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…

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: Power Play…

Posted on April 17, 2013 by geelw

Hey, guess what? FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York!) actually got his car yesterday and yes indeed, he got himself a little gift. But, hey… guess what? The power is OUT where he’s staying. Oops. How’s that for a nasty plot twist? Anyway, in true horror game fashion this means it’s out and about poking around the rainy woods avoiding danger and looking for the right generator to kick until it clicks back on. Here’s the thing, folks – you know York’s probably in the wrong place entirely because if the power were out, that generator room he’s in here would be pitch black as well. Unless it’s running on its own backup system or is powered by another cabin’s generator. Actually, the BIGGER issue here is the fact that our heroic investigator can’t be playing the game he’s in while he’s in it… but don’t you go tell him that now. He’d ask “Guess What?” and then bonk you on the head with that guitar he’s got in his inventory. I bet you’re a lot less tough than that Red Seeds Killer to take down, especially with a heavy electric guitar dent in your noggin.

You know, you can just do York a BIG favor by picking up a copy of Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, coming exclusively for the PlayStation 3 on April 30, 2013 from Rising Star Games. Featuring over 100 improvements over the original, updated HD graphics, 3D TV and PlayStation Move support and more, this one will keep you in York’s shoes for as long as you can stand it. Which is probably a good thing for him, as he kind of needs a break from all that walking and running around in the rain looking for the right generator. Or the left one. Wait, which one is it again? Now I need an aspirin!

And guess what? Game Director Swery 65 is probably chuckling to himself because he knows York all too well and he COULD call him up on his cell phone to tell him which generator is which… but it’s more fun to have him figure it out himself. Or even better, if and when YOU help York figure it out. I was going to say “And now you know how games are made!” or something like that to end this post, but that’s not quite the truth. It’s a hell of a lot more work than that (which is why it’s a damn good thing the coffee is really good in Greenvale)…

GTA V “Cash & Carry” Artwork: More Teasing From Rockstar…

Posted on April 17, 2013 by geelw

Cash and Carry by Land

Oh, I really have nothing to say here but enjoy the artwork. I love how Rockstar’s artists tell these little stories in every image and while open to interpretation, you KNOW that somewhere in that massive fictional version of California, someone is looking at a recently emptied safe formerly full of ill-gotten games and yelling for the cops or their “boys” to go on the hunt for the thieves. Well, good luck with that. September 17, 2013 is the release date, by the way…

Cash and Carry by Sea

Defiance: Brave New World With Some Familiar Themes (Take Two!)

Posted on April 17, 2013 by geelw

OOPS. I actually accidentally “wallpapered” this post (as in posted OVER it!) by accident when I got booted offline with a couple of posts in progress open in separate windows, then mixed up when restoring and fixing things. So, here we go again – but completely rewritten, as nothing got saved and I HATE redoing articles because I can’t recapture the same tone – yaaaah!)

SO, Defiance seems to have survived not only its first episode with the biggest audience ever for syfy, it also survived an assault by a rather large enemy force thanks to a bit of Deus ex machina that was for me, a rather humorous homage to the first Star Wars movie. That or it was some fine lazy writing by the team that needed to wrap things up and had to fall back on their big action scene to satisfy the fans who wanted their big battle. Still, it was a fine pilot overall, even with way too many characters to keep track of. This of course, will settle out as more episodes air and we get to know who’s who and where their alliances lie. OK, OK, fo those of you who didn’t get it, I’ll get into the Star Wars moment(s) below the jump… Continue reading →

Telltale Game’s Poker Night At The Inventory 2: The Joke(r)’s On Me…

Posted on April 17, 2013 by geelw

Yeah, yeah – I was SO wrong about this one and yes, I did go break out that last crow pie from the freezer. Eh, no big deal though, as I don’t play poker at all and will probably not buy this one even at the measly five bucks it’s going to cost. Hey, but don’t let me stop you from tossing that digital fin into Telltale’s coffers. It sure looks like fun and yes, those pop cultchah characters from certain games and movies are making the fans drool and moon like teenage boys peeking over the fence at their hot next door neighbor’s sunbathing routine. Ewww… this post went south quicker than usual, huh? OK, but if you’re THAT hardcore a poker player, you’ve probably seen a few boobs from all those years playing. And some of them even had the nerve to try and bluff when you knew they weren’t holding anything close to a good hand. See what I did there? SAVE! OK, I’m outta here… well, for THIS post…

