CanGeek's Fandom Friday!

Everyone remembers their first...

For me I was six years old, it was a cold winter day, we were snowed in so my Mom and Dad slept late that morning. I had woke up at my normal time, half expecting to be rushed off to school but when that didn't happen I turned on the television to watch the very first movie to air on Canada's new home movie network - First Choice!

And as I watched the adventure unfold in front of me, the heroic sacrifice a mentor was prepared to make for his student, the epic fight between good and evil, a new hope was born within me and my life long love of Star Wars was born.

As I type out this blog It's Friday June 1st, and on the CanGeek Community Page we're inviting our members to post about their personal favorite fandom, and from gaming to comics and movies I have a lot to talk about....but I suspect I will be posting about Star Wars more then anything else today.

If you've read some of my other blogs then you know I can be more then a little outspoken about the current state of a galaxy far, far away, I'm not a major supporter of what Disney has done to the Star Wars universe, however I'm grateful that this franchise still has some life left in it and we still have much to discuss.

Like many others fans, those who support the Star Wars franchise are both fiercely loyal and aggressively protective of this fandom. Like me there are many out their who find comfort in this series because it invokes memories of simpler times, memories of their childhood.

We aren't born as fans, we develop our fandom as we grow.

Everyone remembers their first game, their first film or television show, the first comic book that made them an instant fan of a specific superhero or publisher, that's what we're talking about today.

Please consider this an open invitation to join the CanGeek Games and Collectibles Fandom Friday on Facebook and share the passion you have for your fandom of choice with us.

Thanks for reading.

Ready Player One

Although I watch a lot of movies I hardly go to a theater anymore....

The simple truth is that if I saw every film I was interested in at a theater then I'd need a second mortgage on my house, the theater going experience has become progressively more expensive over the years!

With that in mind I'm very selective about where I invest my movie going dollars, for example this month I will be investing in the film adaptation of Ernest Cline's Ready Player One.

Directed by Stephen Spielberg, Ready Player One is set in the dystopian future of 2044 and tells the story of Wade Watts, a teenager residing in a poverty stricken district known as the stacks.  Obsessed with the 1980's and seeking to escape the realities of his world, like many others Watts seeks comfort through a virtual reality experience known as The OASIS.

When James Halliday, the creator of the OASIS dies it becomes public knowledge that somewhere within this VR utopia is a hidden Easter Egg, and whomever finds this digital treasure will be gifted Halliday's real-world fortunes.

Let the hunt begin!

Much like the book, this film promises to be ripe with pop-culture references from the '80's, encompassing a multitude of movie and gaming genres.

And although the film adaptation has received some harsh criticism on social media these past few months, Ready Player One is expected to do well at the box office as the film promises to feed that "geeky hunger" - at least until the release of Avengers: Infinity War Part One!

Let us know if you're excited for the release of Ready Player One and please remember to follow us on social media via our website at CanGeek.com .

Keeping It In Focus Part One - 12 MUST SEE films in 2018!

As I begin to type this blog we're just under 2 hours into 2018 and while others are finishing that last drink or preparing to negotiate the hangover they'll wake up with in the morning, I'm already focused on what a great cinematic year I expect it to be.

With some true Hollywood blockbusters on the horizon, I wanted to share twelve films that I just can't wait for this year.

1. Black Panther:

While I have heard some say that Marvels decision to bring Black Panther to the big screen was politically or racially motivated, I for one say this character was long overdue for his feature film debut! 

Following the events of Captain America: Civil War, in which T'Challa witnessed the death of his father, T'Challa has now assumed the role of both the ruler of the advanced nation of Wakanda and that of The Black Panther - the protector of his nations people.

T'Challa must now do battle with those who would threaten his nation, both from outside his borders and withing.  

Black Panther releases on February 16th, and if you haven't seen the trailer yet then check it out!t

2. Ready Player One: 

Based on the novel by Ernest Cline and directed by Oscar winner Steven Spielberg, Ready Player One promises to be a fantastic treasure hunt ripe with music and pop culture references from the 1980's!

When the creator of a virtual reality world known as the OASIS dies, a video is release which challenges all of OASIS users to find a hidden Easter Egg. With the understanding that whoever finds the egg will inherit a vast fortune, Wade Watts joins countless other players in a race to gain the ultimate price.

Ready Player One releases on March 30th, and if you haven't seen the trailer yet than what are you waiting for?

3. RAMPAGE!

It's no secret that movies based on video games are cursed, that is to say that they usually turn out to be slightly on the awful side.  

