Will Someone Do An Anvil of Dawn Kickstarter Project Already? Seriously.

The late, lamented New World Computing developed and/or published a number of great PC games back in the day including the classic Might & Magic series, but for me, DreamForge Intertainment’s 1995 MS-DOS first-person RPG was one of the most memorable titles the company was involved with (outside of the franchise they’re more well known for). The game was a single-player real time action game that allowed you to choose one of five characters and play him or her as they set out into the rather deadly dungeons in and around the land of Tempest seeking out the titular Anvil.

I loved how the character you chose ended up meeting up with the others you didn’t as the game progressed, the traps and puzzles mixed in with the combat and the multiple endings based on who you chose to play as. I’ve always wanted to see this one remade at some point (even though I still own the original game) and now with all this Kickstarter fury going strong, I’d say it’s time some dev team with members who remember this classic set out to reboot it for PC and perhaps consoles and other devices. Hell, I’m even willing to do some character or environment art if needed. In case you didn’t know, I can draw a little and I do like my RPGs old school. Anyway, someone out there, get on this and get back to me. I’d actually love to be playing this before I get TOO old and grey…

Blaze’s GameGadget Is REALLY Cool. I Want One (You Probably Should Too)…

Let’s see now: a discounted price PLUS 30 classic Sega Genesis/Mega Drive titles FREE with the unit if you grab one before April 30, 2012, PLUS it’s packed with some excellent features AND the potential to beat up (a tiny bit) on Apple’s massive success? OK, I’m in. Hmmm. I recently got a Vita and even it’s a little jealous of this handheld. even though Blaze’s slick little device isn’t as “cutting edge” in design, I’m actually looking into acquiring one for the collection at some point.  Anyway, the GameGadget site is live, so go check it out and GET ONEso you can thumb your nose at the mega-corps with one hand AND get to play some great games with the other. Me, I’m stocking up the pennies slowly, so this will get added into the collection at some point.

Enter, The Dragon (Again): Shadowrun Is Coming Back!

Yikes. Just when I get to griping about underfunded indie games that NEED more notice, along comes this news, which I gather will make people forget all about that last post. I guess I need to pay more attention to Kickstarter, huh? Anyway, a bunch of ancient mariners behind the original game (you HAVE to love the name they chose for their studio: Harebrained Schemes, LLC) are getting together and bringing the FASA classic Shadowrun back with an all-new title called Shadowrun Returns.

Of course, the project is already doing SUPER well as it zooms toward its funding goal of $400,000. Amusingly enough, I kind of wish they were doing an English translation of the Japanese Sega Mega-CD version, as that’s one of those completely unique versions of the game that was only released on one platform and a pretty hard game to track down even if you happen to own the proper equipment to run it on.

Oh, don’t worry, I’m not complaining at all or anything.  Er… other than wishing the economy was a hell of a lot BETTER for the games industry so that all of these projects could appear as physical product at a fair price point so MORE people would be able to buy and play them…

Another Day, Another GOG.com Commercial (And Now I Want Cake)…

Tomorrow is the big day for the even more revamped GOG.com to launch and someone’s been busy pumping out some amusing ads that seem to be poking fun at other game download services. Nothing like a little friendly competition, but I’m betting the DRM-free aspect of GOG is guaranteed to win over certain folks who aren’t fans of it on other sites…

Malevolence: The Sword of Ahkranox Update: The Great Outdoors And A New Funding Pitch…

 

In case you’re not following this fantastic-looking “old-school” RPG here, the dev team is hard at work whipping up some gorgeous outdoor environments:

 

 

 

and has done a second IndieGoGo pitch video geared toward potential donors who haven’t yet heard of the project (you SHOULD go donate to the cause, I say):

 

 

Finally, below the jump, some borrowed video from one of the alpha testers just so you have an idea of what to come (but much more improved, obviously)…

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GOG.com Wants YOU To Get “Steamed” About DRM And Regional Game Prices…

 

