Retro City Rampage: Buy This Game Or It Will Come To Your House And Beat You…

Posted on October 9, 2012 by geelw

Yeah, you know who you are. Laugh at these awesome visuals at your own peril, kids. Listen up: I’m old, so I KNOW exactly what’s going to happen here. Codgers like me will groove on the sprite-heavy, colors a’poppin graphics, tough as nails gameplay and huge open world that means we’ll be hooked in for weeks. Ironic hipster types (bless their bespectacled hearts) who think they’re cooler than they are in real life will remember the indie games they played over the past few years and get the retro vibe full on. Meanwhile, the wee ones under a certain age who think every damn game MUST be a FPS or packing “realistic” 3D graphics that require a PC upgrade every three weeks or new console or whatever will be laughing and pointing like the fools they are until they pick up a controller and get a butt cheek handed back to them by some random digital thug. It’s all about respect, as I keep saying… and Canadian developer Vblank Entertainment is going to learn you whippersnappers a thing or two.

Your PS3 is starving for this one, and so is your Vita… so yeah, do the right thing and get this game, Before it gets YOU.

Evochron Mercenary: That Final Frontier Again, But A Hell of A Lot More Thrilling

Posted on October 9, 2012 by geelw

I’m wrapping up my review for Endless Space (yeah, it took a bit longer than I thought, but I got hooked) and someone sends me a link to this video. Great, ANOTHER space sim to get tractor-beamed on for too long! Actually, Evochron Mercenary is a different bird in a number of ways I like and I’ve been hearing some great things about StarWraith Games, so on the to-do pile this one goes. I guess I’ll finally get to it in a few months, given all the games I still need to play. I’m actually afraid to go near something this deep again, as my free time has dwindled to just about zero or something below that. Then again, the weather is getting really chilly lately, so I may at least download a demo at some point sooner…

Buy It! Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax Ultimate Boy Hits Steam

Posted on October 2, 2012 by geelw

One of the best blends of JRPG, humor and genuine challenge for the unwary player, Half Minute Hero finally hits the PC in a nicely buffed up version that rounds up all the content from the PSP while adding a really interesting cartoon art style (check out the YouTube video channel here) and of course, retaining the same lightning-paced gameplay from the portable games intact. BUY this game, I say, as it will make you laugh at the familiar tropes it pokes fun at while you’re getting creamed by some pretty pesky enemies. You need to pay attention, plan ahead and fight for time here as you try to make that 30 seconds count. Don’t play this on a laptop while traveling, however – people will think you’ve gone nuts when you start yelling at your screen and yep, the men in the white coats will follow soon afterward.

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.

Random Indie Game of the Week: Knights of the Chalice

Posted on September 30, 2012 by geelw

OK, another case of me being late to the party, but even so, here’s another RPG you’ll probably fall head over heels for. Knights of the Chalice comes highly recommended if you’re a fan of old-school top-down RPG bliss, anything Dungeons & Dragons related and well crafted, severely challenging games in general. While it’s not a free game, you can download the wickedly cool (and hard) demo and decide if it’s worth the £14.95 (approximately $24.15 US) – I’d say it is and then some, but I’m still playing the demo! Actually, I’ll probably pick this up once I whittle down the pile of games I have to review. I don’t want to buy it now and be tempted to start up another game that’s going to eat up what’s left of my free time…

Continue reading →

Carmageddon Max Pack Skids onto GOG.com!

Posted on September 29, 2012 by geelw

Yeah, yeah, you COULD sit in L.A. traffic and face what they consider “Carmageddon” but that’s not the real deal, folks. Just avoid that vehicular nonsense, stay home and download Carmageddon Max Pack for a measly ten bucks HERE. Hell, it’s a weekend and you don’t really need to drive anywhere anyway, right? And if you’re not in L.A. and don’t get the reference, it’s not important and you should get the game anyway because I said so (nicely). Besides, it’s MUCH safer than getting in a weekend wreck with some fool who was texting while behind the wheel.

New Little King’s Story Launch Trailer (UK) – US Version Coming Oct. 2

Posted on September 27, 2012 by geelw

Ah, I’d almost forgotten about this one, but here you go: the UK/EU launch trailer for the nicely intriguing RTS/RPG hybrid. I loved the first game on the Wii quite a lot (in my opinion, it’s one of the best games made for that console) and updated visual style plus all-new touch controls aside, the Vita game looks like it will be even more addictive and fun to play. Slowly but surely, the Vita is getting more great games – something it really needs with so much at stake for Sony this console cycle.

F1 2012 Singapore Hot Lap Video: A Burning Query…

Posted on September 23, 2012 by geelw

Hmmm… given all the restrictions on stuff like walking and chewing gum in public (or more precisely, spitting out that gum onto the street there), I wonder if you can get a fine in Singapore for speeding on a race track? Ha ha. Anyway, before i cause an international incident, let me point you to the lovely video above provided by the fine folks at Codemasters, makers of some mighty incredible racing experiences for quite some time. The game is out now, by the way, so while you’re dashing off to the store to snap up a copy, I shall make good my escape… into the future! *Poof!*

Jet Set Radio Launch Trailer: Lovely, But We STILL Need a Vita Version!

Posted on September 19, 2012 by geelw

Or a 3DS version, for that matter. Or hell, even better, BOTH. Ah well, perhaps we’ll see the day return when Sega just gets it back together and realizes that Dreamcast fans (and most Sega fans in general) have more than one console they like to play the classics on… Anyway, this one should be as awesome as ever, so yup, make it a purchase.

Borderlands 2 Launch Trailer: Not That You’ll Have Any Free Time To Watch It (But You Might Get More Than You Wanted…)

Posted on September 18, 2012 by geelw

Yeah, you know who you are. In fact, there’s a mighty good chance you’re not even reading this because you’re already playing the game. Either that, or, you’re catching up on a few hours of much-needed sleep before you pop out of bed bright and early, call in sick for work with the “flu” or whatever, rush down to your nearest game emporium to snap up a copy of the game and take the rest of the week off.

PROTIP: Stay the hell OFF any social networking site with the bragging rights posting about how long you’ve been playing. Given that the commercials are all over the damn place, your boss KNOWS what’s up, but can’t prove anything if you stay silent and buried under the blankets on Pandora. Screw it up royally by being a braggart and watch it all come crashing down when you join the gainfully unemployed before your tweet or status update gets cold. Just a thought.

And don’t go blaming Gearbox or 2K if you get canned, cowboy – no one told you to be so stupid in this age of TMI when it’s not necessary. Enjoy the game!