Guitar Hero Is Back. Plastic Guitar Gods, Rise!

Posted on April 14, 2015 by geelw

Out with the old…

…in with the new!

1. The new Guitar Hero Live logo looks a wee bit like the original Star Trek TV show logo. That made me laugh a bit because it’s not intentional at all. I’m just really old.

2. Plastic guitars are back after a five year hiatus.It’s hard to say how those who bought the rock games that required real guitars will feel about this. However, it’s entirely possible that both camps will find something to like or not about GHL.

3. There are no colored buttons this time and instead of five colored buttons, you get three buttons set into two rows. This is because testing showed most people play GH using three fingers and never got past the harder modes. The game’s easier modes use only three buttons while the harder modes use all six.

4. There’s an autoplay button on the controller for people who just want to practice the songs or look good cheating. Longtime GH players seem to hate the new controller already, but EVERYONE will need to get used to the new controller should they pick up the game. It shouldn’t take long, though.

Yes, this is ALL actual gameplay.

5. Or: If you owned a PC, Sega CD, 3DO, PlayStation or Saturn back in the 90’s, you’ll be pleased to know FMV games are back (but much better looking). Yeah, that’s right. Gone are the cartoon-like players and now it’s you onstage playing that plastic guitar in front of an actual audience in first person mode. But this time, it’s for PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U and mobile devices. Yes, the crystal-clear FMV can run on any current console out there, so you’ll see all looking exactly the same (like it or not).

6. There’s a music video channel-like online play mode. You can choose from hundreds of videos to battle someone against, there will be a MASSIVE library of songs from classics to indies and overall, this mode may be the bigger deal for some players who love their social sharing stuff.

Guitar Hero Live is coming this fall for those systems noted above. So many changes after five years off, right? Will it be a house band in millions of homes, or is the new look and focus on both simplifying and complicating things be too bumpy a ride for the loyal fan base? As usual, we shall see.

Ant-Man Trailer: Little Things Mean A Lot (Of Money At The Box Office)

Posted on April 13, 2015 by geelw

Okay, Marvel. You got me again. I wasn’t planning to see Ant-Man until if fell out of the sky and landed on cable, but giving away that train scene made me chuckle enough to be interested in seeing this on a bigger screen. Granted, if this were a more “perfect” world, we’d see a Micronauts/Microman reference in the film that possibly hinted at a sequel or follow-up. But that would be so obscure a reference for younger fans that it would fly over their heads and not even register even as old farts like me burst out laughing when it appeared on screen. Ah well. Let the summer movie season commence, I suppose. I’ll just keep my little big ideas all to myself.

Game of Thrones S5 E1: A Hot Time In The Old Towns Tonight

Posted on April 12, 2015 by geelw

Well, that was interesting. A low body count, some expected demises based on events from last season and one unexpected one (basically a “red shirt” death) that sets up some interesting dynamics for the rather hard-headed Mother of Dragons. Not letting the people go have their barbaric culture bread and circuses because of your own personal views is never a good thing at the end of the day. But hey, when you’ve got big, bad (and somewhat uncontrollable) dragons under your stairway (just like The Munsters!), it’s good to be the Queen, right? Meanwhile, back at the Lannister ranch, things are sliding downhill in all sorts of convincingly mad manners, aren’t they? Cersi’s going to be plotting, Margaery is going to be losing her marbles because of that plotting and you know it’ll be a battle of actresses chewing scenery to great effect.

On another part of the map, let’s not even bring up the Imp, as he’s in a bind he thinks he can booze his way out of and his bad haircut and beard make him look like a wino clown. Finally, as I stopped reading the books when the show came out but know some stuff from a few friends, expect a little less Snow by the end of the season. Maybe. It seems he’s wearing out his welcome among the Crows on a few fronts and that’s a bad sign of things to come. That’s not a spoiler if you use the internet, by the way.

Then again, given that Uncle George is probably grinning madly atop his comfy throne made from lots of printed green bills as he watches some fans spin madly off their couches, it’s all good wherever in Westeros he’s typing away from. Or not typing. No one tells Uncle George what to do, you know. Yeah, you’ll all be back next week. Well, not HERE, but in front of your TV’s, that is…

It’s Not A Slow Day, But It’s A Slow Day Upstairs

Posted on April 11, 2015 by geelw

(thnaks, pzmyers!)

Yeah, motivation flies right out the window when you have a combination of too much to do and not enough time in the day to do it all. Actually, the motivation is there and percolating. It’s just the getting all those little duckies in order and making sure none run away that’s the hard part. Anyway, I’m tinkering away on some previews, reviews and such, getting a few gray hairs fretting about stuff I shouldn’t have to and probably in need of more actual rest. Well, some of that will be taken care of shortly, some of it won’t and carry onward into next week’s workload. No pressure, right? Riiiiiiight.

Some “Light Rock” For Your Friday

Posted on April 10, 2015 by geelw

(thanks, ScottBradleeLovesYa!)

