PlayStation Plus Brings May Showers Of FREE Games!

Posted on April 25, 2014 by geelw

Yeah, the pay for online multiplayer access thing is still here and silly, but PlayStation Plus is still the best deals in console gaming in terms of what you’re getting otherwise for that $50 a year. Next month’s pile of stuff you’ll need a working time machine to play is quite awesome (as you’ll see above) and overall, you make that cost back each month and then some if you also own a Vita in addition to your PS3 and/or PS4. I keep wondering what will happen when Sony runs out of stuff to give away, but given the large library of old first and third party titles people are clamoring for from the PS1 and PS2 era plus the amount of indie titles currently on PSN, I’m gathering this won’t be an issue they’ll need to deal with for quite some time…

Telltale’s The Walking Dead Is Nearly Everywhere You Look. Go Get Caught Up In This One, I Say…

Posted on April 25, 2014 by geelw

Between the Complete First season being released on Google Play and Season Two dropping onto the Vita, Telltale Games’ stellar The Walking Dead series is taking over just about everything that can play this multiple award winning series and letting an even wider audience experience the horror. Telltale’s games are more accessible than your typical action-heavy PC or console games thanks to a simpler to use interface, story-focused dialog trees that require reasonably fast (but not insane) timing and choices that truly affect the outcome of each chapter. This also makes TWD highly replayable because of how your decisions stack up as the chapters flow onward.

So, your interest is piqued, no? Well, go whip out that favorite device and go get some Walkers into your now more entertaining life, I say.

Mad Max “Magnum Opus” Teaser: Is That Ride Street Legal? Oh, Never Mind…

Posted on April 25, 2014 by geelw

Well, I think it’s a wee bit elaborate compared to what was seen in thee first two films, but apparently, West Coast Customs is making a real version (or has made one already, because you know, TV “reality” shows operate outside of the real world in terms of their schedules):

I actually got a Carmageddon meets Twisted Metal feel out of that WCC video above, but hey, enhancing the pointy and shooty stuff on the rides makes them stand out visually. I’m hoping that suspension can actually stand up to some major bumps and jumps, as I’d be taking that thing sailing over a few barricades in my own post apocalyptic imagination. Which, by the way, isn’t post apocalyptic until I start watching the news for more than twenty minutes, ugh…

Child of Light Making of Part 3: Same As It Ever Was, No Matter What You Play It On…

Posted on April 24, 2014 by geelw

Ubisoft is really pushing these making of videos to show that Child of Light will be the same gorgeous visual experience across every platform. Given that all the consoles it runs on support HD resolution (and of course, PC as a given run at higher resolutions anyway), it’s clear that the game will be a feast for the eyes no matter what it’s played on. I’m now leaning towards the Wii U version as noted before just because it’s the easiest console for me to update from a wi-fi spot and get games for as well. Decision made! Now, it’s just less than a week of waiting to go…

Dark Souls II PC: Dead-ja Vu All Over Again… PREPARE TO BUY!

Posted on April 24, 2014 by geelw

Well, SOME of you are already downloading or playing this as we speak (wait, we’re back on speaking terms? Okay, fine!), but to the rest of you holdouts with decent gaming rigs to run this who are on the fence, you need a kick in the pants (well, a light one, as I don’t want to get on your bad side again). Just BUY it and prepare for a super tough but rewarding game experience. A bit to a great deal challenging for new players, but a total corker if you love games that test you and don’t even bother to hold your hand as you explore at will.

Dark Souls II doesn’t tell you much other than “here you are, find out what to do on your own” and to some, it will be the ultimate in “PAY ATTENTION!” game experiences because once you take your eyes and ears off the ball, something is going to come out the darkness swinging something heavy and dull or heavy and sharp and your poor avatar gets knocked off, down or into something that kills it. Oops. You’ll learn to appreciate dying here whether or not you play the game with other live players dropping in to invade your game.

Natsume Keeps The PSP Flame Alive With End of Serenity!

