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Review of X- MEN: First Class

Posted in Films, Gaming Culture, Gaming News with tags on June 4, 2011 by boccobsblog

 

pic via IMDb

I just returned from seeing, X-Men: First Class, and I thought I’d give a review. (Some spoilers, nothing major)

The Good

I groaned when I saw Kevin Bacon as Shaw (I like Bacon, but in a comic book movie, it seemed like a weird pick) , but he did a good job.

Rose Byrne did a great job and helped to reduce the campiness.

 

The Badass

The Wolvie Scene was funny.

James McAvoy (Prof. X) and Michael Fassbender (Magneto) both did an amazing job. They carried this movie.

January Jones looks stunning. Marvel couldn’t draw a better-looking Emma Frost.

 

And the Ugly

I understand that the film is set in the sixties, but it felt like an Austin Powers sequel much of the time.  “Groovy Mutations man!”

The lil’ X-men feel completely tacked on. They barely do anything. The entire movie should have just been Prof. X and Magneto. Besides a training montage, they movie really have nothing to do with the first class.

Beast looks like a teen wolf.

The “birth of a monster” scene with 12-year old Magneto could have been really cool but flopped. It’s like someone said, “Hey remember the Frankenstein scene in Revenge of the Sith? Make something that lame.”

Diamond-form Emma Frost was super lame. (It pains me to say this, because I fear it will hurt the chances that January and I will get back together…but it is true).

Even though the helmet looked better this time around, its impossible to not look like a huge tool when you’re wearing it. (And they even nod to that that fact in the movie)

Azazel (played by Jason Flemyng) looked like he stumbled in off the Buffy Reunion set. Super mega ultra lame.

Riptide, worst henchman yet. He looks like a Tag Heuer model.

–

Overall- it was a pretty good movie (C+ / B-). I’m pretty hard on movies, but it was worth the ticket price.

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Gen Con Badge Prices Increase on June 19th

Posted in Dungeons and Dragons, Gaming News, Gen Con 2011 with tags on June 4, 2011 by boccobsblog

Gen Con in only sixty days away! If you haven’t already bought your badge you may want to do so quickly. The pre-registration prices end on June 18th. Badge prices will increase by ten dollars on the 19th, with four-day badges going up to 78 and one-day badges going to 48. Save yourself a few bucks and use that money to buy a new set of dice (or buy me a drink…).

Andy

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Daggerdale Video Game

Posted in Dungeons and Dragons, Gaming News, Video Games with tags , , , on May 23, 2011 by boccobsblog

This spring Atari will release the latest D&D based video game: Daggerdale. According to the website:

Travel to the Forgotten Realms, where the adventure begins in the Dalelands, nestled in the remote Desertsmouth Mountains. From the sulfuric catacombs of the mines of Tethyamar, to the dizzying heights of the Tower of the Void, Dungeons & Dragons Daggerdale combines the depth of Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition with intuitive, action packed combat that will satisfy the most seasoned of adventurers.

The game is set to be released this spring, Q2 (expected 24 May). According to Wizards’ website, the game will be available on Xbox LIVE Arcade, Playstation Network, and Windows PC.

Official Website

Wizard’s Daggerdale Page

Screen Shots for Wizards.com:

via Wizards.com

via Wizards.com

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New Phyrexia Prerelease Tournament

Posted in Gaming News, Magic the Gathering with tags , , on May 4, 2011 by boccobsblog

image via Wizards.com

The third set in the Scars of Mirrodin block, New Phyrexia is set to pre-release this weekend. Find a participating game store and get your cards a week before everyone else by playing in the tournament.

From Wizards.com:

Set Name New Phyrexia
Block Set 3 of 3 in the Scars of Mirrodin block
Three-Letter Abbreviation NPH
Number of Cards 175
Release Date May 13, 2011
Prerelease Events May 7-8, 2011
Launch Parties May 13-16, 2011
Magic Online Release Date May 30, 2011
Game Day June 11-12, 2011
Design Team Ken Nagle (lead)
Dave Guskin
Joe Huber
Matt Place
Mark Rosewater
Development Team Aaron Forsythe (lead)
Dave Guskin
Zac Hill
Tom LaPille
Erik Lauer

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Gamers for Humanity Needs Your Old Games!