However having said that, when a movie is released based on one of my favorite games I'll still find myself lining up at the theater box office to throw my money away.

Such will be the case with RAMPAGE!

I can remember many a day spent pumping quarters into the local arcade machine as me and my childhood friends sought to level virtual cities with our monstrous avatars, and that is why I will go out and see this film.

The trailer for this film more or less says it all, animals infected with some sort of growth serum will turn violent on unsuspecting cities, more then likely seeking revenge for the wrong doings of mankind.

This will be a disaster film, the only question is will it be a disaster on the big screen or a disaster at the box office?  Will find out when RAMPAGE releases on April 20th.

4. Avengers: Infinity War

Lets be honest here - before Marvel brought us Iron Man in 2008 superhero movies just weren't that good.  Now that isn't to say that there weren't some decent superhero films, more to say that these films just can't compare to what Marvel has done thus far.

Marvel Studios has done a fantastic job of developing both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and creating stories that have kept audiences coming back for more with each new film.

The next film in the Marvel saga, after Black Panther, will be the highly anticipated Avengers: Infinity War Part One.  In this film, which will begin to close out phase four of Marvels story arc, we will see allies both old and new unite against the mad titan Thanos who is intent on bringing an end to the universe.

The trailer leaves you with the since that this movie will in fact represent a real shift in the MCU once the phase four story has come to an end, and we won't have long to wait before we find out with Avengers: Infinity War Part One releasing on May the 4th!

5. SOLO: A Star Wars Story

I'm actually not sure how I feel about this movie yet, not after seeing The Last Jedi, Yes I'm one of THOSE people who didn't enjoy The Last Jedi.  I honestly believe that Disney purchased the intellectual property that is Star Wars for the money they knew they'd make in market saturation, but now that they have it they don't know what to do with it. 

Having said that as Jyn Erso pointed out "Rebellions are built on hope" so I HOPE that SOLO: A Star Wars story won't be the let down that both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi have been.

However as a fan there is reason to be concerned.

From Lucasfilms decision to trade in directors from the team of Phil Lord and Chris Miller to Ron Howard (which isn't a bad thing) to recent rumors that the Mouse House is advising its shareholders that they expect this film to bomb at the box office, one has to wonder why Disney doesn't delay this films May 25th release date until they are absolutely confident in releasing a finished and finely polished piece of work.  After all Disney, this film might be set in a galaxy far, far away but Star Wars fans much closer to home are watching to see what happens next......

6. Deadpool 2:

It's hard to believe that there was ever a time when the success of an "R" rated superhero film was in question - they were dark times indeed!

Fortunately a savior who personified the very hero he longed to play came along and opened the foolish eyes of studio executives - the Deadpool movie was finally going to happen!

Thank You Ryan Reynolds! 

Following up on the unquestionable success of Fox's 2016 hit, Deadpool is back with all the supporting faces who helped to make his first film so much fun to watch!  Adding to the hype of the new film is Josh Brolins casting as Cable along with some fantastic marketing including the no good deed trailer and the  Wet on Wet teaser.

Although no official story has been released for this film ahead of its June 1st release date, Deadpool 2 promises to be one of the biggest hits of the 2018 summer movie season.

Who said "R" rated superhero films wouldn't be acceptable to the moving going public?

Check back soon for for Keeping It In Focus Part Two, until then thanks for reading and remember to follow us at cangeek.com.

Thank You - We can't say it enough!

What is life without purpose? We all need to feel like we belong, like we matter.

I believe that with the support of our family, friends and loved ones we create our own individual purpose in life - and over the past twelve months with your help I've done exactly that.

So from the bottom of my heart thank you.

I've spent the past few days reflecting on the year that was 2017 and where it has taken CanGeek Games and Collectbales, and I'm more then pleased with the accomplishments, the leaps and bounds in which we've seen our business and our online communities grow - and this is all thanks to you and your support.

A little over two years ago I saw my departure from EB Games Canada, a company I worked at for seven years, in a job that for the most part I enjoyed.  Feeling both bitter and hurt I took my lifelong love of board games and video games, combined that passion with my passion for television, film, and collectables and decided to seek self-employment - CanGeek was born and I've never looked back!

Over the past two years we've grown from a concept into a fully licensed and legally registered Canadian company.  We've setup an online store that is accessible through both our website and our Facebook page,, we're active on Blogger, Instagram, Twitter, Google Plus, YouTube as well as our new podcasts on Anchor.fm

Although we need to work on consistency, we are growing and doing much better then I had ever dreamed possible - Again this is all thanks to you.

