Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2235

Pokémon Fans Rejoice! Build-A-Bear Workshop Has Added Charmander

Get out your wallets and you Pokédex (Pokédexes? Pokédexi? Pokédexis?) because you can now bring home and cuddle a version of everyone’s favorite fire-type pokémon that’s considerably cheaper and more humane than previous attempts involving constant pet shop bills and kerosene.

As brought to our attention from a post on Polygon, Build-A-Bear Workshop have added two Pokémon to their online shop. They’ve had Pikachu available for some time now, but you can start adding to your collection with the Eevee and their new Charmander set. What makes it a set, you ask? Each exclusive Build-A-Poké-Bear comes with a number of accessories including a Great Ball Hoodie, a Lucario Hoodie and a Build-A-Bear Workshop exclusive Pokémon TCG card.

Somehow, Pokémon dressed as other Pokémon multiplies their cuteness levels beyond comprehension and is, in our opinion, a stroke of design genius. It seems, whether intentional or not, the marketing is pretty slick as well, having given the Charizard Hoodie only to the Pikachu exclusive. This means fans itching to have their cuddly Charmander evolve into an even cuter Charizard will force them to purchase both sets. Though there are certainly worse things than having more things to hug. Like, for instance, the fact that enough people inquired about ordering empty Charmander skin that they had to add “This item cannot be purchased unstuffed” to the description.

It’s probably safe to assume the Build-A-Bear Workshop isn’t done with their Poké-bears and will only be adding to the roster. Which Pokémon would you like to see in the future and with what accessories? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Images: Build-A-Bear Workshop

Do you know all the Pokemon Sun and Moon hacks?

How to Achieve the True Ending and More in the RESIDENT EVIL 7 Demo

*Editor’s Note: This post contains spoilers for the Resident Evil 7 demo. Turn back if you haven’t played yet and wish to remain in the dark. 

One of the best surprises during Sony’s E3 press conference earlier this year was the announcement of Resident Evil 7–which is completely playable on PlayStation VR. To add an extra layer of excitement to the reveal, Capcom released a free playable demo dubbed “Beginning Hour” following the reveal. As most who’ve played it know, there’s more than meets the eye about the teaser. Like Hideo Kojima’s P.T. (playable teaser) for Silent Hills, the short level is brimming with secrets and hidden items.

With the game set to release on January 24, 2017, the developer has released the “Midnight” update for the demo, which introduces new explorable areas, items, and a way to actually use the dummy finger! After playing through it a few times myself, and looking around online for secrets, I pulled together a comprehensive guide of things you might not have known about the demo. Enjoy!

The “true” ending

With the final update that released last weekend, you’ll be able to achieve the “true” ending. To reach this, you’ll need to grab the fuse from the secret room immediately and head upstairs. Grab the “object made with celluloid” item from behind the TVs, and the basement key from the table and head back downstairs. This key will allow you to access the grimy door downstairs that was previously not unlockable in earlier versions of the demo. Before heading in, grab the dummy finger from the drawer in the hallway outside the room you woke up in.

Now head through this door and into the next corridor. To the right you’ll find a bathroom with a flooded toilet and bathtub. Keep the location in mind because you’ll be returning in a minute. Before using the basement key on the gate at the end of the hall, grab the blank notebook from one of the drawers. After that head down to the basement (*shivers). In the first room you’ll find several body bags and a valve. Grab the valve and head to the next room. You don’t have long because a monster refered to as “the molded” is going to spawn, so run in, grab the window key, avoid the monster and head out the way you came. If Jack blocks the door, kick it open and run upstairs to safety.

As long as the molded didn’t touch you, you still have a chance to achieve the true ending. Before you head to the attic, you have a chance to solve five murders using the dummy hand and grab a gun–which is found via reinstalling the valve in the bathroom, and flushing the toilet. Once you follow those steps (listed in detail below), head back up to the attic and use the key on the window to escape. If the monster did touch you, however, your character will become infected and won’t be able to make it all the way up the stairs to unlock the window, giving you the “infected” ending.

