Remember that unannounced hiatus I went on for the entirety of 2018?
I have to apologize for never explaining why or even announcing that I was going on hiatus. ZAK Entertainment was a wonderful idea and I loved writing every word I posted on that website, so why, you ask, did I leave?
Well there are a few reasons, the most prominent being that I found myself burnt out. I started this blog as a daily blog, and I mean I was posting DAILY. I lowered the blog down to three times a week and slowly but surely it dropped to once a week.
I got myself a full time commitment outside of the blog around the end of 2017, a career that took a lot of my time away. I found myself unable to fit the blog into my time due to bad time management on my part. So between being burnt out and not managing my time correctly the blog died out.
Honestly I have to admit that after a while I became set on doing this blog for money, an idea that caused a lot of stressed upon myself and really brought the whole energy of the blog down. At the end of 2017, between being burnt out and having my new career taking it's toll on me I just ended the blog, without warning.
So recently I began to have all these topics I was interested in again, such as new video games and movies and I found myself with no outlet to express those interests. Looking back on things this blog truly helped me express myself and my writing talents (Okay I'm not boasting this just sounds cool so I'm writing it here.) so it'll be a darn shame if I just let this blog collect dust. I can't promise how often I'll be posting but I will say the blog Is not dead.
I will be reviving the blog just a little bit this year but I'm not doing this for money anymore. This blog will go back to what it began as, a way for me to express myself and my interests as well as serving as a writing outlet for the little journalist living in my brain.
So if you're still tuned in (I'll be surprised if anyone's still here.) then be on the look out for new content this year sometime.
Welcome back to the blog! Did you remember to roll your
clocks back an hour? I almost forgot which would have been disastrous. (It’s
bad enough my internal clock is messed up again.) Today we have a massive
Pokemon announcement which follows up last week’s blog and finally a discussion
about a movie I watched recently, haven’t done one of them in a while. Got some
other cool things in this blog too so if you’re not interested in Pokemon
scroll down till you find a headline you like the sound off. I really want to
make ZAK Entertainment like a magazine of sorts.
Before I head into the blog I have a little PSA. So I’m not
sure if any of you have heard of this specific recall but I’m putting it on
this blog because of how important this is. As of November 2nd over
37 Million Kidde Plastic Handle Fire Extinguishers are now under recall due to
malfunctions. Apparently deaths and injuries have occurred over the years
because of these plastic handles malfunctioning as well as becoming clogged. Of
course they’re only just now recalling these models and what’s worse is these
models being recalled span back to 1973! These Kidde models were sold at places
like Menards, Montgomery Ward, Sears, The Home Depot, Walmart and other various
department, home and hardware stores. (I don’t know about Lowes don’t quote me
on that.)
Giovanni Strikes Back with Team Rainbow Rocket in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon!
Pokemon has been going strong for beyond 21 years now with
now 28 main core series titles filled with adventures, trials and many Pokemon
to capture, train and battle. Within these games are some rough and tough
criminals looking to ruin your journey. We were introduced to the first of
these criminal syndicates in the original games, Pokemon Red Version, Green
Version (Japan) Blue Version and Pokemon Yellow Version. Team Rocket was a
bunch of paper boy cap wearing goons who stole Pokemon and commited crimes for
their boss Giovanni all in the name of profit and control over the Pokemon
world. Team Rocket also dabbled in some cloning resulting in the main legendary
of Red, Blue and Yellow Mewtwo. Team Rocket also played a major role in the
anime in the form of Jessie, James and Meowth, three Team Rocket members who
sought to steal Ash’s Pikachu for their boss because for some reason Giovanni
wanted his own Pikachu… Actually I’m pretty sure Giovanni didn’t even want
Pikachu and that Jessie and James are just a little dense.
