E3 2012: Papo & Yo Trailer: MinorityMedia’s Got A Majority Of My Attention…

Posted on June 2, 2012 by geelw

Yes indeed, Sony’s got yet another super PSN-only sleeper on their hands that I really wish was on a disc along with a few other games a bunch of non-PSN users are missing out on (and not because they WANT to, mind you). Hell, I’d even play this on the Vita if it were sold on a card and not just as a download. Yes, I would actually pay more to support a smaller developer, especially when their game is this original, surreal and inventive. Let’s hope SCEA is listening to the little people for a change instead of just doing it their way, damn the outcome. Hey Sony! A little flexibility in this day and age actually gets MORE people to like what you’re doing. That;s also a memo to ALL game companies: if you don’t allow us to care (and buy games how we like), guess what? They’re not always going to sell as well as you hope they will, no matter how good they are…

What You Should Be Doing This Week…

Posted on May 21, 2012 by geelw

Playing Dragon’s Dogma, of course. Capcom has cooked up a slow burning yet surprisingly addictive and fun open world dungeon crawler that’s guaranteed to make even the most skeptical “Japanese developers can’t make western games” message board denizen stand up and take notice. Sure, it’s got some flaws here and there, but the mix of open-world exploration (and it’s a HUGE world), tough monsters (if you’re not prepared, you’ll die early and often) and a great Pawn system (something I’ve wanted to see in a RPG for years) makes this a pretty solid RPGs. Granted, it takes a while to get off the ground in terms of story, but I understand there’s a hell of a finale and unlike some sites, I’m not about to post impressions until I get there.

OK, I need to stop typing and play some more. I’m guessing my review will go up by the end of the week, as I’m taking my time and exploring as much as possible. Also, for the record, I haven’t installed the game on my 360 (My HDD is out of room thanks to too may other games I’m playing), but I’m not seeing any major frame rate issues at all. Just some screen tearing and pop-in on stuff, but that’s a common thing that’s not going to affect my scoring…

Back in a bit…

You’re Not A Smart Ass When You Make Obvious Fun Of Sony’s New Vita Game’s Name…

Posted on May 17, 2012 by geelw

Hmmmmm. I’m betting Sony knew that a LOT of people on the internet, specifically message board denizens with too much time on their hands would see their new Vita game Smart As as “Smart Ass”. OK, it was funny when I thought I was the ONLY one who misread it, but I soon realized that it doesn’t take a genius to think up an easy pun like that. So, either this social-focused Brain Age-inspired game is really great with a lame name or it’s not great at all and needs a catchy/silly title just to get people talking about it using the same lame joke until it gets old. Which was about thirty minutes ago. Well, at least the video is really informative and makes the social element look quite fun. Check it out…

Gravity Daze Japanese Commercials: The Vita’s Soon To Hit Must-Have Hit, No Matter Where You Are…

Posted on May 13, 2012 by geelw

Every time I see one of these ads or more images in a magazine or website, I start wishing that the Vita had launched with this game and a few others not here just yet. Then, perhaps some of this angst and negativity I’m seeing on certain other sites just wouldn’t be there about the platform. For those who have short attention spans (about 90% on the Internet), we went through this SAME nonsense with the 3DS last year and look what happened with that handheld (huge sales and faster than expected, at that according to Nintendo). Well, E3 is next month, so hopefully SCEA has a big fat (and well-thought out) plan to squash the dopes spitting out silly opinions that have no basis in reality. Me, I like my reality altered all the time I’m gaming, but that’s about it.

Two more ads below the jump…

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Max Payne 3 Launch Trailer: Watch It Now, As Next Week You’ll Be Too Busy Playing…

Posted on May 11, 2012 by geelw

It’s up and yes, it’s fantastic. Amusingly enough, for a very short period of time, I was worried that Rockstar wasn’t doing enough to get the word out on all the hard work the dev team was doing on this one. Ha! I should have figured the all-out blitz would kick in closer to the release date. I’m looking forward to the story more than the MP modes, but I like how they tie together and would love to see more games tackle this in a similar fashion (without stealing the idea cold, of course)….

