The Avengers Japanese Trailer #2: Playing Into The “Hey, They Get ALL The Good Stuff!” Stereotype

Posted on March 16, 2012 by geelw

I got that header quote in an email about the trailer and got a nice chuckle before i went into common sense correction mode. It’s not as if those brief snippets of tease-y galore not seen in the US trailers are going to be cut from the film here. Still, it’s nice to see more bits and pieces of the film and how super it all looks, although I have one gripe that bugs me about almost every recent comic book flick. How come we get to see some heroes without their masks in public acting like it’s no big deal that they’re revealing their true identities? Go watch Spider-Man 2 and 3 for the worst examples of this silliness.

Anyway, I’m pleased as punch otherwise. Hell, I’ll even accept Sam Jackson as Nick Fury after holding out for so long. He sure makes a better Fury than David “Hamburgular” Hasselhoff did, that’s for damn sure…

Diablo III Officially Dated: Wake Me When There’s An Offline Solo Mode…

Posted on March 15, 2012 by geelw

Yeah, yeah, I was bitching earlier about people bitching about Mass Effect 3’s ending, but this is entirely different and worth it’s own special gripe. Sure, Blizzard wants to be in better control of its long-awaited baby, but shutting out Diablo III to those who don’t have constant online connections, don’t WANT to play nice (or nasty) with others or hell, just want a game they can play when they want to without having to rely on constant updating just blows. Not everyone who wants an offline mode is a hacker, cheater (or whatever is considered “bad” for DIII) looking to bilk Blizzard. We just want to enjoy the story as solo players and not go near the Internet, that’s all.

Yes, Blizzard will make a MINT on DIII pre-sales and launch day sales and based on what I’ve seen of the beta, they deserve every penny of your hard-earned gold. However, YES, you’d better believe there will be such a download crunch-fest on and around day one that a lot of people will be screaming that they can’t get online or download the game or are suffering through whatever other issues that ALWAYS crop up in a big release like this. A lot of you guys and dolls will be doing the happy dance on May 15, 2012, but for me and a lot of other folks, it’ll be business as usual until we hear of some solution that can get us enjoying SOME form of the Diablo universe (even if it’s a console side-story set in the same period as the game).

Tinkering With The Wayback Machine…

Status

Heh. I’m actually STILL working on updating/fixing those 2010 and 2011 posts, so yes, those articles that are chopped of or oddly formatted WILL be fixed up as time goes on. I still don’t have that typing monkey I ordered from that old comic book, so I blame the slowness of the mail for much of this still ongoing. That and the time machine plans I bought off some stupid website didn’t work at all. I just ended up rewiring the toaster and vacuum cleaner here into a weird thing that shoots sparks and makes a lot of smoke. It also makes random old comic books fall from the sky, but they always arrive all burnt up, so there goes my chances of getting a copy of the first appearance of Superman in a decent condition…

BioWare Doesn’t Need To Do A Damn Thing About Mass Effect 3’s Ending…

Posted on March 15, 2012 by geelw

Look, fans are GREAT to have, but I’m sure SOMEWHERE at BioWare, the team poring over all the hate mail feels every negative creak and groan is worse than driving a car full of sugared-up seven-year old kids to the mall on a hot Saturday afternoon. I wonder how many of these people going on and on about wanting an ending they’d LIKE would have done back in the day about books like Camille, Great Expectations, Lord Jim or even The Diary of Anne Frank.

Feh. I say strap all those folks down and force them to watch The Hidden II on a loop for a week until they see exactly what a bad ending is…

Still, I have to at least give some of these guys and gals a hearty handclasp for using this otherwise needless beef to raise money for charity. These people may not get that alternate ending they crave so dearly, but some very deserving kids out there will get to enjoy their lives a little bit more (and that’s always a good thing)…

Big Bass Arcade: No Limit – Fast Fishing Without The Fuss

Posted on March 15, 2012 by geelw

Work getting you stressed out? Need a quick vacation from the real world? Big John Games wants you to take the day off and do some fishing in its upcoming Wii exclusive. Being a big city guy, the closest I’ve actually come to fresh fish has been at a few markets, the tropical fish in an aquarium, watching Jaws too many times and almost drowning as a kid at camp. So I’m all about staying away from the water whenever possible unless I’m taking a bath… or playing a fun fishing game. That’s the safest route for a klutz like me, as if I fall into my TV, I’ll just get a bump on the head… unless the TV falls on me after I crash into it. Ouch. Hmmm… perhaps I need a new hobby – video games are getting more dangerous it seems…

