Let’s Meet The Owl-Vengers

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Let’s face it the internet is full of dark and depressing news these days apart from at Skatronixxx.com of course. Whilst doing my daily rounds looking for breaking news I stumbled across a DeviantArt artist who drew the ‘Owl-Vengers‘ well, what are the Owl-vengers I hear you cry? Well it is what it says on the tin! It’s our furry feathered friends crossed over and mashed up with Marvel’s Avengers. Yes I know it may not be news as such, but as I’m boss of the site, I thought people could do with a cheering up, and a smile on a Sunday afternoon 🙂 So sit back and click through the slideshow and enjoy!

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P.S. Yes I know there’s Deadpool in there and he’s not an Avenger but evetyone loves Deadpool, so why not!

 

Anna Kendrick Wants To Be Squrriel Girl (We Do Too)

Let’s face it (and enjoy it), we are living in the golden age of Superhero films, not in my youth did I witness this many films and when (sadly) this superhero bubble has burst, it’ll be a long time before we see another era laden with so many films dedicated to our favourite heroes (and villans), from the world of comics.

It seems like everyone wants to get in on the act, and with so many characters to choose from who can blame them? I would love to be a superhero now if I could only find a hero that shares my first name of Peter? Hmmmm lol! Anywho I digress.

Now that Hollywood are FINALLY listening to it’s fans and making movies of comics that in the past they would have given a derisory snort towards e.g. Guardians Of The Galaxy / Deadpool . The search is on for the next cult character who could entertain fans and make the movie industry a bucketload of cash.

Enter Anna Kendrick, one of the new generation of Hollywood starlets and Skatronixxx’s Women crush Wednesday members (swoon) who when asked what role she would like to be in the Marvel Universe, she responded by saying Squirrel Girl. A superhero who’s many powers as well as heigtended senses and super strength involve the ability to speak to squirrels (yes I’m serious).

Would you like to see Anna Kendrick as Squirrel Girl? Well the internet seems to think so if given the response of the title photo of the article is anything to go by. Also is it wrong I now kinda think Squirrel Girl is hot? Please don’t bury my nuts in the ground! Sorry couldn’t resist 😛

Donald Trump Joins The Spider-Man Universe As M.O.D.O.K

Some people love him, most people loath him, there’s one thing you can’t deny Donald Trump has a really big chance of being the next President of America. Never before has there been such a polarizing character that has divided the opinion of the people. It seems now that Marvel (who are in the anti-Trump camp by the way), have decided to capitalise on this with the latest issue of Spider-Gwen.

Set in the alternate reality where Gwen Stacey was bitten by the spider instead of Peter Parker, Spider-Gwen features a hot of already well established characters from the Spider-Man Universe.

One of these characters is M.O.D.O.K (Mental/Mobile/Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing), now how would I a long time Spider-Man fan describe M.O.D.O.K ? Well how about a self indulgent, ego maniacal, giant head?

Sound familiar?

Look at the picture and decide for yourself, is the humorously renamed M.O.D.A.A.K (Mental/Organism/Designed/As/America’s/King) a shot at Donald Trump?

The team at Skatronixxx.com certainly thinks so!

.K.,,.,

Warner Bros Remake Of ‘Dungeons And Dragons’ Casting News Heats Up With Ansel Elgort

Remember the news about the Warner Brothers, Dungeons & Dragons movie remake? No not me either. Well news is heating up with rumours that ‘The Fault In Our Stars‘ actor Ansel Elgort is in serious talks to play the title role.

 

The movie is also gaining traction with the news that the film will be directed by  Goosebumps writer Rob Letterman and a script written by David Leslie Johnson from Wrath Of The Titans. With multiple producers fronting the product such as Brian Goldner (Hasbro), Stephen Davis, Courtney Soloman and Allan Zeman (Sweetpea Entertainment).

I for one am excited by the prospect of Elgort leading a remake, with cinema currently being in the ‘remake/prequel/sequal’ era, although I did like admittedly not mind the 2000 version of the film starring Justin Whalin (Lois & Clark). I would be interested to see what they could do with an increased budget. Just incase you don’t remember this version check out the trailer below.

What do you think? Will the remake be a success? Or will it be cursed like the original ala Fantastic Four 4?

 

Move Over Sharknado, 2lava2lantula Is Coming!!!

Move over Sharknado, you are so last year, who can have a tornado full of killer sharks, when you can have giant fire breathing spiders.  Lavalantula  is a movie from the brains at SyFy behind Sharknado. The first film came out in 2015 and largely crept under the radar unnoticed, but still gaining a hardcore following none the less.