Posted in Gaming News with tags , , on May 2, 2011 by boccobsblog

At last year’s Gen Con I had the pleasure of talking with volunteers from Gamers for Humanity. GfH is a non-profit that works alongside Habitat for Humanity to build affordable housing for people in need. According to their website:

Gamers For Humanity works to achieve the goals above in a variety of ways, primarily by offering our assistance and effort to other established and respected charities, the benefit of many of which is immediately evident:

  • working with The Phoenix of New Orleans, Habitat For Humanity, and similar organizations to provide affordable and safe housing to people in need.
  • collecting games, toys, and books for children and adults who cannot afford them or have not had the opportunity to play.
  • collecting food, toiletries, and household items for donation to food banks or families in need.

So what can we do to help them out? GfH are collecting new and used games which they provide, free of cost, to the families that can’t afford them. I know we all have a stock pile of old games that we no longer play. If you do, send them to GfH and put them to good use. They also accept cash donations on the website.

This is a worthwhile organization, please check out their website. Gamersforhumanity.org

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Gen Con Event Registration Opens Sunday

Posted in Gaming News, Gen Con 2011 with tags , on April 29, 2011 by boccobsblog

This Sunday event registration will open. Popular events like, True Dungeon, tend to fill almost instantly so be sure to log on this Sunday and lock in your favorite events. Good luck!

-B3 Team

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True Dungeon 2011

Posted in D&D 3.5, Dungeons and Dragons, Gaming News, Gen Con 2011, Pathfinder with tags , , on April 22, 2011 by boccobsblog

One of the coolest events at Gen Con Indy is True Dungeon, and the TD gang have just released information for this year’s events. TD will offer two new adventures, two new character options (dwarf fighter and elf wizard), and three levels of difficulty (non-lethal, normal, and nightmare). This year’s True Dungeon will be the most amazing yet.

From the TD newsletter:

True Adventures, Ltd. is proud to offer the following two completely new two-hour adventures.

“The Lair of the Sea-Lich” : This completely new underwater adventure takes place after the party has fled the lair of Smoak the newly-created draco-lich. The party must now venture into the underwater lair of the dreaded Sea-Lich who terrorizes the coast with her icy-touch and shape-changing powers. Only inside her watery tomb can the party find the origin of the evil artifact that created Smoak the draco-lich – and perhaps a method to defeat Smoak’s evil for good.

NOTE: Two slightly different versions of this adventure will be offered. One is more puzzle-oriented, while the other is more combat-focused. They count as the same adventure for earning Experience Points (XP).

“Dragon’s Redoubt” : This completely new dragon-hunt adventure takes place at the same time as last year’s battle with Smoak the red dragon. It tells the story of how the party from last year’s True Grind adventure battles their way into Smoak’s lair on their own important mission. First, to locate and open a secret door through which all other parties can flee; and second, to defeat the weakened red dragon.

We also will be offering this one-hour combat hack-fest:

“True Grind: Bloodbeard’s Bounty” : This combat gauntlet tells the story of how the party finds the location of the Lair of the Sea-Lich. Players must set sail for the waters of Brinewater Bay to learn the location of the Lair of the Sea-Lich from the dreaded orc-pirate Bloodbeard. The battle will rage above and below the Bay’s black waters. No XP, Treasure Coins or participation tokens awarded for TG. Nightmare available if whole party agrees. You must arrive 15 minutes early.

Sounds cool, but what is True Dungeon?

If you haven’t already seen the video preview of this year’s adventure, I have provided the link here.

True Dungeon Website

True Dungeon sign up starts on May 1st.

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Publish Your Own Game

Posted in Gaming News, Product Review with tags , , on April 4, 2011 by boccobsblog

pic via TGC website

Have you ever had an idea for a game? I think we all have, but taking it from a cool idea around the game table to an actual product is a big leap, well at least it used to be. At Gen Con Indy last year I spoke with the owners of a company that will allow you to do just that. The Game Crafter takes your game concept, publishes it, and makes it available for purchase on their website. They will even help you advertise and promote your game.

According to the TGC website:

“The reality is that most games will never sell 10,000 units. Unfortunately, traditional production runs require you to buy 5,000 – 20,000 units to make production cheap enough to be profitable.

