Francavilla's THE BLACK BEETLE Returns

FRANCAVILLA’S THE BLACK BEETLE RETURNS TO DELIVER AWARDWORTHY PULP ACTION!

 

August 28, MILWAUKIE, OR—Dark Horse Comics is thrilled to announce a new creator-owned series from Francesco Francavilla, the 2012 Eisner Award winner for Best Cover Artist!

Francavilla’s critically acclaimed The Black Beetle returns in December with The Black Beetle #0, which will collect the three-part story entitled Night Shift that originally appeared in the pages of the Eisner Award–winning Dark Horse Presents. The issue will feature a brand-new cover, twenty-four story pages, and bonus sketch material and art! 

January brings The Black Beetle: No Way Out, a four-issue story that marks the first full series for Francavilla’s Black Beetle, continuing from the self-published, limited-edition ashcan comic of the same name—the first appearance of this exciting new pulp hero!

In Night Shift, an ancient artifact known as the Hollow Lizard—a powerful totem of dark magic—shows up at the Colt City Natural History Museum. Hitler sends his fearsome Werwolf Korps to collect the piece in hopes it will help him unlock the secrets of ancient Egypt’s Black Priests. Unfortunately for the führer, Colt City’s protector, the Black Beetle, is on the case!

In No Way Out, Black Beetle’s investigation of two local mob bosses is interrupted when a mysterious explosion murders them and a pub full of gangsters—taking out most of Colt City’s organized crime in one fell swoop. Who could pull off such a coup, and what damage might that murderous bomber inflict upon Colt City and Black Beetle? 

Francavilla’s The Black Beetle series will also showcase a letter page so fans have the chance to have their thoughts, comments, and compliments answered by the creator himself! E-mail blackbeetle[at]darkhorse[dot]com for a chance to see your letter in The Black Beetle: No Way Out!  

“Francavilla delivers the pulp noir that suits his style perfectly.”—Comic Book Resources 

Look for The Black Beetle #0 on comic store shelves everywhere on December 19, 2012!

About Dark Horse

Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Felicia Day, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, including The Mask, Ghost, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Its successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Emily the Strange, Tim Burton’s Tragic Toys for Girls and Boys, Serenity, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material.

 

A Retro Look Back At Surf Ninjas (Game Gear)

Our retro look back at Sega Game Gear games continues. This week we take a very frustrating look at "Surf Ninjas." The game is based off of the 90's action adventure movie starring Leslie Nielson, Ernie Reyes J.R. and Rob Schneider.

Music Monday Spotlight #2 - Megumi Nakajima

This week's Music Monday Spotlight is J-Pop artist Megumi Nakajima. The singer/voice actress has already two albums and has great success on the charts. Let's take out Megumi's hit song "Try Unite." Nakajima Megumi (中島愛) is a seiyuu and singer under Stadust Promotion talent agency. In 2003, she participated in the "Self Stardust Promotion" contest and passed. In 2007, she was chosen to voice Ranka Lee in Macross Frontier and made her debut in June 2008 with the single Seikan Hikou.

Megumi Website - http://www.nakajimamegumi.com/

Supernatural Season 8/ Backtracking

Hello everyone. As people may know, I am a huge Supernatural fan. As a fan I am so excited for Season 8 of the series!!!!! Horray! For people who haven't watched Supernatural or wandering what it is about, I shall try to explain the begining of the story as best as I can (you have to watch the rest of the seasons to figure out what is next. I'm just laying down the groundwork for you and also if I left anything out, be free to comment about it).

The Winchesters were a normal family. Mary and John Winchester had two sons Sam and Dean. Dean is the older brother and Sam is the little brother. They lived happily ever after until.....
One night as Mary and John took their sons to bed, an intruder made its way into baby Sam's room. Of course Sam started to cry and as a parent, Mary went to go see what was wrong. Unfortunatly she walked in on the intruder. She yelled and John went to see what happened. Sam was okay and crying but as he looked up, Mary was pinned to the ceiling dead, and then caught on fire. John got the boys out of the house as the fire spread. From that moment on, John would track down the demon that took the life of his wife and the mother to his sons.

