The release date of the most anticipated video game title to come from Metal Gear series creator Hideo Kojima has now finally revealed its release date. Death Stranding will be released on the Playstation 4 on November 8th, 2019.
That was not the only piece of news that we have gotten today as a brand new trailer was revealed as well today showcasing the gameplay and new story scenes and the entire english cast of the game. Known to have already be casted is Norman Reedus, Guillermo del Toro, and Lea Seydoux. In the new trailer, the announcements of Troy Baker, Margaret Qualley, Emily O’ Brien, and much more.
Last month at the the Tribeca Film Festival, Hideo Kojima and Norman Reedus shared new details of the game at their panel and so far, what they have said matches the trailer. The open world action game has had more questions than answers in recent years and it is great to finally know that the game is coming sooner rather than later.
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Get ready to return to summer camp because that is exactly what will happen this Friday when Rim of the World will premiere on Netflix. On this movie, four teenagers that are on a summer camp vacation must save the world from an alien invasion. They all must band together to give the aliens a much deserved defeat so they can live to tell the tale when they go back to school in the fall. The movie stars Jack Gore, Benjamin Flores Jr., Andrew Bachelor, Miya Ceth, and Alessio Scalzotto and is directed by Mcg. The film is written by Zack Stentz who is known for his work on Marvel Cinematic Universe film Thor, X-Men: First Class, and The Terminator: The Sarah Chronicles. I got a chance to speak with him for a few minutes about the film along with his previous work as well in this great interview below.
You have many movies under your name such as X-Men: First Class, Marvel’s Thor, and Agent Cody Banks along with The Flash television show. How does it feel to see your work on those series with those larger than life characters play on screen and was there any high pressure on you and Ashley Edward Miller at all to write those characters that we have seen over the years?
Zack: There is nothing like the rush of something that once existed only in your imagination or as pixels on a screen appear 30 feet tall in a darkened theater. And there was HUGE pressure on me and Ash on the Marvel films. Thor was considered a huge gamble at the time (a space viking with a magic hammer??) and with X-Men First Class we only had 10 days to write a script that could get a greenlight from a director. But sometimes insane pressure like that results in your best work!
Oh my! 10 days for that script for X-Men? I can imagine how stressful it is. But the finished product turned out great as I did actually liked that film. Going back to the early stages of the development of Thor, Do you have any funny stories of Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston during your time writing Thor? And also, it was recently announced that Chris Hemsworth will star in the upcoming Hulk Hogan biopic. What was your reaction to that news when it broke?
Zack: Honestly, I didn’t interact a lot with Hemsworth or Hiddleston during filming, though whenever I see either of them they’re lovely and being embraced by Hemsworth is like being hugged by a friendly oak tree. I think he’s a terrific actor though I’m not keen to see him play Hulk Hogan, especially given the sleaziness and racism that are now attached to Hogan because of that leaked tape.
So that means that the upcoming Hulk Hogan film will not do it for you. I do believe that there will be backlash about the film one way or another. But that is absolutely great that both of them interacted with you! Now on to Rim Of The World. How did this film started and how many ideas went through your head before the casting of the actors even begun?
Zack: I wrote the original script back in 2016 and it was completed in a form pretty close to what you’ll see onscreen long before the young actors were cast. We were really delighted with all four of the kids, who are very close to what I envisioned. Zhenzhen is a little younger than I first imagined and Dariush was originally written as Iranian-American but Benji Flores came in and gave such an incredible audition that we rewrote the character to be half-black and half-Persian to more closely reflect his ethnicity.
How long did it take for the kids to get in character if you have seen them act their scenes on set? and based on what I seen on the trailer, summer camp with an alien invasion is a nice twist. Was summer camp always the setting you had in mind when you were going through the script in your head? And have you ever went to summer camp when you were younger?
Zack: The kids did a lot of rehearsals and lived together at a hotel resort up near Mammoth Lakes for the first week of shooting, where they got a chance to really bond and get into character for the film. And yes, the premise of the film was summer camp + alien invasion from the start, because the camp environment seemed like a natural place to get kids away from adult supervision so they could have their own adventure. And the alien invasion took away their smart phones and other technology so they were even more knocked out of their comfort zones!
That is great that they all got along during the production of the film. Now since this will be up on Netflix in a few days, were there any scenes that you had in your script that were filmed that got cut from the final version of the film? And If those were your kids on a summer camp trip that turned into an alien invasion, would you believe them if they told you that it happened the same way as the film?
