Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: Caffeine Vanity

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Another Sunday in Greenvale, another cup of coffee for FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York!) as he’s still in town on the hunt for the Red Seeds Killer. Speaking of coffee, there’s a jukebox under an old green sheet in the basement of the Swery 65 Bar that used to be in the A&G Diner for about thirty years until it was moved a few months back. It was supposed to go upstairs IN the bar proper, but it was damaged in transit and is a bit to expensive to repair. If you were to get it running and feeling a bit moody, you’d probably drop a quarter in and play B17 first, which just so happens to be “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon. You know, that song with the lyric that goes:

“I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee, and…”

Interestingly enough, as York is sitting there contemplating, Bonnie Tyler’s “Clouds in My Coffee” just so happens to be playing in the background. THAT song isn’t quite the classic Simon’s tune is, but it does have this line going for it:

“The reflection I saw in your coffee
Was a bitter reflection of me”

Does this mean anything at all? Probably not. Nevertheless, it’s just a bit more serendipity to keep an otherwise sleepy Sunday rolling along. Coffee makes a terribly ineffective mirror, by the way. The image that looks back at you is always ugly or murky and constantly changing. Which is why one drinks it to enjoy what’s IN the cup and not on the surface…

DPDC PS3 US EFS 2D RealBy the way, if you’re NOT a coffee drinker, I’d say playing Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, coming exclusively to the PlayStation 3 from Rising Star Games, will drive you to drink some. Featuring Featuring over 100 improvements over the original game, refined HD graphics, PlayStation Move and 3D TV support, all-new DLC and more, you’ll be staying awake ’til the wee hours saying “just ten more minutes…” as you put on a fresh pot when the clock strikes midnight. And if you’re not a caffeine fiend at all, I’m sure you’ll find some other way to stay away that’s legal and somewhat aromatically addictive… Anyone for a nice peppermint tea with ginger?

swery65_igramI know for a fact that Game Director Swery 65 loves coffee quite a lot, but I don’t know what’s his favorite brand or how he takes it. Then again, that’s a bit creepy to know that much about a person you don’t PERSONALLY know (well, I think so). However… as we all (well all us caffeine addicts out there) know, your favorite barista at the local coffee emporium probably knows way too much about you and your personal preferences than your closest relative, spouse (if you have one) or psychiatrist (if you have one). Now, THAT’S what I call creepy. But that black gold is oh, so delicious (dilate, dilate, smile…)

I’m Not Worried About Divinity: Original Sin One Bit…

Seriously. I know Larian Studios has got this all sewn up nice and tight, so I haven’t even bothered to run any of their Kickstarter updates here after posting a little while back about Original Sin going the crowdfunding route. It’s pretty much a no-brainer that a new game is going to be great when it’s the same studio and staff that’s been with the series from the beginning toiling away like mad wizards. I’m just hoping that this gets a console version at some point, as I hate having to keep upgrading a PC like it’s a can that needs a new engine every time one of these epics roll out. More people playing their games is always a better thing at the end of the day, I say…

Game of Thrones Season 3 Episode 4 Preview: On The Other Hand…

Yikes… and double yikes. How about that ending to this week’s show, hmmmm? Wow. Let’s give the writers a BIG hand (har har). I totally didn’t expect it, but hey – that’s the good thing about going in cold to each episode, folks. I will get in a big wag of the finger here and say that LAST week’s preview was a total bait and switch job, as it looks as if someone else was going to be in some nasty trouble and not you-know-who. Well, that happens with every TV show, so I guess I can’t complain. Anyway, I’m being more intentionally vague than usual just in case you haven’t seen Episode 3 yet. OK, back to breathing normally…

More Defiance Character Profiles? Sure, Why Not?

Meet Kenya, Irisa, Nolan, Datak, Stahma Tarr and a few more guys and gals you’ll want to see more of once this new show gets its hooks into you. I’ll check out the entire first season to see if I like what’s going on, but based on all the pre-production videos, teasers, clips and yes, all those gameplay videos, a play session and a few other things, I’ll say this is one worth checking out.

That and hell, it sure beats the crap out of another Sharktopus movie, that’s for damn sure… Continue reading

THIS IS THE END Trailers: Oh, Don’t Give Me Hope, Hollywood!

Heh. OK, this disaster comedy whatever is probably going to do a ton of business when it hits theaters on June 12, but I know there are some who just want Hollywood to break off and float away into the ocean. I’m not one of those folks, mind you, but I do wish these writers and other creative types could come up with something a good deal more original than retreading Irwin Allen flicks and adding more modern humor and celebrities I could care less about if they did fall into a hole somewhere in real life. Eh, I’ll catch this on cable when it pops up in… let’s say January of February of next year. Er, provided we’re still here and not sucking down atomic dust from a few of those “now they’ve got a decent range!” North Korean missiles. Duck and cover, indeed…

Warner Bros. Pictures Wants You to Know That YOU ARE NOT ALONE

Oh, you already knew that? Well, good for you. Here’s some double assurance (or just single assurance for you out there having a lonely Sunday in front of the TV with a big bowl of whatever) which is actually a really nice tickle and tease for Zach Snyder’s upcoming Superman reboot, The Man of Steel if you’re paying close enough attention. I like the way this plays on elements of Richard Donner’s film a tiny bit, but you know that Snyder’s got his own style working. Hmmm… I wonder if we’ll see other characters in the film get their own themed teasers? It would be nice to see, but that’s all up to the boys and gals in marketing and the director or an ad agency whipping up the right ad. Personally, I just want to see the film and less hype, but so it goes…

