EDF 4 Gameplay Footage: 4Gamer.net? I Love You And Hate You (But Mostly Love You)…

 

Well, wow and double wow. Japanese game site 4Gamer.net posted this hands-on last year (!!!) and I’m just NOW getting around to seeing it thanks to some poking around online for something entirely different. Eh, it figures. I’m just thrilled because even though it’s a WIP version, I get to ogle more of the gameplay than the bits I’ve seen from the official trailers D3Publisher in Japan has been posting. OK, off to the home base now, as they’re about to shove me out the door here at Starbucks. Back in a bit…

OK, If You Want A 16-Bit Cliff Notes Version of Game of Thrones, Here You Go…

 

Amusingly enough, I’m sitting here and listening to some people talk about the new season, all guessing and overspeculating their hipster glasses and skinny jeans off when one of them mentions the good Doctor Octoroc and his amazingly funny GoT mock video game video he cooked up for Collegehumor.com from about a year or so ago. In case you haven’t seen it yet, the edited version is above. If you want to see it as intended, just clicky-click HERE, sit back and prepare to fall off something onto something (preferably soft). I’d post the video directly, but like the books and show, it’s kinda ranuchy (well, in a Super Nintendo kind of way). You’ve been warned (but you’ll laugh yourself silly anyway)…

Game of Thrones Season 3 Extrended Trailer: A Little More Suspense, A Few Less Questions…

 

Fortunately, for my old-school ass (and yours if you agree, not that I’m trolling for compliments or anything, grrrr!) I’m not one of the more overly obsessive fans of the show who HAS to know everything before it happens nor do I want to be bashed over the head before the show kicks off its new set of tales with spoiler-packed teasers that make half the season predictable as sticking water in the freezer and getting ice back at some point. Of course, trying to predict how this season will go will be like sticking water in that same freezer and expecting frozen roses to pop out a few hours later, but hey – a lot of suspense goes a really long way and makes the wait more than worthwhile…

Defiance Ark Hunter Chronicles 1 & 2: Building Up That Mythology Is Very Helpful…

 

As Trion Worlds and syfy get ready to roll out Defiance on April 2, they’re dropping all sorts of background mini-movies and excellently produced trailers on the game, game world, creatures and other features (like these Ark Hunter Chronicles vids) in order to have a big, fat and very necessary back story to all the events you’ll soon be watching (and hopefully, playing). This is indeed a good thing and potential viewers and players of the innovative TV show/MMORPG hybrid will probably want every little thing to sync up as perfectly as possible to pleas and appease even the pickiest of nitpickers. It works for me (but I’d still prefer that great looking and playing game – it’s REALLY fun – to have an offline mode)…

 

God of War: Ascension Collector’s Edition: “What’s In The Box?” (Or: Another Lesson In Excess)…

 

Hmmm… Allow me to get into trouble (again) as I break this down for you and possibly help Sony and other game companies save some money in the future (hopefully).  While these Collector’s Editions are indeed really cool, they also present a telling case against themselves (as well as make people like me wish for the older, wiser days). For example, sure, it’s fine and dandy to get a demo of the eagerly anticipated The Last of Us as well as additional God of War content, but why not stick those onto a separate DISC and put it in the box as opposed to creating paper vouchers that end up getting tossed or lost? This way, gamers without PSN access could play the demo and access that bonus content which wouldn’t be initially available to those with the standard edition. That soundtrack CD is a good idea, but it’s too bad games aren’t using Redbook audio these days, as it would have been super to just hear the soundtrack alone by accessing it off the game disc (just like the “old days”)… Continue reading

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Trailer: Captain Morgan vs Cap’n Crunch Time…

 

Man, these “leaks” are getting worse, but this video may not be up long. So I’m posting it now for posterity’s sake (if Ubisoft kills it on YouTube, I’ll replace it with an official one in a new post). Well, Ubisoft sure knows how to rock the boat, as this upcoming installment seems to have nothing to do with the last (shocking!) and makes you realize that those naval combat sections in Assassin’s Creed III were only the tip of the iceberg. Yes, I know a LOT of nautically themed puns, ladies and gents, but I’m sparing you all because I want to keep at least PART of my readership.

Despicable Me 2 Toy Profile of the Week (2): More Minions, More Problems!

Action Figure Golfer Action Figure Ninja Action Figure Rockstar

Three more minions here and a new poor rhyme,
despite my bad verse, they’re well worth your time.
A golfer, a ninja, and rocker that’s punk
(it’s best to look upwards than read my old junk!)

But if you’re not green yet, then keep reading on
(and be glad that I’m not writing your favorite song)
those Minions will pop up in stores really soon
about a month before the film lands in June!

Pictured, three more Collectible Action Figures from the upcoming Despicable Me 2 toy line (2”-3.5”), Age: 4+; Approximate Retail Price: $4.99 – Available starting in May at a retailer near you.

BEYOND: Two Souls – Willem Dafoe Reveal/Interview: Quantic Dream Goes For A Class Act(or)

David Cage is certainly getting Quantic Dream’s upcoming PS3 exclusive BEYOND: Two Souls some big talent. In addition to Ellen Page starring in the game, Willem Dafoe has joined the cast and as you’ll see here, the dev team has captured his look and performance perfectly. Even more amazing is how they aged Page DOWN to look like a little girl here (and look!, She’s the exact same height as she is now, har har). Anyway, this one has been on my radar since it was announced last year and every bit of footage is pushing it up on my must play list. Now, I’m wondering who else is going to make an appearance in the game. If Cage gets Charlotte Gainsboug in here, I may run out of air from screaming, as she and Dafoe were quite freaky and frightening together in Lars von Trier’s Antichrist (one of the more disturbing but amazingly shot “horror” films you’ll see)…

Toy Fair 2013: Chains to Champions: Brick Warriors Go Board Game (And You Certainly Won’t Be Bored At All)…

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Chains n Champions 1OK, I’ll admit it. I’d never heard of Brick Warriors until a few days before Toy Fair when a friend with a bigger ear to the playground who collects and tweaks his collection of miniatures asked me to check out the upcoming Chains to Champions board game the company was working on. It’s a good thing I decided to be a nice guy and drop on down to meet Ryan Hauge, Amanda Taylor and Rhonda Denny (the game’s lead playtester and most likely the company’s ringer if you ever end up playing against her for money), as the game is looking to be a ton of fun for minifigure fans across the globe. C to C is a gladiatorial combat game for two to six players (or one player with multiple personalities who wants to beat himself senseless at a board game) that’s easy to pick up, yet also highly challenging as you complete in card-based clashes for coin and customization upgrades.

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If The World Goes to Crap, Outerra Makes Going Outside Quite Optional…

 

When I have the free time and (a drool cup), I’ve been occasionally looking at these insane videos from Outerra, the Slovakian company (well, three REALLY talented Slovakians) cooking up this amazing tech that according to Wikipedia, “renders high-quality terrain, terrain texturing, flora and water flow normal maps using relatively sparse and highly compressed data through fractal processing and calculations.” and yeah, it does just that. And very well as you can see. if you happen to have a beefy enough PC and want your mind to blow itself out of a nostril, feel free to download the Outerra Anteworld Alpha and prepare to lose yourself for a wee bit too long in what’s there. It’s a bit buggy and still a work in progress, but that’s what an Alpha version of an engine usually is, folks. I can see some creative game developer out there taking this and running with in (right into one of those lovely trees you’re ogling)…