Review: MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies

Posted on May 29, 2016 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation Vita/PSTV

Developer(s): Idea Factory/Compile Heart/Tamsoft

Publisher: Idea Factory International*

# of Players: 1 – 4

MSRP: $39.99 (retail/PSN)

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Sneaky, Tamsoft, SNEAKY. Teaming up with Idea Factory and Compile Heart and getting your Onechanbara in my Neptunia while making it a ridiculously fun and ridiculously cute hack & slash with a ridiculous amount of replay value. Ridiculous! MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies is an absolutely silly blast of a game that’s easy to get into and deserves a sequel of some sort down the road. Yeah, I missed out on Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed (it’s on my list of stuff to get to, really!), so I’m going into this one as it’s an all-new and different experience.

While it’s packed with characters and content, the “Hey, let’s put on a show!” hijinks that revolve around the female students of Gamicademi trying to save their school from closing by making a low-budget zombie movie also makes for a pretty amusing plot. The game is part visual novel, part action/RPG and definitely going to take up a small to moderate chunk of your time thanks to all the variables that come into play. That tongue-in-cheek humor it bashes you over the head with gets you into the groove right from the start, but it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Your Vita will either pop out of its hiding place and kiss you for making this purchase or slap you in the face with a smirk if you get too serious while playing this game. Or both. Continue reading →

Assassin’s Creed Trailer: A Killer at the Box Office Not So Silently Approaches

Posted on May 13, 2016 by geelw

So, I usually have no faith in videogame movie adaptations (okay, I’ve NEVER had any), particularly when certain fans roll in with the “It doesn’t look that bad!” commentary simply to defend their favorite franchise against any form of criticism. My own opinion on games to film is more of a rule: an interactive medium works BEST as interactive medium, PERIOD. Yes, non-gamers who want to see what the fuss is about can enjoy a game movie just fine. But the more hardcore fans who dislike games made into blockbusters for the simple reason that the films deviate from the source materials enough that it’s an almost completely different bird once all those feathers have been plucked. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, anyone? While a well-made film, it wasn’t at all what fans expected or wanted. I can name a bunch of others, but I’ll let you discuss that among yourselves.

Anyway, well… 20th Century Fox and Ubisoft may have changed my mind:

Other than the atrocious choice of a Kanye West song (Seriously? It doesn’t fit at ALL and in fact, something a great deal less modern would have made the trailer almost perfect), that trailer got me curious as to how the film will tackle the reality and virtual reality flipping done throughout the AC franchise. I did have a non-gamer friend ring me up and ask about the games and whether he needed to have played them to fully enjoy the film, whereupon I had to admit I hadn’t played an Assassin’s Creed game in a few years. Hey, I got bored with them after AC III, although I’ve been thinking about picking up the last couple after playing the Vita game (and the sole one with a female lead). So, thanks, Fox. You may get my grumpy butt in a theater seat after all. Continue reading →

Humble Capcom Re-Bundle: Here Comes A “New” Challenger (For Your Free Time)

Posted on May 11, 2016 by geelw

Well, I had a few minutes of free time this year. Emphasis on the HAD part. Then Capcom teamed up with Humble Bundle for a new version of their sale last year that swaps out some titles for some other cool stuff and slaps such a stupidly cheap price tag on all that stuff that it’s IMPOSSIBLE to pass up. Seriously.

Even if you didn’t play Remember Me (it’s fantastic), missed out on Lost Planet 3 (it’s MUCH better than the “my friend hated it” crowd says), Strider (also really good), or DmC (which some REALLY hated, but is still a blast if you go with it and just cut loose), paying a measly $15 for TEN games PLUS a few more FREE games next week, PLUS discount coupons on two more titles (one of them being the outstanding Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen)? That’s the definition of “no-brainer”. Which leads me to a Resident Evil joke I thought up this afternoon, but forgot by the time I got home because I was busy thinking of how to figure out when the heck I’d be able to play all these games.

