The Walking Dead Now Available At Retail (Yes, on a Disc!): Thank You, Telltale Games!

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Excellent. I’m glad I (as well as the others who couldn’t download this as a per-episode experience) I can FINALLY get to play The Walking Dead, given all the stellar things I’ve heard about the writing and amazing amount of choice available that drive the story in a number of interesting directions. I’m actually surprised that in addition to a standard version (and a great budget price point of $29.99), there’s a super deluxe Gamestop-only version (that’s sold out from what I’ve seen) for about $40 more that packs in The Walking Dead Compendium: One (a thick volume containing 48 issues of the award-winning comic). I still haven’t touched the comic other than the first issue and skimming through a few others, so that Gamestop bundle would indeed be peachy to own. However, it’s already commanding some crazy prices online (one of the stupid perils of exclusives), so I’ll stick with the standard edition and pick up one of those collections in the future. Hell, I have a ton of stuff to read already, so those Walkers can wait a bit longer…

Now, it WOULD have also be very cool to see a Vita version, but hey – I guess we’ll need to see what Telltale plans for the future, as there’s going to be a second “season” of the game coming at some point…

GTA San Andreas: “Introduction” – One of the Best 20 Minute Game Movies You’ll Ever See.

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Grab a 40 (or some eggnog), pull up a chair and sit down to one of the most impressive bits of storytelling from a ten-year old video game. To some of the less respectful gamers out there Grand Theft Auto San: Andreas may be ancient “by today’s standards” (and it’s now available on PSN and Xbox Live), but Rockstar Studios created a game for the ages (whether you like the M-rated content or not). I know I put maybe 70 or so hours into the game when it was initially released on the PS2… but I still didn’t see the ending. Not for lack of trying, mind you – the memory card with my saves on it went missing and I certainly wasn’t pleased with having to restart the game from the beginning. Not that I would have minded much at all – it’s just that I had a ton of other games to review and I’ve never gotten back into San Andreas after all this time.

Well, it sure looks as if I have the chance now, hmmmm?  As for y-o-u, well now, are you going to get THIS game for your favorite player, or will it be another Chia Pet or Clapper this year? C’mon, do the right thing and get this one as a gift for that (over 18, of course) gamer on your list.

D3Publisher of America’s Holiday 2012 Lineup Is Mysteriously Free Of Bugs…

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Hey D3! Nice family-friendly lineup you’ve got there. One teeny-tiny thing irks me, however. You know, TEASING viewers about Earth Defense Force 2017 Portable (which comes out on February 12, 2013) in your otherwise fine Holiday Gift Guide YouTube video would have been a REALLY cool thing to do. Since you didn’t, I have an idea: cook up another of these videos for that game and post it, oh, I dunno BEFORE the end of this year (or at latest, at the beginning of 2013) just so people KNOW that the game is available as a pre-order from a few places. Look, the Vita is getting the crap kicked out of it by the 3DS and some games journalists who aren’t happy with some of Sony’s decisions. It needs any game that could be a potential hit (and system seller) to get as much notice as possible as early as possible. Sooooo, get ‘er done, I say! Take Two… ACTION!

Got $25K Lying Around? You Can Own EVERY Super Nintendo Game Ever Released in North America.

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SNES WOWHoly cats. This is one of those things that makes me wish I had a ton of money to toss around like a rapper making it rain in a strip club. Ebay user kaisetsuna has put up an amazing auction that features all 721 Super Nintendo games ever released in the US, Mexico and Canada. 500 pounds of games in assorted conditions, all with boxes (save for the handful of pack-in games that didn’t have them), most with manuals. Even crazier is how the lot was assembled and why he’s getting rid of such an impressive stash. He cobbled together the bulk of the games through multiple purchases, replacing battered boxes and when possible, manuals with better condition ones, cleaning up carts and more all for archiving the games for reference purposes and future emulation…

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Random Art: New Mouse Means New Trees…

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in characterSo, the folks at a A4Tech sent me one of their G11-570HX-4 Wireless Mice to try out and after charging it up and doing some rather dull pointing and clicking from a few places around the room (it’s a really smooth and responsive mouse on any surface no matter how irregular) and some more exciting gaming for a bit (yes indeed, it works excellently in the games I tried it with), I decided to try it out as a drawing tool in MS Paint (see left, Sherlock!). Not bad for a quickie sketch, but I’ll see what I can do later with a few free hours to play around.

