“GameStop New”… You’re Still At it, Huh?

Yeah, yeah, if I don’t like it, I don’t have to shop there. On the other hand, ignoring a problem (no matter how “trivial”) never makes it disappear. That and hell, sometimes it’s hard to pass up a great deal like this. Still, NEW to me when it comes to a product like a game, movie, lip balm or candy bar means SEALED. The location I got this at had something like four or five copies of Metroid: Other M mixed in with the used games, all opened but listed as NEW. And this wasn’t the only “new” title that was opened up and stuck in the stacks. Again, if I’m giving a gift to someone, I’ll have to make sure I get it from someplace that doesn’t have this rather stupid policy.  If you have mockup cases for upcoming games taking up space on the racks, you can so the same for older games like this, sell them still sealed and not need to deal with any complaints from me or anyone else who hates this opened as new scheme.

Oh, and it’s not as if there wasn’t any space in the shop behind the counter either. The location, which has previously been a pretty messy place to pop into, has cleaned things up tremendously since I last shopped there. While I understand the practice is supposed to discourage theft or whatever, it’s pretty annoying to have to accept something that would be unacceptable in certain other retail situations. And hey! The game isn’t that bad as far as I’ve played. Sure, Samus is a bit whiny, but hell, who has the EXACT same personality their entire life? OK, Romney springs to mid straight off the bat… but he’s a Weyland-Yutani creation, I just know it…

XCOM: Enemy Unknown Update: Classic To Current, Not Lost In Translation

Hey 2K! While this very cool progress update on the tactical version of XCOM is fantastic, let’s also hear about the other game as well. I’m actually one of those fans of the PC classic that’s NOT going bat crap crazy against the first-person origin story at all as I want to see how it turns out. Besides, it’s time that developers and publishers stood up a bit more steadfastly to the constant whining about every damn thing getting in the way of otherwise interesting design decisions.

Sure, keeping fans happy is ONE key to success, but it’s also important to have the freedom to take any IP in a different direction even if there’s some resistance. I think it’s time for some of these angry kids to shut it and eat their broccoli – hell, they may just find that it’s not as bad as they’ve been hearing…

God of War: Ascension Coming For PS3. But You Already Knew That…

OK, now you know why I HATE all this rumors, leaks and  speculation nonsense, folks. This crap is trifling to an extreme to keep track of for someone who just wants to play as many games as possible, grrr. BUT, I’ll try to play along for once and see what happens Ready? GO!

 

 

Sooo, there’s a new God of War game on the way. God of War Ascension, to be precise. Amazon “leaked” this info after SCEA’s teaser campaign on Facebook last week and before SCEA could officially announce it later today. OR: I hope that teaser didn’t cost a dime’s worth of time and effort to put together. OR perhaps this “leak” wasn’t really a “leak” at all, as a few hours of scooping up as much space on the internet after the Halo 4 shenanigans yesterday on Conan plus the news of that game’s launch date:

 

 

Er, Ha ha? Um, OK. November 6, in case you don’t watch Conan or pay attention to the Internet. 343 Studios is obviously doing it up quite well, so fans needn’t worry while non-fans won’t care a bit. Maybe. Back to that new God of War for a sec. It’s really NO big surprise at all to me. Like Sony’s NOT going to have a new game coming with Kratos in it for one more go on the PS3? The only surprise is half the earth not exploding from all the semi-orgasmic fanboy hooting taking place on the internet. We’ll see if SCEA’s PR department even wants to talk to me after this post, I guess. Hey, I like the series, guys – I’m just poking fun, you know. Tough love and all…

I guess we’ll see what’s what when E3 hits. Sony is proving the PS3 isn’t going out with anything resembling a whimper. Or going out at ALL this year or next.

 

Turrican Soundtrack Anthology Kickstarter Makes Me Want A New Game To Go With It, Grrrrr…

Nice. OK, go toss some money at this great Kickstarter project, especially if you remember jumping up and down on your controllers as a kid while trying to master the fine art of jumping and shooting alien scum.  That said, As much as I love Chris Huelsbeck’s amazing music from the classic (and supremely difficult) Turrican games and hell, we can always uses some more great game music collected together, I now want some developer to go make a NEW Turrican. Especially with Factor 5 dead and gone. My choice would be Wayforward Technologies, as they do make some mighty spectacular 2D games for current-gen tech. Soooo, I say someone (as in a REALLY smart publisher) put in a ringy-ding-ding to these giys and get those wheels rolling. Get a new Huelsbeck soundtrack in there somewhere and there you g – a new game I can jump up and down on a more expensive controller while I’m trying to master the fine art of jumping and shooting alien scum…

Got Undead Stains? Use ZOM-BE-GONE!

