Grand Theft Auto V Cover: Meet The New Neighbors (You’ll Be Seeing A Lot Of Them Soon)…

GTA_V_CoverAnd here you go, your time-eater for the month of September (and beyond for some). September 17, 2013 is the big day, so expect some “sick” people at home with the GTA flu (TM) for a few days. Hilariously, there’s actually been some needless ire out there in Internet-land that Rockstar Games’ last two GTA games have been “too serious” when despite the open world shenanigans that can be pretty funny (well, in a slapstick-y gory way) that deeper, story driven narrative has been part of the franchise since the first games back on the PC and older consoles.

Granted, the games were more intentionally cartoon like in their character designs, but the evolution in visuals has been a natural thing thanks to Rockstar wanting to go in that direction as means to pull off more mature storytelling. THAT said, the game, like GTV IV, should be hilariously funny in terms of the assorted in jokes in everything from car names to radio spots that pop up as you’re driving around. The more of a “sophisticated” gamer you are, the more of these amusing references you’ll appreciate, I say. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go polish my pipe and air out my smoking jacket. With my pinky out.

Deal of the Week! Bundle Stars Brings More Overkill to The Indie Game Bundling Scene…

 

bundlestars_logoOK, you head looks too tightly attached to your neck today, so here’s an amazing offer to get it spinning really fast. Put on a hat and sit in a room with a low ceiling before reading further. All set? Good. FIRST: Go to the Bundle Stars Facebook Page NOW, “Like” the page, agree to that App TOS and *BOOM!* You get Dark Matter (a fun PC space shooter) for FREE. Download that, then boogie on over to the Bundle Stars site and prepare to keel over and thank me later. Got a measly five virtual dollars in an account somewhere? You can get a whopping TEN more PC games for that fiver (Yaaaaah! Your head just flew off your neck, right? Go get it back and sit down – I’ll wait) and that ten games includes some real winners and not much “filler”, especially if you’re a more open-minded gamer looking to shake up your library or try something new.

There are TWO different bundles to choose from – I prefer the variety in Bundle Five (which has seventeen days of availability to go) over Bundle Four (this one expires in three days) but hey, it may be the opposite for you or you over there on the right. You can indeed nab all those games for five bucks, pay less for two or more if you want more of your money to go to charity. Heck, you can even buy these as GIFTS for that picky gamer on your “I dunno what a gamer wants!” list and see what happens. Hopefully they have a Steam and/or Desura account (or you do if you’re getting these for yourself). Anyway, pay up and get to the downloading, installing and PLAYING part. You won’t come up for air for weeks, people will think you’re on vacation or something and you’ll be educating yourself about some fun titles you’d have otherwise avoided. Sound like a plan? Well, stop reading and get clicking, I say!

New Grand Theft Auto V Screenshots: A More Complete Vacation Package Deal…

GTA_V_Packs 

V-76-1280 It may LOOK as if I’m not following Grand Theft Auto V around like a very talented stalker dear reader… but that’s quite misleading. I just haven’t written a lot about it because I just KNOW that it’s going to be one of those games that doesn’t require a ton of words written before its actually PLAYED in order to enjoy everything it will offer. Given Rockstar Games‘ dedication to each new installment of the series, it’s been clear from the first reveal that GTA V will be the deepest and best game in the long-running franchise. Anyway, a few more screens to get YOU talking are below. Me, I’m just smiling and thinking about how I’m going to manage my time when I fire this game up for the first of many times. The series is well known for sucking all too many hours from the day once you get in, start peeling back its layers and finding hidden secrets galore. Skydiving AND Scuba in the same game? And a few types of flying machines to go with the ton of cars, bikes and other fine rides? September 17 will be a perfect day for a good chunk of the country to call in sick, I predict.

Of course, if you’re REALLY smart, midnight crush launches aren’t your thing and you’d have already pre-ordered the game directly from the always awesome Rockstar Warehouse online shop, which has a cool GTA V-themed bonus T-Shirt you won’t see elsewhere. Hmmm… someone give these guys the James Bond license and let’s see what happens if they make a wholly original product, I say…

V-77-1280 V-78-1280 V-79-1280 V-80-1280 V-81-1280 V-82-1280 V-83-1280 V-84-1280 V-85-1280

PAX East 2013: DuckTales Gets The Crowd Going (Therefore, You Must Go As Well)…


 

Yeah, you watched the show as a kid (or a drunken college teenager or early pre-hipster doofus) and yeah, you played the NES game to death. So now you need to show your love or else the game’s upcoming remake will be trapped in development HELL. Not really. I just wanted to see you all singing along to the DuckTales theme song. Corny as hell, but C-l-a-s-s-i-c cartoon stuff from the 80’s!

OK, shut up and sing along. You sing, an angel gets a new kidney or something like that. And a puppy.

YOU SING! NOW!!


Life is like a hurricane…
Here in Duckburg.

Race cars, Laser, Aeroplanes
It’s a… duck blur.

Might solve a mystery
Or rewrite history…

DUCKTALES
Woo-oo!

Everyday they’re out there making:

DUCKTALES
Woo-oo!

D-D-D-Danger moves behind you
There’s a stranger out to find you
What to do? Just grab on to some:

DUCKTALES
Woo-oo!

Tales of derring-do
Bad and good luck tales (Woo-oo!)

Not ponytails
Or cotton tails, no:

DUCKTALES
Woo-oo!

