Out of the Cockpit and into Star Fox Adventures 15th Anniversary

Hey guys quick update, you’re probably not going to like it but until further notice the blog will be posted once a week every Monday. I have some big things happening in the upcoming weeks and it's going to be consuming a majority of my time. No fret however you’re still getting a full fledged blog today and I'm going to be talking about one of my favorite games of all time.

What happens when you take a space fighting Fox out his cockpit and onto a Dinosaur roamed planet? You get RARE’s Final Nintendo console based game Star Fox Adventures which turned 15 years old last Saturday.

My actual original Star Fox Adventures copy from 15 years ago.

I know this game has had mixed reactions over the years so if you’re not interested in me reminiscing on one of my favorite games then scroll on down I got a few other things to talk about afterwards, this blog is purely my opinion.

Anyway Rareware have made some timeless gems of games ever the years from the Banjo Kazooie series to Battletoads and the more adult (Okay very VERY adult don’t let your kids play this game) Conker’s Bad Fur Day.

Out of these games they released Rareware was working on one more game around 1999/2000 for the Nintendo 64 Disk Drive by the name of “Dinosaur Planet” this game would star two protagonists by the name of Krystal and Saber which you would swap between using the Swapstone throughout the game as they traveled Dinosaur Planet to save the world from destruction. This game was shown off at a couple of events and even some footage has surfaced over the years but it never came into fruition, which was probably due to the N64 Disk Drive being a flop. (Floppy Discs, get it?) RARE hadn't given up on the idea however and was approached by Shigeru Miyamoto to retool the game for the upcoming Nintendo GameCube. Apparently Saber looked close enough to Fox McCloud so Miyamoto, the crazy man he is, suggested they replace Saber with Fox and retool the game to be part of the Star Fox series as Star Fox Adventures which released September 23rd 2002. Star Fox Adventures is my very first Star Fox game and to be honest it is probably my favorite out of all the Star Fox games despite how drastically different it is.

This change made way for Fox to take on a journey similar to his Green Tunic sparring partner from Super Smash Bros and the story goes as the following.

Dinosaur Planet, which lays on the edge of the Lylat System, is breaking apart due to the Spell Stones of the planet coming under siege from the evil General Scales of the Velociraptor… I mean Sharpclaw race. Receiving a distress signal a young Fox girl (Making this game part of the Star Fox universe makes this make just a little more sense) by the name of Krystal makes her way on top of a Ptero… Cloudrunner to answer the call and possibly discover the one who destroyed her home planet.

You start the game off as Krystal running around collecting a few things and after an encounter with General Scales you make your way to Krazoa Palace, home to the super natural gods and spirits of Dinosaur Planet. Sadly Krystal gets pretty much shafted and shoved into a Crystal for the remaining of the game which I can pinpoint as one of the flaws of this game. It would be been awesome to swap between her and Fox and from the looks of the unused content the idea of her having a stronger role was most definitely there but with the Microsoft buyout looming RARE seemingly rushed the completion of the game.

Back to the story after the whole getting trapped in the Crystal fiasco the story shifts to a seemingly run down Great Fox which is drifting along the Lylat System. The Star Fox team is running low on funds after the events of Star Fox 64 and a couple of canon comic books. (Farewell Falco is pretty good you should go read it.) With one team member AWOL it seems the Star Fox team is falling on hard times (Though they can still afford all those boxes of pizza, I wonder what intergalactic pizza tastes like) until a message comes through from General Pepper (Who seems to change Dog breeds every game) alerting them of the status of Dinosaur Planet and the hefty amount of cash awaiting Fox if he completes the mission of saving the world. Of course the team jumps at the opportunity and Fox jumps in his Arwing once again, flying into the unknown.

This game actually does have Arwing piloting segments similar to Star Fox 64 but they only occur when you wish to travel between the different segments of Dinosaur Planet and the final boss at the end of the game. Overall they can be pretty fun but I do wish they incorporated more Arwing action.

Landing on Dinosaur Planet Fox finds himself in Thorntail Hollow without a blaster (Fox tends to shoot first and ask questions later) and takes up a new weapon, a staff with magical abilities. He’ll use this staff to rescue the 4 stones and return the Planet back to its natural state. This staff actually belonged to Krystal but as she's currently trapped in her namesake and perhaps a little butterfingered Fox takes up the mantle. You use this staff for all sorts of things during the game and over the course of the game you’ll discover upgrades and new abilities. Actually the combat in this game can be pretty fun there are a few different combos you can pull off for defeating enemies quicker or flashier, I go for flashier because it looks cooler and I like to drag out the battle music.

Which reminds me the soundtrack of this game? I would be lying if I said this game didn't have one memorable soundtrack and to be honest I'm not sure if I should be surprised that a RARE game pre-Microsoft has an incredible soundtrack. Each song seems to fit each area of Dinosaur Planet to a key and can lead to some suspenseful action, including a certain part where you carry a bomb through a volley of barrels but I rather not talk about that.

Yeah this game does have some parts that have plagued me over the 15 years I’ve played it and funny enough it took me years to get anywhere near beating it. Barrels, Test of Strength and Cloudrunner Fortress in general are among the bits that really challenged me with the game over the years.

You know I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting someone… Oh yeah! Can't forget everyone's lovable Dinosaur sidekick, Tricky!

Okay so this guy can be annoying but you gotta hand it to him, he’s pretty adorable and comes in handy quite a lot over the journey of the game. Tricky is the Prince son of the King and Queen Earthwalkers so his status is quite important.

