Do you like to be creative with Halloween? Original? Show who you really are? Well I have scoured the internet to bring you a compilation of geeky pumpkins. It was actually tough to find ones that weren’t photoshopped. They may not be the prettiest pumpkin carving jobs but they earned my respect.
Star Wars
I love how you can actually tell who the characters are supposed to be. There’s no question. These are all simple enough, anyone could do them with decent results.
Pokemon
I have to admit there were a bunch of Pokemon pumpkins but, I don’t know anything about them so didn’t want to post a picture of a Fraggle as a Pokemon.
Doctor Who
I had hold back from making this a Doctor Who pumpkin article.
Video Games
They aren’t your usual choices when you think of video games. OK maybe Halo 3 is. I don’t think I’d be too happy getting cake instead of candy either. Imagine the mess.
Lord Of The Rings
My Precious
The Nightmare Before Christmas
I admire the artwork of this one most. It very well could be painted, the more I look at it, the more I think it’s a combination of paint and carving. Either way, it is beautiful work.
I also have some stencils for you if you’d like to try some of your own geeky pumpkins at home.
I hope you enjoyed looking at these as much as I enjoyed finding them. If you have a geeky pumpkin or costume, share it with us on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/geekpride1
Halloween is here folks, and as a nod to this most awesome and spooky of holidays, I’ve decided to review my top choice for a Halloween party game. So without further ado, may I introduce you to One Night Ultimate Werewolf!
Now, ONUW is not a new game as such, but a twist on the classic role-play game Werewolf, in which players were each assigned a role, such as a seer, a villager, a huntsman, or even the werewolf itself. Someone would then narrate the story, with the players all closing their eyes, then ‘waking up’ at various points as the narrator read out their role. In this way, the players would glean important information; but of course, not everyone had the same intel which led to lengthy discussions as people accused and counter accused the other players of being the baddies. Each day of the story would end with a vote to kill one of the players in a bid to take out the werewolves. Get it wrong however and a villager would be eaten!
Now the original Werewolf was a blast, but it tended to take a while plus one player could never actually participate as they had to keep their eyes open the whole time to read the story. It also doesn’t lend itself well to non-gamer types who may not want to join in a game that involves sitting quietly for long periods of time. One Night Ultimate Werewolf sought to change this, and by golly did they do well!
Box art is both cartoony and foreboding
As the name suggests, ONUW is played over a single ‘night’, meaning a game takes around 10 minutes. Each player is dealt a card with a role, plus three ‘unknown’ cards in the centre of the table to add an element of mystery to proceedings. One player (unless you download the free app) reads out the story, with people opening and closing their eyes at various stages of the tale; as in the original, different roles will allow the players to obtain bits of information with which to deduce who the werewolves are. The Robber for example can swap a card with any player, whilst the Seer can either look at another player’s card or at two of the unknown cards on the centre of the table.
By using cards for the roles, plus the addition of not knowing what the three extra cards are, players are rarely certain of who is who. The sense of intrigue is palpable, which I absolutely loved! It became a singular matter of pride to lie yourself out of being considered a werewolf, and staying quiet often brought suspicion down upon you so players are almost forced to actively engage; this is a subtle yet strong mechanic to ensure full engagement from the participants which I found to be one of ONUW strongest selling points.
Once the story is over and everyone is ‘awake’, it’s up to the players to reveal information (or not!) in an attempt to winkle out the furry people-munchers. At the end of discussion, the players take a vote; the player with the most votes is killed off. If a villager is killed, the werewolves win; if the villagers kill a werewolf, the villagers win. Simple!
One thing to remember when playing is don’t get too hung up on winning. ONUW often comes down to players having to guess who the werewolves are which in the minds of more strategic gamers could be incredibly frustrating. ONUW is designed specifically for large groups, is inclusive of any level of gamer and to have a short playtime. Don’t expect to occupy a whole evening with ONUW; this game is filler designed to quickly engage and stimulate conversation amongst the players.
A selection of the role cards
One downside to this game is the price. The card stock is amazingly thick and robust, whilst the artwork is a superb cartoon style with a muted pallet, designed to look that little bit foreboding. All this however means you’ll be lucky to get change of a £20 note. The box also includes a set of tokens to assist with random choosing of role cards, or to show to the players what roles are currently ‘in play’ when trying to figure out who is who; the tokens to me felt very superfluous as the games lack of complexity makes it easy to remember what roles are in play, and it was rare that we selected the roles to include at random. Removal of these tokens could have helped get the cost down. Fortunately, the storyteller app is free to download.
I adore this game, as it creates stories of its own, pulling people together in a neat, tight package of a game that engages all no matter what your gaming background is. If you can get over the price, I’d recommend this game to anyone.
