It’s #drawingday Somewhere in the World (And I’m Cheating A Little)…

Posted on June 1, 2013 by geelw

OK, I thought June 1 was Drawing Day here in the U.S. of A., but it seems I was incorrect (or that dumb site needs to be updated!). Er, anyway… I found some locations in Ireland and other places having a DD celebration where people get out and draw stuff or submit art they’ve done today, but here, it seems all is quiet on the Western front… Boo. Actually, #drawingday seems to be getting used, so perhaps I’m wrong even when that dopey site’s got the incorrect date? Yaaah! I hate being confused like this…

No matter, though. I did some art this week and last (not today, though – too busy!) and I may as well share. No questions, please – I have no idea what was going on in my head in most of these other than either waking up after a silly dream and hitting the GIMP hard or futzing about in MS Paint for fun and no profit. That tree drawing is for all those kids who’ve ever got stuck in class “sharing” crayons with the smug brat who has the biggest box, but only hands you one color (which happens to be black). Enjoy!

Random Film of the Week(end): The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob

Posted on June 1, 2013 by geelw

It’s a big, fat shonda that this 1973 comedy classic isn’t more easily available on home video here in the US. I saw it for the first time as a kid at the movies when it was initially released, then a few times on cable in the 80’s before it vanished. I’d thought it gone for good from circulation until I went to France in 1995 with a few friends and our luggage got accidentally put on another flight from Heathrow during the connection from New York (Oops!).

While waiting around the place we were staying for the airport van to arrive with our bags, I decided to turn on the TV just to see what Parisians watch when they’re not outside at some nice cafe sipping whatever and smoking Gauloises and people watching (which is a fine sport in Paris). Guess what was on? That’s right, and even more amusing, I found out soon enough that the film is something of a national treasure there. Even funnier was during the time I was in France, the two other times I walked past a TV that was on, the film was playing, which led me to believe that there was either a Rabbi Jacob channel running this on a loop 24 hours a day or whomever was in charge of network programming had a rather single-minded sense of humor…
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GOG.com’s Latest Weekend Sale Will Get You Regular Like Clockwork…

Posted on June 1, 2013 by geelw

Another weekend of life on earth means another awesome gog.com sale, so here you go: Another all-Activision deal with a nice lot of classics up for grabs at dirt cheap prices. Of course, you’ll need a BIG clock with a lot of time on it (just make your own and stick by the 100 hours in a day deal you’ve cooked up in your head) and a new career in doing nothing but going through the library of stuff you’ve bought if you buy the whole 31 game package. Well, you don’t HAVE to grab the entire bundle, as it’s quite varied and yes, you might not like every game in the set. But I bet you’ll definitely see a few you just HAVE to try out and that’s what it’s all about, right?

Breaking Bad: Those Final Eight Will No Doubt Be Great…

Posted on June 1, 2013 by geelw

In case you missed some, most or all of last season of Breaking Bad (what, they won’t let you watch TV in the big house? You must have been REALLY bad!)… here’s everything you need to know condensed into a quick, informative clip:

So, yeah… those final eight episodes will be a real set of corkers, as they’ll wind up a bunch of loose ends and probably have some of us long-term viewers falling off our couches every few minutes. That opening sequence of Walt “celebrating” his birthday in that diner from the last season’s first episode really doesn’t mean all that much, come to think about it – something can still happen after he shuts that trunk that may throw us all for a few loops. August 11 isn’t really that far away at all, you know…

Ride to Hell: Retribution “Built, Not Bought” Trailer: Hmm, How About A Slice of Iron Pie?

