Monday, August 31, 2020

Rogue Legacy 2 Early Access Review: Die, Kill Eyeballs, Repeat

By Jonathan Bilski
 


 
Couldn't believe I put 6 hours into this thing, but time flies when your constantly reincarnated into your children. That's sort of the premise in this rogue-like, I mean rogue is in the title, descendant spitting-out dungeon crawler. Now mind you, Rogue Legacy 2 is in Early Access, so it ain't officially done and it shows, but it already has me wanting to come back when it's really ready for release. Now let's get to the sweet release of death that happens every few minutes into playing this game... at first.

In Rogue Legacy 2, you once again die, come back as a descendant and die again. Each time you might gain some more gold and be able to level up your descendant or find a new item or possibly unlock a special ability. It's gonna take a while.

Me, (sultry music plays), sigh, I don't know why I kept coming back to have an eyeball laser me or a skeleton slice me. 

OH YEAH! Because of the weird genetic trait system. When you come back your descendant might be a wizard or ranger or barbarian, but that's not a genetic trait. Farting is.

Every time you pass on you can come back, bu you might have a disorder that causes you to pass gas like flatulence which you will see on screen. But it gets crazier, you genetic traits can affect gameplay and how hard it is to see the game. You might be colorblind in the next play through and the game becomes monochrome. You might become dyslexic so the gameplay goes upside down (my best playthrough for some reason). You might get that trait where you can't tell people by their faces, so enemies become pixelated. It's fun to see what will happen next or if it's worth be a dwarf or a giant or a more clumsy character. I can't say I like being a Pacifist, which isn't genetic, neither is being Vegan, but still fun rolled into the game.

This time around, if your genetic trait can be unfavorable to you it will be financially easier on you. So, you earn more money in those play through where your trait makes the game harder for you.

The game really wants you to earn every little thing here and there and I'd like more of a distinct look to the game are the gripes
 
But, it's so to get addicted to and when it's properly finished I'm sure I'm just gonna want to clear the game and kill all those stupid eyeballs looking down at me...with lasers.
$19.99



Game provided by publisher for review purposes
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Anime Hype: Anime LA, Assassination Classroom Is Not Sgt Frog, You Don't Have To Lick The Sticker

 

Assassination Classroom Is Coming to Toonami. But, honestly we wish Sgt. Frog was there too. That anime was dubbed with Toonami in mind and we think not enough people go to know about the amphibian invader and his platoon of sociopaths. Sigh.

 

Instead, we're getting another group of killers and psychos. A bunch of kids trying to kill a super powerful alien squid man, who also just wants them to get a good educations, before he destroys the Earth.

The series started started playing on August 29th.The Funimation English dub of the series will continue to air at 1 a.m. via Fun

 

 

Froppy | Vinyl Sticker

$5.00

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What We Found On The Net Today: Woodland Hills In The News Twice? & X-Men: The Art and Making of The Animated Series

 

At Amazon’s newest grocery store, you can ask Alexa voice assistants where to find milk, scan and check out your groceries using your shopping cart, and pick up books you ordered off the e-commerce giant’s website.
Photo by John Rudoff/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
 A rally in support of president Donald Trump snarled traffic along already-busy Ventura Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley this weekend, with supporters and counter-protesters mixing it up in front of Jerry’s Famous Deli in Studio City at the end. The 100-car caravan started in Woodland Hills and made its way to Studio City, with many vehicles showing large flags and honking horns along the way.
Release date Oct 13 for $50 on Amazon 
 
Just noticed this book on the making of one of the greatest animated super hero shows-let's say the second best after Batman: The Animated Series-is coming out this October.
 
The original creators are open on bringing back the cartoon, but it's up to Disney if they want to bring back the show.



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Saturday, August 29, 2020

Halloween 2020: The Haunted Hayride Live Drive-Up Experience, Other Haunts & Spookware

Who knew we would still get some Halloween in SoCal this Fall? We'll find every last drop of Halloween for you. We've already started some coverage, but as it's almost September, here's our first official post on Halloween for the season.

The Haunted Hayride isn't dead, like so many other places we posted about, it's become a drive-thru haunt.
 
OPEN SELECT NIGHTS SEPTEMBER 25 - NOVEMBER 1
BONELLI REGIONAL PARK ( IN SAN DIMAS NEXT TO RAGING WATERS )
 $49.99 and up 
The Standard ticket admits 1 vehicle and up to 2 persons (Driver & Passenger)
(go over all the fine print to make sure everyone can come) 

From the site:
You will drive down a creepy stretch of road featuring some of the sets and scenic environments you've come to love at the hayride, followed by a haunted show featuring an original multimedia story displayed on a 40 foot screen, as well as horrifying sets and live characters from Midnight Falls!

