MARVEL ZOMBIES ALL IN KICKSTARTER PLEDGE

When I heard that CMON GAMES fantastic Zombicide tabletop role playing game was doing a mashup with Marvel superheroes there was no doubt in my mind that I would be going ALL IN on a pledge for its Kickstarter campaign. This resulted in a gigantic Galactus game piece and ten boxes of goodies including two core game play boxes, eleven expansion packs with themes that include Fantastic Four and Guardians of the Galaxy adventures, board tiles for various scenarios, and a ton of stretch goal characters to play with arriving at my doorstep. Time for an unboxing! 

A zombie plague strikes and not even Earth’s mightiest heroes are safe. Marvel Zombies is a cooperative board game for 1 to 6 players, based on the core mechanics of the popular Zombicide series, bringing non-stop zombie action to the Marvel universe. Original art by comics legend Marco Checchetto is incorporated into amazing game pieces and playing cards depicting iconic Marvel characters in glorious (and often gory) detail.

In the primary Marvel Zombies Core Box, players take on the role of superheroes who have been infected and succumbed to the virus. Unlike other variations of Zombicide by CMON, in this game instead of battling zombies you take on the role of them.  Players' mission is to spread the zombie plague far and wide. Heroes retain twisted versions of their former personalities but are now enslaved to an insatiable hunger.  Players face off against other heroes who have yet to succumb to the infection, along with the relentless members of S.H.I.E.L.D., in a battle of survival. Game missions are inspired by the scripts of Marvel Zombies comic books. Are you ready to destroy the world?

If you prefer the traditional hero role of superheroes, Marvel Zombies also has a second core box, X-MEN RESISTENCE, that lets players be survivors battling in classic Zombicide mode. This core box has mutant superheroes take a stand against the relentless zombie plague. It also opens the door for gameplay that lets a variety of other Marvel superheroes battle zombies instead of having to play the game as one. 

Which of the core boxes will you prefer to play in: zombie mode or survivor mode? There are also expansion packs for extended game play that include Fantastic 4: Under Siege; Guardians of the Galaxy; Clash of the Sinister Six; Hydra Resurrection; and Sentinel Strike. Plus there is a Galactus mode that was exclusive to the Kickstarter campaign but you can still potentially get your hands on through the secondary market like E-Bay or select game stores.

FANTASTIC FOUR

Immerse yourself in the chaos of a zombie-infested New York and the Baxter Building in the "Marvel Zombies: A Zombicide Game - Fantastic Four: Under Siege" expansion. Choose your path as you can play as either Zombie or Survivor Modes. Use the Fantastic Four to save New York or lead them into the ranks of the undead.

SENTINEL STRIKE

Giant robotic Sentinels can be added to any scenario to bring an extra challenge to the players. These robots, programmed to hunt down and exterminate any mutant lifeforms, do not care about the distinction between living and dead. If it’s still moving, it’s a threat that must be eliminated. This expansion will contain a few Sentinel-centered scenarios for both Zombie Mode (using the New York tiles from the Marvel Zombies core box) and Hero Mode (using the X-Mansion tiles from the X-Men Resistance core box). Each of the Sentinels has a unique, highly detailed game piece, measuring a whopping 12cm high.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Join the Guardians of the Galaxy, even as some of their own have succumbed to the relentless zombie virus, in "Marvel Zombies: A Zombicide Game - Guardians of the Galaxy." Face the terror of a zombie outbreak in the far reaches of space, where the Guardians must confront not only their zombified comrades but also the formidable zombie Thanos wielding the Infinity Stones.

THE SINISTER SIX

Witness the ultimate showdown in "Marvel Zombies: A Zombicide Game - Clash of the Sinister Six" as heroes and villains unite against a relentless zombie outbreak! The Sinister Six, longtime enemies of Spider-Man, must join forces with Super Heroes to combat their infected comrades and halt the zombie plague.  This expansion pack introduces Team vs. Team mode, where players confront one another across the undead divide, determining the fate of New York City in a thrilling, high-stakes battle.

HYDRA RESURRECTION

Confront the ultimate evil as the Red Skull takes control of legions of Hydra zombie soldiers, posing a dire threat to the world. This expansion adds character pieces and board game tiles to allow the creation of new scenarios to play.

