Author: Jamal Michel

Equal parts Muslim Wakandan Nerd and superhero cinephile. Jamal watches Into the Spider-Verse at least once a week to keep his head on right. His interests are whatever Marvel or DC are willing to sell him.
Gaming, Video Games1 Comment

‘Pokémon UNITE’ Finally Gets a Release Date As Nintendo Shows Off More In-Game Details

Jamal Michel

A year ago at Pokémon Presents, we got an amazing first-look at a Pokémon themed multiplayer online battle arena, Pokémon UNITE, a MOBA in the same vein as League of Legends and Smite where teams face off against each other for control of various resources over the course of a given match. In Pokémon UNITE, “players will compete in Unite Battles, where they form teams of five and compete against each other to see who can score the most points before time runs out.”

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Conventions, Video GamesLeave a comment

Nintendo Rocks the House at E3 2021 With a Heap of New Announcements

Jamal Michel

During Nintendo’s nearly 40-minute E3 2021 presentation, viewers got a look at a huge selection of new titles, forthcoming, DLC, and surprise announcements that sent social media into an understandable frenzy.

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Gaming, TechLeave a comment

Check Out Razer’s Newest Collab With Ubisoft to Game Like an Esports Pro

Jamal Michel

Today Razer announced a new edition to their line of esports worthy tech in a collaboration with Ubisoft. The BlackShark V2 Pro: Six Siege Special Edition — reskinned with a striking Six Siege design and highlighted with eye-catching orange stitching and accents is a perfect fit for any hardcore gamer.

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Conventions, Gaming, InterviewLeave a comment

Verizon Powers a 5G Future For Gaming with Diverse, Inclusive, and Cutting Edge Initiatives

Jamal Michel

Diego Scotti, Chief Marketing Officer at Verizon, took to the stage at E3 2021 to share some of the major initiatives in gaming and advancements in technology the company was prepared to share with gamers and fans.

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Conventions, Video GamesLeave a comment

SK Telecom Set to Participate in E3 2021 For the First Time

Jamal Michel

SK Telecom (SKT) will be participating as the first ever South Korean telecom company at this year’s E3 to stake its claim in the global video game market. With its participation in the world’s biggest game exhibition, it will be presenting Anvil, Little Witch in the Woods, and NEOVERSE, and plans to actively support South Korean game markets.

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Gaming, TechLeave a comment

Razer Announces Latest Wireless Lifestyle Audio Product: the Opus X

Jamal Michel

Razer, the world’s leading lifestyle brand for gamers, recently announced the newest addition to their family of lifestyle audio products with the Opus X. Features of the sleek, new Opus X include: Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) technology, Bluetooth 5.0, 60ms low latency Gaming Mode, tuned 40mm drivers and two built-in microphones, with modern, and over-the-ear styling in a range of head-turning colors.

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Interview, Video GamesLeave a comment

‘Fightin’ Words’ Episode One: Gaming Icon Tanya DePass

Jamal Michel

Tanya DePass is the founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a not-for-profit organization based in Chicago, which is dedicated to better diversification of all aspects of gaming. She’s also a gaming icon, having been named one of the “Gamers of the Year” for 2020 by Kotaku, as well as a 2020 Annenberg Innovation Lab Civic Media Fellow at USC.

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Conventions, Video GamesLeave a comment

Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest is a Bright Spot in Tumultuous Times

Jamal Michel

I first saw Geoff Keighley on G4TV back in my early teens and after noting his passion for games, his quirky presentation, and his overall excitement to share some good news, I knew I had finally found some long lost brother who became infinitely more successful than me, and rightly so. Geoff’s been an icon in the entertainment and gaming industry for the last two decades and while his reputation precedes him, there still never seems to be a shortage of excitement when he hits the stage to share a famous WORLD PREMIERE.

