(thanks again, GoodOldDaysReturns!)
Well, I actually got some stuff done today that didn’t revolve around me wanting to strangle my computer or anyone in the vicinity, so I’m happy and feel like celebrating for a bit. Er, this is all the warden will allow, though… so take it or leave it, folks. Whee! And hey – Keep those hands to yourself, mister – that’s 30 days in solitary if you get too frisky, grrr!
Calling Realta Entertainment’s upcoming PS3 and Xbox 360 title BandFuse: Rock Legends a mere video game is actually doing it a huge injustice. When you discover just how in depth this game is going to be, even the most jaded fan of the former kings of plastic and actual guitar games should be bowing down and paying their respects to what’s going to be an incredibly comprehensive class in guitar and bass for all skill levels. There’s a vocal element as well for you singers, however drummers don’t get some here at all. Still, you skin thumpers out there will want this one for the sheer amount of stuff you can learn and try out if you’ve got a guitar tucked away in your closet somewhere.
Meeting up with Reverb’s Doug Perry and Realta’s super enthusiastic Marcus Henderson (the game’s designer) for a demonstration of the game made for an hour so packed with information that it seemed as if we were discussing three or four entirely different games and a couple of expansion packs.
BandFuse packs in actual guitar use (yours or one you can buy in an excellently priced bundle kit), no-fail gameplay, a ton of lessons from some guitar greats, a built in studio full of all sorts of goodies and more to the point where I was left shaking my head in awe and respect whenever Henderson pointed out a new feature. There’s a serious amount of content here, ALL of it high quality, unlocked from the start and any of it ready to be studied in depth and practiced at one’s leisure making this an essential tool for budding to expert players.
Although I’ve been ignoring it (and a bunch of other blockbusters this year, thanks to the window from theatrical to home video release getting shorter and shorter to the point of insanity) this sequel actually looks pretty decent (OK, it looks really decent). The again, the first film wasn’t bad at all and made for a nicer change of pace in how it handled the characters and blended humor into the mix so well. Kenneth Branagh isn’t on as director this time, but you can’t go wrong with Andy Taylor’s expertise at lensing a few episodes of Game of Thrones. That alone should propel this film into box office heaven… er Valhalla? Asgard? Whatever? Anyone? Bueller?… Bueller?
And in the not too distant future, there will be many Monday morning work conversations that go something like this: “Er, Soooo… what did YOU do this weekend…” followed by a smirk and maybe a knowing nod or three from a few others hanging around that coffeemaker after being up way too late the night before playing too much Payday 2. Sure, it’s not a game for everyone, but if you’re looking for something more like a modern day cops & robbers deal and not another military shooter with a guaranteed few million sales on day one (and super crowded lobbies to boot).
The original Payday was a blast, but this sequel adds so much more cool stuff that it feels like a reinvention in some respects. 505 Games and Overkill Software have a hit here for you would be digital bank robbers, so do them a favor and pay actual dollars to snap this one up, I say…
It’s finally here and it’s going to be a game genre fans should buy for a few key reasons from the mixed art styles working amazingly well, the stupidly deep amount of stuff to do in this installment (it’s the biggest Tales game to date), the “open world” feel to the gameplay experience plus all the usual stuff that has fans of this series sometimes buying specific consoles to play a single game in the long-running franchise. Tales of Xillia is all that and more, folks.
I’m betting at some point over the next day or three Mr. Baba and the dev team will probably be sitting at home (well, at their separate homes, as I’d hate to know what happens with such a large bunch of people living together biting their nails at the same time each Tales game is released) and wondering right about now how many fans in the US and other territories this is coming out in will be snapping up this one in the Standard, Limited or Collectors Editions. I need to get this one myself, as my backlog is SO huge this year that it’s worth doing a flowchart on (and I did – it’s terrifying). Anyway, if you’re an fan of anime/mamga-styled Japanese RPGs, yeah, you need to buy this game.
Eek. Here comes the mountain man-droid, so go hide under something until he’s gone. Unless he’s coming for you, which means you won’t get far at all. Yeah, that was a really good idea, huh? Of course, no Krueger (Sharlto Copely, who’s been working out a bit, I see) means no confrontation and Elysium probably gets to be a boring film… so go right on ahead and press that button or whatever. Just make sure you’re nowhere in the vicinity hen you do. It seems Mr. K. is a bit un-picky when he chooses his targets.
This has been a public service announcement. Neill Blomkamp’s latest film opens this Friday at a theater near you (most likely).
Nyah. I actually did some art this weekend, so there! I was waiting for a bunch of downloads to complete and knocked out a few tree drawings in MS Paint. I guess that counts as “work” right? RIGHT? OK, so I don’t make a dime from my art these days, but hey… practice keeps my brain from folding itself up into a little box. Although, my poor wrist is kicking me in the shins from making that mouse do all those tricks (and the mouse isn’t paid either for it’s troubles. It’s wireless and that makes it tailless and you should be singing “Three Blind Mice” right about now…)
Eeeeeeek! Murder!! Yeah, I HAD a bunch of stuff planned this weekend, but it all got turned DEAD by a bunch of unfortunate time killers. Yeah, I made the mistake of downloading a bunch of games and firing a few up, I got some more stuff in the mail to play (whee!) plus I stumbled across a film I hadn’t seen in a while. And yes, the next thing you know, a bunch of stuff I had on the plate was kidnapped and dispatched without remorse. Even worse… I’m OUT OF COFFEE CEREAL!!! Horrors!
Get me a detective and a time machine, dammit! A Sherlock Holmes meets Doctor Who kinda deal should work… I think. OK, anyway, let me salvage what I can and post at least ONE article that’s more than a silly apology. Off to mine some salt = back in a bit…
BOOM. Nine game discs, five maps, hundreds (if not thousands) of hours of gameplay, a custom package to die for and something hard to hit the digital-only detractors upside their harder heads with, Bethesda Softworks upcoming must-buy The Elder Scrolls Anthology has officially and instantly made it to my Holiday Gift Guide 2013 list, gaming division. While it’s missing the LONG out of print standalone TES: Battlespire and Redguard side-story adventures (which I say NEED to get re-released one of these days), $80 for the entire main Tamriel saga (including expansions AND the Morrowind Construction Set!) is an absolute BARGAIN when you consider some of the games here are still a bit expensive when bought in either their original or Game of the Year formats as individual packaged products…
Argh. Here I am, PERFECTLY pleased with only spending the barest amount possible last month by NOT buying a thing during that insane Steam sale (only to be lightly bludgeoned over the scalp by an unbeatable Bundle Stars deal) and now my inbox tells me Indie Gala is running a sale of almost equally epic deal proportions. Fie and a pox on you and all your digital houses. Granted, I totally stink at those Japanese arcade shmups with all those tiny bullets closing in on my poor cute character or spaceship, but they certainly get the adrenaline going when needed. That and a few of the other games look pretty neat. I may pass on trying out the train simulators, though. Not because they’re NOT good, mind you – I just know a few train fanatics who play some of these or other games and yeah, they LOVE them (a bit too much, perhaps… but it keeps them from trying to fondle moving freight cars as they slowly trundle past their favorite hangouts). OK, this time I’ll flip a coin and then decide what to do. Wish me luck and go buy this set of thirteen titles (which will be fourteen when that bonus unlocks on Steam) for yourself or as a gift for that gamer in your life…
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 