So, I had a weird day today that turned out great by the end. I got stuck in an elevator for a bit (boo), and during that quiet bit of hell, I missed a few calls about attending a game preview event. Fortunately by the time I was freed, I still had time to make that event and you’ll read the results of that little trip over the weekend. In the meantime, here’s a little tune to listen to that might be familiar to some of you out there. I kind of like this version better.

TBT: Letting Go Of Some Old Friends Isn’t Easy

Posted on April 9, 2015 by geelw

Hmmm. Time for another game sale, it seems. I hate eBay because of the double dip fees they and PayPal get that cut into my profits, Game Trading Zone gets a bit pesky because people always want to trade even if I post I’m selling ONLY and don’t want to trade. That an I get some horrible offers for stuff I’m not anywhere near interested in from people who should know better. Anyway, I’ll flip a coin and choose one of the two poisons in a day or so. Or, one of you out there can make a nice offer…

EDF 4.1 Update: Japan Gets It While We Still Wait Patiently

Posted on April 8, 2015 by geelw

Holy cats. While there still no localization news about Earth Defense Forces 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair, the game has been out in Japan since April 2 and is getting played to death over in Japan by some lucky gamers who’ve been dropping some truly incredible videos of the game in action on YouTube. Sure, it’s not packing the best visuals when unfairly compared to more polished games for these new-gen consoles or PC. But developer Sandlot clearly knows how to set the tone for some massive scale battles. Wow. Hey, it’s sure cheaper than buying a bunch of toys and wondering where to to store them all, I say. That said if there’s ever a sequel to Pacific Rim and someone wants a tie-in game, I think I know who should get the call.

IndieGala Hump Day Bundle: Ignore That Camel. Buy Some Games Instead

Posted on April 8, 2015 by geelw

More bundles? No problems! “What day is it?” and yeah, yeah… you know the rest. Stupid CG camels. Anyway, say hello to the IndieGala Hump Day Bundle. Go click on that link to the left and pick up three games for a buck or (even better) a dozen for a measly $2.99 plus no tax (well, in the U.S. of A., at least). Pay more if you please, as what you spend supports charity. Even if you don’t go the low-ball route and pony up a bit more you’re still getting an excellent deal on what’s here.

Oh, did I mention the Spring Rush Bundle is on sale? Well, it IS! Go get it as it’s got even more fun to funky titles on it. It costs a little more, but it’s the same buck for three title tease to lure you into looking before you decide to commit to just plopping down about seven bucks for nine games total.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Get the Coffee Table Book Treatment

Posted on April 7, 2015 by geelw

Okay, I’ll admit to not being much into He-Man and the Masters of the Universe way back when it was on TV and those beefy action figures and massive playsets were selling like hotcakes in stores. However, I was a big fan of Earl Norem‘s fantasy artwork as well as some of the cool animation Funimation had been doing since the late 60’s. As soon as I heard Dark Horse Comics was putting out a massive 300+ page regular and limited edition hardcover called The Art of He-Man And The Masters of the Universe, it went on my long list of books I needed to check out.

After getting a digital copy to peruse last week, color me impressed and a *kiiiind of* new convert to the old kid’s show. Granted, I’m not about to run out and buy up a box set and binge watch myself into a coma anytime soon. But thanks to the wonderful art and well-done interviews with many involved with the show, toys, comics and even that weird live action film, I respect the show a lot more on the art side of things. It’s still a big toy-selling chunk of nostalgia, but that sort of thing is why many now adults loved the show back in the day. I’m sure some of their parents had an eyebrow raised every time a new figure was requested and I don’t even want to think about holiday shopping for a hot new playset with a bunch of other parents eyeballing the same big box. Anyway, if one or more of those links floats your boat, go make a purchase. The regular edition is in stores on April 15 and the LE hits retail in May.

Oh, and someone needs to track down Earl Norem and send him a nice letter of thanks for all his gorgeous artwork, as his Wikipedia page is kind of depressing near the end. Personally, I think more people including younger illustration fans WOULD indeed be interested about the career of an 81-year-old artist. Hell, they’d better be, as his work was always consistently grand in just about anything he did.

Arrow Video July Releases: Dead on Target (Again)

Posted on April 7, 2015 by geelw

The fine folks at Arrow Video continue to whip out releases from their UK catalog through MVD to film fans and collectors stateside well worth buying and July’s three Blu-Ray/DVD sets are a nice trio for your library. This time, it’s an odd triple threat of 1970’s Japanese pop style, a bleak Gallic “spaghetti” western and a fun, funky horror film starring a pre-A Nightmare on Elm Street Robert Englund. That video below of Stray Cat Rock: The Collection should hopefully tease some of you into action in the form of adding it to your want list somewhere or bugging someone to get you it (or all three films) as a nice gift.

Well, I’D bug someone to get me all three of these flicks. Hey, I have unusual tastes in films from unforgettable classic silents to a handful of loud, noisy super-budget blockbusters more easily forgotten. I won’t knock your tastes at all (well, unless you still watch “reality” TV with a straight face and actually get upset at every VERY obviously scripted moment better done the first time and not the 500th). Eeek.