The Great Backlog Dupe Giveaway Begins! Get A Steam Code FREE!

Posted on August 26, 2014 by geelw

EDIT: Gyaaah. Show’s OVER, monkey’s dead! THAT was fast. Usually, I do a giveaway one the site and I get crickets chirping for at least an hour to a half day! Anyway, congrats to Matt! The rest of you? You get to come back tomorrow for another try. To keep this fair, anyone who wins can’t enter again for THIS backlog clearing business while it’s ongoing, but you can still enter any other giveaway I run here.

Okay, I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, but it’s been a bit hectic running this site all by myself (*sob!*). Any-way, you DO have an active Steam account, right? You like FREE stuff, right? Well, GOOD on both counts, pal! I’m getting rid of some of my duplicate game codes here from assorted bundles I’ve purchased and you (yes, YOU!) have the chance to claim one for yourself. I was initially going to post a bunch of codes here and let you all have at it, but that would be a DUMB idea because one person would simply grab them all and giggle all the way to a fuller games library, grrrr! So, we’ll keep it SIMPLE and just like the other giveaways I do here. Post a reply below and the game of the day is YOURS. First post gets it, if you don’t win, try again tomorrow until I run out of codes. No need to post an email address or other personal info – I can find you easier than you’d think.

So, what’s today’s game? Well, it’s TWO games, ONE code actually – the classic duo of Wizardry VI and VII:

BOOM. Excited? Well, stop bouncing up and down in your seat and grab this before someone else does! Anyway, GOOD LUCK and check back in tomorrow for another code. I’m mixing it up a bit, so even I have NO idea of what game is next on the freebie agenda!

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham: TT Games’ Next One Will Be Out Of This World…

Posted on August 26, 2014 by geelw

LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is coming to PlayStation 3/PlayStation 4/PS Vita, Xbox One/Xbox 360, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, and PC on November 11, 2014. That’s pretty much all you need to know as TT Games and WBIE have absolutely MASTERED the art of whipping out a LEGO game to mostly rave notices and delivering the goods with a family-friendly set of titles that have infinite replay value and make for instant “BUY ME!” purchases whether as gifts for oneself or a bunch of lucky kids.

Seriously, all you need are a couple of controllers and anyone can have a total blast. for the longest time, the LEGO series has been a “pick up and play” festival and with each installment, TT Games has been adding neat stuff like fully voiced characters, bigger maps to explore and loads of additional costumes, characters and plenty of hidden secrets for those willing to play until they fine everything. Oh, and here’s a word from Braniac and a few pals in case you’re showing any form of disinterest in this one:

Yeah, soooo… don’t let the Joker put the earth in his pants (ewww!)… BUY THIS GAME when it comes out and knock some sense into that ever-grinning nut-job, I say!

New Oneechanbara Z2 Chaos Trailer: Aya and Company Are In Double (Plus) Trouble This Time Out…

Posted on August 26, 2014 by geelw

While there’s still NO news of this game coming to North America, I’d be the first one signing a petition and/or bugging my contacts at D3Publisher of America to consider getting this silly sleeper localized. Even if they kept the Japanese voices and just subtitled the whole thing, I’d be happy. Speaking of localization work… Hey D3PoA! I’ll even do the proofreading job on the translated text if you need the assistance and pay me for my work. Yeah, I’m that nuts about Aya and the gang, so hit me up and let’s make this happen. Yeah, yeah, the game won’t sell a single PS4 in this country, but it’ll most likely do well enough worldwide to maybe get the girls a follow-up later on. I hope. Of course, the trick is getting the fickle gamers out there to fall for Tamsoft’s visual style and the simple yet complex gameplay the series offers. That’s going to take some marketing genius and perhaps even some money spent on showing the game off at some live events like a comic convention or other show where the public and press can step up and hop into things for a taste.

Eh, we’ll see what happens, I guess. One has to dream big with a game like this, folks. Oh and yeah, things get kind of… fruity at the end of that video. Ah, Japan. I love you, but MAN… you’re weird ~~sometimes~~ ~~most~~ ALL of the time!

Hive Jump, Huh? Hmmm… Color Me Highly Interested!

Posted on August 25, 2014 by geelw

Nope, despite that idyllic GIF above (twang, twang!), Graphite Lab’s upcoming PC/Mac/Linux and Wii U (yay!) game Hive Jump isn’t about some space cowboys sittin’ around a blazing campfire strumming a gitbox and singing bean-related songs (although that might make a fun mini-game now that I think about it). In fact, this in progress Kickstarter and Steam Greenlight game is the exact opposite of low key and gassy. One to four player alien blasting action reminiscent of X-Com, a bit of Slime World, Spelunky and Contra is the name of the game here (EDIT: Hey! I thought this was called Hive Jump?!) and based on that Kickstarter video, thing certainly look pretty thrilling.

See? Now THAT’S more like it, huh?

However, with a mere 931 backers and only $27,030 pledged of their $50,000 goal and ONLY 11 days to go (Eeek!), it seems this game needs MORE people hopping on the bandwagon. Granted, I bet some of those non-pledgers own a Sony or Microsoft console and are wondering why Nintendo is getting the love and they aren’t. But hey, I love it when a developer picks the more under-appreciated console and gives it the old college try. The Wii U needs games like this to stand out, and if it does well across the board, who’s to say Sony and Microsoft won’t be calling them up and getting a few dev kits out via some speedy shipping method? As much as I’m wanting to grab this download on the Wii U next year, I’d actually LOVE to play this on the Vita just so I can take it on the road to show it off and convert a few skeptics into new fans.

I’d say there are a lot of bugs in this game (and that’s a compliment.)