Zack: A few scenes were cut from the original script before filming and we filmed a lot of improvisational comedy especially during the summer camp sense where we let the actors go on anon but only used a little bit of it. Especially when the humor got a little too raunchy for a family movie. And if my kids were caught at summer camp in the middle of an alien invasion I would be happy if they were a quarter is smart and resourceful as our heroes of the movie!
Rim of the World will premiere worldwide on May 24th, 2019 on Netflix! Be sure to check it out.
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New York, May 22, 2019 – IFC Center, home to DOC NYC — the largest documentary festival in the US — unveiled its final lineup for the third annual Split Screens TV Festival taking place Wednesday, May 29 through Monday, June 3, 2019, at NYC’s IFC Center. The 2019 program, celebrating the art and craft of storytelling, puts a spotlight on wide-ranging themes including identity, the mystery of existence itself, dystopian realities and alternate timelines, and invites fans to enjoy screenings and events that transport us into any number of time periods and places, be it a late-1800s South Dakota town or the tensions of New York City at the end of the 1980s.
Tickets to the public are on sale (www.splitscreensfestival.com) for exclusive screenings and compelling panel conversations featuring the biggest and boldest names in scripted content, both in front of and behind the camera. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @SplitScreensTV.
For the third edition of the event, notable Salon TV critic Melanie McFarland was named Co-Creative Director, joining founding Co-Creative Director Matt Zoller Seitz, New York Magazine’s TV critic and best-selling author. The festival will once again be anchored by four signature pillars: PREMIERES, an opportunity for audiences to be among the first to screen anticipated season premieres and finales; CLOSE-UP, conversations with celebrated actors and creatives; TV TALK, an exploration of content’s cultural impact through the lens of superfans, pop culture writers and experts; and REWIND, a closer look at an iconic episode of TV; plus a number of SPECIAL EVENTS.
Festival highlights include: close-up conversations with Pamela Adlon, executive producer, writer, director and star of FX’s Better Things; William Jackson Harper, star of the philosophy-themed NBC comedy The Good Place; Christopher Abbott, star of Hulu’s critically acclaimed Catch-22; a deep dive into the art of the paranoid thriller with Sam Esmail, creator of USA’s Mr. Robot and director of Amazon’s Homecoming, with a screening of Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut; and Leslye Headland, co-creator and co-executive producer of Netflix’s hit series Russian Doll, who will anchor a panel of creative professionals who helped bring the world of Russian Doll to life.
Festival attendees will also enjoy Deadwood: The Movie, a chance to experience the epic conclusion of HBO’s legendary Western series on the big screen along with a half-hour Deadwood companion doc written by Matt Zoller Seitz, followed by a discussion with stars Robin Weigert (on stage) and Ian McShane (live via satellite); a closer look into a breakout episode from season one of The Twilight Zone, CBS All Access’ re-imagining of the classic anthology series (followed by a conversation with actress Sanaa Lathan and screenwriter Selwyn Seyfu Hinds); an advance screening of the season 3 premiere of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale; a sneak preview of When They See Us, Ava DuVernay’s highly anticipated Central Park 5 Netflix miniseries; the season 1 finale of Cinemax’s Warrior; a live-watch of the fifth season premiere of AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead and panel featuring actors Jenna Elfman, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Colman Domingo, Danay Garcia and Austin Amelio, along with Exec Producer Scott M. Gimple, and Chief Content Officer of the Walking Dead Universe; an advance screening of the season 2 premiere of CBS’s Instinct with co-stars Alan Cumming & Bojana Novakovic; a conversation with key cast and creative talent of OWN’sQueen Sugar, following an advance screening of the season 4 premiere;(S)heroes: Women of Action!, a fan appreciation panel of influential female characters; and a conversation with noted TV critics about how the age of streaming has transformed the craft of storytelling.
Split Screens Festival is produced and presented by IFC Center, one of New York’s leading independent cinemas, and is organized by the core team of its successful DOC NYC documentary film festival, including Executive Director Raphaela Neihausen, Director of Development Deborah Rudolph and Operations Director Dana Krieger. Collaborating with broadcasters, cable networks and streaming services, the festival will highlight great content from a range of platforms to bring together the creative talent behind TV’s most acclaimed shows and sophisticated New York audiences.
Split Screens Festival is made possible by Event Sponsors FX and National Geographic; Friends of the Festival include Essentia, PTEX and Wheelhouse Creative.
