GOG.com Gives Away Two Ultima Games (There Goes My Schedule Out The Window)…

Oh, they’re doing it again…. this time, it’s two really spectacular spin-offs from a seminal PC role-playing game franchise. Just clicky-click away here and here to get both games for nothing at all, as even a gog.com account is FREE. While you’re at it, you may as well check out the site to see what other inexpensive (not free, but amazingly cheap) DRM-free classic to current games they have (the library is ridiculously impressive and growing). Finally, don’t forget to vote in their daily Battle of the Games promo where YOU (yes, you!) decide which of the two games fighting it out gets a bigger discount. If you pop in today to vote, you’ll see Quantic Dream’s excellent adventure/action game Fahrenheit has a massive advantage over the poor (yet classic) Alone in the Dark collection (historically, that’s a big boo-boo, but in terms of production values and the “coolness” factor, David Cage and his team win).

Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor Stomps Into Retail. You’ll Need Patience And Practice To Survive, Period

 

And even if you HATE Kinect with a passion, this super-niche game is worth a look because developer From Software has cleverly cooked up a game that uses BOTH the peripheral and the Xbox 360 controller to give players a realistic simulation of being inside and out of that VT (Vertical Tank). The low-tech alternate time period setting adds a nice touch as well to the world war whatever locales you’ll be trying to survive in. That said, be prepared to put in some heavy time with this one (you can read the manual here just to see what you’ll be getting into), as it’s not aiming for the casual gamer at ALL.

Tip: Pay attention to that tutorial to learn the ropes, get fully immersed in the story and don’t do anything stupid to break the mood the game sets up, as the idea is to put yourself into the boots of one of the crew of that VT during some tough combat missions. Before you get to all that, expect to spend a good deal of time calibrating your Kinect and game area so you’re able to get the game to do what you want it to when you want it to. Yes, this will seem strange to gamers used to simpler stuff, but Capcom and From want you to work hard here (as with the first SB game) and this one’s only going to be enjoyed fully by the hardcore that put in the time necessary to learn and play the game. Besides, any game with a live action trailer directed by Mamoru Oshii can’t be all bad, I say…

 

Tiny & Big: Grandpa’s Leftovers Launch Trailer (It’s Here And Yep, You Should Buy It!)

 

Finally done up fresh, hot and ready to serve, Black Pants Game Studios’ eagerly awaited PC game hits a few download sites (Steam, gog.com,  Gamersgate or directly from the developer) and if you’re lucky enough to live in Europe, you can (*gasp!*) actually buy a retail version on Amazon. Which makes me wish I lived in Europe as amusingly enough, it’s easier for me to play a game from a disc these days!  Anyway, with its quirky art style, innovative gameplay and very cool soundtrack (which you can also buy if the tunes agree with your ears), there’s a lot to love here. Translation: No matter how you get this game (legally, silly!), GET THIS GAME. You can thank me later. Or more precisely, thank Black Pants – me, I’m just the messenger…

And Now, A Brief Message From Dark Horse Comics…

Sounds like a good idea to me. This has been a public service announcement…

Dissecting THE THING: Missing Minutiae, Merrily Making Modern Mistakes…

While last year’s prequel to John Carpenter’s classic 1982 film was well-made and an effectively creepy good time, as a big fan of the original 1951 flick and of course, JC’s fine retelling… I was a tiny bit disappointed. For me, part of great suspense is all in the build up and despite some nice scares, the prequel loses a bit of suspense because it doesn’t build much empathy for its doomed cast (and loses some chances to once the monsters start appearing). Still, I found most the film fine until the entire alien saucer sequence complete with that all-too common “formerly flexible monster who can’t quite reach the heroine!” and “run like hell to escape the big explosion” set pieces we’ve all seen in too many other films. I’ll get to the “leave ’em hanging!” part of the pre-credit ending later, as there’s a great (and I think intentional) workaround there that could actually set up an actual sequel (should someone be crazy enough to make one)…

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Hey Wikipedia! Get Your Facts Stra… Oh, Nevermind…

For the record, Oh, mighty but overrated and often unreliable source of “information” that too many people rely on for “facts”: THIS adventure game/RPG hybrid on the left is NOT at all THIS pretty solid port of a great PC-Engine shooter on the right. Two different games, two different developers and hell, two different genres if you really want to get overly fussy about it. Someone needs to fix this (and more, as I’d bet this is’t the ONLY thing on that site with a lousy bit of lazy behind it…

Are We Headed For A Data Daze? Maybe.