For an example of how the game is played, check out this video from the game’s designer, Ted Alspach.
Well Winter MCM this year was rather amazing and we got, thanks to our good friend and PR Directer for SCG, Rom Rom (@CultofVenn) the chance to talk to Jessica Nigri, Jackie Nigri and Kelly Jean
Hey , remember that time David Attenborough, Morgan Freeman Arnold Schwarzenegger and Alan Carr played Assassin’s Creed together?
In a genius bit of UK marketing, Ubisoft UK released this video with an as of yet unidentified vocal artist (or artists) providing auditory likenesses.
So, thanks to Hydra (HAIL HYDRA!) we were treated to this delicious little trailer for Age of Ultron…
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!
Ever wondered what the Avengers were doing right before Ultron wandered in and crushed one of Tony’s favourite suits? Well, dear reader, wonder no more…
ABC have released a very brief TV spot for Marvel’s Agent Carter starring Hayley Atwell. The eight part series will be following early days and establishment of S.H.I.E.L.D. in a time when smart women had to fight harder for recognition. Agent Peggy Carter is already well known to fans of the Marvel cinematic universe making her first appearance in Captain America: The First Avenger and then again in Captain America: Winter Solider. Agent Carter starts in January and I for one am quite excited.
ABC presents its second action packed series from the creative minds at Marvel in “Marvel’s Agent Carter,” inspired by the feature films Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger” and Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” along with the short “Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter.”
Years before Agent Coulson and his S.H.I.E.L.D. team swore to protect those who cannot protect themselves from threats they cannot conceive, there was Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell, Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger,” Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”), who pledged the same oath but lived in a different time when women weren’t recognized as being as smart or as tough as their male counterparts.
But no one should ever underestimate Peggy.
It’s 1946 and peace has dealt Peggy a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy finds herself stuck doing administrative work when she would rather be back out in the field; putting her vast skills into play and taking down the bad guys. But she is also trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life, Steve Rogers – aka Captain America.
When old acquaintance Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper, Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger”) finds himself being framed for unleashing his deadliest weapons to anyone willing to pony up the cash, he contacts Peggy – the only person he can trust – to track down those responsible, dispose of the weapons and clear his name. He empowers his butler, Edwin Jarvis (James D’Arcy, “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World”), to be at her beck and call when needed to help assist her as she investigates and tracks down those responsible for releasing these weapons of mass destruction. But Jarvis, who is a creature of habit and sticks to a rigid daily routine, is going to have to make some major life changes if he’s going to be able to keep up with Peggy.
If caught going on these secret missions for Stark, Peggy could be targeted as a traitor and spend the rest of her days in prison – or worse. And as she delves deeper into her investigation, she may find that those she works for are not who they seem, and she might even begin to question whether Stark is as innocent as he claims.
“Marvel’s Agent Carter” stars Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter, James D’Arcy as Edwin Jarvis, Chad Michael Murray (“One Tree Hill,” “A Cinderella Story”) as Agent Jack Thompson, Enver Gjokaj (“Dollhouse”) as Agent Daniel Sousa and Shea Whigham (“American Hustle,” “The Wolf of Wall Street”) as Chief Roger Dooley.
Tara Butters (“Resurrection”), Michele Fazekas (“Resurrection), Christopher Markus (Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger,” Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”), Stephen McFeely (Marvel’s “Captain America: The First Avenger,” Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”), Chris Dingess (“Men in Trees”), Kevin Feige (Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”), Louis D’Esposito (Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Marvel’s “Iron Man 3”), Alan Fine (Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” Marvel’s “Thor”), Joe Quesada (“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Marvel’s Avengers Assemble”), Stan Lee (“Spider-Man,” “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk”) and Jeph Loeb (“Smallville,” “Lost,” “Heroes”) are executive producers. “Marvel’s Agent Carter” is produced by ABC Studios and Marvel Television.
Last night at a special media event Marvel set the internet alight by announcing a raft of films for Phase 3. Our geeks feeds were bombarded with so much information that we need to break it down, therefore I present for you Marvel’s Phase 3 that goes a little something like this.
Marvel initially were a little tricksy by telling everyone Cap 3 would be called Serpent Society but it was a total fake out. Yes Civil War is coming with Chris Evans and it as expected Robert Downey Jnr will feature heavily, but it was also confirmed that Black Panther will be appearing in this movie but we’ll talk about Black Panther a little further down.
The Civil War comics revolved a tragic event leading to the government insisting heroes to register and therefore give up their secret identities. The issue became a ‘civil war’ with Iron Man leading the yes campaign and Captain America on the opposing side. In the MCU there aren’t so much heroes with secret identities, but Kevin Feige – mastermind of the Marvel movie universe – had this to say “Events of the whole cinematic universe will make all governments in the world want regulation. Not so much about secret identity, but about who reports to who.”