Venue and Ticket information:
· All festival events take place at IFC Center, 323 Sixth Ave. (at West 3rd St), with the exception ofDeadwood: The Movie on May 31, which screens at the SVA Theatre, 333 West 23rd St.
· Tickets for all events are available online at splitscreensfestival.com or at the IFC Center box office, open daily 10:30am-10:00pm. Same-day tickets for Deadwood: The Movie will also be available at the SVA Theatre box office starting at 6:30pm on May 31.
· Tickets for the TV Talk events on June 1 are $12 general admission / $9 IFC Center members
· Tickets for all other festival events are $17 general admission / $14 IFC Center members
· A discounted 3-ticket pack is available for $40/$35 IFC Center members.
8:15 PM – Fear the Walking Dead Season 5 Premiere (AMC) – SPECIAL EVENT
In attendance: Actors Jenna Elfman, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Colman Domingo, Danay Garcia and Austin Amelio, and Scott M. Gimple, Executive Producer of Fear the Walking Dead and Chief Content Officer of the Walking Dead Universe
Join us for a live screening of the season 5 premiere, followed by a conversation with the cast and executive producer.
As AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead enters Season 5, with a powerful ensemble including Lennie James, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Colman Domingo, Danay Garcia, Garret Dillahunt, Maggie Grace, Jenna Elfman, Alexa Nisenson, Austin Amelio, Ruben Blades and Karen David, its core characters’ mission is clear: locate survivors and help make what’s left of the world a slightly better place. With dogged determination, Morgan Jones (James) leads the group with a philosophy rooted in benevolence, community and hope. Each character believes that helping others will allow them to make up for the wrongs of their pasts. But their mission of helping others will be put to the ultimate test when the group finds themselves in uncharted territory, one which will force them to face their fears and perhaps discover an entirely new way to live.
Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alicia Clark, Lennie James as Morgan Jones – Fear the Walking Dead _ Season 5, Episode 1 – Photo Credit: Ryan Green/AMC
Fear The Walking Dead will return in the next few weeks for their fifth season and with the mixed reception of the fourth season, You will be glad to know that this season is a fresh breath of air over the previous season. I seen the first four episodes of the fifth season thanks to AMC Network and I must say, I am gladly impressed. You will think that the producers did not learn from their mistakes from the last season if you were going into this season with that thought, but your mind will change after the first episode. Without me going along any further, here is my non spoiler impressions of the first four episodes of the fifth season of Fear The Walking Dead.
The first episode of the season starts with the action right away after the first few minutes and there were moments where a few of the characters were in life or death situations especially when I thought that one particular character was going to die after seeing what happened to that character. There are new characters that are introduced as well, but their motivations are not quite clear yet. Morgan and Alicia are my favorite two of this episode as Morgan is the person of reason more than ever on this show. I also love that Alicia is still grieving from Madison and Nick’s death in the previous season. They are also in constant contact with the other characters during the episode such as Strand and Charlie but I will leave it there for now until my review. John and June is also quickly becoming my favorite couple on the show as their chemistry levels Glenn and Maggie’s relationship on the main show The Walking Dead. Althea is on her investigative mode during the episode, and there are also cool easter eggs and callbacks to the main show that I noticed as well. The ending of the first episode will have everyone talking as I was stunned to see it when I first seen it and I mean this in a good way.
I will not get too much into the second episode’s main plot since it would be in huge spoiler territory, but the reunion of two characters will not be a loving, sweet reunion at all as things from the past will be bought up. Another thing I will note is that another new character is introduced, but it also revolves around the central plot of the episode. But this new character also has a head scratching moment involving walkers and Alicia that might make you scream at the television for a few seconds.
The third episode is so far my favorite episode of the season so far and it is because of the setting and we have a lot of John and June and another character. John really showed off his badass revolver shooting skills during the epiosde and it was satisfying to see that he has been given more development so far this season. There is also a very cool and smart walker kill scene involving John and another character and that will go down as one of the best scenes of the entire season. I also believe that the setting this scene and most of the episode takes place was fitted for John and June. By the end of the episode, you will realize that nobody is trusted.
And finally, the fourth episode directly connects with the second episode along with the plot of the end of the third episode moving forward. Remember Goose from Captain Marvel? that cat is lovable and the cat on this show will be as loveable as Goose. Although I am puzzled to why Charlie is still alive since she killed Nick, she is quite resourceful during this episode in a few ways. Charlie is also the voice of reason in one particular scene later during the episode. The group also learns more of Morgan in this episode and a few names are mentioned when he was describing his past. The only other thing I will say is that the ending of this episode is almost similar to the first episode and the new characters are aware of a particular group.
