Review: DEVO – The Men Who Make The Music/Butch DEVO & The Sundance Gig

MVD6055DFun fact: There are three live performances of “Uncontrollable Urge” on DEVO – The Men Who Make The Music/Butch DEVO & The Sundance Gig from 1978, 1996, and 2003 respectively and both the dynamism and choreography haven’t changed a bit. Granted, the younger DEVO was a slimmer, trimmer band way back when that first LP was released, but the more spud-like shapes of the band-mates doesn’t slow them down one bit when it comes to delivering what’s still one of their most memorable hits.

If you’re new to the band or maybe not so new but haven’t yet seen them live, this set of eyeball and ear searing old stuff will show you DEVO’s originality and rather special craft that’s kept fans around through think and thin. With a new tour and cool crowdfunding project happening, MVD is helping bring these guys to a new audience that needs to listen to something other than the radio-ready junk that sells in lower and lower numbers each year…

MVD Visual has done up a VERY entertaining DVD here that’s a combination of the long out of print 1981 VHS tape (DEVO – The Men Who Make The Music) and a complete 1996 reunion concert given at that year’s Sundance Film Festival along with two bonus DEVO clips from a pair of MVD’s other DEVO video discs. The Men Who Make The Music is a bizarre “documentary” of sorts that combines six 1978 concert tour clips, the two videos from 1976’s “The Truth About De-evolution” and three music videos (from the band’s first LP) as it spools out the story of the band dealing with music industry pressures of the time. In all the weirdness, I’m gathering the band may have been having some issues with Warner Bros. Records trying to control it to some extent… or perhaps this was all done as a send-up of this sort of thing common to the industry. In any event, it’s a hoot to see the young spuds, Booji Boy and General Boy “face off” against Rod Rooter and pretty much not follow his dopey orders to stick with those yellow jumpsuits. Continue reading

STYX: Master of Shadows Summer Trailer: Sneaking Up Soon, Wanting To Steal Your Wallet…

Styx and StonesCyanide Studios’ upcoming stealth/action game, STYX: Master of Shadows is looking pretty slick and I’d bet that one doesn’t need to have played the developer’s previous game Of Orcs & Men in order to hop into Styx’s boots and feel right at home. It’s too bad this one’s only for “next-gen” consoles and PC, as I know more people would have the chance to play it if it were kicking it “old school” on the PS3 and Xbox 360. But hey, that’s one way to get people to finally make the move, I suppose.

In any event, this certainly looks like Cyanide’s best work to date and I hope even the most jaded gamer out there gives this one some respect, as it’s too easy to fall into the “I never heard of it before, so it must be crap” trap I see scribbled about games all over the internet. Yuck. Styx needs to get stabby-stabby on those folks, I say. We’ll see what happens in November when the little guy sneaks into store shelves or a download queue near you…

Shadowgate Hands-On: You’ll Be Dying To Play This Game Soon Enough…

SG_towerI had to stop playing Shadowgate after about the first ten minutes because my face was hurting. No, I didn’t get blasted by a real fireball coming from my monitor or anything like that. It’s because I was grinning so much that I think I was exercising more muscles than I’ve used in a while. Anyway, it was obvious from that short stretch of time and later on after about another hour of play that developer Zojoi Games has nailed the game they created back in 1987 as a perfect reboot on a few fronts.

The game manages to retain the same gameplay as the original while adding plenty of new content in an absolutely beautiful (yet suitably grim where required) art style as well as a grand, redone score by Rich Douglas that’s as stirring as the visuals… Continue reading

It’s Hikari Friday, Skeletor Needs A New Home And Funko Wants To Send Him Your Way…

Hikari logo 

Yep, it’s that time of the week again and this time, it’s everyone’s favorite skull-headed nuisance who wants to invade your collectibles shelf. Check out this Havoc Skeletor Hikari Sofubi Figure Funko is giving away to ONE very lucky winner:

Havoc Skeletor Hikari Sofubi Figure

#1 of only 2000 can be all YOURS if you get on over to one of Funko’s social channels, enter and do whatever lucky dance you do when you really want to score a win:

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

Well, okay… dancing is optional when you enter, but I’d bet you a buck you WILL dance around the room if you DO win this one. I know I’d be doing just that if I got that email next week saying I was the big winner! And if you don’t win, just poke your head into your favorite comics shop or other retailer that stocks Funko products and see if they have this in stock when it ships out in September. Anyway, GOOD LUCK as usual and check back next week for another Funko giveaway!

Super Fighter Team Brings Back Beggar Prince!

Beggar Prince ReturnsWell. It’s been quite the week or so for retro game news in terms of 16-bit Sega games making a comeback. Pier Solar HD is headed to (some) modern consoles, It Came From The Desert is finally arriving on the Sega Genesis later this year and now, Super Fighter Team is finally bringing back a retail edition of Beggar Prince, one of its most popular titles.

Developed by C&E, Inc., this turn-based RPG was initially a Taiwan-only release back in 1996 until Super Fighter team took notice of it and localized, debugged, and partially reprogrammed the game in order to bring it to audiences worldwide. The game’s low print run sold out and of the games the company has released since, this one’s been the most requested for reissue status.

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more screens here!

