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All Things Geekery Podcast S3E18 – Loaded Baked Potato

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In this episode, we’re taking a look at Blizzcon and the redemption that Blizzard attempted to make and the gaming announcements from the conference.  Plus we dive into the Star Wars brand, the latest Rise of Skywalker trailer and the excitement of Jedi Fallen Order. We’ll also be discussing the new kid on the block to streaming; Disney+. and then we’re excited to jump into some of our favorite announcements that came from Microsoft’s yearly Xbox celebration – X019  

Click to Listen: S318 – Loaded Baked Potato

Show Notes

  • Blizzcon
    • Overwatch 2
    • Diablo 4
    • World of Warcraft – Shadowlands
    • Hearthstone – Descent of Dragons
  • Star Wars
    • Mandalorian
      • Episode 1 & 2
    • Jedi Fallen Order
    • Rise of Skywalker Latest Trailer
  • Disney +
    • Launch Issues
    • The excitement in the community
    • Rivals / How will they stay competitive
  • Gaming & Movie News
    • Sonic The Hedgehog – New Look
    • Final Fantasy 7-15 Coming to Xbox Game Pass
    • xCloud Streaming is Coming to Windows Next Year
    • Age of Empires 4 
    • Tell Me Why – From the Developers of Life is Strange – Episodic Adventure game about Twins and Trauma coming Summer 2020
    • Shenmue 3 – Releases Nov 19th for PC & PS4

Be sure to subscribe to the All Things Geekery Podcast with any of your favorite podcast apps. Stop by and drop us a review so we know how we’re doing.

Thanks for listening, and we can’t wait to hear from you!

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Destiny 2: Shadowkeep Review

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SHadowkeep-3Let’s talk Destiny 2’s latest expansion Shadowkeep for a bit seeing how it launched just over a week ago and the community is quite busy with its current activities. Shadowkeep hit the market with one goal in mind and that was to make its place known it was a place for the hardcore community that’s been with the franchise for years.

Bungie came in with some extremely important changes to the sandbox and made heavy focus around customization, the MMO/RPG mechanics, high-end loot, and giving you more control over building that perfect killing machine.  Shadowkeep is doing so many things right and moving Destiny 2 in the absolute right direction and setting the bar high for the future of the game. We’ve seen a massive change in the game over the last few years especially with expansions like Forsaken, as Bungie seems determined to set things right and produce the game they really wanted and Shadowkeep is by no means an exception to that.

Everything this time around is super complex with the new customization system they’ve introduced for your Guardian.  Bungie has made a ton of tweaks on everything that has helped streamline the end experience on things such as armor, the menus and quest tab, the additional progression systems and how they provide more rewards and the customization options for those hardcore Guardians. For us veterans of the game who truly enjoy the “GRIND” of improving our Guardian and chasing that end game loot and experience then I’d say Bungie nailed it.

ff1c90f4cfbb.jpgThat’s not to say there aren’t still hurdles and walls to climb because there are and on of the biggest is for new players entering the game for the first time, or even a returning player who has been out for some time.  The amount of material that has been given for someone new in the game to learn and process is absolutely overwhelming such as the leveling systems, upgrade methods, power grinds, currencies and all the tidbits in between. Shadowkeep ultimately is the right direction for the game but only makes that problem of where do I start if I’m a new person worse…..I’ve been an avid passionate player of Destiny since the alpha days of Destiny 1’s launch so I’ve grabbed a hold of this crazy train and won’t be letting go anytime soon.  But for a new player, I can see where it would be harder to jump in at this point and time and know where to begin or what to do.

Destiny’s new armor system is absolutely amazing from a customization standpoint and downright almost MMORPG like in a way.  It ultimately gives us gun-slinging, alien killing, nerds another level to geek out on while making the perfect killing machine of a Guardian.  The new armor system brings a level of accomplishment and satisfaction the game has been missing for a long time but also has a level of complication to it, but not all additions in Shadowkeep make the game feel more complicated.  Take the new finishers that were added which are just a fun way to execute an enemy and give it some flare.  Finishers also provide a nice tactical benefit like damage resistance during the animation and the ability to instantly kill enemies at a distance, since most finishers have a large range.

Destiny-2-Where-to-Find-Vex-Fanatics_1200x500.jpgWhen I jumped in for Shadowkeep’s campaign I instantly fell in love with the story as we get to walk alongside an old veteran of the game, Eris Morn.  The story has us visiting Earth’s moon once again to stop a terrible evil that has been unleashed which turns into a story of suspense, and some extremely action-packed moments.  With the moon being Shadowkeep’s main setting most of us veterans should feel right at home, but things definitely don’t look the same since the last time our Guardians were on the lunar surface.  We first spawn in to see massive gray craters that have been split open, revealing these green ominous lights and rocky hills that have formed all over the surface.  Along with the Hive doing their evil magic tricks around the moon, we now have ghostly phantoms located in every corner looming around and even calling out to you for missions which brings a fresh vibe to the new/old zones we all fell in love with from Destiny 1.

