Review: The Croods Prehistoric Party (DS/3DS)

Posted on April 15, 2013 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo DS/3DS

Developer: Torus Games

Publisher: D3Publisher of America

# of Players: 1 – 4

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Official Site: (3DS) (DS)

Score: C (70%)

Like the Wii and Wii U versions, The Croods Prehistoric Party is a collection of 30 mini-games that range from pretty darn fun to slightly (and temporarily) baffling. While colorful and lots of fun to play, both of the portable versions miss the golden opportunity to add any sort of multiplayer modes. In terms of design decisions on a handheld that has a number of fine multiplayer and party-themed games, this is actually a lot more baffling than that occasional mini-game you won’t get right away. As for how this is as a solo game, well, playing against the AI is at best, a bit too easy and at worst, way too easy once you find a few exploits too tempting to pass up… Continue reading →

Review: The Croods Prehistoric Party (Wii/Wii U)

Posted on April 15, 2013 by geelw

croods_wiiu_keyart (Custom) croods_wii_keyart (Custom) Platform: Nintendo Wii/Wii U

Developer: Torus Games

Publisher: D3Publisher of America

# of Players: 1 – 4

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Official Site (Wii U) (Wii)

Score: B (80%)

If you automatically expect a licensed game based on a family-friendly hit animated film to be yet another platform jumper in terms of gameplay and the usual appearance on multiple consoles, The Croods: Prehistoric Party may end up surprising you a bit on two fronts. First, it’s only for Nintendo’s consoles and handhelds and second, it’s a board game on the Wii and Wii U and a collection of mini-games on the DS and 3DS. Both home versions are exactly the same, save for the ability for solo players or one in a group having at it to play with the Wii U Gamepad. Like the Mario Party series, you’ll have more fun with up to three friends, but it’s entirely possible to play through the game against the AI and have a pretty decent time… Continue reading →

Hating Aliens: Colonial Marines? Well, It Could Be Better (or Worse) With A Bit of Retro Perspective…

Posted on March 21, 2013 by geelw

ACM_PS3 Given the critical drubbing that Sega’s Aliens: Colonial Marines has gotten across most of the Internet-verse, some gamers are still feeling the urge to play something that feels closer to James Cameron’s 1986 film than what ended up on store shelves. Well, allow me to assist in this matter (sort of). Track down a working Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum and MSX and a copy of Electric Dreams’ 1987 game, Aliens or the rather interesting (and free) PC remake over at Derbian Games and see what was scary to gamers of that era. Continue reading →

The Croods: Prehistoric Party Hits Nintendo Systems: It’s Time to Get Seriously Stoned!

Posted on March 19, 2013 by geelw

Hey! You thought I’d forgotten to post today, hmmm? Well, I was working on some reviews at the home office and then I went to a screening of Dreakworks’ latest CG animated flick, The Croods. It’s actually quite good and pretty hilarious with some fine performances overall. Nicholas Cage actually makes a MUCH better animated caveman in this film than he does in the last couple of movies he’s made (ha ha), the 3D is pretty cool and yep, there’s a message rolling throughout, so expect some dramatic points mixed in with all the fun.

Just in time for the film, D3Publisher of America is shipping out The Croods: Prehistoric Party for the Nintendo Wii U and Wii, as a collection of 30+ mini-games presented in a fun family board game format a la Mario Party. The 3DS and DS also get versions of this, but geared toward solo play action.

Random Film of the Week(end): Emperor of the North Pole

Posted on February 2, 2013 by geelw

(thanks, Carl’s Trains & Stuff!)

If you haven’t checked out that video above, don’t let the title fool you one bit – this isn’t a family friendly movie about a bouncy, happy CGI penguin and there’s definitely no red-suited Jolly Saint Nick here to spread happy holiday tidings (but there is a fat guy who throws hammers). Nope, this 1973 film from the late, great Robert Aldrich is simultaneously big, mean, brutal and hilarious, often within a few seconds in some scenes.