My thoughts of the season so far, a massive improvement over the previous season and I can tell that the writers and producers realized the split feedback from the previous season and wanted to fix it for this season. This season so far connects to the main show greater than ever. However, I can also see it being called out on in the vocal minority due to those decisions. But I think that the payoff will be worth it down the line. There are a few scenes that slows down the episodes, but it does not feel like it is dragging at all since I am invested in the characters. Austin Amelio who plays as Dwight will be in this season, but you will have to guess which episode of the four he will make his debut as I cannot spoil it at all and I want everyone to be as surprised as I was when I seen his debut along with a few more moments I wish I can describe. If you have tuned out during season four, this season will tune you right back in.
Fear The Walking Dead returns on June 2nd on AMC Network and my review of the first episode will be up on that day as well!
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The Mortal Kombat video game series has had its fair share of hidden secrets within their games. They range from hidden characters that you have to fight, arcade games of the past such as Pong and Galaga, Fatalities and much more. These were great to see in the game, but how you had to trigger them was the question everyone asked in schools or near the arcade machine. There was no internet browsers to search for the answers of these clues at the time so you have to either figure it out, or take the words from other players with a grain of salt. Today, I will give an analysis of the secret characters of Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat 2 and how you will fight them.
Starting with Mortal Kombat, there was only one hidden character and it is the fan favorite Reptile. There were even rumors that Ermac was the second secret character as well, but it got debunked. But I will circle back to that with the Mortal Kombat 2 secret characters. During the fights you will have to endure to face Shang Tsung as the final boss, Reptile will appear on the screen to give you a clue on how to fight him. These clues happen rarely so you will have to keep fighting to see all of the clues. Here are the list of clues that you will have to take a note of.
“I AM REPTILE, FIND ME!”
“YOU MUST FIND ME TO BEAT ME”
“10,000,000 POINTS IF YOU DESTROY ME”
“YOU CANNOT MATCH MY SPEED”
“ALONE IS HOW TO FIND ME”
“PERFECTION IS THE KEY”
“FATALITY IS THE KEY”
“BLOCKING WILL GET YOU NOWHERE”
“LOOK TO LA LUNA”
“TIP EHT FO MOTTOB”
Have you figured out how to fight Reptile yet? If you have not, here is how you do it. You have to win on The Pit stage with two Flawless Victories (meaning not get damaged once) and also, a shadow figure muat be shown over the moon on that same stage as well. And final note, You must perform a fatality at the end of a the fight and you cannot block at all. When you perform a fatality, it cannot be the stage fatality as well. Now that you now know how to trigger the fight, lets look at the list of the clues. The first three are straight forward, the fourth is letting you know that he is faster than Sub-Zero and Scorpion. The fifth clue says that you only have to do this on one player mode. The sixth one is letting you know the that you cannot take any damage. The seventh one is the fatality command. The eighth one tells you to pay attention to the moon during the fight, and the final one is “BOTTOM OF THE PIT” backwards which tells you where the fight will turn take place. If you beat Reptile, you will get the 10 million points!
Mortal Kombat 2 has three hidden characters that you will have to find. But only two of them will give you hints in between battles and the rates of these happening are much more rarer than the first game. Also to note, Mortal Kombat 2 is my personal favorite of the entire series. Now for the first character Jade, I will list all of her clues and what you will have to do to fight her.
“I AM CALLED JADE”
“I WILL MEET YOU IN GORO’S LAIR”
“ONE DAY, WE WILL FIGHT”
“I AM ONE OF THREE”
“ERMAC WHO?”
“CHUN WHO?“
“ALONE IS HOW YOU WILL FIND ME”
“RESTRICT YOURSELF’
“BEFORE THE ?”
“BRING ON KANO AND SONYA”
Have you figured it out yet? These clues are much harder than the previous game because some of them will throw you off thinking that it is an actual clue. Before I analyze the clues, here is how you can fight her. Before the ? box on the tower, defeat the fighter with only kicks. How were you supposed to know that? Well, the first clue tells you her name, the second tells you where the fight will take place, the third is self explanatory, and the forth one tells you that there are two other hidden characters. The fifth one responds to the rumors that Ermac was in Mortal Kombat 1, the sixth one references Chun Lee from Street Fighter in which you have to use kicks since she does kicks. The seventh tells you that you have to do this in one player mode, the eighth tells you to restrict yourself to only use one attack button, the ninth one tells you that the fight takes place before the ? box, and the final one throws you off making you think that you have to do something on Shao Khan’s stage since Kano and Sonya are captured on this game.
