Pokken Tournament DX is essentially the same game as the original, and that’s okay. With five new characters and a few more modes, this Deluxe version is worth the price even more so than the original.
The game’s E3 demo build had me play two best-of-three matches with a competitor. I chose to play as more original main, Garchomp, and a new character, Croagunk. Croagunk had an interesting play style; because the character is so physically small, players must find pockets in the opponent’s defense to strike.
Graphically, Pokken Tournament DX is virtually the same as its original Wii U version. That said, though, I’m sure the title looks amazing when played in the Switch’s handheld mode.
Overall, I was impressed by Pokken Tournament DX. While the internet seemed not-so-hot on this game when it was announced last week, I hope users have an open mind and pick it up when it’s released on September 22.
Stephen King is taking us back to Castle Rock in his new novella Gwendy’s Button Box (Cemetery Dance Publications, 180 pp.). A coming of age story of the likes that only Stephen King can deliver.
Stephen King
Co-written with Richard Chizmar, King’s novella returns to the small-town Maine town of ‘Needful Things’, ‘The Dead Zone’ and ‘Cujo‘. It is on a warm sunny day that the two introduce Gwendy Peterson. A 12-year-old girl in 1974 wishing to get in shape and rid herself of the nickname “Goodyear.”
“We ought to palaver, you and me.”
Gwendy is starting her daily workout at the local park on the grimly nicknamed Suicide Stairs. It is at the top of these stairs she meets an odd man with a black hat. Richard Farris comes bearing a mahogany box with various colored buttons and levers. Upon handing it to her, Farris warns, “It gives gifts, but they’re small recompense for the responsibility.”
Pushing one lever delivers delicious chocolate animals; the other offers vintage silver coins. The eight buttons, however, are a bit harder to push because of the weight of their destructive significance. Each represents a different continent. The final one is the black one is called “the Cancer Button”. An ominous name which will play a large part in the story.
Richard Chizmar
Now in possession of the box, Gwendy spends her childhood protecting it and using the chocolates daily to excel both physically and mentally. Over the years Gwendy discovers the positive and negative affects of the box. History plays out before her and she uses the buttons to help shape the world.
“The world is insane. You only have to watch the news to know it.”
The novella is an interesting read for King fans. Whilst much shorter than his standard books coming in at only 198 pages, it bears more resemblance to his other character driven novellas such as ‘The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon’ and ‘The Mist’. Once again showing that he doesn’t need hundreds of pages to build a character you care about.
The book is extremely well-paced and with not that many pages to turn, it’s a fun read that never loses momentum. In fact, I managed to read it in one three sitting and have since gone back to read it again for this review. Gwendy also acts as a sidebar to King’s other Castle Rock books. Hardcore fans get an expansion of the weird town’s geography, and Gwendy’s Button Box feels right at home in the King created a town with a bloody history.
Marvel Cinematic Universe fans are less than a month away from the first solo adventure of Spider-Man in the MCU as ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ hits theaters on July 7. The star of the film, Tom Holland confirmed there will be at least two more solo adventures for Peter Parker, according to a featurette released by Disney XD.
“There is still a lot of room for Peter Parker and Spider-Man especially to grow in the next two movies. He’s definitely not the finished article by the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming and I really look forward to exploring the different ways he can grow up and go through puberty I guess. It’s going to be an exciting couple of movies… Yeah, there’ll be Spider-Man 2 and 3, it won’t be Homecoming 2 and 3,” said Holland.
Watch A Fan’s Guide to ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ below:
A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.
The film stars Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Donald Glover, Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr., Jon Favreau, Tyne Daly, Tony Revolori, Bokeem Woodbine, Hannibal Buress, and Martin Starr.
‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ is directed by Jon Watts from a screenplay by Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley and Jon Watts & Christopher Ford and Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers, based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
How do you want to see the MCU Spider-Man trilogy unfold? Comment below.
Aquaman, The Flash and more of DC’s pantheon of heroes suspect Batman of hiding a dark secret that could threaten the very existence of the multiverse! It’s an epic that will span generations—but how does it connect to the origins of one of DC’s most legendary heroes?
DARK DAYS: THE FORGE #1 Written by: Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV Pencils by: Jim Lee, Andy Kubert, and John Romita Jr Inks by: Scott Williams, Klaus Janson, and Danny Miki Colors by: Alex Sinclair and Jeremiah Skipper Lettered by: Steve Wands Published by: DC Comics
So we finally have that first step toward the whole DC ‘Metal’ event, and boy did we get A LOT of things thrown at us. This is a well written, beautifully drawn and ‘easter egg’ packed issue. Gotham scribe vets Snyder and Tynion bring the same quality they have had in their respective Batman books. And Lee, Kubert, and Romita Jr. remind us why they are legends of putting panels together. This is how you start a crossover event, with quality, STORY, and fun. Read on for 11 reasons Dark Days: The Forge is this week’s most well crafted and put together comic! Oh yeah, there are SPOILERS!!!!!
