Wreck-It Ralph Quick Review

This past week I finally was able to see Wreck-It Ralph and I loved it.  In brief, the story is about a video game baddie who is tired of being the bad guy and wants to be liked by the characters in his game.  After an incident at an anniversary party, Ralph decides the only way to earn respect is to get a medal to show the other characters that he can be a good guy.  What follows is series of episodes that takes Ralph from the familiar settings of his own world to two new worlds that will test his determination to be a hero.

As a gamer, I loved all the nods to classic games and some of the more recent ones out there.  Three things in the movie that really got me excited were Burger Time, Beard Papa and Buckner & Garcia.  That is all I'm going to say about that and let's see if you can spot these cameos when you go watch the movie again.

Wreck-It Ralph deals with some great issues that can be good talking points for your children when you're driving home from the theater.  It deals with bullying, friendship. identity, self worth and being true to yourself.  Wreck-It Ralph was a lot of fun and I can't wait to go see it again and look for more Easter eggs in the background.  If you haven't see it or already did and are going to see it again, make sure you stay after the credits for a pretty cool gaming reference.

Art of the Assassin

 

If you're into art and Assassin's Creed, next week in Chicago there is an event that might interest you.  "Art of the Assassin" is a traveling art show created by a partnership between Ubisoft, Rock the Vote and SA Studio Global in which artists showcase their artwork inspired from the highly anticipated Assassin's Creed 3.  Here is the  information below:

ART OF THE ASSASSIN
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
4:30pm - 7:00PM

HOSTED BY:
DJ SKEE
FEATURING ARTWORK BY:
MARK DEAN VECA – DUALFORCES – ARIEL ERESTINGCOL – RACECAR 13 – ARTEK – JUSTIN BARTLETT – DORA DRIMALAS – BRIAN FLYNN – ALEX ROSS – MAX NEUTRA – SNYDER – THANK YOU X

LIVE ARTWORK BY:
THANK YOU X

 

ART REVOLUTION
600 W CERMAK
CHICAGO,IL 60616

There will be a private VIP reception from 8:00pm-11:00pm with drinks and appetizers served.

RSVP is required for this portion of the night 

 

RSVP at  EVENTS@SASTUDIOSGLOBAL.COM

Ubisoft, in partnership with Rock the Vote and SA Studios Global, invite you to the Chicago launch of "Art of the Assassin" - a traveling art exhibit celebrating one of 2012's most anticipated video game releases, Assassin's Creed III. Artwork will feature themes inspired by the game's setting and sentiment: the American Revolutionary War. Join us for drinks and music by DJ Skee, as we showcase pieces from some of the most distinguished contemporary artists in the country.

 

Hopefully, we'll see you there and we will put up a post after the event.

 

What's been going on with the Fandads?

It's been quite awhile since our last post, but we haven't forgotten about you.  Things have been a little busy on both our ends and we apologize for the lack of post.  So, let's get you updated on what's been going on.

I recently got a new job teaching and if you've been watching the news in Chicago you know what been going on with that.  I would like to give my opinion of the story, but that will have to wait for now.  There has been a new addition to my family: my older sister just had a baby girl and she is incredible. 

Now while I have been busy working in a school, Fandad Gil is busy himself with school. He is also going into the teaching profession, so who knows, maybe this will become a blog about being dads/teachers who are into comics, video games and movies, but I could be jumping the gun here.  As busy as we both are, we still are coming up with ideas to improve the site and build a community here with all you other Fandads out there.

Once place we have been active on is our Facebook page.  Have you liked our page lately? Recently we gave away a copy of Madden 13 for the 360 and will be coming up with more contest on there soon.  So keep checking our status updates, because you never know when a contest will pop up.  Also, I'm serious about having a group of Fandads run the Warrior Dash together next year. I'm looking into pricing to make a shirt that we can all wear while doing the dash.

I recently signed up for Loot Crate, which I'm pretty excited about, so be on the look out for a post on that as soon as my crate comes in.  I'm trying to work out something with them also, so if anything happens, we'll let you know. I also have been talking to other interesting companies and trying to get some cool stuff going on for our readers. Who knows what we'll giveaway next?

