Plants vs. Zombies Pinball (Yes!) On The Way for Zen Pinball 2

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While I truly miss the days of beating feet to the arcades every weekend with a roll of quarters to check out the latest pinball (and arcade) games, a few very dedicated  developers who were also fans of the old school such as the mighty Zen Studios have been keeping the flame alive digitally. Thanks to some incredible simulations that take up a hell of a lot less space than an actual Pinball machine, yet manage to pack in all the thrills, you whippersnappers can play to your hearts content in the comfort of your living room and get the same thrills. Well, save for the flat out cool factor an actual hefty hunk of American made metal, glass and well-wired circuit boards brings to your living room. Hell, I bet that damn 60″ HD setup you have is where that pinball table WOULD be. Wait, what? You have a 90″ TV? Eeek. Well, good for you.

Anyway, Zen Pinball 2 (or Pinball FX2 for you Xbox 360 owners) has been getting some AMAZING updates. Here’s the latest one coming your way next week: Plants vs. Zombies Pinball, based on the popular and hilarious PopCap games. Three bucks for your PS3 or Vita (yes!), 240 MS Points for your 360. That’s a recommendation right there if I’ve ever written one. Poke around PSN or mosey around Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade in a few days, whip out that wallet and add PvZP to your collection.

Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes: Just When I Think I’m Out, They Drag Me Back In…

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OK, I’ll bite (and hard, at that) – a new Metal Gear Solid game coming from Kojima Productions?  With that proprietary Fox Engine making sure the game looks even more amazing as an anniversary present for fans of the long-running series, this one’s a no-brainer even if it was a Metal Gear tsuguroku. Fortunately, it’s not, as you’ll see in this almost 11 minute jaw-dropper. I’m in all the way on this one, feet first. Hell, I’ll even post the trailer twice here (one is English subtitled) just to show my love for the series. Hey, I’m still buying Revengeance, Konami – I’m not some fair weather fan who only wants the same thing over and over. Thankfully, Hideo Kojima seems to be the same in that each Metal Gear experience has some truly excellent reasons to play through multiple times…

As for the proposed Metal Gear Solid movie everyone seems to be raving about (n one way or another)? I’m really, really on the fence here. Why?  Well, young’uns… the joke goes something like this: in every Metal Gear Solid game, there’s that loooooooooooooong cut scene where unless you’re prepared for it, will go on and on (and on), forcing you to commit to playing around with camera angles with your controller just to kill time as an important plot point is explained. At some point (if you haven’t fallen asleep), you can et up and go make dinner, go to the bathroom or even go outside to check the mailbox (sometimes all of the above) before things get back to being playable.

You can’t expect a modern movie audience to be in on this at all (maybe the art house crowd will go for it, though), so hopefully, the folks writing it will go light on the exposition. On the other hand, I don’t want a stupid action flick with explosions and Meryl boobing out all over and a story that’s thinner than the edge of a katana. If this isn’t in The Dark Knight territory in terms of tone and execution, I’ll be a sad clown indeed. But let’s see what happens with this project. With a Solid Script (ha ha), perhaps Solid Snake can rake in the green with a big surprising smash of a summer flick.

 

 

That said, success or failure at the box office, I’ll still respect you in the morning Mr. Kojima!

I’m Much Older Than Street Fighter (and Ryu Can Still Kick My Ass)

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Wow – 25 years is a pretty good run for any game, but Capcom’s long-running Street Fighter series was and is a key point in quite a few people’s gaming lives. Me, I’ve always been terrible at fighters like this, but that’s probably because I always seemed to have to play against people who were training to be competitive fighting game players, had more quarters than I did or were just plain good at mastering even the worst characters. Eh, I’m a bit of a passy-fist (ha ha) anyway… and a bit of a voyeur as well, as I like watching people play a good fighting game more than I do playing them. That said, I can play a BAD fighting game all day for some reason. There’s something about a busted combat system or super-cheap moves anyone can pull off that’s oddly appealing.

Or maybe I just suck in reverse at this whole fighting game thing… Anyway, happy anniversary, Street Fighter!

The Unfinished Swan PAX Story Trailer: When Games Are Indeed, Art

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I wouldn’t exactly call this soon to be released instant classic something that’s going to make the hardcore shooter fans fall away in droves from the games they like, but you can clearly see all the work that”s gone into making The Unfinished Swan a game for the ages. Of course, it’s another PSN-only game, so it’ll be seen as disposable by those who dislike digital releases. Hmmmm… I really do hope someone is preserving all this game code that goes up on these download sites for future reference, as physical media is still important to the industry (and will be for a while). Hell, they still need to transfer digital movies to 35mm film stock for proper preservation purposes all while the movie industry is rushing into dropping film pretty much entirely within a few years due to the cost of shipping heavy film reels around to theaters (for starters). That’s going to be one frightening time indeed, especially if all that digital data starts disappearing.  Eh, maybe I’m worrying too much… but I don’t think so….

