The Toys of Summer: Tamagotchi Friends: Bandai Brings The Digital Pet Back Into The Social Age

Posted on August 28, 2014 by geelw

Okay, yesterday some of you found out Hello Kitty is actually a five-year old English girl and today, I;m telling you you know she’d probably be wanting one of Bandai’s Tamagotchi Friends as a gift from either her non-cat parents or other non-animal acquaintances.

Bandai has brought back the portable digital pet experience as a relatively inexpensive and much more connected collectible than the previous version from the late 90’s that sold who knows how many millions of units and inspired far too many clones to count. I won’t reveal exactly how many of those original Tamagotchi I actually owned, but all I’ll say is I got my first two from a friend whose wife was obsessed with them and he finally convinced here that twenty was a good number to stop at… Continue reading →

OBEY: Funko Wants Your Money… And You’ll Gladly Give It To Them!

Posted on August 26, 2014 by geelw

Wow, I can’t even keep up with all the email Funko sends my way (that’s a good thing), but here’s a few of their upcoming products you’ll want to free your wallet from the cage it’s in for (oh, nice logo change, guys!):

SF Mystery Minis are coming in September and yeah, I WANT A BOX OF THESE! Just to give away to random readers, surprise someone by adding one to a holiday or other gift, you know, silly stuff like that. Okay, I’ll keep an Alien here on what little remaining shelf space I actually have, but all the rest would get gone somewhere and get some people smiling for sure. These are coming in September to your favorite Funko retailer, so keep an eye out, Okay?

December brings you Dancing Groot from The Guardians of the Galaxy and the return of Howard the Duck (!), which I may also need to clear a space for, as I’m an old fan of that character from his initial run in the 70’s and that oddball black & white mag Marvel published in the 80’s. Hmmm… Funko, you’re trying to seduce me, huh? Well, we’ll see about that. I’m allegedly immune to such blatant BUY ME shenanigans, but it’s been getting tempting seeing all this really cool stuff.

Oh, annnnd speaking of really cool stuff:

Yeah, that’s the Pop! Rides Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Van, with the special Michelangelo Pizza Pop! only available with this package. This one’s coming in September, by the way. Hmmm… i there’s a Pop! Mystery Machine, that would make quite the pretend race, huh?

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham: TT Games’ Next One Will Be Out Of This World…

Posted on August 26, 2014 by geelw

LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is coming to PlayStation 3/PlayStation 4/PS Vita, Xbox One/Xbox 360, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, and PC on November 11, 2014. That’s pretty much all you need to know as TT Games and WBIE have absolutely MASTERED the art of whipping out a LEGO game to mostly rave notices and delivering the goods with a family-friendly set of titles that have infinite replay value and make for instant “BUY ME!” purchases whether as gifts for oneself or a bunch of lucky kids.

Seriously, all you need are a couple of controllers and anyone can have a total blast. for the longest time, the LEGO series has been a “pick up and play” festival and with each installment, TT Games has been adding neat stuff like fully voiced characters, bigger maps to explore and loads of additional costumes, characters and plenty of hidden secrets for those willing to play until they fine everything. Oh, and here’s a word from Braniac and a few pals in case you’re showing any form of disinterest in this one:

Yeah, soooo… don’t let the Joker put the earth in his pants (ewww!)… BUY THIS GAME when it comes out and knock some sense into that ever-grinning nut-job, I say!

Corrections Dept: Xillia’s Kitties Can’t Do Magic That Well!

Posted on August 19, 2014 by geelw

Okay, I’ll tweak the post tomorrow when I’m more awake, but I made two goofs in my Tales of Xillia review regarding the exploits and some side quests monsters vanishing. One: In Kitty Dispatch mode, Rollo WILL come back faster if he’s carrying certain sub-items with him or you save and come back later in the day (that system clock seems to work for that as well as the bonuses).

Two: while some low-level monsters may disappear from the Job Board when your Badge level increases, those TOUGH sub-bosses stay on their own sub-menu and never disappear. I was up for roughly 37 hours on that last chunk of my playtime, so when I sat down to write from a few notes I’d taken, I ended up adding in a thought I had based on me being half-awake while playing and confusing the Job list with the sub-boss list. Hey, it happens! Anyway, I’m in the final stretch of the game, but I’m saving that until tomorrow or Thursday because if I don’t sleep now, I’ll probably be as dead as some of those monsters Ludger and company go hunting throughout the game…

See you all tomorrow. Zzzzz…

Review: Tales of Xillia 2

Posted on August 19, 2014 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation 3

Developer: Namco Tales Studio, LTD.

