BioShock Infinite “Columbia is Icarus” Trailer: If So… Get Off That Floating City!

Posted on January 28, 2013 by geelw

Funny, you’d think that comparing an fake alternate past colonial steampunk-inspired floating mega-metropolis being compared to that mythological dope who made himself a nice set of wings for flying to the sun that weren’t heatproof would be a dead giveaway that Columbia would be a pretty awful place to visit. But, nope… we’re all headed there as gamers in BioShock Infinite and both 2K Games and Irrational Games are going to be counting stacks of bills and probably trying to make wings out of them as well. Hopefully, they won’t use the same adhesive as poor Iccy did. Then again, I say let them. Just as long as I get a flight schedule and a big ass butterfly net. I’m not saving any lives from a fall at that height, folks – I just want to scoop me up some of that free money when it comes raining down…

Ni no Oopsie: Namco Bandai Sells Out of Wizard’s Edition A Wee Bit Too Early…

Posted on January 26, 2013 by geelw

Well, it’s getting stellar early reviews from the critics and fans who’ve gotten their copies on day one, but it seems that some folks who ordered the Wizard’s Edition of Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch in North America had to “settle” for a refund and $20 coupon after the publisher seems to have not produced enough copies of the limited edition to go around to those who paid for it. Oops. Digital River, the distributor for the game issued the following statement:

“We apologize for the discrepancies you may have encountered with your order of Namco Bandai’s Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch – Wizard’s Edition. As one of our valued customers, we want to assure you that a Digital River representative will be reaching out to you individually via email to address your specific issue. We sincerely appreciate your patience as we work through this situation”

In plain English… Oops… Continue reading →

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen May Need a 12-Step Program Expansion…

Posted on January 24, 2013 by geelw

April 28, huh? Retail and digital download available (so MORE people can play this from day one)? The addiction begins anew, it would seem. Count me in and I’m hoping to be taking a few of you with me. In case you missed out on the original game, fear not, potential Arisen candidates! You can hang out near your favorite game emporium and pick up this “expansion” that features a huge new area, quests, monsters to pee yourself over and more. By the way, kids… that MORE just so happens to include the original game as a “bonus” that makes perfect sense. As you’ll see (or already know), the land of Granysys is one massive place to explore and Capcom should get a hearty hand-clasp and a pat of the back for doing this up right. Of course, the usual unwashed internet fools who can’t seem to read are thinking this is all DLC or something, but by now, Capcom knows not to listen to those folks too much. I’m buying this just to see how the new area fits in with the old. Will I replay the game from the beginning once more or use an old save file? We shall see, I guess… I’m tempted to do so, but time (as always) is the big factor…

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Is in Stores Now. If You Own a PS3, Buy It.

Posted on January 22, 2013 by geelw

Granted, if you own a PS3 and all you play is the yearly Madden, CoD or other manly-man, chest-puffing, square-jawed games that require hyphenation when describing them, welllll… perhaps you shouldn’t buy this. But then again, why the hell not, I say? I think you should take a well-deserved break from the testosterone-fueled sausage-fests and get out in the beautiful virtual outdoors only Level-5 and Studio Ghibli can bring your way, courtesy of Namco Bandai Games, of course. No matter what sort of beefy action or sports games you like, you absolutely NEED to dive into something lighter (but still challenging). Ni no Kuni offers up some absolutely beautiful visuals, a score for the ages, surprisingly tough battles and many hours of content that doesn’t require you hanging out online downloading or waiting on your stumble-bum buddies to roll out of bed or back home from whatever they were doing when they were supposed to meet up with you hours ago. Anyway, STORY matters as well (yeah, I watch stuff on AMC. So sue me), and this game will make you more emotional than the time you accidentally rubbed your eye while eating those hot wings last week while watching your team lose and not make the playoffs. Yeah, that’s right – you need a good game that will hook you in and make you care about more than some bad call a guy with bad eyesight in a striped shirt made. Anyway, I bet you know someone who’d play this game even if YOU won’t… so get up off that sofa, you slug and do the right thing… You’ll be a more rounded gamer for it, trust me…

Defiance Pre-Orders Kick Off: MMO Innovation Is On The Way…

Posted on January 21, 2013 by geelw

If any MMO deserves to succeed in a far too crowded market, it’s Trion Worlds’ upcoming action-based tie-in the the upcoming syfy TV show. As you can see above and below, it’s absolutely NOT another licensed game tossed out the door by a studio looking to cash in on the rubes who buy anything attached to a genre like clockwork, folks. At least five years of hard work has gone into the game and show and they’re kind of joined at the hip in that watching the show and playing the game link the narrative in a few ways. Like a few other MMO’s you’re paying for the retail version, but the game will be free to play after that. While offline play is a no-go (a shame, as the game is fast-paced and plays just like a great action game should) I’m hoping it does well enough that Trion can spin this off onto other platforms in some way as a solo experience that doesn’t require an online connection. I’d bet there are loads of potential players without decent online connections that would love to give this one a shot at some point. As always, we shall see…

