@ axis: Ballymun

THIS SUMMER

Summer Holiday (‘The Pictures’ screening)

Date: 24^th June

Time: 2.30pm

Tickets: €2 Members / €4 Non-members

Membership: €3

By: axis and Dublin City Council Arts Office in association with access>Cinema

‘The Pictures’ is a monthly film club for over 55’s that screens in axis’ 211-seater theatre on the last Monday of each month. This month’s screening is classical musical Summer Holiday. Borrowing a double decker bus for a mobile home, four young mechanics search for fun in the sun. Cliff Richard dons his dancing shoes and brings a beat to the beach!

Wreck It Ralph  (‘Schools Out’ screening)

Date: 3^rd July

Time: 4pm

Tickets: €5 incl. snack

By: axis

Ralph is tired of being overshadowed by Fix-It Felix, the “good guy” star of their game who always gets to save the day. But after decades doing the same thing and seeing all the glory go to Felix. Ralph decides he’s tired of playing the role of a bad guy. He takes matters into his own massive hands to prove he’s got what it takes to be a hero. Will Ralph realise his dream and save the day before it’s too late?

Jaws (‘The Pictures’ screening)

Date: 29^th July

Time: 2.30pm

Tickets: €2 Members / €4 Non-members

Membership: €3

By: axis and Dublin City Council Arts Office in association with access>Cinema

‘The Pictures’ is a monthly film club for over 55’s that screens in axis’ 211-seater theatre on the last Monday of each month. This month’s screening is 1975 classic Jaws. When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police, a young marine biologist and grizzled shark hunter embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again. Directed by Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg.

Rear Window (‘The Pictures’ screening)

Date: 26^th Aug

Time: 2.30pm

Tickets: €2 Members / €4 Non-members

Membership: €3

By: axis and Dublin City Council Arts Office in association with access>Cinema

‘The Pictures’ is a monthly film club for over 55’s that screens in axis’ 211-seater theatre on the last Monday of each month. This month’s screening is Alfred Hitchcock’s classic Rear Window. Professional photographer L.B. ‘Jeff’ Jeffries breaks his leg while getting an action shot at an auto race

TICKETS & FURTHER INFORMATION

Address:                         axis, Main Street, Ballymun, Dublin 9

Telephone:                         01 883 2100

Website:                         http://axis-ballymun.ie/

Facebook:                         https://www.facebook.com/axisballymun

Twitter:                         @axisBallymun

ABOUT AXIS: BALLYMUN

Located at the heart of Ballymun, axis is an arts venue, a production company, an arts development organisation, a community resource centre, and is home to a number of community development organisations.

Magrunner Dark Pulse, the action/physics game from Frogwares studio, is now available on PC!

In the near future, 2048, a handful of young and brilliant citizens have been chosen by Gruckezber Corporation to join the Magtech training program for space exploration. Equipped with a special glove using Gruckezber’s technology, the candidates have to solve their way through a huge maze of challenge rooms, by magnetically charging objects that will attract or repel each other. But what seemed to be the chance of a lifetime for the candidates will soon turn into a nightmare, as they will have to survive a high-tech world gone mad. A real descent in hell, perfectly illustrated in the launch trailer of Magrunner!

Magrunner Dark Pulse will be available today for download on PC on most digital download platforms (Steam, GOG, Impulse…). The game will also release in September on Xbox LIVE® Arcade and PlayStation®Network.

Los Angeles, CA — Big & Tall Tales, Inc. has published its first digital comic book, Rocket Queen & The Wrench. Rocket Queen is a six-issue limited series detailing the story of the world’s youngest superhero and her adventures with the son of her family’s major-domo and manservant.

“The Hollywood pitch is Iron Man meets Harry Potter,” says Rocket Queen writer Justin Peniston. “We’re just looking to make the kind of comic that made us love comics when we were kids.”

Rocket Queen (Katsumi Darian) is the junior member of The Zoom Family, the world’s premier armored heroes…but she’s also only twelve years old. Her responsibilities leave her without many friends, until Jamie Baldwin, the troubled son of her father’s best friend and assistant, comes to spend a summer on the estate. The last thing she expects is for him to uncover her secret, or to insist on helping her discover the truth about her family’s greatest tragedy.

Written by Big & Tall Tales founder Justin Peniston with art by Ramanda Kamarga, colors by Rainer Petter and Garry Henderson, and lettering by Jacob Bascle, Rocket Queen & The Wrench is a superhero adventure story intended for readers 9 and up. The comic retails for $0.99 and can be found exclusively  at http://www.comixology.com, keywords “Rocket Queen”.

LOS ANGELES, CA., June 19, 2013 – acttil is excited to announce, on behalf of the animation studio TRIGGER, their first anime title, Little Witch Academia. Originally available only in a digital format, it will be released now as a physical Collector’s Edition. This release will include 1 Blu-ray disc, an original soundtrack disc, and a 112-page art book, which will be available for purchase this summer. The details of the original soundtrack disc, retail and online store information will follow.

Masahiko Otsuka, the script writer of Little Witch Academia, and the founding member of TRIGGER, will make an appearance and hold a panel at Anime Expo (July 4th to July 7th), Los Angeles, CA. Otsuka will also attend a Little Witch Academia Fan Event held at JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. Live on July 6 from 2pm (PST). The fan event, including the screening of a never-before-seen Making-of video and a Q&A session with Otsuka, will be open to 50 lucky fans. The fans of Little Witch Academia can submit their full name, address, and phone number to the given email address (contest@acttil.com) by June 26th. The randomly selected winners will be contacted by June 30th.

*Travel expenses will not be reimbursed. The applicant must be over 13 years of age. No purchase necessary.

Little Witch Academia was produced by TRIGGER as one of the four titles for Anime Mirai, the Young Animator Training Project, whose purpose is to inspire, train, and energize young animators in the Japanese anime industry. After showcasing the trailers and full episode of Little Witch Academia in the Spring of 2013, not only was it well-received in Japan, but it has also become a surprise hit with anime fans in the West.

The Collector’s Edition will come with 1 Blu-ray disc that includes the 26-minute episode of Little Witch Academia, a never-before-seen 66-minute making-of video, an original soundtrack disc, and a collectible 112-page art book. The inspirational making-of video follows the struggles and breakthroughs of the young animation team at TRIGGER, and the meticulous process they went through to create this anime. Not only will fans of Little Witch Academia enjoy the making-of video, but anyone pursuing a career in the animation field will find something to take to heart.

Story

Akko Kagari is an ordinary girl who joins the renowned witch academy for witch girls, Luna Nova Academy. When she was younger, she went to Magical Festa, a magic show hosted by a witch named Shiny Chariot. Akko was so mesmerized and inspired by Shiny Chariot’s performance that she dreamed to someday be a “cool” witch like her. This young and impressionable Akko takes Shiny Chariot’s words as her own motto: “Never forget, a believing heart is your magic.“ As part of a class, Akko and her classmates go into a labyrinth under the Tower of Luna Nova. There, a sealed ancient dragon was unleashed by one of her classmates. Akko tries to stop the dragon, but…

For more information, visit www.acttil.com/littlewitchacademia!

The 2011 Eisner Award winner for best anthology is back with a second volume! In a mouse tavern called the June Alley Inn, a new round of storytelling begins between the patrons. Their goal is to be declared the best story of the night in hopes of having their outstanding bar tabs cleared! Legends of the Guard continues the tradition of featuring hand-picked artists and storytellers by series creator David Petersen. This issue features Stan Sakai (Usagi Yokimbo), Ben Caldwell (The Dare Detectives!), and the Awakening team of Nick Tapalansky and Alex Eckman-Lawn!

MARADA THE SHE-WOLF

Writer: Chris Claremont • Artist: John Bolton

Writer(s): Chris Claremont

Artist Name(s): John Bolton

Format: Hardcover Collection

Page Count: 112pp

Retail Price: $24.99

Street Date: November 12, 2013

THE FANTASY CLASSIC COLLECTED TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! FULLY REMASTERED, AND FULLY RESTORED!

From comics legends Chris Claremont (The Uncanny X-Men; Excalibur; Captain Britain; Fantastic Four; Gen 13) and John Bolton (Man-Bat; Harlequin Valentine; Books of Magic) comes the shield-shattering saga of Marada The She-Wolf – white-haired, blood-soaked swordswoman and mercenary, object of unearthly desire and descendant of Julius Caesar!

Featuring beautiful fully restored artwork by John Bolton, interviews with and commentaries from the creators, and never-before-seen sketches and artwork, this is the ultimate vision of the ultimate fighting fantasy female! 

AVAILABLE TO ORDER FROM JULY PREVIEWS

Order Code:  JUL131283

BRAND-NEW COLLECTION

Wallace and Gromit Newspaper Strips Vol.1

Writer(s): Richy K. Chandler, David Leach, Steve White and more

Artist Name(s): Mychalio Kazybird, John Burns

Format: Hardcover Collection

Page Count: 136pp

Retail Price: $14.99

Street Date: October 1, 2013

Spawned from the three-time, Oscar-winning animation shorts, Grand Day Out, Close Shave and the feature-length, Curse of the Were-rabbit, the Wallace & Gromit Omnibus chronicles the adventures of that quintessentially British inventor, Wallace and his ever-helpful canine companion, Gromit.

The strip, which appears daily in The Sun, the UK’s most popular daily newspaper, is read by an audience of 2.3 million readers. The full-colour strip features a self-contained, weekly-continuity that sees our plucky, bald inventor race from one hair-brained invention to the next with gusto, extreme silliness and more puns than you can shake a stick at!

Collecting the first 52 weeks and 311 Wallace & Gromit strips that appeared daily from May 2010 to May 2011. 

AVAILABLE TO ORDER FROM JULY PREVIEWS

Order Code: JUL131286

DEATH SENTENCE #2

Writer: Montynero • Artist: Mike Dowling

Writer(s): Monty Nero

Artist Name(s): Mike Dowling

Issue Number: 2

Number of Issues/Volumes in Series: 6

Page Count: 32pp

Retail Price: $3.99

Street Date: November 13, 2013

The clock is ticking – and three powerful lives are running out!

Given incredible superpowers – and six months to live – by the sexually-transmitted G+ Virus, three Londoners kick back against the spectre of death with everything they’ve got.

Washed-up indie guitarist Weasel tries to make amends for a life that’s totally f*****d – but changing the direction of a lifetime can be murder! Comedian and media personality Monty tests the limits of his new powers of persuasion, with horrifying results… and, after her explosive activation, Verity is on the run from the government – but can her nascent abilities keep her one step ahead of a crack team of GCHQ operatives?

Don’t miss the chance to get on board this critical smash-hit right now – it’s the future of superpowered storytelling!

AVAILABLE TO ORDER FROM JULY PREVIEWS

Order Code: JUL131281

Chronos Commandos: Dawn Patrol #5

Writer/Artist: Stuart Jennett

Writer(s): Stuart Jennett

Artist Name(s): Stuart Jennett

Issue Number: 5

Number of Issues/Volumes in Series: 5

Page Count: 32pp

Retail Price: $3.99

Street Date: November 6, 2013

It’s the slam-bang conclusion of the first Chronos Commandos miniseries, as the Sarge and his Nazi nemesis, Richter, beat the crap outta each other for the stolen Chronosphere core – and only one of them is making it home!

Plus, there’s still the safety of Time, Space and the Universe to worry about, as two Einsteins grapple to fix an overheating time reactor – and the laws of Causality – before reality itself collapses! Will the Sarge make it back alive? When the dust clears, will any Commandos remain? And which last-minute twists will rock your world forever?!

Don’t miss the stunning conclusion, as the first season of Chronos Commandos goes out with an epic bang!

AVAILABLE TO ORDER FROM JULY PREVIEWS

Order Code: JUL131280

Tomorrowland #4

Writer: Paul Jenkins • Artist: Stellar Labs

Writer(s): Paul Jenkins

Artist Name(s):  Alti Firmansyah, Beny Maulana of Stellar Labs

Issue Number: 4

Number of Issues/Volumes in Series: 4

Page Count: 32pp

Retail Price: $3.99

Street Date: October 16, 2013

The end of the first mini-series end with 32 pages of story!  

The award winning brothers, Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike, are back together again, but this time they are facing each other head-to-head on the main stage of the Tomorrowland festival itself.  The Nameless One has turned Mike to the dark side and only his brother can stop him with help from friends like Nervo, Steve Aoki, Thomas Gold, Zatox, Sander Van Doom and many more.

AVAILABLE TO ORDER FROM JULY PREVIEWS

Order Code: JUL131287

It Came #4

Writer/Artist: Dan Boultwood

Writer(s): Dan Boultwood

Artist Name(s): Dan Boultwood

Issue Number: 4

Number of Issues/Volumes in Series: 4

Page Count: 32pp

Retail Price: $3.99

Street Date: November 6th, 2013

Dan Boultwood’s thrilling tale of SF B-movie derring-do brews to a fiery finale, as the first full movie from Pinetree Studios is rescued from the archives!

Dr. Boy Brett and his lady assistant Doris Night hurry to London in pursuit of the monstrous robot GRURK, now smashing a wave of destruction through the capital, in the face of the beleaguered and ineffectual military might of the British Empire. All seems lost… but does DORIS hold the key to the undoing of this otherworldly invasion? 

A must-read for fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000, this is a gorgeously-illustrated, deeply-funny adventure!

AVAILABLE TO ORDER FROM JULY PREVIEWS

Order Code: JUL131282

A1 #6

3 covers to collect

Writer(s): Dave Elliot, W.H. Rauf

Artist Name(s): Barnaby Bagenda, Sakti Yuwono, Garrie Gastonny, Rhoald Marcelius

Issue Number: 6

Number of Issues/Volumes in Series: On-going

Page Count: 32pp

Retail Price: $3.99

Street Date: November 6, 2013

The last issue of the first series of the new A1 anthology draws to a close but it won’t be the end for these characters…

CARPE DIEM: When an endless horde of volcanic monsters march to destroy everything humanity holds dear, not even the CARPEDIEM agents can stop it. It’s the end of the world as they know it and the only one who can stop it is… SIR MONDAY??!

ODYSSEY: Blazing Glory’s show-down with SHARKY in Zuccotti Park raises questions in the White House and President Obama is forced to make a decision that will come back to haunt him

WEIRDING WILLOWS: There is a WEREWOLF loose in the house of Dr Moreau and she may be too much for even Frankenstein’s Monster to handle.  Maybe Mowgli might have better luck.  

AVAILABLE TO ORDER FROM JULY PREVIEWS

Order Code: JUL131279

ROGUES! #6

Story by: El Torres
Art by: Diego Galindo, Carmelo González
Cover Artist: Ruiz Burgos

This is the final episode of “The Cleansing” arc! Bram and Weasel are stuck between a rock and a hard place: to leave the assassins to kill the Magistrate’s wife and children, knowing that he will show no mercy… or saving them and face the wrath of the Great Families of the Thieves’ Brotherhood!

“As I got finished with Rogues #1 – I was filled with pure adolescent joy.  It is the type of theatrical rumbustious adventure that fantasy gamers dream of!  Boris-esque Fantasy Heroes!  Unrealistic Physics-Defying Heroines! Monsters! Magic! Rescues! Curses!  If you want it, it’s in here!”

–The PullBox .com

Hurry up! Go and check Previews if you want to know more about the new issue!

MATURE THEMES

SC, 7×10, 32pgs, FC …………… $3.99
UPC Code: 700371999995-00611

ARCANE SECRETS #2

Story by: Angel A. Svoboda
Art by: Angel A. Svoboda
Cover Artist: Angel A. Svoboda

Join the fun and adventure fighting the Xulu mythos! Doctor Ment, Harry and Elvis the Airpuff must free the world of the Curse of the Mottled Tentacle… but they can’t do it alone. They’ll travel from the Florida swamps to the Himalayas to get some help from Selma the Witch and her servant, Otis the Zombie!

Amigos! Don’t miss out all the fun of Arcane Secrets! Take a look at your copy of Previews to know what we are talking about.

KIDS, HUMOR

SC, 7×10, 32pgs, FC …………… $3.99

UPC Code: 799456681627-00211

AT DARK HORSE WITH CROWBAR MEDICINE!

Milwaukie, OR, JUNE 19—Dark Horse Comics is thrilled to announce the long-awaited return of the beloved series Bloodhound, from writer Dan Jolley (Prototype 2) and artist Leonard Kirk (X-Factor)!

Previously published by DC, Bloodhound begins a new five-issue series, Crowbar Medicine, that will take our hero, Travis Clevenger, to new intensities the Big Two would have never allowed—establishing Clev as the next Dark Horse superhero. 

Travis Clevenger may not have superpowers, but he can put a beatdown on anyone who does! Consulting with the FBI in exchange for release from prison, Clev is getting his life together when an out-of-control superhuman’s destructive rampage and a rogue scientist’s response—offering designer superpowers to anyone who can afford them—shock the nation, leading to Clev’s biggest case yet!

Bloodhound’s acclaimed three-parter in the pages of Dark Horse Presents concludes today, familiarizing readers with what Bloodhound is all about through a complete story and paving the way for his epic return.

Additionally, the first volume of the long-out-of-print original Bloodhound series is in stores today, collecting the acclaimed DC series from Dan Jolley, Leonard Kirk, and Robin Riggs—232 pages of brutal goodness.

Praise for Dan Jolley’s Bloodhound:

“Four-color crime and punishment like they just don’t make anymore. It’s good for the blood.”—Warren Ellis

“Leonard Kirk, Eddy Barrow, Robin Riggs, and Moose Baumann did a fantastic job on the art in this book. The subtle character work is great, telling a story well beyond the words being spoken, and when the violence breaks out, jeez does it look good in that wincing and turning away from the page kind of way.”—Fanboy Comics

“Clevenger’s tragic story of lust, murder, and betrayal is extremely grounded, feeling more like Sin City than Superman.”—Den of Geek

Bloodhound: Crowbar Medicine #1 is on sale October 16in comic shops everywhere!

Bloodhound Volume 1: Brass Knuckle Psychology and Dark Horse Presents #25 are available today. 

NEW YORK, June 19, 2013 – Aluna, the Latin American superhero created by actress Paula Garces and her creative partner, Antonio Hernandez will be released as a trilogy starting with book one this Fall.

Aluna is the story of a young woman, taken from the New World by the Spaniards and raised as royalty in Spain during the 1500s. As if by fate, she is forced to travel back to the New World, only to discover that she has great powers that she must harness to defend her new homeland.

The creators tapped Seattle based Allegory to develop and publish the series.

“I’ve always been a fan of comic books but felt that strong female Latina leads were lacking, so along with my creative partner, Antonio Hernandez, we created Aluna. We’re so happy with how well the character has been received by fans playing the Aluna character in Heroes of Newerth that we can’t wait to release the first of three books this Fall” comments Paula Garces.

Allegory’s publishing imprint will develop the books and will eventually produce a portfolio of digital products and merchandise based on the title.

“We’ve wanted to create a compelling female heroine for two years now. A character who is strong and has a complex back story. When Paula and Tony shared the story of Aluna with us, we knew we needed to be apart of this franchise. This is a groundbreaking book and we feel honored to be apart of it” said Chad Smith, CEO of Allegory.

Dooma Wendschuh and Corey May, founders of sekretagent Productions, have been attached to write all three books. This writing duo is the creative force behind such popular game titles as Assassin’s Creed and Army of Two.

“This story is full of action, but it also has pretty epic romance elements. Aluna is a badass. She’s tough as nails given everything she’s been through. We’re going to help her find her softer side”, remarks Dooma Wendschuh.

Ibraim Roberson, whose recent credits include X-Men, Hellraiser and mostly recently, Max Brooks’s, The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks, has been attached to create the art.

“Ibraim Roberson is just the right artist for Aluna.  His work on The X-Men and Clive Barker’s Hellraiser has consistently demonstrated a pacing and organic style that is a perfect mesh to Dooma’s writing.  Giving the adventures of Aluna a whole new level of realism, action, and drama. Plus, the artwork produced by Ibraim is going to be lush and beautiful and will perfectly capture the majesty of the old world” remarked Lee Koshe, Allegory’s Creative Director.

Additionally, S2 Games, the creators of the popular online game series, Heroes of Newerth have partnered with Paula Garces’ Further Lane Productions and Allegory to develop an ongoing portfolio of avatars for the Heroes of Newerth game based on the Aluna character. The first avatar, Stardust Aluna, was recently released by S2 games.  The second avatar will be released at Comic Con International this July and will be followed by future avatars.

About Paula Garces

Paula Garces is well known as “Maria” from the hit 2011 film, “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas”, starring in all three installments of the Harold & Kumar franchise. Ms. Garces can been seen as Flora Hernandez in Marc Cherry’s new series “Devious Maids” on Lifetime network.  Paula will also appear as Lea Marquez on the legendary soap, “All My Children,” premiering on Sunday June 23rd at 10pm on Hulu.com. On the small screen, Paula began her career on the daytime drama, “Guiding Light”, and later earned Alma Award nominations for her portrayal of Officer Tina Hallon on FX’s “The Shield”.

About Allegory

Allegory is a transmedia company engaged in several aspects of entertainment including publishing, children’s education, games, applications, television and digital platforms. Allegory employs some of the most talented artists, writers and developers in the entertainment and interactive industry. Allegory is headquartered in Seattle and maintains offices in New York and San Diego.

Allegory is committed to design driven experiences and exceptional storytelling with a purpose. For more information about Allegory, please visit www.allegorymedia.co.

About sekretagent Productions

sekretagent Productions creates and/or produces the characters, worlds and stories behind some of the best selling and most critically acclaimed filmed and interactive entertainment on Earth. In the business of imagining and producing new, original IP, sekretagent works with the world’s leading publishers, studios and corporations, providing content creation, screenwriting, interactive development and film /video production services in the motion picture, video game and advertising industries. For more information about sekretagents Productions, please visit www.sekretagents.com.

About S2 Games

S2 Games is a game publisher and developer with a mission to identify, develop, evolve and unleash the future of online multiplayer games. Since its inception in 2003, S2 has been focused on driving innovation into the global online game space, through identifying and solving industry issues, listening closely to its passionate gamer base and incorporating features that gamers truly want.

Active in sponsoring and helping drive many global tournaments for their flagship title Heroes of Newerth, S2 is focused on providing the best online multiplayer gaming experience and opportunities for its fans to shine. For more information about S2, please visit www.s2games.com.

London, UK – 19^th June, 2013 – So when it came to assembling the cast of super-strong heroes and weirdos that were going to appear in my new game, DEADPOOL, from Activision Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Entertainment, I went through binders of men and women (heh…you…you guys remember that? That guy who did that?) to build the most genderfully diverse roster of freaks in spandex you’ve ever seen. I’ve recruited some of the most powerful, intelligent, lovely ladies from the Marvelverse for this game: Psylocke. Domino. Wolverine. The list goes on.

And uhh – heh – a certain catch du jour you may have heard of by the name of Rogue? The Southern belle with the kicks from Hell will be MY contractually obligated co-star!

Mmmmmm – check, please!

Okay. Play it cool, Pool. Gotta think of a really awesome line to impress a Southern lady this classy and elegant. <slicks back facial scarring> “Hey there, sugah… I hear you absorb powers. Well, you’ve certainly absorbed my affection!” No? Hmm…what about “How would you like to join Domino and Psylocke as the inaugural class of Deadpool’s School for Gifted Making Out?” and then I just stare deeply into her eyes for like 15 minutes in silence? Wait, okay, what if I was just like “Damn, girl, you must be Rogue, because you’re sucking the life out of me…” NO! Okay, well, if we break up that’ll be good, but…

GUH! This is difficult! Only now do I understand your burden, everyone on a reality dating show. You – you are the real heroes.

DEADPOOL is available 28^th June for Xbox 360®, PlayStation®3 and PC and is rated PEGI 18. For more information, please go to my website, like me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.

© 2013 Activision Publishing, Inc.

Pokémon TCG: Black & White—Plasma Blast is the latest expansion to the Pokémon Trading Card Game franchise and will be available in stores on August 14, 2013, bringing over 100 new cards to collect and play.

Key Features of the Pokémon TCG: Black & White—Plasma Blast Expansion:

• Team Plasma cards—A unique blue border and Team Plasma shield adorn each Team Plasma card
• Six new Pokémon-EX cards and five full-art Pokémon-EX rare Ultra cards—New, powerful Pokémon-EX include Genesect-EX, Kyurem-EX, Palkia-EX, and Dialga-EX
• Four new ACE SPEC cards—Incredibly powerful Trainer cards. Only one ACE SPEC card is allowed in each player’s deck
• Booster packs—Packs of 10 additional cards selected from the expansion
• Theme decks—60-card pre-constructed decks are designed to introduce players to the Pokémon TCG by enabling them to play right away.

Black & White—Plasma Blast theme decks and booster packs include an in-pack code card that unlocks virtual cards from the Black & White—Plasma Blast expansion for play in the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online at www.pokemon.co.uk/tcgo.

Play! Pokémon

Eschborn, June 19, 2013 – Thunder Wolves has landed on XBLA and PSN, bringing with it a permanently reduced price on Steam.  From Hungarian developer, Most Wanted Entertainment, Thunder Wolves is a helicopter game inspired by ’90s arcade games and action flicks – paper-thin plots, endless supplies of disposable henchman, and explosions everywhere.

The Xbox LIVE Arcade® version of Thunder Wolves is available on the Xbox Marketplace for 800 Microsoft Points. This arcade shooter is also available on the Sony PlayStation Network® for just $9.99. The PC version on Steam is also priced at just $9.99.

Adrenaline-junkie mercenaries for hire, the Thunder Wolves will take any mission head-on, destroying everything between them and victory. With local co-op – one as pilot, one as gunner – you and a friend can even double-team the opposition.

For more information:
http://www.mwent.hu/games/thunder-wolves or www.bitcomposer.com

Key Features
• Helicopter flight-mechanics meets arcade-style action.
• Nine helicopters with individual strengths and weaknesses.
• 13 missions, from seek-and-destroy to stealth operations.
• Local co-op featuring one player as pilot, one as gunner.
• Destructible environments erupt in the onslaught of firepower.

PlayStation”, “PS3″, “PSN”, “PlayStation Portable”, “PlayStation 3″ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft.

About bitComposer Games
bitComposer Entertainment AG publishes all its retail products for PC, console and handheld platforms under the label bitComposer Games. bitComposer Entertainment AG is based in Eschborn, Germany, and is an independent publisher of PC and computer games. The company focuses on the international commercialization of entertainment products for the classic PC, console and handheld platforms, while its subsidiary, bitComposer Online GmbH, has been set up to specialize in the rapidly growing online games market. bitComposer Entertainment AG works with experienced development teams and service providers worldwide to develop in-house projects, licensed titles and commissioned productions. For more information on bitComposer, please visit:
www.bitComposer.com

GIANA SISTERS: TWISTED DREAMS released on PSN!

THE ADDICTIVE TWISTED PLATFORMER IS FINALLY AVAILABLE ON PlayStation Network

Offenburg, June 19th, 2013 – Independent game developer Black Forest Games announces that their twisted platformer, GIANA SISTERS: TWISTED DREAMS has been released in the US and EU Regions (APAC scheduled for August) through PlayStation network for PS3. The game is available for $14.99 (14.99€ in Europe).

After a hugely successful campaign on Kickstarter and successful releases for Windows-PC and Xbox360, Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams – grandchild of the 80s classic game “The Great Giana Sisters” – is now finally available in the US and Europe on Sony’s PlayStation 3.

Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams is a challenging fast-paced platformer with a twist and an amazing Soundtrack from game music legend Chris Hülsbeck, Fabian Del Priore and SID-metal-rockers Machinae Supremacy. Players have to muster all their skills, speed, brains, and powers to defeat the dangers that populate Giana’s twisted dreams.

“To have Giana finally on PS3 shows that we deliver on our promises made during our Kickstarter. Many projects have been successfully funded so far, but we are one of very few who actually delivered a game,” Adrian Goersch, Black Forest Games’ Managing Director states.
Cute Giana moves with speed and grace, twirling past hazards and adversaries with a light touch and gentle heart. With a quick morph her punk side comes out to play, full of raw attitude and a powerful dash to crush obstacles that block her way!

Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams Features

• Challenging Levels – Discover three distinctive worlds with 23 challenging levels. Each one transforms from fluffy nightmare to spooky dream by a push of a button.
• Personal Style – Whether you like speed run through each of the amazing levels or take your time exploring even the last secret of Giana’s dreams. It’s up to you.
• Lush graphics – Detailed landscapes morph from lush, colorful surroundings to surreal, spiky nightmare worlds. It doesn’t matter how often you’ll see it, you’ll detect new details every time.
• Amazing puzzles – Blocked pathways open up when Giana transforms: pretty flower beds mutate to thorn covered bushes and diamonds can only be collected in one form or the other.
• Various Game Modes – it’s challenging in normal mode. But it becomes a nail biting, mind bending, and furious experience in hardcore mode.

• Legendary Soundtrack – listen to Chris Hülsbeck’s tunes changing from Chiptune to the metal riffs from SID-Rockers Machinae Supremacy.
• Epic battles – from vicious gargoyles to magnificent boss-monsters. You’ll need every trick in your sleeves to master all the challenges that lie ahead of Giana.

Exclusive pre-order content and post-launch DLC dives further into the declassified origin of the secret XCOM organisation. Join the conversation on Twitter using #EraseTheTruth

2K and 2K Marin, makers of BioShock® 2, announced post-launch downloadable content plans today for The Bureau: XCOM Declassified that will see the title supported with updates beyond its August 23, 2013 UK release date. The narrative-driven add-on content will expand the declassified origin story of the clandestine XCOM organisation and will be available on the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows® PC. The first DLC pack will be available exclusively to Xbox 360 players.

“We take great pride in our track record of providing high-quality post-release content for our games,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “We will continue to expand the XCOM universe by telling original stories set in the paranoia-drenched Cold War era of The Bureau.”

“The alternate 1962 universe that we’ve created for The Bureau is vast and there are many more stories to tell about the early days of XCOM,” said Morgan Gray, development director at 2K Marin. “We’re excited that our stories will provide a new perspective on the war effort, much like how our critically acclaimed Minvera’s Den DLC for BioShock 2 allowed us to present a unique perspective of Rapture.”

Players who pre-order The Bureau through any of the participating retailers will receive a bonus campaign side-mission called “Codebreakers.” In this mission, a top secret government communications facility responsible for intercepting and decoding the enemy’s transmissions has gone radio-silent. In a desperate attempt to turn the tides of the secret war, Special Agent Carter and his squad must make contact with personnel in order to bring the facility back online, eliminate any threats, and decrypt the mysterious code.

In addition to the Codebreakers side-mission, those who pre-order The Bureau through GAME will receive the Light Plasma Pistol as an exclusive in-game item. Early Bureau research into outsider weapons technology has yielded promising results in the form of a prototype light plasma pistol. Not as bulky as its Outsider predecessor, this compact weapon fires condensed bolts of plasma and boasts a vastly improved rate-of-fire, giving players an early edge in the secret war for humanity’s survival.

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is rated 16 by PEGI and will be available on August 20, 2013 in North America and August 23, 2013 internationally for £49.99 SRP on the Xbox 360 console, PlayStation 3 system and Windows PC. For more information, please visit Facebook, or the official web site: http://erasethetruth.com

Dublin, 19^th June 2013: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has today announced the July line-up for PlayStation®Plus (PS Plus) subscribers including hit titles Battlefield 3™ for PS3 and Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus for PS Vita. All titles will be available to members starting from July 3^rd.

Step into the role of an elite U.S. Marine in Battlefield 3™ on PS3 and experience heart-pounding single player missions and competitive multiplayer action across diverse locations from around the globe. Tackle combat on claustrophobic streets, metropolitan downtowns, and varied landscapes in the US, Europe, and Middle East. Powered by the innovative technology of Frostbite 2, Battlefield 3 takes the thrill of a first person shooter to a whole new level.

With PAYDAY™ The Heist, you are tasked to ‘cash in before you cash out’ in this action filled first person shooter game for the PlayStation®Network. Players take on the role of a hardened career criminal executing intense, dynamic heists in constant pursuit of the next “big score”. Navigate diverse urban settings with three partners in crime—controlled by either A.I. or your best buddies in co-op multiplayer. Load out with an array of weaponry and equipment as you embark on a spectacular crime spree through six high-stake heists, including banks robberies, prisoner extractions and armoured car hijackings.

