Up For Air: A Xenoblade Chronicles Progress Report…

Well, so far, Xenoblade is… pretty good. Like any game this big, careful poking around reveals it’s flawed, but quite impressive nonetheless. Of course, I’ve played far too many RPGs from all over the world (and too many JRPGs) since the late 80’s to throw down any absolutes about how it stacks up against my favorites, but it’s quite well done. I do have a few issues with some things I’ll go over in more detail in my review, but it’s nothing too dramatic.

OK, stop turning blue in the face – I’ll spill a few gripes here. Stuff like not being able to enter too many buildings, the hard to find quest givers that you need to get items back to, a tiny bit of unsympathetic writing after a major incident and a few other quibbles that won’t really affect my overall score. That said, if you’re a Wii owner and/or a JRPG fan looking for a fine game to eat away the hours as it pulls you into its story, you can’t go wrong with Monolith’s best game to date. A proper review is incoming, most likely this weekend…

Sorcery Is Lord of Sorcery In Japan (And Still Coming Along Nicely)…

This PlayStation 3 exclusive is looking more and more polished and could be the best Move game to date that will also make folks who shelled out for that rough Kinect Star Wars game a bit cranky that this is what their game SHOULD have played like. Anyway, here’s a look at the Japanese trailer for the upcoming game. Hey, Sony, get the SCEA PR hype machine going harder for this one – you really need to Move a few more people to snap this gem up on day one! Hell, I’ll be one of those people just because I want to see this game do well after all the work that’s gone into it…

PROTIP: A Little Monty Python Can Make Anyone’s Day Better…

To wit: I was at the post office earlier today mailing some stuff out and the place was mercifully empty save for two ladies taking forever at the two open windows. When it was finally my turn in line, without thinking, I raised one leg up and stepped forward in such a way that the clerk I was headed for nearly fell off her seat laughing. Truth be told, I really didn’t INTEND to do a Silly Walk at all, it was just me automatically being goofy. Nevertheless, I did make her day, as she told me when she game me my change. Score another victory for learning through public television!

DmC Captivate Trailer/Gameplay: Dante’s Looking Sharper Than Before, So Lose The Hate, Kids…

 

Go, Ninja Theory! I love what I see here (even with the changes made), but as usual, the noisy crickets vomiting in the weeds outside keep getting in my way of enjoying all this hard work. OK… all the haters really need to put a boot in it already and just let the game get completed and ship as Capcom and Ninja Theory want it to go out. A little RESPECT goes a long way, kids – so knock it off and maybe try to accept something new for a change.

 

 

Still, I have to say, Capcom and Ninja Theory have a hard road ahead of them that I’m sure they’re a lot less diplomatic about in private. Man, what a bunch of unappreciative babies we have this console generation. This sense of entitlement too many feel towards content they should simply let a talented developer try something new with is getting out of hand. If the game is a hit (despite the bile being spilled), it sill still be hated by the idiots, but that’s too bad for them, I say.

 

 

Why more people aren’t waiting for some ACTUAL hands-on time before damning the final game to the discount bin is beyond me. Being a sheep and following the bleating heard of Negative Nellies just means you end up playing the same crap year after year and complaining about it afterward as if you don’t know YOU’RE part of the problem…

 

 

Xenoblade Arrives… Off To The Diving Board, I Go!

Nice, GameStop actually delivered! I’m still quite surprised that Nintendo hadn’t figured out that having a Premium RPG line for the Wii might actually have been a good thing for their PR among JRPG fans if as many of the games they craved were being released without the need for online petitions and the usual bean-counter hand-wringing about whether or not these game will sell at all. Anyway, no changing things now, right? The art book is lovely, but how is the game, you ask? Well, give me time folks, give me time. off to crack that shrink wrap and get to it. Back in a bit with some impressions.

Lazy Day, But Productive (Sort of. Mostly.)

Shhh… I’m supposed to be working on a hands-on preview of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition for the Xbox 360, but I got a bit sidetracked with some Wii stuff to day and my writing took a hit for a bit, I checked my stats and for some reason (hey, I got popular!), a nicely amount of new readers clicked on my Sniper Elite V2 hands-on, so that’s good. I have seven games coming next week (eek), a new controller to replace a busted one and I think there’s a press event coming up I need to bug some nice PR person about, so I’ll be busy. Then there’s that little art project I’m trying to get off the ground, but more on that once it gets off the ground…

Back in a bit, Sunday, most likely…

Google’s “Project Glass”: If Thine Eye Offend Thee (And How)…

Hmmm… As soon as I saw this video, I nearly fell over laughing. Oh, SURE, it looks cool and hip and fresh and whatever the kids all say these days. My choice of slang here would be “Dope?” Wait. It’s currently a NEAR TRANSPARENT screen that’s in front of your eyes while you’re walking down the street? Think about that for a minute (it should take a LOT less time, but I’m feeling generous today)…  Er, does anyone still use “dope” as slang anymore for cool stuff? Can I get a “dope” here? (Heeeeeeey, dope!)… Er, no dope? OK, let’s try this: Hey all you drooling hipsters and twittering techies… here’s another cool video to watch (it’s dope!):

In other words, this is an eternally DUMB idea that’s going to do more harm than good, I say… Continue reading

Starhawk Wants You To Take Nearly Everything Out For a Spin. With Pleasure, LightBox!

 

At this point about the only thing that can’t be driven, flown or dropped on an enemy in this innovative, lightning paced action/RTS hybrid are the planets in the game, but I’m sure LightBox will think of something creative to do about that… May 8, people. Go make yourselves happy and reserve away, as doing so will bump up that game to the Limited Edition version at no additional charge. Granted, if all you want is the single player campaign, you probably have not too much use for any DLC. Hopefully, that campaign will be lengthy and quite replayable for those gamers, but I think they’re covered, as this isn’t looking at all like a game you just play once and put back on the shelf…

Enter, The Dragon (Again): Shadowrun Is Coming Back!

Yikes. Just when I get to griping about underfunded indie games that NEED more notice, along comes this news, which I gather will make people forget all about that last post. I guess I need to pay more attention to Kickstarter, huh? Anyway, a bunch of ancient mariners behind the original game (you HAVE to love the name they chose for their studio: Harebrained Schemes, LLC) are getting together and bringing the FASA classic Shadowrun back with an all-new title called Shadowrun Returns.

Of course, the project is already doing SUPER well as it zooms toward its funding goal of $400,000. Amusingly enough, I kind of wish they were doing an English translation of the Japanese Sega Mega-CD version, as that’s one of those completely unique versions of the game that was only released on one platform and a pretty hard game to track down even if you happen to own the proper equipment to run it on.

Oh, don’t worry, I’m not complaining at all or anything.  Er… other than wishing the economy was a hell of a lot BETTER for the games industry so that all of these projects could appear as physical product at a fair price point so MORE people would be able to buy and play them…

Avengers Black Widow Clip: Hold The Phone And Have A Seat, True Believers!

 
 

Hah! There are probably a few too many guys out there who WANT to get beat up like this by Ms. Scarlett. I’m not one of them, though (hey, I bruise easily and don’t do my own stunts!). I’m sure we’ll see some dopey YouTube video of someone trying this for real (ouch!), but I won’t be watching that particular pain-fest at all. Remember, kids – movies are movies… reality bites back hard! But of course, you’re not listening – it’s time to make that video, right? Before you break out that camera and chair and get your gal to doll up in a skin-tight outfit, you may as well check out the latest TV commercial for the upcoming film as well…