Fast forward into years in the future. Sam is all grown up and in college, law school in fact, and has a lovely girlfriend named Jessica. He is having a great time and enjoys the college life. Sam lives with Jessica and one night a person came into their home unanounced. Sam came down stairs and fought with the intruder which was actually Dean. Of course Sam was surprised and come to find out that John is missing. Dean wanted to get Sam to help him look for John. Dean is getting worried. Sam was relectant at first but decided to help, only if he was able to make it in time to his interview.

And so Sam said goodbye to Jessica and the brothers went off to look for clues. To make the story shorter, the boys found a lead to their father's whereabouts while hunting a ghost and Dean dropped off Sam at the college. When Sam went to bed, he looked up and saw Jessica in the position his mother was in. The apartment went up in flames and Dean got Sam out in the nick of time. The vow they pledged that night was the same as their dad's goal: Kill the demon that caused all this pain.

This is the start of the boys journey through life as hunters.

Sam and Dean have faced more than an average person does in real life. However I believe that Sam and Dean not only face demons that are in folklore but they face their own demons. This is what makes this show so awesome. It submerges you into this fictional world but makes you experience real life situations such as love, lost and sacrifice. Trust me, sacrifice is a HUGE theme in this show. I'm so happy that this show is in for another season and for the whole Supernatural cast and crew, God Bless and break a leg in your upcoming season. You rock!!!!!!

This is Anime Angel saying Supernatural Rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"The Border Lands" Spotlight

The Border Lands is a "Demake" of Borderlands 2, as advertisement for the upcoming release on September 18. It is a free to play browser based game with the essence of  borderlands in a top down shooter. It is actually really diverse for a 16bit game that is free!  Also it is fun way to waste time, you should really  check it out and never pick up a gun that says "Random". This game would port very well to a mobile device like ios or android and would sell like crazy, I would love to see that happen. Anyways click here to play.

Braid Review

Braid is an artsy indie game that was released summer of 2008 on XBLA, since then it has been released on nearly every other platform and has received many prestigious awards. Does Braid offer any thing new? Is it worth all the hype? But most of all is it fun?

Story- In Braid you play as Tim and he is searching for the princess and not much else is revealed till later on. The story is essentially Mario with a cynical twist. Not much else can be said with out spoiling the whole game.

Gameplay- Braid is a puzzle platformer, the gameplay is a cross between Mario and Prince of Persia with some banjo kazooie collectables. It is pretty easy to see these elements plucked from those games and pays ode to them as well. For example at the end of every world there is a dinosaur who tells you the princess is in another castle or some variation. But that aside the the controls are clunky and the hit boxes on enemies feel out of place. There is no urgency in the level design while most puzzles are difficult there is no real need to solve any of them your player can just walk right to the end door and ignore the the puzzle pieces. While you need the puzzle pieces to complete the game you don't need them to get through 90% of the game, witch makes it feel like hassle and not some thing that is needed. The boss fights are sub par you can just spam the rewind and hit him over and over. Also some puzzles are more confusing than challenging and certain levels feel like re-skinned versions of older levels. Also the main problem is that your character is invincible if you die you rewind time and there is no limit on this power so death is welcomed cause it really is not a problem.

 

Graphics and Sound- Soundtrack is amazing a fits the games art perfect. While I am not a fan of the art I appreciate how well it fits the world and is executed great none the less. The world you are placed in does feel alive and is a work of art, every enemy and platform fits perfectly. The dinosaur is the coolest thing art wise in my opinion. But one thing that bugs me is the enemy sounds, the death sounds does not fit and the bunny enemy sounds like a dieing cat.

Final Grade 6.5- To be honest I do not find braid to be fun. I can see how one would enjoy it, but it just does not catch my interest. The puzzles are hard but there is no real driving reason to complete them. The controls are below par witch makes trying to beat Braid a chore instead of a fun experience. If your willing to look past the controls and enjoy tedious puzzles then by all means check out Braid. Its a cool concept and the twist is interesting but I feel most players will not find it to be fun.

 Video version of this article

Angel Beats Review

In a world after death, angels fight for their fate and their future. Yuri, the leader of the Shinda Sekai Sensen, rebels against the god who destined her to have an unreasonable life. On the other hand, Tenshi, the chairperson of the student council for the world after death, battles against the SSS members. SSS members utilize armed weaponry to battle it out against the angels harnessing supernatural powers.

