GAME OF THE WEEK | TANZIA NINTENDO SWITCH

Tanzia

Developer: Arcanity Inc.

Size: 650MB

Release Date: July 19th, 2018

Genre: Action RPG

Compatibility: Nintendo Switch (PC currently in early access)

Price: $19.99 (Nintendo Switch Digital Only)

I had a friend tag me on Facebook under one of Arcanity Inc's posts about Tanzia and as soon as I watched the trailer I immediately bought this game. There was a small void in my life because I had been wanting a WoW'esque game that I could play on the go for my Switch. Granted, this isn't WoW because it isn't a MMO however the game play and visuals are very similar.

Tanzia puts you in a world of beautifully made locations and lets you interact with just about every NPC on the map. These interactions brought you towards the end quest line goal as well as several random level building quests. In conclusion this game was both beautiful and fun to play. It's worth the $19.99 price point hands down. Check out my Positives/Negatives below.

Positives:

- Visuals: very similar to WoW in its visuals

- Gameplay: easy to learn with its fair amount of challenge that doesn't discourage you

- Price: $19.99, the game is worth it and I'll gladly spend more if they come out with DLC

Negatives:

- Campaign: I wish it was longer! I just want more.

- Ending: after completing the game I wanted to log back in and finish all the side quests and level up my character more but it took me back to my previous save prior to me beating the game. 

Check out this review by Ircha Gaming

What do you think? Have you played Tanzia? Let me know in the comments below!

Planet Comicon 2017 Publishing Panel

Planet Comicon 2017 Publishing Panel

Planet Comicon 2017 Cosplay

Planet Comicon was absolutely amazing this year here are some of the most amazing cosplays I have ever seen! Make sure to follow my Instagram page to get all the videos and even more Planet Comicon coverage! @Ryzn

C2E2 Cosplay Video

C2E2 has some of the most amazing cosplay I have ever seen!

Make sure to stop by my Instagram page @ryzn and checkout more C2E2 coverage!

C2E2 2017 Cosplay Photos

C2E2 was absolutely amazing this year here are some of the most amazing cosplays I have ever seen! Make sure to follow my Instagram page to get all the videos and even more c2e2 coverage! @Ryzn

How Games Can Change The World | Indie Games | Wizard World St. Louis 2017

The cultural impact of games spreads farther and wider as artists and developers stretch the idea of what a game can be. Join this panel of local game industry professionals as they explore the psychology and social impact of games and play on many professional industries - and facets of culture. Moderated by Carol Mertz, Executive Director of PixelPop Festival.

Carol Mertz - https://twitter.com/carolmertz
Rob Santos - https://twitter.com/RobMSantos
Jen Patton - https://twitter.com/jenrpa/media - http://www.jenrpa.com
The Silver Foxe - https://twitter.com/TheSilverFoxe - twitch.tv/thesilverfoxe
Katherine Brennan

Whats It Like To Be An Indie Studio | Indie Games | Wizard World St. Louis 2017

The popularity of Indie Games is skyrocketing - with more and more studios that make games entering the fold every day. But what does it take to create or be part of an indie games studio? This panel will discuss the steps you can take to create your own studio, the trials and tribulations of making games, and the abundance of tools available online to help you get started. Learn about the career paths of indie developers, and how diverse professional backgrounds have helped them develop the skills they need to make games and put them out into the world.

Sam Coster - http://www.butterscotch-shenanigans.com - https://twitter.com/BScotchShenani
Mary McKenzie - http://volcanobean.com - https://twitter.com/marymckelly
Aaron Buske - https://twitter.com/AdronBuske - http://nerdforaliving.com
Ben Cook - https://twitter.com/GyCot

Making Games In St. Louis | Indie Games | Wizard World St. Louis 2017

Did you know that St. Louis has a fast-growing and successful game developer community? Our city is home to a variety of gaming studios and makers who are making their mark in the gaming world. STL is also home to events like Pixelpop Festival, specifically tailored for people who want to learn about the art and development of games. 

