Pier Solar & The Great Architects HD Trailer: The Return of Watermelon’s Modern Retro JRPG

Posted on August 7, 2014 by geelw

I only own ONE copy of Pier Solar at the moment (one of the reissues with the Sega CD/CD soundtrack bonus), but that’s about to change soon when the fully revamped HD version of game FINALLY makes it to PC (for a few operating systems), Sega Dreamcast (!), PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Wii U (yes!) at some point this year. Or is it next year? It’s hard to say, but I’m sure it’ll be well worth the long wait in the end. The visuals certainly benefit from the transition, the new cut scenes also look great and yes, I’m betting the game is still as tough as it was when it was initially released. Anyway, the fine folks at Watermelon are to be commended for getting this new and shiny version out on pretty much anything that can play it as it needs to be played (on a large screen, of course). Nothing more to say here other than let the waiting begin!

Collection Update: One WARP Mystery Solved, One Begun!

Posted on August 6, 2014 by geelw

Well, now. I knew about the kooky Flopon World on the 3DO for years, but have never seen a copy until a few weeks back when someone pointed to one up for sale on eBay. I let it sit there for a while watching it and hoping the cover would scare the more prudish collectors who might have wanted it off (how you explain two near-naked dudes on the cover of a match-3 variant puzzle game is all up to you, folks!) and I guess it worked. I made an offer and grabbed this for less than I thought I’d be able to. One down and what I thought was the LAST game I needed in my WARP collection (well, except for that legendary Enemy Zero limited edition that I’ve NEVER seen an image of) other than whatever other demos the company produced for the Japanese 3DO magazine than what I have here.

I guess I was wrong, as a few days later I see Flopon P!, a PlayStation game not listed as part of WARP’s output on GameFaqs… which has the WRONG cover image for Flopon World, by the way. I have NO idea what game is pictured other than to say it’s on the Flopon World disc as one of at least four games, so perhaps it’s a demo disc I’ve never seen? Anyway, the PlayStation game was published by Asmik in 1995 and the serial number SLPS 00032 just may mean that not counting demo discs, it was the 32nd PlayStation game released in Japan. But I think that numbering system went off the rails at some point. While it doesn’t have the WARP logo on the package or in the manual (and I don’t have the spine card to check if it’s there), both WARP and Asmik have copyright info on the game and the late, great Kenji Eno’s name is in the manual’s credits page. Hmmmmm… perhaps this was a co-production and thus not an “official” WARP game? I need to find this out, as it’ll make those who collect the few games made by this defunct company run out and track this one down. I think this one only cost me about six dollars, so that’s a steal and a nice addition to the library.

DEVO Lives (Not That They Ever Went Away), Thanks To MVD Visual & Pledgemusic.com!

Posted on August 5, 2014 by geelw

So, less than a week after I get a copy of the excellent new DVD from MVD visual DEVO: Men Who Make The Music/Butch Devo & The Sundance Gig (review incoming later this week, but here’s a sneak peek: BUY IT), Clint from MVD shoots over this super crowdfunding project from the band and pledgemusic.com: DEVO Hardcore Live!, a CD/DVD/Blu-Ray/Vinyl LP live concert recorded this June 28 at the Fox theater in Oakland, California.

You won’t be seeing this disc or LP at that local Walmart or other chain retail outlet, as it’s ONLY going to be available as a crowdfunded consumer item and the campaign is well on its way to making its target based on the response to date.

If your ears are buzzing and you’re interested, well, spuds… you know what to do. Hell, at LEAST grab the DVD of this, as that teaser trailer makes this show look pretty awesome.

Resident Evil Makes A Return In 2015 For “Old” & New Consoles, PC

Posted on August 5, 2014 by geelw

One of the MOST requested (if not THE most requested) Capcom games fans have wanted to see remade for HD consoles has been the original Resident Evil and it looks as if those rabid folk are getting their wish granted and in a big way. Well, provided you own a PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One or a decent gaming PC. Capcom is set to release a beefed-up HD version of the 2002 GameCube remake of the 1996 original as a digital-only purchase.

That particular version improved the visuals and added many changes to the old game and is considered by some (and me, of course) to be the definitive version of the classic survival horror/action game. Featuring traditional or direct control schemes, 1080p support on next-gen consoles (PS4, Xbox One and of course, PC) and all the content from the 2002 game intact, this could be the definitive remake that also introduces new fans to the long-running series.

Unfortunately, there’s no word of a Wii U version, which is unusual given the 2002 game was made for a Nintendo console. Of course, the Wii U’s sales and Capcom perhaps realizing that they’d probably spend more money on that version than they’d make back means chances are slim we’ll see this on Nintendo’s latest console. It could also be the download size issue and the cost of getting this onto a disc release (and selling a set amount of physical copies) also mucking things up a bit.

That’s show business, kids – but Wii U and Wii U game sales need a nice jump upwards so publishers see the system is worth getting games like this on automatically. Granted, the console IS indeed getting a bunch of excellent titles this year and next… but this doesn’t look like it will be one of them unless something magical happens and it arrives (with some nice GamePad enhancements in tow).

As always, we shall see… we shall see. For now however, this one’s going to be played by plenty of people who didn’t buy a Game Cube but have always wanted to get their paws on a controller and experience Evil in a whole new way.

Funko’s Universal Pop! Horror Collection Wants To Creep Into Your Home…

Posted on August 2, 2014 by geelw

Well, aren’t these all TOO cute? Funko’s upcoming Universal Monsters Pop! Vinyl figures will be popping up at your favorite comic shops and online retailers in September and yep, I’m betting you’ll want them ALL in your collection. Of course, you don’t want to pair certain ones up because of the mayhem that will happen, so be sure to keep Frankenstein’s Monster away from the Bride of, The Wolfman, AND Dracula (the latter two would get along to a point, but barely). I’d gather The Mummy wants to be alone, but he’ll try and put the moves on any lady he’s near, so you want to also separate him from that Bride as well as The Phantom (because they’ll both go after her).

