VGA 101: New Additions (One Joker, One Ace)…

Posted on January 3, 2013 by geelw

Stop! Blurry photo time! OK, I really couldn’t pass up Golden Sun: Dark Dawn brand new for five bucks (I guess the game didn’t sell all that well, huh?), so that’s another RPG for my Nintendo DS, which needs to be replaced as it’s finally on its last legs, er hinge. The right side hinge had a tiny crack in it for a while and that crack developed into a split and eventually, a chunk came out of the hinge which led to the piece of plastic inside falling out a few days ago. Rats. It’s a good thing that top screen is connected in the left side. Yeah, I’m a TOTAL cheapskate, kids. I don’t toss anything aside that still works, making me a spokesperson for console longevity over yearly replacements (one reason I’ll never own another Apple product).

As for The Simple 2000 Vol. 32: The Sensha, this PS2 import as also inexpensive and has a bunch of tanks in it. Woo hoo. I happen to like tank-based games (well, tanks in general are kinda cute, but don’t tell anyone I said that), so it was a no-brainer purchase. Granted, if I liked GOOD tank games I’d not have bought this one at all, but it has a few redeeming points that make it worth playing through. It’s a bit sparse visually and it’s definitely NOT an arcade game along the lines of TANK! TANK! TANK!, but it’s a nice counterpoint conversation piece. I’d still prefer someone do whip up a new version of the Dreamcast sleeper Panzer Front (still one of the more impressive console simulations I’ve played), but the chances of that are pretty much zero these days…

I’m Doing A Bit of Doomsday Prepping of My Own… EDF Style!

Posted on January 2, 2013 by geelw

So, Earth Defense Force 2017 Portable is coming out in a few days (1/8/2013) and I’ve been doing a bit of preparing over the last few weeks by playing a few import and US games either developed by Sandlot or similar to games they’ve worked on. Yeah, yeah, I already reviewed the import version of the game, but I think the US build fixes a few minor things and I really don’t mind playing a game that fun again (in English this time). Especially if it’s an EDF game. Do you think I have a problem here or something? I don’t think I do. Hell, thanks to too much time playing these games, I’m long cured of any fear of insects, that’s for damn sure.

Anyway, onto the library items below the jump!

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Predictions 2013: “I Want My Life Back!” Will Be the New Black…

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I have the feeling that for some folks, this will be the year they want to be a lot less social, at least in terms of their online lives. Why, you ask? Well, given that every week we find out that (duh) everything we do is seen and pored over in detail by people we probably wouldn’t want in our homes or anywhere close to them and some of those sites we’re so enamored of are full of security holes big enough to float a battleship though. Add in the no-fault ever changeable terms of service that get people raging when they fund out they’re suddenly part of a corporation’s ad campaign and a few other stupid things straight out of a bad sci-fi novel and yup, I can see some deciding basta es basta when it comes to an online presence they no longer have complete control of… Continue reading →

The Cave Character Trailers: Adventure Gaming Never Died. You Just Weren’t Paying Attention…

Posted on January 2, 2013 by geelw

Sega of America’s got the great good fortune to have the publishing rights to Double Fine Studios and Ron Gilbert’s upcoming download only multiplatform adventure game which just so happens to be pretty unique on a few fronts. The genre itself has been kicked around as “dead”, “dying”, and other not so positive things, but the actual truth is it never really went away thanks to a combination of older gamers still playing the classics, new players discovering them again thanks to sites like gog.com (they’re having a GREAT sale on tons of stuff that ends in about 24 hours, by the way) and plenty of indie games popping up on just about every platform with a screen these days. The whimsical art style here is only the tip of the iceberg, however – The Cave looks to change things up with multiple playable characters with their own motivations for stepping into the titular location for a bit of survival-based spelunking. It’s also a Double Fine game, so you WILL laugh a lot, replay it a few times and think some deep thoughts as you’re doing that laughing and replaying, guaranteed.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters: When Hollywood Says “You Kids Need Better Books!”

Posted on January 1, 2013 by geelw

Am I the only one whose eyeballs roll way back in his head when these ads or trailers run for these films that mangle the hell out of the classics? Sometimes I wonder who keeps forcing all this stuff upon those gullible types who snap up opening day tickets as if they’re going to see something as memorable as the source material. Bleh.

Of course, I’ll be a totally contradictory nutcase here and say I’d make a “Brothers Grimm: Screenplay Slashers” film with the ghosts of the Bros. stalking and getting rid of studio pests using methods from their many stories. Hmmm.. then again, that’s too close to the Dr. Phibes remakes I’ve been HOPING Tim Burton would get around to doing already. Eh, whatever – I’ll probably catch this flick on cable a few months after it tanks in theaters. If I’m lucky, it’ll be back to back with that Abe Lincoln: Vampire Killer film so I can kill two birds with one stone (and wish for that time back afterwards)…

