Random Art: It’s Hard to Play Video Games, But Easy to Draw With a Cold (Go Figure)…

Posted on March 26, 2013 by geelw

going home

OK, so it was the SUPREMELY challenging, yet even more rewarding new PSP game Carnage Heart EXA from Natsume I was trying to play while feeling under the weather yesterday and part of today that had my head spinning around a wee bit too much. It’s actually a game NOT for the short attention spanners out there or those looking for some sort of JRPG-lite with nonsense squeal-voiced characters. Anyway, I took a break after about a dozen tutorials (yes, the game is THAT complex), sat down and sort of hashed out a new MS Paint sketch, which isn’t so good, but made me feel a lot better and a bit less mushy upstairs. Well, my cold has gotten a lot less lively after chicken soup, aspirin, water and orange applications during the day, so it’s probably back to regular posting tomorrow. Whee! Hell, I may even hit 200 posts this month (which would make me pretty pleased)…

Defiance Launch Trailer & Ark Hunter Chronicles 6: A New Era Is Just Around the Bend…

Posted on March 26, 2013 by geelw

OK, I’ve got a tiny cold today, so my ten or so posts I wanted to do have been cut down a bit by common sense (as in I decided to stay home and not exacerbate my condition by hanging out in a public place with other germy folk). Anyway, I’m doing better, so here’s one more update: I’m a little worried about DEFIANCE doing as well as it should at least on consoles. I’ve read elsewhere today (and had this figured for a while) that Blizzard and Sony have done research that reveals many PS3s are never connected to the Internet. And I’d bet good money that the ones that ARE play mostly the same games or types of games. That said, DC Universe Online seems to have done well and certain franchise shooters seem to grab players as soon as they ship. On the other hand, Defiance breaks much new ground in the MMO space, but does absolutely NOTHING for those who want an offline experience. I think this is a mistake, as more people playing your game is ALWAYS a better thing than LESS and every MMO will shut down that last server at some point.

Hopefully, all three versions of the game will sell like gangbusters and Trion Worlds will also hear from solo play fans who want either a stand alone game they can call their own. Or something for the Vita (which has suddenly become an indie game darling). Or both…

Defiance “Changed World” TV Spot: Reinventing A Few Landscapes…

Posted on March 26, 2013 by geelw

So, if that 14 minutes or so of first episode footage shown on syfy’s site is any indication, DEFIANCE will be a pretty decent new show after all. This bodes well for the online-only game coming to Windows PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 April 2 and yes, the show, which premieres on April 13. I need to now actually look up that darn channel’s schedule, as I haven’t paid attention to it for a while except when there’s a Twilight Zone marathon running and I swing by for a half-hour or so fix. The game is definitely solid from what I’ve played, but I do have an issue with it I’ll kick around (again) in the next post…

Game of Thrones Season 3: Inside the Wildlings (Before They Remove Your Insides)…

Posted on March 26, 2013 by geelw

Of course, in real life WInterfell, stopping to put on a pot of coffee and have a chat with a Wildling or two would probably have a few different outcomes (not too many of them good for you, dear reader), so be thankful these interviews aren’t done completely in character all the time. On the other hand, that WOULD make those dragon interview videos really something, right? Only five more days to go before Season 3 rolls around. Between this, The Walking Dead season finale and one or two other shows, that particular Sunday will be a BUSY one in terms of TV time for me, I think. Of course, I could just ignore it all and play through a game or two I need to finish up, but that’s probably not going to happen as I’ll be camped out writing for at least part of the day…

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Behind the Scenes: A Fantasy Trip for Today…

Posted on March 26, 2013 by geelw

Hey! Wouldn’t you like to be on a nice vacation right about now? OK, let’s go! Let’s say, hmmm… we’re now in Sweden with Josef Fares at Starbreeze Studios talking a little more about their unique game collaboration, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons coming to Windows PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 courtesy of publisher 505 Games? OK, OK… sitting in another room that’s different from the room you’re in now may not be much of a holiday at first glance, but think outside the box (or outside the building, in this case) and you’re on the way to your new destination with a fresh outlook. Um, Har en fantastisk semester – inte äta för mycket korv!

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: Exercise!

Posted on March 26, 2013 by geelw

It’s good to get out and get some fresh air in sunny Greenvale, but probably not in the very good (and reasonably priced) suit like York here is wearing in today’s screenshot. Granted, the man has his own style and a certain rugged flair that comes from being kind of crazy, but one has to hope he’s got a very good deodorant protecting him under those clothes. Anyway, there are many places to run to in and around the town, but you kind of need to pay attention to the clock you see in that picture. Why? Well, there’s nothing worse than missing the opportunity to pick up a clue, run into someone needing a bit of assistance only you can provide or even better, making headway in solving a particularly nasty set of murders because Greenvale actually needs as many people in town as possible who are kind of alive. I hear that tourists don’t visit a small town just to stumble across mutilated corpses… unless they actually LIKE stuff like that.

Anyway, enjoy that run and don’t forget to hydrate!

Speaking of running, if you don’t pre-order a copy of Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut for the PS3 (set to arrive in stores on April 30, 2013), you may find yourself emulating York and running to that game emporium only to find that they’ve completely run out of copies. Which in turn forces you to pull more York-like running all over YOUR town looking for the game. Of course, what with you not running all winter and storing up all that extra fat, you’ll be out of shape and pull a hammy while you’re huffing and puffing it around.