Stay tune for more posts on ageekdaddy.com as I dive into this game! Also give a @Geekdad248 a follow on Instagram and Twitter for extra content to be geeked about. 

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AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM

Thank you to Warner Bros Pictures for sending me a free AQUAMAN swag pack to rev up my excitement about the new superhero film hitting movie theaters this Christmas weekend. Who is ready to dive into a new Aquaman adventure?! AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM is being released December 22, 2023.

Warner Bros Pictures hooked me up with some great gear to plunge into this movie experience. I was GEEKED to receive a cool jacket along with a warm hat to wear out when heading out in the winter weather to see this DC Comics inspired superhero movie. Also unboxed were some impressive swag including a comic book, ice cube tray, handwarmers, and a YETI. This was an AWESOME package to unbox! 

After failing to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta wields the power of the mythic Black Trident to unleash an ancient and malevolent force. Hoping to end his reign of terror, Aquaman forges an unlikely alliance with his brother, Orm, the former king of Atlantis. Setting aside their differences, they join forces to protect their kingdom and save the world from irreversible destruction. AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America [MPAA] for sci-fi violence and some language.

All returning to the roles they originated, Jason Momoa plays Arthur Curry/Aquaman, now balancing his duties as both the King of Atlantis and a new father; Patrick Wilson is Orm, Aquaman’s half-brother and his nemesis, who must now step into a new role as his brother’s reluctant ally; Amber Heard is Mera, Atlantis’ Queen and mother of the heir to the throne; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is Black Manta, committed more than ever to avenge his father’s death by destroying Aquaman, his family and Atlantis; and Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, a fierce leader and mother with the heart of a warrior. Also reprising their roles are Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus and Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin.

Are you planning a movie theater outing this holiday weekend to see AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM?

ZOMBICIDE UNDEAD OR ALIVE UNBOXING

Giddy-up! My crate of goodies from participating in the CMON Games Zombicide: Undead or Alive Kickstarter campaign has arrived. A zombie apocalypse has infested within the Wild West and it is up to you to help a group of survivors get out of Dodge in this new variation of the Zombicide tabletop game. By purchasing Zombicide: Undead or Alive through Kickstarter rather than retail not only did I lasso the core game, but I also wrangled an exclusive Dead West expansion kit that includes 79 extra character pieces to enhance game play. Plus, I unboxed a few extra goodies to add to the Wild West theme of the Undead or Alive Zombicide adventures.

In this standalone game, instead of trying to survive a zombie infestation of a modern day city, players are transported back to the American West of the 1800s as they attempt to survive swarms of the undead. Carried by infected travelers aboard trains, the plague quickly spread across the Wild West. Horses became meals to the zombie hoard causing the surviving people to be isolated in overwhelmed frontier towns.

Zombicide: Undead or Alive is a cooperative game where players work together to face scenarios involving them confronting and escaping a zombie menace. Players make their own decisions to utilize weapons and abilities while the zombies are controlled by the game itself using simple rules and a deck of cards. This tabletop game can be played for 1 - 6 players and is recommended for those aged 14+. 

The Undead or Alive core box includes 14 characters that players can choose to play as divided up as four different classes: Brawler, Faithful, Gunslinger and Townsfolk. 

Brawlers are hand-to-hand specialists who use melee weapons to bring down zombies. Being tough as nails, they can also endure more wounds than other survivors.

Faithfuls use their faith and conviction to paralyze zombies and destroy zombie spawning points.

Gunslingers are able to unload a heap of lead in a split second by fanning a hoard with pistol fire. This ability can devastate large bands of zombies at short range.

Townsfolk know where to search for supplies and find everything needed for killing zombies.

Also included in the core box are 64 zombie game pieces to utilize in the game. There are four types of zombies players will encounter in Undead or Alive: Walkers, Brutes, Runners and Abominations.

Walkers slowly trudge towards you in a deadly mob. Beware that though they aren't speedy, walkers can quickly overwhelm you.

Brutes are hard to kill making them nasty menaces. Watch out because they are often shielding other zombies hiding behind them!

Runners often catch survivors by surprise. You don't think of zombies as fast but this type is quick. They move twice as fast as other zombies!

