IndieGala Hump Day Bundle: Ignore That Camel. Buy Some Games Instead

Posted on April 8, 2015 by geelw

More bundles? No problems! “What day is it?” and yeah, yeah… you know the rest. Stupid CG camels. Anyway, say hello to the IndieGala Hump Day Bundle. Go click on that link to the left and pick up three games for a buck or (even better) a dozen for a measly $2.99 plus no tax (well, in the U.S. of A., at least). Pay more if you please, as what you spend supports charity. Even if you don’t go the low-ball route and pony up a bit more you’re still getting an excellent deal on what’s here.

Oh, did I mention the Spring Rush Bundle is on sale? Well, it IS! Go get it as it’s got even more fun to funky titles on it. It costs a little more, but it’s the same buck for three title tease to lure you into looking before you decide to commit to just plopping down about seven bucks for nine games total.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Get the Coffee Table Book Treatment

Posted on April 7, 2015 by geelw

Okay, I’ll admit to not being much into He-Man and the Masters of the Universe way back when it was on TV and those beefy action figures and massive playsets were selling like hotcakes in stores. However, I was a big fan of Earl Norem‘s fantasy artwork as well as some of the cool animation Funimation had been doing since the late 60’s. As soon as I heard Dark Horse Comics was putting out a massive 300+ page regular and limited edition hardcover called The Art of He-Man And The Masters of the Universe, it went on my long list of books I needed to check out.

After getting a digital copy to peruse last week, color me impressed and a *kiiiind of* new convert to the old kid’s show. Granted, I’m not about to run out and buy up a box set and binge watch myself into a coma anytime soon. But thanks to the wonderful art and well-done interviews with many involved with the show, toys, comics and even that weird live action film, I respect the show a lot more on the art side of things. It’s still a big toy-selling chunk of nostalgia, but that sort of thing is why many now adults loved the show back in the day. I’m sure some of their parents had an eyebrow raised every time a new figure was requested and I don’t even want to think about holiday shopping for a hot new playset with a bunch of other parents eyeballing the same big box. Anyway, if one or more of those links floats your boat, go make a purchase. The regular edition is in stores on April 15 and the LE hits retail in May.

Oh, and someone needs to track down Earl Norem and send him a nice letter of thanks for all his gorgeous artwork, as his Wikipedia page is kind of depressing near the end. Personally, I think more people including younger illustration fans WOULD indeed be interested about the career of an 81-year-old artist. Hell, they’d better be, as his work was always consistently grand in just about anything he did.

Arrow Video July Releases: Dead on Target (Again)

Posted on April 7, 2015 by geelw

The fine folks at Arrow Video continue to whip out releases from their UK catalog through MVD to film fans and collectors stateside well worth buying and July’s three Blu-Ray/DVD sets are a nice trio for your library. This time, it’s an odd triple threat of 1970’s Japanese pop style, a bleak Gallic “spaghetti” western and a fun, funky horror film starring a pre-A Nightmare on Elm Street Robert Englund. That video below of Stray Cat Rock: The Collection should hopefully tease some of you into action in the form of adding it to your want list somewhere or bugging someone to get you it (or all three films) as a nice gift.

Well, I’D bug someone to get me all three of these flicks. Hey, I have unusual tastes in films from unforgettable classic silents to a handful of loud, noisy super-budget blockbusters more easily forgotten. I won’t knock your tastes at all (well, unless you still watch “reality” TV with a straight face and actually get upset at every VERY obviously scripted moment better done the first time and not the 500th). Eeek.

READS: When A Closed Book Is The Best Thing In The World

Posted on April 7, 2015 by geelw

I’d been meaning to visit the sometimes appointment-only Huntington Free Library and Reading Room about a half-hour walk my place for some time, but I’d always found myself a bit too busy to get over that way. That is, until I found out there was a new library that was going to replace the older building next door that was formerly home to a rather large Native American artifact collection. That new building won’t be built for a while, but getting the chance to see and pore over a bit of area history was something I’ve been wanting to do for quite a while. Thanks to TLH setting up an appointment on Monday via email, we popped in today at 10 sharp and stayed about two hours chatting with caretaker/tour guide/author Tom Casey, a man with a encyclopedic knowledge of the history of the area and a ton of other things.

Continue reading →

More Monday Bundles to Mix Things Up

Posted on April 6, 2015 by geelw

I must be psychic or something. I was recently telling a fellow horror game fan how I wished one of the indie bundle sites would do an all-horror game deal and *BOOM!* IndieGala Every Monday Bundle, anyone? $1.89 for seven Steam horror games today – the price jets up a bit on Tuesday. Well, that was fast and yeah, I’m looking over my shoulder for a sack of money to fly into my hands from somewhere. Okay, nope on that loot-fest? Damn. Hard work over get rich quick daydreaming it is!

