Star Trek: The Video Game: Making of (4): That’s A REALLY Big Canon You’ve Got There…

Posted on April 21, 2013 by geelw

Hey, now… by law I’m allowed one absolutely horrific pun on a Sunday… and I don’t think that title counts, either. Anyway, developer Digital Extremes is doing it up right here, as this game actually takes place between the last Star Trek film and the upcoming sequel, Star Trek: Into Darkness. This more than makes perfect sense, as too many licensed games try to expand their stories after a film or worse, try to add elements into a film that don’t quite work out continuity-wise. As for how it all plays, let’s see what happens in a few days when the game hits stores on April 23, 2013. As long as the AI in solo play is solid, this one should be one Trek fans should be snapping up as soon as it teleports into stores.

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: Cheers, Too!

Posted on April 20, 2013 by geelw

Welcome! It’s another Saturday night in Greenvale and yep, that pic above shows it’s slow once more at the Swery 65 Bar. Generally, the joint is jumpin’ as the Fats Waller song goes, but the recent Red Seeds Killer case has made the place turn into a tomb after a certain hour. While it’s bad for business from a tourist perspective, it’s great for the small town’s core drinkers who end up spending more money on slow nights getting their drink on and welcoming anyone who strolls in with a free beer or shot. If it weren’t for the bodies piling up, you’d almost want o show up at the bar every night, like on that old TV show with the catchy theme song that went something like this:

Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
And they’re always glad you came;
You want to be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same;
You want to be where everybody knows your name.

(“Cheers” lyric: © Gary Portnoy/Judy Hart Angelo)

Of course, I’d imagine that any sitcom set in Greenvale would have a grimmer opening theme or even odder, something particularly amusing in tone, as despite the axe-wielding killer stalking the woods, the sleepy town has a cool style all its own that keeps it going…

You’ll get to check this out for yourself soon enough when Rising Star Games’ Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut hits retail on April 30, 2013. Featuring over 100 improvements from the original version, updated HD visuals, PlayStation Move and 3D TV support, DLC and more, once you step inside this strange new world, you won’t ever want to leave. Well, except to get some real food, a beer or two and maybe use your own bathroom. The Swery 65 makes a good enough stop for a virtual drink and maybe some darts and pool, but those digital nachos aren’t the freshest thing on that limited menu…

I’d say those cheesy nachos are the sole thing wrong with the bar, as owner (and Game Director) Swery 65 runs a tight ship. The last time around, he didn’t expect so much traffic, so ther were a few bugs and other issues that had the user ratings all over the map as some people didn’t appreciate the quirky atmosphere and dated decor. Taking all that into account, he’s cleaned up the joint quite a bit and while it looks a lot better with all that extra polish, he made sure to keep just enough of the old flavor that fans of that nostalgia will be coming back and really liking that they see and taste.

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Ransom Screenshot of the Day: Roughing It, York Style!

Posted on April 19, 2013 by geelw

Did you know that when it’s not being terrorized by an axe-wielding killer, Greenvale is actually a really nice place? It’s so peaceful and the climate is so perfect (well, when it not pouring rain, that is), you can actually live in the woods without a tent. Of course, being a thorough guy, FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York!) decided to put that to the test and as you can see, he’s kind of overdone the whole camping thing. Sure, the week-old beard works, but that suit and furniture? Hmmm… all the comforts of home don’t necessarily work in some settings, but you can’t keep a good investigator from finding out just what hos limitations are in all sorts of elements. If you ever run into York while you’re in Greenville, make sure to buy him a cup of coffee and ask all about that time he went up to the mountains in the winter a few years ago. Yup, he wore that suit and had even MORE furniture with him (including a working fireplace!). Hey, he’s a survivor at the end of the day, so let him do it the way he wants to, I say…

If you’ve been reading these (hopefully entertaining) posts from the last few weeks you know by now that you’ll soon get to meet Special Agent York and his weird ways soon enough when Rising Star Games’ PS3 exclusive Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut lands in a game shop or other retailer near you (that sells video games, of course) on April 30, 2013. Featuring updates HD visuals, PlayStation Move and 3D TV support, over 100 improvements over the original game, new DLC that extends the adventure and MORE, you’ll be putting up with more of York’s quirks than you can stand and love every moment. You’ll absolutely have to, mind you… or that Red Seeds case file will remain open forever. And we don’t want that to happen at all, correct? I thought so!

