PopCap Games have finally released its much delayed tower defense epic Plants vs. Zombies, for the iPhone and iPod Touch and productivity will never be the same.  If you’re not familiar with Plants vs. Zombies the basic crux of the game is this: Zombies are trying to get to your house to eat your brains, and you use plants and traps to try and kill the Zombies before they get to your house. Plants vs. Zombies has already conquered the XBOX 360, and Mac and PC platforms; and finally landed on the iTunes earlier this week. Like most PopCap Games game play is fun and supper addictive, in fact the only reason I am writing this post is because I killed my iPhone playing it. So get it here for $2.99 at your own risk!

Last weekend I had the pleasure to attend Farpoint 2010 in Timonium, MD, a little ways past Baltimore. Now I am no stranger to the Baltimore convention circuit, some of my favorite cons take place around the area: Balticon and Otakon for example; but I have never attended Farpoint until this year. While in years past Farpoint has been a more Star Trek-centric con, they’ve since branched out into other fandoms and genres that would interest the current sci-fi fan.

I honestly have to say I really decided to attend the con after hearing that Felicia Day of The Guild (I’m a huge fan) would be attending as a guest. Since Felicia is from the West Coast her East Coast con appearances are few and far between, I had to go. Also on the great guest roster were Lee Arenberg (Pirates of the Caribbean), Mira Furlan (Lost and Babylon 5) and Sam Witwer (Smallville and Star Wars the Force Unleashed).

The trip down to Timonium from Philly was approximately 2 hours, and was a straight shot down I-95. This was great because most of the main roads were clear and we didn’t run into any issues due to the snow, until we got off the freeway. Upon first arrival, the Crowne Plaza was still in the process of digging itself out of the snowstorm from earlier in the week. Parking in the hotel parking lot was free and plentiful, which is always a bonus in my book. Upon finding a parking space and entering the Convention Center you run straight into the registration table. It still puzzles me that most cons don’t seem to get this little detail right. But right as you walk in the door you are met with staff that was both helpful and attentive. I had some issues with my registration but they worked with me and quickly got me situated and on my way.

The Crowne Plaza is not a large hotel, but Farpoint isn’t a big con either, and I say that in the nicest possible way. While it is a smaller con I would have to say it’s slightly bigger than our Philcon and a little better attended. I do have to mention an effective use of the convention space, the very detailed map in the con-program, and the doors were clearly labeled with schedules posted.  Their dealer’s area was well stocked with vendors who had something to suit any sci-fi fan, and I was very pleased to see quite a few tables with some really rare and hard to find DVDs.

One thing I noticed, as well as other guests, was the large amount of families in attendance. You gotta train them while they are young! Farpoint is definitely a family friendly con and most families came in coordinated cosplay as well. Which will lead to some great embarrassing pictures that will plague many first dates to come. My favorite was the father who was dressed as an Imperial Officer, who brought his younger daughter in full Jedi garb. One of my highlights of Saturday night (pictured above) was watching the little Jedi fight with a remote controlled mouse droid…. priceless.

Read more after the jump!

(more…)

Today in epic wants, we’re featuring this Day of the Tentacle tie.

You might recognize Maya’s work from her absolutely incredible Monkey Island converse shoes. She’s also created Day of the Tentacle inspired kicks. She’s also stolen my heart, and I’m moving to Madrid at the end of the month. It’s been real, Philadelphia.

For more information on Maya and her wonderful work, you can visit her blog. She’s selling a couple of her pieces on eBay, so bid away friends.

Maya Pixelskaya
maya-pixelskaya.blogspot.com

Our good friends, the Pennsylvania Jedi, were on NBC’s “The 10! Show” on Monday, February 15th.

If you’ve never heard of the PA Jedi, you can read Dan’s in depth article about them, here. They’re a good group of fun people, and we always enjoy bumping into them at local conventions.

Congrats, guys and gals. We’re proud of you! Check out the video embedded below.

For more information on the PA Jedi, visit their official website.

