Game Of Thrones Season 2 “Power & Grace” Trailer: This Means War (And How)…

Posted on February 27, 2012 by geelw

After watching all of Season One over the course of three nights last month, then watching it again a few weeks later, I’m totally hooked in and can’t wait until April when things get rolling again. Actually, the first viewing did it – I re-watched everything just to catch the little things I may have missed. I’m pretty good at spotting stuff, so I didn’t miss much. Nevertheless, it looks as if Season Two will be one I’ll be sitting through multiple times, if this trailer is any indication.

Yeah, I’m slow catching up on a lot of shows, mostly because I’m playing too many games or writing or doing art. Hell, I just discovered how amazing The Wire is about three months ago…

Mass Effect 3 “Fight” Trailer: OK, When’s The Movie Coming Out?

Posted on February 27, 2012 by geelw

Or even better, the live-action/CG mix TV series. Seriously. I can see at least three seasons of this as a show with the potential to be the next Galactica (provided the writing and casting is solid). Even if it’s not totally focused on Shepard’s story, it would be interesting to see how the show handled the different races and planets, as there’s a wealth of info on them in the games. Now, I need to decide which to buy, PS3 or 360. My PC is old as the hills, so that’s not an option. That, and I like my epics played from at LEAST six to eight feet away, as it makes soaking in the scale of the game even more impressive…

Game Appreciation 101 (IV): Those Zen-like Reflexes…

Posted on February 27, 2012 by geelw

Briefly, some random things to contemplate, as you would the moon on a clear night. All of these will be discussed in detail at some later date (and yes, there may even be a test):

Being bad at any games doesn’t mean the game is bad. Hit > To Continue (repeat as necessary).

A game isn’t truly considered “bad” until you actually finish it and can dissect what worked and what didn’t. Hey, you may even like the ending.

Applications of arbitrary rules of reality to any game will only make you enjoy it less. A bit of respect for a developer’s intentions adds perspective.

Bunny hopping, circle strafing and stopping to teabag a dead enemy soldier in a real war zone will get you shot up faster than in any FPS.

Sometimes, skipping Easy mode in a game you’ve never played only to wind up complaining the game is too difficult only means your ego is bigger than your brain.

AI Snipers should always kill you in one shot. This is why they’re snipers. If you think about it, no army wants a soldier with such a position who can’t shoot straight.

Mastering a “bullet hell” shooter actually makes you less likely to fly a real plane out of danger (unless you’re an actual pilot who happens to love those Cave games)…

I’ll stop here, as I have a review to finish and dinner to cook. Class dismissed.

Blades of Time: Gaijin Entertainment Gets A Second Chance To Make Good

Posted on February 27, 2012 by geelw

X-Blades was a great looking game for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC that probably would have been even better if the gameplay, story and level structure were a lot better. I’m guessing that it sold well enough for Russian developer Gaijin Entertainment to get to work on a spiritual successor set to be released in March for the PS3 and Xbox 360. That, or all those military games they’ve been churning ut like clockwork have helped fund this one. Based on the lovely trailer above, I’m a lot happier with the visual style, especially Ayumi’s new look and the supremely lush-looking levels. Hopefully, the plot and gameplay will be as great as the graphics, but I’m gathering that you won’t see Gaijin making the same mistakes twice. Of course, Konami is not doubt hoping the exact same thing, so keep an eye peeled for this one in the next few weeks…

SSX Update: Real Life WInter Still Stinks, But The Game Absolutely Does Not…

Posted on February 27, 2012 by geelw

Welcome to Siberia and Alaska (and no, you can’t see one location from the other in the game if you stare at the screen long enough) Outside here, it’s just miserable and non-wintry, but in SSX, you’ll find nothing but white stuff all around. From what I’ve played of it. everything is rock solid and FUN, except those rocks and other solid objects you’ll collide with when you get cocky and careless. Those are not fun. Still, for total sports cowards like me, it beats actually getting on a REAL snowboard and getting a an adrenaline fix right before I crash into a tree or land on the spinning blades of the helicopter that just dropped me off on that run (ouch). Anyway, go buy this one, I say – you get to do stuff you can’t on a real board without those pesky, expensive medical bills and long periods of recuperation and rehab…