Seedling Review

If you don't know already Seedling is a Zelda-esque flash game on Newgrounds.com, made by user ConnorUllmann. Who has created several games, including Quietus, Casus and Hollow. Does it deserve Zelda comparisons? Is Seedling worth your time?

Story- Seedling is based around our adventurer who happens to be a seed and his journey. He does not know much but knows he is here for a reason. "A small boy is born from the wind, appearing in front of a house. He doesn't know his purpose, but knows that this house is important. This house holds his answers--and the beginnings of an arduous journey that will introduce him to creatures and objects he has never seen, as well as bring him to question right and wrong." As stated by the developer.

Gameplay- The gameplay is essentially a RPG/ top-down dungeon crawler with various easier than it seems puzzles.While trying to navigate seedling's various obstacles, as arrow keys are set to control your movement and x and c for combat you will find your hands cramping up quite often and certain parts seem impossible after trying twenty-five times. There is no difficulty setting and is pretty straight forward with dungeon progression. Every stage can be completed as difficult as it may seem, seedling is actually more forgiving than some of his indie brothers like the binding of Isaac. There are respawn points at the entry of every room and you never loose items upon death. The level design is set up to complement your progression and move along with every new item you acquire. Bosiniad burning tremors was the most rage-inducing level for me while the bosses was defeated in 15-20 seconds tops while the first boss I could not figure out how to beat at all. But that is my only complaint as far as gameplay goes. Seedling took me about three hours to beat  the most I have spent playing a web based game with an end which is a good thing in my book.

Graphics and Sound- The graphics are as good as a flash based top-down RPG can look. The art is amazing not complex but is done very well. Every level feels alive and has an atmospheric vibe that the sound complements very well. With the exception of certain bosses every enemy when hit looks and sounds like there were hit, this is some thing a lot of flash games and even big published games have trouble perfecting but seedling has it down packed. Also the soundtrack for this game is great and fits the game exceptionally and is only 1$ on bandcamp.

Final Grade 8.5- I love this game a few glitches, puzzle bugs and misleading level design, keeps Seedling from getting a 9 or 10 but it is an amazing game and deserves a play and it is free so why not. Click here to play Seedling.

The Worst Superhero Movies Ever Made PT.1

With the summer movie season almost coming to a close. Fans have seen some of the best Superhero movies yet with "The Dark Knight Rises", "The Amazing Spider-Man" and "The Avengers." Regardless of how you feel about these titles there is one thing for sure. These movies aren't in the category of the worst superhero movies ever made. I decide to go back into the archives of superhero movies to find the absolute worst films. Reliving these movies was a very painful experience. There is no particular order, some movies are worst than others but it doesn't matter. These are superhero movies that need to be buried or never see the light of day again.  Here is my part 1 of my list.

Batman & Robin (1997) - Let me get this one out the way otherwise it will turn into a Batman & Robin article. Personally this is the worst superhero movie ever made and the worst Batman movie ever! Not only was this film poorly miscast, but the inaccuracy with the characters will make any comic nerd go insane. Seriously Barbara Gordon is Alfred's niece? Are you insane? Let's not forget about Bane being turned into Joel Schumacher's version of Frankenstein. Bane has no dialogue except saying his name and the word bomb. Do you remember the infamous BANE!!!!! scene when the venom is injected? It was enough for any fan of "Knightfall" to transform into a Super Saiyan out of anger due to inaccuracy on the adaptation.

Then there is Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze. My goodness not only was his Mr. Freeze very campy, but the constant puns relating to things cold was not only annoying but laughable. "You are not sending me to the cooler." "Let's kick some ice." "What killed the dinosaurs? The ice age." We get it Schumacher he's Mr. Freeze and he's cold. Don't believe me enough watch the video below. Finally the writing is unforgivable. The dialogue was not only horrible, but jokes fail to assume you. "This is why Superman works alone." That dialogue is enough to set you into a state of rage. Let's not forget things that are unforgivable like, giving Batman a bat credit card that says Batman Forever, then having him say. "Never leave the cave without it" is something I can't forgive. In order to get a credit card don't you need to give out information. Did he sign his name on the application as Batman? Or is Bruce Wayne so rich that he makes his own credit cards?