Meanwhile, over at the Humble Bundle site, this week’s deal is Humble Mobile Bundle 11, featuring seven games for an average of $4.29 with MORE titles to be added next week. These time-locked game deals are wonderful because while you don’t know what’s coming, they’re worth the money because the added free games are usually something cool you’ve never played previously. Here’s what in the deal so far:

Nice, huh? Anyway, go get yours out of the two deals or get both because you’re spending a little and getting quite a lot as usual. Now, all one (or all) of these bundle bargain sites need to do is add “create your own bundle” deals where buyers can choose from a long list of indies for a low price point and my psychic powers will be fully revealed (cue ominous music)…

Project Root: OPQAM’s Retro Inspired Shmup Reverbs The Nostalgia Meter

Posted on April 6, 2015 by geelw

Coming up on the radar from publisher Reverb Triple XP is Project Root, an arcade-style space shooter with a nicely retro vibe and shiny modern visuals. Headed to PS4, Vita and Xbox One on April 28 after landing on Steam last year, the game packs in a few fixes over the original version as well as Cross-Buy for PS4 and Vita owners.

Developer OPQAM has added a great little twist to the usual side or vertical scrolling shmup by giving players a full 360 degrees of movement, allowing them to play levels as they see fit. If you know your game history fairly well, you’ll see that this free roaming style of shooter isn’t *new* by any means if you’re old enough to remember Thunder Force II on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive (or Sharp X68000 PC if you’re REALLY old school*). The chance to preview the game via a work-in progress build popped up recently and yes, when opportunity knocks, an return call must be made… Continue reading →

Ask Your Doctor: Time Also Reads Doubly If Stupid

Posted on April 5, 2015 by geelw

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Okay, okay. I was two weeks too early in that post above. Heh, sorry about that! But I think I have to blame my Doctor for that timely error. We went on a little adventure recently and when I got back, I thought it was two weeks later. In fact, I got back just in time for once. Oops. “In time for what?” Well, I guess in time to make a mistake that I’ll probably have to go on another little trip to fix so that post is a lot more accurate.

Then again, I hear you’re not supposed to muck with time or bad things will occur. Hmmm, what to do, what to do? I dunno about you, but I’m going to go back to sleep now. Zzzzzzzz…

Oh, That’s Right: Orphan Black Season 3

Posted on April 4, 2015 by geelw

Aha! I knew I was forgetting something important I had to do tonight. Well, that’s it above. Between this and Game of Thrones kicking off next Sunday, my weekends are officially booked. I wasn’t sure about those new male clones introduced last season, but I’ll give the show the benefit of the doubt until it trips over something and goes BOOM. Well, even if that happens, Tatiana Maslany will always get her part(s) right.

Some Late Bundles For Your Sleepy Saturday

Posted on April 4, 2015 by geelw

Yeah, yeah… it’s Saturday and I’m posting this IndieGala Friday Special Bundle now. I had a little computer hiccup yesterday before I could get to this deal, so it’s a bit late. Anyway, get three games for a buck or a dozen for $2.99 this time. Flip a coin and choose the latter if you need a hint. There’s a nice set of stuff here from a Match-3 puzzle game, a few adventure games and even a couple of retro platformers with some shooters tossed in for good measure.

Also, if you poke around the IndieGala Store and actually buy something there, you get a free gift just in time for Easter:

Yup, it’s a real game! You can also get another freebie just for stopping by in the form of Space Hack, a single player action/RPG set aboard a spaceship besieged by tons of bug-like aliens. It’s old, but quite addictive once you get into it.

Over at the Humble Bundle, you can scoop up six really hard games in the Humble Weekly Bundle: ARGGGHHH!! These games are hard! Bundle. I’ve only played three of them, but can confirm that you will indeed want to toss a controller or keyboard at something if you’re the impatient sort. The Humble Store has a crazy sale on Deep Silver titles all weekend, so check out that link for a nice assortment of titles from a few genres.

Finally, Bundle Stars has the awesome Vortex Bundle, a total STEAL at $2.99 just for the Alien Breed Trilogy. If you’re not into shooting xenomorphs while being scared half to death, there are a bunch of other titles in that bundle bound to please. And don’t forget to check out the Bundle Stars Store for MORE great deals on single games. Hmmmm. I think that’s it, but I’ll let you know. Oh, right – check out Indie Royale, Desuragog.com, and of course, gog.com for even MORE deals!

Better Call Saul Digital Comic: Read The Fine Print, Please

Posted on April 4, 2015 by geelw

Okay, I had no idea there was a digital comic book based on AMC’s hit show Better Call Saul, but that’s because I waste less time online these days and spend more time trying to do stuff. That said, it’s actually a pretty good read if you’re into the show and the bonus “Super Saul” stories are hilarious send-ups of assorted superhero comic conventions with more of a legal bent.

If you’ve yet to see the show and wonder if it’s good (or as good as Breaking Bad was), fear not. Vince Gilligan and company are doing some excellent work and if you’re needing to catch up, AMC has a few suggestions. For starters, there’s a marathon of the first season running this Monday, April 6 at 12:15PM (11:15 Central) that leads directly into the premiere of the Season 1 Finale at 10/9c.

Yes, you should take Monday off and spend it in front of the TV because I said so. Hey, my lawyer said I can do this and not face any sort of legal retribution if you decide to do so and lose your job or whatever. Who’s my legal eagle of choice? Well, he’s got a very successful TV show that’s ending its first season on Monday night if you need a clue…