Got A Camera? Get A Miggo. It’s That Simple.

Posted on September 20, 2014 by geelw

Because I’m not a camera phone person, I sort of feel like a pariah when I see all those hip kids whipping out their phones, tablets and whatever else they have that they’ve overpaid for with a lens attached to it. granted, phone cameras HAVE indeed come a long way from their not so hot beginnings and yes, there are plenty of budding to pro shutterbugs that have taken many a classic shot with one of those things.

Me, I love the feeling of a CAMERA doing its thing in my hands or someone with a much better eye, so it’s great to see a product like Miggo around to make me want to carry my camera out into the wild and strut around proudly. Granted, you don’t have to even try to stand out with a Miggo wrapped around your camera. Just whipping out yours to take a photo is enough to get tongues wagging and maybe a few phone/phab/tab-only photogs glancing greenly in your direction… Continue reading →

Big Eyes: Tim Burton Gets Back To The Really Scary Stuff – Reality!

Posted on September 20, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, Retina Br & Yahoo Movies!)

Okay, clowns of the circus and makeup-wearing movie serial killer variety don’t scare me at all. Those stupid Troll dolls with their wild hair sticking up? Nah, I just laugh at their hideous mugs when I see them. But those Keane paintings? Yeesh. They were SO popular and ubiquitous that as a kid it seemed to me someone was going around and hanging them in every other home or shop window to keep people OUT. Anyway, Tim Burton’s new project takes a look at the rather wild court battle between Walter and Margaret Keane after the mister claimed he did all those famous paintings when in fact, his shy missus did all the brushwork.

While this doesn’t sound like Burton material, the man is actually a keen collector of Keanes, so it’s clear that this one’s a labor of love made for about $10 million (a bargain by Hollywood standards). Still, for some of us, this will be a horror movie. It’s those damn haunting gigantic eyeballs that will seep into your soul and probably age you by a few years before this film is over. Either that, or you won’t sleep right for a week because of those damned BIG EYES burning holes into your miiiiiiiind. Yaaaaaah! Well, if it’s a return to form for the director, I’ll be pleased to see this. I’ll just have to remember to keep repeating to myself “It’s only a movie…It’s only a movie…It’s only a movie…” Yaaaaaaah! Anyway, Big Eyes opens at a theater near you on December 25, 2014.

A (Not So) Gentle Reminder: Pirates Do Whatever The Heck They Want, Arrrr!

Posted on September 20, 2014 by geelw

So (Ouch!). Yesterday was International Talk Like A Pirate Day and for a while I’ve always managed to more or less avoid “celebrating” that non-holiday that’s become one too many people take seriously (Ouch!). Anyway, I thought I’d make it clean through the day and not HAVE to post a single eyepatch, booty, or “Arrrrr” reference and actually did so, going to bed around 2am or so with a clean conscience.

That didn’t last long thanks to something resembling a pair of plastic hammers thumping me on the head until I woke up (Ouch!).

It turns out those Skylanders toys from the hugely popular game series? Yeah, they’re REAL. And tend to get really annoyed when they get ignored (Ouch). So, here’s a nice, belated post to go do something piratey yesterday(Ouch!) or ALL the time, not just on that designated day. Why? Well, because (and in case you didn’t read the title of this post)… pirates do whatever the heck they want! (Ouch!)… “Arrrrr!” Hey, Activision? Can you come and get this little guy out of my house? Those plastic hammers may be tiny (and plastic), but they do leave little dents in everything he hits. Hey, (Ouch!) I’ll trade him back for a PS3 or Wii U copy of Skylanders Trap Team (coming to PS3/PS4, Xbox 360/Xbox One, Nintendo Wii/Wii U, Nintendo 3DS/2DS and Apple, Samsung, Amazon and Google tablets on October 5, 2014. Okay, is that enough? OUCH! Okay, okay… I’ll post the other video, too:

There, HAPPY now? (Ouch!) Okay, okay! AND I’ll buy the game too! (Great, now I’ll have that goofy song looping in me head allll dayyyyy, arrrrr!)

FREE STUFF: 250,000 Space Hack Steam Codes From Bundle Stars? GET!

Posted on September 20, 2014 by geelw

For the record, the ONLY reason Mr. Hack up there looks like a cross between Elvis and Captain Morgan in that art above is he’s been digitally tricked out for International Talk Like A Pirate Day (which was yesterday, but that didn’t stop the next post from happening. You’ll see soon enough), but he’s not decked out like that at all in this cool freebie from Meridian 4 and Bundle Stars. Anyway, click HERE (or on Hack’s scowling mug above) and get Space Hack for free on Steam and yes, go PLAY IT. It’s a fun “old school” isometric sci-fi action RPG in the Diablo vein that’s quite lengthy (well over 60 hours if you want to see everything) is pretty simple to play but nicely challenging as the aliens increase in number and strength… Continue reading →

PSN Flash Sale: Race To Get These Racers Before They’re Gone!