Though Shadowkeep’s story has some amazing chapters and great moments that engage you as a player, Bungie is setting everything up for the much larger story still to come.  We have a couple different story timelines all happening at once which honestly is a great change for me personally as you have the main overarching campaign with Eris and the Darkness, but you also have the Season of Undying storyline with Ikora at the heart of things along with an old enemy friend the Undying Mind. I’m still hoping some of the planned upcoming content like the new dungeon will pull some loose plot ends together a little tighter. Bungie has definitely made a great position for themselves to unveil this huge overall story plot across multiple years and I hope we keep getting content just like Shadowkeep through it all.

destiny-2-garden-raid.jpgShadowkeep also has a massive endgame list of activities to be had as well along with the new raid Garden of Salvation that just launched a few days ago, and the Vex Offensive which is one of the best events Bungo has ever made. Bungie has definitely narrowed the available sources of “powerful drops,” which dropped like candy before Shadowkeep and helped you level up, but now the systems are more focused on new content and the staples of Destiny which are Strikes, Crucible, and Gambit and that true endgame content. The new artifact system is a great addition that also makes understanding that endgame goal and power level just a bit more hardcore and confusing in a way.  Again, Bungie is adding all this content in for a true RPG experience and honestly has done a fantastic job bringing the new systems into place.

Shadowkeep truly is all about the “GRIND” so for the faint-hearted who don’t enjoy repeating activities or chasing that endgame, this expansion is going to be a rough place for you to have enjoyment.  The good news here is that the content Shadowkeep does add is largely great, even if it feels like there’s too little of it, and Bungie has a content calendar that promises more coming in the future, all of which is built into the $30 cost of this expansion.

07-09-2019-destiny-2-vex-offensive.jpgThe new raid, Garden of Salvation sends us back on a quest to take on the Vex once again and it looks to be packed full of new mechanics, puzzles, secrets and more. Along with the raid we now have a new Vex themed event called the Vex Offensive that I became a huge fan of.  It’s a new arena-style event that is quick, fast-paced, and a decent loot grind for a team of six guardians looking to have some fun killing the milk infused aliens. Shadowkeep as a whole has done a ton to improve Destiny 2 and has given it’s fans a massive taste of what’s coming in future expansions and content updates.  There is a massive grind at the end of that campaign and story so get ready to pull out those big boy pants and grind that endgame content.  This will make things a bit tougher for those new Guardians coming in for the first time because of the added complexity that truly caters to the hardcore Guardians that like the grind game. I’m excited for the direction Bungie has brought things and has set the story up to develop over the next few years.  I truly am excited to see where and how Bungie can continue to roll this crazy train out and what they have in store for all the Guardians out there.

The Beauty & Challenge of Writing Fantasy

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1_gR4JdoxLh-qGgRTWtXLphwSince I’ve been back to a more frequent schedule of writing both on my novel and here on the blog I wanted to take a look at some of the challenges of writing fantasy, scheduling time for it and doing what you love.

First of all, I just want to say how much I love epic fantasy, both as a reader and as a writer. To me, this genre is unmatched in the way you can make anything possible, with no boundaries on your creativity or imagination.  This type of freedom in writing opens up so many possibilities but also brings in a lot of challenges as well.

I think everyone who has put a pen to paper or their fingers on a keyboard has run into the issues of staring at a blank page and thinking about all the things you could put down on the said page. It’s hard because once you start writing, you can and will be constrained at times by what you write on that page.  When that light bulb moment kicks in and the initial idea becomes a reality for you it’s like a thrill ride honestly.  Not really knowing where it’s going to take you, or what is coming up around the corner can be exciting and frighting all in the same moment.

For me, one of the biggest challenges and joys of writing comes with the creative freedom you have over the story and how it’s being told.  Ultimate possibilities are within the power of your fingertips and absolutely no one can tell you what should or shouldn’t be done when writing.  There really isn’t a rule book when it comes to this stuff, as you as the author can invent entire worlds filled with culture, history, and whatever you want it to have.  The challenge though comes in once you start writing those ideas, as it must be consistent across the story just as things would be in real life, but you have a different set of rules you can play by per-say.

