The Final Programme (The Cornelius Quartet 1) by Michael Moorcock

michaelmoorcockIf director Guy Ritchie’s 1960’s themed “The Man from UNCLE” film didn’t float your boat, why not tried this underground British sci-fi novel first published in the 1960s – The Final Programme by author Michael Moorcock.  Titan Books is reprinting the adventures of rock star scientist Jerry Cornelius.

First, if you’re a little unfamiliar with Michael Moorcock’s writing style, the meanings and so on, writer John Clute intros the character Jerry Cornelius and his thoughts on British sci-fi writer Michael Moorcock’s 4 book collection.  Jerry Cornelius’s brother Frank and the sexy evil Miss Brunner have concocted a plan to build the world’s ultimate super computer.  Jerry Cornelius is the key to all this and his unique family background keeps things interesting.

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Vinyl Pulp #11: Jeremy Dale aka ValleyDweller

JeremyDaleArtOneHere we are, the first episode of Vinly Pulp for 2016!  Our team was at Woot Bear with artist Jeremy Dale aka ValleyDweller and his #AlphaSketch art exhibit.

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Skullbunnies by Ben Seto

skullwarsIf you’re a vinyl toy collector looking for something cool, then check this out by artist Ben Seto, his tribute to the Star Wars Stormtrooper!  Ben is known for his Black Sheep Comics‘ Usagi Jane and the Skullbunnies creation, has turned his Skullbunnies into Skull Wars Buntrooper.

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Rebel Galaxy Review

Rebel Galaxy

Rebel Galaxy came out on Steam in October, but it just recently came out for the PlayStation 4 at the beginning of the month, January 5th.  I had never heard of this game before it came to the PS4 but the opportunity to be a “Space Cowboy” was too much to pass up.  The game played a lot like the naval side of Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag.  You sail the ocean of space in a straight line, not being able to pitch up or down, however your opponents are given that option and the smaller crafts will often fly above and below you, while the larger ships are stuck flying on the same level that you are.  Think of it as a less maneuverable version of the “Freelancer” game.

Rebel Galaxy - 2

Most of this game will be you flying your ship from one end of the solar system to the other, complete a mission and head back across the solar system again.  One of the best way to make money in this game will be doing missions that you can pick up during your stops at different space stations; however, after you jump to the next solar system, you will be able to join the mercenary guild which will give you a lot more money but for a lot more risk of course.  This means you will be going back and forth in one system just to scrounge up enough money to to buy upgrades or new weapons/armors for your ship.  Speaking of the stations, the game will automatically save your game when you visit one so always remember to stop by one before heading off to a difficult mission.  Missions and mercenary work aren’t the only way to make money in this game though.  You can also scavenge for parts scattered around space, which to be honest will probably take the most time since you can barely find cargo floating around, look around the space system for bounties to collect or mine asteroids for goods.  Everything you find can then be sold at the commodities market, but be warned as the price for different goods fluctuates.  Then once you get enough credits to buy the new spaceship you’d been eyeing, you’ll be doing missions, mercenary work, scavenging for parts, hunting down pirates and mining asteroids all over again to get more money for new upgrades.  In other words, you will probably be spending most of your time trying to make enough money to use on your ship than actually going through the games story.

Rebel Galaxy - 3

So is this game fun?  Should you try it out or pass on it?  Well I’ve been having a blast with it myself, though it really depends on if you have the patience to play a game like this.  You won’t be getting into space battle after space battle unless you are actively looking for them.  Most of your time will be flying through the emptiness of space.  For a game created by a two man team, this game is amazing.  Still it would have been better if you could fly up and down because there are times when your enemies or certain asteroids are above or below you that your guns can’t seem to shoot at.

In the end, I give this game a solid 8/10.  The price point of 19.99 may drive off a few customers, but for those who enjoy these types of games, I say go for it.  It’s a good PSN game to pass the time with.

Frankie’s Garage: 2018 Lexus LC500 Coupe

lexuslccoverWant even more premium upscale then the Infiniti Q60 Coupe, try this, the Lexus LC500 2+2 Coupe.  Expect to spend around six figures for this all-new 2018 Lexus LC500.  The LC500 will house a N.A. 5.0L V8 engine producing 467 horsepower.

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Frankie’s Garage: 2017 Infiniti Q60 Coupe

infinitiq60sportFrom the first big auto show of the year, the 2016 Detroit Auto Show, Infiniti launches the all-new Q60 coupe.  It still does resemble the previous G37 coupe, but with more aggressive styling and lines.  All models will have turbo 6 engine, while the top performance model will get the twin-turbo 3.0L V6 rated at 400 horses.