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Conventions, Video GamesLeave a comment

The 2021 PC Gaming Show Officially Airs June 13

Jamal Michel

The return of PC gaming’s biggest showcase finally arrives June 13, the weekend of E3, with a bevy of exclusive content, trailers, and more for fans and gamers to enjoy. PC Gamer will be streaming the show from their YouTube and Twitch channels from Los Angeles within E3’s official programming to bring viewers some of PC gaming’s most innovative and exciting new titles.

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Conventions, Tech, Video GamesLeave a comment

E3’s Media Week Includes Lackluster Perks, Buggy Features, and Bizarre Avatar Creator

Jamal Michel

Since its inception, the Electronic Entertainment Experience (or E3 expo) has been the number one hotspot for fans and gaming journalists alike to get a sneak peak at the biggest and most anticipated titles to come to the gaming world. As of late, however, the once celebrated video game and tech expo has been against the ropes, fighting the wavering reality of its relevance amid a changing landscape that saw the announcement of the PlayStation 5 in an interview with Wired magazine. In 2019, the expo was rocked by Sony’s withdrawal from the convention and before that, faced increased criticism for “over hyping” titles that would ultimately bust (i.e. Anthem).

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Comics, Fantasy

Marc Bernardin and Ariela Kristantina Present Original Graphic Novel ‘Adora and The Distance’

Jamal Michel

Just in time for Father’s Day is award-winning writer and FatMan Beyond co-host Marc Bernardin’s first ever YA graphic novel Adora and The Distance. The novel is inspired by Bernardin’s daughter who was diagnosed with autism as a toddler and tells a deeply beautiful and personal tale of adventure, courage, and mystery. The novel follows the goings-on of young Adora as her fantastical world of pirates, giants, and ghosts comes under threat by a mysterious force called “The Distance.”

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Interview, Streaming

NOC Interview: Joi McMillion, Oscar-Nominated Co-Editor of Barry Jenkins’ ‘The Underground Railroad’

Jamal Michel

Joi McMillion lives up to her name on a daily basis — you’ll rarely catch the Oscar-nominated editor with anything less than a smile. As the co-editor of Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight, Joi became the first black woman to be nominated for an Oscar for film editing and the proof is in the process. Joi and longtime friend and colleague Nat Sanders knew Barry from their time at FSU’s film program and have since established a long and successful working relationship together. After working on If Beale Street Could Talk, Joi took on a project she’s never worked on before: a television series on a streaming service.

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Interview, Movies, Television

Culture House’s Raeshem Nijhon Talks About the Importance of Representation

Jamal Michel

The last several years have seen numerous fallouts from Hollywood industry titans with regard to representation and the arts. NBC cancelling the 2022 Golden Globes amid the problems the HFPA essentially created for itself is a reminder of the strides still to be had for the industry. Enter Raeshem Nijhon, executive producer and founder at Culture House, a black, brown, and women-owned premium film and TV production company.

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Reviews, Video Games

Flight School Studio’s ‘Stonefly’ is a Must-Play Indie Game

Jamal Michel

This week, the folks at Flight School Studios and MWM Interactive released their indie mech title, Stonefly. The adventure game is a chill yet wholly beautifully exploration of legacy, resource gathering and mech building, as players follow Annika Stonefly in her search for her father’s stolen rig. After a late-night excursion, Annika mistakenly leaves the garage door storing the mech wide open, leaving it victim to a theft that launches our main character on her journey through dangerous and captivating flora and fauna.

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Comics, Marvel, Reviews

Scholastic’s ‘Miles Morales: Shock Waves’ is Exactly What My Inner Teen Needed

Jamal Michel

*SPOILERS AHEAD!*

My earliest memories of my elementary and middle school Scholastic Book Fairs saw massive collections of R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps, loads of nonsensical ’90s tech, and the burgeoning mystery genre before it really took off in young adult literature. Super hero graphic novels were almost nonexistent for kids and teenagers in school spaces in the late ’90s and early 2000s, so it goes without saying that best-selling author Justin A. Reynolds (Opposite of Always) and Eisner-nominated artist Pablo Leon’s Miles Morales: Shock Waves is a gift to the teen in me.

