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Diamond Select Toys Fall Preview: Marvel, Star Wars, Uncharted, and More!

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You may be dreaming of spring, but we’re dreaming of the fall! That’s when our new batch of pre-orders will ship to customers, and what a batch it is! A variety of Marvel and Star Wars items are in the offering, as well as items from Uncharted, Power Rangers and Nightmare Before Christmas! Plus, we return to the Pacific Rim! It’s the best of all worlds!

Marvel Animated Style Winter Soldier Statue

A Gentle Giant Ltd. release! You can’t run from your past, but the Winter Soldier is gonna try, in this all-new animated-style statue based on the artwork of Skottie Young! Bucky Barnes sprints off one of Marvel’s popular Young Marvel variant covers and into your collection as an approximately 4-inch resin statue atop a black pedestal base. It features art-accurate paint applications and is limited to only 3000 pieces. It comes packaged in a full-color box. Sculpted by Casen Barnard! SRP: $49.99

Marvel Comic Gallery Beta Ray Bill PVC Diorama

A Diamond Select Toys release! Get ready for the thunder! The alien wielder of Stormbreaker, Beta Ray Bill, leaps off the comic page and onto your shelf as the newest Marvel Gallery Diorama! Leaping through the clouds, Bill is ready for battle, hammer in hand, with detailed sculpting and paint applications. This piece stands approximately 10 inches tall and comes packaged in a full-color window box. Designed and sculpted by Alterton! SRP: $49.99

Marvel Movie Gallery Dr Strange 2 Dr Strange PVC Diorama

A Diamond Select Toys release! Prepare to enter the Multiverse! Doctor Stephen Strange steps through a mystical portal in this all-new Gallery Diorama, inspired by the next entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe! With orange energy whirling around him, cape flapping in the wind, the Sorcerer Supreme stands approximately 10 inches tall and features detailed sculpting and paint applications. It comes packaged in a full-color window box. Sculpted by Gentle Giant Studios! SRP: $49.99

Marvel Select Classic Vison Action Figure

A Diamond Select Toys release! Behold… The Vision! Debuting in 1968, the synthezoid Avenger known as the Vision has since become one of the team’s most stalwart members, despite being the creation of the evil Ultron. Now, the Vision joins his teammates in the Marvel Select line, with an all-new 7-inch action figure! Featuring interchangeable parts and effects, this figure features approximately 16 points of articulation and comes packaged in the famous Select blister card packaging with side-panel artwork. Designed by Eamon O’Donoghue, sculpted by May Thamtarana! SRP: $29.99

Marvel Select Venom Action Figure

A Diamond Select Toys release! He wants to eat your brains! Back by popular demand, it’s what many have called the greatest Venom action figure ever made! This 7-inch scale action figure of symbiotic Spider-man foe Venom features 16 points of articulation and almost a dozen interchangeable parts, including hands, heads, and a back attachment, so you can re-create his classic, modern and “Madness” appearances! Packaged in the display-ready Select packaging, with side panel artwork for easy shelf reference. Don’t miss out on this sought-after figure! Sculpted by Jean St. Jean! SRP: $29.99

Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers Vinimates Vinyl Figures

A Diamond Select Toys release! It’s Morphin’ time! Two of the most powerful Zords around, the Megazord and the Dragonzord, are now 4-inch Vinimates vinyl figures for your Power Rangers collection! With poseable heads and arms and a removable sword for the Megazord, these are awesome stand-alone pieces, not to mention the perfect companions to your Power Rangers Minimates! Both come packaged together in a full-color window box. Designed by Barry Bradfield! SRP: $24.99

Nightmare Before Christmas Best of Action Figures Series 3 Asst.

A Diamond Select Toys release! With Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas, the best keep coming! This third series of the NBX toy line’s greatest hits features Oogie Boogie, Santa Jack and Zero, and each figure comes packaged in a full-color box. Oogie Boogie features a removable face, Santa Jack features multiple points of articulation, and Zero features an articulated flight base. Each figure comes packaged in a full-color window box. Sculpted by Cortes Studios. SRP: $24.99/ea.

