Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2: More Of Lots And More Of That Lots…

Posted on September 20, 2014 by geelw

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 producer extraordinaire Kunito Kimori has a great sense of humor and clearly enjoys his work. As he showed off a few levels of the upcoming game at a recent Bandai Namco event, he pointed out fun additions to the gameplay that weren’t in the original, checking with a glance between playing to see if I was grinning as much as he was. He needn’t have worried, as between the on-rails sky surfing shooting section and the intentionally silly boss battle between a skyscraper-sized Pac and an equally large missile shooting metal meanie, I was more than happy to see everyone’s favorite dot-munching pal back in action… Continue reading →

Got A Camera? Get A Miggo. It’s That Simple.

Posted on September 20, 2014 by geelw

Because I’m not a camera phone person, I sort of feel like a pariah when I see all those hip kids whipping out their phones, tablets and whatever else they have that they’ve overpaid for with a lens attached to it. granted, phone cameras HAVE indeed come a long way from their not so hot beginnings and yes, there are plenty of budding to pro shutterbugs that have taken many a classic shot with one of those things.

Me, I love the feeling of a CAMERA doing its thing in my hands or someone with a much better eye, so it’s great to see a product like Miggo around to make me want to carry my camera out into the wild and strut around proudly. Granted, you don’t have to even try to stand out with a Miggo wrapped around your camera. Just whipping out yours to take a photo is enough to get tongues wagging and maybe a few phone/phab/tab-only photogs glancing greenly in your direction… Continue reading →

Forza Horizon 2: Stop, Look and Crash!

Posted on September 19, 2014 by geelw

Amusingly enough, although this is a dig at some famous track-bound racing game franchises, I’d actually PLAY a good slot car racing game if some smart developer and publisher teamed up to make one on nearly any home or portable platform. Anyway, while this commercial for <strong>Forza Horizon 2 is magnificent and funny, I have to question WHY it’s partially shot in live action with real cars (with a good deal of expensive CG enhancing) when the actual game looks so gorgeous:

Then again, I don’t work at Microsoft and heck, they know their own games better than anyone, right? Anyway, I’m still an Xbox One holdout, but if I were to grab one of those, this would be one of the games I’d grab with that system. If this is as open world and free range pure driving as it looks, it’ll be something I get lost in for hours and that’s just driving around all by myself checking out all the hard work that went into making the game engine sing so darn well. I’d be the one pulling over every few miles to check out the scenery, even in the middle of a race, so I can’t imagine being the poor AI driver behind me trying to pass as I slide to the left or right and perhaps dent up my ride because I’m trying to ogle a pretty sky or sunset. Anyway, September 30, 2014 is the due date for this baby which is predicted to do VERY well on the console…

Hyrule Warriors: Nintendo Knows They’re Getting Some of Us To Spend More Money On This One…

Posted on September 15, 2014 by geelw

With just over a week to go before Hyrule Warriors storms store shelves, here’s a look at the TV commercial and uh-oh, trailers for DLC outfits. Yes indeed, the DLC for this game will grab you by the nostalgic hairs and yank hard on your wallet. Granted, I’d bet just about anyone who buys the game is buying at least ONE of these outfits or not buying them at all, but jamming up the eShop downloading them for free if that’s what they go for.

Oh, wait… they’re PRE-ORDER outfits and retailer specific, at that. Blech. Come on, Nintendo! Just let EVERYONE have what they want if they want it, as you KNOW the completion freaks out there who want everything but can only buy ONE copy of the game will be giving you grief deluxe. Oh well… perhaps these are timed DLC items and we’ll ALL be able to buy what we want directly from Nintendo at some point. One can only hope…

Okay, I was jesting a tiny bit. Nintendo IS smarter than the average internet troll who only skims the video before posting. They will indeed release ALL the DLC at some point via the eShop, so you don’t have to fret about missing out on anything. Like the company would pass up the chance to make some ABSOLUTE loot on those costumes in a few ways? Ha! Yeah, they’re on top of this one (for once). Yes, that’s tough love from me, ALWAYS for Nintendo!

Hyrule Warriors is out for the Wii U on September 26, 2014. Yes, it’s a must-buy game, folks.

Table Top Racing Gets A Nice, Necessary Update For Us Fat-Fingered Speed Freaks…

Posted on September 13, 2014 by geelw

Excellent. While I loved the Vita version of Table Top Racing, my big complaint (and it seems the main issue a bunch of other users had) was the rear touchscreen being automatically used for a rear view angle with no means to turn it off. This made holding the Vita comfortably something of a challenge, as the merest brush of a finger on that rear screen meant you’d be looking back for a split second. Or worse if you had no idea about that screen being used, you’d start a race and be looking at the FRONT of your car until you moved your fingers into a more claw-like grip. Ouch.

Well, THAT’S no longer an issue as Playrise Digital has whipped out a patch that sets the rear view to off (you can toggle it on if you like), shows the control layout (the original download didn’t, and while the game is easy to play, some people didn’t figure out the left trigger is used for certain functions) and tweaks a few other things. The update has been out for a little while, but I just hopped back into the game last night and saw the fix was in. Anyway, go grab TTR, as it’s only $7.99, a ton of fun and if you’ve been avoiding it because you have larger hands, it’s now even more of a no-brainer buy…

Hikari Friday Time! Homeless Skeletor And Universal Monsters Want To Get Boxed Up And Sent Your Way!