Another challenge you will probably encounter is around world-building and unfolding the history and creation in the story itself. I tend to immerse myself in the process, inventing names, cultures, beliefs, trying to envision them all in my head. This is extremely challenging and time-consuming, but once you have that idea solidified like you want it is very rewarding and freeing.

Building characters is also another challenging place when writing. It’s hard to stick to one point of view when writing an epic fantasy novel, so finding a balance between points of view to that character’s personality and connecting them with the audience can be tough.  I’m working on my first novel right now and it’s been a long enjoyable, tiresome, exciting time but the challenges have been overwhelming at times.

Overall I wrestle with myself a lot and the world I’m creating as I will spend hours trying to make things perfect before they ever hit the page.  Unfortunately this has caused a lot of unwritten things that probably could have been written badly and fixed while editing.  I began book plotting which helped with this madness and over the last few years has kept my mind somewhat straight on where the story needed to go…..and allows me to visually see the overall plot, sub-plots, and timeline.  When I began seeing things tie together, I simply could not believe what I was reading honestly.  I was kinda shocked that things were making sense and that what I was reading was working.  Ultimately, seeing this epic story, set in a made-up world come together is my reward.  Having that sense of freedom and joy while writing is hard to explain but for everyone out there who has experienced it and managed to push through the challenges knows how rewarding writing can be.

Keep pushing through those challenges, have fun with your writing, and pursue those dreams as the process of learning and seeing your world come together is so worth it.

Beyond: Two Souls – Review

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Beyond: Two Souls has been a roller coaster ride of a game – This interactive drama has been hard to focus on the story and also understand what on earth is going on at times.  Beyond felt muddy with its plot and the level of story packed into this one game was insane.  Honesty this game should have probably been broken up into a series, with a better plot layout and understanding of what the ultimate goal is.  This game overall lacked consistency in its story and character development for the most part.  Really the only thing that had somewhat of a consistent story flow was the main character Jodie Holmes.

Jodie’s story is told in chapters out of chronological order across a span of 15 years of her life.  Jodie is a little girl when the game starts, but you move into her being a teenager and a young woman, and then back to a little girl.  Jodie has a spirit in-game called Aiden that you can control depending on the circumstance presented in the game and portion of the story.

With the story hitting multiple areas of Jodie’s life and timelines across multiple ages the story get’s confusing fast. I always felt that I was never really caught up with the story or narration that was happening on screen which was disappointing.  Personally, I feel the plot was not well written as even if the story was told in order I feel it would still be confusing.  I so wanted this game to be engaging with a deep story and character development that would draw you into the plot, but this was far from what actually happened.

beyond-twosouls-jodiebridge.jpgEvery once in a while the story did have some amazing moments that sparked a little hope for me in what was coming at the end.  One thing that the voice actor Ellen Page who played Jodie did was bring an emotional connection for the audience to care for Jodie and connect with her.  The rest of the cast seemed to struggle in bringing the level of emotion, and connection it took to really play the lines well enough for you to care for any of the other characters that were unfolding in this story.

Overall the game just had too much missing for me to really enjoy the gameplay and story.  The systems put in place in the game were simple to use, and the interaction you had with items and people in the world seemed very streamlined.  Using your ghost, Aiden, seemed to be pretty streamlined as well.  You can switch to your ghostly companion which gives you a first-person view and allows you to move through walls, ceilings and even possess certain enemies.  You can’t always switch to Aiden so you had to wait until specific moments in the game before you could use him.

Combat in the game was ultimately disappointing, with a system that felt very clunky and hard to use due to the lack of time you had to make decisions.  Whether dodging, blocking, punching, kicking, I found myself doing the opposite of what I wanted to do most of the times including moving in the wrong direction even though I was moving the thumbstick in the correct direction.  Honestly, the combat was almost pointless as Jodie could get completely mangled, and die in multiple different forms and it wouldn’t ever feel like the story was really affected…..as Aiden would always be there to heal her and get her right back to where you left off.

beyond-two-souls.jpgBeyond’s choices you end up getting to make just never felt large enough to me as though you are just a passenger on a story you can’t actually be a part of.  You can choose how Jodie responds in conversation throughout the game, but those choices just felt small and that the story is going to go on no matter how you play.  To me, a dramatic story-based game like Beyond should have large and small moments that suck you into the story and make you feel as though your a part of the outcome.

Beyond is an absolutely beautiful game with its scenery, well crafted landscapes, and the story was good enough thanks to Ellen Page and her voice acting.  Overall though this game seemed like more of a well-crafted game cinematic that you get to be a viewer of but not actually have any impact of what happens in-game.  Playing beyond was overall an interesting experience for the story, but it was not a good game at all due to the sporadic plot, lack of engagement that made it feel like you were part of the world, and lack of character development.

