Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness Trailer: Now, That’s More Like It (Again)!

Posted on March 5, 2013 by geelw

“Breathe deep, the gathering gloom… watch lights fade from every room…”

Yes, Laharl and Etna and company are indeed baaaaaack in this all-new Disgaea game headed to the PS3 this fall. Expect this one to drop in standard and some sort of limited editions bound to sell out quickly, as this dark yet hilarious series has always been a fan favorite and both Laharl and Etna have some REALLY hardcore fans. Well, Etna probably has the most fans, as no one wants a tattoo of baby Laharl on that demonskin rug on their back, but I’ve seen a few cool Etna tattoos over the years inked on some fans of assorted ages. As for me, I prefer to remain non-inked (needles… NEEDLES!), but pay me a million bucks and you might get me to reconsider. Maybe. Anyway, happy days indeed for strategy RPG fans who like their games wacky, hard as heck and filled with anime goodness galore…

Nippon Ichi’s The Guided Fate Paradox Poses Some Innnnteresting Eternal Questions…

Posted on March 5, 2013 by geelw

Oh, this one just needs to be read to be believed, so I’ll just run the description below for this upcoming PS3 exclusive RPG and let your brains have at it:

The story for this title in particular is quite unique–imagine you are at the mall and you are forced to enter a raffle they are running inside…and you win! Congratulations, you winner, you! Your prize? You get to become God! Now that you are God, it’s your beeswax to go through the mysterious Fate Revolution Circuit and guide the fates of those who have prayed to God for help!

I happen to love the Disgaea games on the PS2, PSP, PS3, Vita and Nintendo DS and as TGFP is from some of the same team and looks cute as hell (er, ha ha?), I’ll probably grab this one on the PS3 when it ships out whenever. That said, I’m praying for a physical release (no, not THAT kind of release, silly!) but can see Nippon Ichi Software America needing to deal with a few particularly picky folks who like their old-time religion in a non-anime (and more vengeful if you poke fun at it) manner. Any-way… I’ll be in the back with the devil horns playing loud (Maceo!), filing my nails and tail or something. Red velvet cake for dessert later – with fresh ice cream, by the way. Bring a friend. And a few marshmallows – it’s hot as hell down here.

Applied Design @MoMA: Playing Games in Public Reveals Some Issues…

Posted on March 5, 2013 by geelw

Well, that darned “ringer” Pac-Man machine with the funky joystick was ONE problem and bad enough for an old gaming salt like me to come up against, grrrr. But I’ll have to kick myself harder for being SO supremely lame at vib-ribbon when I have it here and used to play it quite a lot. Granted, it HAS been a few years since I picked up that PSOne import, but still… I think someone messed with the controller, as the card next to the exhibit was off a bit. Well, the good thing was everyone who played it had problems as well. I at least managed to make it to the end of the second area on one attempt… and of course, I wasn’t filming or being films when it happened… bleh.

Thief 4: As Long As It Doesn’t Stab Me In The Back When It Takes My Money, I’m Good…

Posted on March 5, 2013 by geelw

Ah… this is fine news indeed. It seems that there’s a new Thief game (which just SO happens to be called Thief 4 because it’s the fourth game in the series) in the works for PC and next-generation consoles. Nice. I’ll do a happier dance when I see some gameplay, but to the initiated, the Thief series is one of those seminal works that’s pretty deep and always challenging to dive into. Eidos Montreal is handling the development chores, Square Enix will be publishing and if the game is anything like Deus Ex: Human Revolution in terms of scope (but with much more interaction), it’s guaranteed some solid ratings as well as a loyal fan base.

Granted, I’m betting ANY inclusion of “casual” play modes will be met with all sorts of internet-driven derision and division, but that’s how it goes in an era where more people seem to want to try more types of games (before giving up before they’ve learned the damned controls in the tutorial). As always, we shall see. I’ll be sneaking carefully behind this one and keeping tabs, that’s for sure…

Tomb Raider PC tressfx Demo: If You’re THAT Picky About Hair Animation, You Need A New Hobby…

Posted on March 5, 2013 by geelw

There’s probably a fancy salon in your town that could use your assistance with some REAL hair problems, so pack up your gaming rig and roll it on in! Yes, yes, that hair animation in the PC version of Tomb Raider is indeed spectacular… but it’s also not that important unless you have stock in AMD, are one of those PC-only diehards (that ends up using a console-like controller to play the game because keyboard controls in 3D games like this are usually not as good) or hell, you just like flowing hair even if it’s digitally created. Eh, whatever, Sassoon… the game is great on anything you can play it on, so leave the graphics folks to their overclocking polygon and frame rate count fetishes, I say…

Resident Evil Revelations Infernal Mode: On May 21, You Just May Get That “Jill Sandwich” After All…

Posted on March 5, 2013 by geelw

Ouch and double ouch.

Moved-around monsters (with new ones to face),
items and crates now put in new place!
This is no straight port of the 3DS game
so if you die fast, you’re the one to blame.

It’s bound for PS3, 360 and Wii U May 21st
if you’re not prepared, you’ll just be the worst
So take some time off to practice your dodging
so you can spend that day off holed up in your lodging.

A boat full of nasty undead and more lurk
you’re going in alone, but don’t be a jerk
There’s no co-op here to save your nice skins
But Raid Mode is co-op for some sure-fire wins.

Those graphics are all redone in shiny HD
For all the gore, the game actually looks quite pretty
But admire the detail a wee bit too long,
and you’ll see naught but red when poor Jill’s head’s gone!

Snoop Has Me Confused (Again): Way of the Dogg (No, I’m Not Lion)…

Posted on March 5, 2013 by geelw

So, Snoop.. er, Dogg is back in the game (business) with this upcoming 505 Games release, Way of the Dogg, currently in development at EchoPeak. Hey, I’m a fan of plenty of ancient great to bad Kung Fu flicks from the 1970’s and 1980’s and I don’t find his tunes at all ear-burning (but I don’t actively listen to hip-hop or whatever it’s classified as these days), so the blend of styles certainly seems potentially smokin’ (as the kids say). That said, this whole Dogg/Lion thing is baffling to my brain, but I guess it’s kind of a professional/personal thing that I shouldn’t be concerned about much.

Granted, I did overhear a conversation a week or two back between a few people arguing about Snoop’s recent conversion and if it was “right” under whatever rules or whatever is in place that make one a “true” Rastafarian and so forth and so on. But I didn’t stick around for the entire mostly mellow debate as I walked in on the middle of it, was eavesdropping anyway (who’s bad?!), had nothing to offer that wouldn’t have been a bad joke that would have gotten me beaten senseless (or ignored, a far worse fate for an aspiring “comedian” like myself) and at the end of the day, I probably wouldn’t give a hoot about what was said the moment I went home and cooked something tasty to eat (which would have been a steak, had my dirty laundry not eaten it – oh, never mind…that’s a long story told elsewhere).

Except for now that this game is underway, it might me nice to know what to call the man should I ever run into him again. “(If) You (Don’t) Know My Name, (Don’t) Look Up My Number” and all that stuff… Eh, no worries. It’ll get sorted out eventually. Back with more on this one in a bit…

TMNT: Out of the Shadows Teaser: Back Again (and Still Shelling Out, Some Would Say)…

Posted on March 5, 2013 by geelw

I always flip a coin and wait when I see a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game roll around. Sure, that original arcade game was a classic, but it’s been kind of hit or miss since then with a few good games and a few stinkers. Granted, I’ve definitely outgrown the appeal of those pizza-chomping, slang-slinging crime fighters who perhaps should have been chased down and turned into soup and luggage by evil poachers long ago. But there’s a new movie in the works and the fans all say “The fans… think of the fans!” (or at least that’s what the fans would like to believe they all say), so here you go: a new downloadable beat ’em up game on the way this summer on PSN and XBLA coming from Red Fly Studios and published by Activision.

Personally, I’d much rather see Rare get off whatever slow unicorn they’re on and get us a proper Battletoads revival (an HD reboot of the classic 1994 arcade version and/or a new 3D game in the Conker vein), but those chances are slimmer than a photo of Kate Moss, circa 1994 placed under a stack of C++ programming books.

Capcom Arcade Cabinet 1985 Game Pack #1: Three More Classics To Keep You Twitching The Night Away…

Posted on March 5, 2013 by geelw

Let’s see now… Ghosts ‘n Goblins, GunSmoke, and Section Z, all true classics and all now popping up on PSN and Xbox Live Arcade for you Capcom Arcade Cabinet users in North America (European PlayStation Store users get theirs tomorrow) for a very reasonable $9.99€/9.99/£7.99/800MSP. For those of you PSN users who missed last week’s intro 1987 pack or just want the two classics Avenger and/or 1943: The Battle of Midway by themselves, they’re both for sale individually on PSN for $3.99/€3.99/£3.19 each. Capcom hasn’t said a thing about 360 users in regards to these two titles getting single purchase deals, but I’m guessing 360 owners will need to take that up with Microsoft and not Capcom if it’s an issue about individual games being sold or whatever. Anyway, enough reading – go drop some virtual quarters already!

Applied Design @MoMA: fLow (PS3) “Dancing Bacteria?” Well, OK…

Posted on March 5, 2013 by geelw

Well, I did hear someone say that’s what the game looked like at the event, so I guess that’s how it will seem to a few people who haven’t played it. I was going to title the post “Waiter,There’s a fLow in My Soup!”, but that would mean I’d need to stop writing and go eat something, as food references sometimes make me hungry. Good thing I’m at the library here “stealing” free wi-fi time or I’d be passed out at the pizza place nearby on a cheap (but REALLY good) pie, not getting any work done and feeling not too guilty about it later on.