As for the fight itself, Jade in this game before she got her own moves in the future games is extremely fast and has all of Kitana and Mileena’s moves and projectiles will not even work on her at all. Try to defeat her because she is tough.
Smoke is the second character that you have to find. Of the three secret characters, I actually like this guy the most. He has smoke coming out of his body despite being a ninja and his moveset is exactly a copy of Scorpion. Here are his clues in order to fight him.
“I AM CALLED SMOKE”
“ERMAC WHO?”
“YOU CAN START FINDING ME”
“I AM ONE OF THREE”
“YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME”
“I WILL MEET YOU IN GORO’S LAIR”
“PROVE YOURSELF”
“MORTAL KOMBAT ONE”
“PORTAL”
“TOASTY”
Confused yet? I bet you are. In order to fight him, you have to be on the Portal stage and keep uppercutting your opponent until the “toasty” line appears on the bottom of the screen. The moment you hear that, press Down and Start and your fight with Smoke will begin. Now that I explained how to do this, time to examine the clues.
The first one tells you who he is, the second is also a response to Ermac as Jade said the same thing as well. The third one can not be taken seriously at first. But when you look closely at that clue, the word “Start” is there so you will have to pay attention to that. The fourth, fifth, and sixth clues are straight forward, the seventh one tells you to prove yourself that you can trigger the fight, the eighth one you also might not take seriously as well until you realize that the value of the number of the game is down so you will have to press down. The ninth one tells you which stage you have to perform the actions, and the tenth one tells you that you have to use the upper cut action. Now that is hard to figure out!
The final secret character is Noob Saibot. If you are playing on multiplayer, the player needs to win 50 straight fights. That will take a very long time and a great winning streak to pull this off. His moves are both Scorpion and Sub-Zero’s moves. On the Sega Genesi version of the game, you only needed 25 wins.
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PHILADELPHIA, May 16, 2019 – Wizard World Philadelphia will be “where everybody knows your name” on Sunday, June 16, when the great Ted Danson, who starred as “Sam Malone” in the iconic series “Cheers” and is now in the fourth season in the lead role of “Michael” in the acclaimed NBC series “The Good Place” makes his first pop culture convention appearance at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Center City Philadelphia. Danson, a Golden Globe- and Emmy Award-winning actor known for an array of exceptional performances, will greet fans, sign autographs, pose for photo ops and conduct a Q&A panel during a busy day.
Danson was recently seen in the ninth season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and also had a prominent role in the second season of FX’s critically acclaimed series “Fargo.” Other credits include CBS’ long-running “CSI” and “CSI: Cyber,” FX’s “Damages” (playing tycoon “Arthur Frobisher”) and CBS’ “Becker” – the latter two roles for which he was Golden Globe nominated.
In film, Danson can be seen in Hearts Beat Loud, a musical drama that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018. He has also appeared in several other high-profile projects, including the 1987 blockbuster hit Three Men and a Baby and its sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady. He also had a co-starring role in Steven Spielberg’s World War II masterpiece Saving Private Ryan.
Danson joins a standout celebrity roster at the 19th annual Wizard World Philadelphia, headlined by “Once Upon a Time” stars Lana Parrilla, Rebecca Mader and Jared Gilmore, “Gotham” standouts Ben McKenzie and Morena Baccarin, “The Vampire Diaries” headliner Ian Somerhalder and the “Supergirl” tandem of Mehcad Brooks and Jeremy Jordan. Other stars scheduled to appear include the “Charmed” trio of Holly Marie Combs, Brian Krause and Drew Fuller, “The Magicians” duo of Hale Appelman and Stella Maeve, the “Firefly” trio of Adam Baldwin,Jewel Staite and Sean Maher, Kevin Conroy (“Batman: The Animated Series,” “Justice League”), “RWBY” stars Lindsay Jones, Kara Eberle, Arryn Zech and Barbara Dunkleman, Chris Owen (American Pie franchise)and Thomas Ian Nicholas (Rookie of the Year, American Pie).
Wizard World Philadelphia will also feature some of the world’s most talented artists and authors, plus non-stop live entertainment hosted by Kato Kaelin, gaming, exclusive Q&A sessions with top celebrities, movie screenings hosted by stars and directors and more. Details to follow soon, along with programming and entertainment stage schedules.
