Preparing For Trouble With Mario & Luigi and Pokemon Guardians Rising TCG Pulls

BOO!

Welcome back to ZAK Entertainment with a breath of fresh air! (It’s also the pre Halloween blog but I’m not really doing Halloween… There is something kind of spooky later though so stay tuned) Well maybe not for you guys but for me it definitely feels like it. As of right now ZAK Entertainment is now being written on a brand new COMPUTER! Yes I finally updated my computer after I believe 4 or more years of using my Windows 8.1 Laptop. So now I’m running on Windows 10 Creator’s Update trying to figure things out it seems similar to Windows 7 with the Applications from Windows 8 carrying over and some really cool new features such as the Windows Game Bar which allows you to record gameplay without the need of external programs such as FRAPs, which is INCREDIBLE I may actually start doing gameplay of PC games for you guys if it interests you, or just because I feel like doing it.

Windows 10 is a lot faster than Windows 8.1 by a long shot and with my more powerful processor and graphics chip I’m actually able to do a lot heavier work on this new computer so fingers crossed on maybe being able to do more videos! Editing was getting near frustrating on my old Laptop which is why I’ve done very few within the past few months.

Really I’m still learning a lot but when I do get familiar with everything I may start doing little walkthroughs of Windows 10 and it’s features for the blog that would be a cool segment.

A lot has happened in this past week so expect a mega blog today because a new computer may of not been all I bought this past week.

For now however I got some huge news regarding Pokemon, it’s probably spoilers but it’s still an official announcement in Japan so it’s worth mentioning because of how insane this reveal is.'

We're Preparing for Trouble and Make it Double In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon

Remember the motto? It’s forever etched in my memory. Jessie, James and Meowth were my introduction to Team Rocket through the Pokemon Anime series and while these three are a bunch of goofballs Team Rocket itself has a lot more to it. (Even though Jessie and James are still the best… Even if they’re the worse.) Led by Giovanni Team Rocket mainly sought out to steal Pokemon and profit from them, building a criminal empire as well as divulging in some top secret and forbidden science resulting in a certain clone Pokemon we all love. Giovanni’s plans were thwarted by the protagonist of the Red and Blue games (Canonically named Red, funny enough.) as well as Ash on many occasions in the anime and Red along with the rest of the Pokedex holders in the Pokemon Adventures manga series. (A blog for another time)

Team Rocket attempted to revive themselves three years later during the events of Pokemon Gold and Silver/Heart Gold and Soul Silver led by a band of Team Rocket executives seeking their former boss. Once again they were squished by a kid and left to dust while Giovanni continued his secret training, only making a minor appearance during the World Tournament in Black 2 and White 2.

Well in the game canon I’m pretty sure it’s been at least 8 years since Team Rocket was thwarted, thus why Red and Blue/Green were so much older in Sun and Moon. With this in mind no one expected Team Rocket to make a return to the games… But here we are. Its official guys! Team Rocket will be making an appearance in Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon with a slightly new look. These two Japanese download cards for the two games give us a very vague look at the new Team Rocket.

These two cards give us a look at the new male and female grunts of Team Rocket and while they look pretty similar to their usual Team Rocket outfit from Red/Blue/Gold/Silver if you take a closer look the R pasted on their shirts are not Red but a multiple of colors, similar to a rainbow, actually identical to one to be honest. You can see this Rainbow R more clearly on the first card which appears to be a huge Team Rocket mansion.

This is insane news, does this mean we have four different teams to deal with this time around? Team Skull, Aether Foundation (This is Sun and Moon spoilers, oops), Ultra Recon Squad (I’m only assuming they’re bad guys) AND now Team Rocket?! What on earth is happening in Alola? 

The big question is why is Team Rocket back? Has Giovanni finally finished his training and is now reviving Team Rocket himself? Also why does this Rocket mansion look striking similar to the Aether Mansion from Sun and Moon? I did have some odd ideas that Team Rocket and Aether Foundation were linked together in some shape or form so maybe I was right after all.

(Thanks to Serebii for getting these images out there for us.)

Whatever the case is this is some insane news I’ve always wanted Team Rocket to make a return in some shape or form despite their love for low level Rattatas and Zubats. Now I may be asking for too much but can we have Jessie and James in these games? Please? They were in Pokemon Yellow so they have to be canon in game somewhere. I guess that’s too much wishful thinking.

That’s all the information we have as of right now but there’s apparently a big announcement happening next week so we may see these guys in action in a trailer next Thursday November the 2^nd.

These games come out November 17^th so we’re coming to the finish line on announcements. We’ll have to wait and see what they have in store Thursday but you can be sure I’ll discuss it next Monday on the blog!

Mario Sets Off on an Odyssey!

Still on the subject of Video Games… A certain Red Capped Plumber has been making some big hits this year and possibly his greatest adventure yet has just released… Super Mario Oydessy for the Nintendo Switch! Super Mario Oydessy makes a striking return to Gameplay similar to that of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine but takes the open world feeling to a whole new level. This game will feature many kingdoms all across the Mushroom World with a lot of exploring to do in each to find the Power Moons hidden in its wake. Whether you’re climbing buildings or apparently playing stack the Goombas you’ll have to search every nook and cranny to find these Power Moons which power Mario’s new form of transportation known as the Odyssey.

Super Mario Odyssey introduces a huge new gameplay mechanic in the form of Mario’s Hat, yeah I’m not kidding. A Hat Ghost by the name of Cappy has now possessed Mario’s cap and is helping our plumbing hero thwart Bowser once again and stop him from marrying the Princess. You can throw Mario’s hat now to defeat enemies, grab coins and even get a jump boost. Mario’s hat can also do one more thing, allows Mario to control certain items, enemies and apparently a poor pedestrian. Yeah not sure how this works it’s something to do with cappy but it gives everyone a snappy Mario cap, mustache and allows you to control them so it’s pretty awesome. 

There’s a bucket load of stuff to do in this new Mario adventure so check out your local store or if you’re interested in buying the game from online be sure to check out this Amazon link!

