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Another week, another new set of deals at my GameFanShop partner store. You get great discounts on PC games while I get a small cut of the sale to help keep Sketchy Details up and running. This week has great deals on Remember Me, BioShock Infinite, Grid 2 and more. There are over 1000 games to suit any PC gamers wants and needs.

GameFanShop Deals

Slipstream #1: Welcome to Pulp Culture

I warned you about this on Saturday and it’s here already. This is Slipstream, my vlog on pulp culture. Pulp culture is a catch-all for horror, sci-fi, and fantasy. The first issue is all about my background, the draw of the genres, and how they’re all related to each other and reality.

This is also my entry for the Geek & Sundry Vlogs channel. They’re looking for 10 new vloggers to join the channel. Even if I don’t get selected, I plan on keeping up with the videos. I don’t want to set a schedule just yet, but I’m thinking two a month is pretty reasonable. Besides, I have other video series dedicated to art/craft and home haunting planned that will debut this month.

Insider trivia from the episode:

  • I prepared a huge visual aid for the Neil Gaiman segment that I couldn’t get into focus on screen. My scanner is too small to pick it up, either, so I went straight up competitive forensics with the hand signals.
  • This took 9 takes with a loose outline memorized in my head. The camera fell over after take 5, hence the perspective jumps.
  • The Geek Love segment came to me on the spot in my last take. It really was just window dressing. I filmed similar segments on The Handmaid’s Tale, District 9, Friday the 13th, Jason and the Argonauts, Marie Christine (musical), and Star Wars.
  • The painting in the back is one I took over for a family member who abandoned it. I also painted the fire dragon, rusting robot, and stained glass Gin Gwai (The Eye) fan art in the back.
  • That is the piano I arrange all my music on and, yes, I was working on some Nightmare Before Christmas and Legend of Zelda arrangements.

Like, share, comment, and subscribe. The Sketchy Details YouTube channel is where all the con videos are going to go. The vlogs will be there. The art and haunt videos will be there. I upload the occasional cover song, as well.

The Purge Giveaway!

The Purge is coming out this Friday, 7 June, and I’m pretty darn excited for it. I love a good home invasion horror and this one looks like it starts where Shirley Jackson ends “The Lottery.”

If, on one night every year, you could commit any crime without facing consequences, what would you do?

In an America wracked with crime and overcrowded prisons, the government has sanctioned an annual 12-hour period in which any and all criminal activity–including murder–becomes legal. The police can’t be called. Hospitals suspend help. It’s twelve hours when the citizenry regulates itself without thought of punishment. On this particular night in 2022, plagued by violence and an epidemic of crime, one family wrestles with the decision of who they will become when a stranger comes knocking.

When an intruder breaks into James Sandin’s (Ethan Hawke) gated community during the yearly lockdown, he begins a sequence of events that threatens to tear his family apart. Now, it is up to James, his wife, Mary (Lena Headey), and their kids to make it through the night without turning into the monsters from whom they hide.

I received a great offer for you guys and I am happy to announce a giveaway at Sketchy Details. The prize is a gift pack from The Purge featuring a t-shirt and a mask inspired by the film.

There are two ways to enter the giveaway.

First, take the #SurviveTheNight quiz below, share your result, and tell me how you would really survive The Purge. Would you grab a mask and take to the streets? Lock your doors and windows and wait out the mayhem? Everyone who leaves a comment with the results and their own strategy will be entered in a random drawing for the prize pack.

Second, you can earn an additional entry by tweeting me, @robertjgannon, with a link to this post and the hashtags #SurviveTheNight and #ThePurge.

The winner will be announced on Monday, 17 June. Each entry will be assigned a number in a spreadsheet. I will then use the Random.org Sequence Generator to pick a winner.

GameFanShop Round Up: 3 June 2013

You like games. I have discounts available for PC games. Shop at my GameFanShop partner store, get great deals on games, and support Sketchy Details. Easy as that.

Here are this week’s deals. They expire on Sunday, 9 June 2013.

GRID 2 is on sale for $39.99 (20% off). The sequel to the popular racing game just came out last week and has a Metacritic score of 82/100 for the PC version. The game will be downloaded through Steam.

Anno 2070: Complete Edition is back on sale for $27.99 (38% off). Originally released in 2011, the Complete Edition of the city building/RTS game features the original game and the Deep Ocean expansion pack. The game will be downloaded through Ubisoft’s Uplay system.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II is on sale for $45.99 (23% off). PC is the way to go for FPS games and this one is no exception. The game will be downloaded through Steam.

