Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon: Not A Joke After All, But Full Of Laughs Nonetheless…

Posted on April 12, 2013 by geelw

OK, other than clicking on the page on April 1 and entering the Konami Code on my keyboard to blow up all the stuff on the site with clicks, I ignored this “game” because it was pretty obvious that it was an April Fool’s gag gone viral. Hell, NO ONE would make a game like that after Duke Nukem Forever, Bulletstorm and a few other humor-centric shooters didn’t exactly set the world on fire. That and hell, Crytek was too busy working on stuff like Warface, Far Cry 3 and Crysis 3 DLC plus whatever else they’re cooking up, so this HAD to be a big, fat joke. Welllll, to quote Ah-nuld in that gun shop scene from The Terminator… WRONG.

Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon is not only real, it’s a standalone game that doesn’t require owning the original version of Far Cry 3 to play, looks completely nuts and sorry to say, isn’t going COMPLETELY old school because it’s a DIGITAL-ONLY release. Hell, if Ubisoft were smarter about this retro thing, they’d get this out in a LIMITED edition for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 and sell it on that fake online shop they’ve set up on the Blood Dragon site. Do one run and that’s it for physical copies. They’d certainly get the attention of core gamers, collectors and those who just want more options in how they play their games, that’s for sure.

Hopefully Ubisoft and their PR will pay attention to my non-negotiable demands and make this happen as a retail product – I can see a bunch of people snapping this up if it’s packing the heat they expect.

PREVIEW: Dark Souls II: It’s Not Easy Being Green (Or Hardcore, For That Matter)…

Posted on April 12, 2013 by geelw

If there were ANY doubts that Dark Souls II would “go casual” among the pack of journalist-types who attended Namco Bandai’s Global Gamers Day last week here in NYC, those were squashed VERY flat by the mighty throwing of one VERY large axe by an enemy during a demonstration of the game. While the team at FromSoftware’s main design goal is to make the game more “accessible” to players, to the producers that word (which means “casual” to some gamers) meant accessibility ONLY in terms of making sure the game’s pacing put players into even MORE dangerous situations much faster than in Demon’s Souls and the first Dark Souls. Fetch-questing for NPCs has been minimized and backtracking through enemy infested areas is out (although you CAN choose to explore anywhere you like), replaced by a refined warp system and areas where surviving enemies and the insanely deadly environments will become your primary challenges. Continue reading →

GOG.com Brings You Too Much (Again): A Weekend Interplay Sale Of Epic Proportions!

Posted on April 12, 2013 by geelw

Nice! 33 Interplay games, most of them awesome all go up for a super sale this weekend over at gog.com, so if it’s going to be rainy and messy like it here right now, you’ve done all your spring cleaning (lucky you!) and need some fun stuff to melt the hours away, here you go. There’s too much stuff to recommend, but may I suggest a little Descent or Freespace, (airsickness bags not included – hope you like flying!) perhaps a side of Shattered Steel (BioWare’s first game), a side order of Stonekeep (for you dungeon crawlers out there) and absolutely try the Earthworm Jim 1 & 2 pack (EWJ 3 is an acquired taste, but interestingly weird and wacky). OK, get whatever YOU want or get them all. Hey, you’re buying, so it’s all your choice, right?

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: Soup to Nuts & Out of a Jam…

Posted on April 11, 2013 by geelw

“Ruh-Roh”. Welllll, this COULD go three ways for FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York… and call him a cab, as he’s going to need one if he makes a clean getaway from that Red Seeds Killer). He could try and engage the mad killer he’s been seeking for a while in a physical altercation (not a good thing if it’s suit-wearing fisticuffs against ratty robe wearing axe-swinging). He could try to put him down with a couple of well-placed shots from that gun he’s hopefully carrying (since he IS a FBI agent, he SHOULD be carrying his gun when exploring such a freaky location, right?)… OR he could remember that old comedy movie classic that was on TV late last night and attempt to confuse the killer completely before getting away in that cab you called.