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: Art Appreciation (2)…

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As far as I can tell, Greenvale doesn’t have much of an art “scene”, but if you look around, you’ll see art in the strangest places. Sure, you can stroll about and see the occasional park sketch artist of passers-by and trees and such, and yes indeed there are pet painters and a few brave folks who paint in public for all to admire (or not). But I’d say the most gruesomely gorgeous art has to be by the Red Seeds Killer, who’s a bit hard to track down for a one-on-one interview session. Granted, posing for one of his works means you’re probably not going to make it home for supper, but chalk that up to him being a truly modern artist reinventing the medium on a few levels because he refuses to die for his art like some have done in the past. Of course, killing one’s models in order to create is kind of a not so nice way to make a living, so it’s a great thing he’s only in a very strange video game and not a real-life personality. Er, don’t go telling this to FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York!), as I think that would upset his investigation somewhat…

DP_PreorderCan you EVEN imagine a documentary about an artist who kills his or her subjects but becomes hugely popular because of that way of making art? Yikes. Of course, this isn’t going to happen (well, not THIS year), but you can kinda sorta pretend you’re part of a crazy performance art piece when you play Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, headed exclusively to the PlayStation 3 from Rising Star Games. Featuring over 100 improvements over the original game, refined HD graphics, PlayStation Move and 3D TV support, all-new DLC and more, it’s basically an art appreciation AND game appreciation class all in one for less than it costs to hit a few real museums (well, if you only go to museums where you have to pay admission to get in)…

SWERY65_tinySpeaking of artistic things, Game Director Swery 65 often gets into the picture in a few ways even if he’s not doing anything but waking up in the morning. Thanks to his controversial creation, fans are always sending him artwork of all types and to any creative person,  this sort of praise by creation is more often than not a welcome thing to experience. If I were a LOT less busy strolling around Greenvale and seeing the sights, I’d try and whip up a little something of my own to share with him. But alas, I’m so tied up with stuff to do that I can barely get these daily updates out on time. Man, if I could only think up SOMETHING clever to show him I’m just as big a fan of his work as anyone. Hmmm… I’ll come up with some way one of these days….

Rollers of the Realm: Pinball, Puzzle & RPG? Three Tastes That Taste Great Together!

I’ll admit my eyebrow went flying up into the air for a second when I heard about Rollers of the Realm, but after a look around at the video above and the official site, I’m all in. Yeah, developer Phantom Compass (and friends) currently only has this set to hit PC and certain phone and tablet-shaped portable devices, but I think this one could be the new Puzzle Quest if it hits consoles as well at some point down the road. Sure, it’ll cost more to buy if it’s on the PS3 and Vita va PSN, Wii U and 3DS eShop or the Xbox 360 through XBLA. But hey, we console gamers are USED to paying more for some games because we know it generally costs more to bring them over with new features. Granted, I’d prefer this on a disc or game card, but that’s not going to happen at all, I’d bet. So a nice and shiny HD download is perfectly fine by me. I’ll be keeping an eye on this one, that’s for sure…

Random Film of the Week(end): It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Soon after hearing about Jonathan Winters’ death two days ago, I had the realization that we’re running out of truly great NATURAL comedians that made us laugh without resorting to juggling expletives or putting themselves in the public eye constantly in an ego-feeding frenzy. Granted, trying to get today’s short attention spanners out there to sit down and watch Winters’ best work is going to be a hard sell, but I think Stanley Kramer’s 1963 comedy classic kills a few birds with one stone.

Yes, the movie is too long by today’s standards (hell, it was too long for 1963 standards), but it’s packed to the gills with comedians and comediennes from a huge enough slice of history that you could see the careers of some beginning and ending with this one zany epic. The story of a bunch of wildly assorted strangers chasing down a dead robbery suspect’s stolen loot is still required viewing for anyone who considers him or herself a fan of comedy and the film works so well because no one gets away without taking a few lumps or a pratfall or three… Continue reading

Usagi Yojimbo Takes A Stab At The PC Indie Game Market…

Hmmmm. I used to read Stan Sakai’s great indie comic way back in the 80’s (I actually had Albedo Anthropomorphics #2 back in 1984!), so seeing the character FINALLY make it to video game form is interesting considering it’s NOT what I thought he’d be on. Amusingly enough, this and many other iOS and/or device games plus way too many indie games to count are EXACTLY what gamers would be paying fifty to sixty bucks for on a cartridge. So, seeing all of these apps popping up and getting forgotten unless they get some major press (which doesn’t seem to be a big thing non-mobile gaming sites cover regularly) is a bit amusing and annoying at the same time. I’ll check this one out if it ever shows up on something I can use a dedicated controller on or a handheld system with a decent control pad. Oh, wait… it IS coming to PC after all (wheee!):

Yeah, that’s more like it. Thanks, Happy Giant Games! For the record, I’ve tried the device thing and while fun for some titles, others just aren’t fit for tapping and tickling a screen. That’s right, grrrr… I’ll have to be dragged kicking and screaming into owning a tablet primarily for gaming – I’ll be kicking that tablet you’re trying to force on me and you’ll be screaming at me to stop with the foot action. Grrrrrowlllll.