How to use the dummy finger

Besides getting the true ending, the final update gave us another thing to be excited about: a use for the dummy finger! If you were paying attention to the guide above you were instructed to grab three items: the dummy finger, object made with celluloid, and the blank notebook. The only way to move forward with solving the murders is by having all three in  your possession. Assuming you already grabbed all three, and completed the previous steps (aside from exiting through the window), combine the dummy finger and celluloid object in your inventory.

Once you’ve formed the dummy hand, head to the fallen bookcase at the bottom of the stairs. Take the dummy’s hand out and point it in the direction of the bookcase until it vibrates. Doing so will unveil the first passage in the previously blank notebook. It reads “Grace will not wake when the clock makes its chime. Her covers are heavy and it’s her last bedtime.” Creepy.

The next mystery takes you down to the basement where the corpses are. *Note: make sure to do this after you’ve already escaped the monster in the basement to avoid interruption. Take the dummy hand out and point it at the body on the stretcher until the controller vibrates. This will reveal the second journal entry: “Phil’s tucked in tight on his cold, stiff bed. He’s having sweet dreams of not being dead.”

The third murder requires the handgun you got from the toilet. If you have it, equip it and go to the bottom of the stairs. Shoot the portrait on the wall until you hear a giggle and head into the small room under the stairs. Take the dummy hand out and point it at the door that’s been blocked off to add the next entry: “Stanley was told to go hide and they’d seek. But they wouldn’t let him out no matter how much he shrieked.” From here, stand in the doorway and look up at the mirror. Hit circle for a quick-spin and look at the mirror again to hear another giggle. After that, head to the attic again and point the dummy hand at the blue and white wires hanging from the wooden beam to received the fourth entry: “Marlene was so proud of her white and blue necklace. It made her feel tall and it left her quite breathless.”

The fifth and final murder is a bit more complicated and requires the Derelict House VHS tape. Grab it from the locked cabinet using the bolt cutters if you haven’t already and play it on the television in the other room. Once the flashback starts, head to the basement and look at the doll on the floor in the corner for the final giggle. After that, head back upstairs to the kitchen. Open the pot on the stove and point the dummy hand at it until the final message is added to the book: “Timmy did not mind the harsh light of four suns. Eyes require heads and he did not have one.”

Now that all five murders have been solved, the door in the corner of the attic will be unlocked (and covered in bloody handprints). Enter the room and grab the “dirty coin” item from the chair. From what I’ve read online, it looks like the item can be used in the main game. What it does, however, remains to be seen.

Were you able to make it all the way through the demo? What other secrets did you find? Let us know in the comments below, join the conversation on Facebook, or start one with me on Twitter: @Samantha_Sofka.

Images: Capcom

THE FLASH Will Introduce Gypsy Later This Season

The mid-season finale of The Flash left an ominous fate hanging over the head of at least one member of Team Flash. But the good news is that there’s a new heroine coming to the show later this season: Gypsy!

Via Heroic Hollywood, The Flash star Carlos Valdes revealed the upcoming introduction of Gypsy during a new installment of The CW’s Fan Feast. “There’s going to be a new visitor to our world named Gypsy,” said Valdes. DC Comics fans will be familiar with Gypsy. She is going to be coming in our world and Vibe will definitely get to learn some new skills as part of getting to know her. So I’m excited to see how that plays out.”

In DC’s comic book universe, Gypsy is Cindy Reynolds, and she had the power to create illusion and to make herself invisible. She also shared a history with Vibe as a member of the infamous Justice League Detroit from the ’80s. That was DC’s attempt to revamp the Justice League with several original characters, which were not immediately embraced by the fans.

The Arrowverse has already done a lot to rehabilitate Vibe’s image, and it’s even offered up two new versions of Vixen. While Gypsy joined both of her teammates on the Justice League Unlimited animated series, she could certainly use a revamp as well. The following picture is what she looked like in one of her more recent costumes:

In the New 52 continuity, Gypsy is a runaway from another dimension and she was tied even more closely to Vibe, which may be why Valdes indicated that his character, Cisco Ramon, will be interacting with her on the show. While the natural assumption is that Gypsy may be a love interest to Cisco, she could also simply be a good friend or surrogate sister for him as well. Either way, it’s nice to see another superheroine coming to The Flash. The CW hasn’t announced who has been cast in the role, but we will probably find out early in 2017.

