Funny that I come back from the almost but not quite dead just in time for The Count Lucanor to want to kill my remaining free time.Why is that poor pixelated piggy getting whacked on the butt on the left? My curiosity is piqued and I’m suddenly feeling guilty about having a bacon craving a few hours back that went away a few seconds later.
Coming to Steam March 3, 2016 from indie developer Baroque Decay caught my attention a while back with its dark theme and pretty pixel art style which has since expanded to include some nice animated cut scenes that seem almost Ghibli-like:
But there’s a more grim tale at work under all that cuteness, of course. How grim? I do intend to find out and let you all know, ladies and gents. Hey, when a press release or game page notes comparisons to The Legend of Zelda and Silent Hill, that game NEEDS to be played. Back in a bit with some sort of update.
Oof. So… I’ve been waylaid by some sort of disgusting bug that’s had me coughing up assorted colored fluids of various viscosity for about the past week and a half. It’s finally in the fading out phase as of this morning, but that just means I’m even more behind in caching up to a load of work. Whee. Anyway, as I’m finally getting back on my feet (and believe me, being in bed too long isn’t all it’s cracked up to be), here’s a short list of things I won’t be doing today because I’m a bit busy.
Well, it’s ONE thing because, yeah – I’m too busy to make a longer list:
1: Watching the Oscars! No surprise there as I haven’t really cared about the Academy Awards for some time (but paradoxically, would probably make a good member because I’d actually watch EVERY damn screener I got in the mail). I haven’t cared for the overblown spectacle for ages thanks to too many good films getting overlooked in every category and the show focusing on too many hours of pre-awards silliness (old Hollywood glamour is dead and these new “stars” trying too hard to recapture it is somewhat strange to my eyeballs). This year’s controversy doesn’t affect my choice either as I believe films and performances in them shouldn’t be made solely to win awards (despite decades of actors making specific films just to win awards).
I guess it’s the Marlon Brando meets George C. Scott mentality for me these days, but back when I was a kid, the family would gather ’round the tube and watch the show every year just for the spectacle. Over the last 20 years or so, I’ve tuned out slowly and backed away from the festivities with no ill effects, so this new tradition continues with the added element of me not even going to watch out of curiosity. So, yeah. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ with it. Now watch me end up doing something one of these days that has me win one of those things. I’ll be a crow-eating sap if there ever was one.
While I’ve only sunk about an hour in so far to the Early Access Steam build, Portal Knights is so far, pretty darn good. It’s not quite the Minecraft-like game some think (which is a good thing), but a pretty new action/RPG with (so far) smallish worlds and a light crafting element that doesn’t get in the way of players who just want to whack as wee beasties and level their avatar up. Again, I haven’t played enough to write up a decent review or even and solid impressions other than most everything works quite well. My archer seems to have an issue dodging when I hit the correct keys, but she hasn’t died a horrible death by slime or other low-level monster just yet. The game looks and sounds great so far, but it would have been nice to have a few more character customization options out of the gate.
Still, it’s early and bugs will be squashed, feedback will be listened to and when it’s really ready to shine, I’m predicting Portal Knights will be the go-to game for players looking to try something new and hopefully get few friends to give it a go as well. Okay, stopping here for now. I think I hear a level up calling me.
So, yep. Using the Cyndi Lauper version would have made this bleak gameplay video a wee less gloomy, but this new-ish version works beautifully. It’s great to see Bandai Namco and veteran developer FromSoftware not only making sure Dark Souls III is the best entry in the series to date, but making sure veteran players know that the new game isn’t going to make it any easier on those stepping into its deadly world for the first time. All that dying badly does come with the reward of finally figuring out how to clear areas without taking much damage as you lay low foes that previously gave you problems.
Of course, clearing one area out just means those new enemies with completely different challenges await. But hey – one set of problems at a time, right? Once you dive into Dark Souls III, you’re not coming up for air any time soon. Unless you try and escape in order to go try and do something else. The game won’t like that one bit, by the way.
Oh, bother. I’ve been somewhat good for a while, trying to not explode into a sarcastic ball of caffeinated noise bouncing around the room ranting about all sorts of stuff. It’s hard to write about entertainment you like when the real world is becoming a lot less entertaining and a lot more unlikable. We may be in the process of having Max Shreck voted into office by a bunch of goggle-eyed TV-raised rubes who believe that well-clothed celebrity charlatan with the failed businesses who also took money from people who paid to attend a “university” with his name on it (just because it had his name on it) is someone who can “get the job done” and who just might get the job done. Well, if that “job” in question is traveling backwards in time to a few lousy places in history.
Anyway, all that and more have been rattling around in my busy little head of late and that rattling is getting louder. While I deal with that noise, I’m going to be nice and stick to writing more about stuff I like primarily as a means of keeping me distracted while I deal with what’s turning into a weirder year than even I expected. Back in a bit – I have a ton of notes and press kits that I’ve been going over this past week to keep me busy, but I could use a nice adult beverage and an ear to bend.