Here’s a nicely done viral for Grasshopper Manufacture’s upcoming game, Lollipop Chainsaw, set to hit stores in June for the PS3 and Xbox 360. As I noted earlier, you’ll want to stick this one (the game, not the video!) on your wish lists, as it’s definitely shaping up to be quite a cool slice of action and non-stop fun with a killer 80’s soundtrack…

Prometheus “Happy Birthday David” Ad: Not So Subtle (And Fairly Creepy) Once You Get It…

Oh, you just KNOW this robot is going to be bad news, particularly if you’ve seen Alien and know how off the wall Ash turned out. This latest viral ad for Prometheus cracked me up because it’s so unsettling you hope that no one is working on anything this potentially psychotic in the field of robotics. Hey, what can go wrong with a machine that feels no emotion (and tells you this, no less), yet can cry on cue so it looks as if it can? 43 days and counting, folks…

Star Trek Update: Hey, We May Not Be Here In 2013. Beam Me Up, Already!

Yeah, yeah – some Trek fans want less action and more of the same “nautical” ship combat from other Trek titles or something slower and more procedural like the old show instead of a more action-oriented game that this has been from the start. i say wait and see what a playable build brings as I hope this one gets around to NYC so I can get some hands-on time and let you all know the real deal. I have my fingers crossed Bad Robot does a game any Trek fan can be pleased with, but hey, you can’t win everyone over even with the best of intentions…

Dishonored Trailer Drops, Bethesda Gets My Fingers Tingling…

(shakes fist at monitor)… Blast you, Bethesdaaaaaaa! Showing off such an awesome game to us yesterday here in NYC, slapping us with an embargo until next week THEN unloading this spectacular trailer on the masses! Grrrr! Anyway (very fake rant over and done with), Dishonored is going to be a game that gets talked about quite a lot, especially as it’s definitely one of the more intriguing games I’ve seen this year that’s NOT a sequel or reboot of an older IP. Arkane Studios’ hard work blew me away and I hope it will do the same to you once more news gets out about how amazing it is.

Will Someone Do An Anvil of Dawn Kickstarter Project Already? Seriously.

The late, lamented New World Computing developed and/or published a number of great PC games back in the day including the classic Might & Magic series, but for me, DreamForge Intertainment’s 1995 MS-DOS first-person RPG was one of the most memorable titles the company was involved with (outside of the franchise they’re more well known for). The game was a single-player real time action game that allowed you to choose one of five characters and play him or her as they set out into the rather deadly dungeons in and around the land of Tempest seeking out the titular Anvil.

I loved how the character you chose ended up meeting up with the others you didn’t as the game progressed, the traps and puzzles mixed in with the combat and the multiple endings based on who you chose to play as. I’ve always wanted to see this one remade at some point (even though I still own the original game) and now with all this Kickstarter fury going strong, I’d say it’s time some dev team with members who remember this classic set out to reboot it for PC and perhaps consoles and other devices. Hell, I’m even willing to do some character or environment art if needed. In case you didn’t know, I can draw a little and I do like my RPGs old school. Anyway, someone out there, get on this and get back to me. I’d actually love to be playing this before I get TOO old and grey…

Survey Says: Surveys Suck!

You know what I hate about some surveys that SAY they’re gamer-focused? When an old coot like ME puts in his age and gets booted out of the damn thing like I’m no longer a gamer because I don’t fit the target demographic. That’s lame and stupid, as I have a hell of a lot more experience with MORE types of games than a lot of folks who’ll answer all those questions the way the folks running the survey seem to want. I’d like to put a boot up the ass of the folks who think anyone over 40 is useless when it comes to our opinions about games when, hell a LOT of folks my age or close to it are MAKING the damn games being asked about…

Just a thought, grrrr…