How to Survive: Storm Warning Edition is Perfect for Today’s Dreary Day

Posted on November 1, 2014 by geelw

Miserable weather or not, learning all you need about dispatching zombies and staying alive on a desert island are always handy skills. 505 Games dropped EKO Games’ How to Survive: Storm Warning Edition for the PS4 onto PSN and Xbox Live yesterday and it’s a must buy if you’re a fan of the original game or are entirely new to the experience. This visually gussied up version gives you the original game plus all six DLC packs for a decent price. While best with friends, the game offers up a hefty solo challenge with decent AI. Just make sure you watch where you aim, chop or punch. “Friendly” fire can’t be toggled off as far as I know and you don’t want to accidentally knock off your AI companion. Anyway, this one’s quite cool and funny for a fairly violent game – go check it out, I say.

This Month Better Not Be Turkey Month…

Posted on November 1, 2014 by geelw

(Thanks, tuxthemagicpenguin!)

Oof, it’s November already? Crap. Well, October was definitely both a bust and boom month for me. I won’t talk about the bust part because it’s none of your business and I’m not a TMI guy who confesses all then complains when people babble and squeak about what’s been written. I believe in plenty of privacy and hell, still recall when people kept personal diaries and journals and such. Granted, if you’re a sharer and don’t mind tattling all your secrets to the void, go right on ahead and be happy. Anyway, on the good news front, more work has come in thanks to a fellow editor-type wanting to expand his own site’s reach. While it’s still unpaid work, the goal here is building that site up more so it becomes a paying gig down the road (whee!).

Let’s see now, in other news… Yeah, the game backlog is still an issue, but I’m knocking stuff down bit by bit. I have a bunch of drafts to turn into reviews, so those will get done over the month. I’ll be doing a Toy of the Day or Week feature just to get to some of the more fun stuff I saw way back at Toy Fair and a few other events and yes, I’m adding some of those to a Holiday Gift Guide which should appear later in the month. More movie, book and tech reviews are coming (more drafts to complete!), with an overall goal this month of being a bit more well-rounded. Well, I’d gather Thanksgiving may take care of the more complete rounding part. That is, is I decide to participate in that huge calorie festival this year. I’m trying to be a healthier guy, so cutting the fat and a few other things may be on the plate instead.

As always, we shall see…

Hikari Friday: Funko Wants You To Win A Movie Mutant!

Posted on October 31, 2014 by geelw

I’d bet a bunch of you are either too young to remember This Island Earth or only know it from the humor hack job done on it in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie. Anyway, this week’s Hikari Friday giveaway is none other than the sole monster from that 1955 classic, but presented here as Metaluna Mutant Hikari Figure! He’s not cute, but he’s #1 of only 1500 made and yes, he sure is colorful:

Anyway, before you run out to snag and snack on too much Halloween candy, make sure to enter for your chance to WIN over at one of Funko’s social sites:

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

If you don’t win and still want one of these stalking your shelves, set your time machine for January and pop on in to your favorite Funko retailer, wallet in hand.

Fund This! GRAAL SEEKER: The Final Push is On!

Posted on October 31, 2014 by geelw

Okay, folks – Lugludum’s cool-looking retro strategy RPG GRALL SEEKER needs our assistance! Go help fund the project over at Indiegogo and if you’ve got a Steam account, absolutely give it an up vote on its Steam Greenlight page. This is one of those games that needs a bigger audience willing to try something outside their usual comfort zone, so go check out those links and make Lugludum a very happy bunch of game makers!

Hey, Guillaume! Play us out with a little game music, won’t you, sir?

BUY IT! Neverending Nightmares Gets a Halloween Sale on Steam

Posted on October 30, 2014 by geelw

Shhhh. I’ve got a secret! I actually have yet to PLAY Neverending Nightmares, Matt Gilgenbach’s psychological horror game based on his struggles with mental illness. However, I’ve gotten a few friends to buy the game and all of them have thanked me sarcastically for giving them all some pretty wild nightmares. Of course, my response was “Is that good or bad?” or “But, did you like the game?”. And the answer was always the same “Yeah, but…” followed by descriptions of stuff that happens during the horrific journey into side-scrolling madness. So, yeah, I guess I need to grab this soon over Steam, huh?

My problem is my backlog is SO bloody huge that I’m behind on stuff I need to review and I probably won’t get to this one for a few weeks at best. Well, this 25% off sale is kind of twisting my arms (ouch!),so I better make a decision soon, as I kind of NEED my arm. Um, and the other one, too (ouch!)…

Halloween Bundles Offer Up Tricks and Treats to Keep You Up All Night…

Posted on October 30, 2014 by geelw

If you’ve no plans to venture outside on Halloween or this weekend when the clocks slow down an hour in some parts of the country, here’s an idea: why not grab some cheap games and scare yourself half or more to death without ever leaving the comfort of your own home? Here’s what’s up on a couple of indie game bundle sites for the big day:

The IndieGala Halloween Bundle has nine games up for $3.29 with two surprise games to be revealed next week (take a chance!, take a chance!). Most of the games here are scary, but there’s a goofy puzzle game as well as a very non-scary retro platformer here if you’re a total fraidy cat.

The Humble HalloWeekly Bundle features the usual sliding scale pricing, but I say drop down the $15 just to play Among the Sleep, a nicely unsettling and really beautiful game where you play as a two-year old child. Surprisingly (or not so surprisingly), this one works quite well on a number of levels.

Finally, The Carnage Bundle over at Bundle Stars has a whopping ten games for 2.99 that are guaranteed to creep you out or make you laugh (or both!). Well, that Zombie Bowl-o-Rama game is probably the only intentionally funny game, Warehouse and Logistics Simulator is exactly what it says (and that Hell’s Warehouse DLC would make Sisyphus proud) and Greed: Black Border is more of a RPG in the Diablo vein (with less scares).

Remember, some of what you pay goes right to charities and in this case, giving money to those causes is better than giving BLOOD. Anyway, get to the buying and installing and playing and screaming and dying stuff already!

Marvel Studios Pretty Much Has You Covered on the Superhero Flick Front…

Posted on October 29, 2014 by geelw

Yeah, it’s like that now. Rather than cover that crazy and reveal-packed press conference from yesterday, I’ll just drop dates and let you go get started on the line waiting, day-planning and other activities so you work AROUND these release dates which seem to be set in some sort of mystical stone. Yeah, it’s going to be a really busy five years for all those actors, writers, directors and even busier pre- and post-production teams:

Avengers: Age of Ultron – May 1, 2015

Ant-Man – July 17, 2015

Captain America: Civil War – May 6, 2016

Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017

Thor: Ragnarok – July 28, 2017

Black Panther – November 3, 2017

Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018

Captain Marvel – July 6, 2018

Inhumans – November 2, 2018

Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019

I’m not usually one to zip out to a theater on opening week, as I hate those crowds and their unpredictable antics, sticky seats and the usual screaming child who doesn’t belong there that makes any movie stink. That said, I do like that there’s a plan for all these films to tie in together somehow and be one big arc that takes these characters somewhere. Even if it’s to places I don’t normally venture. Yeah, they’re all still comic book movies, but they’re getting more watchable as time goes on and not less to some extent. I don’t even want to know what that eventual box set of whatever will look like. Then again, I’d say there’s going to be a division in how people get films by then, but no matter what, a segment of those fans WILL want something physical to hold in their hot little hands and pop into a player of some sort…

Film Review: EXTRATERRESTRIAL

Posted on October 29, 2014 by geelw

The Vicious Brothers’ (Colin Minihan and Stuart Ortiz) third film, EXTRATERRESTRIAL is a sci-fi/horror hybrid that takes its cues from plenty of genre films with interestingly mixed results. If you go in expecting something completely original, you may be mildly to moderately disappointed. On the other hand, it’s a fine example of the perfect mindless popcorn flick if you go in blind and let what’s here smack you around during its 106 minute running time.

Yes, it’s formulaic and yes, it’s maybe a few minutes too long thanks to some visual effects overindulgence, slow build-ups to stuff you know will happen and what I like to call a “jump & thump scare” sound mix where loud noises carry fright scenes more than the actors. Warts and all, you can clearly see the Brothers have scads of talent in what they do and how they do it – they just need a bit more polish in the polishing things up department… Continue reading →

Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom Goes for the Gold!

Posted on October 29, 2014 by geelw

Developer WayForward Technologies is finally all done with Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom, sending the game off on its merry way to be cleaned and pressed and ready for its November 18 launch on the PS3, Xbox 360, PC and Nintendo 3DS.

How will it stack up to previous Adventure Time games? Ooo, I bet Finn or Jake know… but aren’t telling a single THING because they want you all to be kept in sus-pense until the game drops into retail and onto a digital delivery site near you. Personally, I’m a fan of both the developer and the show, so I’ll play this any way ’til Sunday just for laughs. WayForward rarely disappoints with its games, so I’m going in with half a smile on my face just to give the experience some extra, um… sus-pense!. Say, you look like you’re starving – have some screenshots:

Um… okay. You didn’t HAVE to eat them all at once, greedy! Well, back in a bit with some impressions, then.

Assassin’s Creed Unity Phantom Blade: Wear it With Hide!

Posted on October 29, 2014 by geelw

Leave it to McFarlane Toys to bust out another cool collectible for you Assassin’s Creed fans out there. Well, you can’t wear this Assassin’s Creed Unity Phantom Blade (available now!) with pride in many if not ANY urban areas outside of part of a Halloween outfit. You’ll probably have to do some face-down explaining to the local authorities if you do walk around sporting this all stealthy-like. Not only does this think look like part of some past century assassin’s getup, that crossbow and retractable blade actually work (although they’re very non-lethal). As I live in New York City, I’d be socking this one on a shelf somewhere and not wearing it strapped to a wrist for a subway ride downtown at all. Some poor commuter would think I was a poor Travis Bickle wannabe and ring up some overzealous MTA cop and the next thing you know, I’m all over the local news for all the wrong reasons.

Still, for $59.99, you’re certainly getting something that’s going to be a conversation piece whether or not you decide to wear it while out and about. In addition, the Phantom Blade also includes a bonus code to download the French Cavalry Pistol in Ubisoft’s upcoming Assassin’s Creed Unity for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, set for a November 11, 2014 launch. If you’re grinning like a Cheshire Cat right about now, you’re probably already buying TWO of these online or planning that trip to your local toy retailer to snap one or more of these up. Ubisoft and McFarlane Toys like that about you quite a lot, you know…