Capcom Arcade Cabinet: Next Stop, 1986!

Posted on March 19, 2013 by geelw

Capcom continues crawling through the classics in their rather large arcade games library and yes, a few of the more snarky elements in the emulator crowd who’ve never paid a dime for anything they play are still wondering why. Too bad for them, I say. Anyway, for those folks not trolling for ROMs who want to get Capcom a little extra money for these updated HD conversions, three more gems from the past are all ready to play over PSN and XBLA on Capcom Arcade Cabinet. This week’s lineup includes Legendary Wings, Trojan and Side Arms Hyper Dyne, all extremely cool and vastly replayable.

BioShock Infinite TV Spot (Long Version): A Good Week Is Many Miles Away… Look Up!

Posted on March 18, 2013 by geelw

March 26 is what, a week away and 2K Games is finally getting the bigger, more splashy ads for this out in full force. As usual with a game so long awaited and important, I’m not going to go poking around for quickly written reviews or the opinions of friends who blow through this in a day at all. I’m thinking this is yet another one of those deeper than it looks games that deserves a full play on my own time and not some speedy rush through just to make a deadline. I’m gathering Ken Levine and Irrational Games would prefer people take the time to “relax” when they’re not being shot at or otherwise maimed in the game world and check out as much of Columbia as they can survive, as I can see the potential for Easter Eggs galore that take a bit of Sky Hook action, some deft shooting skills or other fun, challenging navigation and/or gameplay to reach. As usual, we shall see, folks… we shall see…

KILLER IS DEAD: Xseed Teases Voices You’ll Hear in Your Head Down the Road…

Posted on March 18, 2013 by geelw

Ha- Xseed Games is really just showing off here, now that they’ve got a nice voice cast lined up for Suda 51 and Grasshopper Manufacture’s upcoming PS3/Xbox 360 action game, KILLER IS DEAD. Despite all the stylized blood spraying all over, I’m betting the farm this is one more love story from Suda, just like the last few games he’s made. As I’ve said previously, the man is a romantic at heart with a really bizarre sense of humor and a love for putting whatever is in his head into the games he cooks up. That’s fine by me, as playing a Grasshopper game is like going to the world’s most innnnnnnteresting amusement park that just so happens to have the strangest arcade you’ll ever step inside. Which is a very good thing indeed, by the way…

The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct Launch Trailer: Hopefully, Reality Isn’t Terminal for This One…

Posted on March 18, 2013 by geelw

Hmmm. Usually, I get wind of a review copy at some point before a game ships out, but Activision’s PR has been quiet thus far. I probably should be worried, but I’m not (well… not too much). I actually read some silly post on YouTube that siad because the game was retailing for $49.99 ($10 less than a triple-A title), it was a bad sign. Duh… what? That’s just DUMB, period. Lesson of the day: Price is in NO way an indication of a game’s quality and if you think spending MORE money means you get better entertainment value for that extra cash, you need your head examined (by an actual zombie). That and hell, Telltale Games, 2K Sports, and a few busloads of indie developers out there who get out budget-priced (or free games, in the case of some great indies) just might want to tap you on the shoulder at the same time and make you fall over like Fred Flintstone’s car with a tray of bronto ribs placed on the side. Yeesh.

Anyway, I guess I’ll wait around and see what’s up with the reviews, but I have the feeling this one is headed for the collection here at some point once there’s a decent price drop. Hey, no matter what the critics say, pretty much any game with zombies in it is fun, warts and all…

Making of Defiance (7): Amanda & Kenya (And The Places They’ll Take You)…

Posted on March 16, 2013 by geelw

Fans of Showtime’s Dexter and a few other shows she’s been in will recognize Julie Benz from her great work and it looks as if the streak will continue in Defiance. The upcoming syfy series launches eleven days after the PC/PS3/Xbox 360 game tie-in hits, so there will hopefully be enough people playing or hearing about the game to generate a wave of interest in the series. The big fat elephant in the room is quality, but so far, the show and game seem to have it in spades. As always, we shall see… but I say give this one a chance for a season and see where it takes you.

