Incoming Retro Bliss: Sega Genesis Classics Collection Gold Edition (PC)

Posted on August 18, 2012 by geelw

As I always have way too much going on (being a one-man operation can be a bit of a pain every so often), sometimes I can be a tad forgetful. That. or I end up not getting to everything on my rather long list of games I’d like to dive into for a spell. To wit: I’d forgotten this amazing set of over 40 Sega Genesis games had shipped out to retail a while back (OK, something like March 2011!) until one of my eBay alerts reminded me that I was looking for this. A few clicks later and for a mere $9.90 shipped (brand new/sealed), I’m a happy camper set to re-relive some games I’ve played to death on a few platforms already. Hey, the classics NEVER get old, that’s for sure.

I’ll drop in a review once this arrives and I get in some quality time with the games in this great package. Hmmmm… now, where did I put that PC game pad I haven’t used in ages?

Assassin’s Creed III Naval Battle Trailer: By George, How Big IS This Game, Anyway?

Posted on August 18, 2012 by geelw

Between the open world exploration across a few choice (and massive, excellently detailed) locations and these spectacular-looking (and rather speedy) sea battles, it looks as if Assassin’s Creed III will be keeping a few million gamers quite occupied for a while before they even touch the multiplayer content on the disc. Me, I’m a story guy first and foremost, so I’m highly impressed by what I’ve seen so far and that includes the Vita game that’s an entirely different story altogether. That October 30 release date is rushing up fast and I’d bet this game will keep a lot of you gamers who normally head out on Halloween inside scarfing down that candy you’d intended to pass out to trick or treaters…

By the way, here’s a new Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation trailer in case you need another good reason to get a Vita. This just might be the best game on the handheld to date and for quite a while, the largest in terms of scope.

Konami On Air Gamescom 2012 Wrap-Up: Raiden The Wave (And How)

Posted on August 18, 2012 by geelw

Konami revealed a nice selection of upcoming titles at Gamescom this year and even had their own web show to promote the goods. Here’s a look at the three post show videos for each day of the show as well as the pre-show peek behind the scenes video that kicked things off. Between Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2 – Mirror of Fate, and a few other cool games, I’m going to be glued to my TV for a nice chunk of time, that’s for sure. I just hope I don’t go even more broke stocking up on extra controllers…

WRC 3: The Birth of A Driver Trailer: Still Holding Out Hope For This To Skid Into The USA….

Posted on August 18, 2012 by geelw

Hmmmm. So far, there’s still no news about a definite US release (boo!), but I do have my fingers crossed that a small publisher here willing to take a chance on what’s looking like a pretty solid racer will pick this up so we finally get an official WRC game after too many years without one. Not that I don’t mind the fun stuff Codemasters is doing, mind you. I just want something a bit less “party” and “social” and a lot more steel-willed concentration as I’m trying to make it though a course and nab that best time without wrecking. As usual, we shall see…

Star Wars 1313 Gamescom Trailer: So Far, The Force Is Strong In This One…

Posted on August 17, 2012 by geelw

I’m not the firmest believer in the whole “uncanny valley” thing game developers are striving for in the upcoming generation of console and PC games where visuals get so realistic that you can’t tell whether you’re watching a CG trailer or actual game footage. However, I’ll give credit where credit is due to the dev team at Lucasarts working so hard towards that goal with their upcoming Star Wars game. Granted, at the end of the day, story and gameplay matter even more than even the best visuals in the galaxy for my money. Hopefully, this will be a game for the ages that’s got longevity (as in replay value) and legs (as in sequel power where we don’t just get a retread of what’s come before). As always… we shall see, right?

Okami HD (Almost) Leaves Me Speechless…

Posted on August 17, 2012 by geelw

Lovely. There’s really not much to say here other than if you own a PS3 and haven’t played it, you SHOULD buy this game, period. Even if you’ve played it to death, that HD polish and newly added PS Move control scheme both make it worth owning again. Of course, it would have been even cooler to have this on a Blu-Ray disc with an HD version of the cult hit GOD HAND plus a nice “making of” documentary for both games along with soundtracks and an art book (and maybe an Okami plushie for extra Premium Edition measure), but hey – I’m not the one making these decisions. Ah, well,,, but I were running things, that’s how I’d roll (although I’d support both physical and digital releases with the latter at a lower price point, as it should be for not getting packing and a manual).

Babycastles Summit Updaaaate! Tix On Sale, List Of Fun Stuff Grows Bigger…

Posted on August 17, 2012 by geelw

Wow – it looks like this will be quite the major event for those ironic hipster doofus types who think they’re the coolest beans on the block as well as actual gamers who want to show up and beat them (at a GAME, not in real life, silly!). Check out the huge list of speakers, bands and other fun, fun stuff (and don’t forget to purchase some tickets!) HERE.

Random Game of the Week: Starless Umbra – A Work In Progress Indie RPG Worth Paying For

Posted on August 16, 2012 by geelw

I’ve been playing and enjoying many RPG Maker games since about 2001 (and far too many JRPGs to count in general since the 1980’s), but Starless Umbra is turning into one of my new favorites and it’s not even completed yet. RPGmaker.net user Andrew Keturi (aka dragonheartman) has been slowly working on this game since 2002 (!) and it’s shaping up into quite an epic that’s going beyond simply working with the basic RTP assets or being yet another shameless Final Fantasy meets Dragon Quest clone. Not that there’s anything wrong at all with a great FF or DQ clone at all (I’ll name two awesome ones next week from the site you should grab). Based on the dramatic prologue and few hours of gameplay I’ve squeezed in alone, there’s a sharpness to the project that’s welcome in everything from the battle system to choice of music and sound effects. In the build I played, the mix of challenging combat and interesting use of stamina (where choosing whether to walk and run actually makes a difference) kept me glued to my monitor for longer than I expected..

Continue reading →

3D Isn’t Dead After All – Gene Dolgoff Has An Awesome, Affordable Solution On The Way

Posted on August 16, 2012 by geelw

OK, you guys and gals all know by now that I’m not the biggest fan of 3D television. That’s because it’s not an inexpensive upgrade (for a good setup), I don’t like goggles over my glasses, and when I think about it, there’s probably nothing I want to see in 3D that I can’t see on my regular old TV (insert generic Skinemax joke here). That said, with 2000+ games here in the library (hey, I’m a historian and it’s research!), I actually wouldn’t mind seeing and playing some of my old stuff in 3D. Yes, I’m really curious to see how things would be if we were a bit more forward thinking (and a lot less expensive) in our gaming tech.

Continue reading →

Sony’s Innovative rain: The Only Problem I See Is This Is DLC-Only, Grrrr…

Posted on August 16, 2012 by geelw

Lovely, chilling and very promising looking adventure game from Sony’s Japan Studio, but so far, it’s only going to net a PSN release. Sony REALLY needs to get some of these innovative games such as this, Papo & Yo, Datura and others onto a disc and sell them at retail or direct to the segment of their user base that doesn’t use PSN for whatever reason. Stick a basic manual with some sort of PSN Plus voucher in there (that doesn’t expire) and maybe they’ll see a jump in users there as some of those without an account start moving forward to take the plunge.