The Martian Trailer: Reading Is Fundamental. The Internet is NOT.

While this gorgeous trailer for Ridley Scott’s upcoming film based Andy Weir’s bestselling novel The Martian looks fantastic, it seems that there’s some internet outrage over the trailer spoiling the entire film by looking as if it plays out the entire plot in three minutes. It doesn’t. I haven’t even read the book yet but have talked to two people who have and as they’re they types who don’t go online and babble about what’s not in that trailer, I’m told that there’s a good deal you don’t see. Which makes perfect sense, mind you. Yes, movie trailers tend to be a bit too dumbed down in many cases and yes, there are films where you see pretty much everything you need to well before it hits theaters.

The “problem” with The Martian trailer is all that pent up anger about other film’s spoiler packed teases seems to have spilled over at just the wrong time. The easy way to avoid ANY spoilers to films you may be interested in is not to watch them, period. Of course, if you want NO spoilers at all, don’t even read the book the film is based on and go in cold as Mars after sunset. I bet you’ll enjoy the hell out of that film and want to go buy the book after you leave the theater. Also, stay OFF message boards and other sites where people waste time opining away based on their lack of information, unwillingness to learn any new information and tendency to argue to the death the most ill-informed and idiotic points easily quashed by actual facts. Your sanity will thank you kindly and you’ll be able to go about your day with less stress.

Case closed and you’re welcome.

PSN Flash Sale: Sci-Fi Games and Flicks Up For Grabs

PSN Flash Sale Sci-Fi
 

So. Say you’re sitting around doing not too much this weekend, happen to have a PSN account and need something (or a few things) entertaining to do with your time. If you’re willing to spend a little money (or more than a little if you let yourself get too caught up in the bargains), yep, there’s another PSN Flash Sale going on. Expect to see plenty off excellent deals as listed on this PlayStation Blog post… and look, your wallet is already hopping out of that pocket or purse and is running away from you! Go get it!

See, this is why you NEED to always vacuum under the bed, folks.

PSN Flash Sale Sci-Fi 2 

Hmmm. Fortunately, wallets love playing with dust bunnies so they’re easy to catch. I’ll leave you to it, then. The Sci-Fi Deals Flash Sale ends Monday, July 20 at 9am Pacific Time, so get moving if you want to score some nice deals.

Skyhill: Elevator Inaction In A Descent Through High-Rise Hell


 

Skyhill intrigues me greatly because I missed out on the Indiegogo hype train for it last year when it was a rougher project that showed some major promise and got a lot of attention thanks to a few folks writing it up as a must-play experience. Naturally, Steam came a-calling and after going through the Greenlight process, that old build has since been scrapped and completely redone in Unity with the results seen above. Russian developers Mandragora have made their game a nicer-looking and more polished experience that’s destined to gain even more fans once it’s completed. To me, this looks like the arcade classic Elevator Action meets Silent Hill and Fallout… um, without the elevators, of course.

“What’s it all about?”, you ask. Well, let the official site tell you a bit (with a little rewrite assistance from yours truly):

Three months have passed since the end of World War III. Three months from the end of the world. One of the survivors, hiding in the penthouse in most expensive hotel of the city from from the scourge of biological weapons outside needs to find his way down to salvation. He must search for food and water to survive; find and use better weapons to fight mad mutants and more in the randomly generated world of Skyhill, where each walk-through is unique.

Yep, that sounds like a fine old time to me. In real life, of course. I’d just eat a big meal of whatever is left from that last room service trip, roll over and take a long nap. In Skyhill, you’re in survival mode as soon as you step outside that pricey penthouse. Anyway, this one’s going to be watched here until it’s ready for prime time. In the meantime, I guess it’s a lot of Knitted Deer while I’m waiting. That game needs to come to Steam as well.

Listening Room: I’ve Got PIXELS In My Ears

PixelsSo, I’m sitting here typing this post as the soundtrack to Chris Columbus‘ upcoming PIXELS is playing through a nice set of headphones and the score is doing a decent job of transporting me back to the 80’s on a few fronts. Composer Henry Jackman (Wreck-It Ralph, Big Hero 6, X-Men: First Class) has whipped up a really fine original score that I think intentionally tips its cap a bit to the works of John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith from around that time period when both were doing some of their best work. There’s also a really nice trip down memory lane in one track that has some arcade-y sound effects and synth keyboard work that fit the era quite well.

Pixels
 

As for the film itself, I’ve been peeking at trailers and clips and it certainly looks like fun in a Ghostbusters meets Wreck-It Ralph manner:


 

Granted, it’s also going to be one of those movies some parents who grew up playing all those classics may need to drag their more jaded kids to as they try and explain how awesome those ancient games were back in the day. But if the box office tallies from Wreck-It Ralph are any indication ($471 million worldwide), this one might be a bigger hit than expected. As usual, we shall see. At least the soundtrack holds up quite well in delivering the aural goods. PIXELS rolls into theaters on July 24, 2015. Varèse Sarabande will release the PIXELS – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack digitally and on CD simultaneously with the film.

