Phoenix Online is Going To The Stars

Posted on 06/08/2018 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Adventures games are rarer and rarer these days so when one comes along, especially beautiful. indie and from a quality publisher I take notice.

The debut game of Spanish developer Risin’ Goat, A Rite from the Stars is a fun and clever point & click adventure game about Kirm, a young mute boy chosen by the Stars to undertake a mystical rite of passage to become a legend among his people.

In this coming-of-age story, players will explore the Mystical Island of Kaikala, home to the Makoa tribe, and pursue the three paths of Wisdom, Courage, and Spirit in any order they choose. Each path introduces new mechanics to solve unique challenges, ranging from action sequences to musical puzzles, with Kirm’s playable meerkat companion Mirk and guiding star Hoku on hand to collaborate on puzzle solutions and lend insight along the way.

A Rite from the Stars features beautiful 3D environments, a fully orchestrated soundtrack recorded with a live chorus, and a complete original Makoan language developed for the game! A Rite from the Stars will be released for PC, Mac, and Linux, and feature French, Italian, German, and Spanish translations on release. Learn more at www.risingoat.com.

The game is releasing later this year on direct download, Steam as well as other channels from Phoenix Online Publishing.

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We will walk with Clementine one last time

Posted on 06/07/2018 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Telltale’s The Walking Dead: The Final Season

Premieres August 14, Pre-Orders Available June 8

Clementine, now a fierce and capable survivor, has reached the final chapter in her journey. After years on the road facing threats both living and dead, a secluded school might finally be her chance for a home. But protecting it will mean sacrifice. Clem must build a life and become a leader while still watching over AJ, an orphaned boy and the closest thing to family she has left. In this gripping, emotional final season, you will define your relationships, fight the undead, and determine how Clementine’s story ends.

  • Emotional, Gut-Wrenching Story – See Clementine’s journey through to the end. As she builds a new life, you will have to grapple with new types of choices and live with the consequences as AJ looks on, learning from your every move.
  • More Control, More Tension – A new over-the-shoulder camera system, greater freedom to explore detailed environments, and scenes with unscripted combat capture the fear of living in a world overrun by the undead and create the most engaging The Walking Dead game yet.
  • Striking New Visual Style – The all-new Graphic Black art style rips the ink from the pages of the Eisner Award-winning comic book series and brings the world of The Walking Dead to life like never before. Supports 4K resolution and high dynamic range on compatible devices.
In addition, The Walking Dead: The Final Season will be fully dubbed in French, German, Latin-American Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese. It will also be subtitled in French, German, Latin-American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Italian, Russian, and both traditional and simplified Chinese. Episode one voice packs and translations will be available for download on launch day.

Episode one of The Walking Dead: The Final Season will be available for download starting August 14, 2018 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One across all regions. The Final Season will also come to Nintendo Switch later this year.  Starting June 8, players will be able to pre-order the game on PC, PS4, and Xbox One for $19.99. All players who pre-order The Final Season will receive download access to each of the season’s four episodes as they become available. Players who pre-order on PS4 and Xbox One will also receive immediate access to The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series Collection, which gathers all 19 existing episodes of the award-winning series into a single package.
PC players who pre-order on Steam, GOG, GamersGate, or the Humble Store will receive 10% off the full retail price. Win10 pre-orders through the Microsoft Store will unlock season one of The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series. All pre-order offers expire August 14.
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Book Expo/Book Con 2018 Video Haul

Posted on 06/07/2018 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

I recorded a very long display of things I picked up at BookExpo & The Book Con 2018. Along the way telling stories, detailing the books and more. With over 120+ books a cataloging is also planned, but for now enjoy this video.

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Book Expo Collage Previews

Posted on 05/29/2018 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

BookExpo 2018 runs Wednesday (5/30/2018)-Friday (6/1/2018) followed by The Book Con on June 2nd and 3rd.  In advance of excitement I have made two “collages” of books being featured at the shows in some fashion.  This is not everything I am interested but it as example of the show in many showing middle grade, young adult, comics, cook books, memoir, non-fiction and traditional adult fiction.  If you love books keep your eyes open for these covers when they hit your local stores and other places.