Papo & Yo Developer Diary #1: Fantastic Realities, Favelas And Happy Monsters…

Posted on May 8, 2012 by geelw

Minority Media’s PS3 exclusive is coming soon and it’s absolutely one of those games that needs to be played (despite only being available over PSN, grrr!). Here’s a look at the first dev diary as well as a brief post over at the PlayStation Blog from one of the nicest people in this industry you’ll ever meet, Minority’s Creative Director, Vander Cabellero. Hey, Sony! Here’s a suggestion (again): Slap this game and Journey onto a disc with Outland and maybe some demos (Starhawk, GOW: Ascension, et cetera), get it out at a decent price point and make a small mint from those who don’t yet have/want/use PSN accounts!

Starhawk Launch Trailer: Sooo, That’s What Everyone Will Be Doing This Week…

Posted on May 6, 2012 by geelw

LightBox Interactive’s Action/RTS lands this week on the PS3 and it’s looking like another must-buy in a crazy year for must-buy games. Hmmm. My birthday is tomorrow (Happy Birthday to me!!!), but I’m not expecting this to fly into my mailbox at all. Of course, I don’t mind supporting these guys with a purchase, as it’s one of those games that’s worth every penny whether you like solo play or online madness with your PSN friends. I actually want this to make an appearance on the Vita, as Sony’s new handheld really needs MORE in the way of first-party hits that bring the console experience on the road, and Starhawk would be a more than perfect fit, I say…

It’s Free Comic Book Day (Part Two). So, Here’s One For You From Rockstar!

Posted on May 5, 2012 by geelw

Hey, it’s still Free Comic Book Day today, which means you can walk into ANY comic shop and walk out with a free comic (or comics, if you’re lucky) and NOT get arrested. That said, Rockstar Games is also getting in on the fun with an assist from Marvel thanks to the first issue of Max Payne 3: After The Fall , which is landing online as a digital read you can check out on your PC, laptop (and probably device if you like squinting at that nicely gritty art) OR PDF download before the game shoots into stores on May 15. Rockstar is also offering a VERY limited edition physical copy of the book to selected Rockstar Games Social Club members, so if you’re not one and want one, sign up at that link above and keep those fingers crossed. That particular offer is ONLY good until June, so get crackin’ if you want to snag a copy!

R.A.W. Looks To Cook Up Dungeon Crawling Devotees On PC/PSN/XBLA

Posted on May 3, 2012 by geelw

OK, so Wizarbox’s upcoming hack & slash ,also known as Realms of Ancient War, might not be able to take on Diablo II toe to toe (or is it hoof to claw?) in some eyes in terms of the presentation and megabucks hype machine grinding everything under it’s hooves. Nevertheless, the game at least offers up offline single player and local co-op options and isn’t passing itself off as a MMO that requires you to always be connected while playing. Whatever – I’m too busy and smart to keep harping on Blizzard for the changes they felt necessary to make to Diablo III a game tens of thousands can’t play (but millions more will, so it balances out, right?), so I’ll wish them well as they build forts and vaults out of money to hold more money. Any-way, since I missed posting the Warrior trailer last time, it’s presented below, so enjoy!

Starhawk Goes Gold (And How, For Beta And Warhawk Players)

Posted on May 2, 2012 by geelw

So, it’s on the way and soon at that, which is awesome. It’s even more awesome if you’ve been one of those folks playing the beta or were a big PS3 Warhawk player, as you’ll see in the above video. Personally, I love that LightBox is giving both single player and multiplayer fans something to look forward to. No matter which mode you choose, you can expect some of the tightest hybrid gameplay that should set the standard for this type of game for quite some time (well, until it gets copied to death by other developers). Of course, expect a few overly cranky RTS fans to whine a bit about the game making it so “easy” to blend fast-paced action with no need for insane resource management (or much in the way of micro-managing anything except trying to get shot up on foot or in/on a ride or or out of the sky when you’re flying around). SCEA has yet another mega-hit on their hands, and that’s always a good thing,,,