There are a lot of pretty useful, awesome and quirky characters throughout the game such as the Warpstone, a Stone Giant who sits in place in the top left corner of Thorntail Hollow and allows Fox to warp between Thorntail Hollow and Krazoa Palace as well as allowing Fox to enter the maze, which is where you take the Golden tokens you’ll find inside the various Wells throughout the world.

Another character you’ll meet is the Shopkeeper and oh boy this slithery dino is forever etched in my memory, especially with that sharp and scratchy voice of his. (Oh and the fact THAT HE'S FLOATING IN THE AIR) This dino is grumpy and will get pretty mad if you don’t have enough Scarabs. (Which is the currency in the game, if only bugs were a currency in real life I would be stinking rich right now where I live) In his store, which is conveniently in the center of Thorntail Hollow (It’s basically your hub for the game)  you can buy all sorts of items such as Health Replenishers (Which are actually fruit, nuts and eggs. Not the greatest diet for a Fox.) Maps (There’s a map for every area in the game) and other tools such as Tricky’s Ball which somehow ended up in the hands of the Shopkeeper.

Finally I want to point out one more thing about this game, the GRAPHICS! Oh my lord do you see those hair follicles on Fox? If you think Mario’s hair being massively detailed now is great just look back on this game. RARE put a lot of effort into this game despite the rushed ending (I blame Microsoft) and you can definitely see it in the graphics. This is probably the most gorgeous GameCube game hands down.

Now I know a lot of you are probably going to get up in arms when I tell you that I actually love Star Fox Adventures. Maybe it's nostalgia but I’ve replayed this game countless times so it has to be more than just silly nostalgia. The gameplay is similar to Legend of Zelda but it has it’s own differences to stand out as a great adventure game. No it’s not traditional shoot-em-up Star Fox but I’ve always been fond of games trying new things rather than just being the same old thing over and over. The Star Fox games that followed this one have all been more traditional Star Fox games so it’s not like the game permanently changed the formula. This game does have it’s flaws and the ending of the game does seem a little incomplete (General Scales really could have been more of a boss then he was) but I really cherish this game, it was a great part of my childhood and it still holds up to this day.

I will say I actually still wish somewhere deep inside for a sequel to this game, it feels bittersweet every time I beat this game because I enjoy it so much but it doesn’t seem to last forever. Maybe I just see more stories to be told within this part of the Star Fox universe.

Anyway whether you like this game or not it’s still a huge favorite of mine and I bet a few of you have some part in your heart for this game and with this anniversary I just can’t resist diving back into this game. Happy 15 years Star Fox Adventures! You're not the ideal "Star Fox" arcade shooting game but you're definitely a big favorite of mine. For those who have never played this game I'm not sure how to go about getting a copy, they're not super rare and I see them in stores like 2nd and Charles so check around you might find a copy for a good price!

You can read my blog about Star Fox 64 right here: https://zakentertainment.blogspot.com/2017/07/fighting-for-lylat-peace-in-star-fox-64.html.

So if you’re still here or scrolled past that topic I got a few more things to talk about that I didn’t get to discuss before. Yeah this blog is going to be long, expect them to be long in the upcoming future if I continue doing once a week blogs. You’re okay with that right? It sort of makes up for the fact I’ve gone from posting once a day to three times a week all the way to once a week. (Don’t worry this won’t end with me shutting the blog down I’m just extremely busy right now so one blog is all I can muster.)

First up is actually a follow up to last week’s blog. Remember that Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon poster? Yeah well typically they revealed a cleaner poster and a brand new trailer THE DAY after I write that blog and post it. Ohh well let’s go ahead and talk about it today. This new trailer reveals more about the games, characters and some new features coming to these versions.

First up we get to see the return of the Island Trials! To be honest I’m really happy this is the case, I love Gyms and all but the Trials were such a unique twist on the whole progression of the games that I can’t wait to see how the new trials are in this game, which we can see from the trailer they will be completely different trials to the ones we saw in Sun and Moon making this more than just a third version of the games. Mina will FINALLY have a trial in this game too. I always thought it was disappointing she didn’t have a trial back in Sun and Moon. Anyone else think that Sudowoodo trial looks pretty cool?

Lillie and Hau are back! We actually saw this in the poster last week but now we got to see a little confirmation from both the English and Japanese trailers. It seems Lillie is going to actually be a trainer, or at least work her way up and become one as the story progresses. She seems like a much more confident and stronger Lillie in this game. Hau, well besides his kind of angry looking artwork we don’t get to see much. I wonder how different Hau is going to be in this game.

Over 400 Pokemon will be available in this game and it looks to be a different selection from the ones in Sun and Moon, which makes sense as usually the second set of games in a generation usually allow you to collect and complete the National Dex (Which I really hope is actually in the game this time)  by offering the Pokemon not in the previous games of that generation. Anyway you can get Lavitar in this game so I’m pretty much buying this game for that alone, haha.

We get to see more of the Alola Photo Club but most of those details I discussed in an older blog.

Now onto probably my favorite part of this trailer… YOU CAN SURF ON A MANTINE!

Mantine is officially a PokeRide Pokemon in the game and he’s not just used for traversing water you can actually ride waves with him in a surfing Minigame similar to the surfing Pikachu minigame from Pokemon Yellow. Actually you can now surf between the islands of Alola instead of taking boats using this Mantine which is pretty awesome; I don’t think I’m ever going to use boats again.

There is still so much we don’t know about these games, which is a good thing because I was already way beyond sold on this game so I don’t really want to know what else is included until I actually experience it myself, no spoilers this year please. Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon release this November 17^th so get hyped everyone! Wait I really have to wait that long? Shoot. You can watch the US Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47-xOiNGzgw and the Japanese Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzd3c7ASejE

Until then you can now download Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver on the 3DS Virtual Console for $9.99 USD each on the Nintendo 3DS eShop! It also comes with a serial code for Pokemon Sun and Moon which will get you the awesome Celebi!