The funny thing about Batman & Robin is the films attempt to have some emotional depth. The film attempts to accomplish this by making Alfred sick and having the Cape Crusaders bicker with one another like high school girls. Unfortunately due to the campy tone, the Scooby Doo sound effects and annoying talks about ice, you can careless whether Alfred dies or not. Trust me you wouldn't care that Robin is tired of being in Batman shadow either. Robin is a cry baby in this movie and I wish they just kept him frozen in this film. As for George Clooney as Batman let's just say thank goodness Nolan rebooted the series.I have ranted enough on this horrible film. Let's move on to the next one.


Steel (1997) - 1997 must have been the death of superhero films. Not only did we get Batman & Robin but we also got "Steel" starring Shaquille O'Neal. For some reason studios thought that people wanted to see the story of one of DC's lackluster heroes. Let's be honest I doubt Steel is on many peoples list of favorite superhero. Why is this movie such an epic fail? I will give you only three reasons why this movie sucks. 

1. Acting is non existent in this film. Shaq's acting is probably the worst I've seen in a superhero movie. However to be fair Shaq isn't an actor he's a basketball player. But c'mon his delivery on the dialogue is so robotic that it comes off like it's just a guy trying to act. The dialogue was lame and outdated and didn't connect with the audience. Seriously who was saying it's hammer time in 1997? In addition his supporting cast doesn't help either. Most of them are over acting or just didn't care about they roles. The most annoying performance was Ray J. Yes the same Ray J that is Brandy's brother. The same Ray J with the sex tape with Kim Kardashian. His character is loud, obnoxious and frankly a little of a stereotype of a inner city kid. You wish something bad would happen to that kid, but it never does.

2. Action and design is horrible beyond belief. Shaq Steel suit looks like a grown man who visit Party City to go trick or treating. Sometimes it looks okay and other scenes it looks really cheap. The action is so bad you think a kid choreograph some of this. Shaq moves so slow that I'm surprise he catches any crooks at all (see the train yard scene.) His movements was too stiff for the role and him riding the escalator is too laughable. 

3. The story is boring, uninteresting and full of characters you don't care about.

Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987) - Worst Superman movie ever! Superman IV takes logic and throws it out the window. Not only is this movie just a one view perspective on how we should handle nuclear weapons. Superman has the nerve to take upon himself to tell the governments, the citizen of Earth that he will take care of this issue. He will take care this problem because he is no longer an alien visiting Earth, he's now a citizen. So after growing up in Smallville and saving Metropolis now you feel like a citizen of Earth? The story is not the only problem wrong with this film. Like I said logic was thrown out the window. Now I know this is a movie and anything can happen, but basic elementary school science should still apply. There is a scene when Superman has to rescue Lacy Warfield from Nuclear Man in space. Lacy is in space with no shuttle, no space suit, she is able to breathe in space. Yes goodbye basic science! Humans can breathe in space in this movie. If that isn't enough the villain Nuclear Man is the worst villain in a Superman movie. His back story is laughable, his fight scenes with Superman is lame. He literally served no purpose. Finally this movie was made in 1987 you think the effects for the flying would improve from previous installments. Nope! In fact the effects are the worst in the series.There is plenty wrong with this movie but unfortunately I have more films to discuss. Stay tune for part 2. I' am sorry my brain can only take so much.

The Return Of "Star Wars Celebration Radio" On SiriusXM

Star Wars fans rejoice:

SiriusXM announced the return of Star Wars Celebration Radio—a limited-run channel broadcasting live fromStar Wars Celebration VI, the official Lucasfilm event celebrating the award-winning Star Wars™ saga.

Star Wars Celebration Radio will launch Thursday, August 23 at 6:00 pm ET, the day the event kicks off at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. It will air through Monday, August 27 at 3:00 am ET on Sirius channel 123, XM channel 142, and channel 770 online and through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for smartphones and mobile devices.

Star Wars Celebration Radio will feature interviews with iconic cast members from the Star Wars films, as well as insiders/key players whose behind-the-scenes whose contributions to the series are well known to fans. SiriusXM listeners will be able to listen in on live panel discussions from Star Wars Celebration VI throughout the weekend and hear colorful commentary from celebrity fans and other attendees.

