Mezco Toyz Wants YOU To Save The Zombified Animals…

Posted on February 10, 2013 by geelw

Hmmm… those log TV ads with the tear-jerker tunes and too many sad, lonely animals are kind of ripe for parody, but being the sensitive type, I don’t go there… I let people the fine folks at Mezco do it for me. “Won’t you save these 12″ Creepy Critters from more harm?…” Yeah, I want both, as they’d look great hanging out in the living room not stinking up the place like a real cat or bear (until Mezco cooks up a *NEW* “dead scent” series, ewww)… Wait, who keeps a LIVE bear IN their home? Oh, it’s America, right. So that means there are probably a few people out there with wilder pets or animal fetishes. Hey, I knew a guy with a custom built exotic snake pen that wrapped around the walls of his living room and there’s always some nut who wants to hop into the tiger pen at the Bronx Zoo up here, soooo…

Toy Fair 2013: Peavey Electronics Reminds Me The Walking Dead Is On Tonight…

Posted on February 10, 2013 by geelw

With all the TF2013 madness plus that stupid Nemo hitting the city hard, I actually ALMOST forgot the rest of the season kicks off later today (oops!) and I don’t have a DVR at home. Thanks to Peavey Electronics rolling out a cool line of new licensed guitars and such at the show including this really spiffy The Walking Dead Predator electric with Charlie Adlard’s artwork on it, I can safely scoot off the show floor in time for a nice subway ride home, grab some food and catch the show without having to stay up late to catch the second showing (which would be a bad idea, as I have a bunch of TF appointments on Monday). Hmmm… I haven’t picked up a guitar in YEARS (and I’m no Twang Bar King at all), but I’ll have to check this one out in a few hours. Yeah, yeah, I’m SUPPOSED to be sleeping, but I can never rest before these big trade shows, so I’m up double checking my email and yup, adding a post or two…

New Jack The Giant Slayer TV Spot: The Answer Is Obvious…

Posted on February 9, 2013 by geelw

Yeah, it’s Ray Harryhausen with a baseball bat who’s behind you. Um… Duck, You Sucker! Too late… Bonk! That said, I’d imagine Ray would have liked to go after the folks who animated the original, as they certainly mucked it up with some lousy-looking models and super cheesy “magic” effects work that were terrible back than and haven’t held up well at all today. I’d say the best thing here will be Bryan Singer’s direction, as he’s quite good at doing comic book flicks and yeah, yeah, The Usual Suspects is one of those films that keeps you hooked in right from the start.

GRID 2 Teaser: There’s a Lot More Where That Came From…

Posted on February 9, 2013 by geelw

Oh, Codemasters, you big fat tease! OK, maybe not so big (or fat) after all. I saw and played a nice demo of the upcoming racing game last week in NYC, but my actual hands-on coverage is embargoed until 2/14 so I can’t lay a peep on you about all the new and fun stuff I saw. I think I can get away with telling you the game looks amazing, but that’s it until after Toy Fair is over, kids. Now If you’ll pardon me, I need to figure out how to weld a blowtorch to a shovel so I can get out the damned door on Sunday morning. My hour train ride is probably going to be a wee bit longer. Stupid blizzard…

Toy Fair 2013: Are Yomega’s Star Wars Yo-Yo’s Force-Powered? We Shall See…

Posted on February 8, 2013 by geelw

Hmmm… I haven’t seen a decent yo-yo commercial (or heck, ANY yo-yo commercial) since the days of Duncan, but seeing the email in my inbox from modern yo-yo masters Yomega about their upcoming Star Wars line made my brain cook up a doozy of an ad idea. A mock battle breaks out between two kids (or adults) dressed like characters from the films who pull off all sorts of fancy tricks while facing each other (er, out of range of any actual injury, of course!). Add in some CGI laser string effects and *ding!* – instant classic. Maybe. Anyway, Yomega is releasing three new models this summer and fall – I’ll post pics of them from the show floor on Sunday – descriptions and prices are below the jump.

Hmmm. I wonder what George Lucas is up to these days? Then again, if he directed the spot, we’d end up seeing it pulled and reworked a few times too many (ha ha), so I guess some aspiring college kid with a good eye will do just fine… Continue reading →

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone TV Spot: The Big Trick Is Getting An Audience…

Posted on February 8, 2013 by geelw

Oh, look… it’s another Hollywood movie about “maaa-gic.” And by my corns, does it look quite (and intentionally) silly. But people go for silly these days and it’s supposed to be a comedy, so at least that’s working for it. Bleh. My kingdom for a few corny but fun episodes of The Magician with the late Bill Bixby, Chris Nolan’s The Prestige (which I didn’t like the first time I saw it, but a second viewing helped) or even (yikes!) Magic with Anthony Hopkins (soon to be a Random Movie of the Week, by the way), which really wasn’t about “magic” at all, but a ventriloquist who maybe has a rather unique dummy (an old trick from the creepy horror anthology Dead of Night). Eh, maybe I’m being too much of a skeptic here. The again, there’s no REAL “magic” anyway… just “the foolers and easily fooled” as I once overheard some old lady say as she walked away from a street magician doing his thing.

