Rob Gronkowski Named as Official EA SPORTS Madden NFL 17 Cover Athlete

EA Sports officially unveiled the Madden NFL 17 cover art, featuring New England Patriots Tight End Rob Gronkowski. EA and ESPN jointly revealed the cover live during the 6pm ET/3pm PT edition of SportsCenter, alongside a video debuting this year's game. In Madden NFL 17, players on Xbox One and PlayStation®4 can take their team all the way with new gameplay features that elevate the ground game, arming teams for success on both sides of the ball.

EA also released a Madden NFL 17 video today showcasing Gronkowski and the first of several new features for next-gen consoles in this year's game. Fans can check out the Madden NFL 17 website to learn more about improvements to the ground game, including a new path assist feature, new defensive AI and expansion of ball carrier special moves, which give players new creative controls on the ground, all of which are featured on the Xbox One and PlayStation®4 versions of the game.

First Look Video of Preacher

Fandom has just released a new video giving fans an inside look at the upcoming show "Preacher" from AMC. The video featuring the cast and producers of the highly anticipated AMC show Preacher, based on the popular 90’s comic book, and I thought your readers might want to check it out. The video includes never-before-seen interviews with Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and the actors of Preacher, including Ruth Negga and Dominic Cooper. In the interviews, the crew talks about their characters and what fans can expect from the highly anticipated series.

New Gameplay Footage from HoloGrid: Monster Battle

Phil Tippett and Happy Giant just released new gameplay footage from HoloGrid: Monster Battle HoloGrid: Monster Battle’s gameplay is similar to Collectible Card Games (CCG’s) such as Magic: The Gathering or Hearthstone, but uses physical playing cards to trigger Augmented Reality creatures and a gameboard. Players will be able to play head­to­head, either locally or remotely, and offline, non digital play is possible as well through a physical board that will come with the product. A “Hybrid” Board Game, Collectible Card Game (CCG), and Digital Game in one, it delivers to players a new type of gaming experience. Creatures battle on your tabletop with AR HoloGrid: Monster Battle is being built for next gen AR & VR platforms, but will first release for mobile devices, giving players the feeling that the creatures of Phil Tippett are doing battle right in front of them.

Tokyo Pop and Disney Launch "Alice in Wonderland" and "Finding Nemo" in Limited Edition Manga

Tokyo Pop announced today that they will be launching a new line of family-friendly English-language Manga books by Disney. The first title will be “Alice in Wonderland: Special Collector’s Manga” -- a mammoth 352-page hardcover adaptation of the classic film; and the second title will be “Pixar Manga Collection:  Finding Nemo,” a 176-page hardcover adaptation featuring bonus material. TOKYOPOP’s distribution to both the comic book specialty market and bookstores will be handled exclusively by Diamond Comic Distributors. Besides the return to print publishing, TOKYOPOP will be releasing eBook versions of its titles, available on all digital platforms.  In 2016, the company will publish at least one new title per month beginning in May 2016, with upcoming brands to be announced shortly.

Levy commented “I couldn't be more excited to return to publishing with such esteemed licensing and distribution partners.  Diamond boasts the longest experience with comic book distribution and reaches the widest range of retail partners, while Disney’s influence on pop culture speaks for itself.  I’d like to thank our partners, fans, and creative talent for supporting us through the difficult times and keeping their faith in us”.

“We’re delighted to welcome back TOKYOPOP® to publishing,” said Tim Lenaghan, Diamond’s Executive Director of Purchasing. “Their new manga initiatives will surely be a hit with audiences, and we look forward to helping the company market and distribute their titles. We’re especially thrilled that TOKYOPOP® has chosen Diamond Book Distributors to represent them in the book market, as we add to our list of growing manga publishers.” Details of the first two TOKYOPOP releases are:

Title:  Disney‘s Alice in Wonderland Special Collector’s

Manga SRP:  $19.99Pages:

352Hardcover color w/ B&W interiors

Release date:  May 25, 2016

Title:  Disney’s Pixar Manga Collection:  Finding Nemo

SRP:  $15.99

Pages:  176

Hardcover color w/ B&W interiors

Release date:  June 8, 2016
 

Eden of the East Premium Edition (Review)

Akira Takizawa wakes up naked outside the White House with no memories. He’s got a gun in one hand, a cell phone in the other, and doesn’t know if he’s a good guy or one of the worst. He doesn’t remember the phone gives him instant access to ten billion yen and a woman who can make his most outlandish requests a reality. He doesn’t recall his connection to the ongoing missile attacks terrorizing the Japanese people. Or the part he played in the sudden disappearance of 20,000 shut-ins. He doesn’t even remember he’s supposed to save Japan and will be murdered if he fails. Whatever it is he’s tangled up in, Takizawa’s definitely in deep – and that’s not even scratching the surface. A Premium Edition featuring the complete TV series plus movies and exclusive pack-ins, including a gorgeous collectible art box with belly band, art cards, stickers, paper craft, and an exclusive numbered certificate of authenticity.