Page from ‘Dark Days: The Forge’
Hawkman! It’s great to see this character finally getting brought into a large story post-Rebirth.
Mr. Terrific! Again, another character we fans have been waiting to see re-introduced. And glad to see his chemistry with Batman is handled perfectly by Snyder and Tynion.
Mr. Miracle! This now makes it a trifecta of great characters. And Batman’s use of Scott Free is ingenious and totally in line with both characters.
Is that possibly Plastic Man in that distinctly colored/patterned egg? Why yes it is! (You can call this a literal ‘easter egg’!)
“Have you told anyone what we’ve been working on? On either Earth?” –Batman
Having Carter Hall/Hawkman narrate is a great technique that allows you to get into the mind of a character with a bit of a convoluted history. You get his essence in just a few short pages.
I think it goes without saying but Jim Lee, Andy Kubert, John Romita Jr., and the rest of the art team have created a gorgeous, energetic and dynamic looking comic. Everything is penciled, colored, inked and lettered beautifully.
“You’re just another couple of pieces in Batman’s puzzle. Just like me.” -The Joker
Batman having his own secret room inside the Fortress of Solitude. Great character building detail.
Holy sh@t! That’s the mother-lovin’ Anti-Monitor tower Batman has been hiding!
Page from ‘Dark Days: The Forge’
There you go Wednesday Warriors. Those are just some of the great things forged into this issue (ha!). If you’re a DC fan, you really should pick this up. If the rest of the ‘Metal’ related stuff is this much fun, we are in for a treat. I read this comic THREE TIMES and found new and fun things every time (even if my mind does keep going back to that double whammy of an ending with the Anti-Monitor tower and Joker!)
Star Wars Battlefront 2 is a game that I really wish I enjoyed more. As a franchise, Star Wars is one of my favorites. Although I was never a huge fan of the series before The Force Awakens, Episode 7 reinvigorated my love, and appreciation, of the galaxy far, far away. However, this doesn’t affect my enjoyment of the game’s demo that I played at E3.
The expo’s demo build throws players in a droid combat scenario, where four different classes are available to play; these classes are the standard found in modern FPS games: assault, heavy, support, and sniper. Besides the Star Wars skin, there is virtually nothing original about these usable character models.
Now, onto the gameplay. Generic is the word of the day with this one. As a gamer, I’ve never been that into first person shooters; however, with that said, there are a few that have piqued my interest over the years. The first Star Wars Battlefront wasn’t one of those, and neither is Battlefront 2. The gameplay sees nothing special about it. Just think of your everyday shooter, say Call of Duty. Now, add Star Wars character designs, music, and art style. I’ve just summed up the disappointment that was my experience with the game’s demo.
Graphically, the game isn’t great either. Rather than realistic graphics, I look for originality when it comes to visuals. Battlefront 2 is a demanding game with high profile combat and cinematic scenes – the problem is, nothing about it stands out. Its character designs more closely resemble real people than say, Super Mario Odyssey, but who cares? Games are about escapism, and the market’s trend of, “let’s make our game look as realistic as possible” does not entice me in the slightest.
All this negativity comes with a caveat: if you liked the first Battlefront, you’ll like this one. In typical sequel fashion, it outdoes the first graphically, gameplay wise, and in creative selection.
With so many amazing titles out there, does Battlefront 2 really deserve the attention and hype it’s getting? From my experience, no, it doesn’t. Get your hands on something original like Ori and the Blind Forest, Splatoon , or Rocket League, rather than the EA’s upcoming shooter.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 hits Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC on November 17.
E3 day one is in the books! Over the course of the day I took a number of photos from Nintendo’s amazing booth. Down below is the best of the shots, compiled into a gallery.
The booth’s playable games included Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, Fire Emblem Warriors, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, Pokken Tournament DX, ARMS, Sonic Forces, and FIFA 18. Based on my observation, Odyssey was by far the most popular title; however, Splatoon 2, ARMS, and Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle were highly sought after as well.
What Nintendo games are you looking forward to? Which games should I play at E3? Comment below, let me know!