Giovanni the original leader of Team Rocket, game wise
anyway, disbanded Team Rocket at the end of Red and Blue (Firered and
Leafgreen) after being defeated by the protagonist. Team Rocket wasn’t the most
threatening Team in the world but they sure left an impression on younger me…
Mostly for how easy they were. (Giovanni and the Admins weren’t that easy
though) Anyway Team Rocket was hands down my favorite villain team in the
Pokemon franchise, until Team Skull came around anyway. With Ultra Sun and
Ultra Moon coming out in just a week these games are looking to be massive new
adventures while incorporating some story elements from Sun and Moon.
I discussed it last week but Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon will
be bringing back an old organization after years of them being disbanded… Team
Rocket is back! I’ve for the longest time wanted Team Rocket to make a comeback
and while Heart Gold and Soul Silver were satisfying it was only a remake of
their original revival. Now they’re back for real and we have a new trailer to
showcase them.
…
Wow.
Yeah isn’t that pretty unprofessional of me? I am actually
speechless after this announcement. The trailer opens up with a remix of Team
Rocket’s battle theme from Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal and an opening sequence
to the supposed battle against none other than Giovanni. Yes this time Team
Rocket is led by none other than the original leader himself Giovanni. Seems
he’s come out of training (Or has he? I’ll get to that theory in a second) and
has revived Team Rocket himself under the new name of Team Rainbow Rocket which
seems like a silly name but the logo is made up of Red, Blue, Green and Yellow
which is a pretty sweet nod to the colors of the original games if you ask me.
Following him are new grunts in outfits that are pretty much
the same as the originals besides the cool new colors to the R logo.
What’s really insane about this new Team Rainbow Rocket is
the people joining Giovanni under this banner…Not one, not two, but EVERY Villain leader to grace the core Pokemon
series is returning as… Partners of Giovanni? I have absolutely no idea what is
going on here, we got Archie, Maxie, Cyrus, Ghetsis (Dennis, this is an inside
joke forgive me), and Lysandre making an appearance, but why?
Really this announcement while incredibly awesome does open
up some new questions. Archie and Maxie turned good in ORAS but as you can
clearly see this are the original Archie and Maxie from Ruby and Sapphire
(Possibly their Emerald counterparts).
Cyrus, the leader of Team Galactic depending on which
version you played either disappeared into thin air or was trapped in the
distortion world.
Ghetsis, leader of Team Plasma was presumably arrested so I
guess he could have broken out but he’s wearing his Black and White outfit
instead of the outfit he wore in the sequels.
Lysandre, leader of Team Flare… Well you know what happened
to him.
Giovanni himself well at the end of Red and Blue he went to
train and in the secret Heart Gold and Soul Silver event we find him behind a
waterfall preparing to join Archer in the revival of Team Rocket before getting
thwarted again by a kid who shouldn’t really be dealing with criminals but hey
we’re Pokemon trainers we can handle it.
This is where the multiverse theory comes into play. Now
we’ve had this multiverse pretty much confirmed since Omega Ruby and Alpha
Sapphire thanks to Zinnia. Alternative universe were empowered even further
with the Ultra Beasts and the Ultra Wormhole which allow travel between
universes seemingly with the Ultra Beasts being the ones that dwell in between.
Apparently there is a leak floating around that actually predicted Team Rainbow
Rocket spot on which does make it for the most part legit but the leak also
stated that the villains making an appearance all succeeded in their goals in
their respective timelines, with Giovanni bringing them all together to take
over the USUM world. With this in mind I don’t believe this Giovanni is from
another dimension. If he had traveled from another world where he succeeded in his
plans, why would he want to leave that world? This makes me believe this is the
Giovanni we thwarted in the previous games, now making a return after years of
training and planning. Somehow Giovanni has gained control of the Ultra
Wormholes and perhaps he’s using that to bring these leaders together to
finally allow him to succeed in his goal of taking over the world. I can see
these leaders not cooperating fully with Giovanni however. All these big egos
in one building? There’s sure to be some scraps happen between the leaders,
which will probably lead to some hilarity.