Based loosely on a Jack London book and a book partially about Jack London, the film features Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine as bitter rivals battling for turf rights in the most absurd of places – a moving freight train. OK, there’s much more to this classic than that, but it pretty much boils town to a prolonged (and excellently shot) fight between two men way past middle age beating the crap out of each other with 2 x 4’s, a chain, thrown hammers and an axe. I guess a cynic would call it Thunderdome on rolling stock, but not as cheesy and much better acted, at that…

Continue reading →

Random Film of the Week: Sunrise: A Tale of Two Souls

Posted on November 10, 2012 by geelw

Even though it’s well over eighty years old, F.W. Murnau’s Sunrise: A Tale of Two Souls is still one of the most amazing films ever made. For a silent film with a surprising amount of visual effects and innovative camera work for what’s basically a dramatic romance mixed with a morality play. The story manages to resonate on a few levels thanks to stellar acting by the leads, phenomenal sets and cinematography and of course, Murnau’s highly expressionistic direction. A simple tale of a nameless farmer who plans to ditch his wife permanently for the charms of a gal from the city, the film shifts into gear right from the opening sequence, pulling you in to the grand final moments. Continue reading →

Random Film of The Week: Alien 3 – Yesterday’s Mess Is Today’s Masterpiece…

Posted on June 12, 2012 by geelw

With the exception of some clumsy CG effects and the annoying, hastily re-shot ending sequence (that was more silly than scary), I loved Alien 3 the first time I saw it. Warts and all, for a first film effort, David Fincher’s solid direction and vision along with Eliot Goldenthal’s haunting score had me hooked in from the beginning even though I understood the production was troubled from the outset. The trailer I saw looked promising and thrilling, and like many who saw it, the idea of Ripley being stuck out in the middle of nowhere on a prison planet with no weapons and at least one Alien running around made for a must-see flick. I recall reading about some production troubles and that the film was being rushed to make a target date without a completed script, something I found hard to believe for such a big franchise. Then again, the law of diminishing returns dictated the cinema deities must have their sacrifice increased tenfold after any second film in a series, so things were looking grim when I read those first reviews…

Continue reading →

Prometheus Update: Today’s The Big Day (Unless It Was Yesterday Or Last Week For Some Of You)…

Posted on June 8, 2012 by geelw

So, here are two more bits (one film clip which has a nice but expected “spoiler”, as well as one more viral) to get you into the theater. For those who don’t grasp the point of the viral videos, they’re made to set up a the time period the film takes place in, which is why the “David” viral ad is like a commercial you’d see today for a PC or car. Anyway, reviews have been pretty positive overall and there was even a midnight showing up here at a theater that usually doesn’t do that sort of thing at all. I didn’t go, as I was writing and I want to roll in on a slow weekday so I can sit back and enjoy the ride without too many er, “urban distractions”.

Still, I’m sure even on a lazy weekday there will be trouble. Like the time I went to see Starship Troopers on an otherwise dull Monday and an entire class of about 40 grade school kids and a few teachers and aides rolled in (late, of course) to see the film, only to get up and leave a few minutes later during a nude shower scene. Oops.

Obviously, some otherwise sane and supposedly educated adults forgot to read the film’s rating (and hell, not knowing what you’re in for when you’re going to a Paul Verhoeven flick is kind of dumb)…

Prometheus Clip Mini-Bonanza: The Clock Is Ticking…

Posted on May 30, 2012 by geelw

Yup, the Prometheus trailer and clip free for all continues on the internet. Even after seeing all these clips plus the HBO and Showtime features covering the making of the film, it’s still all a big fat mystery to me as far as what exactly happens in the film. Sure, I’ve got the basic story down pat and as noted previously, there won’t be that same alien from the other films running about and bumping off crew members (a good thing in my book). But when Ridley Scott says he’s “going to scare the $#!t out of you,” I have to take him at his word.

So, yeah… June 8 is rolling up next week and I can see that theater filled with folks expecting one thing and getting something entirely different. But in a really good way. I know I’ll be going home and watching Alien again just to check out the links made in the new film and how well they all fit. One cool thing I’ve liked about the trailers and commercials by the way: they use that weird sound effect from the original Alien trailers to excellent effect…

Prometheus “Quiet Eye” Viral: Getting Closer To The Truth (And Creeped Out, Too)…

Posted on May 17, 2012 by geelw

Yikes, it’s almost June, which means Prometheus will be getting into the brains of fans who will be talking about this one for quite some time. No doubt Alien fans from the first film will be debating new viewers who don’t “get” some of the stuff here, and I think both camps will be off by a mile if they try to base their arguments on the xenomorph aspect. At the end of the day, if the film is solid, it’ll be a go-to classic for years to come. Of course, that might also mean a new box set of Alien films at some point, with Prometheus being the “first” film in the series. And YES, the icky (and mean-spirited) Alien Versus Predator will STILL be left out of the canon.