Who would you cast as Gypsy on The Flash? Share your picks in the comment section below!

Images: DC Comics

New SHERLOCK Series 4 Trailer Has Us More Worried Than Ever

We’ve been concerned ever since the first trailer of the upcoming season of Sherlock came out back in July. Not concern for whether or not it’s going to be a good season (because come on, it’s Sherlock. They’re all amazing) but rather, concern for the characters we’ve gotten to know and love along the way. The Comic Con footage seemed to be setting up some rather dark things ahead with consequences more dire than ever before. The footage in the new trailer seems to amplify those concerns even more.

What’s immediately clear is that almost everyone Sherlock holds dear (whether he admits it or not) will find themselves, at some point, in fearful situations. Watson and his Holmes Boyz [I immediately apologize for that name] appear to be held captive in what looks to be an underground facility and perhaps have to figure their way out of it. Watson, Mycroft, and Sherlock all seem relatively calm when he says “I love you” to camera, so that could be the answer to a question that allows them to move onto another riddle or get released.

What’s noticeably absent from this footage is any glimpse of Andrew Scott’s Moriarty, which strikes us as odd considering how prominent it was in the Comic Con teaser. Is Moriarty’s work finished? Will Toby Jones play a part in continuing said work? It’s all still unclear. What is known, however, is that Jones will be playing Culverton Smith, a character from the Holmes tale The Adventure of the Dying Detective. Saving any spoilers, that story would make for a decent BBC Sherlock tale but we’d want so much more from an actor like Jones. With how unkempt Sherlock appears in some shots, it does make us wonder if at least some elements of The Adventure of the Dying Detective are in there…but we’re really hoping Jones gets intertwined with the Moriarty throughline.

What are your theories about Sherlock series 4? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Image: Sherlock/BBC

Once he’s done with Moriarty, could Holmes take out Hannibal?

A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS’ New Trailer Can’t Keep Us From Watching

If, like they keep on telling us, Netflix really doesn’t want us to watch their new series, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, they should probably stop releasing trailers for the show that that make it look so good. That’s because even though they have once again warned us that this is a story that “has no happy ending, no happy beginning, and very few happy things in the middle,” each new sneak peek brings us nothing but excitement and joy.

This week the streaming site released the second full trailer for their upcoming original series based on the iconic children’s books, and just like the first one it is full of bleak and wonderful surreal settings and landscapes. And while there are still plenty of look at the many disguises (and knives) used by the evil Count Olaf (played by Neil Patrick Harris, who already seems like the perfect actor for the role), this trailer focuses more on the relationship between the orphaned Baudelaire children and their need to stick together to outsmart their strange guardian who is trying to steal their inheritance.

Yup, that was Flight of the Conchords‘ Rhys Darby you saw pop up there. Who better to organize a kids meeting?

The eight-episode first season will be available on Netflix next month, on January 13th, and despite the warnings we can’t wait to watch them all. Because not only do we not need a happy ending, or a happy beginning, or even any happy middle parts to enjoy it, that’s what we’re count Olaf-ing on.

What are you most looking forward to with this newest adaptation? It would be most unfortunate if you didn’t share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Images: Netflix

Tom Holland Went to High School Undercover for SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING

If you’re anything like us, you may have watched the two Spider-Man: Homecoming trailers a few hundred times or so. Don’t judge us! We had to make that epic trailers breakdown for today’s Nerdist News. But even our preparations take a backseat to Tom Holland‘s efforts to become the big screen’s latest Peter Parker and Spider-Man. According to Holland, he went the full Cameron Crowe and enrolled in a real high school to get ready for the role of a lifetime.