Godzilla’s Here. You Can Run And Scream Now.

(Thanks, Bandai Namco Entertainment America!)
 

If you heard some very loud roaring and thunderous stomping noises this week around Tuesday or so, nope, that wasn’t Godzilla outside paying your town a visit. I was probable a bunch of kaiju fans tromping down to their nearest game emporium to pick up Godzilla for the PlayStation 3 or PlayStation 4. While the game comes highly recommended no matter which platform you own, PS4 users get the big fat bonus of playing as any monster in the game in any mode right from the start. Nice. Of course, if all that Sturm und Drang was actually weather related and you were stuck indoors watching lightning bolts fighting each other for scare-space, well aren’t you lucky you don’t like in a copper house?

godzilla-banner
 

Anyway, yep. This one needs to be played. One more for the backlog!

Music To Die For: Song of the New Wine

(thanks, LesbianVampireLover!)
 

Not to make today any extra gloomy (it’s not, but I know some of you are sensitive like that with some subjects), but we all have to go sometime. Although we can’t always pick the manner of our demise (er, under “normal” circumstances), it’s nice to have the time to really plan out everything one can in regards to how our friends and families celebrate our time spent here. Of course, this is just an excuse to play this clip from 1943’s awesome Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man which just so happens to be awesome thanks to that clip above. That said, I hope someone plays this at my funeral or at least hums it before things get all sappy. Everybody sing, now!

Lost Dimension Update: When The End Is Only The Beginning


 

With Lost Dimension coming on July 28 to PS3 and Vita and yours truly almost done with his second play through for review purposes, it’s tough to keep from doing some bean spilling on what to expect from the game. Of course, you’ll have to chase me down and force a lot of real American dollars into my pockets just to get me to cough up the juicy details. I don’t carry change with me (the rustling of bills in a pocket hurts my follicles), so you’ll have to start with one hundred bucks at a minimum before I cough up some answers. But as I’ve already put a decent chunk of time into what’s here, let’s just safely say that the game has taught me how to lie very effectively. You may not get the truth out of me but you’ll at least get a convincing tale that will keep you entertained enough to believe every single word.

Of course, you just may bribe me and get nothing but dead air. Ever since I got my review code there’s been a black van outside my building with tinted windows and an ATLUS logo on the door. Methinks I’ll end up IN said black van if I talk too much.

Guild of Dungeoneering: Deck The Halls, Then Push Up Daisies


 

So, Gambrinous (which may or may not be ancient Gaelic for “we made a really great game you need to play!”) has finished Guild of Dungeoneering and it’s out NOW on Steam, gog.com, and the Humble Store. It’s also on my list of games I need to play before I drop dead, so I think I should hop to it soon. Not to get too grim and all, but one needs to buy as big a bucket as possible if one has quite the large bucket list. My big bucket is full of games like this, of course. Okay, exciting trips, overpriced food and other fun stuff is in bucket number two. Anyway, I need to go clear my calendar and see if I can add a few more days into the month so I can tackle a bit of dungeon-diving. Back in a bit.

Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess: The Ladies Who Launch, They Do So In Style


 

Choosing “Sadistic Torment, Elaborate Death, or Humiliating Demise” as a way to go may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But meet up with the deadly Laegrinna, and you’ve got no choice that to eat up what’s served your way. Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess is out NOW for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita and it’s also gotten added to that long, long (LONG) list of games I need to play at some point. I missed out on Deception IV entirely last year, But as this new installment contains not only that game’s content, but a (not so) nice new character’s story included that adds to the fun at no additional cost. Well, perhaps your LIFE (cue dramatic music). Given the Deception series’ reliance on a mixture of semi-serious dark thematic elements, goofy slapstick violence with a bit of blood spilled and plenty of replay value, this one looks like a sleeper that will keep you up all night.

Just keep your sweaty hands where Laegrinna and new character Velguirie can see them. You’re already doomed to suffer in pain forever once they trap you, so there’s no need to add a big tip to your running tab.

The Bloom Is On The “Oh’s”: Bloom County Is Back

Bloom County 2015
 

For those who missed its nine-year run back in the 80’s, Bloom County was one of the main reasons to still check out the comics section in one’s daily newspaper. Writer/artist Berkeley Breathed bought a supremely sarcastic and subversive strip to the masses with an art style slightly similar to Gary Trudeau’s Doonesbury, but with a more oddball cast. Since I don’t hang out on Hatebook, er, Facebook much these days, I missed the photo above as well as the first new strip below. Thankfully someone pointed me in the proper direction and made me do a happy dance for a hot minute or two. Good. Life just got better for millions and worse for a certain bigmouth with a wild coif who’s going to get taken down a few pegs. “THBBFT!” indeed, folks.

bloom county 2015 strip 1
 

Welcome back Opus and company. You’ve been sorely missed. Hopefully, you’ll stick around for a while longer than the first go-round. But we shall see what happens…