E3 2014: Too Much On A Monday & More To Come…

Posted on June 9, 2014 by geelw

So, it’s E3 week and already, Microsoft has thrown a gauntlet down of exclusives, reboots and otherwise decent game content that should keep their fan base very pleased. In other words, they actually listened to complaints about their previous media briefings and focused solely on GAMES and not boring the crowd with service announcements and other news best left for an investors meeting. I’ll have more on the lineup later, but Sunset Overdrive, Forza Horizon 2, Phantom Dust, Halo: The Master Chief Collection Crackdown, Project Spark and a few others all look to be big sellers when they land in stores and/or digitally online. PlatinumGames Scalebound will get other console owners who love their work complaining (again) that they’re left out on this exclusive and there are a bunch of indies and non-exclusives that look pretty awesome.

Back later with more “sort of news” on a too newsy day. Today is a mess of press conferences and ogling stuff and my brain is already overloaded. next up, Electronic Arts!

E3 2014: Alphadia Genesis: So It’s A Mobile Port. For Now, It’s The Sole JRPG on the Wii U…

Posted on June 9, 2014 by geelw

Well, until Monolith Soft’s “X”(or whatever it will be called once it’s completed) gets an actual release date (which should hopefully be announced at the Nintendo Direct broadcast later today), that is. Somehow, Nintendo’s home consoles have slipped a bit on the JRPG front since the Super Nintendo days, although there have been a few outright classic (and not so classic) titles released for every home system from the N64 up to the Wii. Natsume is publishing this former iOS/Android game later this summer as a digital-only eShop release and I’d say it’ll do well among those gamers who have a Wii U sitting at home and miss playing these games on a big screen. Sure, the 3DS family has PLENTY of JRPGs and more on the way and yes, is the preferred handheld for millions of users. Nevertheless, old farts like me who prefer playing games we can actually see that won’t have our backs going out from being hunched over a screen and our poor eyeballs swelling in our skulls will be welcoming Alphadia Genesis with open arms. Thanks, Natsume!

Orphan Black S4:9 Preview: Another Clone? Oh Brother, Things Are Getting Sticky Here!

Posted on June 8, 2014 by geelw

Yikes, that last episode was QUITE a doozy, huh? That new clone being a shady guy with a mullet and hipster beard (and deftly played by Tatiana Maslany at that!) threw me for a loop, but that ending was a shocker. Then again, Cosima’s condition was always going to be an issue, so now there’s a week’s wait to see if she’s okay. Another twist? Donnie actually got a sympathetic scene that worked, but he and Alison are quite the messed up couple for sure. Anyway, Rachel’s cranky for a good reason, the other clones have issues popping up that will hopefully get ironed out with two shows left and I’m glad I’m a fan of this show. Whee!

(Actually, this is a test post to check on some issues I’m having posting on the site, so wave if you’re reading this and I’ll wave back!)

Ever Wished That Calvin and Hobbes Creator Bill Watterson Would Return to the Comics Page? Well, He Just Did.

Posted on June 8, 2014 by geelw

While I’m dealing with some rather dopey computer issues today, here’s one of the best things that happened from last week. As a big fan of Mr. Watterson and his work a d a sort of recent convert to Pastis’ hilarious strip, this is one of those “Can’t believe it happened, but SO glad it did!” events that made me smile a lot. I know people want Bill back in comics on a more regular basis, but I say take this moment and three days worth of strips and savor it. If he wants to do more at some point, it’s ALL up to him. I don’t think Calvin & Hobbes is coming back because he stopped it when he ran out of things to say with those characters and I think anything new would be forced and fan-driven, which always turns out badly in the end for some creators. On the other hand, if wants to do *NEW* material, I’m more than fine with that! Okay, get readin’, people! I need to fix some stuff and figure out what’s mucked up on the site.

Back in a bit (tomorrow, it would seem)…

Ever Wished That Calvin and Hobbes Creator Bill Watterson Would Return to the Comics Page? Well, He Just Did..

Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom Mini Gallery: Another Top Down Treasure?