Let Sir Hammerlock Take You On A Tour of Borderlands 2…

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Hmmm. I definitely needed a vacation after all this time without one, but Gearbox’s well-armed, enemy-packed planet of terror is a wee bit too “hot” for my tastes. Oh well – I think I’ll stay home and blow $#i! up from the comfort of my couch, thank you much. Anyway, start stocking up on provisions now, what with food prices jumping and all that noise. I predict it’s going to be a looooong fall of many gamers buried in this game for way too long (just like 2K Games and Gearbox want them to)…

Scribblenauts Unlimited Lets You Make That Obscure Object of Desire A Playable Thing

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I want a Wii U for plenty of other reasons, but Scribblenauts Unlimited is making me want one even more just to see how well the Object Editor works. Since you can create “anything” you like, I’ll be poking around in some old books just to see what sort of ancient devices i can bring to life and how the game responds to my brain thinking too much. Eh, if anyone can make it work, it’s the team at 5th Cell… I can’t wait to dive in. Even though this is coming to PC as well, I much prefer the longer distance a living room, TV and new controller provide, but I won’t stop you PC-only gamers from enjoying the game on whatever rig you’re planning to play it on…

Bastion Finally Hits The iPad (But Apple Still Isn’t Getting A Dime From Me)…

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OK, I don’t have an iPad and have no interest in buying or owning one, thank you much (where do I put the games again and where’s my controller?). But for those millions of you out there who can’t let go of that trendy tactile tablet thingamajig, you need to get Bastion now that it’s finally hit the App Store. It’s a great game that worked perfectly on the PC, so Supergiant Games is expanding their multiple award-winning game with some touchy-feely controls and other enhancements that make an already superb RPG even better.  Android device owners, you’re still going to be waiting around for a bit if you haven’t played this gem yet… but hey, if you have a PC or laptop, just buy the darn game for your actual computer, I say…

Random Unfinished Indie Game of the Week: Wilfred the Hero, Part 1

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My quest to uncover all the hidden RPG gems continues marching onward… and this time, it’s something really cool that while incomplete, was actually the springboard for an even better remake (which is still in progress as we speak). While Wilfred the Hero, Part 1 is almost eight years old, don’t let that stop you from giving it a try.  It’s yet another excellent RPG made with RPG Maker 2003 that doesn’t use the familiar art assets found in the RTP. Creators Teo Mathlein (art) and Brandon Abley (music) managed to make a game that’s wholly unique in its art style while adding elements to the gameplay from a few sources. While it’s labeled as a “Japanese-style” console RPG experience, i think that’s selling the game short, as it’s set in a world that won’t be familiar to those expecting that typical Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest clone game.

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Video Game Appreciation 101, Scary Side: Roxy’s – A Little Slice of Silent Hill, Circa 1960…

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Edward Kienholz was an artist you may or may not have heard of (depending on your level of education), so if you know his work and happen to be a gamer, you’re smiling right now.  For those of you who are scratching your heads, I’ll let you Google him and more of his work up at your leisure. Before that, take a peek at that image to the left. Go on, it won’t bite (I think)…

OK, maybe this should be ART Appreciation 101, huh?. It’s from Roxy’s, an environmental installation piece from 1960-61 (and the artist’s first large scale work) based (loosely, I hope) on the artist’s memories of a visit to a Las Vegas bordello in the 1940’s. Long story short, I’d seen this image years ago in an art book and it bugged the hell out of me for weeks. As in seeing that figure hovering around in a nightmare or two and maybe wanting to dig my eyes out with a cold spoon after waking up bugged…

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WIN FREE STUFF! Two Tiny Troopers Steam Codes Up For Grabs!

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 UPDATE: CONTEST CLOSED!  WINNERS PICKED!  CODES SENT!  WHEE!
Hey! You look like you could use a game break, so here’s a quick giveaway for two lucky readers. Tiny Troopers for PC is a fun action/real-time strategy hybrid from Kukouri Mobile Entertainment and Iceberg Interactive that’s been getting some pretty solid reviews for the iOS and Android versions.

Now, lucky PC and Mac gamers can give this enhanced version of the game a shot through Valve’s always rockin’ Steam download service, where the game is normally $9.99, but is on sale until September 7, 2012 through the Steam store for 20% off. That, by the way, is what they call a STEAL in this day and age.

Here’s a peek at the game (and of course, gameplay) for you:

Looks pretty cool, huh?  I say go make yourself and the developer happy and buy this game.  Or, you could luck out and be one of two winners here simply by being the first two folks to post a note below. Don’t get too giddy now and put your email address in that note, now – I know how to track you down without it.  Anyway, RULES: you DO need a Steam account to enter, the game is PC and Mac compatible and there’s only ONE code per winner, so don’t get grabby, now!  Winners will be emailed their codes, so yes, having an actual email address will help as well. Also, even if you don’t win, the game is a good enough deal at either the full or reduced price to make a great purchase for yourself or someone else.

Anyway, if you’ve read this far and haven’t replied, you might not be a winner, so get cracking!