The Doctor Has Time To Make A Turkey? This Will Be A Long Christmas Episode, I Guess…

Posted on December 20, 2013 by geelw

Yeah, I know it won’t be a lengthy Food Network-like how-to scene at all, friends. But I got big a laugh the other day when I read the plot synopsis and found that this final Matt Smith episode spans some 300 years (!), which means that’s more than enough time to cook up the biggest bird you can find and then some. Still… I wonder how HUGE a space turkey would need to be to take 300 years to cook and yeah, you’re not putting that raw stuffing inside, buddy. Unless that’s how you need to kill off a massive army of Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels and Silence all intent on doing you in. Of course, that’s NOT how it’s all going to go down (hell, it better not!), but it would be disgustingly awesome to see the episode suddenly turn into that infamous and particularly nasty dining scene from the finale of Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life but with a few spaceships full of aliens barfing all over each other instead of one really massive man making an entire restaurant very sick as he loses his lunch (and dinner and a few breakfasts).

OK, that’s pretty much a big, fat “YUK” just thinking about that happening. But it would be pretty darn memorable, no? Well, then… now that we agree, how about a teeny-tiny slice of pumpkin pie for you, sir or madam?

Beloved Shirts Might Make Me Fall Into A Warp Pipe…

Posted on December 20, 2013 by geelw

Under normal circumstances, you wouldn’t catch me dead in a jumpsuit unless I happened to be in a Bizarro World episode of Breaking Bad where the RV I’m cooking up a btach of meth in explodes after Walter White has his way with a rocket launcher he’s whipped together from some washing machine parts. However, seeing this stupidly awesome Blue Handheld Belovesie Hooded Jumpsuit ($99.00) from beloved shirts has me reconsidering things a little.

Granted, I haven’t worn a jumpsuit of ANY type since some Halloween costume shenanigans many years back, but this one does look cool and those buttons! I’m betting people will want to press them even if I don’t want them to. Hell, with my luck, the day I put this thing on is the day some gigantic kaiju beast storms NYC, see me in it and thinks I’m a Game Boy. Yeah, I’ll run like hell for the nearest subway or old fallout shelter, as there’s No way I’m going to be some scaly brute’s new toy. Anyway, beloved has a nice bunch of other very cool shirts on their site (video game and non-game themed) for almost ages in a few price ranges. The Drew Wise shirts (which that funky blue jumpsuit is a part of) are really awesome. Boogie on over and take a peek, I say…

BUY IT! Tale Of Tales Prototype Sales: It’s Off The Scales

Posted on December 20, 2013 by geelw

If you’re a firm believer in the Games are Art school of thought and you’ve never, ever seen or played anything from Tale of Tales, you’re not only missing out on some outstandingly creative work, you’re also probably not seeing games as ACTUAL art pieces. Whether or not you’re interested in game development or art or seeing how interactive and non interactive projects comes together, in celebration of their 10 year anniversary the developer is offering up some truly amazing prototypes, demos and other neat stuff for a small donation, Which, by the way, will help fund their next title. For a minimum of $5, you can access at least 35 demos, test builds, a few different screensavers and more which are available as 18 separate downloads. Being a silent fan of their work for a few years, I paid the full $15, as this stuff is worth much more than that and in the words of the mighty Valkor, “I love seeing a plan come together!”

Anyway, take a peek at the Anniversary page and see the whopping amount of stuff up for grabs. Once you buy the collection, you’ve got 13 days to download it all (more than enough time) and forever to enjoy it. I say this stuff is a MUST if you’re even thinking of getting into game development or want to see the art and game world truly merging in your own virtual gallery. This is a LIMITED time offer than expires on Christmas, so definitely do this NOW if you’re interested! I wish more developers large and small would open up their vaults in this manner, as there are MANY games that never see the light of day despite multiple builds that are well worth seeing and playing just for historical and educational purposes. I guess we’ll see if this becomes a trend in the future (I sure hope it does!)…

Random Film of the Week: Night of the Juggler

Posted on December 19, 2013 by geelw

(thanks, TaylorHamKid!)

While reminiscing with a guy I hadn’t seen for close to 20 years this week, this flick came up in our conversation and I had to rush out to write about it while the memory was still fresh. After the great 1972 ABC telefilm Short Walk to Daylight and 1980’s compellingly crazy action/drama Night of the Juggler, I still say James Brolin should have stuck around and made a third New York-centric film to complete some sort of unconnected trilogy about an otherwise decent cop who’s having some really bad days in the Big Apple.

The former film was about survivors of an earthquake (in New York City of all places!) trying to make it out of some deadly subway tunnels with Brolin’s cop leading the way and the latter has his divorced ex-cop now truck driver character chasing after the maniac that’s mistakenly kidnapped his daughter. Neither is legally available on DVD (and it’s a darn shame, I say), but if you’re clever and know how to use the internet, there are ways to snag both gems for your viewing pleasure… Continue reading →

Zombeer Update: Oh, NOW It Makes (Some Awesome) Sense!

Posted on December 19, 2013 by geelw

When I first heard of Zombeer, I laughed quite long and loudly at the idea of boozing it up in order to fight zombies as a gameplay mechanic. talk about becoming an easy target! Later, as screens started appearing, I warmed up to the stylized comic look of the game and my arched eyebrow sunk down to its normal position.Of course, as soon as I found out the game’s mechanic of drinking a certain type of beer in order to keep from becoming a zombie as you rushed to save the love of your life from a similar fate, I had to keep an eyeball peeled (eww) on this one as the months crept onward…

Now, this new kind of NSFW music video shows off an even more intentionally campy tone that makes me want to play this boozed out gorefest just to see if it lives up to the crazy tune cooked up for this clip. Spanish developer Moonbite Studios is making what could be a cult hit for PS3, PC and Mac gamers that, while not exactly screaming visual perfection, just might be fun and funny enough to outstrip any criticism. Besides, the color palette alone is just too awesome to ignore as you’ll see in these new screens:

And remember gang… YOU can even (sort of) be IN the game! Check out this link for the gory details – it’s easy to register and should make a nice surprise gift for someone who’s not expecting it.

