Brain Freeze Without A Frozen Treat: Not A Good Thing…

Posted on January 22, 2014 by geelw

Ha. I actually had a TOTAL *blink* moment today where I just shut down cold in the middle of a post and couldn’t finish what I was working on. I’m gathering this might be a weather and seasonal related deal, as winters are a bit rough on my generally sunny outlook. Cloudy with a chance of what the heck was I thinking when I started writing? This happens every so often, but I wouldn’t call it “writer’s block” at all. Eh, I just need to clear out some memory, as my poor brain is a bit clogged with stuff and sometimes backs up at the worst times. It’s kind of like a NOW LOADING screen in a game where it takes a minute or so to get to a new area or trying to watch a YouTube video on a dial-up connection and having to wait while some buffering is going on. Hmmm… perhaps someone has hacked into my poor packed cranium and is reading my jumbled thoughts so they can help organize them into neat little boxes? That would be nice I think.

Meh, let me go pour some heat on this block of ice stuck to my neck (otherwise known as my head) and see if that helps. Back in a bit…

Toukiden Demo Drops Onto PSN Today, Demons Everywhere Somewhat Distressed…

Posted on January 22, 2014 by geelw

Well, that’s a relief. Tecmo Koei’s recently announced demo for Toukiden: The Age of Demons has made its appearance know on PSN today without that usual “where is it” fuss that happens when SCEA takes its time to update the store. According to my Vita, I have about 38 minutes to go before I can jump in and see what’s what… but that 38 minutes was 11 minutes when the download started about seven minutes ago.

Yeah, it’s not really a huge thing to gripe about in the grand scheme of things. But this is one reason why a nice segment of us poor gamers without access to the best connections will be screwed if there’s an always online presence required when it’s beyond clear that not every spot in this land of plenty is ready, willing or able to handle so many people trying to access content at or around the same times. Ah well, this demo should be fun, but I won’t actually get to PLAY it until I get home in a few hours.

Back with some words on the experience later.

The Raid 2 Trailer: Well, Ain’t That A Kick In The Head (And A Few Other Places)?

Posted on January 21, 2014 by geelw

Oh, the pain, the paaaain. The Raid: Redemption was one of the wilder action movies of the past decade thanks to some well shot brutal, lightning paced edge of the seat action and a twisty plot that kept audiences guessing. I won’t go over the story here at all as this is one of those movies that needs to be seen with a few friends just so you can all pick up each others’ jaws when they keep popping off and falling on the floor. The upcoming sequel (written and directed by Gareth Evans) looks to up the ante with even more creative uses of violence and wait, is that the crazy fighter MAD DOG making a return? WHAAAAAT? Hey, he was dead in the first film! Hmmmm. Unless it’s his twin ass-kicking brother or he somehow survived that fluorescent tube to the neck (OUCH!) and some other grievous injuries, there’s gonna be some ‘splanin’ to do. Oh, I think it won’t make mucg sense in the grand scheme of things, but now I have to find out what the heck he’s doing here other than making people flip out because he’s still alive…

This should be innnnnnnteresting, people, stay tuned.

EDIT: a bunch of you kind folks have chimed in to let me know that that guy who LOOKS just like Mad Dog is not Mad Dog at all, but an entirely different character named Prakoso… who just so happens to be played by the same actor. Well, that changes things up quite a lot. Let’s hope it’s not revealed that it’s really Mad Dog’s evil clone, second of a set of sextuplets or anything else too goofy that sucks the fun out of all that carnage.

You Don’t Need Six Reasons To Get These Two Films From Criterion…

Posted on January 21, 2014 by geelw

But here they go, trying to convince you you need convincing:

Look, if you’ve never seen Stanley Kramer’s It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World by now, you NEED to and Criterion’s five-disc Blu-Ray is a must buy, period.

As for Michael Mann’s Thief, yeah, it’s a more modern classic as well as a brilliant film that’s a great keeper.

So yeah, short post because it’s snowing like hell and they’re kicking people out of the library. Go buy one or both of these and thank me later. I hate you, Criterion for making me want to spend more money. Boo. And Yay. You’re just TOO damn good at what you do these days…

Random Film of the Week: The Straight Story

Posted on January 21, 2014 by geelw

For me, The Straight Story is David Lynch’s best film because it succeeds wholly as the director’s “most experimental” work and manages to be one of those movies that WILL touch you no matter how you feel about his other work. The true story of Alvin Straight’s 200+ mile journey to visit his ailing brother on a riding lawn mower may seem well out of Lynch’s weird wheelhouse, but those of his fans and anyone with a good eye will see plenty of strangeness in the normal here that shows even the simplest of stories can be remarkable when told as well as done here.

Perhaps the most amusing and interesting thing about the movie to some will be it carries the Disney name on it (it was released under the company’s Buena Vista Pictures label back in 1999) and is rated G, usually two death knells for a director know for startling his audiences with bizarre imagery. Lynch keeps things more mundane here, but there are moments in performance and presentation where you can see bits of his trademark style on display and it doesn’t detract from the story at all… Continue reading →

Earth Defense Force 2025 Update: Game Goes Gold, Gets Mission Pack DLC

Posted on January 21, 2014 by geelw

Closer and closer it creeps, folks. Sandlot’s straight up giant bug and robot run and gun spectacular, Earth Defense Force 2025 has gone gold and is on track to land at your favorite game emporium on February 18, 2014. In addition to the 85 massive stages (94 if you play the game online), D3Publisher has announced three mission packs coming, one on launch day and one each within two weeks of launch. Before you get all cranky about this DLC, know ye this: beating EDF 2025 with all four classes will take even the most seasoned gamers some time (as in a few weeks at best), as the game can get pretty hectic if one goes it alone (like a true EDF maniac). That said, the mission packs offer up even MORE challenging enemy variants and are geared towards players who like it rough.

