Fatal Frame 5 The Black-Haired Shrine Maiden Will Turn You Into A Shudder-bug…

Posted on September 10, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, Dante Nintendo World!)

Hmmm… based on all that lovely English text in this gameplay video, I’m going to go out on a limb ans guess that this new Fatal Frame game is coming to North America at some point in 2015. I sure hope so, as a new console game in this series in the west is LONG overdue and the Wii U needs more games to hit the doomsayers over the noggin with. Granted, the characters in this game SHOULD be chased down by pissed off ghosts just for shooting images in portrait mode (“MOTHER, PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!!”), but it looks as if this is part of the game so I’ll need to deal with it. Hey, I’ll put up with a lot if it means I get more solid Wii U titles coming this way. Back with more on this one soon – hopefully an announcement of a US release date, of course…

Resident Evil Revelations 2 Goes The Episodic Game Route. This Is A Good Thing.

Posted on September 10, 2014 by geelw

Excellent. I was wondering when Capcom would take a page from Telltale Games and start releasing episodic versions of its Resident Evil franchise, but I guess I can wonder no longer. Set for an early 2015 launch, the upcoming multi-platform game Resident Evil Revelations 2 is going to be divided into four digital chapters and like Telltale’s chapter-based game experiences, there will be the option to buy a retail disc version that compiles all the chapters plus any additional content Capcom plans to add to the package. I’m a physical media guy myself, so this is a great thing to see even if it means waiting until all four weekly episodes are out and people are spoiling the story all over the internet. With a game such as this (and Telltale’s The Walking Dead series), I tend to tune out those annoying blabbers who spill the beans anyway. So I won’t have a thing spoiled and I won’t have to go to gamer prison for beating someone senseless with an old controller for ruining any surprises Capcom has in store.

RER2 is currently in development for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC. Nice work in progress screens up there, huh? Anyway, back with more on this one soon…

VGA 101: Happy Birthday, Sega Dreamcast: “It’s Thinking”… But Probably About Better Times.

Posted on September 9, 2014 by geelw

Note: This isn’t at ALL a “complete history” of the console. It’s just more random off the top of the head wistful reminiscing!

(thanks, Wiidork!)

For one brief, shining moment (well, that moment lasted three years or so), Sega has many of us gamers on the edge of our seats and extremely happy about it. Once the US arm of the company deemed the Saturn “dead” and started peeling away support for it, there was a gap of time where we were wondering what was coming next. When whispers of a new and more powerful console code-named “Katana” started getting traction in the game press, followed up by early screenshots of works in progress, some fans were trumpeting that upcoming console as a redemption and return to form for the company and in Japan, while Saturn games were still being sold, it seemed that everywhere you went in some spots, ads popped up announcing something was coming from Sega that would be new, unusual and exciting. And oh, was it when it finally did arrive… Continue reading →

Not An Apple-Head, But Still A Dreamer…

Posted on September 9, 2014 by geelw

While I did have a (very) brief affair with a Macintosh back in the 90’s, I was never really an Apple fan or fanatic, despite the company’s many innovations and rather, er… obsessed user base. I liked the design of their products and their ad campaigns were amazingly clever and clearly made to grab one’s attention. But for me, most marketing flies in one ear and right out the other because I’m all about the end result of all those billions spent and frankly speaking, prefer products where I as the end user have total control over how I interact with them. When the iPod was released, it baffled me because I knew digital music would never sound as good as vinyl or even the few steps down CD’s did. Nevertheless, people sheeped right on up to the bar and made the player a superb success for Apple, changing the way we bought music probably forever, and for the worse some would say. Why buy an album meant to be heard in its entirety when you could pick and choose songs you like and play them OUT OF ORDER, thus destroying any actual meaning their creators intended? Eh, no big deal, right? It’s ONLY music, right?

And don’t even get me started on not being able to change your own damn batteries… Continue reading →

Batman Arkham Knight Is Now A June Bride. It’s Worth The Wait For That Wedding…

Posted on September 8, 2014 by geelw

Yeah, I’m sure fans all around the internet are raaaaaging about having to wait even longer to get this game, but I say let them. I don’t mind at all that developer Rocksteady needs more time to make this one the best Batman game it can be and yep, I’m sure while WBIE would love to see this one ship earlier just for the financials and such, it’s clear that the game needs to cook longer. GOOD, I say. I hate this age of massive day one patches, games that don’t run properly out of the box or worse, games that DO run, but end up not pleasing reviewers who sink it with low scores before it can get a patch. I’m thinking both developer and publisher want NONE of that noise, so the delay is on and I coudn’t be happier. Well, I could be happier if I could actually see this in person and play it at some media event here in NYC before it ships out next year, but that’s up to WBIE’s PR team, I suppose.