 

I sadly do not have the game as of right now, I would of jumped to buy it (Mario puns) but I don’t actually have a Nintendo Switch as of right now and as I just paid out for a brand new computer I’m not going to be able to get one for a little bit. I was however to buy a Mario game that means just as much to myself…

Returning to the Beanbean Kingdom

Yup! This is Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions and I picked this game up a few days ago. I’ve been a huge fan of the Mario and Luigi games since 2003 and even though I’m missing two games in the series (Partners in Time and Paper Jam) I absolutely love this series. This game specifically means so much to me and is already my favorite in the series. Why you ask? Well this just so happens to be a re-mastered version of the original Mario and Luigi of the same name. (Minus the Bowser’s Minion part.)

Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga is one if not my all time Gameboy Advance game of all time. This game is an RPG but with a Mario twist. You don’t just press a button and watch the action happen, no with Mario and Luigi teaming up you’ll need some good button timing and a lot of Syrup to get through this game. Attacks have action commands which when timed perfectly racks up quite a bit of damage and in this game allows for Mario and Luigi to attack twice in one move. 

Outside of battling this game incorporates some pretty awesome puzzles (Albeit sometimes frustrating) you’ll encounter as Mario and Luigi traverse the Beanbean Kingdom which is inhabited by bean like people and some new enemies lurking around every corner. Well they’re not really new at this point this game originally came out in 2003.

Speaking of enemies… The best parts of these games are hands down Cackletta and Fawful. These two partners in crime are the main antagonists of this game. You may be familiar with Fawful from Mario and Luigi Bowser’s Inside Story where he took the role as the sole villain but this is the game he got his start in, by being Cackletta’s underling. Cackletta is a bean witch with a hunger for power and control over the Beanbean Kingdom. For some reason her master plan involves stealing Princess Peach’s voice which in turn wraps Mario, Luigi and surprisingly Bowser into the spotlight to go and save her voice and defeat Cackletta.

In this game you control Mario and the A button and Luigi with the B button and while at first you just jump around later you unlock some new moves that make traversing the Beanbean Kingdom just a little more fun. Speaking of fun oh my lord the humor in this game is hilarious. These games crack me up and actually add a lot of personality to the world of Mario (An aspect of this series I’ve always loved) and his clumsy and sometimes kick butt brother Luigi. Luigi usually takes the cake as one of my favorite characters in these games because of all the hijinks the poor guy gets himself into.

There’s a lot to experience in these games so I can’t talk about the games all that much without spoiling anything. I bet there are quite a few of you who haven’t experienced these games before so this is the perfect opportunity because this remake is so far extremely faithful to the original while adding new features that make the game seem like a brand new game to me.

The music has been wonderfully recreated and the scenery of the Beanbean Kingdom is absolutely gorgeous in this remake and the new mechanics such as the emergency guard feature, which apparently comes from Paper Jam, are welcomed additions. You can actually save wherever you want now (THANK YOU ALPHADREAM) and apparently there are now health boxes scattered around the Beanbean Kingdom, near bosses and entrances to dungeons. Apparently theses health boxes were in the original Japanese version of Superstar Saga for the 3DS but not the English version… Go figure.

I’m currently passed the HooHoo Mountain and on my way to the Beanbean Castle and I’ve just unlocked a part of this game which sets it apart from the originals… Minion Quest. Now I’ve not dived too much into this yet so I have no idea what it’s about but it serves as a separate game almost that takes place during the events of Superstar Saga but instead of Mario and Luigi being the protagonists the spotlight falls to a… Goomba? Yup a Goomba aka Captain Goomba serves as the hero in this story as he seeks to save King Bowser from Fawful. That’s pretty much all I know about this game right now so I’ll keep you guys posted.

In-between playing this amazing game I’ve gotten myself two new packs of Pokemon cards! As I am supposed to be doing this every two weeks I’m actually only going to unpack one booster pack this blog and leave you the next one for next week. It’s kind of because this blog is getting long and kind of because I want to spread things out for you guys.

Unpacking A Pokémon Guardian Rising TCG Pack

This week I got a pack of the Pokemon Sun and Moon Guardian Rising series. Last time I unpacked some Burning Shadows which actually meant I skipped on this series but I’m trekking back to it because, well I have to get at least one pack of every series. As I’m doing this every two weeks (I skipped last week by accident so we’re doing two packs in one blog) I’ll probably be grabbing some older packs so hopefully we won’t get any duplicates!

First up in this pack I got myself a Clefairy which while this is a common card I really like the art of this card and this would be my first Fairy type Clefairy. The last Clefairy card I got was the 53/115 Clerfairy Card from the EX Unseen Forces series, which was a LONG time ago, 2005 to be exact.

Anyway love the artwork of this card, it’s 88/145 of the Guardian Risings set. I now have two Clefairy cards total in my collection; I don’t get Clefairy often apparently. Now I just need a Clefable.

Next up is this nifty Tentacool card! It’s a common card yes but I really love the artwork of this card, it’s pretty colorful and Tentacool looks pretty cool, albeit a bit angry. This makes my 3^rd Tentacool card total in my 21 year old collection. I swear I had more than this but according to my collection my first Tentacool card is this EX Legend Maker Tentacool Card which is 66/92 of that series which came out in 2006 towards the end of Generation three. Apparently this card goes for a whopping 49 cents for the holo foil version on the market, I’m stinking rich. (Don’t worry Tentacool you’re priceless to me… I sound like Misty now.)

My next Tentacool is a more recent one in the form of this really amazingly designed Tentacool (Alpha) Card from the XY Primal Clash series. It’s such a nice card I’m surprised it’s only uncommon. This is 71/160 of that series.

Back to the new Tentacool this card is 23/145 of the Guardian Risings series. I really need a Tentacruel.

Moving on I have this Beldum card! The background of the art is simple and gradient but pretty awesome. Once again this is a guy I don’t get often, this card making three Beldums total. The first Beldum card I got was from EX Delta Species with this Beldum actually being a Beldum Delta Species card with a typing of Electric instead of Steel or Psychic. As a kid I really could not wrap my head around why this card was the electric type but I love Beldum so it’s all good. This is 59/113 of that series and is a common card.

My next Beldum card came 10 years later in this 3D model Beldum card from XY Ancient Origins. Always love these 3D cards. Back in the day they reminded me of Pokemon Stadium but now they seem awfully more realistic, it’s almost like this Beldum was actually photographed… Was he? Are Beldums real? Metagross would be a fun Pokemon to have considering he’s basically a super computer. This is number 47 of the XY Ancient Origins series.

