Some Stupid Things About Rumors And Speculation (Which Is Why I Don’t Cover Them)…

Posted on April 4, 2012 by geelw

Blah, blah, blah… With all this info leaking elsewhere around the Internet about everything from the Wii U release date to the next Xbox and PS3 consoles blocking used software and requiring an always online connection even for single player games, I figure I may as well let you guys and gals know… I really don’t care and won’t until I actually have a controller in my hand and can get some actual answers about a few things from folks who can spill it without spin. For me, there are too many other important things to cover like actual games and cool stuff that doesn’t involve getting into arguments with random strangers about some dopey rumor mill nonsense that makes less sense the more you look at it.

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Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor Tutorial: From Software Shows How To Make The Kinect WORK

Posted on April 4, 2012 by geelw

One of the near-constant gripes I hear about Kinect from some “core” gamers who hate it is that they feel it’s not for the games THEY want or like (or want TO like, for that matter). Well, thanks to From Software and Capcom, a few of those already made up minds may change a bit. The upcoming Xbox 360 exclusive Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor will be on display at PAX 2012 this weekend and will be playable, so I’m expecting a few folks to be hopping on board for this one once they get their hands on it. No, it doesn’t use the Kinect as the sole means of control – From has integrated both a stock 360 controller and Kinect controls together to make one of the most immersive game experiences using the peripheral to date. Hell, I’d MUCH rather be buying a Steel Battalion Kinect Bundle than that Star Wars deal that’s just a cash cow for Microsoft with a not so hot game strapped into the cockpit. Ah well, in a perfect world, this one would get more hype… Go From! Go Capcom!

Call Me Crazy, But Wouldn’t The Move or Wii Remote Be BETTER For A Star Wars Game?

Posted on April 3, 2012 by geelw

I mean, come on Lucasarts! Sure, that new Xbox Star Wars Kinect Bundle Is extremely cool and all, but hell… Sony’s Move and Navigation Controller combo and/or the Wii’s stock controller/Nunchuck would have allowed for some better (and actual) gameplay elements such as character movement through a better designed game world and hell, swinging a lightsaber instead of an empty hand at your TV set.

That and what Star Wars fan worth his or her salt would pass up the chance to own MULTIPLE Move Lightsaber Controllers (or removable controller skins) on those two platforms or a C-3PO and R2-D2 Move wand/Navigation Controller set with a Black Darth Vader PS3 or Wii? What makes Microsoft fans exclusively Star Wars fans in your eyes? Anyway, I’ll shut up now and let you guys go count your money. But next time, think of EVERY gamer out there with a console and make a better set of games for us ALL.

Devil May Cry HD Collection Rolls Out Today For PS3, 360

Posted on April 3, 2012 by geelw

Hear that loud screechy wailing sound? It’s a bunch of folks who’ve already played these games to death cheering that they get to do it all over again, whee! Just kidding. Anyway, Capcom’s got those folks by the nose (and has for years), but now they need to bend those noses down from their turned up positions and point them all to Ninja Theory’s upcoming DmC so they can see and play something that takes a different look and Dante’s past. There’s nothing wrong with nostalgia at all, kids… except when you let it cloud your heads so much that you refuse to want to even try something different and then complain that games never do anything new. Remember this.

Dark Shadows TV Ads 1 – 3: WB Does The Hard Sell Again (But This TIme, It’s OK)…

Posted on March 30, 2012 by geelw

To be frank, I stopped counting (and watching) Wrath of the Titans ads when they jumped from 14 to 27 different ones or so in less than a day on YouTube, but this reboot/remake of the hilariously campy yet compelling dramatic modern Gothic soap opera (say THAT three times fast) actually looks as it’s going to be worth the ticket price. Tale that stake to the heart, you glowy teenage “vampires”, grrrr!!! Of course, my OWN dream project for Mr. Depp is for he and Tim Burton to get cracking on remakes of both Dr. Phibes films with perhaps a third film to make it a trilogy. Granted, I’m sure both guys would prefer a one-shot, one film deal that crams both stories into one extended movie over a sequel (or sequels) that demand geometrically increasing box-office tallies for each one made. Anyway, let me switch off my wishful thinking meter before I start going into Mega Millions mode…

