. Cullen will be joined by a host of fan favorites including Judd Nelson, who is reprising his roles of Rodimus Prime and Hot Rod from the 1986 animated Transformers movie, Michael Dorn as Fortress Maximus, Wil Wheaton as Perceptor, Nolan North as Metroplex and Jason David Frank as Emissary.

They are joined by returning talent from Combiner Wars, including Abby Trott (Windblade), Jason Marnocha (Megatron), Frank Todaro (Starscream), Lana McKissack (Mistress of Flame), and DashieGames (Menasor), as well as a new set of influencers like MatPat (Computron), Rob Dyke (Devastator) and Tay Zonday (Chorus of the Primes).

Picking up right where the destruction of the Combiner Wars left off, TITANS RETURN takes the action of the Prime Wars Trilogy to new ‘heights,’ and features return appearances from many fan-favorite Transformers characters as well as introduces new Autobots and Decepticons. In the series, enormous Transformers called Titans are awakened and these massive characters bring massive problems. Trypticon, a gigantic lizard-like Transformer, rises to wreak havoc on Cybertron, while Windblade and a rag-tag team of Transformers must resurrect an ancient ally. Not all Transformers will survive, as beloved heroes are changed forever while others’ sparks are blown to oblivion. Like Combiner Wars, sophisticated storytelling reveals more than meets the eye for older audiences and kids of all ages when a sinister secret is discovered.

2017 Long Beach Comic Con Debrief and Photo Gallery

I had never attended the Long Beach Comic Con prior to this last weekend, so I was pleasantly surprised when, leaving the event at the end of the day, I promised myself to return next year. It was an extremely fun comic con to attend and I don’t know why it took me this long to check it out. The Long Beach Convention Center is an amazing venue with lots of square footage for exhibitors, not to mention a cafe that serves decent convention food which is, unfortunately, a rarity in Southern California. The event filled up the convention hall with a large assortment of vendors, artists, celebrity guests, and pavilions to explore and I was thrilled to see Storm King Comics being among them. Storm King Comics is the comic publisher created by John Carpenter and his wife, Sandy King Carpenter. That might sound familiar as Ripper71 recently reviewed their new horror/sci-fi book series for us!

Their celebrity appearances were also impressive, with William Shatner having a signing and appearance session on Saturday of the event, and Sherilyn Fenn being there for Sunday. Also there was Noel Gugliemi, an actor with over 160 credits to his name whom you have certainly seen – even if you don’t realize it!

Of course, they had a wide variety of panels to attend, such as one on costume creation given by the 501st Legion and one on the science and technology of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory! So random, yet so, so very good. Also at the LBCC was the Geekfest Film Festival, which showcased a number of short films from a variety of genres. What I appreciated about this film fest was that they broke the films up in blocks of particular genres then scheduled those throughout the day. If science fiction is your thing, go in at noon – if horror is your bag, go in at 3pm. The event’s schedule of programs, panels, screenings, and more was very easy to navigate.

Of course, cosplay has become a huge part of pop culture conventions these days, and the Long Beach Comic Con was no exception. There were so many cosplayers on-site, I was stunned! It felt like all of the San Diego Comic-Con cosplayers just crammed into the Long Beach Convention Center. I got the chance to see some really incredible costumes and thought it made the entire experience that much better.

I had a fantastic time at the Long Beach Comic Con and will definitely be returning in 2018. You can find out more details on the event over at its official website.

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Rapala Fishing Series Pro Announced

MINNEAPOLIS – Aug. 24, 2017 – GameMill Entertainment has revealed Rapala Fishing Pro Series, a new game coming Oct. 24, 2017, for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One. Compete in a variety of tournaments across North America to build your reputation and become the next Rapala Pro Angler!

An authentic experience featuring real lakes and officially licensed Rapala equipment, Rapala Fishing Pro Series takes players on the hunt for dozens of the sport’s top fish species. Navigate six sprawling environments with GPS, track fish with the fish finder, and master what lures and tackle work best to land your trophy fish! Use your winnings to purchase top-line equipment, including new boats, reels, poles, apparel, lures and lines.

