This Week on Netflix: Dead Snow 2

Yes, there was a Dead Snow 1! 

If the worst day of you life consisted of accidentally killing your girlfriend with an axe, chain-sawing your arm off, and watching in horro as your closest friends were devoured by a zombified Nazi battalion, you'd have to assume that things couldn't get much worse. In Martin's case, that was only the beginning. -IMDB

This may have been the funniest and best horror/comedy I have seen since Shaun of the Dead! You get introduced to Martin, the main character and you automatically think of "Idle Hands" except its "Idle Arm!" This movie gets even more interesting when a Nazi army of zombies are awaken and Martin has the answer to defeating them in his arm! Martins new arm has the ability to raise anyone from the dead. So he brings the dead back to life and with him and a small group of the living look to take out the Nazi zombie horde!

I highly recommend this movie to any zombie movie lover and looking for something different, not so main stream, to watch. I'm looking forward to showing both Dead Snow 1 & Dead Snow 2 to my wife to see what she thinks as well!

I give it a 4 out of 5 and if you have Netflix it should be on your list of much watch movies!

What did you think of Dad Snow 2? 

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

Walker Wednesday

What did everyone think of this weeks episod of the Walking Dead Episode 510: "Them"?  

I'm glad to see an episode with everyone in it this was a pleasant change. Not that I don't mind seeing an entire episode about a few cast members but it's nice to see the whole gang together.  

This episode is what I like to call a "filler" episode and probably wont be a favorite for many of the fans. After last weeks episode and making the decision to push towards Washington the group struggles with hunger, thirst and each other. Sasha still dealing with the loss of her brother Tyreese acts out putting the other members of the group at harm causing tension between them.  

During their journey they run across a pack of wild dogs which turned out to be a blessing because they found their next meal. Still lacking water they push on and after a brief cut scene where Daryl finally showed his emotion over the loss of Beth the group is left looking at a supply of water with a letter that read "From a Friend." 

Not trusting anyone, Abraham slaps the bottle of water out of Eugenes hand worried that the water may be contamenated. This was a great moment because regardless of what happened in the past, Eugene lying to Abraham about a cure, they still care about each other, they're still family. Right after struggling with this the skies begin to fill with dark and ominous clouds and rain begins to rehydrate the group from their long hot journey. The rain quickly becomes too much and a storm begins pounding down on them. Daryl takes them to a barn he found while off scouting for water.  After clearing the barn they set up camp for the night.

This leads to the 2nd most important scene in the episode. Daryl goes to check the barn doors when he noticed a large group of walkers looking to make their pressence known. One by one the other members of the group notice Daryl holding back the door. The scene was pretty intense and shows the group working together to hold off the walkers while a seemingly tornado is rolling through with the storm.  

The following morning Maggie and Sasha take a walk with a music box that Carl gave Maggie earlier in the episode and that Daryl and fixed. When looking at the sun rise the open the music box and it still didn't work. But then, a rather well dressed and groomed man tell them "Hello! I'm Aaron and I'm a Friend. I'm looking for your leader Rick." Following that the music box kicks on and leaves us with quite the cliff hanger! 

Like I said the episode dragged a bit but all in all the episode was executed perfectly. From the struggles of the team 2nd guessing either going to Washington or just life in general to the climactic scene of the group coming together to hold off the Walkers at the end. Followed by one of the best cliff hangers this season. Won't be many viewers favorite but it wasn't that bad. 

What did you all think? Who is Aaron? How does he know Rick? 

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

Annabelle: Review

John Form has found the perfect gift for his expectant wife, Mia - a beautiful, rare vintage doll in a pure white wedding dress. But Mia's delight with Annabelle doesn't last long. On one horrific night, their home is invaded by members of a satanic cult, who violently attack the couple. Spilled blood and terror are not all they leave behind. The cultists have conjured an entity so malevolent that nothing they did will compare to the sinister conduit to the damned that is now... Annabelle.. -IMDB

Well my wife has been putting off watching a scary movie for quite some time but she finally caved and we watched Annabelle. If you know anything about us we enjoy the occassional haunted house TV show such as A Haunting and Ghost Adventures. We have even went on a couple ghost hunting tours 1 at the famous Lemp Mansion in St. Louis Missouri and then the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City Missouri. Enough background about us and our adventures let's talk some Annabelle. 

Building off of the background that was set up during the movie the Conjuring this movie goes into the background story of Annabelle. This movie is based off of true events that had been documented by Ed & Lorraine Warren.

Annabelle, a doll that inherited its name from the girl who committed suicide and had her blood drop into the eye of the doll wreaks havoc on a young couple and their daughter. You follow the young couple as they struggle with a new career as a doctor and a stay at home mother defending their daughter from the demon possessing the doll. There are numerous moments throughout this movie that pop up the goosebumps so be prepared. Definitely check out this movie if you are into horror films or looking for a good little movie to make your sweet heart snuggle in closer to you at night. Over all I give it 3.5 Turtle Shells out of 5!

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

Game of the Week: Heads Up (mobile)

Tired of other party games and looking for something new to try? Give Heads Up a go and you'll be glad that you did. This game has been out for a couple of years now and was created by the TV personality Ellen. We have played this at numerous family get togethers and parties, this game definitly helped liven up the party!  Let's get into the Positives and Negatives.