This new Beldum card takes on a more flat but nicely aesthetic artwork that is number 83 of the series. I actually have a Metang card from EX Deoxys which means this is another 2005 card. I think a lot of my cards come from that year for some reason. This Metang is number 40 of the series.

This next card I won’t be doing any flashbacks with because I’ve never gotten one of this guy before, this is Number 43 of Guardian Rising, Helioptile! A Pokemon introduced X and Y this is a cool card to get, it kind of looks like a screenshot from the Pokemon show for some reason despite it not being that. It’s a common card but definitely a cool one. You know they usually include the evolution in the same series but I never seem to get the evolutions of Pokemon, haha.

Next up is my favorite card from this pull, number 6 Phantump! Just look at this card it’s so eerie yet really awesome and at a second glance you can see this card includes not one but two Pokemon! I may not have a Mimiku card but he’s sure hanging out in this Phantump card.

HERE COMES THE REINCARNATION OF DESTRUCTION IN POKEMOM FORM… IT’S YA BOY GOLISOPOD! I’ve never been able to get one of these guys ingame (His pre evolution is hard to train) but man is this one of Sun and Moon’s coolest additions. This is actually a rare card (Woo!) and is actually a holo foil as far as the artwork goes. This is number 9 of the series… Now I just need to get a Guzma card.

Next up is Alomomola which is number 36 of the series… I really do not know how to pronounce this Pokemon’s name but I will say this guy always confused me, I swear he was going to evolve from Luvdisc but oh well. I did get a Alomomola before in the XY Phantom Forces series.

This one is number 22 of the series. (Does stating this make it easier to find them online? I have no idea I’ve never sold any of my cards before, haha.)

Now we have number 34 Ice Cream! Oh wait I mean Vanillish. This Unova Pokemon is looking pretty cool in this card but I actually got an even cooler Vanillish from the XY BREAKPoint series a year ago. This one from BREAKpoint is number 44 and is a sweet foil card. When I look this card up online all I find is the normal non foil version so is this some weird rare variant or something? Am I rich now? 

These last two cards are actually just trainer cards, which I don’t mind but I’m not always super interested in them unless they’re trainer art cards.

This Is 121 Choice Band

This is 122 Energy Lotto which is useful in playing the TCG if you somehow have an energy card within the 7 top cards on your deck, you can always benefit with more energy cards.

Well that’s the end of that pack! Join me next week as I unpack a TCG Booster Pack which will send nostalgic shivers down your spine. I actually two absolutely incredible pulls on the next pack so it’ll be worth checking out.

Are we done? No of course not! I actually have a piece of art to reveal to you all. 

Unveiling My Newest Digital Art Piece (Haven't done one in forever.)

Yeah remember when I did art? Well I’ve been really bogged down with external life stuff this past two months (As well as a lack of computer to boot… GET IT? I’m full of dumb puns this blog.) but I’ve actually gotten myself situated so I’ve been trying to get back into the things I love doing such as art and eventually knitting again. With my new computer I also got a brand new tablet in the form of the XP-Pen Star 05 Tablet, which I unboxed a few months ago but everyone hated that video so let’s forget I did that. I know I only just got a Wacom Intous tablet from my sister but apparently it doesn’t work with Windows 10 and this XP-Pen is so much more convenient due to its wireless connectivity. Really it’s a lot nicer tablet then the Wacom and to give this baby a test run digitally painted/drew a new art piece of a certain Aeris Eclipse. 

Don’t groan at me I like drawing Aeris, she’s the main protagonist of course. (Probably should make her the mascot of ZAK Entertainment at this point.) With tablet pen in hand and Krita downloaded and installed I pulled off this small digital sketch I’m titling “The Eclipse Girl”.

I used some wet paint brush tools with an ink outline in Krita to pull this off and I’m actually surprised how well this came out, I wasn’t even going to show this off online assuming it would look kind of cruddy but I surprised myself. I’m usually better at traditional art rather than digital art but maybe this tablet is making it easier for me. Going to keep practicing with this tablet and perhaps I’ll be as good as my sister. (Go check out her new blog by the way if you haven’t! You can read it here: http://ladyannavintage.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-autumn-nature-adventure.html)

Writing Dream Eclipse is something I’ve been trying to get back into doing since getting my life situated. I’ve not been able to write more than a couple of paragraphs due to so much else being on my mind I’m afraid I’ve delayed the release of this book even further. (There isn’t a release date to begin with.) So let’s get the ball rolling again shall we? With this brand new computer and a year of blogging behind me it’s time to look into a new year of ZAK Entertainment! Thank you all for sticking with me for this past year and forgive me for not making the one year anniversary more expansive.

Join me next week when I may or may not be talking about stuff that I don’t even know about yet because so much can happen in a week. Enjoy your day and if you’re reading this the day it’s posted or on Tuesday remember this is Halloween so please be careful when you’re out Trick or Treating but have fun of course! If you drive please watch the roads, especially in Neighborhoods because kids WILL be on those roads trust me.

For now I’m going to head on out of here and go back to traversing the Beanbean Kingdom with my old pals Mario & Luigi.

This was ZAK Entertainment

Happy Halloween… Also watch out for dancing Skeletons.

The Flash Returns in Season 4 & Jim Carrey Relives the Year Of 1999

Welcome back to ZAK Entertainment! How are you guys doing this fine Monday? (If you’re like Garfield probably not so well but hey Lasagna is always nice.) Today I got The Flash, a new Netflix movie and a new Pokemon event so let’s dive right into this week’s blog which I actually didn’t start working on until the weekend despite the fact this weekly blog was supposed to allow for me to work on it a little over the entire week, hurray for life!

The Flash Makes an Amazing Comeback in Season 4 Episodes 1 & 2

I didn't get to talk about it last week but finally as of last Tuesday The Flash has raced back into the CW TV lineup! Minor spoilers may be ahead in this topic so be wary, i’ll try to keep things to a minimum.

