IndieGala Monday Sale Brings You RPGs In A Few Forms, Plus…

Posted on July 21, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, Dice17!)

From complete games to work-in-progress Steam Greenlight and Desura versions, this week’s IndieGala bundle is a great treat for genre fans looking to expand their horizons. Granted, not all of these six titles are role-playing games, but all fit the bill as fine indie games worth a look. The Tower is certainly a nice surprise, as it relies heavily on sound and your paying attention to said sounds in order to survive. I also like that the game is narrated by its protagonist as you play.

Block Story looks like an oddball Minecraft mod, but I like that it has a story and characters out of a RPG while allowing the crafting and such you’d get in Mojang’s game. Granted, the juxtaposition of block-based environments and realistic looking characters IS a bit jarring, but the game is fun to play and pretty simple to hop into. That and it allows you to play cross-platform on your PC and mobile device, which is a neat feature that makes me hope the developer has console plans for this one. As for the rest of the games in this deal (which is available for the next day at a mere $1.49 before the price increases), if you haven’t already clicked that link above, what are you waiting for?

It’s National Ice Cream Day! How’d You NOT Watch Your Waistline?

Posted on July 20, 2014 by geelw

Nope, this OLD contest is no longer valid, but I needed an ice cream-related video and this was the first one to come to mind. Anyway, today’s fake holiday was made to make your diet want to kick your expanding behind around the room if you celebrated it, so knock yourself out and pay the piper this week when you get back on the wagon. If you didn’t splurge ‘n purge, you still have a few hours before pumpkin hour. I’m staring at a pint of crappy vanilla fudge and mentally flipping a coin as to whether to finish the entire thing and go for a nice walk later and tomorrow morning or just have oh, somewhat less than half and do that same double walk. Eh, we’ll see… I don’t have any major vices these days, so I may as well do what I can to make someone feel better than I do on occasion…

Oh, The Adventurezator is Going To Get Me Into Trouble… And YOU, Too…

Posted on July 19, 2014 by geelw

Hmmm. Every once in a while, I get an invitation to try out an upcoming game and it’s a hit or miss proposition as to the quality of that work in progress or in some cases, the finished product. Pigasus Games’ Adventurezator caught my eye (OW!) as soon as I scanned the game’s Steam page and later, that video above.

Make your own emergent adventure games? Sure, why not? I’m downloading my beta code now and think I’m going to tinker a bit later this evening. Hey, my Saturday nights are usually not this interesting, people! Anyway, back in a bit – you should check this thing out too and get into some trouble with a story of your own, I say…

Random Film of the Week(end): The Punisher (2004)

Posted on July 19, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, Flauntvids!)

When I finally got around to seeing the 2004 version of The Punisher last week, I was wondering how I missed this one back then in theaters (although I’d not pay a dime to see this flick) or on cable. Then I realized that the film came out when I was in a crazy jobless phase and had chopped out any ideas of spending money to hit the local theater (or any other theater for that matter) until I was back in the black.

Well, even if I’d wanted to see this gloomy and unintentionally hilarious (yet erratically violent) movie, I’d have chosen to save my money. While it works on a basic level of grunting guys saying unintelligible stuff before trying to out-kill each other, the film is far too uneven to be entertaining unless there’s someone on screen getting killed in a ridiculous manner. Where the first (and forgotten by most, save for the more die-hard Marvel movie fans) Punisher film from 1989 was an automatic camp cult classic thanks to Dolph Lundgren’s grumbling and mumbling through the role as sullen serial gangster murderer Frank Castle, some cheesy sets and laughable action scenes, this reboot tries a wee bit too hard to capture the mood of 70’s and 80’s action films to the point that it feels a wee bit outdated on a few fronts… Continue reading →

Bethsoft’s Quakecon Steam Sale Is Pretty Killer Stuff…

Posted on July 18, 2014 by geelw

Nope, I’m not at QuakeCon this year either, but that’s probably a good thing. While the thousands of fans there are drooling over new stuff and old, I can be tucking into some of these great deals Bethesda has put on sale on Steam now until the show closes. In addition, these other deals are going up during the remainder of the weekend:

· Friday: Wolfenstein: The New Order and DOOM Sale at 50-75% off

· Saturday: Fallout 3: Game of the Year, Fallout: New Vegas, and all Fallout: Classic Collection at 50-75% off

· Sunday: The Elder Scrolls Sale, with Elder Scrolls titles selling for 50-75% off

Of course, I have some of these titles already and a few too many in my backlog, so I most likely won’t buy a thing (this year, at least). On the other hand, as I always say – I’m not stopping YOU from diving into this pool of great games and coming up for air with less hard drive space and more games than you can finish in a comfortable amount of time…

Not Going To San Diego Comic-Con This Year? Funko Still Wants To Give You Something Hikari!

