Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW! Teaser: Oh, I Certainly DO Know!

Posted on August 19, 2013 by geelw

Yup, I’ll be diving into these cartoon dungeons because… TRY AND STOP ME! I happen to like dungeon crawlers, comic or not, so this one will get a workout here at the home base. With the fine folks at WayForward Technologies on the case, it’s a guaranteed great time for fans of the show and tourists who happen to be passing by and own a PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U or 3DS. Hmmm… if I had to choose a platform, I’d have to go for the Wii U version just because that’s a system that needs more good games and yes indeed, I want to see what WayForward does with that GamePad (don’t disappoint me, guys!).

November 12, 2013 is the day, so mark those calendars. Wait a minute, now… FIRST, go take down LAST YEAR’S calendar, go to the nearest supermarket, barbershop or bank, get a NEW calendar and mark that one. Yeah, I know you forgot (again), but you need to be more on top of things!

Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst: The Return of TOO Much Content!

Posted on August 19, 2013 by geelw

If there’s one thing eternally busy developer CyberConnect2 knows how to do, it’s pack their Naruto games so full of content that trying to pin the tail on how many hours it takes to complete is a futile proposition. Despite that timer showing how long you’ve been at it for the last few weeks or whatever, you really don’t want to know how many hours you’re sinking into a game with a ton of playable characters and customization options unless you’re going for some sort of bragging rights someone can easily match by firing up the same game and letting it sit on a status screen while they do the Rip Van Winkle for a month or so.

For those of you who’ve blown through, are still playing, or missed out on and plan to purchase Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, you may want to hold onto something or just have a seat. Namco Bandai and CC2 are about to drop an even better game on your heads in the form of Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst, set for a PS3 and Xbox 360 release on October 22 and followed later by a PC release through Steam. Full Burst packs in the original game with reworked cinemas, all the DLC content and some all-new and insanely tough challenges that will test the best players with some truly brutal battles. A build of the new game was up and running at Namco Bandai’s press event a few weeks back and just listening to the staggering number of changes was exhausting yet showed that CC2 really loves its fans and wants them to have the best game possible…

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The Bureau: XCOM Declassified Launch Trailer: On Loving (or Hating) the Alien…

Posted on August 19, 2013 by geelw

After a complete shift in development from a tactical first-person game (that drew instant and completely unwarranted hatred from die-hard fans of the original PC game) to a third-person squad-based tactical shooter, 2K’s XCOM origin story rolls out on August 20. I actually liked the more stylized visuals and perspective in the original concept, but I’ll still play this as a fan of the series who happens to have a more open mind. Now, I don’t have a review copy incoming as far as I know, but I’m betting this drops in price quickly thanks to some obstinate embargo breakers at another site that ran a negative review already (which seems to have been taken down – I guess 2K put the kibosh on that kibosher). Oh well – I rarely pay attention to other reviews anyway, as it’s never a good thing to rely on the opinions of others when they go in expecting something entirely different than what’s on the plate. As usual… we shall see…

That Trip to the Swamp Might Make A Good Hotfoot Cure At Least…

Posted on August 18, 2013 by geelw

I forgot to add a suitable image to that Status post, so some quick digging gets you this old (and incomplete) watercolor art from 1990 to ogle. Blub. Actually, I burned my foot pouring some water for a cup of tea a few minutes back, but it’s not an emergency room deal (it did hurts like hell, though). So, hopping into a swamp might be a good idea right about now.

Off to hop about here and see if there’s any aloe floating around. I think there is, but if not I can do the Flintstone Flop across the street and pick up a plant at the supermarket… back in a bit.

All’s NOT Quiet on the Western Front (And It’s Defintely Noisy Upstairs!)…

Status

OK, I’m swimming in the swamp today and motivation is kind of moderate to low, but some fresh air and a nice walk in the icky gray weather will do me some good. Unless it starts pouring rain and I catch a bad case of pnuemonia. In which case I’ll REALLY have something to write about. Back in a few hours, as I’m in the process of cobbling together a bunch of notes, strings and other things for the upcoming week. I think I’ll be back in time to pop in a quick post before I keel over into bed, but let’s play this by ear.