Star Wars A New Hope Tusken Raider Legends in 3D 1/2 Scale Bust

A Gentle Giant Ltd. release! They’re legends on Tatooine, and now a Tusken Raider is the next Legend in 3D! This approximately 10-inch, half-scale bust depicts one of the sand people in his traditional garb, with a rifle slung on his back, atop a base fashioned after a gaderfffii stick. Limited to only 1,000 pieces, each highly detailed bust is hand-painted and comes packaged in a full color box with a hand-numbered certificate of authenticity. SRP: $200.00

Star Wars The Mandalorian Bo Katan Kryze 1/6 Scale Milestones Statue

A Gentle Giant Ltd. release! The Mandalorian freedom fighter returns to Gentle Giant Ltd. as a 1/6 scale Milestones statue! Depicting the armored heroine as she appears on The Mandalorian TV series, this approximately 12-inch statue features detailed 3-D sculpting and hand-painted details. Limited to only 1000 pieces, it comes packaged in a full-color box with a hand-numbered certificate of authenticity. SRP: $250.00

Star Wars The Mandalorian Seeing Stone Grogu 1/6 Scale Milestones Statue

A Gentle Giant Ltd. release! Open your inner eye! Grogu, a.k.a. The Child, sits atop a Jedi Seeing Stone, reaching his mind out into the cosmos in search of a friendly voice. Measuring approximately 8 inches tall, this 1/6 scale statue features lifelike sculpting and hand-painted details, and includes interchangeable eyes-open and eyes-shut heads. Plus, the writing on the seeing stone lights up! It comes packaged in a full-color box with a hand-numbered certificate of authenticity. Limited to only 1000 pieces!

Statue   SRP: $250.00

Uncharted Deluxe Nathan Drake Action Figure

A Diamond Select Toys release! Get ready for the adventure of a lifetime! Video game hero Nathan Drake has made it to the big screen with the Uncharted movie, and now the treasure hunter is a deluxe action figure from DST! Featuring 16 points of articulation, movie likeness and a variety of interchangeable parts and accessories, this figure stands approximately 7 inches tall and comes packaged in a full-color window box. Designed by Yuri Timg, sculpted by Gentle Giant Studios! SRP: $24.99

Offered Again: Pacific Rim Uprising Deluxe Action Figures

A Diamond Select Release! Time to return to Pacific Rim! In Pacific Rim Uprising, a new generation of Jaeger mechs joined the fight against the kaiju menace, and now the action figures are becoming available once again! Gipsy Avenger, Saber Athena, Bracer Phoenix, Obsidian Fury, Titan Redeemer, Guardian Bravo, Valor Omega, November Ajax and the Jaeger Drone make up the army of Jaegers, and each giant robot is cooler than the last! Figures range from 6.5 inches to 8.5 inches tall with realistic mechanical details, and each features approximately 16 points of articulation! Each comes packaged in a full-color window box. Sculpted by BigShot ToyWorks! SRP: $29.99/ea.

Dark Horse Unleashes The Art of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

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Journey alongside Nathan Drake once again as Naughty Dog and Dark Horse Books team up to bring you a comprehensive and breathtaking exploration into Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End!

Filled with numerous never-before-seen designs and concept art accompanied by commentary from the developers, The Art of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End gives readers behind-the-scenes access to the creation of this gaming masterwork and serves as an essential companion to the Uncharted franchise’s final installment, available exclusively for the PlayStation 4 system in early 2016.

This beautiful oversized hardcover is a must-have for any fan of the Uncharted series and high-quality video game art.

Naughty Dog’s Uncharted franchise has won over 300 awards, including numerous Game of the Year awards, and has sold over 21 million copies worldwide.

The Art of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End hits shelves in spring 2016. Preorder your copy today!

THE ART OF UNCHARTED 4 A THIEF’S END 2

Four in February – Week 1 Update

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SteamLibOne week down, and I am happy to report I have made progress in my Four in February challenge. In case you are just tuning-in, you can catch up with the introduction here. I would love to tell you, dear reader, that I have already completed a game out of the four. Alas, that did not quite come to pass. Still, I am happy with what I was able to get done this week but am also left with a philosophical question about what this challenge requires.

I am still deep in my obsession of Destiny. I am a Destiny apologist. Yes, it has some issues as a game but those are minor compared to the enjoyment I get from playing. Since its launch, it has been the only game I have played on my PS4 except when my wife and I play a game together. So, my first step to completing this challenge was to stop playing Destiny, or at least make room in my gaming time for games that are not Destiny. To this end, I was mostly successful. Tuesday, the day the servers for Destiny reset for the week, was still devoted to Destiny but I played games other than or in addition to Destiny every other day of the week.