So this blog is pretty long at this point but you know what? Let’s make it longer!

I had key lime pie the other day for the first time. Yeah I’m not joking this was my first time ever having it my Mum decided to give it a go and bake one for us. The results?

It was absolutely delicious but man was it rich. Despite not ever having this before I can say Mum got this pretty spot on. It had a tart and sweet flavor richly packed inside each bite and the little bit of whipped cream on top made it perfect. So if you’ve never had this before I recommend you give it ago, I wasn’t actually around when Mum made it so I’m not exactly sure HOW she made it (It’s a mystery) but it was pretty good regardless.

Actually apparently Mum has just given me the recipe, it's completely free so I might as well give it to you guys right here!

Ingredients:

1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
3  cups sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup key lime juice
1 tablespoon grated lime zest

Directions:
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice and lime rind. Mix well and pour into graham cracker crust. Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes, until tiny pinhole bubbles burst on the surface of pie. DO NOT BROWN! Chill pie thoroughly before serving. Finally Garnish with lime slices whipped cream if desired.

Sounds yummy? It definitely was so enjoy the recipe!

Well we’re at the end of the blog again, that means it’s time for the FREE knitting pattern… of the Week.

As October is right around the corner it’s time for SOCKTober! From now until the end of Socktober all of my knitting patterns I’ll be sharing will be of, well, socks. For today I’m sharing  a colorworks knitting pattern featuring probably the most iconic and my favorite colorworks pattern, this is “Simply Argyle Socks” by Anne Berk and Simply Socks Yarn Company!

Yes! I didn’t know there was an argyle sock pattern out there but here we are. This pattern can be used with any color you wish, you don’t have to use 5 colors total like Anne Berk does on this project but you will need fingering weight yarn in the colors you wish to use and US 1 – 2.25 MM needles. (Or whatever gets you the right gauge)

This pattern has all the instructions you need for the heel flap and toe so it shouldn’t be too difficult and leave you with a familiar and awesome sock. The actual argyle pattern is charted out for ease of knitting as well. I’m actually very happy to see Simply Socks Yarn Company is still around so be sure to check out her yarns at http://www.simplysockyarn.com/ because well they’re made for these patterns.

You can check this pattern out at: http://simplysockyarn.typepad.com/simply_socks_yarn_co/2011/08/simply-argyle-socks-by-anne-berk.html.

This was ZAK Entertainment

See you next week! (Yeah I’ve changed it again.)

One Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon Poster and a Million Questions

Who would have known something so simple could hold so many questions? What I'm talking about today is something new revealed about Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon and while it isn't a groundbreaking new trailer or a massive announcement it sure has stirred a lot of questions in my head. Basically it’s a poster, which you can check out below.

Now while these two games are on the Crystal/Emerald/Platinum side of the spectrum I can safely say these two new games will be drastically different from Sun and Moon while still being an alternative version. The protagonists we already knew were different but now we’re finally seeing some first looks at Gladion, Lillie and Hau who were major characters in the Sun and Moon games. While Gladion and Hau are pretty much the same albeit Hau looking pretty angry for some reason (Maybe someone took his Malasada, I would be pretty mad too) Lillie is drastically different from her appearance in the majority of Sun and Moon. SPOILERS below for those who haven't finished Sun and Moon! Be aware of that please.

Lillie seems to be in the same outfit we saw her change into towards the end of Sun and Moon in a resolve she called her “Z-Form”. Not just that she actually is grasping a POKEBALL which can mean only one thing; Lillie is a Pokemon trainer in this game! Previously Lillie was scared of Pokemon Trainers but over the course of the game she saw the truth of Trainers and wished to become one herself at the end before the credits as she sailed off to Kanto. Now looking at this would automatically get me calling this a sequel but as we saw in what they announced during the Direct this is an alternative storyline/universe. Really I'm not sure if I can play guesswork with these games, its so mind boggling,

Moving on if you look towards the top of the poster you’ll see these shadowy figures which I did not notice at first. Are these new villains? Sure looks like it! Hopefully Team Skull isn’t AWOL but it's awesome to see some new antagonists step up to the plate. Are they new villains? For some reason when I saw these goons I immediately thought of Team Galactic, maybe it's just my imagination. Perhaps they’re apart of the Aether Foundation from a different branch of the company.

Finally there's that worm hole at the top which keeps reminding me of Pokemon Platinum with Giratina but I'm assuming it's an Ultra wormhole linked to Necrozma. Unless Giratina IS an Ultra Beast… Yeah let's not get too crazy on the theories.

Anyway this poster has just sprung up more questions so we’re gonna have to wait until November to discover the secrets of Alola.

For now however the Pokemon fun continues with an event for the currently released Sun and Moon versions!

The Pokemon Anime series turned a whopping 20 years old this year and it's amazing to think how many episodes have aired since April 1st 1997. Ash and his trusty pal Pikachu have been through a lot and for the most part i’ve kept up with the series since I could see out of my own two eyes. As a big celebration of that series The Pokemon Company are releasing a new movie called “Pokemon the movie 20: I choose you” which i’ve discussed previously AND this amazing new Pikachu event for Sun and Moon. Pikachu giveaways are nothing new but this event may be the coolest yet. From now until the end of the year you can now get Ash’s Pikachu wearing one of Ash’s many hats!

