Batman: Arkam City Armored Edition Drops Into Retailers

Posted on November 13, 2012 by geelw

For my money, it’s looks as if the Wii U has one of the more impressive launch.launch window lineups for a new console this generation (er, next generation? whatever – there are some strong titles coming between now and the end of the year). Yeah, yeah, yeah – your jaded self has already played this on the PS3, Xbox 360 or PC (or all three if you’re that obsessed), but given that this (and every other Wii U) game is made first and foremost for Nintendo-only fans who may have never laid a pinky on any previous version AND Rocksteady has gone above and beyond the call in not shoving a straightforward quick port out the door, this may be the definitive version of the game. Anyway, I say shut up and play it – if it’s good, it’ll silence the critics – if it’s bad, it’ll get them babbling doom stories about the systems like those overpaid analysts who don’t play games at all but spend too much time comparing everything to Apple’s success or claiming consoles are dead because too many people are playing mobile games or whatever.

On the other hand, if it’s BETTER than any of the previous versions, well… I say apologies are in order from the naysayers directly to WB, the developer and any gamers who were falling for the hate hype. Fair is indeed fair after all…

The Hobbit TV Spot 1: It’s No Time For Comedy Central, I Say…

Posted on October 23, 2012 by geelw

Someone told me the other day that Stephen Colbert (a super huge Tolkein fan) is supposed to be in this new flick in some sort of cameo and if it’s true, I’ll wince a bit now and hope it’s as minimal a part as possible that doesn’t take anything away from Peter Jackson’s hard work. Look, I like Colbert and his show a lot (well, most of the time), but this sort of placement is troublesome, annoying and frustrating (like the product promos he does on his show). I don’t need to see the man EVERYWHERE in the media and the fact that a number of key crazed conservatives in the US have been doing his act for real for a few years (unfortunately, they take the crap they say too seriously) makes him almost obsolete at times. Hell, he’s got a treadmill or whatever on the International Space Station, is probably sinking an image of his face to the bottom of the sea to be discovered by future travelers and I’m surprised someone hasn’t stuck him in a popular iOS game or something yet. Meh, maybe I’m getting old and cranky, but I just think that the last person who needs a Colbert Bump (TM) is Stephen Colbert…

DmC Preorder Madness: Choose Your Poison (They All Look Tasty)…

Posted on October 8, 2012 by geelw

I’m not a fan at all of the current crazy situation where every major retailer gets SEPARATE pre-order bonuses, no matter how good a game is. I happen to love games where everything is in the package or those where I know I can scoop up every last bit of content in a Game of the Year or other reissue. I know a lot of other gamers who hate this tactic as well, but it seems to be here to stay.

And don’t go hating ONLY on Capcom for this, kids – you can toss a dead cat and hit games from nearly every major publisher that do this sort of thing. That said, from what I’ve played, at least DmC is going to be one of those games that no matter how you buy it, will keep you busy through multiple replays. Continue reading →

XCOM: Enemy Unknown Launch Trailer: “Our Last Hope” Keeps Those Aliens’ Days Numbered…

Posted on October 5, 2012 by geelw

2K Games and Firaxis are about to make a ton of gamers happy campers indeed with this upcoming reboot of the turn-based strategy classic and this should be one of those games that becomes highly regarded among new and old genre fans. Sadly and not so amusingly enough, rumors have it that the highly stylized FPS origin story (which has vanished off the radar for far too long), has been whined and focus-grouped dined into a watered down (and probably DLC-only) version of the turn-based game above with squad-based third-person gameplay. Talk about a developer not being able to do the game they set out to do in the first place. Great. Score another “victory!” for those who want to piss on creativity because they think one genre is “inferior” to another or ONLY caters to ONE type of player. System Shock, Thief, Half-Life, Arx Fatalis, Anvil of Dawn and other excellent POV titles are more that solid examples of smart “shooters” that were classics of their times is all I’ll say…

Anyway, I hope we at LEAST get something like a demo pr something PLAYABLE made available of the old version of this game before it got sent to development hell. Granted, it probably would have been dead at launch only to be rediscovered as one more “Hey! This game isn’t bad at all!” bargain bin special, but I guess 2K doesn’t want to deal with that factor (even after so much has already been spent on development). Feh. Sometimes, fans aren’t the smartest sticks in the shed because they hate things that may actually work well in a certain context they can’t wrap their heads around until they actually PLAY it. Same old hamburger and fries again? Sure!

