E3 2013: Meanwhile, In NintendoLand…

Posted on June 6, 2013 by geelw

All Hail King Reggie! Huzzah! Verily and forsooth, Sire Reggie of Redmond hath some gilded words for his loyal subjects! Huzzah!! OK, OK… I jest (and jest a little, hee ho!). Still, I bet that every executive at Nintendo is smiling a bit broadly (or just a little bit more) now that Microsoft has thrown down it’s gauntlet and four of the fingers clattered off onto the stone flooring. Oops. Well, my own Wii U and Wii are bouncing up and down as my two busted 360’s are doing the dead face thing. My PS3 isn’t saying anything, but it’s been batting its eyelashes at me every time I turn it on. Anyway, this should be a really interesting show this year, as it seems some plans aren’t going as planned and some will do better than expected. I say skip the boring stuff, show the games and just keep us all up to date on what we’ll be paying for and how the heck much it’ll all cost.

Batman: Arkham Origins Update: The Riddler Is Back To Drive Bats Nuts…

Posted on June 1, 2013 by geelw

Hoo boy. Those darn Riddler Challenge puzzles were am optional set of very tricky timed action sequences that extended the life of the previous games for anyone up to the task, and WB Montreal isn’t forgetting about them in this next installment. You know the drill, folks. You’re doing your Darkight Detective thing and while on a rooftop or some other otherwise nondescript location, you spy a glowing green “?”, accidentally or intentionally trigger a pressure plate and need to race to hit a few other spots so you can nab something cool before it’s locked away. The first one’s a gimme, but they get harder and harder and the next thing you know, you’re up at 4am consulting an online FAQ or making one yourself. This is actually the ONLY question I had about the game, as I know it’s in mighty fine hands otherwise. Off to look at jumbo-size aspirin, as some of those later puzzles will no doubt require a few…

Gallery: Batman Arkham Origins

Posted on May 20, 2013 by geelw

This recently announced prequel to the hugely successful Arkham series looks quite nice in that CG trailer and really gorgeous screens below, but I see that some fans are concerned that no Rocksteady at the wheel means the game won’t have the same quality. I say give this one a shot, as it’s from the same WB Games Montreal team that converted Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition to the Wii U (and did a stellar job, at that) and I seriously doubt that they’ll deviate much from what made the first two games work so well.

In fact, I’ll predict a few tweaks and improvements to the formula that make Origins an equal or better game (as it should be), simply because going backwards is NOT an option at all. Anyway, BAO is set to launch Oct. 25, 2013 for PC, PS3, Wii U and Xbox 360 along with Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate for Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. Nope, I don’t have screens or video on that just yet – WB Games just sent one batarang through my window with these images and trailer for the console game, so I guess the other one will come crashing through as soon as I get the window replaced.

Oh, by the way… Deathstroke IS indeed going to be playable in the game’s Challenge Mode and fans who pre-order the game for PS3, Xbox 360 or PC version of Batman Arkham Origins will receive exclusive early access to the Deathstroke pack (sorry, Wii U owners… unless you get yours some other way that hasn’t been revealed yet).

Well, I guess it’s better than getting a strange box from the Joker with who knows what sort of surprise inside, right?

Batman: Arkham Origins Teaser: The Dark Knight Grouses…

Posted on May 16, 2013 by geelw

Man, that Bruce Wayne (er, Batman) sure is a real party-pooper, isn’t he? All that gloom and criminals are the scum of the earth stuff plus what looks like a vinegar and lemon diet make for one grumpy Darknight Detective, that’s for sure. Then again, this is ONLY the teaser for the upcoming game. The actual trailer drops on May 20, 2013… so I’m betting it’ll be even darker and grimmer. Hmmm… that man needs some cotton candy and a fancy paper hat, I think. Either that or he needs to stay in one night and maybe catch up on some old TV shows. Comedies, preferably…

Review: The Croods Prehistoric Party (DS/3DS)

Posted on April 15, 2013 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo DS/3DS

Developer: Torus Games

Publisher: D3Publisher of America

# of Players: 1 – 4

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Official Site: (3DS) (DS)

Score: C (70%)

Like the Wii and Wii U versions, The Croods Prehistoric Party is a collection of 30 mini-games that range from pretty darn fun to slightly (and temporarily) baffling. While colorful and lots of fun to play, both of the portable versions miss the golden opportunity to add any sort of multiplayer modes. In terms of design decisions on a handheld that has a number of fine multiplayer and party-themed games, this is actually a lot more baffling than that occasional mini-game you won’t get right away. As for how this is as a solo game, well, playing against the AI is at best, a bit too easy and at worst, way too easy once you find a few exploits too tempting to pass up… Continue reading →

Batman: Arkham Origins: Current Gen Still Has It Going On, It Seems…

Posted on April 9, 2013 by geelw

Hmmm… I guess it HAD to happen, but with original developer Rocksteady Games not at the helm, will WB Games Montreal just be retreading the play mechanics from Arkham City in a different version of Gotham City packed full of familiar locations and possibly during different times of the day this installment? We shall see, of course and yeah, I’m too much of an optimist to think this talented dev team (which handled the superb Wii U enhanced “port” of Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition, by the way) is going to muck things up. THAT said, let’s hope they make this a game for the ages and fix a few of the issues even the mighty Rocksteady didn’t quite nail. One positive sign is the game is being made for every current-gen HD platform available, which means we’ll not only see a PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 version, but a new Wii U game as well.