“What old movie?” You ask, dear reader? Well, like I said… it’s a CLASSIC:

I think that Red Seeds Killer is in for quite a surprise. He’ll never see this coming, that’s for damn sure…

And just how will YOU get away from that axe-wielding maniac when you’re playing Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, coming exclusively to the PlayStation 3 on April 30, 2013? While you’re trying to decide that, make sure to take note of the updated HD visuals, PlayStation Move and 3D TV support, over 100 improvements over the original version and much more. Well, don’t spend TOO much time ogling those tweaks and letting that axe swinger get too close. Losing your head while checking out the scenery is only supposed to happen when you’re on vacation. Well, this long trip to Greenvale I’m taking IS sort of a vacation… but it’s certainly not what I’d call ANYTHING resembling a paradise. PROTIP: try running away, actually. I don’t think that killer has much of a sense of humor (or knows who the hell The Marx Brothers are, for that matter)…

Meanwhile, back at the ranch… Game Director Swery 65 is certainly feeling quite cool these days, as fans of his work have been whipping up some very nice artwork about his game and there have even been cosplay sightings at some recent conventions of certain characters from Greenvale. If you get REALLY lucky, you may even see Swery doing a bit of his own unique impression of York at one of these events, but pretend you’re thinking he’s adjusting his glasses because he’s not wearing a nice suit and tie like York has…

Movies You Didn’t Know You “Needed” A Sequel To (2): The Hangover Part III

Posted on April 11, 2013 by geelw

Yikes, AGAIN? OK, time out. Look, the first one was hilarious and unpredictable in a few ways and the second one felt as it was a tracing done by a wagon-load of monkeys on a very bad acid trip. This third installment in the Hangover series is giving me a hangover just from watching the trailer, but hey – it’ll do big at the box office I bet. Yeah, yeah, crude chuckles are here to spare (OK, I laughed twice), but I hope this is the final voyage of the starship Wolfpack, as you can’t go any further down unless you make the next one a straight to cable flick with an entirely new cast. Which is frightening enough for way too many reasons. Hmmm… let’s seven say months from that opening weekend to the DVD release, folks? Start your clocks in three, two, ONE…

Oh, how I miss the Marx Brothers…

Injustice: Gods Among Us TV Spot: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close…

Posted on April 11, 2013 by geelw

Hmmm… STILL no Swamp Thing in this game? OK, that’s a little in-joke there (VERY little), but WB Games and NetherRealm DO have a (wait for it) BIG hit on their hands which should be the go-to game for DC Comics fans for some time. I guess it would have been too much to ask to see that fighting engine get put to use in a more RPG-like setting, but I also guess that one day we’ll see a developer blend those styles and more successfully. There have been a few fighting game influenced role-playing experiences, but it’s been a while since there’s been one that REALLY packs a punch (oh, the puns…. the puns!). Anyway, this looks like a total blast, so I say buy it and grab a few friends for some fun on a rainy weekend. Of course, if I were in charge of the DLC, I’d add in Ally Babble, The Spectre, Madame Xanadu, Deadman, Plastic Man and The Creeper as bonus characters, but hey – my old comics memories can probably beat some of yours to death any day of the week (provided I get enough sleep the night before that big brain-battle)…

Tech-Land Turmoil To-day…

Status

Won-derful. Updates will be slow as molasses today (or Mo Lassus, that really terrible relief pitcher in my fake fantasy baseball league with the 40.7 ERA – hey, he owns the team and likes living in the cellar!) thanks to some rather stupid shenanigans going on with the otherwise reliable virus scanner I use giving me grief while I try and do some needed updating. While I’m trying to figure this out without beating my monitor senseless (gently!) while pretending it’s the slow and not so helpful support I’ve been getting, I figure it’s a good idea to let you fine folks know I’ll probably end up under my post count. Still, there’s a LOT coming and I do need to make sure FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York!) gets his daily due.

