Portal 2 In Motion On PSN: Definitely NOT The Same “Old” Game WIth Move….

Posted on November 2, 2012 by geelw

As the kids say, “Now THAT’S what I’m talkin’ about!” – or something like that. While this super new update to Valve’s stellar first-person physics puzzler may LOOK the same at first, the changes made to get the game PlayStation Move compatible will add new challenges to the familiar while also proving how well motion control can be done when you have a team that can do it correctly. Sixense just may have a lot of people who’ve played this one to death doing it all over again. I’d be one of those people if this wasn’t DLC only, but I guess I’ll have to hold out hope that Sony’s console gets an Orange Box version of Portal (or even better ALL the Left 4 Dead games!) that has this on it. Ah well… PSN users will be pleased, that’s for sure.

WETA Workshop Makes Valve’s Day (And Mine Too)…

Posted on September 19, 2012 by geelw

OK, now THIS is pretty damn cool. Then again, everything WETA does or has done in the past has managed to be beyond awesome. As you can see here, that turret is exactly like the ones from the Portal games (but I bet it can’t sing!). Of course, if you never hear a peep from the company after this and it turns out WETA made the thing TOO well (as in fully functioning and happily psychotic), well… there’s a very awesome one of a kind collectible some brave Portal fan can volunteer to retrieve. Hmmm… that might make a pretty cool mod, huh?

Malevolence Update: A Little Art Showcase (With A Side of Music)…

Posted on September 17, 2012 by geelw

Slowly but surely, Malevolence: The Sword of Ahkranox is shaping up to be an indie RPG well worth tracking down when it’s completed, no matter how it ends up being released. If I’m not mistaken, if you happen to have a Steam account (or want one) you can still vote for the game to get onto Valve’s download service as part of the Steam Greenlight project, and I’d say go for it if you like supporting indie games, 30+ hard working folks from all over the world and classic first-person PC RPGs of a super high quality for such a smallish team. I say they should be up there with the best of them, as the game is looking better and better each time I see a new video or set of screen shots.

Why Steam’s Big Picture Interests Me Not One Bit (Mostly)…

Posted on September 10, 2012 by geelw

Actually, I’m positively thrilled at the leap Valve is making, but like a “few” forgotten ones out there, a cold reality sits heavier here than it does where the folks who cook up these products live and work. For the record, I do have a Steam account but barely use it (no high speed internet), so obviously, I’m not at all intrigued about bringing an expanded (and YES, helpful) service I can’t currently use to my living room. Maybe if Valve designed that potential Steam Box so that folks like me could transfer some or all of our PC games (no matter the age) into memory and play those games on a bigger screen somehow? That would get me more into this news. Granted, the millions of Steam users who fall over backwards praising the service will be pleased, but for me, it’s yet another digital divide in an industry grabbing money where they can without heed to every consequence. Yes, EVERY. If you don’t even bother to think about what could happen (no matter how far-fetched), then you’re only caught pants-down when it DOES happen, I say.

Continue reading →

Divine Divinity Finally Drops Onto Steam (Yes, You Know What To Do)…

Posted on July 5, 2012 by geelw

It’s here, it’s a mere six bucks and you should be playing this NOW. Although, gog.com users are probably chuckling away at this news because they’ve had access to the game for a bit longer as a DRM-free download, this is great news if you’re a dedicated Steam fan who’s always wanted to give Larian’s first RPG a shot. What’s it like, you ask? Well, go see for yourself, I say. If you like gorgeous artwork, a lengthy, challenging quest and want to play a game where you can lose yourself for too many hours in. That and it’s pretty funny in a few spots and some of the hidden areas and secrets are quite cool.