Positive

- Cheap Entertainment: for just $.99 you can get this app and have hours of fun with family and friends

- Numerous Categories: some categories have to be puchased but it does come with a few starter packs

- Simple Concept: very easy for anyone to understand this game

- Video Playback: while guessing the answer the person is also recording those who are trying to get you to answer correctly. These turn out quite funny

Negative

- Freemium: this app provides in-app purchases

- Starter Packs: these packs are fun but to get the good packs you have to shell out $.99 for each additional pack you want  

- Video Playback: doesn't always capture the group so you can miss out on some hilarious moments

If you're looking for something to do with a group of friends I recommend you give this game a try. Many funny moments come about dring your time playing which you have the opportunity to record, save and share with everyone! If you're still not sure check out this hilarious gameplay from the SourceFed crew!

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

This Week From Redbox: X-Men: Days of Future Past

This past weekend I finally watched a movie that I'm ashamed to say I haven't seen yet. 

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Here is what I asked myself right after watching it. "What were you doing this whole time?" Not really sure how to answer that other than saying I don't know. I remember that this was on my list to see in theaters and I guess life happened. Since pushing to have as much content as possible for our website starting the beginning of this year I have made it a goal to start catching up. Not just for content on the site but for me as well! 

This movie has no lack of entertainment for me. The intertwining of both future and past throughout the movie was executed brilliantly. 

There are many great scenes throughout the movie starting with the opening battle scene. However my favorite scene involved Evan Peters when he was helping Erik (young Magneto) escape his prison confinement. Quicksilver (Evan Peters) has a hilarious run through the kitchen, in and out of guards causing them to miss their targets and rendering the guards unconscious. 

Again this was a great movie. Traveling through time to stop Raven from killing Dr. Trask played by Peter Dinklage, only releases a more determined Magneto. Not only are there physical fights but inner struggles as well. This makes for one movie that should have been seen in theaters but since it wasn't for myself an absolute must see for Marvel, X-Men and Comic fans in general. I give it 4 out of 5 Turtle Shells. 

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

XCOM: The Board Game Review

Fantasy Flight Games has finally released it’s long awaited revolutionary board game, XCOM: The board game. One of the first board games to take advantage of an app as a game mechanic. But is this new development a boon or a bane to the tabletop industry? Is the game actually any good? Read on my nerd lifers, I’ll give you the details in my review of XCOM: The Board Game.

The object of XCOM is for you and up to three other team mates to take on the role of different department heads of the extraterrestrial combat team, XCOM. By fulfilling your departments duties you will, hopefully, probably not, good luck, stop the invasion of a menacing alien race looking to conquer our lovely little planet. Why are aliens attacking Earth? Don’t know, really. But we’ve got guns, satellites, science, and a little bit of rapidly depleting pocket change and we’re gonna blow em up!

The different roles that each player takes on will determine how they will aid in the combat against the aliens.

This is the app that will control your game and your sanity. You may want to get damage protection because the urge to throw this thing across the room will happen. A lot.

The Central Officer controls the app which in turn controls the game. Most of the time this player will be shouting at all of the other players to do their jobs faster before the timer runs out and game penalties get applied.

While doing this the officer will also be tasked with putting more UFO’s into the various countries and managing a small minigame where you place satellites into orbit that can destroy other UFOs in orbit that can possibly jam up the way the app works, thus making the game infinitely more insane, or move UFO’s to other places on the map in an attempt to stall the rising chaos caused by people shouting “Oh my God, there’s an alien spacecraft hovering above my city!” Basically just think of the game as the first 30 minutes of the film “Independance Day.”

This is probably one of the worst jobs of the game however it is also the most important. The management of the app is crucial to how the game works and good management, explanations, and encouragement from a Central officer can make or break a team.

This is your crack squad of soldiers that will protect your base and go on missions to defeat the aliens. Don’t bother naming them. They tend to die at the most inopportune times. So maybe name them after your enemies...

The Squad Leader is quite possibly the most heroic of all the playable roles. This player gets to send elite strike forces that fight the alien menace with guns and rocket launchers. Throughout the game the app will be sending aliens to attack the XCOM base of operations. The defense of this base is extremely important since if the base blows up, you blow up, and you can’t save the world from aliens if you’re all blowed up.

The Squad leader will have to find the right match of people to fight the different types of aliens by matching the symbols representing their units strengths against the aliens unique weaknesses. If an attacker can’t harm the aliens by not having the proper symbol things are going to go very badly.

The squad leader will also send these troopers on a variety of missions. Each mission consists of three tasks that must be completed to gain much needed bonuses for the rest of the team. The completion of these missions also speeds along the occurance of the “FINAL MISSION” that you must complete to drive the final spear into the heart of your extraterrestrial foes. The longer you dally on completing these missions means that your teammates will have a much more stressful time stopping the invasion inevitably making your job more difficult. This mechanic adds a huge sense of urgency to the game on top of the time limit stress already imposed by the app. Hope you work well under pressure soldier.

Ahh private sector science, just kick back buddy, no one expects much from you.

The Head Scientist role works a whole heck of a lot like a real scientist role does. You offer valuable inventions that benefit all of mankind but no one really appreciates you and your government doesn’t want to spend very much money on you, or even pretend you exist. Sigh…

As Head Scientist it is your job to create new inventions by reverse engineering the corpses of aliens that the Squad Leader hopefully brings to you by the dripping bag full. These inventions will give amazing game breaking bonuses to your allies and help them all do their jobs waaaay more efficiently. The problem is that you need scientists to research these technologies, and scientists cost money, money that buys soldiers and jets and satellites that blow up aliens. So often times science gets a little bit neglected when all you want to do is save humanity.

