Oops: Credit Where Credit Is Due, Dept. (Lost & Found Section)

Aside

Two things: I forgot to note in the darn review that I swiped that Star Odyssey video from YouTuber Vysethedetermined2. Thanks for posting that footage, sir!

Also, in the PC version of Skyrim, someone (well, a whole lot of someones) has gone and found (through a bit of tinkering with the game code) the entire areas of Morrowind and Cyrodil hidden in the ridiculously huge world map. These two spots are from earlier games in The Elder Scrolls series and very well known to core fans, so speculation is indeed rampant as to what they’re for and why they’re in the code.

My take: Either future DLC (which would be fantastic), OR Bethsoft plans to use these areas as some sort of anniversary surprise for fans of the first four games in the series. No matter what their plans are, it’s definitely going to be a nice treat that extends the life span of this insanely long game even further…

Rayman Origins “10 Ways To Win” Helps A Lot (But You STILL Need To Buy The Game First!)

Posted on November 21, 2011 by geelw

UbiSoft wants to assist in any way they can, so here you go. From what I played, the game is gorgeous, laugh out loud funny and at times, hard as hell in a joyous old-school manner. Pinpoint platforming, multiplayer action, tons of levels and ridiculous replay value are all here on the game disc, so what are you waiting for? If you say “Um, a few hints on how to win the game?” You get a tin cup and some dark glasses, kid. Now get off my lawn…

Winter Stars Teaser Trailer: Deep Silver Wants To Get You In The Mood For Snow…

Posted on November 20, 2011 by geelw

Deep Silver’s got a plan to get those of you looking for a winter sports game to buy a copy of Winter Stars, their just released motion-controller-based game for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. Eleven different sporting events bound to get you up off the couch and shaking it like you mean it sounds like a good idea to me, as my own “it” is getting a tiny bit wider from way too much Skyrim. Naturally, I’ll at least play the snowmobiling mini-game sitting down, but it looks like I’ll need to be waving my arms and moving about for the rest of them. With Move, Kinect or Wii Remote/Balance Board support for each platform, it’ll be interesting to see if this one takes off as the weather gets colder and holiday gift thoughts start wafting through the air like the scent of freshly baked pies.

Review: Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi

Posted on November 20, 2011 by geelw

Platform: Xbox 360 (also on PS3)

Developer: Spike

Publisher: Namco Bandai

# of Players: 1 – 2 (Online 1 – 2)

ESRB Rating: T Teen

Official Site

Score: B (75%)

Bigger, meaner, louder and faster pretty much sums up each new Dragon Ball Z game that hits consoles on what seems to be a yearly basis, but this year’s DBZ game, Ultimate Tenkaichi, while spectacular looking and a thrill to play, somehow drops the ball when it comes to character count. While there’s a character edit function here, it’s a bit limited and the overall number of playable fighters isn’t as impressive as last year’s Raging Blast 2. If you can manage to get over that disappointment (or could care lass about who’s in this game as long as it’s fun), what’s here is a total blast to dive into again and again as it still packs in many hours of exciting fighting action. A few elements, such as the emphasis on quick time events for some special attacks and interesting pattern-based boss battles that would feel more at home in a 3D platformer, may take a bit of getting used to for some younger players. But overall, there’s more than enough of the usual DBZ stuff here to keep you busy for quite some time. Continue reading →

The MAIN Thing I’ve Learned From Skyrim (So Far) Is..

Posted on November 19, 2011 by geelw

Real life needs an auto-save function when you enter and leave a room. That is all (for now)… Back shortly with an update that’s longer and more fun to read…

Coming Up For Air (Finally)…

Status

OK, OK – time to get cracking on a few things. Reviews incoming over the weekend! And while Skyrim is one of them, Hell NO, I’m nowhere near completing the game. There’s SO much to do in there that it’s a new benchmark for what can (and SHOULD) be done in terms of giving gamers TRUE value for their hard-earned money. Why play another short single player FPS campaign when you can sink yourself into a far deeper game where you’re hooked in for hours in a stretch and barely make a dent in the main quest? Back in a bit…

And While You’re Waiting, Here’s Some More Random Art…

Posted on November 17, 2011 by geelw

Yes, I’m still BURIED in Skyrim (and a few other games, bouncing back and forth between no fewer than six titles), so here’s some more art from my fanzine self-publishing days. Only the Baby Coco Bandicoot cover actually made it to print. The other two were unused and part of my pre-planning back then. I had a ton of content written and article ideas mapped out for about ten issues, but I didn’t want to worry about having to come up with cover art at the last minute. Drawing out a bunch of ideas (I think around 15-20) made for an easier time in planning what other art I wanted to run in each issue. Of course, getting hired to write for the late, lamented Gametour.com (which morphed into Foul Magazine) ended my days as a ‘zine publisher and some of the content (a rather small amount) I’d wanted to run in Continue ended up as part of Gametour and later Foul’s dozen issue run. I’ll run a few more unpublished sketches a bit later if you’re interested…

L.A. Noire Complete Edition Hits Stores For PS3 & 360

Posted on November 16, 2011 by geelw

In case you missed it, Team Bondi’s instant classic is now available for the PS3 and Xbox 360 complete with all the DLC missions and costumes. While the Aussie developer has gone under due to a bit of controversy (go look it up, I need to get back to playing Skyrim), their first and only game is still an amazing achievement that’s well worth playing and an excellent example of a “thinking persons” video game. Personally, I say 2011’s Game of the Year category is going to be packed more than full of top shelf titles with more than ONE winner chosen by anyone serious about those sorts of lists. There have been far too many solid titles in 2011 to limit victors to a mere ONE per genre, I say…

Hostage Situation Update: Skyrim, Day, Um… I Forget

Status

Yeah, it’s THAT bad. When you find yourself going BACK to old completed dungeons to make SURE you’ve collected everything you can sell off in order to fund something crazy (well, I really DO need to buy that house. And there’s a cool pair of magic boots I’m too lazy to craft up)… you know you’re hooked. Ah well, thanks Bethsoft! Patch or not, you’re created a masterpiece for the ages.

Syndicate Co-op Gameplay Trailers: Classic Meets Current

Posted on November 16, 2011 by geelw

Submitted for your approval, two pretty cool videos from EA’s upcoming reboot of the PC and console classic. Not only does veteran developer, Starbreeze get it, they get it RIGHT. Reworking some classic Syndicate maps into the new game’s 4-player co-op mode is a great thing indeed and should give the more open-minded loyalists something to think about. As much as I love the original game, it’s not 199X, folks… so it’s time to move on and enjoy what’s here, keeping in mind that the game has the blessing of members of the original’s development team. It’s all coming along really nicely and I can’t wait to see more gameplay videos as the game gets closer to completion.