Tag Archives: Commentary

Asura’s Wrath DLC Packs Quite The Punch (And Needs To Be Put On A Disc)…

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Wow, It really stinks to be an Asura’s Wrath fan without a decent online connection, that’s for sure. Capcom has launched the first of a few killer add-ons for CyberConnect 2’s manly muscle-bound masterpiece that in the coming weeks will include some pretty amazing content.  Starting today over PSN (and tomorrow over Xbox Live), “Episode 11.5” launches, followed next week (April 3) by “Episode 15.5” hitting PSN and XBL. Each episode will sell for 1.99 over PSN or 160 MS Points over Xbox Live.  April 24 hits even harder with a four-episode content pack for 6.99 (560 MS Points) and finally, May will be the big killer month for many AW fans. Why? Capcom plans to pit Asura up against two of Street Fighter’s legendary combatants, Ryu (May 9) and Akuma (May 16). Each content pack will be 1.99 over PSN and 160 MS Points through Xbox Live.

Hey, Capcom! I’d actually pay a little extra for a expansion disc with ALL that content and I’d bet a lot of others would too. Think about it.

Wrath of The Titans TV Spots 13 & 14 (!): OK, We Get It, You’re NOT John Carter…

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Have there ever been THIS many different commercials for a fantasy film pre-release? Add in all the DVD-style featurettes about the different creatures and you’re looking at a pretty packed DVD/Blu-Ray edition in what, eight months or so? Talk about overkill, WB!. Anyway, no, I haven’t yet seen John Carter, but in talking to a few folks who have, it’s a divided nation indeed. Most actually liked what they paid to see and some have even read the original stories, so at LEAST they have context and can respect the film for what it is (unlike some bash-friendly folk that have been going after the film since it was announced).

As for Wrath? I’m not planning to pay to see it, but if I get a screening invite, I will write a fair review. I thought the first one was kind of OK (a bit heavy on the CG, but what can you do) and even though I respect Ray Harryhausen a HUGE amount, his best work on the original was the still scary Medusa sequence. Yes, as noted, this one is darker and grimmer, but these days, that’s nearly every sequel going for the throat with as many effects shots as they can get in while still having actual actors yell out a few lines in close up. The more interesting thing here is there’s no video game tie-in, which is only mildly shocking… unless you played Clash of the Titans, which was a great guilty pleasure more than a spectacular game experience…

 

Ridge Racer Unbounded’s City Editor Should Settle The Rumbles On The Street Down A Tad…

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Hmmm. Here in the US, Namco Bandai seems to be tiptoeing on eggshells when it comes to hyping Bugbear’s upcoming game and that’s too bad. I’m gathering the jaded types that have been slamming them since the game was announced is flummoxing their PR team here as they try and get the good word out over the drone of haters who want nothing but the same old Ridge Racer with very few changes (or more of the same with a few modern tweaks).  I see it like this: when you have a developer that’s already done some excellent racing games working on a spin-off of a world famous franchise, you should be more than confident that the game coming is going to be worthy of the name. That said, this City Editor trailer from the UK should go a long way in quelling the stream of leaky gas fumes coming from some out there who just seem to have nothing good to say about a game they haven’t even played yet.  As I’ve said before, at the end of the day, it’s all about respect (and actually spending quality time with what you’re criticizing so much)…

Warriors Orochi 3 Has Over 120 Playable Characters. You’ll Need A Few New Controllers Before It’s Done, I’d Bet…

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Of all the Dynasty Warriors-inspired games out there, only Koei’s assorted development teams (primarily Omega Force) have really nailed them perfectly. They not only invented the sub-genre of beat ’em up the games fall into, they’ve also been doing them for so darn long that even the ones that aren’t so hot are still incredibly addictive to play.  Warriors Orochi 3 is looking as if it will the ultimate in fan service hack ‘n slash greatness as it packs in characters from nearly every Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors game ever made (except the DW Gundam series, no doubt for licensing reasons and the fact that it would be deadly stupid to have life-sized heroes fighting 30-foot mecha). That and you get playable characters from other Koei games such as Ninja Gaiden, Warriors: Legends of Troy, Bladestorm, Trinity: Souls of Zill O’ll and Dead or Alive. Yikes.

Sure, the 120+ roster isn’t as nuts as the 210 playable fighters found in Squaresoft’s still amazing Tobal 2 by a long shot. Then again, I’d rather play as Areus, Ryu Hayabusa or Joan of Arc than the bottom head of a totem pole, a pile driver or an over-sized polygon star any day of the week. Yeah, I want this one, but I hope I’ll actually have the time to finish the game with a few favorite characters, as I know doing it with all 120 will take a bit longer than one should camp out in front of the TV. Crazy me will probably do this, but obviously, I won’t get to ALL 120 characters for a review. I’d need a time machine and a box of Dual Shock 3’s for that…

Ninja Gaiden 3 Drops In Like A Ninja Should…

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Mystically, a review copy of Team Ninja’s latest appeared yesterday (as in out of the blue via Fed Ex), which caught me quite off guard. I guess that means Ryu Hayabusa’s job security is still intact (at least with me). Anyway, I’m in the process of going through it now and while it’s definitely DIFFERENT than previous installments, it’s not the completely horrific experience a few reviewers are bleating on about.

