Mild Updates, Weird World Edition

Posted on June 9, 2018 by geelw

Boo. I was trying to buy a new laptop and a Switch, but my stupid bank (which has given me no trouble until now) seems to have thought trying to buy them too close together was some sort of bad thing to do with my own money. So, those purchases are pending (which is dumb and is keeping me from being productive) for at least a few days while I wait for whatever needs to happen to happen. The good thing is, I’ve another deposit to make in a few days, which should prove I’m not trying to scam myself (or whatever it is the bank seems to think is happening with my own money). Hey, if I were rich, I’d be spending like a decaf-sipping sailor. I only buy what I can afford these days (so as not to fall into credit card hell) or I’d be even more out of room than I am.

That said, I’ll likely be selling off some items from the collection at some point. Nope, no protos or review stuff, so don’t even ask (that’s for the six or seven people who drop emails in my inbox every so often). And before you ask that second question, I’m typing this post of on a crappy and slow XP monster that needs to be put down. At least it’s up to date in terms of virus protection and such so I can still get some work done. That said, I do need to get to some PC games in the backlog at some point.

-GW

Adventures in Backloggery 1: Fallout 4

Posted on June 4, 2018 by geelw

Fallout 4 Spanish

So yeah, my backlog of games to get to is so huge that I’m finally getting around to playing Fallout 4. Actually, it was a few months back (okay, late last year!) when I picked up an inexpensive new/sealed copy and as you can see, the cover and insert are entirely in Spanish. The game and included poster are entirely in English and I believe the person I bought the game from sold it cheap because they thought the game wasn’t in a language they wanted to play it in.

Ah well, my gain on that front, but this made me realize that those ten years of Spanish lessons in school not being put to use have made me rusty as hell. Or, as the song says “I understand just a little – no comprende, it’s a riddle!” I should probably remedy that, as knowing another language is a great way to expand one’s horizons significantly. Yeah, I’ll probably look into getting the DLC at some point (I bought this something like a few weeks before the GOTY version with all the DLC went on sale, oops). but for now, this will do.

Of course, I’m still catching up with my actual reviews (11 to get done, but a few are in progress), so this will get put back into the play stack for the time being. I won’t even discuss Fallout 76, as I’m not ready for that one (and if it’s online only, I may take a pass or at least try it at my leisure as I can only play two or three online games maximum because they eat up so much time). Eh, we shall see.

-GW

The Winter in July Blogathon is Snow Joke

Posted on June 3, 2018 by geelw

THINGs to come… (stay tuned)

Hmmm. Guess which film I picked? Go on, guess?

-GW

Review: Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey Redux (Nintendo 3DS)

Posted on June 2, 2018 by geelw

I’ve been a big fan of Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei games for a while now (okay, close to 25 years – yes, I’m old) but I’d say one of my favorite portable entries in the series was Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey, released back on the Nintendo DS in 2010. Like the other SMT games, the first person dungeon crawling (like some of Atlus’ early Persona games, was inspired by Sir-Tech’s classic Wizardry series), the mix of sci-fi, horror, and mature dialog all made for a pretty compelling experience. Remade and expanded for the 3DS, Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey Redux ($39.99) still manages to be an excellent game well worth a replay or even a first experience for those new to the long running series.

New to the game are a new character with her own side story, a new multi-floor dungeon and new side missions, a great new animated intro and optional DLC (which is one reason this review is a few days later than expected). Additionally, 20 save slots (the DS game had a mere two!) allow for a bit of experimentation with the game’s demon fusing mechanic as well as let you tackle certain tough sections and deal with the potential outcomes or just mess around trying to cause demon fusion accidents, some of which can be rewarding in the long run. Oh, and for those who’ve played the DS version, yes, some of those old demon passwords still work.

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RAGE 2 Trailer: Mad Maximum, Coming in 2019

Posted on May 16, 2018 by geelw

I really liked RAGE a lot despite it hogging up a load of space on my PS3’s hard drive and having a few slow moments here and there. With the upcoming Spring 2018 release of RAGE 2 teaming up original developer id Software and veteran developer Avalanche Studios, it’s clear that Bethesda is going for a sort of new gold standard that combines id’s FPS expertise and Avalanche’s penchant for massive and massively entertaining open world games with that post apocalyptic vibe that’s guaranteed to sell a few million copies right out of the gate.

I’ll say no more on this unless Bethsoft is planning a press stop here in NYC post-E3 so I can get some hands-on time and write about the experience. That said, I’m thinking I’ll like this a lot more than I liked that first game.