Enter gang territory in open world action-adventure Saints Row: The Third on PS3. Years after taking Stilwater for their own, the Third Street Saints have evolved from street gang to household brand name with Saints sneakers, Saints energy drinks and Johnny Gat bobble head dolls all available at a store near you. The Syndicate, a legendary criminal fraternity with pawns in play all over the globe, has turned its eye on the Saints and demands tribute. Refusing to kneel to the Syndicate, you take the fight to a new city.

If it is gaming on-the-go you’re after, grab your PS Vita and get stuck into one of the highest rated action games of all time that is now back and better than ever. Experience a new way to play Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus with motion and touch controls, lots of content, and new challenges to test even the toughest ninja. For centuries, the Dragon Ninjas have protected the world and kept safe the most powerful weapons: the Dark Dragon Blade and the Dragon Sword, but now a powerful evil arises that will test the might of the ninjas. Take Dragon Sword in hand as the young Ryu Hayabusa, and journey to the farthest reaches of the world and beyond to cut down the malevolent fiends!

Prepare to join the ultimate special forces squad in Unit 13™ on PS Vita. Your next deployment could take you anywhere, at any time. Play through scenarios that echo real-life news headlines and infiltrate some of the most challenging war zones a soldier can ever face. Offering dual analog control, Unit 13™ delivers constant pinpoint precision in the heat of battle. With a new mission sent to your PS Vita system every single day, there’s always a fresh challenge waiting to be met head-on.
PS Plus provides subscribers with access to top-rated games* on PS3 and PS Vita throughout the course of the subscription.  PS Plus subscribers also receive an array of exclusive features and access, including 2GB cloud storage (1G for PS3 & 1G for PS Vita ) for game saves which will be welcomed by subscribers keen to take advantage of the Instant Game Collection. Automatic updates and beta access, as well as a huge collection of exclusive dynamic themes and PlayStation®Network avatars, makes PS Plus the place to be in 2013.

A PS Plus subscription is £11.99/€14.99 for a 90 day subscription or £39.99/€49.99 for a one-year subscription.

*Top-rated is based on a meta-critic rating of 70+

AT 2013 LIMA LICENSING EXCELLENCE AWARDS

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes Line Also Honored As LEGO Named `Best Character or Toy Brand Licensee of the Year’ for its Marvel Collection

LAS VEGAS – JUNE 19, 2013 – It was a heroic win at the 2013 LIMA Licensing Excellence Awards for Marvel Entertainment, LLC as its Marvel’s The Avengers walked away with “Best Film, Television, Celebrity or Entertainment Program of the Year.” The prestigious award recognizes the entertainment property that has had the most profound impact on the licensing community in retail and the general market place. This award follows a series of accolades for Marvel in the past several months marked by a “Best Boy’s Toy” award for Marvel and Hasbro’s Web Shooting Spider-Man at the U.K. Toy Fair and a nomination for Marvel’s The Avengers as “Property of the Year” at the Toy Industry Association’s 2013 American International Toy Fair.

“This award is a great honor and confirms the fact that The Avengers’ complex blend of characters create an exciting brand opportunity across all licensing platforms,” said Paul Gitter, senior vice president, licensing, Marvel at Disney Consumer Products. “This was a banner year for the Marvel team and it’s not even over yet.”

In addition to the program of the year win, Marvel was also honored in the licensed toy award category as LEGO was named “Best Character or Toy Brand Licensee” for its Marvel Super Heroes collection.  The LIMA Licensing Excellence Awards are the licensing industry’s most prestigious recognition of creativity and performance.

Celebrate the Birthday of Peyo, the Creator of the Smurfs,

with Smurfy Events Around the World

On Saturday, June 22, 2013, in celebration of the birthday of Peyo, the creator of the Smurfs (born June 25, 1928), Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation will once again coordinate events all over the world as part of Global Smurfs Day, a worldwide event in anticipation of the release of The Smurfs™ 2, in theatres July 31^st, 2013, it was announced today by Marc Weinstock, president, Worldwide Marketing for Sony Pictures.

This will be the second celebration of Global Smurfs Day in what is quickly becoming a tradition.  In 2011, the round-the-world events included painting one of the famous White Towns of Andalusia blue and setting a new record for Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Smurfs within a 24-hour Period (Multiple Venues).

On Saturday, 22nd June from 6am, Dublin will be seeing blue for Global Smurfs Day when the iconic Ha’Penny Bridge will be turned blue with Smurftastic flowers by the RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year, Jenny Murphy. Papa Smurf and Smurfette will also make an appearance in what is going to be the biggest global Smurfs Day event taking place worldwide prior to the release of the Smurfs 2 movie on July 31^st.

From 11am, St. Stephen’s Green will play host to a day of free fun and excitement for all the family with games, activities and Smurfs music including Right Said Fred’s new song ‘I’m too Smurfy’ based on their massive global hit ‘I’m Too Sexy’. At 12.45pm, we will be blowing out the candles on a Smurf birthday cake to celebrate Peyo’s birthday, the man who created the Smurfs 55 years ago.

This year, the studio has lined up an equally impressive program of events, highlighted by a worldwide Smurf Ambassadors initiative, in which over 40 ambassadors from 28 countries will represent Smurfs fans from around the world with a special day of events celebrating Peyo’s creation.  The ambassadors – celebrities, prominent journalists, and contest winners among them – will dress as Smurfs as they begin their day in Brussels, where Peyo’s daughter Veronique Culliford will officially appoint them as Smurf representatives of their countries.  The fun-filled (if irreverent) ceremony will take place under the watchful eye of an important Brussels monument:  a Smurf statue unveiled just a year before.  Freshly charged with their ambassadorial duties, the group will board a Thalys train and shoot off to Paris, the locale of the adventures in Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Animation’s The Smurfs 2.  With a few surprises in store and a sightseeing tour of the French capital, the ambassadors will be tasked with a mission that is the stuff of high diplomacy:  to leave a happy trail of blue smiles in their wake, and herald the arrival of the new film.

The Ambassadors, including our own Irish Smurf Ambassadors, will also be taking photos and posting them on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #GlobalSmurfsDay.  The Ambassadors’ photos will stream to the official Global Smurfs Day microsite at www.GlobalSmurfsDay.net, where users can also virtually check in to Global Smurfs Day activities and find information about all worldwide events, official photos, and a sizzle reel.

Festivals and celebrations will be dedicated to the Smurfs in locations as far and away as the Buenos Aires Planetarium, Mumbai’s Imagica theme park, and Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Sugarloaf Mountain.  Blue brushes will brighten Portugal’s Cova da Moura neighborhood and paint daycare centers and orphanages in South Africa.  In Australia, Surfers Paradise will officially become Smurfers Paradise for the day, with local signage to match.  Moscow’s famed Gorky Park and Dublin’s Ha’Penny Bridge will be covered in smurf-blue flowers.  Smurfs will visit children’s hospitals and media centers; invade Warsaw’s Old City Square; engage in sand sculpture marathons; run Smurfathons around the world; and kick off a massive sing-along with the group Right Said Fred in London.  And in Los Angeles, families will enjoy the day with appearances by the Smurfs, play the Ubisoft video game, sample Menchie’s Smurfberry frozen yogurt, and participate in other fun activities; in addition, the U.S. Forest Service and Ad Council’s Discover the Forest campaign will be on hand to distribute activity booklets and encourage children and their families to get outside and experience the many benefits of nature, and in the evening, families will be able to catch the first Smurfs film at an evening outdoor screening. 

Commenting on the announcement, Weinstock said, “We’re thrilled that we can continue the tradition we started on the first film with an all-new Global Smurfs Day celebration.  This is a great way to honor Peyo’s birthday and his legacy, by bringing the world together across generations for a day of fun and festivities.”

