Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: A History Lesson…

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Actually, Detective York is a wee bit off in his history, as steam-powered vehicles were around in the 17th and 18th centuries. It’s too bad that the technology never took off as it should have, as the world could probably use less fossil fuel consumption and smarter ways of just getting to the mall for a pint of milk. Of course, trying to cover the entire history of automobiles here is a bad idea, as this is supposed to be a more Greenvale-centric post and I’m sure their City Council doesn’t want me to ramble on about mechanical perambulation or the advent of steam when there are more interesting ways to get tourist dollars out their way. And, wait… just which King George is he referring to anyway? There were a whole bunch of them from a few different countries throughout world history, you know.

DPDC PS3 US EFS 2D RealOh, wait a minute… Ah ha ha. My mistake, folks. The detective was being a bit sarcastic and tossing a good one out about Sheriff George Woodman who it turns out isn’t the nicest cop in the neighborhood. Oops. Well, at least I found that out before I had to go poking around Wackypedia for “facts” about cars written by contributors that don’t even know how to drive. Say, did you know that despite needing to drive a few places in the game, YOU don’t need to know how to drive when you’re playing Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, coming April 30, 2013 exclusively for the PlayStation 3. Featuring upgraded visuals, PlayStation 3 and 3D TV support, trophies and more, this is one vacation you’ll not soon forget. Unlike that information that would have helped you pass that history class you flunked in high school.

SWERY65_tinyOK, so King Sheriff George is a bit of a jerk with his stupid hat and bad attitude (you’d think he’d be a BIT more cooperative what with a mad, possibly supernatural killer on the loose in his town) but thankfully, Sheriff Swery is in the office on those days George is off and he’s a MUCH nicer guy to deal with. When you’re in the area, make sure to drop by and say hello. Hey, you may even get  a free cup of coffee from the A&G Diner out of that greeting – and free is always good. Especially when combined with coffee…

WIN FREE STUFF! Or: Cobra Command (& mimoco) STILL Wants YOU!


 

COBRAAAAA!OK, SIDE CHOSEN! Now that I’ve teamed up mimoco to go completely EEEEEVIL… I’m being nice and giving something cool away. Er, that’s HOW it’s supposed to be! Long live COBRA! Anyway, here’s the deal: I have ONE of these awesome Cobra Commander MIMOBOT USB Drives to send ONE lucky (and EVIL!) reader, so you need to be really creative and sneaky to get this excellent goodie.  How creative and sneaky? Well, actually tracking down the other followers of this site and arranging for their untimely demises is a bit too extreme (and HEY, silly evil person – I need MORE readers, not LESS, grrr!), but I’m sure you can some up with something that will surprise everyone. As some inspiration (sort of), here’s some Cobra Commander fun from G.I. Joe: Retaliation:

 

 

(BIG, FAT Hint: NOT wasting time sewing up a fancy costume or putting on makeup to make that “winning” video when simply being a follower of the site, hitting the Leave A Reply button and posting that you’re interested works extremely well and in FACT, will actually surprise everyone expecting a more elaborate means of entry!) Anyway, I’ll RANDOMLY select one winning post, contact you via email for your mailing address, which MUST BE IN THE U.S. of A. grrr! (Seriously, though) and ship your prize out next week. The Cobra Commander MIMOBOT features 8GB of storage and comes packed with loads of classic G.I. Joe stuff (comics, videos, wallpapers and MORE). You’ll also get a $10 emusic card you can redeem (that’s up to 20 songs, kids) at the emusic shop and two mimoco stickers you can put anywhere you like (not the cat or dog, though!). And hey, if you don’t win, you can always poke around the mimoco site and BUY something. They may now be EEEEVIL, but that’s hard work and they deserve to take your money in exchange for quality fun stuff you won’t find elsewhere!

Long and boring official rules below the jump… Continue reading

Random Film of the Week: Le Mans

(Thanks, motorsportzx!)

le_mans_xlgI still remember seeing Le Mans as a kid and, despite the fancy cars I was so attracted to zooming around that legendary race course, found myself falling asleep before the first hour was up. I think it took another three or four attempts as I got older to get through the entire movie, but today it’s one of my favorite racing films. Granted, it feels like more of a documentary of a particular race day that happens to dip behind the scenes to focus on a few people not talking much mostly about a few things that tie into to the overall story being told. Nevertheless, there’s a story that kicks in if you pay attention that works quite well in its low-key way that sets up a pretty exciting final reel.

Of course, this means as a timepiece of a particular period in auto racing history, it’s really an important work. Where the great-looking and innovative 1966 film Grand Prix got too caught up in its romance triangles and some dramatic sections (and had a poor stunt dummy go flying out of a car in one crash sequence that still makes me laugh), Le Mans is purely and primarily about the race. Continue reading

GRID 2 Update: Now, This Is A World Series I’d Defintely Watch (And Play!)…

 

…Fortunately, I’m more of a hands-on guy. Even better, Codemasters is BACK in town in a week or so with more of the game to show off and yes, indeed – I’ll be there. A wee bit early in the morning for my tastes, but eh, what can you do? I have an appointment with this at 10am, another appointment a block or so away to see Starbreeze Studios’ new game, then it’s back to the same spot I started from for a few hours of Namco Bandai Games’ lineup. I could use a clone right about now, but I guess that’s not going to happen before these press events coming up. Anyway, GRID 2 is looking great and is skidding into stores here on May 28 2013 (or May 31, depending on where you live)…

Pathologic: GOG.com Gets A(nother) Unique Indie Horror Game…

With a name like Ice-Pick Lodge for the development team behind this Russian PC game from 2005, Pathologic was guaranteed at least some notoriety from gamers who pay attention to such things. However, this horror-themed adventure/RPG hybrid seems to have been forgotten over the years until the folks at gog.com dug it up, got it working and available as the latest game in their growing library. The surreal visual style is a bit dated (I like it a lot), so the graphics whores will get all pissy that it doesn’t look as if were made last week. Nevertheless, the game still has that odd overall charm familiar to games such as Deadly Premonition, D2, Silent Hill and a bit of Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth (among other quirky horror games). Anyway, three playable characters, an intriguing game world and story, plenty of unsettling imagery and yep, death comes a-calling looking quite strange here. Even better – this one’s only $9.99, so definitely check it out if you’re in the mood for something weird and wild…

New Grand Theft Auto V Screenshots: A More Complete Vacation Package Deal…

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V-76-1280 It may LOOK as if I’m not following Grand Theft Auto V around like a very talented stalker dear reader… but that’s quite misleading. I just haven’t written a lot about it because I just KNOW that it’s going to be one of those games that doesn’t require a ton of words written before its actually PLAYED in order to enjoy everything it will offer. Given Rockstar Games‘ dedication to each new installment of the series, it’s been clear from the first reveal that GTA V will be the deepest and best game in the long-running franchise. Anyway, a few more screens to get YOU talking are below. Me, I’m just smiling and thinking about how I’m going to manage my time when I fire this game up for the first of many times. The series is well known for sucking all too many hours from the day once you get in, start peeling back its layers and finding hidden secrets galore. Skydiving AND Scuba in the same game? And a few types of flying machines to go with the ton of cars, bikes and other fine rides? September 17 will be a perfect day for a good chunk of the country to call in sick, I predict.

Of course, if you’re REALLY smart, midnight crush launches aren’t your thing and you’d have already pre-ordered the game directly from the always awesome Rockstar Warehouse online shop, which has a cool GTA V-themed bonus T-Shirt you won’t see elsewhere. Hmmm… someone give these guys the James Bond license and let’s see what happens if they make a wholly original product, I say…

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Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: More Road Rules…

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Paying attention to the road while driving may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised just how easily distracted most people get when behind the wheel. Case in point, this particular road trip in that not so fancy but fast Sheriff’s car, currently driven by one Francis York Morgan. Given that he’s got two passengers with him, he should be concentrating on the road and doing his best to drive safely. However, just LOOK at that speedometer! 73 MPH is not exactly following the Greenvale speed limit, it’s not an emergency (this time), and lack of traffic or not, he should keep an eye out for pedestrians. I’d say something about that “Talk” button onscreen, but I guess it’s OK, as talking while driving is something everyone seems to do. Granted, York will probably Talk to “himself” rather than his passengers (which is distracting enough), so perhaps he’s not too bad behind the wheel after all?

DPDC PS3 US EFS 2D RealOf course, you’ll get to find this out for yourself and more on April 30, 2013 when Rising Star Games’ Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut hits retail exclusively for the PlayStation 3. Featuring updated visuals, improved controls, all-new content PlayStation Move and 3D TV support and more, this is one of those games guaranteed to get you out driving safely to your favorite game shop and back home even if you’re a block away. Hey, practice makes perfect, right? And if you don’t drive, no worries – that walk will do you good, as you’ll probably be getting a wee bit less exercise once you pick up the game and start playing. Your heart will be racing quite a lot, though…

suda 51_swery 65Another reason you should buy this game is you’ll be keeping Game Director Swery65 a busy man. Getting him back in the office in Japan making more games is a good thing, as if he’s not making games, he’s getting into mischief with people like this other creatively named game-creating reprobate (and all-around nice guy if you get to meet him in person), Suda 51 (both seen here in a local drinking establishment somewhere on Planet Earth. So, yeah – you know what to do, right. Buy at LEAST two copies of this game so Swery gets back to making another one. Or at least thinks about a Vita version, as there’s nothing like being able to be scared out of one’s wits while on the road (er, except when one is behind the wheel – that’s NEVER a good thing)…

PAX East 2013: DuckTales Gets The Crowd Going (Therefore, You Must Go As Well)…


 

Yeah, you watched the show as a kid (or a drunken college teenager or early pre-hipster doofus) and yeah, you played the NES game to death. So now you need to show your love or else the game’s upcoming remake will be trapped in development HELL. Not really. I just wanted to see you all singing along to the DuckTales theme song. Corny as hell, but C-l-a-s-s-i-c cartoon stuff from the 80’s!

OK, shut up and sing along. You sing, an angel gets a new kidney or something like that. And a puppy.

YOU SING! NOW!!


Life is like a hurricane…
Here in Duckburg.

Race cars, Laser, Aeroplanes
It’s a… duck blur.

Might solve a mystery
Or rewrite history…

DUCKTALES
Woo-oo!

Everyday they’re out there making:

DUCKTALES
Woo-oo!

D-D-D-Danger moves behind you
There’s a stranger out to find you
What to do? Just grab on to some:

DUCKTALES
Woo-oo!

Tales of derring-do
Bad and good luck tales (Woo-oo!)

Not ponytails
Or cotton tails, no:

DUCKTALES
Woo-oo!

DUCKTALES

Woo-oo!

Now there, don’t you feel a LOT better?

You’re welcome.

The Great Gatsby TV Spots: It May Be Good, But Throw The Book At It, I Say…


 
Eh, do we REALLY need this flashy-looking new version of the classic book at all? Baz Luhrmann’s at it again? Oh, well then – that changes everything. My brain is still recovering from Moulin Rouge, though. I’m more of a classic musical and film guy, despite all the efforts to make these new movies look and sound “vintage.” Well, there’s NO doubt this sure looks amazing and will rake in the loot for a while. That said, sure, it’ll rope in the rubes who flock to theaters on those lonely weekends looking for some solace in the virtual arms of superstar hunky type actors (and who don’t know a penny’s worth of the plot) and those dragged-along spouses who trade in “Date Night” deals. That said, I think F. Scott Fitzgerald’s angry ghost would be rolling up yellowed, crumbling newspapers from the era or filling dirty socks with stones so he could do a day’s worth of REALLY old school drive-bys on those expensive movie sets. 

OK, it might be really good, but my eyebrow is still up on this one. Well, as long as it’s not “Based on a True Story” or “Inspired By Actual Events…” Those films almost always stink under closer scrutiny…
 

COBRA COMMAND WANTS YOU (To See G.I. Joe Retaliation)…

 

COBRA_SFOK, listen up you potential evil-doers! I had to go through HELL to post this video (OK, it wasn’t hell, but I sat on my keys when I came back from the bathroom, so that counts as a kind of hell), so make sure you WATCH it and pay attention. If you THINK you have what it takes to be some sort of modern hooded menace and you can use all sorts of deadly fake weapons and not kill yourself in the process, go sign up HERE and wait for your coded message. Given that Cobra Command usually sends these out attached to assorted explosives, sharp objects and yes, actual cobras, recruitment is at an all time low. Thankfully, this new G.I. Joe Retaliation film seems to be better at luring in new membership. As for my own affiliations? Well, now… that WOULD be telling. I may be a double agent for all I know (and I know I don’t know much). Stay tuned. Prizes (or at least one prize) will be given out soon enough to someone out there.