Via ComingSoon, Holland answered questions from fans at the official Spider-Man Facebook page, where he went on to reveal that he secretly got into a New York high school in part because his own school experience in London was so radically different from Peter Parker’s life. “The coolest thing I think I did for the movie was I was enrolled in a high school in New York, in the Bronx, as a secret,” shared Holland. “No one knew who I was or what I was doing. I had a fake name and a fake accent. I went to school for three days. It was really fun. It was really interesting because New York high schools are so different to schools that I went to in London. Where I went to a school where you have to wear a suit and tie and it’s all boys, and for me it was the first time that I was in a classroom with girls. It was a really strange experience, it was really fun.”

In the domestic trailer that debuted last night, Spidey’s secret identity was seemingly revealed to one of his high school friends in a comedic way. That seemed to parallel what happened when Holland revealed who he was to one of the actual students. “I told one person,” recalled Holland. “I told one kid at the school. I was like ‘Hey man, listen, I’m actually Spider-Man.’ He did not believe me… At the time I hadn’t made the movie, so I didn’t have any pictures to show him to prove that I was Spider-Man…. No one believed me. Which is actually a good thing, because it makes me think that if Peter Parker went up in his school and was like ‘I’m Spider-Man,’ everyone would be like ‘Nah dude, no you’re not.”

Holland says that he only stayed in the school for three days, so it wasn’t a huge commitment. But we can totally see how he pulled it off. Holland is actually 20 years old, but he still easily passes for someone much younger. If Marvel Studios and Sony want to keep Spidey in high school for at least the next two or three films, they may have found the perfect guy to pull that off. Fortunately, he also seems to be terrific as both Peter and Spider-Man, and we’re ridiculously excited to see what he does in the first movie and beyond.

Spider-Man: Homecoming will be released on July 7, 2017.

What do you think about Holland’s high school tales? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Image: Marvel Studios/Sony Pictures

just how closely did you watch that trailer?

This Shadowy Performance By Pilobolus Has Profoundly Piqued Our Interest

When a good portion of your job consists of scouring the internet, movies, and TV for interesting and engaging things, we occasionally find ourselves – let’s say – quite used to a lot of what’s out there. We know how to handle pop culture news, can write ourselves in circles when it comes to a science breakthrough, and sure as hell can wax poetic about any number of movies and TV shows. Though, every so often, something comes along like this beautiful performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, that leaves us just plain gobsmacked.

Some may already be aware of the arts organization Pilobolus and their Shadowland performances over the years, but they dropped in on Colbert to do a holiday-oriented piece that’s re-ignited our fascination with their unique form of art. At it’s core, Shadowland is shadow puppets but while we’re still trying to master creating a dog or a bird on our bedroom walls, Pilobolus is creating intricate worlds with every part of their dancer’s bodies. Performers tumble in and out of frame at different distances from the light source and strike poses which cast their combined shadows on a screen resulting in visuals that (in some cases) still have us scratching our heads as to how they must have been configured.

For the Colbert performance, we’re treated to a few iconic NYC landmarks as Santa Claus chooses to land his sleigh in a New York airport (WHY, Saint Nick!? Do you not know how nuts NYC airports are at the holidays?!) and goes about his deliveries while touring The Big Apple. He stops by the Statue Of Liberty, drops in on SantaCon, says hello to a mammoth at the American Museum of Natural History (we’re guessing since NYC only has a the Mammuthus skeleton and, well, it’s also certainly… you know, dead) and even has time to give a present to Pizza Rat!

Frankly, we’ve fallen in love all over again with these performances and the good news is Pilobolus’ Shadowland is on tour. Check out their site for upcoming dates and if you happen to go, peek behind that screen for us and let us know how weirdly they’re posed back there. Or, at the very least, help us wrap our heads around them by explaining your best guess of the poses in the comments below!

Image: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

The Todd Glass Show #275: Eliza Skinner

Eliza Skinner is back on the show and what an epic return it is!

Check out Angry Little Goats on iTunes!