BioShock Ultimate Rapture Edition: Now Bundled For Your Gaming Pleasure…

Posted on January 21, 2013 by geelw

In case you missed out on the original award-winning BioShock and its sequel, 2K Games has done you a huge favor and bundled the pair together as the Ultimate Rapture Edition along with every bit of download content for both games and yes, you can grab this NOW at your favorite brick & mortar or online game emporium as a retail version for the PS3 and Xbox 360. If you happen to be one of those folks who lives in a shoebox and has no space of who just wants your games digitally, methinks you are out of luck, you console hating loopy soul, you. For the record, neither game has much to do with the upcoming BioShock Infinite save for certain gameplay elements, unsettling enemy designs and a story that tosses a few moral curve balls your way as you play. I’ve got both games here, but no DLC for them, so I may just pick this up at some point. The $29.99 price tag (which includes $40 of bonus content) is certainly right on the money and I can see a few new players grabbing this up to play before 2K Games and Irrational get their new game out the door on March 26 of this year.

Champagne for everybody! Or, at least the nose-tickling bubbles part, given the underwater city setting and all those Big Daddies and Little Sisters you’ll be interacting with in both titles. If you’re one of those jaded types saying “Aw, who wants to play THOSE old games?”, well, kid – the classics never, ever die. SO shaddup and eye yer oatmeal, ya brats – I put broccoli in it with some sugar so you won’t even notice. Damn kids…

Review: Earth Defense Force 2017 Portable

Posted on January 20, 2013 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation Vita

Developer: SANDLOT

Publisher: D3Publisher of America

# of Players: 1 – 4

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: A (95%)

Much more than a straightforward “port” of the former Xbox 360 exclusive, Earth Defense Force 3 Portable comes screaming onto the Vita as the game developer Sandlot most likely wanted to make in the first place. The return of Pale Wing and her energy-based weaponry (from EDF 2 on the PS2 and EDF 2 Portable PSP) adds a new way to experience the game while an up to four-player co-op mode, rebalanced and all-new weapon drops, new enemy types, trophies galore and seven new levels makes this an absolute must-buy for anyone with a Vita. For those who’ve played the 360 version to death, there’s definitely enough new content there to get you equally obsessed (and yes, perhaps it’s finally time to get that Vita if you’ve been on the fence). Don’t let that $39.99 price point for a download put you off one bit, as there are dozens, if not over a hundred hours of gameplay here, especially if you’re looking to grab one really hard to obtain Platinum Trophy.

Continue reading →

Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory Trailer: Your Daily Dose of Too Many Anime Sweets…

Posted on January 17, 2013 by geelw

I still haven’t decided to buy this one yet thanks to me not having enough time to dive back into another lovely new JRPG that’s going to eat up too much free time and well, me just being on the outs with the super-kawaii stuff for the time being (don’t worry, my time away from the genre won’t last more than a few months). Of course, watching the trailer made me almost change my mind, so perhaps that was a bad idea (for me and a good thing for NISA’s online shop if I decide to order a copy). And nope, Ni no Kuni doesn’t count as part of this category – that one was a must buy and play from the moment I found out it was getting a US localization…

Review: Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD (PS Vita)

Posted on January 16, 2013 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation Vita

Developer: Just Add Water

Publisher: Oddworld Inhabitants

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: A

Even if you’ve already bought and played the PS3 version back in 2011 or still own the original 2005 Xbox release, it’s absolutely worth picking up Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD on the Vita just to see how well the game was tweaked for the system. As with the console version, the reworked HD visuals from the Xbox game, smooth animation, newly recorded voice acting and other features translate quite nicely to Sony’s portable. It also holds up incredibly well as a stellar single-player game thanks to a great story with an excellent plot twist or two, some fine and witty dialog and a great Oddworld vibe that’s still fresh today as it was back in 2005. There are some issues with the touchpad and game camera being a wee bit too touchy, but otherwise, the game is a solid effort that’s long and often challenging if you’re trying for the least violent means of playing through the game. Continue reading →

Aliens: Colonial Marines TV Spot: Gearbox Going 2 For 2? Seems Likely…

Posted on January 14, 2013 by geelw

Borderlands 2 was a very huge hit in 2012 for Gearbox, but yeah, I’ve been keeping an eyeball on you too, new game. It’s pretty clear that Randy Pitchford and company love the James Cameron film to the utmost degree and this looks to bring fans of the franchise that sequel they didn’t quite get with Alien 3 (I actually like David Fincher’s debut, warts and all, especially the longer Assembly Cut). I’ll be playing this primarily for the campaign mode, as I’m not a huge multiplayer guy and yes, I’m looking forward to seeing how well Gearbox translated the assorted sets and gear into game form. I’ve only seen Aliens a few dozen times, so I can be as picky and precise as a developer head over heels for the source material. So far, I’m not complaining at all.

February 12 is sneaking up fairly quickly… now, I just need to decide what I want to play this on. I’m leaning towards the Wii U just to see how that GamePad gets used, but I want the PS3 version as well…