E3 2013: PlayStation 4: $399, No DRM, Content Galore, PS Plus Required For Online MP…

Posted on June 10, 2013 by geelw

Well, it’s pretty much a no-brainer for some gamers this holiday season. Or NOW if you hit up Amazon.com and pre-order (which is VERY highly recommended if you want one of these before Xmas).

Sony’s upcoming PlayStation 4 console comes in at a hundred dollars less than the Xbox One, used games CAN be sold, lent and traded as before (and as they’ve been for decades), PSN accounts with content can be transferred over and there are a really nice selection of games and services on the way. That said, the one wrinkle in the new deal is the requirement for users who want to play online to have a PlayStation Plus account…

But VERY misplaced internet rage aside, this isn’t a bad thing at all, as it’s basically the cost of a new game for a whole year ($60) and Sony will not only add free NEW games to those who buy in, PS Plus actually gets costs DOWN on games you buy in the future from PS One Classics to current and future PSN releases. So it’s really a case of do you want that discount or not. The PSN free ride had to end at some point as Sony has most likely been bleeding money keeping it running for so long.

ALSO (and this is the important part)… that Xbox One price doesn’t include the cost of an Xbox Live Gold membership, mandatory for using that console for pretty much anything. Mama said knock you out, Microsoft… Sony listened to mama, it would seem…

“Oh My!” mimoco’s Mr. Sulu MIMOBOT Has My Phasers Set To Stumped…

Posted on May 22, 2013 by geelw

Captain’s Log, Stardate 90994.46

Um… OK, kids… I got nuthin’ today. I was going to to a chuckle-filled double (or tribble)-entendre packed post about this cool new Mr. Sulu MIMIBOT USB Drive (available in 8 to 128GB sizes and chock full of awesome Star Trek content), but I think every possible GOOD joke has been thought up already by George Takei and I’d like to stay on his good side. Hey! you don’t need me to be funny to know that this is a really cool bit (well, a whole lot of gigabits, har har) of Trek collectible that’s useful and ready to save your red-shirted behind from mortal data dangers.

Yeah, you know you want one, but you need to beam your up NOW as there are only 1000 of these and I bet George has at least one on his shelf already. I know, I know… just don’t get all “That Which Survives” around that MIMOBOT (or George, for that matter). That’s kinda creepy…

BUY THIS! mimoco & Lucasfilm Say “May the 4th Be With You” With An R2-A6 Drive

Posted on May 4, 2013 by geelw

OK, so I’m a wee bit slow. It took me a while to figure out this whole May 4th thing and the Star Wars connection. All this time I thought it was because George Lucas had a speech impediment. There’s nothing wrong with a little lisp, mind you, but there’s probably something up with YOU if you miss out on this cool SUPER limited edition R2-A6 MIMOBOT, available NOW at mimoco’s online shop.

Like other MIMOBOT USB drives, this one comes in a few storage sizes (this one’s available in 8 to 128GB models) and also comes LOADED with cool bonuses such as desktop icons, avatars, wallpapers and more. The only thing you won’t get are any Imperial battle station plans, as those are in another droid entirely. Um, I WOULD say “this isn’t the droid you’re looking for”, but mimoco’s really nice PR person would probably beat me up (or hire a bounty hunter to do the deed). I’ll stay on her good side, as I have a “No Blasters!” rule around here that’s strictly enforced by me staying out of trouble. Anyway, go get yourself a new (and VERY useful) droid. You look as if you could use a bit more organization in your life, I say…

Two More Reasons To Grab Message From Space On DVD…

Posted on April 18, 2013 by geelw

Sure, it’s not the best sci-fi flick out there, but there’s a certain crazy exuberance in these clips that makes Message From Space pretty hilarious in its own right. Yeah, I like bad films as well as great ones, so sue me. or at least watch this one and some of the others I recommend from time to time. You’ll get an education on cinema and not have to pay too much to some silly film school where all you’ll learn is you’ve gone into debt and no one will hire you to work on a feature film because you spent too much time in class listening to some old guy telling you there’s nothing better than Citizen Kane. Which is true in some respects, but there are a LOT of great (and not so great) movies in other genres worth seeing…

Shout Factory Thaws Out 1990’s Captain America (And Its Camp Awesomeness)…

Posted on April 18, 2013 by geelw

I remember seeing this at a convention and being floored at how cheesy some parts were but overall, it being really fun it was to watch. Cap with those wings on his head straight out of the comic book, battling the Red Skull and a bunch of Nazi creeps worked well for what it was, but of course, Marvel buried this budget flick for ages soon afterward. It’s actually not bad at all and LIGHT YEARS better than the terrible TV series that ran for a short time in 1979. Then again, it seems that Cap has gotten better with age in terms of his film and TV appearances. The most recent flick was sheer fun from start to finish and even the video game kinda-sorta based on that flick wasn’t half bad, warts and all. Anyway, if you loved that new Cap flick and want to check out one that’s in the same vein, defintely hit up Shout Factory’s site and grab this comic book flick if you like your heroes imperfect yet still able to put a boot up the butt of the bad guys

mimoco and UGLYDOLL Want You To Stub A Big Toe And Drop Your Wallet…

Posted on April 15, 2013 by geelw

Or something like that… I actually stubbed my toe while doing that little dance I usually do when reading the email from mimoco and it still hurts (ouch!). ANYWAY, that email happened to be announcing this new MIMOBOT in the fun UGLYDOLL X MIMOBOT line of mimoco’s stylish USB drives and it’s hard to hop around in pain and type something that makes much sense. Then again, my posts NEVER make much sense if you stop and think about it too much. OK, I’ll take the easy way out and let the image below do the talking:

And of course, you DO know that clicking that image won’t make it get any bigger (I could have allowed this, but you’d probably either get scared or laugh yourself silly seeing a USB drive get so huge), but it WILL take you right to the mimoco site’s order page for it where you can drop some digital ducats on one of these (or more – there are only 2000 available, so leave some for the rest of the fans, please!) without lifting a leg to get up and head to a retail outlet just to find out this one’s all sold out (you can get one from the UGLYDOLL site as well). OK, it’s off to ice the toe and stop the hop. I need a nice seat, as I’m mighty beat!

Random Film of the Week: Message From Space FINALLY Gets A DVD Release!

Posted on April 15, 2013 by geelw

Way back in 1978, if you somehow STILL didn’t see Star Wars even when the film got its big re-release (or was still running in some theaters), this was another one of those “replacement” flicks you may have gotten taken to instead (or had to settle for if it was running at a theater nearby the one where Star Wars was playing). Famed Japanese director Kinji Fukusaku (Battle Royale) whipped up a first-rate “B” movie that yes, takes a lot of inspiration from George Lucas’ space opera, but also adds bits from anime and Japanese samurai flicks plus a few other things and the result is an instant cult classic (well, in my book). The effects team did some pretty amazing things in the model shots that give many of them a more kinetic look than what ILM did earlier, but the tradeoff is the acting in the latter film sticks to everyone mugging it up for the camera in their own ways… Continue reading →

Review: Bloody V3 Multi-Core Gun3 Gaming Mouse – Shooter’s Paradise?

Posted on March 23, 2013 by geelw

Bloody V3 Mouse Throw a dead stuffed cat anywhere on the Internet and you’ll hit a gaming mouse review or recommendation. It’s a tough and packed market these days, what with big name companies getting their products out through big PC gaming tournaments worldwide, all sorts of promotions, pro review recommends and community board high fives pumping up interest in the best and often, most expensive mice you can buy. Then there’s A4Tech and their quiet storm of putting out some decently awesome peripherals and seeing what happens as folks like me try them out. Well, without a glowing trumpet or flaming flag in sight, I can safely report than the Bloody V3 Multi-Core Gun3 Gaming Mouse is a really awesome deal at $39.99 (or less if you shop around) and it’s also an excellent mouse FPS fans should take to like ducks to water. Packed with features (and some nice goodies inside the box that make it an even better value), the V3’s only drawback is the option to buy into what amounts to a cheat upgrade that allows even more functions to an already solid peripheral. Continue reading →

NEOGEO X Classics Coming In April With Another Cool Bonus

Posted on February 21, 2013 by geelw

And so it begins (or continues, actually). In case you were wondering when and how SNK/Playmore was going to be getting new NEOGEO X games out, well the mystery has been solved. In late April, selected game retailers will stock the upcoming 3-game card NEOGEO X Classics: Volume I, which is the first of five three-game card compilations on the way. This next series of game cards will feature the following arcade hits from the company’s huge library:

ART OF FIGHTING 3
BLAZING STAR
BREAKERS REVENGE
FATAL FURY: MARK OF THE WOLVES
KIZUNA ENCOUNTER
THE KING OF FIGHTERS ’96
THE LAST BLADE 2
METAL SLUG 2
SAMURAI SHODOWN 3
SAVAGE REIGN
SENGOKU
SHOCK TROOPERS
SUPER SIDEKICKS 3 – THE NEXT GLORY
TOP HUNTER
WORLD HEROES JET

In addition, each card will ship with the “ROCKET” High-speed Data Transfer and Charging Travel Cable, at no additional cost. There’s also a system update on the way as well as a travel case for the handheld. More details will drop soon, so stay tuned for more. I’m quite happy with my X, so seeing it get more support is making me a happy camper indeed…

What I Liked at CES 2013: BenQ (Very Much, Indeed)…

Posted on January 23, 2013 by geelw

Alright, I’m kind of slow at getting into new tech sometimes because if I buy something that works, I’ll stick with it until it gives up the electric ghost and will run no more. I still have a couple of “old” standard-def tube TV’s running here and my PC is still rocking Windows XP because most of the games I play are from the days discs came in boxes of assorted sizes with manuals. Anyway, I’m not THAT set in my ways when I see something that works for what I need it for and is built to last.

That said, I’ve been eyeballing a friend’s BenQ gaming monitors for a little while now, as I’ve slowly but surely been looking to upgrade my old (and I mean ancient) Dell CRT to something a bit more modern and flexible. He loves his because it’s clearly the product of a company that knows what it’s doing (and has so for years) when it comes to delivering a reliable product at an excellent value to consumers whether they’re gamers or not. That said, it looks as if we’ll both be upgrading to the RL2455HM, the company’s latest gaming monitor that offers stellar performance and features at a ridiculously affordable price. Continue reading →