Tag Archives: Pacific Northwest

“No Hope” for a Franchise. Transformers: Heavy Metal AR

16 Jun

Pokémon Go creator Niantic announces Transformers: Heavy Metal AR game - PolygonBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

The battle for which faction will occupy Earth is not likely at the core of the upcoming mobile AR game, Transformers: Heavy Metal. The media’s abuzz about bringing this Hasbro property to the videogame world again, and honestly, I’m not excited. I’m more curious in when the reboot will be brought back to the screen again (recent Netflix program notwithstanding).

Niantic Inc is involved in the development cycle, and early images suggest this product may well be another Pokemon GO clone. Seattle-based software house, Very Very Spaceship (known for Truck Stars) is leading the development. This four-year-old business doesn’t have a lot of recognition to get some fans excited.

This company is a self-described, “motley crew of space faring designers, engineers, artists and storytellers from the Pacific Northwest and beyond. For the past three years, under the leadership of BAFTA winning founder Sean Vesce (Never Alone, Tomb Raider Series, Mechwarrior Series), we have been solving the problems of the unknown for incredible partners like Google, Microsoft and others. We are a tight-knit group of makers thriving in our undiscovered future, making shared game experiences in AR, VR, Geolocation, Live Streaming and more. In addition to our client work, we develop and release original indie experiments like the recent Knife 2 Meat U, available at our itch.io page.”

Considering how huge Transformers fandom is, Hasbro’s quality control division ought to squash any bumblebees.

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Who Needs Ghosts after Halloween when there’s Sasquatch Among Wildmen?

5 Nov

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Release Date:
November 10th

Uncork’d Entertainment

Halloween isn’t over yet. Some turn that casual interest in the unknown into a lifetime career. Darcy Weir, an independent documentary filmmaker, is the supernatural explorer who prefers to chase after cryptids than the spooky. Though he grew up in a relatively normal environment, his parents always encouraged him to pursue his interests. Part of it included acting, taking part in local theatre and also working on television. He says Walter Murch is an immense influence, and it shows in the self-made DIY documentaries he made. They have a very story-driven approach. Instead of working in Hollywood, he’s producing his own ventures.

Sasquatch and the Wildman is certainly informational. Two years went into the making of this documentary, and the fact it goes to other parts of the world not as well known to explore the myths, taboos and sightings is terrific. We still have the Pacific Northwest connection, but there’s more to it than simply visiting Cougar, Washington who turned interest with this beast into a tourist type thing. Less is said about this cryptids influence in local culture and it reveals more about its purpose on this planet.

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The 2020 Pacific Northwest Convention Scene & How Star Trek Plays into It…

26 Nov

By Ed Sum (Find him on Twitter as @edohotep)

In the Pacific Northwest, if the organizers behind the coming “comic book” conventions for next year are not careful, the focus on Star Trek will not be as exciting as it ought to be. The 90s was ripe for the scene because everyone loved watching The Next Generation. Appearances of talents from this franchise at a comic book store or science fiction convention was a guaranteed draw. I met a handful of these talents before charging for autographs became a mandatory thing.

CBS All Access Picard is a dream come true. It’s a continuation of The Next Generation and will bring the cast back (or feature other Admirals, past villains and etc) as easy as writing a time travel episode.

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Victoria’s Phenomacon or Vancouver’s Geektopia – Oh, the Choices, the choices!

5 Jul

Image result for canada flagThe Canadian side of the Pacific Northwest is going to be busy with two brand-new one-day shows on July 6th.

Phenomacon and Geektopia look great for what the organizers plan on to attract locals to attend than from all over the province, country or otherwise. It’s more about friends getting together to have fun and perhaps making new ones. Cosplay will be big for both because its the mainstay for many a show, and prizes are to be awarded.

When considering Anime Expo is also this weekend, even those who aren’t able to travel far to partake in some geekery can find something nearby instead and make it home the same day!

The following is a description of what to expect. Continue reading →

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Fan Expo Vancouver 2018 Report

25 Oct

215d2-fanexpovancouverBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Anyone who enjoys reading comic books, meeting celebrities and shopping for geeky novelties will flock to events like Fan Expo Vancouver (FXV), no matter when or where it takes place. This year, they moved from their November slot to October mid-month, from Oct 12-14th and scaled it back. Those who have frequently been to this annual event noticed.

Instead of taking up two floors of the West Vancouver Convention Center, everything was packed into one space. As I have reported in previous articles, the East Building has SHUX, a closed to the public board game event. I could approach check-in and look yonder to know the layout was similar to FXV’s. And that’s to pack everything into one space instead of spreading it out. This event probably took up three-quarters of the main floor. On the map, the area dedicated to panels and sellers were smaller and I was glad to know I was not missing anything special. Attendees to this event were not here to shop, but rather play demos and new games; I could not spot card games like Magic the Gathering.

If I had to pick between two events the same weekend, my money is on Fan Expo.

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