The first two episodes of Season 4 take place 6 months after the battle against Savitar and Barry’s heartbreaking departure into to the raging Speed force. Team Flash are still continuing their fight against Meta-Humans and Crime in Central City and although they have Wally West taking up the mantle as the fastest man alive they seem to be finding themselves shorthanded, especially when a samurai comes knocking on their door, actually he pretty much kicks the door to Central City down. This Samurai, which we saw and speculated about in previous trailers for this season, has some weird tech up his sleeve and his Katanas pack a huge punch. 

Apparently he’s come to find The Flash, aka Barry who is currently AWOL. Wally tries to take up the mantle of his former mentor with Iris taking command of the Team Flash team from Star Labs but Cisco finds himself missing his old friend and their former teammate. So of course Cisco is at work trying to come up with a plan to bring Barry back AND stabilize the Speed Force.

Well spoiling things slightly, his attempts work and Barry returns from the speed force without any crazy side effects. Only problem is Barry comes back a little… Different. Not including the sweet facial hair (Which seems very tidy for someone who spent 6 months in the Speed Force, kind of wish my beard could grow that nice without trimming it) Barry seems awfully scrambled from his time away. His speech is full of nonsense and he starts to write multiple scientific symbols across the wall in some sort of language/code.

Basically this first episode is more so dealing with Barry’s sudden return rather then him being missing so a lot of mixed emotions are thrown around, especially from Iris and Joe. This episode was a pretty awesome kickoff to Season 4 despite Barry only really being gone for 15 minutes of airtime (Flashpoint didn't last that much longer either) I actually don't think it was time for Wally to take up the mantle. Keep watching to the very end as well because this Episode gives us a small introduction to this season’s supposed main villain, the Thinker and oh boy does he have one crazy set up going on in his lair. One last thought on this episode though I did think some of the pacing was a little off here and there regarding Barry’s return but besides that I really enjoyed this Season 4 kick off. 

Also can Cisco please suit up as Vibe more often? I'm getting eager to see more Vibe action!

The second episode that aired last Tuesday may be one of my favorite episodes of the Flash to date and features a new Meta human villain Kilg%re. You may recognize this name from D.C. New Earth Flash comics but this new Meta is a little bit different from his comic counterpart besides some similar powers. Kilg%re ends up targeting tech giants currently in Central City but don't worry about Cisco (Although he may be having a little love problem this episode) Kilg%re seems to only be after a select few for reasons unknown.

The Flash aka Barry Allen seems to be taking a new breath in life, with his entire past trauma washed away. This Barry seems more like Season 1 Barry to the point he actually loves being the Flash again. Iris notices the changes too but everything may not be too kocher in the future husband and wife’s relationship. Got to admit I really love this Barry more then what we saw in Season 3 and the end of Season 2 but what seems to set this Barry apart from Season 1 is a huge boost in confidence to all most cocky levels.

When not dealing with a crazy Meta human who can hack into any technology he pleases just by looking at it the team is dealing with a slight change in dynamics with Barry’s return. Kilg%re really made this a thrilling ride of an episode so here's hoping we can see some more Kilg%re action in the future but who knows what the Thinker is planning. This episode throws out a huge question that I can't state without spoiling things that really changes the definition of Metahumans.

Barry Allen is also dealing with his brand new suit which comes equipped with a whole load of tech that Cisco probably shouldn't of put in the suit (For reasons that come into play in this very episode) but he has a sweet pair of visors that come over his eyes when running that allow him to analyze his foes on the go, which is SWEET it adds more depth to The Flash without him just running around all the time, maybe I just like Superheroes with technology... Might be why a certain novel character of mine is that way... Looking at you Aeris.

Overall these first two episodes were a nice return to a more light hearted yet action packed tone which was present in Season 1. Hey Season 1 had it's drama and angst, Reverse Flash made sure of it but the show knew when to have fun which is something I seriously missed in Seasons 2 and 3. This season looks to be a return to that while having a new menacing villain known as the Thinker taking the antagonist lead. Maybe I'm just tired of Doom and Gloom all the time, Gloom is a cool Pokemon though no offense to Gloom lovers... I was actually pretty tired when writing this forgive me.

For those who haven't watched these Episodes yet or want to rewatch them you can watch them for free on the CW TV app which you can project to your TV if you have the right equipment (Or Apple TV) just keep in mind advertisements will play throughout the TV Episode breaks, like a normal TV broadcast. Also you cannot change the quality settings on this app so watch your Data and Wifi limits.

Next week’s episode looks to be just as awesome but perhaps a little unlucky for Team Flash, including a returning Harry Wells from Earth-2. A new meta by the name of Hazard, played by Sugar-Lyn Beard, seems to have powers of luck on her side, bringing bad luck to others while racking in the riches for herself.

Apparently this character was also in the Infinity Inc comic series from the 80s where she used a special dice in conjunction with her powers to control probability itself. It’ll be interesting how they incorporate her into The Flash but this episode looks to be another goldmine like the previous 2 episodes, did they hire new writers or something because Season 4 is killing it so far.

Anyway that episode will be airing October 24^th at 8:00 PM Eastern/7:00 PM Central/5:00 PM Pacific depending on what time zone you live in. I’m not actually sure if the show even airs outside of America and Canada.

Jim Carrey Relives One of His Best Movies

ALRIGHTY THEN I got a new movie trailer for you guys!

So you guys know Jim Carrey right? He’s that guy who wore that green mask in that movie and might have also been a pet detective as well as another green fellow in a Christmas movie. Yeah those are just the three movies I know him from the most but Jim Carrey has been in quite a lot of hit movies that birthed from his stand up comedy career which surprisingly struggled badly at the beginning before Jim refined his act.

Usually he puts on a hyper, sometimes insane character in those movies (Though he utilizes a lot more of his impressions and comedy skills in his actual standup comedy) but in 1999 he got to take on the role as another comedian, his idol Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon. I don’t know all too much about Andy nor have I seen Man on the Moon but apparently there’s always been talks about what happened behind the scenes of the movie and that Jim Carrey never broke character even off filming. Footage from the behind the scenes did exist but was never released, until now. “Jim & Andy” is a behind the scenes documentary diving into Jim Carrey and his experience taking on the role of Andy, which apparently he went completely method for. (Which is what Andy himself did for all of his characters) A present day Jim Carrey (Massive beard included) will be looking back at the hours of footage recorded during Man on the Moon. This actually looks like a fun watch but oh boy I’ve heard stories of this footage but was never quite sure how crazy Jim really was behind the scenes, this documentary will actually be releasing on Netflix later this November 17^th.

