Well, I guess Universal Studios and Legendary Pictures couldn’t wait after all. Or they very wisely figured out that at 9am PST or Noon Eastern time, people would either be on the way to grandma’s, sticking their heads in ovens to take out turkeys and pies or whatever, or passed out cold on a sofa from that big breakfast they’ve eaten before the bigger feast coming that would put them in a deeper temporary coma. Anyway, this first Jurassic World trailer hits all the proper notes. Which means I need to make fun of it in my own inimitable manner…
Oh… kay. Now, I was hoping Jurassic World was a joke, but nope. Looks like this one is a go, is getting done up as a big blockbuster and looks to rake in the big bucks when it’s released. Hmmmm. Given the law of diminishing returns hit the franchise hard the last time, I’m one of those with an arched eyebrow ready and set to stay arched. Yeah, yeah, it’s got super-hot hunk Chris Pratt in it and sure, CG technology has improved by light years so those damn digital dinos will look spectacular. But CG tends to be so obvious and all-consuming in these blockbusters that I’m betting now jaded audiences aren’t going to be as wowed as they were back in the day. Which wasn’t so long ago, mind you. Anyway, I can hold out for the cable premiere at this point, as nothing I’m seeing is floating my boat. Of course, that could change in the not too distant future. Well, Thursday is the day the longer official trailer gets released, so that’s the first… er, second chance the folks behind this get to grab my interest. I suppose I should be more excited about this one, but it’s a big “meh!” for me at this stage of the game.
Well, those five creative guys from Germany (no, not Kraftwerk!) are in the game kitchen cooking up what looks like another awesome game. Yes, Black Pants Game Studio (Tiny & Big in Grandpa’s Leftovers) is hard at work making their new game, On Rusty Trails (Guy Elvis in His Search for a Comfy Place to Stay), which has nothing to do with Jack Kerouac (maybe) and everything to do with fine and dandy platforming and comic art come to life in game for. And stuff.
Oh, and you play as a guy named Elvis. Not the Elvis, mind you, as a lot of people share that name. Or perhaps it IS Elvis in a triangular metal machine suit? I didn’t bother to ask, so Black Pants isn’t telling. That would be absurd, mind you, but hey – I didn’t ask, remember? Anyway, as you can more than clearly see here, the art style is once again amazing and although this one’s a “2D” style platformer, the team’s quirky style seeps in here and makes this one more than worth a look.
Oh, wait – you want screenshots? Okay, here you go. Get ready to study them up close and personal-like, as they’re fairly MASSIVE once clicked on:
Currently in early alpha stage and set for a release sometime in 2015, here’s what to expect in the final version (plus more on the way, I’m betting):
Features Slip into the Shifty Suit™! Wear these arcane but fine threads to change your appearance whenever there‘s a need to fit in. Avoid confrontation and do not leave your comfort zone!
Still Stepping on the Floor? Get your feet on the walls! Why, even on the ceiling! And then: Go walk there!
A Tale Told in Finest Comic Art. Stimulate your eyes and brains with a story about the loss of a low-rent flat, complicated misunderstandings and a looming war.
Saucy Soundtrack Guarantee! Another great selection of handpicked indie bands to discover!
A true Black Pants Studio experience!
How about some more screenshots? You did look kinda starved there…:
Well, that’s it for now for this gallery, but I’m expecting more from Black Pants soon. Or later. Or whenever they provide updates. This one looks like it’ll be a ton of fun once it’s all done. Hey, that rhymes! Okay, let me stop here before something else falls out of my head. Good games make me giddy.
Okay,I’ll admit to being a bit late to the Rainbow Moon party, but ever since I picked it up for my Vita earlier this year, it’s been one of those games I’ve been playing quite a lot of when I get the chance. SideQuest Studios made quite a fun and challenging strategy RPG that, despite some flaws was and is worth picking up (whether or not it goes on sale). Anyway, the developer is going to be releasing a indirect sequel called Rainbow Skies set in a different world with three different protagonists to play as (so far). I like that there are some nice visual improvements over the last game (which was already great-looking, by the way), although it would have been nice to see the grid-based combat in action here. Well, I guess that’s what future new trailers are for, right? Anyway, Rainbow Skies is coming to the PlayStation 3 and Vita (so far) at some point (soon?). Keep and eye peeled on this one, especially if you’re a big RPG fan who wants a game with plenty of teeth that wants to test you at every turn…
No wonder I woke up feeling weird and nostalgic this morning with a slight headache and a hankering for strong coffee and a slice of pie. It won’t be until 2016 (and hopefully, we all won’t be dead from ebola or nuclear bombs dropped willy-nilly across the landscape), but David Lynch is back on TV and in complete control of his baby. From the press release (read it while I do slow-dwarf dance around the room for a bit):
The groundbreaking television phenomenon, Golden Globe® and Peabody Award-winner TWIN PEAKS will return as a new limited series on SHOWTIME in 2016. Series creators and executive producers David Lynch and Mark Frost will write and produce all nine episodes of the limited series, and Lynch will direct every episode. Set in the present day, TWIN PEAKS will continue the lore of the original series, providing long-awaited answers and a satisfying conclusion for the series’ passionate fan base.
So, yeah. That’s erasing any crappiness that a Monday usually brings around. Yeah, now… about the earth still being here? Well. we’ll work on that. Showtime, you just take care of paying all involved and keeping Lynch happy in his work. I know a certain game director who just had a nice Xbox One exclusive hit is probably a very happy man. Actually, I’d LOVE to see Swery meet Lynch and perhaps collaborate on a project, but let’s get these nine episodes of the new TP out of the way first…
Now that a possible few million people have been scared half to death or so from that P.T. demo which has since been revealed as a teaser for the latest Silent Hill game, I’d say Konami, Hideo Kojima and Guillermo Del Toro have got the attention of horror fans as well as curious folks who just so happened to be handed a controller just to see what happens.