We have proudly participated as vendors at shows including the GTA Collectibles Expo, the very first Peterborough Comic-Con, the Burlington ToyCon, The Barrie Comic-Con, The Oakville Comic-Con and most recently the East End Expo.

We have been blessed to meet new people, make new friends, send people home with quality games and collectables, and watch our business and our brand develop and grow - Again this is all thanks to you.

Without you our family, our friends, our customers, and our CanGeek community members we wouldn't be able to do the things we do.  We wouldn't be able to share our passion for board games and video games, television and film or toys and collectables with you.

So I cannot say this enough:

- Thank You for your support.
- Thank You for standing by us.
- Thank You for making 2017 such a fantastic year.
- Thank You for giving me hope for the future that is 2018.

On behalf of both Christiane and myself, we wish you nothing but health, success and happiness for 2018, and once again we honestly and truthfully appreciate the support you continue to give us, you represent our purpose as we continue to grown CanGeek Games and Collectables.

Thanks again,

Scott Gasson
Managing Partner
CanGeek Games and Collectables

How my father used a love of gaming to teach me the most important rule in life.

As we celebrate Father's Day 2017 I'm reminded of something.

The first home based console we had growing up was the Atari 2600, and my Father became The Master of fixing broken joysticks!  It wasn't that the controllers were poorly built, as a matter of fact for the time that this system was released these controllers were fairly durable.  No my Dad became the master of fixing the Atari joysticks because of the constant and consistent abuse these controllers had to endure at the hands of myself and my two older siblings.

We took our games of Frogger, PAC-MAN, and Pitfall seriously!

We would receive stiff warnings about treating our belongings better, would be reminded of how expensive these devices were to replace, and would even be threatened with "If you keep breaking these then I'm gong to stop fixing them!" but we kept breaking them, and Dad kept fixing them.

Eventually each of us graduated from the Atari to our own personal computers, the Commodore Vic 20 was the first of many to cross our front door, and once again our father was there to support us with our never-ending computer needs.

It began with buying a few cartridge based games that we could play, but games were just as expensive in the 80's as they are today.  So after much debate with my mother, off Dad went to the store and when he came back he held in his hand the secret to our gaming salvation, at the time anyways - The Datasette!

Armed with this new device, and a copy of Compute Magazine, Dad took on the task of teaching himself basic programming skills.  Every issue of Compute would come with pages upon pages of instructions for programming a basic game for your Vic 20, it was tedious data entry but Dad would do it just the same.

His time-consuming efforts equaled new games for us, so we didn't complain and once again Dad became a master - this time at programming.

As the years continued to turn we each eventually graduated to new hardware, first the Commodore 64, than the Commodore Amiga, and finally the PC as we know it today - and our father was always there to support us, to lend a hand were needed.

It wasn't until years later when I had children of my own that I began to realize why Dad had become so involved in something that he seemed to have no real interest in, it was about teaching us the lessons of love, the lessons that a father strives to pas onto his children.

For myself and my siblings it was about gaming, for our father it was about showing us that you can do anything you set your mind to, learn to fix a joystick, learn to program, keep up with ever-changing technologies, change careers mid-way through your working life, start your own business.

There is a fair age difference between myself and my sister, nine years, between myself and my eldest brother there is a eleven year age difference, my father was celebrating his 43rd year when I was born - this is a time when most parents are preparing to send their children off to post-secondary education as opposed to thinking about the first day of kindergarten again.

My Dad lived life by his rules, not the rules society placed upon him, and in his own way he tried to teach his three children to do the very same thing. This is our first fathers day without Dad, he passed away just after fathers day last year having had a hard-fought battle with terminal bladder cancer. 

I expect this to be a difficult day but it will conclude a year of firsts for our family.

To those of you reading this, cherish the time you have with your fathers, learn both their rules for life and whatever else they are willing to teach you, say whats in your heart because at times life can be a cruel game and you may not get this opportunity again next year.  

I wish you and your family a very happy and healthy fathers day weekend, please remember to follow us at cangeek.com.

Thanks for reading.

CanGeeks top 12 reveals from E3 2017!

The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) has come and gone for another year, and gamer's the world over have been left salivating as they eagerly wait for the next game they just have to play!  

From Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, to Electronic Arts, Bethisda and Ubisoft, developers came ready to fight - Because E3 is all about winning the hearts and minds of consumers, that's were the product life-cycle really begins! 

