Attention all digital artists! Clownfish Studios is teaming up with Gaomon to give away a digital art tablet! One lucky winner will be drawn at random to receive a Gaomon PD156Pro Pen Display, a fantastic little unit that we reviewed here. How do you enter? Simply use the contest widget below to follow the Gaomon and Clownfish Studios social media accounts on the list!
Prize: GAOMON PD156Pro Pen Display * 1 ( If the winner has purchased a PD156Pro before 11/30/2022, such as the upcoming Black Friday, please provide the PD156Pro order number and GAOMON will refund in full the product cost!)
Shipping and Tax: GAOMON will bear shipping cost. The winner will need pay the custom tax.
Everyone gets multiple chances to win, and a winner will be drawn at random from eligible entries. Winner will be contacted via e-mail so we can obtain shipping address.
We currently only can ship to the following countries:
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Contest ends on 12/02/2022. Open to entrants 18+ in the countries listed above. No purchase necessary to win. Entrants will be bound by this site’s Privacy Policy and the terms and conditions of various social media platforms. Void where prohibited. Good luck!
The RPG video game ‘The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel’ from developer Nihon Falcom is getting an anime adaption. The Japanese production company Tatsunoko Production and director Hidekazu Sato is producing the series set to be released in January 2023. Subtitled “Northern War,” Shoji Hara is handling the character designs.
Anime News Network revealed the Japanese cast list:
Lavian Winslet (voiced by Makoto Koichi)
Martin S. Robinson (voiced by Yuichi Nakamura)
Iseria Frost (voiced by Sarah Emi Bridcutt)
Talion Drake (voiced by Yuuki Ono)
Rean Schwarzer (voice by Koki Uchiyama)
Altina Orion (voiced by Inori Minase)
Glark Grommash (voice by Haruhiko Jo)
Jayna Storm (voiced by Mie Sonozaki)
Uchiyama said in a press release, “It blows my mind to think that it’s been about ten years since the first Trails of Cold Steel game was released. Time goes by so quickly. I was also incredibly curious to see how Rean would fit into this anime adaptation of the Trails of Cold Steel series. Please look forward to next year’s broadcast.”
You can watch the teaser below:
Wikipedia describes the show’s synopsis as follows,
“The anime follows Lavian Winslet, a girl born in North Ambria, a poor country located in the northwest of Zemurian continent. She enlists in the Northern Jaegers, the largest mercenary corps in Zemuria to protect her hometown, while distinguishing herself from her grandfather, Vlad, the renounced hero who betrayed their country. Prior to the start of the anime, Lavian assembles a platoon with Martin S. Robinson, Iseria Frost and Talion Drake for a secret mission to Erebonia, an imperialistic country to the south, to gather information about the “Imperial Hero” whose existence spells a national threat to their country.”
The first ‘The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel’ was released in 2013 with a sequel being released in 2014.
‘Himouto! Umaru-chan’ a slice-of-life comedy manga created by Sankaku Head and published by the Tokyo-based publisher Shueisha between 2013 and 2018. The Japanese anime studio Doga Kobo picked up the series for an anime adaptation in 2015 with a second season titled ‘Himouto Umaru-chan R’ being released in 2017. HiDive announced that they had acquired the license to stream it in North America with an English dub.
“Himouto Umaru-chan R is getting a dub? It’s about time; why did it take so long, anyway? There were plenty of behind-the-scenes reasons, but we never gave up on the idea of dubbing the second season one day. That day has finally arrived, and to make it up to all of you for waiting this long, we’re releasing the English dub for ALL 12 episodes,” they said on their website.
They also released the cast list:
Umaru Doma – Emily Neves
Taihei Doma – Adam Noble
Kirie Motoba – Jad Saxton
Sylphynford Tachibana – Christina Kelly
Nana Ebina- Sara Ornelas
Alex – Scott Gibbs
Bomber- Jason Douglas
Hikari – Kira Vincent-Davis
Ms. Kanau – Maggie Flecknoe
Vice Principal – Kyle Colby Jones
Kyle Colby Jones works as both the ADR director and script writer for the dub.