Like The Todd Glass Show on Facebook, follow @ToddGlass, Eric Ohlsen and Lyricist Joe on Twitter, buy his album Thin Pig and buy his book The Todd Glass Situation!

X-MEN: PRIME Ushers in a New Era for Marvel’s Mutants

We’ve got a ton of Marvel Comics news in this, your weekend edition of Comics Relief! Aside from all the Marvel news, we also have the scoop on a major indie publisher getting in on the superhero shared universe, plus more comics announcements. Read on for all the details!

Marvel Begins X-Men’s ResurrXion with X-Men: Prime

With the titles and creative teams announced now for the X-Men RessurXion run (see our item down below for the final one), Marvel has announced that—in order to get the entire Mutant Renaissance going—they are releasing a one-shot special called X-Men: Prime. The name itself calls back to the team’s heyday, as X-Men: Prime was also the special that relaunched the team after Age of Apocalypse in 1995.

X-Editor Daniel Ketchum said, “ResurrXion is all about embracing the [X-Men’s] original dream of coexisting with humans and fighting together to make a better world. All the books in some way, shape, or form, embrace that idea. We’re going to get back to flights, and tights, and capes, and all the classic X-Men tropes. We very much want to harken back to that era where it’s the most classic iteration of the X-Men.”

One tidbit Ketchum dropped in the X-Men: Prime announcement was that the X-Men: Blue team—which features the original five members—would add another female to the team. Considering that former X-23 and current Wolverine Laura Kinney is on the cover, I’d say she is a good bet to join the gang. For more from Ketchum on X-Men: Prime, plus sketches of the team’s new/old costumes, click on the following link: [Entertainment Weekly]

New Ongoing Cable Series Announces Creative Team

The last X-Men: ResurrXion title to get their creative team announced was the new Cable series, but this week Marvel finally gave us the details. The new book will be coming from writer James Robinson, who wrote Cable for a stint in the ’90s, along with artist Carlos Pacheco. The new ongoing series will focus on Cable as a time jumping warrior. You can see preview artwork for the new series above.

According to Robinson, “Time travel is part of his make-up in almost every aspect of his history — no pun intended. This series will be Cable on a race against time to fix time. The reason Cable must take on this quest will reveal itself as the story and mystery unfolds, but he’s doing it for the sake of the Marvel Universe, which will fall apart if he doesn’t take action.” For more on the new Cable book, click on the following link: [Marvel]

Fantagraphics Gets in the Superhero Game with All Time Comics

For decades, publisher Fantagraphics was the ultimate anti-mainstream comics publisher. Home of such notable works as Love and Rockets and Eightball, you couldn’t find a cape and tights anywhere near a Fantagraphics logo. That changes in 2017 though, as the indie publisher has announced plans to launch a line of superhero books under the banner All Time Comics.

The new line was started by alternative cartoonist and writer Josh Bayer, created with his brother Samuel Bayer (director behind music videos like Nirvana classic “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and the not-so-classic remake of A Nightmare on Elm. St).

The All Time line will have six individual but interconnected superhero stories featuring both veteran mainstream artists and some lesser known, indie cartoonists. The series launches this spring with Crime Destroyer #1, (for which you can see a teaser image for above), featuring the last art of longtime Incredible Hulk artist Herb Trimpe who passed away last year. All Time Comics begins in March from Fantagraphics. For more info on the new line, be sure to click here: [CBR]

New Iron Fist Series Debuts Ahead of Netflix Show

In anticipation of Danny Rand’s upcoming Netflix debut, Marvel has announced plans for a new Iron Fist ongoing series, from writer Ed Brisson and artist Mike Perkins. The new series will debut in March and pick up where the Kaare Andrews 2015 Iron Fist: The Living Weapon series left off.

Brisson said in a statement, “Danny’s in a weird place. He’s questioning who he is and he’s pushing himself. He’s a person filled with self-doubt, but he’s always going to have his sense of humor about him — even if he’s using it to cover his own pain. He’s an outsider who’s always trying to fit in, trying to find a place where he belongs.”