So that’s Jim Carrey acting and we really haven’t seen him in much lately but that’s probably because another passion in his life has been taking hold, Art. Yeah believe it or not this man is actually one really good artist as I recently discovered via this next video.

Yeah this is definitely a side to him I never knew about. He seemed so calm in the video too it was shocking. Well I mean he’s an actor/comedian so of course this is the real him behind the act but I had no idea he was an artist and a pretty awesome abstract one at that. That flaming heart is actually incredible. He also does figure sculpting which was also unexpected. Amazing what you find when you look past the surface, huh? Art can be a great creative outlet just as much as comedy and acting can so it’s awesome to see Jim finding a passion in art like this, now if he just knitted that would be great I would definitely mark him down as one of my favorite people of all time.

Out with Marshadow in with Silvally!

Before I end the blog for the day I have two updates that kind of coincide with each other. Remember that Marshadow event running at Gamestop? Well if you get to read this before Monday is over then get over to GameStop now before it ends because it ends TODAY! This will be your last chance (For a while) to get Marshadow so hurry up and get him, actually forget that it may actually be over I’m not exactly sure how GameStop ends their events. I warned you guys last week so hopefully you all got him before it ended. Anyway GameStop is immediately starting a brand new event for Pokemon Sun and Moon in the form of a sweet Shiny Silvally! This Arceus like Pokemon even has a Shiny form similar to Arceus it seems as its body is now yellow instead of White (He must be related to the SNES). He comes holding a Gold Bottle Cap (Which I have never used those Bottle Caps yet believe it or not) and the moves Multi-Attack (Silvally’s Signature move which changes depending on which memory disc he’s holding, just like Arceus except Physical not Special) Parting Shot, Punishment and Scary Face. Despite Scary Face which is not a move I usually use this is a pretty sweet moveset. He comes with any nature so soft resetting will work on this guy for you competitive battlers! Apparently this is a tie in event for the new Shiny Silvally GX card… So hopefully you won’t have to buy anything to get him. (Though I wouldn’t mind grabbing a couple packs of Pokemon Cards while I’m there)

This event will run until November the 13^th!

That’s all for today, sorry if it seems lack luster again I’m still trying to reorganize after these hectic four weeks I’ve just been through, the once a week blog will actually work out in the end, actually it already is with the separate sub headers and I’m actually enjoying it again instead of feeling bogged down so expect next week to be interesting! I may have a new pack of Pokemon Cards to unpack and perhaps a viewing of a certain new season of RWBY to discuss and hey when was the last time I discussed a Harry Potter movie? You never know what I’ll talk about next (Even though I practically just gave it away).

This was ZAK Entertainment

SEEEEE… You next week! (Imagine this in a Jim Carrey voice and it makes sense, kind of.)

The Last Jedi Official Trailer & Solgaleo and Lunala's new Z-Moves

The Force Awakens In The New Star Wars: The Last Jedi Trailer

In a Galaxy Far Away…

The intergalactic battle against the dark side rages on. The warriors of Entertainment are ever locked in combat against boredom and now it appears a new light of hope is within grasps, a long lost (And gray) hope.

SPOILERS FOR THE FORCE AWAKENS AND THE LAST JEDI AHEAD SKIP TO THE NEXT HEADLINE IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THIS TRAILER

If you’re a Monday Night Football kind of person you’ll probably already know why I'm starting the blog off like this. Maybe you’re not much of a football lover and just tuned in for this specific moment. Either way Star Wars Episode 8: The Last Jedi dropped a huge trailer in the wake of its December release. This highly anticipated sequel to “The Force Awakens” will bring back the protagonist from the original trilogy, Luke Skywalker played by the one and only Joker… I mean Mark Hamill. Rey is looking to him for guidance in the force so who knows how Luke will go about training her? Especially when it appears he disappeared because of a certain mishap with a former Padawan of his. Well without further ado let’s check out this awesome trailer. (Click here if it’s not loading on the blog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0CbN8sfihY)

Well if you thought The Force Awakens was awesome then this movie looks to be blowing that one out the water. With all the new settings and storylines set up by the previous movie it looks like we’re getting into the nitty gritty of this new trilogy.

With what I’m assuming to be Snoke narrating in the beginning I’m assuming he’s talking to Kylo… Maybe?

This trailer mainly focuses on where The Force Awakens left off, which is on the planet Ahch-To (Which took a LONG time to find) new home for the now hermit crab Jedi, Luke Skywalker.

Rey has seemingly convinced Luke to train her using the Skywalker Lightsaber but with this training it appears Rey has some incredible strength that is seemingly scaring Luke, bringing some Flashbacks of his burned Jedi Temple. So it appears we’re finally getting some Flashbacks to the events prior to The Force Awakens.

Oh boy the walkers are back, at least these things are easy to topple, right? Maybe they actually improved them, they look more stable anyway. These are the “All Terrain MegaCaliber Six” Walkers that are seemingly recycled from the Galactic Empire’s lot of Walkers. (The First Order likes to recycle stuff from them, including Kylo Ren’s Wannabe Darth Vader outfit.)

Kylo Ren is having family issues again and comes face to face with his own mother, General Leia Organa. (Played by the Late Carrie Fisher, this is probably her last movie sadly.)

The Millennium Falcon flies again! With Chewbaca flying with a new partner, a Porg which is one of the new creatures being introduced in this new film along with some awesome looking crystalline wolfs. I’m pretty sure there’s someone else in the pilot’s seat but that’s to be seen, it may not be Rey after all. 

Finn comes face to face with Captain Phasma with a sweet looking weapon that makes Lightsabers look like toothpicks; seriously that weapon is sweet who needs light sabers when you have that?

Is that Supreme Commander Snoke?! We’re finally getting to see the leader of the First Order and he’s actually… Human. Well that throws in a ringer to everyone’s theory, huh? He’s seemingly Force Torturing Rey in this scene.