About Wizard Entertainment, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZD)Wizard Entertainment, Inc. (www.wizardworld.com) produces comic, gaming and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, television, gaming, live entertainment, tech, comics, sci-fi, graphic novels, toys, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming and entertainment takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A’s, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard Entertainment has also teamed with Sony Pictures Entertainment to find the next generation of movies as well as to engage in a number of strategic initiatives. Additional initiatives may include an augmented touring schedule of Wizard World shows, fixed-site installations, curated e-commerce, and the production and distribution of content both in the U.S. and internationally. Fans can interact with Wizard Entertainment at www.wizardworld.com and on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services. The 2019 Wizard World convention schedule is available at: http://www.wizardworld.com/comiccon.
The one match in WWE that has been talked about for the last 30 plus years has finally seen the light of day. For those that do not know, it is the infamous Bret Hart vs. Tom Magee match from 1986. The match was taped, but it never aired and the only people that has seen it were the ones that were in attendance that night, and the people who were behind producing this match. In fact, several WWE Superstars that were training in different developmental territories requested to see the match as well, but they could not because WWE believed to have lost the match. It was not until March 27th of this year where we found out that the master tape of the match exists.
Twitter user and photographer Mary-Kate Anthony had possesion of the tape and as she said on the “Holy Grail: The Search for WWE’s Most Infamous Lost Match”, Mary-Kate has had the tape for some time and she noticed that she had it when she was checking her VHS collection to convert them to DVDs. Once that photo above was posted, many disputed if it was the right match and she posted only one short clip from the match that also had commentary as well. This match was planned to be screened at Starrcast (a wrestling convention in conjuction with AEW’s Double or Nothing) along with Bret and Tom talking about the match, but WWE caused for plans to change with that event. Instead, WWE aired this match after last night’s Raw with a documentary as both Bret and Tom along with David Hart Smith, Sean Waltman, Sam Roberts, Tyson Kidd and Kassius Ohono talk about how tape trading was a big deal at the time and the stories about the lost match.
The story about Magee is that Vince McMahon was looking for a successor to Hulk Hogan in 1986 and he thought that Tom Magee had the look of a mega star. Tom stayed with WWE until 1990 and he wrestled in Japan and other promotions after his time with WWE. It is crazy to think of what would have happened if Vince McMahon would have giving Tom Macgee the rocket ship to Hulk Hogan level of stardom. If that would have happened, would Bret Hart would have been the face of the company in the mid 1990’s?
The match itself is actually pretty great. Although Tom got the win, Bret made him look great the whole time during the match. Tom Macgee also showed great athleticism during the match and he won the crowd over many times during the match as well. For a WWE match that took place in 1986 and despite that Bret Hart had to carry him, this match still holds up and it would have worked in today’s standard television match for Raw or Smackdown.
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @julianexcalibur for more content and subscribe to The Wrestling Court as we talk about the latest in pro wrestling, pop culture, and comics along with our live watch reactions to past matches. Contact me at julian@alternativemindz.com.
Mortal Kombat 11 has been anticipatted for some time now by fans ever since the announcemnet has been made last year. It was also a shock when the announcement that this game would be ported for Nintendo Switch as well. With the first new Mortal Kombat title to hit shelves for a Nintendo console since 2006’s Mortal Kombat Armageddon, has the new title delivered a flawless victory on the Switch, or a Fatality that it cannot recover from. Here is my review of the Nintendo Switch port of Mortal Kombat 11.
First, I would like to mention that Shiver Entertainment has developed this version of the game. Although comparing the other console versions to the Switch version’s visuals is noticeably different, the game plays the same way as I did not noticed any slowdowns or lagging. The biggest difference visually is the draw distance from The Switch compared to the other versions. With that said, the game is still stunning to look at and at 60fps with no slowdowns, I am so far impressed. I am also impressed with the way the fatalities are performed and these are some of the most gruesome fatalities I have ever seen in the game.
This game reworks the X-Ray moves from the previous two games as they are now known as Krushing Blows as they can happen at any time during a fighting sequence. Seeing the skull and bones crack during those scenes in glorious HD is awesome to look at. The fatal Blows are activated once your health is very low and they function the same way like the Super Moves if you have played the Injustice series. Those move sequences will take a chunk off the health bar of up to 35% and I recommend to use it if you need it because you only get that ability once per round. The character selection is bigger than the last game. You can choose classic characters such as Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Liu Kang, Kitana, Baraka and much more along with returning characters from MKX and new characters Cetrrion, Geras, and Kollector. Every character in this game has something unique about them just like previous titles of the game. One could be your favorite character within the first few seconds of playing and I always felt that way when I first choose a fighter in the Mortal Kombat series. What baffled me is that Shang Tsung and Shao Khan are DLC characters and They should have been in the main game. Also, where is Reptile?????