Posted on June 8, 2014 by geelw

I certainly hope so. While the last Adventure Time game got beat up a bit critically, I really liked its retro toughness a lot and felt veteran developer Wayforward Technologies did a fine job with the game overall. sure, it was a bit on the hard side if you tried to rush through it, but it had a certain charm that made it fun to play while retaining enough cool stuff from the show.

With the next game, The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom coming from new publisher Little Orbit, based on these in progress screens it seems as if Wayforward is keeping the neat top down viewpoint but tweaking other aspects of the game.

If it makes the experience even better than the last game, it’s all good in the end. This one’s not coming until the fall, so I’ve got high hopes it’s even more fun that the previous entry while not too easy just to hook in non-gaming fans of the show. Hey, they need to learn some skills after all, as the game is kind of partially inspired by role-playing games anyway, grrrr!

More on this one after the show – hopefully in gameplay trailer form and more screens. I’ll see what I can do for you guys and gals…

IndieGala Slaps You In The Wallet (Again) With Eight Steam Games For A Song…

Posted on June 7, 2014 by geelw

Okay, I’m officially Bundled OUT, but I’ll still pass along any great deals that I see to you happy guys and gals that love saving money and supporting charity. So, here you go: EIGHT Steam Greenlight games for as little as a buck,but feel free to bump that up more if you also like supporting charity. Okay, I’ll shut up now and let you go snap this deal up. Those are some mighty fine looking indie games, that’s for sure. As little as a buck, huh? Hmmm… (looks under chair cushions)… Oh, look! I found a buck! SOLD.

Random Film of the Week(end): Not With My Wife, You Don’t!

Posted on June 7, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, Night of the Trailers!)

Yikes. Depending on your tastes, Norman’s Panama’s 1966 Sex comedy Not With My Wife, You Don’t! is going to be a very funny film or one you can’t stand. That’s because this sort of humor is SO dated that some will consider the film extremely sexist to a fault (it is) while others who can slip into the mood of the era comfortably will find it a rollicking good time with a nice all-star cast, some lovely Technicolor photography and a fun Saul Bass title sequence that’s one of his quirkiest (see below).

Me, I kind of straddled the fence before falling into the latter yard. While it has its moments and yes, some wonderful shots of Air Force jets in action that make it a must see, the film hasn’t aged well at all as it flops and flails about in too many attempts to be a slapstick comedy while tossing around its questionable content with the hope it always lands on its feet…

(thanks Movie Titles!)

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Orphan Black Season 2: As In Season 1, Poor Vic Never Knows What Hits Him…

Posted on June 7, 2014 by geelw

Vic MAY have big crush on Alison, but he had a BIGGER crush on that end table and that relationship was over with a BANG. Wow. One of the funniest moments last week was Vic getting knocked out loaded on some spiked tea and SLAMMING into that table like a champ. Thanks to the sound effects team, prop department and makeup crew, the results were shocking but hilarious and even funnier as his unconscious body was banged around while on the way to where it eventually ended up. Ouch and ouch! Pooooor Vic. Let’s hope he has a better show tonight!

Rollers of the Realm Update: Atlus Snaps Up This Pinball Winner!

Posted on June 7, 2014 by geelw

I was wondering what happened to Phantom Compass’ REALLY awesome RPG/pinball hybrid since I last played and wrote about my experience with a pre-beta build, but thanks to publisher Atlus, that mystery is solved. Rollers of the Realm is coming this holiday season not only to PC, but PlayStation 4 and Vita, making it FLY to the top of my want list of must-play titles.

More on this one after the show. I predict it’ll be quite the sleeper hit…

Funko’s Game of Thrones Amazon Exclusives Now Ready For Their Close-Ups…

Posted on June 6, 2014 by geelw

“Always be nice to a lady!”, I say… especially if she’s the mother of three dragons that can roast you in the blink of an eye. Funko has revealed not one but two Amazon exclusive Pop! vinyl figure bundles from Game of Thrones that include a figure, T-Shirt and key chain, all in a nice box that’s ready for a good, firm wrapping.

Choose from the lovely Daenerys Targaryen Bundle or the lovely Jon Snow Bundle, either of which would make an excellent gift for yourself or that GoT fan you’d like to get closer to… before one of you loses your head! Er, sorry… I got a bit carried away there, it seems (well, depending on how you take the whole “losing your head” part).