Finally there’s what I’m assuming is a editing red herring as it appears Rey is speaking to Kylo Ren with Kylo extending his hand but this may not actually be the same scene, judging by the slight change in background.

Basically I have no idea what to take from this trailer other then the fact it’s going to be possibly one of the largest Star Wars movies to date. With the events kicked off from The Force Awakens finally entering the big battle and assumingly leading into the finale of the trilogy, Episode 9. This movie releases December 15^th in theatres so get ready Jedi!

Unleashing A New Z-Power With Solgaleo and Lunala in Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon

You know I’m pretty sure I’ve discussed Pokemon almost every blog these past few months. With Pokemon Gold and Silver releasing on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console to the upcoming release of Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon there’s a lot of Pokemon happening this year even more then last year, it’s almost like THIS is the 20^th anniversary. (Actually technically it is the American 20^th anniversary.)

Well following up to the reveal of Necrozma’s new forms which are mergers of Lunala and Solgaleo it appears he’s bringing some new forms to these two legendaries. We have a brand new trailer (Yeah again) showcasing these new forms and some surprisingly new additions to Rotom Dex. (You can watch the trailer here if the video isn’t loading on the blog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq11wlyxuwk)

You know these new Legendary forms are kind of growing on me but it does make me think, are these closer to what the original Solgaleo and Lunala looked like? Spoilers for Sun and Moon but in those games it was said that Cosmog/Nebby is actually a descendent of the ORIGINAL ancient Solgaleo and Lunala so I’m assuming the originals looked more like Ultra Beasts then the Solgaleo and Lunala we saw in Sun and Moon.

Both these guys get a new move called Photon Geyser which seems to be a move coming from Necrozma rather than the Sun and Moon Legendaries. This move apparently uses the highest attack stat of the user, whether it is the special attack or physical attack stat. So in other words this move will be either special or physical depending on which stat is higher, that’s kind of cool it’s a universal move.

Solgaleo and Lunala are also both getting their own Z-Moves! These Z-Moves seem to be usable with or without Necrozma as it uses their signature attack which is Sunsteel Strike for Solgaleo and Moongeist Beam for Lunala to perform these Z-Moves. You’ll be given a Solgelium or Lunalium depending on which version of game you choose.

Both of these moves take the victim into Ultra Space followed by a massive upgraded version of their signature attacks. Also these crazy moves ignore the target’s ability which is INSANE. It’s like Mold Breaker in attack form.

Following these reveals is something new regarding Rotom Dex. Apparently Rotom Dex is going to be a lot more interactive in these games compared to Sun and Moon. Rotom will grow and get friendlier with you as the story progresses which in turn also unlock something new called Roto Loto which will give you items to help you in areas such as hatching eggs, gaining more EXP. Points or finding Pokemon more often in grass. These items are actually identical to the O-Powers from Pokemon X and Y which was a much missed feature from the Generation 6 games so it’s awesome to see this feature return.

Rotom Dex will also sometimes give you his own Z-Power which will allow you to use more than one Z-Move per battle. Most likely this will be an ingame story ability only due to it’s nature but it’ll come in handy during some hard story battles.

No confirmation on whether the National Dex will be in this game or not but with the game seemingly introducing the 400 Pokemon not included in Sun and Moon and with trading between Sun and Moon and Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon obvious I doubt it WON’T be included.

A New Mythical Pokemon Is Finally Here For You!

Before I finish the blog for the day I have a quick update! You might want to hurry to GameStop before the 23^rd of October in order to pick up a brand new Pokemon never before released… Marshadow! Yes this little shadowy marshmallow looking fellow (Yeah it’s literately a Marshmallow Shadow) is Sun and Moon’s one of two Mythical Legendaries.

He’s Ghost and Fighting which is a cool type combination (Although pretty weak to Fairy and Psychic) and comes with the moves Spectra Thief, his signature move, Close Combat, Force Palm and Shadow Ball. He also comes with the Marshadium Z which allows his Spectra Thief to become Soul Stealing 7 Star Strike and also transform Marshadow temporary into a slightly different form. It’s pretty cool but I’m not sure what the mystery behind that transformation is. Does the new Pokemon movie he’s featured in actually go into details on him or is it really just some weird remake of the original anime season? I guess I’ll have to tune in to find out. Anyway be sure to head to GameStop to pick yourself up a Marshadow before October 23^rd!

So with that all said that brings us to the end of today’s blog. Do you like the new format? Well it’s kind of an old idea but I’ve not been able to utilize it properly until now. I wanted to make ZAK Entertainment more like an online Magazine with the topics all having different headlines so this is the first step towards that. Be sure to follow me on social media to keep up with the weekly blogs!

For now…

This was ZAK Entertainment

See you next week!

The Ultra Recon Squad, Justice League and Pokemon TCG Burning Shadows

Hey everyone! Welcome back to ZAK Entertainment and oh boy is it going to be a long one today. Over the past week a plethora of news have been released as well as a new segment I’m bringing to the blog so let’s get rolling right into it.

First off we got Pokemon! Yes after months of no news GameFreak is rolling out details regarding Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon and oh boy this game is definitely not some third version. While this isn’t a sequel rather an alternative story I never realized HOW different it would be until now, it might as well be a sequel in the form of different events happening in an alternative multiverse. (It’s confirmed thanks to Zinnia and the postgame of Sun and Moon)

These trailers were released in the past week, an incredibly cinematic Japanese trailer, another Japanese trailer and a new English trailer which gave us much more detail on the games then the former.

First up is the cinematic Japanese trailer which starts with the appearance of Necrozma and some scenes from the games. (You can watch it here if it's not loading on this blog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqY9IgZM0zc) Looks like this game will be even more cinematic with more awesome cutscenes. Are we sure this is a 3DS game still? Looks like GameFreak really is pushing the 3DS to its limit which means you probably are going to want to upgrade to a New 3DS XL at this point in order for this game to run without frame drops.

GUZMA IS CONFIRMED! Our boy Guzma is making an appearance in the games which can only mean Team Skull isn’t far behind. Gladion and the Aether Foundation are also making appearances in this trailer so this game won’t be leaving any characters behind and adding a load of new characters such as those mysteries new space suit looking guys which we’ll get into in a minute. This trailer is absolutely incredible I was almost shocked at all cinematic it was. These games are going to be absolutely incredible, much more then I imagined and this trailer was only the beginning… Now we’re going to get into the nitty gritty.