Seems Ultra Wormholes will play a role in this sudden Team
Rocket revival as seen by this amazing poster which I can say is illustrated by
none other than who I assume to be Ken Sugimori, because who else would draw
something this magnificent? What we can also take away from this poster is the
fact it seems Guzma the boss of Team Skull will be teaming up with us! Spoilers
for Sun and Moon but in those games we saw Guzma slowly take a bit of a turn
from a bad boss villain to someone willing to make a change in his life so if
he takes that turn even further we could have a seriously powerful ally on
outside when we conquer the new Team Rainbow Rocket.
Back to the trailer we get to see one of Giovanni’s Pokemon
he’ll have at his disposal and it’s a nostalgic call back to the first movie…
He has Mewtwo on his team. I kid you not.
In the anime and the manga we see
Giovanni as being kind of obsessed with the mythical Pokemon Mew which results
in him funding scientists to create a more powerful clone of Mew, Mewtwo. In
the Manga and first Anime movie Giovanni temporary has control over Mewtwo
before he goes renegade on him. So yeah these two have a bitter history and it
seems poor Mewtwo has gotten himself into Giovanni’s clutches again. I wonder
if this means the other leaders will have their respective title Legendaries on
their team.
So you know what this means? We have not just Team Skull and
Aether to handle but Team Rocket, the Ultra Recon Squad (Who seem to be kind of
good guys so maybe not them), Team Magma, Team Aqua, Team Galactic, Team Plasma
AND Team Flare to handle in this game… That’s insane.
What’s even more insane is the fact that every Legendary to
date will be catchable in these games, yes EVERY Legendary except for Mythical
Pokemon will be catchable via Ultra Wormholes and it seems these Ultra
Wormholes take you to locations similar to the Legendaries’ original spot from
their game of origin as seen by this small snippet of Mewtwo standing on a
pedestal in a cave, similar to where he was in Red and Blue. Some of these
legendaries will be version exclusive and it seems the mechanics behind
obtaining these legendaries is similar to Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Ultra
Sun will have Raikou, Ho-Oh, Latios, Groudon, Dialga, Heatran, Tornadus and
Xerneas as its exclusives while Ultra Moon will have Entei, Lugia, Latias,
Kyogre, Palkia, Regigigas, Thundurus, Zekrom and Yveltal as its exclusives.
Some Legendaries like the Legendary Birds and Mewtwo won’t be version exclusive
while some Pokemon such as Rayquaza will require you have both games and catch
both Kyogre and Groudon so prepare to get both versions if you want to catch
them all.
Finally this trailer reveals a new battle facility called the
Battle Agency! For as long as I can remember I’ve always loved using Rental
Pokemon. Pokemon Stadium allowed you to rent all currently available Pokemon and
with Pokemon Emerald came the Battle Frontier in which held the Battle Factory
which used a Pokemon rental system. Well that concept is making a return in
this Battle Agency with a bit of a twist. It seems you become secret agents of
sorts with sweet sunglasses included when you enter this new facility. The
battle format is 3v3 single format and it seems to be integrated into the
Festival Plaza with online functionality added. Legendaries will also be available
for rental as well. I don’t really know any more details on this particular mode
but it looks pretty sweet.
Thought Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon were just copy and pasted
versions of Sun and Moon? Bet you don’t anymore. These games are going to be
absolutely amazing and I have a feeling there’s some more details Game Freak
isn’t spilling just yet. Apparently more information will be dropping November
10th before the game releases November 17th.
You can check out the Japanese overview trailer below or by
clicking here for some more insight on what the American trailer revealed!
Trust me guys the Pokemon filled blogs will end soon enough
I know I’ve been bogging you guys down with it lately but man these games are
really hyping me up and there’s so much news to cover. Anyway there’s more
Pokemon to come later but until then I haven’t really discussed any movies in a
while but a few nights ago I rewatched a movie that’s a timeless classic and a
personal favorite of mine and my Mums.
Re-watching An Old Romantic Comedy Film: The Goodbye Girl.
Anyone remember “The Goodbye Girl”? Well if you don’t this
1977 movie, Written by Neil Simon and Directed by Herbert Ross starred Richard
Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason in probably one of the best Romantic Comedies to ever
be made without it being over dramatic like some can be.