Metro: Last Light: Limited Edition is on sale for $46.99 (15% off). This version features an extra gameplay mode, an extra weapon, and stronger ammunition for a more immersive FPS experience. The game will be downloaded through Steam.

Defiance is on sale for $35.99 (40% off). This MMOshooter tied into a SyFy show is really picking up steam as more players join in on the action. The game will be downloaded through the publisher.

You can also pick up the Defiance Season Pass (all of the DLC as it comes out) for $27.99 (30% off). You need to have a copy of the Defiance game for this to work.

Guild Wars 2 is on sale for $46.99 (6% off). This popular MMORPG earned a Metacritic score of 90/100 when it was released last August. The game will be downloaded through the publisher.

For my fellow The Sims 3 players, you can get the University Life expansion pack for $23.99 (40% off). This expansion pack adds a bunch of new skill items, new party options, and new locations in the town as your young adult Sims go to college. The game will be downloaded through EA’s Origin.

Company of Heroes: Gold Edition is on sale for $19.99 (33% off). This combines the original Company of Heroes RTS game with the expansion pack Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts. The game will be downloaded through Steam.

F1 Race Stars is on sale for $32.99 (18% off). This game takes actual Formula One league racers and drops them into a kart racing game. The game will be downloaded through Steam.

With over 1000 PC titles to download right now, GameFanShop has something for every gamer. Check out my partner store to get great discounts on games and help Sketchy Details stay open.

Best of May 2013 & Coming in June

Let’s start off with what’s coming up. June is the start of my summer of conventions. I’ll be attending AnimeNEXT in Somerset, NJ next weekend. These are the same people that ran MangaNEXT last year. I’ll also be going to ConnectiCon in Hartford, CT 12-14 July (starts the 11, but I’m working M-F teaching theater at a day camp). I’m also going to be at the first ever Geek Creation Show in Parsippany, NJ 2-4 August; I have to inquire about a press pass still but I might just submit some panels/workshops for the event. Who doesn’t want to learn how to craft with foam or write about geek culture? And I’ve also been confirmed for NYCC 2013 and I am ready to harass the Strip Search contestants who won Artist Alley Tables.

There are other events I’ll be at all throughout the summer in the vein of No Quarters: one day/night things connected to geek culture.

The Preston Files will be debuting this month for sure. I didn’t feel comfortable launching without any buffer built in even if it’s a pop culture comic. I never know when my schedule is going to become complete overwhelming and stop me from having the spare time to write and draw.

I will also be launching some video projects this month. Geek & Sundry is looking for vloggers and I’m in the process of editing my submission video. Surprise: it’s on genre entertainment. Shocking, I know. Felicia Day said vlog what you’re passionate about and it was that or flop Broadway musicals.

I also plan on doing some videos connected to art, home haunting, and video games, as well. I’ve been slowly building up my home studio, upgrading my equipment, and outlining shows since January. Now’s as good a time as any to make the leap.

June is also the Second Annual Cinefessions Summer Screams Challenge. I’ll be writing a lot about horror and sci-fi this month as I attempt to fill out my dance card for the contest. It’s not to late to join–just contact Branden/psymin with a link to your blog post that you’ll use to keep score.

Now that we’ve gazed into the future, let’s linger in the past with the best of May 2013. AniMAY was a rousing success for me and produced some of my favorite pieces ever. Check them all out at the AniMAY page.

Dead Island: Riptide and the Case of Misunderstood Advertising

I know the Dead Island series, especially Riptide, is pretty polarizing with video game fans. The trailers suggested far more emotional gameplay than the open world survival horror/rpg title delivered. Those storylines are in the game, but they’re not the focus and you rarely deal with those scenarios while playing.

Riptide‘s advertising campaign has been fraught with controversy. The special edition statue of the ripped up female torso in a bikini was heavily criticized as soon as it was announced.

It is a, shall we say, jarring choice for a promotional figure. What does sexualizing a beheaded corpse have to do with the game? Not much. It was a misfire. Not all ad campaigns and promotional materials are good choices.

What I thought was very effective was the CGI trailer for Dead Island: Riptide. A man and a woman, clearly in love, are on a small yacht in the middle of the sea. An ominous music cue pushes the couple below deck. A romantic piano theme accompanies the couple’s embrace in the small quarters. The camera pans up and zombies are trying to smash their way onto the boat. The propane tanks are open, causing waves of gas to ripple against the zombie-obscured sunset. The woman mouths “I love you” to the man before joining his hand on the lighter they will use to blow up the ship and save themselves from becoming zombies.