At TGC, even if your game only sells one copy, you’ll have made a profit! Try to beat that by negotiating with publishers, distributors, retailers, and manufacturers.”

TGC can make card games, board games, rpgs, just about any kind of game. I spent a while messing around on TGC’s cost estimator and it really is a reasonable option.

SO if you’ve ever wanted to see your game come to fruition, check out TGC.

thegamecrafter.com

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3 Reasons Why Summer Can’t Come Fast Enough!

Posted in Gaming News with tags , , , , , , , on April 1, 2011 by boccobsblog

The only thing getting me through this Midwestern weather is idea that summer is just around the corner. The three events I can’t wait for are:

1.) Gen Con

Slated for August 4-7, the world’s longest running gaming convention will hold its 42nd con. Early registration for the “best four days in gaming” is open and event registration open on May first. One thing I can say from my past Gen Con experiences is, don’t wait until the day of the con to get your badge or register for events. Popular games and events like True Dungeon sell out almost instantly.

2.) Bristol Renaissance Faire

July 9th – September 5th of this year one of the world’s largest Ren faires will transport people to the year 1574 to spend a day in the court of Queen Elizabeth I. As if great food, music, games, acting, jousting, and drinks weren’t enough, the Bristol Ren faire also has Ren Quest. Ren Quest is an interactive rpg that uses the entire 30-acre village and over a 1,000 inhabitants to create a one of a kind gaming experience. Imagine playing D&D in a renaissance era village with thousands of npcs in full period costumes.

3.) Free RPG Day

June 18th flock to your local game store and get your swag! These are some of the free gaming products being offered this year:

  • Wizards of the Coast- Free 4e adventure
  • White Wolf Publishing- World of Darkness Quickstart
  • Mayfair- Settlers of Catan: Catanimal Variant Rules
  • Q-Workshop- Unique FUDGE Dice

And that is just four of the twenty-one companies sponsoring the event

Find a participating store near you

This will prove to be an amazing summer!

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Conan the Barbarian Remake August 2011

Posted in Gaming News, Movie Review with tags , , , , on March 19, 2011 by boccobsblog

Tonight the wife and I went out to see Adjustment Bureau, as we left I happened to see a poster for a remake of Conan the Barbarian. Maybe my geekdar is on the fritz but I thought I would have heard if a new Conan movie was coming out this August.

A third Conan movie, King Conan, has been rumored for twenty years, but it has never been more than a rumor. In fact a visit to Internet Movie Database said this about the possibility of a third installment in the series:

The third Schwarzenegger Conan movie, tentatively called “King Conan: Crown of Iron”, has been in various stages of development for the past twenty years. It has been close to being made on a couple of occasions, but something always came in the way, whether it be creative differences, scheduling problems or budget. The studio has now pulled the plug on that movie once and for all, and moved on. Many rumors, and even trivia on IMDb, have suggested the Kevin Sorbo movie, Kull the Conqueror, was the original sequel to Conan the Destroyer, called Conan the Conqueror. Since the script was never used, however, it was changed from Conan to Kull and made from him Alantis rather than a Cimmerian.

Ok, fair enough. Since he became the Govinator I kind of made peace with the idea that the Conan line was dead. (At least the Conan line with Arnold.)

Then a few years ago I heard that Ron Perlman (of Hellboy fame and Beauty and Beast shame) was going to take on the role of King Conan. Well it turns out that Ron will be in the film, but as the character Corin, not Conan.

Conan will be played by Jason Momoa from Stargate: Atlantis.

I’m not sure how I feel about this. My first reaction is that remakes ALWAYS suck. My second reaction is that while Momoa is a buff dude that could easily bench-press my taco eating ass, he isn’t fit to hold 1982 Arnold’s jockstrap. Hmmm…a seven time Mr. Olympia or a dude that models for a living…  I’m just saying…  Also, it is in 3D which make me die a little bit inside. (3D movies make my eyes bleed.)

As always with movies, I will hope for the best and then spend a few days cursing and crying alone in the basement living off shameful tears and used dryer sheets.

Regardless I must see any movie that has swords in it, it is the geek code.

Conan 2011 movie website (has a teaser)

IMDb entry

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