Well, that was… educational. Every time I see footage and screen shots from this upcoming wonderful time stealing enterprise called GTA V, I have to wonder how Rockstar Games keeps pulling this off, as each title in the long running series has been setting and raising all sorts of bars in terms of interactivity and storytelling. Yeah, yeah, I know many of you buy in for the mayhem you can cause, but when you get to the story and let it play out, they’re always extremely well written (and easily beat much of what Hollywood has to offer to death) and highly enjoyable. September 17th, people – start practicing that fake cough for that telephone call you’re going to make saying you’ve a bad case of the “flu” so you can get that week off to dive in and play around… you KNOW you’re going to…
If you’re big into DRM-free classic and indie games, you should already know by now that gog.com is the place to poke around for your content fix and yes, they continue to add some great old as well as new titles well worth checking out. Here’s a quick peek at two from this week’s batch:
The Chaos Engine was a fantastic Amiga game from The Bitmap Brothers that was so good it was ported to both the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo (and retitled Soldiers of Fortune in North America). It’s a top down shooter that’s not a simple run & gun at all, but a game that takes practice and patience (in large doses) in order to succeed. Nice 16-bit visuals with a steampunk vibe working away, challenging gameplay that keeps you on your toes, a cool soundtrack and plenty of surprises await in this solid little blast from the past. It’s ten bucks, supports co-op play (break out that second controller) and will most certainly test your skills at dealing with sudden alien surprises. And teleports that bring in MORE alien surprises. This game doesn’t play when it comes to making you sweat that small stuff.
With its intentionally stylized chunky polygon visuals, Shelter may look like an old PlayStation era game buffed up a bit, but it’s a really cool indie title from indie developer Might and Delight that’s got a simple premise that should get non-gamers to want to try this out. You play as a mother badger who needs to try and keep her five cubs alive as long as possible during a series of linear levels where nature is your biggest enemy. Feeding them is key, but keeping an eye peeled for that hungry eagle while traveling through the forest adds a layer of tension, as does rainy weather, darkness and a few other elements you’ll soon see. Think of this as playing through an episode of Nature or some other PBS documentary and you sort of get the idea.
Replay value seems high here, as there’s going to be that time you lost ALL your cubs and you’ll want to do better the next time. That circle of life stuff can be a bitch, but I sort of wish humans needed to go through the same stuff these days, as whittling the pack down to the smartest over the strongest might make some things better off. Anyway, if your maternal urges are swelling right about now, you know what to do. No, not THAT (this is a family show!)… I meant go snap up some Shelter of your own for a mere $8.99 and keep your cubs out of harm’s way!
This former big deal Wii U exclusive getting delayed from launch window status to September 3 just so it could be ported to other platforms as an equally big deal release (and all launched simultaneously) seems to be well worth the wait, although it also seems that Nintendo’s console is the best way to play this one based on what I’ve heard from a few folks. Nevertheless, the combination of outstanding visuals, breakneck pacing and an amazingly wacky and varied soundtrack make this one a must buy for anyone into “old school” gaming bliss. I hear the game is also pretty challenging if you have terrible reflexes, but that’s par for the course with games such as this. Well, that’s another one for the library once I get around to getting it. That Wii U library is slowly getting better, folks…
OK, it’s not just any Star Wars, folks… it’s The Star Wars, an eight-issue maxi series based on George Lucas’ original rough draft screenplay and translated into visual form by writer J. W. Rinzler and artist Mike Mayhew with colorists Rain Beredo and Brad Anderson. Behind that Nick Runge cover (that’s nicely reminiscent of the late Ralph McQuarrie’s work) lies what Dark Horse is promising to be “one of the biggest, craziest, alt-universe stories the franchise has ever seen.” I’m old enough to have had at one point a bunch of Star Wars books on the making of the film including the stellar The Art of Star Wars which showed a load of pre-production art that was based on that rough draft, and so far, the first few pages I’ve seen have captured that look just about perfectly.
So, if you’re a fan of SW, but prefer it classic style (as in Han shooting first) or as originally intended by its creator, here you go. I have the feeling that this one will do well… it must be the Force or something mule-kicking me in the noggin… Ouch.
…As well as sixty clams from your wallet. This limited edition of 100 pieces is on sale now, but will ship during this year’s New York Comic-Con in October. Look at those mitts! I mean, he’s got to be drafted by the Yankees based on those big-ass hands alone. That would take care of the steroids issue for sure, but I’m not sure about the whole amphibian monster getting grabby with the ladies in the stands and slashy with those who try to stop him thing. Yeah, that’s a bit of a problem, but it he’s great in the outfield and fast on the bases, I bet he’s in. That and hell, those huge hands will get him a cab for sure during rush hour… “TAXI!!”
