Pain & Gain: Reality Bites Harder Than In Bay’s Gaudy Live Action Cartoon…

Hollywood revisionism isn’t anything new, but I’d say a few films over the last few years including this one have stood out for being more vile than most when going for the funny when they needed to go somewhere else. Did you see 30 Minutes or Less and leave that theater laughing? Well, that “comedy” was “inspired” by an actual series of events in 2003 that led to the death of one man and the arrest and trial of those who planned the crime. Paramount’s Pain & Gain is actually a tad more disturbing when you follow the even weirder and horrifying true story the film is based on. It’s a pretty compelling read, that’s for sure and may have made for a better (and yes, harder to watch) documentary than a heavily re-scripted popcorn flick with some mega-stars chewing the scenery up.

Of course, I’d bet you a wooden nickel that anyone seeing this film won’t give a hoot in hell at all and sure, you can rattle off a whole list of films that bleach out the awful truth and mine the results for comic gold. Eh, perhaps I’m complaining too much here… on the other hand, too many people seem to get their truth solely from these “based on a true story” flicks and yep, that’s a damn dangerously dumb person to try and hold a conversation with…

Orc Attack: Casual Brothers Cooks Up A Cool-Looking “Gas & Slash” Game…

OrcAttack Box Art With SO many indie developers getting so many games out there and not enough time in the day to cover them all, they need to be either really innovative or really amusing to catch my attention. Orc Attack isn’t innovative at all, but seeing it in action made me smile because it reminded me of some of the classic arcade beat ’em ups I spent way too much money on back in the day.

This may be developer Casual Brothers Games first project, but it certainly looks as if it won’t be their last if the right audience snaps this one up. It’s already getting interest as a potential Steam Greenlight candidate )go vote if you’ve an account there!) and is coming to PS3, Vita (yes!) and Xbox Live Arcade soon. I’ll have to check this out once it’s out because my retro sense is tingling, shiny 3D visuals aside. Alrighty, then – my work here is done. For now… Orcs, I’m coming for you (and holding my breath, you gassy brutes)…

Lost Planet 3 Multplayer Interview: Szymanski’s The Man, See…

OK, either Capcom read my mind and had this prepared a while back or they read my post yesterday and cooked this up in a hurry. Probably neither of the above and more like it’s been in the works just to explain the upcoming game’s MP modes as I hoped they’d do. From what I got to try of the campaign, the game is solid and quite enjoyable in that “Ah, this is MUCH cooler once you give it a play” way that’s supposed to happen. Hopefully, some of the louder, lazier skeptics who love to knock anything fun if it’s not what they THINK they want will shut it and put some time into trying this one out. I’ve been sold since last year and that was without any multiplayer.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing Katarina Trailer: A Little Ghost Recon For You…

That’s LADY Katarina, to you, mister. Yeah, you can take your jiggered jump scares “reality” TV ghost shows and stick them in the circular fish tank where they belong. Me, I’ll be running around in some mighty pretty (and pretty deadly) environments with a ghost that’s actually useful against other supernatural creatures. Katrina might be fake, but at least she doesn’t give a crap and knows you’re going to like her for her skills and not just her good looks. NeoCore Games must have read my mind, as The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing has got “sleeper hit” stamped all over it, but “Mega Hit” is glowing away in BIG neon letters for fans of these action RPGs like me. Keep it coming guys. Did you know you can pre-order this one and get a beta key on Steam? NO? Well, hell – I’m not doing my job right then… (takes out Hypno-Coin)… Go do that pre-order thing NOW.

And you’re welcome…

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GOG.com Weekend Sale: Some Great Odds ‘N Ends of the “Buy Me!” Variety…

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This weekend’s gog.com sale is a really cool one that features some classics from back in the day up to recent hits I all highly recommend and yes, they’re all at great prices. Psychonauts for five bucks? GET IT! You’ll fire your psychologist after a weekend with this game (seriously). Of course, FAHRENHEIT will make you hire that shrink right back. Tiny & Big: Grandpa’s Leftovers will get you wishing you were paying more attention in physics class while you groove on the awesome visuals and indie tunes from your screen and speakers, while Enclave will get you hacking and slashing with care, as playing it mindlessly will drive you back to a new shrink (or a second one).

Alien Shooter 2: Reloaded is simple and brilliant, bloodily effective at delivering the alien-blasting goods and the double-retro rainbow of Retro City Rampage and Hotline Miami are actually two VERY opposite poles of the same retro planet. One is a hilariously funny send-up of classic NES games and 80’s/90’s pop culture, while the other is a hilariously brutal and gory send up DEFINITELY not for the kiddies. Both are awesome.  There are more games to check out, but stop reading this and go see for yourself. Less time reading, MORE time playing is a good motto today. That sale actually ends on Tuesday, April 30, so take an extra day off work if you need to. It’s OK… just tell the boss I said you could…