Rapala Fishing Pro Series delivers a destination fishing adventure with picturesque views of North America’s top lakes both above and below water camera viewpoints. Explore each living environment by boat, choose where to cast your line and complete a variety of challenges to take your career further. There’s also a Free Fishing mode for pick-up-and-play gaming, as well as global leaderboards and daily online challenges to compete toward.

Character Posters Revealed for The Monster Project

August 18, 2017 – New character posters for THE MONSTER PROJECT have been revealed in anticipation of Friday’s theatrical and VOD release! Please consider posting these chilling monsters ahead of the movie’s release.

THE MONSTER PROJECT follows a group of aspiring horror filmmakers set out to find and interview three people who claim to be real life monsters. The production suddenly turns into a nightmare when the participants transform into a real vampire, demon, and skinwalker (a type of harmful witch, according to Navajo legends, that can transform into any animal with the intent of harming people), forcing the unsuspecting crew to fight for their lives.

THE MONSTER PROJECT is directed by award-winning horror filmmaker Victor Mathieu and written by Mathieu, Shariya Lynn, and Corbin Billings. Toby Hemingway (“BLACK SWAN”, “IN TIME”), Justin Bruening (“GOOD BEHAVIOR”, “GREY’S ANATOMY”, “RINGER”), and Yvonne Zima (“IRON MAN 3”, “NICE GUYS”) provide strong performances with Jamal Quezaire and Murielle Zuker rounding out the cast.

Valnir Rok New Screenshots

August 11, 2017 – Independent game developer encurio GmbH will begin the second phase of Closed Alpha testing on their upcoming online Viking survival roleplaying game – Valnir Rok – this weekend. Starting 6:00AM EST this Friday, August 11 through 12:00AM EST Monday, August 14 gamers who registered for Closed Alpha Test access at www.valnir.net will be able to explore the brutal online land steeped in Norse mythology.

For those that want to join the Viking horde, please visit the official Valnir Rok website and register today! The Closed Alpha Testing period is also subject to change dependent on the developers need for longer/shorter testing durations.

Also, if you’re planning to attend gamescom 2017 in Cologne, Germany starting August 22be sure to visit the Valnir Rok booth to meet the development team and play the latest version of the game. The Valnir Rok gamescom booth is located at Hall 10.1, E52.

ScareLA 2017 Post-Mortem

We got the chance to check out ScareLA 2017, a horror and Halloween convention, this past weekend. Unfortunately, our experience left much to be desired. This year, the event moved from it’s long-time home at the Pasadena Convention Center to the Los Angeles Convention Center. With the change in venues to Los Angeles, I had hoped they were experiencing a crunch of not having enough room for their exhibitors. More exhibitors means more stuff for attendees to see and purchase, which makes everyone happy. Unfortunately, exhibitors were purposefully spaced out from one another in an effort to fill the West Hall of the LA Convention Center, and this created an empty feeling throughout. There was a lot of unused space that could have been taken up by booths or shows or anything. Additionally, the West Hall of the LA Convention Center was very dimly-lit, and not in the spooky way. It is a very large space and the overhead lighting is not really bright enough to properly light it. This is why at E3 Expo, we usually see lighting elements on all the booths carpeting the hall (not to mention that it also makes their booth more eye-catching). Also, the West Hall food court was available to guests, but its food quality isn’t the best and LA Live is a bit of a hike from there, leaving people (especially those with mobility issues) fewer options for lunch.

The Scarywood Dark Zone was something of a mess, with a windy pathway that seemed to be severely lacking in mini-haunt experiences. The Decayed Brigade slider group was putting on a show when we walked through, and they were engaged in an audio war with the Rhythm Coffin Show band playing forty feet away. Someone should have timed that better so they didn’t blast guests with two entirely different audio tracks at the same time. I walked out of Scarywood with a quizzical look upon my face, unsure of what I just walked through.

There were several bright spots in the event, of course. Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights unveiled two brand-new attractions based on the “Titans of Terror”, the merging of iconic horror characters Freddy Kruger, Leatherface, and Jason Voorhees. The LA Convention Center is next to LA Live, but it is a bit of a walk as opposed to last year’s being right next to the marketplace with plenty of food options. There were some cool classes that people could attend (with the proper pass) including some on horror marketing, mask creation, and tips on succeeding in the haunted house business. They also had an array of celebrity appearances, like Dave Fennoy (Telltale Games The Walking Dead), Naomi Grossman (American Horror Story), and Jake Busey (Starship Troopers) to name just a few. They also had the local blood bank bring their truck into the hall to take blood donations, a noble and worthy cause.