While the game is currently available as part of the excellent RPG Trifecta Pack digital download, collectors have been clamoring for a physical reissue for years and now they have the opportunity to snap this up at a mere $63 (US) or $70 (international). Considering the price of the original game is now in the hundreds of dollars and Super Fighter Team doesn’t see a penny of those resales, finally getting the game out as a reissue is a great thing. I know a certain SegaDude will be dancing around his room when he gets this news…

EDIT! Oops. I was so excited that I forgot to mention the other cool games SFT has for sale: Magic Girl and Cascade are still up for pre-orders on the Genesis/Mega Drive and Nightmare Busters is getting a second go-round of orders for you Super Nintendo/Super Famicom fans. GET THEM BEFORE THEY’RE GONE!

Comics: Concrete Park Preview (Or, A Hotter Time In The Old Alien Town Tonight)…

Concrete Park AP

I’d leafed through the first volume of Concrete Park a while back and liked the art, so I made a mental note to point you folks in the direction of the new issues when they arrive at your favorite comic emporium, so here you go. Writer/artist Tony Puryear and Erika Alexander are back on the case in this sci-fi action series. Check out the preview pages below the jump and mark your calendars for September 3, 2014 when volume two goes on sale!

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Pier Solar & The Great Architects HD Trailer: The Return of Watermelon’s Modern Retro JRPG

I only own ONE copy of Pier Solar at the moment (one of the reissues with the Sega CD/CD soundtrack bonus), but that’s about to change soon when the fully revamped HD version of game FINALLY makes it to PC (for a few operating systems), Sega Dreamcast (!), PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Wii U (yes!) at some point this year. Or is it next year? It’s hard to say, but I’m sure it’ll be well worth the long wait in the end. The visuals certainly benefit from the transition, the new cut scenes also look great and yes, I’m betting the game is still as tough as it was when it was initially released. Anyway, the fine folks at Watermelon are to be commended for getting this new and shiny version out on pretty much anything that can play it as it needs to be played (on a large screen, of course). Nothing more to say here other than let the waiting begin!

Collection Update: One WARP Mystery Solved, One Begun!

WARP Duo

 

Well, now. I knew about the kooky Flopon World on the 3DO for years, but have never seen a copy until a few weeks back when someone pointed to one up for sale on eBay. I let it sit there for a while watching it and hoping the cover would scare the more prudish collectors who might have wanted it off (how you explain two near-naked dudes on the cover of a match-3 variant puzzle game is all up to you, folks!) and I guess it worked. I made an offer and grabbed this for less than I thought I’d be able to. One down and what I thought was the LAST game I needed in my WARP collection (well, except for that legendary Enemy Zero limited edition that I’ve NEVER seen an image of) other than whatever other demos the company produced for the Japanese 3DO magazine than what I have here.

I guess I was wrong, as a few days later I see Flopon P!, a PlayStation game not listed as part of WARP’s output on GameFaqs… which has the WRONG cover image for Flopon World, by the way. I have NO idea what game is pictured other than to say it’s on the Flopon World disc as one of at least four games, so perhaps it’s a demo disc I’ve never seen? Anyway, the PlayStation game was published by Asmik in 1995 and the serial number SLPS 00032 just may mean that not counting demo discs, it was the 32nd PlayStation game released in Japan. But I think that numbering system went off the rails at some point. While it doesn’t have the WARP logo on the package or in the manual (and I don’t have the spine card to check if it’s there), both WARP and Asmik have copyright info on the game and the late, great Kenji Eno’s name is in the manual’s credits page. Hmmmmm… perhaps this was a co-production and thus not an “official” WARP game? I need to find this out, as it’ll make those who collect the few games made by this defunct company run out and track this one down. I think this one only cost me about six dollars, so that’s a steal and a nice addition to the library.

Tech Review: Audio Technica ATH-ADG1

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAs gaming headsets go, Audio-Technica’s ATH-ADG1 High-Fidelity Gaming Headset is hands-down one of the best I’ve used, but it does come with some minor caveats. It’s wired, the open ear design means it’s more for home use than a set you want to bop around with in public (it’s your call, of course) and at $299.95, it’s not for budget-brained audiophiles.

Then again, I’d say the words “budget” and “audiophile” don’t quite go together, particularly when it comes to headphones of this outstanding quality. Sure, you can use them for their intended purpose (super high quality audio in your PC gaming experience), but if you’re like me, you’ll stick these lightweight wonders on your head every chance you get… Continue reading

Risen 3: Titan Lords Update: “Back to the Roots” Means A Very Strong Tree, I’d Say…

 

If this excellent video preview is any indication, fans of the first Gothic and Risen games will be pleased to see developer Piranha Bytes (and I love the way the announcer pronounces that in the video!) is taking Risen 3: Titan Lords back to the look and feel of those two games. This is another one of those games I’ve been dying to play because warts and all, I liked the Gothic games and Risen, warts and all. Granted, the pirate focus and the not so hot-looking PS3 version of Risen 2 was a bit disappointing to many fans. But it looks as if Deep Silver will have a nice little gem of a game when this ships out August 15, 2014 for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. I do hope this one’s in stock as a physical release, as I hate large games as download-only titles. Eh, I’ll poke my big head into a game shop around here and ask, as I don’t think Deep Silver will shoot over a review copy…