Ahoy! Once Piece Pirate Warriors Ships Out Via PSN (Arrrrr!)

Posted on September 30, 2012 by geelw

Now, I could make a couple of REALLY corny piracy jokes about the US version of this hit game NOT being available on a disc, meaning the poor digital pirates can’t even play the game they don’t want to buy or something like that, but I won’t. Anyway, One Piece Pirate Warriors, the latest anime franchise to go the Dynasty Warriors route id out NOW and quite spectacular stuff. As for why it’s not a CD in a case, well… among other things, mega-success in Japan doesn’t always translate to that same number of sales here and yes, anime games like One Piece are indeed a niche inside of a niche (or much smaller than than even the most rabid fan would want to know), so here we are. Granted, it’s another sad case of some people being able to play this instant classic, and some that can’t even if they wanted to.

It’s the current economy more than it is Namco Bandai wanting to piss you off, folks. That said, the move to digital is becoming a bigger problem as more games head that way without letting fans in on why, so I hope the powers that be in the industry in general finally quit it with the smoke and mirrors and “everyone is downloading!” crap and get into letting people with money but crappy online connections have the means to BUY their games instead of complaining that they can’t do so.

Lost Planet 3 TGS Gameplay: Spark Versus Snark (And Spark Needs To Win Big)

Posted on September 24, 2012 by geelw

I’m one of those few waving the flag about how damn good Lost Planet 3 is turning out to be, but par for the course on the internet, there are too many whiners living in the past griping about how the game isn’t EXACTLY point for point like the first two installments. Reading is fundamental, but let me break it down a bit for those who aren’t up to speed. Given that it’s a PREQUEL that will most likely set up some of the events of the other two games, once you get some hands-on time, it’s easy to appreciate the effort developer Spark Unlimited has been putting into the project for a few years now. I liked what I saw in terms of the single player story, the gameplay is pretty tight and the use of Unreal tech is very solid, particularly in the well done cinemas that draw you into the frozen world and the miners who work there. I say a bit more appreciation and a lot less being jaded just to be jaded would help here, but you can’t control others’ intent to somehow NOT enjoy what’s being done to expand their horizons (as well as the potential for future installments in the series). In any event, I’m holding out hope that this dev team and Capcom get some actual credit for what’s going to be a pretty cool experience (at least for me) when the game is released in 2013.

The Last Story: Great Game, But That Deluxe Packaging Is A Pain

Posted on September 22, 2012 by geelw

So, the copy of The Last Story I recently ordered finally arrived today and while I’m pleased as punch about this (the game is running in the background as I type this post), whomever designed the outer sleeve for the otherwise wonderful game packaging needs a spanking or something. The “book” design of the slipcase that protects the game and lovely art book gets an “A” overall, but after than, it’s a bit goofy.

I understand that yes, the “book” should open like a book, but that outer cover protective flap thing? Er, what the what are gamers supposed to DO with it once they open the package? It’s not going to fit inside the box, the two front flaps on the blasted thing stick up like gull-wing doors on a DeLorean and storing it like a book on a bookshelf is a bit of a lame idea (especially if you don’t have a proper bookshelf or like me, your bookshelf is packed to the gills with other games). Hmmm… maybe I should design a case for the case? Eh, not enough time, nor enough patience to fiddle with constructing something like that. Oh well – off to see if this Story is as great as it looks. I like Mistwalker’s games, so I intend to be suitably impressed when it’s necessary. Back in a bit…