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CHOGOKIN My Melody (Red)

chogokinmymelodyredcoverFor fans Sanrio-style Chogokin robot toys, Bandai and Sanrio will be offering more of these collabs in the year 2016.  The first to drop is the CHOGOKIN My Melody (Red) robot toy on January 18, 2016.

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Cubicle Worker builds Star Wars models out of “Office Supplies”

officesupplystarwarscoverLife-long Star Wars fan Jeremy Brumage found himself working at a call center years back and during the down time, he would be Star War replica vehicles out of ordinary stationery and lunch food items.

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The LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters 75827

legoghostbustershqThis LEGO Designer Video takes a look at the new and official LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters 75827.  The design team mention taking some fun parts of Ghostbusters 1 & 2 and putting it altogether into the firehouse.  And if you’re a minifig fan, this includes 9 minifigs: Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz, Egon Spengler, Winston Zeddemore, Janine Melnitz, Dana Barrett, Louis Tully, Zombie Driver and Library Ghost.  And it comes with 3 cool ghosts:  Slimer, Pink Ghost and Blue Ghost.

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The Inventor of the Rubik’s Cube

rubikcubecover

Hungarian architect Ernő Rubik was looking for a simple and fun way to teach his students architecture.  In 1974, Ernő Rubik created the “Cube” as an education tool, but over the years it has become more than just a children’s toy, puzzle piece, but also a piece of art.

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Frankie’s Garage: Tomica’s Premium Line R34 Z-Tuned

skylinetomicaprimoThis new Tomica 1/64 diecast car line is shooting for the adult toy colltector.  The Tomica Premium line kicks-off the series with the iconic NISMO R34 Z-Tuned sports car.

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Review Rewind: Final Fantasy 7 (PS4)

Final Fantasy 7

Man… when this game showed up on my PS4 on the PlayStation Store, I didn’t even hesitate to buy this game.  I’m a huge Final Fantasy fan, and this was one of my favorites growing up as a kid.  So I buy it, install it and get ready to play through a game I haven’t touched since the turn of the century.  I couldn’t wait, it had to be as good a I remembered it to be right?

Well, they added three mechanics to the game this time around.  Three cheats to get you through the game faster.  While I was fine with one of them, and used it probably throughout the whole game, the other two were game breakers.  The first, and only one I really used, was a ‘3x Speed’ cheat.  After playing with it on for most of the game, I couldn’t switch it off; I had forgotten how slow this game was.  The second was was a ‘no random encounters’ cheat.  With that on you could make your way down to Sephiroth without having to deal with any of the tough enemies in the Northern Crater.  Lastly… the worst offender of all was a ‘power-up’ cheat.  This cheat kept healing you, meaning you couldn’t die unless you were hit with an instant death attack or their attack did more damage than you had health.  Not only that, but your Limit Break meter would refill every time you used it.  It broke the game and took most of the fun away from it.

Final Fantasy 7 - Zolom

So there were two reasons I wanted to replay this game.  The first, and most obvious one, was that I wanted to refresh my memory for when I played the Final Fantasy 7 Remake; the second reason was to actually pay attention to the story.  As a kid, back in 1997, I never fully paid attention to what they were talking about.  I always just mashed away at the buttons to get past the long dialogue parts of the game, and you know what?  I didn’t miss a single thing.  Now I’m not saying the story for Final Fantasy 7 sucks, but it’s not that great either.  The story just felt silly if you sat down and thought about it.

But in the end it all comes down to the remake.  Will it be good?  Will the episodic style hurt the game?  Will they be taking out or putting in content in the remake?  I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.  All I can say is ‘Lady Luck don’t fail me now…’.

Cid - Lady Luck

This game is slower than I had remembered, but with the ‘3x speed’ cheat I cut down a game that once took me over 70 hours to complete down to a 30 hour game.  The story isn’t anything wonderful, but the characters are fun.  Raising Chocobos and trying to breed yourself a Gold Chocobo will probably take up most of your time, as well as racing them.  Trying to master every one of your Materia is hassle but feels rewarding after you do, and of course let us not forget about Ruby and Emerald Weapon.  Final score, I give this game a solid 8 out of 10.  Play it and get ready for that remake…… in about 2 years or so.

Vinyl Pulp #10: KR Holiday Food & Toy Drive 2015

holidaykrcoverA few weeks back, the Kidrobot SF store held a food and toy drive to donate to local charities with artist J*RYU and cosplayer Vampy Bit Me.  Here’s the highlights from the event:

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Rocksmith Winter 2015 Collection with Kap G

RocksmithOneGet hyped for Rocksmith’s Winter 2015 Collection dropping now!  Mexican-American hip hop artist Kap G reps the Rocksmith Winter 2015 Lookbook with a futuristic space-tech themed capsule collection entitled “Bass Odyssey.”

RocksmithTwo

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Frankie’s Garage: A Legit Skyline R32

SFAS15056Unlike other countries, the USA is very strict on importing Nissan Skylines, but now the Nissan Skyline R32 is legal to import now.  The Smoking Tire takes a look at a owner’s ride, a right-hand, 1989 Nissan Skyline R32, rear-wheel drive GTS-T.  A 2.0L V6!

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Frankie’s Garage: The Petersen Automotive Museum in LA

museumpetersenJust newly remodeled and rebuilt is the iconic car museum in Los Angeles, CA – the Petersen Automotive Museum.  Car fans who love cars and enjoy the history of cars should plan on visiting the Petersen Automotive Museum.  Here’s a time-lapse video of the brand-new building:

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Kidrobot: The Simpsons 25th Anniversary Mini Series

kr25yearsimpsonscoverIt’s here!  Kidrobot celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the hit FOX show The Simpsons.  The 3″ vinyl collectible toys features Homer, Bart and various Chase figures.

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Kith Women’s Chapter 1 Lookbook 2015

kithlookbook00Streetwear brand Kith drops their first womenswear line-up – the Kith Women’s Chapter 1 Lookbook.  Using high quality fabrics from Japan and Italy, looks to balance hipster chic and comfort.  The collection features bomber jackets, dresses, skirts, hoodies and tees.

kithlookbook03 [Read more…]

Meet the Stormtrooper Prop Master

stormtrooperpropdudeMeet Hollywood prop maker Andrew Ainsworth.  You might ask, “Who is he?”  Well, he’s the creator of the most iconic character helmets in film – the original Star Wars Stormtrooper helmet.

 

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Vampire Fantasy – “Rise of the Golden Aura”

goldenauraI’ve been able to meet many authors and artists over the years working here at Retrenders and one writer is Chanrithy Him, who wrote the award winning memoir “When Broken Glass Floats: Growing Up Under the Khmer Rouge,” and now, she is working on another writing project that needs a kick-start.  The “Rise of the Golden Aura” is a vampire fantasy novel about a young Cambodian-American girl JD Bohatip living in the city of Portland. Unbeknownst to her, JD is destined to be the “Vampire Queen,” while another group of vampires vies for power and hoping to stop JD from becoming the Queen.

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Star Wars Launch Bay @ Disney World

starwarslaunchbaycoverThere’s a time to head to Disneyland in SoCal and a time to head to Disney World in Orlando, Florida.  Disney World has just opened the Star Wars Launch Bay area and it’s great for Star Wars fans.

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Walking on a Glass Bridge

glassbridgechinaIf you’re afraid of heights, then this is not for you.  Walking on a glass bridge 600 ft off the ground might give you some crazy vertigo and panic attacks.  If you’ve ever been to Vancouver BC and walked on the wooden Capilano Suspension Bridge, then you kind of know the feeling, but a glass bridge heightens the fright.  Located in Shiniuzhai National Park in China, this is world’s longest glass suspension bridge.

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Zip-Line to Your Hotel by the Mountain

skylinehotel00Usually you can walk or take some type of transportation to your hotel, but this is different.  This is not the Sheraton or even a Motel 6, but a hotel room built on a side of a mountain.  For this hotel stay, you will have to zip-line and then climb a mountain to get there.  In the city of Cusco, Peru at the Sacred Valley, you will find Skylodge capsules on the side of a cliff.  The capsules have a bathroom, beds and electricity from the powered solar panels.

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Kidrobot SF: 2015 Holiday Food & Toy Drive

kidrobotsfholidaytoydrive2015It’s that time of the year again!  Join the Retrenders team and the Ramen crew @ Kidrobot San Francisco today from 6pm-9pm for the 2015 Holiday Food & Toy Drive.

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Adidas Originals NMD Launch

adidasmndcoverA sneaker made for men and women roaming the urban jungle, that’s the Adidas Originals NMD_R1 kicks.  Look for the NMD kicks to drop this weekend!

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