Star Wars Celebration Radio will also feature an in-depth interview with George Lucas—the legendary creator of the Star Wars saga—conducted by Senator Bill Bradley for a special edition of his SiriusXM show American Voices in which he discusses his evolution as a filmmaker and storyteller, the role technology played on this journey and the spiritual life lessons woven into the Star Wars saga.

“We are thrilled to be back at Star Wars Celebration and to bring the sights, sounds and behind-the-scenes action of this annual event to millions of fans across the country through SiriusXM,” said Jeremy Coleman, Senior Vice President, Talk and Entertainment Programming, SiriusXM. "The passion for Star Wars seems to grow every year through every demographic and the insight and fun of the Celebration makes great radio. Senator Bill Bradley’s interview with George Lucas is particularly gripping.”

Star Wars Celebration Radio will be hosted by SiriusXM on-air personalities Mark Says Hi! and Dave Ziemer. This marks the second year SiriusXM has broadcast this limited-run channel.

For more information, visit www.siriusxm.com/starwars.

NFL Fantasy Draft Raffle Tomorrow - Super Bowl, Jets and Giants Tickets

Hey Otakus and Geeks Fans, Tomorrow Aug 23 1 Iota giving away tickets to attend NFL Fantasy Draft Week presented by DirecTV 2012. For anyone in the New York area ( if you like fantasy football and NFL stars ) Check it out. Go to 1Iota.com

• 2 SUPER BOWL TICKETS • 2 NY JETS HOME OPENER TICKETS • 2 NY GIANTS HOME OPENER TICKETS • 2 NFL KICKOFF VIP TICKETS • SPECIAL APPEARANCE BY ROGER GOODELL Mingle with NFL Legends TIM BROWN JOHN LYNCH JAKE PLUMMER FRED TAYLOR get Expert ADVICE from DAVE DAMESHEK • MICHAEL FABIANO • ANDREW SICILIANO CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

LOG ON TO 1IOTA.COM AND GET YOUR FREE TICKETS TODAY! facebook.com/1iota   twitter.com/1iota

Lenni Reviews: "The Future is Japanese"

Image source

“The Future is Japanese,” edited by Nick Mamatas, Masumi Washington, and Haikasoru, features stories about and by Japan and Japanese people. It’s a solid collection of short science fiction stories featuring multiple subgenres. The collection features space travel, cyperpunk, dystopian landscapes, and fantastical time travel adventures.

This collection spares no punches, thrusting you completely into each world. Like many stories, they are a contemplation on what it means to be human or what we are doing to the planet and ourselves through ruthless pursuit of high technology or illogically clinging to the past. Over all I would have to say in this book the future is absolutely Japanese; and also incredibly depressing. The darkest of subjects are handled with candid and vivid clarity producing genuine fear, horror, and sometimes even shame. One of the stories was so dark, I honestly felt as if I needed a shower when I was done.

Not every story is connected to Japan or Japanese culture but they still fit in with the scifi nature of the collection. As a geek, I was enthralled by the different takes on what the future would be like. And for you mech fans? Yes, one story does feature giant battle suits. Some of the tech talk may lose some of the less die hard cyberpunk fans and authors just drop Japanese words as if we’re already supposed to know what they mean, but the action makes up for it. Not being familiar with some of these more famous authors, I don’t have their body of work to compare these stories to. The works in this book stand alone as some pretty darn good stories. The ones originally in Japanese are solidly translated so I wasn’t left confused.

Not all the stories are winners. There were times I felt preached to or as if I was sitting in a class on cybernetics or virtual reality. But hardcore Japanophiles and science fiction fans will not be completely disappointed by this collection. There is plenty here to enjoy and at 360 pages, there is a lot of meat in the book. I’m not sure I would buy it but it’s worth picking up from your local library or borrowing from a friend.

Lenni Reviews: Blade of the Immortal Vol 25: Snowfall at Dawn

Image source: Blade of the Immortal Volume 25: Snowfall At Dawn from Dark Horse

          

Warning: If you’re reading this and you haven’t read the first 24 volumes, there will be spoilers. This review operates on the assumption you have read every volume but this one.

            Are you ready? Then proceed:

            Have you ever been hip deep in a series - book, comic or television - and had a favorite villain? You almost look forward to their repeat appearances. You wonder what they will do to the hero next and if the hero will finally end their reign of terror for good. Shira is NOT such a villain. In fact, he is one of those villains who you wonder when the hell he will be finished off so you don’t have to deal with him anymore!