Okay, I had no idea Sword Coast Legends had come out on PC last fall (oops!). Thankfully, the new Dungeons & Dragons game is also headed to PS4 and Xbox One this spring as a digital download at the must-have price point of $19.99. This includes all the content from the PC version and additions such as the Drow as a new playable sub-race, additional character skill trees, hundreds of new placeable objects for DMs, new areas, new visual effects, hardcore gameplay options, and much more. While it can be played solo, SCL seems tailor made for co-op play and Dungeon Master (DM) created custom adventures that extend the game’s life cycle even more.
Platform: PC (also on PS4, Xbox One)
Developer: Artefacts Studios
Publisher: Microids
#of Players: 1
MSRP: $29.99
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) Official Site
Score: B+ 85%
In Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders, you play Hercule Poirot, the dapper detective with the well-trimmed mustache whose “little grey cells” got him through plenty of crime solving tales made famous by the author and represented in books, on stage, screen and yes, videogames. Developer Artefacts’ decision to make their Poirot so close to the source leaves exactly no room for intentional player error or many non-Poirot like affectations to mess with the formula. While this results in a game that’s impossible to “lose” because you’ve made a serious error in judgment or otherwise, it does deliver the proper feeling of the man at work as a series of not so random alphabet-related murders unfold.
Part of what makes the story and game so intriguing is the killer’s choice of Poirot as the person to mail clues to each crime to before he commits them. The killer’s confidence in taunting and tasking Poirot to track him (or her) down means there’s a certain sort of methodical insanity at work that’s somewhat fascinating. In this modern information age where under some circumstances, electronically sending death threats like that would (or should) lead to a suspect most likely being caught before they got too far into the alphabet, the 1935 setting means those mailed letters give the killer time to plot and Poirot time to think. The unfortunate side effect is a new crime scene and recently killed body to pore over for evidence, but as they say, nothing is indeed perfect, mes amis… Continue reading →
Ha and double ha, Dark Horse Comics! Getting Volume 1 of PANIC ($49.99) out in this rather panicky election year that’s giving plenty of people the heebie-jeebies for any number of reasons. Yeah, yeah – it wasn’t planned to happen this way, but it’s still funny (to me at least). I’d only seen a few very ratty issues of the mag at a comic convention way back in the 80’s, so finally getting to read through the first six issues in a sturdy hardcover tome was a great exercise.
It’s interesting to see everything intact from the nicely recolored art to the editorial pages that note the climate of the time that was VERY anti-comics at the expense of killing of companies left and right that couldn’t or wouldn’t conform to the crazies. Great satire and parody hold up to even the most pointed of criticism, so despite some very dated references, there are still plenty of laughs to be had. So, remove that stick from where it’s lodged, have a nice seat with your feet up and prepare to exercise those smile muscles that of late have probably turned into a near-permanent scowl. Oh, and one more thing: consider a good moisturizer before reading as Dark Horse is not responsible for cracked faces from perusing what’s here.
Aha. So the Plastic Age came long before the Stone Age. Well, if you always failed those classes that taught otherwise with tons of field and museum trip tested truth, that is. Or if you’re a toy maker who’s smart enough to take advantage of a cool show and whip up more lovely licensed goodies. Anyway, Playmates Toys has its hugely popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Half-Shell Heroes division) paired up with their favorite dinosaurs from the Nickelodeon special all boxed up and ready for your favorite Turtles fan. It’s cool that those big dinos are considered “vehicles” because countless giant monster movies aside, you’re not going to see much of that “vehicle” stuff without chuckling a little.
You may notice that instead of the usual suspects, there’s that Robo Raptor with Triceraton “replacing” a certain turtle. Well, kids… that’s your first big adventure, then! Go find out what happened and report back ASAP!
With a suggested MSRP of $19.99 each and a “TRY ME” package for each that is worth getting out to an actual retail location if you want to make a trip out it, these latest additions to the growing lineup are going to make those certain someones very happy indeed. So yes, it’s your move and make sure to follow Playmates around the internet through their social channels as you never know what can happen:
Whee. It’s THREE degrees outside. Not counting the wind chill. Getting to Toy Fair this morning was no joke, but seeing all those under-dressed folks on the subway looking miserable because they may have not experienced a NYC winter brought a tiny bit of amusement. Nothing like seeing some guys complaining about the cold while wearing pants hanging off their butts, zippered hoodies, no gloves on their mitts and that cold, cold stare. Me, I’m wrapped up like a mummy but still able to move. PROTIP: Fleece is your friend, folks.
Back in a bit with some pictures and Toy Fair-related stuff. Yesterday I got home and keeled over in front of my computer. That non-stop wind walk back home was pretty draining. I’m a bit more prepared for it this evening. That said, this morning I ran into a few attendees who’d LOVE to see the show get a kick up to a warmer month as it seems every year Elsa brings the cold touch to the proceedings. Thanks, Disney (grrrr!)
Funny that I come back from the almost but not quite dead just in time for The Count Lucanor to want to kill my remaining free time.Why is that poor pixelated piggy getting whacked on the butt on the left? My curiosity is piqued and I’m suddenly feeling guilty about having a bacon craving a few hours back that went away a few seconds later.
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 