Clan of Champions Update: PSN, Steam Bound This Summer in NA & EU.

Posted on June 23, 2012 by geelw

So, Clan of Champions still isn’t getting a budget retail release? Boo. Still, it’ll be worth a buy or try if you’re a fan of the underappreciated Gladiator Returns on the PSP or Warriors of the Lost Empire, another PSP game that’s got visual similarities as well as some of the same game mechanics, menus, options and even typefaces as Gladiator Returns. Well, all three games are from the same developer, so I don’t mind this sort of recycling, although Warriors was one of those games that you had to get used to (and actually only really got great after you beat it once). Gladiator Returns was better in some respects, but had some of the same flaws as Warriors. That said, both games had more than enough going for them to keep me playing and CoC looks to hit that same spot.

Of course, I still have my fingers crossed that NISA gets back to doing more with retail as well as DLC so MORE people can play these games, as not EVERYONE has the ability to or hell, even likes to download ALL their game content. Getting this game and perhaps some of their other upcoming PSN-only content on a disc at some point (together in one package deal) would indeed be sweet… but I’m not holding my breath. It’s kind of hard to type when you’re blue in the face, you know…

Best Gaming News I’ve Heard Today (So Far): Journey Collector’s Edition Coming To Disc This Year.

Posted on June 22, 2012 by geelw

OK, you KNOW you’re tired when you keep replacing the posts you just wrote with new ones, then get annoyed that what you spent time working on has gone for good (almost… thank goodness for auto-saves!). One more re-post (this one), and I’m off to bed, grrrr…

Well, well, well. Something I’d begged thatgamecompany to consider doing way back when I first saw Journey at a press event here in NYC and it looks as if a lot of other people have been thinking and wanting the exact same thing. Thanks to a recent tweet that spilled the beans after the CE info for the region-free Asian version showed up on Play-Asia (interestingly enough, the page says the popular online import retailer has pre-sold out of its allocated supply already). I saw something about a week or two ago mentioning the possibility of Journey hitting retail a disc, but it looks as if tgc’s other hits, flOw and Flower will also be included along with other surprises not yet revealed. My money is on a soundtrack (either downloadable or on the Blu-Ray), art gallery and perhaps a making of video, all of which would make the package a must-buy, especially for PS3 owners who don’t or can’t access PSN.

That said… all of that content would indeed be lovely, but if there were demos of other PSN games (that were or are HOPEFULLY also Blu-Ray bound as fair-priced collections) of recent vintage (or those soon to be released… *cough!* Papo & Yo *cough!*), that would be even better. Come on, SCEA – do this up right and make some money while making a LOT of people really happy in the process. More news on this awesomeness as it rolls out. The inevitable trailer should be interesting, that’s for sure…

Nintendo 3DS XL: It’s Definitely Much Larger (And New Users Need To Buy A Charger)…

Posted on June 22, 2012 by geelw

Update: Well, oops: it looks as if the XL will indeed ship with that Adapter.Charger after all. Thanks to Destructoid for confirming this. Now, good night!

How very, very funny. I was going to buy my own 3DS a few weeks back (I’d been borrowing a friend’s system from time to time, as he doesn’t use it much), but something kept holding me back. It looks as if this was what I was waiting for, so good for me, I suppose. Those larger screens are a blessing my my ancient eyeballs and while the unit doesn’t have a second analog disc (there’s now room for it, but hell, you’d have to have EVERY game that could use a second stick be reprogrammed to take advantage of it), it’s not going to stop many core users from upgrading (after some complaints, especially if they recently bought a 3DS). That said, Nintendo gets a kick in the shins for keeping the price “below” $200 by dropping the AC Adapter/battery charger from the new handheld’s packaging, forcing new users to shell out for one. If you’re trading up, the old 3DS Adapter will work just fine, so at least they got THAT right (Apple, take notes, at least on this part).

As usual, you can’t make EVERYONE happy, but you can at least make sure they can see and play your games, so kudos to Nintendo on that front. Oh yeah, here’s the rest of the Nintendo Direct video so you can check out what else is coming for the platform from the house that Mario built…

Plush Sega Genesis! Now, That’s A True Sega Fan At Work…

Posted on June 21, 2012 by geelw

This is REALLY cool, isn’t it? And nope, I didn’t make this at all – I’m just re-posting a video from Sega’s YouTube channel. The only thing I’ve ever made for Sega was TROUBLE, thanks to all my requests for obvious remakes or reboots that have never been done. To wit: Hey, Sega! Where the heck is Panzer Dragoon BOX (with all the games redone in HD), Shining Force III: Complete (same HD deal, with ALL three chapters AND that Premium Disc Content), Some sort of Sega Saturn Collection and hell, while we’re at it an ultimate Arcade/Home Collection that features as many Sega arcade and home games as can fit on a Blu-Ray? I want Thunderground, Astron Belt, SubRoc, Alien III: The Gun, Time Traveler and other games long forgotten (and in some cases NEVER seen on any previous Sega collections). You guys HAVE the history, so USE IT, grrrr! Get on it, already!

See, I’m nothing but trouble. And yeah, I had to rewrite this post because of a glitch that had the Journey post zap the original one I made into the ether. Oops! Anyway, as I said in that post, I can only offer Sega my advice and some tough love because I can’t sew or knit for shit and sending baked goods in the mail is a BIG no-no unless you’re a reputable company shipping food that’s guaranteed not to make anyone sick…

So, Why Am I Caring That Might & Magic Is Celebrating World Music Day?

