The Last of Us Story Trailers: The World Ends With (or Without) You…

Posted on February 26, 2013 by geelw

To some folks out there, Naughty Dog’s upcoming PS3 exclusive begs the question “Do we really need a new console?” To which Sony, industry analysts and plenty of other folks will say “well, mmmmaayyyybe…” While they’re spinning and scratching like an old LP being tickled by an epileptic DJ, I say sure, why not. Now to go rob a bank so I can pre-order one before the mad early adopter crush of crazed “gotta have it yesterday!” superfans and “Ooh, Im’a make a fortune on eBay” losers grab every available system for three months. As to the game proper (which arrives on June 14, 2013), it does look mighty spectacular for this late in the PS3’s lifespan, but you’re looking at work from one of Sony’s not-so secret weapon first-party studios…

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Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes Set To “Rescue” Wii U This Spring…

Posted on February 26, 2013 by geelw

Not that Nintendo’s recently released system “needs” rescuing (nope, not at all, folks – it just needs a few less paid industry skeptics and doomsayers, many of which are or seem to be people who’ve yet to touch a controller). Anyway, TT Games’ best work to date was last years super-smash of epic proportions and it’s finally headed to the Wii U with the same stellar visuals and tight, fun (and funny) family-friendly gameplay intact.

I want this for the GamePad playability and the chance to show it off to folks who haven’t seen it yet on the console as a potential system seller. Given the success of the other versions, this one seems to be a total no-brainer purchase for any Wii U owner looking for a fun (and lengthy) chunk of high quality (and laugh-packed) action with style to spare. I’ll run a gallery if for you guys and gals to ogle if and when WB shoots me over some screens…

God of War Ascension: Sony Bets There’s a Three Way In Your Future…

Posted on February 26, 2013 by geelw

No, no… not THAT type of three way (and you’ll only get that joke anyway if you’ve played the other games in the series) As in, there are three ways to get the game, you perverts (get those eyebrows at least ABOVE the gutter. This is a family show!). As the latest trailer just dropped earlier today and interest in the game is soaring thanks to some of the other footage from this upcoming action epic, this could indeed be the best game in the franchise to date. That said, methinks it’s time for Kratos to either call it a day after this game or go the open-world RPG route, as I personally feel he’s too confined to linear pathways and puzzles when he needs to bust through those invisible walls, QTE’s and cinematic camera angles and get into doing what he does best (which is whatever the hell he wants to, usually). We shall see, I suppose, but I think the big lug NEEDS the space to breathe and Sony Santa Monica can help him out quite nicely indeed while expanding upon the multiplayer mode they’ve cooked up.

Toy Fair 2013: Peavey Gets DC Ready to Rock With Themed Guitars & More…

Posted on February 26, 2013 by geelw

Yeah, you know you want one (or all of these) even if you’re lousy at playing the guitar. Peavey Electronics and Warner Bros. Consumer Products are rolling out a cool line of DC Comics superhero-themed guitars and accessories starting this summer with a half-size Peavey acoustic guitar featuring a number of popular DC Comics Super Heroes, followed by a three-quarter size Peavey electric guitar and a full-size Peavey Rockmaster^® electric guitar. Peavey will also release guitar picks and straps featuring DC Comics Super Heroes and villains such as Aquaman and The Joker (pictured below), as well as Watchmen and other fan favorites. Hmmm… even though it’s in “fat chance” territory, I think a Swamp Thing guitar would be a pretty wild addition to this lineup. Anyway, here’s a look at three cool electrics from the upcoming lineup – flip a coin like Two-Face or buy them all (like you knew you were going to as soon as you clicked on each image).

Hmmmm.. given The Joker’s tendencies for oddball gags at inopportune moments, I have to wonder if that Rockmaster is loaded with a little something extra you’ll only discover by playing notes in a certain order? Well, there’s one way to find out – as in buy this for a friend and see what happens when he or she plays it… Just make sure you’re oh, about 30 feet away have have a good umbrella handy…

Review: Driftmoon

Posted on February 26, 2013 by geelw

Platform: PC

Developer: Instant Kingdom (Ville/Anne Mönkkönen)

Publisher: Instant Kingdom

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: N/A

Official Site

Score: A (95%)

Do you own a decent cap or hat, dear reader? If you do, go get it now, put it on and tip that cap or hat in the general direction of Finland (Jyväskylä, to be a bit more precise). If you don’t have a good cap or hat, what’s wrong with you? It’s cold outside! Anyway, what’s with all the polite haberdashery tilting? Well, dear reader, it’s a hats off to Ville and Anne Mönkkönen for the seven years of work that went into one of the best games of this year. Driftmoon is an instant classic you’ll want to dive into and explore at your own pace just to experience great game design in action. Solid writing, great visuals and the excellent hybrid adventure/RPG/puzzle gameplay make a visit to Driftmoon well worth the price. As great as the game is, the included easy to use editor gives this one endless possibilities for users to craft their own potential classics…

