The rare bad review: P.A.M.E.L.A (A good game but not for me)

Posted on 06/20/2020 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.A.M.E.L.A. is beautiful. Not technically mind blowing but still very lovely as you can see here and in this screen shot of a robot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately this beauty was not enough for me. The controls were very all over the place, at times clunky, at times confusing. This feeling was only based on 30 minutes of play, but there’s just way too much happening in this game to hold my interest.  Here is just an example of how much seem to have to pay attention to you if you keep playing. The controls were so all over the place and the story being told not energetic enough that I couldn’t hold patience to find out if it was easier than it looked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There seemed to be a set up for combat later on top of the survival being suggested. I actually set the settings for pure exploration, but the controls and UI just made me so dizzy that it’d be an issue of not knowing what I could ignore.

Now you’re mileage may vary. There is definitely something here and if you have more patience than I it might be your new thing.

P.A.M.E.L.A. is available on Steam currently for $17.49 till 6/25/2020 (regularly $24.99)

 

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THE WALKING DEAD WILL RISE AGAIN IN SPECIAL NEGAN LIVES #1 STORY THIS JULY

Posted on 06/18/2020 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

The surprise one-shot from Robert Kirkman & Charlie Adlard aims at generating new excitement for comic shops recovering from the COVID-19 crisis
PORTLAND, Ore. 06/18/2020 — The New York Times bestselling, award winning creative team behind The Walking Dead phenomenon—Robert Kirkman (Fire Power, Oblivion Song) and Charlie Adlard (Vampire State Building)—returns to the beloved series for a surprise one-shot story, Negan Lives #1, which will arrive in stores this July.

This shipment arriving in July will be without financial burden to receiving retailers—with no freight cost for them to worry about. “I’ve been inspired by Steve Geppi and Diamond’s efforts to shine a light on how essential the Direct Market is to our beloved industry with their #backthecomeback campaign,” said Kirkman. “While Charlie Adlard and I had laid the series to rest, this felt like something special we could do for the store owners who made our series a success to begin with. To that end, I’m happy to report that 100% of the revenue generated from this book will go to the stores selling it. The retailer community does backbreaking work to get comics into the hands of our loving fans, we should all be doing more in these trying times to show them how appreciated they are.”

Negan Lives #1 will not be available digitally and will be available exclusively at comic book shops. Fans interested in ordering a copy can find the comics store closest to them on Local Comic Shop locator. Many comic book shops are fulfilling orders online and via curbside pickup.

Spurned by a slowly rebuilding society, Negan lives a life of desperate isolation… or does he? In the tradition of Here’s Negan, this all-new story in Negan Lives #1 gives readers a glimpse into what has happened to one The Walking Dead‘s most popular characters in the time since his last appearance in The Walking Dead #174.

As long-time readers of the post-apocalyptic survival series will recall, The Walking Dead #174 proved to be a pivotal point for Negan, as he was tracked down and confronted by a vengeful Maggie, still heartbroken and furious over the murder of her husband, Glenn, in The Walking Dead #100.

Negan Lives #1 (Diamond Code MAR208199) is a 36-page, black and white comic book, available exclusively at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 1. There are extremely rare Gold (Diamond Code MAR208201) and Silver (Diamond Code MAR208200) foil variants of Negan Lives #1 in limited quantities, inquire with your local comic shop for availability and further details.

Negan Lives #1 hits comic book shops on the same day as the Fire Power, Vol. 1: Prelude original graphic novel and the FCBD Fire Power #1 free promotional comic, both by Kirkman and co-creator/artist Chris Samnee.

 

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Happy National Dragonflyman Day!

Posted on 06/17/2020 by Pop-Culture Spectrum
Dragonflyman Day-AD 02

In honor of the first ever Dragonflyman Day, we have an exclusive video interview with Rock Sterling, the infamous Hollywood star who portrayed Dragonflyman during the hit 1960’s TV series!
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Dragonfly and Dragonflyman Volume 1 hits comic shops on 6/24 and will be available everywhere starting 7/7.
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SUMMER IN MARA – A Review

Posted on 06/16/2020 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Farming, sheep, pigs, chickens, fishing, cooking, making tools, mining. It all seems simple, then come aliens, finance, evil empires, pirates, wars, navies and maybe saving the entire world.

Becoming Koa in Chibig’s SUMMER IN MARA is an experience of quiet and epic in the same breath. The world map is small and yet feels very big as you explore. Which is a major part of the fun, exploring and exploring to discover. The game does no hand holding. At times you might not be sure where to go next but as long as you pay attention to your available quests everything will move along at a pleasant pace of fetch quest, build, and learn.

One thing to keep in mind is the game is zen like and therefore super addicting. The art is tantalizing. The story refreshing and while at times predictable and padded to make the game even longer than it truly is, it somehow doesn’t seem completely boring.

I had waited on finishing this review in a goal to give a full picture of how excellent the experience is, unfortunately I have hit a major snag. My game suffered a major bug right at what seems would’ve been the conclusion. I am now stuck on an island without a boat and no way to fix it as the game auto saves but gives no save slots.

I also wanted to hold off criticizing one major thing hoping maybe I was wrong and the game would be helping that. Fishing is impossible. You are tasked with fishing certain sealife to complete tasks and capturing those creatures in Summer in Mara’s mechanics is impossible. I played the game with Xbox-One controller for PC, so it was not in my system. It was the game. Everything else was easy, so why would FISHING be harder? Possibly a better fishing pole was coming up after what felt like the final mission so one could “100 %” complete but what if there wasn’t?

I am contacting the developer after this post concerning my fatal bug, but to sit on my review till then would be disingenuous to the game.

I still highly recommend it even as it stands for the art, sounds, and zen like quality. Maybe you’ll get lucky and not hit a major bug as I have.

SUMMER IN MARA is available NOW on Steam and Nintendo Switch.

(A thing to make note of is that Chbig has actually been working to make this game a version they loved for awhile.  It is a continually updated version of an iOS game they made Tiny Planet.  They followed this up with Ankora and then their first console/pc game Deiland. That game used many of the same mechanics that Summer in Mara used, although Summer streamlines that game, gets rids of combat and has more refined graphics and a stronger story and art style.)

UPDATE: The Devs did help me. I completed the game. It was fun and worth it and the world was excellent.

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United Label announces a July 23rd release date for Röki

Posted on 06/13/2020 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

United Label is officially announcing the release date of the upcoming title Röki where players will be able to explore the dark contemporary fairy tale on July 23rd on PC (Steam and GOG.com) and later this year on Nintendo Switch.

WARSAW, Poland (June 13th, 2020) — The release date was revealed during the Guerilla Collective early this morning with a brand new trailer.

“It was a great feeling to finally let the players know when they could dive into the world of Röki and help Tove on her fantastical journey through these magical worlds,” said CEO Tomasz Litwiniuk. ”The team has been working for so long to craft what we believe is a new and really unique experience across the narrative games genre. Now it’s time to hand it over to the world and let everyone explore the game for themselves.”

Röki is an adventure game made by Polygon Treehouse and inspired by Scandinavian folklore – a dark, contemporary fairy tale underpinned by a touching narrative, an alluring art style, ancient puzzles, and atmospheric exploration. Join Tove on a fantastical journey to save her family; one that takes her deep into a hidden, long-forgotten world of folklore, filled with strange locations and even stranger creatures.

Röki is designed to be challenging, but not unforgiving to adventurers that might need a helping hand every now and then. A truly modern take on the adventure game genre.

Click below to add to your wishlist so you won’t miss a thing!

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1067540/Rki/

GOG: https://www.gog.com/game/roki

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BOOM! Studios Debuts WYND Character Designs by Michael Dialynas

Posted on 06/12/2020 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Discover the Star-Studded “Must Read” Original Series from BOOM! Studios Starting in June 2020

LOS ANGELES, CA (June 12, 2020) – BOOM! Studios today is proud to reveal character designs by acclaimed artist Michael Dialynas (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) for WYND. The all new original series reunities award-winning superstars James Tynion IV (Something is Killing the Children, Batman) and Dialynas, with letterer Aditya Bidikar (Isola). Tynion IV and Dialynas previously collaborated for three years on the GLAAD Award winning series The Woods.

WYND #1 introduces readers to a world where magical heritage is punishable by death, so a young boy named Wynd must keep his true identity – and pointy ears – a secret from everyone in Pipetown, even if it means he’ll never have the normal life he wants. But when his secret is threatened, Wynd is forced to leave his home behind to embark on a dangerous quest that will put him at the heart of a royal conspiracy beyond his imagination.

This is the first original series from BOOM! Studios to be announced and solicited outside of the traditional solicitation cycle, which normally involves soliciting product three months in advance to retailers and fans. Though WYND was originally announced as an original graphic novel from the BOOM! Box imprint for a November 2020 release, the company saw a unique opportunity to deliver fans and retailers a new Must Read series at a crucial time in the comics industry.

WYND #1 features a main cover illustrated by series artist Michael Dialynas and variant covers by acclaimed artists Dan Mora (Once & Future) and Peach Momoko (Batman: The Adventures Continue).

WYND is the newest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to critically acclaimed original series, including Once & Future by Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora; Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera; Faithless by Brian Azzarello and Maria Llovet; Folklords by Matt Kindt and Matt Smith; The Red Mother by Jeremy Haun and Danny Luckert; King of Nowhere by W. Maxwell Prince and Tyler Jenkins; and Alienated by Simon Spurrier and Chris Wildoose. The imprint also publishes popular licensed properties including Joss Whedon’s Firefly from Greg Pak and Dan McDaid; Buffy the Vampire Slayer from Jordie Bellaire and David López; Angel from Bryan Edward Hill and Gleb Melnikov; and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers from Ryan Parrott and Daniele Di Nicuolo.

Print copies of WYND #1 will be available for sale on June 17, 2020 at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one) or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Madefire. 

For continuing news on WYND and more from BOOM!, stay tuned to boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.

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ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO MEETS TARANTINO’S PULP FICTION IN ACTION-PACKED GRAPHIC NOVEL—GUNNING FOR RAMIREZ—OUT THIS SEPTEMBER

Posted on 06/11/2020 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

The breakout hit was originally published in Europe from Glénat to great critical acclaim

PORTLAND, Ore. 06/08/2020 — Image Comics invites readers on an action-packed new thrill ride in the forthcoming Gunning for Ramirez original graphic novel by Nicolas Petrimaux. It will be available in English for the first time this September.

Already an international breakout hit, Gunning for Ramirez was originally published by Glénat to great fan and critical acclaim. It has won an Angoulême Award for best publication 2018 (category youth 15/17), Canal BD Award for best publication 2018 (retailers awards), and Best Series BD Gest Award 2018 (press awards).

What if the deadliest assassin in all of Mexico, a man with dozens of kills to his name, was actually a vacuum repairman in Arizona?

Set in Falcon City, Arizona, Gunning for Ramirez follows Jacques Ramirez, a man who works at Robotop, the leading home appliance company in the Southwest United States. Jacques is efficient, thorough, and discreet. That last one is easy: he’s also mute. But everything changes when two members of one of Paso del Rio’s largest drug cartels stumble upon Jacques and believe him to be the deadly hitman who betrayed them in the past: the ruthless Ramirez.

Could it be that the cartel’s legendary clean-up man is really a legendary vacuum cleaner expert? Now that they’ve found him, the men of the cartel will do everything they can to kill this traitor.

Petrimaux’s Gunning for Ramirez presents a tribute to the action thrillers of the 1980s and ’90s—a brutal narrative with never a dull moment. This story is perfect for fans of Friedkin’s To Live and Die in L.A., Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, or Rodriguez’s Mexico Trilogy.

Gunning for Ramirez (ISBN: 978-1-5343-1697-3) will be available on Wednesday, September 30 and in bookstores on Tuesday, October 6. It can be pre-ordered at your local comic book shop or independent bookstore via Bookshop or Indiebound or it can be pre-ordered on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, and Indigo.

Gunning for Ramirez will also be available for purchase across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play.

 

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Play NYC Returns in 2020 With a Special Online-Only Show, Free to Indies, and Open to All

Posted on 06/10/2020 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

The 4th annual Play NYC game convention moves online Aug. 10-16, 2020, to highlight the power and influence of gaming and celebrate the spirit of New York City.


NEW YORK — The 4th annual Play NYC convention — the biggest, multi-day game convention in New York — expands to a week and goes online-only this summer with the support of the New York City Mayor’s Office for Media and Entertainment, Playcrafting announced today.

“Playcrafting founded Play NYC in 2017 to give New York a game convention of its own,” said Dan Butchko, founder and CEO of Playcrafting and the convention organizer. “Each year, we welcome over 5,000 people and 150 games for two days, unlike any other. Last fall, we announced the 4th Play NYC. A lot of games were already confirmed for the show. It was shaping up to be our biggest yet. Then COVID-19 changed life as we know it.
“New York has been on pause. Our community has struggled through this pandemic. Yet
despite trying times and ongoing tensions, we’ve seen so much hope in how folks have risen up to face the challenges of our reality. This is the greatest city in the world with the strongest people in the world. And games have the power to unite, inspire, educate, and heal. Especially now. That’s why I’m excited to re-announce Play NYC 2020. For the first time, this year’s show will be online, free to join, and a full week-long.”