Texas Chainsaw 3D: Nope, Screaming Won’t Help At All…

Posted on December 30, 2012 by geelw

Hey, maybe… just MAYBE, this will actually be good. But I’m an old, old cranky guy about stuff like this, so I doubt it. The fact that they reference the 1974 original in the trailer and TV spot is a bit irksome to an old fart like me because I know that it’s rare that a horror flick gets a well done remake or sequel. Not impossible, mind you – just rare. All (lousy) puns intended there, by the way. Still, I’ll give this a look without the 3D gimmickry at all once it’s cable bound. Hey kids! A good horror film is maybe 90% mood anyway (or more if it’s made before the late 50’s) and this one seems to be doing a wee bit too much plot jiggering and trying to tie in exactly to Tobe Hooper’s classic (still a fairly relentless viewing experience that’s a lot less bloody than you’d think if you’ve never seen it before). Well, good, bad or otherwise forgettable, if you DO get scared during this reboot… “just keep saying to yourself: It’s only a MOVIE, It’s only a MOVIE, It’s only a MOVIE…”

VGA 101: The Music of Soul Sacrifice: No Moms Complained About The Noise From Downstairs…

Posted on December 30, 2012 by geelw

Ha! And I bet you thought most video game music was done up by some bespectacled guy in his mother’s basement with a bunch of old Casio keyboards and a beat up old multi-track recorder picked up at a yard sale. OK, even if you didn’t, it’s just nice to see how some game music not composed in someones’ (mom’s) basement gets done up for certain higher profile projects. Respect! Anyway, Soul Sacrifice isn’t out until March 13, 2013, but I have my eyeball on it (I’d have TWO eyeballs on it, but I need one in my head to see what I’m putting into my mouth) and it likes what it sees so far. That music sounds nicely appropriate as well, so I’m betting I won’t be disappointed in the gameplay. As always (repeat after me, class), we shall see…

VGA 101: Dennou Taisen DroneZ – Another Grail For the Library (Hopefully Holy, Not Hellish)…

Posted on December 29, 2012 by geelw

Like the almost amazing Dinosaur Hunting, another Metro 3D published Xbox game that was supposed to get a US launch (simply titled DroneZ here), Zetha GameZ’ Dennou Taisen DroneZ is a game I’ve been in search of for a while now. There’s a PC version that pops up on eBay every so often, but I’ve never been able to find a complete one – just disc only in a sleeve or generic case. The good thing about finally having this import is I don’t need to worry about PC installation hassles or patches. My old debug Xbox is a little wonky these days, but still plays everything I toss at it just fine. I’ll get to trying this one out in the next week or so and maybe post some impressions.

I know the PC and Xbox versions didn’t get great reviews, but that’s part of the fun of exploring these not so ancient “gems”. Sometimes there are surprises under the ashes and sometimes you end up saying (to quote Jeff Goldblum from Jurassic Park) “that is one big pile of $#!t…”. Then again, if this another Muzzle Flash, Conspiracy: Weapons of Mass Destruction or one of the other Penny Dreadful imports I’ve picked up and been majorly disappointed with, well… that’s life, I suppose. Well, I do like my crappy games like the special children they are, on the other hand. So this just may be a cool little classic in that particular corner of the collection.

With Some “True” Stories, There’s Always a Hitch…

Posted on December 28, 2012 by geelw

I finally sat down to catch HBO’s “The Girl” and sat through it twice because I didn’t like it the first time and wanted to be sure it was the film and not me. A second viewing didn’t change much, but it really had nothing much to do with what the director or actors did “wrong” at all. Sure, I knew of Hitchcock’s blonde ambitions and particularly peculiar proclivities from books and magazines I’d read, so that didn’t bother me one bit. I think it’s the general shorthand of the biopic or more precisely, those “based on (or worse, “inspired by”) a true story” films that condense certain elements of a person’s life to easily digestible cookies baked up from a Cliff Notes recipe that leaves the barest aroma of truth and the aftertaste of too many artificial ingredients and cooks in the kitchen…

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I Want Candy: When Language Adds Even More Taste…

Posted on December 27, 2012 by geelw

So, there’s a box of Brazilian chocolates here from a holiday gift basket and even if they happen to be the worst chocolates in the world (I’m betting they’re not at all), the language barrier makes me want to try them all out. Hell, who wouldn’t want to eat a peanut butter Surreal before bedtime with the hope of having a Dali-esque dream? Maybe a Seranata de Amor in the morning for you and your sweetie to perk up things before breakfast (if you know what I mean). A Mundy on a Monday makes it less mundane and if you’re in a situation when someone ever asks “What Coco?”… well, whip an It Coco at them and you’re their new best friend (well, until you run out of candy).

Of course, some of the names are harder to sell, with Torrone maybe being too macho a name for a dainty chocolate (it sounds like a movie action hero) and Amendoim having a name reminiscent of a prescription drug (“side effects may include passing out on the couch from overeating…”). Finally, Milk and Mel reminds me of a sitcom that gets canceled after three episodes because no one gets it, but that’s usually because it’s too sophisticated for an audience used to less complex flavors. Update: well, I haven’t tasted anything yet (I think that big slice of cake and cup of coffee earlier is keeping me from temptation), but there was a whole box of Serenata Mix in the bottom of the endless basket. Cocoa coma, here I come… well, perhaps later after I’ve had a long nap.