Happy Independence Day (Kind of) From Saint’s Row IV, BOOM!!

Posted on July 3, 2013 by geelw

With all the spaceships zipping around, super-powered cast and intergalactic enemies invading earth, some fans are thinking this isn’t a “true” Saint’s Row game at all. Well, other than the open world mayhem and outrageous humor being intact and looking as crazy as ever. I think the game looks like more stupid fun (in a good way), but I’d love to see Volition branch out and do something really unique on the new generation hardware. At this rate, Saint’s Row V will end up being like a Mass Effect game with interplanetary gangs of aliens, eight times the F-bombs and a more free-form combat system full of too many assorted wrestling moves and finishers. I’m not sure I’d like to see that, but I guess that sort of depends on how well this game does and if the Volition has planned out that far ahead…

Oh, You Kids! GTA V on the Xbox 360 Requires An Installation/Play Disc Swap. Oh, The Horror!

Posted on July 3, 2013 by geelw

Yes, there’s another (not really) big-deal barn-burner on some internet boards about the Xbox 360 version of Rockstar’s upcoming guaranteed blockbuster Grand Theft Auto V coming on two discs (the PS3 version is on one Blu-Ray) and requiring a mandatory 8GB install (just like the PS3 version). Of course, anyone who’s played a retail PC game anytime in the past decade or so is used to games coming on multiple discs and yes, there have been a few Xbox 360 games this generation that had separate data install and play discs. So, I’m clearly not seeing the problem here about a ONE TIME disc change. Of course, if you got conned into buying that lower priced 360 with the measly 4GB HDD and you’ve not yet gotten around to buying an external drive yet, you may want to hop to that before the game ships out. Go on now, shoo!

Oh, by the way: don’t get mad at Sony for thinking ahead on the Blu-Ray thing at all. Blame Microsoft for diving into HD-DVD feet first and then ditching the format (even for games!) when it failed to catch on with anyone but early adopters and those who weren’t going to buy a PS3 or other new movie player because they had no intentions of re-purchasing chunks of their collections. Oh, by the way… that game in the photos that’s NOT looking like GTA V? That’s PHANTASM for the Japanese Sega Saturn. It’s a port of the 1995 Sierra On-Line PC game Phantasmagoria and as you can see,came on EIGHT discs (one more than the PC version). You can get it on gog.com (it’s on sale for half price for the next day or so!) if you’d like to try it out. It’s flawed, but well made and a bit creepy where it counts. Anyway,let me get my grumpy old ass back into the 21st century before my lumbago pills wear off…

Kaiji Remedies vs. Middle-Earth Memories (No Sides Chosen Here)…

Posted on July 2, 2013 by geelw

Well,if you were chasing after me with an axe or something, I’d lean more towards Pacific Rim than The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, but that’s only because that first Hobbit didn’t knock me off my toes (although it was entertaining). I’m a longer-term kaiju fanatic anyway, so Del Toro’s mechs and monsters epic gets the automatic not. Reviews I’m skipping ENTIRELY on this one, but I’ve seen a few tweets and other overly social media posts spilling a few positive beans about the final version. Good for you, ya lucky bums and your free passes, grrrr! Then again, I have two passes to see Turbo on Saturday (and no one to drag to the theater at 10am), so I guess that means I’m moving up in the world (or at least sideways… slowly)

Personally, I really, REALLY liked it better when people only gabbed about this sort of stuff to friends in person or on an old rotary phone. This always connected string-less tin can crap is the pain of the ages sometimes…

Pacific Rim “Under Attack” Featurette: It’s Not Really Trouble if You See it Coming…

Posted on June 28, 2013 by geelw

Um… “Forewarned is forearmed?” is that how that old saying goes? “Forehead is foresight?” Oh, I’ll get it one of these days. Anyway, everyone needs that big summer movie that’s not too cerebral yet entertaining and not insulting to fans of those old kaiju classics they grew up glued to the TV watching, so here you go. “Forsooth is Forspelt Forwrong?” Hmmm… let me give up now and find something a hell of a lot more productive to do. This too hot weather is making me nuts. Well, that and a few other things, but we’re working on those little issues bit by bit. Small movies, for one – they’re back thanks to WP bouncing back the html coding when I hit “Publish”. Yeah, that needs to get taken care of, grrrr…

UPDATE: Aha. Figured out what wasn’t working. Big Flicks Are BACK (part deux)…

New Earth Defense Force 4 Trailer: Volunteer Bug-Blasting Army Seeks New Recruits!

Posted on June 28, 2013 by geelw

And here’s another Earth Defense Force 4 video straight from D3Publisher in Japan with yet another laughable yet free verse-like *biiiiiing!* translation job below the jump. This seems to be a recruitment advertisement of sorts and yes, I’ve signed up already (well, I have a copy of the import coming soon). The game has gotten some pretty solid Famitsu scores (9/8/8/9 for 34 out of a possible 40 points, the best scores of any EDF game in the series), meaning it should hopefully do well once it’s localized for the US and Europe. Of course, those who don’t import have to wait until next February (yikes!), but I guess that gives you all time to get through that stack of holiday titles you’re planning to buy or ave gifted…

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Pacific Rim TV Spot # 6: Daytime Drama With a Twist (and No Strings Attached)…

Posted on June 27, 2013 by geelw

A-ha, so there ARE daylight battles in Pacific Rim! Excellent. I was almost under the impression that this film was going to take place over the course of a very long and busy night or perhaps the behemoths those human-powered Jaegers face off against were part vampire or something. Well, the effects team isn’t trying to hide any wires holding things up, that’s for sure. Although I’m secretly hoping for a “blooper” reel of Gerry Anderson-inspired shenanigans (wires and all). Hmmm… I wonder how Guillermo Del Toro would feel about making a film based on the old UFO TV show? Oh, wishful thought machine OFF, as I need my few remaining brain cells for tomorrow’s crunch of writing…

Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection – I Did My “Snake’s on a Plane” Joke Already…

Posted on June 27, 2013 by geelw

Konami and Hideo Kojima can squeeze money from fans of the Metal Gear Solid franchise any time they want to and given the huge amount of interest in this upcoming collection, it looks as if fans worldwide aren’t minding one bit. The great thing is, the PS3 is region free, so anyone anywhere can pick this set of classics up and get it shipped to them. Granted, that airmail shipping isn’t cheap to many locations, but as I said, the harder core fans of the series probably don’t give a hoot. I have most of these titles here in the library but yes, I still want this pricey box set. Well, it’s not THAT expensive considering what’s inside… but I’m not made of money like that guy in those Geico ads who I wish would zip around the block here on that motorbike of his…

Only Two Posts Today? I’m Slipping! OK, Not Really…

Status

Bleh. Long and tiring day, I lost my camera, so no CE pics to post with the stuff I’m going to be writing save for some stock pics I’ll need to grab at some point this weekend. That said, I fell head over heels for a super simple tablet carrier that’s pure genius, a camera mount that Apple only wishes it came up with, a stupidly expensive gaming PC, a crazy but simple exercise device and a massage chair, both also costing an arm and a leg. Add in the new Westinghouse (of all companies!) TV with a screen you can DRAW ON (Wha-whaaaaaat?), more 4K madness that you can shake a stick at (despite NO 4K programming to watch at all… yet), a bunch of other fun stuff (WATERPROOF phone/tech bags!) and yup. CE Week is pretty darn cool. My 2013 Holiday Gift Guide is going to be an easy one to write, that’s for sure…

Got a stupidly long conference to attend tomorrow, but we’ll see about that, as it’s all about second screen evangelizing and I know for a fact that we’re a good hack away from none of that stuff working as well as everyone wishes. Eh, well. maybe I’ll learn something interesting other than hearing “game changer” and “revolution” every sixteen seconds… back tomorrow. Good night.

Gallery: That Darn Bat(mobile)…

Posted on June 26, 2013 by geelw

OK, thanks to some very fine detective work (not by me – I just spackle on the snark here), the part of Robin was played yesterday by the one and only Aaron Sagers of MTV fame and also host of Travel Channel’s Paranormal Pop Culture and a few too many other things which means he either doesn’t sleep much or has clones running around. Yeah, I like Orphan Black a lot – so sue me.

Anyway, I still think the man still needs a decent Robin costume (sewn up for him by someone on Etsy, of course – gotta keep the NYC dollars here, right?). Hmmm… where’s my Magic Excuse Ball?… Ah, there it is! (shake!) Hey, he was wearing a mask and I didn’t know who he was! (shake!) Er…. I don’t watch MTV these days (thanks to playing too many games or watching more movies lately)! and (shake, shake!) hey, the lady behind me who wanted to put her squealing kid in that Batmobile for a picture made me laugh when she tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I knew who that guy was before offering up a suggestion or two I didn’t write (this IS a family show, folks)…

And yes, while we didn’t get an Yvonne Craig episode yesterday, there WAS a Batgirl of sorts there. You’re welcome.

Pacific Rim “At the Edge” Trailer: Prophetic, Aren’t We?

Posted on June 25, 2013 by geelw

“At the Edge”…of your seats, that is. Get it? Get it? A ha ha. I’m on a roll with mustard tonight (and a wee bit too much cheese, I admit). Or I forgot to eat, am quite delirious and about to keel over in this absolutely BLAZING summer heat. Eh, I ate a bit earlier, kids, so stop baking those cookies and pies (for now)… I’m going to sleep now anyway, as I need to crawl out of bed and boogie on downtown to see some cool tech at CE Week. I don’t think there will be Jaegers there, but if there are, I’ll let you know at some point. I hope to hell those machines are very well air-conditioned!