Pokémon 20 Year Celebration! /  by Kyle Johnstone

Image Courtesy of pokemon.com/us/ 

Today The Pokémon Company has launched an official site to celebrate 20 years since the games first launched in Japan back in 1996!  Check it our here pokemon20.com!  If you haven't boarded the Pokémon hype train yet, check out the video below to get you warmed up.

Announced Events So Far:

"Use #Pokemon20 to share your favorite Pokémon moments on Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube! Our favorite #Pokemon20 submission may get something special, so keep an eye out!" -cited from pokemon20.com

The original game was released on February 27th 1996 in Japan, the official twitter account announced that the 27th of this year will be dubbed Pokémon Day!  Maybe if we're lucky we'll get a surprise announcement of some kind?

If you've been trying to collect every single Pokémon legit (no cheat codes, GameShark, or modern day apps) since you were a kid, The Pokémon Company is here to help.  Every month from February to December 2016, GameStop and the Nintendo Network will distributing a new mythical Pokémon starting with Mew!  Check here for more info.

Tons of new merch, 20th Anniversary merch too! Here & Here

New Pokémon Trading Cards, "Generations" themed decks and individual cards.  Word on the street is that Japan is getting reprints of the original set! Check it out here.  I would love it if they reprinted the North American cards!

A re-release of the films Pokémon: The First Movie, Pokémon the Movie 2000, and Pokémon 3: The Movie on iTunes, Amazon Video, and Google Play.  I don't see it on the official site, but I'm seeing a Blu-Ray 3 pack of the movies as pre-orders on various sites.  

Lastly, what I'm most excited for ... the re-release of Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow Version via Nintendo 3DS' Virtual Console!  Red and Blue will have the original graphics and music while Yellow Version will sport some enhanced color graphics.  Check here, here, and here for more info.  Nintendo of America is also releasing a special edition "new" 3DS bundle.  This will have Red and Blue Version pre-installed, 2 cover plates (similar original Game Boy box art of Charizard and Blastoise on cover plates), and a download code for an exclusive 3DS theme.  Japan and The UK (minus Green Version) are getting some fancy 2DS console bundles!  Check it out here.  I was really hoping Nintendo/The Pokémon Company would release Green Version State side, but I don't think it's going to happen.  I can't complain, this year is going to be amazing!

FEBRUARY 2016 UPDATE: Pokémon Sun & Pokémon Moon #PokemonSunMoon  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmzDL1l3Fag

Image Courtesy of pokemon20.com 

Happy Back to the Future Day! /  by Kyle Johnstone

GIF Courtesy of Nike.com 

Today is a very important day for fans of the Back the the Future trilogy.  Today is the actual day Marty McFly, Doc Brown, and Jennifer arrive in the future.  4:29pm Pacific to be precise, all of the movies now officially take place in the past!

My favorite announcement today was Nike's 2015 Mag sneakers with "power laces"!  30 years in the making, Nike hand delivered a pair to Michael J. Fox himself.  In 2011 Nike released a version of the shoe, no power laces and all pairs were auctioned off via ebay.  All proceeds went to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, raising almost 5 million dollars!  Check out the 2011 model and story here.

Details and specs on the sneakers are pretty scarce at this point.  Seems as though more news will be announced through social medias as we get closer to spring.  We were left with this from Nike's site: 

"Availability

The 2015 Nike Mag is a limited edition release. It will only be available via auction, with all proceeds going to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. The specific details on the auctions will be posted to Nike News and via Twitter @Nike in spring 2016. "

Finally, A Real Giant Robot Dual! USA VS Japan /  by Kyle Johnstone

Photo Courtesy of Kickstarter & MegaBots Inc. 

   MegaBots Inc. created a 15 foot tall, two manned, long range paintball firing robot named the MK II.  They had no one to play with, so they called out the Japanese company Suidobashi Heavy Industry, makers of the Kuratas.  The Kuratas is a single manned robot, coined "the world's first giant boarding robot", equipped with a BB Gatling cannon, water bottle launcher, and firework shooter.

     MegaBots Inc. instigated a battle via YouTube earlier this year, the video went viral and Suidobashi Heavy Industry had to answer back!  CEO Kogoro Kurata of SHI accepted with his own video, proclaiming that there needs to melee combat to call it a real dual,  lastly he stated that MegaBots organize the dual and the Kuratas will be there!  MegaBots Inc. fired back by launching a Kickstarter this week.  Claiming they need to upgrade the MK II with speed, self balancing technology, better armor, make it hand to hand combat ready, and a movie quality paint job! 

   MegaBots Inc. assembled an amazing team of intelligent and creative advisers.  Grant Imahara from Mythbusters and ILM, Peter Diamandis of X-Prize, Trey Roski & Greg Munson the founders of BattleBots, and lastly a sponsor by Autodesk!

Fund the project now on Kickstarter! Check out all the videos below!

megabots.com   suidobashijuko.jp   @MegaBotsInc   @megabotsinc   SHI facebook


Blog Repost, /Film, Suicide Squad Characters Explained /  by Kyle Johnstone

If you haven't watched the Suicide Squad teaser from Comic-Con, you're missing out, go watch it now!  

I like to tell myself that I know a lot about comic book characters, but after watching this new teaser ... I'll be honest I don't know all of these villains.  Luckily, the team over at /Film have our back!  They recently posted character bios and facts for each of the main characters we see in the teaser.

Here's the link: 'Suicide Squad' Explained: Who's Who in That Comic-Con Trailer?

@slashfilm    @wbpictures    @SuicideSquadWB

Here's the Trailer if you missed it too!

Lexus Slide /  by Kyle Johnstone

Image Courtesy of lexus-int.com 

The Lexus automotive company released a teaser yesterday announcing Slide, a real hoverboard! It's 2015, that's the year Marty McFly takes one for a spin in Back to the Future II, so we should all them by now right!?  I initially thought this was just a gimmicky ad campaign to get a younger generation interested in Lexus.  But according to USA Today, Lexus claims to have a working prototype.  The working board apparently works similarly to the Hendo hoverboard, which uses electromagnetic repulsion on copper plated flooring.  Again, according to USA Today, the Lexus Slide works in a similar fashion.  The board uses magnets with liquid nitrogen cooled superconductors that hovers over concrete with similar embedded plates like the Hendo's copper plating.  So everything must be done in a controlled environment.  A new ad campaign is set to start filming in Barcelona Spain, I'm assuming that's where this "controlled environment" skate park will be.

Now this is most information that I could find about the board, but Lexus wants us to keep checking in on their social media outlets ( #lexushover ).  Their site says they'll have weekly updates, sounds exciting!  Lastly, check out Hendo's website too, I'll provide it below.

lexus-int.com    hendohover.com    Source: usatoday.com

@LexusInt    @beyondbylexus    @HendoHover    @USATODAY