Preview: The Witcher – Geralt of Riva Rides the Dark Horse…

The Witcher DH 
I’d forgotten Dark Horse Comics was doing a book based on this book and game series, so this was a nice surprise. Paul Tobin (writer) and Joe Querio (art) are on the case here and so far, the preview is not bad at all. It’s hard to step from the realism of CD Projekt RED’s lush and lovely game world to the printed page, but that’s the power of that team’s work that makes such a huge impression on those of us who like Geralt of Riva and his rather interesting adventures. Anyway, everyone’s favorite antihero/monster hunter/ladies man/ is coming to your favorite comic emporium on March 19, 2014 – feel free to bug your retailer or just place an order online at the usual suspects (Things from Another World or Dark Horse Digital).

A few pages and the cover to Issue 2 are below the jump – enjoy!

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Zombeer, Anyone? Moonbite’s Undead Boozer/Shooter Hits PSN Today

 
Okay, it’s Tuesday and I’ve been listening to weather reports saying we’re going to get some more snow dumped on us up here tomorrow night into Thursday morning or so. Wonderful. Just what I needed to hear, especially since there are still mountains of dirty ice that haven’t been tackled yet by the folks who need to do that stuff. So, what’s a guy to do now that there’s going to be a day of being trapped indoors? Well, YOU’LL probably be snuggling with your sweetie… or a box of tissues and some hot soup if you’re already sick. Me, I’ll probably be taking a peek at Moonbite’s goofy Zombeer because it looks like something that would keep me much more interested than MORE stupid snow.

Let’s see now, made in sunny Barcelona (Okay, it’s probably NOT sunny at night there) , features lots of zombies, lots more beer (digital beer – you can get drunk on whatever is in your house on your own time), sexy Zombabes galore (Woo!), silly M-rated gore and probably too many in-jokes to count if that trailer above is any indication. Anyway, Zombeer is on PSN right about NOW, so go grab it, I say!

Crow Pie Chronicles (Or I’m Glad To Be Wrong About): The Lego Movie

 
YUM! I said I’d eat a crow pie if I was wrong about The Lego Movie not sucking and yep, I’m a man of my word, although I had to substitute some of my not yet world famous chicken for “crow” and a few slices of whole grain bread for “pie”. Anyway, it’s good to see this one netting nice notices so now I need to see it at some point and make sure all those critics weren’t sucking in the happy gas WB pumped into those free screenings I didn’t get an invite to (boo!). Since I’ve been ignoring the film for the most part, I’m going in blind other than what I’ve seen on those TV spots popping up all over the place every few seconds. I still think it’ll be well over the heads of anyone over ten years old who won’t get all the references and in-jokes, but that’s probably me underestimating the kids of the hipsters and boomers taking them to see this.

 
And wait, wha-whaaaat? There’s a video game based on the film as well? I did predict this last year or earlier, but I’m actually surprised that there was one made because that’s just TOO meta at the end of the day. Anyway, you KNOW a movie is going to be worth seeing when Fox News has a shit fit about it for all the wrong reasons. They seem to believe that a movie made to get people to run out and spend money to see it (and the tie in toys AND the game that’s made for the same purpose) is somehow teaching kids to be “anti-capitalist” (wha-whaaaat?)… despite the OBVIOUS hundreds of millions this will rake in for a few big corporations. As the kids say, DERP.

Yeah, they’re quite stupid over there and I wish they’d stop it. But it’s interesting watching them hang themselves by their own rope every day they keep the blood pressure of their viewership headed through the roof over trifling nonsense. Perhaps they all need to chill for a bit and actually go see some of the stuff they bitch and moan about as bad for Amurrrrica? That would be my prescription…

Double Dragon Neon Now On Steam: Get Yer 80’s Fix On (With A Bit of A Paradox)

DD_NeonDouble Dragon Neon is a throwback game for sure. It’s going to appeal to your backwards baseball cap, neon sunglasses wearing faux punk side while sporting nicely updated visuals, an awesome soundtrack and yes, won’t work on any computer rockin’ an OS older than Windows 7 (oops, an opportunity lost there, I say!). WayForward Technologies (again!) did a stellar job on this one on PSN and Xbox Live Arcade, so it’s a total no-brainer that today’s newly released the Steam version is as good or better in a few respects.

In a way, it’s also too bad this never got a retail release in some “retro” packaging from Midnight City (Majesco’s digital indie label), as it’s exactly the sort of game that could benefit from (and sell a few limited edition copies because of) some sort of box with a funky 80’s cover painting. Ah well. Anyway, if your nostalgia meter is tingling away, you know what to do, right? I’ll let you get to it then…

This Week’s Humble Weekly Sale: Roguelikes Like Rogues Like Me…

Gyaaah. Here I am, JUST writing about a fine and dandy new(ish) RPG I’m in love with (see previous post) and what happens? The folks at Humble Bundle read my mind and come up with an EVIL PLAN to take more money from me, grrr. And for a six buck minimum, I’m going to let them. As my backlog is so stupidly massive, I’ve only played a few demos of some of these and wanted to pick them up when I had the time (and yes, when there was an appropriate sale or something). Well, I guess the time is ripe for me to go ba-na-nas on this deal and add MORE games to the digital warehouse of stuff I need to get to as I free up time. Wah! Anyway, six games and five complete soundtracks all for the taking.

Oh well. Such is the life I lead. Click. Buy. BOUGHT. *Sob*, oh, my poor backlog…

Paper Sorcerer Now Available On Steam: And With A Hook, You’re IN The Book!