I did not play any Infamous: Second Son. I did take it out of its wrapper and get it installed to my PS4. That is progress, right? I will get into it next week. Of course, that is the same attitude that placed it on my Pile of Shame in the first place.

I was very excited to start Shadow of the Colossus. As I sat down to play, I hoped that I had already downloaded the game. I have a slow DSL connection so game downloads are generally an overnight affair. The good news was I had already downloaded the game. The bad news was that I needed a system update for my PS3. Luckily, I have a PS+ subscription so the update was already downloaded and I just had to wait for it to install. A few minutes later and I started playing.

SoC_exmMy initial impression is that this game is beautiful. Its age shows a bit, even in the HD enhanced edition, but not enough to overcome the art direction and atmosphere of the game. I took off in search of the first colossus, soaking in the well-crafted environments. I got to the cliffs, and started to run into the real challenge of the game. The control scheme for the game is not intuitive. The button combinations and overall control scheme takes some adjustment. For example, what the game calls “normal” and “inverted” in the options menu is the exact opposite of what I expected them to be. I played for a bit and took down the first two colossi. I stopped there because I want to enjoy this game and if I played longer I was worried I would be frustrated by the true enemy of the game: the controls.

The game that got the most play time from me this week was FTL. If you are unfamiliar with this game, it is a strategy game in which you are commander of a spaceship on the run from the rebel fleet trying to stop you from delivering intelligence about that rebel fleet to the Federation’s leadership. In order to do this, you have to make a series of faster than light jumps between navigation beacons in star systems. At each jump, there is a chance for an encounter that often involves some space combat. You have to manage ship resources while doing your best to not die. You can collect scrap that you can then use to upgrade your ship’s systems to hopefully make your future encounters easier to survive. Meanwhile, each jump you make brings the rebel fleet closer in pursuit, so you cannot just take a pleasure cruise around the universe.

FTL_exampleI have had a lot of fun playing FTL but I have come to the conclusion that I am not very good at it. On normal difficulty I have not yet made it past the third stage. So, I kicked the difficulty to easy and was able to get to the final stage but have yet to defeat the final boss. I will keep trying.

I only played through the tutorial stage of Uncharted: Golden Abyss before pausing. My main complaint with the Uncharted series has always been the shooting mechanics. They have always frustrated me, especially since I like the stories in the series so much. I do not like the gameplay getting in the way of my enjoyment of the experience.

This concern leads me to my philosophical question. Does finishing a game on easy difficulty negate this challenge? As a younger gamer, I was time rich and game poor. Megaman was awesome in part because it was hard but I had a lot more time to devote to that single game. Now that I am older, I still game as a hobby mainly because of the experience I get from the games. That experience can be different for different games. I do not get the same thing out of playing Peggle as from The Last of Us, but they are both valid gaming experiences. I have nothing to prove to anyone about the validity of my personal game experience. Therefore, I am going to play both Uncharted and FTL on easy difficulty setting and not feel bad about it. As I said in the introduction, gaming is supposed to be fun, not a chore. I will play these games to get the most enjoyment out of them.

That is all for this week. Check back in next week and see if I manage to complete any of these games.

Four in February Pile of Shame Challenge

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SteamLibMany gamers run into a problem with their hobby, me included. Namely, there are more games that we want to play than we have time to play. For many of us, this has introduced us to the concept of the Pile of Shame – our growing catalog of titles we have acquired but have not finished and in some instances have not even started to play.

There are many reasons for the Pile of Shame: Steam sales, Humble Bundles, PlayStation Plus (PS+), Games with Gold, other obligations taking gaming time, not being able to put down Destiny, etc. Personally, my Pile of Shame is stacked high with impulse purchases, Club Nintendo rewards, and good gaming intentions. Today, being the first Tuesday of the month, means my pile just got 6 games deeper; thanks Sony. (No really, thanks. I love the PS+ games program.) New games keep coming out, and our collections and our piles grow.

Luckily, game journalist Mike Suszek introduced the idea of Four in February a couple of years ago through Joystiq. The plan is simple: pick four games from your Pile of Shame and commit to finishing them in the month of February. There is not much more to it than that, though there is a Facebook group for the community to share its triumphs.

After a decade of pushing game journalism in a positive direction, Joystiq is closing today. It is consolidating with Engadget, and hopefully the spirit of Joystiq will continue there- time will tell. In honor of Joystiq, I will be taking the Four in February challenge as an homage to all the great things Joystiq has given gamers over the years. I invite you to come with me on this journey as I chronicle my attempt to make a dent in my Pile of Shame.

