Bundle Stars Says You Need A Little Magika In Your Life!

Posted on July 24, 2014 by geelw

Bundle Stars does it again! A measly five dollars for the base game and 21 downloadable content packs? Amazing! If you’re into isometric action/RPG experiences and have yet to play Magicka? What are you waiting for? The game is a more humorous and yes, magically focused take on the fantasy genre and it’s a great deal of fun whether you’re new to the genre or a more jaded veteran player. Yeah, yeah.. I just KNOW some of you are all “Whaaaaaat? I can’t play a TANK class like I usually do? Hell Nope!”, but trust me, this game is fun because it makes you think a bit about how you tackle enemies, not just wade in swinging a hefty axe or whatever and coming up for air only after a pile of corpses litter the landscape.

Anyway, this deal was up on the site for a bit, but slow and busy ol’ me finally got around to noticing it and now there are only less than 48 hours to snap this huge content pack up. Don’t even bother flipping a coin on this – just BUY IT and get busy with the magical comedy gold and massive entertainment value you’ll be getting.

Guardians of the Galaxy Clip Joint: What You See Isn’t Even Close To What You’ll Get…

Posted on July 24, 2014 by geelw

So, some early reviews are in and all are stating this is not only one of the best movies this summer, but quite possibly the best Marvel movie to date. I figured all of those end credits scenes were adding up to something and from what I’ve read (and heard from someone who was at a screening), fans will be knocked off their feet a few times and then some.

One thing I figured that would work from the start with these films was having different directors with different styles working on different franchises similar to how different writers and artists work on the different comics. While there’s a certain uniformity to elements of the look and continuity across each of the films since the first Iron Man, it’s been fun to watch most of these movies and see how a particular director’s vision works within the (Disney) Marvel Universe.

James Gunn seemed like the oddest choice to direct GotG at first, but his own offbeat sense of humor and musical tastes have spilled over into the film and works well to the point where he’s probably going to be the go-to guy for the next film with this team… Continue reading →

Alien Isolation: “Crew Expendable”? Not In This Video, Folks!

Posted on July 24, 2014 by geelw

While the internet still rages on about whether or not the adding the cast of the original ALIEN to this new game as paid DLC currently only available as a pre-order bonus, it’s good to see the old(er) cast here reminiscing for a bit about things old and new. I like how Harry Dean Stanton didn’t realize that 35 years had passed since the film was released (hey, sometimes an actor who’s appeared in so many films tends to not recall every single role he’s done and when he did them) and it’s clearly sounding like the dev team didn’t go the lazy route and just take voice samples from the first movie and drop them in where needed. The again, as Tom Skerritt notes: “It’s what you don’t see…”, meaning these missions add to the original film’s story, filling in a few gaps. Hopefully, fans of the film will more likely be a lot more pleased whether or not they like the idea of pre-paying for that DLC and Sega will decide to release both missions as a single download not too long after the game ships out so we all can enjoy them.

CE Week Best of (# 2 of 3) Get Me Security!

Posted on July 24, 2014 by geelw

Sure, there were plenty of cool and expensive tech products at this year’s CE Week, but this time out, I’ll scribble a bit about two of the more important ones you may want to look into picking up. Well, one is an absolute must if you use a PC or know someone who uses one and is always griping about things running slowly. The other is recommended if you’re looking for a home security system that’s affordable and allows you to keep an eye on your space even when you’re away. Let’s take a look at both below…

If you own a PC, you NEED iolo’s System Mechanic ($29.95) humming away on it, period. While it’s been around for 15 years, I’d actually never used it until I got a trial code at the show and decided to take it for a spin to see how well it worked. Less than a week after installing and firing it up, I was removing a few different programs that do what this one product does and I don’t think I’ll be going back anytime soon. Between the system start up being MUCH faster, the more thorough registry cleaning and a few other niceties, I’ve noticed things running a lot better overall.

Even better, the newest update enhances the LiveBoost technology for instant fixes when you fire up more system intensive programs (gamers, you absolutely can use this feature!) and lets you know what it’s doing as it happens. PowerSense™, Ultra Performance and Endurance Modes all keep your computer optimized and will actually help programs run better and with noticeable improvements over a system without SM installed. Of course, you’ll be too busy playing or creating to be paying attention to all that behind the scenes magic, but it’s great to know your PC is being protected and you can take a mostly hands-off approach to care other than checking in every so often to see what the program recommends you take a peek at. Anyway, I’ll shut up now and let you get to checking System Mechanic out – you can thank me later, of course… Continue reading →

SDCC 2014: Hey, Lego! Why Can’t We ALL Have Nice Things?

Posted on July 24, 2014 by geelw

Photo: LEGO

Well, I guess this post goes out to all the companies giving away or selling convention exclusives like this. It’s Batman’s 75th birthday and of course, the number of cool stuff from all over ranges from easy to nab (public libraries all over gave away Batman-related goodies yesterday) to “Unless you’re at the convention or pay a fortune on eBay when you cave in and throw your wallet at the screen” goodies like that awesome classic Batmobile above and that SUPER rare Batman of Zur-En-Arrh below. While the Batmobile will be on sale at the show (and people are already “pre-selling” it for over $200 on eBay (even though they probably don’t have one yet – caveat emptor!), that oddball Batman minifigure will be a totally RANDOM giveaway based on scanned convention badges to pick winners.