Given that the game as gone gold today (meaning it’s been sent off to be pressed and packed so it can appear in stores on time), I bet Game Director Swery 65 is celebrating today a bit more than usual. Of course, he and his team at Access Games deserve whatever celebrating they’re doing and then some, as they’ve created a better version of a game that made so many people swing back and forth trying to decide if they were crazy for liking such a bizarre experience. Open minds are the best ones to work with, I say… well, provided it’s not some glowing eyed guy in a yucky red coat swinging an axe doing that opening. That would be a bad thing for this game’s sales as well as the poor folks getting their tops popped…

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Goes Gold, Pre-order Bonuses Split Personalities…

Posted on April 19, 2013 by geelw

It’s almost here, folks… Now you have to make a BIG choice here if you pre-order this upcoming PS3 exclusive – do you get yourself a tactical advantage with that Field-Ops Suit Pack DLC from Amazon OR are you going to energize your game with the Espresso Suit Pack DLC from GameStop? Decisions, decisions… enough to make you a bit schizophrenic, I’d say. I usually dislike DLC like this from different retailers, as it’s an annoying ploy to make you miss something and/or choose sides as if this loyalty to a particular retailer was a good thing.

That said, it’ll be interesting to see which DLC wins out here and if possible, if ALL who buy the game will have the chance to get both packs and that bonus DLC noted below down the road as free or paid content through PSN. That’s the most fair way to go, I say – especially with the cult following this game has and some players wanting everything that can get out of it including these two outfits.

New Features for Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut:

New Scenario – Surprising new scenario from the game’s director, Hidetaka “Swery” Suehiro that will please new and hardcore fans alike
HD graphics – complete graphic overhaul with new HD textures
Improved Controls – reworked control system and mappable controls allow for an even better combat experience
Downloadable content – Expand the mystery beyond the original game and let Agent York (and Zach) live it up in Greenvale – *PROFILING START*

Star Trek: The Video Game – Making of (3): Voice Acting Is Not About Good Looks…

Posted on April 18, 2013 by geelw

OK, OK, so Chris Pine isn’t exactly Bummy McBumenstein with that 45 o’clock shadow he’s got stuck to his face, but this video shows that you can completely be in character and NOT need to dress the part nor call in the makeup team. The upcoming game is getting star power with what looking like quality work from some core cast members as well as music from the film. Oddly enough, this wasn’t show at Namco Bandai’s recent press event, but I’m not worried at all, as the bulk of games shown (save for some indie downlables and the fun surprise that was Young Justice Legacy) there were from Japanese developers. In any event, Star Trek hits stores on April 23, 2013 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. I’ll be diving in solo, as I’m a lonely guy with no friends (waah!), but I guess I can take a trip to a friend’s to see how the co-op plays…

Lost Planet 3 Pre-Order Bonuses: Triple Threat, But You Can Only Choose ONE…

Posted on April 9, 2013 by geelw

I’m not a fan at all of this pesky practice of slicing pre-order bonuses up to different goodies unless the content advertised shows up at some point for EVERY player who has ANY copy of the game in question and wants those goodies unlocked through playing normally. This isn’t Capcom’s “fault” entirely, as the big three shops here all want YOUR pre-order, so how better to do so than to tempt you into a three-way that’s impossible (hey, just like real life!). Ugh.

Well, hopefully Lost Planet 3 will sell well enough to warrant a Game of the Year edition so everyone who wants this DLC can get it. Of course, you can definitely complete the game without ANY of this content – it’s just a pain to see two versions (or three if you don’t use Steam, PSN or Xbox Live) of bonus gear that’s inaccessible unless one has a decent connection and the proper accounts set up.

