VGA 101: Fighting Games I’d Rather Be Playing Other Than Killer Instinct…

Posted on November 22, 2013 by geelw

Hmm. So, a friend who snapped up his Xbox One at midnight called me over today to play some games and Killer Instinct was one of them. I was not impressed. Granted, I’ve never liked KI all that much for a few reasons, but I respect anyone who can put up with its quirks on the SNES and even more of its quirks as a launch title for Microsoft’s $500 ego-center deluxe. Paying for characters piecemeal in a fighter may be the hot new thing, but while I was combo-ing away like a chump and winning a few rounds against my pal (he still kicked my butt around the room after about 20 minutes of us both fiddling with those yuck-worthy triggers on that new controller which work BEAUTIFULLY in Forza 5 but not for a fighting game), I kept thinking of the somewhat lousy pay to unlock “deal” going on here.

After about two hours of next-gen thrills, I hoofed it home thinking of something to write about and ended up walking in the door, yanking a few fighting games (or fighting game hybrids) I’d rather have played down from the PlayStation section of the library, snapped a few pictures and here you go. As many characters as you can stand all on discs and not stacked with fees or “coming soon” features. Granted, you cool kids who don’t mind the enforced evolution of mandatory DLC and playing games that aren’t exactly finished because you’ll be buying in for as long as you can stand it (or longer as you get lured into the pay schemes here and on the way) will be all over this one like bees on a bear trying to steal their honey. Me, I’m a plug an play guy for life and it seems some of these new consoles and me won’t get along like best buddies anytime soon. But if this sort of thing floats your particular boat, knock yourself right on out and pay (and then pay again)…

Well, At Least My Vita Is Ready For The PlayStation 4…

Posted on November 8, 2013 by geelw

So, Sony’s most recent system update for the PlayStation Vita has a few nifty new additions to that XMB for owners including a PS4 Link feature that seems to allow PlayStation 4 games to be streamed onto the handheld most likely via a cloud service of some sort. HOPEFULLY, it will allow for system updates for that console to be downloaded and transferred TO the PS4, as I know for a fact that not everyone who wants or has pre-ordered that console has a broadband connection or decent internet access at home. That’s going to be a HUGE deciding factor for some in this upcoming console battle as we know that out of the box, the Xbox One won’t even play a game until a mandatory update patch is downloaded from Xbox Live (and nope, you can’t use a dial-up connection!).

I’m not lucky enough to have an early console like some sites out there (*grumble*), but I’m playing on picking one up and NO, not by trying my luck eating crappy “ethnic” fast food from a flimsy cardboard box (yuck!) packed and sold by people working for soul suckin’ jerks. I’d prefer a debug unit, personally, but it would seem no one at Sony even knows I exist these days so I’m a Joe Gamer type like the rest of you at the moment. Oh well, all that does is make for better reviews at the end of the day anyway. Although I’ll tell you now that I’m the hardest person to market stuff to because I buy and play what I like, I like very odd things sometimes and that’s not “mainstream” enough for some out there, I’d gather…

Humor? Recovering From Defeat Isn’t Hard, Folks. It’s Just A One-Step Dance…

Posted on November 6, 2013 by geelw

Like everyone else out there, I sometimes fail miserably at stuff. But being old and stubborn and cranky yet willing to learn fast is actually a darn good thing if you put it into practice. Like you, I used to get upset at a setback and sink into something soft with something edible to squeeze as I planned revenge on what wronged me (although in many cases it was those three idiots me, myself and I doing the dirty work). What one learns over time is not to dwell on the not so good parts of life and focus on making oneself a better person even if it costs you a few brownie points with your dark side. Hell, letting that part have all the fun is stupid anyway, as all that does is make your nicer side pissed off and plan revenge (meaning you’re setting yourself up for a fall even faster than you can run out to the supermarket and stock up on crow pies and chocolate ice cream)… Continue reading →

Thief “Stories From The City” Video Won’t Steal Your Heart (But Your Wallet Is Suddenly Lighter)…

Posted on November 2, 2013 by geelw

Poor Garrett needs a little love and fast. The internet trolls under every bridge leading to Eidos Montreal’s HQ are pooping out so many negative comments about a game they’ve yet to play based on nothing but some in progress gameplay footage and a lack of perspective and understanding game development that the new Thief may be doomed before it even leaves the studio. Of course, people like me will give the game a shot because we have no psychic powers and tend to believe in developers who try to make good games worth playing.

Granted, yes, the original Thief and its first sequel were brilliant and should be more aspired to than outright copied and so far, it looks as if this new game is going in a different direction than some fans want. However… it’s not complete and no one has played a final build yet, so I say perhaps wait a bit before you angry gamer types whip out the torches and pitchforks. Eidos’ PR department (or Square Enix’) is going to need to do something clever (or just smart – there’s a difference) to get some of the naysayers on board the Thief train, so I guess I may as well break out the popcorn and watch stuff unfold as that February 2014 release rolls around…

Mega Man Might Not Be Getting A New Game, But Music-Wise? He’s Quite Well Covered…

Posted on October 31, 2013 by geelw

And of course, Capcom is being trolled harder since these announcements by “fans” who are more like nasty barnacles more than people who seem to “enjoy” anything the company is putting out on the game front these days. Yes, poor MM has been through some development hell lately (although he’s popping up in some interesting fan-made and professional non-MM game projects) and sure, you can scream at Capcom until you turn bluer than the Blue Bomber about anything else you believe they’ve done wrong since the Great Clock was first constructed. But, NO. You can’t poop on the work of these talented musicians that happen to be Mega Man fans as well who’ve worked an ass cheek or two off making music for your listening pleasure just because the Internet allows you to rant at your leisure (no matter how ignorant you sound)… Continue reading →