More info when we get it, but tickets are on sale now and we say start planning as soon as possible.

via ABC 7

Here's past posts on all things Halloween happening for September & October
 
 
 
 


Somebody made a scary version of Warioware you can play for free or kick $2 bucks to. It's a bunch of messed-up mini-games that only last seconds.
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Friday, August 28, 2020

Friday Posters: The Drifting Classroom Viz Collection, April O’Neil, Crab Goalkeeper & Suicide Squad

 

I love the cover collection, but the spines coming together to form the pit where the missing school is, is just too good.



 

Great poster of reporter April O'Neil in her iconic yellow jumpsuit with a ton of TMNT merch from Mega Visions Magazine that covers all things from SEGA. You can get the magazine online or even as a magazine the next time it ships.


Crab Goalkeeper (sigh) was voted by my friends as our group Zoom movie this week. From Wiki"
 It has been described bydirector Kawasaki as being 'like Forrest Gump, but with a crab'. 

Weird they couldn't just cut a trailer at this point.
 

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What We Found On The Net Today: Things To Buy & Is Owl House Season's Already Over?

 

Oh no, that sounds like a skit from Mad TV, in other words a old reference, some of you might not get.  And that's my point who wants this? Not the young boys and girls who grew up with it, they're old enough to have kids or have had kids. CW, other than Stargirl, you're trash. 


 

Metal Gear Solid Water Bottle by Tony Kuchar

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Thursday, August 27, 2020

Icons of Darkness Exhibit September

 

Icons of Darkness Exhibit

*the link above doesn't have info on the exhibit as of writing this 8/27

The Montalban 1615 Vine Street, Hollywood, CA 90028

Ticket prices TBD. Reservations are required in order to limit the number of guests allowed in at one time. Tickets will be on sale by September 1st. Please call the box office at 323-461-6999 or visit https://www.themontalban.com.

Check out a huge collection of props, memorabilia and costumes from hundreds of movies, many of them from horror movies starting this September.

With very little to do for Halloween, we don't see the September openings lasting long, we think this might be a fun stroll through some past memories of real scary movies. We'll update if we get more info on pricing and dates.

Part of the collection

  • The original Xenomorph costume from Alien (1979), which features the designs of the (then-unknown and now influential) designer, H.R. Geiger. 
  • The full-sized Queen Alien from Aliens (1986), which solidified the sci-fi career of one of Hollywood’s most notable film directors, James Cameron. 
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Wednesday, August 26, 2020

The New Mutants at the Rose Bowl Stadium & Free Donuts

 Here's where you can see The New Mutants and still be safe in your car.



The New Mutants at the Rose Bowl Stadium

See 20th Century Studios’ “The New Mutants” at the Rose Bowl Stadium – Drive-in Style!
Dates: August 27th – September 13th
Times: Vary by day
Flat Rate: $35 per car
Location: Rose Bowl Stadium, 1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena, CA 91103
Run Time: 94 min
 
 Randy’s Donuts Pasadena
And on Wednesday, September 2, Randy’s is going big yet again with a grand opening complete with free doughnuts for all in Pasadena. From 6am to noon, every visitor can snag a free raised glazed doughnut, then from noon to 9pm that day they’ll need to follow Randy’s on Instagram in order to get the free treat.
via Timeout

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Weekly What To Do: Sentai, Science! & Some More

 Props to Timeout, they collected all the outdoor movies for September.

-All of L.A.’s outdoor movies in one calendar

 

Sentai at Home

Taking place next Wednesday, Aug 26th

Join us for a digital scavenger hunt, special announcements, and giveaways of all kinds of anime goodies you can’t get anywhere else. We’ll even be hearing from some very special guests, including Japanese seiyuus, series creators and more.

And that’s not all. With Sentai at Home, you can look forward to special project previews, trailers and even interviews with our ADR directors.

 

Science! Presents: Searching For Life In The Solar System

Wed, Aug 26, 6pm

On our next live-streamed edition of Science! The Show, we’ll be joined by NASA-JPL astrobiologist Dr. Morgan Cable. Morgan will tell us all about the next generation missions she and her team are cooking up to look for biological signatures from moons in our own solar system. We’ll hear about which moons are likely candidates for extraterrestrial life, and why some of them smell like farts.

 

From the Ford: Taikoproject

Thursday, Aug 27 at 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM

TaikoProject
Presents "Rhythmic Relations"
Founded in 2000, TAIKOPROJECT is the go-to group for a modern American style of taiko, blending traditional forms with an innovative and fresh aesthetic. The group’s annual “Rhythmic Relations” concert features 50 drummers of all ages performing classic and contemporary taiko songs accompanied by dynamic choreography and vocals.