Posted on April 24, 2014 by geelw

The PSP has become the handheld that just won’t die even though I’d gather that the bulk of owners have moved onto the Vita. On the other hand, I have three PSP’s here and one Vita and some months, one of those older handhelds gets more usage than the newer, pricier one. Anyway, like last year’s sleeper hit, Mystic Chronicles, Natsume’s upcoming RPG End of Serenity started life as a mobile phone game in Japan and is making it overseas this summer as a digital release via PSN. Although the game will make an appearance at this year’s E3, I won’t be there, so I’ll be like the rest of you intrigued about this old-school JRPG and snapping it up when it drops as a download. If the latter game was any indication, gamers can expect a very long and highly challenging JRPG that looks and plays like it belongs on a 16-bit console (which is always a great thing in my book).

More news to come once Natsume rattles my inbox some more – stay tuned…

Watch_Dogs on PS3: Solo or Online, It’s Looking Like A Winner For Ubisoft…

Posted on April 23, 2014 by geelw

Hey, I may not have a decent gaming PC (yeah, I’m not all that willing to blow food and bill money on 3D card upgrades, a new monitor and all sorts of stuff just to say I can play a game for graphics first), but my PS3 still gets the job done just fine. Anyway, Watch_Dogs may have been delayed for a bit, but I don’t mind (or care) at all if it means the end results will be even more finely tuned. Now, I’m not at all interested in this as an online experience because I’m a story first kind of guy. So, I’m most likely going in with no intentions of spending a second playing with or against others when this finally hits stores.

Granted, given that Verizon is forcing everyone in this area to update their service to whatever higher speed connection they’re going to replace all the land lines with (and you should read their lame-ass excuse for doing this), I’ll be finally able to get on PSN with my old fat model PS3 (I’ve been using my Vita at a few wi-fi hotspots to get games and updates for that system). I can’t even imagine all the game patches and updates waiting for my poor hard drive, so I’m probably going to need an external drive before that big communication change occurs. Oh well, enforced evolution… do your stuff, I guess…

The Making of Mind Zero #1: Aksys Games, All Is Forgiven!

Posted on April 23, 2014 by geelw

Or: Yeah, I paid full price for Magus and Yeah, I laughed more than I thought I was going to. That wasn’t a good thing, by the way. Anyway, it looks as if Aksys will redeem itself with this upcoming Vita exclusive, Mind Zero. Thankfully, it happens to be a dungeon crawler that actually looks pretty decent and I still have enough respect for Aksys to give them another chance. Of course, this could be another Beyond the Abyss (eek!), but I don’t think so, as it has more the look and tone of a Shin Megami Tensei game if anything. Well, we shall see soon, as this one ships out digitally and to retail May 28, 2014.

Skylanders Trap Team: Your New Fix Lands This October With Even More Innovation!

Posted on April 23, 2014 by geelw

Aha! Activision WAS being pretty stealthy this year at Toy Fair. Nothing to show ON the floor and I didn’t ask for an appointment at the booth this year (nor did I get an invite), so I figured they were taking the year off to retool for next-gen fun. Nope. Here’s this year’s blast of “We’re going to get your money and a LOT of it”: Skylanders Trap Team, rolling out in October for consoles (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, 3DS) , but of course, pre-orders kick off earlier (April 23, 2014 here in North America). Press release below the jump, gallery coming tomorrow, as I’m running late today and need to zip back home… Continue reading →

Tales of Hearts R: Your Vita Will Want You To Get This (Or Else)…

Posted on April 23, 2014 by geelw

Now, I haven’t yet heard of any cases where someone’s Vita attempted to do them bodily harm, but I’d gather if anyone who does own one of Sony’s handhelds who considers him or herself a JRPG fan somehow doesn’t pick Tales of Hearts R up, there’s going to be trouble on the home front. If you don’t pre-order this or snap it up on launch day (or within the first week or so), you’ll be in the bath or shower and hear a noise close by… it’ll be your Vita trying to leap into the tub to literally give you the shock of your life. Hey, it COULD happen, you know.

Granted, Hideo Baba and Tales Studio wouldn’t make a game that’s deliberately going to harm someone, but you know your Vita has a mind of its own sometimes. That would explain the games you buy on a few occasions, I’d gather… anyway, this winter, you’d best remember to get some Tales action up in the house or else…