XCOM Remake Goes From FPS to Tactical Third Person. Change Is Good (Hopefully)…

I actually didn’t mind at all that the initially announced (and formerly Xbox 360 exclusive) version of this was going to be a first-person experience, but some really stubborn hardcore fans of the classic PC game as well as misguided message board denizens who think ANY game with a FPS viewpoint is going to be a Call of Duty retread didn’t like the new direction at ALL. While all that turmoil was going on, veteran developer Firaxis was tapped to create a new tactical game in the series that followed and enhanced the gameplay of the original and as expected, it did quite well critically and (it seems) commercially. During all this, a poll was taken about the other game and fans basically asked it to be pretty much as similar as can be to what they “expect” and so, here we are… Continue reading

Gallery: Resident Evil Revelations

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Jill_Porthole_ArtworkJill Valentine certainly isn’t on The Love Boat this time out and this creature-packed cruise from hell she’s stuck on will surely make her long “OK, let’s NOT do that again” list along with her every other appearance in a Resident Evil game where she’s put through the virtual wringer. But where would you fans be if she wasn’t always in some sort of peril with half a clip left and something really ugly closing in for it’s dinner? Granted, if she’s out of ammo and on her last legs, that’s actually more your fault than the game, right?

Anyway, Resident Evil Revelations looked fantastic as a Nintendo 3DS game last year, but completely redone for consoles and PC, it’s definitely a visual showstopper for the long-running franchise. With a May 21 release date set Capcom has announced that yes indeed, a demo for the upcoming multiplatform game will be released soon over Steam (PC), PSN (PS3), Xbox Live (Xbox 360) and eShop (Wii U), so you’ll get to try this one out and see the horror for yourself. Or not see it, because you’re too damn scared to tiptoe into the next room. Hmmm… I wonder if there’s even a tiptoe animation in the game. I guess that’s my winning suggestion to Capcom for the next installment in the series…

Below the jump are a boatload of screens and a part one of a great developer diary that looks at how RE’s of the past have shaped this installment – do drop in and check it out, please… Continue reading

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: Watch the Clock!

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There’s been a great deal of excitement in Greenvale this week, as it’s gone out on the grapevine that there’s going to be a LOT of new visitors starting next week. Actually, some people are there already from what I’ve been seeing around town, which is both good and bad. The good is business is absolutely BOOMING at both the A&G Diner and Swery 65 Bar, the tips are generous and there are lots of new friends being made all over town. The not so good? Well, try and get a good cup of coffee or a beer in a timely manner at either place and yep, it’s suddenly a pain seeing all those new faces. FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York!) isn’t happy with all these new people getting in his way while he’s trying to wrap up his Red Seeds Killer case file, but he’s about to get a little more unhappy as this overly thrilled employee of the Greenvale police force runs into him and knocks him down, as he’s just heard that there’s now a game shop in the town and there’s this new title he’s been hearing about that he’s just DYING to play…

DPDC PS3 US EFS 2D RealAnd of course, that game just so happens to be Rising Star Games’ Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, exclusively for the PlayStation 3. Those updated HD visuals, PlayStation Move and 3D TV support, new DLC, Trophies and more are all getting a few citizens of Greenvale quite hot and bothered. Of course, that means more PS3 sales and less people out and about once they get their hot little hands on the game, so perhaps York is going to get some relief after all. Well, once he gets up off the carpet and has the footprints cleaned from his suit, that is… ouch.

swery tall beerDid you know that Game Director Swery 65 is STILL celebrating the game’s release? I asked him about this after his sixth one and was told that he’s simply taking care of all his partying at one time because of the different release dates in a few territories. He said he plans to stop and rest for a bit once the North American version comes out, but I just realized he really doesn’t need to. Why? Well, dear reader… In Greenvale, the beer can’t get you drunk at all (it’s digitally created!), so you can drink as much as you want and never feel a thing. Of course, if you play around on the options screen, you can reverse that effect and pretty much pickle your liver in about three sips… but who the hell wants to do that? Enjoy responsibly, people!

Dead Island Riptide Launch Trailer: A “Staycation” Was A Much Better Idea…

Yeesh. I’ve heard of vacations from hell, but this is REALLY ridiculous. Granted, the original Dead Island had that whole “island paradise gone to zombie hell” vibe going for it from that first CG trailer everyone fell over backwards over that wasn’t quite what the game was about, but this one looks like it’s got more of a story. And more crazy undead to put down before they eat your skin. Did I mention this game isn’t for kids or those who faint at the word BLOOD or sight of it (even if it’s fake)? Well, it is. So there. Oh, wait…. you fainted dead away, so now I’m typing this to no one. Rats. Well, as long as you didn’t crack your head open when you fell from that chair (and don’t come after me as a zombie), it’s all good…

Defiance 1:3 Preview: “The Devil in the Dark”

Short and longer previews of next week’s episode, anyone? I like that the show picks bits and pieces from all over and cobbles them together into something entertaining that makes those who get all the references nod and wink at their TV screens. I’m not tracking the ratings at all, as that’s a useless thing to do for any show that SHOULD get a full season and story arc to find its place. I hear that the game has been having some bumps that are being ironed out through patches, but that’s the online space for you – nothing ever goes THAT smoothly even if that’s the best intention of all involved. It’s a really good thing the show is so much fun to watch and both products can stand alone while enhancing the overall experience if one has the means and connection speed to play.