Tall Tales: No Plug, Just Infinite Play

Tall Tales set 

While New York Toy Fair 2016 isn’t rolling around until mid-February, for months leading up to the event my inbox has been packed to the gills with new product info I’m still sifting through. One of the press releases that caught my eye (ow.) was for an upcoming family game from SCS Direct called Tall Tales: The Game of Infinite Storytelling, which as you can see from that photo above, is packed with possibilities for yep, infinite fun (and not just for the kiddies). Hey, I do love my many videogames to death. But a good board game, party game or something social (not “social”) where anyone can join in and PLAY (gaming’s decline into a paid spectator “sport” baffles me considerably) makes for a more robust experience.

Anyway, playing the game is dirt simple, according to the press release:

Playing Tall Tales is simple- players choose a story card for their setting, draw random story elements from the bag and twist their best tale… just like the world used to do before the technology revolution. Some of the 24 story card settings include: a quirky game show, a colorful ocean, a fun theme park and a crazy circus. The story bag contains a wide range of 3-D pieces, including: a treasure chest, a baby, a unicorn and a rocketship.

 

Now, I don’t know about YOU, but I thought up a few ideas based on those settings and pieces in the time it took to read that paragraph. Then again, I’m a bit nuts, so I can make an epic novella from the ingredients on a cereal box (it sure beats eating what’s inside, that’s for sure). The game’s release date will be revealed at the show in February and I just may need to check it out on the show floor because it sure looks like a winner. Keep an eye (and an egg) peeled for some sort of update. Your family game nights may never be the same again.

-GW

Humor: A Vote For Iris Steensma Might Start Some More Fireworks

“I got some bad ideas in my head.”

 

taxi_driver_ver2_xlgWhile it’s still an example of great American film-making and a must-see movie, I’ve been having a recurring dream of a Taxi Driver followup for quite some time. As in over 20 years of random story ideas hitting me in the dream-space or while strolling around NYC. The city has changed so much since the film’s 1976 release, but in a (not so) weird way certain elements have cycled back into that film’s bleak version of the city, citizens, and some of the politics around them.

Granted, it’s never (ever!) going to happen unless the stars are in order (on a few fronts, ha and ha-ha) and some other key people think it’s a good idea. It’s not (at all), but Hollywood has done far worse updates of other films (for better or worse… mostly worse in my opinion). Nevertheless, I’m getting this silliness off my chest and out of my head so I can clear up space in the grey matter filing cabinet. Continue reading

The Angry Birds Movie Update: Blake Shelton Is A Big Fat Pig

Hey now! Step away from the keyboard and put down that baseball bat, folks. Shelton IS a big fat (and green!) pig. Or more precisely, he’s voicing a big fat (and green!) CG pig named Earl in the upcoming The Angry Birds Movie:

Blake Shelton voices "Earl" in in Columbia Pictures and Rovio Animation's ANGRY BIRDS.

Blake Shelton voices “Earl” in in Columbia Pictures and Rovio Animation’s ANGRY BIRDS.

Of course, the filmmakers aren’t letting the man’s musical talents go to waste at all. The award-winning singer (and co-host of The Voice) is also lending his voice to the film’s soundtrack. No news as t what he’ll be singing or when it will be sung has been revealed, but there’s nothing wrong with a little (or big) surprise, I always say. Um, that does depend on the surprise, though. This counts as a good one.

Adding to an already talented cast that includes Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Bill Hader, Peter Dinklage, Kate McKinnon, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Hannibal Buress, Ike Barinholtz, Jillian Bell, Cristela Alonzo, Danielle Brooks, Romeo Santos, and the YouTube team known as Smosh (Anthony Padilla, Ian Hecox), it looks as if the film will be getting a few (well, a lot) more fans hoofing it to a theater new them when it opens this summer.

Blake Shelton Angry Birds i2_mini

The Deadly Tower of Monsters: ACE Team’s Got Another Weird Winner Up Its Sleeve

SCARLET_MODEL_1If you’re a fan of old sci-fi “B” movies from days gone by, ACE Team is going to get you grinning with their upcoming PC and PS4-bound game The Deadly Tower of Monsters. The Santiago, Chile-based developer with its small library of visually gorgeous and reliably weird games is making this one a special slice of must-buy entertainment on a few fronts. The game seems to be a mix of classic beat ’em up and action/RPG with a decidedly retro vibe and some very pretty visuals. As a big “B” flick fan, I like the offbeat influences from films such as Forbidden Planet, Invaders From Mars, King Kong and many more. Sure, the younger gamers might be clueless and not aware of all the in-jokes and homages to too many things to count. But the end result should hook them in with what’s looking like fast-paced gameplay and those aforementioned pretty visuals.