The Vita and 3DS will finally get an Arkham game with Batman Arkham Origins: Blackgate, a “2.5D” action game from Armature Studios. Hopefully, both will be as close visually to the console games as possible and not too watered down or cartoony, as that’s almost always a disappointment in terms of continuity (well, at least in my book). Oh, for those wondering WHY Origins hasn’t been announced for the PS4 and next Xbox just yet, I’m guessing here, but I allow myself to do that once in a while for fun. Perhaps the guys and gals at Rocksteady ARE doing something on those consoles you don’t need to know about just yet, hmmmmm?

I say wait and see… but don’t be too surprised if it’s a new Arkham game or this one but done entirely in house and packed with visual punch to knock a room full of drooling fanboys to the nearest space station. *POW!* Watch this space…

The Croods: Prehistoric Party Hits Nintendo Systems: It’s Time to Get Seriously Stoned!

Posted on March 19, 2013 by geelw

Hey! You thought I’d forgotten to post today, hmmm? Well, I was working on some reviews at the home office and then I went to a screening of Dreakworks’ latest CG animated flick, The Croods. It’s actually quite good and pretty hilarious with some fine performances overall. Nicholas Cage actually makes a MUCH better animated caveman in this film than he does in the last couple of movies he’s made (ha ha), the 3D is pretty cool and yep, there’s a message rolling throughout, so expect some dramatic points mixed in with all the fun.

Just in time for the film, D3Publisher of America is shipping out The Croods: Prehistoric Party for the Nintendo Wii U and Wii, as a collection of 30+ mini-games presented in a fun family board game format a la Mario Party. The 3DS and DS also get versions of this, but geared toward solo play action.

Capcom Makes With The Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Humor So You Don’t Have To…

Posted on March 18, 2013 by geelw

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! I have the funny as hell feeling that somewhere on the Internet, SOMEONE is thinking this video is for a REAL product and is very madly tapping out that 800 number, credit card at the ready. Sucker. Of course, if Capcom DID actually release swag like this and put it up on their web shop, it would sell out in about the time it takes to watch that video. Yeah, you know how those rabid fans are. A fool and his money actually NEVER get parted because he or she sits in the corner crying because that fake number didn’t dial though. A real smart dude or dudette is broke and happy because they have a crapload of too cool swag filling their shelves. That, dear reader is today’s wisdom. Now go buy something too cool for yourself… oh, a brand new Wii U and/or 3DS and copies of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for both systems would be a great start, I (and Capcom) would say…

Does He Fight Retro Man? Mega Man III Blasts onto 3DS Via Nintendo eShop

Posted on March 18, 2013 by geelw

Well, you probably don’t need this if you’ve already bought Mega Man I through V on WiiWare, but in case you only own a 3DS… well, here you go. The classic third entry in the classic franchise presented as a standalone game. it would actually be really cool to see Capcom HD the entire series up, maybe add optional 3D elements to them (to take advantage of the now seemingly underplayed 3D function of the handheld) and get it out on a retail game card, but we’ll see what happens. Hell, I’d be planning this if I were running thing over at Capcom’s Suits ‘n Sales Division (and I’d add the newer MM games PLUS Street Fighter x Mega Man to the deal), but as usual – we shall see what happens in the future when the future arrives. It’s coming up now… every second, at that. Scary, isn’t it. Tick, tick, tick….

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate: Two Ways For Four To Dispatch A Ton of Dinosaurs…

Posted on March 12, 2013 by geelw

Wii U and 3DS owners are doing the happy dance around that blazing campfire (or they’ve cut a hole in a carpet to start one) today as Capcom has finally gotten the eagerly awaited Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate into retailers. 3DS owners who bought the game from the wonderful Capcom Online Store got a pretty cool bonus system case you’ll see in that video below. I usually hate unboxing vids, but it’s been a looooong day of still fruitless waiting for UPS and not getting much done, so I’m tired and a bit cranky because I didn’t get all the posts up I needed to. Hell, at least the Post Office delivers close to the same times each day, bleh… Well, tomorrow is another day, but I’ll be playing catch-up so I can stay on my target for the month.