And by the way, the game’s release date has dipped into August, as I just noticed way at the bottom of the press release Capcom sent along (eek). According to that last line, Lost Planet 3 arrives on August 27 in North America and August 30 in Europe for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. That’s actually a good thing on this end, as it will give me more time to complete a few epics I’m playing or haven’t fired up just yet…

The Last of Us “Wasteland Beautiful” Behind the Scenes: Art Class Is In Session…

Posted on April 9, 2013 by geelw

A quick lesson in art direction and how Naughty Dog created the destroyed but stunningly gorgeous game world from their upcoming PS3 exclusive, set to hit retail and PSN on June 14, 2013. As I’ve said previously, Sony’s not leaving this generation with a bunch of shovelware to remember the system by, so fans should be more than pleased the the console is still getting a number of key releases at least for the rest of this year and possibly into 2014.

The Last of Us: American Dreams #1 (Another Dark Horse From Dark Horse Comics)

Posted on April 3, 2013 by geelw

TLOS_AD_Cover Dark Horse Comics gets its tie-in mini-series rolling into stores and if the first issue is any indication, the remaining three issues should be essential reading before the game hits retail in North America on June 14, 2013. Co-writer and artist Faith Erin Hicks has a style that’s very Harvey Kurtzman influenced (always a good thing) with a touch of David Mazzucchelli (another good thing) and there’s a nicely gritty feel to her brushwork that’s a great counterpoint to the video game’s hyper-realistic graphics.

The Last of Us art director and lead writer Neil Druckmann is also on the case, co-writing with Hicks a nicely paced tale that’s got some intriguing characters whose fates aren’t all clear nor tied into the upcoming game experience. Verdict: absolutely check this out if you’re a PS3 owner and comics fan looking forward to Naughty Dog’s survival adventure game – it’s out now at a comics shop near you.

The Last of Us Redband Trailer: Now With 100% More “Ewww, I Get It…”

Posted on April 1, 2013 by geelw

I’ve always found the concept of the Redband (or Red Band) trailer a bit stupid when all is said and done. YES, I understand that this stuff isn’t for the wee bairns, lest their dainty eyelash hairs catch fire from the heinous evil that they see, but hell. I mean, you can easily see this stuff on YouTube and so can little kids who can search for violent stuff like this, but whatever. For some reason, the ESRB keeps an iron fist on this type of content despite broadcast TV being much MORE violent. Oh – click on that pic of the Survival Edition to see the video. I don’t want the ESRB to come by and break my legs…

Speeeeeaking of breaking legs… (this just in!): As for ACTUAL violence and nasty gore NO one should see, er… how about some nice and gory NCAA basketball action, hmmm? I didn’t see that shocking video, but I certainly couldn’t get away from people talking about it all damn day. Double hmmmm. Maybe that sort of thing, nasty as it is, should go into the next EA Sports hoops game, so fans of that sport know it’s not all slick tattoos, hottie cheerleaders and fatty signing bonuses that net you an automatic sneaker contract that turns you into a multimillionaire a blown knee or worse away from no career before you’re 30 or so. Anyway, Naughty Dog’s new masterpiece, The Last of Us, which has NOTHING to do with sports or real violence hits retail on June 14, 2013. Get it and be prepared to hole up for a while.

EDF 4 3rd Trailer: It Just Got “Classier” In A Big Guy In A Metal Suit Kind of Way…

Posted on April 1, 2013 by geelw

Earth-Defense-Force-2025_2013_03-28-13_043 Holy Cats. That, friends, is the new FENCER class in action here and if this video is any indication, Earth Defense Force fans worldwide will be in for a real treat using this new class. Three more screenshots of this beefy guy are below and below the jump is a big gallery of the fun pre-order DLC bonuses Japanese gamers will get from a few locations the game can be purchased from. If you want to zone out completely on a HUGE gallery of hundreds of EDF images, check out Gematsu’s big, honkin’ page of screens.