It is a dark and brutal love story that is meant to shock the viewer. It is a reminder that the zombie apocalypse has landed on Dead Island and it’s an either/or proposition. Either your character survives or the zombies thrive. One character type must die to allow the other to take control.

The NSFW and triggery video is embedded here.

I think it’s a brilliant advertisement for a game that needed a boost to sell. The critics were kind to Dead Island but word of mouth gave it a disappointing reputation.

I enjoyed the open world gameplay and wide variety of missions to find and reconnect missing persons but others were let down by the constant assault of human zombies. Techland and Deep Silver aimed for naturalism in a zombie game and the lack of more diverse enemies–they’re all regular human zombies–played against the standard design for survival horror. If the enemies just increase in number rather than difficulty, it can become repetitive.

Australia’s Advertising Standards Board has banned this Dead Island: Riptide ad from appearing on TV in Australia. Why? Suicide.

The Board noted the fantasy content and the stylised nature of the advertisement and considered that the issue of suicide is a depiction of violence which is not justifiable even in the context of an advertisement for a computer game aimed at adults.

The issue of suicide is a very significant community concern and considered that the use of images which are strongly suggestive of suicide is not appropriate in the context of a television advertisement for a computer game.

AIE is distributing the game in Australia and attempted to fight the ASB’s decision. Their argument is perfectly valid. Dead Island: Riptide is a game for adults that covers mature subject matter. The advertisement does not sensationalize suicide, encourage it, or depict it in a way that diminishes its impact.

ASB’s response basically says they feel any depiction of suicide is inappropriate for any audience in an advertisement. That’s a huge restriction to set. Sure, most products would not benefit from an ad featuring this kind of imagery. But a survival horror game, a dark film, or a cerebral novel might have to address it in an advertising campaign.

Now, the ASB has established this standard that suicide cannot be depicted in ads. They’ve done it under the guise of protecting viewers from violent and upsetting imagery. They either believe an adult audience is not mature enough to ever handle the subject matter or that video games, as a medium, are not mature enough to address significant social issues like suicide. It’s a case of censorship by way of overly protective media guides.

I can’t tell if they’re insulting the intelligence of the target audience, insulting the artistic integrity of the video game industry, or slapping both groups in the face at the same time. Either option is equally depressing to me. The quality of the game is inconsequential to the discussion. The ASB said people and/or games can’t handle mature themes, therefore mature themes do not belong on TV advertisements. That’s a very limiting view of advertising and video games and it makes me sad for whoever handed down this decision.

What do you think? Share your thoughts below.

GameFanShop Round Up: 27 May 2013

You like games. I have discounts available for PC games. Shop at my GameFanShop partner store, get great deals on games, and support Sketchy Details. Easy as that.

Here are this week’s deals. They expire on Sunday, 2 June 2013.

Metro: Last Light is available in two editions. The standard edition is on sale for $39.99 (20% off).

The Limited Edition, with an extra game mode, an extra weapon, and better ammo, is on sale for $43.99 (20% off). This FPS is sitting pretty with an 82/100 on Metacritic right now.

Not to be left out, Metro 2033 is on sale for $8.99 (40% off). Play the post-apocalyptic FPS that led to the development of the critically acclaimed sequel for cheaper than ever.

Defiance continues to drop in price. The regular edition is on sale for $35.99 (40% off).

The Deluxe Edition, with all sorts of exp and gameplay boosts to start you off right, is on sale for $48.99 (50% off).

The Season Pass, giving you all the DLC as it’s released, is on sale for $27.99 (30% off).

For fans of The Sims 3, you can pick up three of the better expansion packs for real cheap this week. Seasons adds all sorts of new clothes and events to correspond with the calendar year for $22.99 (43% off).

University Life adds on the college experience for your young adult Sims for $22.99 (43% off).

Ambitions adds on all new careers and even workplace control for $22.99 (43% off).

The last deal is a brand new one for GameFanShop. Resident Evil Revelations is on sale for $41.99 (16% off) for the first time. This is a new adaptation of the 3DS Resident Evil game that allows you to play without paying for a $30 accessory that only works on a handful of games. PC is the way to go with this game if you don’t have it already.