But hey, that’s what backlogs are for, right? Riiiiight… *sigh*. SOLD.

MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies: Time To Kill (Some Kind of Cute Undead)

Posted on May 10, 2016 by geelw

Well, in the North American territories, that is. You gamers overseas in Europe and the UK need to hold on for a few days longer, but you’ll get what’s coming to you soon. Or more precisely, those nasty zombies will get what’s coming to them from YOU (POW!). MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies hits the Vita running, all cute gals slapping the slime out of zombies in colorful, fast-paced action. I hear a voice saying “Get it, or get HIT!”, but that’s my brain calling forth demons or an old slogan I saw somewhere something. Still, this one looks as if it’ll be portable thrills galore guaranteed to make you miss your bus or train stop.

Hey, don’t blame ME for that, now. I play most of my games at home so the only stop I miss is when I forget to stop playing. Yes, I probably have a problem. But that’s not your problem, right?

The trailer, in case you need a friendly reminder to nab this one soon (as in NOW!):

ELSTREE 1976: This Is The Documentary You’re Looking For

Posted on May 4, 2016 by geelw

I thought I was done with Star Wars references for the day, but my inbox has other ideas in the form of this new documentary I now NEED to see. Ellstree 1976 will start a US theatrical run on May 6th in select cities including Los Angeles and New York City (a full list of theaters and ticket information are here). My inner 14-year old self just popped out and recalled all those magazines and newspaper clippings I’d collected back then. Everything Star Wars! Anyway, here’s some info on the film as well as its trailer:

ELSTREE 1976 explores the lives of the actors and extras behind one of the most celebrated Science Fiction films in cinematic history, Star Wars.

From the man behind film’s most iconic villain, to the actor whose character was completely cut from the final film, the documentary delves into the eccentric community these individuals have formed and how the Star Wars franchise – which spans five decades from A New Hope to The Force Awakens – continues to impact their lives decades later.

Many of the minor characters were merely part of the set design, but eventually gained recognition as the Star Wars universe expanded into books, comics, etc. Fans learned the history of masked characters like Boba Fett and Greedo, but the sci-fi blockbuster also had a lasting impact on the people inside the costumes.

And if you can’t make it to that theater near or not so near you, guess what? MVD Entertainment Group will be getting the doc out on DVD June 28th via MVD Entertainment’s online shop as well as Amazon. SOLD!

All I need to do is step into this carbonite chamber I got cheap on eBay and freeze myself for just over a month and I’m set. What? Not a good idea? The guy who sold it said it was only used once and worked REALLY well.

Happy ALIEN Day! Go Get Scared or Win Some Stuff (Or Both)

Posted on April 26, 2016 by geelw

“Hey, baaaaaaby…. ‘sup?” Photo Credit: Desmond Mo

So yes, it’s officially ALIEN Day and if you’re a fan of the franchise with some time and a bit of disposable income on your hands, there are a few ways to get involved in the festivities today.

The Alien Anthology page on Twitter has a big deal contest where video questions about the film pop up like chestbursters and you can answer them for a chance to win some awesome ALIEN to Prometheus-themed merchandise from what’s looking like every company that makes officially licensed swag based on the series. Continue reading →

Get on the Good Wood, Get Your Tech Some TOAST

Posted on April 19, 2016 by geelw

It’s hard to believe a mere ten people work at TOAST hand-making beautiful custom environmentally friendly wood cases and covers for everything from phones to tablets, laptops, game consoles and more, all reasonably priced.

