Machine Gun Time! Almost…

Posted on January 27, 2014 by geelw

Okay, this week is going to be a FUN one for me on a few fronts. I get to pop downtown to play some Earth Defense Force 2025 co-op with a few fellow editors and D3Publisher of America PR folk (Hi, Michael! Hi, Myki!) then come back up here to write all about it and get you all pumped up about this game. Yes, those are dragons flying around in that trailer. Uh-huh, that’s right… DRAGONS. And yes, they’re mean and CHEAP bastards when they swarm and start roasting then chomping on your character.

The game is packing a bunch of other surprises in case you haven’t gathered quite yet, but I’ll save some of those surprises for my hands-on later in the week. Oh, yeah… those two EDF Troopers below playing Patty Cake while there’s a spider THAT close? They’re dead meat unless that screen was shot on Easy mode. Anyone who’s played any EDF game knows what I’m talking about.

Game of Thrones S4 “Fire and Ice” Preview: Slyly, The Clip Joint Beckons…

Posted on January 26, 2014 by geelw

As much as I love this show, I try to keep away from these sneaky preview shows and other online “entertainment” that exists mostly to satiate those fans who’ve not read the books and only stick to the show’s canon (or fans of the book who want to get all picky and pissy about the changes). I’m still flipping a coin as to whether I’ll watch this behind the scenes clip show as I prefer going in cold and letting the assorted writers and directors have their way with me and the stories and characters they’ve added to Martin’s work. Then again, it’s the same for me with The Walking Dead and any other show I like based on something else…

Toukiden: Age of Demons Demo Hands-On: Don’t Cry For The Dead Devils…

Posted on January 25, 2014 by geelw

After spending some time with Tecmo Koei’s Toukiden: Age of Demons, I can see why the game was the top selling PlayStation Vita game for 2013 in Japan. The combination of Monster Hunter and Dynasty Warriors plus veteran developer Omega Force’s expertise in creating some gorgeous visuals should help knock this one up the charts in North America and Europe when it launches in February. The demo does a solid job of getting you into the fantasy version of feudal Japan cooked up by the dev team, and the action is more deliberately paced and at times a good deal more tactical than the more free for all Musou style of play many are accustomed to. This is all a good thing, as the game should draw in a few players who want something deeper than the standard (but still fun) chase and chop action some are expecting… Continue reading →

Legionwood 2: Volume One Gets Officially Site-d

Posted on January 25, 2014 by geelw

I actually didn’t know (but should have guessed) until a few months ago that the guy behind the Legionwood games, D. Robert Grixti, is a published author and is working on his second novel (among many other things).

Anyway, he’s also Dark Gaia Studios and has just put up a site dedicated to Legionwood 2: Chapter One that you may want to check out. You can download the demo to try out for free or buy the first chapter (which is set for a February 28, 2014 release) outright for a measly five dollars. According to the author, Chapter One will offer:

15+ hours of classic RPG gameplay.
Dozens of minigames and sidequests to discover.
Hundreds of different character configurations.
Over 80 intelligent and dangerous foes.
Non-linear game that makes your choices count.
Multiple endings.

In addition, the first Legionwood as well as Dark Gaia’s other games can be found HERE (and they’re all free!). Pop on by and take a peek at the man’s work, I say – he’s got some talent to spare, that’s for sure…

RAMBO: The Videogame Update: Prepare To Fly Out Of Your Seat On A Friday…

Posted on January 24, 2014 by geelw

BOOM. Reef Entertainment and developer Teyron have been quite busy it seems. This understatement of the week has been brought to you by no fewer that four videos they’ve just posted of their upcoming multiplatform RAMBO game in action that show off lots of stuff blowing up, a fairly high digital body count and overall, a game that isn’t screaming anything but pure guilty pleasure out of the gate for folks who like this sort of thing.

Continue reading →

Clip Joint: ROBOCOP (Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away…)

Posted on January 22, 2014 by geelw

So, the clips are rolling out and some would say “spoiling” this reboot, but I don’t quite think so. In fact, I think they go a long way in showing the film is going to be better than some jaded online wags have been saying. Granted, the original is hard to top on a few KEY fronts, but from what I’m seeing here, this doesn’t look bad at all. Heck, I’ll buy THAT clip above for a dollar!

Some are griping about he black suit over the silver/opalescent color from the Paul Verhoeven film, but I think the new flick’s black outfit is pretty cool in its own right. Sure, if this was “real”, a more matte finish would be the way to go for night ops, but that’s only something I’d heard in a conversation and not my own opinion. It was a pretty hilarious discussion, though.

This one’s my favorite clip because we ALL have those dreams that are nice and lovely and getting to the good part and then *BOOM*, you get knocked awake and you’re back in the real world with your day screwed up because your sleep was interrupted. Stupid alarm/hungry pet/cranky kid/spouse/boss/person yelling at you to wake up because you’re napping when you’re SUPPOSED to be steering that bus! Anyway, welcome back to the real world. Now keep those eyes open until you get home, pal.