Volume 25 of this fantastic, award winning series by Hiroaki Samura promises such a showdown with Shira, who is known for his sick predilections with torturing and murdering women. So, I guess as a female manga fan, I am one of many psyched to see get Shira dead in a fantastic way. I don't enjoy seeing him and I almost regret him lasting so long over other villains I enjoyed seeing more. But therein lies Hiroaki Samura's genius; Shira is so fantastically created, I can't freaking stand him. I suppose you don't get rid of a villain so crazed and sick, he carves off his own flesh to make the bones of his forearm into a double blade dagger.

Rin and Manji have recovered from their adventures at Edo castle where Manji was the victim of some pretty heinous immortality experiments. But there is no real rest as they hurry on their quest to find and punish Anotsu. Anotsu is also on the move, with Magatsu in tow and the funniest pair so far in this series, Meguro and Tanpopo, get more screen time. It’s hard to really get into the meat of this volume without completely ruining all the surprises. I can say this; You will laugh, you will cringe, you will gasp, and you will scream when you get to the cliffhanger and can’t find an American release date for the next volume!

This series has never let me down. It’s one of the few I will still outright buy rather than read in the store or borrow from my library. My art idol, Hiroaki Samura, is fantastic as usual; remaining on my list of creators that I will purchase pretty much anything with their name on it. The detailed explanation on how the kessen-chu worms work lost me for a moment but not because it wasn’t interesting! I went back and read it on my second pass though the book. When your heroine is in peril and your hero embattled, you don’t want science; you want the fight. And my friends; do you ever get it. Stick with this series if for nothing more than the supreme hope Shira will FINALLY get his.

A Retro Look Back At Yu Yu Hakusho (Game Gear)

This week retro look back we take a break from the Sega Genesis and head to the Sega Game Gear. We take a look at Yu Yu Hakusho 1 and Yu Yu Hakusho 2 Battle Of The 7 Fighters. Check out the gameplay for both games.

First Look At Spider-Men #5

Hey comic heads here is your first look at Spider-Men #5 courtesy of our friends at Marvel.

Peter Parker, Miles Morales and the Ultimates team up to take on Mysterio, but even if they can take him down, how will Peter get back home? And what will he and Miles do with the knowledge that they’re not alone in the universe. And most important of all – will Peter Parker give Miles Morales his blessing to carry the mantle of Spider-Man? The chart-topping creative team of writer Brian Bendis and artist Sara Pichelli pull out all the stops in Spider-Men #5.