I had a few requirements for choosing which four games to use in the challenge. First, I wanted to use several different platforms. I am primarily a console gamer, but have plenty of PC and handheld games on my Pile as well. I figured the challenge can help push me to game on devices I sometimes neglect. Second, I wanted to choose games so that I actually have a chance of finishing all four without drastically increasing my playing time. I want the challenge to be achievable, not just another source of shame. Gaming is supposed to be enjoyable, not a chore. Third, all the games on my list are games I have not started. I hope that getting into these games for the first time will be easier than trying to go back to a game I am midway through but have not played in months or years. Finally, I wanted to choose games that epitomize my Pile of Shame in some form. Here is my list, in no particular order:

 

Uncharted_Golden_Abyss_boxartUncharted: Golden Abyss – PS Vita

Developer: SCE Bend Studio; Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

 

This game holds a special spot on my Pile of Shame. I got it as part of the original PS+ Instant Game Collection for Vita, before I actually owned a Vita. In fact, the PS+ free games are a major reason I finally purchased a Vita. I really enjoy the Uncharted series, but even after getting a Vita, I have not gotten around to playing this installment.

 

 

 

FTL_boxartFTL: Faster than Light – PC

Developer & Publisher: Subset Games

 

Besides being my PC entry for the challenge, FTL holds the distinction of being a game I have purchased twice and played zero times. I purchased it on Good Old Games during one of their sales, and again as a part of a Humble Bundle. Many of my friends have played and praised the game. It is time I join that club. Besides, spaceships are cool.

 

 

InfSecSon_boxartInfamous: Second Son – PlayStation 4

Developer: Sucker Punch Productions; Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

 All of the Infamous titles are actually on my Pile of Shame, but I’ve played solid chunks of Infamous and Infamous 2. This game is still unopened on my shelf- mocking me from inside its cellophane cocoon. On top of that, Infamous: First Light was free for PS+ members last month and is sitting on my dashboard reminding me I should probably give the game a shot.

 

 

 

 

COVERPS3OnlyOn10-1_DarkShadow of the Colossus – PlayStation 3

Developer: Team Ico; Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

 This is one of my biggest shames on my Pile of Shame. Critically acclaimed and I really liked ICO but never got around to Shadow of the Colossus. I have two copies of this game, too: both for the PS2 and PS3. Unlike FTL though, I only paid for one as the PS3 version is from the PS+ program. Every time I see a screenshot of the game on the Internet, I think what an amazing looking game, I should really play that. This month, I will.

 

 

 

There you have my line-up. Yes, it is Sony heavy but that is an unintentional side-effect of my criteria. I will update my progress each of the next 4 Sundays, and I hope you will come back to see how I do with this challenge. See you on Sunday.

 

 

Sinister Six and Spidey 3 Get a New Date. Marvel Movies In on the Action.

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Shepard_Plants_Flag_-_GPN-2000-001120Rumors leading up to San Diego Comic-Con swirled that Sony‘s Sinister Six movie was cancelled, and The Amazing Spider-Man 3 was in trouble. Both of those rumors have been squished like a bug, keeping up last year’s horrible record for pre-convention bullshit lies well-sourced information poor reporting.

Sinister Six will now open on November 11, 2016. The film is written and directed by Drew Goddard. Amazing Spider-Man 3 and 4 are being pushed back and will follow on an as-yet unspecified date in 2018 for 3, and 4… who knows.

In slides a movie based on the Uncharted video game which will be released June 10, 2016, when Spidey 3 was supposed to.

Disney and Marvel have taken advantage and claimed May 4, 2018 which was to be Spidey 4. That’s also the weekend of that year’s Free Comic Book Day. A “comic” movie has opened that weekend for a while now. That adds another movie to Marvel’s already announced 5 movies. So, add a sixth one…. can you say Avengers 3?

Planting flags for movie dates far in the future seems to be pretty popular now. I expect an Olympic Sport of it eventually.

Around the Tubes

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So what’d everyone pick up at the comic book shop?  While you read through this week’s sparse pickings, here’s the news you might have missed.

Around the Blogs

CBLDF – Alex Cox Named CBLDF Deputy Director – Having met Alex, he’s a great guy.  Congrats!

Bleeding Cool – The First Comic To Break The $2 Million Barrier: Nicolas Cage Action Comics 1 Sells For Record $2,161,000 – Can he now buy a better plot for a Ghost Rider movie?

