Baseball'n #2: Season Starter

Baseball isn't exactly what I look for when it's time to game... but the toonish arcade feel of Super Mega Baseball (Extra Innings) is pretty fun. Its not merely an arcade game, you get full seasons in this nifty title... and exhibition games when you just want to jump in without affect your (friend's) stats. Enjoy this season starter... with more season games to follow, alternating on the 1st & 15th!

Thought this would be a great time to mention that Super Mega Baseball 2 is... approaching the mound September 2017. If the first installment is a home run for you, consider part 2.

From the source: Square-Enix - Kingdom Hearts Orchestra World Tour

Ever attend an Orchestra? For those you have that have not, it may seem like another world. Sometimes its part of the experience to be taken to another world from the comfort of your seat, hearing instruments played in collective harmony as they deliver something amazing. Even if it doesn't seem like an Orchestra would tickle your fancy... consider experiencing one at least once in your life. If you're a fan of Kingdom Hearts... this might be the right time.

Anyway... on to this bit of musical news from the source!

KINGDOM HEARTS Orchestra – World Tour – Premiere In Los Angeles & New York

First-Ever, Official Concert World Tour of the Multi-Million Selling Video Game Series

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – May 31, 2017 – After unforgettable premiere concerts in Tokyo, Paris and London last March, KINGDOM HEARTS Orchestra – World Tour – is coming to the U.S. with shows in Los Angeles on June 10, 11, and 14 at the Dolby Theatre and New York on June 23 and 24 at the United Palace Theatre.

Fans and music lovers alike will soon be able to enjoy the first-ever official concert of the KINGDOM HEARTS video game series.  From the music to the HD video and syncing, the show will feature a selection of the saga’s best and most beloved music from the original soundtrack. The concert features more than 100 orchestral musicians and choir singers on stage, with amazing HD video cinematics supervised by director Tetsuya Nomura.   Additionally, the tour celebrates the 15th anniversary of the multi-million selling video game series and the upcoming release of its latest episode.

The upcoming U.S. performances of KINGDOM HEARTS Orchestra – World Tour – will also feature:

Exclusive Scenario Content

Entirely supervised by game director Tetsuya Nomura himself, this concert series is considered part of the KINGDOM HEARTS universe and will feature some content and stories. Voice actors Risa Uchida (Kairi / Xion) and Megumi Toyoguchi (Aqua) have recorded three short voice sequences featured specially in the concert.

Composer Yoko Shimomura in Attendance

Each show will feature music composer Yoko Shimomura as a special guest. She will appear on stage, and 150 VIP tickets are available for each show to meet and greet with her after the performance (one signature and one photo per person).

Exclusive Merchandising Lineup

The KINGDOM HEARTS Orchestra – World Tour – features an exclusive line of products that are only available for sale at each performance.  A stunning 48-page concert program will be available featuring the first ever cross-interview between director Tetsuya Nomura and composer Yoko Shimomura, and with many music notes and gorgeous illustrations.  In addition to the program, fans will find an official T-shirt with an original illustration of Sora’s Chief Conductor Keyblade with a stand in a deluxe box, and an elegant pouch and cardholder.       

Special Featured CD

Twelve pieces of the concert have been recorded in their concert’s arranged version for a special CD edition, with a gold-embossed CD package. Now, fans can relive their experience at the concert from the comfort of their home after the show!  The CD is available at each concert and at http//shop.wildfaery.com in countries where a performance has already been held (now available in France, United Kingdom, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan)

Upcoming Shows

Los Angeles (USA) – June 10,11 & 14, 2017 - Dolby Theatre

Buy Tickets: http://www.ticketmaster.com

New York (USA) – June 23&24, 2017 – United Palace Theatre

Buy Tickets: http://www.ticketfly.com

Osaka (Japan) – July 8th, 2017 – ORIX Theatre

Limited number of tickets for non-Japan resident available at shop.wildfaery.com.

