E3 2014: Nintedo Direct – Surprises Galore With Some Wait Times Involved (But Well Worth It)…

Posted on June 10, 2014 by geelw

Of all the three big game company media events, Nintendo had the most to prove, mostly to non-fans and journalists who believe the Wii U is “dead” when the console has yet to show off all it can do. Well, Nintendo’s showing was pretty impressive on a few fronts as you’ll see above, below and later on when I run individual videos. The new (and untitled) installment in the classic Legend of Zelda with its open world and lush visuals was the biggest surprise to me, but Bayonetta 2 packing the full version of the first game enhanced with Nintendo-themed outfits for the character (and coming in September on a single disc). Hyrule Warriors looks spectacular, Yoshi’s Wooly World activated my “D’awwwww” gene (dormant for a while) and will be the first stupidly cute game I’ll pick up in quite some time.

The big JRPG X, now officially known as Xenoblade Chronicles X has slipped into 2015, but this is a good thing at the end of the day because it gives Wii U owners time to get through a few other big releases. I’m not normally a Smash Bros. fan, but the newly announced ability to use custom Miis in the game makes my eyebrow tingle (which means I’ll at least TRY this one out). A few new IPs like Mario Maker, Splatoon and others kept me grinning and overall, it was a successful show, closing with Miyamoto teasing his Star Fox game without actually showing it up close. Anyway, enjoy the show – back in a bit…

Bundle Stars Says: “Who Needs E3? We’ve Got PLENTY Of Games Here!”

Posted on June 9, 2014 by geelw

Bundle Stars doesn’t care that you’re hunched over your monitor, eyes bugging out over all that E3 news. Nope, they want you to stop, drop and roll that mouse over to their site and buy another INCREDIBLE set of games. This new lot is called The Resurrection Bundle and for a mere $2.49, you get a whopping FOURTEEN Steam codes from outright classics to more current titles to games you’ve probably never heard of! I own a few of these already, so I’d recommend this deal just for Realms of the Haunted, Gunmetal and the flawed but jump-scare creepy Nosferatu: Wrath of Malachi.

Anyway, you’re well versed in the ways of these bundles, correct? Click away above, buy and be happy you’re getting new games for your backlog while helping charity. How can you go wrong here? Now, get moving – you have some (well, a LOT of) games to play!

Review: R-Type Dimensions (PSN)

Posted on June 1, 2014 by geelw

Developer: Southend Interactive
Publisher: Tozai Games
# of Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Official Site
Score: A (95%)

Some things never change, and in the case of R-Type and R-Type II, this is a great thing even if you’ve always hated both for being so incredibly brutal to play through. Developer Southend Interactive has put together a neat little retro package with a few great modern twists for you arcade shooter fans as well as anyone looking for a true old school challenge that’s finally flown onto PSN after appearing on the Xbox 360 last year. R-Type Dimensions is an absolute must-buy if you like your games tough, tricky and full of replay value. Sure, both games combined only total a mere fourteen stages, but just like back in 1987 and 1989, both games will test your reflexes to the maximum. And if you take what’s here for granted, how far you can throw a controller.

If you’re terrible at these types of shooters, terminally lazy or just want to see the endings of both before you flee this mortal coil, Dimensions includes couch co-op play and a new Infinite mode that gives you multiple lives, allowing anyone to blow through the game no matter how many times you’re blasted into space dust. Of course, purists will want this because the classic games are intact and perfectly presented in terms of gameplay and even the terrible “Get me a proofreader!” text that spells out the rather minimalist story… Continue reading →

WIN FREE STUFF! R-Type Dimensions PSN Codes Up For Grabs!

Posted on May 24, 2014 by geelw

If you happen to have a PS3 and a PlayStation Network account and are sitting around staring at a wall right now just wishing you had something nicely nostalgic and hard as hell to play, I’d bet you look as if you could use something nice and free today.

I think I can oblige just a tiny bit with Tozai Games’ R-Type Dimensions, which landed on PSN a few days back. If you’re bouncing up and down in your seat right about now, okay, okay… knock it off and listen up. Two codes, both for North America (which means they won’t work anywhere else!), ONE each for two lucky winners. Just reply below (no need to put any personal info in that response) and the code is yours!

Today’s Humble Daily Bundle Is All Mixed Up In A Good Way. The Weekly Bundle? Just BUY IT!

Posted on May 22, 2014 by geelw

Let’s see now, we’ve got goats escaping, a pair of retro RPGs that looks as if it was made in 1990 or so, an offbeat puzzle game with a very weird looking insect and a card battle game that’s quite addictive for almost anyone who picks it up. Yup, that’s what you get today PLUS two game soundtracks when you grab this Humble Daily Bundle. Pay what you want for the two Soulcaster games, six bucks or more gets you Escape Goat 2, but you should bump THAT up thirteen cents for Incredipede, I say. Or just pony up ten bucks or more and get everything and Ironclad Tactics, which should heel you busy for quite a spell.

As for that Humble Weekly Sale this week… Wow! Continue reading →

R-Type Dimensions Out Today: Say Bye-Bydo, You Alien Creeps!

