Lollipop Chainsaw: The Happiest Zombie Killing Game You’ll Ever Play

Over the past few years, Grasshopper Manufacture’s creative genius Goichi Suda (or Suda 51) and some of his games have been called “insane”, “crazy” and “weird” (among other things) by journalists who cover his work (and who very much need new thesauruses).  But to me, they’ve all been wildly incorrect in their assessments. In fact (and from first impression), Suda is one of the nicest game creators you’ll ever meet as well as a really fun guy to chat with. But don’t let him know I said that – he’s got a reputation to uphold amongst some fans out there who still consider him an unpredictably mad genius flying around Japan in a wrestling mask or something.

That said, Lollipop Chainsaw, a collaborative effort between Suda, James Gunn (Super, one of the best indie films of 2010) and the team at Grasshopper (working the Unreal engine again to excellent effect) is a game that’s going to be called insane, crazy, weird and more by gamers and critics alike. And they’d be absolutely right – particularly those who quickly clue in on how great the game is by accepting all the offbeat content it doles out at a nonstop pace…

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Lost Planet 3 Trailer: Good Things Seem To Come In Threes…

 

I love how Capcom isn’t relying on simply whipping up an exact template of the last game and shoving it out the door to guaranteed sales (but boring replay value). The new stuff shakes things up nicely while making me want to go back and replay the two previous installments to poke at the things I didn’t like so much. I still think that the game should have the flying rig from Dark Void added in as an Easter Egg of some sort, as well as a Dino Crisis 3 reference just for old times sake. Hey, making fun of misfires always works for my own life, so I say go for it, guys!

Video Game Appreciation 101 (Field Course): NYU Game Center Takes On “Bad ” Games In New Exhibit

Well, now – this is a really cool surprise, so if you’re in the area, get on down to the NYU Game Center tomorrow and do some studying!. Someone actually beat me to an ancient idea I’ve always dreamed of doing. Hmmmm… I may just pop up to see this intriguing show just to hear some of the debate around some of the games on display.  Granted, I absolutely LOVE EDF 2017 and Deadly Premonition as well as GoldenEye, although I can see the bad points in each one fully.  I just may even suggest a few other games to these folks for a future exhibit, as I have way too many to count here (and hell, I just want to see ANYONE try and make it past the first level of Muzzle Flash)…

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch GGD Trailer: PS3 Owners Get Their Happy Dance On (Again)

 

I’ve been a console agnostic kind of guy for ages, but I do love it when exclusives that matter get the proper respect. Level-5’s upcoming collaboration with Studio Ghibli has slipped into 2013 according to reports, but all that means for me is one more year for the PS3 to show off the fact that it has some mighty fine games on the way (and life left in it). Go poke around the official website if you’re still not convinced. If you decide to suddenly need a PS3, feel free to drop me a line so I can recommend a few too many other games for you.

Oh, by the way Namco Bandai? Love you (*mwhah!*) but you’re not QUITE off the hook completely here – where the heck is the DS Ni no Kuni game?

Dark Souls “Prepare To Die Edition” Hits PCs In August: Some Console Owners Prepared To Kill…

 

While this is fantastic news for those PC gamers out there who either own Dark Souls on the PS3 or Xbox 360 and want to play it again with the new content or those PC gamers who’ve always wanted to experience From Software’s brutally difficult masterpiece, I have plenty of reservations about this. I’d be into playing that new content if it gets made available over PSN or Xbox Live, but I don’t even want to know what sort of security measures are going to be used to stop any sort of cheating in online games, hacked characters and other issues that affect otherwise enjoyable online experiences…

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Dragon Ball Z On The Kinect: “Kamehameha” Means “Heart Attack” In What Language Again?