So, before you do anything else (well, as you’re reading this post, actually) ask yourself (or the snarky voice in your head): do you REALLY want to miss out on those updated HD visuals, quirky humor, plenty of gore, PlayStation Move and 3D TV support, new content, Trophies and more? Besides, you can even carry your copy around with you everywhere, as you may one fine day run into Swery65, who just might sign it for you and really make your day. Well, it COULD happen if you’re REALLY lucky… you never know, right?

Dragon’s Crown PS3, Vita Bound This Summer – It’s Worth Every Crown, I Say…

Posted on March 25, 2013 by geelw

Vanillaware’s latest and absolutely gorgeous-looking 2D side-scrolling action RPG, Dragon’s Crown is finally US-bound this summer for both the PS3 and Vita (yup, you can pre-order it HERE) and yes, it’s going to arrive at a premium RETAIL price point for both the PlayStation 3 and Vita. Sure, $49.99 (PS3) and $39.99 (Vita) will seem pricey to the entitled trolls who bitch about game prices in the same posts they seem to cut and paste around the web (usually followed by “When is this going on SALE?” or something similarly cheap-sounding), but this isn’t some dumb mobile nickel and dimer we’re talking about here. George Kamitani and his team at Vanillaware make their art into gaming form and fans of the company’s other releases such as Odin Sphere, Muramasa: The Demon Blade and Princess Crown (which NEEDS a HD remake one of these days!) KNOW these games are well worth the money for the artwork and lovely character designs alone.

Por ejemplo…

Of course, the addictive gameplay will be a big draw as well and this one’s got drop-in multiplayer on PlayStation 3 or via adhoc network on PlayStation Vita. No Cross Play functionality might be a sore spot for some, but I say pick one version (or both) and enjoy either ride solo or with like minded friends who also love Vanillaware’s games for their always awesome art and stylish hack & slash action. Chalk up another winner for Atlus, I say!

DC background art

Humor: So, iNetvideo.com Is Having A Sale…

Posted on March 25, 2013 by geelw

BIG Bunny

NotL_long poster But you could really care less about what iNetvideo.com is selling because you’re looking at the picture above they posted earlier this afternoon on their Facebook page and thinking something along the lines of “MAN, THAT’S A BIG FU@#ING BUNNY!” So let me get you back on track here. Yeah, that’s pretty damn massive lagomorph. Like Night of the Lepus massive. Which just so happens to be on sale at the site as we speak. Wait, now you’re hungry? Oh, you’ve seen that picture above, aren’t vegan at all and ran so fast into the kitchen to measure that turkey pan that you ran over one or more kids and the family pet in the process? Oh, they’ll heal up nicely – just let them cry it out. Besides, that smelly old bottle of Bactine is still in the medicine cabinet behind the big pills you take every morning. “It still stings, so it still works!”, as Grandma says.Or USED to say before she went off the The Big Sky all those years back. Ah, Grandma (*sniff*)…

Later on, the kids and pet are all snoozy and healed up, things are quiet and you’re absolutely stuffed full of rabbit photo. All is right in the world… until you realize that it’s NOT Bactine at all you sprayed everyone with, but some of Gammy Gam-Gam’s SPECIAL medicine she made in the bathtub from some old potatoes and onions, eleven garlic bulbs, a can of Sterno and some grain alcohol she gets from the guys down the hall. Yeah, the ones who wear overalls and long johns all summer. Er, a little of that goes a long way and yeah, you’ll end up calling a mere sip The Time Machine because you always wake up afterwards and it’s another day that’s passed you’ve forgotten all about. Horror Express, indeed…

BioShock Infinite Launch Trailer: 2K & Irrational Games Get To Say “See? Told You So!”

Posted on March 25, 2013 by geelw

So, it’s out and getting high marks overall, but what else did you expect? Sure, the Internet did its thing last year when a few post-E3 looks revealed the game wasn’t quite done and ready to ship and there was a delay while it seemed things were being further tweaked. But I’ve always trusted Ken Levine and Irrational Games to get this one as polished up as possible before unleashing it onto the public. Will I run out and BUY it right away since it seems I’m not getting a review copy? Probably not this week or next, but it’ll get added to the “to-do” list at some point. I’m in no rush to jet out a review before anyone else, but it’s good to know that when I actually DO get to play this, I’ll be having quite a blast…

rain Gameplay: Oh, The Weather Outside Is Frightful…

Posted on March 25, 2013 by geelw

Here’s a look at SCE Japan Studio’s rather interesting adventure/puzzle/horror game, rain in action on the PS3. This one’s coming soon as a PSN download (but for some reason won’t be on the Vita, grrrr!). Sony is really doing a nice solid for indies on the PS3, but it would be nicer if we could get these compiled onto a disc much like that Journey: Collector’s Edition from last year. I’m betting a dollar that there are an awful lot of PS3 owners that either don’t know about these games or (eek) don’t care because SCEA isn’t bothering to ask them if they’d buy them if they put about 4 – 6 of these (relatively) short games onto a Blu-Ray, priced them reasonably, stuck a few extra demos on for good measure and saw what happened at retail. Hey, not every PS system owner has access to broadband, Sony. Work on getting those gamers some of these great-looking games and perhaps you’ll see even more love from your large user base in the future…