Review: The Lord of the Rings: War in the North

Posted on November 1, 2011 by geelw

Platform: PS3 (also on Xbox 360, PC)

Developer: Snowblind Studios

Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE)

# of Players 1 – 3 (online 1 – 3)

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A-

Attempting to expand upon a revered and well-established canon such as J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth saga is indeed tricky business, particularly in the case of The Lord of the Rings trology. Get it wrong and it’s a trip into the bowels of Mount Doom as some poor development team and publisher face the wrath and ruin of legions of longtime fans. Fortunately, The Lord of The Rings: War in the North delivers an epic (and Mature-rated) tale that ties in nicely with the trilogy as well as an addictive hack & slash that’s challenging and highly replayable. It also marks Snowblind Studios’ first current generation title (finally!) and yes, they’ve done a very solid job here. The visual presentation is grand and fitting, the music is perfect and the familiar gameplay is brutal, simple and about as fun as can be for a game of this type. The game is not without its flaws, however. Some chinks in the armor show up in the form of a a weird sound bug in one area, occasional AI stumbles plus a wee bit too much repetition of quest-related dialog. Nevertheless, this is one journey well worth taking whether or not you’re a fan of the books and films. Continue reading →

Psychonauts Arrives On The Mac (Finally!) And Double Fine Rolls With It

Posted on September 29, 2011 by geelw

Hey, Tim! Next time, send these releases out to everyone! Or actually, maybe I need to update my contact info with Double Fine, huh? Anyway, I missed this Psychonauts press release, but thanks to a few “Did you see this?” emails pointing to Bitmob, you can check out the pretty funny press release about the Mac version of Double Fine’s rather awesome and funny (and classic) platformer. Yes, the PC version over Steam has gotten some cool enhancements as well.

I actually haven’t played the PC version (it’s on my to-do list, really!), but I do have both console versions here (the Xbox version is the better of the two). I’d gather the chances of seeing the game get an HD upgrade for PS3 and Xbox 360 are slim to none, but hey – if I had a few million bucks laying around, I’d wave some of it under the noses of a few games companies to tempt them into committing to doing at least ONE run of discs and selling them directly to gamers rather than going through the retail chain hell…

Valve Offers PC. Mac Versions Of Portal Free (As An Educational Tool)

Posted on September 17, 2011 by geelw

Valve is always doing some rather fun stuff with their older games, and now they’re giving educators a chance to share one of the coolest puzzle games ever with their classes without paying a dime for it. Even better, it’s supposed to be for purely “educational” purposes, meaning it would be awesome if some clever teacher out there actually downloaded this for a class and used it in a lesson plan. All you need is a Steam account and a PC or MAC capable of running the game and boom, you’re in. This offer expires on September 20, 2011, so act fast. Hopefully Valve will extend this deal a bit longer. Click on over to Learn With Portals and prepare to be schooled in more ways than one.

CS:GO Trailer Brings Back Memories, Brings In Consoles

Posted on August 28, 2011 by geelw

Valve’s upcoming online shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will not only finally bring the supremely popular game up to speed for today’s gamers, the game will also be playable on consoles with the PS3 version getting PlayStation Move as well as USB keyboard/mouse support. Not only will this allow for cross-platform gaming between PC and PS3 owners, it just may put to rest the notion that consoles get the shorter end of the stick when it comes to control. Sadly, Xbox 360 owners are out of the cross-platform loop not because of Valve wanting to piss off that user base, but due to certain Microsoft’s policies that probably aren’t sitting to well with those who want to see the game playable across anything it can be played on. Continue reading →

Gamecom 2011: Counter Strike: Global Offensive Announced For 2012

Posted on August 12, 2011 by geelw

Boom! It looks live Valve has done it again, stealing the thunder from an important games trade show with a big announcement. “What big announcement?”, you say (ignoring the headline) Oh, a BIG announcement like the return of one of the seminal multiplayer online shooters (and greatest game mods) ever created. Awesome news, but I still have to add a “Hmmmmmm…” here. That's all fine and dandy… but I really, REALLY want to see Left 4 Dead hit the PS3. As in on a disc with BOTH games and all the additional DLC along for the ride plus some cool fill up a Blu-Ray disc bonuses. Maybe one day… I'll wait.

For now, I'll just practice my screaming like an upset toddler because I completely stink at Counter-Strike… “Waaaaaaaah!!!” press release below the jump, by the way.Read more »