The Great Backlog Dupe Giveaway 3: You Built This City!

Posted on August 28, 2014 by geelw

That music video above is one for what some call the “worst song ever written” and while I don’t quite agree with that statement, it’s what some folks also feel about the city and/or military simulation genre. Poor jaded or inexperienced gamers, those folks are, I say. Anyway, if you happen to LOVE simulation games, city building, diplomacy and in cases of war scenarios, sharpening horse’s hooves every six turns, well, today’s giveaway is right up your alley: Two codes, Two winners this time:

The Tropico Trilogy (Tropico, Tropico 2: Pirate Cove, Tropico 3 PLUS the Absolute Power expansion) is giveaway number one. That’s THREE games where you get to take your banana republic and turn it into a tourist paradise (or tourist trap, your choice!). Bug me for a Steam code or I feed this toy boat I have to the sharks!

The second game is a lot more serious and historical: Imperium Romanum: Gold Edition, where you can get your inner Caesar on for a few weeks or longer in this massive simulation game. Same rules as before reply and get a code. Two codes, two different winners (and yeah, two different e-mail addresses).

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Belated Update: Some Evil, Some Good and How It’s All Done…

Posted on August 27, 2014 by geelw

Yeah, yeah, I’ve been behind a bit on this upcoming game from WBIE and developer Monolith Productions, but that’s because I’m confident it’s going to be a worthy Middle-earth experience no matter what it’s played on. I think I’ve said that already but it bears repeating. Respecting a developer and enjoying whatever they’re working on goes a longer way than nit-picking that work apart for not being 100% accurate to the original works. Particularly if that game does something out of the ordinary yet seems familiar at the end of the day. Pity the last-gen versions aren’t getting all the AI bells and whistles as the current (or next, if you’ve yet to update) gen new systems, but that’s the way the ball bounces. You get more power to use and you use it wisely. Hmmm… isn’t that one of the lessons Tolkien was trying to get across in his books? Well, well, well… I’m already up to speed, then.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is out September 30, 2014 for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Yeah, pre-order madness exists in the form of different “exclusive” DLC from different retailers (boo), so do what you need to do if you want that extra perk. or maybe just buy the game outright when it’s in a store and hope WBIE decides to release ALL those bonuses once a few weeks or so have passed. Or they’re available as in-game unlocks once you’ve played long enough…

The Great Backlog Dupe Giveaway 2: Your Kingdom For A Horse!

Posted on August 27, 2014 by geelw

Okay, let’s keep it short and sweet. I have TOO many duplicate Steam codes thanks to cheap bundles galore that I’ve purchased over time. I need to get rid of some so YOU get to reap the rewards and pay not a dime. Today’s code is a doozy of a game: TaleWorlds and Paradox Interactive’s Mount & Blade:

This is just the huge original game, NOT the Warband or of With Fire & Sword expansions. That said, the amount of stuff you can do with the core game is ridiculous and there’s an endless amount of replay value in this deep open-world RPG experience.

Anyway, enough babbling – first one to post gets the Steam code. Have an active Steam account and working email address please (don’t post it in your reply. I value your privacy, silly!). Good Luck!

Biohazard HD Remaster Offers Up A Great Reason To Import (For the PS3 At Least)

Posted on August 27, 2014 by geelw

Sure, you can hold out for the download-only North American release of Resident Evil HD Remaster, but I’m seeing the more hardcore fans of the long-running franchise and a few gaming friends running for the Eastern border and snapping up pre-orders for the Japanese or Asian versions of Biohazard HD Remaster instead. Why? Well, for starters, the game comes on a physical disc with a manual and as you know (or should know), PS3 games are region free, so the game should run on any console anywhere in the world. Both the Japanese and less expensive Asian version (which is for Chinese gamers and should come with an English manual or instruction sheet fold-out common to that region’s software) will have dual-language support (English and Japanese voice and text based on the console settings), so jumping back into this classic experience will be a breeze for anyone.