A Day Late & A Dollar Short, But I Work Cheap Anyway…

Posted on February 27, 2012 by geelw

Thanks to too much on the plate here (hey, it was an all you can type buffet and I got greedy. They had double chocolate alphabet brownies and I kind of went overboard, oof), my Asura’s Wrath review is going to be a day late (boo!). In the meantime, you can stare at this Ghost Rider sketch I did yesterday while I was taking a break from writing. Er, he’s a big Johnny Cash fan, which is why he’s giving you the finger there. What, you want to get into a fight with a guy whose head bursts into flame (for starters)? Go on ahead – I’ll get the marshmallows, fire extinguisher and first aid kit. Back in a bit with that review and some other stuff I’m working on..

Video Game Appreciation 101 (III): On Instructions and Necessary Antisocial Behavior

Posted on February 26, 2012 by geelw

This time, let’s talk briefly about pain management before moving on to today’s lesson. For this first part of the class, you’ll need a hammer and a hand. Yours, specifically, so you should have two. One-handed gamers are excused from this part of the lesson (unless you can hold a hammer in your prosthetic hand or have a friend who won’t mind lending a hand). Now, on the count of three, raise the hammer and hit your free hand… oh, somewhere around the thumb is fine. Not too hard, now.

Ready? One, Two, Three!

Oops.

As you can probably guess, most of you didn’t actually hit your hands. This is indeed a wise thing. Those of you who did are in a lot of pain and probably wondering why the other 99 percent of the class isn’t joining you curled up in a ball under their seats…

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Spike TV’s American Diggers: The Curse Of The Dummy’s Boom…

Posted on February 26, 2012 by geelw

Yikes. So are we as a nation THAT hard up for cash that we’d ring up a company run by an ex-pro wrestler turned “artifact recovery expert” to carefully (allegedly) dig and scrape out our land for any historical relics that, even though they SHOULD go into a museum, we can pawn for much-needed cash? Minus whatever fee (and cut of the loot) the company gets and whatever rights we sign away to be on the show? Apparently so. Wait, what? They’ve been around since 2005 and even have a magazine as well? Who reads magazines about this stuff these days (and are there Goldline ads in them)?

My head hurts now. Of course, I’ll be doing what I usually do with “reality” TV – give it a wide berth and let those who want to dig it, do so. Nevertheless, I’d not be surprised at all to see an ad for the show that starts off with some rockin’ theme and a beefy voice saying “Where my Diggers at?!”

Feh, where’s Indiana Jones when you nee… No, wait… er, Where’s Lara Croft when y.. Um… er… aha! Where’s Arne Saknussemm when you need him? (I had to pick SOMEONE that you guys had to look up who hasn’t been turned into a pop culture icon yet… in this century, at least)…

Game Appreciation 101 (II): Learn To Love Ambiguity (Or Else)…

Posted on February 26, 2012 by geelw

Yes, this post contains spoilers (but not the ones you probably think).

Not every game is going to have a happy “Hollywood” ending, class. Get over it. Not every single story wraps up nicely and neatly at the climax with the heroes walking off into the sunset with evil burning to death in some car that just flew through a guardrail as the villain tried to make good his (or her, or its) escape.Sometimes it’s boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy never finds girl again. But that’s not always a bad thing if it’s done right and even better, YOU get why it was done in the first place.

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DiRT Showdown “What Goes On Tour” Video Takes You For A Ride…

Posted on February 25, 2012 by geelw

Codemasters’ powerful Ego engine is pretty spectacular for whatever they use it on and I’d say this upcoming all-purpose rally/destruction racer is really pushing it as far as it can go. I’m loving all the modes I’ve seen as now I probably don’t need to keep digging out so many different types of racers in order to get a few different road fixes taken care of. Granted, I really STILL want a solid, PURE rally game from the team down the road that’s even better than what’s here. But I’m certainly not complaining about how much fun I’ll be having when the game is finally out sometime in May 2012 (PS3, Xbox 360 and PC).