Everyone will have their own opinions on what the biggest announcements from E3-2017 were, below is my top twelve picks in no particular order, hope you enjoy!

1. Assassin's Creed Origins: Ubisoft is gong back to the beginning with the Assassin's Creed series. This new game will be set in Egypt with players assuming the role of Bayek - the last of the Medjay and presumably the first of the Assassins.  

If you've watched our recent E3 YouTube video then you know I'm looking forward to this game but would have been much happier if this had been Assassin's Creed Japan!

2. Anthem: Bioware USUALLY doesn't disappoint, or at least they didn't use too....  Either way their back with this Sci-Fi action adventure which will have players taking on the role of a "freelancer", a individual responsible for exploring new environments and protecting mankind with powerful exo-suits.

I can't imagine why this game kind of reminds me of Destiny, either way I'll give it a shot!

3. Beyond Good & Evil 2: They say that sometimes you have to look at where you've been to know where your going, I guess that's how we ended up with a prequel for a sequel to Ubisoft's 2003 smash hit - Beyond Good & Evil 2 will take place before the birth of Jade.

4. Dishonored - Death Of The Outsider: Bethesda is billing this title as a stand-alone expansion to Dishonored 2, players will take on the role of Megan Foster who is an ally to both Corvo & Emily.

The real question here is with a new character, and a new story doesn't that equal a new game? 

5. Kirby: Nintendo may have FINALLY given me a reason to buy a Switch because I'm a sucker for Kirby! But with the game neither possessing an official title or release date I guess I still have time to save my money and wait for a price-drop.

6. Skull & Bones: This game really sounds like World Of Tanks with the tanks being replaced by pirate ships!  Either way, with 5V5 navel battles it sounds like Ubisoft has another hit on their hands - Yo Ho Yo Ho it's a Pirates life for me!

7. A Way Out: When I saw the reveal for this game the VERY FIRST thing that came to mind was Prison Break!  From the studio that brought you Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons this multiplayer title will follow two escaped convicts as they work together to stay one step ahead of the law while trying to come to terms with the choices that have lead them to were they are now.

8. Wolfenstein II - The New Colossus: BJ Blazkowicz is back in this direct sequel to 2014's Wolfenstein: The New Order, this time around BJ will be operating in Nazi-occupied America - this looks like another Homefront style game but it can't be nearly as bad!

9. Crackdown 3: Finally Microsoft has given me another reason to use my Xbox One, guess I need something else to hold that door open now! Crackdown 3 is due to release November 7th and will once again find players working as genetically enhanced super-cops in an open world environment - Its time to blow some shit up!

10. Spider-Man (PS4): Sony scored a major victory at E3-2016 when they announced that Insomniac Games was working on an open world Spider-Man game that would be exclusive to their platform.  This Year they showed off the first game-play.  The title is reminiscent of Rocksteady's Batman games with the focus being on the web-slingers grace and agility.

All we need now is a release date.

11. South Park - The Fractured Butt Whole: After being pushed back a couple of times already Ubisoft confirmed the release date for this title, October 17th 2017 - I want to believe, I really do.

12.  Star Wars Battlefront II: We saw game play, lots of game play, most of this we have seen prior to E3 though.  You would almost think that Lucasfilm and Disney are using this game to build hype for The Last Jedi.  With the introduction of a single player story and space battles I'm guaranteed to purchase this game BUT after the disappointment that Star Wars Battlefront was I think I'll wait for some reviews first - Unless of course EA wants to give me an advanced copy (wink wink, nudge nudge!)

These are my twelve picks for the biggest announcements and reveals at this years Electronic Entertainment Expo, what did you walk away from this years E3 feeling happy about?  Let us now in the comments and remember to follow us at cangeek.com.

Thanks for reading!

Five Games To Revisit As We Celebrate Forty Years Of Star Wars!

When Star Wars episode IV: A New Hope released in 1977 it's doubtful that even the Emperor himself could have foreseen what would come next - the birth of a fandom that has now endured 40 years.

From movies, books and comics to t-shirts, jewelry and toys there's something out there for every fan, regardless of their age.   And lets not forget about the video games which have given us the ability to travel to a galaxy far, far away and fight as or alongside our favorite heroes. 

Over the years I've played many different Star Wars inspired games,  some really good and some not so great, and today I'm going to share with you five of my favorite titles.

1. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 

Anytime I'm talking video games this one always makes my list!

Originally released in September of 2008 on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360, this game bridges the gap in time between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.