Posted on July 18, 2014 by geelw

Three SUPER limited edition Hikari Sofubi Vinyl figures are up for grabs this week and only THREE very lucky people will be getting the first of these three figures you can ONLY get if you attend the upcoming San Diego Comic Con! In other words, even if you DO go to the con and line up, if you’re person number 1498 to roll up to the Funko Booth (#5343), you’re pretty much SOL here. Anyway check out the trio of awesome up for this week’s giveaway:

Mean & Green Raphael:

Ice Freeze Batman:

Red Rain Batman:
As usual, if you want to win, here’s the ONLY way to do so:

Hit up one of Funko’s social media channels:

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

Follow the instructions and hold your breath until next Thursday when the winners are announced. Good Luck and if you happen to win one AND pick up another at the convention, good for you, you lucky soon to be chased around by other Funko collectors guy or gal, you!

Nintendo Wises Up, Wii-Uses The Fatal Frame License (Finally!)

Posted on July 18, 2014 by geelw

I tell you, folks… I wish game companies would ring me up and pick my brain when they announce new hardware. As soon as I saw the Wii U GamePad revealed at that E3 a few years back, one of the FIRST games I thought NEEDED to be made was a new Fatal Frame. For the uninitiated, it’s a horror-themed series that started life on the PlayStation 2 and later got installments on the Xbox, Nintendo Wii and 3DS. Japanese Nintendo Wii U owners are getting an all-new installment in the series on September 27,2014 called Zero: Nuregarasu no Miko, which seems to be related to the upcoming movie, set to be released in theaters there the day before. While zero news of an English localization for either the game or film have been announced, for my money, it’s a no-brainer that at least the game get a proper English translation and release outside of Japan.

As for the film, it’s hard to gauge how it’s going to be from this way too short teaser trailer. But if it’s in the vein of other popular Japanese horror films, I’d imagine we may see a US-centric remake or at least a film set in Japan with some popular American actress(es) playing some of the roles. I’d prefer the original film get a US subtitle job and a limited release here over any remake, but I guess Hollywood calls the shots on that front.

Anyway, Nintendo? Get on that localization and get this game out here sooner than later – the Wii U NEEDS some more quality titles in different genres and horror is very under-represented on the system.

Three Things Learned At The Sweet Suite…

Posted on July 18, 2014 by geelw

1. Red velvet cupcakes are fantastic (Yeah, I’ve never had ANYTHING red velvet before, so shoot me. Or not.) – Thanks Activision! Skylanders Trap Team is fantastic too. You parents with kids and gamers already hooked in? have your money ready to fly out of that wallet this October.

2. Lemonhead Martinis? They actually DO exist (well, as of yesterday) and need to become a summer “thing”. Like NOW. Thanks Ferrara Pan! Oh, and someone really smart at that company needs to post that recipe ASAP along with a kid-friendly lemonade version (because we adults shouldn’t have ALL the fun with Lemonheads, right?). And I don’t usually like martinis! I only had ONE, by the way, ladies and gents – I’m not a total booze-hound (although here comes another alcohol-related note):

3. Wine by the glass in a retail form that won’t bust your wallet wide open? Yeah, that also exists (in at least 39 states, 33 where this can be shipped to). These made me laugh way too much when I saw them (and that was long before I had that Lemonhead Martini). And yeah, someone tell this guy he should probably learn to appreciate a good Merlot. Thank you, ZIPZ! Yes, I’m in one of those 33 states, so I’m happier now that anytime I want a few glasses of quality wine, I don’t have to buy an entire bottle. Wait, am I supposed to be writing ALL about toys and other fun stuff I saw last evening here? Don’t worry, that’s all coming in another post!

I’m Going Out To Play Today (It’s For Work. Really!)…

Posted on July 17, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, Movieclips!)

Well, today is all about play, folks. I’ve a Toy Fair event to attend this afternoon into the evening, so this will limit my post count to-day. This will be my first Sweet Suite, so I’m expecting to be run over by fellow bloggers who’ve already been to a few of these and know who to hit up first. Okay, that most likely won’t happen, but I did see that the time slot I booked filled up first, meaning there will be a nice crunch of folks there who probably aren’t staying for the full event. Eh, we’ll see what happens in an hour and a half or so. If I return before pumpkin hour and haven’t gotten a sugar high headache or feel ready to keel over from too much tipsy juice, I shall post a report of sorts. If anything, I’ll be updating my contact list with some new people I’ve met today.

Back in a bit…

Tech Review: PDP Afterglow Prismatic Wireless Gaming Headset

Posted on July 16, 2014 by geelw

The fine folks at Performance Designed Products (or PDP for short) have taken their Afterglow Wireless Headset, significantly improved its looks and fit, added in a few features and overall, have made a superior product in the Afterglow Prismatic Wireless Gaming Headset.

Featuring a sturdy redesign and the ability to connect (via an included cable) to any device with a standard headphone jack (as well as any TV or video game console with the proper audio out) plus a wireless dongle that allows it to be used for PC, PS3/PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, the Prismatic is a great and very affordable ($99.99) first model, replacement for that standard company headset or any model headphones that aren’t quite as flexible as what PDP has crafted… Continue reading →