The modes of this game include customizing a character in which you can customize the asthetics of every character whether if it is the color, the type of clothing, and weapon. There are a variety of choices, but many of which are locked and it is a hard learning grind to unlock all of the customizing options in the game. Hopefully this is patched very soon. The Klassic Towers return in which you fight against a tower of characters like you would in the classic games. There are five towers in total and each tower, you can change the difficulty and there is also an endless tower mode as well.
The story mode has its great moments just like any Mortal Kombat game and it follows up from the last game. I will not spoil too much of the story, but there are three different endings. Outside of that, it is enjoyable and seeing how the characters interract with eachother with good or cheesy dialouge is worth watching. The most enjoyable character I have watched during my playthrough is Johnny Cage and Sub-Zero. WWE Superstar and UFC Hall of Fame inductee Ronda Rousey voices Sonya Blade and I must say, her scenes felt very uninspiring and not motivated when I watched them. I like Rousey, but I wish she put more effort into her lines.
There is a Krypt mode that has been a staple of Mortal Kombat since Deadtly Alliance where you spend in game currency for unlockables. Here is where you unlock customization parts, costumes, fatalities and much more. There has been recent controversy over microtransactions on the other console and PC versions of the game. I have always stood away from microtranactions in video games because they are ridicilous.
Despite it’s nitpicks, Mortal Kombat 11 definitely delievers a flawless victory as one of the best fighting games of the year. If you have a Nintendo Switch, I recommend you to pick this up for that console as it is equally great as the other console versions.
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @julianexcalibur for more content and subscribe to The Wrestling Court as we talk about the latest in pro wrestling, pop culture, and comics along with our live watch reactions to past matches. Contact me at julian@alternativemindz.com.
GOTHAM: James Gordon (Ben McKenzie, L) consults Dr. Leslie Thompkins (Morena Baccarin)
“Once Upon a Time” stars Lana Parrilla, Rebecca Mader and Jared Gilmore, “Gotham” standouts Ben McKenzie and Morena Baccarin, “The Vampire Diaries” headliner Ian Somerhalder and the “Supergirl” tandem of Mehcad Brooks and Jeremy Jordan are among the early wave of celebrities scheduled to attend the 19th annual Wizard World Philadelphia, June 13-16 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
Other stars scheduled to appear include the “Charmed” trio of Holly Marie Combs, Brian Krause and Drew Fuller, “The Magicians” duo of Hale Appelman and Stella Maeve, Sean Maher (“Firefly,” Serenity), The “Firefly” trio of Adam Baldwin,Jewel Staite and Sean Maher, Kevin Conroy (“Batman: The Animated Series,” “Justice League”), “RWBY” stars Lindsay Jones, Kara Eberle, Arryn Zech and Barbara Dunkleman, Chris Owen (American Pie franchise)and Thomas Ian Nicholas (Rookie of the Year, American Pie).
Some of the world’s most talented creators populate Artist Alley at Wizard World. Top writers and artists scheduled to attend are Kurt Lehner (“Gargoyles,” “Marvel Action Hour”), Jeremy Clark (“Grimm Fairy Tales,” “Day of the Dead”), Josh Lyman (“Voltron Force United,” “Drawn”), Carl Potts (“Alien Legion,” “Venom”), Thomas Estrada (Disney, DreamWorks), Tim Lattie (“Ghostbusters,” WWE), Jai Nitz (“El Diablo,” “Fu Jitsu”), Mostafa Moussa (“Superman,” “Fantastic Four”), Joe Wos (“Mazetoons”), Mike Watson (Freestyle Komics, UpperDeck), Jen Taylor (“Sid the Science Kid,” Victoria Beckham’s Target line) and more.
Wizard World Philadelphia will also feature non-stop live entertainment hosted by Kato Kaelin, gaming, exclusive Q&A sessions with top celebrities, movie screenings hosted by stars and directors and more. Details to follow soon, along with programming and entertainment stage schedules.