URBANCE PILOT

Hey O&G fans, the creators of URBANCE have have released the pilot episode of the series. A few years ago we we ran an article on the creators of the anime and the project. Direction :Joël Dos Reis Viegas, Sébastien Larroudé Music : Plaid, The Tanuki Project, B.Ames, HK
Main voices: Ryan George, Vanessa Hasid, Ben Cardilli, Marie Nonnemacher. For those who haven't heard about this amazing anime here is a quick synopsis of the story:

In the crumbling inner city, sex kills. The urban landscape is split in two — men on one side, women on the other— opposing each other. COEVO seems to be the only hope: a government medical treatment developed to cure every single citizen except that those wearables haven't produced the expected results yet... Born among this lost generation of frustrated gangs, Kenzell and Lesya live each day as their last, defying anyone who stands in the way of their union. Like modern avatars of Romeo and Juliet, they will have to choose between love or their kind, Passion VS Reason, Deadly Eves VS Neo Blasterz... In their flamboyant relationship lies the premises of a revolution against the authorities, the vicious Mediators and their mysterious separatist laws. Rebels can change the world...

Check out the pilot:

Countries of production : Canada, France | Year of production : 2015 Production : Steambot, DFP | Animation: Yapiko Animation Direction : Joël Dos Reis Viegas, Sébastien Larroudé Music : Plaid, The Tanuki Project, B.Ames, HK Main voices: Ryan George, Vanessa Hasid, Ben Cardilli, Marie Nonnemacher

Playcrafting Spring Expo 2016

Over 100 game developers will be showing off their latest games one-on-one to a crowd of 700 people. For developers, this is a great opportunity to show off their games (finished or unfinished) and get direct feedback from players. For everyone else, it's a unique opportunity to try out the biggest collection of games made in and around NYC all in one place. Each game gets its own booth as players meet the developers and try out their games. Throw pizza into the mix and you get Playcrafting's biggest event!

May 4th Otakus and Geeks join a crowd of gamers to check out what playcrafting had in store. The atmosphere was great with good food, good people and some really great games. After I stuff my face with the pizza provided it was time to hit the showroom floor. The first game I visited was a beat em up game for mobile and tablet devices called "Justice Royale." This 2d beat em up with a very simple but effective art style was a lot of fun to play. It brought me back to my days when I use to play beat em ups religiously on my genesis. The controls were easy and effective with the use of the touch screen. Tap to attack and swipe in different directions to evade enemy attacks, block and more. The game is really fun to play and with its stick figure art style it's sure to please gamers in the 2d beat em up.

After that I went to another booth that had a cover art of a monkey in space. I was immediately drawn to it. The game is called Major Chimp. A 3D space game created in unreal engine. It features a fully animated astronaut chimpanzee, and players will play him as he goes on his missions to space. You can check my gameplay impressions below.

Next I journey to a booth with a bunch of Space Cats. Animals in space seems to be a recurring theme in gaming. Space Cats in Space is an arcade space shooter game that was cool to play. Using the XBOX controller was easy and effective.  This brings back the classic arcade flight shooters that I like so much. The sound had great production, the gameplay is old school. You can check out the official video from the developer below.

Next was Antipole which is coming for the Nintendo DS. Command gravity in Antipole DX! Antipole DX is a remake of Antipole featuring a variety of improvements including all new graphics and music, extra levels, online leaderboards, Miiverse stamps, and more. Look for Antiople DX in the Nintendo eShop later in 2015.

The Park Review

As the sun sets over Atlantic Island Park, you must explore its dilapidated rides in search of your son, Callum. As darkness falls, you will experience panic and paranoia.

MHz Choice Relaunches with VHX/Vimeo

MHZ Choice announces the re-launch of its SVOD service MHz Choice. Now available through video technology platform VHX, which is a full-stack solution providing the technical capabilities, MHz Choice can now deliver a high quality SVOD experience to their growing list of subscribers.