Toukiden Demo Drops Onto PSN Today, Demons Everywhere Somewhat Distressed…

Posted on January 22, 2014 by geelw

Well, that’s a relief. Tecmo Koei’s recently announced demo for Toukiden: The Age of Demons has made its appearance know on PSN today without that usual “where is it” fuss that happens when SCEA takes its time to update the store. According to my Vita, I have about 38 minutes to go before I can jump in and see what’s what… but that 38 minutes was 11 minutes when the download started about seven minutes ago.

Yeah, it’s not really a huge thing to gripe about in the grand scheme of things. But this is one reason why a nice segment of us poor gamers without access to the best connections will be screwed if there’s an always online presence required when it’s beyond clear that not every spot in this land of plenty is ready, willing or able to handle so many people trying to access content at or around the same times. Ah well, this demo should be fun, but I won’t actually get to PLAY it until I get home in a few hours.

Back with some words on the experience later.

The Raid 2 Trailer: Well, Ain’t That A Kick In The Head (And A Few Other Places)?

Posted on January 21, 2014 by geelw

Oh, the pain, the paaaain. The Raid: Redemption was one of the wilder action movies of the past decade thanks to some well shot brutal, lightning paced edge of the seat action and a twisty plot that kept audiences guessing. I won’t go over the story here at all as this is one of those movies that needs to be seen with a few friends just so you can all pick up each others’ jaws when they keep popping off and falling on the floor. The upcoming sequel (written and directed by Gareth Evans) looks to up the ante with even more creative uses of violence and wait, is that the crazy fighter MAD DOG making a return? WHAAAAAT? Hey, he was dead in the first film! Hmmmm. Unless it’s his twin ass-kicking brother or he somehow survived that fluorescent tube to the neck (OUCH!) and some other grievous injuries, there’s gonna be some ‘splanin’ to do. Oh, I think it won’t make mucg sense in the grand scheme of things, but now I have to find out what the heck he’s doing here other than making people flip out because he’s still alive…

This should be innnnnnnteresting, people, stay tuned.

EDIT: a bunch of you kind folks have chimed in to let me know that that guy who LOOKS just like Mad Dog is not Mad Dog at all, but an entirely different character named Prakoso… who just so happens to be played by the same actor. Well, that changes things up quite a lot. Let’s hope it’s not revealed that it’s really Mad Dog’s evil clone, second of a set of sextuplets or anything else too goofy that sucks the fun out of all that carnage.

Earth Defense Force 2025 Update: Game Goes Gold, Gets Mission Pack DLC

Posted on January 21, 2014 by geelw

Closer and closer it creeps, folks. Sandlot’s straight up giant bug and robot run and gun spectacular, Earth Defense Force 2025 has gone gold and is on track to land at your favorite game emporium on February 18, 2014. In addition to the 85 massive stages (94 if you play the game online), D3Publisher has announced three mission packs coming, one on launch day and one each within two weeks of launch. Before you get all cranky about this DLC, know ye this: beating EDF 2025 with all four classes will take even the most seasoned gamers some time (as in a few weeks at best), as the game can get pretty hectic if one goes it alone (like a true EDF maniac). That said, the mission packs offer up even MORE challenging enemy variants and are geared towards players who like it rough.

According to the press release, these Mission Packs will be available separately on the dates below and later on as a bundle:

Special Ops – Will feature 5 new missions for $2.99 and be available on February 18.
Mutant Rampage – Will feature 20 new missions for $8.99 and be available on February 25.
Beyond Despair – Will feature 20 new missions for $8.99 and be available on March 11.

Color me psyched, as the import was a big time eater for me last year and I can’t wait to see what’s been tweaked in the time since that version shipped out. Anyway, the days are ticking away and my PS3 is winking at me and blowing kisses for some reason. On the other hand, I do need a new controller, as there’s a button starting to stick and an EDF game DEMANDS you have a controller that’s in working perfect working order. Off to check the funds and take care of that…

300: Rise of an Empire TV Spot #1/Trailer #3: It’s Like Black Friday… With Swords and Shields!

Posted on January 20, 2014 by geelw

See men run. Run, men run. *Chop! *Stab!* *Splash!*… Ouch. Stupid men! Next time. I’ll stay off the battlefield when coming up with a post (Ouch!) Yeah, this slow-mo comic panel stuff has been done to death since the first film made it a wee bit too commonplace, but Warner Bros. is hoping those folks who dug the first film to death will do the same plus tax with this follow up. Given the fate of that poor Hercules film that just came out and got Julius Caesar-ed by critics and some moviegoers, this one better do a mighty great job of making people forget about all those pretenders to the throne.

If the film succeeds, it’s that header above in terms of people storming theaters to check it out. If it tanks, the screams will only be on screen in theaters playing to half-empty houses (or worse) and somewhere in WB headquarters that the film hasn’t even made its projected targets. As usual (repeat after me, class)… we shall see. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find a medic. And a few missing body parts. Ouch!