Overall, this year’s Scare LA event was somewhat of a letdown, and I hope that the management team can regroup and create a better event for next year. If they rent out the entire West Hall of the LA Convention Center, they really need to fill it with everything they can. I would love to see them return to Pasadena, that city’s convention center has better lighting and is closer to an array of tasty restaurants.

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Midsummer Scream 2017 Post-Mortem

Midsummer Scream 2017 has come and, unfortunately, gone for another year. This year’s event completely blew away their 2016 offering, which was already an amazing horror/Halloween convention. This year, the event saw even more panels, exhibitors, and mini-haunt experiences for guests to enjoy. Additionally, the screening room featured a number of horror shorts to view over the course of the weekend.

Knott’s Scary Farm announced the last year for Elvira to perform in the park as well as a revised Trick or Treat maze. Universal Studios went into more detail on their upcoming maze based on The Shining and some of their street zone areas. The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor crew hosted a panel where they announced a new maze and featured “Chef” character. Also of note was the panel for Into the Black, an upcoming four-part haunted attraction experience from Larry Bones, owner of Boneyard Effects. The Hall of Shadows was back, bigger and better with way more haunted experiences to take in. Also of note was the sliding group known as the Decayed Brigade. Made up of former and current scare actors, the group performs cool acrobatic stunts by throwing their bodies against a smooth runway and sliding along the ground.

I also want to give a shout out to the Long Beach Convention Center which has, hands down, the best convention center food in Southern California. I have eaten at most of the big convention centers in this area and Long Beach sells custom sandwiches, gourmet coffee, and a lot more. We preferred to eat at their cafe instead of walking across the street to outside restaurants.

The biggest issue we experienced during our visit to Midsummer Scream was getting from the convention center to the main stage, which was located at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center. The walk in between was a bit of a chore, having attendees cross a narrow pedestrian bridge in a construction zone. The upside, of course, was getting to utilize the large house space of the Performing Arts Center, so it’s a trade-off. However, it is a shame there isn’t an internal walkway connecting the buildings.

Overall, Midsummer Scream was even better than last year’s offering, and it now marks the official start of the Halloween journalism season. The next upcoming event is ScareLA and then we begin preview events for the big haunted attractions out there. Stay-tuned for more!

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Resident Evil Revelations Gets Release Date

August 1, 2017 – Now updated for current generation consoles, Resident Evil Revelations is the acclaimed survival horror title featuring series veterans Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield as they investigate the reportedly abandoned “Queen Zenobia” cruise ship. This new version features a smoother 1920×1080 resolution, an improved framerate, increased environmental detail and refined creature movement, defining the best-looking version of the game to date. All previously released downloadable content is also included in the game as unlockable rewards.

Take on hordes of enemies with a friend online in the returning Raid Mode, which includes “The Ghost Ship: Chaos,” a fresh take on the popular stage with more powerful weapons and ways for players to upgrade their arsenal, and remixed enemy placements for an added challenge. Additionally, four controller schemes based on control types from across the entire series are available in this version of the game for a more flexible experience to accommodate different playstyles.

Resident Evil Revelations launches in North America at retail and digitally on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One August 29 for $19.99. A Nintendo Switch release of both Resident Evil Revelations and its follow up Resident Evil Revelations 2, which features series favorites like Claire Redfield and Barry Burton as they face untold horror, will also be available in Late 2017.

Star Wars The Black Series Luke & Rey – SDCC 2017 Exclusive Review

One of the coolest things about the San Diego Comic-Con is that exhibitors like Hasbro bring out some really neat exclusive toys for attendees to purchase. We got the chance to purchase a couple items while there, and wanted to bring you a quick rundown of them – starting with the Star Wars The Black Series Luke & Rey boxed set. This made a big splash at the convention as it is technically the first Star Wars The Last Jedi toy. Now, while Hasbro and Disney have announced that September 1, 2017 will see a huge release of Star Wars toys for the upcoming films, these exclusives were just for conventioneers to purchase and not available at retail yet.

