Review: Resident Evil Revelations (Xbox 360)

RER_360Platform: Xbox 360

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

# of Players: 1 – 2

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A- (90%)

Calling Resident Evil Revelations a mere “port” actually does it a tiny bit of a disservice, as Capcom didn’t simply press some magic upscaling button to get this great, formerly Nintendo 3DS exclusive onto PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U. The game’s character visuals have been completely redone in HD, there’s a brand new monster type added to the game, a few new modes and a good deal more (especially for Wii U owners, I hear) that make this one a must by for any non-3DS owner who missed out on this as a portable game experience. If you’re one of those longtime series fans overwhelmed by the crazy kitchen sink that was Resident Evil 6 (I actually liked the game’s chaotically schizo overkill amount of content) or the nonstop MP-centric focus of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (which was fine, provided you played with like-minded friends), RER’s return to greatness will bring a smile to your face at the return to classic form. Continue reading

Random Art: “Legs…”

legs

Yup, another (sort of unfinished) MS Paint piece done while freezing my rear end off and waiting for this stupid wet and chilly weather to clear up. Well, if anything, lousy weather seems to be good for art practice. I may do another later, but only after I get to posting a few previews and reviews I’ve been dinking away on since last week. OK, back to actual harder work!

New Young Justice Legacy Trailer: This Hit’s Really Going to Hurt…

Little Orbit and Freedom Factory’s upcoming action/RPG might not help being the fan-favorite show back, but it’s going to be a hell of a lot of fun to play for many out there who want more of these heroes in a more interactive form. Sure, it’s not packing the most amazing visuals, but there’s a ton of fun to be had busting heads and solving some straightforward puzzles as the game progresses. I got a bit of hands-on time with an earlier version of the game not too long ago, so I’m really hoping the final product adds even more polish and does well at retail. This sort of non-MMO hero-packed game used to be a bit more popular a few years back, but it would be nice to see this do well enough that this sub-genre makes a welcome return.

VGA 101: New DS Aquisitions: Soma Bringer & ATV Wild Ride

new DS stuff

One is an awesome Japanese import action/RPG that’s very much Diablo inspired with an anime edge (and sadly was never localized into English – thanks, Nintendo for missing out on what would have been yet another a surefire hit new IP!).

The other is an amazing technical wonder in the form of a 60 frames per second racing game featuring those four-wheeled death machines some folks seem to love a wee bit too much. Thanks to Anthony Bourdain nearly killing himself when he fell off one that proceeded to roll over him as he tumbled down a sandy slope on an old episode of No Reservations, every time I see or think ATV, I get a good laugh going that takes a minute or two to subside… Continue reading

Random Film of the Week(end): Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid

dead men don't wear plaidIf you want to get your friends into classic movies, there are three ways to do so. Kidnapping them, strapping them to a chair with eye clamps and locking them in a room with a TV locked onto Turner Classic Movies isn’t quite the best idea, nor is lecturing them about how all modern films are terrible compared to everything pre-code or up to say, 1959.

I’d say method three, where you invite them over and pop on Carl Reiner’s 1982 film Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid works the best because you get a film that’s not too old, funny as hell and one that’s going to get copious notes taken as to which classics were used in certain scenes. Of course, you’ll also have to convince some of those friends who don’t like any black and white movies (or Steve Martin) that this is worth a look, but that shouldn’t be too hard if you’re smart…
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Man of Steel TV Spot 6: Zods and Ends…

OK, bad pun, pad pun! Eh, I figured that since this new Superman film is dumping the now supremely corny camp humor found in the five Reeve films and the original TV series for a more serious tone, I may as well get in as many bad jokes as possible before it hits theaters. Of course, I don’t think The Man of Steel will lack humor ENTIRELY, folks… I just think it’ll be minimized so the story is more enjoyable with less eye-rolling moments when a one-liner pops up and the audience groans because it ruins an otherwise good scene.. Save that stuff for flicks where jokes are part of the game plan (like Kick-Ass 2), I say.

Oh, by the way – give that funky Man of Steel Glyph Creator a whirl if you’re curious about what your family name would look like on your own super-suit. Don’t go getting any ideas, though – you won’t be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, bend steel in your bare hands or anything else (unless you’re already doing that stuff as part of a freak show act in a carnival somewhere)…

Random Art: Waiting…

Waiting2...As in I was waiting for it to stop raining so hard yesterday so I could hoof it down to the library, but it didn’t, which meant I ended up killing some time by starting a few reviews and doing this MS Paint piece. It took a while because I had no idea what I wanted to do when I began and between going back and forth to writing and taking a break or three, I finally stopped just so I’d be more productive on the writing and and less on the art end. Anyway, here you go.

Today’s weather is really awful here as well, but I’m working on finishing up the stuff I started last night to post later this evening or tomorrow. This gloomy rain and unusual chill for late May REALLY stinks… but I’m glad I’m not one of those automatic holiday folks who drives to the beach for Memorial Day every year like clockwork, damn every single weather report suggesting a stay close to (or hell, AT) home…

GRID 2: Only A Few More Days to Hit The Road…

I just saw a TV commercial for GRID 2 and it caught me off guard because I was changing channels when I passed it and quickly flipped back to see the rest. The game certainly looks beautiful (even more so once you have a controller in your hot little hands, as I can attest from my two hands-on experiences), it’s fast as hell and Codemasters is introducing some fine innovations to the racing genre that should keep this one a hot item for some time.

I’m actually kicking myself because I’d traded my copy of the first game to a friend for two other racers and I actually miss it. Well, it looks as if I’ll have this sequel to drool over and keep, as I’ll be hanging onto this until I see everything it has to offer. Hmm… I’m out of coffee, too. I think I’ll need to grab some before this hits stores, as I don’t think I’ll be leaving the house for a while…

Dragon’s Crown Elf & Dwarf Trailers: It’s Not A Toss Up At All…

… In terms of which of these or the other characters to pick because you’re going to go through Dragon’s Crown with ALL of them I bet. The game is crafted so that each hero or heroine is going to be played from start to finish, as each one is powerful warrior in his or nher own right. No matter who picks up a controller to dive in and enjoy what Vanillaware has cooked up, expect to be floored by the lovely 2D visuals and more tight gameplay than you can shake a stick holding goblin at.Before you slam it into its evil buddies and blast them with a spell or knock them silly with a blunt object.

Prepare to get a workout (and give our PS3 or Vita a workout as well) when Dragon’s Crown hits retail and PSN on August 6, 2013. And nope, don’t even try to toss that Dwarf – his incredible beard alone looks as if it will beat you up pretty badly…

VGA 101: Drakan: Order of the Flame – The Old Girl’s Still Got It…

Drakan 15

Well, it runs like a dream and while not exactly sporting current generation visuals, I still like the look of this old classic from Surreal Software. Of course, I’m still using Windows XP, so I can’t vouch for more a current OS and nope, that 10th anniversary mod really doesn’t help the visuals at all because it’s still a bit wonky and makes the cut scenes look quite hideous (well, more so than they did in the original game). I guess if someone came up with new HD character models for Rynn, Arokh and the different enemies in the game plus a new texture pack for the levels, I’d try that out just for kicks. But for now, running this with all the effects up works just fine for me…

Drakan 7 Drakan 16 Drakan 32