Around the Tubes Reviews

Mother/Gamer/Writer – Crawl to Me

ICv2 – Laddertop Vol. 1

IGN – Uncharted #1

Five Prominent Video Game Composers To Attend Wizard World Anaheim Comic Con, April 29-May 1

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Official Press Release

Five Prominent Video Game Composers To Attend Wizard World Anaheim Comic Con, April 29-May 1

Greg Edmonson, Sean Murray, Garry Schyman, Kevin Sherwood, Inon Zur To Meet Fans At Anaheim Comic Con

NEW YORK and ANAHEIM, Calif., April 19, 2011 – Music has been a huge part of video game production for years, and five composers who have created memorable themes and soundtracks for major releases such as “Bioshock,” “Dragon Age,” “Uncharted” and “Call of Duty: Black Ops” will be in attendance at next weekend’s Wizard World Anaheim Comic Con.  Greg Edmonson, Sean Murray, Garry Schyman, Kevin Sherwood, and Inon Zur will meet fans, sign autographs throughout the weekend and share some of their experiences in a special panel at the event, set for April 29 – May 1 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

The interactive panel and demonstration session with the five will take place on Sunday, May 1, at noon.

Greg Edmonson is perhaps best known for composing the soundtrack to the cult space western TV series “Firefly,” written and directed by Joss Whedon.  He is also the composer for the PlayStation 3 blockbuster video game series “Uncharted,” winner of Best Original Music from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Sean Murray has provided the emotional and memorable dramatic musical scores for numerous international films as well as hit television series and blockbuster video games spanning diverse genres from the gothic horror of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” and urban action of “True Crime: Streets Of L.A.” to the emotionally intense themes of “Call of Duty: World At War” and “Call of Duty: Black Ops,” the biggest entertainment series in history.

Garry Schyman has emerged as one of the medium’s foremost composers, creator of the music for the multiple award-winning video game “BioShock,” winner of Best Original Score from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, SPIKE TV’s Best Original Video Game Score Award, and G4 TV’s Soundtrack of the Year Award. That success led his being assigned by Electronic Arts to create the hellish, dramatic score for Visceral Games’ adaptation of Dante Alighieri’s epic poem, “Dante’s Inferno.”

Kevin Sherwood is the composer, musician and sound designer for “Treyarch,” in which he displays his trademark heavy guitars.  He wrote the Nazi Zombie songs “Lullaby for a Dead Man,” “The One,” “Beauty of Annihilation,” “115” and “Abracadavre.”  Additionally, he wrote several of the “Dead Ops” chip tune songs and is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Inon Zur composes emotionally dynamic music for film, television, anime and video games. His  credits include hundreds of episodes of “Escaflowne,” “Digimon” and “Power Rangers”  as well as blockbuster videogame franchises such as ”Dragon Age,” “RIFT,” “TERA,” “Prince of Persia,” “EverQuest,” “Lineage,” “Crysis” and “Fallout,” for which he has received award nominations from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and SPIKE TV as well as top honors at the Hollywood Music In Media Awards.

Anaheim Comic Con will bring together thousands of fans of all ages and dozens of celebrities and industry professionals to celebrate the best in pop culture, movies, comics, toys, video gaming, television, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more.  Among the celebrities scheduled to attend are Tricia Helfer, Alaina Huffman, Harry Hamlin, Michael McMillian, John Schneider, Adam West, Burt Ward and Chase Masterson.

Anaheim Comic Con is the fourth stop on Wizard World’s 2011 North American tour, which to date has 13 events scheduled.  Hours are Friday, April 29, 5-9 p.m., Saturday, April 30, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., and Sunday, May 1, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m..  Tickets are available in advance online at www.wizardworld.com/anaheim.html at a savings over tickets purchased at the door.  Advance adult single-day tickets are $25 ($35 on site); three-day weekend tickets are $45 ($55 on site), and tickets are free for children age 10 and under when accompanied by a paid adult (limit two children per adult).  VIP packages with special entry and exclusive items are also available.

About Wizard World:
Wizard World is a producer of pop culture and multimedia conventions across North America that markets movies, TV shows, video games, technology, toys, social networking/gaming platforms, comic books and graphic novels. It has the rights to the names, marks, domains, customer lists and production rights for a portfolio of pop culture and multimedia conventions.

For the most recent event information please visit www.wizardworld.com and become an Anaheim Comic Con Fan on Facebook.

Wizard World Anaheim Comic Con

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