With over 1000 PC games to download, GameFanShop is bound to have something for everyone to enjoy. They have a wide array of point and click adventure games, murder mystery titles, and even kids games. You register an account, pay for your games, and receive an e-mail with the Steam code or the link to download the game. Simple as that.

Have a look around the Sketchy Details GameFanShop and see if there’s anything you like. I get a small commission on each sale through the referral link and you get a great game for a great price. We both win.

GameFanShop Round Up: 20 May 2013

You like games. I have discounts available for PC games. Shop at my GameFanShop partner store, get great deals on games, and support Sketchy Details. Easy as that.

Here are this week’s deals. They expire on Sunday, 26 May 2013.

  • Metro: Last Light is on sale for $39.99 (20% Off). The PC version of this post-apocalyptic FPS sequel has an 82/100 at Metacritic.
  • Wargame: AirLand Battle is on sale for $36.99 (13% Off). This is a special pre-release price. The Cold War RTS game all about plane warfare doesn’t officially come out until 29 May.
  • Might & Magic Heroes VI: Shades of Darkness is on sale for $26.99 (10% off). The sixth game in the RTS fantasy series features a brand new faction of characters to play with.
  • Defiance is on sale for $42.99 (28% Off). The MMOshooter just started its first major crossover event with the SyFy TV show. A villain from the show is leading a quest that explores her backstory and reframes her as a possible hero in the series.
  • You can also get the Season Pass of Defiance DLC for $31.99 (20% off). You need a copy of Defiance for it to work. It gives you all the planned DLC and game updates as they are released without having to buy each expansion pack later.
  • Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is on sale for $14.49 (3% off). This tongue-in-cheek FPS spin-off from the main Far Cry series has a 79 at Metacritic and over 8 hours of original story to tell.
  • Far Cry 3 is on sale for $26.99 (46% off). This is the new entry in the main Far Cry FPS series and has a Metacritic score of 88 on PC.

GameFanShop has over 1000 PC titles to download and runs new featured sales every week. Even their everyday prices are lower than a lot of their competitors. You can get The Binding of Isaac, the bizarre randomly generated dungeon shooter/adventure game, for $4.99 right now. Mirror’s Edge, the stunningly beautiful freerunning-styled action/shooter, is on sale for $19.99. The PC version of Shoot Many Robots, which was ridiculously fun to play at NYCC in 2011, is $9.99 right now.

Have a look around the Sketchy Details GameFanShop and see if there’s anything you like. I get a small commission on each sale through the referral link and you get a great game for a great price. We both win.

Pokemon Finally Grows a Backbone

I already wrote about my history with Pokemon in the Philosophy of Pokemon panel write-up from Quinni-Con. I didn’t mention that I own a game from each generation, though I think that’s implied.

Pokemon X/Y, the sixth generation of Pokemon games, will be released this October all over the world on cartridge and digital download for the Nintendo 3DS. Like every generation, the inspiration for the game shifts around the world. Generation V was supposed to be the NYC+ area. VI is inspired by Europe.

The exciting part about the changes is that finally, for the first time, Pokemon will be rendered fully in 3D. I’m not even talking about the stereoscopic 3D on the 3DS. I’m talking taking the step up from 8-bit or 16-bit animation and actually adding the third dimension onscreen.

Pokemon is a game that, even with significant changes in style, character, and side quests in each new title, gets pegged as never evolving or changing. The common misconception is that every game is the same. You set off on a quest to catch Pokemon to beat the eight gym leaders, the Elite 4, and the champion.

pokemonxygameboy Pokemon Finally Grows a BackboneThe reason behind that is the graphics. The last time we had a major change in the look of Pokemon was the shift from barely there sketches on the Game Boy/Color to full screen color graphics on the GBA. The graphics have been refined since–Black/White saw the introduction of 3D perspective shots; the DS titles had better graphics and more color–but it was merely superficial improvements on the existing property. The generations were marked by new towns and new Pokemon more than significant changes to the style of the game.

Check out the new trailer for Pokemon X/Y below to see why the generation shift is so significant this time around.

The 3D Pokemon battles alone got me excited. It’s like playing Pokemon Stadium on the N64, only with better graphics. Then I realized that the trainers–the boy and the girl–have completely new designs and are 3D as well. There’s more interaction with the environment and maybe it will even be easier to figure out where you’re going and where you’ve been with the varying perspective shots.

pokemonxy3ds Pokemon Finally Grows a BackboneLooks aren’t everything, but this is a major change in the Pokemon series. We’ve had 3D Pokemon games before–Snap, Stadium, Hey, you, Pikachu!–but never a 3D handheld game. Even the Dungeon series stuck with the same flat graphics.

