Lollipop Chainsaw: Suda 51 & Grasshopper Manufacture Do It Again…

Posted on by
Reply



WBIE might be better known to some gamers as the publishers behind the latest Mortal Kombat reboot, Batman: Arkham Asylum and the upcoming Batman: Arkham City (among other games), but now they'll be known for publishing a game with one of the more offbeat titles in recent memory. Lollipop Chainsaw, the upcoming PS3/Xbox 360 project from Suda 51 and grasshopper manufacture, is set to hit stores sometime in 2012. Press release below the jump – screens to follow once they're released. Oh, that's Juliet in the corner. She's the game's zombie-killing heroine. Not pictured: Her boyfriend, who's a disembodied head. I'm gathering there's a story behind THAT, but hey – in a Suda 51 game, you learn not too ask too many questions – you just grab something and hang on for dear life as the weird roller coaster ratchets up that rickety wooden frame…Read more »

Gallery: PopRally Arcade @ MoMA

Posted on by
Reply

And here you go: images from the MoMA Event put on by KillScreen Magazine. I'd say the game of the evening was B.U.T.T.O.N., as it had the most people lined of to get in on the mayhem. Seeing a wide range of adults crashing into each other or otherwise rolling around on the floor was absolutely hilarious. I'd say that if the team at CGP had boxed plug 'n play copies of the game for sale with those custom big button controllers for around fifty bucks or so, they'd have sold out before the evening was over. Seriously. I was at the Limbo station starting at 10 and although it was only the demo version, it freaked a few people out while others who figured out how to get the boy to live through the assorted traps wanted to see more (I think I helped sell a few Xbox 360's in promoting the game, so Microsoft owes me a few bucks, I'd say). Many thanks to Gabo and Eddie for the opportunity to help out!
Read more »

Review: Catherine

Posted on by
Reply

Platform: PlayStation 3/Xbox 360

Developer: Atlus

Publisher: Atlus

# of Players: 1 (Online 1 – 2)

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A

Catherine is one of the best original games of 2011, hands-down and of this writing, Atlus' fastest and biggest selling title to date. The hype surrounding the Japanese release along with initial worries that it wouldn't be localized due to its subject matter were followed by quick disappointment from Atlus fans when they found out it was staying overseas. Surprisingly, not too long afterward, word started leaking out that an English localization was underway and shortly after that, Atlus USA announced that Catherine was indeed coming to North America not only uncensored, but with PS3 and Xbox 360 cover variants, a great art book/soundtrack CD pre-order bonus and even a fantastic Limited Edition package. Definitely not for kids, anime haters, hopeless romantics or those easily frustrated by trial and error gameplay, what's here is a remarkable, visually brilliant work that bridges the gap between uncomfortable arty project and instant conversation starter.Read more »

Tough Love: I’d Feel Sorry For Nintendo If They Were Smarter…

Posted on by
Reply


Call me crazy, but it looks as if history is repeating itself, this time a bit louder. The last time Nintendo tried to capitalize on the 3D “trend”, we ended up with the Virtual Boy, an interesting yet flawed device that tanked because it was too unwieldy, initially too expensive and only had a handful of monochrome titles released with few others cancelled or shipped out in small quantities. It landed in the discount bins at rental shops like Blockbuster and retail stores and is now a rather cool collectible that showed Nintendo does indeed make the occasional mistake. Flash forward to this week's news that the 3DS is getting a 32% price chop (which resulted in Nintendo's stock dropping by 21% as of this writing) and yes, thanks to a number of high profile game delays and cancellations, it's a case of here we go again… almost.Read more »

See You At PopRally!

