Dark Souls II “Forging A Hero” Teaser: Keep That Anvil As A Backup Weapon, I Say…

Posted on August 14, 2013 by geelw

March 2014 may seem like a long time to wait for Dark Souls II, to pop up at your favorite physical or digital game emporium but it’s actually going to be here faster than you think and you absolutely don’t want to be rusty when you take your first steps into the new dungeons. Meaner, faster, stronger creatures of many varieties await and they’re not planning to let you simply waltz around as if you’re in a petting zoo. If you have a copy of the first game lying around, you may just want to set aside time to replay it just so your fingers and brain are on their toes. Or you can go in to DSII cold and come out a total wreck before you’ve made it through the first map. Your choice, but I say practice makes perfect. Or less prone to death…

GTA V Update: You Have To Love Rockstar’s Marketing Department…

Posted on August 13, 2013 by geelw

They have quite possibly the easiest gig in the gaming business AND they know the game they’re representing is going to blow people away based on the insanely high quality of the work. I’ve been sold on Grand Theft Auto V as soon as I heard it was in development, but these new gallery and very funny Los Santos Visitor’s Guide (aka the game’s official site), the ridiculously packed screenshot gallery and desktop ready wallpapers plus all the other stuff the community is up to means I really don’t need to do much except post something on the game and let you all run out to the store or drop a pre-order in online.

Hey, I’m NOT lazy! Well, not THAT lazy. I’m merely saving up my energy for the inevitable long “vacation” I’ll be taking in Los Santos myself. Playing a new GTA game is very much like stepping off a plane into the biggest and most exceptionally special amusement park ever created. Of course, the best thing is being able to explore at will and do stuff outside the guided tour (i.e, raise all sorts of hell or just poke around for secrets and in-jokes), so I need to be tanned rested and ready because I’m sure not seeing any REAL sunlight for some time. Rockstar is dropping more cool news about the game on Thursday – I’ll be back with a quick post on that (of course)…

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures Hands-On: Pac Is Back, Junior Division (and a Fun Play, At That)…

Posted on August 12, 2013 by geelw

I think Pac-Man has appeared in nearly every game genre except for RPG, Strategy and Simulation, but with such a long history in gaming since 1980, I know I’ve yet to play every single game with the character in it. Namco has been keeping the character active over the past 33 years in a number of non-game projects and the latest is a fun kid’s CG animated 3D show on Disney DX called Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, which also just so happens to be coming your way soon as a video game for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U and Microsoft Windows. Some hands-on time reveals this one to be a light and really fun romp for the kids that’s actually worth a look if you’re a creaky old platform fanatic like I am…

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Hands-On With Pac-Man Championship DX: Dot’s Entertainment (And How!)

Posted on August 12, 2013 by geelw

As an old fogey, I can’t recall a year not going by since 1980 without playing a Pac-Man game. Granted, I’m sure a lot of other people can say that, but it’s pretty incredible that the dot-munching, ghost avoiding/chasing character has held up for over 30 years. Of course, next to the arcade classic, the best ways to play a good game of Pac-Man these days is by hopping online and getting in some quality time with the excellently addictive Pac-Man Championship Edition on the Xbox 360, which is finally getting a content upgrade soon in the form of Pac-Man Championship Edition DX. The original game was an Xbox 360 exclusive, while DX made its Windows 8 debut earlier this year. Pac-fans old and new will LOVE this one for its spin on the classic game, the funky HD neon visuals and the lighting fast pace of the game that’s bound to keep you playing ’til the wee hours…

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Memo to D3Publisher of America: GET Oneechanbara Z: Kagura With NoNoNo! Localized ASAP (Please!)

Posted on August 8, 2013 by geelw

Oh, this is just TOO insane to pass up, people. Sure, the west never got the original Xbox 360 version of Oneechanbara Z: Kaugura (boo!), but this enhanced PS3 version is ab-so-lu-te-ly screaming for a decent localization and US release. At least in my book as a longtime fan of this crazy niche series of games. I’ll import if I must before Japan melts into the sea, but man, this needs to come out here. And yeah, on a damn DISC at that. I bet if D3PoA were to take a poll on its facebook page and a few other places, they’d find enough people willing to buy this as either a one minimum print run disc or (yuk) a PSN-only download. In other words, I’m betting they’d say a hearty “YesYesYes!” to NoNoNo!

I’m going to bug D3 about this here and if YOU want to see this, you should too. Not D3Publisher in Japan, by the way – you want to annoy the US branch and you UK gamers need to bug the crap out of Namco Bandai Games there, as they’re the ones who handle publishing D3 stuff out your way. I’d rather give my ducats to D3PoA than Play-Asia, but if my hand is forced, it’s going down hard… er, take that as you will.

“Her” Trailer: Siri, Turn Me On! Er, Turn On! (ROM CHECK, SUCCESS!)

Posted on August 8, 2013 by geelw

Hmmmm… I’d planned to ignore this flick until I found out Spike Jonze was behind the wheel, so on the list of stuff to see it goes. It’s hard to not watch anything the man works on and not be impressed and moved – this one looks pretty timely on a few fronts (although JP looks like a cross between the late Ernie Kovacs and Breaking Bad’s Walter White here). Well, we’ll see what’s what soon enough… if anything, it’ll be visually amazing like the director’s other works (well, not counting his appearance in that Jackass movie from a few years back)…

BandFuse: Rock Legends Reboots the Music Game Genre Big Time

Posted on August 8, 2013 by geelw

Calling Realta Entertainment’s upcoming PS3 and Xbox 360 title BandFuse: Rock Legends a mere video game is actually doing it a huge injustice. When you discover just how in depth this game is going to be, even the most jaded fan of the former kings of plastic and actual guitar games should be bowing down and paying their respects to what’s going to be an incredibly comprehensive class in guitar and bass for all skill levels. There’s a vocal element as well for you singers, however drummers don’t get some here at all. Still, you skin thumpers out there will want this one for the sheer amount of stuff you can learn and try out if you’ve got a guitar tucked away in your closet somewhere.

Meeting up with Reverb’s Doug Perry and Realta’s super enthusiastic Marcus Henderson (the game’s designer) for a demonstration of the game made for an hour so packed with information that it seemed as if we were discussing three or four entirely different games and a couple of expansion packs.

BandFuse packs in actual guitar use (yours or one you can buy in an excellently priced bundle kit), no-fail gameplay, a ton of lessons from some guitar greats, a built in studio full of all sorts of goodies and more to the point where I was left shaking my head in awe and respect whenever Henderson pointed out a new feature. There’s a serious amount of content here, ALL of it high quality, unlocked from the start and any of it ready to be studied in depth and practiced at one’s leisure making this an essential tool for budding to expert players.

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Thor: The Dark World Trailer: Ragnarok and Roll All Night…

Posted on August 7, 2013 by geelw

Although I’ve been ignoring it (and a bunch of other blockbusters this year, thanks to the window from theatrical to home video release getting shorter and shorter to the point of insanity) this sequel actually looks pretty decent (OK, it looks really decent). The again, the first film wasn’t bad at all and made for a nicer change of pace in how it handled the characters and blended humor into the mix so well. Kenneth Branagh isn’t on as director this time, but you can’t go wrong with Andy Taylor’s expertise at lensing a few episodes of Game of Thrones. That alone should propel this film into box office heaven… er Valhalla? Asgard? Whatever? Anyone? Bueller?… Bueller?

Payday 2 Updates: “What Is” (Or: Living Large As A Lowlife)…

Posted on August 7, 2013 by geelw

And in the not too distant future, there will be many Monday morning work conversations that go something like this: “Er, Soooo… what did YOU do this weekend…” followed by a smirk and maybe a knowing nod or three from a few others hanging around that coffeemaker after being up way too late the night before playing too much Payday 2. Sure, it’s not a game for everyone, but if you’re looking for something more like a modern day cops & robbers deal and not another military shooter with a guaranteed few million sales on day one (and super crowded lobbies to boot).

The original Payday was a blast, but this sequel adds so much more cool stuff that it feels like a reinvention in some respects. 505 Games and Overkill Software have a hit here for you would be digital bank robbers, so do them a favor and pay actual dollars to snap this one up, I say…

So, What Happens When You #ActivateKrueger? A Lot of Running & Yelling, I Bet…

Posted on August 6, 2013 by geelw

Eek. Here comes the mountain man-droid, so go hide under something until he’s gone. Unless he’s coming for you, which means you won’t get far at all. Yeah, that was a really good idea, huh? Of course, no Krueger (Sharlto Copely, who’s been working out a bit, I see) means no confrontation and Elysium probably gets to be a boring film… so go right on ahead and press that button or whatever. Just make sure you’re nowhere in the vicinity hen you do. It seems Mr. K. is a bit un-picky when he chooses his targets.