I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of the new game in the fall. If they put this much into overhauling the look of the series, they probably made some significant changes to the gameplay again. What new features and creatures await on the European-styled adventure? I’m excited to find out.

Thoughts on Pokemon X/Y? Share them below.

GameFanShop Round Up: 13 May 2013

A brief refresher: I have a partner store with GameFanShop for Sketchy Details. They offer discounts on over a 1000 different PC game downloads. If you shop at my partner store, I get a small commission on the sale to help keep Sketchy Details running. You get a great PC game at a great price. You shop, you register, you pay, and you get the code to download the game on Steam or instructions on how to use Ubisoft’s atrocious UPlay server or whatever system the game is on.

Here are the new deals for the week of 13 May 2013. They all end Sunday, 19 May:

    gamefanshop51313stardrive GameFanShop Round Up: 13 May 2013
  • You can get StarDrive, a 4X space strategy game, for $28.99. This is one of those strategy games where you do everything you can to build the biggest empire in the universe.
  • Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, a retro tongue in cheek shooter, is on sale for $14.49. It currently has an 79/100 at Metacritic and really captured the feel of the old arcade shooters.
  • Mars: War Logs, a sci-fi RPG, is on sale for $14.99 (25% off). It’s a cyberpunk-styled game with a lot of crafting options.
  • Far Cry 3, an island-set FPS sequel, is on sale for $24.99 (50% off). This one is at 88/100 on Metacritic for the PC edition.
  • Defiance, the MMO-shooter with ties to a SyFy show, is on sale for $42.99 (28% off). The servers are actually filling up with more players every day which makes all the difference with this game.
  • gamefanshop42913deadislandriptide GameFanShop Round Up: 13 May 2013

  • Dead Island: Riptide, the tropical open world survival horror sequel, is on sale for $35.99 (10% off). I fell hard for the original and what I’ve played so far of the sequel marks it as an improvement in every way.
  • Sniper Elite V2, a WWII tactical shooter, is on sale for $19.99 (60% off). The series bills itself as the most accurate WWII sniping simulator on the market.
  • Assassin’s Creed III, the action adventure sequel resetting the series in Colonial America, is on sale for $23.99 (40% off). It’s the best price I’ve seen for the game yet.
  • DiRT Showdown, a racing game, is on sale for $9.99 (67% off). It’s a full contact racing game with a bunch of different solo and multiplayer modes.
  • Dragon Age: Origins, the prequel to the popular BioWare fantasy RPG, is on sale for $6.99 (65% off). Good single player fantasy RPGs are hard to come by and Dragon Age is a solid series.

Steven Seagal Deadly Crossing Photo Contest

While I was at rehearsal for a theater fundraiser yesterday, I got an e-mail that I just have to share with you. I receive a lot of these notices and rarely run with them on Sketchy Details. They normally read as some kind of form mass-email blast with no thought put into demographics or even subject of the website. I can guarantee you I’ve never shared a Kickstarter project, for example, where I randomly started receiving dozens of e-mails a week about game sticks or motion action comics.

This e-mail was different. It was personal. The representative for the film mentioned my movie coverage and preference for cult films. He identified himself and even gave actual contact information. That’s the difference between me deleting a message straight away and actually looking into the content. If I can run with it in a way that interests me, I post about it. It’s as simple as that.

deadlycrossingcontestposter Steven Seagal Deadly Crossing Photo ContestSteven Seagal’s action/crime drama film Deadly Crossing (aka True Justice), originally a two part series for Reelz Channel, gets its first US home release this Tuesday, 14 May, at Redbox.

[Follow]Elijah Kane (Steven Seagal), leader of a Special Investigation Unit, and his skilled four-member team as they track a network of drug dealers and killers led by Russian mastermind, Nikoli Putin (Gil Bellows), in the dangerous outskirts of Seattle.

The bigger draw of the promo effort is a photo contest on Facebook. Called “Are You Tough as Seagal?,” entrants are asked to submit their “deadliest action pose” for popular votes. The winners receive a wide variety of Steven Seagal-related merchandise, including signed weapon replicas, martial arts equipment, and Deadly Crossing merchandise. Every prize is signed by Seagal.

There actually aren’t that many entries right now so there’s a good chance you could win. You get extra votes if you get your Facebook friends to submit photos as well. I personally won’t be entering since I’m only as tough as pre-Sons of Anarchy Katey Sagal.