Scramble the jets commander! It’s time to vent your frustration with your teammates!

Finally the Commander role ties all of the team members together. It is this players job to keep the XCOM budget balanced by paying for all of the soldiers, scientists, satellites, and fighter jets. This. Is. Maddening. The app gives you a small pittance each turn to spend on all of the support units you require to keep your team ahead in the game. Each turn you will have to explain to your team why they can’t have a team of 9 scientists working on alien technology AND a full battalion of soldiers to attack the aliens that are beating down the door. These decisions also need to be made in an incredibly short amount of time.

The game designers anticipated the stress involved with this job so they threw in an extra job which involved control of the fighter jets that can kill all of the invading flying saucers. Which is a pretty good way to vent your frustrations concerning the budget. This however is another huge job because any saucers left over after combat will cause the public in countries containing saucers to go crazy and increase the panic level. If two countries reach maximum panic the game ends and the aliens take advantage of the destabilization of the human race and take over. No pressure.

The gameplay revolves almost exclusively around a push your luck mechanic involving dice. Each combat, mission attempt, or attempt at scientific progress requires the players to roll two sets of dice. The first set consists of the blue d6’s which determine the amount of success you can have. The second is a red d8 that you will learn to hate with a fiery passion. Each time you roll the red dice you run the chance of all of your units involved in that roll being destroyed. With each consecutive roll you make the difficulty to continue increases. For instance on your first roll you need to roll greater than a one on the d8 on the second you must roll greater than a two and so on. This results in a lot of units being destroyed by a simple stroke of luck, often times at the most inopportune moments.

The miniatures look an awful lot like the miniatures from Star Wars Imperial Assault…

aaaand the figures from Gears of War…

The components are of a good quality. The plastic miniatures that come with the game will feel very similar to other fantasy flight miniatures. Actually everything about this game feels like fantasy flight and offers a cohesive feeling of brand familiarity. The small crisis cards, large tarot size cards and cardboard game pieces are exactly like the small cards and cardboard pieces are very reminiscent of those found in Xwing, Elder Sign, Red November, etc. Though the quality is fine and I understand the financial reasons it does give the feeling that Fantasy Flight is sacrificing creativity for cost in the component department.

The most frustrating thing about the components included is the complete lack of a rulebook. A small setup guide is included in the box but everything else is based on the app which does a very poor job of introducing rules in a clear order. Doing the tutorial mission is time consuming and leaves out a lot of particulars. For instance I had no clue what to do with the special ability cards that were given to each different role, which caused me to get completely destroyed in the most basic version of the game.

Also only get this game if you intend to play with 4 players. Anything less causes way too much confusion and chaos and playing single player is impossible since the timer moves way too fast for someone to run across the table back and forth to keep track of everything.

The game itself is fairly interesting given the use of the application. Having every event  be a complete surprise without the use of books, cards or other charts really streamlines the gameplay and is a welcome feature that I would like to see used in other games. Seeing this feature used in a game like Arkham Horror or Mice and Mystics would cut down on so much time spent organizing cards and eliminate a ton of wasted box space. The timer function really isn’t anything new to games but it does seem to help the game by creating a lot of tension in a game that otherwise would basically be a pretty formulaic dice roller.

Though this game is receiving a lot of buzz due to the use of applications and exhibiting the potential they have in the tabletop hobby, the game itself does not seem like it will have a lot of staying power. The theme isn’t incredibly heavy and many aspects of the game seem to be pretty generic and pasted on from the XCOM video games without the soul of its parent series shining through. The use of the app, though handy for organizational purposes doesn’t bring anything truly new to the gameplay either. XCOM will most likely be remembered for paving the way for using applications in board games but will not be seen as a standard for what can be done with the medium. I look forward to playing the new games that are following suit and driving this trend like Alchemists by Matus Kotry which will use an app to take a picture of an assembled amount of ingredients to discover recipes for magic potions.

A look at the upcoming Alchemists game that dares to take a more innovative approach with applications in board games.

I did like playing this game and would suggest playing it if you enjoy team puzzle games akin to Pandemic or if you want a chance to try something a little unique in the multiplayer co op department. Purchasing this game however is a tougher call to make. I’ll admit that I got a little swept up in the hype surrounding this game and my love of the XCOM video game and the very similar megagame “Watch the Skies” got me excited for what this game could be, but the hype just didn’t deliver.

Posted by: Levi @levithepirate

Funko Mystery Minis

Hello readers! So, I’m here to talk to you today about Funko, but more specifically, the Funko Mystery Minis! I absolutely love these little guys. I collect, and have way too many of them (and by too many, I actually mean, not enough!). I got into them originally because I was already collecting the standard sized Funko’s from The Walking Dead series. I had about 9 of the full sized Pop! creations. I was then turned onto the Mystery Mini versions, and it was love at first purchase. I liked the thrill of not knowing what I was getting, but then it turned into an obsession to collect them all. I actually sold my full sized Walking Dead Pops for money to purchase more of the Minis. However, my collection quickly went from Walking Dead Minis, to Marvel minis, and horror minis. Now, I have a shelf dedicated to Funko.

