Naughty Bear:PiP Update Adds Familar (And Furry) Horror Faces…

Posted on October 25, 2012 by geelw

Nothing like a bit more parody added to an already fun (and funny) game. Xbox 360 owners of Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise can now grab the Teddy Krubear outfit for a mere 240 Microsoft Points through Xbox Live. Next week, there’s a Friday the 13th inspired Jason Pawhees costume coming to XBL and PSN (240 MS Points or 99 cents, respectively) and on November 14, expect to see Pennybear the Clown (based on Pennywise from Stephen King’s IT, in case you’re scratching your head wondering) pop up out of the digital closet for the same low price point. Hey! Where’s Teddy Krubear for PS3-only owners? I guess he’ll show up in your dreams or something. Night-night (for what it’s worth… cue creepy music)…

Earth Defense 3 Portable Update: THIS Winter, Not Next For Bug Blasting “B” Movie Fans

Posted on October 25, 2012 by geelw

As I figured, D3Publisher wasn’t going to wait TOO long to get this fantastic enhanced version of the former Xbox 360 exclusive localized and out for Vita owners starving for content, so here you go – EDF 2017 Portable is coming out sometime this winter, not NEXT winter as has been reported on some web sites. That initial confusion came about in the first press release that noted a “Winter 2013” release, which in turn had some editors thinking this meant late next year (as in around the holidays). As you can see on the left, it looks as if this will indeed get a retail as well as digital release (a really good thing for those who want both options).

Anyway, a small set of screens to ogle is below – that’s Pale Wing on the cover and to the right, making her return to the series in fine form after her debut in Chikyuu Boueigun 2. I’m playing the import now and having a complete blast with it (a review is incoming), but I’ll absolutely be replaying this in English when it hits retail and PSN … er, sometime between when winter starts and spring begins. OK, D3 will absolutely be a bit more concrete on the EXACT date shortly, folks – but isn’t it great to know you don’t have to wait over a YEAR to play one of the best (and absolutely most feature-packed) Vita games to date? The new four-player online co-op and versus modes should add some additional oomph for those who want to play with friends and I’d expect this will do quite well once Vita owners see how much chaos Sony’s handheld can handle. Sandlot has rebalanced the weapons a bit so multiplayer sessions aren’t overbalanced in favor of four people blowing everything up too easily, but for solo players who want one of the most hardcore game experiences they’ll play in terms of challenge, Inferno Mode will test your skills to the utmost. Trust me, it’s HARD as hell when death is coming from all sides!

That’s it for now on the EDF front lines – I need to get back to farming up some armor and trying to get more weapons, as Inferno mode is kicking me around the room. Those seven new levels and some of the enemies (gold ants and two-toned spiders in particular) are pretty mean bugs that take a bit of effort to squash in you’re not prepared enough.

Lost Planet 3 NYCC Panel: Watch and Learn (Once Again!)

Posted on October 24, 2012 by geelw

Spark Unlimited is really pulling out the stops to make Lost Planet 3 the best game they’ve done to date. This prequel has been getting some way out of place hatred from some who aren’t yet hip to the fact that the game doesn’t replace the LP they know with something new and different at all – it just sets up the world and events the other games will jump off from. Anyway, take a gander at this presentation from New York Comic Con which covers a few fun development facts including the great motion capture work that’s going into the final product. From the brief demo I played a few months back, it’s looking like the single player story will have memorable characters and plenty of exposition that could make this the most interesting game in the series for those who love a tale told well. The action’s not bad, either.

Transformers Prime – The Game: Today’s Lesson in Multi-Platform Visuals (Nintendo Version)…

Posted on October 24, 2012 by geelw

Ack! It’s a stupidly busy day for me (I’m buried in a few too many games this week), but here’s a quickie post about Transformers Prime – The Game, set to hit the Wii U (and Wii, 3DS and DS) on November 18th. I find it interesting that the visual style skews a bit younger than High Moon’s War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron, and it seems a few internet idiots are mistaking this for Nintendo’s new console not having enough power to render a more” realistic” looking game. The Wii U can indeed handle higher texture and model detail just fine. Go peek at more screens and HD movies of the launch lineup to confirm this. I’d gather that as the game was probably started on the Wii, the Wii U version is more likely than not using the same assets and will run in HD where the Wii version won’t. Thus endeth the lesson – now go play some games!

The Hobbit TV Spot 1: It’s No Time For Comedy Central, I Say…

Posted on October 23, 2012 by geelw

Someone told me the other day that Stephen Colbert (a super huge Tolkein fan) is supposed to be in this new flick in some sort of cameo and if it’s true, I’ll wince a bit now and hope it’s as minimal a part as possible that doesn’t take anything away from Peter Jackson’s hard work. Look, I like Colbert and his show a lot (well, most of the time), but this sort of placement is troublesome, annoying and frustrating (like the product promos he does on his show). I don’t need to see the man EVERYWHERE in the media and the fact that a number of key crazed conservatives in the US have been doing his act for real for a few years (unfortunately, they take the crap they say too seriously) makes him almost obsolete at times. Hell, he’s got a treadmill or whatever on the International Space Station, is probably sinking an image of his face to the bottom of the sea to be discovered by future travelers and I’m surprised someone hasn’t stuck him in a popular iOS game or something yet. Meh, maybe I’m getting old and cranky, but I just think that the last person who needs a Colbert Bump (TM) is Stephen Colbert…

TIny Troopers To Get 100% More DLC Zombies This Week

Posted on October 22, 2012 by geelw

Nice – Hot on the heels of the recent Steam patch that added some nice tweaks to the gameplay and control layout, Iceberg Interactive and Kukouri Mobile Entertainment are adding zombies to the PC/Mac version via a DLC update to be released for both retail and download versions.

Per the press release, Tiny Troopers new Zombie mode features will include:
• Face endless waves of brain-munching zombies, including undead chickens!
• Utilize air dropped crates of special weapons to lay devastation on the zombie hordzs!
• Use all your favorite Special Forces troopers to take down the undead.
• Survive as long as you can against unending waves of normal and special zombies!

Yep, “hordz” is Iceberg’s spelling not mine – Hey, it made me laugh, so I left it as is. Anyway, I’ll post an update when this new update goes live. Hey Kukouri! How about a PS Vita version of this game? It’s pretty cool as it is, but on that Vita widescreen, it would be even better, I say…

Sega Model 2 Collection: Virtua Everything (Now, Let’s Get This Stateside!)

Posted on October 21, 2012 by geelw

Hmmm… looks like Sega is finally going to unleash more of its arcade history on gamers soon (well, in Japan, at least). Hopefully, Sega of America and Sega of Europe are on the case in getting these out over PSN and XBLA. Personally, I’d prefer to see these all pop up on a single disc so I don’t have to worry about any online issues and heck, these NEED to be Vita and Wiiware bound at some point just because gamers who haven’t heard of these hits should absolutely be playing them. I’m betting Sega Rally is coming up next, as are some other Model 2 games not in this initial batch… it’s going to be fun seeing these roll out, that’s for sure…

Need For Speed Most Wanted Live Action Trailer: Adrenaline Drive, Indeed…

Posted on October 19, 2012 by geelw

Here’s yet another cool look at Criterion’s upcoming open-world racer, this time it’s a fun live action ad that’s kind of like Carfight as the OK Corral. Well, in an urban setting, of course. I love the editing here and how the focus is on a handful of the many types of licensed rides awaiting players in the final version. I played another nice chunk of this at EA’s Naughty or Nice event last week and it’s just as fun as the first time I picked up a controller. The mobile versions I got to try were equally spectacular, so keep an eyeball peeled for those if you’re looking for one of the best portable racers out there.

Halo 4 “Scanned” Trailer: Get Fincher on the Speed Dial!

Posted on October 19, 2012 by geelw

Hmmm… perhaps David Fincher should have been tapped to direct that Halo movie? OK, he only produced this trailer, but still – it’s pretty impressive and actually makes me want to see something a bit longer form. Eh, whatever – the game will still sell millions of copies, great trailers or not. I’m wondering why Microsoft even bothers to spend all this scratch promoting a game that really doesn’t need all sorts of excesses spent on marketing. The hardcore fans will eat it up and spread the word, the pro reviewers who aren’t jaded and tired of Master Chief yet will go on and on about feature after feature that they approve of and overall, Microsoft will be sitting on more piles of cash. Hell, even if critics hate the game for some reason (and other than the stupid shoutcasting in multiplayer, it’s hard to see why, given that 343 has poured a ton of effort into what’s looking like the biggest Halo to date), it’ll still sell like hotcakes.