Its late 2012 on a Thursday in an arena with about 20 people watching Roman Reigns in the ring with CJ Parker. Up and comer that Parker. The small audience watches mostly respectfully. With the exception of some particularly vocal CJ Parker fans. Apparently they are under the opinion that horrible things should be done to Reigns by their hero Parker. On average this match was a standard match at what was once the FCW arena in Tampa Florida. As usual, new talent for the WWE feeder, then relatively unknown now infamous, NXT were in the ring performing well. Most nights despite the meager sometimes painfully unappreciative audience.
But That Mouth
Reigns listened to the prattling of Parker’s fans then he decided to respond. Watching Reigns at that time in his career it was clear to see the potential and the talent. Initially what was also clear was the hard work and how quickly he learned despite not having the same Indy roots as his opponents. Consequently there was that unnamed something that had nothing to do with his looks, his pedigree or even his determination. It was there right under the surface. And he responded to his critics giving it some air. Quickly like lightning he mimicked and mocked the fans of the man he was wearing down in the ring. That’s when something rare happened. The audience, myself included, laughed. Like a bell my next thought was “There it is.”
The Second Coming
When The Shield showed up on Survivor Series to up-end the wrestling world shortly after that night, people were genuinely enthralled. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins were known from their Indy fame. It was Reigns that was the wild card. By far it was Reigns that pulled the crowd interest as the quiet brute of the group. So much so he was set up to almost give the fans what they claimed to want.
The sound of the arena during the Royal Rumble where he eliminated a record breaking number of opponents told the WWE that the gamble on Reigns was going to pay off. The response to him by fan bases regardless of situation since tells the WWE this gamble has paid off. Don’t get it twisted, if there are two people in the ring, half the fans are cheering one man and the other half is booing that same man, he IS that guy. Whether you want to know it or not.
THAT Next Rivalry
The Shield was seemingly built to bring back that rivalry merry-go-round that has been WWE bread and butter for years. Recently face offs between Reigns and Rollins are electric, they spark in ways that haven’t been seen since the old Stone Cold, Rock, Triple H trifecta. This is the rivalry and these are the guys that will be talked about 20 years from now. Consistent in show, consistent in performance. While many are on board with that in regards to Rollins it’s disheartening how many people seem to be still out on Reigns. The contingent that wants to judge a show or performance by a scale they can’t even define have a hard case to prove against him every time.
Pony up the Evidence
Incidentally the complaints are the same. He only does a few moves. He’s being shoved down our throats. Which all condenses to blah blah blah I’m mad cause ‘reasons’. Come with arguments that matter. Is he hurting people? Oh that’s right, that’s ok if the internet fan boys love you. Are people not watching him? Oh that’s right people get pissed when he’s not on Raw. Does he not get crowd response? We’ve talked about this already. This guy has so much that everybody feels some kind of way about him. The only failure in any art is to invoke indifference. There are a lot of things said and thought about Roman Reigns. There has yet to be indifference. Press is press and people burn down the internet in Roman Reigns rants. Sounds like he’s winning.
Clapback Tracks Are the Best
For those who are not on the Reigns bandwagon, ok you do you. For those who have no idea what is meant by “There it is,” peep a clapback track that is currently on heavy rotation on Reign’s Twitter feed. Much like that night from years ago the superman punch is apparently a warm-up for good ole fashioned dragging. Evidently its time to live in that moment and much like the rest of Twitter I am here for it. Here’s to hoping some of this snark stays with us. Never know, you all might like him better like this.
What does Roman Reigns need to do to Be that guy for you?
In spring of 2007 (the end of my junior year of high school), Marvel Comics released the aftermath of their Civil War crossover event. I had been following the event, but missed the last few issues. I didn’t know about the divisive ending, I didn’t know that everything in the Marvel universe did in fact change, and I certainly wasn’t in any rush to pick up the issues. That was until I decided to tune into The Colbert Report one night.
Wait… They killed off Captain America? How did that happen? Why did they do that? What’s going on at Marvel?
I had to know. The next day I immediately went to my favorite comic book shop and picked up all my missing Civil War comics, the issue where Cap died, and all other subsequent tie-in issues. That shock of discovering one of my favorite characters had died through another medium compelled me to know what happened. Stephen Colbert’s spoiler resulted in me sinking my money into Marvel Comics.
Nine years later it’s 2016. DC is about to release DC Universe: Rebirth #1, and Marvel is soliciting Civil War II. Both of these events were spoiled in one way or another. Someone leaked all the pages of DC Universe: Rebirth #1 online, and that led to a larger audience learning about Wally West and the Watchmen connection. Later in the year, Marvel revealed to the NY Daily News that Hawkeye killed Bruce Banner. Both of these sold great. DC Universe: Rebirth #1 was number one in sales in May. Civil War 2 #3 didn’t manage to top the sales chart, but it was comfortably in the top five for the month of July. Both comics also had quite a bit of buzz from websites, fans, and creators.