It’s obviously wearing a few modern influences on its bloody sleeves thanks to certain other popular action games out there and thanks to that, it loses some of what made the earlier games great in the process. On the other hand, if it wasn’t a Ninja Gaiden game, I’d bet good money that a lot of the bile directed against it wouldn’t be there at all. Anyway, back to playing some more – my full review should be up this weekend (if not sooner)…

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter: Not Only Badass, But Bad For Actual History, Too…

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When I first heard about this flick, I very seriously thought it was a total joke. But nope, it’s real and coming sooner than some history buffs would prefer. OK, I’m not up on EVERY oddball comic or popular novel that gets turned into a major (or minor) motion picture, but hey, I’m too busy playing games and writing about them in some form to absorb a bigger pop cultchah fix like I used to. Speaking of pop culture fixes… I’m really not sure why The Hunger Games is getting all this hype when the incredible Battle Royale did it better and more brutally (as in content that was clearly NOT for teens in a nationwide school reading program). Hell, I’d even take a mean and disturbing film version of the ancient Stephen King story The Long Walk over Games’ over-sauced promotional campaign that puts too much emphasis on the wrong elements instead of where it counts.

Yeah, yeah, I’m a total buzz-killer, aren’t I? But hear me out for a bit as I plant my tongue firmly in cheek and “rant” on a bit. You just KNOW that ten to twenty years from now, this damn film will be seen as actual FACT by those short attention span theater kids raised way too dumb to crack open a REAL book. Hell, you won’t even be able to argue a point in favor of the truth because they’ll even have cinematic proof of their own thanks to a few other “documentaries” about past US presidents doing double duty as supernatural slayers. You DID know that FDR got polio from a werewolf and JFK gave Elvis an assist in killing off some evil mummy, right? Laugh now, but If you’ve got young kids at home, I bet they’ll be learning this crap straight from the cloud through through their iPad XXXII implants… OK, let me get my creaky old ass to bed before I get depressed and head for the nearest window instead…

Resistance: Burning Skies Story Trailer: The Life of Riley Is No Honeymoon, That’s For Sure…

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What? You were expecting a HAPPY new Resistance game or something? Super-busy developer Nihilistic is looking to bring those nasty Chimera onto the Vita with a great-looking shooter that shows off how well the system can handle a top drawer FPS. First party power in the house (again!) and so far, so good from what I’ve seen. I’m also hoping we see a reboot of the original Killzone at some point just because that game deserves an update with certain things fixed and fiddled with. Anyway, that’s something for the future. For the moment, let’s get back to aliens invading New Jersey and wiping out most of the population there. I blame Snooki and the usual suspects down at the Shore. That brain-rotting show must have been what set the Chimera off once they started getting episodes sent back through time or something. Anyway, I gotta run… The Situation looks pretty grim from here…

Hey, Starbucks: Recycle This!

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Hmmmm… so, Starbucks has it in their minds to mention on each and every one of their napkins (made from recycled paper) that users should also recycle them after usage. That’s kind of a nasty conundrum if you think about it too hard.

As in, HOW the heck are you supposed to recycle something you just used to clean the foam from your hipster goatee or coffee-mussed lip gloss? Do you fold said napkin into a square the size of a teabag and hand it to the homeless guy you ignored camped outside that Starbucks so he can use it to suck on for a quick caffeine fix? Or do you keep it for yourself as a makeshift emergency ration when stranded on the subway or makeshift bandage in case that now pissed off homeless guy punches you in the nose ring? Decisions, decisions…

Me, I just decided to take an unused napkin and draw on it with a fine point Sharpie. Anyone want to by some recycled napkin art? Hell, I may as well try to recycle in reverse by using free napkins to generate some income. I’ll be the guy in that Starbucks you’ll want to beat up because he’s stolen all the napkins and you have to pay to get them from him only to find you can’t use them because they’re all scribbled on…

F1 2012 “Games vs Reality” Trailer: For Some, It’s Not By The Hair Of Your Simmy-Sim-Sim

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Some diehard Formula One aficionados want ANY game with the F1 license to be nothing but as real as possible with no sort of leeway given to novice players. That’s a fine way to lure in that select few who can deal with this type of driving game, but it makes selling that game outside that audience a slim to none chance. Granted, a full-on arcade experience is a no-go for those that crave a game that’s not going to be a floor it and win every race experience, and I’m one of those who dislikes racers that take too much effort away from actual gameplay. Codemasters seems to have solved some of these issues with F1 2012, although if you’re REALLY picky, the game’s September release comes when the actual F! season is pretty much over. Hey, you can’t expect the team to bust out a game BEFORE the season like EA Sports does with the Madden games, as there are a great deal of variables involved and a rushed to market game isn’t actually good for much unless you’re collecting coasters. Sure, F1 201o and 2011 weren’t flawless, but the dev team is definitely getting better and better each year they have the license (and I’m all for that)…