You play as Starkiller, once the child of a Jedi whom Vader murdered, you are now the dark lords secret apprentice - a weapon he intends to use in an attempt to overthrow the emperor and take control of the empire for himself.  As you carry out the missions that Vader sends you on, you will begin to regain your humanity and will ultimately light the fire that sparks the birth of a rebellion.  

This game was released four years prior to Disney's purchase of the Star Wars IP and as such is no longer cannon, but you can only imagine where this story might have taken us as fans had things played out differently.

2. Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic

The only thing better then living out the Star Wars story of someone else is creating your own!

Developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts, Knights Of The Old Republic was released for the Xbox and Microsoft Windows based machines in 2003, and it still holds as one of the greatest role-playing experiences to this day.

Set almost 4000 years before the formation of the Galactic Empire, the Sith lord known as Darth Malak has unleashed his armada on the republic.  Players assume the role of a Jedi who has been charged with destroying Malak's military resources.

Players are able to customize their character and  choose between three classes as the game begins, and through turn based combat, character interactions, and plot based decisions the games allignment system will determine your affinity towards the light or dark side of the force.

3. Star Wars Battlefront II

Like so many people I know I was excited for the release of Star Wars: Battlefront in 2015, and although the game was visually stunning it was also sadly underwhelming - with Star Wars the story is everything.

Fortunately we always have Star Wars Battlefront II to fall back on.  Unlike the new Battlefront offering which was published by Electronic Arts, the original Battlefront was developed by Pandemic Studios and published by LucasArts on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox and Microsoft Windows machines.

Players assume the role of a veteran stormtrooper as he recounts his experiences in service of both the Republic and the Galactic Empire, experiences which are intertwined within the core Star Wars Story. And with game modes including hero assault and objective based space battles Star Wars Battlefront II was far superior to its more recent counterpart.

4. Lego Star Wars:

When you take one of my favorite childhood toys and combine it with one of my favorite fandoms it spells nothing but trouble for me - I've owned every Lego Star Wars game.

I couldn't hope to pick just one Lego Star Wars game, each of them has brought something new to the table and holds a special place in my heart.  For example it was Lego Star Wars II on the PlayStation 2 that first sparked my eldest son's love of Star Wars.

Where other games have had a level of violence that slightly alienated them from the younger gamer audience, Travelers Tales games has done an exceptional job of capturing the feelings involved by a Star Wars game while creating an environment were parents don't have to fear for the content their children are being exposed too.

I love my Lego Star Wars games.

5. The Empire Strikes Back (Atari 2600)

Published by Parker Brothers in 1982, The Empire Strikes Back found players in control of Luke Skywalker's snowspeeder during the battle of Hoth.  With a total of five snowspeeders (lives) it was the players objective to hold off the advance of the Imperial Walkers least they reach the rebel base and destroy the power generator

Although the game included several difficulty levels such as the speed of the walkers advancement, if the walkers were solid, and if the walkers were equipped with "Smart bombs", it was at its core a grind to see how long you could hold out before the walkers finally completed their objective.

These are the five Star Wars games that I think are worth revisiting as we celebrate the forty year anniversary of A New Hope,  Do you agree with this list, what games would you recommend?  Let us know and remember to follow us at cangeek.com 

Nintendo to re-release Gameboy Advanced

Coming off the success of this past holiday season which saw the release of the NES classic and global sales in excess of $1.5 million, Nintendo confirmed on Friday the release of the Game Boy advanced special edition.

This new console is expected to provide a library of classics including both Pokemon Ruby & Pokemon Fire Red, Metroid Fusion, Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap and Mario Kart: Super Circuit.

Although Nintendo was reluctant to discuss a price point at the time of their announcement, it is expected that this retro re-release will enter the market with an MSRP of roughly $199.99 U.S.D 

This announcement was greeted with resounding cries of joy from both game collectors and those in attendance who were looking to reclaim a small amount of their lost childhoods!

The Game Boy Advanced Special Edition is scheduled to hit store shelves April 1st, 2018!

Happy April Fools Day everyone from your friends and fellow gamers at CanGeek

Whats happened to Cyberpunk 2077?

When I was fifteen years old a close friend introduced me to this amazing new tabletop RPG that he had just purchased.....

Published by FASA (the makers of both Mechwarrior and Battletech) this new game used a not to distant dystopian future as a backdrop and incorporated both science fiction and fantasy as a means of engaging its players in some truly creative storytelling.

Needless to say that by the end of our first adventure I was in love with Shadowrun!

My fascination for Shadowrun prompted me to develop a love for all things within the cyberpunk genre and as a result i sought out more games, more books, more movies, if it was cyberpunk themed then I wanted it!

