BUY!: The Elder Scrolls Anthology Out Now, Dishonored GOTY Coming in October

TES_anthology front (Custom)As noted in my earlier post, Bethsoft is making sure you KNOW The Elder Scrolls series is a force to be reckoned with (or they at least want you to stay home a LOT more that you normally do). Their awesome $79.99 box set, The Elder Scrolls Anthology stormed into retail on the 10th (here in North America, $89.99 in Canada, European territories this Friday for €59.99 / £49.99 / $89.99 AUD) and YES, you need to buy this just for the hundreds of hours of adventuring plus the chance to make some of your own content if you so desire.

There’s a ton of stuff in that box to discover, so make this one your big gift to that favorite RPG fan (or for yourself if you want to become one).

In other Bethsoft news, October 8 marks the release date of Dishonored: Game of the Year Edition (whee!), which means I need to pick this one up as well:

Dishonored GOTY

As for what’s in THIS box, well, read on (below the jump!):

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General Chaos Is Coming Back via Kickstarter (That’s Major News For Some!)

GCII_art I can recall the first time I played General Chaos on the Sega Genesis and not liking it because it was so different than the strategy games I was used to playing. Of course, that wacky art style and hilarious action-packed gamplay changed my mind quickly, as it took maybe a half hour of play before I was hooked, so I’ve been a big fan ever since. While I’m not sure of how many units it sold, I do know that the game has garnered a particularly loyal fan base then that’s been hoping for a sequel or remake for over 20 years. Well, thanks to Brian Colin and Game Refuge (the same folks behind the original), General Chaos II: Sons of Chaos is now a Kickstarter project you should look into funding. It’s a LOT cheaper than a real war and hell, you’ll both get some laughs to boot.

GC_GCII_comparisonsI’m liking the upgraded art style here quite a lot and it looks as if that trademark humor is intact. The only thing I can say I’d like to see more of is destructible environments, as who wouldn’t want to take out that guy in the wooden watchtower by taking the tower down with him? Yeah, I thought so. Anyway, the funding on this has 25 days to go and is still pretty low considering the goal is a mere $125,000. I guess more people need to study up on their game history. Hmmm… maybe the team at Game Refuge can do something about that like get the original game out on different platforms at some point down the road (with improved controls, of course). That old classic would make a fine game on PSN, Nintendo’s eShop and XBLA that’s for sure and I’m certain an iOS and Android version could be done. On the other hand, I want them to get the funding for this sequel taken care of so we CAN see the original get done up for today’s systems. So, give ’til it hurts (it won’t hurt for long) and prepare for battle as only a General Chaos game can deliver!

GOG.com Gets A Harlan Ellison Classic (Finally)…

Well, well, well… I haven’t played I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream in about 15 years, but it’s definitely one of those games that sticks in the corners of your brain long after it’s been explored. Based on Harlan Ellison’s 1968 Hugo Award-winning story, this is an adventure game geared for adults that’s pretty unsettling and requires quite a bit of brainpower to make it through some of the trickier bits. Ellison himself appears in the game as the voice of AM, a not so benevolent supercomputer (OK, more like a slightly too malevolent supercomputer) that decided to put the last few remaining humans through the wringer in more ways than one. Best of all, gog.com has it now for a mere $5.99 and yes indeed, you sure look as if you need to be scared half to death this weekend.

Look at the bright side, though… at least you’ll be safe at home when you’re freaked out of your skin…

Shantae Is BACK… As A Kickstarter Project Well Worth Funding!

Shantae_Half-Genie Hero KS

After a pretty crappy early part of the day… now I actually feel like dancing around the room (but I’m in the library today and that’s not a really good idea). Anyway, WayForward Technologies is indeed working on a new Shantae game for anything that can play it (consoles and PC are the main targets) and YES, you should drop a few bucks to fund it for the stretch goals to make it even better. Here’s a peek at the pitch:

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is the name of the game and it’s already set for a release on a few platforms (it’s already confirmed for Wii U, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Windows PC via Steam), but WayForward wants to make the game even bigger and is offering up some awesome bonuses as well as cool stretch goals if they fly way over their target. You know the drill: You have a month to pledge (well, 29 days and counting down) and this one’s worth your time to check out just because you’re a fan of the company’s work or you’ve never played a cute as hell platformer with a genie (or half-genie) before and Shantae’s shimmy has you intrigued.

I used to work in a game shop years back and I actually passed up the chance to buy a copy of the original Shantae, which was a DUMB move on my part as that old Game Boy Color title fetches a few hundred bucks thanks to a low production run (and the fact that the game is really fantastic). I’ve missed out on the sequels thanks to them being digital only (boo!), but I’m backing this new game because it’s coming out on a few platforms I can actually get it for (I’ll probably get a Wii U version just to use that GamePad more than I currently do). Anyway, I’m off to that screening I noted in the above post – go make WayForward happier and pledge towards this instant classic, I say…

Shantae Kickstarter

Lost Planet 3 “Ask Jim” Q & A: Here’s Your Bill!

Mr. Watterson takes questions from some fans in character as Lost Planet 3‘s Jim Peyton and you get to listen in and maybe learn a thing or three. I’m about midway through the game (I’m taking my time as scouring every nook and cranny) and having a blast so far. Although I’m writing up a review myself, I’d have to say straight up that LP3 is one of those interesting game experiences where you just need to play it and experience the story as opposed to reading impressions and making up your mind based on those alone. OK, shutting up now and getting back to the game – back in a bit with an update… it’s a stupidly busy week here!

And If You DID Work Today, Black Curtain Studio Says, “Boo!”

But not “Boo, you had to work today!”… it’s more like “Boo! You’d better NOT be working late, silly rabbit!” Yeah, as I noted with their first game One Late Night, these guys sure know how to make you dread office work. Well, guess what? They’re working on a follow up that, based on this teaser, will make you want to call in sick for about a month until your boss does something about that creepy space you have to slog to five days a week (and sometimes more… with NO overtime to boot! Bastard!). Anyway, go check out the original game (which has since gotten a Developer’s Cut version) and keep an eye and ear peeled (eww) for this new one when it finally gets a release date. Now, go get some sleep – your holiday is done and it’s back to the grind tomorrow (and those pissed off ghosts are waiting to jump you at the coffee machine…)

Bugbear Wants Their Next Car Game to Be Your New Car Game…

… even after you’ve gone and smashed that car into scrap metal. That’s right, folks – check out that video above and if you’re felling all warm and fuzzy inside about what you see, you know what to do. Get in on that pre-order action over at the official site, and bring along a few friends while you’re at it as hey, if you want to smash into someone with that virtual ride, it may as well be someone you know, correct? Oh, and “Next Car Game” is a tentative title – you can’t get more generic than that, so let’s hope Bugbear is saving up that title reveal and makes it a great one.

Incoming: Lost Planet 3 Arrives (It’s Winter In August!)

LP3rcCool. As I was strolling home yesterday right past his truck, the UPS guy beckons me over to sign for a package I wasn’t expecting. It’s good that all the delivery guys know me around here, as I sometimes get stopped in the street or waved over from across the street if they’re working that side of the block.

Anyway, I’ve got some homework to do, it seems. I did play for about two hours yesterday and the game is quite good (definitely Spark Unlimited’s best game to date) with a few quirks (that Unreal tech is showing its age, but the characters and environments are lovely to look at). I’ll dive back in after I take care of that late dinner I started cooking a little while ago – the pot has stopped rattling, so I’ll assume that means that clawed thing I had to shove in with a baseball bat and the long tongs must be done by now…

Back in a bit…

Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate Is “Under New Management” (So Watch Your Step!)

In other words, the inmates have taken over the asylum and yes, Bats needs to do some darknight detecting and with due diligence at that or he’s not getting out in one piece. This 3DS/2DS and Vita game (set to launch with the console and PC versions on October 25, 2013) brings things down to size in “2.5D” form, but manages to look pretty cool and should feel like a classic side-scroller with a nice Arkham twist. Sure, you can get cranky and say the Vita game should be closer to the PS3 version, but here’s a case where I’ll defer to the dev team over at Armature because they’ve done a really good job with the visuals on both handhelds.

BIFF! POW! Scribblenauts Unmasked Gets a Cool Digital Comic Bonus

Scribblenauts Store Front Cover FinalScribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comic Adventure is shaping up to be a weird little game indeed in a good way, with Maxwell meeting the DC Universe and playing hero with his heroes against some classic villains. The Wii U, 3DS/2DS and PC exclusive should be in stores and online September 24, 2013 and for a limited time, will come with a free digital comic, Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure – “A Battle Most Bizarre.”

Here, I have to get clippy with the press release below the jump (and there are some new screens to ogle as well), as stupid me forgot my power brick for the laptop and my time is bleeding away by the second (eek!)…

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