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

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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…

DP_PreorderYou’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…

swery4I’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.

Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon: Michael Biehn Gets Back To Work…

It’s actually pretty darn cool that Ubisoft has tapped Michael Biehn to voice lead character Rex “Power” Colt in its intentionally campy send-up of way too many dopey (but awesome in their dopiness) 80’s action flicks, but I’ve had a burning question I’ve wanted to ask the actor ever since I saw The Terminator at the movies back when it was initially released. It’s bugged the HELL out of me that fresh through that time portal, a naked Kyle Reese gets his only pair of pants off a drunken homeless guy in an alley (Yuk!) and wears them throughout the entire film (Blech!), doesn’t go near a shower like he should (Ick!) but STILL gets it on with Sarah Conner (Nooooo!). That’s always made my skin crawl more than Arnold (well, his mechanical dummy head) doing “surgery” on himself by poking his own eyeball out with an X-Acto knife in that hotel scene. I guess Sarah had some pretty low standards and no sense of smell. Then again, SHE got to bathe when they got to the Tiki Motel – all Kyle did was buy stuff to make explosives.

Hey, I’m a continuity junkie, folks… I notice stuff like this in every movie I see. Hmmm… then again, maybe I’ll take this issue up with James Cameron. What’s his number again?

New Earth Defense Force 4 Trailer: “The Exterminators Are Back In Town…”

“… and there goes the neighborhood!” Well, that’s probably what the booming-voiced announcer would say if this were some “B” movie popping up at a theater near you or on cable. Circa 1988 and complete with a too-loud theme borrowed from another film (probably that climactic tune from James Horner’s ALIENS soundtrack that ended up in way too many trailers after the film hit it big). Hey, it’s cicada time this year, so I bet people in areas affected by that 17-year frenzy would want to get decked out in some military gear and grab a space age weapon to take down a pack of noisy crickets. Yeah, yeah… they’re not crickets, silly. I know that! It’s just a REALLY bad Men in Black joke I just made (from the OK original, not the “what were they thinking?” sequels. Wait a minute, now… good (or bad) comedy doesn’t NEED an explanation if the person telling the joke gets it, so don’t read that last sentence. Er, anyway… Japanese PS3 and Xbox 360 owners get EDF 4 on July 3, 2013 – North American gamers get it sometime later this year. I’ll let you know when I know, as usual…

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

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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…

DPDC PS3 US EFS 2D RealIf 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!

swery6 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…

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen Enemies (2): Dying Just Got A Lot More Painfully Interesting…

Just watching this latest Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen gameplay trailer makes me say “Ouch!” because I know some of these new creatures will be a pain to take down quickly. But as with the first game, it’s a learning experience when you encounter a new enemy in this game world. Check out its weaknesses, go at it with your best skills and make sure your pawns are up to speed. Hmmm… Now I’m feeling the need to play through the first game again… but with all the work I need to get done, that’s not going to happen at all. Unless someone creates time travel before Dark Arisen hits retail for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on April 23, 2013… which isn’t so far away at all. Yaaaah! The pain of having too darn many games to play, think of playing (or replaying). Well, there are far worse things to be worried about in the real world, of course…

GRID 2 Customization: My Fairlady (And Yours, Too!)

The brilliant car customization in Codemasters’ upcoming racer GRID 2 is one more really awesome feature that will get and keep this racer on many play lists for a while. I didn’t get to tinker with it during my two hands-on sessions, but that’s probably a darn good thing. I tend to take ages to trick out a ride and usually end up with something that’s understated yet a monster on the road. Of course, with the amount of online competition this will no doubt have way too many great racers breaking records every few minutes or less, but I’m going to hit solo mode and break in every car I can on as many tracks in the game as possible. May 28, 2013 will be one of those “flu” days for some folks, I’m betting…

Four Minutes of Next Week’s Defiance Episode: Hey, Time Travel WORKS!

Well, not in this clip from the upcoming episode, “Down In The Ground Where The Dead Men Go” mind you, but in the fact that you’re able to (*gasp!*) actually SEE into the future here and catch the first four minutes of the show before it airs ( that footage is below the jump – we’re building suspense here!) PLUS two teasers for the show. Hey, now you can roll home four minutes late and not feel as if you missed anything!

Er, of course, given that the show gets repeated right afterward (and at least twice), you just might get called really goofy by your friends and relatives for pretending that time travel DOES exist. Oh well… dreaming is fine, but reality works much better when you’re in the right groove… “OK, get to the good stuff!”, right? Alright, alright… Continue reading

Bethesda Reveals The Evil Within (Well, A Live-Action Trailer, At Least)…

In case you were wondering just what Shinji Mikami has been up to… well, here you go. Bethesda Softworks has revealed a live-action trailer to his and Tango Gameworks’ upcoming single player psychological/survival horror game, The Evil Within. Nothing has been revealed yet about the characters, story or gameplay, but IGN (hey, why not me?) has a big first look popping up on Monday that’s sure to get them traffic and attention. The game is set to come out in 2014 for PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and “next generation consoles”. Hmmmm… My take on that last part is I personally think they’re spreading this new SKU a wee bit too thin, as I think it would be best on ONE generation of systems and PC. If this gets over-hyped and expected to meet a certain target, but fails to do do, it will hit Bethsoft a bit hard on a few fronts. Granted, they could have another Dishonored here in the form of a hit that turns a genre on its ear-hole, so I’m at least optimistic on that front. Now, it’s all about some hands-on time to see what’s what… Bethsoft, you know how to reach me…

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

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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*

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Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: Slippery When Wet!

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Uh oh! Well, as you can see here, FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York!) is in a little spot of trouble. OK, a BIG spot of trouble. But it’s kind of his own damn fault for wearing those stupid, expensive (non-FBI issue) leather shoes with no traction soles out in the pouring rain. You’d think the man would at least pack some decent rain gear in his car trunk or carry a plastic poncho in his pocket, but nope. Of course, he’s actually in no danger in this shot because the Red Seeds Killer actually burst out laughing for a few minutes, allowing York to make good his escape with just his dignity injured and in need of a change of clothes. Well, better mud than blood, I say… although both kinds of stains are a total bitch to get out. Especially from a nice suit such as that. You can’t just toss that in the washer and then into a hot dryer… unless you plan on donating it to a shorter person who can iron really well…

DP_PreorderAnyway, make sure you wear your rubbers if it’s raining on April 30, 2013 and you’re headed out to pick up a copy of Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, exclusively for the PS3 from Rising Star Games. The updated HD visuals, PlayStation Move and 3D TV support plus over 100 changes from the original version will have you grinning no matter what the weather is doing outside. Just make sure you look both ways when crossing the street, as I think that Red Seeds Killer can drive as may not want you to make it home in one piece so he can continue his evil ways…

swery_birthday to youHmmm… I think Game Director and part full time coffee maven Swery 65 likes the rain quite a lot. Greenvale tends to get quite wet this time of year and at night, it’s the perfect time to see and run into all sorts of oddball things. Most of which are out to kill you unless you know where they are and how to avoid them. I hear he’s disconnecting his phone on the day the game comes out so people don’t ring him up for clues at all hours of the night.