The Amazing Spider-Man Game Update: A Little Bruce Campbell Action For You…

Posted on June 23, 2012 by geelw

OK, I may not want to swing around a virtual NYC as Stan ‘The Man” Lee in The Amazing Spider-Man game, but I can’t say anything negative about Bruce Campbell getting into the game, voicing “The Extreme Reporter” (which is an oddball name for a character, but oh well). Now, would I want to swing around in the game as Bruce in the guise of Ash, Brisco County Jr., Elvis from Bubba-Ho-Tep or any other characters he’s played? Nope. I just appreciate the man’s talent and humor along with his large body of work. That and hell, some “bonuses” aren’t all that special if they make no sense, kids…

Spec Ops: The Line Developer Diary #1: Yager’s Focus On Excellence All Around

Posted on June 23, 2012 by geelw

With the game about to roll into retail this coming Tuesday, 2K has released this developer diary about the making of this innovative squad-based shooter. It’s pretty clear that developer Yager wasn’t set on just copying other games or doing something that wasn’t going to be yet another multiplayer focused shooter with a to short single player campaign, so definitely check this one out if you’re looking for something unique and compelling on a few fronts…

Clan of Champions Update: PSN, Steam Bound This Summer in NA & EU.

Posted on June 23, 2012 by geelw

So, Clan of Champions still isn’t getting a budget retail release? Boo. Still, it’ll be worth a buy or try if you’re a fan of the underappreciated Gladiator Returns on the PSP or Warriors of the Lost Empire, another PSP game that’s got visual similarities as well as some of the same game mechanics, menus, options and even typefaces as Gladiator Returns. Well, all three games are from the same developer, so I don’t mind this sort of recycling, although Warriors was one of those games that you had to get used to (and actually only really got great after you beat it once). Gladiator Returns was better in some respects, but had some of the same flaws as Warriors. That said, both games had more than enough going for them to keep me playing and CoC looks to hit that same spot.

Of course, I still have my fingers crossed that NISA gets back to doing more with retail as well as DLC so MORE people can play these games, as not EVERYONE has the ability to or hell, even likes to download ALL their game content. Getting this game and perhaps some of their other upcoming PSN-only content on a disc at some point (together in one package deal) would indeed be sweet… but I’m not holding my breath. It’s kind of hard to type when you’re blue in the face, you know…

Best Gaming News I’ve Heard Today (So Far): Journey Collector’s Edition Coming To Disc This Year.

Posted on June 22, 2012 by geelw

OK, you KNOW you’re tired when you keep replacing the posts you just wrote with new ones, then get annoyed that what you spent time working on has gone for good (almost… thank goodness for auto-saves!). One more re-post (this one), and I’m off to bed, grrrr…

Well, well, well. Something I’d begged thatgamecompany to consider doing way back when I first saw Journey at a press event here in NYC and it looks as if a lot of other people have been thinking and wanting the exact same thing. Thanks to a recent tweet that spilled the beans after the CE info for the region-free Asian version showed up on Play-Asia (interestingly enough, the page says the popular online import retailer has pre-sold out of its allocated supply already). I saw something about a week or two ago mentioning the possibility of Journey hitting retail a disc, but it looks as if tgc’s other hits, flOw and Flower will also be included along with other surprises not yet revealed. My money is on a soundtrack (either downloadable or on the Blu-Ray), art gallery and perhaps a making of video, all of which would make the package a must-buy, especially for PS3 owners who don’t or can’t access PSN.

That said… all of that content would indeed be lovely, but if there were demos of other PSN games (that were or are HOPEFULLY also Blu-Ray bound as fair-priced collections) of recent vintage (or those soon to be released… *cough!* Papo & Yo *cough!*), that would be even better. Come on, SCEA – do this up right and make some money while making a LOT of people really happy in the process. More news on this awesomeness as it rolls out. The inevitable trailer should be interesting, that’s for sure…

Plush Sega Genesis! Now, That’s A True Sega Fan At Work…

Posted on June 21, 2012 by geelw

This is REALLY cool, isn’t it? And nope, I didn’t make this at all – I’m just re-posting a video from Sega’s YouTube channel. The only thing I’ve ever made for Sega was TROUBLE, thanks to all my requests for obvious remakes or reboots that have never been done. To wit: Hey, Sega! Where the heck is Panzer Dragoon BOX (with all the games redone in HD), Shining Force III: Complete (same HD deal, with ALL three chapters AND that Premium Disc Content), Some sort of Sega Saturn Collection and hell, while we’re at it an ultimate Arcade/Home Collection that features as many Sega arcade and home games as can fit on a Blu-Ray? I want Thunderground, Astron Belt, SubRoc, Alien III: The Gun, Time Traveler and other games long forgotten (and in some cases NEVER seen on any previous Sega collections). You guys HAVE the history, so USE IT, grrrr! Get on it, already!

