"What To Do When Booth Gets Back…"

Posted on January 28, 2010 by geelw

SO, I’ve been debating a few things over the past couple of months about this blog and NO, I’m not going to drop off the planet with another project (well, not just yet). While I was writing up all 95 pages (or 57,522 words) of that Neo Nectaris: Military Madness strategy guide for Hudson Entertainment, I was also streamlining my games collection. Selling off some titles while expanding others. I think my tastes are changing or revolving back towards strategy, role-playing and quality adventure games across different platforms more than other genres, but I’m certainly not giving up on everything else I like.

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The Madness is OVER (But Boy, Was It Fun While It Lasted)!

Posted on January 25, 2010 by geelw

Yes, I FINALLY completed my strategy guide for Neo Nectaris: Military Madness for the iPod Touch and I’m quite pleased with how it turned out. I’ll be reviewing the game later this week, so keep a eye peeled. How is it? Let’s just say if you’re a fan of Nectaris, you’ll love what’s here. The game is pretty tough and definitely not a “casual” experience and it’s definitely not one of those cutesy Japanese strategy games with spiky-haired characters and cranky, demonic end bosses.

But I’m getting ahead of myself – back in a few with a couple of updates. I’m going to be catching up on a lot of stuff, that’s for sure…

Yakety Yak, Plus A New Place to Visit…

Posted on January 15, 2010 by geelw

OK, Comments are back, so fire away. Pirate Captain C, this probably means you (and what’s up with my Nutella supply?)

Also, if you’re at all intereted in a really cool RPG project that’s coming along quite niecely, check out the jClassicRPG developer blog! This Java-based homage to great classic RPG’s such as Wizardry and The Bard’s Tale is being cooked up by a small team guided by Pal Z. Illes (call him Paul), a Hungarian software programmer with a huge passion for the genre.

Anyway, click on over and check out the game (you can download the current version and yes, feedback is more than welcome, as it’ll help the team make a better final version). If you like what you’re seeing and playing, you can even donate to the cause and get your name in lights. Well, not in lights exactly, but if you like, Paul will give you a shout out on his blog!

That’s my good deed for the day done, so it’s back to finishing up a certain strategy guide I’ve been toiling away on for a few months – back soon with a more wordy update…

Open Season (or Thanks, USPS!)

Posted on January 13, 2010 by geelw

Hmmmm… This paranoid anti-terror stuff is going too damn far AND invading my privacy to boot. So far, every game I’ve gotten addressed to me at Destroy All Fanboys! has arrived OPENED and very badly resealed or in at least two cases, not sealed well at all. I’m gathering that those postal inspectors out there have been screening my DAF mail to make sure I’m not some home-grown terrorist or something like that.

Hell, if they keep opening my mail and sending it to me in the condition it arrives in, I might go postal after all (but for a totally non-terrorist manner).

Idiots.

Review: Zaku

Posted on January 12, 2010 by geelw

Platform: Atari Lynx

Developer: PenguiNet

Publisher: SuperFighter Team

Players: 1

Rating: E (Everyone)

Official Site

Score: A+

Dust off that Atari Lynx* and get ready for some hardcore shmup action – Zaku is finally here and it’s an instant classic that you don’t want to miss. SuperFighter Team and developer PengiNet have cooked up a solid and spectacularly tough 4 Meg chunk of horizontal arcade shooting set in 16 stages set over five worlds packed with big-eyed cartoon enemies and wacky screen-filling bosses that will give you candy-colored nightmares on each of its difficulty levels. The game is a near-perfect throwback to the days of classic 8 and 16-bit shooters and every level, every second of the game oozes quality, if not sheer programming genius. How this is running on the Lynx and looking as great as it does is a wonder, but it truly shows just how powerful (and under appreciated) the hardware was (and is).

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Freelan¢ing for $ony (Slight Return, Once More with Feeling!)

Posted on January 8, 2010 by geelw

This article has appeared in at least two places, once in print (in my fanzine, Continue? back around 1999 and a second time a few years later over at Digital Press in my “Did You Know?” column). I figure I’d expand it slightly and give you folks who miss my usual postings something to read as I try and get my Sony PR contacts back after too long.

(Heh, like THIS is going to help?)

Anyway, it’s a fine and funny story, and yes, it’s all true (well, except for the parts about my head popping off or being otherwise damaged).

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No Comment (Well, For Now…)

Posted on January 8, 2010 by geelw

Yes, I get mail and yes, I actually respond on occasion – case in point:

“Hey, why’d ya disable comments?”

Well dear readers, I was getting some very annoying porn spam and Asian porn spam at that! I’ve nothing against Asian gals, porn or SPAM (although it’s too salty for my diet, sorry Hawaii – love the islands, but SPAM will kill me if I ever go back there and have it every day – as Fred Flintstone once said, “Pass the poi”)

Anyway, I’ll add comments back to the blog once I can sort this Hello Cutey Honey Kitty nonsense out.

Besides, those of you who know how to reach me by other means can do so, so there!

Back in a bit – busy week still in progress…

Review: Divinity II: Ego Draconis

Posted on January 6, 2010 by geelw

Platform: Xbox 360 (also on PC)

Developer: Larian Studios

Publisher: CDV

# of Players: 1

Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: B+

Featuring a vast game world fun to explore,
many quests to take (or perhaps ignore),
Divinity II, that new Larian lore
more than deserves the posted score

It’s got some quirks (but don’t games all?)
mayhaps a patch will raise things tall
Still, for adventure, heed well my call
What’s here is tops from wall to wall!

Plain old good to flat out great RPG’s make me wax poetic from time to time and as it deftly straddles the fence between those two poles, Divinity II: Ego Draconis gets 2010 off to a fine start in grand style for genre fans. Sure, it wears some of its PC origins on it sleeve a bit too proudly, yet the game is quite addictive and indeed, very highly playable for hours on end. Despite some pesky technical issues that rear their ugly heads, the game is also often quite good to look at provided you aren’t wistfully recalling something else while playing. Warts and all, you can’t knock developer Larian Studios for bringing this sequel to the stellar 2001 PC RPG Divine Divinity to the 360. The first game was an instant classic (it’s been an automatic install on the three PC’s I’ve had since 2001) and what’s here comes very close to being equally as fun an experience. If you’re looking for depth and a flat out huge and fun world to explore, Div II delivers and lets you keep the change.

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