Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: Abstract Reflections…

Posted on April 27, 2013 by geelw

As you’ve probably guessed by now, Saturday night in Greenvale is usually fairly quiet and uneventful, but as the small town now has people packing the A&G Diner and Swery 65 Bar, FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York!) can get down to business and finish up his Red Seeds Killer case file. He’s made plenty of progress, mind you… but I’m not yet at liberty to discuss an open case such as this because it’ll affect any future prosecutions.

Of course, if this were the real world, you’d see all sorts of idiot network reporters and crews flying in from all over the country to camp out and follow York all over the place looking for a scoop at the cost of him potentially losing track of the killer. Or worse, some dopey news reader would get his or her dumb ass caught and killed by the axe-wielding menace or one of the creepy shadows that lurk in and around the small town. Hmmm… that sounds like a game idea, but I’d bet it’s already been done… I’ll need to look that up one of these days… but now now, I’ve got a detective to track down myself…

While I’m poking around the woods trying to stay out of trouble, YOU can be safely indoors and playing Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, coming exclusively to the PlayStation 3 on April 30, 2013 from Rising Star Games. Featuring updated HD visuals, PlayStation Move and stereoscopic 3D TV support and more, you can hop into the suit and shoes of York and help him as he tries to put and end to that Red Seeds Killer and his evil ways once and for all. This won’t be a “short hop and 44 minutes later you’re done” episode of your favorite crime show, folks, as the game cuts deep on a few levels, is weird as hell and keeps you glued to the couch (or halfway under it) with its takes on horror and offbeat humor.

Game Director Swery 65 is taking a day off celebrating and is back under his sheriff’s hat today after George Woodman went missing earlier. It turns out I was DEAD wrong yesterday about accusing him of being the Red Seeds Killer, so we had a nice little conversation over some adult beverages (drunk mode ON) and went our separate ways at the end of the night. There’s still no news of Emily Wyatt and I’ve not yet run across York today at all other than seeing him drive by really quickly a few hours earlier. I think I know where he’s headed, so I’m on the way to see what’s up and maybe ask him if he’s seen Emily or George lately. I could live without Woodman’s mug stuck in my head, but I’d at least like to see Emily and say goodbye before I leave in a few days…

Stop The Wayback Machine! Mr. Peabody & Sherman (and Rocky & Bullwinkle) Are Coming Back? Eeek.

Posted on April 27, 2013 by geelw

The Old Gang File this entry in the “Wait, what?” Department. Hmmm… on ONE front, this is truly awesome news, as I’m as old as the hills and LOVE Jay Ward’s humor and these characters to death. That said, I’m all too curious as to just WHO the Hecuba this new comic series (and upcoming Dreamworks animated movie) are targeted at.

I’d bet only those very-oldsters like me and whatever college-agers who happen to get a knowing chuckle from the old cartoons will even give a damn, while the Generation “Why” kids that get dragged to this will be sitting there texting for an hour and a half or so. Or worse, sitting there with their arms folded with a cranky “I’m going to kill you in your sleep!” look on their ungrateful faces because some parental unit tried to get them to like something THEY loved as an impressionable kid or young adult.

Of course, I’m betting that instead of historical figures from the past we old folks learned about in school, IDW might tap into more modern and a lot less “historical” figures from pop culture or other time periods that, frankly speaking, won’t be as funny to mine for the old show’s offbeat (and intentionally incorrect) pokes. Ugh… now I have memories of that eyeball and brain searing take on The Three Stooges from a few years back…

Continue reading →

BEYOND: Two Souls “Breathe Me” Trailer: Turning Pages As The Story Unfolds…

Posted on April 27, 2013 by geelw

Qunatic Dream’s upcoming (and what looks like final) PS3 game is going to set a few new heights in storytelling and visuals as well as become a big hit amongst those who’ve bought into the developer’s artistic vision, that’s for sure. Of course, those on the fence or not even planning to go near this one because of their own biases are going to miss out big time, and that’s too bad. The gaming scene needs its big blockbusters for sure, but it also needs games like BEYOND: Two Souls that raise a bar or three while showing off how time and money are often better spent on delivering stories and characters that aren’t one or less note cyphers in the same old game worlds. Granted, trying to get SOME people to think all developers just don’t make sequels to their last games is difficult enough, but I keep trying…

Random Film of the Week(end): The Palm Beach Story

Posted on April 27, 2013 by geelw

You’ll probably need to watch Preston Sturges’ The Palm Beach Story at least twice if you’ve never seen it before. The second time will be to catch some of the rapid-fire dialog you missed the first time out from laughing so hard as your brain attempts to keep up with the wild setups and payoffs the movie hits you with. Sturges’ gift for well-timed comedy direction comes through excellently in yet another gem he also wrote and you have to give the man major credit for letting his actors fly through scenes (and sometimes the scenery) as if they were tossed around sets by small cyclones. Of course, having some great actors throwing those lines around helps quite a bit… Continue reading →

GRID 2 Gameplay: Algarve and Brands Hatch Laps To Lap Up…

Posted on April 27, 2013 by geelw

Just about a month to go, so Codemasters is getting these GRID 2 gameplay trailers out like clockwork. Of course, the curse of the Internet Troll is still hitting the developer, as rants from the “no dash cam, no buy” crowd are still popping up (like clockwork as well). Well, I like the game as is, and I don’t thing threats of not making a purchase, begging for a patch (which would take a while if you add in the number of cars and other changes to the engine) or other complaining will fly right on over the dev team’s heads until they decide to re-implement the viewpoint into a different racer. As I’ve played bits of the solo and multiplayer modes, I can safely report that you really won’t miss the viewpoint (much) because the speed and handling are still there. But, whatever to those who still are screaming to the heavens. Tantrums like these keep me off message board sites and wondering if anyone bitching so loudly about ANY game they don’t plan on playing actually has a hobby outside of being a human soapbox…

Random Indie Game of the Whatever* Review: Pushcat

Posted on April 27, 2013 by geelw

*Yeah, yeah, it’s been a WHILE since I reviewed an indie game here on DAF, but that’s because I’ve been downloading SO many of them and am slowly but surely going through what I can when I can. It’s YOUR fault, developers for churning out so darn many cool games. It’s a hell of a challenge, kids. Anyway, more indie reviews to come on a hopefully semi-regular basis…Onward!

screenshot__0003_title Damn you, Pushcat! There goes an hour wasted playing you (again). Granted, I did go in thinking I’d get a timed “grab the gems, get out of Dodge” game like my beloved Crystal Mines, but Pushcat’s a lazy bastard and that makes for a much better game that will burn up a few brain cells as it gets more challenging. There’s NO timer ticking down and forcing you to make mistakes and by the time the game’s handful of enemies and explosive surprises appear, you’ll have built up a healthy enough stock of lives that make the going not frustrating at all. The game’s combination of Boulder Dash, Crystal Mines and Match-3 gameplay makes it instantly addictive to puzzle fans, the retro visuals are sharp and cute, and the game has an amazing, catchy soundtrack made up of a bunch of ragtime and other ancient classics that has to be heard to be believed… Continue reading →

Gallery: Raven’s Cry

Posted on April 27, 2013 by geelw

RCLogo_withRaven

RC_Pass3_1280x720_Shot28 I’m not sure exactly when TopWare Interactive is releasing Raven’s Cry other than that nebulous Q3 2013 launch window, but I’d say it’s worth a look if you’re into the whole pirate-themed video game (and want to see how this stacks up to Assassin’s Creed IV, I guess). The game looks to fill a more “realistic” niche other pirate themes have teased, but have yet to deliver on. The story is pretty interesting and in combination with developer Octane Games’ promise of real-world locations and historical accuracy in some of the game’s elements, should make for quite a game experience that’s hopefully not just action-oriented.

As Christopher Raven, who as a young boy saw his family slain by pirates, players will hop into his boots as an older, vengeance-fueled pirate as he sets sail to do in those who ripped his life apart. yes, indeed it’s a completely single-player RPG, which means the developer is concentrating on delivering a rich story, character and hopefully, game world to interact with.