The seven-day event, which kicks off on Aug. 10 and runs through Aug. 16 at Play-NYC.Com, is open to all indie developers, larger studios, and anyone interested in virtually attending.

For the first time in the show’s history, the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and
Entertainment is also supporting Play NYC with an advertising campaign in July that includes bus shelters and phone kiosks throughout the city.

While this year’s event has moved online, Play NYC will still feature an eclectic mix of powerful talks, demos, and panels, and will continue to harness, elevate, and celebrate the essence and impact of New York City on the international gaming community.

Where more than 5,000 people packed the Metropolitan Pavillion during last year’s paid-event, this year’s event will take place on a variety of platforms all brought together through the Play NYC website. Among the many exciting events taking place during Play NYC 2020 will be the annual Graffiti Games installations created exclusively for Play NYC. This year’s initiative will amplify the work of Black game developers and be curated by indie game company Decoy Games.

Graffiti Games installations celebrate the diversity that makes the American gaming industry and New York City so special. Previous installations have featured the talent and stories of first-generation immigrant developers, and celebrated the voices, talent and impact of the LGBTQ community in gaming and the importance of creating safe spaces.
“Games bring people together, but they’re nothing without the people who make them. We’re honored to amplify the important voices of Black game creators through this year’s Graffiti Games. In these challenging times, it’s more important than ever for Play NYC to represent the vital contributions that the Black community makes to the art and culture of games, in New York and beyond.”

More details on this year’s speakers, live-streams, panels, and demos will be released in the coming weeks. Play NYC runs Monday, Aug. 10 through Sunday, Aug. 16.

Visit play-nyc.com and follow us on Twitter @Playcrafting and #PlayNYC for more updates.

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Pearl Jam: Art of Do The Evolution Provides a Behind-The-Scenes Look at One of Rock’s Greatest Music Video Triumphs

Posted on 06/08/2020 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Engaging New Art Book Provides an All-Access Pass to the Collaborative Vision of Todd McFarlane, Kevin Altieri, and Pearl Jam

SAN DIEGO, CA (June 8, 2020) – Twenty-two years after legendary rock band Pearl Jam debuted their Grammy Award-nominated “Do The Evolution” music video, its hypnotic and shocking imagery is perhaps even more relevant to social and environmental issues than during the band’s 1998 Yield tour.

Directed by visionary comics legend Todd McFarlane (Spawn) and veteran animator Kevin Altieri (Batman: The Animated Series), this achievement in animation told a graphic and dark history of the world in four gripping minutes and is widely considered one of the best music videos of all time.

In October, IDW Publishing (OTCQX: IDWM) will release Pearl Jam: Art of Do The Evolution, a 200-page, full-color hardcover revealing the full story behind the creation of this historic video. Lushly illustrated by the video’s striking animation cells with never before seen storyboards and designs from the video, the video’s co-producer, Joe Pearson, will guide readers through the fascinating process of bringing the band’s vision to life in this one-of-a-kind art book.

Todd McFarlane, in the book’s introduction, describes the Do The Evolution music video as “the history of mankind in as condensed a version as you will ever see. In this book, you’ll see and read about some of the process of how we pulled off such a Herculean task… It’s filled with so many wonderful examples of how dozens of creative people come together to put together what would soon become a Grammy-nominated video.”

“Being able to produce this seminal animated video at my studio for Pearl Jam and to work with super talents like Eddie Vedder, Todd McFarlane, and Kevin Altieri was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” says Pearson. “And then to see the positive and continuing worldwide reaction of millions of fans to our group effort was the icing on this dense cake of edgy music and animation.”

Justin Eisinger, IDW’s Editorial Director of Graphic Novels & Collections, says, “Pearl Jam’s Do The Evolution brings the threat of man’s quest for domination into stark, relatable terms, a theme that remains at the forefront of current conversation. Filled with bold imagery and layered visual storytelling that accentuates the already searing lyrics, McFarlane and Altieri created a video that spans the history of mankind. And now their groundbreaking work can be fully appreciated in this in-depth, behind-the-scenes book that explores how it all came together.”

The Art of Do The Evolution hardcover is essential reading for new and longtime Pearl Jam devotees, animation and graphic design fans who recognize “Do the Evolution” as a high point in the field, and anyone with an acute interest in music video history.

