MIXED BAG. PRESENTS LOOT CRATE MARCH 2015: "COVERT" REVIEW!

MIXED BAG. PRESENTS

LOOT CRATE MARCH 2015

"COVERT" REVIEW:

"SHAKEN OR STIRRED?"

A couple days late is better than not at all, right?

And, to be fair, I had a very busy March:

• I went on a week long trip to Florida for my friend's wedding with two of my best buddies and it was the first road trip I ever drove!
• The trip was a blast: I got to spend a day in Disney World's Magic Kingdom with four of my best friends, enjoyed the 80 degree weather during the Bachelor Party, got nauseated at Busch Gardens, looked dapper at my friend's wedding, had lunch with my Grandpa and step-uncle and I can't wait to go on another trip soon!
• I beat Link Between Worlds and Shadow of Mordor, I binge watched The Boondocks as I got back into GTA V, I played the beta of Heroes of the Storm, and I increased my Amiibo count dramatically thanks to Mario Party 10 and irresponsible compulsions!
• I finally got to run D & D again and played Vampire the Masquerade.
• I watched Samurai Cop. Seriously, watch Samurai Cop.

Now, let's talk about Loot Crate:

EX. (LOOT CRATE OCTOBER 2014 "FEAR")

Loot Crate is a subscription based service where members pay a fee (based on their subscription plan) to receive a themed mystery box every month in the mail (last month's theme, pictured above, was "Villains") filled with nerdy products from companies like Nintendo, DC, Marvel, Capcom and much more. The contents of the box usually contain things like exclusive figures, a t-shirt, a magnet, pin/s, posters, comics, books, toys, and pretty much everything you can think of from "dragon-flavored" Jerky in April's "Dragon" Loot Crate to Deadpool socks (pictured above).

This is the perfect surprise for self-professed nerds that love cool stuff and weird stuff alike.

If you're lucky, you might even be the lucky member to get the monthly Mega Crate which always has a value of $750 or more!

And so, for as low as $11.67 + $6 SH, you can become a Looter too! Plus, if you use any of the various codes you can find online, you can get discounts. 

This is my eighth Loot Crate review. If you wanna check out last month's review for FEB 2015 "Play" Loot Crate, check out the link HERE.

This month's theme of Covert promised James Bond, Agents of Shield, and Orphan Black paraphernalia. Let's see how it delivered-- was my interest shaken or stirred?

WTF WED! DISNEY BUYS LUCAS FILMS FOR $4 BILLION!

WTF WEDNESDAY PRESENTS

DISNEY BUYS LUCAS FILMS FOR $4 BILLION!

Yesterday, George Lucas (as seen in the link above) announced the deal he made to sell Lucas Films to the Walt Disney Co. for a cool $4 Billion. Since Lucas owned the company 100%, he gets all the money and has claimed he will give most of it to charity. Perhaps more vital to know is that Lucas announced that Star Wars Episode VII will be hitting theaters in 2015. My reaction to this news was a mix of shock, horror, and excitement...

DARTH VADER GOES TO DISNEY LAND!

Lucas is smart to put his work in the hands of Disney, as long-time collaborators and as a company that has a great history with franchising and protecting brands; the perfect example, as of late, of Disney's involvement making a successful product was in the culmination of Marvel Film's crowning achievement, The Avengers. The film was the highest grossing live action film in Disney's production history and is generally agreed to a great film. It seems like Disney's plans are to basically go, "Hey! You make good stuff? Here is all this money and resources! Make more of that stuff and we'll all be rich and happy!" Plus, this means more Disney World Star Wars attractions which just makes me giddy with expectations. Well, there is on thing I am very weary about...

Star Wars Episode VII. The very idea is full of amazing possibilities and also teaming with the fear I have of a repeat of the prequel films; Lucas thinks Star Wars is for little kids, Disney likes to appeal to little kids, and so this could end up producing a really tame film. The other problem is that, going forward, has all sorts of complications. A direct sequel would seem impossible considering the actors can't really reprise their roles (which would depressing) and they can't be replaced (which would be lame); so the only options is to go forward into the expanded universe. But even that has its dangers... So, as we look forward, I think the Star Wars fans need to be optimistic and hold out for a New Hope.

WKUK STAR WARS VII

TABLETOP TALES. SHADOWRUN RUNDOWN #1 A Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Day

TABLETOP TALES PRESENTS:

THE SHADOWRUN RUNDOWN #1

“Frippity Froopah Frippety Fray! 

I got a frickin’ feeling it’s gonna be a fabulous day!”