Naturally, the reaction videos here are priceless, but Konami proves it’s not sexist at all because below you get to see a bunch of guys and gals at this year’s Gamescom nearly peeing themselves while trying to play that demo. Yeah, I wasn’t there, but I did play it at a friend’s place and yup, it gets pretty effective at times. Of course, part of the scare factor is the looping around the same map that changes so randomly I’ve yet to hear of two people having the exact same experience.
With all that looping around, crazy changes to the area and yes, those incredibly realistic visuals that play with your fears (if you hate cockroaches, darkness, messed up ghostly faces filling your screen and a few other things, break out the adult diapers), it’s clear that Sony and Konami have got a pile of money coming their way once this game is released… Continue reading →
Okay, we’re finally seeing a FF on console that looks exactly like those spectacular CG opening and story movies the series in known for, but man, what a cast of heroes this time out. What the what? Seriously. As great as this in-progress game looks, I really have no interest in playing as a too-long car (it looks like a Mercedes hearse convertible) full of big-haired bar band rejects. It’s not Social Distortion, it’s Antisocial Ripple in the Pond! Okay, it was a lot funnier when it popped into my head as I was typing. On paper, it’s a bust. *Le Sigh*…
Hey, I love Tetsuya Nomura’s art and character designs (most of the time), but I dunno about this cast. Of course, it’s probably Square/Enix’ response to those FF X-2 games with its all female cast of heroines (and nope, I didn’t like those games much). Maybe I’ve finally outgrown this franchise after all, as I missed the XIII entirely, had no interest in any of the online only games and just grew weary of poking around message boards only to find people still whining about no official FFVII remake, FF games that only got a Japanese release not coming out here and other rolling over the keyboard nonsense that’s kept me away from most game boards for quite some time.
Eh, we’ll see, as usual. I remember when a new FF game was a system seller to some people. I’m not sure this newest one will be as big a mover in this more jaded age of gamers spending too much time gabbing about what they hate and less time actually playing stuff. But I may be wrong…
At this point, I think anyone who’s committed to seeing Jupiter Ascending is in on this one like a free breakfast buffet at the Waldorf. Meanwhile, on the internet… it’s the usual online yappers and their complaints about everything from the casting to too much makeup on the characters. Good thing it’s a sci-fi flick and not a documentary, right? Anyway, this one has me curious despite some genre staples rearing their heads and a seemingly simple plot that from the trailers doesn’t seem all that complex. I’m gathering the Wachowskis have a few aces up their sleeves (as usual) and I’d bet a few of those griping may actually come around and be pleasantly surprised (or unpleasantly surprised) once all is said and done. It’s hard to say how the film will do once it’s released, but I don’t pay attention to box office anyway anymore. Popularity never really means a “good” film at all in my book. It’s more a barometer of what certain audiences automatically sheep out to see during those first two or three big weeks. Sometimes the smarter and stranger flicks don’t draw in crowds at all or at least until an audience sifts through (or pays no attention to) the reviews and finds them. As usual, we shall see what the future holds once it actually arrives…
Ah, I see the internet is speaking up again with disapproval about another big budget film project by the Wachowskis, this time, it’s Jupiter Ascending, the siblings’ high-concept but somewhat familiar sci-fi action/adventure set for a February 2015 release. Granted, I’ve been on the “what the hell is THIS?” tip on a few of their post-Matrix projects, but repeated viewings have made me appreciate Speed Racer and Cloud Atlas more than I did when I first saw them.
At this stage of the game, I say let them have at it, as their films wrap up more creativity and visual punch than some that swipe from their earlier work. Granted, The Matrix trilogy was clearly inspired by lots of anime and manga plus a few Hong Kong action flicks and other things. But for American and other audiences that never encountered these influences, it was a breath of fresh air (for the most part). I’d gather both the Wachowskis as well as Warner Bros. have predicted this new normal of over-criticism based on trailers and clips (which is nothing new at all except the speed of people tearing things apart has grown exponentially faster thanks to social media), but these days it’s like EVERY movie is seen as Heaven’s Gate was initially, and everyone with access to a computer of some sort and an internet connection thinks they’re a great film critic or historian in training.
Well, I suppose ignoring the usual suspects is the best revenge, as you can only fight with so many fools before you grow tired of what you do and head for the nearest bar. Or nearest window in some extreme cases. Noli nothi permittere te terere. is all I have to say (and I hope to hell I got that right)…
While I still despise facebook with a passion (yeah, yeah, I have an account there, but it’s more for work purposes that anything else), sometimes something unsolicited pops up on my page that’s actually worth a second look. Benoît Prézeau and the game he’s working on, Realms, Swords & Magic both got my attention because the man is either really talented or a mad genius or both. He’s making a text-driven role-playing game that plays out like a choose your own adventure book, but with what’s looking like a great deal more depth. All of this is still VERY early, but the opening text from the game’s web site got my brain percolating:
Realms, Swords & Magic is a text and illustrations based CRPG for Windows with a story spanning an entire lifetime and gameplay more focused on character interactions, than combat.
Yeah, that sounds pretty cool, folks. Go poke around Prézeau’s site and see what he’s up to, won’t you? He’s planning to do some sort of crowdfunding, and I say he SHOULD be supported, as a good story is better than some damn potato salad any day of the week, grrrr!
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 