The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing Ink Hunt DLC Interrupts My Review! But That’s Fine With Me.

Posted on June 13, 2014 by geelw

So, I’m in the middle of writing a review for The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II (here’s a hint: BUY IT. It’s got some issues, but is fun once you get) when my inbox falls on my foot and out pops and email from NeoCore Games that they’ve JUST released a new patch AND some DLC along with it.

Sure enough, I check my Steam account and it’s downloading away in the background as it should. Well, so much for my review as it currently stands. I’d noted some issues that the patch looks as if it takes care of, so there goes THAT part on my very short list of tiny gripes. Granted, I haven’t played the game since the patch/DLC download, but I’ll get to it later tonight and see what’s what. I’m also in the midst of puttering away on some E3 articles, a review I needed to get up a day or so back and some columns for a few upcoming blogathons I need to yak about so some of you can join up and contribute to. Hokay, back to the grind for a bit before it’s back to the grind later, I guess…

Back in a bit. It’s Friday the 13th AND a full moon tonight. I’m NOT superstitious, but it seems that a lot of off-kilter people are out and about today. Yeesh…

E3 2014: MilitAnt Trailer: Prepare to Bug Out in 2015 With Xibalba’s Upcoming PC/PSN Shooter

Posted on June 13, 2014 by geelw

Sure, you can say Indie games are a dime a dozen these days, but more often than not, keeping your ear to the ground will reveal cool stuff like this PC, PS3/PS4/Vita bound game, MilitAnt from Xibalba Studios. As I tend to love “old-school” stuff like this, I’m all in and wanting to see more.

Thankfully, the game’s site has a bunch of screens and art to show off, so some of that stuff is here. This one’s not due until 2015, so there’s plenty of time for Xilbalba to make it even better and hopefully (waaaaaait for it…) as bug-free as possible (A ha and ha-ha). Anyway, I’ll keep you posted on this one as more info and images creep out. You aren’t afraid of ants, right? I sure hope not!

E3 2014: Official Batman: Arkham Knight Batmobile Battle Mode Gameplay – “Please, Can I Have The Car Tonight, Batty?”

Posted on June 13, 2014 by geelw

Aha… and I kind of need to find my eyeballs because they’ve popped out and rolled under a table here. With Batman Arkham Knight, WBIE and developer Rocksteady are giving you another reason to buy a new console if you haven’t already. And of course,I thought this was going to be an online mode, but nope, it seems to be part of the main game and man, that new Batmobile is pretty darn slick stuff. Rocksteady’s skills with next-gen hardware are mighty impressive, huh? Anyway, WB Games wants you to check out the Batmobile in detail, so put on your drool cup, boogie that mouse finger on over HERE and enjoy the ride. I can’t even drive in real life and I want one of these!

Funko’s Hikari Friday 7: Double Special Turtles Giveaway FTW!

Posted on June 13, 2014 by geelw

This week’s Funko Hikari Sofubi Vinyl figure giveaway is once again geared towards Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans and this time, it’s pair of even cooler vinyls they’re giving away, ONE each to TWO lucky winners. Check them out:

Limited Edition Clear Leonardo Hikari Sofubi Figure (#1 of 3000!):

Barnes & Noble Exclusive Pizza Power Michelangelo Hikari Sofubi Figure (#1 of 600!):

At this point, you know how to enter for a chance to score one of these, correct? NO?! Okay, one more time (well, until next week when I let you know again). Just click on over to one of Funko’s social channels:

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

Enter and keep those digits crossed! Winners are announced ever Thursday (not that along a wait, right?). Good Luck and if you don’t win, pop back in next week for a new Funko Hikari giveaway!

GRID Autosport Tuner Trailer: It’s NOT A Horn, So Don’t Blow It…

Posted on June 12, 2014 by geelw

Sure, it may look thrilling power sliding sideways at high speed, but this isn’t Mario Kart 8 at all and the only “death stare” you’ll get if you screw up is the other live players blowing past your wrecked car and laughing at you loudly over their headsets. Anyway, GRID Autosport is coming your way soon (June 24, 2014 in North America), so you’d better do some sideways sliding of your own to your nearest game emporium to place that pre-order or just pop in of the day of and hope they ordered enough copies. They most likely did, but I can’t vouch for smaller indie shops and what happens when a popular game might get a few really nice reviews that bump up traffic as people swing by to pick up a copies that weren’t reserved. If I were psychic, I’d be playing the ponies somewhere and be driven home sideways in a speedy ride of my own…

WIN FREE STUFF! Kill The Bad Guy OR R-Type Delta Game Codes (Pick ONE & Play!)