 

REPO MAN & DRIVE Double Feature 

Thu, Aug 27, 2020, 8:10 PM

951 South Flower Street Los Angeles, CA 90015

$23 – $100 
 
Our first feature, REPO MAN, directed by Alex Cox, starring Emilio Estevez and the late great Harry Dean Stanton, captures downtown Los Angeles exactly as it was in the early 1980’s. Second up is Nicolas Winding Refn’s unbearably cool, musical, action-car chase noir DRIVE.
 
MAD MAX FURY ROAD & THE ROAD WARRIOR Double Feature
Fri, Aug 28, 2020, 8:10 PM

951 South Flower Street Los Angeles, CA 90015

$23 – $100 
 
First we kick off with the most recent Mad Max movie, 2015’s FURY ROAD starring Charlize Theron as Furiosa, a wronged yet resilient truck driver, and Tom Hardy as Mad Max, the renegade loner who somehow always finds himself helping those in need. Second up is the movie that inspired FURY ROAD, MAD MAX 2: THE ROAD WARRIOR.

THE CINEMADNESS MOVIE

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28 10 @ 8:30 PM 

 

Skirball Stages: Gavin Turek and Ak Dan Gwang Chil Virtual Concert

Premiering on YouTube | Saturday, August 29, 8:00 pm

Celebrate global artistry and join us for this can’t-miss virtual concert event! Featuring Los Angeles native Gavin Turek and Ak Dan Gwang Chil (ADG7) of Seoul, South Korea, Skirball Stages invites you to enjoy an uplifting evening of modern music from stages near and far. 


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Monday, August 24, 2020

What We Found On The Net Today: Stranger Things: The Drive-Into Experience, Urban Legends of Southern California Drive-Thru, Calendar of Outdoor Films, My Mail?!?, & Little Tokyo Help

Looks like some people looked at our post on them or saw it somewhere else, but Japan had the idea for Haunted drive-thrus before us. We're getting them here in SoCal.

 

Stranger Things: The Drive-Into Experience is taking place in October. It"ll cost you $59 per car and is located somewhere in downtown LA. It's got all the marking of Netflix, so it's as an official haunt for the show.

What'll happen? It looks like you'll cruise in your car around Hawkins and probably the Upside Down at some point I'll while being scared by monsters from the show. It sounds great for fans of the show.

We're guessing it's gonna be overloaded with sales, so you might want to join the wait-list on the site, it goes on sale Tuesday, August 26th 12pm.

 
 
Urban Legends of Southern California is starting Oct 1st thru Nov 1st, but it's taking place at the OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. Tickets start at $49.99 and up.

The people behind this one have done Dark Harbor and look like they've given it a lot of thought. This one has different zones, where your car will come to a complete stop and a horror story will unfold and in-between you'll have drive-thru scares.
 
Can't wait to learn what urban legends they'll use or they'll just make up some. There might also be special nights like Pride and classic car.
 
It's good to see some haunts we'll be in SoCal this Halloween.

via the OC Register

-All of L.A.’s outdoor movies in one calendar

 

-‘Like Armageddon’: Rotting food, dead animals and chaos at postal facilities amid cutbacks 

 Some very disturbing reports from the LA Times about how bad the postal service is doing with their new boss. A lot of stupid moves like shutting down mail-sorting machines for no reason and just not letting postpeople do their jobs. If you want to know why your mail is so late, read this.

 

 Little Tokyo Small Business Relief Fund 

Many of the shops and businesses in Little Tokyo aren't doing so good. If you want to donate some money to help them out during Covid, here's the place.

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Game Hype: Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Shing! & Gonner2 Co-Op

 

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is out November 13th on pretty much everything, but Switch. The new trailer makes me want to get it even more, looks like you have different classes like Idol and Chef.

Shing!, the ninja team-up, co-op game is out Aug 28th on Steam and PS4

Gonner2 doesn't have a release date, but will be out with a four-player local co-op party mode.

Switch, PS4, X1, PC

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Friday, August 21, 2020

What We Found On The Net Today: Drunk History Goes To AA, Yeetee x GDQ Shirts,Weird Video Game Company Pages & Cailfornia Only Allows 35 Articles Per Year For Freelancers?

Comedy Central canned Drunk History as it pushes forward with its strange Adult Animation thrust. Look back a few posts to see us writing about the Ren & Stimpy reboot that will probable be canned before it even starts. Drunk History was a favorite of my friends and me and seems extremely odd as the show was still doing favorably. It had just started production on the 7th season when Covid hit and it stopped like most Hollywood shows. Sadly, no special last episode.