Carol Mertz - https://twitter.com/carolmertz
TJ Hughes - https://twitter.com/_Teejay5
Wendy Buske - http://nerdforaliving.com - https://twitter.com/WendyBuske
Mary McKenzie - http://volcanobean.com - https://twitter.com/marymckelly
Amanda Bott

Mighty Con Photo Shoot-- POW~!

Hey guys!

In celebration to getting 1K followers on Facebook and Instagram I let my supporters choose my next photoshoot... Facebook choose the one and only Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach... but Instagram spoke for Wonder Woman... so Foto-Con and I decided we need to do both! Wonder Woman got her chance first ;)

So everyone tries to make the most of their time right... so knowing I was going to be in the heart of Madison for Mighty Con I planned to be Wonder Woman to take some amazing shots after the show! Madison's State Capital Building is gorgeous... and a dead ringer for Washington DC... if you just mess with angles a bit. If you reside in the midwest I would recommend this as a great spot for a quick photo shoot! ;)

Foto-Con owner Joseph Oleksy and I braved the 40 degrees weather for an hour to get some new shots of the Amazonian Princess. I am sad to say I didn't get to do the classic poses I did last time. This shoot was to bring a new look to Diana Prince. The idea was she has been in DC now for a while and is starting to get bored... so she messes around while also guarding the most prestigious buildings in DC. Having some fun on guard is something I believe Wonder Woman would take advantage of... but also making sure the public isn't seeing too much of her goofy side.

For me, I love location shoots! Madison had a bunch of different banisters and different rocks to climb on... my photographer says next time he is filming the ridiculous things I do in order to attempt to get a cool shot haha (key word is attempt..) I really wanted to climb a tree.. but I got to say, gladiator sandals don't have enough grip for that... note to fellow cosplayers maybe bring tennis shoes to climb trees. I think we are going to get some different looks from Wonder Woman this time and I hope that you guys like them... again they are different. Wonder Woman is my favorite comic book character and getting to pretend to be her at cons is a dream! Thanks for all the support throughout these months and I can't wait to show you more!

Love,

Victori Belle

Victori Belle @ Mighty Con Madison!

Travelled a bit for this last Mighty Con~! Mighty-Con Madison 2017 was held at Monona Terrace... a beautiful venue right in the heart of Madison. Venders came from far and wide to sell pops, cards, prints, weapons and one of a kind jewelry! 

Being up north... spring still felt like winter so people had to modify their cosplays and made some killer looks! Cosplayers really went towards the  anime characters... seeing costumes from Inuyasha, RWBY and Pokemon. A new cool cosplay perk offered here was a free Foto-Con print for the  winners of the costume contest! Foto-Con really helped bring the cosplayers costumes to life! 

One of my favorite venders for the Mighty Con was Quest Armory. They work foam into realistic affordable weapons for LARPing and cosplayers! I am even looking to ask them for some new weapons for my Wonder Woman costume <3 ! I had to have seen almost every cosplayer carrying their weapons! 

My friends from Deadgar's Dark Coffin Classics brought a new Deadgirl to the show for the first time! Cassie Mareno is an artist who also does amazing tattoos. She was selling her My Little Pony originals like hot cakes here! 

Overall the man in charge, Mr. Randy Beasley, said that this was one of the most successful Mighty Con Madison's to date! It seems to be a record breaking year for this smaller convention. Make sure you come out to a Mighty Con while they are still so affordable! I hope to see you there ;) 

Love, 

VB

Victori Belle @ Mighty Con Milwaukee!!!

Wow... it's 2017 Con Season already and like the good little cosplayer I am...I'm not ready costume wise!!! AHHHHH~! Procrastination is not my friend. 

