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

Posted on April 19, 2013 by geelw

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…

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 →

Gallery: Castle of Illusion – Disney and Sega Want Your Nostalgic Bones Smiling Away…

Posted on April 15, 2013 by geelw

Image converted using ifftoany

OK, I can’t stay too annoyed at Disney, as this latest blast from the past actually looks quite good. Granted, this one SHOULD be on MORE platforms (those high resolution screens on the Vita and Wii U Gamepad are begging for more love), but I guess Disney is going first and foremost where they’ll rake in the most immediate sacks of loot. Granted, I’d bet a LOT more Disney fans without Xbox Live or PSN accounts (or a fancy tablet) would want to throw money at this on a disc or cartridge of some sort (with that DuckTales reboot tagging along), but no one ever thinks of catering to that crowd these days unless it’s some crowdfunded project that grabs the collectors where they like it.

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Anyway, the game art and logo above look nice enough and that teaser video is just that (and too short!):

but those screens below are dipped in yummy chocolate and ready to eat (and they’re freakin’ HUGE when you click on them – go ahead… you KNOW you want to):

Look for this one this summer on PSN and Xbox Live Arcade. Will Disney Interactive, Sega of America and Sega Europe be able to recapture the glory and thrills of the 1990 Sega Genesis classic? Well, we’ll soon find out, right? So far, it’s looking like a real winner…

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 →

Warner Bros. Pictures Wants You to Know That YOU ARE NOT ALONE

Posted on April 14, 2013 by geelw

Oh, you already knew that? Well, good for you. Here’s some double assurance (or just single assurance for you out there having a lonely Sunday in front of the TV with a big bowl of whatever) which is actually a really nice tickle and tease for Zach Snyder’s upcoming Superman reboot, The Man of Steel if you’re paying close enough attention. I like the way this plays on elements of Richard Donner’s film a tiny bit, but you know that Snyder’s got his own style working. Hmmm… I wonder if we’ll see other characters in the film get their own themed teasers? It would be nice to see, but that’s all up to the boys and gals in marketing and the director or an ad agency whipping up the right ad. Personally, I just want to see the film and less hype, but so it goes…

Nostalgia: Castle of Illusion Gets The Remake Treatment For A Summer Launch…

Posted on April 13, 2013 by geelw

Hmmm, so Disney is on a BIG nostalgia kick these days (with Sega along for the ride on this one), despite killing Lucasarts off and pretty much all chances for new Star Wars games. Or perhaps that demise was part of a larger game plan? Some not so deep thinking shows that between this reboot and the upcoming DuckTales remake from Capcom PLUS the other Disney related games on the way or out already (Kingdom Hearts, Disney Infinity, whatever device and mobile games there are I don’t care about because I don’t like the swipe and drag much), there might be enough loot raked in to put aside a few pennies for the future. As in if that upcoming in development Star Wars flick is looking as it needs some sort of interactive tie-in, whatever is coming will be developed in-house or by a developer contracted to do the job… that has (argh) excellent Metacritic scores for their previous titles.Whatever happened to just making good games, period?

Then again, Disney doesn’t discriminate, as they also killed Junction Point Studios dead after Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two didn’t do so well critically (and it seems, commercially). Yeah, that’s where we are these days, kids – studios shut for spending too much money and their games not garnering great aggregated scores on a faulty site while older games from the back catalog get yanked from their graves and given new life with the hope all will buy and every sin will be forgotten. Yuck. Well, I guess not having to pay $50 – $60 for a cartridge game will draw in more old and new fans of both Castle of Illusion and DuckTales… but there’s still that crowd of noisy ducks who think every game these days should be cheap or free, no matter how much it costs to make…

Batman: Arkham Origins: Current Gen Still Has It Going On, It Seems…

Posted on April 9, 2013 by geelw

Hmmm… I guess it HAD to happen, but with original developer Rocksteady Games not at the helm, will WB Games Montreal just be retreading the play mechanics from Arkham City in a different version of Gotham City packed full of familiar locations and possibly during different times of the day this installment? We shall see, of course and yeah, I’m too much of an optimist to think this talented dev team (which handled the superb Wii U enhanced “port” of Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition, by the way) is going to muck things up. THAT said, let’s hope they make this a game for the ages and fix a few of the issues even the mighty Rocksteady didn’t quite nail. One positive sign is the game is being made for every current-gen HD platform available, which means we’ll not only see a PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 version, but a new Wii U game as well.