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Capcom Arcade Cabinet Livestream: It’s Like Friday Night Again (With Much Cooler Friends)…

Posted on February 25, 2013 by geelw

Hey, now – don’t get (too) offended there. Some people had cool friends back in the day, some didn’t. I had both cool and uncool buddies, so I can speak for each side of that particularly pesky coin. That said, Capcom Arcade Cabinet is out now and if those first three titles are any indication, this series will indeed be quite a winner. 1943, Avengers and Black Tiger are the first trio in a nice collection of games headed to PSN and Xbox Live Arcade (and sooner than you think). I’m hoping this lot gets onto the Vita and Wii U, as those remastered visuals are screaming for some portable and GamePad love. Or even better for those who don’t use download services, if this eventually makes it out on a disc at some point. More served means millions served, I always say…

Toy Fair 2013: Griddly Games’ Show Me the Kwan: Word War Three Begins Soon…

Posted on February 25, 2013 by geelw

As usual, Griddly Games‘ Angela Welch is a total ringer. Here I was minding my business strolling around the show floor at Toy Fair when my path sent me past the GG both where their upcoming word game Show Me the Kwan (or Kwan) was on display and once I was lured into a match, well… like last year’s fun puzzle/strategy game Oversight, I went down faster than a Canadian Goose dipped in kerosene taking a detour through a flaming hoop. That actually means the game is really good and not much sleep before strolling the show floor means a discarded soda can could have beaten me…

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Soul Sacrifice Japanese TV Spots: April’s Real Fools Will Miss This Gem…

Posted on February 24, 2013 by geelw

Nope, I’m not taking ALL of today off, folks. Here are a trio of nice ads for Sony’s upcoming Vita exclusive which is headed stateside soon enough (oh, alright… I’ll be nice – it’s headed to PSN and HOPEFULLY retail in North America on April 30, 2013).

Granted, non-Vita owners hoping for the portable to slide into oblivion while they diddle away playing Fruit Ninja or whatever are more likely than not shrugging away or not taking much notice as they’re rubbing their fingerprints off on some tablet or phone. On the other hand, The core Vita fans who support the handheld know this is a key release coming in a pretty hectic year for the system.

Hmm. My long list of stuff to play has now officially reached “Too many games!” status. But according to experts in the field of “Hey, you have waaaaay too many games!” it’s been that way for a while.

Hey Lukewarm Games! You’re Lucky I Like Dinosaurs…

Posted on February 23, 2013 by geelw

As I noted last week, this whole Harlem Shake thing is SO played out, but toss in a couple of dinosaurs and I get all “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in…” about this dopey fad. Well, it works with THESE dinosaurs. Hell, if it were Barney or any other purple dinosaur out there, I’d be beating my laptop with a baseball bat and suing someone so I can buy a new one. Anyway, OK – I laughed… but this is the last time I’m going to watch one of these videos. Maybe…

Hey, Lukewarm! Maybe think a tiny bit about getting your nifty-looking multiplayer-centric game Primal Carnage onto consoles and the Vita with a solo play campaign so I can finally play this game. It looks like a ton of fun, but I don’t do online gaming much (crap connection and I prefer games with stories to keep me interested more than running around shooting stuff)…

Gallery: Mystic Chronicles (Or: Natsume Keeps The PSP Flame Burning Into The Summer Months)

Posted on February 23, 2013 by geelw

Well, well, well… I didn’t even know Japanese developer/publisher Kemco was still around these days, but thanks to Natsume deciding to localize the company’s iOS RPG Fantasy Chronicle for North America as Mystic Chronicles for a summer 2013 release, I’m a bit happier to see the developer still cranking out fun games that more genre fans here in the US will get to enjoy. Tile-based 16-bit visuals straight out of the SNES and Genesis days? Check. First-person field and dungeon combat (and turn-based at that)? Check. Cute anime/manga art all over the place (like it or not – I happen to like it a lot in this type of game). Check.

All I need to know now is when it’s coming out and how much I need to spend to get my grubby paws on it (retail is preferred, but I’ll take a PSN code to get my fix). Hey, I have three PSP’s here, at least one of which gets regular usage (Earth Defense Force 2 Portable has been on constant play here since I got it from Play-Asia), so I won’t be needing to go nuts digging through the Bins of Doom here looking for them.

Anyway, onwards to the gallery with you! Watch your step and duck, as it’s below the jump… Continue reading →