Orphan Black 2:10 Recap: A Few Less Sisters, A Few More Surprises…

 
Well, it’s a wrap on Season 2 of Orphan Black and as with the first season, more questions than answers crop up, but thee also seem to be a few things that got resolved in one way or another. Still, some things were a bit odd to me. A few of the important characters from the first season ended up dying (in oddball manners, at that), although I’m thinking one may make a return as we only saw her somewhat gravely injured and not actually “dead.” Shades of Helena’s “demise” in the first season, I guess. speaking of Helena, her arc was pretty interesting up to the point that she somehow got snatched near the close of the show, meaning so much for the happy reunion/dance party that cheered up the proceedings for a bit.

 
Poor Cosima looked as she wasn’t going to make it through the entire episode at all, but thankfully, she was still hanging on at the end. That said, she still needs to be cured of what she’s got, but thanks to another dead character, it seems that cure might be one for the books (or IN the books, if you saw the show and smiled at a certain scene). I got a bit confused at one point, so I’ll need to watch the episode again thanks to me looking down at something I was writing for about thirty seconds and missing something important. Oops.

 
Still, the end reveal made me see that Season 3 will be a bit packed in terms of plot twists and even more surprises. I kind of figured there was more than one clone type out there, but who it turned out to be was an interesting bit of business, that’s for sure. Oh well… here’s to waiting for the announcement of when Season 3’s shooting gets underway. Hopefully, BBC America will keep the first two seasons On Demand and not split them up to a “pay more to see this!” service like certain other dopey networks have done with their programming…

Guardians of the Galaxy International Trailer 2: August Will Be Scorching For A Few Reasons…

 
Yes indeed, the more I see of this, the more I like it so I hope to all the hot hells it doesn’t disappoint. I already know what to expect from a Marvel Studios film, so I know that I need to keep my eyes peeled for in-jokes and cross references to other ME properties, there won’t be any mention of Spider-Man (different studio!) and you’ll NEED to sit through the entire end credit sequence so you can get slapped upside the head with a shocker of a fanboy surprise other people who see this won’t get because they’re not Marvel fans at all, but dragged their kids (or were dragged BY their kids) to see this. I keep thinking of this kid who started yelling at his parental unit to “WAIT!” when I went to see The Avengers because “WE HAVE TO SEE THE ENDING!” and half the theater telling that daddy dearest to sit down so the kid would stop with the wailing. Good times? Nope, but hell, you may as well get that full ticket price worth, I say. At least that dad agreed to listen to the masses and didn’t drag the kid outside, so there’s a victory for the loud small fry contingent, I guess…

Orphan Black 2:9 Trailer: Those Ties That Bind Are Also Good For Wrapping Things Up…

 
So, was anyone else slightly freaked out by Tony last week? It was weird in a fun way to watch Tatiana Maslany play a guy and that guy (who might be a girl, as what’s up with the testosterone shots he’s taking?) not knowing he’s part of the whole clone thing for a good chunk of the show, so it looks as if season 3 might have a new character to deal with provided he survives the remaining two episodes. On the other hand, I’d say he needs to be written a bit better if he does return, as jamming in so much of him into last week’s show and still having him feel like a late addition to the plot definitely showed. Ah well, here’s what’s happening tonight (lots of trouble for the gang, Helena’s back and cranky again and is this the last of Cosima? We’ll seeeeeeeee…:

Game of Thrones 4:9 Recap: A Bit Late, But I’m Still Recovering…

 
Hey, this week was so packed with stuff that I didn’t get a chance to post a post-show impressions post. That’s too many posts in that last sentence, but I’ll let you forgive me while I ramble on a bit. So, the Wall did not fall, but plenty of good and bad men did thanks to everything from unhappy accidents, being in the wrong place and general last man standing stuff… Continue reading

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing Ink Hunt DLC Interrupts My Review! But That’s Fine With Me.

VHII Ink HuntSo, I’m in the middle of writing a review for The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II (here’s a hint: BUY IT. It’s got some issues, but is fun once you get) when my inbox falls on my foot and out pops and email from NeoCore Games that they’ve JUST released a new patch AND some DLC along with it.

Sure enough, I check my Steam account and it’s downloading away in the background as it should. Well, so much for my review as it currently stands. I’d noted some issues that the patch looks as if it takes care of, so there goes THAT part on my very short list of tiny gripes. Granted, I haven’t played the game since the patch/DLC download, but I’ll get to it later tonight and see what’s what. I’m also in the midst of puttering away on some E3 articles, a review I needed to get up a day or so back and some columns for a few upcoming blogathons I need to yak about so some of you can join up and contribute to. Hokay, back to the grind for a bit before it’s back to the grind later, I guess…

VanHelsingII_InkHunt_003_IslandofBones Back in a bit. It’s Friday the 13th AND a full moon tonight. I’m NOT superstitious, but it seems that a lot of off-kilter people are out and about today. Yeesh…

VanHelsingII_InkHunt_001_Sanctuary VanHelsingII_InkHunt_002_IslandofBones VanHelsingII_InkHunt_004_InkheartMines VanHelsingII_InkHunt_005_InkheartMines VanHelsingII_InkHunt_006_CrystalBastion VanHelsingII_InkHunt_007_CrystalBastion

WIN FREE STUFF! Kill The Bad Guy OR R-Type Delta Game Codes (Pick ONE & Play!)

