LUCY Poster Gets Me Thinking Of Much Funnier Memories From The Past…

Posted on May 28, 2014 by geelw

Hmmmmmm. I’m sorry, but I laughed out loud when I saw the name to Luc Besson’s new film about a sexy gal (Scarlett Johansson) who gains superhuman powers after she accidentally ingests some of the drugs she’s forced to smuggle. Not because I don’t think Mr. B and Ms. J can pull it off more than ably and not because it’s one more Besson action flick about a killer lady doing her stuff kicking all sorts of butt and getting into serious trouble in fancy locations. Nope, those well-aged tropes make me smile and nod. It’s the title, ladies and gents. Why? Because I think of Lucille Ball making a 20-foot loaf of bread, stuffing chocolates in her mouth on that assembly line, stomping grapes versus a real grape stomper and getting into other mischief that requires “splain”-ing to her harried hubby. Of course, when I get around to actually seeing the trailer, I’ll be expecting a laugh track and a orchestral/bongo back beat. Oh, wait… it was already dropped onto YouTube in April? D’oooooh! (Goes to microwave some popcorn, microwave is busted. *Crap!* Runs out to buy bad of equally nasty cold bagged popcorn… Seven minutes, thirty eight seconds later)…

(thanks, Movieclips Trailers!)

“Luc-yyyyyyyy? I’m hooooooome” (Hee-hee…)

The Order: 1886 Won’t Be Ready At Dawn (Or By Night-Fall), But That’s Just Fine With Me…

Posted on May 27, 2014 by geelw

Sooooo, one of Sony big first party PlayStation 4 exclusives is now dropping into 2015 and some of those who care about such things are lamenting about the delay to no end. I say “So what? (again)”, as this means more polish and a better, less buggy game experience. The deal with new consoles is always that it takes time for developers to get used to the hardware, particularly when doing things that the old console couldn’t do as well. So developer Ready At Dawn is just allowing the team some extra breathing room, which is a great thing. It also gives slow dopes like yours truly to find out more about the game. I’ll admit to that title not making my eyes and ears perk up because it sounded like it would be some sort of odd historical simulation game, a genre I’ve avoided for a number of years because I have neither the time nor patience for something that deep. Anyway, I guess I can and should keep my fingers crossed that SCEA’s invisible PR team remembers who I am after all this time and actually invites me to see this game when it’s shown in NYC at some point.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel PAX East Gameplay: “Bounce, Breathe, Look, SHOOT!” (Rinse & Repeat)…

Posted on May 27, 2014 by geelw

Okay, so it’s the name of an old basketball primer for kids, but that’s also a fitting description of what Gearbox and 2K Australia expect a great deal of you Borderlands fans to be doing in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, the upcoming standalone game set for a fall release on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Sorry “nest-gen” fans! You’ll need to wait a bit while the game you wanted or expected NOW or sooner is being cooked up in one way or another for its eventual release whenever.

While I’m sure that Gearbox and 2K Games could make a small fortune redoing the older Borderlands games and DLC from the ground up, I’d gather they’re doing the WISER thing and creating an all-new chapter to the franchise that packs in even more of what’s expected. This will also keep owners of those shiner (or matte-r) new systems from rioting and storming assorted game company headquarters anytime soon, too (er, Ha-ha?).

The Evil Within Doesn’t Scare Me (Yet) Because I Haven’t PLAYED It (Yet)…

Posted on May 27, 2014 by geelw

“Booooooo!” (*squeal!*). Meh, I’ve always disliked these “reaction” videos for games and movies because even if they are one hundred percent real, what scares one person won’t affect another and as I get older, some things don’t scare me any longer that made me fly off a chair and up to the ceiling in the past. Or, to quote one Mr. Ray Parker Jr. “I ain’t afraid of no “ghost!”

Now, I’m NOT that jaded that some horror films, reads and games don’t get me wanting a blankie and a hanky every so often. However, some of the scares in entertainment are often derived from other and far more frightening works. That said, I do trust Shinji Mikami and Bethesda Softworks to the point that The Evil Within just may put me on the ceiling if it does what it does right and often. Expect to be scared out of your wits (or not?) when the game hits stores October 21st in North America, October 23rd, and throughout Europe on October 24, 2014.

Sniper Elite III Hands-On: Even More On Target Than Before…

Posted on May 27, 2014 by geelw

I was on the subway headed down to see and play Sniper Elite III at a 505 Games media preview when I realized I’d forgotten my eyeglasses. Oops. You can’t be a good sniper at all if you can’t see a damn thing even with a scope, but amusingly enough, that absent-minded error on my part made the demo even more enjoyable.