Over the years however I had engrossed myself so deeply into this subculture that I began to lose interest in it, the truth is that anyone who says you can't have to much of a good thing is sadly deceiving you.

However this all changed for me once again in 2012, that's when the trailer for Cyberpunk 2077 appeared on YouTube:

Developed by CD Projekt Red (the publishers of The Witcher franchise) and based on the Cyberpunk 2020 tabletop game, Cyberpunk 2077 was originally slated for release on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, so what happened?

The answer is simple, CD Projekt Red threw all of their development power behind The Witcher to ensure it would be the acclaimed success that it has ultimately became.  With the release of "Blood & Wine" which is the final DLC for The Witcher 3, we now eagerly await the release of Cyberpunk 2076, and it promises to be worth the wait!

Reports have suggested that Cyberpunk 2077 with its sandbox environment and optional first person/third person game play experience will be the largest open-world RPG ever created by CD Projekt Red.  

Further facts to support this include CD Projekt Red's decision to devote a larger team to the development of Cyberpunk 2077 then was allocated to The Witcher 3, also during the most rigorous period of The Witchers development CD Projekt Red opted to began upgrading the REDengine 3 game engine in preparation for work on Cyberpunk 2077.

Another aspect of game play that has been suggested is multiplayer which is highly unusual for a CD Projekt Red title.  Realizing the idea of a multiplayer experience could alarm its dedicated fan base, CD Projekt Red's managing director Adam Badowski told Eurogame during a 2013 interview

"It will be a story-based RPG experience with amazing single-player playthroughs, but we're going to add multiplayer features.  We don't know much beyond that"

As usual the developers are taking a "When it's done" approach in regards to the games release date, however it has been suggested that the release window expands anywhere from 2017 to 2021 with the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC now being their target platforms.

In my opinion this developer has a successful track record of releasing powerful and engulfing role-playing games that at their core have never failed to provide an exceptional experience to the end user..  With that fact in mind i enthusiastically and somewhat impatiently await the release of what i expect will be CD Projekt Red's best game to date.

Thanks for reading and remember to follow us at CanGeek.com

Going GEEK: October 14th - October 16th

If you live within or relativity close to the Greater Toronto Area this is a great weekend to be a
geek!  With multiple events taking place your biggest challenge might be finding the time and money to take in these outstanding events.

1.  Unplugged Expo:

Celebrating their fifth anniversary & featuring a lineup of guests from multiple genres, Unplugged Expo is a little bit cosplay, a little bit nostalgia and a lot geek!  The staff strive to maintain your level of excitement from the moment you arrive.

Featured events include but are not limited to the YTV Zone PJ reunion, the Harry Potter: Room Of Requirement, the Masters Of Cosplay competition, Unplugged singing idol,  and Just Dance 2016 dance off.

Unplugged Expo is being held at the Weston Harbor Castle hotel on October 15th and 16th with tickets ranging in price from $10.00 to $35.00 plus applicable taxes.  For a complete list of events and guests head over to the Unplugged Expo website.

2. LEGO Imagination Nation Tour:

Concluding a tour which began in June with stops in Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver, the LEGO Imagination Nation event roles into the Metro Toronto Convention Center from October 14th to October 16th.

From diving into a pit of LEGO bricks or going hands on with the latest and greatest in LEGO Video Games including LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens and LEGO Dimensions this event promises to have something for every LEGO enthusiast.

This event also boasts your opportunity to meet one of only seven people to be certified as a LEGO Master Builder in the world, this is your opportunity to learn from a true LEGO master.

With a general admission ticket valued at $28.50 plus applicable taxes this seems like a can't miss event for the entire family.  Head over to the LEGO Imagination Nation Tour website for all the details.

3.  Oshawa Comic-Con:

We love our small regional shows, they don't seem to get lost in their own hype and the vendors aren't fighting to make up the costs of overpriced tables by super inflating prices.  

One such show is the Oshawa Comic-Con held at the Harmony Creek Community and Events

center.  We've had the opportunity to attend this show a few times now and have found the staff and the vendors to be friendly and outgoing folks who are attending as much out of a sense of enjoyment as they are for financial gain.

This one day event which is presented by Pop Culture Canada runs from 10:00am until 4:00pm with a completely reasonable $5.00 admission per person.  For more details we recommend visiting the Oshawa Comic-Con Facebook events page.

As always thanks for reading and remember to visit the CanGeek website for links to our various social media feeds.