But doesn't matter there are Cons to go to and people to see! My first Con of 2017 just occurred last weekend... Mighty Con Milwaukee! Ok, so going into this Con there were a lot of negative things being thrown around because Mighty Con had to change their venue. They moved to the Wisconsin Fair Grounds... which is bigger and better... but had to charge people for parking. ($6... not to bad.) But people around the community were in an uproar on FB making me think that no one would be at this convention. Boy was I WRONG~! 

Upwards to 2,000 people visited Mighty Con Milwaukee last weekend making it one of the most successful Mighty Cons EVER! So many venders got the opportunity to join in the action too because of the larger space! Everyone was here to have a good time and being a one day convention everyone was also in the mood to buy! My booth with Deadgar Winter, from Deadgar's Dark Coffin Classics had a run in with security... Deadgar brought out his inner wrestler and decided to do a chair fight instead of a sword fight with someone... not recommended at conventions. 😅

I'm so glad Randy Beasley and his team were able to pull off a move and make it a success... this is gearing me up for all the rest of the Mighty Cons this year. People know it's an affordable show with great venders and so they are coming to support it. Good job guys! 

Cosplay wise I was able to see some unique kids costumes! My all-time favorite was a little girl who wasn't just Wonder Woman... but Wonder Woman driving her invisible jet! 😆 Loved it so much. People were able to even insert themselves into the world of their Cosplay at this con thanks to the vender Foto-Con. (https://www.facebook.com/thefotocon/) Photographer Joe Oleksy takes photos on a green screen of Cosplayers and then throws in their favorite background and bam! Your cosplay comes to life. He even prints the photos out on the spot! 

Cartoonist Jeff Balke was also there with one of his amazing animators! He always puts on a great show with his drawings and amazing booths. I can't wait to meet more venders at the next Mighty Con... which is February 25th at DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton,IL.  (I might not make it but you should try to!)

Can't wait to share more crazy con stories with everyone experiencing NerdLife~! Hope to see you at a Convention in the future.. until then!

Victori Belle <3

The Casual Hour: Guilty Pleasures

This week I had the pleasure to join The Casual Hour for some amazing podcasting time! Enjoy!

WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:

In this week’s episode of The Casual Hour we are joined by our friend, Ryan Dampf. We have our usual discussion about the games we’ve been playing, but the real fun starts when we discuss our gaming guilty pleasures. Those games we know are bad, but love despite their flaws.

Speaking of flaws, you have probably noticed the garbage fire audio this episode. A lot went wrong, but the important thing here is to blame Johnny. Having said that, we are sorry for the inconvenience and promise our buttery smooth vocals will be back in full force next week! 

We hope you enjoy the show!

LET'S TALK!

We love fan mail, send us some! thecasualhour@gmail.com or www.thecasualhour.com/contact

You can follow our show on Twitter at: @thecasualhour

Enjoy what we have to say? Leave us a review on iTunes!

The Casual Hour is:

• Johnny Amizich - @jamizich
• Bobby Pease - @bobbypease
• Chase Koeneke - gamersonthego.com Twitter @chase_koeneke  

Our Guest This Week: 

Ryan Dampf - http://www.livingthenerdlife.com Instagram: @rzyn Twitter: @iamryzn

Love our theme music? It was created by Patric Brown. You can follow his antics on twitter @insaneanalog or check out more of his music and download our theme at www.insaneanalog.com

Cosplayer of the Week | Kelsey Lee Meeow

My name is Kelsey Lee I'm 22 years young and I'm not actually human I am an Elven Druid in disguise as a Cat. All I want to do is make things, dress up and pretend to be my favorite characters. I love comics, anime and games and I'm always excited to read,watch and play anything new so please suggest some for me to look up! Plus if you want to battle Pokemon I'm super down my goal is to the VERY best.. So Ash you watch out!!!! 

Check out my Instagram below!

Check out some of Kelsey's awesome cosplays below!

We just wanted to thank Kelsey for allowing us to share her love of cosplay with all of our readers! Make sure to scroll back up, follow her on both Facebook and Instagram and show her some love!

