2014, Loads of New Stuff In The Cargo Hold!

Posted on March 28, 2014 by geelw

One of the upcoming games I’ve been keeping my telescope pointed towards the horizon on for a while now has been Raven’s Cry, the pirate-themed action role-playing game from developer Reality Pump (taking over from Octane Studios) and publisher TopWare Interactive. The game has had a few delays due to Reality Pump really going all out to add a ton of gameplay and story content to it and these new and new-ish screens show off a load of cool:

And the official site has also been updated with a new video, concept art and even wallpapers to download if this one floats your boat. As for the new features being implemented, here’s a rundown stolen from the press release:

– New skills for the captain (a skill tree with over 25 options)
– The personal story of Christopher Raven (more than 25 hours of main storyline)
– Additional adventures and skirmishes (open-world setting and side quests)
– An economic system with a wide variety of trade-able goods and simulated price adjustments
– Realistic naval combat
– Depictions of the dark life of pirates (or: cinematic cut scenes)

All of this should make for a game that’s at least worth a look to see if Reality Pump can pull it all off. It seems like a darker and grimmer game than their previous RPGs, so let’s hope it all pans out the way they (and we sea dogs) want it to. PC, Mac, PS3, PS4 and Xbox 360, folks. Yeah, once again, a decent-looking RPG is skipping the Xbox One, so you owners of that console can get cranky about that elsewhere. I’ll be busy Yo-ho-ho-ing it up and trying not to get sunk by some frigate I’m trying to loot…

Random Art: Return of the One-Track (Or Is It One Tree?) Mind…

Posted on March 28, 2014 by geelw

Eh, another day, another tree sketch from my big head full of thoughts. What can I say? Well other than I was doing a bunch of small to large downloads this week and had some time to kill. This one was relatively quick to bang out (as you can tell). Okay, I’m off to a late start today, folks. I need to jet out of here and ~~run~~ walk quickly to my favorite wi-fi spot to get a post or two in before the rains come. Yeah, winter is dead, but spring has some not so nice weather surprises up its greener sleeves, it seems. Rainy weekend, anyone?

Bound By Flame Gameplay Trailer: Could This Be My New BBF? We Shall See…

Posted on March 27, 2014 by geelw

Spiders’ upcoming action/RPG gets a quick gameplay showing and it’s looking pretty good so far. Granted, devotees of the many schools of RPG combat who don’t like this sort of hack/slash gameplay are perhaps a little skeptical and cranky, but I say hold off on the “it’s not realistic” complaints as it’s a fantasy setting and characters and a little balletic license is fine for a game like this. A dash of God of War and hints of The Witcher and a few other inspirations aside, Bound By Flame could turn out to be a decent little sleeper hit that grabs genre fans by the short ones when it drops into stores on May 9, 2014 (two days after my birthday, so everyone get me a copy!) for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and PC. I’ve got my eye on you, game – don’t let me down!

Wolfenstein The New Order: Meanwhile, On A Train To Berlin… Heißen Kaffee und neue Freunde…

Posted on March 27, 2014 by geelw

Well, now. So much for a peaceful train ride through a rather unique version of post WWII Germany, hmmmmm? This in-engine scene from Machine Games’ upcoming Wolfenstein: The New Order made me want a cup of strong coffee, but not the headache that comes later on from caffeine withdrawal. It doesn’t quite feel like a big mech stomping on my head, but I’d rather have a headache from one over the other. If I’m not mistaken, Tommy Tordsson Björk (see below!) wrote the dialog in this scene. That Frau Engel is a real witch (with a capital “B”) isn’t she? Granted, I’m all for strong female characters in games, folks… it’s the Nazi part that kind of bends my straw a bit. But hey, the best villains are the ones you love to hate, so she’s added to the my list of characters to keep an eye on.

Remember, Wolfenstein: The New Order, will be available on May 20, 2014 (and in Europe on May 23) on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. As an added bonus, pre-ordering the game gets you invited to access the DOOM beta

Hercules Trailer: Strong Words For The Muscle-Man…

Posted on March 27, 2014 by geelw

So, here we go again on a few fronts. Yeah, yeah, Hercules has been in the movies for decades and sure, this new film trailer hits all the notes it needs to in terms of the usual action movie bullet points. On the other hand, color me bored and waiting for the cable premiere because this myth has been busted too many times previously in some eternally wretched Hercules flicks. Lou Ferrigno and Luigi Cozzi still hold the golden crown as far as the gold standard of awfulness when it comes to the hero. But at least both films stand up in terms of sheer camp craziness. I mean, in the first film, Herc throws a BEAR he’s just punched out into SPACE which turns it into a constellation for cryin’ out loud! You just can’t top that no matter how many light years better your special effects are. As usual, we’ll see what happens with this newer flick, but I don’t have my hopes up that it will be as fun (or funny) as any of the others.