It’s definitely much better than the USB mice Ive used previously since it glides so well over the small space I usually do digital art on.  I liked the no hole design on the mouse that keeps it from trapping dust and other crap  on the lens (which can be cleaned with a cotton swab or soft cloth) The rechargeable G11 has a pretty long battery life per charge (I’ve had it for a week so far and it’s still going strong) and also has an optional downloadable office suite that adds a bunch of other functions to the mouse, but I haven’t actually downloaded it yet (Yep, I’m THAT busy these days).  Anyway, with seven buttons to play around with, 5 DPI settings and a fair price point ($32.99 or less if  you shop around), the G11 is a decently reliable mouse for everyday usage that won’t break the bank

If The World IS Going To End, I’m Goin’ Out Watching Cartoons…

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Harveytoons NO, I’m not one of those doomsayers who’ve managed to mix up a bunch of ancient religions, useless superstitions and poor scientific knowledge into some crazy idea that the world will be no more thanks to a misread stone calendar, a planet we’d have seen for many years about to crash into us or some other scenario cooked up by people who shouldn’t watch so many bad movies late at night. But, whatever. All I know is I’ll be charging my laptop up just in case SOMETHING does happen and the power goes out so I can relive some childhood memories on the supposed day of dooms. If we all go up an a ball o’ fire, I’ll die with a smile on my face. If we don’t, I’ll still be smiling while others are demanding their money back from those folks who’ve raked in a mint from suckers who should know better. Anyway, if you hear some chuckling while people are jumping out of buildings screaming, that’s not me laughing at fools taking themselves out of the gene pool – that’s just me in front of the TV having a blast (and a big bowl of cereal, most likely)…

Video Game Appreciation 101: New Additions – DS & PSP Stuff!

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DS_PSP_stuffA few more games for the library, this time a few Match-3 puzzle games: Bejeweled 3, 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, 7 Wonders II and the recently reviewed Jewel Master: Cradle of Egypt 2. On the PSP front, Taito Legends: Power-Up and The Chikyuu Boueigun 2 Portable (in English, that’s The Earth Defense Forces 2 Portable). Of the puzzle games, of course Bejeweled 3 is the master class in fun, accessibility and replay value, as the game hooks you right on in from the beginning and keeps you playing thanks to its wide variety of mini-games and rewards galore as you play. The music is pretty killer as well. The two 7 Wonders games show an interesting progression, as the sequel fixes some of the issues from the first game while also adding new content.

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After Earth Trailer: M. Night Shyamalan Rolls The Dice Yet Again…

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While this is a great looking trailer, I just KNOW there’s a collective “OK, which M. Night are we getting this time, folks?” rumbling all around the internet. Let’s see now, there’s “The clever twist you didn’t see coming!” one from his earlier works or the “Toss it all in a pot with a twist ending you don’t quite appreciate!” from a few films that some audiences didn’t “get” at all? Well, at least this upcoming film hits the right marks as far as its trailer nailing the popular sci-fi, future ruined earth and CG-packed action scenes stuff. We’ll have to see how well the father and son Smith team do here, as the trailer doesn’t make it clear whether dad is alive or dead after that horrific crash. I’m thinking that’s one twist, but as usual… we shall see…

Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2 VGA Trailer: More of the Same Is Actually a Great Thing…

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From visual quality and gameplay to audio, Mercury Steam’s first Castlevania experience was the best 3D game in the series by a few thousand miles and this sequel looks to be even better. If you haven’t played the original Lords of Shadow yet, go grab it and see for yourself that the combination of 3D and Konami’s storied vampire franchise can and does work well under the right hands. Of course, a little help from Hideo Kojima doesn’t hurt at all, but the game is definitely a nice surprise. The sequel adds some new elements and characters, but I’m betting the dev team isn’t mucking much with what worked in their last game. As always, we shall see.. but I predict this one will be as good as or even better than the first one.

South Park: The Stick of Truth Trailer: THQ Bets The Farm You’ll Buy This RPG

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Ah, the eternal coin flip here: Is South Park still enough of a viable money-making franchise for THQ that enough gamers will drop full retail for it (thus making The Stick of Truth a huge smash hit from day one)? Will the talented folks at Obsidian deliver a RPG experience closer to a Neverwinter Nights 2 (quite good), a KOTOR 2 (decent, but flawed) or an Alpha Protocol (good idea, poor execution)? Will enough critics be kind to the game once they get past the gimmicky elements and dig into the RPG aspects? All these Q’s and many more will be answered soon enough.

I’ll admit now that I don’t watch South Park regularly enough to offer up anything other than an opinion that the game needs to be consistent and not rely solely on the outrageous humor the show is well-known for. That said, I’d love to see this on portable systems, but I guess that’s up to THQ (if they’re still around after the game comes out)…