So, how was your holiday? Mine was dull and intentionally so. That said, I haven’t EVER been so chewed up so damn much by bugs since I was a kid and this summer was lousy for going anywhere outside and coming back with a few fresh bites. There seem to be small armies of little nippers zipping around this year to the point you’d think this was some 70’s eco-disaster flick up here and elsewhere. I actually can’t believe I’m saying this, but i can’t wait for colder weather to get here. A few chilly winds will keep the little pests and some of the bigger (human) ones away from causing so much trouble. I hope.
Okay, it may seem as if I’m not doing much this Labor Day weekend, but I’m kicking along on a few things that needed getting done that weren’t going to get themselves done. A few games and films in The Backlog are getting whittled down, I’ve been experimenting with a few cooking ideas I may spill a few beans on at some point and yeah, I’ve been doing a little more “art” as seen above.
Alrighty, then. Back to a slow Sunday night. Have a relatively normal holiday, those of you who get to celebrate it.
Fans of Mature-rated fan service galore will absolutely be in deep grin mode with Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & the Monster Seal, which also happens to be an excellently designed and lengthy dungeon crawler. for the record, developer Aquaplus doesn’t reinvent the wheel at all here. But the gameplay is solid and challenging enough that fans of old-school Wizardry games and more recent riffs on it (Etrian Odyssey, Elminage Original) will find the game an excellent time eater.
In addition to some pleasing visuals, smooth dungeon movement and plenty of quick turn-based random battles against enemies that aren’t pure pushovers keep things rolling merrily along. The rather heavy fan service (in the form of plenty of under-dressed character art ranging from mild to somewhat creepy) will indeed be a sticking point for prudes and anyone else determined to dislike the game for the one thing it’ll sell for to some players who like this sort of content. Interestingly enough, the game somehow balances that out thematically by adding a religious subplot and characters to the mix. It doesn’t make up for everything, but it’s amusing, surprisingly well written (for a game such as this) and intelligently implemented. Continue reading →
I’m thinking Xseed Games is going to be selling a lot more copies of Earth Defense Force 2: Invaders From Planet Space than they expect. The game is headed to the Vita this fall in both physical and digital forms and given that it’s the best version of the game to date, I can see fans of the series who haven’t played it snapping it up and hopefully recommending it to friends who also like offbeat Japanese games full of destructible environments and tons of gigantic bugs, robots and spaceships to blast. While the ESRB hasn’t rated the game yet, there’s nothing “mature” about this one at all. It’s mindless fun at its best, but also a game where a bit of strategic experimentation in the weapons you use can mean the difference between crushing defeat and total success.
I’ve played this oldie to death as an import on the PS2, PSP and Vita and I’m looking forward to the English localization just to see how it’s turned out. Xseed took a campier tone that expected with the title, but it’s all good in the end. This is one of those games where you get so many hours of play out of it that paying full retail on day one makes perfect sense. You’re not going to get 100% completion on this one for a while and the added online play should help make this one even more fun if you’re into playing with others. All the game needs now is a release date and all I need after that is time enough to sink a few dozen hours into it all over again.
Yet another stellar Arrow Video release through MVD Visual, Robert Hossein’s 1969 western Cemetery Without Crosses is a great, grim and gloomy slow-burner of a revenge tale that’s short on dialog but delivers its message almost flawlessly.
Hossein (who also stars in the film and co-wrote it with Claude DeSailly) makes his take on the spaghetti western a memorable one with some excellent set pieces and a mean set of twists that make the film worth repeat viewing. This is one of those films with no real “likable” characters to root for – you’re dropped into a little spot in their personal hell as an audience and get to see what happens as things play out. Par for the course, Arrow also delivers the goods when it comes to a quality HD transfer and some fine special features. Continue reading →
München, Germany-based Shin’en Multimedia has been something of an under-appreciated developer since 1999, producing close to 30 games primarily for Nintendo platforms using proprietary engines. The upcoming Wii U exclusive Fast Racing NEO is not only their best-looking game to date, it’s going to be one that just may make Shin’en a household name if the game plays as great as it looks.
