Zombeer Update: Oh, NOW It Makes (Some Awesome) Sense!

Posted on December 19, 2013 by geelw

When I first heard of Zombeer, I laughed quite long and loudly at the idea of boozing it up in order to fight zombies as a gameplay mechanic. talk about becoming an easy target! Later, as screens started appearing, I warmed up to the stylized comic look of the game and my arched eyebrow sunk down to its normal position.Of course, as soon as I found out the game’s mechanic of drinking a certain type of beer in order to keep from becoming a zombie as you rushed to save the love of your life from a similar fate, I had to keep an eyeball peeled (eww) on this one as the months crept onward…

Now, this new kind of NSFW music video shows off an even more intentionally campy tone that makes me want to play this boozed out gorefest just to see if it lives up to the crazy tune cooked up for this clip. Spanish developer Moonbite Studios is making what could be a cult hit for PS3, PC and Mac gamers that, while not exactly screaming visual perfection, just might be fun and funny enough to outstrip any criticism. Besides, the color palette alone is just too awesome to ignore as you’ll see in these new screens:

And remember gang… YOU can even (sort of) be IN the game! Check out this link for the gory details – it’s easy to register and should make a nice surprise gift for someone who’s not expecting it.

Proof I’m Not A (Completely) Cranky Bastard: Doki Doki Universe Is Awesome.

Posted on December 16, 2013 by geelw

What, ME Worry? Not really, robot – it’s just a Monday thing, that’s all. So, HumaNature Studios new PS3/PS4/Vita game, Doki Doki Universe is actually really fun and interesting and like the gloriously inventive Tearaway, one of the better indie titles on Sony’s assorted platforms. I’ve only played the wonderful (and lengthy) demo so far, but a few friends who’ve been enjoying the full version are bugging me to get the full game. Yeah, yeah – I will once I chop down my backlog significantly.

The GREAT thing about buying this one outright it is any version you buy gets you a game that will run on the PS3, PS4, and Vita. If you’re one of those overly social butterflies, guess what? The Doki Doki Universe Mail feature can even be used on some mobile devices, meaning you can facebook like a champ using some kooky hand-drawn characters and a custom page on your console, phone or tablet. I hate the fake word “phablet” so I won’t use it in a sentence, although I just did there. Oops. OK, I’ll NEVER use that word in another sentence from now on. Better? Thanks you. Now stop reading this post and go check out this game, I say…

Review: Adventure Time: Explore The Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW!

Posted on December 14, 2013 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo Wii U/Nintendo 3DS (also on PS3/Xbox 360/PC)

Developer: WayForward Technologies

Publisher: D3Publisher of America

# of Players: 1-4

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)

Official Site

Score: B (80%)

You don’t need to be a big Adventure Time fan at all to enjoy Adventure Time: Explore The Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW!, but it may help out considerably if you’re a fan of ancient dungeon crawlers, intentional use of 8-bit visuals and a certain classic four-player arcade dungeon crawler. Insanely busy developer WayForward Technologies has managed to capture all of those elements in this game, and while it’s a pretty straightforward experience, as a long time fan of anything dungeon related (er, don’t get any “whip-smart” thoughts in your noggins, people!), this one’s a fine bit of nostalgia that’s even more fun with a few friends along for the long haul. Going in solo is also enjoyable if you’re that old school (raises hand high!), but if you want to rack up more loot and enough money for gear and skill upgrades, you’ll need to pick your hero or heroine wisely. Survival can be pretty tough in the later maps when you’re alone and not able to get to those out of reach goodies… Continue reading →

The Walking Dead Season Two Trailer: Orange You Glad You’re Not Really Clementine?

Posted on December 12, 2013 by geelw

This one’s a tiny bit on the gory side, ladies and germs. But if you watch the show regularly you know what to expect:

But it’s a good thing little Clementine isn’t a defenseless piece of fruit in this follow up to Telltale’s multimillion selling and multiple award winning first season of what’s bound to be an adventure game series for the ages. If you haven’t played the first set of chapters or the 400 Days expansion, well guess what, chief? If you own a PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 or PC you can either stroll into your favorite game emporium like a champ and pick up The Walking Dead: Game of the Year Edition or sit right where you are and download it from the Telltale Games site, PSN or Xbox Live. Of course, if you DO get the first season, forget you even saw this trailer because it has some hot spoiler action (but not too much that it will ruin the original game at all)…

Earth Defense Force 2025 Update: Fencer’s Up, Bugs “R” Done!

Posted on December 9, 2013 by geelw

Just a friendly little reminder from D3Publisher of America that Earth Defense Force 2025 is going to finally be winging your way soon. Well, February 2014 may not seem like “soon” to some of you out there, but it’s going to be well worth the wait, that’s for sure. Anyway, yes – this clip is supposed to be funny because it’s mimicking trailers from old samurai films, so feel free to chuckle it up if you’re on the same vibe.

Remember, people – EDF 2025 is ONLY coming to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, so if you sold or traded off either console, start kicking yourself in the butt all the way back down to that game emporium. Or, if you gave your “old” system to your little brother or other relative, prepare to “borrow” it back and be NICE about it. No replacing that console with a cardboard box and an old telephone handset with analog sticks and buttons drawn on it with a Sharpie. You’ll get a sack of coal upside the head for that, pal!

KontrolFreek Is Back With More On Target Goodies For Console FPS Fans!

Posted on December 2, 2013 by geelw

They’re baaaaaaack! The last time I reviewed a few products from KontrolFreek, they ended up disappearing from the home office when some friends popped over, checked them out and decided that I owned them some freebies for making the trek all the way up here or something. Yeah, guess who’s not getting invited back, chumps? Anyway, fortunately, Casi over at KontrolFreek was kind enough to shoot over a set of the new FPS Freek Phantom (MSRP $19.99) and after playing through Call of Duty: Ghosts and a few other FPS and non-FPS games, it’s safe to say that they perform exactly as expected. Which would be pretty darn fantastic.