Is the big new (or not so new if you’ve been following this stuff) push to charge consumers for data usage coupled with the elimination of “unlimited” plans going to cripple mobile and soon enough, console gaming in the future? I think so, specially for any users on a budget. Imagine your ISP capping the amount of data you can receive just because they can introduce these plans based on what amounts to a guessing game that traps some into paying more simply because they enjoy their hobby. Granted, I’m betting most users will pay through the nose (when you’re hooked, you’re hooked)… up until their service providers start charging them for storing and streaming data over their usage limits. Well, I’ll just sit back and wait to see what happens, but I expect a lot of virtual protesting to start popping up in a few ways at time marches onward… Of course, I probably don’t know what I’m talking about, but I also don’t see these bills going DOWN any time soon…

“Retro” Review: Data East Arcade Classics

Platform: Nintendo Wii

Developer: G1M2

Publisher: Majesco

# of Players: 1 – 2

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: B+

The word “retro” is in quoted in the title above for two reasons, one being the Wii isn’t exactly a dead system (well, depending on who you ask) and two, I didn’t  get the chance to review this collection at all when it was first released back in 2010. It’s getting a good look now because a friend who got a Wii for his kids a while back but has never played anything on it himself saw this in a closeout bin and as he’s an ancient fan of arcade games, he practically ran over some slow shoppers poking around in that bin to grab a copy. Anyway, no one was injured in that incident, so it’s all good. However, I also grabbed a copy and ended up getting some cramped fingers and sore thumbs from spending too much time reliving some great memories. Data East Arcade Classics packs in 15 games from the now defunct coin-op company that range from great to so-so and while some key titles that probably should have been on this disc are missing, it’s clear that this was supposed to be the first in an ongoing series. While the lack of certain key titles from the era and any sort of difficulty adjustment keep this from being flawless, it’s still recommended as a trip down memory lane or as an introduction to some really fun games for the kids.

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Burning Questions (Ouch): So, Why Isn’t Outernauts ALSO On The Vita?

I’m just asking a pretty obvious question, as Sony really NEEDS something like this free Facebook-only game (which just so happens to be created by the folks behind some of the company’s key first-party titles since the days of the original PlayStation). The way I see it, Outernauts could be expanded onto the Vita as a budget-priced game and/or PSN perhaps as a bigger and more fleshed out version tailored to the handheld’s strengths. Between the addictive monster collecting and fun battle system PLUS the possibility for exclusive content (like character skins from certain popular Insomniac games), I’m just shocked that this project wasn’t considered as more than a “one site that’s not PSN” deal. Between this oopsie move and Ubisoft’s interesting looking Ghost Recon social game also not making an appearance on the Vita, you have to wonder what’s up with SCEA’s plans for the handheld’s future in terms of getting people to play all sorts of unique game experiences on the thing. I’m just saying that to me it’s a no-brainer that these two games (and more) should start popping up for those of us who dislike Facebook these days for any number of good reasons, is all…

You’re NOT Going To The Olympics, So You May As Well See What You’re Missing (Sort Of)…

Nope, I’m not going to London either, but thanks to Sega, we all get to see these flybys from their upcoming London 2012 – The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games, coming to consoles and PC soon enough. Of course, I don’t think I’ve watched an entire Olympics since Mamo Walde won the Marathon. Then again, that was what, 1968? I forget. Anyway, Sega produced a few of these slick trailers (which look really spectacular), but I’m just posting these two, as like you, I’m not planning to watch (or more precisely, planning to MISS) this year’s Games. I might track the game down at some point, but it’s not too likely, as sports games and I don’t get along much unless there are explosions and maybe some cars bumping into each other. Not both at the same time, though. That wouldn’t be much of a sport, right?