Stephen King’s IT – Chapter 2 Review

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We’re back with more of the creepy clown Pennywise and the Losers Club kids who are now all grown up.  IT chapter 2 feels a bit disconnected to me with issues bringing the story to a solid close at certain points, but still has that creepy make you jump factor. Overall it has solid performances from the actors, but by no means out does it’s 2017 hit of chapter one.

With the constant flashbacks throughout the film, it gives a very broken feeling to the overall story and doesn’t have a smooth transition like chapter one.  The first half of IT chapter two rushes a bit as it introduces all the adults of the Losers Club.  Yes, all the kids are now adults, and they have come back to kill Pennywise once and for all!

rev-1-it2-12373r-high-res-jpeg_618304_20190906105210After you get introduced to all the adults of the Losers Club, the speed of the overall story slow down a ton and you get a flashback of the young Losers Club in a clubhouse scene that wasn’t part of the first film.  The young actors may only play smaller supporting roles in chapter two, but just like the first film, they did an absolutely amazing job!  Even though chapter two focuses on the adult Losers Club, the characters to me just didn’t have the same impact that the kids did in the previous film.

All of the adult Losers Club, however, did have a natural chemistry on screen together that didn’t feel manufactured from a script.  They all had a genuine affection for one another, just like they had all been friends for most of their lives.  Each of the adults has their own unique fears they are still facing having survived the onslaught of horror from the first film.  I just wish the story would have been pulled together in a more seamless way instead of so sporadic as it jumps around way too much between the flashbacks, and I think drops a lot of the meat of the story.

A lot of the film does focus on the adults splitting up on a mission to go find items from their childhood that they need to take on Pennywise.  This is where we begin to see a lot of flashbacks from their childhood, which bring new scenes from that summer they met Pennywise in the first film.  IT chapter two has a long runtime of almost three hours and it can feel like a three-hour film at times as well.

maxresdefault (1)IT chapter two had a ton more CGI than the first film did which was disappointing as it didn’t feel as nostalgic as the first film did.  The CGI wasn’t the best either and really pulled away from the enjoyment of such an epic horror classic. On the plus side, the film had some truly amazing scary moments that made up for some of the sporadic plots.

Overall I really enjoyed the film but was also disappointed as I was wanting more of that feeling we got with IT chapter one.  Even with the great performances from all the adult and teen actors, the overall story and use of flashbacks, and the fact they just never seemed to really find a good footing to land the plane took too much away to give this story it’s epic finale it deserved.

All Things Geekery Podcast: S3E15 – A Refined Playlist

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In this episode we are going to discuss the newly released titles of Gears 5 and Borderlands 3 and how they have stuck by the “if it is not broke don’t fix it” mentality.  We will also talk about two games that have been out for a while but we have just recently been playing. Finally, we will wrap up the episode talking about the fantastic news of the Super Nintendo addition that was added to the Nintendo Switch Online Catalog!

Click to Listen: S315 – A Refined Playlist

Show Notes

Gears 5

  • Picks up right where Gears 4 left off
  • Make senses but it is the best looking Gears game to date
  • Every part of the game has been finessed
  • Hits your right in the feels – right from the get-go
  • The new addition to have someone play the support class is nice and provides a brand new way for co-op to be played
  • The story keeps you engaged throughout when some things happened that will leave you shaken story impact wise
  • They definitely are “gearing” up for a 6

Borderland 3

  • Mayhem has begun!
  • Can say right off the bat that anyone looking for something “new” “game-defining” will be disappointed BUT anyone looking for more Borderlands games played that has been even more refined will be in for the best Borderlands game to date.
  • The loot is never-ending, a lot of QOL added…..though some could still be needed but are minor
  • Probably the most I have been engaged to the story of any of the main Borderlands games
  • The dynamic level scaling for co-op is amazing and allows the co-op to be even better as you don’t have to worry about out leveling a friend
  • On the co-op note the unique loot mode “Cooperative” is what Borderlands has needed for a while