According to the press release, these Mission Packs will be available separately on the dates below and later on as a bundle:

Special Ops – Will feature 5 new missions for $2.99 and be available on February 18.
Mutant Rampage – Will feature 20 new missions for $8.99 and be available on February 25.
Beyond Despair – Will feature 20 new missions for $8.99 and be available on March 11.

Color me psyched, as the import was a big time eater for me last year and I can’t wait to see what’s been tweaked in the time since that version shipped out. Anyway, the days are ticking away and my PS3 is winking at me and blowing kisses for some reason. On the other hand, I do need a new controller, as there’s a button starting to stick and an EDF game DEMANDS you have a controller that’s in working perfect working order. Off to check the funds and take care of that…

Heroes of a Broken Land: This Throwback RPG Is Quite A Keeper…

Posted on January 21, 2014 by geelw

Hey, Winged Pixel? You just made my too-snowy Tuesday a great deal more tolerable. Heroes of a Broken Land is a classic style role playing game with a lovely Dungeon Master/Eye of the Beholder/Wizardry vibe (and a few other classics), procedurally generated maps, a hex-based over world map just to get me tingly and even some simulation aspects as you restore fragmented landscapes to their original forms.

That demo is calling me even as we speak, so it’s off to download and give this one a try. The full version of the game is also available for a mere $14.99 from the Winged Pixel site, Desura, or Gamersgate and if it gets voted in through the Greenlight program, expect this to also land on Steam at some point. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some dungeons to delve into…

Random Film of the Week: Private Lessons

Posted on January 20, 2014 by geelw

Hollywood just did not know what to do with Sylvia Kristel. By the time the Dutch actress made it to America a few years after becoming a worldwide star (well, everywhere except here in the US) from her appearance in and as Emmanuelle and two sequels, she ended up working in a few American movies that ranged from passable to flat out wretched. 1981’s Private Lessons is one of those flat out wretched ones, a “sex comedy” that’s not erotic or amusing at all, but pretty unsettling and when seen in light of modern views of its subject matter, just plain wrong.

Of course, I have to confess that I saw this way back when it was released with some like-minded friends and we though it was going to be the thrill of the late summer only to end up crawling out of the theater in need of a shower and a Men In Black style memory wipe. There’s just a layer of head-shaking offensiveness here that only those with low to no morals would find “thrilling” or even remotely “sexy”. Then again, I don’t want to make poke at someone’s particular proclivities ’til they pop. If this dreck does it for your own tastes, more power to you then. On the other hand, given that real people have gone to real jails for doing what happens here in real life, that fine line between movie fantasy and stark reality is stomped on and wiped away long before this trash-fest is over…

Continue reading →

Bundle Stars’ New Math Gets You Too Much For Too Little (Again!)…

Posted on January 20, 2014 by geelw

These charity game bundles are driving me nuts, but it’s all good. Paying a mere three dollars for all these games is a super steal (if bought individually elsewhere you’d pay $65) , but as always the drawback is finding time to PLAY them. My own newly adjusted backlog of completing all the games I’ve paid so little for from Steam, gog.com, Desura, Indie Gala, Humble Indie Bundle and yes, Bundle Stars is currently hovering somewhere around 2015, but that doesn’t include other games, movies and important stuff like breathing, so methinks I’ll need to re-crunch those numbers at some point soon.

Anyway, the latest BS deal (The Kingdoms Bundle) is no BS at all, offering you 95% off of six games with four of those six being deep historical and military simulations and the other pair a fantasy action/RPG hybrid and a streamlined yet complex space strategy game. Not everyone’s cup of tea, I’ll admit. But for those with the time and patience or those who want to try something different, these come recommended.

300: Rise of an Empire TV Spot #1/Trailer #3: It’s Like Black Friday… With Swords and Shields!

Posted on January 20, 2014 by geelw

See men run. Run, men run. *Chop! *Stab!* *Splash!*… Ouch. Stupid men! Next time. I’ll stay off the battlefield when coming up with a post (Ouch!) Yeah, this slow-mo comic panel stuff has been done to death since the first film made it a wee bit too commonplace, but Warner Bros. is hoping those folks who dug the first film to death will do the same plus tax with this follow up. Given the fate of that poor Hercules film that just came out and got Julius Caesar-ed by critics and some moviegoers, this one better do a mighty great job of making people forget about all those pretenders to the throne.

If the film succeeds, it’s that header above in terms of people storming theaters to check it out. If it tanks, the screams will only be on screen in theaters playing to half-empty houses (or worse) and somewhere in WB headquarters that the film hasn’t even made its projected targets. As usual (repeat after me, class)… we shall see. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find a medic. And a few missing body parts. Ouch!