Posted on June 21, 2012 by geelw

Actually, I’m not… I’m just a bit puzzled here. I’m also wondering when the heck we’ll get an actual return to the Might & Magic series many know and haven’t seen in far too long. You know, the one with that classic first-person perspective, huge dungeons and terrifying level of difficulty thanks to mobs of enemies to face off against. Hey, Ubisoft! You’re appreciated around here and all that, but come on guys and gals – let’s get some classic RPG action back where it belongs. You can save the funny videos for promoting whatever new M&M game you come up with. I say redo IX and follow that up with a proper “sequel” or just start from scratch, keeping the perspective and gameplay from those New World Computing gems. Trust me, MANY people will be happy to see this, especially if you can get it on consoles and handhelds as well as computers (of course)…

Hmmm… I’m Not Sure I WANT To Play As Stan Lee In A Spider-Man Game…

Posted on June 21, 2012 by geelw

Yeah, it’s a stupidly cool Amazon pre-order bonus and all and yes, it’s looking like Beenox’ best game to date, but let me start some trouble here by stating historically (for some old school Marvel fans), it’s a bit off-base. I’d imagine any Steve Ditko supporters out there might be a wee bit ticked off at this, but hey, he’s a mystery man himself and there hasn’t been a photo of him published anywhere that I know of in decades. Feh, we’re a dying breed the kids don’t give a hoot in hell about these days anyway, as I’d bet none of them even KNOW who Ditko is.

Then again, given that Marvel and Stan Lee have been boosting Stan as the creator of any and everything successful about the company for decades (overlooking the contributions of too many comic art legends, many of whom are no longer with us) and Lee’s the perfect showman (in that Funky Flashman manner – if you know what I mean), I’m guessing a little bit of re-writing is helping keep those dollars rolling in for both parties. So, as long as you don’t think about it too much (and that’s not too hard in this era of shorter attention spans), it’s all good, right? Um, “Excelsior!” (which should mean, “Hell No!” in this case, but you can’t stop the fan train from rolling onward sometimes)…

Random Film of the Week: F for Fake

Posted on June 20, 2012 by geelw

OK, I’ll admit I fell asleep the first two times I saw this astounding “documentary” (and final directorial effort) by the late, great Orson Welles… but not because the film was boring. Hell, Welles’ own “trailer” for the film clocks in at over nine minutes… for a film that’s under an hour and a half long. Even more amazing, it’s not even a trailer, but a separate film shot around the same time that ended up not being shown to promote the film before it vanished for a bit and was later found and restored (*whew!*).

Um, where was I again? Oh yeah: On the contrary, dear readers, I’d been really looking forward to seeing this film each time, but in both cases, it was shown very late at night (actually, very early in the morning) and I’d been awake both times for a bit longer than I’d expected. The third time wasn’t the charm, either, as it was on again at a very late hour and I took a nap in front of the TV so I’d be refreshed and ready to go. Of course, guess who slept through the first hour of the film? Did I mention that I don’t have a TiVO or other fancy (or dated) video recording device? *Sigh*…

And so it went until attempt number four…

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The Dark Knight Rises TV Ad #2: And Then, What Happened?

Posted on June 20, 2012 by geelw

Sus-pense! At this point, if this film isn’t as long as Lawrence of Arabia, I’ll be very disappointed. Just kidding, but. that said, director Chris Nolan has pretty much pulled out all the stops here and I’m almost convinced that staying home and hunkering down for the inevitable Blu-Ray box set release with all three of his Batman films might be a better idea than running out and seeing this in a theater. Granted, I’ll more likely than not do both, but I want to see what got left out of the theatrical release, as Hollywood likes getting asses in seats like clockwork, sometimes killing a director’s true vision until the home versions hit retail. As always, we shall see…

The White Wolf Returns: Okami Goes the HD Download Route Over PSN This Fall

Posted on June 20, 2012 by geelw

Excellent. At a paltry $19.99 with added Move support (and Trophies if you want ’em) this is a no-brainer buy, period. Of course, PSN-only means it’ll be overlooked by a few who can’t get DLC. Heck, you know I’d kill to have this on a disc, as it’s one of the more gorgeous, innovative and fun games on any console. Yeah, I still have the original PS2 version here, but I’d buy it all over again just to play it with the Move (and in HD)… Anyway, once Capcom drops an actual date, I’ll post that here…

The Master Teaser Trailer # 2: More Yet Less Works Fine For Me…

Posted on June 20, 2012 by geelw

I’m loving that P.T. Anderson isn’t giving anything away in these trailers. Setting up scenes that add to the mystery of exactly what the film is about is excellent, as I’m sick of seeing trailers that tell you all you need to know and basically make you not want to waste the cost of a ticket to see them. Yeah, yeah, it’s supposed be about the founding of Scientology or some other cult-like religion with a curious hold on its adherents, but these trailers don’t even hint at this at all. Like Anderson’s other films, I’m betting it’ll go over the head of those expecting a traditional narrative, yet stand up quite well to repeated viewings. Hey, I saw There Will Be Blood something like seven times just to pick through every scene and absorb all it had to say, so this one is looking like another deep diver. Off to find a milkshake… “Draiiiiiinage!”