Be on the look out for our next Cosplayer of the Week!

INTERESTED IN BEING FEATURED AS LIVINGTHENERDLIFE.COM'S COSPLAYER OF THE WEEK? OR DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE THAT SHOULD BE FEATURED?

JUST EMAIL JOE AT TEAMNERDLIFE@GMAIL.COM WITH THE TITLE "COSPLAYER OF THE WEEK" SEND ANY COSPLAY PHOTOS WE CAN ADD TO THE POST. OF COURSE THE MORE THE BETTER! ALONG WITH ANY BIO YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD. OR FIND ME ON INSTAGRAM @THEE.SOCIAL.NERD

Cosplayer of the Week | Virginia Desiderio

I've been cosplaying for 3 years for fun and passion and because it's one of the best way to express creativity.

I've started my first convention with Emma Frost and Neliel. I then decided to cosplay both of them again later on, improving them. 

One of my favorite cosplays is female Vegeta, because it was the first armor I made all by myself!

I love both manga and comics, so I cosplayed some characters like Nami from OP, Juvia from Fairy Tail, Catwoman and Starfire from DC. 

Another cosplay I was really happy with, is Stella from Winx Club. 

I'm also a Star Wars fan, in fact my next project will be Female Boba Fett based on a fanart. 

Check out my social media links below!

 

Check out some of Virginia's amazing cosplays below!

I just wanted to thank Virginia for allowing us to share all of her awesome cosplays with you all. Definitely make sure you scroll back up and check her out on both Instagram and Facebook and be sure to show her some love!

Be on the look out for our next Cosplayer of the Week!

INTERESTED IN BEING FEATURED AS LIVINGTHENERDLIFE.COM'S COSPLAYER OF THE WEEK? OR DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE THAT SHOULD BE FEATURED?

JUST EMAIL JOE AT TEAMNERDLIFE@GMAIL.COM WITH THE TITLE "COSPLAYER OF THE WEEK" SEND ANY COSPLAY PHOTOS WE CAN ADD TO THE POST. OF COURSE THE MORE THE BETTER! ALONG WITH ANY BIO YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD. OR FIND ME ON INSTAGRAM @THEE.SOCIAL.NERD

Wizard World And Legendary Rock Icon, KISS Frontman Gene Simmons Join To Produce Local Shows In Five Comic Con Cities In First Outing For New Wizard World Touring Unit

Wizard World, Inc., (WIZD) the preeminent producer of Wizard World Comic Cons across North America, has formed a new Touring Unit in partnership with veteran music and technology executive Nick Turner. The new unit will bring vibrant live entertainment to Wizard World shows, building on the Wizard’s initiative to create an atmosphere of a weekend festival at every Wizard World show.

Wizard World is proud to announce that the first venture of Wizard World Touring a joint venture production with Gene Simmons by which the legendary KISS front-man, bassist and rock icon will perform “An Evening with Gene Simmons and his Band” and attend five Wizard World Comic Con events as an iconic star attraction in 2017. The club venue concerts are in conjunction with appearances at conventions in Cleveland (March 18-19), St. Louis (April 8-9), Philadelphia (June 2-3), Chicago (August 26-27) and Austin (November 17-18).

Evening concerts are planned on Friday in each of the respective cities, with Simmons on hand each Saturday to greet fans, pose for photo ops, sign autographs and conduct live interactive Q&A sessions at each Wizard world Comic Con.

“I’m excited to bring Rock & Roll back to Wizard World Comic Con in 2017,” said Simmons. “It will be great to meet fans and perform for them in every city.”

John D. Maatta, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wizard World stated: “We are thrilled to be working with Gene for our inaugural production by Wizard World Touring. Gene is a showman-businessman hyphenate, and there is no better entertainer whom the fans love more.” Maatta continued: “We are working very hard at Wizard World to build it into a ‘best of breed’ entertainment/live event company. Wizard World Touring is another aggressive step forward into a sector that is extremely promising for us—It is a brand new day at Wizard World. We are very pleased to have a seasoned executive of the caliber of Nick Turner to guide us into this space.” 