This whole thing is just a fun and silly marketing campaign and it hit me right. I mean, one of the top photos right now is a man facing off against a dog wearing one of his martial arts training outfits. There’s a level of self-awareness I didn’t expect when I was contacted about this and I really appreciate it. It’s just about having a good time.

Thoughts on the Steven Seagal Photo Contest for Deadly Crossing? Share them below.

Coming Soon: Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix

I grew up on Disney. My parents took me to Disney World before I could even form complete sentences and walk the whole day. My grandmother painted Mickey Mouse figures on my bedroom walls and the whole family saw every new Disney animated feature in theaters. I love teaching the big songs from the different films to my music and theater students and always have at least one in my audition book just in case. No, not “Go the Distance” from Hercules. That’s a tenor cliche at this point.

kingdomheartsremixhalloweentown 300x184 Coming Soon: Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix

Halloween Town in a JRPG? What more could a depressed punk teen need in a game?

In 2002, when Kingdom Hearts was released in the US for the PS2, I instantly fell in love. It was a JRPG with Disney characters. I’m a sucker for a JRPG and this one let me explore Halloween Town, ride on Dumbo, and battle Maleficent, the finest of all the humanoid Disney villains.

I’m not the only one who fell hard for it. Any large convention with cosplay rules lists keyblades (the weapon in the game) in their weapons’ guidelines. Etsy is full of unlicensed fan crafts and new licensed merchandise is released every year.

I spent every spare moment I had in my busy high school schedule playing that game. I refused to rush through it. I wanted to take everything in that I could. The tutorial level on the island was gorgeous and made the transition to the wonderful world of Disney honest and believable.

kingdomheartsremix Coming Soon: Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 RemixThis September (10 September to be exact), Square Enix will be releasing Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix in North America (European and Australian releases follow a few days later). The title is a mouthful. What it means is that they have upgraded the original Kingdom Hearts game to HD and even added in elements of the handheld games for the GBA and DS. It will also feature live orchestral scoring rather than the digitally rendered soundtrack of the original.

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix features two complete Kingdom Hearts games. The first (and the main draw) is Kingdom Hearts Final Mix. This was a Japanese-exclusive version of the original Kingdom Hearts with new battles, new cut-scenes, and new story elements and music cues to better connect the original game to Kingdom Hearts 2. The original Final Mix actually featured English voice acting, so who knows what happened to the clearly planned international release in 2006.

The second game in the set is Kingdom Hearts RE: Chain of Memories. Chain of Memories was a handheld game for the Nintendo GBA with a whole new story and gameplay style. You collected battle cards that gave you special Disney-flavored boosts in combat. The game was then remade for the PS2 in 2007 (US release 2008).

kingdomheartsremixchain Coming Soon: Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix

Chain of Memories will look a lot better than the GBA release

The other big feature is strange and exciting at the same time. Another DS game, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, will be in the game. It just won’t be playable. The DS game has been reanimated for the PS3 as two hours and 50 minutes of cinematics that tell the entire story of the game.

These three titles, more than Kingdom Hearts and 2, are connected in a really logical way. I applaud Square Enix for taking the HD re-release concept in a new direction. They are selling what could be the best version of an amazing game, filled with new features and tons of bonus content. I don’t mind buying a game again years later if the developers actually make it worth the purchase.

Here’s the official trailer for the US release. If you preorder the game, you get an exclusive art book.

So beautiful. I’m going to have to preorder this.

What about you? Share your thoughts below.

GameFanShop Round Up: May 7, 2013

I’m going to format this post a little differently this week. You still find out about all the great deals at my partner store with GameFanShop that helps keep Sketchy Details up and running. You just might see them all a little better.

tombraidercover GameFanShop Round Up: May 7, 2013Tomb Raider is on sale for $29.99 (40% off). It’s arguably the best entry in the series and filled with a whole lot of style.

Dishonored is on sale for $27.99. This was one of my favorite games from 2012. That’s over half off and totally worth it. Pro tip: summoning plague rats solves everything.

BioShock Infinite is on sale for $44.99 (25% off). I want to write a million things about this game but won’t yet because of huge spoilers. Join the mind-bending bandwagon of steampunk airship fans.