Well, it looks sort of interesting in a “I’ll catch it on cable in eight months” kind of way, but I bet this makes a load of dollars vanish from wallets worldwide once it hits theaters. That, or it’ll disappear without a trace because it’s terrible and people magically stay away. As always, we shall see… *poof!*

Random Film of the Week: Killer Klowns From Outer Space

Posted on February 8, 2013 by geelw

If you hate clowns for any abnormal reason, this film will probably freak every bone in your head out of your skull while making you laugh so much that you might fall off the couch and break something else. Granted, despite a bit of blood and gore it’s not really “scary” at all, but it does bring the laughs faster and furiously than some horror flicks that take themselves too seriously. The Chiodo Brothers (from up here in the Bronx, yeah!) cooked up this 1988 flick and while it didn’t become an “instant” genre classic or box office hit, for those lucky enough to catch it in theaters and later on home video, it was one of the more offbeat blends of horror, sci-fi and humor of the decade. I can recall laughing at the title before I saw this, thinking it was pretty dumb (but hey, it actually fits perfectly) and yep, I would have expected the film to be pretty dumb as well had I not been a fan of The Chido’s special effects work in another 80’s “B” film Critters, itself a bit of an underrated gem. Anyway, those Killer Klowns in the title are yes indeed, from Outer Space (their ship looks like a circus tent) and they’ve landed in tiny Crescent Cove for a midnight snack that just so happens to include the population of the sleepy little town… Continue reading →

Capcom Arcade Cabinet: Auntie MAME’ers Won’t Be Happy, But Everyone Else Will (Maybe)…

Posted on February 7, 2013 by geelw

Yeah, yeah – if you use the hugely popular (and according to some, not so legal) arcade emulator, you already “own” these games in their original formats, but Capcom is wagging its finger at you (well, just lightly). Capcom Arcade Cabinet is on the way, adding HD visuals, modern multiplayer functionality and a load of other stuff to these 15+ classics and making them available as three-game sets or one big bulk download pack over PSN and XBLA starting February 19, 2013. Of course, thanks to licensing rights and other hassles beyond their current control, we STILL don’t get an updated version of the stellar Dungeons & Dragons arcade game (boo!) that NEEDS to get re-issued somewhere at some point on something (grrrr!). Oh well, those Capcom fanatics who aren’t eternally pissy whiners about everything the company does these days (why don’t they just find another publisher to stalk if they’re so displeased?) will be happy with what’s here or on the way.

Anyway, games and pricing are below the jump. Get the whole pack, save some money and get a few free games in the process, I say… Continue reading →

Sniper Elite V2 Headed to Wii U (Now With 100% More Undead!)

Posted on February 7, 2013 by geelw

Oops. I really need to pay more attention to Rebellion, that’s for sure. While I was snoozing, the veteran developer has been posting a few cool teasers about an upcoming game that looked very much like Sniper Elite V2, but with the added attraction of some sort of zombies. It turns out that Wii U owners (like me) are indeed getting an enhanced “port” of the PS3, Xbox 360 and 360 game quite soon (as in this month!) and with what looks to be a pretty creepy new mode. Of course, comparisons to Left 4 Dead and Call of Duty’s popular Zombies mode will be made left, right and center all around the internet. But given the more deliberate pacing of the Sniper Elite games, I’m gathering this won’t be a mere clone of those games.

Fans of World War II shooters who’ve yet to play this one (and want something more methodical) should put their sights on this one and absolutely give it a shot, as in terms of the main game on the PS3 and 360, there’s a lot to like throughout the solo and co-op modes. As for that newer, more frightening content… well, if it’s got the pacing of the game plus the threat of being scared half to death while creeping around a mostly destroyed, undead-filled landscape, I’m sold for sure. Another Wii U title that’s geared towards “core” gamers? Count me in once more…

Skylanders Swap Force Gameplay (Dramamine Version)…

Posted on February 6, 2013 by geelw

Yeah, I shot that! AND it’s my first YouTube video post. Whee. That said, dear readers… I do hope your chair or couch has a seat belt and you’re not prone to motion sickness, as this footage is shaky central. But the game on the other hand… is amazing. Vicarious Visions takes over from Toys for Bob and brings Skylanders into HD in fine form indeed. The character animation and voice talent are near Insomniac/Naughty Dog levels, the gameplay is enhanced with the new Swap Force characters (and now ALL your old Skylanders can jump in this game, a HUGE plus that opens up the gameplay even more). So far, this is turning into my new favorite future time-sink (Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is also on that list), so yes, I’ll be keeping an eye peeled and posting less shaky updates in the future.

Er, In case your eyeballs are rolling around inside your head from my camerawork, below is the non-shaky full press conference from the superb One of Swords blog: