WIN FREE STUFF!* Tweet Yourself Up A Treat From D3Publisher of America!

Posted on September 17, 2013 by geelw

As that title says, D3Publisher of America is giving away some nice free stuff and they want YOU* to win. Yes indeed, folks. The company is rolling into NYC this coming Thursday, September 19th with their lineup of awesome holiday titles:

Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW!
Regular Show: Mordecai & Rigby In 8-Bit Land
Earth Defense Force 2025
Ben 10: Omniverse 2

And they’re asking fans to get in on the fun. Well, you can’t actually attend this press-only event, but you CAN win a nice bag of game-related swag!

To enter follow @D3Publisher on Twitter, tweet which game you want to see the most and use the tag #D3Holiday13. Five (5) lucky winners will be chosen at random on Sept. 20th, notified and yup… SWAGGED. Simple, no?

*NOTE: Yes indeed, US entrants only. Sorry, my overseas peeps – them’s the rules, as they say…

So, Er… What’s That BIG Game Coming Out Tomorrow Called Again?

Posted on September 16, 2013 by geelw

OK, Okay, Ooooo-Kaaaay. I’ll eventually get to the mighty Grand Theft Auto V at some point this month (or next). It’s pretty much a given that Rockstar has already and is going to continue to mop up the high scores with this one and although I’ve reviewed a previous GTA game in the past fairly quickly (I actually had about 30 hours to blow through GTA III and do up a long review for a magazine I wrote for back then), this one will take some time to peel back all of those layers.

Of course, leave it to the folks over at NWA World to take it a bit too extreme in terms of describing some of the game’s content. This one’s definitely NOT for the kids and that Mature rating means Rockstar is pushing that envelope right out the window. It’ll be fun watching the heads over at a certain cable network explode as they run “news” items about the game being “marketed to kids” when that’s never been the case at all. Oh well… just shut up and play it, I say. Or don’t if you don’t like the content. It’s not a mandated game experience, you know…

Import News… From The Future!: Earth Defense Force PS4 Bound

Posted on September 12, 2013 by geelw

Given the formerly budget priced series’ loyal following since it appeared as part of the Simple 2000 lineup on the PlayStation 2, it was pretty much a given that D3 Publisher and developer Sandlot would be bringing gamers a new EDF game on Sony’s upcoming console. Import gaming site Siliconera reports that there’s a game in the works, which is awesome to hear. No news on how far in development it is, who’s making it (no doubt it’ll be Sandlot’s first title on the new hardware) or what the intended release date is.

Of course, just hearing this news is enough for me and I’m hoping Sandlot can finally make an EDF game with a stable frame rate when the going gets tough on those crazier maps. Granted, the series is known for its sometimes wonky technical issues (that don’t stop the games from being a hell of a lot of FUN, mind you), but given the PS4’s power under the hood, it would be fantastic to see a locked in 30 or even 60fps in the new game even with all those giant bugs, robots and buildings blowing up into assorted pieces. OK, I’ll take a solid 30 at this point, as even thinking of double that is a bit of a pipe dream unless Sandlot gets some help in optimizing whatever engine they’ll be utilizing. I’d gather it’ll be an all new in-house bit of tech, as the EDF 4 engine had some issues on the PS3 that weren’t in the Xbox 360 version of EDF 4.

As usual, we shall see… stay tuned for updates.

And NO, Dream C Club: Host Girls On Stage is most likely NOT coming to North America. Like it or not, that’s TOO niche for even D3PoA to even consider unless they want to sell something like 5000 or so copies of a game (at most) and be happy with that.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Kickstarter Update: Now Vita & Vita tv Bound!

Posted on September 9, 2013 by geelw

NICE and thank you, SCEJ! Since that PS Vita tv announcement in Japan is quite the big deal. Wayforward Technologies has decided to add the game to its list of things to do. Excellent and yes indeed, the more, the merrier. 3DS owners, sorry, but you’re getting a completely separate new game to play, as your system isn’t powerful enough to handle what’s coming (just a fact!). Still, this means Vita-only fans aren’t left out of the Shantae loop this time, so Huzzah and all that.

Pre-TGS News: SCEJ Drops Plenty of Vita Bombshells Plus a Late PS4 Release In Japan…

Posted on September 9, 2013 by geelw

Weird, wild stuff going on overseas, as Sony is surprisingly bringing out a redesigned, less expensive Vita in different colors with 1GB of on board memory, an even more inexpensive Vita TV device that will let users play Vita and other PlayStation titles, watch movies and more plus a whole load of so far Japanese-only info including the release date of the PlayStation 4 in the territory. The big surprise on that end is the PS4 is shipping out AFTER the North American and European launch, which is something of a first for a Sony gaming console if I’m not mistaken.

Back to the Vita for a second – Sony has also announced a new 64MB Memory Card as well as price drops on its other proprietary memory cards for the handheld. The 64GB card will retail in Japan for 9,980 yen (about $100) and the new pricing on the currently available cards is as follows: the 4GB card drops to to 1,480 yen (about $15), the 8GB card to 1,980 yen (about $20), the 16GB card to 3,780 yen (about $38) and the 32GB model to 6,480 yen (about $65). Meanwhile, as noted above, North American and European gamers will get their PlayStation 4’s a few months earlier than Japan, as a February 2014 launch window was revealed. According to a few news sites, the reason seems to be Sony having issues meeting high demand for the console worldwide and probably targeting more units for the US and Europe first thanks to greater demand in those countries.

Finally, the launch title lineup for Japan was revealed as well, but we’ll take a peek at some of those titles in another post shortly. My fingers are of course, crossed that these price drops and new products pop up here in the US, but as always… we shall see…

New Puppeteer Trailer Makes Your Friday Night Surreal (or Something Worse)…

Posted on September 6, 2013 by geelw

OK, I laughed at this trailer, but I bet some of you out there get freaked out my over-sized masks and goofy costumes like others flip out over circus (or other) clowns. If that’s you, I’m sorry to have exposed you to this on an otherwise fine and rather cool Friday night (sleep with the windows open – there’s a nice breeze blowing!). On the other hand, if you’re having a gloomy Friday night, this just may cheer you up. If that doesn’t work… well, go watch the rest of the kooky live-action clips Sony put together, take an aspirin or two and get some sleep. Anyway, Sony’s PlayStation 3 exclusive, Puppeteer is out now in some spots, so if you’re a PS3 owner looking for pure platforming bliss, well… you know what to do, right?

Shantae Is BACK… As A Kickstarter Project Well Worth Funding!

Posted on September 4, 2013 by geelw

After a pretty crappy early part of the day… now I actually feel like dancing around the room (but I’m in the library today and that’s not a really good idea). Anyway, WayForward Technologies is indeed working on a new Shantae game for anything that can play it (consoles and PC are the main targets) and YES, you should drop a few bucks to fund it for the stretch goals to make it even better. Here’s a peek at the pitch:

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is the name of the game and it’s already set for a release on a few platforms (it’s already confirmed for Wii U, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Windows PC via Steam), but WayForward wants to make the game even bigger and is offering up some awesome bonuses as well as cool stretch goals if they fly way over their target. You know the drill: You have a month to pledge (well, 29 days and counting down) and this one’s worth your time to check out just because you’re a fan of the company’s work or you’ve never played a cute as hell platformer with a genie (or half-genie) before and Shantae’s shimmy has you intrigued.

I used to work in a game shop years back and I actually passed up the chance to buy a copy of the original Shantae, which was a DUMB move on my part as that old Game Boy Color title fetches a few hundred bucks thanks to a low production run (and the fact that the game is really fantastic). I’ve missed out on the sequels thanks to them being digital only (boo!), but I’m backing this new game because it’s coming out on a few platforms I can actually get it for (I’ll probably get a Wii U version just to use that GamePad more than I currently do). Anyway, I’m off to that screening I noted in the above post – go make WayForward happier and pledge towards this instant classic, I say…

Lost Planet 3 “Ask Jim” Q & A: Here’s Your Bill!

Posted on September 3, 2013 by geelw

Mr. Watterson takes questions from some fans in character as Lost Planet 3‘s Jim Peyton and you get to listen in and maybe learn a thing or three. I’m about midway through the game (I’m taking my time as scouring every nook and cranny) and having a blast so far. Although I’m writing up a review myself, I’d have to say straight up that LP3 is one of those interesting game experiences where you just need to play it and experience the story as opposed to reading impressions and making up your mind based on those alone. OK, shutting up now and getting back to the game – back in a bit with an update… it’s a stupidly busy week here!

REALLY Quick Take: Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward

Posted on September 1, 2013 by geelw

I finally got around to playing this excellent Vita sequel to a Nintendo DS and 3DS game (999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors) and I had to chuckle a bit because there are two ways to describe the game and as I’m busy with a ton of stuff, I’ll take the shorter route and potentially tick off some people who think this game is the greatest thing since sliced cheese bread. Don’t get me wrong, I liked it a lot, being a cranky old fan of point and click adventure games and all. But as I was finishing it up, I just so happened to be in the library last week and overhear two kids talking about the game and one of them offered up an unintentional ten word review that made me almost burst out laughing because Yahtzee with his awesome Zero Punctuation videos is supposed to be KING of the ten-word review. This kid nailed the game without even realizing he was doing a Yahtzee impression.

His take (and mine, if you have a short attention span and just want to know what the game is about or similar to) when his friend asked him about the game:

“It’s like SAW… but with anime characters and better writing.”

Yeah, that’s about right. Damn kids… I should have hired him on the spot, but I don’t think he was old enough. OK, so the game IS a bit more complex and cerebral than a SAW flick, but there are a few more than amusing parallels that if you describe the plots of the game and one of the movies, someone who knows one and not the other might get a little confused.

Sony’s Third Party Production Team Gives The Vita A Big Boost

Posted on September 1, 2013 by geelw

One of the coolest bits of news that popped up from PAX Prime this year was the announcement of Sony’s new Third Party Production team which will be dedicated to bringing more titles from third party publishers to Sony’s current and future platforms. According to a post on the PlayStation Blog, gamers can expect new IP, ports and localized games, which opens up a ton of options given Sony’s strategy to make as many upcoming titles compatible on the PS4 and Vita. The team is currently working with Iron Galaxy Studios on the eagerly awaited Vita version of Borderlands 2 and OSny fans have been bombarding them with requests (many of them impossible or improbable thanks to the posters not quite grasping how this studio will function).

Anyway, I’ll be keeping an eyeball peeled for more news, as I more or less know what they can and can’t do and want to see them succeed with whatever they’re tackling. Yep, it’s a dull post… unless you’re a Vita owner or soon to be PS4 owner wanting to see more games popping up more often.