Then again, there’s always Arnold and HIS goofball take on Herc. He fought a bear in that film as well (and in Central Park, yet!)

Random Art (Too): Oh, What The Heck – You Were Good Today…

Posted on March 26, 2014 by geelw

I was going to post this tomorrow or later, but I see you all did something good today and you deserve a reward. What, you thought I was going to rent more buses and take you all to the movies like last time? Ha! I learned my lesson from that debacle. Half of you got on the wrong buses and ended up in the wrong states and that was a bit TOO brain-melting to deal with what with all those phone calls I had to take and make. Anyway, I’m sticking to more arty gifts from now on. Less stress and you can’t complain, get ill from eating too much (well, art shouldn’t be eaten unless it’s made to be eaten!) or stick it somewhere it doesn’t belong. You’re welcome, by the way!

The Raid 2: Before The Brutal Ballet Begins, A Brief Peek…

Posted on March 26, 2014 by geelw

With The Raid 2 finally hitting theaters this Friday, here’s a peek at some stills you can see without wincing or ducking down behind the back of the seat in front of you as well as a few GIFs to make your eyeballs bounce around in their sockets if you happen to like that sort of thing. I still catch the first film on cable when I have time to spare or need the sounds of bones cracking as background noise when I write. It’s actually very relaxing under the proper circumstances.

Um… well… I guess you need to be here when I’m in a good mood and can work to anything playing in the room. Here’s the film’s trailer in case you need to know what I’m babbling about:

More pictures (moving and not) below the jump…

Continue reading →

AryaBall: Almost There – Just One More Push (Throw, Toss, Fling, Swing, Kick) Away!

Posted on March 26, 2014 by geelw

If you think about it, Babak Forutanpour’s AryaBall is more or less the smartphone of outdoor toys. Like your modern phone is an all-in-one device that does many things, AryaBall takes care of a few popular sports using a clever, innovative design that makes you want to grab one just to try it out. Go take a look at the almost funded Kickstarter and if you like what you see, well – you know what to do. I’m actually surprised that Babak hasn’t thought up ONE sport using everything in that cool new toy, as I could see some network exec slapping himself in the forehead at the very idea of some new (and popular) competitive show that makes for more must-see “reality” TV. Anyway, 45 more hours to go (and counting down) and AryaBall is only a few thousand from its goal… suspense!

Random Art: What’s Inside My Head Is Still The Same As It Ever Was…

Posted on March 26, 2014 by geelw

Well, this was a spur of the moment piece where I just sat down and started fiddling and fidgeting the mouse around until I had a general idea of where I wanted to go before changing my mind and just playing it by ear until I stopped. There’s a second piece I’ll run in a day or so. It’s a “companion” of sorts, as the title is the same and it’s kind of an odd bookend. Of course, If I do a third piece that’s similar, there goes the whole bookend thing, huh? Stay tuned…

Color Cables To The Rescue Of The Lost (And Dull) OEM…

Posted on March 26, 2014 by geelw

Normally, I’d say something silly like “Power cables are a dime a dozen” here, but as anyone who owns an already expensive device knows… that’s just not true. Lose your iDevice or other OEM charger cable and you’re either shelling out a premium for a replacement or you’re stuck with some crappy inexpensive wire from one of those shady looking places that you ran into because you were in a hurry. Or you end up with a pricey substitute that you end up losing because you kind of need a cable that maybe glows in the dark. Well, guess what? Color Cables might be just the thing you’re looking for:

Over on Indiegogo, they’re running a bit of a funding drive that has 11 days to go and could use a few more people hopping on board. As I’m an old fart with no fancy mobile, I’m eyeballing the mini USB cable myself, as I usea few devices that happen to support that size plug. Yes, iOS and Android cables are available, the flat cord shape prevents tangling like your current cables love to do, there are some fun colors to choose from and who can pass up something that glows in the dark AND is actually something you can use every day? Umm hmmm.. I thought so. Well, that’s my good deed for the day, then and you’re welcome!