The Lego Movie Videogame Trailer: Meta Enough For You? My Mind Left An Hour Ago…

Okay. It’s a video game based on a movie about toys including many that have been the subject of entire video games. Well, at least TT Games (the folks who’ve made all those successful LEGO video games for the last few years) is on the case and what’s here will no doubt LOOK and PLAY fantastically. I’m just still not at all sold on the need for a LEGO movie, period. Yeah, yeah – it’s going to be chock full of in jokes and references up the wazoo and sure, I did chuckle a bit when watching this trailer.

However, given that LEGO fans have made more interesting (and less celebrity-filled) movies for less money (a whole lot less money that what this is costing not counting the marketing), my inner cynic has been activated for close to a year ever since I got wind of the film being made. Oh, I’m SURE this will make its money back quickly worldwide, but at the end of the day, it’s going to be a hollow shell of an experience if it’s missing even what amounts to a plastic heart at the center no matter how many writers try to slap in some sappy moments to make you tear up a wee bit. In any event, the game should either do fine or really confuse the easily confused with too many game systems, as it’s being released on no fewer than EIGHT platforms (what, NO Wii version?!). Seriously. The funniest part of the trailer for me was seeing all those game packages at the end. Collectors alert, indeed!

Eh, we’ll see what happens – maybe I just need a hug or something…

LAWLESS: DeNA’s Arcade Shooter Brings The HEAT To iOS…

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screenshot-1Another of DeNA’s surprises for mobile devices was this great looking fast paced arcade-style tap and shoot game, LAWLESS, that’s a surprisingly fun mash-up of classic light gun games such as Time Crisis, Virtua Cop and Area 51 and Michael Mann’s stellar crime flick, HEAT. If that sounds like a match made in coin-drop heaven it comes off even more excellently thanks to developers Eight Pixels Squared and DeNA Scattered Entertainment.

Sitting down with DeNA’s Barry Dorf for a quick look at the game, I was surprised at the combination of nicely realistic visuals and speedy timed gameplay that was immediately accessible and yes, addictive. Like the other games shown, this one’s free to play in solo or multiplayer modes with the option to buy in should one choose to upgrade. Based on some quick hands-on time with this one, I can see a lot of people opting in to spend a little to a lot of cash to keep this one going for a good long time… Continue reading

Dark Souls II Update: 18 New Screens, Same Old Waiting For That Release Date To Roll Around…

Behold, adventurers! Or something like that. Okay, I got lazy and didn’t convert the LAST set of Dark Souls II screens from bitmap to JPEG (WordPress HATES bitmaps, it seems!), but thankfully, Denny Chiu at Namco Bandai still likes me (Hi, Denny!). Thanks to him, my inbox was blessed with these new screens I will more than verily happily share with you below:

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There, that was simple enough, right? I’ll get those other screens up soon as well with an appropriately goofy post about why it took so damn long. I blame a faulty TARDIS circuit, a rogue dinosaur and a bag of shrimp chips past its sell date, but that excuse may change…

Money Run: DeNA Gives The Mobile “Runner” Genre Some VERY Hot Wheels…

MoneyRunIf you loved Temple Run and its many copycats and clones but are in the mood for something a little more thrilling, DeNA has exactly the game for you in the form of the soon to be released free game Money Run, which replaces that too familiar treasure hunter or licensed character and those assorted colorful leap-happy maps with a pure arcade experience that plays like a cross between Spy Hunter and Twisted Metal with a few cool twists. Actually, this isn’t a mere cosmetic re-skinning job at all, as the fast-paced racing action chock full of plenty of crashes and explosions feels straight out of some Hollywood blockbuster or action-packed TV series.

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Continue reading

Raven’s Cry Update: Sneaky Pirates On The Horizon Set To Land Next May

RC_Shot01_1600x900Aha! I didn’t forget about YOU, Raven’s Cry. This long awaited Topware Interactive published game has shifted development over from Octane Studios to veteran Polish developer Reality Pump Studios and has added even more pirate-y goodness in the process. Arrrrr! (sorry – I’ve had this stone in my shoe all day! Ahhhh, that’s better)…

No templars in this mix as far as I can tell, just the same seafaring tale of one man’s vengeance on those that did him wrong as a wee lad and set him to his life of crime on the high seas. Four new screenshots were recently set adrift by Topware PR, so here you go. Sorry for the delay in posting these, folks. Do you know how long it takes to air-dry screenshots? Longer that you’d think! Anyway, look up. Look down. PIRATES wherever (I tell) you (to) look!

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As for a release date, well Happy Birthday to me, people! The game should be available May 7, 2014 at least on PC as far as I can tell. I know I’ve reported this earlier as a multi-platform release, but that’s because I had mock-ups of the cover art. I see now that no console logos are on the official site, so I’m gathering PC will come first and anything else may pop up later. But don’t hold me to that.

300: Rise of an Empire Trailer 2: Is It Miller Time Again? I Need A Beer…

The funny thing about this trailer (at least to me) is the formerly innovative filming technique used so well by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez in Sin City, then Zach Snyder in 300 has been run so far into the ground that it’s a parody of itself to people like me who’ve seen it used and overused to assorted degrees of success and failure by a few too many directors who should know better (or just don’t). Now, as Snyder is only writing and producing this sequel, it’s all up to newcomer Noam Murro to direct himself out of the corner this comic-frame technique has placed anyone who’s used it since 2005 into. Granted, this one should be a total blockbuster because we seem to love this sort of stylized violence and all.

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Nevertheless, in my case… as soon as I see or hear of a release date my home video watch clock starts a-tickin’ away with the counting down stuff and I get to take a half-assed (but sometimes reliable) guess on how long it will take before that big deal over-hyped AAA flick ends up coming to a store near you at a decent day-one discount if you pre-order…

Dead State Update: This Undead Survival RPG Is Still Alive And Kicking…

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Thanks to this year being SO packed with new games and a LOT more new indie games popping up on anything that can play them, Dead State nearly dropped off my radar. Thankfully, the folks at DoubleBear Productions seem to be at least part psychic as they’ve dropped that new video above on their YouTube channel that shows some nice progress on an upcoming demo version. The game’s Kickstarter backers and anyone who pre-ordered the game will get first dibs, of course, but I’m hoping there’s something for us media folk to dink around with at some point because this is the sort of game that needs some love from those of us who love games like this. I’m getting a heavy X-Com meets Jagged Alliance meets Fallout vibe from this one, all of which were (and still are) truly stellar tactical RPG experiences. Granted, some of those gamers who think this is a fast-paced kill-fest along the lines of a Left 4 Dead or Dead Island will be shocked (shocked, I say!) at the more deliberate pacing and need to think before you take any action here. But if this game makes some of that crowd learn to appreciate this style of game and gameplay, all’s the better, I’d say…

Nymph()maniac Update: Lots of Little Deaths & Big Shocks Abound. NSFW? Yup.

NMP17Oh, the di-lemma, boys and girls. I’ve been holding off posting more stuff about Lars Von Trier’s upcoming two-part epic just because I was holding out to see what sorts of trailers would get run and perhaps maybe hear some impressions from people online who may have seen some of the final version of the film. Well, in the former case, the super NSFW Red Band trailer (SERIOUSLY, don’t click that link if you’re a prude, please) kicks off with a not so subliminal insert shot for the ages before it goes into gasp-worthy territory and in the latter case, I may as well wait for the overseas premiere on Christmas Day (yup, that’s riiiiight) and see what’s said about part one. I have the feeling that it’s going to not be a happy flick about pleasure along the lines of Shortbus at all. But when you sit down for a Lars Von Trier film, you kind of know you’re not getting something with a (wait for it…) happy ending… Continue reading

Mr. Peabody & Sherman Turkey Day Poster Stuffed Full Of Self-Fulfilling Prophecy…

mr_peabody_and_sherman_ver8Yeah, I’d be canning whomever thought up this poster like a bunch of cranberries, as my cartoon nostalgia sense tells me that this one will be dead on arrival after the first weekend at best. This turkey is planning to gobble up box office dollars while neglecting the fact that the original shorts worked perfectly because they clocked in at about five minutes and weren’t padded out with needless stuff that’s only going to appeal to folks who’ve never seen an episode of the Bullwinkle cartoons they came from. Ah well… I guess I should just shut the heck up and surrender, huh?

FINE. But not without a fight:

(thanks, bullwinklecanada!) 

When I saw the trailer for the new CG flick the first time, I didn’t laugh at all, and seeing it again recently made me more annoyed than ever. But whatever, right? It’ll be “fun” for the kids that don’t care at all about history and nostalgia, that’s for sure. On the other hand… when the adults in the theater are groaning at the end like the ones behind me who hadn’t seen the trailer until then, I’m gathering Dreamworks will be wishing for their very own time machine so they can go back and erase this project from their books. Yuk.

ELYSIUM Headed to Blu-Ray/DVD December 17. You Forgot ALL About This One, Right?

Okay, okay… so I almost did, thanks to the huge flood of movies rolling into theaters this year and some other distractions major and minor (alright… it was too many games, mostly). Anyway, at least Neill Blomkamp’s sci-fi epic took longer to hit home video than other flicks that came out, disappeared faster and sprung up on discs sooner. Yeah, I liked District 9 a lot and Blomkamp’s visual stule, so I’ll be snapping this up at some point. I rarely take the reviews of others into consideration because I’m old and cranky enough to know some people who review films and games approach them from a completely incorrect perspective, but you can’t stop them from presenting their opinions no matter how wrong-headed they are. Anyway, I’m looking forward to finally checking this out without any hootin’ and a’hollerin’ from the peanut gallery as well as seeing what this very talented director has up his sleeves for a next project…