Still plugging away on the old post reformatting/restoration project, so bear with me for a bit if you decide to poke around the older stuff on the blog. My advice to Nintendo, who reported some major losses and expects more this year leading up to the Wii U launch: ASK your consumers what they want. Don’t just DO stuff and expect them all to jump aboard. That may help a bit, as believe it or not, new tech aside, some people just hate too many surprises or huge changes. Granted, it stinks to be a total stick in the mud diehard, but those are the folks you need to guide into your brave new world…
Capcom has a really great sense of humor, that’s for sure… but I’ll bet real money a lot of Mega Man fans’ heads are exploding big time. The blue bomber is indeed a playable character in the upcoming Street Fighter X Tekken, but it’s the Bad Box Art version instead of the more familiar MM. Color me supremely tickled at this. Also amusing, seeing Sony’s Toro and Kuro (characters from a series of cute games never released in the US) and Pac-Man (!), who’s probably the biggest surprise of them all. Then again, now that I think about it, Klonoa should have been in the game as well as Tomba just to show some classic PlayStation love. Oh well, there’s always DLC or some sort of updated version down the road. Or heck, Tekken X Street Fighter, Namco’s companion piece to SF X T that’s still in development…
OK, I’ll admit it, I’m not much of a fan, but I know people who love these guys to death and beyond. Besides, I’m not one to disparage anybody’s musical tastes, so here you go. Plus, some big press release news for you below the jump! Amusingly enough, I have the chance to send some interview questions to the band, but I can’t think of anything to offer other than big congratulations on being around for so long.
Of course, we all knew this was coming at some point, but Reuters has the official word (if not an official release date). Nintendo President Satoru Iwata noted that the Wii U would be launched in the United States, Europe, Australia and Japan for the 2012 holiday season. No price point was announced and yes, you’ll need to wait a bit for the launch lineup. However, this means that E3 this year will be PACKED with Nintendo fanboys (some disguised as otherwise reputable games journalists) piling atop each other to tilt and whirl themselves into a feeding frenzy, followed by press events in a few spots including here in NYC.
Now, if I can actually get an invite to one of those events like I used to before Nintendo forgot I existed, I could do a better job of covering the upcoming console that doesn’t require me to hang around the Nintendo World Store here and ask all sorts of questions to assorted employees (he said, only half-joking)…
No gory gameplay or expletives not deleted here, so I can run this without an age gate. Here’s the short but excellent CG trailer for Digital Extremes’ upcoming FPS. As noted earlier, 2K has quite the lineup for genre fans from this one, to BioShock Infinite to Borderlands 2. It’s definitely going to be a busy year for genre fans, so hopefully all of these games will do well across each platform they appear on. The Darkness IIappears in stores on February 7, 2012 (US) and February 10, 2012 (everywhere else).
Yes, I’m still chipping away at the reformatting project (old posts never die, they just glare at you intimidatingly until you get around to fixing them up), so I may not post as many updates as I’d like to. I did however, post two trailers for The Darkness 2 over on the other blog if you don’t mind a little ultra-violence with your cup of whatever. Back in a bit…
I still own my Neo Geo Pocket Color, but I’d sold off all but one game I had for the handheld (Dark Arms, if you have to ask) due to the need for space in the library. Amusingly enough, I was talking to a friend last week who was asking me about the system because he was thinking about picking one up on eBay, but now, it looks as if he can do the retro thing in an even better way. The tentatively named “Neo Geo Pocket Device” is in the works at SNK Playmore and will come packed with twenty classic Neo Geo arcade games built in. As you can see, the slim style looks very slick indeed…
No official release date or price point has been announced nor has any word of the device being released outside Japan been made clear. However, thanks to Kotaku (and the Famicom-Plaza blog where these images are taken from), we do know what games are going to be on the device: World Heroes, Ultimate 11, Top Player’s Golf, Sengoku, NAM -1975, Mutation Nation, Last Resort, King of Monsters, Frenzy, Cyber-Lip, Fatal Fury Special, The Art of Fighting, Super Sidekicks, League Bowling, Metal Slug, Magician Lord, Baseball Stars Professional, Samurai Shodown, The King of Fighters ’94, and Fatal Fury.
