Stuff that Needs To Be Kickstarted (Part 1)

Posted on October 18, 2012 by geelw

Hmm. Sinnce I’m up way too early, I may as well post something now, as I’ll be a bit busy later doing the airport thing. Here’s a random list of games or game projects that NEED to be crowd-funded. Of course, there are those who want everything for free and can or already have all the games they can play and then some. But for those gamers who aren’t fond of emulation or hell, just want to support a few cool projects, someone has to get on these just from a pure preservation perspective, I say:

Atari Lynx Collection (PC/Mac/Consoles/Handhelds): The Lynx was and is one of the most underrated gaming devices EVER. Despite being more powerful than the hugely popular GameBoy, less popular Game Gear and never as popular as it should have been TurboExpress, there were a number of great games made for the system from arcade ports to original titles worth playing for a few reasons. Granted, something like Gauntlet III would need to be reworked to play in a widescreen format, but then again, it’s perfect for tablets or phones. Slap in Achievements for those who want them and I think this would do well among those who’ve never played or heard of the Lynx previously.

SPACE LORDS (ditto): One game that to date hasn’t been successfully emulated is Atari’s quite spectacular multiplayer space combat arcade game. Yeah, yeah, you’ve never heard of it and it’s never been ported to anything as far as I know since it had its brief run in arcades almost 20 years ago. But it’s exactly the sort of game that once it’s played, will be one you’ll keep going back to just because you’ve had so much fun blasting aliens into space dust (with a little help from your online or offline friends).

I was going to post a bit more, but I’ve a bit of laundry to tackle – back in a bit with a few more ideas (yeah, I’ll try and make a case for a Jaguar collection, although it’s the total longshot of all my bad ideas)…

An Update Before the Actual Update (Because I’m Wiped Out)…

Posted on October 17, 2012 by geelw

In the midst of my crazy week (and still some back pain) I spent the better part of today looking at and playing Trion Worlds’ upcoming games lineup and let’s just say that fans of MMO’s, RTS games, Third-person action shooters and co-op based FPS excitement will be needing to carve out some quality time for these four games. I’ll have impressions of them up over the weekend, but for now, I’ll say that Defiance is a game-changer and a LOT of you out there will probably be playing it because it’s non-stop amazing.

Back in a bit – I’m going to sleep now.

CARRIE: Hmmm… Well, It Better Be REALLY Good Is All I’ll Say…

Posted on October 16, 2012 by geelw

The original Brian De Palma film is a true 70’s horror classic, but I guess everything gets a remake at some point. Hopefully this will be a LOT better than the truly terrible remake of De Palma’s SISTERS that keeps popping up on cable these days. That waste of time and talent made me want my almost two hours back plus tax. The good news for this one is the casting of the two leads. Julianne Moore is great in anything and young Chloe Grace Moretz is one of those stars who’s made a name for herself in a few cool flicks, so we shall see. That said, there’s something near perfect about the original that’s a grabber right from the start. OK, so the ending sequence is a bit lame (and like a bunch of De Palma’s horror films, the ending is a bit of a fake scare that works until you see too many of his films and know you’re getting suckered into one final fright), but overall, it still holds up for my money. Hopefully fear fans who’ve never seen it will do the right thing and track it down before this remake hits theaters in Spring 2013…

007 Legends Blasts Into Retail (Happy Anniversary, Mr. Bond!)

Posted on October 16, 2012 by geelw

Activision’s and Eurocom’s latest Bond game looks like a real winner fans should take to for a fine dose of cinematic action and plenty of optional multiplayer thrills. I’m intrigued by how all these missions will tie together and how well Daniel Craig’s Bond does as a replacement for Connery, Moore, Lanzenby and Brosnan. Of course, Eurocom has already done a superb job with their GoldenEye reboot on the Wii, PS3 and 360, so it’s hard to see them mucking up this one. If I get a review copy, I’ll let you know what’s what…

Things to Do When Your Back Goes Out (Ouch!)

Status

Let’s see now:

1.Wince a lot while trying to do normal stuff (Ouch!)
2.Try to stretch it out (Ouch!) so you can discover which old parts are the rusty ones (Ouch!)
3.Pop a few aspirin and get some rest for a bit because you’re probably better off not moving around so much.
4. Finish playing a game (EDF 3 Portable) but accidentally erase your save file and unlocked character in a bit of a tired and pain-fueled error (Ouch! Noooooooooo!)
5. Restart game, but quit after an hour or so because you really do need that rest.
6. Get up a bit later and watch some TV (Dexter, The Walking Dead/Talking Dead, Comic Book Men, Boardwalk Empire, Homeland), multitasking by playing more EDF 3P during breaks.
7. Pop a few more aspirin, Go back to bed, but play about an hour more until you fall asleep (as does your Vita).
8. Wake up, stay in bed and finish that game in record time, this time SAVING your progress (Whee!)
9. Get out of bed, realize you’re still in a bit of pain (Ouch!), pop another two aspirin and head back to bed.
10. After a few hours of twisting and turning (but not too much shouting, ha ha), get up and check your email to see you’ve got WAY too many messages (and some review codes which make you feel a LOT better).
11. Reply to a few messages and work out a few kinks in your back (Hey, this really feels a lot better than yesterday).
12. Update your site with this TMI post before heading off to start writing a few reviews.

Back in a bit – My back feels better now, but I’m still taking it a bit easy because it’s not at 100% yet.

Dead Space Liberation: Something To Read While You’re Too Scared To Play…

Posted on October 14, 2012 by geelw

My hands-on impressions of Dead Space 3 are embargoed for a bit by EA, but they’re definitely not keeping quiet about this upcoming treat for fans who want even more lore. Liberation arrives on February 15, 2013 and yup, is a prequel to the events of the upcoming third installment in the series. The folks at Visceral certainly have a big story to tell and between the new game and this book, I can see a lot of you out there not sleeping much. For a few reasons…

Lost Planet 3 Extended Gameplay (Now With Developer Commentary!)

Posted on October 13, 2012 by geelw

It’s probably a wee bit too late to change the name of this game, but perhaps Capcom should consider it because too many people out there seem to think the game erases everything that occurred in LP and LP2 when in fact, this is a PREQUEL that sets up events to come. Anyway, I’ll keep championing this game until it’s launched and beyond because from what I played, it’s Spark Unlimited at their best and it deserves a LOT more respect. Of course, some out there won’t be convinced, but I think the demo being at NYCC this year will convince some skeptics that the game is indeed quite amazing where it needs to be.

Coming Up For Air (Volume XVIII)…

Posted on October 13, 2012 by geelw

So, my import copy of Chikyuu Boueigun Portable 3 for the Vita arrived yesterday and yes, between that, Retro City Rampage and Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise, I’ve really done nothing else but play all the way into today taking notes as I go. Reviews will go up for each shortly, so stick around for those. So far, it’s recommendations all around, if you want the short versions of all three…

Back in a bit…

Max Team’s Monster World RPG: Taking A Sega Classic To The Next Level

Posted on October 12, 2012 by geelw

While I do play a LOT of fan-made games paying homage to classics of the 8 and 16-bit eras, Max Team’s Monster World RPG project is one of the better works in progress I’ve seen to date. Initially released as a simple RPG Maker 2003 passion project back in 2005, the game has since been reworked into a much more polished game worthy of being put onto a Sega Genesis cartridge. Even though it’s far from the flashiest game made with the ancient game creation software, the dedication to replicating the specific look of the MW games while turning it into a turn-based RPG with an active time battle system out of the Final Fantasy games is on point and the nostalgic vibe works perfectly. The two hard working guys behind this free RPG, Massimo and Fernando, met up about a year after Massimo completed the first version of the game and needed help in expanding the game further. Continue reading →