Hikari Friday Time! Funko Foists FOUR Figures For Free!

Posted on September 19, 2014 by geelw

Yes indeed, Funko wants to make FOUR lucky winners very happy this week, one each will nab the first one off the line of these cool Hikari Sofubi Vinyl figures. This week it’s more Transformers up for grabs. Check out the Distressed Optimus Prime Premium Hikari Sofubi Figure and Distressed Bumblebee Premium Hikari Sofubi Figure:

Get your chance to win at one of Funko’s social network sites:

http://www.facebook.com/OriginalFunko
http://www.twitter.com/OriginalFunko
Instagram @OriginalFunko

As usual, those first two figures will be available at your favorite Funko retailer in case you’re not a lucky winner. And yes, the reason those two robots in disguise are distressed is because they’re temporarily homeless and are getting a bit desperate to find a shelf or space to camp out on as they plot their revenge against the Decepticons who destroyed their planet!

On the other hand, the even MORE limited edition (and exclusive) Books-A-Million transformers, 24k Optimus Prime Hikari Sofubi Figure and 24k Bumblebee Hikari Sofubi Figure are only available online and are limited to 600 pieces each. Have a look at these shiny beauties:

And before you even ask, NO, they’re NOT REAL 24K gold at all. I’d not even want to imagine the weight of one of these figures or if an actual gold Transformer figure existed, who’d have enough disposable cash to buy one. Then again, there ARE gold and silver encased PlayStation 4’s for sale in Dubai, so it’s not a total impossibility… Anyway, good luck!

Forza Horizon 2: Stop, Look and Crash!

Posted on September 19, 2014 by geelw

Amusingly enough, although this is a dig at some famous track-bound racing game franchises, I’d actually PLAY a good slot car racing game if some smart developer and publisher teamed up to make one on nearly any home or portable platform. Anyway, while this commercial for <strong>Forza Horizon 2 is magnificent and funny, I have to question WHY it’s partially shot in live action with real cars (with a good deal of expensive CG enhancing) when the actual game looks so gorgeous:

Then again, I don’t work at Microsoft and heck, they know their own games better than anyone, right? Anyway, I’m still an Xbox One holdout, but if I were to grab one of those, this would be one of the games I’d grab with that system. If this is as open world and free range pure driving as it looks, it’ll be something I get lost in for hours and that’s just driving around all by myself checking out all the hard work that went into making the game engine sing so darn well. I’d be the one pulling over every few miles to check out the scenery, even in the middle of a race, so I can’t imagine being the poor AI driver behind me trying to pass as I slide to the left or right and perhaps dent up my ride because I’m trying to ogle a pretty sky or sunset. Anyway, September 30, 2014 is the due date for this baby which is predicted to do VERY well on the console…

Mezco Toys’ All Treat-No Trick Mystery Box: 310 Cheap Chances To Score Big!

Posted on September 19, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, CentralMarkup!)

“What’s in the box?… WHAT’S IN THE BOX?!“ Yeah, yeah. Anyway, Mezco Toyz isn’t telling because they want you to BUY one or a couple of these $20 steal deals and I’m not telling because hell, I have NO idea other than you’ll get at LEAST $40 worth of goodies for that money. All I can say is it’ll be one or more items from the company’s popular Universal Monsters, Chucky, The Living Dead Dolls, Sons Of Anarchy, Breaking Bad, Mez-Itz, Axe Cop, or other product lines. Yeah, you know you’re curious, yellow. Or blue because you want more of these than you can afford (“let’s see now, 310 times $20 is…”). So goes the wild life of the American consumer, right? Anyway, get your own box before they’re all gone!