Posted on May 20, 2014 by geelw

And here I was, thinking it would be a quiet day today. Nope, too many games hitting retail and digital, including Tozai Games’ one-two punch for the PS3, R-Type Dimensions. It’s both the original arcade games plus modern remakes with a few play modes and new options that make the game even more (or a bit less) challenging, it’s hard as heck nostalgia that won’t break the bank at only $9.99 on the PlayStation Network. Yes, you need to get this just in case there really are cranky aliens up there coming to visit and you’re suddenly drafted into service…

Some Silly Stuff I Have Discovered This Week…

Posted on May 10, 2014 by geelw

1. Yeah, it’s a fuzzy picture of a cinnamon raisin mini bagel with two raisins that look like eyes and a big grin. Amusing and kind of creepy if you can imagine it suddenly talking or singing or something. This made me laugh because it wasn’t the ONLY one in that bag of bagels either. I think I saw three more, meaning someone at the factory was having a clever day and wanted to share, there’s a bagel-making robot that’s creating not so sentient life in an effort to try and start some sort of revolution, or there’s REALLY something funky going into those bagels that turns them ALIVE before they’re bagged. Well,I never did find out if the darn thing could speak, as I ate it before it could do anything funny.

2. Yep, that’s a copy of Rez for the Japanese PlayStation 2 and yep, that’s the infamous Trance Vibrator peripheral next to it. While I’ve played the game numerous times to completion, I’d actually never used that Trance Vibrator until earlier today when I decided to crack open the box and plug it into my Japanese PS2 to see what all the fuss was about. In a word. Oh. In another word. My. Yeah, I can see why it was marketed as and written up as just what some of you think it is. Shocking! Well, not in the least, because we could all use some good vibrations every now and then, right? Throbbing! Yeah, that’s more like it.

3. Uhhhh.I forgot what number 3 was and I blame number 2 for that. Back in a bit…

R-Type Dimensions Trailer: Bydo Empire Returns, Hard As Ever To Take Down One More Time…

Posted on May 9, 2014 by geelw

Ah, R-Type and R-Type II. I have many fond and not so fond memories of trying to beat you both way back in the day in the arcades and at home on a few consoles and you always getting the better of me until that one day when everything clicked, the sun was in the right spot in the sky and I had enough adrenaline to survive those pesky enemies and out-blast those bosses to a few victories. Well, I’m older and slower and don’t play many arcade shooters these days, but I see you’re BACK for revenge, this time in R-Type Dimensions on PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3 on May 20 in North America (and May 21 across supported European territories). I also see that not only are you bringing the pain with the original arcade versions, you’re also packing heat with a remade high-resolution 3D visuals and an all new soundtrack to go with those spiffy looks.

My fingers are now tingling and my brain is percolating up remembrances of tactics past. Yeah, that’s right… I’m coming back to get you damn Bydo Empire jerks and blast you into alien scrap a few times too many. Well, once I do maybe ten thousand push-ups and go through my collection of Irem shmups with a side slide into some Toaplan titles. Practice, practice, practice! You’re going DOWN, you two… AGAIN, grrrrr!

This Humble Weekly Bundle Night Dives Into The Past With Some Great Classics

Posted on May 8, 2014 by geelw

Wow. Three great epic role-playing games, four horror-themed adventures (including one based on a great, gloomy Harlan Ellison story), a sci-fi/horror hybrid first-person shooter still seen as one of the best games ever made and while not quite a classic, a dark and disturbing action/shooter that’s worth a play just to see how bizarre it gets? Sounds like a buy if you ask me. Anyway, Wizardry 6, 7 and 8 plus System Shock 2 are more than worth the price it takes to unlock them and everything else is just the gravy on that cake. I actually liking this bundle because of Harvester, a supremely twisted point & click adventure game that doesn’t shy away from the David Lynch-like weirdness and some mildly to pretty shocking gore effects (which are cheap looking even by 1996 standards, but still effective):

Amusingly enough, the charities this bundle supports are Child’s Play and The American Red Cross (ha and ha, ha). Anyway, this one’s only available for a limited time (6 days, 19 hours as I type this), so GRAB IT before it’s gone!

Shadowgate is Back? Welcome To Your (Highly Enjoyable) Doom!

Posted on May 6, 2014 by geelw

Okay, I’m kind of terminally slow on the crowdfunding front because I have neither the time to look at EVERY project that clogs my inbox nor all the money I’d LOVE to donate to all those cool looking games and products I do look at.

In other words, I had NO idea the original developer was remaking this well aged absolute classic adventure game for current computers (and yes, Macs, iOS and Android devices as well). Based on the art and screens here plus that lovely pre-order trailer, I’m betting fans of this old chestnut are grinning madly as the game’s release looms closer and closer…

“The last thing that you remember is standing before the wizard Lakmir as he gestured wildly and chanted in an archaic tongue. Now you find yourself staring at an entryway which lies at the edge of a forest.”

So begins the classic anew, this time relaunched with many new features and as developer Zojoi states clearly, this isn’t a simple port at all, but a whole new take on the original that expands the adventure in every aspect. As you can see below, the classic adventure game retains the use of static art screens to tell its tale, but Shadowgate has never, ever looked this spectacular because these even more gorgeous screens add motion to the story.

A game overview, screenshots and concept art are all below the jump, as I don’t want to keep you from pre-ordering this ASAP. ogling them can wait a minute or two… Continue reading →