HBO continues to crack me up with these video deluge blitzes after each episode this season. I kind of wish they’d just release maybe three videos tops. A recap of assorted clips, a behind the scenes with a slide into a George R.R. Martin interview and a preview of the next episode.
THAT would be (TOO) simple, no? Well, no, according to HBO, as they want to feed the fans until they’re stuffed to bursting with every bit of minutiae about each episode this season after it happens (as in an hour or two later, it seems). Some thrive on this stuff while I prefer more of a compact approach.
But whatever, try and tell the more hardcore GoT fans there’s TOO much info spilling about and it’s your insides that may be spilling out. That, or you’ll get a fierce tongue-lashing (and not the kind you’d expect from one of those fancy brothels, either). Ouch, ouch, (*yawn*) ouch… Continue reading →
Spiders’ next game is (almost) here and I’m actually quite eager to give it a play through, as they’re a developer that’s done a number of great looking games with interesting play mechanics that while not flawless, showed a ton of promise with each project. Bound By Flame looks like a labor of love and the next step for the developer, as it’s their first “next-gen” game for the PlayStation 4 as well as being on PS3 and Xbox 360. Of course, PC gamers will say they’re getting the “best” version (and they’d be right in terms of visuals), but for me, at the end of the day, it’s gameplay that makes the game, not running the game with all the settings maxed and showing off what that graphics card you have can do. The visuals look nice on anything I’ve seen this on, the music (by Olivier Derivière) and voice acting are excellent and the combat looks like an interesting mix of a few games. Of course, videos are one thing, but there’s nothing like some controller time to see how it’s all come together. Well, May 9th is the day, so I guess I’ll see what’s up with this one then…
Eeek. I actually MISSED posting the Alien Isolation update from April. Oops. Hey, it happens with all these games coming out, kids. Anyway, how fitting that this video is about the low-tech equipment used in the game and the lower tech methods developer The Creative Assembly used to get parts of the game looking quite analog. I love this behind the scenes stuff and you have to appreciate that old techniques work as well as (or even better in this case) than just doing everything on a computer to FAKE video footage that looks garbled and yep, “lo-fi”. October 7, 2014, folks. Carve out some time for this one – it’s turning out really special…
Oops. Well, at least it wasn’t a ALL musical episode (thank goodness!) and that number ended with a bang of sorts with an unconscious Alison hitting the floor hard. Don’t drink and sing, folks! Heh. Anyway, I’m not sure how I like that Cal character and the plot twistaroo that happened, but we’ll see where that goes soon enough. Finally, I’d LOVE it if a certain dazed-out Russian clone would wake the heck up already and send everyone in the crazy commune to their maker, as they all deserve a nice amount of lead in their diet for what they’ve got planned. Yeah, you know you want them dead too. Anyway, next week’s show looks like a real corker (as you can see)…
While you could indeed shoot gas tanks and blow up cars and trucks in Sniper Elite V2, that X-Ray camera effect wasn’t used and while optional to some missions, you didn’t have to take out some rides if you didn’t want to. Granted, this made the game much harder if you had more Nazis to mow down, but some players relished that more unrealistic challenge. Anyway, as you can see above, no engine block or gas tank is safe in this installment. Rebellion’s Sniper Elite III, coming on from 505 Games in July, is bringing the pain with more not for the kiddies at all WWII action in an even bigger (and some would say *ouch!* ballsier) manner than before to PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, XBOX One and most likely PC down the road a piece. War is Hell, indeed…
Okay, I’ve been obsessed with Diablo III on the PlayStation 3 for the past few months on and off. Why? two words: HELLFIRE RING. As I’m NOT cheating or playing online with cheaters who provide hacked gear to anyone who asks, I’ve been chipping away at the game’s Inferno mode, going past the level cap of 60 and into Paragon territory, where I’m currently at Level 15 (of 100 total Paragon levels). Now, I’ve gotten to Whimsyshire already (there’s NO “Cow Level” in DIII, but you do meet the Cow King once you create the Staff of Herding), but the big deal for me has been trying to craft a Hellfire Ring. Well, a few Hellfire Rings, but the first one is the hardest. Pull up a chair and grab a drink, as this is going to get all game-y and technical.