Design / Sculpt

This character two-pack features Rey and Luke as they appear at the end of The Force Awakens and, if rumors are correct, right at the beginning of The Last Jedi. Both action figures feature detailed costumes and Luke even comes with a fabric cloak which, while being somewhat of a pain to tie around the character, is pretty nifty. One thing that I was hoping would be on the Luke figure was a lightsaber hook or holster. His belt has a non-functional pouch but nothing else of note. The Rey figure is a little more dynamic, featuring a holster for the pistol that the late smuggler Han Solo gave to her in The Force Awakens. Both character faces don’t look all that much like the actors who play them in the films, but the general idea of who they are is apparent. Rey’s hands are very detailed down to individual fingers, so be careful when making her grip the included accessories to not accidentally bend or tear them off. Each character features a large number of articulation points, so posing them into whatever scene you wish should not be too difficult.

Accessories

This is where the Luke Skywalker figure comes up a little short (and not just in the Stormtrooper sense of the adjective). Luke doesn’t come with any accessories other than his cloak. No weapon, nothing. Now, I would imagine that part of this is due to secrecy – if Luke wields a Jedi weapon (or any other implement) in the new film, it is a big movie moment and one they would not want spoiled in action figure form. Rey, on the other hand, comes with numerous accessories. She has her staff, Anakin’s/Luke’s/Rey’s lightsaber, and her pistol.

Rey’s staff comes with a loop that you can utilize to have the figure wear it around her torso, and the pistol is a very decent representation of the one in the movie – especially on such a small scale. Her lightsaber his also well-detailed, I just wish the blade was removable so that it was a bit more flexible in terms of designing a scene for the figures. Of course, this is great news for the kiddies out there as it is one less thing they can accidentally swallow or lose, so I definitely understand.

Overall

Hasbro’s Star Wars The Black Series Luke & Rey boxed set is a very cool collector’s piece for the upcoming Star Wars The Last Jedi. Both characters are present and come with some nice accessories. They are not perfect likenesses of the actors, but close enough for action figures in The Black Series lineup. They are currently available for various prices on places like eBay, but stay-tuned as the rumor mill is stating there will be new versions of these figures released on Star Wars toy day in September.

Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con Photo Gallery

The Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con is one of the best mid-sized comic-book conventions in the country.  The convention features local artists who get to meet up with loyal fans and as well as develop new readers. At the same time, it brings in huge convention names that cost you some serious money to catch a quick pic or signature with. The real key though is to catch the big names who are just there for the fans and are avoiding charging when they can and take an honest interest in what you have to say. If you want to get up close and personal with those folks, this is the convention for you.

A lot of folks, myself included, were looking forward to seeing Adam West, the man who kept me entertained in my childhood with his campy sense of humor and goofy antics. Unfortunately, the world lost him right before the convention – there he was supposed to sign beside Burt Ward.  It was with this in heart that the folks at the convention arranged to have Lee Meriwether and Julie Newmar come along, Meriwether actually being carried on stage by “henchmen” due to twisting her ankle, and the told their fondest stories of the days, little inside jokes they would slip in for the adults and just what it was like to be on that family set.  It was a truly beautiful tribute to West but also those days in general, that time of Hollywood stars and starlets.

The big draw was the main man of Marvel himself, Stan Lee, who in the past it had been rumored would no longer be doing any cons but his own.  He was being handled as they often have to these days, with high prices for a pic or a signature and even the media told he was a no-fly zone unless you bought your ticket but those who got things signed walked away with an expression like it was worth every penny they spent.

For me the artists that aren’t so heavily handled and just want to meet with the fans are what make this con so …well amazing. Todd McFarlane didn’t realize I was media when he chatted with me and signed my Jaws Movie Mania box while we walked the floor a bit, I think pretty much ever year Rob Liefeld winds up giving stuff out during panels as did Sandy King, John Carpenter’s long-time writing partner.

The Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con is on my calendar every year and I certainly don’t plan to change that. They can bring in the big names to pay tribute to and pay the rent so the undiscovered and the down-to-earth can do their thing which is just show a general love of the work. Can’t ask for much better than that.