Legend of Korra Book Four: Balance Blu-ray Release

After 10 years, 2 avatars, and a slew of exciting characters the incredible franchise that started with a young air bender named Aang, is coming to an end. Korra beat Amon, she connected the human and spirit world, and stopped  The Red Lotus from ending the line of the Avatar. Book 4 is her most turbulent journey yet.

Book 4: Balance is the perfect ending to this epic series. Zaheer's poison took a toll on Korra both physically and mentally. She is haunted by the image of herself in the Avatar state while she was under the control of the poison. The season begins 3 years later, on the day Team Avatar, Korra, Asami, Bolin and Mako, are meant to finally reunite. When her father arrives without her however, they discover Korra has been missing for months. She has begun a journey of self realization. She meets an old friend of Aang's who helps her extract the final remnants of the poison just in time to face Kuvira, the metal bender who after the fall of the earth queen is conquering the Earth Kingdom.

The original series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, has the most vibrant group of memorable characters and Korra follows suit. The dynamic of this Team Avatar is reminiscent of the original crew. Bolin is the funny guy who is always has your back in a fight and a joke ready for a tough day. Asami who although she is not a bender, is a technological genius who can hold her own in a fight against any bender. Mako the cool under pressure muscle with impeccable instincts, except with women. They are just the start. Book Four beautifully ties up story lines of characters that appear throughout the series. For example, Asami's father Hiroshi returns. Before Book 4, we last saw Hiroshi being arrested for supporting Amon, now he helps Asami engineer a weapon to level the playing field during the final battle.

There are hours of bonus features. They include commentaries on each episode by the creators, actors, producers and animators. They open your eyes to the complexities of creating a master piece like The Legend of Korra. There are moments they cherish, that perhaps the audience missed watching the series for the first time, or visual cues they may have glossed over. Next they include a recording of the last ever New York Comic Con Panel. Each of actor explain what a personal and profound effect the series has had on their lives. It a comprehensive look at the making of this incredible journey.

For Avatar fans this Blu-ray release is a must have.

Review: Powers Pilot Ep.

Hey Otakus and Geeks fans, tonight at midnight the Playstation network released the first three episodes from season one of Powers. Before I get to the review here is a brief synopsis of the series.

Powers, an edgy dramatic series, follows the lives of two homicide detectives, Christian Walker
and Deena Pilgrim, who are assigned to investigate cases involving people with superhuman
abilities, referred to as “Powers.” Set amidst today’s paparazzi culture, Powers asks the questions,
what if the world was full of superheroes who aren’t actually heroic at all? What if all that power
was just one more excuse for mischief, mayhem, murder, and endorsement deals?

REVIEW: You might not be familiar with the comic book series written by Written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by Michael Avon Oeming for Image comics in 2000. Powers is an examination of how superheroes might work in the real world. The series follows Christian Walker (Sharlto Copley) a former Superhero (Diamond) who lost his powers in a violent fight with his mentor Wolfe. After is partner is killed processing a criminal with powers, he is given a new partner Deena Pilgrim (Susan Heyward), she the daughter of a legendary lawman.

Like most pilot episode, Powers spends some time telling the back story of the main character. The dark and horrible past of Christian Walker and how he copes with everyday life as a normal human. The pilot episode will drag a bit, but keeps you interested enough to the end and curious enough to want to see the next episode ( Which is really good). One thing I like about this series is its rated R theme. It has violent real life situation (cursing included) that makes me say "this is how Heroes return series should be".

There are multiple powers in the series, teleportation, strength, flight, armor suits, laser eye beams, light manipulation and levitation. In this first episode we learn powers are the way to fame and fortune. The better the powers the bigger the fame. The younger generation is heavily influenced by this concept.

Overall it looks like Sony has a hit so far. If you like Arrow, The Flash, or the Walking Dead, this is a series you should check out. The first three of ten episodes will arrive on the PlayStation Network on Tuesday, March 10th (around midnight), and the following seven will be released in order, with a new episode every Tuesday. PlayStation Plus subscribers will be able to watch the whole season for free. The pilot will also be available outside PSN, for free, at PlayStation.com/Powers.

By Sean Tucker

Marvel Releases Secret Wars BattleBoard Map

Marvel has announced the release a special Secret Wars Battleboard fold out map. Showcasing all 41 territories of Battleworld, along with the covers for every "Secret Wars" title being released in May and June, the Battleboard measures a whopping 13.25" by 20.375".

The map also suggests Marvel has nine more Secret Wars series to announce before the release of the June 2015 solicitations later this month.

Shinra Technologies Announces Hardsuit Labs As The Latest Developer To Join Its Prototype Accelerator Program

Shinra Technologies, Inc announced that Seattle-based independent developer, Hardsuit Labs, is the latest experienced studio to join Shinra's Prototype Accelerator program.

Hardsuit Labs is a newly-founded studio comprised of developers best known for their continuing work on the free-to-play shooter, Blacklight Retribution. “We have a long history of being early tech adopters – with previous efforts focused on new engines, new consoles, and new business models – and now the opportunity to be an early adopter of cloud gaming is extremely exciting,” says Hardsuit Labs co-founder Russell Nelson.

Shinra’s technology and platform are designed with the intention of offering players exciting new game experiences unavailable anywhere else. The Prototype Accelerator exists to foster invention and allow forward-thinking developers the freedom needed to create bold, new gaming experiences that are otherwise impossible within the limits of traditional game development.

“The opportunity to work in Shinra’s Prototype Accelerator is a truly empowering experience. As a developer and as a gamer, all of the things that you dream about being able to do are, for the first time, not just technically feasible but realistically achievable in ways that will push game design and gameplay to new and exciting realms,” offered Hardsuit Labs co-founder Andy Kipling. “When Hardsuit Labs first heard the pitch for the Shinra platform we were immediately intrigued and excited, and now the opportunity to work closely with Shinra through their Prototype Accelerator program has compounded that excitement tenfold.”

Shinra Technologies Senior Vice President, Jacob Navok, says, “We’re excited for what Hardsuit Labs is working on. With Hardsuit Labs and Camouflaj, as well as others to come, we are arranging a portfolio of unique and dynamic content. We invite other like-minded developers to reach out to us.”

Shinra Technologies will host a special event in San Francisco on March 5th to showcase its latest innovative technology as a limited preview to developers. Developers, publishers, and media are invited. To learn more about the event, please visi thttps://www.shinra.com/us/event.