Lastly, we want to thank all of you who are active on the Facebook page and support us here on this page.  We really want to build a community with other like-minded dads and make this thing bigger than a website and facebook page.

Again, thank you for your support and we'll see you soon,

Victor & Gil

E3 Quick Hits

With E3 going on this week, we have decided to just highlight a few games that we think are going to be hits or something that you should look into.

Warrior Dash Take Two!

If you are a follower of our blog you will remember that last year I participated in the Warrior Dash on Father's Day. That experience was amazing and I told myself that I would do it again the following year and prepare better for it this time around. 

Well, with about a month to go for the next Warrior Dash, I am glad to announce that I am doing it again, but sadly I haven't prepared any better than I did last year.  I have been working a lot these past few months so my time to train has been few and far between.  I have been using Your Shape Fitness Evolved on the Kinect to exercise and it has been working pretty well, but I need to go running to improve my cardio.

Unlike last year where it was just two of us, this year there is a group of us going together and it should be a fun experience.  Maybe we'll do costumes or maybe we will not, but either way it will be great to run with friends and support each other at the Warrior Dash.

I am thinking about starting a running group to get prepared for the dash and just to start getting in better shape.  If anyone is interested in joining, let me know.  I know work schedules will make it hard to have a constant schedule, but maybe we can find a few times in the week or weekend to just get together and run for a few miles.  This would be a great way to get in shape and to familiarize ourselves with our readers.  Hopefully this will lead to one of our goals here at fandads: to create a community of like minded fandads.

Thanks for reading and wish me luck on June 17th. 

To Buy or Not to Buy

As usual, I've got lots to write about, but never get around to it. The Fan part of being a "Fandad" has taken a back seat to just being a dad. Going to class, taking care of the kids, spending time with the family, it's a lot to do and it doesn't leave me with a whole lot of free time. The little free time that I do have is usually spent trying to level up in SWTOR or chasing another prestige level in MW3. That being said, I have neglected our blog, and I'm going to try to do better in that regard. Anyway, where was I?

To buy or not to buy, that is the question. Well, MY question is, should I get the Call of Duty ELITE deal? I do most of my playing on the PC (ahh PC v. Consoles, that's a whole other post I'll get to) and I've been waiting to see if they ever roll out the ELITE program for the PC. However, the 360 version just went down in price and I had an Amazon gift card so I said why the hell not. I can't remember the last time I bought a game on multiple platforms, in all honesty I think it was probably MW2, but I digress. One of the reasons I purchased it on the XBox is because I have a lot more friends playing it on LIVE than I do on Steam. Tonight I tried getting into a game with someone and I didn't have the maps they were using. I immediately went to the marketplace and I was about to download them, but then I started contemplating purchasing the ELITE deal.

I'm usually not a sucker in the sense that I don't purchase a lot of DLC. I did buy the Gears of War 3 season package, it seemed like a good deal at the time, but I haven't even played that game in months. So was it all that good of a deal? Knowing my luck, the minute I purchase ELITE, it'll be rolled out for the PC. Anyway, that's the dilemma, the fifty bucks it costs isn't anything to scoff at, I could buy a whole new game with that. (Granted, it'd be another game I'd have no time to play, but you get my point)

I'd like to hear your thoughts and comments, help me decide! (I'll probably end up buying it, I am a sucker I guess...lol)

-Gil

C2E2 Recap

C2E2 came and went and the Fandads were there to partake in the festivities. Although I did miss last year's C2E2, I did make sure that I was going to be able to attend this time with my little girl and enjoy kid's day on Sunday.  Last time I came with my little girl I was worried about how she was going to react to the costumed people and I soon found out I had nothing to worry about.  This year was a different story.


As soon as I got there she was already starting to get antsy about the people walking around.  She started crying and saying that she wanted to go home, but after a few minutes of seeing other little kids walking around, she started to relax and wanted to walk around herself.  We walked around looking at the Captain America props that were on display and I just tried to enjoy my time with her.



Usually when I attend any comic show I have a list of books or action figures that I am looking for, but this year I just wanted to go and enjoy the show.  I did have a few books in mind, but I wanted to look around before I actually bought anything.  Plus, since I had my little girl with me, I knew I had to get ready for whatever caught her eye and hope that she didn't want to buy everything she saw.

