Vita: Simple, Hard to Pass Up Fun For Casual To Core Players

Posted on September 6, 2014 by geelw

I really liked the PC version of Kukouri Mobile’s former mobile-only game Tiny Troopers enough to give it a 90% rating, so as soon as I saw this upcoming PS3/PS4/Vita game that combines all the content from the first AND second games, is a cross-buy title and definitely a must-buy if you’re into fast-paced arcade-like games that start off simple and get more challenging as the levels zip by. I’m gathering this PSN game will be inexpensive enough to nudge some skeptics who’ve never played either of the games to give it a shot, but I guess we’ll see. Heck, if it’s as fun as the PC version was and contains that zombie add-on content, I think I may have to score it higher than I did the older game. Well, that’s how it SHOULD work if fairness is the name of the game (which it is here, folks)…

Slender: The Arrival on PS3: Return of the Jump-Scary (If You Like That Sort of Thing)…

Posted on September 6, 2014 by geelw

Hmmmm. Sorry, but I’ve never really been a fan of this game or the many variants that feature one of the least “scary” urban myths I’ve ever heard. But hey, I’m an old fogey and prefer my scares a great deal more cerebral (or not so obviously made for the “Ooh, lookit my YouTube video where I leap out of my seat if FEEEEAAAAR!” crowd). Anyway, this one’s coming to PSN on September 23, so if that floats your boat and you’ve a PS3 at home, prepare to be scared out of your socks or whatever. Hey, I’ll give the whole Slenderman thing this, however: it gets some people so creeped out that they think some tall thing in a stiff suit is actually frightening. Maybe I can get in lines at movie theaters, post offices and banks dressed like that, say “Booooooooo!” a lot and see my place in line jump from last to first within seconds. That, or some kid with a can of mace will let out an screech, spray me and get in some cellphone snaps or a movie to post on facebook as they’re running away. Damn kids…

Adventure Time: Secret of the Nameless Kingdom Screenshot Update: Looking Legend of-ary!

Posted on September 6, 2014 by geelw

Little Orbit may have gotten off to a small start back in January 2010, but the publisher is sure making some waves lately among some gamers. Its recent acquisition of developer Vicious Cycle (and their VERY versatile Vicious Engine) means LO now has a studio that can crank out good looking and highly playable licensed and (hopefully) original games for consoles and PC in a decent amount of time. Nice. And speaking of nice, here are a handful of screens from Adventure Time: Secret of the Nameless Kingdom, coming to PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo 3DS in November.

Based on these new screens and the older game info I’ve cobbled up, this latest AT game looks to be more of a Legend of Zelda-type top down experience and not the Gauntlet-inspired solo play or couch co-op fun of the last game, Explore the Dungeon Because I Don’t Know!. Keep an eye on this one, folks – I smell a sleeper coming a few months down the road…

Random Film of the Week(end): Journey Into Fear

Posted on September 6, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, felixxxx999!)

Orson Welles may have not directed Journey Into Fear, but it sure looks and feels as if he was behind the lens or at least had a hand in setting up a few scenes. Featuring a bunch of Mercury Productions actors (Cotten, Ruth Warrick, Everett Sloane, Agnes Moorehead and others), a snappy, script by Welles, Joseph Cotten, Richard Collins and Ben Hecht (based on the Eric Ambler novel), the film is a spy drama with a fun cast and some great, memorable sequences that keep you hooked in right from the clever pre-credit opening sequence.

Cotten plays Howard Graham, an American munitions expert (or is that arms dealer?) who has to go on the run from a rather pesky Nazi assassin after an attempt is made on his life. Well, by “on the run”, the film means Graham has to temporarily separate from his wife (Ruth Warrick) and travel by steamship from Istanbul to Batumi (a Russian port city) to finalize a deal with the Turkish Navy. Wait, Turkey had a Navy back then? You learn something new every day, I suppose… Continue reading →

IDW Gets All Throwback With Its November Lineup…

Posted on September 6, 2014 by geelw

The clever folks at IDW Publishing have wisely figured out that just about any modern professional comic that’s been hand-drawn the old fashioned way just looks more interesting because it’s really intriguing for comic art and illustration fans to see each artist’s technique and style before all that hard work is buried under modern computer coloring. This November, they’ll be issuing a bunch of comics with these “throwback” original art covers, so keep an eyeball out for the following titles:

Borderlands #5
Edward Scissorhands #2
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #208
Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #18
Judge Dredd #25
The Maxx: Maxximized #13
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #25
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters #2
Transformers: Drift: Empire of Stone #1
The X-Files: Season 10 #18
V-Wars #7
Winterworld #5

As for me, I’m all about the classic stuff, so if anything, I’m closer to drooling over the absolutely gorgeous Enemy Ace Artist’s Edition, as well as some of the other Joe Kubert Artists Editions, Tarzan of the Apes and TOR. There are a couple of other Artist’s Edition books I’m drooling over, but I’ll stop here before my wallet gets the idea and throws itself into my screen a few too many times…