“Umaru Doma is a model student who has a hidden side: when she gets home each day, she puts on her hamster hoodie and turns into a sluggish otaku fond of junk food. As Umaru continues these daily antics, the friendship between her and her classmates—Nana Ebina, Kirie Motoba, and Sylphinford Tachibana—deepens, and more and more interesting events begin to unfold.
Of course, these events give rise to numerous questions. What did Nana ask of Umaru’s brother Taihei? Who is the mysterious girl with the diamond hairpin? And most important of all: why does this girl seem to know Umaru? These questions and more will be answered in Himouto! Umaru-chan R!”
‘Himōto! Umaru-chan’ also received a video game in 2015 developed by FuRyu for the Playstation Vita.
It’s tough to follow up a successful game release with a competent sequel that builds upon what came before. Not every game series can do so in a way that introduces new elements while evolving its core foundation. Luckily for God of War fans eager to see the next chapter of Kratos’ story, God of War Ragnarök is an epic home run. Not only is it a fun game to play, but it tells a story that will keep you wanting to see more of the nine realms and a father and son interact with this mythical universe.
Something important to know is that you should play the previous God of War game to really appreciate everything that happens within this story. While it’s not necessary to do so, many plot points will hit harder and clever call-backs will be understood more if you do so. Luckily, you have a recap you can see in the main menu, which summarizes the biggest parts of the previous game. It doesn’t give you everything, but only what is necessary to get you up to speed. However, if you go into Ragnarok with fresh eyes never having played the first game, you can still enjoy everything it gives you.
The story of God of War Ragnarök is the star of this show, with the relationship between Kratos and his son Atreus being the glue that pulls everything together. Getting to see more of the nine realms that were teased in the first game is a big step up, but it’s the interactions and dialogue between these characters that make going to these places all the more interesting. With Atreus growing older and reaching adolescence, much of the dynamic between him, Kratos, and many of the other characters have changed. It’s a coming-of-age story for the young man as much as it is a stage set for Ragnarok and the fall of Asgard.
But that doesn’t mean Kratos takes a side step to his son, nor any other character in God of War Ragnarök. This is still very much a story about Kratos and his time within Midgar and the nine realms. Our Greek warrior has come a long way, facing many hardships and trials that continue to test him. He’s still a vicious powerhouse in combat with a stoic demeanor and blunt attitude but ends up showing more cracks in his emotional armor as the story progresses.
We don’t just see a warrior facing a looming destiny, but a father who has to live up to the promises he made to his late wife, and a parent coming to terms with their child growing up. Not everyone who plays through this story will know what it’s like to be a parent, but the weight of emotions and reactions we see from Kratos in different moments is tangible, enough to make anyone sympathize and understand the importance of everything.
As much as the story and its characters are top-notch, so too is the gameplay. Exploring the realms is similar to the first game, but with more ground to cover and even more, challenges to overcome. The visuals are beautiful, with a scale that makes every place you visit feel adventurous and mythic. Outside of the main questline that takes you through the plot of God of War Ragnarök, each realm has an assortment of side quests and optional tasks that will test you and reward you generously.
What’s interesting is how various parts of Norse mythology are intertwined with many of these parts of the game, building up the universe even further than the previous game. You not only get more insight into many of the main characters but their backstories before the game as well. A lot of the conversations between characters during quests often give a lot of personality and humor to everything as well, with a few quirks that will stand out in more ways than one.
The combat is fast-paced and smooth, allowing you to take down groups of enemies and giant foes with an arsenal of weapons and abilities. You control Kratos like before, but Ragnarök opens things further by putting you in control of Atreus at certain points of the main story. Kratos is the blunt instrument with powerful attacks, while Atreus is fast and nimble utilizing ranged combat with his bow. He can even use spells on his arrows that afflict status elements on enemies, allowing him and Kratos to take down enemies with ease. For some people it might be weird using Atreus in combat at first but quickly will make become natural after learning how to alternate between melee and ranged combat. It’s definitely a variation on how you normally fight with Kratos, but offers a lot cleverer possibilities for how to approach combat.