If you live in Philly and have been looking for art classes that focus on making comics, you may be in luck with Pterodactyl Philadelphia. Beginning with their Spring 2010 session, you can take their “Making Comics From Idea to Print” course, as well as many other classes ranging from the basics of sewing, to animal sculpture. The comics class will be taught by Pat Aulisio whose work you can view here. Now these classes are scheduled to start April 12th beginning at 6:00pm and ending at 8:00pm.  Some additional information below:

In this course students will learn how to write, draw, and self publish their own mini comic. Students will create their own characters and story to illustrate in different dynamic comic book techniques . At the end of the course all comics will be collected into a class anthology.  Aside from the basics writing and drawing skills for comics there will be daily drawings games to pique the interests of the students like comic jams, drawing from a written description, and parody comics. Guest comic  creators will make appearances talking about individual techniques and comic skills. Students will also learn various comic book formats that will fit to each students personal choice, as well as different folding and bookmaking techniques for their final product.

Check out the Pterodactyl site for any additional info on course fees, cost of materials, or to find contact information if you have any additional questions.

Speaking of Xbox 360 and wargames, starting today, Xbox Live Gold Members can score a copy of Battlefield 1943 for a mere 800 ($10 points) through February 22nd.

Not bad! Pick it up and practice your online multiplayer skills. You’ll need to. Cause I am bringing the hurt at Parker’s Modern Warfare 2 tournament this Saturday.

[ via Major Nelson ]

Attention Philly Gamers! Do you play Modern Warfare 2? Has laying waste to n00bs on Xbox Live lost it’s excitement? If you think so, then perhaps it’s time for a little change of pace. Come see if you’ve got what it takes to claim the number one spot in Old City at Indy Hall this Saturday.

We will have at least 4 boxes set up for a couple hours of casual gaming followed up by a Modern Warfare 2 Tournament, the winner of which will be taking home a brand new wireless Xbox 360 controller compliments of Geekadelphia!

Sponsors of the event include Red Bull, who will be providing us with some free energy drinks, for those of you who like to juice up before going into battle.

Put on your game face and roll over to Indy Hall this Saturday at 1pm for some fun times with some familiar faces, as well as some new ones.

If you plan on attending please RSVP here at the Anyvite page. Only 30 spots left! Do it now!

Xbox Gaming Tournament @ Indy Hall
Saturday, February 20th, 1pm
www.anyvite.com/8ddwzbmlop

Indy Hall
20 North 3rd St, Unit 201, Philadelphia, PA 19106
www.indyhall.org

Welcome to Geekadelphia’s weekly discussion column, Cofffee Talk, where we talk about the finer topics concerning video games, technology and all the other things you can’t talk about with your slightly-less-geeky friends. Have questions or suggestions? Send an email to geekadelphia@gmail.com or tweet with us. Follow me on Twitter if you’d like to keep this week’s discussion alive.

I’m sure some of you are probably still spamming the F5 key on your blog of choice  for their coverage of the Windows Phone 7 Series unveiling in Barcelona. Oh, and look what time it is! Do you hear the well oiled wheels of that train careening into the speculation station? It’s right on time and today’s ride is free, so hop in and let’s get this started.

Right off the bat, it’s obvious Microsoft has taken the Windows Mobile brand and trashed it for something much more reminiscent of the Zune. The super basic color scheme on a colorless backdrop seems as if it’s meant to emphasize the elements users can engage. It sure does look sleek and smooth in motion, but let’s not talk too much about aesthetics and get to what we can on the nitty gritty. More discussion on what the phone could mean for the future after the break. (more…)

In case you can’t tell by my obsession with zombies here on Geek I am a huge fan of George Romero. And while his film The Crazies may not be one of his most well known, it still is a great film about the horrors of biological weaponry and their effects on a small Pennsylvania town. When I first heard they were remaking it I was intrigued to say the least, simply because they usually go after films with a bit more name recognition to them. That way you go in with all the cuddly feelings of the film you had as a child, only to leave sobbing and feeling somewhat violated in the end. Besides, while I am a huge fan of the original you can tell the original was done on a shoestring budget, and I am interested to see what they do with more money and better production values at their disposal with the story.

The plot of the remake goes something like this:

The American Dream goes horribly wrong when the residents of this picture-perfect town begin to succumb to an uncontrollable urge for violence and the horrific bloodshed escalates into anarchy. In an attempt to contain the epidemic, the military uses deadly force to close off access into or out of town, abandoning the few healthy citizens to the growing mayhem as depraved killers lurk in the shadows.