Photo: LEGO

Of course, I’m not asking for a massive mass production of these figures to the point where they’re stocked to the rafters at your local retailer. It would just be nice to see some of these cool toys pop up in some stores without the SDCC logo and perhaps stamped somewhere that they aren’t “exclusive” to that event. No company producing any of these giveaways of for sale items makes a penny off the secondary sales market, but they certainly can brag that “Figure X” has sold for up to $—-” to some collectors” at future media events if someone at one of these companies keeps track of that stuff.

Now, I’m not complaining at all, kids. Heck, I avoid conventions these days because the dopes who run them have made it rough for smaller sites like mine to cover them (despite me having NO trouble getting a media pass previously for a few years running AND even working at a friend’s booth). If I were to complain at all, it would be with certain con organizers who treat the smaller press like cattle, forcing us to pile in with the public (which is HELL for making appointments on time). That and I just got tired of the mob scene, some really stinky people and that infamous “convention flu” crap a lot of folks take home from so many people crammed together, not all of whom are healthy.

Eh, maybe I won’t miss that Batmobile after all. I can just buy a bunch of Lego sets and look up plans online to make a custom one, I guess. That way, Lego will still get some of my money (and probably more than the $39.99 that convention exclusive costs) and everyone’s happy at the end of the day…

FREE GAME! Bundle Stars and PC Gamer Magazine Want A Million Of You On The Road!

Posted on July 23, 2014 by geelw

So, it’s the final week of Bundle Stars and PC Gamer.com HUGE giveaway (five million game codes over five weeks) and this last one’s a doozy if you’re into racing simulations and haven’t played GTR Evolution, Race 07 and RaceRoom Racing Experience yet. Granted, that latter title is a free to play game that to date, only has a solo play component and I know some folks don’t like the idea of a la carte gaming despite its popularity. But the great thing about this FREE deal is you can avoid any game you wish in the deal or try it out and if you don’t like your unpaid-for gift, you can simply delete it from your hard drive and go do something else with that free time. If you want that code, just click on the image below and grab it.

Act FAST, though – free stuff doesn’t last very long if you’re too slow in claiming it!

The Humble Transformers Bundle Will Change You Into A Charity-Giving Digital Comics Reader…

Posted on July 23, 2014 by geelw

I’m not the world’s biggest Transformers fan, but this is one of those cool deals I have to let those of you who are know all about. Hop on over to the Humble Bundle site and pay what you want for four volumes (48 issues) of IDW’s classic Transformers reprints and feel free to boost your contribution up a few tiers for even MORE classic Transformers reads. You’ll also be supporting the Hasbro Children’s Fund and yes, just about anything you can read something digital on can be used to peruse whatever you buy.

You may want to step on it, though. This deal only lasts two weeks before it vanishes, so make like an educated raccoon and go get yourself some comics to keep you busy on some hot summer days, I say…

The Boxtrolls Didn’t Have Me Intrigued At First. The Trailer Changed My Mind…

Posted on July 23, 2014 by geelw

Okay, I’d been ignoring Focus Features’ upcoming animated film The Boxtrolls for a little while (because the name did nothing for me other than make me think of a generic new kid-friendly IP) until someone pointed out to me that it’s based on the Alan Snow book Here There Be Monsters!, is stop motion animated from Laika, the folks who made Coraline and ParaNorman. I decided to look up a few trailers and yes, I’m glad I did. Despite the light electrocution, ugly but cute monsters and a bit of weird hand-licking going on, this seems to be not as dark as the two aforementioned films. Of course, I tend to like my modern animation creative and slightly darker in tone, but this isn’t turning me off at all and you can’t beat the craft that goes into making films like this.

This one hits theaters September 26, 2014 in standard and Real 3D formats and given the current state of the box office this year, I’m actually wondering if we’ll see a holiday home video release just to make up for slow ticket sales. Eh, we’ll see what happens, I suppose. It’s almost always guaranteed that a film like this isn’t going to destroy anything coming out around the same time in terms of tickets sold…

Boring Life Update: ID, Phase Two! Alllllmost There…

Posted on July 23, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, sugasugaki!)

Hokay, the trip to the DMV was done this morning and it took a lot less time than I thought. There nothing like a nice walk bright and early in the morning to either wake you up or make you tired, depending on how productive that walk ends up being. Temporary ID get! Actual ID arrives in two weeks (and Phase Two complete!). Part the thirds SHOULD be easier, but my call to the post office to ask am few questions before I make an appointment was a bit odd. It’s FAR easier to walk into a place and SHOW someone something, ask questions and get answers in person over doing it all on the phone or online. Sometimes, a personal touch makes things much more… human at the end of the day. Anyway, back later this afternoon with some actual site updates. I think I need a short nap before I pop out to the library to write (hey, I woke up at 5:27am for some crazy reason!)…

Taking Tuesday Off? Not Really…

Posted on July 22, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, aero84!)

I just have some more ID stuff to tackle, but it will be easier than last week’s craziness. Hopefully, this won’t take longer to process than the two weeks promised on the DMV website. After that’s done, I’ve one more to tackle, but that part is interesting because I’m gathering from my poking about a few places that I’m a special case that doesn’t easily fall under some of the crazy rules set by some agencies. Anyway, the laws about expired documents need to be changed because they’re DUMB. If you get run over by a runaway bus steps from the passport office and EMS comes to retrieve your corpse, they’re NOT going to look at that old ID in your wallet or purse and say “Oh, this isn’t him/her – their ID isn’t current!”

Nope, not at all…

(Although, I’ll bet you a dollar that at least ONE of those folks who shows up to collect your corpse will say something disrespectfully amusing such as “Well, now he/she’s expired… just like this ID!”, before whipping out a pair of sunglasses and putting them on like Horatio Caine. YEAAAAAAAAAH!)