Crazy huh? Well before you scramble to your 3DS a there are a few details that I need to layout. You get this Pikachu by using a code on Mystery Gift BUT you can only redeem this code ONCE! Each week The Pokemon Company will be giving out one Ash’s Hat Pikachu via this code, swapping him out for a different hat the next week. Each of these Pikachu will have the same move set Ash’s Pikachu had during that hat’s Season so with this first hat, which is Ash’s original Hat Pikachu will have the nostalgic Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, Thunder and Agility moveset. Ash’s Advance Hat Pikachu will have Iron Tail; Ash’s Sinnoh Hat Pikachu will have Volt Tackle and so on.  With that in mind you have some deciding to do. Even if you have two versions of the games you’re only going to be able to redeem two of these Pikachu. Here’s a schedule below for each Pikachu as well as the code you’ll need to redeem him!

The Pikachu Hat event code is: PIKACHU20

Original hat (Indigo and Johor): September 19 - September 25

Advance Series Hoenn region hat:  September 26 - October 2

DP/DP Battle Dimensions Sinnoh region hat: October 3 - October 9

BW/Best Wishes Unova region hat: October 10 - October 16

Pokemon The Series XY Kalos region hat: October 17 - October 23

Pokemon The Series Sun and Moon Alola region hat: October 24 - October 30

So pick and choose carefully the day you put the code in!

Before you go grab your Pikachu this guy is preset at Hardy nature so don't try soft resetting for a different nature, I made that mistake when redeeming my original Hat Pikachu. You can read more at: https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/a-new-movie-and-a-new-pikachu-for-you/

That's it for the Video Game news but before you leave I got a few new movies I want to discuss, one of these just came out on DVD/Blu-Ray and Digital and one is on its way out.

First up is a movie that's been filming since January and ceased on June 9th. It's caught my interest for a while now and it's based on a Video Game as well as being a reboot of a film series of said Video Game series. Haven't guessed yet? I'm talking about Tomb Raider that's releasing March 16th, 2018 (This may change) and starring Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft.

This new Tomb Raider is based on the 2013 Tomb Rader game which was basically a complete reboot and retooling of the Tomb Rader series, Angelia Jolie isn’t Tomb Raiding this time around. Lara Croft will be going on a treasure hunt of a life time when she discovers documents, artifacts and clues left behind by her late father. The fate of humanity itself lies on whether Lara can discover the secret of the Tomb and solve its mystery, closing the Tomb forever. (At least that’s what I’m gathering from it)

This movie looks absolutely incredible, say what you want about Video Game movies this movie looks awesome and is that Walton Goggins? Yeah he’s a bad guy alright. You can check out the trailer below!

Awesome right? This movie will be releasing in theatres March 16^th, 2018! Can’t wait to see Alicia Vikander take on this role.

Next up I got a movie that just released on Digital/DVD/BluRay and it has a trio of actors I never thought would come together. Michael Cain (Hold on it gets better), Morgan Freeman and Adam Arkin come together for the remake of Going In Style!

I actually didn’t know this was a remake at first but after watching the trailer this movie looks to be absolutely hilarious. Joe (Michael Caine), Willie (Morgan Freeman), Albert (Alan Arkin) are life long friends and senior citizens living in the Big Apple. After a robbery at a bank and the company they work for is bought out their pensions are revoked. Struggling to keep afloat they decide out of desperation to rob a Bank themselves. Sounds crazy huh? I never thought these three woul
d ever come together in a movie and I haven’t seen Alan Arkin since Get Smart (He’s been in movies since but I haven’t seen them) so this should be a good movie.

Check out the trailer below!

You can now get this movie on iTunes for $17.99 for HD and $9.99 SD!

Finally one last movie I want to talk about is coming out in select US theatres and Netflix simultaneously, a Comedy Drama by the name of “The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)”. This movie is directed and written by Noah Baumbach and stars Dustin Hoffman (Tootsie, Rain Man), Adam Sandler (A lot of movies, not all of them that great), Ben Stiller (Zoolander, Alex the Lion in Madagascar, which I completely forgot about) and Emma Thompson (Sense and Sensibility, Howards End).  You can check out the trailer below, it actually looks like a pretty funny movie.

This movie will release on October the 13^th of this year, unless you saw it at the Cannes film festival back on May 21^st actually so make room on your Netflix list (If you can find it that is) for this movie!

There’s not much else for me to talk about on the blog so I think we’ll wrap up for the day but of course before I go there’s the FREE knitting pattern to share! With October coming up its time once again for Socktober! To prepare you for Socktober I’m going to be posting sock patterns throughout the end of September into October so let’s get right into that with this awesome toe up sock “Speckled Space Socks” by Amanda Stephens.

These are some pretty awesome socks and being toe up this may or may not end up my sock project for october considering I've been wanting to try toe up socks. There are a couple ways of casting on toe up socks, I could explain but I think that would need its own blog. Regardless the pattern is done by comboing yarn overs and knit two togethers and it seems like a good intermediate pattern without being too mind boggling. The finished result is well worth the challenge.

For these socks you'll need US 1.5 needles (2.5 MM) or whatever gets you the size/gauge you're looking for and the yarn they use is in the pattern so be sure to check it out here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/speckled-space-socks!

This was ZAK Entertainment

See you on Monday!