Well, “Holy Hmm…,” Batman, the rumors are true. There’s actually a Dragon Ball Z game hitting the Kinect in October, so make some room in the living room and pad the walls for those screaming sessions you’ll be having in front of your TV. All I’ll say is this had better be fun as hell or else Namco Bandai’s formerly impenetrable HQ will be stormed by angry DBZ fans wearing bright gold wigs and costumes they made in their basements (some with the assistance of a parent or very understanding significant other!). This could get ugly and fast. I can see the newsflash now: Angry Dragon Ballers Raging At Game Publisher’s Offices! Details at 11…

What? Don’t get offended, now. They’re NOT going to show up in person or post those angry rants on the internet while sipping a snifter of brandy and thoughtfully stroking their beards, if that’s the other direction you want me to go here. Eh, whatever. With a franchise like this, there’s sort of no middle ground unless you don’t take the series seriously enough to be upset about the Kinect getting a DBZ game. For me, there are more urgent things to be pissed off about (like the fact that I need to get a Kinect at some point, but I’ll probably need to punch a hole in a wall so I have enough space to use the damn thing)…

Up For Air: A Xenoblade Chronicles Progress Report…

Well, so far, Xenoblade is… pretty good. Like any game this big, careful poking around reveals it’s flawed, but quite impressive nonetheless. Of course, I’ve played far too many RPGs from all over the world (and too many JRPGs) since the late 80’s to throw down any absolutes about how it stacks up against my favorites, but it’s quite well done. I do have a few issues with some things I’ll go over in more detail in my review, but it’s nothing too dramatic.

OK, stop turning blue in the face – I’ll spill a few gripes here. Stuff like not being able to enter too many buildings, the hard to find quest givers that you need to get items back to, a tiny bit of unsympathetic writing after a major incident and a few other quibbles that won’t really affect my overall score. That said, if you’re a Wii owner and/or a JRPG fan looking for a fine game to eat away the hours as it pulls you into its story, you can’t go wrong with Monolith’s best game to date. A proper review is incoming, most likely this weekend…

Sorcery Is Lord of Sorcery In Japan (And Still Coming Along Nicely)…

This PlayStation 3 exclusive is looking more and more polished and could be the best Move game to date that will also make folks who shelled out for that rough Kinect Star Wars game a bit cranky that this is what their game SHOULD have played like. Anyway, here’s a look at the Japanese trailer for the upcoming game. Hey, Sony, get the SCEA PR hype machine going harder for this one – you really need to Move a few more people to snap this gem up on day one! Hell, I’ll be one of those people just because I want to see this game do well after all the work that’s gone into it…

PROTIP: A Little Monty Python Can Make Anyone’s Day Better…

To wit: I was at the post office earlier today mailing some stuff out and the place was mercifully empty save for two ladies taking forever at the two open windows. When it was finally my turn in line, without thinking, I raised one leg up and stepped forward in such a way that the clerk I was headed for nearly fell off her seat laughing. Truth be told, I really didn’t INTEND to do a Silly Walk at all, it was just me automatically being goofy. Nevertheless, I did make her day, as she told me when she game me my change. Score another victory for learning through public television!

DmC Captivate Trailer/Gameplay: Dante’s Looking Sharper Than Before, So Lose The Hate, Kids…

 

Go, Ninja Theory! I love what I see here (even with the changes made), but as usual, the noisy crickets vomiting in the weeds outside keep getting in my way of enjoying all this hard work. OK… all the haters really need to put a boot in it already and just let the game get completed and ship as Capcom and Ninja Theory want it to go out. A little RESPECT goes a long way, kids – so knock it off and maybe try to accept something new for a change.

 

 

Still, I have to say, Capcom and Ninja Theory have a hard road ahead of them that I’m sure they’re a lot less diplomatic about in private. Man, what a bunch of unappreciative babies we have this console generation. This sense of entitlement too many feel towards content they should simply let a talented developer try something new with is getting out of hand. If the game is a hit (despite the bile being spilled), it sill still be hated by the idiots, but that’s too bad for them, I say.

 

 

Why more people aren’t waiting for some ACTUAL hands-on time before damning the final game to the discount bin is beyond me. Being a sheep and following the bleating heard of Negative Nellies just means you end up playing the same crap year after year and complaining about it afterward as if you don’t know YOU’RE part of the problem…