Publisher: Bandai Namco Games

# of Players 1-4

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: A- (90%)

Tales of Xillia was one of last year’s great JRPGs, offering up an intriguing plot, a party of interesting characters designed by different artists, the series trademark fast-paced battles and plenty of the usual JRPG tropes all adding up to a lengthy and memorable game experience. The follow up, Tales of Xillia 2 changes up things a bit with two new main characters, a much darker tone, even faster combat, a different skills leveling system, loads of reused maps (this is a good thing – more on this below) and a fair amount of humor thanks to a localization team having a blast with their translation efforts. The result is a game that will pull you in for the long haul as it takes Ludger Kresnik and company on a journey spanning a few familiar and all-new areas (well, all-new to those who haven’t played the first game)… Continue reading →

Tales of Xillia 2: Missed the First Game? Here’s The Deal So Far…

Posted on August 16, 2014 by geelw

You actually don’t need to have played Tales of Xillia to fully enjoy Tales of Xillia 2, but in case you didn’t and are wondering what you missed, this under six-minute recap of key cinematic moments from the first game should get you psyched for the new adventure ahead. I’ve been playing since yesterday evening and will have a review up on Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on how far I get in the game. I should take my time with this and try to get as close to 100% completion as possible, but there’s SO much to tackle in this game that if I tried to blaze through too quickly, I’d definitely miss out on a lot of content. On the other hand, if I get caught up in all those side-quests and cat-catching (I’ve caught 23 out of 100 so far), this review isn’t going to get done until November (of next year, ha and ha!)…

Back in a bit…

Want More Hyrule Warriors? How About An Opening Movie Plus Gameplay (Some Spoilers Included!)?

Posted on August 14, 2014 by geelw

I’m pretty much going to stop following all these Hyrule Warriors videos because I don’t want to spoil the game any more than it’s been spoiled already (although I know I don’t know anything more about the story than I need to at this point, and that’s a good thing). But what the heck, here’s the opening (above), a whopping 85 minutes of gameplay from the great German site Nintendomination (thanks!) and what the heck, another Nintendo of America character trailer below:

After this, I’m sticking my head in the sand and waiting for the US release. I think Nintendo has a huge hit on their hands that may not be a system seller out of the gate, but WILL get into the hands of a great deal of the current user base still high on Mario Kart 8 fumes or looking for the next surefire hit from the company. This one’s got pure franchise potential stamped all over it in big gold letters and I’m so glad I’ve been supporting the system since day one…

Tech Review: Audio Technica ATH-ADG1

Posted on August 6, 2014 by geelw

As gaming headsets go, Audio-Technica’s ATH-ADG1 High-Fidelity Gaming Headset is hands-down one of the best I’ve used, but it does come with some minor caveats. It’s wired, the open ear design means it’s more for home use than a set you want to bop around with in public (it’s your call, of course) and at $299.95, it’s not for budget-brained audiophiles.

Then again, I’d say the words “budget” and “audiophile” don’t quite go together, particularly when it comes to headphones of this outstanding quality. Sure, you can use them for their intended purpose (super high quality audio in your PC gaming experience), but if you’re like me, you’ll stick these lightweight wonders on your head every chance you get… Continue reading →

Hyrule Warriors Direct: It Would Seem That The Missing Link Is MORE Action…

Posted on August 6, 2014 by geelw

Hyrule Warriors may not have BUY ME stamped on it in shiny gold letters, but based on the response to the game so far in video form, I’d say Nintendo has a hit that’s not just for Nintendo fans only. The long-running Dynasty Warriors franchise is indeed “niche”, yet it has mass appeal to action game fans who may or may not be into The Legend of Zelda games. As you can see in this Direct presentation, the gameplay is quite similar to the Dynasty Warriors games down to the packs of enemies, powerful attacks, large battle maps and multiple objectives that need to be tackled as they pop up. But seeing it all with familiar faces from the LoZ series makes me grin a lot and my wallet hurt even more.

Oh yeah, and Gannon(dorf*) pops up as a playable character (oh, this should be interesting, folks):

As I’ve said previously… SOLD. Hell, this was sold from the first moment I heard it was being made. Anyway, I’m betting Nintendo gets a nice surprise once this ships and they see it sell faster than even they anticipated. If it does, Team Ninja and Omega Force will have to probably hire a semi-permanent HW team for the inevitable sequel and perhaps even consider a 3DS version that’s some sort of side story, as that handheld certainly isn’t outputting HD visuals anytime soon.

*I tend to call Gannondof “gannon” as that’s the name I first encountered him under and “dorf” makes me think of the always hilarious Tim Conway because I’m as old as the hills and not one of you under a certain age will get that reference at all unless I clue you all in. Get it? Got it? Good. Now you can call him Gannon as well…

Review: Table Top Racing (PlayStation Vita)

Posted on August 5, 2014 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation Vita

Developer: Playrise Digital

Publisher: Ripstone Games

# of Players: 1 (1 – 4 online)

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Score: A- (90%)

If there was ever a no-brainer purchase, it would have to be Table Top Racing, the former iOS racer now making a splash on the Vita as a better-looking and more polished product. Featuring speedy 60FPS gameplay, plenty of cars and customization options plus some nifty tracks and events, for a mere $7.99 you’re getting one of the best portable racers on the handheld. While all is peachy keen on the speed and accessibility front, perhaps a track editor of some sort and more control options would have made this one even better than it already is. Then again, as it is, it’s a fun and fast gem that needs no manual reading at all. Just pick up and play, pick up those power-ups and zoom your way to victory and new upgrades for your growing garage of cool little toy cars… Continue reading →