South Park: The Stick of Truth Trailer: THQ Bets The Farm You’ll Buy This RPG

Posted on December 10, 2012 by geelw

Ah, the eternal coin flip here: Is South Park still enough of a viable money-making franchise for THQ that enough gamers will drop full retail for it (thus making The Stick of Truth a huge smash hit from day one)? Will the talented folks at Obsidian deliver a RPG experience closer to a Neverwinter Nights 2 (quite good), a KOTOR 2 (decent, but flawed) or an Alpha Protocol (good idea, poor execution)? Will enough critics be kind to the game once they get past the gimmicky elements and dig into the RPG aspects? All these Q’s and many more will be answered soon enough.

I’ll admit now that I don’t watch South Park regularly enough to offer up anything other than an opinion that the game needs to be consistent and not rely solely on the outrageous humor the show is well-known for. That said, I’d love to see this on portable systems, but I guess that’s up to THQ (if they’re still around after the game comes out)…

Star Trek: Into Darkness Teaser Trailers: Oh My!

Posted on December 6, 2012 by geelw

Hmmm. Nice teaser for the upcoming J.J. Abrams Star trek sequel – as usual, the Japanese trailer gets a few extra seconds of cool stuff. It looks like the delays and secrecy are going to pay off significantly for Trek fans, so let’s hope the film is not only better than the last one, it’s got more going for it than explosions and stars in assorted states of looking up at stuff. All kidding aside, I have to say I’m impressed but wary as almost every film I’ve seen this year has disappointed me in tiny to significant ways. Anyway, I’ll shut up and wait for a plot synopsis and scenes I can pore over for more detail. Of course, if there’s a Shatner cameo, I’ll lose a bet and have to listen to that Transformed Man LP for 24 hours straight. Eeek. Then again, I’m still not sure what’s more brain-warping to listen to – that or Leonard Nimoy’s equally oddball “Highly Illogical”. If you haven’t heard either, go look them up… but don’t say i didn’t warn you…

Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD Is Vita Bound – That’s A Buy Right There, Folks…

Posted on December 6, 2012 by geelw

Excellent. In case you missed it back on the original Xbox and last year, on the PS3 as a PSN download, well, here you go. Oddworld Inhabitants is getting Stranger’s Wrath out on Sony’s portable and I say it’s a buy because it’s still one of the best games you’ll ever play thanks to its innovative gameplay elements combining FPS and third-person action/platforming) along with a strong story that’s funny and touching. Oh yeah, and that Stranger is quite a likable fellow for being a bounty hunter and all. And the game is pretty darn long for what it is. And it sure looks mighty pretty in HD. And a whole lot more “ands” too. Keep an eye peeled for it soon enough…

Far Cry 3: I Haven’t Played It Yet, But I’m Already Hooked In…

Posted on December 4, 2012 by geelw

Thanks to having so many other games to play through this month, I know I won’t get around to playing Far Cry 3 until next year. However, from what I’ve seen so far (a friend has it and is having a total blast), I’m going to be REALLY busy in Crytek’s massive open-world shooter. I spent an hour or so watching someone play and it looks as if the game allows you to do what you want on those islands outside the main story line (a great thing). Sure, you’re still killing men and animals by the boatload, but the story sections are compelling from the beginning and you can get your character’s motivations and grasp his rather insane situation thanks to some excellent writing and motion captured performances. Hmmmm… maybe I’ll skip a few games and pick this up sooner than later after all… we shall see.

Updates: Incoming, Now Playing And So Forth And So On…

Status

Hokay – I’m swimming in games as of late with more on the way as noted on the other DAF blog), but I’ll be updating a bit over the weekend. Nintendo Land, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (Wii Edition) and if I can get through it without dropping dead from fright, Zombi U will get posted along with a few other things. I need to figure out what December’s banner will be as well, so suggestions are welcome. I have games popping up every few days now, so the holiday backlog will continue… eek. But hey, it’s certainly a great time to be into the hobby, that’s for sure!

Wonderful. Another Storm.

Status

Hokay – it was raining earlier and now it’s snowing a bit. So far, it’s warm enough that that now snowing snow that’s blowing sideways won’t stick, but the wind is kicking up a little, so the temperature will drop. Looks like I’m inside for the day and it’s a good thing I have games to finish…

Back in a bit. If I’m not sitting in the dark, I may even post a review or two.

Until Dawn Halloween Trailer: Getting A Move On (As In Running Like Hell, Part Deux)…

Posted on October 31, 2012 by geelw

Sony’s version of Ten Little Indians (minus two) meets SAW and a few other things is looking pretty nifty and yes, it also gets a nice Halloween trailer to ogle. I’m hoping the game is great, as it’s tough to do a good horror game these days because no matter how amazing it is, there’s going to be some jaded jackanape who starts griping that the game either isn’t scary enough, or is too familiar to something they think they know all about, or has someone cursing in it (hey, it’s a M-rated game, silly – what are you supposed to say when there’s a crazy man coming at you from out of nowhere with a knife?). I want to see this succeed because the Move works well enough (and hell, a LOT better than Kinect in terms of a 1:1 gameplay experience) and could use a many new titles that take advantage of the peripheral as possible. OK, I think that may be the last post for the day, as the connection here is crappy and I still need to get a few reviews done and posted later, PLUS, get around to changing the banner to November on the blogs. Back later… or sooner if I can find time for a quickie post.

An Update Before the Actual Update (Because I’m Wiped Out)…

Posted on October 17, 2012 by geelw

In the midst of my crazy week (and still some back pain) I spent the better part of today looking at and playing Trion Worlds’ upcoming games lineup and let’s just say that fans of MMO’s, RTS games, Third-person action shooters and co-op based FPS excitement will be needing to carve out some quality time for these four games. I’ll have impressions of them up over the weekend, but for now, I’ll say that Defiance is a game-changer and a LOT of you out there will probably be playing it because it’s non-stop amazing.

Back in a bit – I’m going to sleep now.

Coming Up For Air (Volume XVIII)…

Posted on October 13, 2012 by geelw

So, my import copy of Chikyuu Boueigun Portable 3 for the Vita arrived yesterday and yes, between that, Retro City Rampage and Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise, I’ve really done nothing else but play all the way into today taking notes as I go. Reviews will go up for each shortly, so stick around for those. So far, it’s recommendations all around, if you want the short versions of all three…

Back in a bit…

Random Game Art (Not Mine): Another World Poster

Posted on October 12, 2012 by geelw

OK, I’m stupidly busy playing a bunch of games in my to-do queue (including of of the biggest surprises of the year, VBlank’ Games’ spectacular and hilarious Retro City Rampage for the Vita & PS3, coming soon to more platforms – BUY IT! ) and getting some Holiday Gift Guide products reviewed, but I may as well give you something to look at, so here you go: A lovely piece of art done for the classic PC game Another World (or Out of This World if you live in North America). For some reason, this game popped into my head (probably due to reading p a few too many posts about adventure games making a comeback this year when they never really disappeared in the first place) and I did a quick search to see if there was a site still up for this classic. Turns out there is and if you’re running WIndows XP, you can get a nice demo of that version to try out. It’s one of the all-time great (and hard!) adventure games that still brings back some find memories for me. OK, enough wistful nostalgia – back to the salt mines. Lots of updates to come this weekend!