Dead Space 3 Hands-On: Two Players Makes For A Far Freakier Experience…

Posted on January 28, 2013 by geelw

When I heard that Dead Space 3 would have an all-new co-op mode included, I was a tiny bit skeptical (not as crazed as some on the internet raging madly about it, however). Still, I trusted that Visceral Studios would not only deliver something memorable in terms of the scares and gore fans expect, the developer would also bring a bit of innovation to the gameplay simply because standard co-op play would have been too generic for a series known for giving the horror genre a nice kick in the pants. It turns out that my initial skepticism wasn’t even necessary as from what I played, players on either end of that Xbox Live or PSN connection are in for a total mind trip that’s different for both players.

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Ni no Oopsie: Namco Bandai Sells Out of Wizard’s Edition A Wee Bit Too Early…

Posted on January 26, 2013 by geelw

Well, it’s getting stellar early reviews from the critics and fans who’ve gotten their copies on day one, but it seems that some folks who ordered the Wizard’s Edition of Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch in North America had to “settle” for a refund and $20 coupon after the publisher seems to have not produced enough copies of the limited edition to go around to those who paid for it. Oops. Digital River, the distributor for the game issued the following statement:

“We apologize for the discrepancies you may have encountered with your order of Namco Bandai’s Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch – Wizard’s Edition. As one of our valued customers, we want to assure you that a Digital River representative will be reaching out to you individually via email to address your specific issue. We sincerely appreciate your patience as we work through this situation”

In plain English… Oops… Continue reading →

These “Creatures” Might Be “Beautiful”… But They’ll Never Be “Heavenly…”

Posted on January 26, 2013 by geelw

Now, I know for a fact and a half that I’m not even interested in seeing this upcoming flick (I’m SO not into the tween fantasy stuff, sorry!), but know ye this: I was fooled for a hot minute a few months back and ALMOST thought this was a remake of Peter Jackson’s outstanding (and much more mature) ‘based on a true story’ film that marked the acting debuts of Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey and wondered if I was nuts for getting pissed off that someone went and remade it. Fortunately, I watched that trailer and didn’t post a needlessly incorrect rant I’d have to apologize for later, right? How un-Internet of me! Anyway, it looks good (in a whee, pretty people and too much CG sorta way) go see it if you liked the books. Me, maybe I’ll catch it on cable at some point in about, what, eight months or so (a year, tops)? I can wait.

Or as the trailer above is titled… “Let’s get out of here!”

Retro City Rampage Was Actually Even Funnier As a Work in Progress…

Posted on January 25, 2013 by geelw

As awesome and non-stop hilarious as Retro City Rampage is, the game was looking even more amusing in its pre-alpha stages. I’m thinking Brian Provinciano chopped some of this stuff down because anyone he got to test the game at that early stage was dropping dead from laughing too much. There are rules against killing off your testers even if they’re happy with what they’re playing. Anyway, you should grab this if you haven’t. I’m just wondering what the heck sort of follow-up Vblank Entertainment has planned. I don’t think we’ll see a sequel, but it wouldn’t shock me at all what with all the in-jokes and homages that made it into RCR. Hey, with game older some companies vaporizing into the ether and being broken up into little IP bits, it’s nice to see game creators keeping the true retro spirit alive and in fine form…

Industry Noose: R.I.P., THQ, Atari Sinking… Who’s Next?

Posted on January 24, 2013 by geelw

Ugh. I hate being right, but I’ve been around for one big industry crash, the slow death of the popular arcade scene and too many recent studio closures and other big to small bumps that make it somewhat sad to be a gamer for so damn long. If you think this mobile and tablet junk will “save” things, welll…. it won’t if the industry keeps trying to sell a business model and services as “product” and goes on forgetting CONTENT (and quality) is king. Well, as I predicted (but was hoping would never happen despite the writing all over the wall for years), THQ has gone the 3DO and Midway route, with some major IP assets sold off to assorted publishers and others still in some sort of limbo state for the moment. Atari seems to be headed to a third or fourth demise, filing for Chapter 11 and hoping for a split from Infogrames and some savior with deep pockets who can throw money at a problem that may not be able to be solved even with so many classic IP at stake.

