Oddworld New ‘n’ Tasty E3 2014 Trailer: Escaping The Food Chain, Now Greatly Enhanced!

Posted on June 5, 2014 by geelw

Sure, New ‘n’ Tasty is a remake, but it’s definitely not looking exactly the same as the older version of Abe’s Oddysee. Oddworld Inhabitants and developer Just Add Water (JAW) have put a lot of work into this game and as you can see in the trailer, it looks spectacular. Granted, players who’ve played the original to death may think this one isn’t worth their time, but I’d disagree completely. Oddworld: Strangers Wrath was excellent on the original Xbox, but even better on the PS3 and Vita as a very enhanced remake, so I’m expecting New ‘n’ Tasty to be equally or even more of a pleasant surprise when all is said and done. We’ll see soon enough, of course. The Vita version is calling out to me because mine needs more games that will make me happier I bought the handheld and get so much use from it…

Dark Souls II “Crown of the Sunken King” Trailer: Some Buy To Die DLC To Keep You Busy…

Posted on June 4, 2014 by geelw

Oh, the places you’ll go to die a horrific death in this upcoming Dark Souls II DLC. Three new locations filled with death coming at you at some point from almost anywhere may SOUND like no vacation, but for the game’s fans, this is paradise with a free buffet on the side AND adult beverages. Anyway, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC players can get theirs on the following dates:

The Crown of the Sunken King – July 22, 2014
The Crown of the Old Iron King – August 26, 2014
The Crown of the Ivory King – September 24, 2014

Everyone else can just keep an ear to the sky and listen for the screaming and occasional victory yell…

The Walking Dead Pinball? Believe It Or Else, I’m On Board With This One…

Posted on June 4, 2014 by geelw

Yeah, soooo… this is a thing that’s actually happening, but as that post title says, I’m completely okay with it. Thankfully, it’s coming from Telltale Games, Skybound and the digital pinball geniuses at Zen Studios, so it’ll at least be familiar and faithful to fans of the episodic game series. The funny thing is I believe this is the only Walking Dead game to NOT get a Mature rating. Pinball isn’t inherently “violent” at all… unless you’re the type to get into fist fights over who gets to go first. Er, anyway… Press release below the jump – the game ships out his summer, but will be shown at E3 this year if you happen to be attending and need something a wee bit different and unusual to play around with.
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Batman Arkham Knight Batmobile Battle Mode Revealed (Along With A Little Delay!)

Posted on June 3, 2014 by geelw

If you thought you were going to get your hands on Batman Arkham Knight in 2014, well… unless you’re attending E3, a post E3 media event or the game pops up at some fan packed convention, that’s a NOPE, there folks. The game has been pushed into 2015 most likely so developer Rocksteady can get it running as perfectly as possible without the need for (too) many post-launch patches. I’d imagine this Battle Mode may be multiplayer, so that’s always something that needs to be as perfect as possible in terms of zero lag and everything working as it needs to. Me, I only care about the story mode, so anything resembling online play (if that’s what this is) interest me not a whit. Anyway, we’ll see what’s what during E3 week…

Back with more in a bit…

Homefront: The Revolution Trailer: Crytek Finishes The Fight (Maybe)…

Posted on June 2, 2014 by geelw

Warts and all, I rather liked defunct publisher THQ’s Homefront for what it was. original (and also defunct) developer KAOS Studios cooked up an interesting alternate future where some very well-armed North Korea soldiers managed to overrun America and you played as one of a group of resistance fighters trying to drive them away. It was a LOT more serious than either Red Dawn movie, but the campaign was a wee bit on the brief side thanks in part to multiplayer modes I felt took too much away from the story.

Anyway, now that new publisher Deep Silver and seasoned developer Crytek are on the case, Homefront: The Revolution is coming in 2015 to PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and I guess we’ll see how the gameplay reveal is at E3 this year, as this trailer looks okay but a bit generic in its storytelling. I do believe those may be in-engine visuals, as if there’s anything Crytek is well-known and respected for, it’s making some mighty amazing looking games using their proprietary tech.

I guess we’ll see how well this plays soon enough and whether it separates itself from other shooters in such a supremely packed market full of them. My fingers are crossed for the moment…

Falling Skies Landing Hard on Consoles, Mobile In Autumn From Little Orbit

Posted on June 2, 2014 by geelw

Confession time: I’ve never seen a episode of Falling Skies, so last year when I heard a game was in development, I was wondering what type of experience it would be with my fingers crossed it was going to at least be a genre I liked and not just another first or third-person action game that would be compared to superior genre entries and easily forgotten if it wasn’t good enough to grab the attention of the shows fans or gamers expecting something like what they know so well.

Today’s news that we’re getting this as a tactical strategy RPG for the Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC along with a mobile game called Falling Skies: Planetary Warfare is making me smile a bit more. Some screens to peek at from both versions (and I’ll leave it to you to guess which one is which, although it’s pretty obvious):

Granted, these work in progress screens aren’t going to blow you away if you’re expecting a superior LOOKING tactical experience. On the other hand, this particular genre is known for games that may not look the best, but deliver the goods on the gameplay front.

I did take special notice that Little Orbit mentions the Wii U version FIRST in the press release, which is a good thing to me 9and probably a bunch of other Wii U owners). If the game is good, it’ll probably (and hopefully) use the GamePad as a key part of gameplay (which is a no-brainer in my book). Anyway, we’ll see what’s what soon enough. I’m hoping Little Orbit gets this game orbiting into the hands of editors post-E3 just so the folks who aren’t attending that madness (raises hand) can get some hands-on time and spread the word if the game works as it should. Back in a bit with more on this one. Maybe it will get me to actually check out the show at some point on DVD… We’ll see!