Laugh of the Day: Intel Makes Folks Go Batty For An Ultrabook

Posted on March 15, 2012 by geelw

OK, how come I’m never around when one of these wacky but cool Ultrabook promos happens? I could use a new laptop myself, as I’m sure the folks at Starbucks are tired of seeing me stroll in with my desktop on a hand truck when I need to take advantage of that free Wi-Fi access. All I’ve ever gotten for free here in NYC while strolling about is a lungful of cigarette smoke from exiled office workers forced to puff away outside their workplaces. Then again, given these videos were shot in Bangkok and Jakarta, the airfare alone would break my bank account.

Ah well… at this point, I’ll take a stale muffin sample over more Marlboro clouds…

Reality Fighters: The “Everyman” Fighting Game That’s Not For Everyone…

Posted on March 14, 2012 by geelw

There’s a definitively cheesy charm to this new Vita game that’s going to be lost on anyone who seriously stacks it up against the other, better fighting games released on the handheld and that’s too bad. Sure, the game loses itself in trying WAY too hard to be intentionally campy and the actual combat is loose and a bit frustrating if you’re a hardcore arcade junkie, but there are some cool bright spots. Snapping backgrounds for the augmented reality fighting indoors or out works really well, the character edit function is pretty deep and with some work (and a better resolution camera upgrade on the Vita), I can see this getting a MUCH improved sequel…

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Avengers RealD 3D Glasses: The “Prescription” For Summer Movie Blahs?

Posted on March 14, 2012 by geelw

These are actually pretty cool, but it’s too bad they’re ONLY available as collectible 3D glasses and not higher quality real prescription frames, So, how do you snag a pair of these darlings, you ask? Well according to the press release:

“Beginning in April, fans at will be able to collect these limited edition RealD 3D glasses at special events, fan screenings and via upcoming online giveaways. THE AVENGERS RealD 3D glasses will also be available at select AMC Theatres, National Amusement Theatres and independent theatres throughout the U.S. beginning as early as midnight on May 3rd.”

Hmmm… I’d bet my shirt some of you out there would pay good money to be walking down the street in those official Iron Man, Captain America, Thor or Hulk specs and be able to actually see where you’re going, right? And, hey – where are the ladies’ glasses? I’d bet a pair of snazzy Black Widow frames would be a must-have for the guys and gals alike…

DiRT Showdown “Massive Damage” Trailer: Now, THAT’S More Like It (Almost)…

Posted on March 14, 2012 by geelw

OK, I said this a while back, but once again, I’m officially retiring Test Drive: Eve of Destruction as my go-to demolition derby fix once DiRT Showdown is released. Still, while this latest work in-progress trailer shows off some cool stuff, I’m wanting a bit more of a damage model that’s closer to actual derby stuff and the damage model found in Bugbear’s FlatOut games while not straying too far into Burnout territory. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with the later Burnout games at all in terms of stuff wrecking up pretty good. However, there’s a great balance between realism and arcade that Monster Games nailed almost perfectly in Eve of Destruction back on the PS2 and Xbox that’s hard to explain unless you’ve played it or seen it in action. Anyway, I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed that Codemasters can knock it out of the park. Well, even further than they have so far…

Ridge Racer Rolls Onto The Vita: A Bit Of A Bumpy, But Budget Ride

Posted on March 14, 2012 by geelw

Another old standby from the original PlayStation days finally skids onto the Vita, and at first glance, it’s pretty much what you’d expect as a RR fan. However, even with the included DLC, there are only a handful of tracks (six) and cars (ten). Sure, you also get lots of speed and that familiar sideways skidding, but in the end, the lack of a focused single player offline mode plus the odd “leveling” system for cars hurt the game significantly.

Even as an arcade racer (this time aiming for the “connected” gamer), There’s just not enough meat on this one for those raised in the Gran Turismo or Forza eras. The $30 price tag, while inexpensive for a Vita game, still feels like five bucks too much. Granted, if you love nostalgia and aren’t too picky about the lack of innovation, you’ll like what’s here. On the other hand, you’d also hope that Namco would have spent a lot more time adding features and content to make the game a LOT more impressive as a launch window title and not hold back what made the first few Ridge Racer games on the PSOne great in the first place.

Ah well, if the game sells well because of the RR name, there’s always more DLC that can be whipped up, I guess…