The Crazies comes out Friday, February 26 and stars Timothy Olyphant(Hitman), Radha Mitchell(Surrogates) and is directed by Breck Eisner. Now for the interesting part, the film is written by Scott Kosar. Scott is not too bad at the horror genre remake game as far as I am concerned. He was also responsible for penning both the Amityville Horror and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remakes, and also one of my all time favorite films the psychological masterpiece The Machinist. We are giving away 30 advance passes for two to see the film on  February 25, 8:00PM at the Ritz Five theater. The first 30 people who comment with their favorite film involving a plague or biological warfare and tell us why before February 25 will get passes, and I will notify them via email before the screening. So comment away and check out the trailer.

Writers of Geekadelphia and their families are not eligible for prizes. Limit one entry per person. No cameras, camera phones, or other recording devices permitted in screening. Seating is on a first come, first serve basis. Theatre capacity is limited and passes won do not guarantee seating.(So show up early!) Theater is not responsible for overbooking. Ticket holder and guest must enter theater together.

Welcome back to the Microsoft Student Insider Feature Series, where I get to chat with some super interesting folks from Microsoft, find out what their lives are like at Main Campus and find out more about the dreams that they make realities. This week, we have Matthew Van Gorder, Content Lead at Microsoft Game Studios and Creative Director on the 1 VS 100 team. He let us in on the skinny of what he’s up to and the thought processes that go into maintaining the only live (video) game show on any console network.

1 VS 100 began with the idea of creating  a live event over the Xbox Live network, says Matt. The 1 VS 100 intellectual property had actually already been established years ago as a game show on NBC with Bob Saget as its host and has since been cancelled. When asked why the team used an existing IP, Matt replies,”The adaptation of an existing IP is advantageous because it reduces the barrier of entry.”

More on the on the origins and status of 1 VS 1oo as well as what goes into creating such a title after the break. Stay tuned for information on how you can win a free 60-day trial copy of Expression Studio! (more…)

It should come as no surprise that guys like us can’t wait until the highly anticipated release of God of War III on March 16th.

To help our (blood)thirst 7-11 is offering up ‘Kratos Fury’ as a “perfect blend of ferocious blackberries and frosty limes.”  Available from February 1st to March 31st in your local stores, this flavor is also accompanied by (4) branded GoW3 cups.

Here’s  the part I’m most excited about:  Collecting cups can yield Slurpee Nation Rewards codes….codes that can be turned in for some exclusive Slurpee-themed GoW3 downloadable content!  Kratos’ Morpheus Armor? Yes, you can has it.  Drink more Slurpees!

Via Playstation Blog (Thanks to @fatboymonster for the tip!)

Other links: Domo Kun Comes to 7-11

Surrogates just recently came out on Blu-ray disc and DVD, and I recently had the opportunity to sit in on a virtual round table with Dr. James Canton, Futurist and Randall Alley, CEO of Biodesigns. Dr. James Canton is a member of the San Francisco think tank – The Institute for Global Futures, and Randall Alley’s Company Biodesigns is dedicated to the revolutionizing the prosthetic limbs market. I have to admit; I think Surrogates was actually a pretty good film and a really interesting premise to boot. I just think between Zombieland and the hype machine rolling behind Paranormal Activity at full speed it really didn’t stand a chance. Which is sad because it was decent sci-fi film and deserved better.

Dr. James Canton and Randall Alley are featured prominently on the DVD and Blu-ray special features for Surrogates; and it’s great to get some of their opinions on the technology we see in the film, how close it is to becoming a reality and man’s place in all of it.

Randall, can you tell us about your company Biodesigns, and how it came about?

Randall Alley: Biodesigns specializes in advanced upper limb and high-performance lower limb prosthetics. We are not a manufacturer but rather a clinical company that works with patients. However, we have partnered with manufacturers to develop prosthetic products and have several on the market today. How Biodesigns came about was through my work with a large prosthetic and orthotic company in the United States. I co founded and directed the world’s largest upper limb prosthetic program but became disenchanted due to the corporation’s financial targets, which often superseded clinical results in my opinion. I formed my own company so that I could work with individuals the way I wanted to: in small numbers, with my complete and total focus on maximizing their performance. I used my background in kinesiology and biomechanics to offer a more innovative approach to how we work with our patients/clients.

Dr. Canton, what is The Institute for Global Futures?

Dr. James Canton: The Institute for Global Futures is a San Francisco based think tank that conducts trends research and provides advice to companies and governments on future trends such as leading edge technologies.  See www.FutureGuru.com

(more…)