The Portland, Oregon-based company uses sustainable wood and in addition to standard cases also does custom work where buyers submit their own artwork for one of the specific cases they manufacture and within 3-5 days (for single item orders) they turn out a lovely tech keeper/keepsake.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Sony and Microsoft haven’t bugged these folks to turn out a small amount of custom console cases for special occasions, but maybe they have and I’ve yet to hear about it. If not, someone needs to get on the ball over at Corporate and give he TOAST guys and gals a ring-up. It’s too bad the Wii U isn’t represented here, as Nintendo’s soon to be replaced console could use a bit of classy coverage journalists aren’t giving it (ha and ha). Still, if you’re a PS4 or Xbox One owner looking for a way to show off your consoles and want a finish that’s not only going to be unique even if you order the same one for multiple consoles (that’s the power of wood for you, folks!), it’ll make your gaming pals wanting their own freshly made TOAST, well there you go.

PC Review: ADR1FT

Posted on April 12, 2016 by geelw

Platform: PC

Developer: three one zero LLC

Publisher: 505 Games

# of Players: 1

MSRP: $19.99

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: A (90%)
If you’re one who normally plays games on a smaller screen laptop or monitor, ADR1FT is most likely going to make you want a bigger screen as soon as possible. Of course, I’m saying this as someone whose first introduction to the experience was back when it was running on another engine and 505 Games premiered an early console and PC VR demo in a movie theater where on the big screen the scope was quite impressive indeed. That scale is far more thrilling with the complete overhaul/upgrade to the Unreal 4 Engine, but it works best on the biggest display you can get even if it means popping over to a friend’s place to show off the finished product.

Forget the “walking simulator” labels the game is getting from the limited vocabulary crowd, throw out your science degrees or overly critical eye for complete accuracy (it’s a videogame, NOT a NASA sim), strap yourself in and prepare for a quietly wild ride. ADR1FT is less of a straight adventure game and more of a deliberately paced and tension filled trip into space where survival is key if only to discover how it all ends. The game works as both a visual treat for the eyes as well as a great example of the promise of virtual reality as a viable entertainment option (provided you currently own or plan to buy one of the VR headsets being hard marketed this year).

Continue reading →

May’s Arrow Video Releases Are Pretty Sharp Stuff

Posted on April 10, 2016 by geelw

While there will be only three Arrow Video releases for May 2016 from MVD Entertainment Group, all should please fans of their respective genres. I’m all over this trio like a cheap suit on sale to a broke guy looking for work:

Nico Mastorakis’ and Peter Rader’s 1990 film Hired to Kill (MSRP: $39.95, May 17) was and is a total hoot. Between the wild action scenes and the awesome cast that includes Oliver Reed, George Kennedy, and Brian Thompson, this mid-budget “B” features Thompson as a merc posing as a fashion designer sent in to bump off an evil dictator type with the help of seven female assassins (posing as models of course!). Yep, it’s as silly as it sounds and double yep, Mastorakis makes it work well in his inimitable style. Bullets, bombs and bikinis all blazing in a 1990’s manner? Sign me up!

Bonus Materials

Brand new 2K restoration of the film, approved by writer-director Nico Mastorakis
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
Original Stereo audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio Commentary with editor Barry Zetlin
Hired to Direct – a brand new interview with director Nico Mastorakis on the making of Hired to Kill
Undercover Mercenary – a brand new interview with star Brian Thompson
Original Theatrical Trailer
Stills Gallery
Original Screenplay, entitled Freedom or Death (BD/DVD-ROM Content)
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
Fully-illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by critic James Oliver

“But wait, there’s more!” Continue reading →

Gallery: MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies

Posted on April 4, 2016 by geelw

Idea Factory, Compile Heart and seemingly ever busy Onechanbara developer Tamsoft team up once again to bring you what’s looking like another fun chase & chop experience set in the multi-game Hyperdimension Neptunia universe. Now, I missed out on Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed last year thanks to a stupidly busy backlog and me not paying attention to a bunch of games I should have played. But there’s no way I’m going to pass up this *new* guaranteed guilty pleasure called MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies.

Set to hit the Vita April 26 (North America) and April 29 (Europe), the game will feature 1-4 player action, a cast of cute gals versus not so cute undead and plenty of unlockable customization options. Continue reading →