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If you go to the Vixens En Garde website and check out the "About" tab you'll see the following headline:

"Swordswomen swashbuckling our way through Shakespeare."

If you're not already intrigued about this episode then I'm not sure what else we can do for you because it's going to be hard to beat that. Hopefully we have your attention because we have an insanely fun episode for you all this week featuring Lisa Kopitsky!

When she isn't on stage performing as Athena Albrecht, Lisa acts as the creative director of Vixens En Garde which means in addition to the swordfighting and Shakespeare she also plans out the Vixen's season, decides which cast members perform at which shows, and most recently she has taken over writing new scripts and material for future shows.

In short: shes a swordswoman who swashbuckles her way through Shakespeare while also doing an insane amount of planning and writing so the swashbuckling can continue. Sounds rad, right? Have a listen and you'll get to hear all about it.

If you think Vixens En Garde is something you might be interested in, be sure to visit their website (linked above) and check out their schedule. With any luck they'll be performing your favorite Shakespeare play at a show near you!

Enjoy!

-Jr.

Direct download: 11.18.2019_Episode_394.mp3
Category:Comics Movies & Videogames -- posted at: 11:19pm EDT
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By: Joe

Title: Mars Power Industries
Developer: 7A Games
Released: 11/15/2019
Price: $3.99

After watching a quick trailer, I wasn’t sure what I was getting into with Mars Power Industries… it had a charming aesthetic (vibes of Advance Wars and tower defense games) and an engaging soundtrack. The first moments of the game, however, throw you into an immersive non-tutorial for what is definitely a puzzle game.

I love a game without an explicit tutorial. The way to learn what works and doesn’t in this game is to try, fail, and try again (I’m reminded of Baba Is You released earlier this year). Your only controls are to move a cursor and place a finite number of towers that have different functions, with the goal of providing power to the locations provided on a map. It would be easy to get quickly frustrated figuring out the rules, except the levels are built to incrementally add in details, and much like Baba, backing out is as easy as pressing the back button however many times you need. After completing the first 10 levels, you have a fairly good idea of what works, and the building blocks of what you’ll need to know to tackle the rest of the worlds. There are new pieces (that you have to place in a certain order) and new obstacles (that can either be modified or worked around depending on how you play), but the mechanics are easy to take on once you get past the first few stages, and you’ll be throwing together power plant systems before you know it.


The trial and error part of the game is part of the fun. It’s not just the tutorial that lacks words… story elements are provided with subtlety and nuance. It’s meant to be experienced rather than over explained. The actual setting of the game (you’re on Mars and you need to provide power to buildings) isn’t important, but it adds a lot of charm to the graphical representation of what is otherwise a straightforward puzzle game. This game is all about mood: a straightforward, relaxing puzzle game that provides a perfect break from Pokémon Sword.


I really enjoyed my time with Mars Power Industries… it’s challenging without being overbearing, and charming without being trite or forgettable. Each puzzle only takes a few minutes to solve, and you’ll find yourself breaking and going back frequently.

Category:Comics Movies & Videogames -- posted at: 10:24pm EDT
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Halloween has come and gone, Alex is no longer a metaphorical ghost to the world, and the sounds of trick-or-treaters have been replaced with the roar of leaf blowers. It's time to get back to business.

This week we had the extreme pleasure of chatting with Jason who also goes by the moniker "Chocolate Ninja Cosplay." He's been cosplaying since 2014 and has over 20 years of martial arts experience to go along with it. With characters such as Doomfist, Grey Worm, Deadshot, and the most amazing Dr. Facilier you'll ever see, Jason has been killing the cosplay game with no signs of slowing down.  He has a relentless work ethic and an attitude that rivals most motivational speakers. Long story short, talking with Jason was an honor and we're pumped to share our conversation with you all.

Check out his Instagram, drop a like on his Facebook, and get to work on that thing you've been putting off. If you happen to need more motivation, maybe listen to the episode a few more times. It should definitely help.

Enjoy!

-Jr.

Direct download: 11.9.2019_Episode_393.mp3
Category:Comics Movies & Videogames -- posted at: 5:37pm EDT
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