Game of Thrones Season 3 Teaser: That Beast on Your Back is the Least of Your Troubles…

 

As predicted, HBO is really rolling out the Game of Thrones promo war-wagon (and probably crushing a few lesser shows’ heads in the process), as we get two teasers in as many days. I expect a few more before the new season kicks off, but none of these will faze me either way. I actually prefer to go into each season cold and allow each episode to wash over me and do what it does best. I’m not one for the stupidity of betting real money in Vegas or wherever on who “lives” and “dies” on this or any show, as hey, I can separate my real life realities from my fake realities in TV shows I like just fine. That and my hard-earned dollars can go towards something a good deal more sensible (like food, for one thing)…

Making of Defiance (7): Amanda & Kenya (And The Places They’ll Take You)…

 

Fans of Showtime’s Dexter and a few other shows she’s been in will recognize Julie Benz from her great work and it looks as if the streak will continue in Defiance. The upcoming syfy series launches eleven days after the PC/PS3/Xbox 360 game tie-in hits, so there will hopefully be enough people playing or hearing about the game to generate a wave of interest in the series. The big fat elephant in the room is quality, but so far, the show and game seem to have it in spades. As always, we shall see… but I say give this one a chance for a season and see where it takes you.

VGA 101: What Do You Get The Guy Who Has Everything? A Bigger Closet And Some Shelves, Perhaps.

 

OK, I have TOO much stuff. Actually, it would look a GREAT deal less cluttered here if I could afford the room/office design I have in my head but not enough in the wallet to even think of. The obvious running joke here is “sell your games so you can afford to get more space!”… which (ha ha) would leave me with money to buy some nice shelves and such but nothing to put on them.

 

 

Ah well… I guess it could be worse. I could be keeping rabbits here in the apartment. Or running a mushroom farm from the closets here. Hmmm… that might work for some good cash after all. Where can I find good truffles around here to raise? And a dog that hates expensive fungus?

(Note: pigs are allegedly illegal to keep here in NYC as pets despite some people owning them in a few spots)…

Random Film of the Week(end): Sleeper

 

sleeperIf you stripped away the comedic elements and rewrote a few scenes, Woody Allen’s classic 1973 film Sleeper would actually make a pretty solid futuristic drama about a man wakened from a long cryo-sleep who ends up becoming part of a revolution against a totalitarian government. Fortunately, the film never even tries to be that serious and you end up laughing your ass off at its near-flawless writing acting and overall pacing. Granted, the film actually won a Hugo Award for “Best Dramatic Presentation” in 1974 (beating out the deadly serious Soylent Green, the mostly serious Westworld and two so-so fan favorite TV melodramas, Genesis II and The Six Million Dollar Man), so I’d gather there’s a pretty solid futuristic drama underneath all that slapstick after all…

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BioShock Infinite: Some Questions Answered And Mysteries Solved For Your Curiosity…

 

Will BioShock Infinite be as well-received as the original? Will we see so many ads for the game that 2K Games breaks some sort of record for spending on a single title? Will Ken Levine ever give a boring interview? All signs point to “yes” or “no”, as my crystal ball is busted and I’ve been called a False Shepard before. Eh, whatever – I’ll be playing this at some point and know I’m going to enjoy it no matter what the jaded flies on the wall say. As for ken and interviews, well… THIS one at BAFTA certainly isn’t dull at all:

 

 

Anyway, March 26 is rolling up REALLY quickly and I’m betting a few people call in dead from work just to spend some quality time buried in the story, characters and gameplay Irrational has cooked up…

BUY THIS GAME! Amanita Design’s Machinarium Headed to PS Vita March 26

 

One of the most unique-looking and fun indie adventure/puzzle games from a few years back is finally Vita-bound for an excellent price later this month. Amanita Design’s Machinarium is coming on March 26, 2013 for a paltry $6.99 and it’s actually greatly enhanced over the previously released PSN version. A reworked control scheme allows analog sticks or touchscreen movement, a new zoom function allows you to see things a bit closer (the artwork is so intricately detailed that this is a necessity), and PSn leaderboards have been added so you can check your times and mini-game scores against players from all over. Another must-buy indie game for Sony’s handheld? Sure, I’ll take it if it’s one as good as this…

Toy Fair 2013: Someone Put A Stoppy to Clocky & Tocky!

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clocky tocky

If you try to stop my much-deserved sleep
you’ll soon hear a certain stylized “beep”
That’s just me, a-hammering on your hard head
half-awake, swinging ’til we both see red.

The talented jerks working at Nanda Home
Have cooked up two bad clocks that happen to roam.
As soon as the time you’ve set rolls on around
Those stupid smart tickers, they leap to the ground!

They roll away, wailing their horrific chimes
And chase them you must for committing their crimes
You’d better be fast at running half awaken
As smashing into walls can have bones a-breakin’

 

 

And as you’re there lying and writhing in pain
Both Clocky and Tocky roll past your bruised brain
still chirping and screeching ’til you’re off your ass
and after them once more, your foot on the gas

If you’d like to add torture to your morning routine
or give someone the gift of a busted spleen
Stock up on these demons from Nanda’s factory
But don’t you go pointing that tired finger at me!

 

 

Evil, I say. EVIL!. Clocky is $45, Tocky (and it’s even MORE evil feature that allows you to record voice or MP3 files so you can crash into walls while listening to yourself, someone else and/or your favorite music getting you out of bed in a frenzy)? That’s $58. Hey, it’s YOUR money, so I can’t tell you how to spend it. So if you want to buy one, three or a whole room full of these things and/or give a nasty gift to a friend, the kids, the significant other or anyone else (and be hated for a month or so), knock yourself out. Of course, if you get one for yourself, you probably will once or twice before you get used to it…

Game of Thrones Season 3: War Is Absolutely Good For Ratings (Say It Again!)

 

Thirty more seconds of hot tease-y Game of Thrones trailer action from HBO. It’s a good thing they didn’t go the corny route that I did in the poorly paraphrased post title above and use that great old song as the music for this trailer. Well, it would have been funny (but not that funny), the fans would have marched on HBO headquarters and demanded a few heads on pikes and Twitter would have sprouted a third eye and flown right off the Internet. Or something like that. Oh, hell – I know you’re not even bothering to read this with that distraction up above and all, so I won’t even TRY hard to entertain you. The end of the month is rolling up soon enough, folks and I’ll be just like you, glued to the boob tube and not ranting on YouTube about whatever else is less interesting.