Elder Scrolls Online

  • The Positives
    • ESO is a typical MMORPG and tries to give you that experience as best it can
    • This, however, is not a free-roaming exploration zone-based progression game like Skyrim was and struggles a bit in piecing its story together
    • LORE – the game is deeply rooted in the world of storytelling and finding out about the world of Tamriel is fun!  The game systems, unfortunately, don’t compliment the story enough for me to stay engaged. The buggy, broken systems take away from the experience.
    • The game has a guided epic story with over 100 hours of main story content to play through.  That’s a lot of story to get through but if you are willing to hang on and grind through the content, I think the story delivers a very nice experience!
    • I think the world quests as a whole do a decent job of capturing the Elder Scrolls experience, as well as the MMO experience.  This is all paired and made more bearable because of the epic soundtrack!
    • CRAFTING
      • One of my favorite aspects of the MMO genre and ESO does a brilliant job on it’s crafting system!
      • It does have its downsides as the resources needed for crafting, does require a large “Bag, Vault, and Storage Space” but is manageable
      • Even though they do a good job overall, this system still has a lot of features that needed to be better to enjoy it!
    • Let’s talk big adventure and big story for a moment
  • The Negatives
    • A search bar for ingredients or materials when inside a vault or storage area
    • There is absolutely no way to sell your resources except through “Hocking” items in world chat, or at a “Guild” store
    • Syncing with other players and timing of events such as helping other players out in quests seems to be a challenge most of the time.
    • The multi-player gameplay is “Lazy” feeling as once you do get synced up it doesn’t seem to be much of a challenge to defeat enemies.
    •  Overall the game was too disconnected for me to really enjoy overall, even though I love MMO’s and I love the grind this one wasn’t for me
    • The game overall has some of the most annoying buggy systems I’ve ever seen
    • Finding a guild isn’t the easiest process by any means
    • GOLD SPAMMERS, they exist in every MMO and it will always be a negative impact on someone’s experience
    • The game, in general, looks pretty terrible!
    • Between the drab world landscapes, and details it makes for a pretty lackluster experience.
    • The combat mechanics are very clumsy and clunky feeling
    • Crafting overall lacks some of the most basic UI features such as
    • The multiplayer functions of the game don’t always work as they should either.

TellTale Games Walking Dead Definitive Edition

  • Looking back at the “Final Season” which was released back in Fall of 2018, Telltale did not rule out future The Walking Dead games; Creative Director Kent Mudle said that The Final Season title represented the end of Clementine’s journey from Telltale’s view, but could revisit the franchise through other characters.
  • However, due to the sudden near-closure of Telltale Games on September 21, 2018, only two of the four episodes were released and production on the latter two were canceled, effectively leaving the season half-finished. With fans, longing for another company to turn to, Skybound Entertainment who were creative directors for the first and second seasons stepped in with a ‘Still Not Bitten’ team and saw out the remaining entries to the series, as Kirkman had felt it necessary to properly complete Clementine’s story. Skybound also acquired the rights to all previous Telltale The Walking Dead games, becoming the supporting publisher for these on various storefronts.
  • The Definitive Edition
    • Skybound published The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series that includes all episodes from all four seasons, as well as 400 Days and The Walking Dead: Michonne, for release on Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 10, 2019. Each of the previous episodes in the series was remastered to use the new rendering system that was introduced in The Final Season and adds over ten hours of developers and voice actor commentary. Additional improvements have been made in character models movement and lip-synching.

Nintendo Switch Online – SNES 

  • It is about time!
  • The small selection right now
    • Brawl Brothers
    • Demon’s Crest
    • Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics
    • Kirby’s Dream Land 3
    • Star Fox
    • Super Earth Defense Force
    • Super Mario Kart
    • Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
    • Super Puyo Puyo 2
    • Super Tennis
    • Breath of Fire
    • F-ZERO
    • Kirby’s Dream Course
    • Pilotwings
    • Stunt Race FX
    • Super Ghouls’n Ghosts
    • Super Mario World
    • Super Metroid
    • Super Soccer
    • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
  • It does require Nintendo Switch Online but once you download the SNES Online app you have immediate access to play all the Super Nintendo Games in the Catalog without having to download them
  • The same save state, and……the rewind function.  That’s right! You lose the power-up? – Rewind You died on the final boss? – Rewind  This single function is completely changing how these SNES games are played.
  • On to future state – Since they have shown they want to completely negate their physical classic hardware of both the NES and SNES, What does this mean for N64? Gamecube? Someday please Nintendo? PLEASE?!?!?!?

Be sure to subscribe to the All Things Geekery Podcast with any of your favorite podcast apps. Stop by and drop us a review so we know how we’re doing.

Thanks for listening, and we can’t wait to hear from you!

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All Things Geekery Podcast S3E9 – Unlikely Allies

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In this episode, we are going to cover the news about Microsoft and Sony recent team up and what this could mean for the future of the Console Wars. We will then discuss what our opinions are on the current status of Epic’s game launcher and the hate it receives. Lastly, we will wrap up this episode talking about some of the recent games we have been playing and what about each has kept us playing them.

Click to Listen: S3E9 – Unlikely Allies

Show Notes

  • Microsoft and Sony
  • It was announced in the previous week that Sony and Microsoft are working on AI and cloud technology
  • This move makes no sense due to the continue gaming war the two companies have been in.
  • …then again it is possible Sony and Microsoft are wising up to what Google is planning to bring to the table.
  • When it comes to AI and cloud platforms Sony does not have either so it had to choose between the big 3 – Largest Amazon, Establish Microsoft, or the Youngin Google. It went with its mortal enemy
  • This move also took the PlayStation team by surprise but according to their leadership this has not changed any plans about their future console
  • We could be looking at the beginning of the end for console gaming.
  • We could be coming to a time when if you do want low latency input for competitive gaming then you buy a PC type device….if not you sign up for one of the game streaming services that will be available.
  • Microsoft console announcement could have some of the “cloud gaming attributes” as part of the architecture. – We shall see at E3
  • Side – note our next podcast will be an E3 pre-show where we will be talking about our expectation and wants to happen at this year’s E3

  • Epic
  • Let’s set the scene – Stream has had a monopoly on the digital gaming distribution market and launcher since it’s launch in 2003.
  • For a while it was the only one launcher to rule them all – Steam had a monopoly when it came to a game launcher platform
  • Some popped up but those were only for their own launchers – Blizzard, Origin, Bethesda
  • Then Epic came along and decided to put their massive cash flow from Fortnite to use – Making a universal game launcher to compete with steam
  • Right out of the gate – it was a much better alternative for game developers as Epic would only take 12% compared to the current Steam rate of 30%
  • Some companies immediately started deployment of their game on Epic and Steam but at the same time Epic was immediately paying companies money to gain exclusive or limited exclusive rights
  • And this is where the controversy takes place
  • The hate against EPIC has been extreme….
  • Main points of “HATE” that Epic takes
    • “Unfair” Exclusives
    • The store has less function than Steam
    • Rumor of the “Less secure – security” platform
    • People have been used to the convenient monopoly the Stream produced
  • -Discussion-

  • What Have We Been Playing
    • Victus
      • Metro Exodus
      • Rage 2
    • Detached
      • Division 2

Be sure to subscribe to the All Things Geekery Podcast with any of your favorite podcast apps. Stop by and drop us a review so we know how we’re doing.

Thanks for listening, and we can’t wait to hear from you!

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All Things Geekery Podcast: S3E2 – Superhero Madness

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Welcome to Season 3 Episode 2 of the All Things Geekery Podcast – Superhero Madness

In this episode, the geeks are back to discuss all the upcoming superhero & villain films coming out this year and what our thoughts are on each.

Click To Listen – S3E2: Superhero Madness

Show Notes

  • Captain Marvel
    • Release Date: March 8, 2019
    • What We Know So Far
      • Marvel’s first female-led superhero film will revolve around the most powerful character in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.  This iteration of Captain Marvel will focus on the character of Carol Danvers, whose adventures are earthbound but whose powers are based in the cosmic realm. Joss Whedon wanted to introduce the character at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, but Marvel didn’t want to bring Captain Marvel into the MCU fully formed without first telling her origin story.
      • This film will be a prequel to the MCU, taking place in the 90s and bringing back Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson for the first time since The Avengers. Moreover, the comics characters the Skrulls are the villains with a story revolving around the Skrull vs. Kree war, which explains why Lee Pace and Djimon Hounsou are reprising their roles from Guardians of the Galaxy as Kree. That could have major repercussions leading into Avengers 4, but Captain Marvel will also give us a two-eyed Nick Fury. Jude Law is set to co-star as the alien Mar-Vell.
  • Hellboy
    • Release Date: April 12, 2019
    • What We Know So Far:
      • Hellboy creator Mike Mignola came up with the story for this new reboot as opposed to moving forward with the third film in Guillermo del Toro‘s established franchise, and Stranger Things standout David Harbour fills the role of the titular character for director Neil Marshall, who helmed The Descent and a couple standout Game of Thrones episodes. The film has loosely based the Rise of the Blood Queen arc with Milla Jovovich filling that villainous role, while Ian McShane plays Trevor Bruttenholm and Daniel Dae Kim fills the part of Ben Daimio. Oh, and this is 100% Rated R.
  • Shazam
    • Release Date: April 5, 2019
    • What We Know So Far:
      • Making his superhero movie debut, Dwayne Johnson opted to take on the role of the villainous Black Adam in this DC comics adaptation, but Warner Bros. subsequently decided to hold Johnson for a separate Black Adam movie so Shazam will be all about that hero. Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation director David F. Sandberg is directing, and this served as Warner Bros.’ next DCEU film in production after Aquaman.
      • Zachary Levi is the title superhero character, with Asher Angel playing his boy counterpart Billy Batson. The story revolves around a young boy who can transform into a powerful superhero simply by uttering the word “Shazam!”. Mark Strong is playing the film’s villain, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana.
  • Avengers Endgame
    • Release Date: April 26, 2019
    • What We Know So Far:
      • The conclusion to the epic two-part Avengers storyline will close out Marvel’s ambitious MCU with a bang. The title, Avengers: Endgame, has finally been revealed, if not the story, confirmed cast, etc.
  • Dark Phoenix
    • Release Date: June 7, 2019
    • What We Know So Far:
      • The sequel to X-Men: Apocalypse has been firmed up as Dark Phoenix, which will tackle the beloved Jean Grey story arc from the comics that was first broached (and botched) in X-Men: The Last Stand. X-Men writer/producer Simon Kinberg has penned the script and is making his directorial debut on the project, which also stars Jessica Chastain as maybe the villain Lilandra and is bringing back pretty much the entire main X-Men cast. The movie won’t be skimping on the weirdness, as it’s been confirmed that the story will find the X-Men finally venturing to space. Hans Zimmer is coming out of superhero movie retirement to compose the score.
  • Spider-Man Far From Home
    • Release Date: July 5, 2019
    • What We Know So Far:
      • Not much. Bolstered by the positive response to Homecoming, director Jon Watts returned to direct, and screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, who came on to rewrite Homecoming, wrote the script.
      • Jake Gyllenhaal plays comics villain Mysterio, although Mysterio is a good guy in this movie. Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders also co-star, adding a S.H.I.E.L.D. presence to the whole shebang.
  • The New Mutants
    • Release Date: August 2, 2019
    • What We Know So Far:
      • Writer/director Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) has been attached to direct New Mutants for some time now, but 20th Century Fox finally moved this thing into production after the success of Deadpool and Logan. The film is both YA-esque and horror-tinged in tone, revolving around a group of much younger mutants in the X-Men universe than the adults from the proper X-Men movies. The story will also ditch traditional superhero costumes and supervillains in favor of telling a story about these young mutants locked up together in some facility, mirroring a horror haunted house vibe. James McAvoy has been rumored to be reprising his role as Professor X in the film.
      • However, just a few months before the film was set to hit theaters in April 2018, Fox pushed the movie back 10 months to 2019 to take over Gambit‘s previous spot. No official explanation was given, but rumors swirl that Fox tested the film and decided it “wasn’t scary enough,” so some additional photography may be in order.
  • Joker
    • Release Date: October 4, 2019
    • What We Know So Far:
      • This is a weird one. In the wake of Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad, and with Wonder Woman proving to be a massive success, Warner Bros. began changing up its plans for the DCEU. One idea is to kickstart a new arm at WB that will develop and produce one-off DC Comics adaptations not connected to the DC Extended Universe, meaning filmmakers can come in, try something really radical, and not have to worry about setting up a franchise or fitting into an established timeline. The first of these to hit the trades was a Joker origin movie directed by The Hangover and War Dogs filmmaker Todd Phillips, who is co-writing the script with The Fighter scribe Scott Silver. The idea is to craft something in the vein of Taxi Driver, a gritty, hard-boiled crime picture set in the early 1980s.
      • The lead actor would not be Jared Leto, but someone else entirely—WB reportedly wanted Leonardo DiCaprio, and when he passed they moved on to Joaquin Phoenix, who signed on after prolonged negotiations. The movie began filming in September 2018 and wrapped in December.