This next trailer (Which you can watch by clicking here if the video isn’t loading on the page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bucxOT8zudk) gives us a load of more details that really set these games far apart from their predecessors. There’s a Japanese counterpart which I’ll get into in a minute but here we go!

Alright you’ve got to be kidding me, you can’t be serious… Yes it’s true; we’ll ACTUALLY be traveling through the Ultra Wormhole to different worlds. When Sun and Moon revealed the Ultra Wormhole to me I always thought the Ultra Beasts must have their own unique habitats other than that dark dismal place you visit near the end of the Sun and Moon story campaign. Is this going to be our 2^nd region of the game? I’m not sure how extensive each world will be but man I can’t wait to explore these new worlds. Wonder if this means we’ll have multiple Ultra Beasts of each species to catch? So basically instead of the Ultra Beasts invading Alola we’ll technically be invading their home… Huh. Buzzwole’s world looks to be one of my favorites; it reminds me of that race track in Mario Kart Super Circuit Sky Garden… For some reason.

Another world revealed is a dark industrial like world which seems to be one of Necrozma’s victims in his hunger for consuming light. This world is home to some new characters of the game that have been teased for a while now, the Ultra Recon Squad.

Immediately I thought these were the new villains of the team but I’m really not sure who these guys are. Obviously they’re wearing some kind of space suit that seemingly protects them from the effects of Ultra Space but is there skin really that bleach white color or is that some sort of mouth guard from the suit? Maybe they’re blue white from the effects of Ultra Space. Regardless it seems we got four of these guys to deal with in the games.

They seem to have some connection to the Aether Foundation as some of the cutscenes showcase them in the Aether Paradise. Not much information is known about these weirdos so far other then the fact they come from this Ultra Megalopolis and that they actually have Ultra Beasts in their Pokemon Party which is going to be insane. Also Dulse seems to be obsessed with his mustache. These mysterious humans will play a vital role in the games so we just have to wait and see what role they truly play in these games. Maybe Ultra Megalopolis is a alternative version of Earth that had it’s light stolen… But that’s just a theory… a ZAK Theory, Thanks for Watching! (Please don’t sue me MatPat)

Speaking of Ultra Beasts they revealed yet again another new one in the form of UB Adhesive! This adorable little fella is no pushover however and has a sharp poison type with some nasty moves up his sleeves. We see him coming out of a Beast Ball from one of the Ultra Recon Squad Members so we can expect them to have some more Ultra Beasts up their sleeves.

The rest of the trailer shows off more about UB Burst and UB Assembly (Who reminds me of MissingNO… Yeah remember that glitch Pokemon? I could write a whole blog on that) so nothing much new was revealed there as we already saw them in previous trailers.

The Japanese version of the trailer shows off a few more new Ultra Beast domains if you want to check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p8nBXLQMPs Apparently the new UB is named UB Sticky in Japan.

You know what? I don’t even think they need to reveal any more information I can say without a doubt these aren’t just expanded versions of Sun and Moon, actually they seem drastically different from Sun and Moon. I have a feeling this is only the icing on the cake with these games and a lot more secrets are waiting for us when these games release November 17^th later on this year! Will Nebby actually stay in the bag this time around? I doubt it.

Okay so I still got one more Pokemon thing to talk about but that’ll come later for now I got some new movie trailers to discuss! Yeah this is going to be a long blog but I would expect all these blogs to be long for now on considering I’m only doing one a week now.

November is going to be one huge month for entertainment from Super Mario Odyssey releasing at the end of October with Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon releasing late November and now we got a massive super hero movie releasing that month as well, Justice League! Okay so I have not seen Batman VS Superman yet or Man of Steel so I’ve been a bit spoiled on the events of those movies, spoilers are ahead for those movies so is warned.

DC has been setting up this movie for a while now and although it seems they’re not going to continue this universe of movies unlike Marvel this Justice League movie looks to be an incredible Super Hero team up movie.

With Superman “dead” Bruce Wayne aka Batman has to bring together a group of super heroes from different origins to fight the deadly forces of Apokolypse. Most of the trailer seems to focus on what I assume is the big fight scene of the movie (WHY WOULD YOU SPOIL THIS IN THE TRAILER?) with the whole team together and breaking through defenses. I really like that smirk that Gal Gadot puts on as Wonder Woman for some reason.

I just realized the music used in the majority of this movie is actually a cover of a David Bowie song called “Heroes” which is pretty awesome I didn’t expect that. The cover appears to be sung by Gang of Youths.

Anyway this awesome movie comes out November but there’s not a release date yet for some reason.

Next up I got a new movie trailer for a new Agatha Christie movie. Agatha Christie is well known for her classic murder mystery and crime tales such as her Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot stories as well as her stories that are more of separate stand alone books such as “And Then There Were None” (Which went through a load of name changes for racial reasons). Basically Agatha Christie wrote a LOT. One of her later stories known as Crooked House is now being adapted for the big screen! This is pretty cool it’s one of the five books of hers that have not received movie adaptations. Most Agatha Christie adaptations are of Miss Marple and Poirot tales with some being remade more then others so it’s nice to finally see a new adaption instead of another remake. (Though Murder on the Orient Express is being remade this year) There’s a brand new trailer that just dropped so let’s take a looksee! (Here's the link incase you can't watch it on the blog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERj3KafjfRk)

I’ve never read this novel but apparently it’s one of Agatha Christie’s most twisted tales. The story revolves around the Leonides family, three generations of it to be more precise. They all live together under the wealthy patriacrch Aristide but soon a murder will set events in motion that could tear the entire family apart. Luckily one of the Granddaughters by the name of Sophia has an inspector as a fiancé, Charles Hayward. Who’s the perpetrator? Is this an inside job?

This looks to be one awesome and dramatic tale so as someone who’s never read or even heard of this story until now it’s going to be quite the ride when the movie releases but I’ve yet to find a release date despite it seemingly saying 2017 on IMDB. The UK release is apparently coming out next year so I’ll keep you guys posted. Oh yeah this movie will be directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner and will star Mark Irons as Charles Hayward, Glenn Close as Lady Edith De Haviland, Gillian Anderson as Magda West, Christina Hendricks as Brenda Leonides and Gino Picciano as Aristides.