Wizard World events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, television, gaming, live entertainment, comics, sci-fi, graphic novels, toys, original art, collectibles, contests and more. The seventh event scheduled on the 2019 Wizard World calendar, Philadelphia show hours are Thursday, June 13, 4-9 p.m.; Friday, June 14, noon-7 p.m.; Saturday, June 15, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, June 16, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Kids 10 and under are admitted free with paid adult.
Wizard World Philadelphia is also the place for cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event. Fans dressed as every imaginable character and some never before dreamed will roam the convention floor and participate in the famed Wizard World Costume Contest on Saturday evening.
Wizard Entertainment, Inc. (www.wizardworld.com) produces comic, gaming and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, television, gaming, live entertainment, tech, comics, sci-fi, graphic novels, toys, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming and entertainment takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A’s, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard Entertainment has also teamed with Sony Pictures Entertainment to find the next generation of movies as well as to engage in a number of strategic initiatives. Additional initiatives may include an augmented touring schedule of Wizard World shows, fixed-site installations, curated e-commerce, and the production and distribution of content both in the U.S. and internationally. Fans can interact with Wizard Entertainment at www.wizardworld.com and on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services.
Julian is back here for another card game review of the month and this time, It is Master Thief by SPARR GAMES and published by Breaking Games.
To give a short background, this game began as a kickstarter and within time, over 1000 backers pledged this game for it to be developed with a total amount of $47,321 making it one of the fastest growing kickstarters for a card game of all time.
This game can be played between 3-6 players and it comes with 112 cards, 1 instruction sheet, and room for expansion booster packs which you can bus seperatly. The object of the game is to try to steal the highest valuable items from the museum and at the same time, you can try to sabotage your opponents from doing the same thing that you are. You have to escape without getting caught and while I was playing this with a few friends, I noticed the tension rising as we were near the point of getting caught.
I would also like to bring up that I like the design of the cards and the artwork. Especially the Museum cards with the colorful holographic effects. The Thief Cards (white) are actions, the Museum Cards (black) are treasures and some of them are security cards, and the Calling Cards (grey) are objective cards for the player to reach a goal.
To begin, you have to shuffle and scatter the Museum Cards face-down in a pile at the middle of tyhe table or playing area. The Thief Cards are in a deck to draw format next to the museum. The Calling Cards are also placed face down in a deck draw format as well next to the museum. Each player draws 4 Thief Cards and one Calling Card. Be sure to not show the cards to your opponent since your moves should catch them off guard. When the game begins, a “heist” starts as all players steal one card from the Museum pile at the same timne and then place the card that they stolen face up infront of them. Every player has to do this when their turn begins also while the game goes on. If a security card is drawn, you will have to go straight to immediate action and the player’s turn ends (also to note, if this type of card is drawn during the “heist”, your turn will not end). The action to prevent the Security Card’s effect is that going counterclockwise from the player who pulled the card, the next player will have to give up one of their treasures and after that, the Security Card and the item will go back into the pile. You are also allowed to play as many Thief Cards as you like per turn, as long as it is not more of the same titled thief card. Also, you are only allowed 4 Thief Cards in your hand per turn and you have a carrying limit of four items as well.
There are a few ways for the game to end. If the Thief Card deck has run out of cards to draw, the game ends. Escaping the museum is another way to end the game as you can actually do that at any end of the turn by revealing your Calling Card and if that sucessfully works, all of your Carried and Stashed items will count towards your final Black Market Credits total score. If your opponents do not stop you from escaping, then you are free to go with your items. But keep your score a secret until the game has fully ended. Also, if you are the final player inside the museum, you must escape after your final turn. One final way the game can end is that you accumulate 3 Security Strikes and when this happens, anyone still in play drops all of their carried items back to the Museum pile since they have failed to escape the Museum. When the players have been caught or escaped, everyone counts up their individual totals and the player with the most BMC points wins the game. If there is a tie, the thieves will have to return to the Museum for one final steal and the highest value of points wins.
This card game is very fun to play. It will take a few tries to fully learn the mechanics, but it is not overwhelmingly hard at all. I played this with five people with four games total. The game could end quick or long depends on how long it will take for everyone to get either caught or escape the museum. You will feel like you are on a spy mission while you are playing this game and I recommend this game for any party gathering as you can try to steal from a museum without leaving your house!
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @julianexcalibur for more content and subscribe to The Wrestling Court as we talk about the latest in pro wrestling, pop culture, and comics along with our live watch reactions to past matches. Contact me at julian@alternativemindz.com.