If you’re anything like me, you’re a true stickler on the details when it comes to collecting. You judge everything. The paint, the realism, or overall size. Let me tell you this, Mystery Minis don’t disappoint in those aspect. Currently I have over 20 Minis, and I’m loving the detail on them. From the blood splatter on the Dead/Horror characters, tattered clothing, details in the faces, etc. I will, however, go on record, to say I’m a bit disappointed with the Marvel Line. While they remain true to their Mini status with incredible detail, they lack continuity with the other lines in only ONE aspect. The Marvel line are bobble heads. If you know your Funko history, they started in 1998 by Mike Becker as a bobblehead company. It was only in 2005 that the company was sold to Brian Mariotti, and the Funko Universe expanded. They do keep true to the bobbleheads, which is great, I’m just not so sure about the Mystery Minis needing the bobbleheads.

That aside, I collect the Minis more than the standard sized Pops! Call me biased, but I like the look more, and I can collect more, and still take up less space. Plus, it’s a fun game of Russian roulette with every box you choose, because you never know what character you’ll get. If you’re a Funko lover like me, don’t overlook the Mystery Minis.

Posted by: Lorne @lorneondrums

Divinity 1: Review

Valiant Entertainment brings us the new release of the book “Divinity” this Wednesday. This series is done by Trevor Hairsine and Matt Kindt.  I have to admit that from the first issue, it really shows a great deal of promise.  

The series revolves around Abram Adams, who was abandoned on a doorstep as a baby in Soviet Russia. I know the abandoned baby thing is kind of cliché, but it works here. As an orphan, Abram Adams ends up being raised by the state and is recognized as a particularly brilliant individual early in his life. As he is being trained to be a Cosmonaut for the U.S.S.R., he is chosen for a special mission that will take him to the very edge of the galaxy. This issue, while divulging some pertinent information, does leave room for character development where Abram is concerned.  Readers do learn a fair bit about Abram from an unknown character and readers glean information through Abram's interactions with some of the characters.  As a reader, you are able to understand his motives and it is easy to relate to this character.

Also in this issue, a second character is introduced named, David Camp...or is it supposed to be Camp David?  His introduction is made to readers with the re-appearance of Abram Adams, who has not changed at all, with the small exception of new superpowers.  In this issue, readers are not told too much about David Camp. Rather, we learn that Abram Adams has returned from his mission and is being tracked by either government agents or private contractors.

The art is particularly well done and I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning scenes of Abram looking back at the footsteps that left him when he was just an infant.  We are given panels of Abram at school and daydreaming during his studies that are all vivid and incredibly well done.  We are easily able to see the emotions artfully portrayed on the faces of the characters and even the more surrealistic aspects are brilliantly done.

This first issue will leave you with a lot of questions and I think that this is truly a GREAT thing to do here.  Not all questions need to be answered immediately.  Where the story leads for Abram is anyone's guess, but what I do know is that this series will definitely be worth reading to find out.

Posted by: Jeff @jeff201

This Week on Netflix: Knights of Badassdom

​Live-action role players conjure up a demon from Hell by mistake and they must deal with the consequences. -IMDB

Knights of Badassdom was actually a movie I had been wanting to watch for a while prior to it being released on Netflix but never got around to it. Listen to these 4 main actors/actresses in the movie and you'll see why: Ryan Kwanten (Jason Stackhouse from True Blood), Steve Zahn (from Sahara), Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) and Summer Glau (Arrow & Serenity). Not only did I want to watch this movie because of these actors but when was the last time you watched another movie about LARPing? Probably never! 

You follow Joe (Ryan Kwanten) on his reluctant journey through the Kigdom of Eliphaz as his roommates force him to tag along in their LARPing adventure. Eric (Steve Zahn) unknowingly releases a demon during a ritual they perform and they struggle to undue what had been done.

Things do get a little weird when the demon starts to make its presence and begins killing off those partaking in the event. However as I said before Summer Glau is in the movie so if LARPing actually has women like that involved... where do I sign up? 

All in all its a fun movie... should you watch it? Eh... you could probably skip over this one and live a full and happy life. I give it 1.5 Turtle Shells our of 5. The extra half a point was because it was about LARPing! 

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

Walker Wednesday

With the mid season premiere behind us by a few days now we have quite a bit to talk about.

**please note: that there will be spoilers below don't read on if you don't want to know what happens. **

What did you think of the episode? 

All in all I thought this episode was the best by far when it came to cinematics. What I mean by that was just how in depth Tyreese's hallucinations went. Plus the one scene that stands out for me is when they were trying to get Tyreese back to the truck and they open the gate to a flood of walkers. The scene was shot through the eyes of Tyreese and quite honestly amazing! 

Other than that I understood the conflict Rick struggled with taking Noah home. This is what Beth wanted so he wanted to honor that. Glenn calls him out a bit saying that obviously this place was going to be ransacked and during his conversation with Rick about it there was a lot more foreshadowing being laid out. 

Another interesting thing happened while in Noah's neighborhood and that was finding a large amount of walker bodies. The peculiar thing is that they only found arms and legs. While trying to escape with Tyreese they make back to the truck where Rick rams another SUV in his attempt to get back to the group. After ramming the other SUV all the torsos of the walker bodies previously discovered spilled out of it and on each one of the walkers heads they were marked with "XX." They didn't question anything at this time because they were in a mad dash to get Tyreese back to the group to try and help save his life but I'm looking forward to see where this goes. 

Watching the Talking Dead Grego Nicotero eludes to the new moral compass of the show who he says is Michonne. Which during the episode you can see her drive to want to settle down and establish a home, stop being on the move. She at first wanted to stay in Noah's neighborhood, "we can stay and rebuild." Then she wanted to push on to Washington because there may be others there. Rick agrees and the episode ends with him saying they should push on to Washington its only 100 miles away.