As noted in my earlier review, the FPS Freek series of analog stick toppers adds height to those sticks and precision to your movements, allowing you to use LESS pressure when moving normally, sprinting or shooting in games, allowing for more accuracy and less funny looking thumbs after extended play sessions. It’s all ergonomics, people – that’s all you need to know and even if you’re the most skeptical buzzard on the block, one try should convince you within seconds that this is the way to go if you’re a big shooter fan. I’d say you club-fisted gamers will NEED to learn to not jam those sticks around because you might occasionally pop one of the Freeks off an Analog stick (they’ll snap right back on). But other than that, this is money well spent if you’re a fan of those high-action shooters and want that extra edge in solo or online play. Anyway, go boogie on over to the KF site, check out what they have to offer and feel free to check out their upcoming PlayStation 4 and Xbox One lineup, as they certainly aren’t going to forget about you next-gen owners one bit. yeah, you KNOW you want that extra edge…

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Gets Patched Up But Good* on Steam…

Posted on November 27, 2013 by geelw

EDIT! Guess what, kids? The game is now part of the big, big Steam Autumn Sale and is a WHOPPING 50% OFF unitl December 3, 2013! That’s right, a measly $12.49 gets you the game all patched up and ready to go! Woo-hoo!

Hoo-ray! I think I’m the ONLY one that doesn’t mind the game’s non-adjustable resolution (*the main thing some still want to whine about who may not think the patch fixes EVERYTHING), but as someone who plays primarily console titles (well, there’s about a 70-30 mix), no controller support was a big pain in the wrists and lower for me. Anyway, the list of changes is HERE, so if you’ve been on the fence about this one, it should at least be easier to control if you’re coming from a console background. NOTE: You’ll need an official wired Xbox 360 controller for best results. I guess a wireless pad will also work, but I used my wired controller so I don’t need to recharge or replace any batteries. Also, this is currently only for the Steam version, but I’d gather a gog.com patch is also incoming.

Yes, Virginia, There Will Be A New Deadly Premonition Game. Eventually…

Posted on November 26, 2013 by geelw

Oh, Frabulous Joy Or Whatever, Department: Can I get an “FK in the Coffee!” in the house (to go, light and sweet)?!! According to the fine folks at GamingBolt, Swery 65 says he was working on a sequel to Deadly Premonition during the time he was coming up with what’s turned into the Xbox One exclusive, D4. Granted, this is only noted at the end of a sentence, there’s no HUGE reveal of info about how far along that work went and the interview is 99.9% about D4 (and a good read), so don’t look too much at that 2014 calendar and start rubbing your hands for a release date on that DP follow-up.

The interview also COMFIRMS that D4 is an Xbox One exclusive (argh!), not a DP sequel or related in any way and will contain a load of “Easter Eggs” and other elements to give it more replay value. So now that that’s settled, I guess some Swery fans will be dropping five large to get an Xbox One JUST to play this game. I’m a huge fan of the man’s body of work, but I may be passing this game up entirely unless there’s a price drop on that console and that game comes complete on a disc at some point in the future. To date, it’s the ONLY reason I’m remotely interested in Microsoft’s new ~~service~~ console, as I don’t play online “bro” shooters, have ZERO interest in sports and have plenty of movies that I can watch on cable in a MUCH better quality than any streamed content. Your own mileage may vary, of course…

Persona 5: One REALLY Great Reason to Keep That PlayStation 3 Around…

Posted on November 25, 2013 by geelw

Winter 2014 in this case probably doesn’t mean between January and March of next year, folks. If anything, Atlus is smart as hell for getting the team working on this to do so on the old hardware simply because they know it so well and can make this the best-looking Persona game to date if they choose to go all out on the visuals.

And speaking of visuals, that image from the Japanese website (currently the sole piece of art available) is pretty striking, isn’t it? That said, I’m not going to be stupid here and speculate what it means other than to say that given the previous games were about high-school age kids discovering they’re endowed with special powers and need to save the world before it ends in some insanely dramatic manner while also going through the motions of daily life, classwork and homework should still present a major story point throughout the game.

Eh, we’ll see what’s what over the next year – there’s plenty of time for Atlus to drop loads of updates before the game is ready to ship out…

Now, about those OTHER Persona games… read on for my take, if you dare…
Continue reading →

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes Gets Slightly Nostalgic for 1998…

Posted on November 20, 2013 by geelw

I actually got another mighty chuckle going when Hideo Kojima showed that trailer above at the PlayStation 4 launch in NYC last week. I’d been thinking for a few months now it would be wonderful if any developer or publisher who had a key launch or other title for the original PlayStation did something like a remake with all-new visuals, but of course, Kojima goes and has his team get retro in the weirdest manner possible. Hey, it works for me, being a fan of Metal Gear Solid and all. But I know that some younger gamers saw this trailer and nearly spit up their Red Bull because they’ve yet to experience the glory that was (and is) the original MGS. Granted, that Fox Engine is pretty mighty at doing outstandingly realistic visuals on the PS3, PC and other platforms, so there’s no doubt that Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes will do well when it lands in a few places (retail and digital) at some point OK< Spring 2014). Yeah, yeah… David HAyter has been replaced by Keifer Sutherland as the voice (and face) of Snake, but I think I'm one of the few who shed a tear and moved on quickly. I have more urgent things to think about besides who's being paid to portray an iconic character – I just want the game to be memorable and really well written.