Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Belated Update: Some Evil, Some Good and How It’s All Done…

Posted on August 27, 2014 by geelw

Yeah, yeah, I’ve been behind a bit on this upcoming game from WBIE and developer Monolith Productions, but that’s because I’m confident it’s going to be a worthy Middle-earth experience no matter what it’s played on. I think I’ve said that already but it bears repeating. Respecting a developer and enjoying whatever they’re working on goes a longer way than nit-picking that work apart for not being 100% accurate to the original works. Particularly if that game does something out of the ordinary yet seems familiar at the end of the day. Pity the last-gen versions aren’t getting all the AI bells and whistles as the current (or next, if you’ve yet to update) gen new systems, but that’s the way the ball bounces. You get more power to use and you use it wisely. Hmmm… isn’t that one of the lessons Tolkien was trying to get across in his books? Well, well, well… I’m already up to speed, then.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is out September 30, 2014 for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Yeah, pre-order madness exists in the form of different “exclusive” DLC from different retailers (boo), so do what you need to do if you want that extra perk. or maybe just buy the game outright when it’s in a store and hope WBIE decides to release ALL those bonuses once a few weeks or so have passed. Or they’re available as in-game unlocks once you’ve played long enough…

The Great Backlog Dupe Giveaway 2: Your Kingdom For A Horse!

Posted on August 27, 2014 by geelw

Okay, let’s keep it short and sweet. I have TOO many duplicate Steam codes thanks to cheap bundles galore that I’ve purchased over time. I need to get rid of some so YOU get to reap the rewards and pay not a dime. Today’s code is a doozy of a game: TaleWorlds and Paradox Interactive’s Mount & Blade:

This is just the huge original game, NOT the Warband or of With Fire & Sword expansions. That said, the amount of stuff you can do with the core game is ridiculous and there’s an endless amount of replay value in this deep open-world RPG experience.

Anyway, enough babbling – first one to post gets the Steam code. Have an active Steam account and working email address please (don’t post it in your reply. I value your privacy, silly!). Good Luck!

Jupiter Ascending: WB & The Wachowskis Gamble On The Proper Audiences Rising To The Occasion…

Posted on August 27, 2014 by geelw

Ah, I see the internet is speaking up again with disapproval about another big budget film project by the Wachowskis, this time, it’s Jupiter Ascending, the siblings’ high-concept but somewhat familiar sci-fi action/adventure set for a February 2015 release. Granted, I’ve been on the “what the hell is THIS?” tip on a few of their post-Matrix projects, but repeated viewings have made me appreciate Speed Racer and Cloud Atlas more than I did when I first saw them.

At this stage of the game, I say let them have at it, as their films wrap up more creativity and visual punch than some that swipe from their earlier work. Granted, The Matrix trilogy was clearly inspired by lots of anime and manga plus a few Hong Kong action flicks and other things. But for American and other audiences that never encountered these influences, it was a breath of fresh air (for the most part). I’d gather both the Wachowskis as well as Warner Bros. have predicted this new normal of over-criticism based on trailers and clips (which is nothing new at all except the speed of people tearing things apart has grown exponentially faster thanks to social media), but these days it’s like EVERY movie is seen as Heaven’s Gate was initially, and everyone with access to a computer of some sort and an internet connection thinks they’re a great film critic or historian in training.

Well, I suppose ignoring the usual suspects is the best revenge, as you can only fight with so many fools before you grow tired of what you do and head for the nearest bar. Or nearest window in some extreme cases. Noli nothi permittere te terere. is all I have to say (and I hope to hell I got that right)…

Huh? Who Said Hello Kitty Was A Cat, Anyway?

Posted on August 27, 2014 by geelw

No, it’s not MINE – Image swiped from kittyhell.com

Ermagawwwwwd! Yeesh, it MUST be a slow news day, as the internet has come up with some more fake outrage over a nonsense subject no one needs to read about*. So, it turns out that people are just figuring out Hello Kitty is (*gasp*) NOT A CAT. Yaaaaaaaah. *Yawn*. Nope, she never was and never will be, if you’ve ever been to the official Sanrio site and read her bio. I did this years ago and satisfied my curiosity about that, but it seems the latest generation of know-lessings and some people who should know better are giving this much ink for no other reason than there must be no celebrity news they can scrape over jagged rocks before they gnaw on the bones left over from that process.

yeah, so she’s a little English girl, height five apples, weight three apples and yeah, it looks like she’s giving you the finger in that image on the site. Probably because she’s TIRED OF PEOPLE CALLING HER A DAMN CAT ALL THE TIME. Hell, she HAS a pet cat (see below on that bio page) AND a hamster who’s a friend of that cat, for crying out loud. You should be more concerned about why she doesn’t have a mouth, I’d say. But even then, Sanrio has a mighty good excuse for that at the bottom of that bio page. So there. Now go find something else to get upset about. I’m sure you can look out a window and see plenty of things to make you flip your wig.

*(He said, ironically giving this story some MORE traction. Well, shoot me later for being a hypocrite, but it made me laugh when I saw this…)

Interstellar 60-Second Trailer: Hold Onto Your Seats (Again) For A Minute…

Posted on August 27, 2014 by geelw

As noted previously, Interstellar promises to be another “deep thought” film experience from Christopher Nolan, so I’m looking forward to those conversations with people who didn’t “get” something in the film or were hoping for a typical Hollywood ending and didn’t get that and think they wasted whatever it cost to buy a ticket. *Sigh*, yeah… opinions and the internet can be a pain in the rear end sometimes. Anyway, I’m predicting big things for this one even if it’s not a box-office buster like less cerebral movies turn out to be. It’ll certainly be something to keep in mind as a future home video purchase as I think it’ll be a film worth watching a few times…

As usual, we shall see…

Biohazard HD Remaster Offers Up A Great Reason To Import (For the PS3 At Least)

Posted on August 27, 2014 by geelw

Sure, you can hold out for the download-only North American release of Resident Evil HD Remaster, but I’m seeing the more hardcore fans of the long-running franchise and a few gaming friends running for the Eastern border and snapping up pre-orders for the Japanese or Asian versions of Biohazard HD Remaster instead. Why? Well, for starters, the game comes on a physical disc with a manual and as you know (or should know), PS3 games are region free, so the game should run on any console anywhere in the world. Both the Japanese and less expensive Asian version (which is for Chinese gamers and should come with an English manual or instruction sheet fold-out common to that region’s software) will have dual-language support (English and Japanese voice and text based on the console settings), so jumping back into this classic experience will be a breeze for anyone.

From what I see, that much more expensive E-Capcom Complete Edition is sold out in a few import shops, so folks who want that pack for all the goodies it contains will need to hold out and see if Capcom plans to get that out over here. Anyway, go take a gander at some comparison screenshots so you can see what you’re in for. We won’t be seeing this remaster in the US until early 2015 at the earliest, but as the import ships out this November, I have the feeling that a bunch of people will be grooving on this game before that and posting their impressions left and right in the usual spots. Will I be one of those people? Hmmm… we shall see…