Posted on by
Reply


It’s going to be a SUPER BUSY day today, between a few press meetings (Bethesda and D3Publisher, sorry EA – I had to drop someone today and you lost the coin toss!), then it’s off to MoMA to help the KillScreen guys out with tonight’s Arcade event at PopRally. I’ll be manning the LIMBO station starting at 10PM until 11:30, so if you’re in the area, drop by and say hi! If I can, I’ll take some photos and post them tomorrow or around the weekend. I still have Call of Juarez: The Cartel and Captain America reviews to complete (among other things…)

Random Game of the Week: FOTONICA

Posted on by
Reply

Indie game development is all the rage these days to the point that it’s changed the way games are made and marketed (some would say for the worse in the long run, but I don’t agree and that’s another article for another time). I often play way too many of these when I should be doing more important things, but it’s always great to discover buried treasures before they get uncovered by the usual suspects and dragged out into the sunlight for all to play as some sort of next big thing.

Anyway, Santa Ragione’s spectacular FOTONICA was recommended by a friend and I’m glad I took his advice. It’s a simple, one button game with a stylized look and fast-paced, but easy to grasp gameplay you’ll want to experience for yourself. PC and Mac compatible the game is also a free download (but there’s a suggested ‘pay what you want’ donation I’d suggest you use just to support the developer). Anyway, enough blabbing from me. I’ve a busy day ahead – go play a game today!

Cool Stuff For The Masses: Grow Your Own Mushrooms!

Posted on by
Reply

Hey, everyone needs a hobby, right? I have a bit of a green thumb (sometimes), but one thing I’ve never tried was growing my own mushrooms. Of course, living in a NYC apartment, I’m not exactly sure how to get started, but my experiments with a few pepper plants are doing well so far. Granted, I’ve been too busy and yes, lazy to look up the hows and whys and mushroom varieties, but thanks to the fine folks at Back to the Roots, it looks as if I can knock one more thing off my bucket list.

The Oakland-based company has whipped up a really cool Urban Mushroom kit that will let you grow up to 1.5 pounds of tasty oyster mushrooms in a short amount of time. All you need is a sunny window, a spritz of water a day (and a mushroom kit, of course) and soon, you’ll be harvesting and saving money on store bought mushroom of indeterminate age. The cool and weird thing here… the growing medium in recycled coffee grounds! For a mere $19.95 (plus shipping, but buy TWO kits and shipping is FREE), you can either grow these yourself or give someone quite a unique gift. Guess I’ll go order a kit and keep you posted on what happens. Hmmmm… I wonder if these guys have Enoki or a few other varieties?

New Trailer: El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron

Posted on by
Reply

UTV Ignition’s phenomenally gorgeous, sure-fire winner of a sleeper hit may have been pushed back a little to an August release (from July 26), but don’t be disappointed at all. Just go play the demo if you haven’t (and play it again a few more times if you have) and absolutely pre-order this one so the fine folks at UTV Ignition can sleep better at night knowing you’re all a bunch of hardcore gamers who’ll support these guys and their awesome game. Or awesome GAMES, actually. Vanillaware’s spectacular Dragon’s Crown is also one of their future projects, so they need as many of your gaming dollars to show that you guys want this one as well when it’s finally done and ready to ship.

Catherine Is Coming!

Posted on by
Reply

Well, alright. Atlus came through and is indeed shooting over a copy of Catherine, which makes me happy beyond words. Well, I have words, but you’ll need to wait and see what they are. Granted, I’m still buying the retail version (both of them) at some point because I’m crazy like that, but I’ll be diving into the review copy as soon as it arrives and getting it done up as quickly as possible. Thanks much, guys!

Become Part Of Gaming History – Support the Videogame History Museum!

Posted on by
Reply

Now I wish I REALLY had a million dollars to spend. Some friends of mine who are supremely serious about game history (well, because they’re part of it) have a wonderful Kickstarter.com project going to fund an actual museum devoted to preserving all sorts of games and game goods from the beginnings of the hobby up to today’s games. Check out the project link and video HERE and absolutely DONATE (there are some awesome options that can get you some cool swag if that’s your thing). The team needs $30,000 by September 1, 2011 in order to make this happen and they’re currently at $9,475. Again, check out the link and let’s make this happen!