Today’s wisdom: Don’t keep an ear to the ground – someone will just come by and trip over your head…

The Eighth Doctor Returns For Another One Night Stand…

Posted on August 18, 2013 by geelw

Sure, some of the more negative longtime fans of the show didn’t care for this one-shot TV movie that popped up on TV in 1999 with a new Doctor (played by Paul McGann) for the first time since the show was canceled ten years earlier, an American setting, main villain played by Eric Roberts (!) and a plot considered “lacking” by a few of those aforementioned followers of the series. On the other hand, the Doctor was BACK and like it or not, number eight is part of the long history of the character. Of course, as he only appeared in that ONE reboot, it’s going to be shown right after the special. Check it out if you’ve never seen it – it’s not bad for what it is, and hey – it also helped a little bit in getting the Doctor back on TV as a regular show, right?

Eastbound & Down Rises From The “Dead” One Last Time…

Posted on August 18, 2013 by geelw

Trying to explain Eastbound & Down to someone who’s never seen it is quite an interesting exercise. Granted, you don’t need to explain much before you have them plop down with all the previous seasons either on disc or HBO on Demand, but expect a few funny looks and perhaps the occasional query if your victim isn’t ready to be exposed to Kenny Powers and his rather… er, twisted take on things. I love that the show has no moral center at all, but Kenny tends to figure some things out as he torpedoes every ship in the port and then sets the docks on fire for good measure. The man’s a bridge burner SUPREME, but he still manages to be so dumb to the point you think he’s faking it. Fortunately, he’s not and similar to Larry David’s classic Curb Your Enthusiasm, the ensuing chaos is where the bulk of the so not PC laughs come from.

Anyway, Season 4 of Eastbound & Down premieres on September 29th, only on HBO (of course!).

Random Film of the Week(end): The Chairman

Posted on August 17, 2013 by geelw

(thanks, Night of the Trailers!)

One of those films that some overly reactionary folk will take WAY too seriously if they ever see it (or already have if they remember seeing it on TV), 1969’s The Chairman is an intriguing mix of drama, action and spy flick that despite a huge chunk of ambition and a nice sense of scale, really doesn’t do much other than shake the pot it’s in before burning up from its good idea/bad ideas never quite blending correctly.

Granted, seeing Gregory Peck play an egghead genius type sent to communist China by the US government to retrieve a special enzyme that can grow crops in any type of soil (cue evil Monsanto theme if there is such a thing) is both the most interesting and most baffling thing about this one. But don’t let that poster fool you too much into thinking Peck will fight Mao in a one on one battle or anything. They meet, but it’s a meeting of wills here – Peck’s got plenty of other stuff to worry about before and after that little engagement, however…

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Work in Hell Can Be Fun (If You’re Supervisor, That Is)…

Posted on August 17, 2013 by geelw

While it’s incredibly easy to get a job in Hell (they’ve got a 100% employment rate there), you’d probably want to seek out a higher level position as opposed to being trapped in the usual entry level position for eternity. Granted, EVERYONE starts out as entry level there, but it’s the true go-getters that actually make their way up the corporate ladder. All you have to do is ask your supervisor about how he or she got his or her gig and they’ll probably NOT tell you anything at all, whip you some more (or send you to the lava wash… you really don’t want to work there, trust me) or flat out lie about it.

Perseverance pays off handsomely (as does pushing your old supervisor off something high onto something hard and flat, hot and bubbly or really pointy – bonus points for all three at once) and you’ll soon find yourself yelling and punishing with the best of them…

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Diablo III Console TV Ad: What the Hell, Indeed (But In A Better Way Than Some Think)…

Posted on August 17, 2013 by geelw

I don’t know if Activision knows this yet, but this hilarious ad is a nice twist on the two Japanese TV spots from 1995 for the PlayStation port of Wizardry VII where a guy playing the game is suddenly visited by characters from the game (actors in costume) who grab him and take into into the game world. I’ll need to figure out how to get those clips from the import demo discs I have here and maybe post them (with fingers crossed that YouTube doesn’t get all jerky about it). Anyway, I’m certainly looking forward to this one a HELL (ha!) of a lot more than a chunk of the nasty naysayers commenting on this over the internet. It kind of sucks to be them and so unappreciative of Blizzard doing a console port that looks as good as the PC game in many respects while being more accessible to all sorts of players, but what can you do. Some folks made up their minds to hate this game as soon as it was announced and that’s just too bad…