(Then again, The Creature doesn’t tip well because he doesn’t have any pockets. You could suggest him sticking some cash or a credit card between his gills, but that’s not a good thing to do. Don’t piss off the monster, folks…)
Granted, with only 175 (or 150, depending on where you look on the order page) of these SUPER deluxe $125.00 tomes made, they’re most likely all gone by the time you’re reading this post. That said, IDW Publishing’s latest classic comic art collection and hardcover must-buy Woodwork: Wallace Wood 1927-1981 is an absolutely magnificent gathering of some of the best of Woody’s work (and a bunch of cool extras) and comes highly recommended. The man could do it all and did it all in terms of his comics work. Kid-friendly strips and parodies to classic EC Comics of all types to superhero books and far racier content for much more mature audiences, yep, Woody was there and ready to get it done.
As this one’s going to go fast (or is already gone), I figure I may as well run a few images from the official site below, as the chances of many of you seeing this one up close and personal are slim to zero. If anything, Woody’s work deserves to be scrutinized by more of today’s younger artists for a few really good reasons, as the man’s imagination and sense of wonder were seemingly limitless (although with such a massive output, not everything was as brilliant as the collected works here). He’s one of many influences on some of my older work, but I didn’t copy his style directly, instead thinking “What would Woody do?” when tackling certain projects.
Of course, only those of you out there who saw that particular George Clooney flick from a few years back will get that title, but hey, I like to test you folks every now and then. Anyway, this does look really interesting and hell, it’s an effects film with actual, um… gravity when it comes to its plot. That and hell, a film where you have the paradox of an outer space setting (you can’t get any bigger than that) forcing you to pay attention to its two main characters for probably the entire running time AND you’ve got no choice but to sit and watch Clooney and Bullock try to stay together or else (insert romantic comedy and on screen chemistry jokes here) makes this at least worth seeing once on a big screen. Hey, imagine if this did well enough to get made into a crazy Broadway show like that dopey Spider-Man yanking the tourists in by the hotel load? Someone get Taymor on the line! All we need now are Mummenschanz and a bunch of sturdy harnesses…
As usual, Nintendo certainly isn’t following the crowd or path some would expect as yet again, they’ve whipped out some big surprises to get more money rolling into their hefty coffers. The latest eye-popper is a new handheld system, Nintendo 2DS, which is basically a fully functional 3DS with all the same features except the 3D slider (in other words, it will run everything the 3DS and 3DS XL does just fine, but not in 3D).
Its paradoxically chunky but slim form factor is clearly geared towards younger gamers (and collectors of Nintendo systems, of course), 2DS will launch on October 12 in the US for $129 (a European model also arrives on the same day) and is sure to get families with younger children snapping these up as gifts. While it looks bizarre (at least to me), reports from a few lucky journalists who’ve gotten some play time reveal 2DS is lighter and has a extremely sturdy construction (Nintendo is known for its nearly kid-proof handhelds) and that price point is quite attractive.
Hmmm. I knew some of the critics would be harsh of Suda 51’s new game, but yeesh. When did a bunch of juvenile puritanical prudes get in the entertainment reviewing business? Granted, I’ve only read an industry site post that had a few links to other reviews and some quotes that ranged from complimentary to downright baffling, but still. Between the hand-wringing about the game’s overuse of sexual themes (as if one needs to defend a work of OBVIOUS fiction and offbeat fantasy from a creator well known for his bizarre games) and this latest trend for critics to take on the mantle of defender of feminism or whatever whenever there’s a side-boob in a game, I’m getting tired of hearing the latest paid persecution of a game creator by some who should just quit writing and maybe go join an abbey or convent.
Hey, Xseed! I know I didn’t request a review copy, but that doesn’t mean I’m NOT interested in this game. I’ll buy this one shortly and whip out a non-biased opinion for you guys. Yes, I’ll poke it in the eye for stuff it gets wrong on a technical front, but as for the content? Hell, Suda and developer grasshopper manufacture together on a game mean you’re getting WEIRD and FUN as well as something NOT for the kiddies who don’t “get” it that’s going to go over the heads of those who play and trade or play and don’t respect because they know no better. Damn kids (and overly skittish adults)…
While output in terms of posts have slowed here (temporarily!), my brain has been a bit jumpy with all sorts of ideas. Some of them come out as art, so you get to do less reading in this post and more “What the…” with your eyeballs. Well, at least with that piece above. That was from a weird nap earlier today. Don’t ask me what it means or go do any analyzing, folks – I just draw what I see (and I think this was the funny part of the dream). The other two pieces I’ll post later are just practice stuff. Enjoy!
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 