One cool thing about this year is that we decided to do a Fandad's Scavenger Hunt.  The Scavenger Hunt was going to consist of three elements.  We were going to talk to some of the venders and artists and leave a small prize with them.  Next, we were going to post on our Facebook page and twitter account a clue as to where to find said prize.  Then, the person was going to say a phrase, given by us, to claim the prize.  I purchased a few Xbox Live point cards, some $20 PlayStation Network cards and was prepared to have fun with the scavenger hunt.  One thing we didn't prepare for was the bad reception inside the convention center.  When we were able to post our first tweet we waited for someone to show up. After about 20 minutes we gave up and decided to figure out another way of handing out the prizes.

On Sunday I attended the show again with my family and we tried to partake in some of the kid's day activities.  We met up with my brother-in-law and my nephew and we walked around together talking about the cool things we saw at the show.

My little girl was excited because she saw a Goofy doll the day before and I told her that if she behaved, she would get it.  Along with meeting the Disney Princesses, that was one of the highlights of her day. The other was finding her first hard cover comic.  You guessed it, a Yo Gabba Gabba book.  

We decided to try a different way to give out the prizes on Sunday and that was by posting a picture of me on our Facebook page and telling people that if they saw me and told me that they are a fandad or fanmom, they will get a prize.  Again, it was a bust! I just decided that if anyone would come up to me, I would ask them a question and if they answered correctly, they would get a prize. 

One great moment on Sunday was meeting Daddy Incidents.  My wife and I were deciding what to do next, when a guy asked her where she got the Chewbacca shirt my little girl was wearing.  When she answered him I started talking to him about the show and asked him if he had any games systems.  When he told me he had a Wii, I gave him a Wii $20 card that I had left over from the Ten Days of Fandads, and my Fandad card.  When he read the name on the card he told me that he follows me on twitter and that he was @daddyincidents.  I highly suggest that you check out his blog and follow him on twitter.  His "5 for Friday" is one of my favorite things that I look forward to seeing every week.

I also ran into my friend Steve D. and the guys from comicbookqueers, I had a comic for him, and they gave me the first issue of  "The Strange Talent of Luther Strode"  After reading the issue, I went and bought the collected book of the first six issues. If you haven't picked this up, go and get it. Thanks again guys for giving me this.

A big thank you goes to Redeye's own Elliott Serrano aka @geektome for giving a home to some Star Wars Burger King giveaways that I had. I found them when I was helping my parent's move and I remembered the Sonic DC figures he just got and thought this would be a great addition to his collection.  I met up with him after a panel he was moderating and gave him the toys. 

This year's show was great and I just wished I had more time to check out the panels or maybe get some autographs, but overall I had a fun time.  I did end up picking up a Walking Dead book that I was looking for and my little girl got the Goofy doll that she wanted.

The 10 Days of Fandads

Starting today we are starting the 10 Days of Fandads on our Facebook page.  Everyday we will post up a question or saying and the first person to answer or post a comment will get a prize. It's as easy as that.  So head on over to our Facebook page, "like" it if you haven't and good luck.

Updated:  While we tried to keep the prizes a surprise like an advent calendar, we have decided to give you a small list of what we're giving away. So what are we giving away you ask? Items for your 360 avatars, dynamic themes for the PS3, Xbox live and point cards, PSN $20 cards, 1 month of Playstation Plus, a StarHawk Private Beta code, T-shirts, a few games we got at the Chicago Toy & Game Fair, Key chains, and the winner of the last day of Fandads....we'll keep that a secret.

Video Game Award Nominees.

The nominees have been announced for Spike TV's Video Game Awards and the two games with the most nominations are Batman: Arkham City and Portal 2.  Both games are going head to head in the Game of the Year category along with The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. 

Other notable nominees are:
Gears of War 3 for Best Multi-Player game.
Jetpack Joyride for Best Handheld/Mobile Game.
"Exilke Vilify" by The National (Portal 2) for Best Song in a Game.

Head on over to the VGA website to see the list of nominees and vote for Most Anticipated Game and The Gametrailers.com Trailer of the Year. 

The Video Game Awards will air on Spike TV December 10, 2011. Check your local listing for showtimes.

Are you Sonic Fan?