In this sequel to Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Animation’s hybrid live action/animated family blockbuster comedy The Smurfs™, the evil wizard Gargamel creates a couple of mischievous Smurf-like creatures called the Naughties that he hopes will let him harness the all-powerful, magical Smurf-essence. But when he discovers that only a real Smurf can give him what he wants, and only a secret spell that Smurfette knows can turn the Naughties into real Smurfs, Gargamel kidnaps Smurfette and brings her to Paris, where he has been winning the adoration of millions as the world’s greatest sorcerer. It’s up to Papa, Clumsy, Grouchy, and Vanity to return to our world, reunite with their human friends Patrick and Grace Winslow, and rescue her! Will Smurfette, who has always felt different from the other Smurfs, find a new connection with the Naughties Vexy and Hackus or will the Smurfs convince her that their love for her is True Blue? The film is directed by Raja Gosnell and produced by Jordan Kerner.  The screenplay is by J. David Stem & David N. Weiss and Jay Scherick & David Ronn and Karey Kirkpatrick with a story by J. David Stem & David N. Weiss & Jay Scherick & David Ronn, Based on the Characters and Works of Peyo.

Mark Cerny, the lead system architect on Sony’s PlayStation 4 console, will deliver the conference keynote at Develop in Brighton, which takes place at the city’s Hilton Metropole from 9-11 July 2013.

Cerny’s keynote Changing the Game: Developing into the Next Generation will see the industry legend take delegates through the journey he has been on to bring the console to reality, looking at the lessons learnt from previous console generations, the future vision for PS4 and how embracing the Indie community will have a key role in fulfilling that vision.

In addition to acting as the lead architect for Sony’s next gen console, which is set to launch this Christmas, Cerny is also working with SCE Japan as the director on PS4 title Knack. He will discuss the motivations behind creating a game in tandem with the hardware, and the lessons and insights gained from occupying this dual role.

Cerny started his career in video games at just 17 when he joined  Atari in 1982; his first major success was  Marble Madness, which he was designer on at 18. He then worked with  Sega in  Japan and the  United States for many years on titles including  Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Following his time at Sega, he took on the role of vice president and then president of  Universal Interactive Studios, where he worked extensively with  Naughty Dog on Crash Bandicoot and  Insomniac Games on Spyro the Dragon.

In 1998 he founded Cerny Games, and has since acted as a consultant on a broad variety of projects within the video games industry, including the Jak and Daxter, Ratchet & Clank and Resistance series of games, as well as hardware projects with Sony Computer Entertainment.  In 2004, he was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the  International Game Developers Association,and in 2010 he was inducted into the  Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.

“Following the rave reception Sony received for the PlayStation 4 at E3 earlier this month, we are delighted that Mark Cerny is delivering the Develop in Brighton keynote this year and we fully expect it to be standing room only,” said Andy Lane, managing director of Tandem Events.

Registration is open at www.developconference.com with passes starting from as little as £95. Entry to the Expo is free.

InterWave Studios, Developers of Award-Winning Nuclear Dawn, To Complete Development of Dark Matter

(SITTARD, THE NETHERLANDS) June 18, 2013 – InterWave Studios announced today a dual Kickstarter and Steam Greenlight campaign that will run simultaneously for their upcoming DRM-free game Dark Matter.Dark Matter is a Metroid-like, intense sci-fi side scrolling game that combines the twitch mechanics of a first person shooter with an adventure platformer.

·         Steam Greenlight Page: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=103509725

·         Kickstarter Page: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/interwave/dark-matter-1

“We could release Dark Matter right now in its beta form, but there is a level of polish and some necessary tweaking to gameplay mechanics required in order to ensure the game provides people with an exceptional, fun and intense experience. The funding will provide us with the additional two months we need to complete Dark Matter. At the same time, we are looking to publish Dark Matter via Steam Greenlight’s system that uses their community to pick upcoming new games,” said Igor Raffaele, general manager of InterWave Studios.

InterWave Studios will attempt to crowdsource and publish Dark Matter simultaneously over the course of the next 30 days.  The funding will go directly to the game’s final two months of development to ensure that Dark Matter achieves the level of polish it deserves. In addition, InterWave will begin to reach out to its community with unique access to the game and the developers to help achieve the level of support it requires in the Greenlight community in order for Steam to publish the game.

“As part of the Kickstarter campaign, we are going to do something truly unprecedented by granting our higher level backers access to Dark Matter’s beta version during the campaign so that they can help dictate the game’s development by providing feedback to us directly via our forums and one-on-one meetings. With our backers’ feedback and support, our goal is to create the type of game we want to play rather than the type of game big studios would force on players. Big publishers would normally ignore smaller games with lower profit margins like Dark Matter, but we are an independent studio, so we don’t have to sell millions of games in order to be successful. We don’t have to appease shareholders. We only have to make our fans happy. It is this philosophy that allows us to create games like Dark Matter and we look forward to sharing it with everyone,” said Raffaele.

ABOUT THE GAME

Dark Matter is about light and shadow. Dark Matter’s intense storyline set in a sci-fi/horror/adventure world set on the deep space exploration vessel, the Endeavor.  One year into its mission, the Endeavor sent a static filled communication about strange lights and angels and then was never heard from again. You play as Ensign, a female crew member who emerges from cryosleep almost 70 years after the final transmission. The crew has vanished and the Endeavor now drifts in space dying and infested with unknown, deadly parasites.  You must survive long enough to get the ship running before it dies, find out what happened to the crew and the mission and make it safely home.

Dark Matteris at its core a modern descendant of Metroid.  Dark Matter is driven by similarly progressive unlockable level mechanics, but with a creepy and dark atmosphere where light and darkness play a vital role in the player’s survival. It is a side scrolling throwback to Metroid-like platformers without the jumping puzzles where the best action requires careful planning and quick execution. Dark Matter is a single player, 2.5D adventure platformer game. Unlike other side scrolling platformers, Dark Matter requires the type of twitch aim and quick reflexes that first-person shooter fans enjoy. Dark Matter will be available for PC, MAC and Linux at launch and will be fully localizable. It will launch in English, Dutch, German and Italian day one.

Nordic Games today revealed the cover art as well as new screenshots for their blockbuster release of Deadfall Adventures, out on the Xbox 360 and Windows PC September 27th. In keeping with the style of Deadfall Adventures, the beautifully created cover-art  takes its inspiration from the Lost World genre of literature, popularised  in the early 20^th century through novels such as King Solomon’s Mines and  The Land That Time Forgot  that depicted the discovery of unexplored and exotic worlds. The cover art also pays tribute to the science-fiction and adventure “Pulp” magazines of the same era that gave rise to one of the greatest treasure hunters and pulp action heroes of all time  -  Indiana Jones.

Developed using Unreal Engine 3, Deadfall Adventures is full of spectacular jaw-dropping moments, as players battle natural and not-so-natural enemies across stormy deserts of Egypt to the icy depths of the Arctic and all the way to the steaming jungles of Guatemala.  Assuming the role of adventurer Quatermain, players will encounter fiendish puzzles, deadly traps and stunning set pieces, making this one of the greatest adventures ever told – let alone played.

For more information on the Deadfall Adventures like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/deadfalladventures or follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/DeadfallAdv

BRITISH DIRECTOR OF THE CALCIUM KID AND DEAD MAN RUNNING TO LEAD CREATIVE DIRECTION FOR THE STUDIO’S UPCOMING GAMES: TRANSFORMERS UNIVERSE AND RUNESCAPE 3

UK, Cambridge, 19th June 2013 – Jagex, the UK’s largest independent games developer and publisher, today announced the appointment of renowned writer and director Alex de Rakoff as Creative Director.

de Rakoff, the multi-award winning music video and feature film director, has an impressive career history bridging the music, film and games industries. He wrote and directed the feature film The Calcium Kid starring Orlando Bloom and the cult UK gangster movie Dead Man Running staring Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.

More recently de Rakoff has made the move into the games industry, working with Electronic Arts to write and direct the story for Need For Speed: The Run. For the past nine months he has been working for Jagex writing thestory for the studio’s upcoming Transformers Universe game.

Alex Horton, Jagex’s Chief Creative Officer, commented, “We’re doing something special with Transformers Universe, a game Alex is already a key part of.  As we go forward expect to see his influence on all of the Jagex media.  Having pedigree talent move in-house after a period of collaboration is a great endorsement of what we’re doing and where we’re going.”

de Rakoff joins Jagex at a hugely exciting time as the studio prepares to launch two new titles, RuneScape 3 and Transformers Universe. de Rakoff will serve as a key member of Horton’s creative team to lead the direction of Jagex games utilising his story-telling and directorial experience to bring an elevated experience to all Jagex titles.