PaperSorcerorAnd the people have spoken! Paper Sorcerer is now on Steam! Yes, it’s still five bucks and yes, it’s been tweaked up a bit since my review. You can play using your keyboard and mouse or if you like configure a USB controller (a wired Xbox 360 one is recommended) if you’re more used to that means of playing games. Finally, new to the Steam version are 39 Achievements, which means I’ll need to play this version at some point just to see what they are.

Yeah it’s a short post, but hey – it’s FREEZING in here today and as noted earlier, my poor brain isn’t working as well as it needs to. Brrrr. I need to get the heck home soon and curl up with a good book, methinks…

Bundle Stars’ New Math Gets You Too Much For Too Little (Again!)…

BS_kingdoms bundle banner

These charity game bundles are driving me nuts, but it’s all good. Paying a mere three dollars for all these games is a super steal (if bought individually elsewhere you’d pay $65) , but as always the drawback is finding time to PLAY them. My own newly adjusted backlog of completing all the games I’ve paid so little for from Steam, gog.com, Desura, Indie Gala, Humble Indie Bundle and yes, Bundle Stars is currently hovering somewhere around 2015, but that doesn’t include other games, movies and important stuff like breathing, so methinks I’ll need to re-crunch those numbers at some point soon.

 
Anyway, the latest BS deal (The Kingdoms Bundle) is no BS at all, offering you 95% off of six games with four of those six being deep historical and military simulations and the other pair a fantasy action/RPG hybrid and a streamlined yet complex space strategy game. Not everyone’s cup of tea, I’ll admit. But for those with the time and patience or those who want to try something different, these come recommended.

The Indie Gala January Bundle Gets Deadly… And You’ll Get A Premonition When You Buy It…

Indie_Gala_JanuaryHa! ANY chance to write more about one of my favorite games is a good thing, so here you go. Over at the Indie Gala site, their January bundle just got even more interesting, going from a must buy pack to “If you DON’T buy this bundle, you’re nuts!” deal. $5.19 got you seven games up until today when Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut was added to the deal and three more Steam games are coming soon. Nice.

The Steam version of DPTDC adds a ton of bonus content, Steam-specific achievements and (Xbox 360) controller support (sure you CAN play with a mouse and keyboard, but this is ONLY recommended if you already do so and are GREAT at it). As for the game proper, it’s a surprising throwback that won’t win any awards for visuals, but has a story that’s quite interesting on a few emotional layers. In addition, the game is a homage to all sorts of cool stuff and packs in movie trivia like a boss (just drive around and listen to the banter for some fun knowledge dropping). Sure, it won’t look amazing at all on that 50″ or three screen monitor setup and the game isn’t going to task your overclocked gaming rig at all. But good, quirky games like this don’t need fancy system defying visuals to be awesome, I say.

That, and the rest of the games in the bundle are all pretty unique in their own right. You’ll see soon enough. Now go spend a few spare bucks (part of it will be going to charity, so it’s okay!) and have a great(er) weekend!

Bundle Stars Wants You To Win BIG (As In $500 Worth of Steam Games BIG)…

store-giveaway 

Wow. Simple entry procedure? CHECK, super prize for ten lucky winners? CHECK. All you need is a PC with enough hard drive space and the appropriate OS and 3D card and you’re good to go. Even if you don’t win a darn thing, you’ll now have a new site to ogle when you’re looking for great game deals where some of the proceeds go to charity. This bundle stuff seems to be the way things are going for many to snap up games of all types at great prices, so get used to it, folks. And if you DO win because you found out about this contest here, remember to put me in your will or something. Or even better, enjoy all those games and say goodbye to being bored for quite some time! And if you’re not a gamer, just pass this post along to someone who is and watch them do something resembling a back flip. Um, if they don’t stick that landing, it’s not my fault… but at least they tried, right?

Tex Murphy Is Coming Back? I Need To Pay More Attention To Stuff Like This…

Tex Murphy - Tesla Effect Molten SilhouetteWell, well, well… I actually haven’t played a Tex Murphy game since 1994’s Under a Killing Moon, so I’ve been way out of the loop on the noir/tech detective and his adventures for (eek) almost twenty years now (eek!). Anyway, Atlus (which is generally not known for publishing these types of games) is producing and publishing the long awaited PC follow up to the 1996 PC game Tex Murphy: Overseer and developer Big Finish Games is, as you can see, making a FMV (Full-Motion Video) game for the ages.

I actually loved these types of adventure games back in the 90’s, grainy video quality and all, so it’s fantastic to see this style of game get a nice boost thanks to better technology that allows for crystal clear FMV scenery in the cinemas as well as in-game environments and effects work that’s not embarrassingly cheesy for a change. I also love the idea of a film noir-ish detective in a post World War III San Francisco, which is sort of like Blade Runner without the pompous ego crisis and Philip K. Dick pedigree, ha ha. Heh, I may need to hire a Blade Runner of my own to protect my from the legions of fans of that classic film, but I think I can take my chances and survive. I’ll take on the all of the Pris impersonators first, though. I think my feeble brain could really use the vigorous thigh massage (Ouch! I was kidding, ladies, Don’t hit! Don’t hit!!!)…

Anyway, my eyeball is now fixed on one more great game that’s going to roll up in 2014 and get a lot of people buzzing about it for a few reasons. Anyway, all this gabbing and I still haven’t officially* linked you to the game’s official site where you (yes, YOU) can check out the assorted screens and a few FMV movies that will let you know what some are bouncing up and down in their favorite chairs about. I’d be doing the same, but I’m in the library here, these damn chairs are as hard as a rock and I’d rather not have to be hospitalized for being giddy. At least for this particular reason.

*”Officially, as in if you didn’t click on those other links already, you haven’t seen the site yet, of course)…