Need Another Reason to Beat Up on Star Wars? Try Installing Knights of the Old Republic On A PC That SHOULD Play It…

Posted on September 18, 2012 by geelw

With few exceptions, I haven’t had any major issues installing and running older games on my PC, but every once in a while, I get hit with a problem child. While I’m still using Windows XP, I have more than enough memory, an external HDD and a pretty decent nVidia video card (that runs almost everything I’ve thrown at it just fine). Overall, I’m pleased with the results (especially as I don’t play many modern shooters or games that demand an annual or biannual update to a new card just to show off nice and shiny stuff but deliver nothing new in terms of gameplay). Anyway, I finally got stymied big time by of all things, one of my favorite console games I just picked up in its PC incarnation. Worse still, it seems that a lot of other people are having the same (or even more extreme) problems once they manage to install this classic.

Since it was released on the original Xbox back in 2002, I’ve replayed Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic at least once a year because it’s a damn good game and like a good book, it deserves a fresh read every so often. After a few years of ignoring the PC port (I was perfectly pleased with digging out the console version), I finally decided to pick up a copy of the PC version mostly to see how it would look at a higher resolution and with whatever improvements any patches added. Turns out, it was Darth Glitchy working the production droids to death in some sweatbox on Dantooine and giving Jabba the Hutt his 70% cut of the profits, as I can’t even get the damned game to install, let alone play…

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Control Issues: Where The Wii U Could Really Slip Up At Launch…

Posted on September 15, 2012 by geelw

No, I’m not talking about how well the new GamePad works or anything similar. I’m talking about the fact that Nintendo (of America, at least) isn’t releasing that innovative new controller as a standalone purchase on the same day as their new console. Wait, what? Yes, indeed… and I think this is some sort of wacky first for a new console launch.

Of course, a bit of official spin cycle counterpoint makes it all better, right? Well, in my opinion… not really. On the very different (but related) subject of why there weren’t dual controller games at the NYC press event and aren’t going to be additional GamePads on store shelves at launch, Nintendo of America President and CEO Reggie Fils-Amie noted in a great GamesIndustry.biz interview published yesterday:

” The reason you don’t see games with two GamePads [at this event] is the technical ability to make two GamePads work was delivered to publishers after they started this current round of development. So you’ll see those two GamePad experiences at a later date; when those games are coming, that’s when we’ll make a separate GamePad available.

Look at it this way: when we’re preparing for launch, I need to make consoles and I need to make GamePads, and I need to put them together in a box to sell at retail. And if I’m using my inventory assembling GamePads that don’t support any games in the marketplace, all I’m doing is reducing my available inventory to sell on launch day.”

Really? Argh. You had me at hello, Reggie (yep, I’ve already pre-ordered a Wii U). But then you hit me on the head and tried to toss me in the trunk after taking my wallet. Ouch. That’s not how it’s supposed to work with a new console – particularly one that’s so important and innovative…

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Why Steam’s Big Picture Interests Me Not One Bit (Mostly)…

Posted on September 10, 2012 by geelw

Actually, I’m positively thrilled at the leap Valve is making, but like a “few” forgotten ones out there, a cold reality sits heavier here than it does where the folks who cook up these products live and work. For the record, I do have a Steam account but barely use it (no high speed internet), so obviously, I’m not at all intrigued about bringing an expanded (and YES, helpful) service I can’t currently use to my living room. Maybe if Valve designed that potential Steam Box so that folks like me could transfer some or all of our PC games (no matter the age) into memory and play those games on a bigger screen somehow? That would get me more into this news. Granted, the millions of Steam users who fall over backwards praising the service will be pleased, but for me, it’s yet another digital divide in an industry grabbing money where they can without heed to every consequence. Yes, EVERY. If you don’t even bother to think about what could happen (no matter how far-fetched), then you’re only caught pants-down when it DOES happen, I say.

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