Spider-Man was integral to this story arc, and it has been rumoured that Sony were in negotiations with Marvel for his appearance but when questioned Kevin Feige, the mastermind behind the Marvel movie universe, appeared quite cagey about it and only had this to say “Anything that wasn’t specifically and obviously revealed today is either not true at all, or still rumour until it’s worked out”. Not a definite no then.
Other than the release date no other information was revealed. In the last few days it has been rumoured that Marvel’s choice is Benedict Cumberbatch, Feige did say that if the lead had been cast then they would have announced it today.
Next up:
Again no information, but that doesn’t mean we’re not excited.
No details as such just crossed fingers that this film will be based on the Walt Simonson story arc from the 80s, consider by many to be one of the greatest Thor stories ever told.
Black Panther will make his first appearance in Captain America 3: Civil War and then have in solo outing the year after. Marvel have cast Chadwick Boseman as the hero and leader of Wakanda, he appeared on stage with Evans and Downey Jr during the the event. It is also rumoured that he has signed up for a 5 picture deal suggesting he may become a regular in the Avengers line up. Feige had this to say about the character “He’s a bit of a prince, he may even become a bit of a king, but it’s all about how this isolationist country meets the world. Maybe it goes well, maybe it doesn’t.”
Some rather awesome concept art was also revealed:
This next announcement has pleased so many people and in particular our very own writer Laura, who has been campaigning for film for so very long, though she will still have to wait until 2018.
And yes Feige confirmed it is going to be Carol Danvers. No casting news as yet, though I awoke this morning to find a campaign has already started to cast Katee Sachoff in the role, fingers crossed Marvel are listening.
Inhumans is coming in the winter of 2018, but no news on this one, since it’s four years away that is understandable.
2018 is a busy year when you throw in Avengers: Infinity Wars Part I, with Part II coming a year after. Infinity wars can only mean one thing – the confrontation with Thanos that Marvel have spent the last few years building towards. It has been confirmed that after the events of Avengers: Age if Ultron and Captain America: Civil War the Avengers line up will look very different. Either way Marvel ever the teased give us this glimpse, look at all those stones people, that is six stones, yikes.
Phew that is one hell of a lot of Marvel movies coming our way and much to be excited about. Couple of disappointments though, no Black Widow or Hulk solo outings, I really wanted to see a Planet Hulk film. Marvel have made my disappointment sting a little less with the promise of Civil War and Captain Marvel. What are you most excited to see? Is there anything that should be there and isn’t?
During my glance over the stands and companies attending Play Expo 2014, MAG Studios and their games CDF: Ghostship and Aftermath, I was immediately interested. CDF: Ghostship is the first in the series, with Aftermath as its sequel. Let me tell you why..
CDF: Ghostship is a free roaming, first person shooter, with a hint of Survival Horror. You wander the CDF Goliath, a Space Station and a Colony, fighting against Aliens, Crew Members, and enemies of the CDF. There are four game modes to choose from; Story, Onslaught, Challenge and Simulation.
The Story mode lets you take responsibility for two characters, playing through the various areas such as the Goliath. If you like the atmosphere of darker games, where the atmosphere really creates a sense of dread, you’ll love this. Onslaught is a survival mode, where you must fight off wave after wave of enemies using various weapons dotted around the maps. There are eight maps to choose from, all of them very large areas to roam.
The Challenge mode brings an element of the story mode to a quick game format, having to solve puzzles or kill various enemies, but they are slightly more difficult. Completing them unlocks achievements, so for those collectors of achievements out there, well worth the time. Finally is Simulation mode, and this isn’t what it sounds like. This is the Unreal engines bread and butter; Capture the Flag, Team Death match and various other game types. As ever though MAG Studios have put their personal spin on the genre; neutral enemies will attack everyone in Simulation mode. So one moment you’ll be battling each other, then you may join forces to defeat a wave.
The game played very well, and I was soon absorbed within the demo, to the point I never realised that ten minutes had passed. If you like FPS, Science Fiction and games with atmosphere, then this is your game. However let me tell you about its sequel.
CDF: Aftermath is a free roaming, first person survival horror game, made exclusively for the Oculus Rift. You wander the CDF Goliath, a long time after the happenings of CDF: Ghostship, three hundred and fifty years to be exact. You are a scientist looking into a possible on board infection, of a Ghostship that went quiet two weeks ago. Your unarmed, and you have to scavenge for weapons and ammunition to fight whatever is on board. Your oxygen is limited, you have just over an hour and a half, however run and you use it four times as fast. Your torch lasts an hour, that’s it. Every action you take, decides how the game continues, or maybe ends. And talk about ending, there is Permadeath, die and you must restart.