GRID 2 Multiplayer Redefined Trailer: Yes, Indeed It Is…

Posted on April 15, 2013 by geelw

It was actually really funny to be the first and only person at the early appointment to see the innovative multiplayer mode in GRID 2 and get some great hands-on time, as I could tell the assembled team was itching to let people coming in play the game and see what was what. Still, I had to go through the entire team’s rehearsed presentation before my hands-on time, which was cool to hear, but I’m that sort of guy who “gets” stuff without the boxcar pitch games get. Of course, I’m not complaining one bit, folks – once you play this one, it’s going to keep you busy for some time, especially if you go full-on into the RaceNet functionality. May 28 is rushing up really quickly and for once, I’m not so ticked off at time zipping by…

More Defiance Character Profiles? Sure, Why Not?

Posted on April 14, 2013 by geelw

Meet Kenya, Irisa, Nolan, Datak, Stahma Tarr and a few more guys and gals you’ll want to see more of once this new show gets its hooks into you. I’ll check out the entire first season to see if I like what’s going on, but based on all the pre-production videos, teasers, clips and yes, all those gameplay videos, a play session and a few other things, I’ll say this is one worth checking out.

That and hell, it sure beats the crap out of another Sharktopus movie, that’s for damn sure… Continue reading →

Defiance Ark Hunter Chronicles “Director’s Cut”: Turning The Pages Before A New Chapter Begins…

Posted on April 13, 2013 by geelw

Of course, with two days to go, the Defiance YouTube page is absolutely *exploding!* with all sorts of neat character profiles from the show and more, which I’ll run in a bit. But I wanted to finish up this digital comic mini-series by running the “Director’s Cut” version. I’m usually not much of a fan of this style of animation (hey, I grew up watching those awful Marvel cartoons from the 60’s, so seeing not much has changed other than the talent is a lot better is kind of grimly depressing. Or really funny – I can’t decide). Anyway, Defiance premieres on Monday, April 15 at 9PM EST of syfy.

Soul Sacrifice: Keiji Inafune Chats Up His Vita Exclusive…

Posted on April 12, 2013 by geelw

Yes, it’s almost here (April 30) and SCEA is dropping another behind the scenes video and site updates, this time focusing on game designer Keiji Inafune and his latest creation headed exclusively to the PlayStation Vita. Between great-looking games like this, a library that’s growing steadily thanks to indies, imports and some fine third-party titles, 2013 should be a pretty solid year for Sony’s handheld. Well, I think so. Sony needs to kick it up a notch and do some price dropping on the hardware and memory cards so more can buy in and get playing some of these stellar titles…

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen Enemies Video: Eight Million (More) Ways To Die…

Posted on April 12, 2013 by geelw

Gran Soren just got a whole lot more dangerous. Seriously. Granted, it already WAS pretty deadly as it was teeming with all creatures great and small wanting to grind your party’s bones to make their bread (or a tasty filling for that bread), but the mad wizards at Capcom have worked in plenty of new not so wee beasties guaranteed to send you into a frenzy of running away if you’re too weak a character to handle it. On the other hand, if you’ve got the buff stuff and no bluff, you can tough it to those creatures rough until they’d had more than enough. Yeah, I liked Basil Wolverton’s bizarre comics as a kid, so sue me. Or go track down some of his freaky funnies.

Anyway, Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen (coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360 on April 23, 2013) brings you the COMPLETE original game, ALL the DLC packs AND an entirely new adventure all for a measly $40. This means your friends who missed out can hop in and start off and see what’s what, while YOU, dear reader (well, if you played the original) can upload your save files and beat up on those bruisers with relish. Well, the relish they were going to slather all over that bread they were going to get to baking…