About KINGDOM HEARTS Orchestra – World Tour

Uniting the worlds and characters of FINAL FANTASY and Disney to create a brand new thrilling mythology, KINGDOM HEARTS follows the adventures of Sora, Goofy and Donald as they rescue their friends and the whole world. With two major games, KINGDOM HEARTS I and II, released on PlayStation 2 (and re-released in HD on PlayStation 3), and six spin off games over multiple platforms, the saga has touched millions of fans around the globe. KINGDOM HEARTS Orchestra- World Tour- is the first-ever official concert world tour of the saga, celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of the multi-million selling video game series and the upcoming release of its latest episode. Music composer Yoko Shimomura (Legend of Mana, Parasite Eve, Street Fighter II and Xenoblade Chronicles) lends her fantastic composition, which has longplayed a prominent role in KINGDOM HEARTS. The soundtrack features hit songs from Japan’s best-selling pop artist, Utada Hikaru.  The single Hikari, from KINGDOM HEARTS I, topped the 1st rank of the Oricon, the Japanese records sales chart for weeks, was 2002’s tenth best-selling single and certified Double-Platinum. The single “Passion" from KINGDOM HEARTS II was also certified Gold Disc by the RIAJ.

The King of Fighters XIV Steam Edition... and what i'd like to see!

As The King of Fighters XIV Steam Edition approaches... I thought i'd speak on a few additions i'd like to see in the future.

In this newest installment... one of the most obvious things I've seen are the animated cut-scenes between matches and prior to certain fights. It truly adds more to this newest installment of The King of Fighters franchise. (Don't get me wrong.) I appreciate KOF XIII for the beautifully animated 2D fighting action... but the dialogue between fighters prior to matches, really annoyed the heck out of me. It wasn't because there was dialogue, it was more so the fact that you had to click and read... and read... and read... which could've had voice files in there to help it.

If you like to read... that's great, I have books I like to kick back and read... but I have to be in the mood (and that's not something I really care to do while gaming). So I like what I see in KOF XIV.

When it comes to a future installment or even an update... or mode, I want this fighter to truly feel like every team is on their own journey in a new way... not just fighting their way to the same boss character. The developer has the range and the ability to deliver more to this franchise, so I hope to see more (for now, this is a nice touch).

What i'd do is create branching paths, like a tournament set up that challenges the player while at the same time punishing the player for losing. So if you lose... you don't continue and fight the same character again, you go to the bracket where you belong until you work your way to the point of being the King Of Fighters. There would be more work invested in the victory then, because it would matter more vs being able to merely continue where you left off. SDGT Concepts anyone?! :p

What i'd also like to see done away with in KOF's next installment... is the removal of the fade to white effect after winning (feels like it rushes me out of the match and takes away the satisfaction of seeing my opponent on the ground). Instead... I'd like to see the winner strike a pose and their teammates come out and join them; defeated teammates can limp out. There are other things i'd add that would really take it to the next level, but i'll leave it at that. The King of Fighters XIV Steam Edition... drops June 15, 2017 (yep... that's during E3)!

Zombies + Baseball = What?

Double Double Humans in Trouble as we near Episode 5 of The Walking Dead: A New Frontier!

It's going down May 30th... 2017, so pack your couch, grab the popcorn (and your favorite stuffed Pokemon)... and game on! Check out the description from the source... below (and I just might be doing a Watch & Nab for this game).

"Fellow Survivors,

Today we can share the official release date for the critically-acclaimed The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series - A New Frontier's upcoming Episode 5: 'From the Gallows.'

 

Beginning Tuesday, May 30th, players can download Episode 5: 'From the Gallows' on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC/Steam, iOS, and Android-based devices. The episode will also download for all users of the special Season Pass disc for consoles, which includes the critically acclaimed two-part premiere episode and grants access to all subsequent episodes in the five-episode season for download as they become available. 

Episode description: In Telltale's most tailored episode to date, Richmond teeters on the brink of collapse as chaos reigns from all directions. The lives of its citizens and all those closest to Javier hang in the balance. The decisions you've made and bonds you've nurtured across the season will determine which characters now trust Javi to safeguard all they hold dear as the crisis pushes every relationship past its breaking point..." 