That’s where the game gets even better, every single game is unique. The ship may be the same ship, with exactly the same layout, but everything else is different. What you encounter, what you find, where you find it, narrative…EVERYTHING. No two games are the same. The environment is immensely immersive, especially if you play it with its native system, the Oculus Rift.
The game is such a huge level of atmosphere, when you look around with the Rift on, you can see inside your helmet. The helmet has how much oxygen you have left, ammunition, torch battery. Its a vital part of your interaction within the Ghostship, and the Rift really gives you that feel.
The only complaint, which is also a great accomplishment for the game, is the speed with which you move at. The ship is huge, and it can take nearly twenty plus minutes to walk from one end, to the other, in a straight line. That walk however, is worth it. The atmosphere is there, the shadows feel and look like shadows. The game was designed from the ground up using the Oculus Rift, and dedicated for the Oculus Rift. Although you can play the game without, it won’t do it justice.
After giving both games a go, I managed to have a chat with Shaun Williams, owner and main developer of MAG Studios.
Tell me a little bit about CDF: Aftermath? Its a Sci-Fi Survival horror with rogue like elements, such as Permadeath. Its a free roaming game within a massive huge Spaceship. Each game is one life, each game is unique with random narrative, random objectives, random storyline, where the aliens are is random. Each game is different, totally, no two being the same.
Why is this game Unique? Its made for VR, not a PC game ported across for VR. Its one of the first games properly made with Virtual Reality in mind. It was designed from the ground up, the way you interact with the environment, you atmosphere, even your helmet. Its quite a slow moving game, but it gives you time to interact with the atmosphere and the environment around you. You have one life, its very rogue like, if you die, that’s it; Permadeath. You have to find oxygen, and there are bad guys lurking around everywhere. Guns are scares, as is the ammunition.
Who is this game aimed at? Sci-Fi fans will love this, just walking around a spaceship in VR is enough.
How long has it taken for you to make the game? Two years, the first game MAG Studios made, CDF: Ghostship, we actually put on hold to produce Aftermath. We were going to make Ghostship VR compatible, but decided that we didn’t want to port it. We wanted to follow feedback given about how ported games don’t really work well in VR. So we created a game that was specifically designed for VR, which was Aftermath.
Tell me about CDF: Ghostship? CDF: Ghostship is a first person shooter. Its based around two hundred and fifty years in the future, taking a lot of influence from science fiction films and stories, like Aliens, The Thing etc. The main emphasis is on the a free roaming game, on a huge Star ship, there aren’t any games like that. Aftermath carry’s on that trend, but in a survival horror element.
So if I play Ghostship, then play Aftermath, will I know my way around the ship? Yes, if you play any game where the ship is the same, you will know your way around it. It’s the same ship, but the ship is split into three sections. Its a huge ship, each section is split into the various sections.
What’s the difference in your characters within the game? In Ghostship you are a Marine, in armour, armed to the teeth. You can move quicker, kill better and do more with it. In Aftermath, your a research scientist, wandering the same ship, but in a huge bulky suit, not designed for combat. Your not armed with a hell of a lot of weaponary, so you have to rely more on instinct.
I really enjoyed my time playing the games, and seeing someone’s passion for the science fiction scene take shape in such a good game filled me with hope. From what I have heard, Alien: Isolation may look very pretty, but it doesn’t play too well. Look no further, this is the replacement, and it even has a prequel to boot! Aftermath is out now and Ghostship is out on the 31st of October.
Yesterday Deadline announced that Marvel have finally settled on their Doctor Strange and have chosen he who can do no wrong, Benedict Cumberbatch. Whilst there is no official confirmation from Marvel, Deadline are suggesting that negotiations between the actor and the studio have begun and once all is in agreement an official press release will be forth coming. Once again, just to be sure, THERE IS NO OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION.
Ever since a Doctor Strange film was added to the Marvel movie universe roster, the rumours began with a number of actors being considered for the role. Notably the strongest suggestion was Joaquin Phoenix but it was later reported that negotiations fell through. The likes of Colin Farrell and Keanu Reeves were also rumoured neither of which I feel has the presence to portray the Sorcerer Supreme.
Cumberbatch is no stranger to roles considered gold in popular geekdom, his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes resulted in a fandom that basically keeps Tumblr ticking over and of course there was the ‘not so surprising’ reveal as Khan in JJ Abrams Star Trek Into Darkness, not forgetting he lent has lent his voice to the dragon Smaug in the Hobbit trilogy films. Really it was only a matter of time before he stepped into the role of a superhero. Fingers crossed it is real and not just another rumour.
How do you feel about this news? Would you be happy with Cumberbatch playing the role? Is there another actor better suited?
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