The Yeetee x GDQ Shirt Collection Favs

 

Watch Out Behind You 

by 1000 Dead Draculas

 
Telephone Booth
by Marc Junker
 
Frolf Champs
by PeculiarTiffany
 
Oh, Ribbit King, you need to be on next gen system or at least Steam. 

Weird Video Game Company Pages from the Big Three
 
Nintendo Product Recycling
 
-Apparently Nintendo will take back old consoles and even consoles from competitors for free. So no need to dump your broken Wii or PS2 in the trash.

Sony Statement On U.K Modern Slavery Act
 
-Sony doesn't like slavery or human trafficking, not sure why it needs to be addressed with it's own page. 
 
 
-Photosensitive Seizure Warning
 
On Xbox.com. As of writing this it doesn't go anywhere. I wonder what device or something on the site it's referring to.
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Friday Posters: Scream 5, The Antenna & Come True

 

 
A fan made poster from CreepyDuckDesign. Scream 5 is in the works and with all the "living" original cast on board from the directing collective of Radio Silence, we can't wait.
via Bloody Disgusting
The Antenna comes out Oct 2nd via virtual cinemas and then Oct 20th on VOD.


via Bloody Disgusting
 
 
 
 
This dreamy nightmare looks to have a lot of sci-fi scary horror. No release date.

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Thursday, August 20, 2020

Anime Hype: Sentai at Home & SPJA New

 

Sentai at Home

Taking place next Wednesday, Aug 26th

Join us for a digital scavenger hunt, special announcements, and giveaways of all kinds of anime goodies you can’t get anywhere else. We’ll even be hearing from some very special guests, including Japanese seiyuus, series creators and more.

And that’s not all. With Sentai at Home, you can look forward to special project previews, trailers and even interviews with our ADR directors.

 

The People Behind AX are now a non-profit. 

The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation or SPJA for short have transitioned to not get federally taxes. So, essentially, they don't have to worry about taxes as much. They still have to pay for stuff like renting convention hall like our LA Convention Center, but they might ask for donations on top of badges.

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Wednesday, August 19, 2020

What We Found On The Net Today: What I'm Probably Gonna Buy For My Friends Birthdays Next Year & Some Heat Aid

I probably won't have them as friends if I only get Oscar Mayer Wienermoible merch from OhIWish.com

 

This stuff is legit, official merch that I can't think of giving it to people unless there was some better connection. And there is not.

 

CALL TO ACTION 
 EMERGENCY MUTUAL AID


Materials & Applications is converting the M&A Storefront (1313 Sunset Blvd, Echo Park) into a mutual aid drop-off center and collection site. From there, we will coordinate with already existing initiatives including Water Drop LA, SELAH, and Street Watch to distribute these donations. Email us to schedule a drop-off or stop by Monday - Friday 5 pm-6 pm. 

We need:
- water, preferably bottles packaged in large palettes for easier distribution 
- shade devices (umbrellas, tents, etc)
- sunscreen 
- PPE
- $$$$ Venmo us @materialsandapplications

We could also use:
- a fridge or freezer to ice water bottles 
- volunteers who will work directly with our partner outreach organizations (DM us and we will connect!)

Our goal is to get cold or ice water, shade devices, and material supplies out to people from Tuesday to Friday this week. All material and monetary goods collected by M&A will be distributed in coordination with local organizations including Waterdrop LA, SELAH and Street Watch.

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Weekly What To Do: Gundam, Super Heroes, New Art & Movies + Cat Comedy

Gundam Online Expo

Thurs, Aug 20,- Aug 31st

The GUNDAM ONLINE EXPO will showcase over 60 event exclusive figures never-before available in the United States, including not only GUNPLA World exhibit exclusives but also THE GUNDAM BASE exclusives – both of which until now were previously only available in Asia.

Drive-In Cinema series ZOMBIE SUMMER Double Feature

 

SHAUN OF THE DEAD @ 8:10p & DAWN OF THE DEAD remake @ 10:40p Double Feature

Fri, Aug 21, 2020, 8:10 PM, Sat, Aug 22, 2020, 12:30 AM PDT

211 West California Avenue Glendale, CA 91203 

$23 – $100 

Friday night, August 21, 2020, we screen a ZOMBIE SUMMER double feature! First up at 8:10pm is Simon Pegg’s and Edgar Wright’s hilarious yet committed zombie comedy SHAUN OF THE DEAD. Then, we look at another side of the Zombie genre with the “how did this turn out so amazing” DAWN OF THE DEAD remake directed by Zack Snyder in 2004.

