Sniper Elite III “Hunt The Grey Wolf” DLC: Der Fuhrer’s Days Are Numbered (Again!)…

Posted on May 20, 2014 by geelw

Sooo… I played a bit of Rebellion’s upcoming Sniper Elite III today at a 505 Games press event, but I can’t say a peep for two days about how it was thanks to a little embargo I don’t intend to break. SUSPENSE! Anyway, as you can see, like Sniper Elite V2, there’s some Gamestop only Fuhrer-themed DLC to snag if you pre-order and I’m betting it does well, given the improvements to the game engine and gameplay the main game offers up. It’s certainly a VERY lousy time to be a pro-digital Nazi fanatic, what with that new Wolfenstein game out today, The Monuments Men popping up on home video, CI Studios’ Enemy Front and now this upcoming game allowing shooter fans to spend plenty of free time whistling bullets past a few graveyards. Anyway, more (or actual) news on my hands-on with Sniper Elite III in two more days. Stay tuned…

Dragon Age: Inquisition Update – Stuff To See And Read While You’re Waiting ‘Til October…

Posted on May 19, 2014 by geelw

Here’s a handful of location screens from Dragon Age: Inquisition, headed to PC and every home console except for the Wii U this October 7. BioWare has also been posting some fine reading material and more images on lore from the game, so today you get links to info on those warring mortal enemies The Grey Wardens and The Darkspawn along with the VERY non-vacation hotspot called The Fortress of Adamant. Hey, this trip is FREE, so pipe down or the guide will leave you in a tomb somewhere!

Game of Thrones Recap: When Push Comes To Shove, Indeed…

Posted on May 19, 2014 by geelw

Heh. Spoilers, spoilers! You’ve been warned! I won’t be the one who’s scorned! I missed posting about last week’s episode (above) thanks to the week crushing me with stuff to do, but this week’s surprise-packed episode got me chuckling to no end. Yeah, I won’t say a thing so anyone who hasn’t seen it yet can get the full effect, but I really wasn’t shocked about that ending at all other than thinking it would be another annoying character getting the Red Bull Special treatment.

But, wait! There’s more… Continue reading →

Sniper Elite III 101: “So, What Did YOU Do During The War?” (Part One)

Posted on May 18, 2014 by geelw

With PR folk from 505 Games and a few of the dev team from Rebellion rolling into NYC this week, I’ll finally get some hands-on time with Sniper Elite III on Tuesday morning and report about it here. The team has clearly listened to feedback about Sniper Elite V2 and it looks as if this third chapter addresses all the issues and makes for a more expansive and free form game experience. Sure, the extreme violence isn’t for everyone (and yep, that video is pretty graphic), but I’m not playing this one to see Nazi brains and other bits get shattered and splashed about the large levels. I’m a game design guy first who loves seeing what different developers come up with and Rebellion has been around long enough to keep surprising me. Anyway, expect an update a few days from now on my experience with this one. Sniper Elite III hits retail and download on July 1st in the US on Xbox One, PS4, PS3 and Xbox 360 and of course, the PC version will be a Steam release.

Transistor Launch Trailer: Four More Days Until The Fix Is In…

Posted on May 16, 2014 by geelw

And here it is (well, almost). Transistor pops up on Steam and PSN May 20th, and Supergiant Games’ new trailer makes it even more intriguing and one of those games that’s a must play. And isn’t that music in the trailer great? Yes, Supergiant is selling the soundtrack as well in their online shop along with some other cool stuff.

I’m quite surprised that they didn’t cast the development net wider so PS3 owners could give this one a buy, as there are currently a lot MORE of them than PS4 owners. Of course, thinking ahead to PC and PS4 means the developer can concentrate on getting games out on platforms where they don’t have to compromise (although I’d bet the game would run fine on a PS3 or Vita if the latter version had scalable type so text could be more easily read). However, Xbox One owners aren’t getting the game (yet) because of some goofy Microsoft policies, but if you have that console in your home just keep your fingers and toes crossed that this can get to you at some point. Minor griping aside, if you CAN play this one, you SHOULD play this one.

