Axiom Verge: Kicking It Old School. Punching Your TV And Throwing Your Controller Or Vita? Optional.

Posted on April 30, 2014 by geelw

Some of what it says on the PlayStation YouTube page:

inspired by such classics as Rygar, Contra, Bionic Commando, Blaster Master, and, of course, Metroid. But it also gives you power over glitches like those found in classic games, allowing you to scramble enemies, corrupt environments, and enter hidden areas.

Hmmmm… Okay, I’m IN. PC, PlayStation 4 and Vita bound soon, Axiom Verge may look like yet another of those endless numbers of retro homage games that crowd the indie space these days, but everything I just saw about in in that trailer above set my nostalgia meter into the red zone where it’ll be stuck until I finally play the game proper.

To me, it looks spectacular, capturing that old-school 8-bit vibe through its sprite and tile-based visuals while adding a few wicked visual effects you probably didn’t see back then on home consoles. Even better, it’s being made by ONE guy, Tom Happ, who has worked on a number of “triple-A” games for both PC and consoles (End of Nations, Tiger Woods, and NFL Street, to name a few), meaning he knows what he’s doing (but I’ll bet his wife thinks he’s crazy sometimes for tacking such a killer project like this!).

Even more awesome, in addition to the screenshots above featuring his great pixel art, Happ has also made some excellent GIFs of the game in motion so you can see all that hard work he’s doing. The screens are above and the GIFs below the jump because they’re of varying sizes. Enjoy! Expect updates as more news comes in and if you’re a fan of this style of game, you KNOW you need to get this on something its coming to. I’m all over this one, but I know the folks who hate having their butts handed to them by digitized alien scum will be pooh-poohing this before they even pick up a controller. It’s their loss, of course… Continue reading →

Dark Horse Comics Wants You to WIN $1000! But There’s A Nicely Nostalgic Catch-ola…

Posted on April 30, 2014 by geelw

Yeah, that’s right. You need to buy a copy of Mike Richardson and Bruce Zick’s The Atomic Legion, read it up right (and probably upright!), all the while with your thinking cap on. Come up with EVERY reference in the book and you score a thousand bucks and your favorite comic emporium scores that much in Dark Horse comics and graphic novels. Of course, they’ll probably try and SELL you that thousand bucks worth of books to match that cash burning a hole in your winning pockets, but hey… such is the life of supply and demand, right?

Sounds like a plan, man or ma’am? The get to it then! I scanned the preview pages and my head nearly exploded because I saw TOO many references to stuff from back in the day. I’d say every panel has something and I got quite a chuckle going on the page with the old comic titles that might fly over the heads of the whippersnappers looking to score an easy grand. This one won’t be simple at all, but I know someone will luck out and score that loot…

Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment Update: There’s A Tale With A Twist Or Three Coming…

Posted on April 30, 2014 by geelw

As promised, here’s updated info about the PlayStation Vita exclusive, Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment, coming to PSN this summer. Apparently, it’s a twofer as the press release says the PSN-only download will contain an HD version of the previous game in the franchise titled Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment, which was originally released in Japan for the PlayStation Portable.

In a few respects, the game will probably seem quite familiar to those who played and loved the .hack series of games on the PlayStation 2, as SAO takes place in a “virtual MMO” world where players are trapped and are required to keep fighting enemies in order to survive. Some press release action for you? Sure, why not? Read on, MacDuff:

Take on the role of Kirito, the main character of Sword Art Online, who has been locked into the VR world of Aincrad by the creator of the game along with thousands of other players, including popular characters from the original anime series. To escape the fantastical and dangerous world, players must explore and defeat the enemies contained within. Players will actively engage monsters and characters and experience aggressive battles with breathtaking attack actions, exhilarating combos and powerful burst attacks. Continuing to ﬁght is essential when locked in the VR world – if players die in the fantasy world, their character will die in real life.

Sounds like fun… except for the dying in the real world part. Eeek. Anyway, more on this one as news rolls in.

July 23 Is Batman Day. You May Want To Stay Indoors Reading Comics…

Posted on April 30, 2014 by geelw

Now, I’m NOT saying it’ll be dangerous out on this officially DC Comics-sanctioned day, nope, not at all. In fact, it may be too SAFE out there, what with all the people dressed up as Batman stopping crimes only they can see before they occur, helping old ladies and kitties and puppies cross streets, attempting to swing or drop from light poles, building and other fixtures only to find out how actual physics works (and how long capes are REALLY a bad idea) and so forth and so on. Anyway, it will indeed be a BASH! at local comic shops and online – go take a peek here and see for yourself what’s coming…

Me, I’ll stick to reading in bed wearing some Batman pajamas or something. Unless it’s REALLY nice out. Then, I’ll go shopping and get a Bat-escort back home form some nice kid all dressed up. Or maybe luck out and get a Batgirl escort! Woo-hoo! Of course, there’s a 99.98% possibility of me just getting Bat-Mite trying to bite me, but so it goes…

Mr. Hoskins Checks Out…

Posted on April 30, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, FilmsActuTrailers!)

