Play out your favorite STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS scenes with Hasbro's Micro Machines

** A Geek Daddy received the featured products for free**

Our family is counting down the days and can't wait until we can watch STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS again after it is officially released on April 1, 2016 for DigitalHD and April 5th on Blu-ray & DVD.  While we've been waiting to add the newest movie in the Star Wars saga to our home video library, my kids have been having fun playing out their favorite scenes from Episode VII and imagining new adventures involving the characters and vehicles from the film with Hasbro's Micro Machine toys.

My son has been racing around the house the last few days with the Finalizer, a Resurgent-class Star Destroyer used by the First Order as Kylo Ren's command ship in the movie, while my daughter has pursued him around the house with Poe Dameron's dark hulled T-70 X-wing fighter.  Hasbro's Star Wars Micro Machines have brought the battle between The First Order and The Resistance into our family's living and dining room as my kids have been racing around imagining being engaged in a variety of space faring exploits.

This Star Destroyer isn't just a model though it opens up to be used as a playset.  Recreate the scene from THE FORCE AWAKENS where FN-2187 and Poe Dameron attempt to escape from the grasp of The First Order or create your own scenarios featuring the hanger bay of the Finalizer.  In addition to moving Star Wars Micro Machine vehicles and figures around the playset, there is also a simulated flight feature that allows kids to fly a TIE Fighter or X-wing across the playset and shoot a plastic missile which represents a laser bolt being shot from one of these starfighters.

These Star Wars: Micro Machine toys are recommend for children 4 years old and up. A few nice features about the miniaturized toys is that your kids can have some epic battles with a bunch of them without messing up your house and Micro Machines are easy to store and put away because of their compact size.  They are also very portable to take along with you to keep kids amused when you are out and about for example during a long car trip, an extended wait at the doctor's office or a visit to an elderly relative.



In addition to the STAR WARS: Micro Machines First Order Destroyer Playset there are also 3-Pack Vehicle Assortments and Deluxe Vehicle Assortments that can be purchased separately to build up your First Order and Resistance armies.  Each 3-pack assortment contains vehicles from throughout the Star Wars saga ranging from classics like the TANTIVE IV and AT-AT to new additions from THE FORCE AWAKENS such as Rey's Speeder and Kylo Ren's Shuttle.  The Deluxe Assortment allows kids to build an entire fleet of starfighters that can fit in the palm of their hand.  Each assortment includes five vehicles and two microfigures.  The Deluxe Vehicle Assortment Hasbro generously sent our family to play with, along with a Star Wars: Micro Machine First Order Star Destroyer Playset and a 3-Pack Vehicle Assortment, included 2 X-Wings, 2 TIE Fighters, a snow speeder, a Poe Dameron micro figure and a TIE pilot micro figure.

Another option for building a Star Wars: Micro Machines fleet of ships is to pick up Blind Bags.  Each of these contains one ship and you won't know what you get until opening up the bag.  There are 36 different vehicles that you can obtain through the Star Wars: Micro Machines Blind Bag assortments.  In buying ten of these you could end up with one of  10 different vehicles or with 10 Y-wing fighters...it is all blind luck what you might pick.  There is a bit of excitement though opening up a pack not knowing what to expect. My son grabbed an Inquisitor TIE fighter from the Star Wars: Rebels TV show in this blind bag and was thrilled!

CLICK HERE for more information about Hasbro's Star Wars: Micro Machines collection.

#StarWars #TheForceAwakens

Star Wars Fan Creates Impressive Short Film Portraying TIE Fighter Battle from the Empire's Perspective

There was a year during elementary school where I almost missed the bus everyday because I didn't want to miss a second of a daily morning cartoon called Robotech.  Anyone who is familiar with this science fiction anime that ran in 1985 is going to want to check out this great film short created by a Star Wars fan that has a real Robotech vibe to it.  Well actually anyone who is a fan of SciFi will want to check out "TIE Fighter" because it is really good. Paul "OtaKing" Johnson spent 4 years worth of weekends creating this tremendous anime video that portrays a Star Wars space battle between the Rebel Alliance and the Imperial Navy through the eyes of TIE fighter pilots.

