Review: Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

Posted on September 3, 2012 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation 3 (also on Xbox 360, PC)

Developer: High Moon Studios

Publisher: Activision

# of Players: 1 (Online 2 – 12)

ESRB Rating; T (Teen)

Score: B+ (85%)

High Moon Studios swings hard for the fences with Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, and while not quite a clean home run (it’s more of a hard rocket shot that clangs off the correct side of the foul pole into the stands), the game manages to be a fantastic follow up to Transformers: War on Cybertron, despite the loss of co-op play and the twin campaign structure. Previous experience with the last game isn’t really necessary for any player to hop in and have a blast, but A true Transformers fan will tell you that you’ll need to know where the story began before tackling what’s here. It’s definitely going to help in terms of understanding what’s going on in all the chaos, as the game assumes you’re playing it because you’ve been around for the first installment. FoC is also packed with fan service in the form of in-jokes, references to the cartoons and the animated movie and more hidden goodies than you can shake a Minicron at.

(Although, shaking a Minicron would probably not be a good thing to do unless you were really mad at it for knocking over a vase onto that napping cat by “accident” or something…)

Continue reading →

Iggy Pop Throbblehead Stirs Up Some Old Summer Thoughts…

Posted on September 3, 2012 by geelw

Ages ago (something like 25 years, I think), I actually saw Iggy Pop when I was coming out of the subway at West 4th Street in Greenwich Village. It was kind of funny, as I’d been listening to Raw Power (on cassette, of course) all that week, so it was a bit weird to rise from that smelly, sweltering hole in the ground and have the man himself stroll by. I didn’t blow my cool, bite my lip or anything like that, jaded New Yorker that I was at the time.

Anyway, I thought of that when I saw the email from Aggronautix announcing their limited edition Iggy Pop Throbblehead. Let’s see now: 7 inches tall, only 1000 of these will be produced, they’re a measly $24.95 and you can secure one here if you like, along with some other plastic punk warriors (Except the G.G. Allin ‘heads, which are all sold out. I wonder how G.G. would feel about his likeness? He’d probably stick it somewhere special, if you know what I mean). No, I don’t think there’s any peanut butter and broken glass inside the box, but you can add that when your Throbblehead arrives.

Breaking Bad 508 (“Gliding Over All”): White Lies Add Up To No Good In Many Ways…

Posted on September 3, 2012 by geelw

Well, well well. I lost that bet with myself after all about one big thing that occurred last week, so chalk up another one for Vince Gilligan pulling the rug out from under me. That said, given this season opened with Walter White in the near future having his yearly birthday breakfast (in a roadside diner this time) with no one we know around, the last few episodes are going to be quite interesting indeed. Still, I did predict that Walt and Skyler would be even more on the rocks this season, so that sort of evens things out. On the other hand (spoiler, unless you’ve been watching the show), I thought Mike would be around until the very end just to put an interesting cap to things (pun absolutely intended, more on that next year when the show is finally over).

As for this episode and in fact, this first arc that’s going to lead into the final eight shows? Well, as a drug kingpin… Walt is either really smart or really stupid… and I’m going for more of the latter based on some of his decisions this half-season…

Continue reading →