Posted on September 20, 2014 by geelw

Like it or not, good racing games are evergreens in that they never go out of style. You can pick one or a few of a handful of some good to great third-party racers for the PSP, Vita and PS3 in this PSN Flash Sale. I’m ogling both those WRC games myself, as I don’t own them and I’m a huge fan of rally games. Yeah, yeah, they’re not a buck like some of the surprises in past PSN sales, but hey – the discounts of these digital drivers is more than reasonable as the usual prices are a bit “steep” by today’s standards of “give me everything old for nothing because it’s old and no one should pay close to retail for it” entitlement some think will keep a business afloat (it won’t). Anyway, poke around that sale page and score a couple of track burners for your own digital library!

Alien Isolation #HowWillYouSurvive Trailers 2-4: #JustBarelyIfAtAll (If You Need To Know)…

Posted on September 19, 2014 by geelw

Nope…

and Nope…

annnnnnnnd, make mine a triple, bartender. Or, “No more for me, thanks, I’m dyin’!”

Yeah, it looks as if there are quite a few ways to expire in Alien Isolation and I’m betting some of you won’t need a rocket to ride through space when this game launches on October 7, 2014 for PS3/PS4, Xbox 360/Xbox One and PC. Hopefully Sega and developer The Creative Assembly have been shutting out the trolls and paying attention to those of us who want to experience the game on any platform to see if it’s a worthy follow up to the 1979 film as intended and those expecting some run of the mill FPS with the license stamped on realize it’s not all about what they want and all about what the CA is bringing to the table in the horror/sci-fi genre. Respect is a simple enough word for this one and I’m in for the long haul as far as spreading the word if this one’s a winner.

Falling Skies: The Game Enemies Trailer: Tactical Advice (Or A Good Look At What’s Going To Do You In)…

Posted on September 19, 2014 by geelw

Another Falling Skies: The Game update? Sure, I’ll take it. I really like the strong X-Com vibe the game gives off, the straightforward visual style and what looks to be solid and challenging gameplay in this latest video.

As I get what’s here and intend to play this one from beginning to end, there’s really not much else to say about this save for it’s coming to PS3 and Xbox 360 at retail or download, Wii U via the eShop and PC via Steam on September 30, 2014. If it’s as solid as the games it’s based on, Little Orbit will have a surefire sleeper hit that just needs a proper and appreciative audience playing it from day one.

Pathologic Update: 17 Days To Go. Getting To Its Goal, Body By Body…

Posted on September 19, 2014 by geelw

Slowly but surely, this remake of the 2005 sleeper PC game Pathologic is getting funded via Kickstarter, so hop in and splash around those plague-riddled ponds if you want to see this come to fruition. I love the unsettling vibe this gives off, that slow-loading pistol (and if you didn’t squeak a tiny bit when the camera dipped up and that bird-suited thing was standing there, you’re a better person than I am) and the overall air of gloom that makes this one special. Then again, if this real life ebola thing gets into the country, we’ll all be doing that dance those quirky rejects from Mummenschanz are soon enough. Man, I hate it when reality intrudes on my gaming life. Hopefully this gets funded and finished before the planet goes all 12 Monkeys, ha and ha… *gulp!*

HTR+: The Vita Gets A Fun-Looking Slot Car Racer (But Try Convincing The Trolls)…

Posted on September 19, 2014 by geelw

Sure, if you were or are silly enough to ONLY buy a home or portable game system purely for visuals and how many AAA titles you can stuff in your shorts to show off to friends, a game like this enhanced port of HTR+ may look as if it’s not up your alley at all. On the other hand, if you’re like me and grew up with HO-scale racing sets (I was an AFX kid), this game is something that NEEDS to be played on the Vita. If you’re coming from a simulation or arcade racer background and have never tried any sort of slot car game (or actual slot car racing), you’ll need to get used to the controls and how they differ from what you’re more accustomed to.

“But those cars and tracks look like plastic toys!” Yeah, so what? They’re SUPPOSED to. “Oh nooooo! Another mobile game!” Which means you never played the mobile version to see if it was any good and didn’t realize that the Vita version isn’t a straight lazy port job. “I bought a Vita for THIS?” Obviously not, as you’re not getting a gun pointed at your head and forced to buy anything you dump on without playing it. And so forth and so on come the usual internet trollers who bash stuff when they should be expanding their horizons. That stuff got old and started collecting a pension five years ago and I’m gathering there’s no developer who wants to hear unsolicited comments from folks who seem to play LESS games and spend MORE time complaining about them. Anyway, I’ll look into getting a review code and seeing how this one plays, as that trailer set my nostalgia meter off big time…

D4: Access Games + Swery 65 + Xbox One = Hmmm, Commitment Time!

Posted on September 19, 2014 by geelw

Grrrrr… Access Games’ new adventure game D4 is out and earlier than I thought because until a few days ago when I saw that facebook post by game director Hidetaka Suehiro, I thought this one wasn’t coming until the holidays or early next year. Well, I suppose I can hold my breath for a bit and hope to hell this doesn’t stay as an Microsoft exclusive, but if in case it is, D4 (Dark Dreams Don’t Die) will give me another reason to pick up an Xbox One. I’m actually more thrilled by this quirky episodic title than bigger releases getting more ad dollars, but I’m also smart and plan to hold out that Micrsoft is smart enough to release a retail disc that has all the episodes on it and any extra content if the game gets any DLC just so those folks who can’t download large game files can give this one a shot.