(thank you widjadidja!)
Sooooo… you didn’t bite your boss like you wanted to earlier, right? So that means you’re still a bitter soul. Well, if this doesn’t cheer you up, go sleep in a coffin, Nosferatu! You still need to get out of that smelly dirt bed for Tuesday’s workload, remember? Mr. Chaplin will get you one of these days or nights with a better gag. Although this one’s hard to top for sheer amount of smiles per second.
Well, OK… it’s not really that schizophrenic folks. It’s more like say hello to actor Bill Watterson who plays Jim Payton in Capcom’s upcoming sci-fi/action game set for an August release. It’s pretty cool to see that the man not only looks quite like the character he plays in the game, but he also did the motion capture performance for Jim as well. Oh, and by the way, he’s NOT at all related to the Calvin & Hobbes creator (just thought I’d mention that, as I know at least one person out there who’ll read this and get all “a-ha!” so that’s where he’s been!” about this post…
As far as gimmicks go, this one’s pretty nifty. Pre-ordering a copy Gran Turismo 6 on the PlayStation 3 nets you a cool one million dollars…(YES!) in the game (Oh.) to spend on anything you want (well, provided it’s in the game). While that may seem like a lot of money, I’ll lay a real millionth of that that there will be a few really wicked rides that cost close to that amount, meaning some folks will end up with a bunch of less expensive rides while others will go all out and buy the most expensive two or three and spend the change on buying pricey upgrades in order to blaze past any online competition.
While I prefer MY million real and in small denominations please (ever try and break a hundred buying a slice of pizza when you’re the first customer of the day? Yeah, that’s a pain in the ass), this is a pretty nice bonus that takes up NO shelf space and doesn’t require you to worry about coming home one day to find the dog or cat gnawing on it. On the other hand, if your pet watches you as you game, I bet you’ll wonder why that controller has claw marks all over it and your TV and PS3 somehow keep turning themselves on while you’re not home.
Hmmmm…
If you’re ancient enough to remember the Sega Genesis version of this classic Disney game, you’re probably pretty pleased to see it back and looking pretty amazing. In a way, it’s too bad this is going to be a digital download only release, as I could see this doing spectacular on a disc with a ton of bonus features, the original game and perhaps (as it’s a Disney property) Capcom’s upcoming DuckTales Remastered just to get people slipping in puddles of drool as they ran to their nearest game shop to pick up their copies. I know I’d run over a pack of old ladies with puppies if they were in my way. OK, I’d more likely leap over them or run around them than stomp on a few bunions. Those old ladies can be pretty spry and those swinging canes and yapping dogs kind of hurt when swung at one’s head a few too many times…
The wait for more NEOGEO X games is finally over as SNK/Playmore is giving you two ways to get this new set of arcade classics along with an update that allows save games and a bonus charging cable. NEOGEO X Mega Pack 1 features 15 titles, a firmware update and that Rocket transfer cable all for a mere $79.99. Now don’t get nuts about that price point, folks. Given the NEOGEO X Gold comes with 20 games installed, this should give you all a good idea of the value that was when it launched. That and a numbebr of actual NEOGEO games for the home console back in the day cost more (a lot more) when they were initially released and some command top dollar to this day…
Includes in the pack are Art of Fighting 3, Blazing Star, Blue’s Journey, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, The King Of Fighters ’96, Kizuna Encounter, The Last Blade, Metal Slug 2, Samurai Shodown III, Savage Reign, Sengoku, Shock Troopers, Super Sidekicks 3, Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy, and World Heroes 2 Jet. The games in this collection will also be available in three-game NEOGEO X Classics Volumes (1 – 5), retailing for $24.99 with each package containing that firmware update on the game card and that Rocket transfer cable.
Obviously, the Mega Pack is the best deal here for NGX fans, but it’s great that SNK/Playmore is giving fans the opportunity to purchase this new set of 15 as three-packs. Granted, the hardcore collector might be ticked off at having to flip a coin, but I’ll bet some of them will end up with that Mega Pack and all the Classics (plus a bunch of extra Rocket transfer cales)…
(thank you, Wayne Barker woof!!)
So, you boss is still barking at you about that report, eh? You get in earlier than he does, do twenty-two times the work and you still get treated like a sled dog, hmmmm? Well, take a break while he’s out at lunch or chasing after that secretary and get a chuckle from Carl Emmy and His Mad Wags. Even if you’re a cat person, your Monday has just gotten lighter and a bit less dogged (hopefully and paradoxically)…
Hoo boy. I still can’t breathe properly after watching how the folks at NWA World stick a few forks in the Xbox One and it’s recent reversal to a more “user friendly” gaming system and former Food Network host Paula Deen losing her TV shows after a bit of controversy from statements she made some time ago. Even if you’re waving flags for them in both camps, if you don’t get a slight grin in after these two videos, you may still be able to recycle that sense of humor at the local supermarket by screaming into the nearest redeemable can or bottle and trading that in for a nickel or whatever your state’s deposit is.
Platform: PC (also on PSN/XBLA/Nintendo eShop)
Developer: Iron Galaxy Studios/Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
# of Players: 1 – 4
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
Score: A- (90%)
It’s really too bad developer Iron Galaxy didn’t make its version of Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara compatible with Windows XP simply because I’d bet a dollar that people still using that older OS would get a hell of a lot more of a kick from this pair of classic Capcom arcade hit than a chunk of more current OS users filling up the Steam forums with all sorts of complaints about everything from the visuals not being worthy of the system requirements to the game not working properly on certain systems or supporting any other peripheral except an official Xbox 360 controller. Us non-picky oldsters who prefer XP because 90+ percent of the games we run ARE old news to you big-riggers out there (long live gog.com!) would be all over this game like white on rice (or brown on rice is you’re into that variety) and even though we only make up less than 8% of Steam users (according to Steam), that’s almost a potential 8% more people buying and possibly NOT bitching about the graphics and having to use one controller type that works perfectly as soon as it’s plugged in. But I digress…
Platform: Xbox 360/PC (also on PS3)
Developer: Dontnod Entertainment
Publisher: Capcom
# of Players: 1
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
Score: B+ (85%)
A stylish and thrilling combination of cinematic elements and action featuring a memorable new character, Remember Me is a grand example of the “shut up and play it!” game. You can be on the sort of clueless “Well, my friend says he heard it’s not like so and so…” side of the fence, or you can step right up, slap your money down and enjoy a well made, always entertaining and somewhat innovative thriller that, while borrowing elements from a few sources, ends up feeling original and refreshing on a few fronts. This is a game that, if you’re in the mood for a good story (save for a slight stumble near the finale) delivers on that promise pretty well. While it may not seem sequel-friendly, the overall experience makes you want to see a second game that features a lot more of the richly detailed 2084 Neo-Paris developer Dontnod Entertainment has created.
Spoiler: Sunshine has a “happy” ending. End spoiler. I had to put that up front because Danny Boyle’s excellent 2007 sci-fi film is a layered downward emotional spiral with some solid performances throughout. The story pretty much sets up the fact that this is going to be terminally gloomy stuff (despite the positive sounding title): the crew of the Icarus II sets out from a suffering Earth to relight a dying Sun with a massive nuclear explosion seven years after the first mission fails. Yeah, that’s not your average blockbuster summer comedy hit storyline, that’s for damn sure…
As Icarus II gets closer to its target, it’s discovered that first Icarus didn’t actually disappear as much as become something of The Old Dark House in space (minus any comedic elements). When the new ship links up with the old in order to snag its bomb and it’s discover what happened to its crew, things get more than a little strange as a few shocking elements come into play…
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 