That wonderful SD card slot on the side in the final photo means there’s the potential for other games to be downloaded from SNK’s site at some point. Given the current lineup of arcade games available over PSN as Arcade Classics minis, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of these show up as downloadable titles for the new portable. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. I’d say that SNK fans NEED to put their money where there mouths are and gently bug the company to sell the unit worldwide DIRECT through its website as opposed to dropping the thing into retail where it will get ignored by non-fans or those dopes who’ll complain the device isn’t also packing a phone, three cameras and touchscreen. Whatever happens with the upcoming unit, we’ll keep you posted…
If you’re going to be in the Anaheim, CA area this June, why not make plans to attend the second Anime/Music/Manga Convention? This year, the event takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center and Hotels from June 15 – 17th and looks to be packed with just about anything an anime fan could want from film screenings to J-Pop concerts, video gaming, special guests galore and much more!. Basic admission is FREE, but in order to gain access to the concerts and primo seating at special events during the convention, attendees can purchase one to three-day Passports at prices ranging from $25 – $55 per person. In addition, the Convention Center’s hotel is offering deals on room rates that won’t break the bank.
For more details, definitely check out the official site and start working on that cosplay outfit!
With video gaming inescapably in the mainstream even more these days, they’re finally being recognized for their artistic merit on a few key fronts. From March 16 to September 30, 2012, the Smithsonian American Art Museum will host The Art of Video Games which will be comprised of a large selection of game artwork and along with a number of playable games. In addition, a number of other game-related events such as as panel discussions, concerts featuring music from game soundtracks and more are in the works. In addition, the show plans to hit the road and head into other US cities after September (see that link above for more details). I do wish t was headed into NYC rather than Yonkers, though. Nothing against the town, mind you (it’s quite lovely up there, last time I checked), but the Big Apple NEEDS to see that killing off every single one of its video game arcades was a terrible idea…
A complete list of what’s in the exhibit can be found HERE. You can also sign up to get more info about the show or other Smithsonian event using that link above or by going HERE. Kids, now you can drag your parents in and get them hooked all in the name of education. Given some of the titles chosen, I can see a lot of folks coming away with a new found respect for the medium…
Still one of the most intense films I’ve seen, Henri-Georges Clouzot’s 1953 masterpiece will have you glued to the screen and peeling the fabric off whatever you’re sitting on as the movie puts its characters through sheer hell. Set somewhere in South America, the plot has four desperate men take on the challenge of driving two trucks packed with nitroglycerine through some hellish territory in order to help put out a massive oil well fire.
The film touches on a few political points in its (deservedly) negative portrayal of the American oil company that hires the drivers, some not so safe workplace practices and general employee exploitation. However, none of the major characters in the film are what you’d call “good” in terms of morality and motivation. They’re in it for the money and a way back to a better life they left that pushed them to this wretched corner of the globe. The film builds up so much tension that each perilous section of the long drive is practically the most terrifying as the danger increases thanks to all sorts of environmental and human created trouble. It’s practically guaranteed that you’ll forget to breathe at least three times during the more insane sections of the journey where the slightest mistake could send these men to their doom long before they reach their goal.
What works from start to finish are the oppressive atmosphere and fantastic performances by all the principals. Yves Montand and Charles Vanel absolutely steal the show as two of the drivers chosen to transport the volatile cargo to its destination. The deliberate pacing at the beginning is simply Clouzot slowly winding you up to a tight coiled spring that’s going to snap once things get rolling. There’s not a dull moment to be had here, although I’ll admit that Clouzot’s only error was the casting of his too-gorgeous wife, Vera as the local gal that falls for Montand’s character. Granted, she’s the best-looking person in the film, but she’s not portrayed all that well if you’re looking for a likable female character in a flick full of brutes. William Friedkin’s excellent (but not quite as spectacular) 1977 remake, Sorcerer, takes care of this with some more realistic casting for her part, but Clouzot’s cinematographer, Armand Thirard does some truly incredible work that’s still impressive in terms of lending a natural (and very deadly) feel to the environments.
There are some white-knuckle, nail-biting moments (if you can grip an armrest and bite your nails simultaneously, that is) that include a trip across a rotting wooden bridge, the truckers dealing with a huge boulder in their path and the sudden loss of part of their cargo and the aftermath. Oh yeah, that ending? It’s a total corker that may catch you off guard. OK, I’ll stop here as I don’t want to spoil anything more and heck, you need to go watch this as soon as you can. Don’t forget to grab a friend who hasn’t seen this and prepare for a wild ride you’ll want to recommend to as many people as possible. Back next week with another recommendation – watch this space (well, after you go watch the film)…
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 