Speaking of his appointment, Alex de Rakoff said, “Having worked for many years as a writer and director of feature films, music videos and AAA console games I’m really inspired to apply my experience to the media and narratives of large-scale online games. For me, this space is now the cutting edge of entertainment and there is no better studio to get behind than Jagex.  I am delighted to join their fantastic creative team with our collective intention of developing the best online games on the block.”

VENGEANCE CAN BE YOURS ON 2^ND JULY

Third Downloadable Content Pack Coming First, Exclusively on Xbox Live, Fully Loaded with Four All-New Multiplayer Maps, Including a Re-Imagined Classic,

and the Epic, New Zombies Experience, “Buried”

London, UK – 19^th June, 2013 – Call of Duty®: Black Ops II Vengeance is available first, exclusively on the Xbox Live® online entertainment network from Microsoft beginning 2^nd July. Vengeance, the game’s third epic Downloadable Content (DLC) Pack from Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq: ATVI) and its award-winning studio Treyarch, takes players to four diverse locations around the globe, including a deserted tropical island, a destroyed suspension bridge, an abandoned paintball course and the jungles of Myanmar.  Vengeance also serves up a new addition to the game’s esteemed Zombies experience with “Buried,” where the undead residents of an abandoned subterranean Old West mining town have come back to claim their home.

“When it’s difficult to see the line between playtesting and leisurely gaming around the studio, it’s a sure sign that we’ve created something fun with Vengeance,” said Mark Lamia, Studio Head of Treyarch.  “From the four multiplayer maps to our new Zombies experience, “Buried,” Vengeance continues doing what we set out to accomplish from the very beginning of development on Call of Duty: Black Ops II: pushing the boundaries of fans’ expectations.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops II Vengeance delivers four new, diverse multiplayer maps starting with “Cove,” where the stage is set for all-out conflict on this small, forgotten island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, with players battling it out amongst the wreckage of a jet that crash-landed during a smuggling operation gone wrong.  Next up is “Detour,” a destroyed suspension bridge, high above an East Coast waterway, packed with scattered vehicles, exposed iron and collapsed pavement where the head-to-head action will play out on multiple levels.  The third map, “Rush,” sets the stage for fast, close-quarters engagements in this paintball course turned full-combat arena, giving players new opportunities and challenges to use the cover to their advantage.  Rounding out Vengeance’s multiplayer maps is “Uplink.”  In this re-imagined adaptation of the fan-favorite multiplayer map “Summit” from the original Call of Duty®: Black Ops, players clash deep in the rain-soaked jungles of Myanmar, high atop a hi-tech mountain facility.

Treyarch yet again expands the Zombies storyworld in new, mind-bending ways with “Buried.”  Players meet up with old characters and will encounter new ones as they face off against the undead residents of an abandoned underground Old West mining town.  A healthy arsenal of equipment and weapons that will be at players’ disposal, but with one very special addition – something so powerful it will also appear in all other Call of Duty: Black Ops II Zombies maps (with the purchase of Vengeance DLC): the Ray Gun Mark II.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II Vengeance will be available first, exclusively on Xbox Live for Xbox 360® game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 1200 Microsoft Points on 2^nd July, with other platforms to follow.  Call of Duty: Black Ops IIis rated PEGI 18.  More information on Call of Duty: Black Ops II can be found at http://www.callofduty.com/blackops2 or on www.facebook.com/codblackops.  Fans can also follow @Treyarch on Twitter.

The Facts, taken from IMDB.com

Straitlaced Princeton University admissions officer Portia Nathan (Tina Fey) is caught off-guard when she makes a recruiting visit to an alternative high school overseen by her former college classmate, the freewheeling John Pressman (Paul Rudd). Pressman has surmised that Jeremiah (Nat Wolff), his gifted yet very unconventional student, might well be the son that Portia secretly gave up for adoption many years ago. Soon, Portia finds herself bending the rules for Jeremiah, putting at risk the life she thought she always wanted — but in the process finding her way to a surprising and exhilarating life and romance she never dreamed of having.

The Review.

I didn’t want to get up this morning, it was 9am and I was really sleepy, the trouble with not getting to sleep until 6am. There was a part of me that thought, today I shall be a bear in reverse, slumber through what we laughingly call summer. But I had a review to do, and I argued with myself about getting up at all. I did, I managed to get my backside in gear and get to the wonderful Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield. If you haven’t seen a movie there then change that as soon as you can. It’s a lovely venue with really comfortable seats, I’m not kidding I’ve stayed in some hotels where the beds were not as comfortable as the seats in the Lighthouse cinema.

I sat down and had my breakfast roll, hitting the snooze button too many times usually means having breakfast on the go. I’ll be honest with you all now, and tell you that I didn’t expect too much from this movie, delightfully I was wrong. This is one of those movies without explosions and cgi. This is a movie that speaks to your heart and soul, giving you much more than you expect and would be a perfect date night movie for those who would appreciate a well written, soundly performed, and wisely directed piece of cinema. There are no real stand out performances here, mainly because everyone is on top of their game, and I’m not a fan of Tina Fey but found her charming in this. Lily Tomlin gives as good a performance as ever, although it’s starting to tell she’s gone under the knife a lot, look at her face and tell me it’s not true.

Admission is one of those movies that a lot of thought has gone into each word, every scene is necessary and casting was just as important. At home or at the cinema this movie will give you all that you ask from it. Go and see it.

Talk later Chums!

]]> http://comicbuzz.com/2013/06/admission-review/feed/ 0 http://comicbuzz.com/2013/06/monkeybrain-comics-previews-for-june-19th/ http://comicbuzz.com/2013/06/monkeybrain-comics-previews-for-june-19th/#comments Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:31:30 +0000 shabbir http://comicbuzz.com/?p=85149 AMELIA COLE AND THE HIDDEN WAR #2
$.99 – Ages 12+

http://cmxl.gy/11wZQBI

The Magistrate begins to question if Amelia’s right for the Protector job after all! Meanwhile, at the Dunes of Forgiveness, the Omega Company fight some particularly nasty monsters who are up to… well, they’ll have to figure that out, and soon, if they want to survive! Also: who was the first Lemmy… ? Adam, D.J., Nick, Rachel, and Ruiz are at it again with AMELIA COLE AND THE HIDDEN WAR issue 2!

The Facts

An American father, JESSE, (Ethan Hawke) is seeing off his son HANK (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick) at the Kalamata Airport in Greece. Hank’s returning to his mother and life in the U.S. after spending the “best summer ever” with Jesse and his family. The middle-schooler is more composed than his fortyish father, who hovers anxiously as their separation draws near.

Geography weighs heavily on Jesse. Outside the airport, he rejoins his family: CELINE (Julie Delpy) and their young twin daughters ELLA and NINA (Jennifer and Charlotte Prior). As they drive through the austerely beautiful rocky hillsides of Messinia, Jesse and Celine talk—about living so far from Hank, about her career as an environmentalist and hopes for a new job, about the swirl of ancient and modern Greece around them. Jesse hints at wanting to move back to America from their home in Paris, but Celine has done her U.S. time—they lived in New York for a spell—and has no wish to return. Their long history together bubbles between them.

Jesse’s a successful novelist, and they’re in Greece at a writer’s retreat, staying in the bucolic country villa of an older expat writer, PATRICK (Walter Lassally). Jesse’s given to flights of creative fancy which charm the assembled company, warmly hospitable Greek couples, but Celine—whose own past has played a starring role in Jesse’s semi-autobiographical novels—is perhaps a bit weary of serving as alluring French muse to Jesse’s fiction career.

As a treat, their Greek friends have gifted Jesse and Celine with a night at a luxurious seaside hotel while they babysit the twins. Feeling the undercurrent of friction between them, Celine wants to beg off, but their friends insist. They set off on foot through the spectacular countryside, meandering through meadows and villages, enjoying each others’ company, talking, teasing, debating, flirting.

What does a longterm couple do in a sleek hotel room besides throw off their worries, responsibilities, and clothes and make love? But for Jesse and Celine, realities intrude: the weight of children, work, ambitions, disappointments; the ebb and flow of romantic love ; the strains of an evolving, deepening relationship. Their idyllic night tests them in unexpected ways.

The Review

As I’m unfamiliar with the first movies in this series, and believe me that I’m now going to make myself familiar with them, I can’t say too much about this movie. If you know the first movies you probably won’t be disappointed with this one, beautiful acting and scenery, great script and a director that knows his subject matter.