Carving Mr. Banks (A New One): Mr. Ellison Gets Out The Proper Knives…

Posted on December 19, 2013 by geelw

Hoo boy, I do love Harlan Ellison. I haven’t read much by the man lately thanks to me reading less over time (something I’m slowly rectifying thanks to people around these parts), but everything I’ve EVER picked up by the man has been a fine read and has never failed to disappoint. We’ve actually met twice, but the last time was so long ago that Forbidden Planet here in NYC had a store uptown near the formerly 59th Street Bridge. Anyway, another Christmas gift for me today was that video above of the man himself poking an elbow in the eyeball of Disney’s new flick, Saving Mr. Banks. Yeah, it’s a long-ish rant if you’re of the short attention span crowd, but it’s ten minutes worth of fine and fair poking at the film, praising the acting while making sure you know that yes, Virginia, movies and particularly movies made with an agenda aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

Granted, those who read a good deal know exactly what he’s getting on about, but given that the film (like much of Hollywood’s output) is made for the casual viewing crowd that eats up the feel good follies week by week, I’m sure as hell sure that THOSE people don’t know the real deal.

The Time of The Doctor Teaser: Some Of You Whovians Will Need An Actual House Call Afterward, I’ll Bet…

Posted on December 18, 2013 by geelw

Yeah, yeah. Another day… another Doctor, huh? Matt Smith will be missed for sure, but I think the writers on the show can indeed keep things rolling as the Capaldi era gets off to whatever start they want to give it. I can handle the loss of a Doctor, as I’m a more recent re-convert to the show after some years not of watching it regularly. And yes, my re-conversion was swift and amusing back when I did start up again as I got hit on the head hard with a string of episodes and characters that had my taking notes before realizing I was now trapped into the storyline and HAD to see what happened next. Anyway, there are a mere two days to go, so stock up on edibles and perhaps a box of tissues if you’re one of THOSE people. Oh, who am I kidding, most of us will probably BE one of those people by the time the episode ends.

Well, provided those dopey spinning and/or explosive Christmas trees aren’t in this episode. I think I laughed myself off the couch the first time I saw one of those things spring into action…

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Trailer: I Thought “Ape Shall Never Kill Ape!” Was A Golden Rule?

Posted on December 18, 2013 by geelw

So, not only will there be a sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, it looks as if this time it’s (even more) war as ape versus ape action will fill theaters next July and get the CG fans screaming. Me? I’ll wait for the cable premiere, as all these computer-made flicks just get on my nerves after anything over five minutes of otherwise hard work that’s failing to keep my interest the more of these effects hit me over the head. I’m NOT getting jaded at all, mind you. I just miss the days of practical work looking better in some respects and not as “perfect” because every motion is animated to a “T” and overemphasized to the point that it looks TOO realistic or worse, you get those “impossible to capture with a real camera” moments piled one atop the other and it’s basically not the director directing any longer. Yeah, we’ll see… we’ll see. It looks interesting and all, but if it’s not as “kinda fun” as Rise was, I’ll be sending a box of rotten banana peels to Fox with a mildly nasty note…

Nintendo Direct 12/18/2013: Some Very Nice Surprises From Now ‘Til Thenever…

Posted on December 18, 2013 by geelw

I actually wasn’t expecting all that much from this new Nintendo Direct video, as it clocks in at just over 33 minutes and the last live reveal the company did outside their straight to the consumer YouTube series was underwhelming at best (or: I don’t give a rat’s banana about Cranky Kong!). That said, there were some nice surprises here in the form of NES Remix a cool mash-up mini-game series available today on the eShop and for me, Hyrule Warriors is going to be a go-to game for a while whenever it actually hits retail. Seeing a Legend of Zelda take on the supremely addictive long running “mindless” hack and slash Dynasty Warriors franchise (done by the folks who make those games, of course) made me a wee bit too giddy. I say this one should have been a launch or launch window game for the Wii U just because it’s one of those series that like it or not, anyone who can hold a controller can dive into and play without a single tutorial or hand-holding moment…
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503 Better Things To Do Than Be Caught Dead On Buzzfeed…

Posted on December 17, 2013 by geelw

That image to the left is the inside of my head after a few minutes on that so-called “hot” site, Buzzfeed. I generally avoid places like that on the internet because I can feel my intelligence draining away as soon as I start poking around to find anything that actually keeps my attention long enough to finish, but I’m trying to be less stuffy in my online reading choices.

Granted, I barely have time to write all that I want to and read what some of you folks on my too short list of semi-regular spots to visit cook up. But on occasion, a friend here and there will shoot over a link to something on one of those much bigger mainstream sites that generate millions of hits (and millions of ad bucks I sure don’t get) and I’m finding myself poking around because I’m trying to be a nice guy more than wanting to waste five minutes or so reading silly polls and other junk that aren’t actually informative.

(Thanks, MRJadedtom!)

At best, you’re “entertained” with a few chuckles before you remember you had something actually important to do. At worst, you’ll be reading things you don’t care about and wanting to chase the person around who sent you that link with a sharpened or blunt stick wanting your time and brain cells back. I don’t claim to be the smartest guy on the planet these days, but if I’m going to dawdle anywhere, I’d prefer to waste my time when I want to as opposed to because someone else finds a shiny object to dangle in my field of view.

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