F1 2014: A Little Heat For A Slow, Cool Friday…

Posted on September 19, 2014 by geelw

You’re looking a wee bit tired on this slightly chilly Friday, friend. How about a hot lap around Sochi to perk things up a bit? Based on user feedback, Codemasters Racing Studio is making F1 2014 an even more accessible game this year with a few changes to the formula including a new driver evaluation system to adjust the game to your level, shorter career options and a new Very Easy mode. While I know some purists will complain about these inclusions, it opens up the game (and the actual sport) to an even larger user base with the hope that those newbies learn the ropes, dial up the difficulty at some point and enjoy the sport as it’s meant to be. Unforgiving and heavily reliant on one’s skill as a driver, not just jamming on the accelerator and knocking AI cars around in an all-out bumper car match. This one’s out on October 17, 2017 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Yes, Codemasters is working on an all-new F1 game for PS4 and Xbox One, so you next-gen owners will need to hold that breath for a bit until 2015 rolls around…

Stepping Into The Rift @ The Marriot: Traveling Light Might Be A New Option…

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Hey, Kids! Time travel exists! Okay, it doesn’t (sorry, folks!), but I’m making it so with this post because I started it when I got back from the FUTURE, but my stupid computer decided to freeze up and not want to post it when I finished. Boo. Anyway, I was HERE for a while seeing part of the future of entertainment and travel courtesy of Marriott Hotels and a few very hard working and talented folks at Relevent and Framestore. More on this in a longer article shortly. My time-bending skills are limited at this point and I need my beauty rest… good night!

The Evil Within Tokyo Game Show 2014 Trailer: Run (or Roll!), Don’t Walk!

Posted on September 17, 2014 by geelw

Okay, I laughed out loud when I saw this trailer because, well.. come ON now, people. Wouldn’t YOU just have jumped in one of those wheelchairs and rolled the hell away from what was chasing you? Yeah, I thought so. I know I’d be BLAAAAZING down that dimly lit hallway popping wheelies power-sliding past obstacles and generally confusing the hell out of that monster or whatever is chasing my character. Then again, I tend to look for the humorous side to any horror game or film, so if anything, I’d die laughing before anything else got to my soon to be doomed avatar. The Evil Within is out for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PC on Tuesday, October 14. That gives you enough time to stock up on clean underwear and maybe a few spare controllers in case you’re prone to dropping them when you get scared…

Alien Isolation Survival Mode: You’ll Pay For That. You KNOW You Will…

Posted on September 17, 2014 by geelw

Ah, the dreaded Season Pass rears its head in another game and yep, it seems that this method of squishing extra money out of gamers isn’t going to vanish at all unless people stop pre-ordering and buying that content, but that’s a tough sell with so many rabid fans of certain games stampeding into stores the minute something’s announced and looks good enough to buy on day one after some previews. Alien Isolation, already a strong contender for horror game of the year (well, in my book), is getting MORE paid DLC in the form of at least five Survival maps to be released over the course of six months. This should provided those of you who love more competitive experiences to challenge that leaderboard and share your survival stories with other players.

Me, I’m in this one for the story, so I hope in addition to the standard and Nostromo editions, we see a “Game of the Year” edition that packs ALL the DLC onto a single disc similar to how other publishers reissue their big games. I know for a fact that there are still people on the fence about buying this game despite developer The Creative Assembly’s track record and this game looking like the best modern Alien game to date. But hey, it’s the age of soapbox skepticism ruling the day (unfortunately) and yes, Sega not having a stellar track record in publishing previous Alien games. We’ll see where this one ends up on the list soon enough, but I think it needs more love for both the attention to detail and in helping kick this franchise back to life and one worth following. Alien Isolation is out October 7, 2014 for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Oh, NOW I’m In Demand! Sort Of…

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Ha. My inbox, which is normally quite packed with invites to all manner of events (but not enough for my tastes) that usually require a bit of reservation time, was recently targeted by a few PR folks with some last-minute invites to events tomorrow and Friday that I may or may not make for a few reasons. I don’t mind going to any and all of them, mind you. But these days, a day or two is a wee bit too short to add, change or make plans to pop out to see something cool to write about because I tend to operate on a sort of semi schedule that I like to follow (sometimes). For short notice events, I tend to go with the musical selection below along with a coin toss:

THAT said, I’ll most likely see the Oculus Rift “transporter” setup down at the Marriott Marquis tomorrow, as I’ve been saying for well over a year or so that the Rift will get the most use outside of gaming as a consumer entertainment device that provides virtual vacations or short tours of famous places for a small fee. This event tomorrow is only a few minutes long total, but it’ll be the first time I strap on those goofy goggles and see what’s what in the company of others. I was around for VR’s first commercial go-round in the 90’s (ah, Dactyl Nightmare!), so this time I’m going in with no expectations other than to be surprised and even more immersed.

There’s another tech event later that evening I’ve already RSVP’d for a few weeks back to attend, but I’ll probably not stay for the full three hours, as there’s free booze and snacks and that’s always TOO tempting to fill up on even though I don’t drink much these days. Well, seeing new tech toys is always a plus, so that’s my main reason for showing up. I got a sudden invite to see a steering wheel peripheral for the PS3 and Xbox One and responded right away, but I’m still waiting to hear back from the PR guy who contacted me. Finally, my entrepreneurial brother is speaking at an event here in the Bronx in the evening, so we’ll see how long my driving experience lasts and if it bleeds into that time. I know pretty much what he’s going to cover, but I won’t ruin the surprise here, as it’s an idea that’s fairly simple yet quite grand if it takes off and goes where he wants it to. Anyway, let me stop here and go check my inbox again, as I just peeked at it and I saw a few more invites in there. Well, lookit – I’m popular again! Go me!

Ah, Bumpy Tuesday! Someone Call The Cops!

Posted on September 16, 2014 by geelw

(Thanks, Chaplin 1914!)

Well, okay… it’s not THAT serious so I’ll take the Keystone Cops whenever they can get here, but I am having some connection issues today. Hmm. going through my inbox here I see mostly mail about bundles and more bundles, more news about Microsoft buying Mojang and Minecraft (yeah, it was bound to happen that SOMEONE would snap this up once Notch got bored, but Microsoft? Hmmmm…) and a few media events coming up. Oooh, I get to see some new peripherals later this week! Nice.

Okay, let me mess around here with some computer stuff (or a hammer) and see if I can put up something actually worth reading later this evening or tonight. Hopefully THIS post actually posts, as that seems to be the MAIN problem I’m having today. Boo. In English: “We are experiencing operating difficulties. Please stand by…”

Hyrule Warriors: Nintendo Knows They’re Getting Some of Us To Spend More Money On This One…

Posted on September 15, 2014 by geelw

With just over a week to go before Hyrule Warriors storms store shelves, here’s a look at the TV commercial and uh-oh, trailers for DLC outfits. Yes indeed, the DLC for this game will grab you by the nostalgic hairs and yank hard on your wallet. Granted, I’d bet just about anyone who buys the game is buying at least ONE of these outfits or not buying them at all, but jamming up the eShop downloading them for free if that’s what they go for.

Oh, wait… they’re PRE-ORDER outfits and retailer specific, at that. Blech. Come on, Nintendo! Just let EVERYONE have what they want if they want it, as you KNOW the completion freaks out there who want everything but can only buy ONE copy of the game will be giving you grief deluxe. Oh well… perhaps these are timed DLC items and we’ll ALL be able to buy what we want directly from Nintendo at some point. One can only hope…

Okay, I was jesting a tiny bit. Nintendo IS smarter than the average internet troll who only skims the video before posting. They will indeed release ALL the DLC at some point via the eShop, so you don’t have to fret about missing out on anything. Like the company would pass up the chance to make some ABSOLUTE loot on those costumes in a few ways? Ha! Yeah, they’re on top of this one (for once). Yes, that’s tough love from me, ALWAYS for Nintendo!