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Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen May Need a 12-Step Program Expansion…

Posted on January 24, 2013 by geelw

April 28, huh? Retail and digital download available (so MORE people can play this from day one)? The addiction begins anew, it would seem. Count me in and I’m hoping to be taking a few of you with me. In case you missed out on the original game, fear not, potential Arisen candidates! You can hang out near your favorite game emporium and pick up this “expansion” that features a huge new area, quests, monsters to pee yourself over and more. By the way, kids… that MORE just so happens to include the original game as a “bonus” that makes perfect sense. As you’ll see (or already know), the land of Granysys is one massive place to explore and Capcom should get a hearty hand-clasp and a pat of the back for doing this up right. Of course, the usual unwashed internet fools who can’t seem to read are thinking this is all DLC or something, but by now, Capcom knows not to listen to those folks too much. I’m buying this just to see how the new area fits in with the old. Will I replay the game from the beginning once more or use an old save file? We shall see, I guess… I’m tempted to do so, but time (as always) is the big factor…

Nintendo’s Got Lots (More) in Store (Retail and Digital) For Wii U Owners This Year…

Posted on January 23, 2013 by geelw

Apparently, that rather large launch lineup wasn’t enough for some gamers (and overpaid industry analysts who don’t game, but LOVE to over-speculate), so here you go, news of new Wii U releases coming in 2013. Sure, some stuff here is delayed from its initial announcements, but that’s no big deal as it SHOULD get some Wii U owners to try a game or three they may have ignored because they don’t play title in a particular genre. That said, what’s coming is definitely worth waiting for, as there are some nice games for every niche from casual, family-friendly stuff to more mature content (ah, Bayonetta 2 – and exclusive to the system at that!). It’s going to be a pretty big year for the new console, but 3DS owners aren’t being left out of the fun at all as you’ll see above.

What I Liked at CES 2013: BenQ (Very Much, Indeed)…

Posted on January 23, 2013 by geelw

Alright, I’m kind of slow at getting into new tech sometimes because if I buy something that works, I’ll stick with it until it gives up the electric ghost and will run no more. I still have a couple of “old” standard-def tube TV’s running here and my PC is still rocking Windows XP because most of the games I play are from the days discs came in boxes of assorted sizes with manuals. Anyway, I’m not THAT set in my ways when I see something that works for what I need it for and is built to last.

That said, I’ve been eyeballing a friend’s BenQ gaming monitors for a little while now, as I’ve slowly but surely been looking to upgrade my old (and I mean ancient) Dell CRT to something a bit more modern and flexible. He loves his because it’s clearly the product of a company that knows what it’s doing (and has so for years) when it comes to delivering a reliable product at an excellent value to consumers whether they’re gamers or not. That said, it looks as if we’ll both be upgrading to the RL2455HM, the company’s latest gaming monitor that offers stellar performance and features at a ridiculously affordable price. Continue reading →

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Is in Stores Now. If You Own a PS3, Buy It.

Posted on January 22, 2013 by geelw

Granted, if you own a PS3 and all you play is the yearly Madden, CoD or other manly-man, chest-puffing, square-jawed games that require hyphenation when describing them, welllll… perhaps you shouldn’t buy this. But then again, why the hell not, I say? I think you should take a well-deserved break from the testosterone-fueled sausage-fests and get out in the beautiful virtual outdoors only Level-5 and Studio Ghibli can bring your way, courtesy of Namco Bandai Games, of course. No matter what sort of beefy action or sports games you like, you absolutely NEED to dive into something lighter (but still challenging). Ni no Kuni offers up some absolutely beautiful visuals, a score for the ages, surprisingly tough battles and many hours of content that doesn’t require you hanging out online downloading or waiting on your stumble-bum buddies to roll out of bed or back home from whatever they were doing when they were supposed to meet up with you hours ago. Anyway, STORY matters as well (yeah, I watch stuff on AMC. So sue me), and this game will make you more emotional than the time you accidentally rubbed your eye while eating those hot wings last week while watching your team lose and not make the playoffs. Yeah, that’s right – you need a good game that will hook you in and make you care about more than some bad call a guy with bad eyesight in a striped shirt made. Anyway, I bet you know someone who’d play this game even if YOU won’t… so get up off that sofa, you slug and do the right thing… You’ll be a more rounded gamer for it, trust me…

The Elder Scrolls Online: It’s Beta Sign-Up Time!

Posted on January 22, 2013 by geelw

I’ve been following TES Online for a while now and while I won’t be diving into this one at all (I have an awful internet connection, prefer my fantasy RPGs offline and solo play with no PVP nonsense or dealing with jerks of the helpful and unhelpful variety), I won’t stop YOU from joining the beta and helping with the stress testing on the first ever Elder Scrolls MMO. I do respect that the dev team at ZeniMax isn’t simply tossing out a game set in the same era as the single player TES games from Bethsoft. With a thousand years or so separating this new game from the more familiar lands some of us ancient fans have explored many times over, there’s room to do pretty much anything with the history that won’t step on the toes of past or future RPGs. Of course, I’m hoping Bethesda has at least started working out concepts and early pre-production work on the follow up to Skyrim (and that they make a game that’s much more stable on any console it gets made for)…