Racing to The Flash Season 4 Premiere (Arrowverse 2017)

Oh boy October 10th is drawing closer by the second. Not sure what I mean by that? Well if you’re as much of a comic nerd as I am you’ll know The Flash Season 4 premiers on the CW on that day! While there are 4 CW DC shows (Actually 5 but Black Lightning isn’t connected to the rest, apparently. Might still check it out) The Flash has been the show I’ve been the biggest fan of throughout the past 5 years that the Arrowverse has been around for. Actually the only show I ever really dropped was Supergirl. Arrow I lost track of for some reason but I can catch back up on that through Netflix. Legends of Tomorrw? It actually was pretty great, Eobard was an incredible villain as always and I loved the introduction of the first Vixen and the Justice Society of America. Also Rory was the MVP throughout the entire season. Anyway I’m very eager for Flash, and actually Arrow despite still not having seen Season 4 but they’ve been a little tight lipped about the CW seasons besides a few details regarding the villain of Flash, Barry’s fate and a few details regarding the new Black Canary (Who is actually Dana now) but with this release date closing the trailers are rolling out CW is rolling out the news and trailers for all four shows. First up I’m going to discuss The Flash because I’ve been on the edge of my seat waiting for this next season. Let’s just say things are going to be getting pretty hairy in this new trailer which you can watch below.

Barry has a beard. Not just that full facial hair. Yeah looks like spending time in the Speed Force is the perfect solution for any baby faced man looking to grow a majestic beard, no need for laser combed mustaches. (Anyone who gets this joke gets a cookie.)

Barry’s strength seems to have increased tenfold and he seems a lot more in tune with the Speed Force but going by his dazed eyes and confusion in this trailer I almost thought they were using the whole amnesia storyline again. However in a even more recent interview with the man who breathes life into Barry himself, Grant Gustin from Entertainment Weekly we got some new details regarding this different Barry Allen.

“Initially, Barry is pretty scrambled when he comes out of the Speed Force,” Gustin tells EW. “He’s not himself, he’s talking nonsense. The way I see it, when he was in the Speed Force, he experienced his whole life laid out in front of him from start to finish. So in some sense, he comes out very wise, kind of knowing everything, but he has no understanding of what he’s seen, so he comes out very jumbled and talking what he thinks makes complete sense, but just nonsense to the rest of the crew.”

He also goes on to say that “A huge weight has been lifted and Barry has forgiven himself again of all the mistakes he made the last couple of years.”

A much lighter tone seems to be returning to the series after the darker overtones of the last two seasons which I say thank goodness too. The serious deals with Reverse Flash and his links to Barry were perfectly mixed with the fun moments of Season 1 so if they’re actually adding more fun to the series and preferably less of the Earth hopping I’m going to be pretty excited for this season. I’m not saying Season 2 and 3 were bad I enjoyed them thoroughly but I have to say something was missing that Season 1 had deep in its core.

Oh yeah some photos now give us a better look at Barry’s new suit for the season which looks similar to the one 2024 Barry wore in Season 3 which is sweet.

Looks like this Barry Allen may finally be that Barry we love from the comics so I can’t wait to see this show when the new season premieres October 10^th at 7 PM Central/8 PM Eastern/5 PM Pacific.

You can read more at this Entertainment Weekly Article written by Natalie Abrams here: http://ew.com/tv/2017/09/14/flash-season-4-spoilers/

Kind of want Barry to keep that beard all season to be honest; he’s doing what Stephen Amell never did.

Speaking of Stephen let’s switch focuses to Arrow! I thought watching this trailer would spoil me on Season 5 but you know what? This trailer doesn’t actually show much that I can understand. I wouldn’t watch this still without watching Season 5 first so just heed that warning.

I can’t say I really know what’s going on but SLADES BACK BABY! Slade is one of my all time favorite villains, hands down. Whether it’s the original Teen Titans animation, comics, or Arrow Deathstroke is just the best.

Oliver’s son (Which he didn’t know he had, go figures) looks to be pretty afraid of his father, or maybe the Green Arrow more so. Also Oliver still doesn’t have the classic goatee that his comic book self has. I’m pretty sure Stephen said if the show made it to Season 6 he would turn up wearing the goatee but ohh well beggars can’t be choosers. Back on a serious note this season looks pretty awesome so we’ll just have to wait for more news. I’ll have to catch back up on Season 5 before I really do get spoiled.

Next up is Legends of Tomorrow which starts where the last season left of, with Dinosaurs.

Yeah that’s a thing. It seems kind of the same thing from last season with fixing all the time aberrations so I really hope they spice things up otherwise it’s going to be pretty boring. According to the Behind the Scenes video the one of the villains is actually going to be from the Vixen animated series from the CW Seed app which is going to be awesome. More insight and storyline regarding Vixen is greatly appreciated I feel like she could have her own show if they wanted to, oh wait. (It’s not actually the same Vixen but you catch my drift, right? That’s a bad Flash joke I’m moving on now.) Rip Hunter is apparently going to not be a regular character anymore but I guess Sara Lance has taken over as leader of the Legends after the ending of Season 2. This season will premiere after the Flash on October 10^th, 2017 so you guys get double the super hero action that day. Are they going to be introducing any new heroes though? I actually like the whole bringing in different heroes and villains each season idea while keeping a majority of the core characters idea.

Supergirl is up next and… Well I’m really sorry for not sounding enthusiastic about the show I gave up on the show halfway during Season 2. I’m sorry but minimal appearances by Superman were not enough to keep me interested and to be honest I didn’t think he was a good Superman anyway.  I’ll probably give it another chance at some point but for now check out below.

You can see more at the CW’s youtube channel so be sure to check that out. Be sure to check your local listings to see what channel the CW is broadcasting to in your local area! (Always wanted to say that.

Did I already mention that Wonder Woman was out now on DVD and iTunes? Yeah it doesn’t take long for movies to hit the DVDs and iTunes lately, which is a good thing to me because I don’t usually watch movies in the theatre. Well I’m bringing it up again because today’s FREE Knitting Pattern feature is directly related to Wonder Woman! I shared earlier on this year an awesome Wonder Woman sweater that looked just like her outfit, just in sweater form. Well now you can wear the Wonder Woman logo around your neck in this awesome colorworks “Wonder Woman Wrap” by Carissa Browning!

