Papo & Yo Comes to Steam (And Yes, It’s On Sale For A Few Days More)…

Oops (again!). I’d not even realized Papo & Yo was on Steam (for PC!) as of a few days ago until I did that article below on Among the Sleep. Anyway, if your PC or laptop can run this one and you’re a fan of offbeat stuff with a personal touch, BUY THIS GAME! New to the PC version are nicely updated visuals and Steam Achievements, and yes, you can (and should) use a controller to play. As you can see, the game looks quite lovely running on a higher resolution than an SD or cheaper model HD television:

Until April 28, 2013, this one’s on sale for $13.49 and is worth every penny. You can also pay a few bucks more ($16.99) and grab the game’s excellent soundtrack so your ears can be as entertained as your eyes.

Star Trek: Into Darkness Trailer 2: Jumping Off Tall Stuff Is The New Black (Part 2)…

Speak of the devil, here’s another trailer for J.J. Abrams’ sequel, which is still making some old-school Trekkies livid for basically having more action in two minutes than half a season of the original series. I say as long as the plot is solid and the characters well-written and acted, i don’t mind at all. I’m still cracking up at all the shots of people jumping off high places, as it seems to be a hallmark of the director’s style. The funniest thing about these shots is you KNOW everyone jumping in them isn’t going to end up like Wile E. Coyote a the bottom of a ravine at all… it’s just how and where they land that’s going to keep the sequence going. Hmmm… someone needs to make a YouTube video of EVERY Abrams jump-off shot and landing and post it so I can fall out of my Captain’s chair in hysterics. Get on it and get back to me – that’s your homework assignment for the week…

Star Trek: The Video Game: Making of (4): That’s A REALLY Big Canon You’ve Got There…

Hey, now… by law I’m allowed one absolutely horrific pun on a Sunday… and I don’t think that title counts, either. Anyway, developer Digital Extremes is doing it up right here, as this game actually takes place between the last Star Trek film and the upcoming sequel, Star Trek: Into Darkness. This more than makes perfect sense, as too many licensed games try to expand their stories after a film or worse, try to add elements into a film that don’t quite work out continuity-wise. As for how it all plays, let’s see what happens in a few days when the game hits stores on April 23, 2013. As long as the AI in solo play is solid, this one should be one Trek fans should be snapping up as soon as it teleports into stores.

Among the Sleep: Child’s Play Gets A Whole New Meaning In this Upcoming Indie Game…


 

among the sleep logoI can only think of a very few games that are played from the perspective of children and all of them are indie-made sleepers. In addition to a few RPG Maker games, there’s Papo & Yo, Baby Blues and now, Among the Sleep, which looks to be the most intriguing for a few reasons. First, the protagonist is a mere two years old, second, it’s a horror-themed game that doesn’t revolve around combat (I don’t know any two-year old babies who can carry around a rocket launcher and Rambo-sized knife). It’s also a recent Kickstarter project that’s garnering a lot of interest for its theme and excellent visuals. Hamar, Norway-based Krillbite Studios is crafting this gem up carefully.

There are minor similarities to Baby Blues in that the game has a young child and a teddy bear as key elements of the experience. However, Among the Sleep focuses on its child escaping from a nightmare and from the production art shown so far, the game looks to take on a more fantasy-themed twist as it progresses. Hmmm… Keep an eyeball on this one, pony up a pledge if you like what you see and someone get Guillermo Del Toro on the horn – a film version looks right up his strange, dark alley. That or, hell, I’d ring up LArry Cohen and get his blessing to do his cult 1974 flick, It’s Alive as a game, complete with that creepy Bernard Herrmann score and the film’s shocks and scares intact.

Ride to Hell: Retribution: “No Rules” Means You’re Always The Man…

Deep Silver’s awesome, violent “grindhouse” biker action game looks like one of those interesting Mature-rated sleepers that really doesn’t give a dead rat’s ass about some jerky politicians and parents groups whining about video games being the modern scourge of the earth, but that’s a good thing. Anyone with half a brain and no Sunday soapbox to stand on who’s actually HELD a controller knows that games don’t CAUSE violence at all and hell, if this were some TV movie or rolling up into a theater near you, you wouldn’t hear much about it save for whatever some overpaid film “critic” says. For those concerned adults running around with their hair aflame, I say just keep little Johnny and his soft, easily molded brain away from it and the world is a safer place. Anyway, June 25, 2013 seems to be the day this one hits the road with all engines burning. I’m liking what I see, so yup – I’ll be playing this for sure…

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: Cheers, Too!

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Welcome! It’s another Saturday night in Greenvale and yep, that pic above shows it’s slow once more at the Swery 65 Bar. Generally, the joint is jumpin’ as the Fats Waller song goes, but the recent Red Seeds Killer case has made the place turn into a tomb after a certain hour. While it’s bad for business from a tourist perspective, it’s great for the small town’s core drinkers who end up spending more money on slow nights getting their drink on and welcoming anyone who strolls in with a free beer or shot. If it weren’t for the bodies piling up, you’d almost want o show up at the bar every night, like on that old TV show with the catchy theme song that went something like this:

Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
And they’re always glad you came;
You want to be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same;
You want to be where everybody knows your name.