With all that being said I'm going to miss Tyreese on the show. With how popular he has become I'll be looking forward to seeing the new roles he will be offered in future shows and film. 

What did you think? Are you going to miss Tyreese?  Let us know in the comments below.

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

Game of the Week: Order & Chaos Online (mobile)

Order and Chaos Online is a fantasy MMORPG video game developed by Gameloft for Windows Phone, iOS, and Android devices. The game was released for iOS on April 27, 2011, for Android on June 27, 2012, and for Windows Phone on July 10, 2013. The game has been noted several times for being one of the best playable fully 3D MMORPGs on a mobile platform.

I've recently got back into this game due to my itch to want to play World of Warcraft again. This game mimmicks the gameplay perfectly on your mobile device. I started playing a couple of years again and stopped once I hit level 60. Since then they increased the level cap to 70 and have added a new race. This game is a lot of fun and like I said this is just like WoW but its on the go. I currently play as a Monk level 62 but have been working on a Ranger level 33. All my toons are on the America - The Whispering Islands server if you'd like to join up for some questing! 

Positive 

- Literally the best MMORPG out for mobile devices

- Gameplay: if you have played WoW this will be simple to pick up  

- 2nd "M" is for Multiplayer: there is no shortage of others to quest with

- Freemium: When I first started playing this game it was $6.99 but is now F2P (free to play) 

Negative 

- Freemium: Since making the switch to premium Gameloft pushes In-App purchases now

- Some of the other players can be a-holes but thats with any game played with others

- Guilds: Leveling up and running end-game content is hard without one

Here is some more info about the game: 

Factions

The game has three playable factions:

Order: This faction is viewed as the Good for the world in Order & Chaos Online. If a player creates a character for the Order, Either Humans or Elf, He/She will begin in the Arcadian Forest.

Chaos: This faction is viewed as the Evil for the world in Order & Chaos Online. If a player creates a character for the Chaos, Either Orc or Undead, He/She will begin in the Tanned Land.

Neutral: The new Mendel class has been recently added, in which he or she will start off in the Mendel Village.

Races of Order

Human: Race Description - Humans always look to the horizon. They chase power and want to change the world, whether for good or for ill. Their settlements are among the brightest lights in a dark and untamed world. Humans constantly seek to explore new lands.

Elf: Race Description - An ancient race with strong ties to the forest, Elves have a detached view of the world. They often have difficulty believing that events in the world have much importance to them, for they consider consequences in terms of centuries.

Races of Chaos

Orc: Race Description - Orcs love close combat and plunge furiously into the thick of battle, giving no thought to retreat or surrender. People think they are savage, bloodthirsty marauders, but pride and hero worship course deep in the blood beneath their green skin.

Undead: Race Description - The Undead have journeyed to the end of night. Some have found wisdom, and others only sorrow. A selfish and cunning race, they have all the time in the world to pursue their dreams... Until they become nightmares.

New Races

Mendels: Race Description - This race are presented in the recent 2.0 update. Mendels start their game in the Mendel City. Users who want to play with Mendels can also get in battle with some unique mounts.

Classes

Both of the factions contain the same playable Classes which are Warrior, Monk, Mage and Ranger. Depending on the race chosen, the starting stats vary by a small margin, making some races more preferential than others when picking a class. This variation is only effective for the first few levels because equipment provides the most stats for a character and 1 to 5 stats point variation will have minimal influence at later levels.

Warrior: Is a DPS or Tank Class depending on the Talent Tree chosen by the player. The "Battle" Talent Tree is the players choice to become a DPS style character. "Battle" can use Dual-Wielded One-Handed Weapons or a Two-Handed Weapon. The option to use either One-Handed Weapons or a Two-Handed Weapon is up to the Player's style of play. If "Battle" is selected as primary Talent Tree, talents will include Passive and Activated Spells that will allow the Warrior to cause more Damage than a Warrior using the "Guardian" Talent Tree. The "Guardian" Talent Tree is a Tank style character. "Guardian" can use all weapons a "Battle" Warrior can but is ineffective unless using a One-Handed Weapon & Shield. If "Guardian" is selected as the primary Talent Tree, talents will include Passive and Activated Spells that will allow the Warrior to take less damage and Buff Team-Mates in and out of combat.

Monk: Is the only Healing Class in the game. Monk also has the choice to be a Melee DPS similar to that of a Paladin. The "Divine" Talent Tree is the players choice to be a Healing/Support style character. "Divine" can use Staves (Staffs), Polarms and Daggers. Generally Staves or Dagger and Heirloom in Off-Hand is preferred for best bonuses to heal and buff Team-Mates. Talents for the "Divine" Talent Tree will include Passive and Activated Spells that will improve healing abilities and the ability to Buff Team-Mates, but will lack in DPS Ability. The "Military Monk" Talent Tree is a DPS/Buff style character. If "Military Monk" is chosen as primary Talent Tree, talents will include Passive and Activated Spells that will Allow the Monk to deal more damage and buff Team-Mates, but the "Military Monk" lacks in healing capability.

Mage: Is a purely ranged DPS Class. The "Skyfire" Talent Tree is a pure Ranged DPS class that inflicts pure fire damage. If "Skyfire" is chosen as primary Talent Tree, the Player will have Passive and Activated Spells that will improve His/Her Fire damage capability but will lack using "PermaFrost" Spells. If "Permafrost" is chosen as the primary Talent Tree, the Player will have Passive and Activated Spells that improve DPS with "Permafrost" Spells. "Permafrost" Mages deal less damage but have a high level of Crowd Control spells that will slow and disable enemy targets.