Like before, you can equip various armor and pieces to Kratos’ weapons he finds throughout the game. Powering up the Blades of Chaos or Battle Axe can take some time, however, as the materials needed to boost them up require you to finish tougher quests. A lot of this will come as you complete more of the main story, but is not frequent unless you’re finishing optional content that gives you good rewards. Some side quests have very tough enemies that will really test your patience if you approach them unprepared, but can be brought down with some finesse, especially if you completed other quests to power up beforehand.
Along the way, you can gain new weapons like a Spear and powerful sword if you decide to go the extra mile and finish a few tedious side quests across the realms. New weapons give Kratos new abilities and moves that can help in combat or open new areas to explore. At the start, you won’t be able to visit everywhere within a realm until you come back with new abilities to open new locations up. You’ll definitely want to go back to other realms and see what you can discover with extra powers you unlock, opening new challenges and yielding some great rewards.
Traversing through the realms in God of War Ragnarök is a fun time, especially when you revisit locations from the first game and see how much has changed. Where once there was a giant river to ride a boat through now is a massive frozen lake to run across, with new challenges and secrets to uncover. Later portions of the story offer different transportation that mixes things up, such as riding wolves or a magical boat that takes you across the sky.
Finding all of the optional quests to complete and their rewards will definitely take some time, leading to a play time that could reach beyond 60 hours or more if you decide to complete everything. But if you only plan on going through the main story alone with little side content, then you can still expect to spend around 25 to 30 hours of game time. Does any of that time end up becoming too much of a drag? Only if you decide to stop and take in the sights of the realm around you because the rest of it is exciting and a spectacle to experience.
God of War Ragnarök is an epic game with great moments, smooth combat, and a fantastic presentation on the PlayStation 5. If you were hoping for a solid follow-up to the previous game, you’ll be happy to see everything come together in the best way possible. The next chapter for Kratos and his son take their story to a whole new level of epic and sets up what could be a very interesting future for the series.
What are your thoughts about God of War Ragnarök? Are you a fan of the series and want to see more of this universe? Post down below in the comment section and tell us your thoughts about it!
Derek Kolstad’s script for an adaptation of SEGA’s Streets of Rage is now officially in the hands of Lionsgate. According to Deadline, the man behind the John Wick franchise will also act as a producer for the project. d2j Entertainment, the production company behind the two Sonic films and several other upcoming video game adaptations, is still on board, too.
According to Collider, the word of Kolstad’s Streets of Rage project first surfaced in April of this year. Which sequel or version of the game he is turning into a script isn’t known yet. Will we see Roo the Kangaroo? Probably not until a post-credit scene, I bet. We probably won’t see the flamboyant Ash either, sadly. If the main cast boils down to Skate, Blaze, and Axel, that would be fine by me, but which SoR should be told?
The original trilogy (’91-’94) of Streets of Rage games had a straightforward story peppered with memorable heroes and villains. Ex-cops fight against a crime syndicate. Nothing mindblowing, but it hits all the right notes that several action films followed in the 1980s. But even such simple premises can go very wrong, as we saw in James Yukich’s 1994 Double Dragon movie.
If Kolstad wants to see SoR turn into a franchise like John Wick, then we’ll probably be following the first three games from the Genesis days. They follow a lot of the action movie tropes and are cohesive enough to form a three-movie arc. Even though the first game’s plot is pretty simple, the over-the-top action and characters would more than make up for it. Of course, the critical thing is finding the right person to play Mr. X. d2j would need to cast someone physically intimidating, but who would fit the bill? Let us know your thoughts below.
Tonight Show legend and classic car enthusiast Jay Leno was burned by one of his classic cars last week. Leno was working on a 113-year-old steam-powered car when he was sprayed with fuel, which ignited. According to CBS News, the incident happened at Leno’s Burbank garage, leaving him with “deep” second-degree burns on his face, hands, and chest.