(“Cheers” lyric: © Gary Portnoy/Judy Hart Angelo)

Of course, I’d imagine that any sitcom set in Greenvale would have a grimmer opening theme or even odder, something particularly amusing in tone, as despite the axe-wielding killer stalking the woods, the sleepy town has a cool style all its own that keeps it going…

DP_PreorderYou’ll get to check this out for yourself soon enough when Rising Star Games’ Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut hits retail on April 30, 2013. Featuring over 100 improvements from the original version, updated HD visuals, PlayStation Move and 3D TV support, DLC and more, once you step inside this strange new world, you won’t ever want to leave. Well, except to get some real food, a beer or two and maybe use your own bathroom. The Swery 65 makes a good enough stop for a virtual drink and maybe some darts and pool, but those digital nachos aren’t the freshest thing on that limited menu…

swery4I’d say those cheesy nachos are the sole thing wrong with the bar, as owner (and Game Director) Swery 65 runs a tight ship. The last time around, he didn’t expect so much traffic, so ther were a few bugs and other issues that had the user ratings all over the map as some people didn’t appreciate the quirky atmosphere and dated decor. Taking all that into account, he’s cleaned up the joint quite a bit and while it looks a lot better with all that extra polish, he made sure to keep just enough of the old flavor that fans of that nostalgia will be coming back and really liking that they see and taste.

GOG.com Wants to Telltale You Some Stories This Weekend…

Oops. Once again, I got so stupidly busy burying myself in some new games here that I almost forgot about some of the old (and not so old) ones I needed to let you know about! Anyway, go boogie on over to gog.com and check out their Telltale Crazy Sale. You’ve got two days left to grab this bundle or bits of it for some HUGE savings. if you’re a fan of Telltale Games’ more recent adventure titles like the Walking Dead, all of these come recommended because they’re also well-crafted games but trade in the rib-ripping gore and cussin’ for some hilarious rib-tickling comedy and chuckles. Six complete game series for under $27 is a total STEAL, so get yours and get smiling, I say. also check out that video above for some other fine suggestions. Now, if you’ll pardon me – I’ve got some gaming of my own to get done!

Random Film of the Week(end): Beyond the Valley of the Dolls

Like a few too many people who didn’t initially “get” it, I absolutely hated Beyond the Valley of the Dolls the first time I saw it back in the early 1980’s. Of course, I went in expecting one thing (I’d never seen a Russ Meyer film before) and yes, got something else entirely. Yes, I was probably a wee bit too young to grasp the wild blend of comedy, drama, morality play and plenty of under-dressed female and male flesh bouncing and wiggling about. But it only took a few years and a more maturely snarky perspective to see what I was really missing. Before then, I’d always given anything Roger Ebert said about movies the hovering eyebrow (as in “What does HE know, he co-wrote that crappy movie!”). After I started liking this beautiful, campy mess co-written and directed by Russ Meyer, it became of the first flicks I’d recommend to friends or anyone wanting to see something “out there” and it’s still ahead of its time in many respects… Continue reading

Despicable Me 2 Toy Profile of the Week (9): A Little Traveling Music, Please!

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When Minions need a quick get-around
and their feet can’t touch solid ground
You’d best believe that pound for pound
That Minon Mobile’s mighty sound

With Minion Tim right at the wheel
(he’s got a license he didn’t steal!)
He’s got that “get there fast!” appeal
(just listen to those tires squeal!)

Yep, Thinkway Toys has whipped this up
to blaze right past your cat or pup
Whether you’re a kid or young grownup
You’ll want this ride without holdup!

Shown:

Minion Mobile (9”)

Age: 4+; Approximate Retail Price: $39.99
• Includes Voice, Lights and Sounds
• 10+ Sayings
• Comes with Minion Tim Driver

Available at a toy retailer near you starting in May. Despicable Me 2 is in theaters on July 2, 2013.

Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon: Michael Biehn Gets Back To Work…

It’s actually pretty darn cool that Ubisoft has tapped Michael Biehn to voice lead character Rex “Power” Colt in its intentionally campy send-up of way too many dopey (but awesome in their dopiness) 80’s action flicks, but I’ve had a burning question I’ve wanted to ask the actor ever since I saw The Terminator at the movies back when it was initially released. It’s bugged the HELL out of me that fresh through that time portal, a naked Kyle Reese gets his only pair of pants off a drunken homeless guy in an alley (Yuk!) and wears them throughout the entire film (Blech!), doesn’t go near a shower like he should (Ick!) but STILL gets it on with Sarah Conner (Nooooo!). That’s always made my skin crawl more than Arnold (well, his mechanical dummy head) doing “surgery” on himself by poking his own eyeball out with an X-Acto knife in that hotel scene. I guess Sarah had some pretty low standards and no sense of smell. Then again, SHE got to bathe when they got to the Tiki Motel – all Kyle did was buy stuff to make explosives.

Hey, I’m a continuity junkie, folks… I notice stuff like this in every movie I see. Hmmm… then again, maybe I’ll take this issue up with James Cameron. What’s his number again?