Iron Fist will continue to star in the Power Man and Iron Fist series, and will also take center stage in another title, Iron Fists, by Kaare Andrews and Afu Chan. The new Iron First hits in March, and you can see a teaser for issue #1 above. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Archie Comics Teases a Baltazar and Franco “Tiny Archie” Series

Maybe as a way of cosmically balancing out the dark and sexy version of Archie, Jughead, and friends heading to the CW next year in Riverdale, publisher Archie Comics is now teasing an even more wholesome version of their flagship characters. Archie Comics has posted a teaser image to their Facebook page featuring the outline of what looks like a tiny Archie Andrews and the words “Baltazar. Franco. LITTLE.”

Looks like the creators of Tiny Titans and Itty Bitty Hellboy Art Baltazar and Franco are coming out with a cute kid version of Archie and friends. The image features the heading “March, 2017”, so it looks like we won’t have to wait long for this one. You can see the new teaser image above. [CBR]

R.L. Stine’s Writing Man-Thing for Marvel

If you guessed that Goosebumps creator R.L. Stine‘s upcoming work for Marvel was going to be centered around a monster type character, then you get a cookie and a gold star, as the publisher has announced R.L. Stine as the new writer behind their upcoming Man-Thing series, a five-issue miniseries featuring the fearsome swamp beast.

Artist German Peralta will partner on the miniseries, and Stine will write the backup stories, which will have a new artist for each issue. The main story of the series will revolve around Ted’s attempt to escape his fate as the Man-Thing for good. For the full scoop on this new series, check out our full story right here: [Nerdist]

Wonder Woman/Bionic Woman Series Gets Cool New Variant Covers

And finally, this week saw the release of Wonder Woman ’77 Meets the Bionic Woman from Dynamite Entertainment and DC Comics. (You can read our review of issue #1 right here). The series had no shortage of artists who wanted to contribute art for the historic meeting of these feminist icons, and several produced covers for various retailer exclusives, including ’90s Catwoman artist Jim Balent, Ben Caldwell, Mike McKone, Dan Parent, Andrew Pepoy, and J Bone. You can see each of the covers down below in our gallery. [Bleeding Cool]

Images: Marvel Comics / DC Comics / Dynamite Entertainment / Archie Comics / Fantagraphics

How LEGO Can Help Blind People Experience the World

Imagine putting together a complicated LEGO set while blindfolded. Sounds impossible, right? It may very well be for those of us that can take sight for granted. Now consider that some LEGO builders don’t have the luxury of sight, and can create just fine. As it turns out, LEGO may be a very valuable tool to help blind people see without actually seeing.

Braincraft‘s Vanessa Hill profiled Matthew Shifrin, the creator of the website LEGO for the Blind. Shifrin has been blind since birth, but he’s become a very talented LEGO builder even without the benefit of sight. To give Shifrin the ability to put together complex LEGO sets, the relatively simple instructions were translated into very dense text descriptions. All of that text may be difficult to look at, but for Shifrin and other blind LEGO enthusiasts, it gives them a way to accurately recreate the LEGO sets as intended.

One of the benefits of LEGO is that the toys have given Shifrin a chance to understand the shape and subtleties of everything from spaceships to national monuments by building them. “LEGO is able to give you all of these different opportunities, be you blind or sighted, to perceive your world in a different way,” said Shifrin.” “It’s like this miniaturization of the real world that they could potentially recreate in real life. And also, it really allows to give the blind person a real sense of scale. It allows you to see what you would be unable to feel. You can’t climb on the Taj Mahal or the Tower Bridge, or any of these famous landmarks. But with these sets, you’re able to recreate them in their full glory…Now that I have a three-dimensional model, if someone says ‘we’re passing the Empire State Building,’ I can be like ‘oh yeah, I know what that looks like.'”

The video also explains the different types of blindness and explores whether the remaining senses of the blind are truly heightened. And while there is some question about the validity of that widely held belief, this segment suggests that the brains of the blind repurpose the visual cortex to help them solve other problems.

What did you think about this video? Construct your answers in the comment section below!

Image: PBS Digital Studios