Thanks to veteran developer Rebellion making the game much more flexible and thrilling than its predecessor, even a quarter blind bat like me was able to have a total blast making as many mistakes as I did. Okay, that’s not sounding like a ringing endorsement for the game, but it’s coming – keep reading. Even if I had brought my gaming spectacles along, my plan was to play the demo in as loose a manner as possible, making mistakes to see how the AI would react while seeing how expansive the level designs were this time out. In Sniper Elite V2, despite some alternate routes, most maps felt a wee bit too boxed in and linear and displacement wasn’t emphasized enough throughout the game (although the best players learned those levels and probably did some of their own shoot and scoot tactics… Continue reading →

GRID Autosport Discipline/Focus/Endurance Trailer: You’ll Still Get Spanked, Though…

Posted on May 23, 2014 by geelw

Oh, once again, I couldn’t help myself (*whipcrack!*). Anyway, it looks as if GRID Autosport REALLY means business when it comes to bringing racing fans some of the best action out there. While not a true simulation, the team at Codemasters is striking the balance between simple to pick up and play controls and the need to learn each track and how to survive the AI trying its best to blow your doors off when you dive into the single player part of the game. Online is of course its own crazy bird complete with the usual unpredictability of live players, especially in the longer races.

Now,I happen to like endurance race events, as there’s a fine balance of learning all the ins and outs of a race course lap after lap and your own physical condition slipping a wee bit over the hours as you fight off sleep and assorted body cramps. Granted, couch racing isn’t ANYWHERE as brutal as being in a car bouncing around and rumbling for a few hundred miles, but keeping me OUT of a real race car is probably a really good thing. GRID Autosport is out for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on June 24, 2014 in North America, June 27th in Europe.

Doctor Who Peter Capaldi Teaser: The Shadow Knows… And We Sure Don’t. Yet.

Posted on May 23, 2014 by geelw

Well. THAT was… annoying but necessary, as now the Whovians are chattering away. But it did get me wanting August to roll around a bit faster. Of course, if it were a thirty second teaser, that would be TOO long and if it were sixty seconds? You’d see people online raaaaaging that it was too long and gave away too much stuff. Oh well. I expect both thirty and sixty second teasers to indeed pop up within a few weeks, so I may the the only one NOT shocked to see them, spoilers or not.

Funko’s Hikari Friday 4 Giveaway: Batman is Back As A Prize, And You’d Better LOVE Glitter!

Posted on May 23, 2014 by geelw

Sure, that campy Batman TV show from the 1960’s hasn’t aged well to some of you out there, but it made me crack up as a kid and still does today. That’s why this week’s Hikari Japanese Vinyl giveaway from Funko is making me smile a bit broader.

Hmmm…you know something? I don’t think I’ve run the description that Funko puts in its press releases, so here you go:

Hikari, meaning ‘light’, is a highly collectible line of clear Sofubi Figures. These will be ultra-limited and piece runs will range from 500pcs-5000pcs depending on the treatment. Each Hikari piece will include a hand numbered card to prove authenticity and rarity.

Anyway, winning isn’t easy but entering IS. Just click on over to one of Funko’s social pages:

www.facebook.com/OriginalFunko
www.twitter.com/OriginalFunko
Instagram @OriginalFunko

Follow the instructions there and wait. Well, you can do OTHER important and non-important stuff while you’re waiting as they’ll most likely contact you if you’re the lucky winner. If you’re one of many unlucky LOSERS, you can still buy this limited to 3000 pieces figure when it ships out to retail in September.

Tune in next week for another excellent Hikari giveaway! Same Bat-time, Same Bat-channel!

Metro Redux Announce Trailer: Back In The (MUCH Better Looking, But Still Deadly) USSR…

Posted on May 22, 2014 by geelw

Okay, so the country is no longer called that long-dead name these days, but I had to get in at least one bad joke about this otherwise deadly serious first-person survival game. Calling Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light “shooters” does them little justice, as each is a finely crafted and often jarring gameplay experience that takes patience to play. You can’t run in guns blazing with no or not enough bullets, radiation zones you can’t stay out for too long in and a gas mask that doesn’t have enough of an air supply to walk more than fifty feet. Not to mention some rather strange mutants and not strange but somewhat upset humans that might want you dead for a few reasons. Both games have gotten an amazing makeover for next-gen consoles and PC while retaining the methodical yet compelling gameplay that made them both sleeper hits.

Developer 4A Games and Deep Silver get a huge pat on the back (and a case of the finest Vodka) for bringing these games back so more can play them and this will be the first time 2033 appears on a Sony console, so PS4 owners will see what all the fuss is about. Even better, the games are getting both a physical and digital release. Metro 2033 Redux and Metro: Last Light Redux will each be available separately as a digital download for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC for $24.99 in North America, and a boxed compilation of both games, titled METRO REDUX will be available for $49.99. Now, all I need is a working Geiger counter and to sew some extra pockets on that pair of old cargo pants in the closet so I can carry more slightly dented, irradiated cans of beans. Back with more on this one soon…

Watch_Dogs Launch Trailer: Your Ticket To Chicago Is Almost Ready…

Posted on May 22, 2014 by geelw

May 27 will be a pretty quiet day at some workplaces in a few places thanks to people coming down with crippling cases of Watch_Dogs flu and staying home to get some finger and wrist exercises in to keep healthy. Ubisoft Montreal is certainly doing its part to move next-gen consoles and maybe a new 3D card or two, but I think even on the older consoles the game will be a winner to those players that don’t give a hoot about their games looking about as realistic as it gets. Anyway, we’ll see what’s what next week (or later for Wii U owners still hoping for an actual release date).