                                                                                                                      - TellTale Games

Before I go... check out this match, it was a tug of war. SDGT has a team, so our digital selves will be the ones playing through the season in videos ahead... so stay tuned.

Marvel Apparel!

Shenmue 3... will it succeed? IDK, but...

There are questions surrounding Shenmue 3 and will it be interesting or relevant enough to succeed, but... I think it will work out. There is enough variety out right now gaining enough appreciation in gaming to the point that... I feel Shenmue 3 will be just fine. Also, you can argue about the QTEs (aka Quick Time Events) if you'd like, but... think about it... it's not something that went away with Shenmue, there are more recent games like "Rise of the Tomb Raider" that have them.

Even if i'm a big fan of Shenmue, I can still take a realistic look at the franchise. I don't see the third installment being a game that will feel out dated, but it's not being served up to be outdated... it will merely bring what's known and appreciated in the franchise. Going back to the variety though, I do give credit to indie developers for maintaining the variety in gaming. Shenmue isn't just a left field gaming trying to grab the interest of gamer's with an abstract title either, it's a new installment to a sleeper hit that met unfair circumstances. So for what it's worth, I hope that the lack of restrictions allow it to fly... so much so that it makes Shenmue 1 & 2 worthy of remakes.

Some of you may think... WTF?!, but if we can have some sort of cool incorporation of Shenmue 1 & 2 that gets the audience up to speed... then i'd be cool with the game being released a bit later than the release date. I feel left out in the cold after finishing the 1st installment, so to play part 3... there would be a void if the gap isn't bridged. It would still be more satisfying (for me) to start over with 1 and working my way to part 3 with my stats intact, because I can't transfer my data from my Sega Dreamcast to PC... which is a major sigh. 

Anyway check out the developer reports below and... game on!

Brought to you by the... Baby Fu Clothing Company!

Calling all Space Captains... its time... for Dreadnought!

Greeting Captains... this is the Intergalactic Super Gamer speaking.

Before making way to your ships, I just want to prepare the New captains among you.

Men, Women, Adult Children and plus size renegade Polar Bears Babies(!)... choose your vessels wisely for battle. You will have access to more than 50 playable ships, spread across five distinct classes to build your fleets for departure to the Rings of Saturn and the Red Sands.

Situated in space 60k kilometers above Saturn's largest moon, you will find a battleground that will test your skills as you maneuver around the colossal orbital ring that dominates it's center. Narrow gaps within the superstructure allow ships to cross from one side to the other, but... you must be wary of what dangers lurk on the other side.

The open beta of Dreadnought is available now for Windows PC & in closed beta for the PS4. Like in other free-to-play games... you have the option to buy items. In this case you can purchase specialized Hero Ships, experience boosts (which I hope doesn't promote pay to win) and cosmetic add-ons for your vessels.

Focus on mastering your vessels and actually utilizing team work to succeed (teamwork makes the dream work). Knowing what you can do for your team with the ship you possess... just may tip the battle in your favor if you're going in as a team with that mentality. You will find yourself in close-quarters combat, taking on enemies from long-range and even acting as strategic support. So use those unique specializations of weapons, modules, coatings and decals to open up a meteor sized can of you know... what.

One thing i'd suggest for this game that may add another level of awesome in the future, is to add in FPS ground based battles.

Well... that's all from me, ships don't fly themselves. You're dismissed... game on!

Solo Rival... reviewed!

Before I jump into the specifics of the review, I just want to give a shout out to Matt from Solo's brand communications team for taking the time to reach out. Instead of simply sending a backpack to SDGT, he wanted to find out what my needs were... when it comes to a backpack. From there... he decided the best fit for me is the Solo Rival you see below, so I just wanted to put that out there.

I knew the backpack was coming, but I can't lie... I was excited when it arrived. So join me via the visuals you see here as I open this thing up.