Oh, if you’re drooling at those collector’s editions, let me let you in on what’s in the box in case your fingers are trembling too much to click on either image and see them full size (they’re MASSIVE):

Batman: Arkham Knight Limited Edition will include:

· Custom Art Book – 80 Page, Full Color Art Book Showcasing the concept art of Batman Arkham Knight

· Limited Edition SteelBook™ – Unique SteelBook™ case and game disc

· Comic Book – Limited Edition DC Comics Batman: Arkham Knight #0 Comic Book

· Exclusive Character Skin Pack – Three Unique Skins from DC Comics – The New 52

· Batman Memorial Statue – Imposing statue commemorating Gotham’s Protector, the Dark Knight

· SRP:

o Console – $99.99 / 119.99 € / 89.99£

o PC – 99.99€ / 74.99£

Batman: Arkham Knight Batmobile Edition will include:

· Custom Art Book – 80 Page, Full Colour Art Book Showcasing the concept art of Batman Arkham Knight

· Limited Edition SteelBook™ – Unique SteelBook™ case and game disc

· Comic Book – Limited Edition DC Comics Batman: Arkham Knight #0 Comic Book

· Exclusive Character Skin Pack – Three Unique Skins from DC Comics – The New 52

· Transforming Batmobile Statue – Fully transformable Batmobile statue realised in exquisite detail by TriForce

· SRP: $199.99 / 199.99€ / 169.99£ (Console only)

Hmmmm.. it would seem North America doesn’t get a PC edition with all that swag, but these games sell better on home systems anyway. Granted, those running beefy rigs will be griping a lot about this, but most people who don’t have a computer that costs as much as a decent car part won’t care because they’ll be playing this on their PS4 or Xbox One with hopefully no trouble. Anyway, with this game now nine months away, you can concentrate of completing some of the other blockbusters rolling out from this year to next June, right? RIGHT. Now stop jamming out your whining on some message board and get back to doing something more interesting with your time, I say…

CREEPY Is 50 Years Old! Dark Horse Comics Is Having A Little Reading Party…

Posted on September 8, 2014 by geelw

And guess what ladies and germs? You’re allllllll invited! Well, provided you read at home or wherever you’re allowed to these days and just so happen to buy your very own copy of the upcoming celebratory tome, Creepy #18 (on sale October 8th at your favorite comic emporium in the physical or digital realm!). Hmmm, now that I think about it for a second, I’m actually creeped out because that damn magazine is as old as I am. Eeeeeeeeyaaaaaaaaghh!. I think I’m more consistent and less scary than that old rag is, but I have my moments. Just you try to get in my way before I’ve had my coffee and you’ll see for yourself. Er, anyway… This special issue will feature the following content:

Cover: Dustin Nguyen (Batman Eternal)
Frontispiece: Arthur Baltazar (Itty Bitty Hellboy)

The Executor:
Script by Fred Van Lente (Conan the Avenger, Archer and Armstrong)
Art by Alison Sampson (Genesis)
Weird, supernatural goings on surrounding the death of Edgar Allen Poe and the posthumous editing and publishing of his work.

Over the River to Charlie:
Script by Corrina Bechko (Star Wars: Legacy, Planet of the Apes)
Art by Drew Moss (In the Dark)
Young girls are haunted throughout their childhood by a hanged man who’s taken up residence in their dollhouse.

Keeping Up with the Creepys:
Script and art by Peter Bagge (Hate)
Uncle Creepy and Cousin Eerie’s attempts to outdo each other with their classic rides escalates into neighborhood-destroying hilarity.

The Man Who Walked Through Walls:
Script by Dan Braun (Creepy consulting editor)
A man who discovers a way to become intangible takes his revenge on the neighbors who have wronged him.

Gallery:
Kevin Ferrera (Dead Rider)
Kelley Jones (Batman)
Eric Powell (The Goon)
Pete Woods (Terminator Salvation)
Shannon Wheeler (Too Much Coffee Man)

Feel free to reserve this at that comic shop near you or just plop in and pick it up. Uncle Creepy will wait for you, you know. He KNOWS he’ll be haunting your dreams at some point, so he’s got all the time in the world…

Bundles of Joy For Your Monday Will Make Your Backlog Ache!