So apparently Blade Runner 2049 released in theatres and I didn’t actually know about it. I wasn’t a big fan of the original Blade Runner but I know a lot of you are. This new Blade Runner takes place seemingly 30 years after the original movie with the original Blade Runner Rick Deckard (Played by Harrison Ford in both the original and this new movie) seemingly missing. So a new Blade Runner by the name of “K” (Yeah nice name) played by Ryan Gosling is now unearthing a secret that leads him to track down the legendary former Blade Runner. You can check out the release trailer for it below. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCcx85zbxz4)

Wait what’s with the Atari Logo? Does Atari seemingly make a comeback between now and 2049? I mean I do know of a certain new console in the works by them so maybe that’s what this is all about. Anyway I’m not sure what to expect as I didn’t like the original movie but apparently as of now it’s underperforming at the box office despite being top of the box office. It’s only made $31.5 million in North America on its opening weekend despite the original $50 million projections.

To be honest the original movie was a slow starter so this might be following suit. Anyway if you’re a favorite of the original movie go give this movie a watch!

OH YES! As of today, well later on today you’ll be able to see a brand new Star Wars Episode 8: The Last Jedi trailer. Sadly I can’t post it on today’s blog because it’s not premiered as of writing this but later on today you’ll be able to watch it during Monday Night Football on ESPN tonight. The kickoff is at 8:15 EDT and they are possibly airing this during halftime similar to The Force Awakens trailer which premiered during Monday Night Football’s halftime in 2015 which I believe was the New York Giants VS the Philadelphia Eagles.

So if you’re not a football fan it’s time to become one at least for one night for the Minnesota Vikings VS Chicago Bears match tonight at 8:15 EDT/7:15 CST! I’ll definitely say the trailer will drop during the Half Time show but I may be wrong.

So that’s pretty much it for movie news! There’s a lot of awesome movies coming out so expect more news next week, possibly.

Before I leave I got a brand new segment for you guys and it still involves Pokemon. A Pokemon TCG Booster Pack Unpacking Showcase! I’m going to start making this an every two weeks event, whether or not this blog goes back to twice a week or not. I know for the last two unpacking I’ve done videos but I couldn’t get around to recording a Video for this pack. So every two weeks I’ll be unpacking a Pokemon TCG Booster Pack for you guys, sounds fun right? Well today I have a Pokemon TCG Sun and Moon Burning Shadows Booster Pack!

It’s got HO-OH printed on its packaging, which is pretty cool right? It’s also related to the main topic of today’s blog which is convenient. This is the 3^rd series of Sun and Moon TCGs which means I’ve somehow skipped Guardians Rising, whoops, I’ll be sure to get a Guardians Rising TCG pack next time.

This pack didn’t have insane pulls unlike the Sun and Moon unpacked I did a few months ago but these cards are pretty awesome regardless.

First up is a Lvl 90 Simipour card which is pretty cool I’ve not gotten a Simipour before to my knowledge so this uncommon card is a cool new addition. This is 37/147 of the Burning Shadows pack.

Next up is this sweet Electabuzz card. This is actually my second Electabuzz card I’ve ever gotten, the other one was also a recent pull from my XY Evolutions unpacking. This is a uncommon card and it’s 42/147 of the series and to be honest I really like the artwork on this card, Electabuzz has a cool pose.

This next card is an energy card, which I don’t get much off so it would really suck if I played the actual TCG game, haha. This is 167/147 of the pack series, which means there are definitely more than 147 in this pack.

Next up is Oddish and look at this guy; he’s just sitting back and relaxing, enjoying the sun. This is 4/147 of the pack and while it’s common this is the cutest Oddish card I’ve gotten yet.

Thought that card was cute? Check out this Stufful Card! I got a Stufful on Sun and Moon’s pack unboxing but it’s nothing compared to this adorable card. This is 110/147 of the pack series.

Vileplume! Love this guy. I’ve gotten a few cards of him before but this one is slightly holographic which is pretty awesome. This is 6/147 of the pack series.

This next card is a snazzy holo Whirlipede card. Love holographic cards so it’s always nice to get one. This is an uncommon card and it’s 57/147 of the pack series.

Next up I got a Lana card! She’s the Captain of the Water trial in Sun and Moon and this is an uncommon card with Ken Sugimori’s official artwork. This is 117/147 of the set.

Next up is a spooky Duskull just in time for spooky month. I for some reason thought this was a repeat card but it can’t be because I’ve never gotten this series before. This is 51/147 of the series but apparently the Dusknoir in this series is actually rare so hopefully I can get one in future pulls.

This Tympole card is up next and oh my god it’s one of these cards. This is a Crochet Tynamo card and I’ve gotten a few of these crochet Pokemon cards so far the last one being a Goomy. This is an awesome card and is 44/147 of the series.

Finally the last card I got is a Mudbray card! I’m glad to finally get some actual new Alolan Pokemon and this little guy looks pretty happy. This is 77 of 147 of the series.

That brings this pull to a close. They weren’t super rare cards but while I do love rare cards as long as it’s a new card I’m quite happy with just about anything. I actually have a goal of getting at least one card of every Pokemon, which will probably never happen but it’s worth working towards. I’m finally able to start buying this more often so expect a card pull every two weeks or so, no guarantees though it depends on what I have planned for the blog. Actually Pokemon TCG Shining Legends just released so I may be grabbing a pack of those next, I hear it’s going to be chock full of legendary cards as well as SHINY legendary cards. I’ve never gotten a shiny Pokemon card before so it’s worth picking up a few packs of these.

I’m actually planning on bringing back segments to the blog. As this is going to be a weekly blog I think adding sub headlines will be a good way to separate different topics in the blogs, because with only doing one blog a week there’s a LOT to fit in each blog as you saw today. Like the new format? Leave a comment below! I appreciate all feedback.

For now however…

This was ZAK Entertainment

See you next week!

Don't forget The Flash returns tomorrow Tuesday October 10th at 7:00 Central/ 8:00 Eastern!