Posted on September 12, 2014 by geelw

The Hikari madness continues! Funko is giving away THREE figures this week (one per winner) and this time it’s a terribly collectible trio up for grabs. Check out the Grey Skull Skeletor Hikari Sofubi Figure(#1 of 1000!):

and these two super exclusive Gemini Collectibles figures, Gemini Collectibles Exclusive Gold Secret Base Creature Premium Hikari Sofubi Figure (#1 of 500!):

And his good buddy, Gemini Collectibles Mythos Frankenstein Hikari Sofubi Figure3 (#1 of 750!):

As usual, entering is SIMPLE. Just zoom that mouse hand or whatever you use to surf over to one of Funko’s social-type sites:

http://www.facebook.com/OriginalFunko
http://www.twitter.com/OriginalFunko
Instagram @OriginalFunko

Follow the rules and hold your breath for as long as you can (well, that’s NOT a rule, but if you DO follow it, you may end up unexpectedly giving up your chance to win a prize to someone who won’t attend your funeral) and you just may win BIG! If you lose BIG, well… it’s not necessarily a bad thing, as you can score (as in BUY) Skeletor in October at your nearest Funko retailer and hit up Gemini Collectibles (use that link above) for the other two figures. As always, Good Luck!

Not An Apple-Head, But Still A Dreamer…

Posted on September 9, 2014 by geelw

While I did have a (very) brief affair with a Macintosh back in the 90’s, I was never really an Apple fan or fanatic, despite the company’s many innovations and rather, er… obsessed user base. I liked the design of their products and their ad campaigns were amazingly clever and clearly made to grab one’s attention. But for me, most marketing flies in one ear and right out the other because I’m all about the end result of all those billions spent and frankly speaking, prefer products where I as the end user have total control over how I interact with them. When the iPod was released, it baffled me because I knew digital music would never sound as good as vinyl or even the few steps down CD’s did. Nevertheless, people sheeped right on up to the bar and made the player a superb success for Apple, changing the way we bought music probably forever, and for the worse some would say. Why buy an album meant to be heard in its entirety when you could pick and choose songs you like and play them OUT OF ORDER, thus destroying any actual meaning their creators intended? Eh, no big deal, right? It’s ONLY music, right?

And don’t even get me started on not being able to change your own damn batteries… Continue reading →

Pley Goes Live: So, Wait… You Can Rent LEGO Sets Now?

Posted on September 3, 2014 by geelw

Yeah, my face probably looked like the little girl on the left of that picture I swiped from the Pley.com website as I read the email I got from the company’s PR person. Yes indeed, you can actually sign up to get an account there and if you’re approved, you’ll get genuine LEGO sets to play with in the mail (well, at home or wherever you get it sent to – playing with your unopened mail is probably some sort of crime) and send back once your done. The mind boggles! Pley even (*gasp*) SANITIZES the pieces so you’ve no need to worry about getting a box full of already stuck together with peanut butter and banana sammich parts to pull apart and put back together.

Anyway, subscriptions range from $15 to $39 per month, so if you’re big into all things LEGO and have not a lot of space for all those sets you want or you just like the idea of fun stuff popping up in the mail that you KNOW you’ll enjoy, well… stop reading this post and go Pley around already!

The Toys of Summer: Rabbids Baby Want, Rabbids, Baby Get!

Posted on September 3, 2014 by geelw

Bwaaaaaaah! Remember when I said Ubisoft’s goofy-looking Rabbids were nothing but trouble? Well, they’re STILL trouble and thanks to McFarlane Toys, you can take that trouble from the hit Nickelodeon TV show (and a bunch of fun games) and bring it home with you. But… should you? You KNOW what happens when Rabbids get loose, right? RIGHT? No? Hmmm… apparently, someone did not get the mem-o, I see. Well, FINE then. Hey, I did warn you, so I’m not responsible for the mayhem that will ensue when you allow yourself to bring Rabbids into your lives.

Below the jump is a short list of rather cool stuff (available this month at your favorite toy retailer) you can spend that hard earned money on so you can fill up your space with too much Bwaaaaaaah:

Continue reading →

IDW’s John Buscema’s Artist’s Edition: This October Surprise Is A Must-Buy For Silver Age Fans

Posted on September 2, 2014 by geelw

Three words: Oh Hell Yeah. This 12 x 17 Artist’s Edition is a MUST for anyone into John Buscema’s art at its best (at least in my opinion). This collection isn’t the COMPLETE run of his on The Silver Surfer, just issues 5, 6 and 8 for your perusal. Nevertheless, this scanned and printed actual-size from the original art limited edition should sell out quickly at comic shops and online retailers that carry it. Sure, these over-sized collections are expensive, but this one’s WELL worth the price, folks. Buy two if you can and make sure one has my name on it when you’re wrapping up that gift!