Finally, you just KNOW that Metaluna Mutant and The Creature From the Black Lagoon would be all up in each others’ faces (until they get distracted by The Bride, who won’t want anyone to touch her). Hmmmm… may I suggest they all get separate storage if you do snap up the entire set? Hey, I’m just looking out for you guys and gals – I kind of need every reader I can get these days!

Funko Does A Double Giveaway Today: Hikari Turtle and Guardians of the Galaxy Figures Up For Grabs!

Posted on August 1, 2014 by geelw

Holy Swag, Batman! Oops, wrong comics company, but you’ll forgive my transgression if you happen to enter this awesome Funko contest and win ALL THIS STUFF:

Technically, this contest isn’t “free” to enter, as you need to have a ticket to see Guardians of the Galaxy in order to enter:

HOW TO ENTER
Post a picture with your Guardians of the Galaxy movie ticket and tag us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
@OriginalFunko
Use the caption “I want to win the Guardians of the Galaxy Prize Pack from @OriginalFunko! #FunkoGuardians”

The giveaway starts NOW and runs through Friday 8/8 at 12am PST!
Good luck!

But wait, there’s more… Continue reading →

New Shadowgate Trailer: What’s New Is Old (And Great)…

Posted on August 1, 2014 by geelw

I really should be dreading this upcoming Shadowgate reboot a lot more, but I’m just too pleased to see this ancient fantasy adventure game make a comeback. My dread SHOULD come from the knowledge that developer Zojoi Games is making this one like the original: intentionally hard and with intent to punish players who don’t pay careful attention to the decisions they make. The again, you can be the smartest stick in the shed and have your character still die a horrific death because Shadowgate is no pic-a-nic zone at all. Nearly every beautifully illustrated screen has something to interact with in nine different ways, but you might expire quite horribly if for example you HIT someone you shouldn’t have, EAT an item that’s not that edible under any circumstances or even TALK to something that wants to put the bite on your soon to be deceased hero. But hey, life (even in a game like this) is all about taking chances, so if you’re a PC/Mac/iOS or Android gamer looking for adventure, you should hop onto this train and perhaps even pre-order the game. It’s officially out on August 21, 2014 – I’ve been avoiding buying in early and playing the beta because I prefer to go in cold and see if I can remember all the tricks and traps from the NES version and see if I can survive more than three or four screens worth of them.

TCM Remembers James Garner All Day Today…

Posted on July 28, 2014 by geelw

Ach! I was up way too late this morning watching TCM and as I was fading away into sleep-land, I saw that today the channel was paying homage to James Garner. Oops. Well, I’d be camped out at home watching all of these films if I didn’t need to get some work done, but I think I’ll be back around 8-ish and ready to reminisce for a bit.

Here’s what’s on the menu this Monday:

Toward the Unknown
Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend
Grand Prix
Cash McCall
The Wheeler Dealers
Darby’s Rangers
Mister Buddwing
The Thrill of It All
The Americanization of Emily
The Children’s Hour
Victor/Victoria
Marlowe

Humble Humongous Monday Bundle Deal For The Kids In All of Us!

Posted on July 28, 2014 by geelw

Anyone remember Humongous Entertainment and their classic kid’s point & click adventure games? I sure do, and I was way too ancient to be playing most of these when they came out (but that didn’t stop me!). Anyway, this week’s Humble Bundle deal is a cool 24-hour ONLY Flash sale that’s family-friendly and FUN times guaranteed for all. Pay what you want for Putt-Putt Joins the Parade and Freddi Fish and The Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds, or beat the average price of $12.72 for four more games (Putt Putt Goes to the Moon, Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It’s Dark Outside, Freddi Fish 2: The Case of the Haunted Schoolhouse and Spy Fox in “Dry Cereal”). However, for the BEST deal, drop and give Humble twenty (bucks) and get 28 FULL Humongous games! That’s EVERY Putt-Putt, Pajama Sam, Freddi Fish and Spy Fox game from the company, people! How can you pass THAT up? Nope, you don’t have to have kids at all, but I bet these fun and funny adventures will make you feel young at heart! Anyway, the clock is ticking… so grab this deal if you’re grinning away!

SDCC 2014: IDW Gets All Nostalgic & Modern On You With A Slew of New Titles

Posted on July 26, 2014 by geelw

As you can see, IDW is certainly going all out with these new titles set to arrive in 2014 and 2015. I’m not a huge a fan of these sorts of comics as I used to be, but the title Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: Primate Directive made me laugh for a bit longer than expected, so I’ll have to peek at a few issues when it launches. That Edward Scissorhands book has my attention for the art style, as I’m a fan of the film, so again, I’ll be checking out a few issues over time. I was probably the only person my age who wasn’t terminally obsessed with the Garbage Pail Kids, so I’m a bit ambivalent about this new book. That said, I know fans of those old trading cards are grinning like mad at this announcement.

Angry Birds Transformers? Eek. Yeah, yeah… both are hugely popular franchises, but I’m of the mind that time-eating games like AB should stay in that realm and not cross streams with other media (although the multiple millions made in AB merchandising outside games proves me incorrect). Finally, Orphan Black seems like a fine enough choice for a comic series, but I’d prefer to see the show as the show and not need to dive into other media unless it’s going places the show hasn’t by exploring side stories for each of the clones. Of course, that would mean I’d need to buy some issues or a collection at some point down the road. In other words, I guess IDW will be seeing some of my money at some point in the not too distant future…