Gamescom 2013: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 Trailer: Blood, Right.

Posted on August 21, 2013 by geelw

Every time I see more of this game, I have to run to the nearest closet, get a hat, put it on and tip it in the general direction of developer MercurySteam’s offices. These guys and gals are knocking it out of the park and onto another planet with this sequel to the first LoS and February 2014 can’t come soon enough. What’s all the more amazing is the game is looking so great on what’s considered “old” hardware by many, but that’s been the Spanish developers very strong point since their first game. As noted previously, this is their final chapter as far as their run on the Castlevania series goes, so anyone else taking over in the future will have a hell of an act to follow, that’s for sure. Of course, the diehard fans of the classic 2D Castlevanias who didn’t like any of the 3D games in the franchise are most likely going to miss out on this one as well, but I don’t think Konami needs their approval these days unless they have something more constructive to offer other than hating the LoS games for their success.

October’s Dark Souls II Live Beta Will Test the Best (and Kill the Rest)…

Posted on August 21, 2013 by geelw

If you’re a big Dark Souls fan, you’d better pay very close attention to the game’s facebook page. Namco Bandai is going to be running an exclusive closed Beta for the PlayStation 3 version of the game over Sony’s PlayStation Network starting October 5, 2013 for players in North America and Europe. From the press release, it sure looks as if developer FromSoftware is going to be showing off an all-new area packed with death in every corner, but don’t take it from me – get a load of this snippet:

The depth of the DARK SOULS II Closed-Beta experience will truly test players’ skill, intestinal fortitude, and their sheer will to survive. The DARK SOULS II Closed-Beta will delve into one of the most treacherous areas of the DARK SOULS II world; players will not only get an opportunity to explore an entirely new area of the game, but also experience overwhelming enemy encounters, diabolical challenges, and the unrelenting difficultly that only the developers at FromSoftware can deliver.

Yeah, that sounds like a double-dog dare with a side of fries and cheese (the cheese coming from the game’s notoriously vicious and crafty enemy AI – trust me, it’s BRUTAL on the unprepared player!), so you know what to do if you accept that challenge (and you’ve survived being slapped upside the head with that metal gauntlet you just got served up fresh and hot). “Prepare to Suffer” needs to be the slogan for that Beta, I say…

Gamescom 2013: Thief “Uprising” Trailer: Garrett’s Got A 2014 Date With You (Lock Your Stuff Down)…

Posted on August 16, 2013 by geelw

Well, for whatever good THAT will do, as it’ll just make him want to make YOU unconscious faster so he can have at that lock you paid good money for. Look, just make it easy on yourself, people: When February 25, 2014 rolls around, just pretend Santa is coming down that chimney, but instead of leaving out some milk and cookies, you just put out a plate of valuables and a note to not hit you upside the noggin with that blackjack. Hell, he’ll even take that hideous costume jewelry you were planning on donating to Goodwill, as anything he can sell all goes to getting his gear upgraded.

Of course, if you’re jerking his chain and plan to ONLY put out the cheap stuff while stuffing that Pink Panther somewhere… er, safe and warm. Oh, he’ll figure that out FAST. He’s been watching you all week and when you walk with that gem stuffed where the sun doesn’t shine, he’ll see that right away. Just so you know, it’s exactly these sort of observation skills that make an excellent thief…

Game of Thrones Season 3 DVD/Blu-Ray Deleted Scene: HBO Double Twists The Knife!

Posted on August 15, 2013 by geelw

A long wait reminder AND a deleted scene tease? Stab, STAB! Gee, thanks HBO! Oh alright… it’s not THAT bad, but still… Season 3 isn’t out on disc until next February 18, 2014 and the world could end by then! WHAT will we GoT fans do then? OK, “die miserably” are the operative words, but I’m not going down without a fight. Of course, those of us with HBO On Demand have been and can still catch this anytime we want until doomsday (or the next Season of GIRLS, ha, ha, ha). You sort of don’t realize how cool On Demand is until you run into people who don’t have or use it (which is one huge reason why you still see disc-based movies and TV shows selling). That said, I’ll probably not re-watch this past season thanks to the rather depressingly high body count from episode 9 (ouch, ouch). Eh, I’ll probably be one of those clowns who shells out for a complete series set once that finally comes out (provided the planet hasn’t friggin’ MELTED by then), so I guess I’m just complaining for practice at this point…

Batman: Arkham Origins Collector’s Edition: All You Need Is A Room To Store It All In…

Posted on August 14, 2013 by geelw

(thanks, BatmanArkhamVideos!)