Abominations can be the worst nightmare of survivors, plus they aren't always zombies! Sometimes abominations are mutated monsters or worse. These are the toughest, ugliest adversaries your posse will come across. They can only be hurt by dynamite. Moreover, their mere presence stirs the dead to come to an abomination's aid. As soon as one enters the game board, special places called Abomination Spawn Zones become active causing even more zombies come after players.

There are ten missions included with the core box that can be played with included character pieces and twelve double-sided game board tiles. Players can also just create their own random scenarios as well utilizing the Zombicide A.I. system and their own tile layouts. Click here to check out the rule book for yourself. 

By participating in the Kickstarter campaign, I also received an exclusive Dead West expansion kit that includes 79 more character pieces adding more survivors and zombies with their own unique quirks and qualities to enhance gameplay. This is particularly nice for adding new challenges to the game with its inclusion of some impressive abominations that range from a cactus monster to a wendigo. The expansion kit also includes some outlaws that can provide some extra firepower to your team of survivors including Butch Cassidy, Billy the Kid and Jesse James. For those who missed the Kickstarter campaign it is possible to find Dead West in the secondary market for an elevated price to what it was originally sold for.

In addition to the Dead West expansion pack, I also picked up a few other exclusive content goodies in the Kickstarter campaign. I harnessed a Deadstock Pack that includes mutated abominations of a buffalo, grizzly bear and longhorn cow for survivors to battle. I also dug up a Long Dead Walkers Pack that has skeleton versions of the zombies from the core box. This game can be more than just a zombie encounter with a variety of different monsters led by the Great Trickster Spirit available through Kickstarter exclusives to fight against players. The quality of exclusives are one of the main hooks for me when it comes to joining a Kickstarter campaign and these had me biting at the Zombicide: Undead or Alive one.

Keep an eye out for more updates as I delve into the contents of Zombicide: Undead or Alive and begin playing the game. The core box is available now at retail. For more information about this and other games in the franchise, head over to zombicide.com

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NETFLIX DISENCHANTMENT SEASON 2

I've been a fan of Matt Groening's work since my high school days reading his Life is Hell cartoons books. Since then he's gone on to create The Simpsons and Futurama tv shows which have gone to eclipse his original comic strips in popularity. Now Groening has brought his trademark illustration style and sarcasm to Netflix with the animated series DISENCHANTMENT. This Dungeon & Dragon themed spoof for adult audiences is full of modern day satire set in a fairytale setting following the misadventures of the tomboy Princess Bean, her personal demon Luci and a lil sidekick named Elfo.

Season One told Part 1 (2018) & Part 2 (2019) of the DISENCHANTMENT tale in two equally divided 10 episode story arcs. These farcical adventures through a fantasy realm show the evolution of a care free princess rebelling against her nobility to someone confronting life versus death decisions that are part of an evolving conflict of good versus evil. This story's princess continues to grow into her power and own her destiny in Part 3 (2021) which just debuted this January on Netflix which contains the first 10 episodes of Season Two of DISENCHANTMENT.

Thanks to Netflix for sending this dad blogger a box of goodies to make my binge watching the new Season 2 episodes of  Matt Groening's DISENCHANTMENT extra fun:

I'm geeked to view Part 3 of the DISENCHANTMENT escapades! I have a drinking horn full of Hofbrau and my own personal demon on my shoulder so lets get to streaming these new episodes on Netflix. Huzzah!!!

For more information about the show go to netflix.com/disenchantment. Plus click THIS LINK to take your own elfie pic on a mobile device. Also check out their social media channels on Twitter and Instagram. Don't miss out on following @Geekdad248 on Twitter and Instagram too! 

SWEET SUITE AT HOME

The other day we participated in a virtual toy expo hosted by The Toy Insider. I met with industry reps through online chats learning about what hot new products brands will be having hit store shelves soon while my kids provided some live video demonstrations of some fun new games and toys from our friends at Play Monster. Sweet Suite @ Home was a fun evening for the whole family and we learned about a lot of interesting stuff that we will be sharing with you on ageekdaddy.com over the next few months.

Plus we were sent a big box of swag full of toy samples that just arrived! Time for an unboxing! Let's see what is inside:



So what were some of the favorite things my daughter found inside our Sweet Suite @ Home swag box?

