E3 2014: Sony’s E3 Experience: Greatness Inbound, Warts & All…

Posted on June 10, 2014 by geelw

SO much good going on here, it’s hard to know where to begin, although this presser’s a bit long and has some snoozy moments. Then again, unlike Microsoft forgetting ALL about it’s “last-gen” consumers, Sony gets in nods to the ps3 while expanding the base with that lovely $99 Vita TV, coming sooner than many thought. I’ll shut up now and let you watch it all, but expect some commentary later on individual titles as I find time to talk about them… enjoy!

E3 2014: Too Much On A Monday & More To Come…

Posted on June 9, 2014 by geelw

So, it’s E3 week and already, Microsoft has thrown a gauntlet down of exclusives, reboots and otherwise decent game content that should keep their fan base very pleased. In other words, they actually listened to complaints about their previous media briefings and focused solely on GAMES and not boring the crowd with service announcements and other news best left for an investors meeting. I’ll have more on the lineup later, but Sunset Overdrive, Forza Horizon 2, Phantom Dust, Halo: The Master Chief Collection Crackdown, Project Spark and a few others all look to be big sellers when they land in stores and/or digitally online. PlatinumGames Scalebound will get other console owners who love their work complaining (again) that they’re left out on this exclusive and there are a bunch of indies and non-exclusives that look pretty awesome.

Back later with more “sort of news” on a too newsy day. Today is a mess of press conferences and ogling stuff and my brain is already overloaded. next up, Electronic Arts!

E3 2014: Natsume’s Lineup Currently Has More Games Than Capcom’s. This Could Get Interesting…

Posted on June 6, 2014 by geelw

Let’s see now. Here’s Natsume’s E3 lineup:

Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley (Nintendo 3DS)
A-Train: City Simulator (Nintendo 3DS)
Alphadia Genesis (Wii U)
Reel Fishing: Master’s Challenge (PlayStation Vita)
End of Serenity (Sony PSP)
Reel Fishing Pocket 2: Ocean (iOS)
Gabrielle’s Monstrous Duel (iOS)
Hometown Story: Pocket (iOS)
Ninja Strike (iOS)

And here’s what Capcom is packing:

Dead Rising 3 (PC)
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (iOS)
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (Nintendo 3DS)
Ultra Street Fighter IV (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC)
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (Nintendo 3DS)

Ready? FIGHT!

Or not really. For that matter, new-ish publisher Little Orbit also will have more games at E3 than Capcom does. Granted this isn’t really astonishing news, as both small and large publishers have been condensing or expanding their lineups over the past few years in order to maximize profits and it seems that we’re at that stage where small and large games make the cut at these companies. Granted, Ultra Street Fighter IV or Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate will easily sell more copies than Reel Fishing and End of Serenity combined. But for a guy like me who just wants to play good games no matter who publishes them, these leaner, meaner lineups are almost a godsend because I don’t need to wade through junk to get to the treasure.

Naturally, not all of these games I’ll get to will be great, but fun is a more important factor than anything else for me at the end of the day, as is enough QA (quality assurance) that’s occurred pre-release that keeps what I play playable from beginning to end without a patch in sight (or at least one that fixes anything that’s busted). Anyway, I’ll have a more complete list of E3 games from more publishers shortly.My inbox is filling up with official lists and I want to do them all in one post as opposed to dropping in multiples.

Back in a bit.

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.

Oops. One Tiny Mistake There, TCM. Otherwise, Both Thumbs Up!

Posted on April 25, 2014 by geelw

While it’s wonderful to see William Friedkin’s 1977 film SORCERER getting some much needed love at TCM’s yearly film festival (held this year at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood), I’ll admit to my eyebrow shooting up at the word “The” in that video title.

(thanks again, robatsea2009!)

Eek. Yeah, it’s a minor mistake that can easily be corrected with a few keystrokes, but I’d never heard of “the City Lights” “The Ben Hur”, “The Frankenstein”, or “The King Kong” in my film studies. So that sort of thing is a bit pesky to me. Anyway, perhaps the person who posted this video was thinking of the film Friedkin’s is based off of, Henri-Georges Clouzot’s brilliant 1953 action/drama The Wages of Fear. Hmmm… now I want to see both films pop up on TCM soon. Or even better, FINALLY see Friedkin’s film make a decent Blu-Ray appearance, as it’s one that’s LONG due.

Mezco Wants To Bury Its Living Dead Dolls Line (Sort Of)… You Can Guess What Will Happen, Right?

Posted on April 16, 2014 by geelw

So, Mezco Toyz had the wild idea to get together some of its long running Living Dead Dolls lineup (which just so happens to be celebrating its 16th anniversary), have a custom coffin built, roll up to the Ripley’s Believe it Or Not Odditorium in Times Square in a cool custom hearse (called Hearsula, of course!), place those dolls and a ton of other cool stuff in said coffin and have it entombed, time capsule style for 66 years.

Yes, You have to give them credit for thinking outside the box (bad pun alert! Oh, too late?), but as the line goes in countless horror (and other) movies, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this…”

Here’s the thing: Mezco is searching for someone in the New York City or New Jersey area with a family mausoleum that happens to have space for a certain evil doll-packed coffin for an extended stay (you’ll want to contact LivingDeadDollsCrypt@gmail.com if you happen to fit that description). I’m betting they most likely want someone responsible who’s got no bones (heh) about loaning out a sacred space for three-fifths of a century plus tax to a coffin packed to the gills with LD memorabilia of all types. Of course, the combination of evil (but kinda cute) dolls socked away against their will and the potential of greedy grave robbers trying to get to that hidden time capsule PLUS the usual supernatural stuff gone awry will mean a rather high body count over that 66 years as people start vanishing when they try and do some grave robbing.

Yeah, move over, Chucky… you’re old news now, pal! Continue reading →

2K Games @ PAX East: Borderlands And More Borderlands And Stuff…

Posted on April 16, 2014 by geelw

I did not go to PAX East this year, but here’s a tiny sliver of what I missed. I’m not keen on conventions these days because I prefer being a fan who just PLAYS the games, not one who goes all out and dresses up like a favorite character or does anything else that keeps me away from a controller for too long. Granted, I admire ANYONE who has the guts to squeeze themselves into a costume that’s either hand made, cobbled together from what’s in the closet or store bought. I’m just way too busy poking around in assorted game worlds looking at stuff and admiring the hard work that goes into making them to get busy behind a sewing machine or makeup mirror. As for fan art? I’ve done my share and then some over the decades, but these days I’m more of an idea guy than anything else.

Bottomless Bucket List #1: Ennio Morricone US Tour 2014

Posted on February 3, 2014 by geelw

When I was much younger, I really didn’t appreciate Ennio Morricone’s work until I started listening to movies as background noise while doing homework. Sure there were the famous spaghetti western themes that were favorite from the first time the were heard, but I didn’t bother putting a name to those tunes and others until I started collecting soundtracks back when I was around 14 or 15. As I broadened my cinematic horizons, I started to see Morricone’s name pop up even more frequently than some of my more favorite composers and when I dug up more information on the man’s output, I was floored at just how many film and TV soundtracks the man wrote, composed and conducted (it’s currently over 500 since 1959)… Continue reading →

The Time of The Doctor Teaser: Some Of You Whovians Will Need An Actual House Call Afterward, I’ll Bet…

Posted on December 18, 2013 by geelw

Yeah, yeah. Another day… another Doctor, huh? Matt Smith will be missed for sure, but I think the writers on the show can indeed keep things rolling as the Capaldi era gets off to whatever start they want to give it. I can handle the loss of a Doctor, as I’m a more recent re-convert to the show after some years not of watching it regularly. And yes, my re-conversion was swift and amusing back when I did start up again as I got hit on the head hard with a string of episodes and characters that had my taking notes before realizing I was now trapped into the storyline and HAD to see what happened next. Anyway, there are a mere two days to go, so stock up on edibles and perhaps a box of tissues if you’re one of THOSE people. Oh, who am I kidding, most of us will probably BE one of those people by the time the episode ends.

Well, provided those dopey spinning and/or explosive Christmas trees aren’t in this episode. I think I laughed myself off the couch the first time I saw one of those things spring into action…