From what I see, that much more expensive E-Capcom Complete Edition is sold out in a few import shops, so folks who want that pack for all the goodies it contains will need to hold out and see if Capcom plans to get that out over here. Anyway, go take a gander at some comparison screenshots so you can see what you’re in for. We won’t be seeing this remaster in the US until early 2015 at the earliest, but as the import ships out this November, I have the feeling that a bunch of people will be grooving on this game before that and posting their impressions left and right in the usual spots. Will I be one of those people? Hmmm… we shall see…

Keys To Victory: Come With Me If You Want To Win…

Posted on August 26, 2014 by geelw

Hey! Don’t Be A:

Common Sense Rule #1: HAVE A VALID E-MAIL ADDRESS! I contact code and other contest winners via the info WordPress gives me (as in your email address and other IP contact info), so if I send you a reply and get back a response like THIS:

Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently:

(insert invalid email here!)

Technical details of permanent failure:
Google tried to deliver your message, but it was rejected by the server for the recipient domain (insert ISP here!).com by (insert more IP info here!).

The error that the other server returned was:
554 delivery error: dd This user doesn’t have a (insert .com account here!) (insert non-account email here!) [0] – (insert more IP info.com here!)

Um… I can’t do anything but pass your code onto someone else. Now, tonight’s giveaway ran FINE, except I posted the wrong response to the wrong person who was the third response to the post. Oops. Anyway, I sent out an email offering up another game of three from the long list of codes I have, but you see what I got in return. Hey, kids – If you want a prize, I need to know where it goes and NO ONE else needs to know your email address. Get it? Got it? GOOD. Now, go fix that stuff and I’ll see you folks tomorrow for another giveaway. I still have no clue, but I think it’ll be a simulation game of some sort (city or military), as I have a bunch of those codes here and haven’t had time to get back into the genre at all…

This has been a public service announcement. “And now you know… and knowing is half the battle!”

The Great Backlog Dupe Giveaway Begins! Get A Steam Code FREE!

Posted on August 26, 2014 by geelw

EDIT: Gyaaah. Show’s OVER, monkey’s dead! THAT was fast. Usually, I do a giveaway one the site and I get crickets chirping for at least an hour to a half day! Anyway, congrats to Matt! The rest of you? You get to come back tomorrow for another try. To keep this fair, anyone who wins can’t enter again for THIS backlog clearing business while it’s ongoing, but you can still enter any other giveaway I run here.

Okay, I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, but it’s been a bit hectic running this site all by myself (*sob!*). Any-way, you DO have an active Steam account, right? You like FREE stuff, right? Well, GOOD on both counts, pal! I’m getting rid of some of my duplicate game codes here from assorted bundles I’ve purchased and you (yes, YOU!) have the chance to claim one for yourself. I was initially going to post a bunch of codes here and let you all have at it, but that would be a DUMB idea because one person would simply grab them all and giggle all the way to a fuller games library, grrrr! So, we’ll keep it SIMPLE and just like the other giveaways I do here. Post a reply below and the game of the day is YOURS. First post gets it, if you don’t win, try again tomorrow until I run out of codes. No need to post an email address or other personal info – I can find you easier than you’d think.

So, what’s today’s game? Well, it’s TWO games, ONE code actually – the classic duo of Wizardry VI and VII:

BOOM. Excited? Well, stop bouncing up and down in your seat and grab this before someone else does! Anyway, GOOD LUCK and check back in tomorrow for another code. I’m mixing it up a bit, so even I have NO idea of what game is next on the freebie agenda!

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham: TT Games’ Next One Will Be Out Of This World…

Posted on August 26, 2014 by geelw

LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is coming to PlayStation 3/PlayStation 4/PS Vita, Xbox One/Xbox 360, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, and PC on November 11, 2014. That’s pretty much all you need to know as TT Games and WBIE have absolutely MASTERED the art of whipping out a LEGO game to mostly rave notices and delivering the goods with a family-friendly set of titles that have infinite replay value and make for instant “BUY ME!” purchases whether as gifts for oneself or a bunch of lucky kids.

Seriously, all you need are a couple of controllers and anyone can have a total blast. for the longest time, the LEGO series has been a “pick up and play” festival and with each installment, TT Games has been adding neat stuff like fully voiced characters, bigger maps to explore and loads of additional costumes, characters and plenty of hidden secrets for those willing to play until they fine everything. Oh, and here’s a word from Braniac and a few pals in case you’re showing any form of disinterest in this one:

Yeah, soooo… don’t let the Joker put the earth in his pants (ewww!)… BUY THIS GAME when it comes out and knock some sense into that ever-grinning nut-job, I say!

Hive Jump, Huh? Hmmm… Color Me Highly Interested!

Posted on August 25, 2014 by geelw

Nope, despite that idyllic GIF above (twang, twang!), Graphite Lab’s upcoming PC/Mac/Linux and Wii U (yay!) game Hive Jump isn’t about some space cowboys sittin’ around a blazing campfire strumming a gitbox and singing bean-related songs (although that might make a fun mini-game now that I think about it). In fact, this in progress Kickstarter and Steam Greenlight game is the exact opposite of low key and gassy. One to four player alien blasting action reminiscent of X-Com, a bit of Slime World, Spelunky and Contra is the name of the game here (EDIT: Hey! I thought this was called Hive Jump?!) and based on that Kickstarter video, thing certainly look pretty thrilling.

See? Now THAT’S more like it, huh?

However, with a mere 931 backers and only $27,030 pledged of their $50,000 goal and ONLY 11 days to go (Eeek!), it seems this game needs MORE people hopping on the bandwagon. Granted, I bet some of those non-pledgers own a Sony or Microsoft console and are wondering why Nintendo is getting the love and they aren’t. But hey, I love it when a developer picks the more under-appreciated console and gives it the old college try. The Wii U needs games like this to stand out, and if it does well across the board, who’s to say Sony and Microsoft won’t be calling them up and getting a few dev kits out via some speedy shipping method? As much as I’m wanting to grab this download on the Wii U next year, I’d actually LOVE to play this on the Vita just so I can take it on the road to show it off and convert a few skeptics into new fans.

I’d say there are a lot of bugs in this game (and that’s a compliment.)

Anyway, internet? Go do what you do so well (no, not THAT complain about meaningless crap in the wrong places!) and FUND THIS GAME! I’m broke after paying a few bills, so I’ll be one of those picking it up once it’s all done. It sure looks like it’ll be a total winner no matter what it appears on. Anyway, stop throwing money AT the screen, as all that does is crack you monitor. You need to do a bit more than that (or: give ’til it hurts or you get hurt) if you want to see this one live to fight another day (and perhaps on other consoles?). You go do just that – I’ll be here, awaiting your progress report!

The Bundles, The Bundles! The Mondays, The Mondays!

Posted on August 25, 2014 by geelw

Happy Monday! Here are two deals you probably shouldn’t pass up if you’re like me and need to feel terrible about having WAY too many games (ha and ha). JUST KIDDING! Actually, I like what’s in both these bundles, but I have enough of the games in both lots to not need to buy them. You’ll see that in a bit when I do some cleaning up of the backlog and duplicates get loose in the wild for anyone with a Steam account to claim. Anyway, this weeks’ IndieGala Every Monday sale above, Humble Flash Sale below. I’m buried in stuff to do today, so click on either link (or both!) to be zapped right to the sites so you can check out these deals on your own time. Which, by the way, you don’t have a lot of to get these deals!

New Raven’s Cry Trailer: Rough Seas Can’t Dampen My Desire To Give This One A Shot…

Posted on August 20, 2014 by geelw

Okay, so the sound mix is way off balance and sure, it’s not looking as stunning as other games coming out this late for last-gen systems, but I’m still going to play TopWare Interactive’s Raven’s Cry when it’s released. Veteran developer Reality Pump Studios has been working on this game for a while, so I’m curious to see the final result for a few reasons. It’s probably one of the last open world games on the PS3 and Xbox 360, it’s not another fantasy RPG, and while the pirate theme has been done to death and some consider that last Assassin’s Creed game the be-all, end-all game in this sub-genre, it’s just nice to root for the “little” guy every now and then, I say. Besides, rough edges aside, there’s something about a European-made RPG that commands attention and respect. Well, at least I think so…

Raven’s Cry lands on PC, Mac, PS3/PS4 and Xbox 360 on October 14, 2014.