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The Incident is Unforeseen but Completely Worth it

Posted on 05/26/2018 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Traditional point and click 2D third person adventure games at high levels with excellent voice acting are a rarity. Especially in 2018. Unless of course the publisher is Application Systems Heidelberg, who this year are also publishing an HD remake of the first Nelly Cootalot game and the new detective story from Grundislav Games where failure is an option to completion.

In Backwoods Entertainments story, Unforeseen Incidents, things seem pretty innocent at first. You step into the life of a likable, charismatic layabout named Harper who is living in an alternative universe. You quickly learn that things aren’t as simple as they seem though and soon you’re propelled into a conspiracy and mystery of possibly mythic proportions. There’s a group of colorful characters you meet along the way, fully voice acted with a performance showing care and concern for each line and even stupid joke. Visually, it’s really great, especially the backgrounds. The character designs are definitely an aesthetic that will be hit or miss with each person. Art is subjective after all, but the details in each location are impossible to be amazed by.

 An important part about a quality point and click game outside story is game play. How are the puzzles? Do they make sense? Are they too easy? Too difficult? Too illogical? Does lateral thinking apply or out of the box. A combination of obvious and trying to actually have just try things is such a difficult balance, yet the writers and programmers of this game definitely found it. While some thought processes definitely get lost in translating the games native language of German to English, nothing in my playthrough ever felt impossible. Did I get stuck? Of course I did… did it ever frustrate me? Not once, and there were many reasons for that; As stated the art, which I personally find to be extremely enjoyable; The subtle music and sound design are also superlative.

What really kept me going was the plot and the characters going through this intense adventure that keeps getting bigger and bigger. Harper is just a perfect protagonist. In a film he’d be Val Kilmer, Matt Damon, Jake Gylenhaal, Paul Newman, Mel Gibson, Gérard Depardieu or any number of everyman actors. Someone who is good looking but not too good looking, intimidating without being fearsome, someone you can relate to in a variety of situations and want to see succeed no matter the odds. He has great co-stars as well in an older best friend and genius, a no nonsense journalist, a former boss, a tough as nails park ranger, and a cadre of individuals along the way that just add something to the entire environment, each created with as much care and consideration as our protagonist so none feel one dimensional even in their simple roles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suffice to say I highly recommend Unforeseen Incidents and consider it worth your time, brain process and appreciation.

The game is available now (released May 24th, 2018) and can be purchased on Steam, GOG, Humble, or direct from the publisher at a cost of $20 usually.

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A Quick Pre-Look at Book Expo/Book Con 2018

Posted on 05/08/2018 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Although my attendance of Book Expo and/or The Book Con at this time are not guaranteed with the show less than a month away I wanted to use the information currently available to pretend I was definitely going and what excited me most in my personal world of pop-culture.

A full guest list for both events aren’t up yet, but combining the lists for the events, as well as info culled from other sources these particular people’s appearances alone excite me in no particular as date of writing:
Dave Eggers, Rick Riordian, Megan Mullally, Nick Offerman, Trevor Noah, Nicholas Sparks, Jill Lepore, Kathryn,Ellie Kemper, Viola Davis, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Chris Colfer, Brad Meltzer, James “Murr” Murray, Brooklyn Allen, Charlaine Harris, Charles Soule, Chuck Palahniuk, David Baldacci, Rep. John Lewis, Kami Garcia, Mariko Tamaki, Scott Westerfield, Shannon Hale, Taye Diggs, Walter Mosely.

Now you may notice a lot of these names of famous actors or personalities. This speaks to me in my world. There are traditional authors too though whom I love and the opportunity to tell them how great their work is, to hear about their latest and then remind you it exists or is coming soon is all tantamount to just who I am as a person. Also, if I can get an amazing photo of them it’s always a bonus as I do pride myself on my photography.

One of the top things is that on top of celebs, arcs, meetings, and more, both Book Expo and Book Con will try to have the feel of a big pop-culture con with the Diary of Wimpy Kid display.

Here’s some current BEA/BookExpo Links that exist from publishers:
https://redlightningbooks.com/BEA2018
https://www.sourcebooks.com/bookexpo.html
http://macmillanlibrary.com/2018/04/25/macmillan-library-lj-slj-day-of-dialog-bookexpo-2018/
http://www.simonandschusterpublishing.com/bea/

If you want this year’s Publisher’s Lunch Buzz Books previeweing the Adult and Middle Grade/YA Books for this years Expo you can download there for Kindle, Nook, etc. over at this link.