Now that we've got the packaging out of the way... let's jump in.

What you see here is one of Solo’s newest backpacks called the Solo Rival (specifically the ACV700 model).

They have a new Solo Everyday Max backpack… but this one is more in line with what I need.

Feels... sexy. :p

It looks and feels like it was designed with premium quality in mind. The polyester body feels great… along with the cooling air mesh you see lining the inner shoulder straps and back padding… and it even has a reflective strip for visibility. So you should be seen if you have to set out on foot, bike, horseback or whatever else requiring a driver to see you strutting your stuff down the road. A little something extra to protect yourself as you protect your tech.

The Solo Rival has 6 compartments… which includes a fully padded one that can fit up to 17.3" laptops and two hard shell pockets for side storage. These side pockets are a nice size... I can literally slide a game controller into them with no oomph behind it. I have other backpacks but i'd have to put the controller(s) in the main compartment with my laptop and headphones. Considering the fact that I absolutely hate when things scrub up against my laptop... the space this backpack has is a plus.

The Solo Rival is good for work or play, whether that be locally, a work convention or even a game event. I put this backpack to use recently when my wife gave birth (new dad in the house!). I tossed a few days of clothing inside, my laptop, game controller, Bluetooth headphones, documents, snacks... and was ready to go with room to spare.

I wasn't going to bring a wired gaming headset because I needed to be ready for action often, but a fold-able gaming headset would be able to fit into one of the two side pockets with no problem.

For tablet owners... you have a sleeve built into one of the compartments for an extra layer of safety, as well as a compartment for stationary (I'm sure fellow artists can appreciate this). While I could say that's something of a basic i'd expect, it's not in all backpacks... so its appreciated. Another nifty little feature is the headphone port that allows you to run your wired headphones to your phone in the designated pocket of the backpack. I don't care to hold my phone all the time so this works especially when I have wired headphones on deck.

As you see by these images... you can fit quite a bit of stuff in this bag, which is perfect for game events like E3 that have a lot of great freebies and buys so you aren't stuck holding bags in your hands.

Two of my favorite features when it comes to the backpack are the top compartment... which reminds me of a standard pocket on my pants and the chest strap. These may seem like little things, but when i'm traveling, things like that top compartment would come in handy for change and other things I need to quickly access without having to do a full unzip. Also at the airport when I need to empty my pockets, that compartment is in a great place to store items so I can just flow. 

When it comes to the chest strap... I really enjoy having these options on backpacks because it makes a world of difference in balancing it out while on your back. Some of you may have carried book bags at school and had to deal with the sagging that required you to constantly pull the bag back up... or you had to hold it in that place in order to maintain comfort. I didn't like it then and I don't like it now, so I appreciate it when chest straps are available.



Two more things you may like about this backpack are it's warranty... and the price.

This bad boy comes with a 5 year warranty. Yeah... Solo's not playing around. I've seen a 1 year warranty on some, while others have none (that cost more)... so I thought this was pretty awesome.

Speaking of cost, the Solo Rival retails for $79.99 and goes the extra mile in comparison to others I've come across at this price point. So you're getting a pretty good deal regarding quality, comfort and usability.

One thing I don't like about this backpack though... is the neck area. While it's not horrible, Solo made great design decisions that should've also included areas on the straps that contour around the neck for increased comfort. It's not a deal breaker at all (many backpacks are lack this)... but who knows, maybe that will be ushered into a newer model of the Solo Rival.



Design: 4
Quality: 5
Comfort:4
Price: 5

Usability: 5 

I rate the Solo Rival a 4.5 out of 5. So if you want to get your hands (or should I say your "back"?) on this backpack, it should work out quite well for you and your needs.

Thank you so much for checking out this review... and for more info on the Solo Rival backpack, go to: http://solo.net/active-17-3-backpack/

Soundwave is now available in... Transformers: Forged to Fight!