While it’s not a “realistic” racer by any means, the game certainly shows that the Wii U can do fast-paced visually intensive arcade racing under the right hands. The game certainly gets some decent mileage from the F-Zero/WipeOut inspired visuals and great sense of speed on display, both of which may help silence the Wii U naysayers out there. Well, for about the time the video runs. Of course, those haters more than likely missed out on Fast Racing League, to date one of the more incredible programming jobs on the Wii. Fast Racing NEO just shows Shin’en doing what it does best and doing it really well.
Still, gorgeous visuals and all, it’s hard to say how well the game will do as an exclusive on a console with not as large a dedicated user base as others. On the other hand, given that Shin’en’s Nano Assault NEO eventually made it to the PS4, it would be cool to see this new game pop up on both the PS4 and Vita just so those who don’t own a Wii U can see what all the fuss is about. As usual, we shall see.
Okay, basta. This fetish for unbalanced narcissists wanting to be adored by the huddled masses and sent to high office to play around with the planet (and possibly push its expiration date a bit closer) means things are getting really ugly out there. Something’s really rotten in the air these days (even more so than usual) and there’s a need for a bit of a time out before it gets worse. Perhaps an intervention of some sort that involves sitting every candidate down in front of a big screen (in a Ludovico Technique manner) and run this clip on a loop for about ten hours straight (warning: hilarious ear-burning expletives inbound):
The first time I saw it in the mid-1980’s on a borrowed VHS tape that had a few other films crammed onto it, I never made it through Last House on the Left. And neither did the tape it was recorded on. During the agonizing scene where poor Phyllis is rendered gutless, the tape broke, ending my torture but making me insanely curious as to how the rest of the film would lay out. Amusingly enough, while I didn’t plan on finding out in a hurry, time has a way of speeding some things up. Not too long afterwards (okay, about four or five years later) I saw Ingmar Bergman’s The Virgin Spring and realized Wes Craven was more than a bit influenced by that classic film.
That made me go locate a beat up VHS tape another friend owned and watch it from start to finish, appreciating it far more by the finale than I did when I first saw it. Amusingly enough, I didn’t seek out Craven’s other films at all. I always seemed to be in the middle of something else when one would turn up on cable or in the case of a few others, I just decided to go to the movies and one of his films happened to be playing nearby. Some of his flicks worked better than others and a few didn’t strike me at all as all that frightening until seen again where I could dissect scenes without a chatty fraidy-cat audience screaming and talking over the better parts of the work. Continue reading →
You don’t have to be a fan of the Dengeki Bunko light novels or any of the anime associated with them to appreciate Sega’s upcoming PS3 and Vita exclusive Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax!, headed your way on October 6. Developers Ecole Software and French Bread have cooked up a great looking, fast paced 2D fighter with nice 3D backdrops and some wild “Climax Moves” that can decimate your opponents when pulled off.
The game’s roster includes characters from the following DB light novel series:
A Certain Magical Index
Accel World
Black Bullet
DURARARA!!
Oreimo
Ro-Kyu-Bu!
Shakugan no Shana
STRIKE THE BLOOD
Sword Art Online
The Irregular at Magic High School
Toradora!
Plus assist characters from these DB series:
Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan
Boogiepop and Others
Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl
Golden Time
Kino’s Travels
Spice and Wolf
The Devil is a Part-Timer!
The Pet Girl of Sakurasou
The game will be available at retail in a limited launch edition that comes packed with a CD soundtrack. As far as I can tell, digital copies of the game won’t net players that freebie. So you may want to pre-order this one or take a chance that your local game shop has ordered a few extra copies so you don’t miss out on that bonus.
While I’m not the best fighting game player out there (understatement of the decade, folks), I do appreciate awesome art and animation when and wherever I see it. So this one on the list to check out in full review form.
How’s this for a “don’t miss it!” deal? Seven of Rising Star Games‘ best indies for a mere eight dollars (or more if you choose)? yeah, I heard your jaw drop from here, pal. Every single RSG indie up for less than a song. Anyway, what’s in the digital box? Look in the box below and go get your bundle before time expires on this fantastic deal:
Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut is worth it for it’s supremely bizarre take on the horror and open world game genres, but everything here is worth your time if you’re one of those open-minded gamers who loves variety and plenty of replay value. Ha – I see that you’re all busy buying and downloading now, so I’ll just silently sneak away and let you get to it.
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 