Posted on June 1, 2013 by geelw

Well, OK… you can technically add food to stuff you can “build” and not buy off the shelf, but who’s writing this lame material, hmmm? Anyway, Deep Silver’s and Eutechnyx’ grindhouse biker action game is still on the way and sure, it’s not going to win any Game of the Year awards for visuals, but it just may be a hell of a lot more fun than some expect. Especially because you absolutely CAN’T judge a game by looks alone in this day and age. Hell, that would kill nearly the whole retro/indie games market in one go. As I’ve noted elsewhere, if it’s fun to play and makes you laugh in all the right spots (as in WITH the game, not AT it), it’s a keeper. Sort of like with people, you know…

Mezco’s Living Dead Dolls Resurrection Series 7: Chucky Gets Some Company…

Posted on June 1, 2013 by geelw

Mezco Toyz is dropping some cool San Diego Comic-con International reveals on collectors in the forms of their upcoming Living Dolls Resurrection Series VII and Living Dolls Resurrection Series VII – Variant Edition sets, both of which now available for pre-order directly from the company’s website.

As you can see, the “reborn” versions of Revenant, Dahlia, Lust and Killbaby all look nice and ready to stalk your shelves at home (or haunt someone else you decide to gift them). Looks like Barbie’s going onto that bonfire after all. Just keep a window open… the fumes will make you end up looking like one of these hellish cuties if you’re not too bright…

Ubisoft Does A Bit of Pre-E3 Tease (or: Aisha’s Baaaaack)…

Posted on June 1, 2013 by geelw

Having Aisha Tyler (from FX’s hilarious animated spy spoof Archer) host Ubisoft’s E3 press conference last year was a masterstroke, as she’s a gamer guys and gals can relate to without all that celebrity stuff getting in the way. Well, as you can see here, she’s going to be returning for this year’s show and yes, it’ll be the conference to catch just because it’ll be fun to see her take on some of the company’s upcoming lineup. Of course, Ubisoft always pulls off some major reveals, so those jokes she’s going to throw down should make a nice counterpoint to the sounds of jaws dropping in that hall and in front of computers or whatever device that event is viewed on…

Mamorukun Curse! PSN Announcement Trailer: The ONLY Time “Crazy Meets Cute” Works.

Posted on June 1, 2013 by geelw

Consider the humble “bullet hell” arcade shooter. Some think they’re a dying breed, but for some reason they keep turning up all over the place as developers and fans of this niche genre know what they like and there seem to be enough old to new games appearing on a few platforms obscure to current that keep things really interesting. Anyway, G.rev Ltd. and Gulti’s insane “cute ’em up” Mamorukun Curse! is finally hitting PSN on July 16, 2013, so here’s a look at the announcement trailer and a small batch of screens. This one’s cool because you’re not in a spaceship or plane at all, but on foot or floating about in some maps, which reminds me of Pocky & Rocky, Twinkle Tale, Elemental Master, Undeadlinee and a bunch of other classics. But harder, as you’ll see above. Anyway, mark that date down and keep an eyeball peeled I say. Finger exercises optional, but if you go down in flames because of hand cramps, it’s your own damn fault…

Here’s what to expect in the game:

3 exciting game play modes: Netherworld Action Mode, Arcade Mode, and Story Mode
Online Leaderboards: Use Curse Powers to rack up huge bonuses and challenge your friends to the top-ranking spot of the online leaderboards
Includes all previously released DLC from the original Japanese version:
2 Extra Netherworld Adventures Courses
2 Additional playable characters: Nowa and Rukino for use in Arcade Mode and Netherworld Adventures Mode
Alternate Costumes for all 7 characters
66 challenging PS3 Trophies to unlock

Batman: Arkham Origins Update: The Riddler Is Back To Drive Bats Nuts…

Posted on June 1, 2013 by geelw

Hoo boy. Those darn Riddler Challenge puzzles were am optional set of very tricky timed action sequences that extended the life of the previous games for anyone up to the task, and WB Montreal isn’t forgetting about them in this next installment. You know the drill, folks. You’re doing your Darkight Detective thing and while on a rooftop or some other otherwise nondescript location, you spy a glowing green “?”, accidentally or intentionally trigger a pressure plate and need to race to hit a few other spots so you can nab something cool before it’s locked away. The first one’s a gimme, but they get harder and harder and the next thing you know, you’re up at 4am consulting an online FAQ or making one yourself. This is actually the ONLY question I had about the game, as I know it’s in mighty fine hands otherwise. Off to look at jumbo-size aspirin, as some of those later puzzles will no doubt require a few…