Weekend Update (Kinda Sorta)…

Status

For some reason (or all the updates this week), it took THREE days to download one game from Steam and I still have to get another one. Boo. Anyway, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II will get some playtime, but the new chapter of The Wolf Among Us will have to wait for a bit. In the interim, I did read a Fables collection a friend lent me to help supplement Bigby’s episodic adventures in The Wolf Among Us, so I’m glad I got that done finally. I also have an APP review to write, but not for an app, exactly. That’s the name of a pretty cool horror flick that uses a downloadable app to inform you of a few things as you watch the movie and guess what? It’s actually quite good and nowhere near as annoying as I thought it would be. So that’s also going to get done up in a review. Yeah, yeah… E3 is right around the corner and yeah, yeah, I’ll cover what I see and like as the show progresses. I also have some peripherals on the way from PDP, but I missed the Fed Ex truck by about ten minutes on Friday, so I’ll need to haunt my doorway come Monday like a vulture waiting for a not so fresh meal.

Anyway, that’s it for now. I can’t believe I did over 150 posts this month (which went by too quickly), but I think I’ll have more as June rolls out thanks to so many games being announced and my poor brain doing back flips over stuff that grabs my attention. I’m not quite sold on everything “next gen” consoles have to offer, as much of what I’m seeing on the indie front can be done on the PS3 and Xbox 360 and a lot of the newer games are disappointing like most launch and launch window titles tend to be. At this point, it’ll be best to scoop those up when they’re marked down considerably, as I’m not exactly rolling in disposable income these days (as aren’t a lot of gamers in this current economy). Er, I think that’s it for the month… see you in June (or tomorrow, for at least a post or three)…

Surprise! Nintendo Gets The Jump On Super Smash Bros. Wii U Fans With A Game Cube Controller Adapter

Posted on May 29, 2014 by geelw

Well, this is quite cool. Earlier today, Nintendo dropped a little video about the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Invitational Tournament they’re holding at (or near) E3 this year and at the end of that video, BOOM! you’ll see that there’s a Game Cube Adapter coming for the Wii U, price and release date TBA.

Of course, Nintendo went and posted a picture of this soon to be hot seller on its Twitter feed… and pretty much anyone who still has a Game Cube lying around in a closet somewhere (or hey, still under their TV!) probably fainted dead away, woke up to pinch themselves HARD and promptly fainted dead away again. I think it was that sexy music playing when the Adapter was shown, but that’s probably just me…

Yeah, I want one of those AND more Game Cube games coming to the Wii U on the eShop… which according to rumor, MAY just happen. I’d gather this rumor is true as making that adapter for ONE game is just insane and I know a LOT of people want to buy and play some of those classics from the GC era and have at it for old time’s sake. I’m in that crowd although I still have a Game Cube here and a big stack of games to play on it. That said, I’ll snap this thing up in a heartbeat…

Sony’s PlayStation E3 Experience: Packing Them In Faster Than The Speed Of Pretty Much Anything…

Posted on May 28, 2014 by geelw

So, it seems that game companies are getting a bit grabby as this year’s E3 seems to be one where the gaming public gets to convene in an actual public place to see big announcements as live as can be. Not one to do anything small like a simple online broadcast, Sony has rented out space in big theaters across North America and is inviting folks to grab free seats and free swag for attending. Of course, as they’ve been ignoring little ol’ me, I had to sign up for this as soon as it popped up in my inbox. Double of course, the event was “SOLD OUT” a mere few minutes after I got the email, but I’m on a waiting list (Oh, joy?). If I do get in (wonder of wonders!), I’m predicting minor chaos outside because I know people will want to show up without tickets and try to see if any seats free up (which probably won’t happen given gamers love FREE stuff and the prospect of seeing new games on someone’s dime).

Oh well, time to keep my fingers crossed that I get a ticket and get in in one piece, I guess. I’d make it an all day affair, as there’s no way I’m going to be dumb enough to just show up at 8pm and think that line won’t be circling the block and filled with mostly people who think they’re getting in my some magical means. I generally dislike crowds as well, so this will be a “fun” experiment in terror. The good thing is that theater is about a block from the subway home and it’ll be a mad dash afterwards for me just to get back in once piece to knock out a news story before collapsing in a snoozy heap.

Mario Kart 8 Direct: Nintendo Goes Nuts (Part Whatever) In The Best Possible Manner…

Posted on May 1, 2014 by geelw

Yep, Nintendo is swinging for the fences with all their might with these Directs and as crazy as it sounds to those who wan the console to simply roll over and die (it won’t), it looks as if they’re going to make the Wii U a system its owners can be proud of no matter how it does against the competition. Granted, by all accounts I’ve read, Mario Kart 8 isn’t breaking any “new” ground other than being the first in the series to run in glorious HD. On the other hand, it also shows that no one knows what its customers want in a returning and eagerly awaited franchise like this than Nintendo. Could it use MORE characters like (Smash Bros.), some actual gameplay innovations and perhaps better support for that GamePad? Sure, why not try to sell more copies to people who might still be on the fence about that shiny black or white console of yours? Of course, the game will sell millions as it is and doesn’t need me to tell you die-hards anything at all about what it “needs” to do.

Then again, the oddball launch strategy for the 3DS and Wii U versions does have me a tad worried. Then again, second guessing Nintendo seems to be a silly proposition (with a few exceptions where I’ve been correct, ha ha). Between this and the company skipping the usual E3 press briefing for a big Direct presentation (more on that later today), following its own muse is the best thing the company has done in a while. Methinks 2014 is going to be a worm-turning phase for that beleaguered console some have already written off, but it’ll take a LOT of sales in a market packed with too many other grand distractions…