Anyone else, you can watch a free movie instead while I bend the ear of those who stayed behind with some caffeine.
Hmmm… let’s see now. Ah. THIS should do nicely – who doesn’t love some vintage Vincent Price? Oh, you don’t? Well then… step right this way and stand here while I throw this lever. A little to your left, please? Good. Oh, wait. Here’s a pillow. Consider it a parting gift. You may want to stuff it down the back of your pants, though…
So, DAYLIGHT is here for your PC or PlayStation 4 from Atlus and developer Zombie Studios, but you should play it in the dark for best results. Granted, this short, scary as hell romp through a few creepy locations isn’t the deepest game on the planet, but it delivers the scares thanks to maps that are procedurally generated, meaning it’s a new experience each time you dive in. Now, I’m not a fan of the whole Slenderman thing (it’s so laaaaaaaaame and not a scary myth at all to me!), but this more ghostly take on that fad works better on a few fronts while delivering the jump scares horror fans crave. It’s too bad this wasn’t also made for the Vita, as I’d be playing it now and jumping out of a seat somewhere in public squealing like a bag of hungry mice. Eeeeeek!
Nope. Not gonna happen, people. You try to join this over-sized hog calling contest and all you’ll get is a very bad sore throat, trust me. Of course, you’ll want to prove me wrong, but I’ll be right and talking about you while you’ll be home with a raw throat sucking down a bottle of honey with your nice chicken soup. Yeah, one of those cute bear bottles – whatever makes you happy. Anyway, I say let the monster itself do what it does best (well ONE of the things it does best) and stay the heck out of his way:
There, THAT’S more like it. May 16th is stomping up soon, isn’t it? Yes it is!
It’s almost as if HBO wants to get you all spoiled if you’re not yet caught up on the show, so beware from this point onward:
I’d been thinking on and off about restarting my reading of the books (I didn’t get far into them years back thanks to too much to do and not enough time to read as much as I’d have liked), but I think I prefer waiting until the show is over and done with as I like where the arc is going. Granted, the White Walker reveal (see that episode for details!) might be a bit much in this extremely busy season.
Natalie Dormer looks like a cat. That is all I’ll say about that. Anyway, I think her character actually thought she was going to be the Queen and although it looks as if she’ll get a second shot at it, I say it’s not happening anytime soon unless Cersi is gone and not coming back. Of course, I’d say Cersi is too necessary to get killed off this season, but that’s a huge laugh if you think about it, Right George?
Oh, never mind. He’s still going on about that Purple Wedding incident, so I’ll let him talk. Hey, I bet anyone who tries to interrupt Mr. Martin ends up in a box at some point. Or just silenced for long enough that he gets his point across. Don’t mess withe author when he’s holding court or you may end up losing your head once he does…
And finally, here’s what’s coming next Sunday. I tend to only watch these teasers only once (after each episode) and try my best to forget about them afterwards. Why? As noted a few times, I prefer going in cold and having as few things spoiled as possible. That and I despise guessing which scene goes where and editing in trailers always makes it look as if stuff is happening that doesn’t (or won’t for a bit). Anyway, you know the drill – see you next Sunday, “same Bat time, Same Bat channel…”
Spoilers galore! Or more like just a handful (if one is a “handful”, that means you have small hands). I was plenty ticked off at the end of last season when Donnie was revealed as Alison’s minder after all, so it’s great to see him getting his comeuppance slowly but surely starting in Episode 2 on Saturday and him not seeing it starting up. Hopefully, he’ll get what’s coming to him sooner than later, but we’ll see what happens as this season twists and turns. Well, next week’s show looks even more interesting, so you know where to find me next Saturday night…