I like Ethan and Julie in their other movies, apart from The Purge (but I’ve already given out about that one) and Linklater is always a good bet for your viewing Euro.

I’m going to watch the first two movies in this series and when this finally comes to the screen for public viewing I’ll watch it again. I think then I’ll be able to fully appreciate this movie. I was a little lost because I haven’t seen the first two, but if you have then you’re going to be entertained for the length of the movie. If you haven’t seen the first two movies, like my good self, then take the time to find them and watch them before spending your cash. I hope to get aquainted with this story more and more.

Talk later Chums!

SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON EXCLUSIVES STORE!

June 18, MILWAUKIE, OR—The largest and most highly anticipated pop culture event of the year is right around the corner, and Dark Horse is bringing you the latest and greatest in exclusive comics and products from Dark Horse Deluxe!

This year at the Dark Horse booth, a dedicated store will be open throughout the convention where fans can purchase these limited and highly collectible products.

Game of Thrones 7-Inch Stark Shield Wall Plaque (Limited Edition of 1,200)

Sculptural replica of Stark shield. Packaged in full-color box. Includes hook for wall mounting.

Price: $30.00

Availability: Two per person, available all days

Last Man Standing Signed Hardcover Book (Limited Edition of 1,000)

15 x 12.25–inch, signed, 272-page, full-color hardcover art book with dust jacket.

Price: $75.00

Availability: All days

Mass Effect Bronze Alliance Normandy SR-1 Ship Replica (Limited Edition of 300)

Bronze-plated, 6.75-inch ship replica on base. Packaged in full-color box.

Price: $50.00

Availability: Two per person

Hellboy Qee—SDCC Exclusive (Limited Edition of 350)

5.5-inch Qee vinyl figure of Hellboy wearing officially licensed Comic-Con logo T-shirt. Packaged in color window box.

Price: $20.00

Availability: Two per person, available all days

Domo Qee—SDCC Exclusive (Limited Edition of 1,200)

2.5-inch Qee version of Domo. Design unavailable elsewhere. Packaged in color box.

Price: $9.00

Availability: Four per person, available all days

Good Luck Trolls—SDCC Exclusive (Limited Edition of 1,000)

2.5-inch black-light green Good Luck Troll figure with white hair. Packaged in color box.

Price: $8.00

Availability: Four per person, available all days

Plants vs. Zombies Comic—SDCC Exclusive (Limited Edition of 1,000)

PopCap’s immensely popular Plants vs. Zombies game finally gets the plant-filled, zombie-zapping comics treatment it deserves! Crazy Dave helps fend off a “fun-dead” neighborhood invasion in Plants vs. Zombies: Lawnmageddon. Paul Tobin (Marvel Adventures) and Ron Chan (The Guild) join the botanical battle to deliver a hilarious, all-ages zombie romp to your neighborhood! Stop by the Dark Horse booth or the PopCap booth to snag an exclusive print edition.

Price: $2.00

Availability: 500 copies will be for sale at the Dark Horse booth and 500 at the Electronic Arts Booth (#129)

The Strain: The Fall #1 Comic— SDCC Exclusive Variant Cover by Rafael Albuquerque (Limited Edition of 500)

The vampire plague has infested New York City in this continuation of the critically acclaimed comic by writer David Lapham and artist Mike Huddleston, adapted from The Strain Trilogy by visionary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and novelist Chuck Hogan. The Strain is also currently in development for an FX series!

Price: $5.00

Availability: Ten per person

Star Wars #7— SDCC Exclusive Variant Cover by Rodolfo Migliari (Limited Edition of 1,000)

This is Star Wars as you remember it . . . and as you have never seen it before! We’re taking you back to those heady, adventure-filled days following the destruction of the Death Star—when the Empire ruled, the Rebels were on the run, and the galaxy was a dangerous place where anything might happen!

Price: $5.00

Availability: Ten per person

Catalyst Comix #1— SDCC Exclusive Variant Jam Cover by Dan McDaid, Paul Maybury, and Ulises Farinas (Limited Edition of 500)

Straight from the glory of Comics’ Greatest World, Frank “Titan” Wells, Amazing Grace, and the Agents of Change are back, baby! But you’ve never seen them like this! Superhero comics get a back-alley facelift as these very different champions confront cosmic threats and personal demons—and it all starts at the end of the world as we know it! Written by Joe Casey (Sex, Gødland, Baker the Righteous Maker) with art by artists Dan McDaid (Doctor Who), Ulises Farinas (Glory), and Paul Maybury (Aqua Leung)!

Price: $5.00

Availability: Ten per person

Make sure to stop by booth #2615 to check out all this awesome stuff, only available at San Diego Comic-Con 2013!

Amigo Comics is proud with the instant sell-out for ROGUES! #1 and #2. Only a few copies remain at the Amigo-office for personal use and just maybe a comic book store made a good investment, not to mention a good judgement call and there might be a few issues left locally!

In The Comic Speculator, Matt Baum’s “What to Watch”: “Newcomer Amigo Comics is getting some good buzz with its title Rogues. Issue #2 hit the shelves this week and was sold out before shipping. If the buzz continues expect Rogues #1 and #2 to be very hard to find.”

Rogues! #2 is sporting a cover by Emanuela Lupacchino (X-Factor, Archer and Armstrong, Ame-Comi, Castle) and features a story about how Bram -the boastful northerner- and the sultry Weasel are struggling to get rid of the unbearable Curse of the Chicken. To lift this curse, these brave thieves must not only fight the vile sorcerer Amthaeramus, but also defeat golems, resurrect dead wizards, sneak into forbidden underground passages and even meddle in certain love affair.

“This comic is actually very, very good. It’s something that the industry has needed for a while and I don’t even think they knew it.”

–Dustin Cabeal, Comicbastards.com

“Rogues! is swashbuckling fun in the most raw and entertaining form! (…) The story is a well-paced riotous romp, filled with both action and gritty humor – it’s just all in all unpolluted fun.”

–The PullBox .com

Rogues! #2 (MR)

Writer: El Torres
Art: Miguel Genlot
Cover: Emanuela Lupacchino
Color: Rubén Rojas

MATURE THEMES
SC, 7×10, 32pgs, FC …………… $3.99

London, UK – June 18, 2013 – Capcom, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games is pleased to announce that Dungeons & Dragons®: Chronicles of Mystara™ is available today as a digital download from the North American PlayStation® Network and globally via Steam® and coming to Xbox LIVE® Arcade for Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the European PlayStation® Network from tomorrow, June 19. Wii U™ owners will be able to purchase the title from the Nintendo eShop soon after.

Capcom worked closely with Wizards of the Coast to bring these beloved games back for all the D&D® fans on today’s consoles. Developed by Iron Galaxy, Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara brings together two arcade classics – Dungeons & Dragons®: Tower of Doom™ and its sequel Dungeons & Dragons®: Shadow over Mystara™ – fully updated with HD graphics and a wealth of additional features. The highly requested games had previously only been available in arcades in the west and can now be enjoyed by a wider gaming audience.

Both titles mix intense 2D side scrolling action RPG to deliver a truly deep gameplay experience for up to four players as they battle online or locally against the iconic monsters of Dungeons & Dragons with a mix of melee, range and magic attacks. Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara’s is powered by GGPO to offer seamless drop-in/drop-out online gameplay for up to four players in each of the title’s two modes. In addition to the classic arcade mode with its branching paths and multiple endings, players can utilize the all new House Rules feature which offers stackable game options to customize gameplay for a completely different experience. For instance, “Vampirism” awards health for every attack dealt to an enemy and “Lockpick” causes all chests to be open.

Further additions include a dynamic Challenge system that sets players in-game goals in return for character level-ups and points which can be spent in the Vault: a treasure trove of unlockables and gameplay loot. Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara also features the Character Visualizer which lets players track which characters they and their friends use most often and can help create a more balanced multiplayer dungeon party, or point out which characters are most under-used; with further gameplay stats tracked via a global leaderboard. Lastly, owners of the Wii U version will be able to use the Wii U™ GamePad touch screen to select spells and items with ease, allowing for a more streamlined gameplay experience.

Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara will be priced at $14.99/€14.99/£11.99/1200MSP.