BLIND BAG FIGURES

My daughter LOVES Calico Critters and was excited that one of these figures was included in our toy samples. The brand will be releasing blind bags that each contain a cute animal figurine with a camping motif this Fall. Playmobile will also be releasing a blind bag assortment of characters from Scooby Doo cartoons that are a hit with my kids! Blind bags show you the characters that could be inside on the outside of the packaging but you don't know exactly what toy is inside until it is opened up. These mystery packs have been a popular trend with the toy industry in recent years and the sense of mystery and excitement in opening up bling bags provides some extra fun in these toys for kids.

SHOULDERKINS

My daughter has been walking around the house with a sea lion on her shoulder. She thinks Shoulderkins from Aurora are adorable! These cute plush sit on kids shoulders and stay on thanks to a magnet that slips under a shirt to keep the toy attached to your body. In addition to Sammy the Sea Lion there are also a bunny, octopus, unicorn, giraffe, tiger, turtle, and flamingo to choose from in this stuffed animal collection.

POKEMON BATTLE ACADEMY

My kids were most excited about this coming in the Sweet Suite @ Home swag box. They collect Pokemon trading cards but really don't know how to play the game. Pokeman Battle Academy uses a board game to teach people how to play the card deck building game. You can just have fun with this table top game or use it as an entryway to playing the card game. Pokemon Battle Academy looks to be a fun way to spend a family game night!

Check out our YouTube unboxing video to see what else arrived in the Sweet Suite @ Home Swag box. Stay tuned for more updates as this dad blogger continues to provide updates on fun games and toys my kids, and this kid at heart, enjoy playing with.

40 YEARS OF HAPPY MEALS

A Geek Daddy received the featured products for promotional consideration

Who doesn't love a Happy Meal?! This year marks the 40th anniversary of the debut of Happy Meals at McDonalds. To celebrate the occasion, beginning November 7, 2019 while supplies last you can get limited-edition Surprise Happy Meals featuring fan-favorite throwback toys from the past four decades at restaurants worldwide. Don't miss out on picking up some of these classic Happy Meal toys because one they are gone … they're gone! Thanks McDonalds for sending us a box of these Surprise Happy Meal toys for this dad blogger to unbox.

The very first edition of the these children's meals was called the Circus Wagon Happy Meal which became available nationally in the United States in 1979. Happy Meals in their first years featured decorative boxes with a variety of themes and included prizes such as a spinning top or an eraser in the image of a McDonaldland character. These eventually evolved into the iconic red boxes with golden arches for a handle that contains a collectible toy that we are all familiar with now.

Over the years Happy Meal toys have been associated with promoting movies, toy lines, and McDonalds' mascots. My favorite toys have to have been the Looney Tunes character action figures dressed up as DC Comics super heroes that were a promotion in the mid-90s. I still have one of these, the Tasmanian Devil dressed up as The Flash, which stays on my office desk as a cherished keepsake. Do you have a favorite McDonalds Happy Meal toy?

From November 7 - 11, McDonalds Happy Meals will each have a blind bag in them which will contain one of 15 throwback toys from the past forty years inside. It will be a surprise which toy is inside until its package is ripped open. These toys are being randomly distributed so there is an equal chance of getting any of these toys from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

The toys which can be discovered in these Limited Edition Surprise Happy Meals include:

· Cowboy McNugget (McDonald’s): 1988
· Fireman McNugget (McDonald’s): 1988
· Mail Carrier McNugget (McDonald’s): 1988
· Hamburger Changeable (McDonald’s): 1989
 · Grimace (McDonald’s): 1990
· Dino Happy Meal Box Changeable (McDonald’s): 1991
 · McDonald’s Hot Wheels Thunderbird (Mattel): 1993
· Hamburglar (McDonald’s): 1995
 · Power Rangers (Hasbro): 1995
· Space Jam Bugs Bunny (Warner Brothers): 1996
 · Patti the Platypus (Ty Beanie Baby): 1997
· Tamagotchi (Bandai): 1998
· My Little Pony (Hasbro): 1998
· Furby (Hasbro): 1999
· Hello Kitty (Sanrio): 2013