The movie takes place in Manhattan, New York and Marsha
Mason plays Paula McFadden an unemployed dancer who lives with her 10-year-old daughter
Lucy (Played by Quinn Cummings) and her life soon flips on its head when her
boyfriend, famous actor Tony (Played by nobody as he’s never shown in the
movie) dumps her and sublets her apartment to a struggling wannabe Broadway
actor Elliot Garfield played by Richard Dreyfuss. Hilarity is ensured as Paula
fights to keep her apartment and struggles to live with Elliot who has some
strange habits.
(The movie is not actually in Black and White)
I don’t know what it is about this movie but it’s so
memorable you’ll want to watch it over and over again. I don’t really watch
newer romantic comedies (Mostly because I’m not aware of any, it’s not a
popular genre anymore it seems) but this along with a couple of other classics
which I’ve discussed in the past such as The Money Pit is a much watch. Mum’s
love for this movie goes even further and I’m pretty sure she quotes this movie
quite often, it’s just that memorable. The dynamic between Elliot and Paula is
amazingly written and unmatched against other romcom dynamics in other movies. The
characters are all iconic, charming and memorable with such a down to earth
story that actually has some worthwhile metaphors for living life fluttered
inside of this flick.
Problem is this movie while being great has actually been
quite hard to get hold of. We’ve been watching it through VHS since its release
(I wasn’t born when it was released, FYI) and could never find a DVD or digital
version of it, until a few days ago. Yes it’s iTunes to the rescue once again! I’m
pretty sure it was not on iTunes before in any shape or form but now it’s on
iTunes in all its glory. It’s currently $9.99 to buy and while it’s only in SD
format (HD would make it look pretty bad to be honest, it’s an old movie.) it’s
worth the buy. You can get this movie by clicking the link below! Go add it to
your collection.
Mjolnir, to me!
Getting Pumped for New Marvel Movies, Thor Ragnarok and Black Panther!
Thor
Ragnarok as of last Friday has now released in theatres and the reviews are
praising the movie. It seems Thor is taking a more light hearted approach will
still having the hammer slinging action Thor is known for. Thor is now up
against Hela the Goddess of Death as she pretty much makes him her play toy,
destroying Mjolnir presumably. In order to take her down Thor will need Loki’s
help once again as well as Valkryie and an unexpected Green ally in the Hulk.
It’s about time The Hulk gets more screen time to be honest and it seems to me
this movie is more of a Hulk: Ragnarok rather than a Thor: Ragnarok. Really looking
forward to this movie and I’m assuming for non theatre goers this movie will be
releasing February on DVD/BluRay/Digital.
This year seems to be another big year for Superhero movies
with Justice League coming out within two weeks and Wonder Woman, Spiderman
Homecoming and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 already being released to critical
acclaim. We do however have one more movie coming out soon that I’ve not really
talked about much, it also has a brand new trailer released for it as well…
Black Panther which will be releasing February of 2018 in theatres. I’ve
neglected to actually discuss this new trailer so let’s go ahead and dive right
in.
Well that’s actually different from what I expected. I was
expecting a more traditional and ancient setting but this is a really high tech
civilization we’re entering its pretty crazy. Despite this it still seems to be
including bits of African culture and magic in with the high tech action. This
actually looks pretty awesome and man does Black Panther have a sweet suit.
Chadwick Boseman returns as King T’Challa after his first appearance in Captain
America: Civil War.
Oh yeah and Bilbo Baggins… I mean Martin Freeman is reprising
his role of Everett K. Ross in this movie as well so it’ll be interesting how
that pans out but I would of thought Captain America would of played a role in
this movie as well due to the nature of Civil War’s credit scene but it appears
he’s not casted in the movie, interesting.
Well that’s all for today! I hope this blog wasn’t too long
for you but man there’s a lot to discuss lately and it’s mostly news. All the
crazy news and announcements should die down soon though so we can get into a
more jingle kind of mood for the upcoming Holiday season. For now I'm leaving you guys for now so until then...
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 2nd.
These games come out November 17th 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 3rd 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.
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 24th 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 17th.
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 13th!
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.)