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Gaming, Movies, Music

Death Row Records Celebrates ‘Above the Rim’ Deluxe Soundtrack with Exclusive Merch

Jamal Michel

When we all saw Tupac Shakur in Juice in the ‘90s, not only did we pray to never run into someone like Bishop in our own lives, but we learned the range Pac had outside of the studio. ‘90s and early 2000s Black cinema was marked by a particular era of gangster-laden, hip-hop fueled narratives that sometimes hit the mark, with films like Do the Right Thing, Boyz N the Hood, and New Jack City lending various insights into the cinematic representation of Black Consciousness as it was in the ‘90s and later.

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Fantasy, Video Games

‘The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD’ will Launch with Amiibo Feature That Has Fans Concerned

Jamal Michel

Back in February, the folks at Nintendo dropped an official trailer for the highly anticipated release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD for the Nintendo Switch. The high-definition remaster of the 2011 classic, originally released on the Nintendo Wii, was announced during February’s Nintendo Direct stream, to the thunderous applause of countless Zelda fans. What followed were several announcements, including Skyward Sword themed Joy-Cons (with preorders currently sold-out practically everywhere) available the same day as the game’s July 2021 release.

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Streaming, Television

Netflix Original Series ‘Lupin Part 2’ Drops Official Trailer

Jamal Michel

The Netflix original series Lupin has officially released the trailer for part two and we could not be more excited to see Omar Sy return to screens. Hubert Pelligrini has torn Assane’s family apart, but with his back to the wall, he must find and execute a new plan, even if it means putting his life on the line. When we last saw Assane, he was caught in the midst of another life altering and precarious situation involving his family and part two is looking to ramp up the stakes.

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Hard N.O.C. Life, Literature, Streaming, Television

Barry Jenkins and the Cast of ‘The Underground Railroad’ Talk About the Powerful Limited Series

Jamal Michel

Colson Whitehead’s novel The Underground Railroad is a necessary reading for the ways it transcends a violent history and navigates the magic of self determination and Black personhood. The novel, published in 2016 and winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book awards for fiction, follows the life of Cora and Caesar, two slaves in 19th century Georgia who take on the treacherous journey that is their freedom. The novel is bold, loving, and powerful, and with its serving as the basis for director Barry Jenkins’ (Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk) Amazon series by the same name, it has become necessary viewing.

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Comics, Interview, Music

A Conversation with the Creators of ‘ALL CAPS,’ a Webcomic Love Letter to the Late MF DOOM

Jamal Michel

On April 20, a crew of some of the most talented artists and creators came together to produce a free webcomic as a love letter to the late Daniel “MF DOOM” Dumile. The work was a collaboration between longtime artists Troy-Jeffrey Allen, Sean Anthony Mack (a.k.a. Smack!), senior editor and MECCAcon CEO Maia “Crown” Williams, and others. The webcomic is a six-page trek across the many influences Doom left behind and came after the news of his passing rocked the hip-hop community in December 2020.

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Comics, Gone Too Soon, Music1 Comment
ALL CAPS Cover Art

Troy-Jeffrey Allen and Smack! Release ‘VILLAIN: ALL CAPS,’ a Visual Interpretation of the MF DOOM Sound

Jamal Michel

In the wake of his passing last October, the true life story of MF DOOM (real name, Daniel Dumile) has been the topic of many articles and blogs online. However, Dumile was a notoriously private person, and his MF DOOM persona underlined his need to separate the man and the myth.

The free, six-page mini webcomic titled VILLAIN: ALL CAPS intends to simultaneously honor the man behind the mask, as well as the mask itself, by emphasizing his message: modern hip hop has become too obsessed with the superficial and is not focused enough on the sound.

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