It's amazing when you think about it that we have the technology available now so everyday people can create on their own and post to youtube videos of a quality that in the not too distant past could have only been produced by a television network or movie studio.  Kudos to OtaKing77077 for his short film TIE Fighter that I thoroughly enjoyed!  Whether you are a Star Wars fanatic or just a casual fan of SciFi you'll want to view this great short film with Johnson's classic 80's inspired anime artwork and a rocking original soundtrack by Zak Rahman. 

Star Wars Battle Pod Video Game Flies Into Arcades January 2015

With the proliferation of home video game consoles and the fact that most phones probably have at least one game loaded on them (I happen to have Angry Birds: Star Wars and Star Wars Pinball on my iPhone) you wouldn't consider there to be much of a market for manufacturers to be creating new video arcade games.   Bandai Namco Games Inc. is betting that arcades aren't dead just yet though and has invested in a brand new video game titled Star Wars: Battle Pod.  It allows players to take command of vehicles from the original trilogy of films such as X-wings, the Millennium Falcon, snowspeeders, and speederbikes and race through digitally reproduced scenes from the movies in arcade-exclusive game play beginning in January 2015 within the United States and a global release will follow later in the year.   The Battle Pod features a unique dome screen enveloping a player's entire area of sight that leaving him or her with a sense of actually piloting and taking part in scenes from the film.

"The Star Wars universe is a vast galaxy of memorable experiences and epic storylines and we intend to put that level of fun and control in the hands of fans with Star Wars: Battle Pod," said Satoshi Oshita, president and CEO of Namdai Namco Game Inc., in the announcement release promoting this new video game. "Players can jump right in to true-to-film battles on Endor, Hoth, Death Star II, Yavin, and more."

Today's arcades are different than the ones I went to as a kid.  They are much more focused on providing "experiences" rather than actual game play because it is too easy to play games at home or on the go now.  But you currently can't replicate racing on a mechanical jetski or motorcycle (which seem to be some of the more popular games when my kids and I go to the arcade) in your living room or on a phone.  So in that same light this new Star Wars video game provides a visual experience with its multi-dimensional screen that can't currently be replicated outside of the arcade.  From the video previews it appears this game really lets players become immersed in the Star Wars scenario they select and live out a scene from the movies rather than trying to "win" a game or beat levels.  It appears for a set amount of money you are guaranteed to complete your selected mission in  one take versus having to spends lots of hours and tons of quarters trying to get from one level to the next.

In an interview about Star Wars Battle Pods with John McKenzie, president of Bandai Namco Amusement America and Europe by Polygon.com it was noted by the gaming company executive that there would be five levels to the game that each are designed to be accomplished in one sitting so players can enjoy it within a set amount of time for a set amount of money.  "When you go into an arcade you need something that delivers an experience you can't get at home," McKenzie said. "That typically means these much bigger, experiential titles. Games that feel almost like a theater experience or augmented reality, rather than simply something you play for fun. The added benefit of a game like Battle Pod is that it delivers a set experience, typically three to four minutes long, for a set price."



The Battle Pod game will feature five separate scenes to select from key moments in the original trilogy of Star Wars movies and each featuring a different memorable vehicle relevant to that scenario.  In Endor, players race through the forest moon on speeder bikes.  There is a Death Star II scene where you race around and through the space station in the Millennium Falcon.  You try to repel the Imperial attack of the Rebel base on Hoth in a snow speeder.  You can also pick from either Darth Vader's TIE fighter or Luke Skywalker's X-wing to reenact the famous Deathstar space battle from the original Star Wars movie.

So keep an eye out at places like Dave & Busters or Chuck E Cheese for this new video game. It looks pretty darn cool!  I know for sure my kids and I will be on the look out for it.