Back in a bit. I have no mouth online, but I must scream at something…

Iron Man 3 Featurette 1: More DVD Extras Before There’s a DVD To Think About Buying…

Posted on April 10, 2013 by geelw

I’ll bet you a nickel that you see this on the DVD and Blu-Ray when it comes out in, oh… about a year from now (or by Christmas, actually). I’m not psychic, folks – just right (ha ha). You can believe that this video isn’t going to waste and neither are the rest of them Marvel has planned. Of course, when you finally DO buy that DVD or Blu-Ray… you’ll also know which special features to skip because you’ve seen them already. Hey, I’m just trying to save you all some time so you can make more popcorn (or less). Hmm – let me shut up now before Marvel sends The Mandarin after me…

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: A Slow Day At Work…

Posted on April 10, 2013 by geelw

For the record, it’s always been a hard job being in a video game, folks. Even In the old days, standing outside stamping your feet up and down as a flat sprite was a total pain in the ass (but your feet hurt more) and as you can imagine, BORING as hell. Better tech meant that in some games, you couldn’t just stand and/or stamp around in the same spot at all. “Routines” became the new thing and now, you HAD to walk around and look as if you were busy. Of course, in the virtual open world of Greenvale, even if you’re NOT in the game that day, you’ll need to be on call just in case there’s a random event or sudden call sent out for some sort of scary moment to rattle the player. Of course, if you end up missing that call thanks to your cab not arriving on time or some other stupid thing, you end up going home annoyed, disappointed and tired. Well, at least there’s always a fresh pot of boiling water on the stove for tea and the A&G Diner has a secret delivery service for town residents (and its creepier denizens) only. I hear the fried chicken is great today…

Anyway, keep this Shadow employed and scaring YOU half (or more) to death, I say! Pre-order a copy of Rising Star Games PlayStation 3 exclusive Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, headed to retail on April 30, 2013. Featuring updated HD visuals, over 100 improvements from the original release, PlayStation Move and 3D TV support and MORE, this game is guaranteed to make all those Shadows happy overtime collecting guys and gals. And it’s all about the overtime for these guys, as they LOVE doing what they do so well. FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York!) may not feel the same way, as the more of them that get work that day he’s on the set, the more running like hell he needs to do. Sometimes, you can’t “kill” them all fast enough… or at all. You’ll see.

Occasional slow work days and long nights aside, everyone I’ve spoken to in Greenvale during this extended project has nothing but high praise for Game Director Swery 65. They say he’s always willing to listen to input about a scene and even lets the actors do a bit of ad-libbing, which really pays off in certain portions of the game. Like I said above, you’ll see…

Three More Game of Thrones-Related Videos (But You Won’t Mind At All, Right?)

Posted on April 10, 2013 by geelw

I thought not. Still, it’s been pretty amusing to listen to some people who don’t like the show because it’s “too _____ (fill in the blank)” and find out they’ve never read the books or watched more than a single episode or part of an episode before ducking out. Or worse, they always operate in Prudish Mode when it comes to their entertainment options. Color yourself No Fun Blue (it’s that crayon you never use in the big box) and put a sheet over your head, I say. Zzzzzz.

In actuality, I’ve only skimmed through one book a friend lent me before giving it back because I didn’t want to become completely tied to the printed work like some fans who pick at the show for not following events EXACTLY as written. The Walking Dead also has some fans who get nuts about continuity, but as I’ve said before, in both cases, MORE story is always a good thing. All action all the time (or too much of it in overkill mode) gets mind-numbing fast (see Starz’ Spartacus series for a good example).

Yeah, you’re entitled to an opinion around these parts, but unless you’re running for office, you’re not entitled to letting your brain do less work than it needs to, I say. A little depth and variety goes a long way (and not only in what you watch on TV, either).