Bundle Stars Latest Deal Is A Challenging One, That’s For Sure…

Oh, it’s tempting and tempting indeed to snap up eight huge strategy games and two racers for a mere $2.50 (ridiculous!) in this Dynamite Bundle, but be careful here, as some of these games demand a TON of patience. While WINNING is very rewarding once you get used to the extreme difficulty in a few of these (Death to Spies: Moment of Truth and Men of War: Vietnam are notoriously brutal), you’ll still find that this isn’t a bargain pack for the casual-minded players at all. King’s Bounty: The Legend and Fantasy Wars are probably the “easiest” in terms of accessibility and fun (but they’re still tough in spots), The other historical and not so historical strategy and sim games are pretty damned daunting for novices and that only leaves the two racers as something “simple” to play (which they aren’t really).

That’s both a recommendation and a caveat in case you haven’t guessed yet. So yes, if you like it rough – this one’s for you. It’s a cheap lot that can’t be beat for sheer value and you can play all night and not wake up in an alley somewhere with your pockets turned out and all your organs intact. Well, your butt and back will be sore from passing out in your chair, but better from too much gaming than something you’d rather NOT recall, I say…

E3 2013: Lost Planet 3 – It’s the Bill and Jim Show! (Or Is it the Bill IS Jim Show?)

Well, OK… it’s not really that schizophrenic folks. It’s more like say hello to actor Bill Watterson who plays Jim Payton in Capcom’s upcoming sci-fi/action game set for an August release. It’s pretty cool to see that the man not only looks quite like the character he plays in the game, but he also did the motion capture performance for Jim as well. Oh, and by the way, he’s NOT at all related to the Calvin & Hobbes creator (just thought I’d mention that, as I know at least one person out there who’ll read this and get all “a-ha!” so that’s where he’s been!” about this post…

E3 2013: Castle of Illusion Trailer: From Genesis to a Remake Full of Revelations…

If you’re ancient enough to remember the Sega Genesis version of this classic Disney game, you’re probably pretty pleased to see it back and looking pretty amazing. In a way, it’s too bad this is going to be a digital download only release, as I could see this doing spectacular on a disc with a ton of bonus features, the original game and perhaps (as it’s a Disney property) Capcom’s upcoming DuckTales Remastered just to get people slipping in puddles of drool as they ran to their nearest game shop to pick up their copies. I know I’d run over a pack of old ladies with puppies if they were in my way. OK, I’d more likely leap over them or run around them than stomp on a few bunions. Those old ladies can be pretty spry and those swinging canes and yapping dogs kind of hurt when swung at one’s head a few too many times…

Review: Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara

DnD_CoM_Key_Art (Custom) Platform: PC (also on PSN/XBLA/Nintendo eShop)

Developer: Iron Galaxy Studios/Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

# of Players: 1 – 4

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Get it HERE!

Score: A- (90%)

It’s really too bad developer Iron Galaxy didn’t make its version of Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara compatible with Windows XP simply because I’d bet a dollar that people still using that older OS would get a hell of a lot more of a kick from this pair of classic Capcom arcade hit than a chunk of more current OS users filling up the Steam forums with all sorts of complaints about everything from the visuals not being worthy of the system requirements to the game not working properly on certain systems or supporting any other peripheral except an official Xbox 360 controller. Us non-picky oldsters who prefer XP because 90+ percent of the games we run ARE old news to you big-riggers out there (long live gog.com!) would be all over this game like white on rice (or brown on rice is you’re into that variety) and even though we only make up less than 8% of Steam users (according to Steam), that’s almost a potential 8% more people buying and possibly NOT bitching about the graphics and having to use one controller type that works perfectly as soon as it’s plugged in. But I digress…

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Review: Remember Me

Remember_Me_Logo_white_bg

2D Boxshot Wizard v1.1Platform: Xbox 360/PC (also on PS3)

Developer: Dontnod Entertainment

Publisher: Capcom

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: B+ (85%)

A stylish and thrilling combination of cinematic elements and action featuring a memorable new character, Remember Me is a grand example of the “shut up and play it!” game. You can be on the sort of clueless “Well, my friend says he heard it’s not like so and so…” side of the fence, or you can step right up, slap your money down and enjoy a well made, always entertaining and somewhat innovative thriller that, while borrowing elements from a few sources, ends up feeling original and refreshing on a few fronts. This is a game that, if you’re in the mood for a good story (save for a slight stumble near the finale) delivers on that promise pretty well. While it may not seem sequel-friendly, the overall experience makes you want to see a second game that features a lot more of the richly detailed 2084 Neo-Paris developer Dontnod Entertainment has created.