Posted on June 12, 2014 by geelw

Hokay, people. I’m up to my earballs in E3 stuff, but I need a break. How do I take a break, you ask? I GIVE STUFF AWAY! Well, not all the time, but you don’t need to know what I do when I’m not hanging out here, grrrr! *Ahem!* Anyway, I have ONE code here for Exkee’s recently released Kill the Bad Guy on Steam (yes, you need a Steam account!) and ONE code here for Tozai Games’ R-Type Dimensions for the PlayStation 3 on PSN (so you’ll need a PS3 and PSN account). Oh, it’s a North American code, so it won’t work outside the U.S. of A. at all. Steam codes should be universal, though. so you can Kill The Bad Guy anywhere you live!

So, HOW do you get ONE of these two codes, you ask? Well, dearies… hit reply and just drop a comment below naming the game you want and BOOM!, it’s all yours. No need to leave any contact info, as I’ll know how to reach you through the MAGIC of email and WordPress knowing who you are when you respond. If you don’t win, fear not. I’m cooking up a sort of random giveaway of extra Steam codes I have here that are duplicates of stuff in my way too massive backlog (which now extends into 2016! Yaaaaah!). I won’t get to that for a while, as I’m up to my earballs in E3 stuff in case you didn’t remember. Anyway, stop reading this and go try and win a game already!

E3 2014: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Extended Trailer: Keifer Of The Flame, I’d Say…

Posted on June 12, 2014 by geelw

Jack Bauer as Big Boss didn’t thrill me much when I first heard the news, but Keifer Sutherland has acquitted himself quite nicely here, although I know the David Hayter fans are cringing and shaking whatever they have handy at the screen. Well, this latest Hideo Kojima and company (Kojima Productions, of course) epic looks to be the best 3D game in the franchise to date, adding a huge open world and I’d imagine the options for no two people to play the game exactly the same. as usual, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will be cinematic and lengthy and denser than a year old loaf of Bisquick bread, but that’s Kojima’s style in action. You may end up watching more than you play at some points, but if you’re into it, you’ll end up playing more and taking notes because of all the stuff he’s dropping on your noggin.

As noted earlier, that FOX Engine is masterful across the board, so every version of the game will look amazing. I also see that the amount of mature content, blood and gore here means this one’s not for the kiddies at all, not that there was ever a Metal Gear Solid game made for anyone under 18 if you think about it. Okay, some would argue MGS: Ghost Babel on the Game Boy Color isn’t “mature” thanks to its visuals, but I’m not here to argue (*punt!*). Anyway, The Phantom Pain is coming.

The Toys of Summer: World Tech Toys Joker 2CH IR RC Helicopter – “Fly So Serious?”

Posted on June 12, 2014 by geelw

I’ll have to admit, I let out a hearty chuckle when I opened the box from HobbyTron and saw that World Tech Toys DC Comics Licensed World Tech Toys Joker 2 Channel Infrared RC Helicopter inside leering at me suspiciously. I wasn’t laughing AT the Joker-shaped chopper, mind you… but the fact that it was him inside that box and not Batman or Superman as I’d expected.

I also laughed because it being the Joker meant I was probably lucky to be alive after opening that box. As not a whiff of Smilex Gas poured out of the box and I was still breathing, I cracked the package open, took everything out and in less than two minutes (most of which was spent trying to recall where I put the bulk package of batteries I bought a few weeks ago), I was about ready to fly… Continue reading →

E3 2014: Grim Fandango is Coming BACK? Commence The Room Running Around And Joy Squealing!

Posted on June 12, 2014 by geelw

Wow. Like a good deal of old adventure game fans, I believe 1998’s Grim Fandango is one of the best games ever made in that genre. It’s been one of those most requested titles on sites that carry well-aged classic games and abandonware, but thanks to all sorts of copyright and other issues, the ONLY way to get this legally was to shell out a premium for a disc version and hope a newer PC could run it. Now, thanks to Double Fine Studios and 2 Player Productions and some wrangling with Disney on the rights front and Sony on the money front, it’s coming back as a complete remake for the PlayStation 4 and Vita with the possibility of other platforms later. Yep, this news got me yelping and spinning in my chair for a bit, so the meter has been set to “whenever it’s done!” and the wait begins for more info. This one’s a legend that I think more people have claimed to play than have actually played it (or they just never paid a dime for theirs), so it will be interesting to see how well this one does once it’s complete. I say it’ll be a big hit because everything great said about it is true and then some. I can’t wait…

E3 2014: Kingdom Under Fire II: Blueside’s RTS/MMO Hybrid Fights for Mass Appeal On The PS4

Posted on June 12, 2014 by geelw

Well, holy hell, it’s been a LONG while since I even thought of Kingdom Under Fire, so this new trailer for the upcoming PS4 game, Kingdom Under Fire II kind of knocked me back on my butt. Developer Blueside seems to be taking their PC MMO/RTS and bringing it to the PS4 with the ability to play solo (and hopefully offline, like the previous games in the series) and if they can manage a lengthy campaign and multiple characters like the other installments, genre fans will have a new best buddy for as long as it takes to play through each character’s lengthy campaign. Another one to keep an eyeball peeled on means I need a fresh bag of eyeballs… again. More on this one soon!