Defiance is also on sale for $44.99 (25% off). I haven’t had a chance to try it yet but my friends have been raving about it and bugging me to join them for multiplayer action.

gamefanshop42913deadislandriptide GameFanShop Round Up: May 7, 2013Dead Island Riptide is on sale for $33.99 (15% off). It’s supposed to be a fun game if you actually enjoyed the first one. The positive and negative reviews of the original have the same talking points as Riptide. I’m Team Tropical Zombie Apocalypse.

Skyrim is on sale for $26.99 right now (33% off). I’ve lost so many hours to that game. I don’t want to talk about it. It’s addictive. What’s not to love about being a master lockpick and pickpocket who happens to be a giant cat person?

Anno 2070 with all 11 expansion packs/expanded missions/DLC is on sale for $34.99 (22% off). It’s a strategy game about running the world through diplomacy and trade in the future.

The biggest deal of the week is Saints Row: The Third on sale for $16.99 (58% off).

For my fellow console gamers, Xbox Live gold membership cards are on sale this week. The best deal is $10 off the 12 month card.

gamefanshop50713 GameFanShop Round Up: May 7, 2013If you’re considering Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, my GameFanShop has you covered for $14.99.

GameFanShop has over 1000 PC games to download right now. You shop through my partner site, register your account, and receive your download codes for Steam or other services once the payment clears. You get a great game for a great price and I get a small commission that helps keep Sketchy Details up and running. You were going to get the game anyway. Why not get it for the best price?

67th Annual Tony Award Nominations

Though the shows expected to rack up the nominations–Pippin, Matilda, Kinky Boots, and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike–did just that, the 67th Annual Tony Award Nominations were filled with surprises.

67thtonyawardsmusicalshock 67th Annual Tony Award Nominations

Two shows gone by January up for Best Musical

The biggest shocker, to me, is that the nominators remembered shows from all throughout the season rather than just the March-April releases that tend to dominate the nominations. They spread the love so far that two long-closed musicals–summer run Bring It On and limited winter/holiday run A Christmas Story–got nominated for Best Musical over smash hit Motown and critical favorite but commercial flop Hands on a Hardbody. They even nominated Rob McClure for Chaplin (closed January) and Carolee Carmello for Scandalous (closed December).

Then there is the absence of one-person shows in the acting categories. The Testament of Mary picked up a Best Play nomination but missed out on Fiona Shaw’s performance. Ann did the opposite, getting in for Best Actress in a Leading Role but missing out on Best Play. Bette Middler’s I’ll Eat You Last and Alan Cumming’s Macbeth got shut out entirely from the Tony race. Rumor has it that the producers of I’ll Eat You Last are no longer honoring complimentary tickets for Tony voters since the show is basically sold out and won’t be winning any Tony Awards; why not focus on maximizing the profit at this point?

67thtonyawardsspecial 67th Annual Tony Award Nominations

The four Matildas are already winners

Leading Actress in a Musical might seem like it’s missing four little girls at first glance. However, the quartet of performers starring in Matilda the Musical were removed from the category. They will receive a special Tony Award, Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theater, “to recognize their outstanding performances this season.” That basically puts Kinky Boots and Matilda the Musical on equal ground with 13 nominations to 12 nominations and a special Tony Award.

The other odd-looking nomination is Best Book for Rodger + Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Douglas Carter Beane was hired to write a brand new book for the classic musical, putting it in the odd spot of being a revival of a musical eligible for Best Book.

Here are all the nominees for the 67th Annual Tony Awards.

BEST PLAY

The Assembled Parties Author: Richard Greenberg
Lucky Guy Author: Nora Ephron
The Testament of Mary Author: Colm Tóibín
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Author: Christopher Durang

BEST MUSICAL

Bring It On: The Musical
A Christmas Story, The Musical
Kinky Boots
Matilda The Musical

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL

A Christmas Story, The Musical - Joseph Robinette
Kinky Boots - Harvey Fierstein
Matilda The Musical - Dennis Kelly
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella - Douglas Carter Beane

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (MUSIC AND/OR LYRICS) WRITTEN FOR THE THEATRE

A Christmas Story, The Musical, Music and Lyrics: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Hands on a Hardbody, Music: Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green, Lyrics: Amanda Green
Kinky Boots, Music & Lyrics: Cyndi Lauper
Matilda The Musical, Music & Lyrics: Tim Minchin

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY

Golden Boy
Orphans
The Trip to Bountiful
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL

Annie
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Pippin
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY

Tom Hanks, Lucky Guy
Nathan Lane, The Nance
Tracy Letts, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
David Hyde Pierce, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Tom Sturridge, Orphans