This looks AWESOME no doubt about it. It’s simple to knit yet the result is incredible. As always with these kinds of wraps you’ll need fingering weight yarn in whatever color you think fits, Carissa recommends some on the Ravelry page as well as the amount you’ll need. To knit it you’ll need US 4 – 3.5 MM needles, preferably circular needles.

Now Clarissa I need you to elaborate something for me, what abilities does this scarf half? Does it make you fly? Tell the truth? Block bullets? (PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS, EVER) Does it allow you to see the invisible jet? I guess we’ll just have to knit it and find out!

You can become wondrous by downloading this pattern below, it’s available in English, French and Spanish which is awesome for you guys because I actually have viewers coming in from all over the world, I just hope my translator works.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wonder-woman-wrap-knit

Even better there’s a Crochet version of this pattern that works the same way, just with Crochet. I can’t elaborate on that due to not knowing much on crochet but for people like my sister who’s gotten into crochet this would be an awesome project for you!

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wonder-woman-wrap-crochet

Before I end this blog I’d like to say that Socktober is coming up soon. My knitting progress has been kind of on and off due to losing complete control of my life schedule and I keep saying I’m getting it organized but it gets even more chaotic. In the end it’s really my fault but I’m slowly working into the grove of things again, posting only two blogs a week really does help a lot with that. Anyway I’ll be posting a bunch of Sock patterns all throughout the end of September through October and if I’m lucky enough I’ll actually get a pair of socks on the needles so fingers crossed! (Or needles)

This was ZAK Entertainment

See you on Thursday!

Discussing the Nintendo Direct of September 13th 2017

Oh boy while I was gone for those past three days Nintendo dropped some major news for games releasing in the near future during their recent Nintendo Direct so grab your read tights, get some popcorn, your copy of Pokemon Sun and Moon and let’s dive right in!

This direct aired yesterday at 6:00 PM Eastern America Time and while there was no Smash reveal boy was there some news revealed. 

Discussing a majority of the direct as well as the kickoff was Mr Yoshiaki Koizumi, a Nintendo Video Game Design Veteran and Deputy General Manager of the Entertainment Planning & Development division, coupled with a sweet updated Nintendo Direct layout. The first thing they discuss? Only my most anticipated games of the entire year, you guessed it, no it’s not Super Mario Odyssey (That’s number two), Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon!

They’re really letting details out in small trickle, which is a relief compared to how spoiled Pokemon Sun and Moon was, but in this new trailer and update we got to see a few huge tidbits of news. First off is an incredibly cinematic trailer, coupled with the new opening theme, where we get to see what I’m assuming has to be cut scenes but they seem so crisp compared to Sun and Moon (Which is saying something Sun and Moon are incredible for 3DS games).

Necrozma seems to be the main point of the story which I can confirm now is an actual alternative story similar to Pokemon Platinum was a retelling of Diamond and Pearl but it appears to be more of a different storyline. (Also the whole Multiverse/Ultra Wormhole thing makes this makes total sense, think about it.) Seriously though, are those actual cutscenes? Obviously it’s pre-rendered but is it really going to look like that? It’s incredible.

A lot of new locations will be available to explore in Alola as we’ve seen previously with also from the looks of it new trainer types, more Beaches are always welcomed but I don’t think I’m ever going to leave that Pikachu Valley, ever. A small reminder about the Dusk Form Rockruff which you can receive if you buy Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon before January 19^th was discussed as well as an announcement regarding Lycanrock’s new Z-Move/Z-Crystal which unleashes an incredible move called “Splintered Stormshard” it removes all field effects from the field which is sweet. (Does it actually remove stealth rocks and spikes? Someone correct me on that in the comments.)

For those who purchase the Gold and Silver Virtual Console games when they release on September 22^nd on the 3DS you’ll be able to get a Celebi in Sun/Moon/Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon similar to the Mew given out during the Red and Blue Virtual Console release. (Wait did America ever get that event? I never purchased the Red/Blue/Yellow virtual console games.)

So that’s pretty much it for Pokemo… Wait what. Are those new… HOLD THE PHONE!

This is not a drill, we got new Pokemon! While they don’t usually add new Pokemon in the 3^rd Version/Sequel we actually have new Pokemon in the form of two new Ultra Beasts coming through that Ultra Wormhole and oh boy they’re just as crazy as their predecessors. UB-Assemble and UB-Burst (We’ll get their names later) are here to wreck havoc and oh my god they look awesome and weird. UB-Assemble looks similar to a brick tower or a pyramid and he seems to morph himself around which is pretty cool. I’m not sure why I felt nostalgic when seeing him, he seemed to remind me of an older Pokemon. Maybe Duskclops but I’m not sure why he would remind me of Duskclops. UB-Burst is completely insane, it’s a DISCO BALL with arms and legs and crazy explosives. You know what? This guy reminds me of Miror. B from Pokemon Coliseum and Pokemon XD Gales of Darkness.

Introducing the Dabbing Pokemon, oh boy.

Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon releases November 17^th and the wait couldn’t be any harder, especially when a Pokeball themed New Nintendo 2DS XL is releasing.

Mr. Koizumi then went over a few things for Nintendo 3DS such as the remake of Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga which I can’t wait for, I absolutely adored the original game so with this game plus the new Bowser’s Minions mode is worth the buy. Oh yeah you can get stamps from Amiibo for extra equipment which is cool. This game will release October 6^th.