If you still don’t have a GOG.com account… GET ONE. This DRM-free game download service has been around for a few years offering up some of the best classic PC games along with modern content (CD Projekt Red Studios’ The Witcher II: Assassins of Kings being) and now it looks as if the company will be taking on Valve’s Steam service (as well as other popular download services) shortly.  That is, if I’m reading the not so hidden messages in these amusing advertisements correctly. Tuesday is the big announcement, so check back here for an update or simply boogie on over to the GOG.com page and see what’s what…

 

It’s A Reality With a Name: NeoGeo X Coming To North America in Q2 2012

Well, that was quick. I’d imagine the rivers of drool and pools of fan sweat have convinced some smart folks at distributors Tommo, Inc. here in the US and Blaze overseas to get to it and get the newly christened NeoGeo X to gamers sometime within the next few months. While no price point has been officially announced*, the 20 games packed into the handheld have been:

ART OF FIGHTING
BASEBALL STARS
CYBER LIP
FATAL FURY
FATAL FURY SPECIAL
FOOTBALL FRENZY
KING OF THE MONSTERS
LAST RESORT
LEAGUE BOWLING
MAGICIAN LORD
METAL SLUG
MUTATION NATION
NAM 1975
SAMURAI SHODOWN
SENGOKU
SUPER SIDEKICKS
THE KING OF FIGHTERS’94
THE ULTIMATE 11
TOP PLAYERS GOLF
WORLD HEROES

*Note: I’ve seen posts on some sites that note Blaze quoting a ridiculous £500 (currently US$785) price tag (!), but I’m hoping that’s the worst typo I’ll see this week or even better, that figure was incorrectly derived on those sites where editor-types who tend to misread important stuff just jumped the gun without getting the FACTS straight. Hell, even the most die-hard NeoGeo collector would balk at the price of a dedicated device that costs more than the home version of the original console…

Back with an update soon (and hopefully, an actual retail price point)…

Digital Press Issue 72 Now Available!

Probably the best fanzine about video games and gaming culture still in print today (and I’m not saying this because I happen to have a column in the current issue), this all-new issue of DP is packed with fun articles about portable systems through the ages from the likes of Rob O’Hara, Rob Faraldi, Rob Strangman (that’s a lotta Robs, but they’re all different dudes, trust me!), Sarah Szefer, Steve Jacobs, Ian Baranofsky and more! You can get DP sent to YOUR mailbox for a paltry ten bucks a year (four issues) by clicking on over HERE and signing up. Tell them I sent you and you’ll get no big deal discount at all, but the satisfaction of knowing I sent you somewhere and you actually listened to me. Er, wait… that’s what I get. YOU just get four awesome issues of DP, but that’s a fair enough trade-off, right?

Kid Icarus: Uprising Video Update: Nintendo, You Just Hate Me, Don’t You?

Really, now – tossing all these Kid Icarus: Uprising TV spots and videos up on YouTube all on the same day. I know you guys like coverage, and coverage you’ll get, but I’m sticking them all in a single post instead of spreading them out. Not because I’m lazy, mind you. It’s just because I have a REALLY busy day tomorrow (well, later today) and I won’t be around until much later in the evening or early Sunday morning at the latest.

 

 

Normally, I’d have spread the videos out over the weekend, but I also have two reviews to write and some other things to attend to that aren’t gaming-related. Yeah, I actually do stuff besides play video games all day.  Well, sometimes…

 

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PANEKIT Update: A Buck? Sure, Why Not?

Of course, I wasn’t actively looking for one, but you know how this one goes. Just by chance, I found a copy of this gem on eBay last week with a dollar starting bid from a seller in Japan. Given that it’s gone for a lot more previously but demand seems to have leveled off, I figured I’d take a chance while hoping not to get sniped on the last minute (like I did with the last copy I bid on last year).

Long story short: the auction ended where it started, so I scored the game for a dollar (plus eight more for airmail shipping). Another update to come (and maybe a photo or two) once it arrives and I play around with it a bit…