And if you’re curious to see what a schedule for ME looks like? Well you got that too.

If there are updates to offer this article will recieve them. Keep an eye on my twitter as well though.

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Five Points Festival returns with a new home in Brooklyn NY!

Posted on 04/24/2018 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Designer Toys, Street Art, and NYC’s Best Craft Breweries and Food Trucks Collide at the Brooklyn Expo Center!

New York, NY (April 19, 2018) – Five Points Festival, a designer toy, street, and alternative art festival is excited to announce the return of the much-anticipated event for 2018! Taking place the weekend of June 2-3rd, 2018 – at the awesome Brooklyn Expo Center, the festival will bring together the shining stars of the Designer Toy, Kaiju & Sofubi, Craft Beer, Food and alternative art worlds.

Featuring a dynamic lineup of counterculture artists and artisans from around the world. The event is a 2-day celebration of toy designers and customizers with an extensive international Neo-Kaiju and Sofubi section, original street art, independent comic artists, gourmet food trucks and craft beer presented by Clutter Magazine and sponsored by 50 Years of The Outer Spacemen, and Lagunitas Brewing Company.

Enthusiasts familiar with art toys will have the chance to meet some of the world’s most iconic artists and brands like Huck Gee, Instinctoy, Kidrobot, James Groman, Jason Freeny, Ron English, Super7, Tara McPherson, and Mighty Jaxx on the show floor, where they will be featured alongside artists from the U.S., Japan, Germany, Korea, the U.K. and elsewhere, some showcasing in NYC for the first time, and all with unique, original pieces for sale. Anyone who has attended mainstream art shows or comic cons will find something completely unique at Five Points – a gathering of visual innovators, rebels, creators, and the misfits that are driving the future of commercial & counterculture art.

Tickets to Five Points also include access to a gathering of some of NYC’s outstanding craft breweries and food trucks serving during all regular Festival hours. VIP Ticket holders will gain special early access privileges each day of the Festival, as well as entry to Friday night’s Designer Toy Awards, the world’s premier accolade for designer toy artists, and an all-around excellent party.
Join us at Five Points Festival at the Brooklyn EXPO Center for designer toys, art, craft beer & food, and so much more…

When:

Designer Toy Awards @ the Brooklyn Bazaar
Friday, June 1st: 7pm

Five Points Festival:

Sunday, June 3rd: 11am – 5pm
Saturday, June 2nd: 11am – 6pm
Doors Open at 10am for VIP’s.

Where:

Brooklyn EXPO Center
72 Noble St, Brooklyn, NY 11222

Cost:

Daily and full weekend passes available

Saturday Only Admission: $30*

Sunday Only Admission: $25*

Weekend Pass: $40*

VIP Pass: $125

*Early bird rates

Roll like a P.I.M.P – Get a VIP ticket for Five Points Fest 2018, Designer Toy Awards & Early Access and MORE!

DTA Ticket – Party with us at the Designer Toy Awards and rub elbows with the best in the industry! – THE ONLY WAY TO GET A TICKET!

Exclusive Toy – Mini Erosion Molly by Kenny Wong and Instinctoy from Japan.

Exclusive Badge – With swank art just for VIPs

VIP Preview – Get in an hour early both days

Saturday Night Party – VIP Access to our Saturday Night shindig, too!

Official event poster is below. Designed by amazing West Coast poster and tattoo artist, Thomas Fernandez (https://www.instagram.com/liveradstudios/ ).

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Looking Ahead to 2018 Part 2 (Video Games)

Posted on 12/29/2017 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

GAMES
Telltale Games The Wolf Among Us-Season 2 & The Walking Dead Final Season: Telltale does a lot. Batman, Guardians of the Galaxy, Game of Thrones, even original stories based in Minecraft, but their FABLES prequel and their Walking Dead sidestory are definitely the two that have truly made fans excited. Knowing there are new stories from both those universes coming in 2018 is fab.

Knights and Bikes: A Double Fine Presents publication. I wish I had gotten on the Kickstarter at the time but couldn’t. Hand painted, bikes, islands, action, adventure… what more could you want?

Ooblets: Pokemon, Animal Crossing, but in an all new bundle of cuteness and specialness. Glopters is making something that looks super cute.

TUNIC: Top down cartoony action that looks super fun and adorable.