A few months ago we hinted at a contest with everyone's favorite speedy blue hedgehog and it was kind of left on the back burner.  With the recent release of Sonic Generations we have decided to bring back this contest and make it, like Sonic, fast and easy.  "What do I have to do to win?" Simply, leave a comment stating why you are Sonic's biggest fan in five words or less.  Winners will be chosen by next week Nov. 19, so get those thinking caps on.  Here's a small hint at your prize and with winter time coming up your head will thank you for it.

Sonic Generations is available on Playstation 3, Xbox 360 now and on the Nintendo 3DS November 22.

Grand Theft Auto V Trailer!!

Today was the big day for the reveal of the new installment of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series: Grand Theft Auto V.  While there will be a lot of speculation about who the main character/characters are, it seems like this world is huge just like in Grand Theft Auto IV.  Here is the trailer enjoy it and let us know what you think.

New Dead Island Co-Op Trailer

Is anyone else as excited as I am for this game to come out?  I already have my copy pre-ordered and I'm just counting down the days.  Who else is getting this and for what system?



Just in case you have never seen the reveal trailer, here it is.

Video Game Time 6/21 Edition

This week we have the continuing saga of Point-man, a man's journey to hell to save his girlfriend, a new co-op fantasy game and another movie tie-in.

Video Game Week on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Last year after the Electronic Entertainment Expo, Jimmy Fallon dedicated an entire week on highlighting some of the biggest games that were announced and revealed them on his show.  This year he's doing it again and he chose some great titles to highlight each night.

Training the Fandad way!

As many of you know by now, I am participating in the Warrior Dash on June 19th.  Now while I am not in peak physical shape, I am in decent shape and have decided to start working out so I won't embarrass myself doing the dash.  I thought of a few ways to get in shape and I decided to share them with you, our loyal readers.  Remember, I am not a professional trainer, I'm just a fandad.

Video Game Time 6/7 Edition

This weeks games include:

• Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters
• Infamous 2
• Operation Flashpoint: Red River
• Red Faction: Armageddon

Many new games were announced these past few days at E3 and be sure to read our post about some of these titles.  We have a few items to giveaway, but we are trying to create a contest to give these items to our readers.

Here's a sneak peek at one of next weeks releases.  Can you guess what game it is?

Video Game Time 5/24 Edition

These are the new releases for Tuesday May 24.

Dead or Alive Dimensions - The popular fighting series in 3D on the 3DS.

Dirt 3 - Latest installment in the popular rally car series. (360,PS3)

Kung Fu Panda 2 - Another movie tie-in that uses the Kinect on the 360 version (360, PS3, Wii, DS)

Naughty Bear (Gold Edition) - Same game with bonus levels and DLC. (360, PS3)

Currently playing LA Noire and need to get a few more hours in to give it a full review, but liking it so far.

The Restructuring of Video Game Time.

I know that Video Game Time has been kind of on a hiatus for some time and it's not for our lack of putting it up.  Lately, there has been a lot of great games coming out that it's hard to keep track of all of them and reviewing them in a timely manner.  So after much thinking about it, I've decided to change the way we do video game time in the future.

Welcome back Sony! A fandads take on the fiasco.

Ok, the PlayStation Network was down for 24 days. 24 Days! To some that seems like an eternity, for me it was more of an annoyance than anything. The network was taken down due to some "security issues" then promises were made, information was compromised and dates for the network to be up and running again came and went. I know that there is more to this story, but I'm just giving you the abridged version.  What was a fandad to do?

More Gears Beta Codes.

We here at Fandads have been able to get our hands on a few more codes for the Gears of War 3 beta.  How can I get one you ask?  Well, this time it will be a little different than the last contest we held and you'll have multiple chances to win.  Each way listed below counts as one entry, doing them all gives you three entries to win.

• Leave a comment below as to why Gears 3 will be the best Gears game ever.  
• If you follow us on twitter (@fandads) copy and paste the sentence "I just entered the "Why I believe Gears 3 will be the best" contest over on @fandads for a free beta code. http://tinyurl.com/fandads
• "Like" our fanpage on Facebook. (If you already do, that will count as an entry.)

Winners will be announced by midnight tonight, so get going and tell your friends and we'll see you on the frontlines.