GRID 2: Only A Few More Days to Hit The Road…

I just saw a TV commercial for GRID 2 and it caught me off guard because I was changing channels when I passed it and quickly flipped back to see the rest. The game certainly looks beautiful (even more so once you have a controller in your hot little hands, as I can attest from my two hands-on experiences), it’s fast as hell and Codemasters is introducing some fine innovations to the racing genre that should keep this one a hot item for some time.

I’m actually kicking myself because I’d traded my copy of the first game to a friend for two other racers and I actually miss it. Well, it looks as if I’ll have this sequel to drool over and keep, as I’ll be hanging onto this until I see everything it has to offer. Hmm… I’m out of coffee, too. I think I’ll need to grab some before this hits stores, as I don’t think I’ll be leaving the house for a while…

DESTINY “The Law of the Jungle” Trailer: Bungie’s Jumping Into This Action/MMO Both Feet First…

Well, all in is all good and well if you’re a Bungie fan and yes indeed, this live action and CG trailer looks absolutely gorgeous. However, my only caveat is this is exactly the type of game I’m not interested in as it has no offline single player mode and seems to be a fancier version of a AAA shooter and MMO hybrid. Yes, it will sell incredibly well, but I’m more concerned about longevity and what happens when people burn through content too quickly or grow tired of this sci-fi shooter sub-genre. Granted, it’s going to be a few years before that happens, but I’m glad as hell I don’t have to be the one putting all my eggs into one basket and dropping it into a pack of internet wolves hoping it’ll keep them happy. I’ll keep an eyeball on this one anyway, as anything Bungie does seems to turn out really interesting when all is said and done…

Defiance 106: “Brothers In Arms” Preview: Doc Yewll Only Makes House Calls on Monday Nights…

Of all the characters on the syfy show to get a rabid fan base, Trenna Keating’s humorously irascible Doc Yewll seems to be one of the breakout stars of the show thanks to her non-stop cranky attitude and fact that she gets some of the funniest lines on the show that work thansk to her sarcastic delivery. Well, it looks as if we’ll get to see more of the Doc in next week’s show, so keep that popcorn warm… er, or just buy some fresh popcorn. Doc says you can choke on the old stale stuff and she won’t treat you unless you pay up first…

GRID 2 “WSR 3” Video: Drift & Shout…

And now, a bit of slipping and sliding through the Asian courses on GRID 2 for your soon to be driving like a maniac pleasure. Five years of hard work is coming to a close and it looks as if Codemasters will have a new legion of race fans when the launches at the end of the month onto PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Of course, some of the griefers whining endlessly about the cockpit view not being in tagging along and actually liking the game for the sense of speed and solid visuals would be some extra icing on the cake, but at this point, the dev team probably could care less what the non-stop complainers are complaining about. As usual, we shall see and I’m betting some clever hacker will knock out a patch for the PC version at some point that adds a viewpoint some prefer (even if it makes the game perform a bit worse)…

Defiance 1:4 Recap/1:5 Preview: Renewal Means More Life Ahead For Many…

The great news is syfy has renewed Defiance for a second season, so that means the ratings are decent enough that we’ll get more of this fancy futuristic western and hopefully more airtime for certain characters. The tie-in action/shooter MMORPG also seems to be doing well as its user base has hit the million mark and seems to be growing after some of the usual online gaming issues that plague new releases. Thanks to the rather deep back story to the show (and game) world and the assorted races, there’s a lot of unexplored territory that should keep this train rolling for as long as content can be created. Of course, all this depends on the show keeping those ratings as high as possible and the game getting rid of a few bugs that still keep it from perfection.

Given the dedication to both products from all working on them, it’s a no-brainer (to me, at least) that things can only get better in the future (even if the future is a pretty busted up planet we’re going to live on)…

GRID 2: LiveRoutes & A Trip to Miami (A Really Fast Trip, At That)…

Codemasters is set to shake the racing game scene up with the addition of LiveRoutes in GRID 2, set for a May 28, 2013 US launch on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. LiveRoutes alter selected courses in the game each time you play, offering up six different routes when these tracks are revisited. This should keep some expert as well as novice players from blowing through familiar courses and should make for some interesting live events in online play.

As for Miami… welcome and hey! You just got to see a gameplay video of someone driving faster there than you can do in real life thanks to all the traffic they’ve got down there. Aren’t you the lucky one! Well, unless you get carsick watching all these videos I’ve been posting… oops.

Defiance Recap 103: Oops, I Missed A Spot!

I also just realized that after each episode of Defiance, there’s a brief recap deal called “Shooting the Shtako” that goes over a few bits with someone from the cast and one of the producer types. OK, OK, I’m still more used to seeing these sorts of things after the show on the same damn screen I watched it on, not online or via a tablet or Dick Tracy watch or whatever. Hey, I like my old-fashioned ways. The keep me out of trouble and with more cash to blow on food instead of new tech every three months or so. Then again, if I were some big deal celebrity writer type, a snap of the fingers and a quick phone call or email would probably have me drowing in a sea of second, third and fourth screens. But I like my privacy a lot more than I do being chased down the street by rabid fans, sooo…

Eh, whatever – once the show makes it to home video at some point, all these features will be clogging up a few discs, that’s for sure…

Defiance 1:4 “A Well Respected Man” Teaser: Adrenaline Junkies Need Apply…

Ah, the drug episode. I figured the writers would need to get that out of the way at some point. Amusingly enough, it’s an idea that I think they lifted lightly from the awful sci-fi action flick I COME IN PEACE, so I’m hoping to see a better job done as well as a reference that makes me crack up. Well, no CD’s cutting off heads, as that would be TOO obvious. Anyway, onward! So far, I’m liking this first season of Defiance and its little surprises, so my Mondays are now temporarily a tiny bit less dull. That’s a bit of an in-joke, as they’re always busy, but it’s good to have something to watch while working. of course, if I’m trying to write while watching a show I like, I only end up getting anything done if that show has commercials (oops). Well, I’d never thought I’d say “thank goodness foe syfy!”, but there you go… and that’s probably the ONLY time you’ll hear that from me. Well, given that we’re NOT actually having this conversation, you DIDN’T hear it from me at all…

Call of Duty: Ghosts Teaser: For A Minute There, I Was Expecting A Trip Back In Time…

Another year of life in the 21st century means a new Call of Duty game rolling up onto store shelves and digital shops soon (and raking in a nice chunk of change for Activision), but for a hot and exciting few seconds there I ALMOST thought this one was going to be set in the past with all sorts of weapons swinging and throwing warriors throughout history. Welp (as the kids say), no such luck (this time)… but the super hardcore CoD fans will all be gleefully dancing in the streets and dodging bullets with blood in their eye soon enough. I may pass on this one, as I’m FPS’ed out lately, but I think I’ll hold out for Call of Duty: Caveman just so I can see where all this war stuff got started in the first place…

GRID 2 Uncovered: Paris, Here We Come (Plus A Few More Gameplay Modes)…

Hey there! Go pull up a seat (without a steering wheel attached, please) or stretch out on the couch and check out these two new GRID 2 videos from Codemasters. Before you ask, NO you can’t stop the car during the race you’re part of in that beautifully rendered Paris street course to go get a croque-monsieur and café au lait. You’d lose the race before your coffee was even poured and hell, probably throw up in the car later because it’s not a good idea to go 150 MPH right after that lunch you just had. No madelines, either… and nope, no smoking in the car while I’m trying to drive (there’s no ashtray, silly!), so toss that pack of Gauloises into the crowd on the next turn, grrr… Man, I can take you anywhere anymore! Hmph – this car needs an ejection seat, methinks…