Today, Kabam released another Transformer into the battle. Soundwave is his name, Transformers: Forged to Fight is the game... and since he's all about loyalty to Megatron's cause... you know he's a Decepticon.

Soundwave is a Communications Officer... who aims to please Megatron as often as possible. His special ability... the Sonic Shield, is probably something you'd want to look out for. Not only does it protect Soundwave of incoming attacks, but it has the chance of reflecting those on-coming range attacked... sending them right back at cha.

The kicker: Reflected attacks will deal 140% their original damage... so, yeah... watch out.

If you aren't familiar with this game, its presented as an AAA 3D HD action-fighting RPG... for mobile. You're able to build your own teams utilizing Autobots & Deceptions from animated shows, films, comic books, etc. So if you're a Transformers fan or simply want to try out the game... check it out on GooglePlay or the AppStore.

Fun fact: I met a Voice Actor for Optimus Prime once (I believe it was Peter Cullen, but it could've been Frank Welker... because I remember something about Scooby-Doo).

Brought to you by the... Baby Fu Clothing Company & Customyze!

Windows 10 Subpar edition?

This one is for the PC gamers and Windows PC users open to reading criticism about Microsoft, so take a seat fan boys and girls! - Yang

Some of you might read the title of this post and believe i'm going to lay in a nice chunk of negativity on the Windows 10 S. You'd be right(!), but... it's not all bad, so keep on reading.

I have a laptop running on Windows 10, but it's not a Surface Laptop... or at least a laptop that allows for digital pens to be used. That's one of the things I admire about the Surface... minus the screen size (I prefer a bigger screen). I say that to say that if it had a bigger screen I probably would've went with a Surface if the price was right... but if I were to get a new lappy this year... it probably wouldn't be running Windows 10 S. I'll explain what I mean by... probably.

If the price is right on a laptop running Windows 10 S with... the right specs and features that... interest me, I'd probably bite with the aim of getting the Windows 10 Pro. My reason to buy wouldn't include a lot of the crap Microsoft mentioned about the Windows 10 S... because that stuff exists in the Windows 10 OS running on my system now.

"Every Windows 10 PC includes built-in enterprise grade security with Windows Defender." - Microsoft

I'd advise not to buy under the assumption that Windows 10 S is somehow more secure. Buy knowing that it's going to be LIMITED to apps available in the Windows App Store and get the pro if you don't want what (kinda) feels like the... second coming of the Surface RT.

A plus of Windows 10 S succeeding is the increase in apps... which should increase the number of quality ones. Should as in... it better, and I see the most affordable ones assisting in that department (which may take on Chromebooks), but... try to avoid paying a lot if you plan on sticking with this version. That would be a waste in my opinion.

A really cheap option with some pretty good specs is probably the only thing that would get me to bite, and it wouldn't be a stretch to go Pro(... aka unlock the gate of what it should be in the first place). I really look down on the more expensive Windows 10 S devices though... because all laptops that pass a certain price point should be Pro. I'm talking $300 and up (maybe even $400 minimum... to be nice).

Unlike Chrome OS... Microsoft's OS didn't have those closed doors (aka Windows App Store only) that they're requiring additional money to bypass now. Hardware companies are the ones that hold the power... they just aren't wielding it on this front, to merely fight for what's right.

• $189 Windows 10 S laptop that gets the job done for emails, surfing the web and other basic tasks... cool (add another $100 to $150 if I can use a digital pen).

• $999 - $2199 for an official Windows 10 S Surface laptop that Microsoft doesn't even have the decency to upgrade to Pro (even at that price point)? Hell... to the capital N-O! I can get better for less... that allows me to use Chrome browser, Steam, Origin, uPlay, etc.

So don't take away from this that i'm hating on Microsoft. Take away from this... things to look out for, especially if you were under the impression that the Windows 10 S was the latest and greatest OS from Microsoft.

This post is especially important for the gamer's out there expecting to just pick up and go with an existing game library on something other than purchases from the Windows App Store (via Windows 10 S).

Now that you know (if you didn't know already)... game on!

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