 
Hokay, people. I’m up to my earballs in E3 stuff, but I need a break. How do I take a break, you ask? I GIVE STUFF AWAY! Well, not all the time, but you don’t need to know what I do when I’m not hanging out here, grrrr! *Ahem!* Anyway, I have ONE code here for Exkee’s recently released Kill the Bad Guy on Steam (yes, you need a Steam account!) and ONE code here for Tozai Games’ R-Type Dimensions for the PlayStation 3 on PSN (so you’ll need a PS3 and PSN account). Oh, it’s a North American code, so it won’t work outside the U.S. of A. at all. Steam codes should be universal, though. so you can Kill The Bad Guy anywhere you live!

 
So, HOW do you get ONE of these two codes, you ask? Well, dearies… hit reply and just drop a comment below naming the game you want and BOOM!, it’s all yours. No need to leave any contact info, as I’ll know how to reach you through the MAGIC of email and WordPress knowing who you are when you respond. If you don’t win, fear not. I’m cooking up a sort of random giveaway of extra Steam codes I have here that are duplicates of stuff in my way too massive backlog (which now extends into 2016! Yaaaaah!). I won’t get to that for a while, as I’m up to my earballs in E3 stuff in case you didn’t remember. Anyway, stop reading this and go try and win a game already!

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For Trailer #3: Come Meet The Folks! Or Else They’ll Come Meet YOU…

 
Nice. I’m out of time today at the library as it rushes to close, but enjoy – back to edit in some humor later tonight… or not. Hey, this film will sell itself, so it really doesn’t need me making any dumb jokes at its expense, right? Well, I’m typing this NOW because there’s a big ugly guy with a VERY bandaged face pointing a VERY big fist at my head and I don’t want to get punched in the head by that VERY big fist because I need my brain unscrambled to write this post and others. Heh. Okay Marv, happy now? Good.

E3 2014: Rise of the Tomb Raider: Off The Couch and Back To Business, Miss Croft!

 
Ha. Sometime during a play through of that Tomb Raider reboot from last year, I recall thinking “Poor Lara is going to need a LOT of therapy after all the hell she’s going through!” and as it turns out, that’s how this trailer for Rise of the Tomb Raider opens. Set for a “Holiday 2015” release, most likely as a PC, PS4 and Xbox One game, I’ll gather the dark and stormy bits here mean the game will be packing some nasty weather and plenty of stuff blowing about in those outdoor locales, super-detailed visuals across all three platforms and the requisite pre-order bonuses and day one DLC we’ve come to expect.

Yeah, I’d rather pretend it’s 1996 all over again, and I was cracking open that shrink wrap on the original Core Design game not knowing what to expect outside of what a few glowing reviews noted. It’s not that I’m NOT impressed with the massive increase in power from these new consoles, mind you – it’s just that I prefer games I can pop in and play without thinking (or KNOWING) that I’m missing something important because I didn’t buy a specific edition at a specific retailer. Eh, I shouldn’t complain at all – it’s not as if Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix are shoving this out the door too early. That “holiday” dating and less platforms to program for means this one should be stellar no matter what it’s played on.

E3 2014: Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris: Your Action/Puzzle/Battle/Treasure Game is Coming Back!

 
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light was a refreshingly retro surprise back in 2010 (it was one of the better downloadable console games of that year, in fact), packing everyone’s favorite Tomb Raider into a fast-paced action adventure with an isometric viewpoint, co-op play and plenty of challenge. Developer Crystal Dynamics has finally revealed the sequel, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris and it’s looking quite lovely indeed. Well, “lovely” in that “Holy crap, this game is TOUGH” manner in which you’re smiling while you’re playing it solo before calling up to three other friends to come over and give you a hand. My issue with this one is the same as the original: digital ONLY (boo!) and not available on the PlayStation Vita. of course, As this will run on the PS4, it would be nice to see some sort of cross-play feature on board just so publisher Square Enix could make a few more bucks, but I guess we’ll see what happens. I’m actually surprised this is ONLY for next-gen, as I can imagine those millions of PS3 and Xbox 360 owners out there who haven’t made the move to new consoles yet would love to spend some money on this one and more time with Ms. Croft and her new traveling companions. But what do I know? I’ve only been playing games since dirt was new…

E3 2014: Dragon Age Inquisition Gallery: Hold Your Jaw Up Before Viewing…

E3_2014_Screens_WM_29Oh, the places you’ll go and the people you’ll meet in BioWare’s upcoming Dragon Age sequel. I’d gather that no matter which platform you’re buying this for, you’ll be treated to some wider open spaces and more overall freedom to explore, some great combat and of course, a memorable story with characters you’ll love, hate and love to hate.

No doubt, there’s also the pesky business of DLC from day one and onward, the bane of those gamers who don’t have a decent broadband connection at home and want to play this with every single bit of content. I suppose folks like that can wait for the inevitable Game of the Year or whatever it’s going to get called reissue to get them all that content at a cheaper price, but even that’s not guaranteed these days, as it seems even some reissues demand an online connection to redeem SOMETHING or just to get some information about who’s playing. Anyway, you can get your fix soon enough, as Dragon Age Inquisition will be in stores on October 7, 2014.

Back with more images to pore over in a bit…

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