  • Birds Of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
    • Release Date: February 7, 2020
    • What We Know So Far:
      • This project hit the fast track at Margot Robbie‘s urging, as the Harley Quinn actress lobbied Warner Bros. an DC to put together a female-centric DC movie based on the Birds of Prey comics. The studio not only put this together but has Cathy Yan in line to direct based on the strength of her indie feature Dead Pigs. The idea is to potentially introduce a few DC comics characters in this film, like Batgirl, which would then pave the way to their own solo films a la Black Panther and Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War.
      • This project is a priority for Warner Bros. and could begin filming at the end of 2018. Jurnee Smollett-Bell plays Black Canary, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is Huntress, and Rosie Perez is The Question, while Ewan McGregor plays villain Black Mask.
  • Gambit
    • Release Date: March 13, 2020
    • What We Know So Far:
      • Channing Tatum has been keen on playing the X-Men mutant for a while now, and 20th Century Fox finally pulled the trigger on a standalone movie for the fan-favorite Cajun. Production had initially been slated to begin Fall 2015, but when it was pushed back to early 2016, director Rupert Wyatt abruptly dropped out due to personal reasons. Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow) subsequently signed on to direct, and while producer Simon Kinberg told us the film will be a heist picture and a “sexy thriller”, the film was pulled from its October 2016 release date and sat in limbo for a bit.
      • Gambit was officially back on track with Pirates of the Caribbean and A Cure for Wellness director Gore Verbinski taking the helm and a Valentine’s Day 2019 release date, but Verbinski dropped out two months before filming was set to begin and Fox is once again on the hunt for a director. Joshua Zetumer (Patriot’s Day, RoboCop) penned the most recent draft of the script, but this entire film could be scrapped or reconceived once the Disney/Fox deal goes through.
  • Wonder Woman 1984
    • Release Date: June 5, 2020
    • What We Know So Far:
      • Very little, but Wonder Woman marked a major turning point for the DCEU with wildly positive reviews and massive box office, so anticipation is high. Patty Jenkins returns to direct a story that takes place in the year 1984 against the backdrop of the Cold War (timely!), with Kristen Wiig playing the villain Cheetah and Chris Pine somehow reprising his role as Steve Trevor. The film was originally scheduled for release in November 2019, but Warner Bros. opted to push it into the summer corridor of 2020.
  • Black Widow
    • Release Date: TBA
    • What We Know So Far:
      • A standalone Black Widow movie has long been requested by fans, and Marvel Studios is finally pulling the trigger—although all official details will be under wraps until Avengers 4 hits theaters so as not to spoil how that film wraps up. Scarlett Johansson handpicked indie filmmaker Cate Shortland to direct after an exhaustive search, and the most recent draft of the script was written by Jac Schaeffer. Early word is that this movie takes place before the events of The Avengers, but again all confirmed details are under lock and key at the moment.
  • Suicide Squad 2
    • Release Date: TBA
    • What We Know So Far:
      • David Ayer definitely isn’t coming back to direct this sequel, and Warner Bros. looked at some intriguing names for his replacement. Mel Gibson was approached towards the end of 2016, but Warner Bros. eventually moved on and offered the movie to Jaume Collet-Serra of The Shallows and Non-Stop fame to take the helm, only to see him pass. Gavin O’Connor (The Accountant) was subsequently set to direct, but when his take came out similar to the plot of the Birds of Prey movie—which is going into production first—he became frustrated and moved on.
      • Subsequently, Warner Bros. tapped former Guardians of the Galaxy 3 filmmaker James Gunn to write a script from scratch and potentially direct. The idea is for Gunn to craft whatever kind of story he wants, which means we could be in for a complete reboot of this franchise.
  • The Flash
    • Release Date: TBA
    • What We Know So Far:
      • Miller made his brief debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but he’s a fully fledged star of the Justice League. After tasking Phil Lord and Chris Miller with penning a treatment only to see them head off to direct the Han Solo Star Wars film (and then leave that), the studio subsequently tapped Seth Grahame-Smith to make his directorial debut on the superhero picture. Alas, after the disappointing reception to Batman v Superman, Warner Bros. opted to change course and parted ways with Grahame-Smith, seeking to find a more established filmmaker in his stead. They settled on Dope filmmaker Rick Famuyiwa, working from Grahame-Smith’s script that was a buddy film of sorts between Flash and Cyborg. But after months of developing the project and with casting underway (Dopestandout Kiersey Clemons landed the role of Iris West), Famuyiwa exited the project in late October.
      • This put the March 2018 release date in doubt, as it was dependent upon production getting underway in early 2017. Miller was then due to start filming Fantastic Beasts 2 in mid-2017, which would push production of The Flash to late 2017 or early 2018, meaning the March 2018 date was impossible. The film does now have a pair of directors though. Names like Robert Zemeckis were bandied about early on, but WB settled on Vacation and Game Night helmers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein to direct Flashpoint, who also co-wrote Spider-Man: Homecoming.
      • Warner Bros. announced at Comic-Con 2017 that this Flash movie will be an adaptation of the Flashpoint time travel comics storyline, which could give WB a way to reboot the DCEU somewhat. But it’s unclear if that’s still the plan.
      • The long road to getting The Flash movie off the ground hit yet another speed bump in October 2018, when it was revealed that production is being delayed from Spring 2019 to late 2019 due to the fact that the script wouldn’t be ready in time and Miller once again has to shoot Fantastic Beasts 3 starting in July 2019. As a result, The Flash movie isn’t expected to hit theaters anytime before 2021 now.

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