-GW

Moonlighter Trailer: Best of Show, Humor Award

Posted on May 16, 2018 by geelw

Okay, I don’t hand out awards at all. But if I did, this trailer for Moonlighter, the upcoming game from 11 bit studios and Digital Sun would take home a few trinkets and trophies. A direct poke in the eyeball to all those folks who get all frothy at the mouth over even the most subtle differences in cross platform games, here we see that yes, the perfectly solid pixel art in the game is exactly the same across anything it plays on. Lovely.

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Review: Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality

Posted on May 11, 2018 by geelw

Developer Owlchemy Labs really has a decent handle on this VR stuff, so Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality ($29.99) is pretty much a no-brainer for fans of that popular show who just so happen to own a PlayStation 4 and PS VR setup. The game’s about as as insane as the show and the VR is pretty neat and designed to be a good deal less frantic on the eye holes (meaning those of you who get a bit woozy from VR can rejoice).

While I’m not as much into the show as some of its more avid fans, a well-made game will always catch my eye (ow), particularly one with the totally offbeat (and not for the young kiddies) humor the show excels at. So, yeah, if you’re new to the show, have wee ones and this game pops up as a request (because some kids can be cooler than their parents, or at least get away with watching cartoons out of their age range), you may want to play it for yourself and have your jaw hit your shoes a few times before you let those kids take it for a spin. Oh, you’ll very likely laugh your ass off in the process of checking this out. But that’s a good thing, correct?

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Coffee Crisis on Steam: A Guaranteed Caffeine Hit

Posted on May 9, 2018 by geelw

Before you ask, YES, they still make games for the Sega Genesis. Well, small indie studios do. MegaCat Studios, for example. They put out a fun and funky Sega Genesis game called Coffee Crisis that got enough notice as a cartridge game that it was eventually ported to PC and can now be yours on Steam for less than the price of a can of coffee, or a few small coffees if you need a gauge of some sort.

As for what the game is about, go pour yourself a cuppa joe (I’ll wait) and click, then read what’s below the jump.

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Moss Coming to PS4 as a Physical Edition in June

Posted on May 8, 2018 by geelw

Normally, if someone said “Hey! Look at that mouse!” I’d be up on a chair with a shoe ready to throw at the first thing that moved because I’d not want some rodent running up my pant leg followed by a ticked off cat like something out of a a Tom and Jerry cartoon. In the case of Polyarc’s lovely action/platform/puzzle game Moss, however, I’m all “D’awwww! SO CUTE!” and then some.

The critically acclaimed and formerly digital only PSN release is getting a retail version next month and it’s looking like one of those PS VR enabled games that’s going to be worth grabbing for your physical library. Take a peek at the trailer below of Quill’s big virtual adventure and see for yourself, (squeak, squeak):

Yep, SOLD. June 12 is when this scampers into stores, so go do that pre-order thing or just pop on in to pick up your copy. Save the cheese, though. The person selling you the game might be lactose intolerant or might rather want a pricey Camembert and not the Velveeta chunk you were planning on bringing.

-GW

TERA: Corsairs’ Stronghold Update Adds Pirates & Booty Galore (Arr!)

Posted on May 8, 2018 by geelw

Okay, the game that got me to stop playing so much Diablo III is getting another big update. TERA isn’t quite perfect, but it’s often really gorgeous to look at and does do excellently at keeping me occupied in that theme park on steroids manner a good MMO does. The newest update is Corsairs’ Stronghold, a 20 vs 20 battleground map where you’ll need to fight with or against other players to secure or destroy an Archstone. I see that this map can be soloed, but I’m gathering that will be pretty darn tough to do if you’re trying to face off against 20 AI players (or even live ones) all by yourself.

Yes, a review is in process for this game, but I’m in the midst of figuring out the story content, which is tricky because the game allows you to play freely enough that you can miss a chunk of the plot by merely doing side missions and other diversions. The nice thing is the game is free to play across all the systems it’s on, with the exception of those pesky keys required to unlock strongboxes. I didn’t realize this because in the beta. keys were rewarded for certain milestones. I haven’t spent a dime on the game at all, but at Level 65, I kind of have something like 1000 strongboxes (eep!) and am thinking hard about paying to unlock a few. My poor wallet is snapping at me every time I dawdle over that buy button on the store page, though.

So, we shall see what happens, I suppose. But know that my wallet has a mighty growl that can curl paint off a wall. In the meantime, did you know I’ve posted way too many videos about this game on my under-watched YouTube channel? I don’t do commentary at all, so fear not – you don’t have to hear my warbling and waxing poetic. Just pop by, watch a few and subscribe if you like what you see.

-GW