DTOM (44)
 

From the videos above and below, the game sure looks as if it’ll be fun enough to warrant plenty of sales, a few replays and hopefully more console ports at some point down the road. Of course, that’s mostly up to how the game does on those two initial platforms and any legal stuff keeping it locked down on two platforms. I don’t mind exclusives at all, ladies and germs. But it’s nice to have more options over less when there’s a title as fun-looking as this one on the way.


 

DTOM (4) DTOM (9) DTOM (24) DTOM (32) DTOM (34) DTOM (38) DTOM (43) DTOM (52) DTOM (54) DTOM (57) DTOM (61) DTOM (76)
 

Dragon’s Dogma Dark Arisen Gallery (PS3): Not Pixel-Proof, But Perfected on PC

Dragon's Dogma_ Dark Arisen Screenshot_48

Before (well, 1280 x 720 looks a LOT better on a HD set in 1080i)…

DDDA_PC_01

After! PC version, *much* prettier PNG image.

Ah, the terrible JPG format and how it degrades over the shortest periods of time. Foo. I’d wanted to post a bunch of screens from the PlayStation 3 version of Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen over the last few weeks up to the game’s PC release on Steam shortly (January 15), but when I finally got around to looking at the over 300 screenshots I’d taken over time, they all looked terrible. Normally, I go back and save jpeg images as .png files, but I got busy with too many things just didn’t have the time. Yet another reason to hate digital art, I guess. Still, a promise is a promise, but instead of a daily gallery of ugly imagery, you’re getting most of the shots I liked in one easy to peruse (but hard on the eyeballs) set of screens below the jump.

That said, before I commence with the eye torture, ogle that lovely trailer above and then go read this post, as here are more screens from the PC version along with more info about what the updated version of the game will have in store for those picking it up again or for the first time. There’s a lot of info there (thanks, Capcom!), but it’s all worth checking out because I know it’ll get got by fantasy RPG fans looking for a nicely-sized game world and plenty of pissed off mythical beasts coming at them with now even more gleaming teeth and claws. By the way, pre-ordering the game on Steam gets you its soundtrack and a digital art book. So there’s some incentive for those who want it.

Continue reading

Super Fighter Team Kicks Off 2016 With New & Old Releases

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Fans of Super Fighter Team are more than likely pretty pleased and having a Happy New Year plying some nostalgic fun as the two Mega Drive/Genesis titles Magic Girl and Cascade announced early in 2015 have finally shipped out to buyers and the return of Beggar Prince, Legend of Wukong and Star Odyssey means those most asked for titles will finally be re(or re-re)-released at some point this year.

As usual, HUGE Props to Super Fighter Team head honcho Brandon Cobb for fighting the good fight and getting these games out his way in this day and age of plenty of beauty pack reissues of the not so legal sort getting snapped up by collectors in record time. SFT’s small but solid library of console titles make for perfect entry level collector purchases as well as great gifts for your favorite classic gamer.

RPG Trifecta Pack 

If your budget is lower but you still want to surprise someone (or give yourself a gift), you can drop $20 on the cool RPG Trifecta Pack and get three of those games digitally for your PC and save a chunk of cash. Isn’t freedom a wonderful thing? Yeah, I thought so.

Happy Gnu Year!

(thanks, Muppet Show Videos by arnis!)
 

A day late, a dollar short and you can’t keep the change. Yeah, yeah. I was busy doing stuff or not doing stuff yesterday (I forget), so I didn’t get around to posting. I forget. Wait, I said that already (see?). Anyway, as I no longer make make resolutions because I don’t need to guilt trip myself into a coma at my advanced age, I’ll just say that things are happening and will continue to happen here at DAF in 2016 and leave it at that. SUSPENSE is so underrated these days, you know…

Back in a bit – I need to finally change the background and banner on this site and another one, download a few games to review and otherwise stay out of trouble.