The Vita and 3DS will finally get an Arkham game with Batman Arkham Origins: Blackgate, a “2.5D” action game from Armature Studios. Hopefully, both will be as close visually to the console games as possible and not too watered down or cartoony, as that’s almost always a disappointment in terms of continuity (well, at least in my book). Oh, for those wondering WHY Origins hasn’t been announced for the PS4 and next Xbox just yet, I’m guessing here, but I allow myself to do that once in a while for fun. Perhaps the guys and gals at Rocksteady ARE doing something on those consoles you don’t need to know about just yet, hmmmmm?

I say wait and see… but don’t be too surprised if it’s a new Arkham game or this one but done entirely in house and packed with visual punch to knock a room full of drooling fanboys to the nearest space station. *POW!* Watch this space…

Game of Thrones Season 3: A Threesome of Features To Heat Up Your Monday…

Posted on April 1, 2013 by geelw

Ewwww. That already infamous “Men don’t need nipples” line and scene from the Season 3 premiere nearly sent a cup of hot tea flying into the air last night, fortunately, you could see it coming a mile away (hopefully). Still, yikes. If that’s the army Daenerys wants (and gets), what’s she going to do with them should she also gain the throne she desires and there are a few thousand left? Probably buy them some chairs so they can FINALLY sit down, ha ha. Hmmm? Of course, given the “feel no pain” way those guys work, it should be quite an epic battle that takes place.

Er… Well, as long as we don’t get shot after shot of nipple slicing (yuk)…

Anyway, I still haven’t gotten around to reading any of the books (and don’t really plan on it as like The Walking Dead, I know that there’s a GREAT deal of deviation and additions to the source material), so don’t tell me anything. I have a dragon under my bed and it knows your address. Or so it tells me. Hey, I just feed it whomever shows up ringing my doorbell unannounced (so there are a few cable TV salespeople not annoying others about needlessly expensive and some pompous proselytizers missing a few sheep from their flocks, methinks)…

And of course, these interviews are always hilarious to watch because of the dumb questions that get pitched at people who really can’t say much for any number of great reasons. Still, a little insight goes a long way, that’s for sure. I wonder what the motto of House Martin is these days? Hmmm… that’s a good question to ask, I bet (or not)…

Game of Thrones Season 3, Episode 2 Preview: The Storm Rages Onward…

Posted on March 31, 2013 by geelw

Well, THAT premiere was… very… educational now, wasn’t it? It looks like the new season won’t disappoint at all, so it’ll be fun to see where it all goes from here. Uphill for some of the characters and downhill in terms of some of their fates, I’m supposing. Of course, that’s while we all watch the show, right? I thought so. Anyway, I think I need a shower now. All that tension is bad for the sweat glands and bladder (especially when the show starts up and you’ve forgotten to go. No commercials during programs on HBO, you know). See you next week, same Dragon time, same Dragon channel…

Game of Thrones Season 3 Premiere Accolades: OK, HBO… We Get It, We Get It!

Posted on March 31, 2013 by geelw

Now you’re just f*@King with us with an hour plus to go. Some are hanging out in bars for a while now, others are ditching their Easter hats in favor of some handmade get-ups straight out of the show and people like me are still flipping a flippin’ coin and trying to decide on The Walking Dead season finale or this first because we don’t have a DVR. I’m leaning heavily towards GoT, by the way, but I may change my mind just because I think I can. Eh, I’ll probably go with Game, as I’ve been pretty zombified all week and all these teasers and trailers for Thrones has me too piqued to pass up. Off to plant my butt in front of the TV a bit early. It’s going to be quite a night for beginnings and endings on a few fronts…