Grace Helbig Joins leetUP "AwesomeSauce Live" 2012 Tour

Here is some geeky news. ATTENTION all giant robot-loving, D&D-obsessed, podcast-pirating, LARP-afflicted, zombie-slaying, cartoon-watching, bacon-eating people of the world -leetUP today announced that viral luminary Grace Helbig will be joining the "AWESOMESAUCE.LIVE!" 2012 fall tour.  The massive tour de force which Complex Magazine coined "Kevin Pereira's Coachella for nerds," is set to descend and ravage pop culture fanatics in 10 cities this fall. The YouTube darling hits the road for nine shows, beginning September 20 in Seattle with stops in Portland, Austin, Dallas, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Madison and Chicago. (*Minneapolis excluded) Hear it from the source: Grace Helbig talks joining the leetUP tour on the "Daily Grace": http://www.mydamnchannel.com/channel/daily_grace_1047.aspx Said Kevin Pereira:  "Grace Helbig is the most hilarious, adorable and talented woman on YouTube, and unless Curiosity finds a sign of life, in the GALAXY! She may be known by millions for 'Daily Grace,' but just wait until you see what happens when we strap a few GoPro cameras on her body and toss her into the leetUP crowd!," A wildly popular stand-up and improvisational comedian, Helbing is best known as a correspondent on "G4's Attack of the Show!" and for creating the monster hit web series known to millions as "Daily Grace" on My Damn Channel - voted one of Time Magazine's Best50 websites of 2011. Since the series' inception, Helbig has released over 1000 videos, amassed an astounding 220,000+ channel subscribers and in excess of 34 million views on YouTube alone. Earlier this year she was heralded by Time Magazine's Techland column as one of the best 140 Twitter feeds shaping the online conversation in 2012.  Helbig brings her sassy and unique flavor to the leetUP "AWESOMESAUCE. LIVE!" tour where she will perform stand-up sets for the audience and act as roving reporter for check-ins with the crowd. She joins former "Attack of the Show!" host, Kevin Pereira and a collection of geeky celebs and interweb stars including Doug Benson, Paul Scheer, VJ Mike Relm, Epic Meal Time, Zach Pearlman and Ask A Ninja in a two-fold live event designed to celebrate everything nerd. With non-stop action on and off the stage to include panels, podcasts, cosplay, competitions, live entertainment, experiential zones with exclusive technology demos, photo playsets, an old-school videogame arcade and more, it's a true festival of nerdy delights. Upon hearing news of the launch of the leetUP tour, Complex Magazine wrote "Kevin Pereira's Coachella for Nerds Will Ravage..." leetUP was created in 2012 by the tour's host, Pereira, G4 Network founder, Charles Hirschhorn and creative collective iam8bit, as a way for nerds to come together to interactively celebrate all things geek in a high-energy, entertaining and innovative environment. The experimental pooling of their collective experience and tech "know-how" was a huge hit, delighting over 1.000 fans at Los Angeles' Club Nokia with the first-of-its kind experience to the world of the elite geek. Post-event, social media blew up with fan postings of photos and videos from the event, leading to demands across the country for leetUP to take the show on the road. To watch episodes of "Daily Grace": http://www.mydamnchannel.com/channel/daily_grace Follow Grace on Twitter: @gracehelbig Follow Kevin on Twitter: @kpereira "AWESOMESAUCE. LIVE!" FALL 2012 TOUR DATES:  Thursday, 9/20: Seattle, WA; Neptune Theatre Friday, 9/21: Portland, OR; Crystal Ballroom Friday, 9/28: Austin, TX; Paramount Theater Saturday, 9/29: Dallas, TX; South Side Music Hall Thursday, 10/4: Boston, MA; Royale Friday, 10/5: Philadelphia, PA; Electric Factory Sunday, 10/7: Washington, DC; 9:30 Club Thursday, 10/11: Minneapolis, MN; Mill City Nights Saturday, 10/13: Madison WI; Barrymore Theatre Sunday, 10/14: Chicago, IL; Vic Theatre

New Evangelion 2.0 Voice Tour Guide App For I-Phone

Here is some cool news Otakus:

The EvaNavi San Francisco Voice Tour Guide is a fun English audio application designed for the iPhone^® that incorporates aspects from the hit Evangelion 2.0 sci-fi anime property to guide users to 60 notable attractions around San Francisco.

The EvaNavi SF application is available for FREE download from the iPhone^®/iTunes^® AppStore at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id549431695?mt=8.

Anime fans, tourists, and even local residents can get to know the City by the Bay in an entirely new way with a unique audio guide powered by the voice of Mari Makinami Illustrious (voiced in English by actress Trina Nishimura) of the famed Evangelion:2.0: You Can (Not) Advance. anime film. The EvaNavi SF application was specially produced for North American fans and made possible by official support and approval from the creators of Evangelion 2.0 in association with NAVIelite (www.dribrain.com) and developed and designed by the Japanese IT creative company and web/mobile app developer KAYAC, Inc. (http://www.kayac.com/en).

San Francisco is world-renowned for an array of unique restaurants, stores, landmarks and other points of interest. EvaNavi SF features many unique locations ranging from the Japanese pop culture entertainment complex of NEW PEOPLE and the J-Pop inspired Hotel Tomo, to must-visit stops for anime fans and gamers such as the Cartoon Art Museum, the Super 7 collectables store, and Gamescape, as well as scrumptious Japanese eateries and live music venues such as Kiss Seafood, Juban Yakiniku House, Blowfish Sushi to Die For and Yoshi's San Francisco. The app also highlights many of the Bay Area’s non-J-Pop attractions such as Citylights Bookstore, Radio Habana Social Club, Chronicle Books and many more “Must” local attractions.