Ranger: Is a DPS Class, either close combat or ranged depending on Talent Tree selected. The "Archer" Talent Tree is a Ranged DPS Class that uses Bow and Arrow or a Crossbow. If "Archer" is chosen the player will have Passive and Activated Spells that will allow them to cause Ranged DPS damage and Moderate Crowd Control, but "Archer" lacks in melee DPS. If "Assassin" (a.k.a Sin) is chosen as primary Talent Tree the player will have Passive and Activated Spells that will allow them to cause Melee DPS damage and Single Target stuns. "Assassin" Generally uses Dual-Wielded Daggers; stuns and poisons its targets rendering them useless. Also uses an increased stealth or sneak mode, but lacks in Ranged DPS.

-Wiki

This game is definitely worth the download. It does take up a big chunk of space but the game is MASSIVE and a lot of fun! Hope you check it out and if you do let us know about it or heck add me so I can have another O&C friend! 

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

Fury: Review

 April, 1945. As the Allies make their final push in the European Theatre, a battle-hardened Army sergeant named Wardaddy commands a Sherman tank and his five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Outnumbered, out-gunned, and with a rookie soldier thrust into their platoon, Wardaddy and his men face overwhelming odds in their heroic attempts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany. -IMDB

Last night we rented FURY starring Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf and Jon Bernthal. This was quite the "man-movie" what I mean by that is that there were a few moments in the movie that made the Mrs. turn away. 

Following Pitt and his crew of 4 others you push through different German towns in an effort to take out the Nazi resistance. When 4 of the tanks meet just 1 German tank in an open field, which was far more superior, you're left with just Pitt and his crew to fend for themselves. 

All in all this was a great movie and I would give it 3 out of 5 Turtle Shells. One surprising thing from this movie was the performance from Shia LaBeouf. He did great in his role as Boyd or "Bible" as they call him. So if you're looking for something to rent give this one a go, I would definitely recommend it.  

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

Ant-Man Issue 2 Review

Scott Lang, alias Ant-Man, is the star of the new Ant-Man series.  This certainly makes sense as Marvel is releasing an Ant-Man movie this summer.  When we last left Ant-Man, he had turned down an offer of a new career from Tony Stark in order to be a better father. In this issue, he's busy trying to convince a bank to give him a loan so that he can start his own security company. However, his attempts seem to be in vain with the bank executives refusing to even listen to Scott's proposal. It is at this point that things get a little hairy for our hero.  He's disabled the security systems and the vaults in the bank in an attempt to show them just how easy it is break into their bank. Doing so creates a major problem when a huge MidasBot is activated and starts wreak havoc in the bank.  

The first two issues of the newest Ant-Man series have been light-hearted and full of humor that is somewhat silly and incredibly sarcastic. The humor, and the sarcasm, are part of why I am really enjoying this series so far.  The humor allows you to sit back, relax and enjoy the issue without having to think about existential issues or good versus evil; in fact you don't need to have any real thought at all.  It's really refreshing to read a series that is frivolous and isn't all doom and gloom.  The fact that Scott Lang keeps the Ant-Man costume on at ALL times is an added bonus.  He's seen outside walking with his daughter in the costume or having a sit down with Bear-Man, clearly this is a series that doesn't take it's self too seriously.

A major theme with this issue is Ant-Man's role as a father.  I hope that some of us comic book fans who are fathers, can relate to his concerns.  He is written as a sympathetic father who obviously cares deeply for his daughter. As a father, it is awesome to read a series with a super hero that strives to be a genuinely good father with everything he does being for the benefit of his daughter.

If you're on the fence about the new Ant-Man series, I think you might want to check this out.  This is a really great series for those who are looking for something light as opposed to serious and has a focus on family, which is cool for us comic book fan parents.

 

What do you think? Have you added this new Ant-Man series to your weekly pickups?

Posted by: Jeff @jeff201

This Week on Netflix: Horns

Blamed for the murder of his girlfriend, a man (Daniel Radcliffe) awakes one morning to find he has grown a pair of horns. Armed, now, with supernatural powers, he sets out to find the killer.

This was quite an interesting movie. I've been wanting to watch it for a while now and never noticed that it was on Netflix. Who knows it may have just been added I haven't paid too much attention. 

Daniel Radcliffe has come a long way from his wizarding days of Harry Potter. I haven't seen any of his other movies but I have been wanting to watch this one​ and I was surprised how much I liked it. 

For a brief synopsis of the movie you follow Ig (Daniel Radcliffe) after he is blamed for the murder of his girlfriend Merrin (Juno Temple). In a fit of rage after a brief ceremony for the loss of Merrin, Ig finds himself being upset with God and destroying the memorial. From there things get weird. Ig wakes up and notices that he has begun growing "Horns" and that everyone in town seems compelled to tell him the truth about anything and everything. As the movie progresses you start to uncover what truely happened to Merrin as well as her secrets. ​

If you have Netflix or still have a local movie rental store give this one a shot it does get a bit weird in the end but it was a good watch.​

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

Whats in your Detolf?