DUCKTALES

Woo-oo!

Now there, don’t you feel a LOT better?

You’re welcome.

Divinity: Original Sin Goes the Kickstarter Route (And You Should, Too!)

DIV II ART

 

DIV_II_WIPNO, no – don’t go and post a Kickstarter for your beer collection or shoe fetish, silly! Go support Larian Studios and THEIR Kickstarter in their push to trick out their upcoming RPG in some really cool ways. The game is coming along really well as you’ll see – the team is offering up the chance to add fan-created content and some cool bonuses into the mix for those of you with some extra disposable income lying around. Personally, I want to see this or some other Divine Divinity-themed game make it to consoles (again, as Divinity II was outstanding on the Xbox 360, but could have used a PS3 port so more could play it). Anyway, poke around that link above and if you like what you see and hear (that video is quite helpful if you turn the audio up), well… drop a few dimes on this one, tell a few friends, sit back and wait for that inbox to ring when the game’s all done. This one looks as if it’ll be well worth the wait…

DARK: Realmforge’s Cel-Shaded Vampire RPG Looks Quite Intriguing…

 

DARK_logo Hmmm… it’s too bad this is Xbox 360 and PC-only at this point, as I can see Sony fans wanting in on this. DARK is coming to you from the fine folks at Realmforge Game Development Studio and based on this trailer alone, looks like a game worth more than watching. Of course, I’ll have to end up with this on a disc for the home PC or download on the laptop, as both my 360’s here are DEAD and not even a bite from a vampire, zombie or zombified vampire console repairman could bring them back to life, grrrr.

Anyway, I’m really liking the Deus Ex meets Syndicate meets Thief meets Vampire: The Masquerade vibe I’m getting here. Yeah, it’s not from a AAA developer or publisher (but these days, that’s more of a big blessing than a fatal curse), but if the controls are solid and the story memorable, it’s most certainly got all the makings of a sleeper hit. Or one that’s got a life of its own and is as hard to put down as a “real” vampire would be to a blind guy wearing sunglasses at night armed with a box of melting Popsicles. We’ll keep an eyeball peeled on this and let you know…

Random Art: It’s Hard to Play Video Games, But Easy to Draw With a Cold (Go Figure)…

going home

OK, so it was the SUPREMELY challenging, yet even more rewarding new PSP game Carnage Heart EXA from Natsume I was trying to play while feeling under the weather yesterday and part of today that had my head spinning around a wee bit too much. It’s actually a game NOT for the short attention spanners out there or those looking for some sort of JRPG-lite with nonsense squeal-voiced characters. Anyway, I took a break after about a dozen tutorials (yes, the game is THAT complex), sat down and sort of hashed out a new MS Paint sketch, which isn’t so good, but made me feel a lot better and a bit less mushy upstairs. Well, my cold has gotten a lot less lively after chicken soup, aspirin, water and orange applications during the day, so it’s probably back to regular posting tomorrow. Whee! Hell, I may even hit 200 posts this month (which would make me pretty pleased)…

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Behind the Scenes: A Fantasy Trip for Today…

 

Hey! Wouldn’t you like to be on a nice vacation right about now? OK, let’s go! Let’s say, hmmm… we’re now in Sweden with Josef Fares at Starbreeze Studios talking a little more about their unique game collaboration, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons coming to Windows PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 courtesy of publisher 505 Games? OK, OK… sitting in another room that’s different from the room you’re in now may not be much of a holiday at first glance, but think outside the box (or outside the building, in this case) and you’re on the way to your new destination with a fresh outlook. Um, Har en fantastisk semester – inte äta för mycket korv!

rain Gameplay: Oh, The Weather Outside Is Frightful…

 

Here’s a look at SCE Japan Studio’s rather interesting adventure/puzzle/horror game, rain in action on the PS3. This one’s coming soon as a PSN download (but for some reason won’t be on the Vita, grrrr!). Sony is really doing a nice solid for indies on the PS3, but it would be nicer if we could get these compiled onto a disc much like that Journey: Collector’s Edition from last year. I’m betting a dollar that there are an awful lot of PS3 owners that either don’t know about these games or (eek) don’t care because SCEA isn’t bothering to ask them if they’d buy them if they put about 4 – 6 of these (relatively) short games onto a Blu-Ray, priced them reasonably, stuck a few extra demos on for good measure and saw what happened at retail. Hey, not every PS system owner has access to broadband, Sony. Work on getting those gamers some of these great-looking games and perhaps you’ll see even more love from your large user base in the future…

Gallery: DuckTales

DT NES_WFT WOO-HOO! What’s old certainly has gotten a MAJOR makeover, as WayForward Technologies takes the classic NES game to the next level with its DuckTales “remake”, set to hit Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii U this summer. Screenshots don’t do this one justice, so make sure to check out that cool and funny trailer (and sing along, too, as you KNOW you remember all the words to that song! “Not ponytails. Not cottontails. DUCKTALES!!!”):

 

DTheader1 DTheader2 DTheader3 8b333e7b8198d579853fb9e92fe84313 9d0e1eefaeca31a0f8a9b9b00acb50a6 63b5554e52bf1e909ce4a23cac085ae4 212e411134697314d63d833f4e138d46 1586c36d0ae8781f53b503d98f2f13bf fc575e2bc0b04a64ad7bc5751301e908 bfaca205dee10d1e867d20dc0fdea19b