MHz Choice offers subscribers continuous online access to its critically-acclaimed library, which includes the International Emmy Award-winning series Spiral (Engrenages), and the acclaimed drama A French Village (Un Village Français). Subscribers also have exclusive access to new installments of many of MHz's beloved series such as, the Italian series Detective Montalbano. 

New series, seasons and episodes, will be released on Tuesdays through, MHz Choice adding to their extensive collection of international mysteries, dramas, comedies and documentaries.
 
“After more than 20 years of bringing viewers MHz Worldview, no other media outlet knows this market better and MHz Choice represents the company’s bold next phase. As a commercial network, we aren't just adapting to an ever-changing market, we're leading it,” states Frederick Thomas, MHz Networks founder and CEO.
 
With VHX powering the technology for the SVOD service, MHz can now deliver branded video experiences to fans on the web and across a suite of custom OTT apps developed for iPhone, iPad, Android, and Roku, with a continued roll out of other connected devices to increase subscriber access. New customers receive a free 30-day trial and then subscribe for $7.99 per month.
 

MHz Choice can be accessed online at http://choice.mhznetworks.com.

VIZ Media To Publish First-Ever POKÉMON COOKBOOK Later This Year

Tantalizes the taste buds of POKÉMON fans and home chefs everywhere as it announces plans to publish THE POKÉMON COOKBOOK: EASY & FUN RECIPES on December 6th. Arriving in time for the holidays, THE POKÉMON COOKBOOK: EASY & FUN RECIPES contains delectable and inventive recipes inspired by the best-selling Pokémon characters. Created by Maki Kudo, THE POKÉMON COOKBOOK will carry an MSRP of $14.99 U.S. / $17.99 CAN. Create a variety of delicious dishes that look like your favorite Pokémon characters—from desserts to pizza—with more than 35 fun, easy recipes. Make a Poké Ball sushi roll, Pikachu-style ramen or mashed “Meowth” potatoes for your next party, weekend activity or powered-up lunch box.

“This book offers fans a tasty way to celebrate POKÉMON with dozens of recipes inspired by the property’s many iconic characters,” says Beth Kawasaki, Senior Editorial Director for VIZ Media. “Filled with mouth-watering snacks, entrees and desserts, THE POKÉMON COOKBOOK is sure to become a fun and creative kitchen companion for families and foodies!”

POKÉMON is one of the most successful international entertainment franchises of all time. More than 275 million POKÉMON video game titles and over 21.5 billion Pokémon Trading Cards have been sold in more than 74 countries in addition to substantial publishing and merchandise sales. VIZ Media is the official North American distributor for a wide variety of POKÉMON home media releases including animated series and films and also publishes a variety of POKÉMON manga graphic novel series including Pokémon Adventures, Pokémon Adventures: FireRed & LeafGreen, Pokémon Adventures: Emerald, Pokémon Adventures: Diamond & Pearl/PLATINUM, Pokémon Adventures: HeartGold & SoulSilver, Pokémon Adventures: Black & White and POKÉMON X•Y.

Lenni Reviews: Dreamlands #1 by Felicitas Ivey

(Image Source)

Keno Inusaka is a hacker who stumbled into the computers of a secret organization called The Trust. This organization prides itself on hunting demons so they kidnap Keno and keep him prisoner, letting the world think he's dead. When the facility he works in is breached, Keno finds himself in the Dreamlands; living among the same sort of creatures The Trust kills. He is given as a gift to Samojirou Aboshi, a demon, who treats Keno with more respect than anyone at The Trust ever did. When a team of soldiers come to bring him back, Keno isn't sure if he wants to go, having found a place where he is safe and loved. But The Trust doesn't want to let him go.

This is a pretty awesome first outing for a fantasy series. It's well developed with fun world-building, interesting characters, and an engaging story. Keno and Samojirou are a cute couple and their relationship develops slowly over time. They don't jump into bed right away because Keno's past abuse is addressed and worked through with patience and care; so there isn't much in the way of out and out smut. There are some steamy love scenes so this book is for mature audiences.

If I had to complain about one thing, it would be that the story is terribly short on decent human beings. A lot of fantasy or science fiction stories have "the monsters are more human than the humans" angle but I found myself thinking too often that there are too many assholes in this book. It made me kinda depressed! Other than that, 4.5 out of 5 for this book! I look forward to the next one!

For more reviews and silly things, check out Haunting Hypatia.