Interstellar Trailer: Nolan’s Next Will Be Even More Of A Trip…

Posted on May 16, 2014 by geelw

When I first heard that Chris Nolan was making an honest to goodness science fiction picture, I knew it would be packed with a fine cast and at the very least worth a look for its visual effects, I didn’t expect to be as impressed as I was with this first actual trailer. Interstellar poses some interesting questions that look as if they’re going to be answered in a few ways before those credits roll. That, or it’ll be one of those great and very re-watchable “debate” movies as to what it all means.

Interestingly enough, Matthew McConaughey was also in another sci-fi flick that posed some deep questions that got answered, Robert Zemeckis’ Contact, released in 1997 by Warner Bros. to primarily positive reviews. Nolan seems to be looking to go deeper in his film, but we’ll see how it all turns out on November 7, 2014.

Diablo III Ultimate Evil Edition Coming August 19 to Consoles (Yep, PS3 and 360, Too)

Posted on May 13, 2014 by geelw

When the Diablo III: Reaper of Souls expansion was announced for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, many fans of the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions on a few message boards thought they were going to be left out of the loop. I also initially thought so for a hot minute, but didn’t think Blizzard was nuts enough to NOT bring that expansion to the consoles where MORE of that version sold (and continues to sell). Fortunately, console owners from last and this generation (well, save for Wii U owners) will be reaping the rewards come August 19 when Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition rolls out on PS3,PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Yes, that sound you heard is me screeching like a happy Harpy and dancing around the room.

Now before I break a hip, hear below the jump and read what else I wrote about this excellent news… Continue reading →

BUY IT! Transistor Pre-Orders Begin: PSN & Steam Will Be Busy Buzzing On 5/20…

Posted on May 8, 2014 by geelw

Short and sweet: you NEED to play Transistor. Preorder links are live on the Supergiant Games site – the game will be $19.99 for PC via STEAM or PlayStation 4 via PSN. As far as i can tell, there’s no Mac version as of yet, you Apple-heads!.

And yes, there’s a soundtrack pre-order as well. Get both the game and soundtrack to support these guys, I say!

This Humble Weekly Bundle Night Dives Into The Past With Some Great Classics

Posted on May 8, 2014 by geelw

Wow. Three great epic role-playing games, four horror-themed adventures (including one based on a great, gloomy Harlan Ellison story), a sci-fi/horror hybrid first-person shooter still seen as one of the best games ever made and while not quite a classic, a dark and disturbing action/shooter that’s worth a play just to see how bizarre it gets? Sounds like a buy if you ask me. Anyway, Wizardry 6, 7 and 8 plus System Shock 2 are more than worth the price it takes to unlock them and everything else is just the gravy on that cake. I actually liking this bundle because of Harvester, a supremely twisted point & click adventure game that doesn’t shy away from the David Lynch-like weirdness and some mildly to pretty shocking gore effects (which are cheap looking even by 1996 standards, but still effective):

Amusingly enough, the charities this bundle supports are Child’s Play and The American Red Cross (ha and ha, ha). Anyway, this one’s only available for a limited time (6 days, 19 hours as I type this), so GRAB IT before it’s gone!

Game of Thrones S4 5 & 6: What Happened and What’s Going To Happen Are One And The Same…

Posted on May 6, 2014 by geelw

HBO continues to crack me up with these video deluge blitzes after each episode this season. I kind of wish they’d just release maybe three videos tops. A recap of assorted clips, a behind the scenes with a slide into a George R.R. Martin interview and a preview of the next episode.

THAT would be (TOO) simple, no? Well, no, according to HBO, as they want to feed the fans until they’re stuffed to bursting with every bit of minutiae about each episode this season after it happens (as in an hour or two later, it seems). Some thrive on this stuff while I prefer more of a compact approach.

But whatever, try and tell the more hardcore GoT fans there’s TOO much info spilling about and it’s your insides that may be spilling out. That, or you’ll get a fierce tongue-lashing (and not the kind you’d expect from one of those fancy brothels, either). Ouch, ouch, (*yawn*) ouch… Continue reading →