Yesterday Leno’s physician, Dr. Peter Grossman, gave a press conference updating us on his condition. The comedian has multiple surgeries ahead, including skin grafts, “He has undergone one surgery so far; he did well with that surgery, he is in good spirits today.” Leno made a statement and is optimistic he’ll be up and about soon enough, “Just need a week or two to get back on my feet.” Leno’s resilience and good nature were apparent because he passed out cookies to the children also under the care of the Grossman Burn Center.
The gasoline responsible for the accident is used to heat the water in his 1909 White Model M steam-powered car. This vehicle was featured on an episode of Jay Leno’s Garage earlier this year. The Model M is a vehicle that takes a lot of prep before it can be driven. This includes managing multiple fuel sources, tanks, and heating elements.
A pilot light is located under the carriage and needs to be preheated. The preheating procedure requires a butane torch to start the pilot flame. This is where Leno was working when the incident happened.
The large Model M may be one of the most dangerous vehicles in Leno’s collection. I’ve watched the video of him prepping and driving the machine. From an engineering standpoint, this sort of alternative fuel vehicle is impressive, but having to directly start the pilot while under the car is a total no-go for me.
Let us know what you think about this story below.
Based on the 1980s action thriller manga from author Tsukasa Hojo and publisher Jump Comics, ‘Cat’s Eye’ received an anime adaption from the animation studio Tokyo Movie Shinsha which ran for thirty-six episodes between 1983 and 1984.
A second season would be launched in 1984 that ran for thirty-six episodes directed by Kenji Kodama. Discotek Media has announced that they will release this portion of the series on Blu-Ray in the original Japanese audio with English subtitles.
Planned for a release on November 29th, 2022, Discotek explained on their social media that it is available for pre-order on the Right Stuf Anime store.
“Hitomi Kisugi, along with her older sister Rui and her younger sister Ai, run a café called “Cat’s Eye” in Tokyo. The sisters lead a double life as a trio of highly skilled art thieves, stealing works of art which primarily belonged to their long-missing father, Michael Heinz, who was a famous art collector during the Nazi regime. Hitomi’s fiancé is Toshio Utsumi, a clumsy young police officer who is investigating the Cat’s Eye case. Despite being a frequent visitor to the café he is unaware of the double life of the girls. Hitomi regularly informs the police in advance about her next job using a signature “Cat’s Eye” calling card, and then uses Toshio’s research about the security surrounding the target to help plan the job.
At the end of the series, Heinz leaves a note for his daughters stating that he cannot reveal himself yet because the mafia may kill him, but he may appear in five years’ time. However, the “Heinz” turns out to be the sisters’ treacherous uncle Cranaff, who betrayed Michael years earlier. After losing a final bet to Cat’s Eye, Cranaff decides to atone for his sin by setting fire to the museum, killing himself. Hitomi eventually admits to Toshio that she is part of Cat’s Eye and flees before he can arrest her. Toshio vows to track her down, attempting to “arrest” Hitomi at the airport with a wedding ring. He resigns from the police force and travels to America to find Hitomi, but finds that she has lost her memory due to viral meningitis. Toshio spends time with her until her memories come back, and the two rekindle their relationship.”
‘Cat’s Eye’ would get a live-action adaption in 1993 directed by Kaizo Hayashi and produced by Fuji Television and Toho.
Andrew Garfield was tapped by Sony Pictures to portray the friendly-neighborhood Spider-Man for a planned film universe with 2012’s ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ and its 2014 sequel. Following poor reviews and a dismal box office performance, the sequel ended his career as the web-slinger. That is until he appeared in the 2021 movie ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ alongside fellow Spidey actors Tobey Maguire and Tom Holland.
In an interview with GQ, Garfield opens up about his time as Peter Parker and how the canceled third film in his series affected him.
“I don’t know if I had an expectation of doing more,” he said. “I was very open to it being whatever it was meant to be. But there was an undone feeling. Like, What was that experience about? And how do I close that circle in my living room on my own? And I was doing that – and then it was like that classic thing, when you’re getting over a relationship, and you’re first starting to really feel free and untethered from that thing – the person knows to call the hour after the first good night’s sleep you’ve had.”
Garfield continued, “But doing [No Way Home] was really just kind of beautiful. I got to treat it like a short film about Spider-Man with buddies. The pressure was off of me. It was all on Tom’s shoulders. Like, it’s his trilogy. And me and Tobey were there to provide support and have as good a time as possible, actually, and be as inventive, imaginative, and kind of dumb as possible. Y’know, between the three of us, I was like, Oh shit, this is going to be interesting. You have three people who feel real ownership over this character. But it was really, like, brotherhood first, I think. And I think that comes through in what we shot.”
Following the success of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home,’ fans took to social media to ask for Garfield to return for a third movie which he has stated he would be interested in.
Crimson Rhen, a young adult graphic novel, has raised over $100,000 in combined pre-orders via crowdfunding sites Kickstarter and IndieGoGo.
Crimson Rhen of the True North is the first of an all-new two book adventure series. This full color comic is created and written by Kambrea and Thomas Pratt (Disney Comics) with Jose Garcia (Dreamworks TV, Netflix, Nick, Cartoon Network) providing the manga inspired, animation-style artwork.
After an attempt to publish through mainstream publishers resulted in closed doors, Crimson Rhen is finally setting sail thanks to options available to independent authors and comic book creators in 2022.
“When we first pitched Crimson Rhen in 2012, crowdfunding was still fairly new and the only way you got a book like this out there was to publish through a traditional publisher like Scholastic Graphix or First Second Books,” publisher and co-writer Thom Pratt said. “You only crowdfunded a book if there were no other options. In 2022, crowdfunding is often the first choice for creators, with publishers taking note of the interest in an indie project before deciding to get involved. It’s leveled the playing field in favor of creatives. There are no more gatekeepers.”
Crimson Rhen is described as “The Goonies on an airship.” It’s a classic adventure story about a group of kids in the fantasy world of Belatyr striking out to find a lost treasure while fending off air pirates. Rhen is a brash young mage whose temper and lack of control sends the kids on their quest. While described as a young adult title, the book is designed for adventurers of all ages. It’s a prequel to the Pratts’ popular webcomic Shadowbinders, which they also plan to continue in print.
Crimson Rhen is now available for pre-order on Kickstarter at CrimsonRhen.com and also on IndieGoGo via InDemand through November 18, 2022. It’s scheduled to ship in Spring of 2023. The hardcover graphic novel is over 130 pages of full-color art and costs $40 (shipping included) in the U.S.
Sample pages can be viewed below (art by Jose Garcia.)
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Mattel Adventure Parkis still a ways off from opening in Glendale, Arizona, but today’s IAAPA Expo gave us a tease of what’s to come for Masters of the Universe fans. Our friends at Thrill Geek were at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions event. They posted a video showing off a MotU display telling guests that He-Man Versus Skeletor Laser Tag would be opening in the park next year!
The display featured two lifesize action figures of the classic 1980s versions of He-Man and Skeletor. Behind them stands a mountainous display in the shape of Castle Grayskull. Within the castle’s entrance was a sign teasing the coming upcoming attraction. According to Glendale’s official website, the laser tag arena will take up 4,500+ square feet.
The Expo was not limited to teasers for just Adventure Park. Mattel’s Hot Wheels is also going to be the theme for the new Surf Coaster at Sea World Orlando:
It has been a couple of decades since I went to Hershey Park. It turns out that a new coaster is coming to the historic Pennsylvanian-based theme park, too. The IAAPA Expo was the place to see the first look at the Wildcat’s Revenge cars from Rocky Mountain Construction.
A live view of the construction of Mattel Adventure Park kicked off during the Summer. As of right now, a few structures are starting to form. It appears that part of the Crystal Lagoons resort is in the early stages of construction. The elevator shafts are up for one building, and the iron beams for the first two levels of the central resort are up. A 2023 opening date could be very likely, but it may be late into next year before the first guests walk into this latest theme park.
Mattel’s new land will offer the following attractions:
