How Come No One Told Me There’s a Gauntlet Remake On The Way?

Posted on April 11, 2014 by geelw

Well, thanks to whomever is handling PR for WB Games these days, grrr! Anyway, the fine folks at Arrowhead Game Studios (makers of the fun Magika games) are busy bee-ing it as they whip up this digital only (and so far, PC only, boo) solo, co-op and online Gauntlet reboot that actually looks as if it will a as fun as the 1985 arcade classic. Sure, this update gets a bit squishy with the blood effects, but that classic top-down viewpoint, simple but challenging gameplay and loads of loot to grab are all intact and that’s a good thing. This one’s coming this summer via Steam (I’d bet it’s one of their big summer game releases) and I hope it does well so Arrowhead can get to porting it to consoles, as there’s no reason this shouldn’t be on anything that can run it. In other words, I’d LOVE to see a Vita and Wii U version at some point down the road…

100 From 2001 Is A Pretty Prime Number!

Posted on April 10, 2014 by geelw

EDIT: Duh, I forgot to put the link in. See below for that link. Heh, sorry!

A friend sent me a link to “something wonderful” the other day and after taking the ultimate trip through this amazing imgur gallery of stills and behind the scenes production shots from the filming of one of my favorite films, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, I’m reporting back and sharing the link for all to discover on their own time. I’ve seen a handful of these here and there over the years, but the entire gallery all at once is amazing and quite educational on a few fronts.

As with any film, I knew there were bits shot and discarded, but I’m now wondering about that lovely futuristic (well, for 1966-67) automobile among other things. Was that a mere production still or was/were there a scene or scenes shot on earth? Anyway, the placement of the images seems to follow the film’s plot, but if you’ve never seen 2001 before, fear not. Not knowing a thing about it means you’ll be scratching your head until you DO finally see it. Which is a good thing, of course…

Still… let me slightly not “ruin” things with this trailer (thanks, the cultbox!):

Trust me, you didn’t EVEN have anything spoiled there, as this film demands you pay attention. A few times, at that.

Transistor: Supergiant’s New Game Popping Up at PAX East, May 20 On PC, PS4

Posted on April 10, 2014 by geelw

Okay, I’m not going to Pax East this year (I think Boston has banned me showing my face there since I my days as an usher in Cirque du Soleil during the Saltimbanco tour), but if I were there, the first booth I’d jet over to would be Supergiant Games just to see Transistor, which will be playable on the show floor before making it’s official debut on PC’s and PlayStation 4’s worldwide on May 20, 2014.

Yeah, yeah, other than a post or two last year I really haven’t been covering this one in detail like some other sites, but that’s thanks to SO darn many games (indie and otherwise) I’ve been following that I’m only paying the most attention to those a lot less polished than this one. It may sound backwards, but I trust Greg Kasavin and his team to deliver the goods, so they really don’t need me to hover around as they cook up a storm. Anyway, three new screenshots are below, so make sure you check them out and if you want to know more about the game, well… you know where to go, right?

Dungeon of the Endless Update: Your Multi-Almost Everything Game is Almost Ready!

Posted on April 3, 2014 by geelw

Amplitude Studios’ upcoming multi-hybrid game is looking quite spectacular in this new trailer and updated screens combo plus the mix of genres (just watch the trailer, as the very thought of writing all that out is making my fingers hurt. Here, go ogle some new screens and make sure to read some of the amusing descriptions in the pics that have them:

Okay, let me get back to work, because I got caught up in reading some of those screens as well. You can get more info on Dungeon of the Endless HERE (official site!) and HERE (the game’s Steam page where you can sign up for early access and more!)

Dark Souls II TV Spots: Oh, The Places You’ll Go (Just To Die Over and Over)…

Posted on March 30, 2014 by geelw

Heh. I get a phone call during The Walking Dead finale from a friend asking me “So, what’s this Dark Souls II all about?” right after this ad airs. Whee! Of course, I had to tell him to ring me back in an hour or so or just wait for a quick email. He’s not a gamer at all, so I’ll give Namco Bandai props for getting an ad out that gets people not into the hobby all hot and bothered. Amusingly enough, I actually don’t have a copy of the game yet – it’s in my backlog of stuff to grab for the PS3 once I make a bit more money. I’ve played a bit of it already thanks to walking another friend through the first two or so hours of the game as he grabbed it on launch day and was having a hard time because yep, it was his first time playing something that difficult. Anyway, I got to play and he got to keep the character I made, so that’s a fine trade off, I’d say. Naturally, he got the poor guy I created killed a few times since, but my tech support ends when I leave the premises. Otherwise, I charge a flat fee (and it’s not cheap), heh…

Raven’s Cry Update: Shipping Out 10/14/2014, Loads of New Stuff In The Cargo Hold!

Posted on March 28, 2014 by geelw

One of the upcoming games I’ve been keeping my telescope pointed towards the horizon on for a while now has been Raven’s Cry, the pirate-themed action role-playing game from developer Reality Pump (taking over from Octane Studios) and publisher TopWare Interactive. The game has had a few delays due to Reality Pump really going all out to add a ton of gameplay and story content to it and these new and new-ish screens show off a load of cool:

And the official site has also been updated with a new video, concept art and even wallpapers to download if this one floats your boat. As for the new features being implemented, here’s a rundown stolen from the press release:

– New skills for the captain (a skill tree with over 25 options)
– The personal story of Christopher Raven (more than 25 hours of main storyline)
– Additional adventures and skirmishes (open-world setting and side quests)
– An economic system with a wide variety of trade-able goods and simulated price adjustments
– Realistic naval combat
– Depictions of the dark life of pirates (or: cinematic cut scenes)

All of this should make for a game that’s at least worth a look to see if Reality Pump can pull it all off. It seems like a darker and grimmer game than their previous RPGs, so let’s hope it all pans out the way they (and we sea dogs) want it to. PC, Mac, PS3, PS4 and Xbox 360, folks. Yeah, once again, a decent-looking RPG is skipping the Xbox One, so you owners of that console can get cranky about that elsewhere. I’ll be busy Yo-ho-ho-ing it up and trying not to get sunk by some frigate I’m trying to loot…

Dark Souls II Now Available: You Come Up For Air When You’re Good And Ready. They’ll Wait…

Posted on March 10, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, Game Banshee!)

“They” meaning all the things that want you dead, as the AI in the game is set on “pursue to the ends of the earth” and “puree” and not necessarily in that order. Anyway, PS3 and 360 owners get theirs now, PC gamers get a while to wait, but should just feel lucky they’re getting this game at all because a bunch will just hex hack up some cheats before they actually experience this one as it SHOULD be played. Eh, whatever. I take my Dark Souls II straight up and run from the room screaming hard, no chaser, as there will already be stuff coming after me clogging up the hallway. Yaaaah. Prepare to LIE your way out of work if you’re one of those people not playing Titanfall at all (I’m one of those people). Yes, I’ll replace this trailer with Namco Bandai’s once they get around to posting it. They tend to run a bit late with the US stuff. There’s one up now, but it’s unavailable (boo!), meaning it’s probably going to be let loose tomorrow morning around 9am.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II: If You’re Hungary For More, Come Get Some!

Posted on March 10, 2014 by geelw

Okay, I’m late to the mad monster party thanks to such a massive games backlog that I won’t be seeing some of the bigger titles I downloaded last year until late this year (or next year!), which is pretty sad. But I understand quite a lot of people have this problem thanks to too many bundle sales and low prices on single games that are way too hard to pass up.

Anyway, I bumped up the demo to The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing a few weeks back to “PLAY IT!” status when I was cleaning up my Steam library and realized I’d downloaded but not played it. It hooked me in right away and made me wish it was on more platforms because as great as Steam is, not everyone who’d love this fun and funny action/RPG is playing it.

Of course, me being late to the party means Hungary-based Neocore Games has been a hard at work on a sequel that’s going to be even bigger than the original and they want you to climb aboard the even more comedy-laced monster killing train early:

What was that? You say things were moving too quickly and you want screenshots? Um, okay – here you go:

Feel better now? Good. But wait, there’s MORE… Continue reading →

More DAYLIGHT? Yeah, You’ll Be Wishing For The Sun, Alright…

Posted on March 8, 2014 by geelw

So, DAYLIGHT will be one reason for me to break down and finally get a PS4, as I love games like this with endless replay value. Jump scares don’t really do much for me, but I do like games that work so well at making you too freaked out to go on that you want to just STOP playing, but someone else in the room or your own stubborn nature makes you push onwards (and not necessarily past that fear, either). I’d missed this video below from January, but as you can see, even Atlus’ own staff and testers are getting broken in (and broken down) quite well:

Yep, I’m playing this with the damn lights ON, thank you much. In newer news, the game will support 3D play out of the case using RealD technology, and PlayStation Multimedia support is also included which means a whole suite of ridiculous options will be on board for those who love messing with people online in a few “fun” ways. Click below the jump for more info!

Continue reading →

Gallery Update: Cloudbuilt’s Looking More And More Like A Winner…

Posted on March 8, 2014 by geelw

Well, well, well… New Cloudbuilt screens have arrived! Check them out:

Just look at them. Lovely, aren’t they? If Coilworks’ awesome free-run/shooter/platformer Cloudbuilt doesn’t win some awards this year, I’m hanging up my controllers and packing it in for good as a gamer. This is a game I so WANT to succeed if only for the fantastic art direction and fact that it’s just too much fun for PC gamers to have all to themselves. Think of Mirror’s Edge, Gunvalkyrie, and a bunch of classic 8 and 16-bit action games all wrapped up in a neat little (and HIGHLY challenging) package. Then again, the game is ALL about pinpoint control and making the best of mistakes as there’s a way out of almost any bad jump, boost or wall dash provided you have keen reflexes and don’t panic. Continue reading →