Kirby has a new game for the 3DS, actually I think this was announced before, Kirby Battle Royale releases January 19^th, 2018 and will pit four players together playing as different Kirbys in an overtop free for all battle, it looks like a lot of fun actually. There’s a Kirby Poll happening for the 25^th anniversary by the way! Go vote for your favorite Kirby game at Kirby.nintendo.com/poll

Yokai Watch is releasing two Ultimate versions of Yokai Watch 2, which is cool but also possibly a dig at Pokemon releasing Ultra Versions. I’ve never played Yokai Watch, never been interested in it, but Johnny Young Bosch voices the main character so that’s pretty cool. Yokai Watch 2 Psychic Specters launches September 29^th.

The Professor Layton franchise gets a new entry in the form of Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy.

This time however instead of Professor Layton taking spotlight his daughter, Katrielle as she follows in her father’s footsteps and starts her own agency. (Wow, never thought Layton had time for a daughter.) I have shamefully never played a Professor Layton game which really is a shame considering how captivating the art style throughout all 7 games have been as well as, from what I’ve heard, some pretty awesome storylines included with some mind boggling puzzles. Is there a mega collection released anywhere that I could buy? Anyone got any ideas on WHICH Professor Layton game I should start with? I’ll blog it for you guys, haha. This game releases October 6^th.

Well guys, we made it, it happened. Minecraft is coming to the New Nintendo 3DS XL, oh boy. It seems to have all the features from the PC version but I haven’t played Minecraft in so long so I’m not sure. It seems like a perfect fit for the 3DS actually so I can see this being a popular version. When is this game releasing? Well it’s already out there! Go get it, if you like your creations being blown up by those stupid Creepers anyway.

Well I thought I would never hear anything about Mario Party ever again but for the 3DS (Ack) we’re getting Mario Party Top 100 which takes the top 10 best levels from all 10 console Mario Parties and puts them all into one game. I’m not sure if this game will have a board game and if it does I kind of hope its boards from the old games too. Mario Party 5 and Mario Party 2 are the only two Mario Party games I own believe it or not so this may be a great way to experience the Minigames I’ve never played before. Only problem is... Pushy Penguins is returning from Mario Party 5 and I have some bad PTSD from that minigame. Kind of wish it was coming out on the Switch but we’ll probably get a Mario Party 11 at some point. Plus this has Download Play eliminating the need for more than one cartridge. This game releases November 10^th, who said the Nintendo 3DS was dead? Shame on you!

I’ve not been keeping up with it but Fire Emblem Warriors releases October 12^th, I’ve never played a Fire Emblem game but you guys love that series so check that game out! It plays similar to Hyrule Warriors. This isn’t the only version of this game releasing I’ll get on that in a bit.

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney releases November 2017, I have no clue about the Pheonix Wright series as well as the Layton series, another shame. I gotta try out some new games.

If you thought that was a lot of blog, I’m not even half way through the direct yet, it’s time for the Nintendo Switch portion of the blog.

I’ve never played Xenoblade Chronicles, so this sequel Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is confusing to me but it looks pretty beautiful with a massive world full of all sorts of characters and kingdoms. Looks like a blade called the Aegis is involved, the Aegis is also a girl. Can she turn her arms into mini swords and slice things up? Maybe I’m thinking of Soul Eater too much. This game looks absolutely beautiful and the battle system reminds me of Crisis Core. (Which is a good thing.) Seems there are two different types of playable characters, drivers and blades, the blades being characters like Pyra. (Did I accidentally guess that she’s the Aegis? If I accidentally spoiled the game before it’s released I’m so sorry.) There’s a lot to take in so I may go more indepth in a separate blog, is the Xenoblade Chronicles New 3DS XL version still available? I suddenly want to play that game. Wonder if Shulk will play a part in this game, I’m really feeling it to be honest. This game releases December 1^st of this year! This may make a great Christmas gift for you RPG lovers! I really need to buy a Nintendo Switch (Yeah I still don’t have one, forgive me. I’ll get one eventually.)

Splat Tim is getting a new update with some new weapons and stages, one of these weapons is a… Umbrella? That you can propel forward? Is that over powered? I really need to play Splatoon. This update looks to be available tomorrow.

Fire Emblem Warriors is bringing another new character to the massive Fire Emblem get together, Lyn!

While I’ve never played a Fire Emblem I always wanted her to be in Smash Brothers so this is pretty awesome. This version of Fire Emblem Warriors is releasing on the Switch on October 20^th.

There was another new game revealed by the name of Morphies Law. It’s a 3^rd person shooter where teams play as robots that can expand, shrink and morph. The winner is decided by however has the largest avatar when the timer runs out. This game will release this winter as a console exclusive, it looks pretty awesome to be honest with a unique gameplay twist to shooters.

Rocket League! Yes this game is finally coming to Nintendo Switch with some incredible custom Nintendo cars that you can unlock in the game (Without Amiibo needed) so this is probably going to be the best version due to its portability.

You guys like Mobas? I’m not a big fan of them but if you like League of Legends you’ll love Arena Valor. You pick a character and join up with friends to dominate the online game modes. Apparently this was a mobile game first and when I go to the web page it actually has Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman there so hold on are there DC characters included? I might have to check this out.

Okay these next two games I’m going to talk about are Mature games so you kids close your eyes for a minute, or not I can’t control you but seriously just take caution.

DOOM and Wolfenstein 2 are coming to Nintendo Switch. Yeah I’m not kidding you; Nintendo is finally getting that third party support, FINALLY. I don’t like these games, but some of you do so check these games out when they release this Holiday season and Wolfenstein 2 in 2018.

So releasing classic games is no unusual event for Nintendo but it’s usually Nintendo Console Games that are released. However they’re now going to be releasing classic Nintendo Arcade games that are truthful to the actual Arcade versions for the Nintendo Switch, starting with Mario Bros. You’ll be able use both Joy-Cons as separate controllers for multiplayer action just like the Arcade games but on the go. These will start rolling out September 27th.