The agreement is the beginning of a new touring unit spearheaded by Nick Turner, which will bring entertainment to Wizard World shows, building on the promotion’s initiative to create an atmosphere of a weekend festival at every stop.

In Cleveland, fans can rock out on Saturday night, March 18, with “An Evening with Gene Simmons and his Band” at Agora Theater (5000 Euclid Ave.) beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets are available for $29.95 in advance at http://agoracleveland.com and http://www.wizardworld.com and $35 at the door, with special meet-and-greet packages also available. Venues, times and pricing for other cities to be announced closer to those respective shows.

Simmons, who was a big hit in his first Wizard World Comic Con appearance in Richmond in 2016, is a multi-hyphenate entrepreneur and one of the world’s most recognized personalities. He co-founded KISS 42 years ago. KISS is America's #1 Gold Record Award Winning Group of all time, in all categories (RIAA). KISS has sold over 100 million CDs and DVDs worldwide, is celebrating its 43rd year, and continues to sell out stadiums and arenas around the world, breaking box-office records set by Elvis and the Beatles. KISS was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at the 2014 induction ceremony, and the band is recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for its pioneering work.

Wizard World comic and gaming con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, television, gaming, live entertainment, comics, sci-fi, graphic novels, toys, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Wizard World is also the place for cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event. Fans dressed as every imaginable character – and some never before dreamed –  will roam the convention floor. The famed Wizard World Comic Con Portland Costume Contest will take place on Saturday night.

Planet Comicon Special Guest Announcement | Shannon Elizabeth

Star of American Pie, Scary Movie, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

Shannon Elizabeth, is an actress and fashion model known for her roles in films including American Pie, Scary Movie, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. She has also made horror films including Thirteen Ghosts, Cursed, and Night of the Demons.

Shannon Elizabeth appeared in several films and television shows before being cast in 1999’s American Pie in the role of Nadia. She starred in the UPN series Cuts and had a recurring role in That ’70s Show. She provided the likeness and voice for Serena St. Germaine in the 2004 video game, James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing.

She competed in the sixth season of Dancing with the Stars, partnered with Derek Hough. In 2009, Shannon Elizabeth hosted the comedy/burlesque series “Live Nude Comedy”.

Elizabeth is also a noted celebrity poker player.  At times, she appeared in Las Vegas Valley up to three times each month to participate in poker games with top players. She scored 13 tournament cashes from 2006 through 2013.

Planet Comicon Special Guest Announcement | Summer Glau

Star of Firefly, Serenity, and Arrow

Summer Glau is an American prima ballerina and actress, who is best known for for her iconic characters River Tam in Joss Whedon’s TV series Firefly and the feature film, Serenity and Cameron Philips in Terminator:The Sarah Connor Chronicles. She has also recently appeared as Isabel Rochev on the CW series Arrow.

Summer got her start in Joss Whedon’s much acclaimed TV series Angel playing a cursed Prima Ballerina in the 2002 episode “Waiting in the Wings”. Contributing to her sci-fi credits were roles in USA’s The 4400 as Tess, a schizophrenic who can control others with her mind and followed it with a return to the Whedonverse in Dollhouse as Echo’s long lost nemesis, Bennet Halverson.

2010 saw Summer fulfilling two lifelong dreams by starring in both a Lifetime movie Deadly Honeymoon, and filming a western The Legend of Hells Gate: An American Conspiracy.

Summer revisited TV screens in 2011 in NBC’s highly anticipated “The Cape” as Orwell, an investigative blogger who teams up with Vince/The Cape in order to fight crime and restore justice. Summer followed that with impressive guest appearances on ‘Alphas’.