BioShock Infinite: Some Questions Answered And Mysteries Solved For Your Curiosity…

Posted on March 16, 2013 by geelw

Will BioShock Infinite be as well-received as the original? Will we see so many ads for the game that 2K Games breaks some sort of record for spending on a single title? Will Ken Levine ever give a boring interview? All signs point to “yes” or “no”, as my crystal ball is busted and I’ve been called a False Shepard before. Eh, whatever – I’ll be playing this at some point and know I’m going to enjoy it no matter what the jaded flies on the wall say. As for ken and interviews, well… THIS one at BAFTA certainly isn’t dull at all:

Anyway, March 26 is rolling up REALLY quickly and I’m betting a few people call in dead from work just to spend some quality time buried in the story, characters and gameplay Irrational has cooked up…

Saint’s Row IV Trailer: Volition and Deep Silver Make Sure It’s More of What You Want…

Posted on March 15, 2013 by geelw

Mmmmhmmm? OK. That’s sorted out, isn’t it? I certainly think so. Well then, if there were ANY doubts that Deep Silver’s purchase of Volition was going to mean a different direction for the fan favorite franchise, well… here’s proof that the more things change, the crazier they get at the end of the day. More outrageous and DEFINITELY not for the kiddies open world action, goofball weapons, super powers (!) and too much weirdness guaranteed to make any fan fall off the couch and bust a gut twice. OK, let’s move on now that we know all is well. Now, about Summoner III (which NEEDS to be made, grrrr. Letting that go unsold at the THQ auction was a huge mistake that needs to be rectified, I say…)

GRID 2 WSR (Part 1): Driving Near-Miss Daze-y…

Posted on March 15, 2013 by geelw

Ha and har. OK, bad pun (that I changed because I was a wee bit pooped out when I write this post originally) aside, Codemasters is on point with GRID 2 so far and despite the screeches and crunching from fans demanding a dashboard view or else, it looks as if the game should do fine without it. Granted, there are some powerful PC’s that can run other games out there with full dashboard cams going a a billion frames per second or whatever, but I guess we’ll see what the Codies can do on next-gen console hardware to satisfy those folks who want that in-car viewpoint. I think it can be done and having the option is always cool even if it’s never used by the bulk of casual to regular race fans that dislike it. As always… we shall see…

Gallery: Rambo Screenshots – I’ve No Beef With Reef (Just Yet)…

Posted on March 15, 2013 by geelw

UK-based Reef Entertainment along with developer Teyron are hard at work on their upcoming PC/PS3/Xbox 360 Rambo game and it looks pretty good as far (well, as those nice screenshots go). That initial trailer with zero actual gameplay footage was a good enough elevator pitch to some fans, but skeptical dopes like me want to see something to Actual Bravo about.

Still, I won’t be playing this as a “serious” game, as other than First Blood and that last super-gory flick (that made some interesting political points on the pro-rebel side of the Myanmar/Burma conflict), the series isn’t exactly without its unintentionally goofy-ass elements. Of course, I’m also throwing any expectations out the nearest window like I do with every game I play, as going in wanting something LIKE another game and getting what a developer intends to be different always disappoints in one way or another. That May 3, 2013 release dater I’ve seen is rolling around pretty fast, so let’s hope for the sake of the license that the game is actually fun and does well at retail.

The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct: A Bit of Behind the Scenes With Merle & Daryl…

Posted on March 15, 2013 by geelw

No, today isn’t National Zombie Day or anything like that, folks. I just go scooting through my inbox as stuff rolls in and post the fun stuff. Today just so happens to have a LOT of undead in games news. Must be a Friday thing or something… Anyway, here’s a new look at Terminal Reality’s upcoming shooter set in The Walking Dead world. I like the gritty look of the game and some of that visceral action you’d expect from an undead-rekilling game. In a weird way, this one reminds me of BrainBox’ interesting but flawed Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler’s Green, a FPS that had a few problems, but was actually pretty damn scary and compelling once you got past its weak points. We’ll see what’s what with Merle and Daryl’s gory adventure soon enough when The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct ships out for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U and PC March 19, 2013.