Oh Yeah: Happy Halloween!

Posted on October 31, 2011 by geelw

I actually almost forgot it was Halloween today, as I’ve been so busy, but thanks to the radio reminding me that random strange kids will be ringing my doorbell and making me nuts today, I’m more prepared. Anyway, here’s a nice bit of holiday-themed art I did earlier this year on a whim. If I wasn’t so busy and could afford the costume, I’d dress up like Frankenstein’s monster and freak some of those kids the heck out. Of course, that would mean I’d have parents chasing me with pitchforks and torches, but such is the life of the hapless creature. Anyway, back to getting stuff done. I’ve a few reviews due!

No, I Didn’t Forget You, AMC…

Status

Hey, kids! My regularly scheduled Sunday night The Walking Dead review is going up later today (Monday) as I was playing War LOTR: in the North in order to finish that review in time for the embargo to lift. No spoilers here other than to say I like the game. A lot. Anyway, if you saw the show last night, discuss: that Shane is turning into a right bastard, isn’t he? Poor Otis certainly didn’t deserve what he got, that’s for sure…

Snow Day! Well, I’m In For The Weekend Anyway…

Status

Yeah, it’s snowing in NYC two days before Halloween and it’s sticking. Nice. Good thing I only had a trip to the post office to get done and a bag of rice to buy. I’m in all day after that, folks. Fortunately, I have The Lord of the Rings: War in the North to keep me busy. VERY busy, as the game is pretty darn huge. More on how huge on Tuesday…

Back in a bit. I still have some more post-NYCC Capcom impressions to write up (YES, you should absolutely put Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City on your must have lists) as well as a ton of other things. Maybe even a cool giveaway if you’re good… But that’s for later…

Prototype 2: Heller’s Happy Halloween Greetings!

Posted on October 28, 2011 by geelw

Activision’s always awesome PR department keeps cooking up some cool and amusing holiday greeting cards for Radical Entertainment’s upcoming sequel, so how could they pass up the chance for a Halloween version of the game’s lead character. here you go – in two tasty flavors, at that. Hmmmm. I had NO plans to go out on Halloween, but maybe this might give me a costume idea. Then again, I’d probably get beat up by some cops here in NYC thinking I was some sort of #OWC protester or something. Then again, I kicked a damn helicopter not too long ago, thanks to Activision, so the NYPD better not mess with me, grrrrr…

GoldenEye: Reloaded Launch Trailer: Before We Resume With A Bang & A Boom…

Posted on October 28, 2011 by geelw

Yes, it’s ~~almost~~ finally here, so get those itchy trigger fingers all nice and limber for a super solid single player experience that’s been nicely expanded and some very cool multiplayer modes that will get you yelling at your radar-reading CHEATER friends who pick Odd Job and start throwing bowler hats at you as soon as you spawn. Eurocom has whipped up a fun game that was great on the Wii last year and looks to be even bigger on the HD consoles. Let’s hope enough folks can pull themselves away from BF3 and a few other titles in the launch window to make this one as successful as it should be (and then some)…

This Time, It’s War (In The North)…

Posted on October 28, 2011 by geelw

Guess what JUST showed up (well, around 12:30 this afternoon)? Looks like my weekend plans are shattered to heck, but in a REALLY good way. Off to get to work on a review, which should hopefully go live on ~~Monday~~, er. Tuedsay*. Now about that Batman: Arkham City I didn’t get, feh… you win some, you lose some, I guess. Anyway, I’m off to kill a bunch of Orcs and try not do die by U’ruk Hai. Back in a bit!

Yeah, yeah, I’d initially written this as MONDAY for the review, til I noticed the embargo. Oops. Tuesday it is.

What Team Ico “Should”* Do Next (After The Last Guardian, That Is)…

Posted on October 28, 2011 by geelw

I’ve been kicking this silly idea around for a while (over 10 years), but I’m no game developer at all, just an old gamer and sometimes “idea guy” with a lot of thoughts about how to make good games better and better games even more fun. By the way, game companies DO NOT HIRE IDEA PEOPLE (trust me, I’ve asked). So er, don’t get any wild ideas about becoming that person who thinks it’s a good idea that Nintendo or whomever will want you and your notebooks full of Mario or Metroid levels just because you and your friends think they’ve never been done before. Now, where was I? Oh, right.

Since Fumeta Ueda and company are so great at making beautiful worlds and combining them with thought-provoking stories that don’t use a ton of words to express a wide range of emotions, I’d actually love to see them remake an old favorite of mine that, while not a “classic” at all, is a very intriguing game that has a number of similarities to their work. Continue reading →

Review: Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection

Posted on October 28, 2011 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation 3

Developer: Team Ico/Bluepoint Studios

Publisher: Sony

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: A

In certain cases, wistful nostalgia can indeed kick you around the room hard once the reality sets in that perhaps things weren’t as great as you recalled. However, both ICO and Shadow of the Colossus have withstood the test of time as two truly memorable game experiences not to be missed. Team Ico with (a solid assist from Bluepoint Games) have polished up both games to a nice HD finish, added Trophy support, optional 3D and a nice set of bonus features for one truly great package (at a mere $40) that’s an absolute must-purchase title (and yet another solid PS3 collection). For those that remember these two classics, replaying them in this collection will offer a few nice surprises along with a few old quirks. For those that have yet to experience these two masterworks (elements of which have turned up in many games over the past decade), expect to be amazed… provided you have the proper perspective.

Continue reading →

Back In A Bit (Disturbing Clown Version)…

Posted on October 27, 2011 by geelw

I’m working on a few updates, non-DAF stuff and such, so I’ll be back later tonight/tomorrow with some previews and reviews I’ve been meaning to get done (among other things). Here’s a picture of Twisted Metal’s Sweet Tooth I did a long time ago for a magazine cover. Remember, clowns aren’t scary, kids… it’s who’s behind the mask you need to worry about. In the case of this one, if you see any clown driving a tricked out ice cream truck… don’t wave it down or YOU’LL be the one in the freezer. Just hope he doesn’t spot you running for cover, as that truck has got a few tricks up it’s sleeve…

New Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor Trailer Makes Me Want To Knock Down a Wall…

Posted on October 26, 2011 by geelw

…So I can actually (and finally!) get my own Kinect and play the game. My living room is nicely-sized, but in the wrong way that I’d need to have my TV near the front door and blocking access to the kitchen in order to play any Kinect games. I can do Move stuff just fine, though. Oh well. Go, From Software! I’d say Capcom will have a nifty niche hit here provided that some folks get over the fact that more types of games can be done well on Kinect outside of dance, exercise and “family” titles. So far, color me very impressed with this game (even as a work in progress). I’d be even MORE impressed if Capcom added the original Xbox game and sequel to the disc as bonuses so those who missed out can finally play them without having to pay an arm and a leg for that MASSIVE custom controller (and find out the second game needed a single-player campaign which it didn’t have as an online-only expansion pack).