The EvaNavi SF Voice Tour Guide launches in “EvaNavi Map” mode and shows 60 “must see” pop culture-inspired locations all over the city. Users can easily find the attractions nearest to them by turning on the app’s geo-locator and tapping the arrow to locate themselves by GPS. An easy-to-use “Spot List” mode quickly finds locations sorted by distance as well as in alphabetical order. Other features include one-tap playing and easy audio controls as well as on/off options for spot notifications. The application is compatible with iOS 4.0 and up and requires iPhone (3GS and up) with internet or cellular data connection.

“This is a very useful application and we’re very excited to launch it to North American users thanks to the support from our festival partners, NAVIelite and KAYAC,” says Seiji Horibuchi, the founder of NEW PEOPLE, Inc. and co-chairman of J-POP SUMMIT Festival. “Users will have fun with our new EvaNavi SF Voice Tour Guide application accompanied by Mari’s very informative voice! It’s like checking out all the fun places with her as your personal guide!  Even you are not familiar with Evangelion or anime, this will be a fun way to tour our beautiful city of San Francisco.”

Slender Game Review

If there is one thing that has been lacking for me as a gamer is a good scare. I can only play Dead Space, Fatal Frame, Silent Hill and Resident Evil series for so long. Needless to say I was in a horror game drought until my friend told me about Slender by Parsec Productions.

Story - The game is loosely based on The Slender Man mythology. The Slender Man was created at the Something Awful Forums in a thread entitled "Create Paranormal Images." He is described as wearing a black suit strikingly similar to the visage of the notorious Men In Black, and as the name suggests, appears very thin and able to stretch his limbs and torso to inhuman lengths in order to induce fear and ensnare his prey. Once his arms are outstretched, his victims are put into something of a hypnotized state, where they are utterly helpless to stop themselves from walking into them. Not much is known, as no specific information has been found about origins, but his objective and habitat are made very clear. He has the need to kidnap children, and is seen right before the disappearance of a child or multiple children. He seems to prefer fog enshrouded streets and wooded areas as a way to conceal himself from being noticed. It should also be noted that children have been able to see him when no other adults in the vicinity could. Children also have dreams or nightmares concerning The Slender Man before their disappearance. Confiding these stories to their parents are met with the usual parental admonition: overactive imaginations. Source - http://www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/page/Slender+Man.

Gameplay - The game is played in the first person perspective. Players begin in the woods only armed with a flashlight that will run out of batteries. The objective of the game is to collect 8 pages scattered in the woods and various locations to find out about The Slender Man. Simple mission, simple gameplay and it works very well with this environment. The gameplay takes you back to the old days of walking through a haunted house, or playing a game with a time limit before the monster comes and gets you. The game does nothing new in any sense. However it brings back the feeling of being tense, not wanting to look around the corner because you think the monster is there. What makes this game really scary and a joy to play is that Slender Man is watching you the entire time. You never really know where he will appear. They will give you  little hints like having your screen go fuzzy. Other than that he will appear anytime from anywhere. Just know the more pages you collect the more faster and more relentless he will become. The game is over if he gets too close to you or you stare at him for too long.

The controls are excellent and that is thanks to the fact that you can customize the controls to how you want it. Use the mouse, the keyboard or both. I found it easier to use the keyboard for the controls and the mouse for the camera angles. Overall the gameplay is solid, old school horror and you will enjoy the simple but great scares Slender Man provides.

Gameplay Video -
Graphics - The graphics is not up today's standards. However the graphics does succeed in the environment lighting. Even though the graphic doesn't carry the power you expect from console games, the lighting in this game really adds to the beauty and feel of the game. From dark corridors, to the woods the flashlight illuminating light in dark areas are the games strongest graphic points.

Sound - The sound does a great job of adding scary elements, from the haunting sounds of the woods, to the creepy orchestrated music when Slender Man is near.The game gives you a pure horror experience.

Replay Value - The game is not too long, but has replay value of watching your friends get terrorize by The Slender Man. Since he can appear randomly you might want to explore and see where he might appear next time.

Final Grade B+/8.5 - For those looking for a more realistic scare Slender is right up your alley. No zombies, no aliens, no weapons just a flashlight, the woods and a stalker. Simple gamplay, good scares and a great soundtrack. This is one free game you don't want to miss.

Download The Game Here
http://slendergame.com/