I’ll do a proper RFToW for Who Framed Roger Rabbit? this coming weekend, but here’s a clip to remind me (and you, and you and you and you!) of how the late Bob Hoskins nailed it but good in playing his cheap detective so well against all those ping pong balls on sticks and other stuff on set, probably wondering what the hell he was doing while hoping the animators and tech folks could make the movie work. They did and it’s a classic for the ages.

I’d also recommend Hoskins in Mona Lisa, The Long Good Friday, and Hook for starters. Anyway, I think I’ll have a drink later as a toast to one more great actor lost to time…

Silent Hill Returns to PSP Via PSN: Time To Scare Yourself Silly On The Small Screen…

Posted on April 30, 2014 by geelw

Konami has finally gotten digital versions of the two Silent Hill PSP games, Silent Hill Origins and Silent Hill Shattered Memories up on PSN and both come highly recommended to horror fans looking to take some portable scares on the go. As you can also see, there’s a cry for fans to submit videos to that little gathering the company is planning so they can show off everyone basically saying the same things, ha ha. Okay, I’m joking, but there are a number of KEY moments in the original Silent Hill through Silent Hill 4: The Room that everyone who’s played them has jumped out of their seat over. Granted, that clip seen in the video above (that cuts off before the scare, thankfully) is probably THE moment I recall people talking about the most when I was working in an indie game shop (and yeah, it got me good the first time I experienced it).

My other favorite scare was late in the first game when you’re in those sewers and that radio you’d been relying on to screech out static when a monster was nearby… STOPS WORKING. This moment is a freak out because you get no warning the radio is ineffective and the stage starts off with something moving slowly towards you out of the darkness. Is it harmless? Nope, not at all and worse, you have to make it though the entire are with ZERO warning as to what’s coming your way. I recall I had a review to write and only a dozen hours to finish the game, so this section was tough, but I pushed through it and survived without poor Harry Mason dying (but I think I had a few gray hairs afterwards). Anyway, enough reminiscing on such a wet and cold evening- I’m starting to give myself the creeps!

You’d Think Reliability Was A Crime These Days…

Posted on April 30, 2014 by geelw

The nice thing about owning old stuff is finding it still works when new stuff no longer does. Case in point, my Vectrex console. I’ve had three of them over time and own one now, but not because I had to replace them at all. The first one I gave to some guy who was going through some hard times and needed something to do while recuperating from an operation. The second I sold off to someone who wanted it and paid me well for it and a bunch of boxed games. The third one (pictured) I bought about 14 years back and it gets some use every now and then, but not as much as I have time for. It’s heavy and built like a tank, unlike most of today’s consoles that break down from all sorts of stupid internal and external issues… Continue reading →

Child of Light Out Is Out Today (So You’re NOT Reading This Post, Right?)

Posted on April 30, 2014 by geelw

Nope, I wasn’t lucky enough to grab a Child of Light review code from whomever handles this stuff over at Ubisoft, but I don’t mind paying the $15 to play this game at all. My platform of choice will be the Wii U, as it’s a system that needs more love and it’s great that Ubisoft decided to bring this game to the console, although it’s no surprise given their support for it since its launch.

As you can see, reviews are indeed in from those who DID get codes early and yes, the game comes highly recommended. I’ll probably get to playing this early next week, as I’m working on a few things and my poor backlog is indeed killing me these days. I guess I can train a monkey or goat to play games and write about them, but that would cut into my budget something fierce (and the food? Yikes, I’d go broke with a pet here in NYC)…

Let’s Try This Again… TEST POST!

Posted on April 30, 2014 by geelw

OK, I’ll be out and about later at a more reliable connection, but since this new post window loaded fast this morning (yesterday was a TOTAL nightmare!), I’m going to try adding a post with an image and video (which was impossible to do on Tuesday for anything I attempted). Let’s see now… la, la, laaa… Whee, progress (he said, hitting himself in the head with a cast iron fry pan)! That really OLD photo above is there to scare you. Are you scared? No? Oh well, no refunds if you dropped a coin into that slot to read this. Video below, as it kind of fits the photo. Sort of. Okay, I like this song a lot, so you get to listen and watch and hopefully be very entertained even though it’s way out of season.

(thanks, NewGods101!)

Anyway, I’ll be back in a few hours with some actual posts. The rainy streets are calling me and I need to answer…

(NOTE: Although this is only a test, there will be NO quiz later. Consider yourselves lucky!)

DAYLIGHT Launch Trailer: Might As Well Jump. Quite A Few (OK, A Lot Of) Times…

Posted on April 30, 2014 by geelw

So, DAYLIGHT is here for your PC or PlayStation 4 from Atlus and developer Zombie Studios, but you should play it in the dark for best results. Granted, this short, scary as hell romp through a few creepy locations isn’t the deepest game on the planet, but it delivers the scares thanks to maps that are procedurally generated, meaning it’s a new experience each time you dive in. Now, I’m not a fan of the whole Slenderman thing (it’s so laaaaaaaaame and not a scary myth at all to me!), but this more ghostly take on that fad works better on a few fronts while delivering the jump scares horror fans crave. It’s too bad this wasn’t also made for the Vita, as I’d be playing it now and jumping out of a seat somewhere in public squealing like a bag of hungry mice. Eeeeeek!