Unavowed: The newest from Wadgeteye and Dave Gilbert. An RPG point & click with multiple characters, multiple endings and more.

A Way Out: 2 player only (Local and Online), but the team up concept of breaking out of prison looks really exciting. Hopefully I’ll find a steam gamer with a rig powerful enough whose up for playing this with me when time

Where the Water Tastes Like Wine:
Discover stories, talk to interesting characters. I love art games and this is super artistic and lovely.

VAMPYR: Third person action-adventure with vampire powers and it looks beautiful.

TRAVIS STRIKES AGAIN-No More Heroes 3: A Nintendo Switch exclusive but it’s still super exciting to have another Suda 51/Grasshopper Manufacture leap into the sword slashing, mini game, manical world of Touchdown.

The Gardens Between: This beautiful little game seems to be a simple puzzle games using a time travel mechanic to tell a sweet story, another art piece as interactive game. I love them when doing it right.

Lamplight City: The latest from Grundislav Games, an old school style point and click period piece detective tale with some supernatural elements.

The Adventure Pals: Co-Op Local platformer of insanity which seems you can also play single player. It looks absolutely bonkers.

Left Alive: Third person action survival shooter developed by folks behind Armored Core, MGS and Gundam. What little that has been shown looks wildly brilliant.

Psychonauts 2: Possibly/probably pushed back to 2019, there’s still the chance Double Fine can finish this epic sequel to action adventure platformer classic that put them on the map so long ago. No matter when it comes out I’ll care.

These last three are PS4 exclusives, but are definitely games I seriously want to one day play or just watch people play.
DETROIT-Become Human: The newest David Cage/Quantric Dream masterpiece. The future of AI, androids, multple decisions, multiple characters, multiple replys and playthroughs and their most ambitious title to date.
GOD of WAR: The latest incarnation of the long running PS tale of Kratos continues and this time has his son with him. My favorite genre too in third person action-adventure .
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Insomniac‘s attempt at Spider-Man screams Arkham in it’s feel but with Spidey instead of Bats. Although I feel it’ll also be a lot like Beenox’s Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions which was excellent what despite game reviewers said and who I generally disagree with.
There’s plenty more games coming but those alone could keep someone properly busy I feel.

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The Bit Awards of 2017 Experience

Posted on 12/18/2017 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

I was very excited to attend this year’s The Bit Awards. From the pre gaming, to the being there for the show live and the after party.
It did NOT disappoint. There was plenty Monster, donuts, pizza, drinks, etc. before and after. Tons of camaderie and I got to meet some excellent people, including a developer I’ve been a fan of for quite awhile. I really need to find time to get more involved in Playcrafting.

Before the show I got to check out a couple of tabletop games and video games, some of them nominees, a couple just showing off for fun and excitement. At table top I got to check out Someone Has Died, which looks and feels and sounds like my kind of game. I don’t do tabletop gaming, but it seems much like it’s more an improv prompt party game but with much more structure, balance and rules then the the traditional party game. The art is fantastic as well. On the “floor” was also Fabaraz’ tennis like awesomeness Spiritsphere DX. I only played it for a second in a Nintendo switch beta build but it was fun and kids loved it! In another room there were plenty of games from nominees for mobile, style, and best of game such as Mama Hawk, Perception, Battery Boy. There was also a display of independent fighter Punch Planet currently on early access of Steam.

After all the pre-show festivities it was time to sit down inside Tischman and just take in the show. There were some trailers (including one for Francisco Gonzalez’s Lamplight City which got me right in the I want this game feels)  and news that got me excited. A few segments were just super fun. Some of the speeches really warmed my heart. It was just an amazing experience and while being there live is a totally different feel, you can watch and appreciate the show yourself in its totality.

The VIP after party took place at ESC Games and it was a thrill talking games, life and fun with a variety of developers.  Playing some silly games and just remembering I love video games.
Also here’s some photos from the pre-show and during the show.

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A musical interlude

Posted on 12/04/2017 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

From the band who brought you The Stampede and Bad Mother Motherfucker and the lead singer/director of those music videos and the feature film Hardcore Henry comes their latest. A wild little revenge dream thriller called LOVE SONG. Biting Elbows are back after a small hiatus. This isn’t a 1st person POV but still has the grit and intrigue of prior works plus the music is great.

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