Anyway, internet? Go do what you do so well (no, not THAT complain about meaningless crap in the wrong places!) and FUND THIS GAME! I’m broke after paying a few bills, so I’ll be one of those picking it up once it’s all done. It sure looks like it’ll be a total winner no matter what it appears on. Anyway, stop throwing money AT the screen, as all that does is crack you monitor. You need to do a bit more than that (or: give ’til it hurts or you get hurt) if you want to see this one live to fight another day (and perhaps on other consoles?). You go do just that – I’ll be here, awaiting your progress report!

The Bundles, The Bundles! The Mondays, The Mondays!

Posted on August 25, 2014 by geelw

Happy Monday! Here are two deals you probably shouldn’t pass up if you’re like me and need to feel terrible about having WAY too many games (ha and ha). JUST KIDDING! Actually, I like what’s in both these bundles, but I have enough of the games in both lots to not need to buy them. You’ll see that in a bit when I do some cleaning up of the backlog and duplicates get loose in the wild for anyone with a Steam account to claim. Anyway, this weeks’ IndieGala Every Monday sale above, Humble Flash Sale below. I’m buried in stuff to do today, so click on either link (or both!) to be zapped right to the sites so you can check out these deals on your own time. Which, by the way, you don’t have a lot of to get these deals!

MotoGP 14 Trailer: A Bit of Bike Action Tease To Get Your Monday Racing…

Posted on August 25, 2014 by geelw

With veteran developer Milestone S.r.L. on the case, MotoGP 14 is looking like a motorbike fan’s dream game. While this particular racing sub-genre doesn’t draw in the legions of fans automobile games do, the developer’s talents at making some very solid racers for quite some time shows once you pick up a controller. I played a few races at Bandai Namco’s NYC event a few weeks back and found the game solid in terms of the excellent controls and sense of speed. Visually, the game looked absolutely great, but I’m betting you’ll be wanting to keep your eyes glued to the road. Speaking of roads, MotoGP14 will feature more than 100 riders to choose from, all the official manufacturers, racing classes and 18 tracks all based on the Official MotoGP World Championship.

As with their other racers, Milestone knows how to yank you into the game they’ve created by concentrating on the details that are the most important, so this just may be one of the better entries in the long running series when it ships out later this year for PS3/PS4, PS Vita, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

NIS America Makes NAtURAL DOCtRINE Look Insanely Hard, But That Won’t Keep Me Away…

Posted on August 22, 2014 by geelw

Wow. Lots of dead adventurers in this rather amusing and slightly gamer grim trailer for the PS3/PS4/PS Vita game NAtURAL DOCtRINE, set for a September release. Kadokawa Games’ upcoming tactical RPG looks to test the skills of the best of the best and leave the bones of the rest to feed the vultures. Hey, maybe I should write copy for the backs of game packages or something? I sometimes have a way with words, I think. Or so people tell me from time to time. Hmmmm… wait. Lots of games aren’t coming in packages these days, so I guess I should stick to writing about games and keep my amusing talent to myself. Anyway, this one looks like a keeper AND a sleeper, so keep an eyeball peeled for it soon…

Oh Yeah, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls – Ultimate Evil Edition Is Out. Buy It.

Posted on August 22, 2014 by geelw

No, I didn’t forget about this one. Between the low drama of other game issues and crappy connection speeds everywhere, I know all those games dropping into retail this week were overlooked here. It’s funny that with the PS4 version of RoS, Blizzard, Sony and plenty of gamers aren’t even talking about the “last-gen” versions anymore even though MORE people still own and play games on the PS3 and Xbox 360 than their shinier replacements. Hell, I’m buying this expansion on the PS3 because I’m the stubbornest of old goats as well as a total cheapskate. Anyway, as noted earlier, I won’t touch this game at all until I finish up some stuff I need to get done or it WILL NOT GET DONE at all. Diablo does that to productivity…

New Raven’s Cry Trailer: Rough Seas Can’t Dampen My Desire To Give This One A Shot…

Posted on August 20, 2014 by geelw

Okay, so the sound mix is way off balance and sure, it’s not looking as stunning as other games coming out this late for last-gen systems, but I’m still going to play TopWare Interactive’s Raven’s Cry when it’s released. Veteran developer Reality Pump Studios has been working on this game for a while, so I’m curious to see the final result for a few reasons. It’s probably one of the last open world games on the PS3 and Xbox 360, it’s not another fantasy RPG, and while the pirate theme has been done to death and some consider that last Assassin’s Creed game the be-all, end-all game in this sub-genre, it’s just nice to root for the “little” guy every now and then, I say. Besides, rough edges aside, there’s something about a European-made RPG that commands attention and respect. Well, at least I think so…

Raven’s Cry lands on PC, Mac, PS3/PS4 and Xbox 360 on October 14, 2014.

Corrections Dept: Xillia’s Kitties Can’t Do Magic That Well!

Posted on August 19, 2014 by geelw

Okay, I’ll tweak the post tomorrow when I’m more awake, but I made two goofs in my Tales of Xillia review regarding the exploits and some side quests monsters vanishing. One: In Kitty Dispatch mode, Rollo WILL come back faster if he’s carrying certain sub-items with him or you save and come back later in the day (that system clock seems to work for that as well as the bonuses).

Two: while some low-level monsters may disappear from the Job Board when your Badge level increases, those TOUGH sub-bosses stay on their own sub-menu and never disappear. I was up for roughly 37 hours on that last chunk of my playtime, so when I sat down to write from a few notes I’d taken, I ended up adding in a thought I had based on me being half-awake while playing and confusing the Job list with the sub-boss list. Hey, it happens! Anyway, I’m in the final stretch of the game, but I’m saving that until tomorrow or Thursday because if I don’t sleep now, I’ll probably be as dead as some of those monsters Ludger and company go hunting throughout the game…

See you all tomorrow. Zzzzz…