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY

Laurie Metcalf, The Other Place
Amy Morton, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Kristine Nielsen, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Holland Taylor, Ann
Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Bertie Carvel, Matilda The Musical
Santino Fontana, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
Rob McClure, Chaplin
Billy Porter, Kinky Boots
Stark Sands, Kinky Boots

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Stephanie J. Block, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Carolee Carmello, Scandalous
Valisia LeKae, Motown The Musical
Patina Miller, Pippin
Laura Osnes, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY

Danny Burstein, Golden Boy
Richard Kind, The Big Knife
Billy Magnussen, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Tony Shalhoub, Golden Boy
Courtney B. Vance, Lucky Guy

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY

Carrie Coon, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Shalita Grant, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Judith Ivey, The Heiress
Judith Light, The Assembled Parties
Condola Rashad, The Trip to Bountiful

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Charl Brown, Motown The Musical
Keith Carradine, Hands on a Hardbody
Will Chase, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Gabriel Ebert, Matilda The Musical
Terrence Mann, Pippin

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Annaleigh Ashford, Kinky Boots
Victoria Clark, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
Andrea Martin, Pippin
Keala Settle, Hands on a Hardbody
Lauren Ward, Matilda The Musical

BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY

Pam MacKinnon, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Nicholas Martin, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Bartlett Sher, Golden Boy
George C. Wolfe, Lucky Guy

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL

Scott Ellis, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots
Diane Paulus, Pippin
Matthew Warchus, Matilda The Musical

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Andy Blankenbuehler, Bring It On: The Musical
Peter Darling, Matilda The Musical
Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots
Chet Walker, Pippin

BEST ORCHESTRATIONS

Chris Nightingale, Matilda The Musical
Stephen Oremus, Kinky Boots
Ethan Popp & Bryan Crook, Motown The Musical
Danny Troob, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY

John Lee Beatty, The Nance
Santo Loquasto, The Assembled Parties
David Rockwell, Lucky Guy
Michael Yeargan, Golden Boy

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL

Rob Howell, Matilda The Musical
Anna Louizos, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Scott Pask, Pippin
David Rockwell, Kinky Boots

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY

Soutra Gilmour, Cyrano de Bergerac
Ann Roth, The Nance
Albert Wolsky, The Heiress
Catherine Zuber, Golden Boy

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL

Gregg Barnes, Kinky Boots
Rob Howell, Matilda The Musical
Dominique Lemieux, Pippin
William Ivey Long, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY

Jules Fisher & Peggy Eisenhauer, Lucky Guy
Donald Holder, Golden Boy
Jennifer Tipton, The Testament of Mary
Japhy Weideman, The Nance

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL

Kenneth Posner, Kinky Boots
Kenneth Posner, Pippin
Kenneth Posner, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
Hugh Vanstone, Matilda The Musical

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY

John Gromada, The Trip to Bountiful
Mel Mercier, The Testament of Mary
Leon Rothenberg, The Nance
Peter John Still and Marc Salzberg, Golden Boy

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL

Jonathan Deans & Garth Helm, Pippin
Peter Hylenski, Motown The Musical
John Shivers, Kinky Boots
Nevin Steinberg, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella

SPECIAL TONY AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN THE THEATRE

Bernard Gersten
Paul Libin
Ming Cho Lee

REGIONAL THEATRE AWARD

Huntington Theatre Company

ISABELLE STEVENSON AWARD

Larry Kramer

TONY HONORS FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE THEATRE

Career Transition For Dancers
William Craver
Peter Lawrence
The Lost Colony
The four actresses who created the title role of Matilda The Musical on Broadway - Sophia Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Bailey Ryon and Milly Shapiro

Tony Nominations by Production
Kinky Boots – 13
Matilda The Musical – 12
Pippin – 10
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella – 9
Golden Boy – 8
Lucky Guy – 6
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike – 6
The Mystery of Edwin Drood – 5
The Nance – 5
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? – 5
Motown The Musical – 4
The Trip to Bountiful – 4
The Assembled Parties – 3
A Christmas Story, The Musical – 3
Hands on a Hardbody – 3
The Testament of Mary – 3
Bring It On: The Musical – 2
The Heiress – 2
Orphans – 2
Ann – 1
Annie – 1
The Big Knife – 1
Chaplin – 1
Cyrano de Bergerac – 1
The Other Place – 1
Scandalous – 1

So what do you think? Share your thoughts below.