Let’s look at what’s going on now. DC has finished off a very successful year of Rebirth with more exciting stories on its way. Marvel is in the middle of another company wide crossover event with Secret Empire. And spoilers are still being used as a marketing tactic.
So not much has changed.
Last week (at the time of this article), before the new weekly releases, DC Comics revealed to USA Today that Batman would propose to Catwoman. USA Today’s article sported an interview with current Batman writer Tom King about the reveal. This of course made Batman #24 the most talked about comic of the week, and had numerous reactions from fans, critics, and even White House Advisor Kellyanne Conway. And while we don’t yet have the exact numbers, it has been reported that it sold very well in the past week.
Spoilers are an interesting phenomena in geek/entertainment culture. There are people who take them very seriously, and there are others that don’t really mind. But, no matter what, they pique interest in the audience. I know I’m more likely to click on an article with “SPOILERS!!!” in the headline, because that usually makes me more interested. And sometimes I’ll forget about a product, and a spoiler will bring me back. I especially love watching people’s reactions to spoilers on YouTube. But it’s understandable why people avoid them like the plague.
But on to the burning question of the title. Do spoilers sell comics? In my experience they generally do, but it can depend on the spoiler and its effect on the audience. Many fans have been wanting to see Catwoman and Batman together, so the response has been generally positive. (The fact that the issue was well written didn’t hurt either.) The Watchmen reveal in Rebirth #1 got everyone talking and curious about how DC was going to make that work.
Civil War 2 #3sold great, but it wasn’t met with the best response. Many fans (including myself) felt that the killing of Bruce Banner was a cynical ploy to get readers talking. Which in a way did work, but it didn’t have the impact that it should’ve had. The whole concept felt random and out of place. It sounded like Marvel just threw a dart against a board of their characters and shouted “Hulk’s dying next! Everyone feel sad!”
Spoilers do sell a comic, but the spoiler needs to matter. It needs to have purpose, and really get people invested. After Hulk’s death, Marvel kept trucking along with their comic series and jumped to the next big reveal. They didn’t really give the event time to settle in and examine how it affected everyone. Cap’s death in 2007 was huge, and there were multiple series dedicated to how everyone reacted to his death. The spoilers don’t work as well if they’re only there for shock value. DC is following up on the Watchmen reveal with numerous events and teases to make the spoil worthwhile. These events were spoiled, because they were too good to keep secret. They had to be shared. And they had to be followed up on.
It sounds paradoxical, but spoilers can save a series. So, don’t underestimate the power of a good spoiler. They can reel an audience back in one fell swoop. So much so that I’m willing to bet more than a pretty penny there are a lot of people who are dying to know what Catwoman is going to say to Batman. Just like I was dying to know what was going to happen in the Marvel universe after Stephen Colbert revealed to me that Captain America died back in 2007.
Excuse that wonderful pun, but seriously, a “core” RPG Pokémon game is coming to the Switch. Pokémon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara announced this amazing news today during the Nintendo E3 Spotlight presentation.
The only real information given was that it would a proper “core” RPG Pokémon game, developed by Game Freak, and it won’t be released until next year at the earliest. This differentiates it from recently announced Pokkén Tournament DX, which is being ported to the Switch. It is also unclear if this is the rumored Pokémon Stars game, a console addition to the Sun and Moon games from the 3DS.
In any case, this is welcome news for any fans of the franchise, who have been asking for a console Pokémon RPG since right about always. While new Pokémon games are seemingly always in development, they have rarely touched consoles. The last console game released before Pokkén was Pokémon: Battle Revolution for the Wii, and was received negatively.
The Pokémon Company announced last week that they were developing a new set of Sun and Moon games, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, for the 3DS. It was during that announcement that fans expected to hear something about a console version, but to no avail.
It remains to be seen what a “core” RPG Pokémon game for console really means. On the one hand, it could look very similar to Sun and Moon, with 3D graphics and a 3rd person perspective, while still running around a familiar grass-patched Pokémon world with turn based combat. On the other (and far more unlikely), it could be the long-dreamed-of open world Pokémon game, featuring active combat, dynamic environments, and full 3D modeled Pokémon. Given that they said it’s a “core” game, and might be released next year, it is doubtful they are reinventing the wheel.
Why are you excited (or not) for a console Pokémon RPG? Let us know in the comments on Twitter, Facebook, or below!