Holy WOW, Batfans! I suppose a limited edition wooden shelf or build it yourself bookcase would be out of the question, huh? Actually, at $119.99 for all that stuff you’re getting, this isn’t a bad deal at all AND it’s packing more than what’s in the European version announced last week. Um, “Don’t mess with Texas? Everything’s BIGGER in…” oh, never mind. The sheer scope of all this swag automatically nets this limited edition an automatic entry into this year’s Holiday Gift Guide and given that word on the street is the gameplay’s stellar… this one’s a total no-brainer if you can only afford the standard edition.

Anyway, here are photos of the massive set (one each of the PS3 and 360 SKUs) and below the jump, a listing of what’s in the box. Add a cape and you’re practically Batman, folks!

Batman: Arkham Origins will be available for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and Windows PC. Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, the handheld version (developed by Armature Studio), will be available for PlayStation Vita handheld and Nintendo 3DS. The game will release on all platforms worldwide on Oct. 25, 2013. I don’t think there’s a collector’s edition for the portable versions, as it sort of looks silly carrying a shelf or small bookcase with you when you’re out and about (ha ha)…

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt “Killing Monsters” Trailer: And The Moral of This Story Is…

Posted on August 14, 2013 by geelw

Even though this isn’t in-game footage, it’s more than clear to me that CD Projekt Red is making their upcoming open world RPG The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt one for the ages. This team truly knows how to make games that continually impress and if the final product is as great as the earlier work in progress videos have shown, it’ll be a title that’s going to be a mandatory gaming experience for genre fans. Only what, a year or so to go before this is out? I can wait… it’ll be like mooning away at that obscure object of desire, but I can wait…

Dark Souls II “Forging A Hero” Teaser: Keep That Anvil As A Backup Weapon, I Say…

Posted on August 14, 2013 by geelw

March 2014 may seem like a long time to wait for Dark Souls II, to pop up at your favorite physical or digital game emporium but it’s actually going to be here faster than you think and you absolutely don’t want to be rusty when you take your first steps into the new dungeons. Meaner, faster, stronger creatures of many varieties await and they’re not planning to let you simply waltz around as if you’re in a petting zoo. If you have a copy of the first game lying around, you may just want to set aside time to replay it just so your fingers and brain are on their toes. Or you can go in to DSII cold and come out a total wreck before you’ve made it through the first map. Your choice, but I say practice makes perfect. Or less prone to death…

Random Film of the Week: Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

Posted on August 9, 2013 by geelw

(thanks, criterioncollection!)

If you’ve never seen this Robert Aldrich-produced and directed film noir masterpiece, drop what you’re doing (well, unless you’re operating heavy machinery or in the middle of something where dropping anything will cause a major or minor disaster) and go look this one up. You’re guaranteed to say something like “What the…” at least two or three (or a dozen) times while watching this one, trust me. Mike Hammer is supposed to be a hard as nails private eye, but in this flick, he spends about a quarter of the film either getting chased, beaten up, shot at and otherwise maimed by assorted people who want him out of the picture he’s supposed to be starring in.

Deviating quite dramatically from the Mickey Spillane novel, this one’s a blazing hot mix of a downward spiral into a particularly dark hell for private eye Mike Hammer (masterfully played by Ralph Meeker), who has so many brushes with death here that the film ends up having a nasty comic edge thanks to the level of violence on display. No one here escapes unscathed, as everyone either wants Hammer dead or disabled (or both) and the few people on his side tend to drop like flies or come pretty close to it. The film also offers up a big twist at the end that turns it into a sort of wild sci-fi flick, but I won’t spoil that surprise other than to say it’s a big reason the film is so insanely brilliant…

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Seventh Son Trailer #1: This May Be Dragon You Into Theaters Soon Enough…

Posted on July 15, 2013 by geelw

Boy, am I SO behind on my fantasy novel reading… I guess. I’d never even heard of The Wardstone Chronicles until this trailer for Seventh Son rolled around and while I don’t think I’ll be diving into any of the books anytime soon, this trailer looks pretty cool in a flash-forward about a year to “When I finally caught this on cable I was really surprised at how good it was!” manner. Of course, that’s not what WB and Legendary Pictures want to hear, but that’s how I roll these days with those crazy ticket prices. “I’ll take “LESS Expensive Cinema Gimmickry” for $200, Alex!”… or something like that…

Godzilla San Diego Comic-Com Poster: Building Up to the Bigger Reveal…

Posted on July 15, 2013 by geelw

Sure, it won’t be the final poster image, but it’s pretty cool nonetheless. of course, if you had a kaiju made of assorted rubble from wrecked buildings, all you’d need to defeat it would be a very large wrecking ball or a dump truck full of marbles, a pound of lard and a nice steep hill leading to the nearest deep body of water. That would be great for a few laughs, no? Hmph, some people have NO sense of humor. Anyway, it looks as if the BIG reveal of how this new Godzilla will look has been placed gently on the back burner, but I think it’ll be pretty cool. Or hell, at least a LOT more impressive that that last US-made Godzilla flick…