See, I’m nothing but trouble. And yeah, I had to rewrite this post because of a glitch that had the Journey post zap the original one I made into the ether. Oops! Anyway, as I said in that post, I can only offer Sega my advice and some tough love because I can’t sew or knit for shit and sending baked goods in the mail is a BIG no-no unless you’re a reputable company shipping food that’s guaranteed not to make anyone sick…

Film Review: A Ghost of A Chance (Once Upon A Blue Moon)

Posted on June 21, 2012 by geelw

One of the best films I saw in 2011 wasn’t the usual big-budget Hollywood ego piece cooked up to win award after award, but a great and often laugh out loud funny comedy from Japan that’s worth tracking down even if it’s never released in English. That said, I’ll bet writer/director Koki Mitani wants a time machine for his next birthday. I know one of the first things he’d probably do is go back and meet Billy Wilder, Michael Powell and Frank Capra for dinner somewhere expensive where they’d smoke cigars, drink good whiskey and talk movies until the sun popped up like a fresh piece of perfect toast.

I say this because Mitani’s latest film, A Ghost Of A Chance (or Once Upon a Blue Moon if you happen to live in Japan) manages to get in nods to Wilder, Powell, Capra and a few other famous directors while also being as fresh and funny as Mitani’s other inspired comedy work. While a bit overlong, the film is funny (often hilariously so), touching (you’ll probably shed a few tears at some point) and despite a few flaws, is well worth watching a few times. With a plot that’s part crime story, ghost story, courtroom intrigue and romance (for starters), there’s a lot here to keep cinema buffs happy.

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So, Why Am I Caring That Might & Magic Is Celebrating World Music Day?

Posted on June 21, 2012 by geelw

Actually, I’m not… I’m just a bit puzzled here. I’m also wondering when the heck we’ll get an actual return to the Might & Magic series many know and haven’t seen in far too long. You know, the one with that classic first-person perspective, huge dungeons and terrifying level of difficulty thanks to mobs of enemies to face off against. Hey, Ubisoft! You’re appreciated around here and all that, but come on guys and gals – let’s get some classic RPG action back where it belongs. You can save the funny videos for promoting whatever new M&M game you come up with. I say redo IX and follow that up with a proper “sequel” or just start from scratch, keeping the perspective and gameplay from those New World Computing gems. Trust me, MANY people will be happy to see this, especially if you can get it on consoles and handhelds as well as computers (of course)…

DREDD 3D Trailer: It’s Got The Look Down, So My Fingers Are Uncrossed…

Posted on June 21, 2012 by geelw

Very nice stuff here, but I still want “I Am The Law” confirmed, no matter what it costs to get that song playing over the end credits. Anyway, I like that the trailer instantly reminded me of some of the comics in terms of the tone and visual style, Dredd keeps his mask ON throughout and it looks as if it will be dark to the core with not much in the way of stupid comic relief. Yes, like a few other folks out there, I was reminded of The Raid: Redemption (what with the plot point about a small force trapped inside a huge building packed with people wanting to kill them), but I’m smart enough to know this is an OLD theme that’s been done many times and goes back to the days of classic movie westerns. Which means you can tell the “aha!” crowd Internet to shut it with the lazy “rip-off” chatter. This one looks good, so let’s see what else they’ve got…

Hmmm… I’m Not Sure I WANT To Play As Stan Lee In A Spider-Man Game…

Posted on June 21, 2012 by geelw

Yeah, it’s a stupidly cool Amazon pre-order bonus and all and yes, it’s looking like Beenox’ best game to date, but let me start some trouble here by stating historically (for some old school Marvel fans), it’s a bit off-base. I’d imagine any Steve Ditko supporters out there might be a wee bit ticked off at this, but hey, he’s a mystery man himself and there hasn’t been a photo of him published anywhere that I know of in decades. Feh, we’re a dying breed the kids don’t give a hoot in hell about these days anyway, as I’d bet none of them even KNOW who Ditko is.

Then again, given that Marvel and Stan Lee have been boosting Stan as the creator of any and everything successful about the company for decades (overlooking the contributions of too many comic art legends, many of whom are no longer with us) and Lee’s the perfect showman (in that Funky Flashman manner – if you know what I mean), I’m guessing a little bit of re-writing is helping keep those dollars rolling in for both parties. So, as long as you don’t think about it too much (and that’s not too hard in this era of shorter attention spans), it’s all good, right? Um, “Excelsior!” (which should mean, “Hell No!” in this case, but you can’t stop the fan train from rolling onward sometimes)…

Random Film of the Week: F for Fake

Posted on June 20, 2012 by geelw

OK, I’ll admit I fell asleep the first two times I saw this astounding “documentary” (and final directorial effort) by the late, great Orson Welles… but not because the film was boring. Hell, Welles’ own “trailer” for the film clocks in at over nine minutes… for a film that’s under an hour and a half long. Even more amazing, it’s not even a trailer, but a separate film shot around the same time that ended up not being shown to promote the film before it vanished for a bit and was later found and restored (*whew!*).

Um, where was I again? Oh yeah: On the contrary, dear readers, I’d been really looking forward to seeing this film each time, but in both cases, it was shown very late at night (actually, very early in the morning) and I’d been awake both times for a bit longer than I’d expected. The third time wasn’t the charm, either, as it was on again at a very late hour and I took a nap in front of the TV so I’d be refreshed and ready to go. Of course, guess who slept through the first hour of the film? Did I mention that I don’t have a TiVO or other fancy (or dated) video recording device? *Sigh*…

And so it went until attempt number four…

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