I love Dungeons and Dragons and I love pen-and-paper roleplaying. I have been playing these games, more or less, once a week for over three years and I don't ever plan to stop playing. Most of the times I've played Dungeons and Dragons, I have been the Dungeon Master. For those who don't know, a Dungeon Master, a term that is expanded to Game Master for various kinds of games, is the guy who is in charge of telling the story, determining what monsters and characters the other players come across and, in essence, is the god of the world the players explore. As an author, it gives me a chance to flex my creative muscles.

 Yet, while Dungeons and Dragons and other role-playing games can breed a lot of original ideas, it doesn't hurt to fall back on familiar ideas, tropes and characters inspired by works of sci-fi fantasy. I find myself borrowing/parodying from all masters of the imagination; from L. Frank Baum to Frank Oz. Today's subject is a twisted parody of one of one man and the empire he built that defined family friendly entertainment for a generation, Walt Disney.

What is it about Walt Disney that draws inspiration and attention? I suppose it is for a number of reasons: arguably Walt Disney was a genius who managed to tap into the fairy tale world of the past and create timeless films that exude nostalgia. Or maybe its his impressive ability to create/manage a lucrative media empire that grew to be one of the largest controllers of entertainment but control a number of other businesses. Yet, I think what draws me and many others to satire his squeaky clean image is the cult of personality that surrounds him. Walt Disney created an image for himself and his company. The ideals he pursued are quite admirable, but his methods of maintaining this image seem like small-scale fascism with a special security force, strict rules and regulations (for example, if you have tattoos on your arms you have to cover your arms with long sleeves), and a number of secrets and technologies cooked up by a cadre of creative engineers or "Imagineers" that build mechanical men.

There is something about poking fun at the idealistic post World War II America that crumbled under the backlashes of anti-Vietnam sentiment, Water Gate, and the civil rights movement. It is my opinion that the main villain of Bioshock borrows some characteristics from Walt Disney's charismatic personage. And so when it came time to create a unique setting for my Shadowrun game, I decided to create a cyber-punk version of Disney world ruled by a tyrannical animatronic cyborg that is the version of Walt Disney that gives hapless hipsters and sarcastic sotts an intellectual hard-on.

Before we get to the introduction to my first Shadowrun campaign, I should probably explain what the game is about. Shadowrun is is a role-playing game, similar to Dungeons and Dragons but running on a d6 system, set in a near-future fictional universe in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy and crime, with occasional elements of conspiracy fiction, horror, and detective fiction. It is a mix of inspirations ranging from Blade Runner to Ghost in the Shell to the Matrix into an rpg that bubbles with personality and complexity. In fact, the game was and is so complex that I would say learning to run a game, making characters, and just running a single session was one of the most difficult trials of my career as the GM.

Rather than review the game, which is quite advanced but interesting, I want to just expose you guys to some of the material I wrote for the setting. This following is something I acted out to begin our first session.

DAILY ROUND-UP! 9/20/11

Today was spiffy I suppose but tomorrow can only be better. Somethings that hooked me today include:

io9- 10 BIGGEST MISSED OPPORTUNITIES IN SCI-FI
This is a pretty amusing article that tackles some serious missteps in science fiction (mostly when it comes to tv and movies). The two that immediately spring to mind are how under utilized Cptn. James T. Kirk is in Star Trek: Generations and how Harrison Ford is now too old for Star Wars Episode VII, VII and IX. Bonus article below with movies that need a remake.
1980s+90s FILMS THAT NEED REMAKES

DISNEY PLANS AVATAR-THEME PARK! 

 So...Marvel theme park made by Disney? Not happening? Instead we get THIS!?!? UGH. Just so you know, I hate Avatar. I'll get into all the reasons why I hate it (even though it is not really a bad movie) someday. At least, I'm optimistic because Disney's Imagineers and construction crews are phenomenal and it will be in Animal Kingdom which could use some new stuff.

SUPER MARIO CEREMONY! 30th Anniv. Medley 
.
MAMA MIA! Mario is technically 30 years old this year and it really is a huge achievement for a video game character to last that long. Honestly, as long as there is some room for a cartoon character or Nintendo Mario will be around and that makes me happy. One of the first videogames I got and some of my earliest memories are of playing Super Mario Land on the Gameboy. This sweet video gives a fantastic retrospective on the music and art of the last 30 years in this stellar franchise. 

DAFFY DUCK THE WIZARD! 

This is just a fantastic example of how funny the new Looney Tunes show can be. This new Merrie Melodies music video is like a badass heavy metal fantasy trip and is made of win. He fights a demon and casts him into a molten maw. WATCH THIS! 

The new Looney Tunes Show is, like lots of the better cartoons, made for us nerds. Check it.