Sharp Advice From Arnold Cuts Both Ways, But He’s Got A Point…

Posted on October 26, 2013 by geelw

Ah, well. So, kids – this week went from fun to weak in a “Well, that was a surprise but not SO much of a surprise” manner. Granted, with all my recent good tidings I’d naturally expected some stuff in the air to tumble down hard. but I at least figured I’d see it coming before I got smashed on the skull and would be able to leap gracefully out of the way. Okay, at least sidestep slowly away from the crushing blow and let it hit some other poor sap. Welp, I actually got splattered across the map but good (ewww), but this ended up being a fortunate thing that it happened when it did and not when I was in the midst of the upcoming better stuff that’s rolling up shortly. So ol’ Arnold up there is both right and wrong. You can kill a dream alright, but you can’t kill the dreamer unless he or she wants to cash in those chips. And I’m not going anywhere I don’t want to…

Mr. Peabody & Sherman Trailer: Wards of the State, Juvenile Delinquent Version…

Posted on October 25, 2013 by geelw

Urgh. OK, I think I asked this question before, but just WHO is this film targeted to? Us cranky ass oldsters who grew up watching Rocky & Bullwinkle, Fractured Fairy Tales and yes, these two characters are grinding our collective teeth about this CG travesty, the kids of today won’t have a C-L-U-E what the heck this is about other than the usual dumbed down predictable plot that lasts and hour and half and has pop songs packed in and the obligatory fake outtakes in the credits. Parents not in the know about Jay Ward and his creations (and style of humor) will of course, dutifully pack up the tots and trundle in to see this, buy the toys and other merchandise and thing all is peachy keen and as harmless as a stuffed poodle.

Me, I’ll be hitting my head with a hammer and hoping at least one or two critics point out that the Peabody segments were excellent because they worked best as unconnected shorts that were over and done with in a few minutes. Stretching things to feature length and adding needless stuff and worse modern jokes is only bleeding any chance for redemption from this one dry in record time. I didn’t even crack a smile during this trailer and that’s a bad sign because my sense of humor is pretty off the wall and expansive. Hey, I could be totally wrong, people… but it’s not a good sign in this day and age of movie trailers coughing up all the best parts of a movie in that two minutes or so. Hmmm… we shall see, I suppose…

Dracula on NBC: Great or Awful, There’s Still a Lot of Sucking Bound to Happen…

Posted on October 25, 2013 by geelw

Hmmmm… The words “Dracula on NBC” should already scare some of you away from this one like it’s covered in maggots with a crazed Renfield chasing after it with a very rusted butter knife, but here we go, another attempt at getting the vampire on the telly. Vampires in general have suffered the indignities of modern romanticizing for quite some time and it’s been a downhill slide for the true fanged few since the preteens got their stupidly stripped down versions on them that rake in profits for their re-creators by the billions. I won’t name any names here, but for many true fans of the myth it’s been a hell of the purest form seeing print, film and other new media vampires eat away at the legend to the point where it’s now “cool” and yet played out because every time you spin your head, some would be Stoker-lite is shifting a new piece of overblown fan-fiction from their hard drive out into the world as a professional work in some form of media and yes, the kids love them some fancy fang to face action on a regular basis. Blech… Continue reading →

Digital Dilemma Day (or Slow As S#!t Is the New Black)…

Posted on October 22, 2013 by geelw

(thanks, upwithgravity!)

Bleh. One thing that cracks me the hell up is reading industry sites and speaking with some folks in the tech sector who (very) blindly and (all too) cheerfully think ALL is nothing but well when it comes to the US and the rest of the civilized world having the best and speediest internet connections so we can all happily buy those new toys and get content with the same lightning speed wherever we go. Well, Crom laughs at your four winds, digital gurus. I say the bulk of these wealthy innovators have NEVER used local wi-fi, been stuck with a dial-up connection or had any major problem they couldn’t buy their way out of by tossing that old device in the trash and buying a new one or having an employee come up with a free fix (or come up with one themselves).

I’m also betting that if some of these SUPER geniuses were to step away from their hi-tech caves they’d see the rest of us poor peons not only have crappy connections, they’re slower than Kraftwerk playing their paradoxically languid classic pop song about that famous highway with no speed limit. Granted, it’s a great and memorable tune, but some of you folks may find it supremely soporific if you were expecting something along the Blurred Lines…

(thanks, Ras Putin!)

Okay, now… hey, you in the back… WAKE UP! That’s better (I know I should have used the shorter single edit!)… Continue reading →

The Ugly American: Getting Back Into Shape (Part the First)…

Posted on October 17, 2013 by geelw

For the past week plus or so, the last movie theater in my area has been shut, but it’s at least not as terrible as I’d initially thought. When I first strolled past on my usual route a block away, I noticed the blank marquee and side panels and immediately thought the place was out of business and gone forever. That would have been COMPLETELY lousy, as it would mean Parkchester going from having five or six movie theaters in the 1970’s when we moved here to having ZERO for a pretty large community of people. Granted, the last few theaters before the American shut down in the late 80’s and 90’s and all have been turned into stupidly useless shops, a church and at least one gym that aren’t needed at all because we have PLENTY of those already in the area. So no one of a certain (younger) age knows that there were plenty of options every night of the week for seeing movies in this area other than The American.

And yes, it’s too bad for them that those older theaters are dead and gone…

Continue reading →