Remember that Kirby game announced at E3? It’s finally got a title “Kirby Star Allies” and it looks like a great Kirby Adventure game with some new elements such as the ally system… Wait hold on a second is that King Dedede? What on earth? This dude’s been working out! I never realized he was holding all those muscles under that get up of his. Swole Dedede Star Allies will release early next year.

So I still got some huge Super Mario Odyssey news to talk about but I can’t avoid talking about this absolutely incredible game coming from Square Enix. Bravely Default and Bravely Second are amazing games that added new twists to typical Square Enix traditional RPGs and now that same production team are coming together for a new Nintendo Switch RPG, it’s not related to Bravely Default but it’s incredible regardless.

This game is currently named Project Octopath Traveler, it was announced during E3 as a 2D sprite in 3D environment game, it’s basically a 2D traditional RPG with depth, this is probably what Final Fantasy 6 would of looked like if it was created in this day and age. It’s absolutely gorgeous and really takes the whole roleplaying aspect to a new level, you’ll be able to start playing the game as one of 8 protagonists each with their own story and way of interacting with the world around them. The battle system seems kind of similar to Bravely Default where you can store BP in order to unleash stronger or multiple attacks at once. A demo is now available for you guys to try out and be sure to give the developers feedback as their accepting all concerns regarding this game! This game will release in 2018 and I’m assuming they’ll give it a new name but Octopath Traveler is a good name by itself so I’m not sure why they don’t just keep that name.

Finally, it’s time for Super Mario Odyssey. I’ve never been so excited for a Mario game, which is saying something I’m usually very excited for Mario games but this game looks better and better with every announcement.

This time they revealed two new worlds, Shivera of the Snow Kingdom and Bubblaine of the Seaside Kingdom. You can’t have a Mario game without a beach level and a snow level and these levels look to be just as awesome as previous games. That Snow Kingdom looks to be possibly one of the toughest Snow Worlds, there’s absolutely depth of vision the blizzard is so harsh.

The Super Mario 64 references are strong in this game, racing Koopas? That painting you jump through? The return to an open world feel? This game is a love letter to a younger me who grew up not being any good at Super Mario 64 but loving every second of the game regardless.

Apparently Cappy isn’t the only hat possessing ghost around it seems he has a sister who can possess a Tiara that Princess Peach is seemingly wearing. Mario’s cap gets absolutely destroyed in what I assume is the beginning of the game so it seems Cappy is the one pulling it back together.

Besides the outfits you can buy Mario you can also buy stickers for the Odyssey, the Top Hat shaped ship Mario travels in, which are powered by Power Moons you collect in each world. You can also buy items for placing inside of the Odyssey which is absolutely awesome. There’s so much to this game I’m not sure how they could add anymore into this stuffed Odyssey of a game.

Oh wait there’s a snapshot mode, that’s how. Yes you can take snapshots at any angle, at any time, even having them formatted for mobile phones. Before I end I have to say Pauline looks fabulous in this game, look at that shiny dress and fabulous hat of hers.

This game will be released in a Nintendo Switch bundle! Everyone loves bundles, right? Let’s just hope they actually stay in stock, I have no idea what’s happening with the Nintendo Switch stock lately.

There were a lot of small details in this direct so maybe I can put together a separate blog if the demand is high enough.

Well that’s it! I think I’ve over stuffed this blog enough, I didn’t even discuss everything announced either so now you guys can go watch the direct yourselves as well as other trailers at Nintendo’s Youtube Channel! (Actually the direct was actually embedded above if you didn’t see it, go back up and watch it.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztMGTTAjsAQ&t=1252s

Am I done? Well with Videogame news anyway. Remember a few months ago I discussed the new movie “The Hero”?

It’s pretty much Sam Elliot’s big return to the screen in a storyline that seems kind of personal in a way to his own life. It stars himself and his wife Katharine Ross in what is her comeback as well. Sam Elliot plays as a aging movie star who deals with terminal illness (I really hope Sam Elliott doesn’t have a terminal illness) as he struggles to leave a legacy with one last big role in this Comedy-Drama. Oh yeah Krysten Ritter aka Krysten Knitter (I’m so sorry Krysten, I had to) stars as Sam Elliot’s character’s estranged daughter Lucy.

You can now buy this movie for $14.99 on iTunes and I'll be buying it myself, it really does seem like a great movie.

No, we’re not done yet. I think I still have room for at least a small FREE knitting pattern! This one is perfect for the upcoming Halloween season and surprisingly looks a bit like Cappy so it’s fits in. This is “Halloween Ghosties” by Jean Greenhowe.

These little ghosties are quick knits and perfect for your newbie knitters to get involved too! You’ll need US 6 / 4 MM Needles and one Larger Single Needle like a US 10. As far as yarn will you could use any yarn I believe but for this pattern I would go with white DK scrap yarn. You’ll also need a quick drying all purpose glue and googly eyes.

The pattern looks to be a fun project for Halloween so you might want to get your kids involved too! You can check this pattern out right here: http://www.jeangreenhowe.com/Images/Halloween%20Ghosties.pdf.

So with that three course meal done I’m heading out.

This was ZAK Entertainment

See you on Monday!

DON’T FORGET

THE MALABRIGO KNITTING YARN GIVE AWAY ENDS ON OCTOBER 2ND

WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED OCTOBER 2^ND INSTEAD OF THE 29^TH OF SEPTEMBER DUE TO THE NEW SCHEDULE

COMMENT HERE: https://zakentertainment.blogspot.com/2017/09/malabrigo-yarn-giveaway.html TO ENTER!