Incased you miss the film, the synopsis states:

‘Set in Los Angeles, Colton West (Steve Guttenberg) is a 90’s action movie star who is dealing with a halting career as well as trouble with the law. When the volcanoes in the Santa Monica mountains erupt, it sends an avalanche of fire-breathing, lava-spewing arachnids who begin to wreak havoc on the City of Angels and some of its most historic landmarks. It is up to West as well as the citizens of Los Angeles to stop the ”lavalantulas^{‘ ‘.}

Still not convinced? Check out the trailer from the first film below.

Bur Lavalantula fans rejoice, there is a sequel coming! 2lava2lantula is coming out soon in 2016.

I for one can’t wait! Bring it on!!!

The Sequel To ‘Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them’ Has Already Been Written

The first film is not even out yet, but sources are already claiming that Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them 2 has already been written. The spin off to the successful Harry Potter franchise is set 80 years in the past and the book focuses on the magical creatures in the Harry Potter universe.

The synopsis for the movie reads as follows.

‘In 1926, Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) arrives at the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA), for a meeting with an important official. At this meeting is a magically expanded briefcase, which houses a number of dangerous creatures and their habitats. When the creatures escape from the briefcase, it sends the American wizarding authorities after Newt, and threatens to strain even further the state of magical and non-magical relations.

The mistake has a devastating effect on the state of Wizarding/No-Maj (the American term for a non-magical person or muggle) relations in New York City‘s community of wizards and witches, which is already in a dangerous place, due to the threatening presence of the fanatical New Salem Philanthropic Society, an extremist organisation dedicated to the eradication of wizard-kind. Newt battles to correct the mistake, and the horrors of the resultant increase in violence, fear, and tension felt between magical and non-magical peoples.’

Are J.K Rowling and the team behind the film, expecting this series to be as successful as the original Harry Potter franchise? Well clearly they are, if going by the fact that the second film, has already been written even before the first one has been released. Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them is scheduled for worldwide release on November 18, 2016.

An Interview With Gaming Legends ‘The Oliver Twins’

It’s time for another interview on Skatronixxx.com,  this time we chat to gaming legends The Oliver Twins. Yes I used the word legends. Although you may not be familiar with thier names if you were a gamer in the 80’s or even the 90’s you’ll definately know thier work.

I approached The Oliver Twins to see if they would be interested in an interview as not only are they responsible for one of mine and my  older brothers’, favourite game series of all time ‘Dizzy‘ they also come from my neck of the woods too. So the chance to interview not only gaming legends but also local heores, was a chance that could not be passed up.

A few back and forth emails and the interview was done. Let’s find out some more about the newest members of #TeamSkatronixxx extended family and my new friends Philip and Andy Oliver.

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1) How did you get into the games industry?

Andrew and I had been first been inspired to make games when our older brother bought a second hand Sinclair’s ZX81. We were 14 at the time and were fascinated at being able to control what was displayed on our family TV. We’d wanted a colour computer after this and moved on to a Dragon 32 in September of ‘82, then a BBC Micro B. In‘85 we bought an Amstrad CPC 664 and then met the Darling Brothers who were just setting up Codemasters – this was where the success really started. Within 5 years we’d written 25 Amstrad CPC games and 17 Spectrum games – 42 games! We were working an average of 16+ hours a day, 7 days a week! After this we went on to write a LOT more games!

The longer version of how we got into the games industry and our first 10 years is in the book coming out shortly from Fusion Retro Books :-

https://fusionretrobooks.com/products/the-story-of-the-oliver-twins

(also more info onwww.OliverTwins.com & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Twins

 

2) Perhaps one on the most famous games you created was the Dizzy series, how did this idea come about and why did you go with an egg, rather than a human?

We’d created the platform game Super Robin Hood in September ’86, our first game for Codemasters and it was a massive success. We moved onto Ghost Hunters, where the player controlled a human running around a haunted mansion shooting ghosts. However, it was very difficult to get any personality into the sprite – since the volume of screen space he occupied and the resolution of the screen, meant we had to squeeze it within 24×32 pixels with a choice of just 3 colours, it really didn’t give us any room for an expressive character. So whilst developing it we played around with a large face, which meant little room for a body or limbs. So we designed the body into the head and dispensed with limbs, leaving only red gloves and boots which occupied less space. As we tidied him up, so he became egg shaped. We didn’t use him in Ghost Hunters obviously, and instead designed a whole new magical fantasy World for him to exist in. He got called Dizzy because we decided that rather than do a regular jump he would spin, a feature derived from a rotate command within our sprite package (Panda Sprites) we’d developed a year before and was used in all our games for speeding up development. We used to aim to complete each game in around a month.

 

3) You were also the brains behind Interactive Studios that later became Blitz Games Studios, one of the UK largest game producers for over 20 years, how did this come about?

In the early 90’s, we set up an office and started hiring talented, enthusiastic game developers. We created a productive environment, designing original games and for cashflow stability sought development contracts, like the GhostBusters 2 contract we’d done previously for Activision, for games based on major brands, movies & toys. By the end of the 90’s we had over 100 staff and renamed to Blitz Games Studios, by the end of 00’s we had over 230 staff!

There are so many games, about 60, a lot more if you multiple by the number of different versions we did of each, so it’s hard to select a few examples, but here are a few highlights: Glover, Chicken Run, Frogger 2, Fusion Frenzy, Dead to Rights 2, Pac-Man World 3, Karaoke Revolution, Spongebob, Puss in Boots and Epic Mickey 2.You can see them ALL here… http://www.blitzgames.com/archive + http://www.blitzgames.com/ (here’s a list …

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blitz_Games_Studios)

 

4) Can you tell us a little bit about Radiant Worlds?

The technology and games market shifted widely as the world changed to digital distribution and adopted smart phones for casual games, so in late 2013 we set up a new company, Radiant Worlds, focused on delivering one constantly evolving awesome game called SkySaga. It has just over 100 people working on it and is in Alpha testing right now, with many features being constantly added. It is easily the most exciting game we have ever worked on. Find out more at http://www.SkySaga.com

 

5) Do you have any thoughts on the rise of indie developers and do you think this is a good thing for the games industry?

Digital distribution and great tools/engines have lowered the barrier to entry for developers across the globe. It’s exciting, but challenging. It’s easier to reach a massive global audience, but it’s easier for everyone else too. So the challenge is creating a great game that will get noticed and making sure the business side adds up well. It’s no good developing a great game and ignoring the finances. For game players, it’s amazing! There has never been so much choice, such amazing diversity and so many awesome experiences.

 

6) It seems like gaming is going back to the late 80’s with the return of virtual reality headsets, do you think this is a good thing for the games industry and how would you compare the virtual reality headsets from the 1980’s to those that are coming out today?

The ultimate aim of the game developer is to make incredibly immersive games, making players feel like they are really there. The dream of the holodeck may have started in the 80’s, but the technology wasn’t there to support it. Now the technology is getting a lot closer and you can have incredible experiences that do feel superior to simply watching a game on a monitor or TV screen. There’s still a long way to go, but the path now is very clear and we’ll see a lot of activity in this area over the next few years. It’s the biggest growth area of the games industry and will drive technology to exciting new places.

 

7) Talking of retro games making a comeback, I saw that the handheld Spectrum console on Kickstarter is progressing, could we expect to see any of your games featured and have you considered the possibility of releasing an emulator so we could see your previous games on the new platform?

There is a nostalgic value to playing the retro games and it’s fun to be at the heart of it. You can play a lot of our games from the 80’s in a browser at http://yolkfolk.com/playdizzy and I’m sure any devices supporting emulation of 8 and 16 bit games will support our games just fine!

 

8) You come from the same area as myself and went to the same school as fellow Skatronixxx writer Deadpool_1984 and amongst others Dragons Den star Deborah Meaden. How hard do you think it is for rural people to get noticed and do you think they need to move to bigger cities to progress their ideas?

It’s true we grew up in Trowbridge going to Clarendon School. We’d say that the advantage of a digital world is that when you’re online it doesn’t matter where you live! You have access to all the same information and access to the same market place as those that live in London, New York or Los Angeles. The opportunities are there, but so too are the challenges of rising above the competition. There will be winners, and with the games industry being so massive, the rewards can be huge… as Notch, author of Minercraft, can demonstrate.

 

9) What can we expect to see from you in the remaining months of 2016 going forward into 2017?

The answer from now on will always be SkySaga! We will just keep adding and adding, keeping it ahead of its competition and making it the best game possible and for the largest audience possible.

 

10) Tell our readers one fun fact about yourself

We may have been the best-selling authors on the Spectrum, but we didn’t program on a Spectrum! We didn’ t know how to use its quirky keyboard and never played any games on a Spectrum, except ours when testing them.

 

11) Finally what advice would you have for upcoming games developers?

Never be shy! Work hard, be ambitious and push yourself, creatively and technically and shoot for the stars.

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 You can follow The Oliver Twins at the following sites –

• Twitter – @TheOliverTwins

Or visit thier official website here

Check out some images from the Oliver Twins greatest games below:-

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You CAN Bust Ghosts With Madame Tussauds New York In ‘Ghostbusters Experience’

 

If you love Ghostbusters as much as me, chances are you will be probably be around about the same age as me, which is …. *awkward silence and coughs* Actually to be honest I was born in the year the first Ghostbusters film came out as well as the original (and best) Transformers movie, which goes to prove and to quote WWE superstar The Rock ‘it doesn’t matter’, in this case, what your age is. If you love Ghostbusters, you love Ghostbusters.

I’m pretty certain that everyone that loves Ghostbusters will like me at one point pretended to be a Ghostbuster, what if I tell you that now you CAN be a Ghostbuster. You can save New York. You can be a hero.

July 1^st marks the official opening of the all new Ghostbusters Experience exclusively at Madame Tussauds New York. Sony Pictures, Ghost Corps and THE VOID have teamed up ahead of the movie release date on July the 15th , the official press release states.

‘The new experience is a fully immersive, authentic and multi-sensory space where guests are not only able to interact with Madame Tussauds’ newest figures, but also enter an authentic physical environment that brings the Ghostbusters story to life with an epic Hyper-Reality finale.

The opening of Ghostbusters Experience marks the next step in an evolution for Madame Tussauds as the attraction launches into a new era of completely immersive entertainment offerings for visitors. Guests will walk through multiple scenes from the new film and then can become actual ghostbusters themselves as they grab proton packs and blast their way through an incredible Hyper-Reality experience, Ghostbusters: Dimension. Designed and created by tech innovators, THE VOID, Ghostbusters: Dimension combines interactive physical environments, real-time effects, and virtual reality to allow guests to step into the movie in a way not even the actors have done.’

So what can you get up to whilst you’re there? Well again the press release states the following

• Visitors to Madame Tussauds New York start their Ghostbusters journey in a New York City subway station haunted by “Sparky,” who terrifies guests through the windows of an oncoming subway car.
• As guests proceed through the Alridge Mansion Museum, they feel a ghostly presence coming to life as they pass portraits that follow their every move and end up face-to-face with “Gertrude,” an ill-ridden ghost who spits mock slime all over them, rickety doors, spooky portraits and moving rocking chairs amplify the unknown presence.
• Zhou’s Chinese Restaurant serves as Ghostbusters Headquarters where visitors will meet Jillian Holtzmann (portrayed by Kate McKinnon), working on her proton pack, and Patty Tolan (portrayed by Leslie Jones), readying herself for the next spirited brawl. In the Headquarters, guests will learn about fighting the paranormal and see actual ghosts trapped in a containment unit just feet away from a display case with actual props from the movie.
• The experience concludes with an epic finale in the Mercado Lobby, where a Ghostbusters will urge guests to assist Erin Gilbert (portrayed by Kristin Wiig) and Abby Yates (portrayed by Melissa McCarthy) as they fend off “Slimer” and blast away any remaining villains. The hologram of “Slimer,” is seen chasing guests around, anxiously trying to get a selfie with them.
• Moving on from the Ghostbusters Experience, guests can ride off in victory on a replica of the Ecto-2 motorcycle complete with a green screen photo opportunity.

I don’t know about you but the option to grab a proton pack and get blasting is something that I’ve wanted to do my entire life. Maybe we’ll be able to finally see if ‘bustin’ makes you feel good’.

You can find out more information and buy tickets for the Ghostbusters Experience at https://ghostbusters.madametussauds.com/

Harry Potters’ Draco Malfoy Joins The Flash Season 3

We have it on good news that Harry Potter star Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) has signed on to be a season regular for series 3 of The Flash.  Felton plays fellow CSI Julian Dorn who suspects there’s more to Barry than his wholesome identity. Will Julian find out Barry’s secret? Is Julian hiding a dark secret himself? We will have to watch Season 3 of The Flash to find find out!

JULY COMPETITION TIME!! Win ‘World Of Warcraft’ And ‘Starcraft’ Guest Passes!

It’s  the 1st of July and that means one thing, it’s time for the JULY COMPETITION TIME!! 

Here at Skatronixxx.com we want to reward our fans and loyal readers and how will we do that you ask? Well it’s quite easy to be honest all you have to do is follow the click here ‘
a Rafflecopter giveaway ‘ and perform the steps required and BOOM you’re in the prize draw to win a guest pass not only for World Of Warcraft but StarCraft that allows you to play up to level 20 for free, yes FREE!!!

You may be thinking, well there’s no pics on this link, how do I know you’re being legit? Well here’s the photos below.

Just incase you’ve been living under a rock and don’t know what World Of Warcraft or StarCraft are, check out these videos below that show the kinda fun you could be having courtesy of #TeamSkatronixxx , What are you waiting for? ENTER NOW!!

CLOSING DATE IS 31ST JULY AND WINNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED THE NEXT DAY