Con Chronicles - All things Comic Con, Movies, Games, Pop Culture, Comics

A game for everyone.

Who doesn’t remember the first day they put their hands on a video game console?

I´m from the NES generation (Nintendo entertainment system) and always remember the first day that I played Super Mario Brothers/Dunk Hunt for the first time. I'd play for hours trying not to lose (die) or fall into a pit; also shooting ducks and trying to hit one every time to avoid that annoying laughing dog (Every time that dog would appear I'd try to shoot him with the NES gun or Zapper).

Aug theme: Villains 2

We'll make this one quick as we're behind two months. The August 2015 Loot Crate theme is Villains 2. Villains were already a theme in July of 2014 hence the "2" this time around. Although this crate did not include many items, it did not disappoint. Glad this service exists, really enjoying the themes and the not so common items they include in every box. Below is a list of all items along with one special mention:

Los Pollos Hermanos Apron - Using it for grilling! For those that don't know, watch Breaking Bad.
Carnage or Venom 3D Mug (Surreal Entertainment)- I got Carnage, pretty evil looking.
Captain America Hydra Pin (eFX Collectibles) - more below.
Villains 2 Button (Loot Crate Labs)
EXCLUSIVE The Joker Wooden Figure (DC Collectibles) - not my favorite but a nice paperweight.

My experience at the San Diego Comic Con

(And some recommendations)

Part 2:

(Puedes encontrar la publicación en español en la parte de abajo)

Nowadays the convention is a giant monster compared to what it was 15 years ago, you must be prepared with anticipation, since the moment that the event ends you must start planning for next year’s convention. In the early years you would just walk up to the badge vendors and register for the following year without having to wait in line. In recent years, people would have to camp out on the sidewalk overnight in order to buy their badges the next day. Last year you had to make your badge purchase online, badges sold out in 2 hours. It seems as time goes on, the possibility of getting a badge gets lower and lower. So if you’re one of the “chosen ones” that gets to attend the SDCC, you have the privilege of getting into the pre-sale registration lobby for next year’s badge sale. Note: If you can´t buy a badge during the pre-sale, you still have another shot during the general sale.

How to survive comic-con, part deux.

A follow up from the previous section, this will cover the items you will need to bring when you attend Comic-Con. The main item you will need is a camera!

Capture all the iconic moments, people in costume and celebrities that will be there. And bring a spare (fully charged) battery. One thing to remember when taking pictures of people in costume, asking them nicely. Don’t be the creepy person taking pictures from afar. The worst they might say is “no” and then you move on.

During Comic Con 2015, CAPCOM's booth had a demo of Street Fighter V. They also had a tournament happening on a big screen. Below is one of the tournament matches I witnessed. Check it out:

Today CAPCOM has revealed a new character: Vega. Vega is now included in the collection of characters that are coming out next year. Lets keep in mind that V is the roman numeral, "five" and not "Vega". He will be wearing a shirt and will keep the mask but will have two distinct styles: one with and and one without claws. Check out the reveal:

His air combo is very similar to Spiderman's air combo from Ultimate MARVEL vs CAPCOM 3. He's very quick so expect his opponent to be finished under a minute. I do see a lot of constant hits from back and forth of his opponent. But knowing the aerial moves and keeping the opponent in the air makes him close to unstoppable. If you are using him, I suggest to use "V-Gauge" wisely. Below are couple of special moves that CAPCOM mentioned about Vega:

V-Skill: Matador turn: Dodge the opponent's attack by turning around against the hit and a quick strike with his claws that can knock out the opponent.

V-Trigger: Bloody kiss: Vega throws a rose to the opponent. If it hits, a series of claw attacks behind it will slice the opponent to pieces.

If you would like to try him out he will be available at Gamescom in Germany on August 4 and 5.

So how would you use or counter Vega's new moves?

July 2015 Loot Crate Unboxing

If you’re not familiar with Loot Crate, it’s a monthly subscription where you receive a box containing geeky items. Each month has a different theme, such as Covert Spy theme back in March and Fantasy theme back in April. A few of the items I’ve received are, an Optimus Prime T-shirt from the Cyber Loot crate, Game of Thrones Flash drive from the Fantasy crate, and special edition Field Notes notepad from the Covert Spy themed box. Every Loot Crate I’ve gotten up to this point has included a nerdy T-shirt, a Loot Crate Magazine detailing what’s in the box and a Loot Crate Button. Surprisingly, this month did not include a shirt but did include other fun stuff. Let’s see what’s in the box!

Loot Crate Magazine & Heroes 2 Loot Crate Button
Star Trek Air Freshener
TV Series Batman Figure
Legend of Zelda Sweatband
Batman Multi-Tool Keychain
Regrettable Superheroes book
Wonder Woman Poster

Loot Crate Magazine and Heroes 2 Loot Crate Button

This month’s magazine and button kept with the Heroes theme as you can see from the images. One of the articles really surprised me with a racy picture of Wonder Woman & Batman! Each magazine also features the contents of the current month’s crate and a Mega Crate that one fortunate soul won. How awesome would it have been had I won that special edition Tomb Raider Xbox One or the Star Trek pool float?!

Star Trek Air Freshener

An otherwise unexciting vanilla air freshener, this one is shaped like a Vulcan hand. Really hoping it smells good, but I probably won’t open it any time soon.

TV Series Batman Figure

To my surprise, this was a decent quality figure. It came with a dry erase pen and blank speech bubble so you could make up your own superhero scene. I’ll be using this figure as a paperweight at work. I could definitely see myself writing something new in the speech bubble every day.

Legend of Zelda Sweatband

Not much to say here, just a sweet sweatband to wear everywhere you go. The insignia is not too familiar to me since I haven't played a Legend of Zelda game since Ocarina of Time. Coming soon to an office near you.

Batman Multi-Tool Keychain

This thing has two types of screwdrivers on it and a nice bottle opener. In practice though, the bottle opener was a bit awkward and hurt my hand when trying to take this bottle cap off this Coke. Pretty good idea but not very practical, I’d say just keep it wrapped up and hope it goes up in value.

Regrettable Superheroes book

This is my favorite item in the box. It’s a nicely made book about some of the crappiest superheroes throughout comic book history. The book chronicles heroes from the Golden Age, Silver Age and the Modern Age. Some of these superheroes are outright useless. Take for example, the Eye, which is just a floating eye that talks and apparently solves crimes. Other heroes were just really weird, such as Speed Centaur, a crime-fighting Centaur or how about Jigsaw, man of a thousand pieces. It’s so interesting to see the lengths comic book creators took to make successful comics. They would go so far as to make super awful characters. I guess not all superheroes can be popular.

Wonder Woman Poster

This is a classic pinup style poster of Wonder Woman. I like pinup art so I’m really digging this poster. Not super big at 9.5 in by 10.5 in but makes sense because there’s only so much room in the Loot Crate box. See the whole set here: DC Bombshell Collection

In Conclusion

This was one of my favorite Loot Crates to date. I’m usually excited to see what clever T-shirt has been packed in the box and was slightly disappointed when I didn’t see one this month. Luckily, the rest of the items made up for the lack of a shirt especially the book and the Batman figure.

I started receiving Loot Crate back in March; a subscription was set up for me as a birthday gift. Ever since then, I’ve enjoyed many of the T-shirts and trinkets sent my way. Loot Crate gives me a bit of Comic Con every month which keeps my Comic Con withdrawals at bay!

Please comment if you have had the same experiences with Loot Crate and let me know which items have been your favorites.

About the Author

Jorge Knapp is a native of San Diego, CA and a novice blogger. He has been playing video games since he could wrap his fingers around an Atari 2600 joystick. Was brought up playing RPG, action and fighting games. Currently playing Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm. His main nerdy interests are video games, anime movies and series, action figures and all things post-apocalyptic.

A set of helpful suggestions in what I believe most people need to have to be able to enjoy their Comic-Con trip.

First off, start with your gear; take comfortable tennis shoes for the long walks and for standing in lines. Don’t buy new shoes and use them for the first time there, take the pair that you have used for long periods of time and don’t cause discomfort. And no open toe shoes (sandals, etc), since you will be stepped on, not a question of ‘if’, but a question of ‘when’.

Next up, your pants. I recommend cargo pants, the ones that have side pockets on the thigh area. These types of pants are helpful to store tickets and any items that are easy to access so you don’t have to search in a big bag full of stuff.

After that, your favorite comic, TV, movie or game character t-shirt :)

You should bring a light jacket, one you can fit into a bag since you will be there early morning to late at night.

You'll also need sun block protection for when you have to wait in lines for events outside the convention center.

Now, time to think about a good size backpack in order to stash snacks and a bottle of water. Also, try to pack a meal or two (a sandwich and/or other food items that can be eaten cold), unless you want to wait in line for a couple of hours or walk a couple of miles to get less of a crowd but still pricey food.

A good little item to have is a portable battery to charge your phone since cellphones die pretty quickly when trying to get a signal in a room full of people. This way you avoid having to camp out next to an outlet. (if you can find one that isn’t being used)

This one seems a bit of a stretch, but bring deodorant, it helps everyone! Also bring a toothbrush or at least bubble gum. This will help you feel refreshed after a couple of hours of walking/standing. Obviously, you go to the bathroom to use the last items mentioned.

And the last, most important item you must have… a good attitude!

*We are not the owners of the pictures/images displayed.