OK guys I got this import in the mail that I ordered months ago from Hong Kong. It's called the ReEdit Iron Man Bleeding Edge Armor made by Sentinel. This figure is a must have for any Iron Man fan or action figure collector. Now it’s not in scale with the normal 6 inch figure. It’s probably 8 inches tall. One cool factor is that it lights up with LEDs. The articulation is amazing. I’ve never seen articulation like this before. It’s so well engineered. Now it’s one short coming is price. Being an import I guess makes it expensive but I paid around $175. Even though it put a dent in my wallet. I have no regrets. Check it out in the pics!!

So whats new or on display on your Detolf? Let us know in the comments below!

Posted by: Chris @cgoosy

Game Review of the Week: Tap Titans (mobile)

Tap Titans by Game Hive Corp.

“The world has been devastated by massive beings known as titans. With his power sword, this hero has taken it upon himself to restore peace and order.” 

So how do you defeat these Titans? You Tap! That's it you just tap. Surprisingly enough just tapping your screen is quite a bit of fun. The characters are fun to watch as you slice and dice your way to victory. Now they don't attack back and honestly there is no real way to lose at the game. Boss fights are the same as other fights but of course they take more damage. You get 30 seconds to defeat the boss and if you lose you just go back to defeating other characters to make more gold to upgrade both your main character and the others you obtain along the way. Then you can go back anytime to try your luck at the boss fight.

Positive 

- Freemium: Another free game that is pretty fun and addicting

- Game Design: Levels & Characters are both visually enticing

- Easy to Play: Key to any free game

- Game still plays while you're away  

Negative 

- Freemium: in-app purchases (nothing's ever free) 

- Tap: All you do is tap thats it... over and over... 

- Ads: you can watch a 15 second ad to get more loot which isn't all that bad because they              were all Game of War ads with Kate Upton... So wait I guess its not really a negative... 

- Tap: I'm going to say this one again... all you do is tap... real fast

Other than excessive tapping this game was surprisingly a lot of fun. I caught myself playing for like 30 plus minutes at a time when I only anticipated playing for like 5 minutes. If you're looking for something fun and Free to play on either iOS and Android devices I'd recommend this game. Plus it's free so if you don't like it just delete it and forget that I ever recommended it.. ha 

What are you guys currently playing? Let me know in the comments below so I can try it out! 

Happy Tapping! 

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

Castles of Mad King Ludwig: REVIEW

Castles of Mad King Ludwig is a fun, moderate difficulty tile placement game for 1-4 players with the objective to build the best castle according to the whims of the Mad King Ludwig.

Players will do this by purchasing different room tiles with a varied amount of points and stipulations regarding what other rooms they can be placed next to. Sleeping rooms don’t like to be next to rooms where loud work is going on, living rooms like to be near majestic views of the estate, etc. At the end of the game the player that has placed the room tiles in the most efficient manner of a variety that the King prefers and thus gains the most points is the victor and Master Builder of Bavaria.

An example of the many different room sizes and types in the game

There are a few interesting mechanics at work in this game. The tile laying aspect that goes into your room placement is reminiscent of games like Carcassone where tile placement is very important to maximize the amount of points you will receive. Placing rooms next to beneficial rooms, for instance, a dining room next to a kitchen will gain you extra points. Whereas placing rooms in a poor layout, like having a bowling alley next to a bedroom will yield negative points. The locations of your doorways also play a pivotal role in room placement since there are incredible bonuses for having each doorway match up with another providing good flow through the castle. This mechanic works great for rewarding strategic thought and creative planning.

The beginning of a castle featuring a grand tapestry chamber with a small piano room, dressing room and a quaint little pond for sporting.

The same castle later in the game with many additions including a lovely hallway to nowhere.

The second major mechanic utilizes an auction type system for gaining new rooms. Each turn a player will take on the role of “Master Builder,” whose job is to assign values to the new rooms that become available each turn. This adds another deeper level of strategy since the Master Builder gets paid based on what people spend on these rooms. This provides a dilemma to the builder to decide how much to charge other players for rooms that they want so that they will pay the maximum value and earn the builder more money, while also valuing the rooms the builder wants to purchase low enough to be a good deal without other players scooping it up.

The magnificent master builder token lets all the other builders in the land know who to pay their fealty to.

Finally there are many ways to earn bonus points in this game. Kings favor tokens are random room types (i.e. living rooms, work rooms, gardens, and kitchens), room sizes (large, circular, small), or myriad other whims that the King publicly desires to have in his castle. The player that fills the largest amount of these requirements can earn a sizeable amount of points. Also bonus cards work the same way but are used as secret personal goals to build certain rooms for additional points.

The components in this game are on good thick cardboard that doesn’t have a lot of bend, which is good because players will be picking them up and manipulating them a lot. The artwork is a little bland and it can be hard to see all of the fine details that make each room unique. Mostly you will be paying attention to the type of room and the requirements therein.

The game also looks pretty gray and monochrome when you first set it up which isn’t too pleasing at the start of the game. Luckily as the game goes on and players start to build their castles more and more bland gray pieces will get flipped over to create these colorful zany works of architecture that are really fun to create.

The game works extremely well with 2-4 players. I recommend playing with 4 as much as possible since you get access to the maximum amount of room tiles that way. The game balances itself by limiting the amount of room tiles by the amount of players so if you want to have the feeling of making a large elaborate castle, play with more people. It is for this reason that I did not enjoy the solitaire variant. The turn constraint along with not having a large variety of rooms to work with left me feeling more like a had built a goofy, terribly organized little cottage for a mad hermit than a majestic castle for a King driven crazy with power.