Pearl Jam: Art of Do The Evolution is currently available for pre-order via online booksellers and comic book specialty retailers. Visit www.comicshoplocator.com to find a store near you.

Pearl Jam: Art of Do The Evolution
by Joe Pearson, Terry Fitzgerald, Brad Coombs, Jim Mitchell and Lisa Pearson
ISBN 978-1-63140-741-3
$39.99 US / $53.99 CAN
200-page, full color hardcover, 12” x 9″
October 6, 2020

 

 

 

 


About Joe Pearson

Joe Pearson is an artist, writer, director, producer with more than 30 years of experience in the animation and games industry. His studio, Epoch Ink Animation, has produced numerous animated TV series, shorts, specials, and music videos, and, recently, the animated feature War of the Worlds: Goliath.

About IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing (IDWP), a subsidiary of IDW Media Holdings Inc. (OTC PINK: IDWM), is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, trade paperbacks, and tabletop games. IDWP is one of the top four publishers of comic books and graphic novels in the U.S. with a library of world-renowned licensed content and original series. IDWP’s critically-acclaimed imprints include Top Shelf Productions, Artist’s Editions, EuroComics, The Library of American Comics, Sunday Press, and Yoe! Books.

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Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo Debut WE ONLY FIND THEM WHEN THEY’RE DEAD from BOOM! Studios

Posted on 06/08/2020 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

 “A thing to provoke awe, fear, and wonder.” – Kieron Gillen, Once & Future

“Sign me the hell up.” – Jason Aaron, Thor

LOS ANGELES, CA (June 8, 2020) – BOOM! Studios today announced the new original comic book series WE ONLY FIND THEM WHEN THEY’RE DEAD by superstars Al Ewing (Immortal Hulk) and Simone Di Meo (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), about one man’s unrelenting quest throughout space to discover the truth—no matter where it takes him. Available in stores September 2020.

Captain Malik and the crew of the Vihaan II harvest resources from the giant corpses of alien gods found on the edge of human space. While other autopsy ships race to salvage the meat, minerals, and metals that sustain the human race, Malik sees an opportunity to finally break free from this system by being the first to find a living god. But Malik’s obsession with the gods will push his crew into danger at the darkest reaches of space—unless the rogue agent on their trail can stop them first…

Al Ewing is best known for his work for Marvel, including writing Immortal Hulk, Guardians of the Galaxy, Ultimates, Loki: Agent of Asgard, Avengers: No Surrender, and many more. Other work includes Judge Dredd and Zombo for 2000AD and Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor for Titan Comics. We Only Find Them When They’re Dead is his first project for BOOM! Studios.

“WE ONLY FIND THEM WHEN THEY’RE DEAD is a concept I’ve been brewing for some years now, something that merges a few of my favorite things – high-concept action, world-building, quests for the meaning behind existence and heavily metaphorical science fiction – and uses them to create a universe we’re building out into something truly vast, rich and strange,” said Ewing. “No matter which parts of my work you’ve enjoyed before, there’ll be something here for you to love.”

Simone Di Meo is a comic book artist from Italy. He was the artist for the blockbuster Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series at BOOM! Studios. His previous work includes high profile projects at Marvel Entertainment including Venom, Old Man Logan, and Immortal Hulk: The Best Defense.

“I had been waiting for years to work on my own sci-fi series and Al wrote a story so intense that I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” said Di Meo. “Sci-fi, passion, mystery, and giant gods make these pages an absolute blast to draw.”

WE ONLY FIND THEM WHEN THEY’RE DEAD #1 features main cover art by series artist Di Meo, as well as variant covers by Toni Infante (Champions), Christian Ward (Invisible Kingdom), Matias Bergara (Coda) and more.

“Al and Simone are delivering career-best work on this project — and that’s saying something,” said Eric Harburn, Senior Editor, BOOM! Studios. “Visceral, challenging, experimental, contemplative… Get ready for a science-fiction epic unlike any other, that seeks to answer why WE ONLY FIND THEM WHEN THEY’RE DEAD.”

Print copies of WE ONLY FIND THEM WHEN THEY’RE DEAD #1 will be available in September 2020 exclusively at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the one nearest you) or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers like comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Madefire. Due to the ongoing impact of the current global health crisis, the final release schedule of this series is subject to change.

For continuing news on WE ONLY FIND THEM WHEN THEY’RE DEAD and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.

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