DC Fandome

 

Saturday, August 22, starting at 10 a.m.

Accessible for 24 hours at DCFanDome.com, the global event will immerse fans into the DC Multiverse, with new announcements from WB Games, Film and TV, and comics, as well as an unprecedented opportunity to hear from the casts and creators behind your favorite feature films and TV series.

Corey Helford Gallery Presents

Okuda San Miguel The New Digital Love

A Rebrousse-Poil by Bruno Pontiroli

Birds of Paradise by Marie Larkin

Troy Brooks Through A Glass Darkly

The New Digital Love opens Saturday, August 22nd in the Main Gallery, alongside solo shows Birds of Paradise from Marie Larkin and A Rebrousse-Poil from Bruno Pontiroli in Gallery 2, and a solo show from Troy Brooks, entitled Through A Glass Darkly, in Gallery 3.

ON VIEW
August 22 – September 26, 2020

COREY HELFORD GALLERY
571 S. Anderson St. Los Angeles, CA 90033

CHG will be hosting a virtual opening on Instagram Live (@CoreyHelfordGallery) this Saturday (8/22) from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Pacific Time, giving fans a visual tour of each show making its debut and featuring guest appearances from each of the artists (using a split-screen view) who will be sharing insight into their new works and fielding questions. Kicking it off at 2:00 pm will be an appearance from Okuda, followed by Bruno and Marie at 3:00 pm, and ending with Troy.

Okuda’s unique iconographic language of multicolored geometric structures and patterns on the streets, railroads and abandoned factories around the globe have made him one of the world's most recognizable street artists of today. His work can be classified as Pop-Surrealism, with a clear essence of street art or urban art, and often raise contradictions about existentialism, the universe, the infinite, the meaning of life, and the false freedom of capitalism.

 

From his dreamlike visions, Bruno Pontiroli conjures up surreal and fantastic universes. His terrifically twisted oil paintings offer mind-bending explorations of the relationship between humans and animals, painting limber cows doing impressive handstands or an over-eager man embracing a large walrus, much to its chagrin. 

Regarding Larkin’s newest series entry entitled Birds of Paradise, she shares “The women in my paintings are as always, a metaphor. In these eight new paintings they symbolize the idea that ‘we are water’ and water is life.

 

Troy Brooks, known for his surrealistic portraits of elongated women and influenced by a mixture of classic Hollywood imagery and ancient mythology, the glamorous women that Brooks paints are eerily seductive and intensely emotional. Brooks' impact on the pop-surrealist movement is widely recognized, exhibiting work in Canada, the U.S. and Europe.

 

ANTHONY CLARKSON All By Design (Project Room)

Sergio Garcia Infinite Circles (Office)

SARAH JONCAS Pretty, Broken Flower (Main Room)

Opening Reception with the Artists: Saturday, August 22, 2020 Virtual Opening via Instagram Live

 All By Design is Anthony Clarkson’s sixth solo exhibition with our gallery. A painter, designer, and illustrator, Clarkson’s oil paintings are ghostly and surreal – dreamlike meanderings through eerily cast dimensions. 

 

Sergio Garcia’s oversized sculptures of skateboard wheels pay playful homage to the defining adolescent subculture of the 1990s and 2000s. Garcia views the skateboard wheel as an integral, yet often overlooked, symbol of the skateboarding ethos. To Garcia, once a set of wheels has been used they assume a new significance, representing the places (and surfaces) skated, like a trophy or badge of honor for teenage rites of passage.

 

Toronto-based Sarah Joncas first exhibited with the gallery in 2009 when only 19 years old. Since then, her accomplished work has developed technically and conceptually, garnering international attention for its moody stylization and emotive impact. Her portrait-based paintings focus primarily on female subjects that function as alter egos or symbolic avatars for social, psychological, and personal themes.

Virtual Comedy Fundraiser

Saturday, Aug 22, 7pm

$15

Need a good laugh - we hear you! This Caturday, CatCafe Lounge and the kittos are hosting a virtual comedy show featuring some of LA's funniest comics. So clear your calendar (oh wait, COVID, er), clear your Netflix bingeing plans, and join us.

Stellar line-up includes:
Jodi Miller
Dana Moon
Camilla Cleese
Andy Kozel
And more to come
Hosted by Ariel Kashanchi

 

TOY STORY 1 Family

 

Sunday, Aug 23, 2020 @ 8:10p

211 West California Avenue Glendale, CA 91203

$23 – $70 
 
And what better way to start then with the movie that launched an entire new studio, genre, string of classic, Pixar’s and Disney’s TOY STORY 1.
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