This King, for some reason, required a massive garden as large as his castle along with an audience chamber right in the middle of it all. But it’s not my place to question nobility…

I strongly suggest trying out this game. The wide variety of tiles and different objectives means you will likely never play the same game twice. The Master Builder mechanic adds a great layer of strategy that will lead you to question the motives and shrewdness of your fellow players and the bonus cards will always leave you with the feeling that your place in the lead is never quite secure, making every turn feel tense and important. If you like games like Carcassone, Suburbia (By the same designer, Ted Alspach), or Keyflower this game will satisfy your tile laying needs. It plays quickly in about an hour and is tons of fun!

Levi Bushue

Almost Heroes

Explorers Bartholomew Hunt and Leslie Edwards are setting forth against nature across the country on a journey to the Pacific Ocean against rivals Lewis and Clark. Along the way they have many mishaps and misfortunes. - IMDB

Tonight I was feeling a little nostalgic and turned on one of my favorite if not my favorite Chris Farley movie ever, Almost Heroes. Don't get me wrong Tommy Boy, Black Sheep and Beverly Hills Ninja were great but there was something about this movie, his last movie that I loved the most. 

When I was younger and yes some still today the Wild West fascinates me. The intro music seems to set this fascination almost instantly and instantly drew me in the first time I watched it. I can honestly say I've seen this movie 40 plus times even though not many people have heard of it.  

The characters are all great with 2 lead characters Bartholomew Hunt played by Chris Farley and Leslie Edwards played by Matthew Perry. Hunt is an expert tracker and all around know it all when it comes to the wilderness while Edwards on the other hand uses his mind to battle the wilderness. Everyone has heard of Lewis & Clark but not has heard of the other duo that set forth to map the Wild West, Hunt & Edwards. That's how this movie starts and you follow them and their rag tag team as they push up the Missouri, interact with Native Americans and come face to face with their rivals Lewis & Clark. 

The movie is a lot of fun and with the edition of Guy their translator who is played by Eugene Levy there is no shortage of comedy. If you get a chance to watch this give it a go. I know it has been on and off of Netflix a few times so be on the lookout. 

What was your favorite Chris Farley movie? Have you seen Almost Heroes? 

Posted by: Joe @thee.social.nerd

The Dying & The Dead #1

I picked up “The Dying and The Dead” today at my local comic store.  The guy at the counter recommended it along with several others, so I picked this one up to see what it was all about.  Jonathan Hickman is the writer behind this new series. This issue contains 60 pages, though it certainly doesn't feel that long.  The story progresses quickly and provides the reader with enough information to always know what is happening.  

The issue starts out with a cryptic, violent wedding sequence and an inner dialogue about relationships.  The opening was done perfectly.  It was poignant and brought about just the right amount of violence without going too far.  After that we meet the protagonist of the story, the Colonel, a man who is watching his wife die from cancer.  The story gets interesting, and visually breathtaking, when we learns that the cancer is terminal and we are introduced to a representative of an ancient race.  The Colonel is is taken to The City, where this ancient race exists.  The City is incredibly impressive and the art in this particular part of the story is absolutely amazing.

There's nothing too deep about the story, but there is enough there to be thought provoking.  There is dialogue that covers the Abrahamic religions and older mythology.  Colonel's interaction with these beings is short and terse and they seem to speak to him in a condescending or dismissive tone.  They don't seem to hold back where the Colonel is concerned and even go so far as to offer him a way out.  One character, The Bishop, and the Colonel have met but we aren't privy to too much of their past interaction.  Bishop offers The Colonel a deal and with this offering, the future of the story begins.

Posted by: Jeff @jeff201

Batman #38

Jim Gordon is insane and Gotham is alive with laughter.  Far from being jovial, this laughter is tearing the city apart.  It is no longer fun and games for The Joker as Batman tries to stop the virus that is wreaking havoc on Gotham.

Batman issue 38 is part four in the Endgame story arc.  It begins with Batman going to find Jim Gordon. The city is littered with the people of Gotham tearing the city, and each other, apart.  Greg Capullo demonstrates his extreme skill as an artist at this point by portraying every individual with an impressive, and unique, deranged face.  Most followers of the Batman book are familiar with Greg Capullo's artwork and once again the artwork truly stands out in this issue.  All of people in the background are just as creepy as The Joker comes across in this arc.  

The writing might be dry and a bit boring for some.  If you haven't picked up any of the other issues, you might find it hard to follow the dialogue on the virus.  The majority of this issue is devoted to Batman discussing the semantics of the virus and what it is doing to the population of Gotham.  Batman shows his detective abilities here as he's trying to reason his way to find a way to help out the people of Gotham.  

What I enjoyed most in this issue was the discussion with Dr. Dekker about the origins of the virus and Dr. Dekker's tales of ancient Earth.  The story takes on almost metaphysical level here with the mentions of the Lazarus pit and yet another Joker origin story.  I'll keep this spoiler free, but it's worth checking out if you're a fan of The Clown Prince of Crime.  Joker origin stories can usually be taken with a grain of salt.  We've read plenty of them throughout the years.

Five panels towards the end of the issue that left me puzzled, though not in a bad or frustrated way. Rather, I found myself wondering what direction this series will take from this point.  My interest is definitely piqued for the next issue and I am eager to discover what Joker has planned.  How far will Batman go to stop The Joker and will Gotham be able to survive this virus?

Posted by: Jeff @jeff201