Posted on September 8, 2014 by geelw

Humble Flash Sale, Meet IndieGala Every Monday Bundle! You two play nice, now. Well, I’d betting they’ll each be too busy with themselves to notice each other in that sandbox, but hey – I tried. Anyway, this weeks Humble Flash Sale bundle is So Cute! No, seriously, that’s the name of the bundle. Whaddaya mean you don’t believe me? That’s what that link is for, silly! Click it and watch your wallet flit out of your pocket or purse and fly around the room before your credit card goes zipping into your hand and you end up with the five games and three soundtracks in this bundle. Cute stuff does that to some people, I hear.

As for that Every Monday Bundle, this week’s a DOOZY. $1.89 nets you six games including the deep retro greatness of Eschalon Book I & II, the incredibly creepy Five Nights at Freddy’s, and three other indie games: Stonerid, Memories of a Vagabond and the oddly titled Me & Postapocalypse 2: Scraping. I’m grabbing this because of the Eschalon games and hell, I keep hearing how scary Five Nights at Freddy’s is, so I’m hoping it lives up to the hype and this video (Ha! How SCARY can it be?):

Oh. well, then. Carry on. I think I’ll need to have a defibrillator handy. And a nurse. Eh, we’ll see. Anyway, go check out one or both of these bundles, support charity and get some gaming in while you’re at it!

TCM Wants You To Stay Up Late Weekends…With No Chaperone!

Posted on September 8, 2014 by geelw

Although unsupervised movie watching is ALWAYS a darn good idea in my book, TCM’s Underground kind of NEEDS a friendly yet slightly sinister guide to the treasures it holds within. Granted, the channel tried using a host in the past (Rob Zombie), but his tenure didn’t last all that long. I’d LOVE to do this job, as I know a bit about some of the films they run and don’t mind researching the ones I don’t know about. Then again, I’m not exactly the most exciting person on camera as I think I have an aversion to being filmed and I’m not at well-tempered enough to sit in a makeup chair (unless someone’s going to make me look like some monster from a 50’s “B” movie!).

Hmmm, perhaps a compromise is in order. I’ll pretend to host the films while watching at home (yeah, I’ll be talking out loud to my television. Quiet, you in the back!) and TCM can pretend to pay me for my efforts. Yeah, that should work out just FINE. La la la laaa. La la laaaa. I’m a STAR! (Cue the men in white coats in 3… 2… 1..)

It’s Sunday and You Need a Drink… But a Big Laugh Works Better.

Posted on September 7, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, Faux Toez!)

Yeah, it’s been that sort of day here, but I won’t be like Charlie above, trying to scam my way to a better outcome. I like my work like I like my imported cheese: hard exterior, soft inside and slightly aromatic. Wait. That made not a lot of sense. Oh, I’m just delirious from walking up too early and buying a dozen cans of imported tomatoes for 88 cents a piece. One had a tiny puncture in in that I only noticed after I got home, so that had to go back and be replaced, as there’s nothing worse than getting a nice case of food poisoning from something like that. hey, better safe than stupid, i say. Anyway, I’m in the middle of a quick proofreading thing and some other stuff (like some dough proofing at home while I’m out typing this post). Let me let YOU go watch that flick above and laugh yourself silly while I get back to doing more productive stuff. Um, it’s a short, so you won’t need to make any popcorn unless you already have and it’s a serving or three you can wolf down in about fourteen minutes.

Back in a bit…

Today’s IndieGala Bundle is Quite Grotesque! Which Means You’ll Want It Anyway…

Posted on September 7, 2014 by geelw

Nice. Ten games, two bucks, 24 hours. Should you? Well, in a word… YES. If you like isometric action RPGs, Space Hack will get you at least 50 hours (it’s actually MORE, as I’ve played this one a few times through) of alien blasting goodness with a pretty compelling story as the game progresses. Greed: Black Border is another space-centric blast-fest that’s quite good for what it is. The two games this bundle gets its name from in the Grotesque Tactics series are fun fantasy romps with a turn-based battle system familiar to fans of Final Fantasy Tactics and other games of that sort.

Avencast is an unconventional adventure/RPG with a magic-based combat system and Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood mixes in a sort of tactical combat/puzzle solving/adventure game blend with its older school visuals for a nice and challenging time. You’ll also get a couple of post-apocalyptic car combat games, an open world highway/street chase game based off a cheesy German TV show and a surprisingly engrossing game about trading in space all for what a cup of coffee costs (or two, if you’re REALLY cheap and get someone else to pay the tax, you cheapskate!).

So yeah, shut up and do what you need to do, already. I’ll be here in the back cackling madly when you’re trying to chase me around the room for “making” you buy all those games for so little money and realizing you need to now make time to play all those games. Hey, welcome to MY world, folks!