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E3 2013: Saint’s Row IV Trailer: Bigger Means More What The ****?! For Your Gaming Buck

THQ may have gone down in flames last year, but Deep Silver’s acquisition of Volition and their popular Saint’s Row franchise means fans of the increasingly outrageous series have a new game on the way this year that’s even more completely bonkers that the last installment. Don’t take this Hollywood-style trailer too seriously (well, it’s a bit hard to anyway, given the F-Bomb gets dropped twice in it and is seen once onscreen as a character’s nickname), as the open world gameplay, newly super-powered characters and sci-fi elements are only adding to the mayhem the franchise is known for. THAT said, I hope this adding of fantasy elements to the mix means that Volition will FI-NALLY try their hand at making another game in the Summoner series. The first was flawed but interesting and the second was better overall (and had a female lead and some intriguing party members and plot twists), so it would be cool to see something coming on a new console that takes elements from the previous titles and adds a new chapter to things. Hey, that’s what I’d be thinking of as a follow-up, but we’ll probably get a Saint’s Row V instead…

Lost Planet 3 Multiplayer: One Way to Keep Cool This August…

And here you go – another piece of the Lost Planet 3 puzzle (multiplayer!) plus a peek at the Best Buy exclusive Assault Pack if you’re one of those folks that goes the pre-order route. The new experience based unlocking system has been done on other shooters, but I think it’ll be nice to see how those LP fans who aren’t wasting time whining about the developer and Capcom doing or not doing this or that without having laid a pinky on a controller take to the game when it launches. I think it will do fine among those who want to see it succeed and will play and enjoy it based on what it gets right as opposed to picking it apart because it’s not the same as the first two installments. Granted, those folks are the ones who still can’t seem to understand this is a p-r-e-q-u-e-l, but I guess they’ll also be the ones missing out on things in a few months…

Batman Arkham Origins TV Spot #1: Good (And Slightly Unbalanced) Guys Wear Black…

I’d say by now that the older 60’s era campy Batman is no longer the “ideal” version of the character (and hey, I’m old enough to have been around for that original series), so it’s good to see the darker Dark Knight get so fully embraced by the bulk of the fans out there. OK, mostly embraced, as I know there are some REALLY stubborn die-hards who refuse to submit to “gritty” being the new black for their favorite hero. Granted, there IS that exclusive Adam West skin for the PS3 version that’s going to be fun to dink around with (although, I’d also want DLC that adds a ton of those campy full screen sound effects for the combat and you KNOW you want those as well), but I’m going to stick to the cranky newer guy I’m more used to these days. Sometimes, nostalgia needs to have a seat in that comfy chair with its feet up and sleep for a bit in front of whatever old stuff it used to watch on TV…

Wolfenstein: The New Order Update: Meet Torvenius!

No, it’s not the name of a villain from the upcoming game, silly rabbits. It’s Axel Torvenius, one of the artists at Machine Games. His Speedpaint skills are pretty awesome, I have to say. Of course, I need to actually get around to doing more art myself, so it’s cool to get inspired by assorted people in a few places… OK, back to work before I start getting distracted by too much other stuff…

GOG.com’s Summer Sale Is ON: FREE Torchlight For All! More Games @ HUGE Discounts!


 
OK, this is just great (plus tax, which still makes this deal FREE, by the way). Scoot on over to gog.com and check out their Summer Sale for up to 85% (!) off select DRM-free games and a FREE digital copy of Runic’s awesomely addictive dungeon crawler, Torchlight waiting for your hot little hands to snap it up. Torchlight is a Diablo-style hack & slash RPG with a lovely cartoon style (it sort of looks like a mildly angry Disney cartoon), additively simple gameplay, and loads of loot to collect. Sure, it’s a solo-only focus, but the game has a way of hooking you in and keeping you occupied that’s hard to explain. Poke around the internet for some mods that add levels, items, new character skins and more to the experience and you end up with a game that’s bigger than it seems. Even if you don’t buy anything else, a free game any day of the week is a fantastic deal, I say. Act fast, though – Torchlight goes back to being a paid product on June 20. Oh, look at that… the room cleared out faster than if a gassy cow exploded in a corner… people just love those deals!

Amusingly enough, I’d get this…but I have three copies of Torchlight here already. er, no… FOUR (2 physical discs, one on each computer here). Yes, I do love my Torchlight. It’s like a digital blanket of demons and loot… ahhhh…