TV Spot 3 is below the jump… Continue reading →

Wheels of Destruction Launch Trailer: My Back Isn’t Amused, Sony…

Posted on March 30, 2012 by geelw

Just seeing those cars flipping around, blasting and otherwise demolishing each other is causing my poor back to seize up, Sony. No wait, that was all those koo-koo crazy rumors about the new console not doing certain things that will piss off anyone without a huge online data plan and a lot of throwaway cash to spend. Hmmm. One day that will all get sorted out (I hope), unitil then, folks – keep your fingers crossed that this digital deal we’re all being shoehorned into will be somewhat (hah!) “safe” as we throw all our (not so) private personal info into that BIG cloud-shaped blender and HOPE it’s OK…

Er, the game looks nice, by the way. Reminds me of Team 17’s Stunt GP, a dash of Twisted Metal and Argonaut’s Red Dog on the Dreamcast. Nice…

Why I Hate Sequels: The Bad Back Is Back In Action!

Status

OK, my back was fine (splendid, even) for a few hours after seeing and playing Sniper Elite V2 (it’s REALLY great – Rebellion and 505 Games have a REAL winner packed full of 3rd person stealth/action/ and first-person sniping bliss here, go pre-order it ASAP, I say) and it was fine while I was writing up the preview and working on beating Ninja Gaiden III on the hardest mode (and wrecking my PS3 controller in the process, grrr). But, a few twists and turns and getting up from a slightly cramped position and (*creak, groan!*), it’s ouch-time once more. So, down I go for the night (well, a good eight hour rest, at least) with some grandpa-scented medicated stuff on my back, an aspirin or two and the alarm clock set, as I may be getting a package tomorrow with a certain “surprise” inside… Oof and goodnight!

“Back” In The Swing Of Things, Thanks To A Few Upcoming Games…

Posted on March 29, 2012 by geelw

(mild ouch): Well, I’m up for about an hour already and my back is a bit better (whee!). Going out to see a new game (in this case Sniper Elite V2) always helps ease the pain when it strikes. I’d also forgotten that Xenoblade Chronicles ships out next week for the Wii, so I ended up putting in a pre-order just now, Thank goodness I came into a little money out of the blue (Whee!), so at least one of the last important Wii titles will be winging my way shortly… OK, enough gloating and preening (moderate ouch!), off to be productive. Back in a bit, ladies and gents…

Class of Heroes 2 Deluxe Goes The Kickstarter Route – It’s Put Up Or Shut Up Time For JRPG Fans…

Posted on March 29, 2012 by geelw

As a longtime JRPG fan, I can safely say that this crowdfunding thing IS getting a whole LOT more interesting. A few weeks and months back some writers and game folks online made note that it would be IMPOSSIBLE to fund a console or portable game project, citing all sorts of reasons. Well, thanks to Victor Ireland (formerly of Working Designs infamy), Gaijinworks and MonkeyPaw Games – Class Heroes 2 Deluxe is not only a reality, it’s coming to the PSP as a digital release. Even better, gamers can expect a physical UMD as well… provided the project goal of $500,000 is met by April 27, 2012. Now, half a million may SEEM like a lot of loot, but hell, getting a physical copy of any game out these days does cost a chunk of change. Getting a DELUXE version of the game out with all the swag listed in the Kickstarter page will make that total seem small when you consider that the game will be a truly LIMITED release with the high probability of completely selling out as a physical game (and being worth a mint shortly thereafter).

The original Class of Heroes was an interesting Wizardry clone developed for the PSP by Zerodiv and initially published by Acquire in Japan in 2008, then Atlus in North America in 2009. While not quite a “classic”, the game’s old-school charm and lengthy quest made up for a few flaws here and there. From reading the funding page, it looks as if COH 2 Deluxe will fix a few things and add others the original developer left out of the first game. So far, the project has raised around $27,000, but still has a long way to go. Can the team get the overly skeptical crowd that SUPPOSEDLY loved JRPGs yet somehow doesn’t understand what a truly limited edition means to clam up and shell out a few bucks so they can get this out AND tackle future projects? Or will the game be doomed to a digital-only release that gets swallowed up in the PSN vaults? We shall see, I suppose. OK, back to bed for me – my back is still out of whack, but I saw this news and had to get my two cents in…

Sleep Mode Activated…

Aside

Ouch. All this early rising and shining the past week plus has finally gotten to me, as my poor back went out after getting back from the airport. Must have been that extra bag I was lugging for a friend, but I’m not complaining one way or the other here. All that means for you fine folks is a slight delay in a few things I’d planned to post today while I recuperate. That, and I need to be nice and upright in order to go see Sniper Elite V2 tomorrow, so I’m taking the night off (whee – ouch). See you tomorrow (zzzzzz)