Review: R-Type Dimensions (PSN)

Posted on June 1, 2014 by geelw

Developer: Southend Interactive
Publisher: Tozai Games
# of Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Official Site
Score: A (95%)

Some things never change, and in the case of R-Type and R-Type II, this is a great thing even if you’ve always hated both for being so incredibly brutal to play through. Developer Southend Interactive has put together a neat little retro package with a few great modern twists for you arcade shooter fans as well as anyone looking for a true old school challenge that’s finally flown onto PSN after appearing on the Xbox 360 last year. R-Type Dimensions is an absolute must-buy if you like your games tough, tricky and full of replay value. Sure, both games combined only total a mere fourteen stages, but just like back in 1987 and 1989, both games will test your reflexes to the maximum. And if you take what’s here for granted, how far you can throw a controller.

If you’re terrible at these types of shooters, terminally lazy or just want to see the endings of both before you flee this mortal coil, Dimensions includes couch co-op play and a new Infinite mode that gives you multiple lives, allowing anyone to blow through the game no matter how many times you’re blasted into space dust. Of course, purists will want this because the classic games are intact and perfectly presented in terms of gameplay and even the terrible “Get me a proofreader!” text that spells out the rather minimalist story… Continue reading →

Weekend Update (Kinda Sorta)…

Status

For some reason (or all the updates this week), it took THREE days to download one game from Steam and I still have to get another one. Boo. Anyway, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II will get some playtime, but the new chapter of The Wolf Among Us will have to wait for a bit. In the interim, I did read a Fables collection a friend lent me to help supplement Bigby’s episodic adventures in The Wolf Among Us, so I’m glad I got that done finally. I also have an APP review to write, but not for an app, exactly. That’s the name of a pretty cool horror flick that uses a downloadable app to inform you of a few things as you watch the movie and guess what? It’s actually quite good and nowhere near as annoying as I thought it would be. So that’s also going to get done up in a review. Yeah, yeah… E3 is right around the corner and yeah, yeah, I’ll cover what I see and like as the show progresses. I also have some peripherals on the way from PDP, but I missed the Fed Ex truck by about ten minutes on Friday, so I’ll need to haunt my doorway come Monday like a vulture waiting for a not so fresh meal.

Anyway, that’s it for now. I can’t believe I did over 150 posts this month (which went by too quickly), but I think I’ll have more as June rolls out thanks to so many games being announced and my poor brain doing back flips over stuff that grabs my attention. I’m not quite sold on everything “next gen” consoles have to offer, as much of what I’m seeing on the indie front can be done on the PS3 and Xbox 360 and a lot of the newer games are disappointing like most launch and launch window titles tend to be. At this point, it’ll be best to scoop those up when they’re marked down considerably, as I’m not exactly rolling in disposable income these days (as aren’t a lot of gamers in this current economy). Er, I think that’s it for the month… see you in June (or tomorrow, for at least a post or three)…

CD Projekt RED Has Got Some Summery Surprises In Store Soon…

Posted on May 31, 2014 by geelw

Well, well… it looks as if a few more developers and publishers are stepping outside the usual confines of E3 to show what’s cooking to fans directly as opposed to having news filtered through assorted outlets. CD Projekt Red is joining the club with this upcoming June 5, 2015 conference that will no doubt be a showpiece for the PC and console versions of its eagerly awaited RPG The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. As you can see from this teaser below, I must be psychic or overstating the obvious (or both):

I also just NOW realize from watching that video that I’ve been pronouncing gog.com incorrectly for YEARS. Oops. Oh well, I bet a lot of others have been too, so I don’t feel bad at all. I do wonder how massive that Collector’s Edition will be for TW3, as the one for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Extended Edition was pretty hefty from what I recall. Well, we’ll see in a few days, right?

The Order: 1886 Update: The Narration & Revolution Will Be Televised…

Posted on May 30, 2014 by geelw

Hey, look! An new behind the scenes video on Ready At Dawn’s PS4 exclusive, The Order: 1886. If I were a total idiot, I’d say this video arrived so quickly because someone at SCEA read my last post on the game and decided to help me out in covering this game, recently pushed forward into 2015. But I’m not that silly and know Sony is only getting more information out on this because they’ll have even more when E3 rolls around as well as a ton of other news and such on many other first and third party releases. I’ve been doing this long enough not to be so gullible – now, I just need to PLAY the game at some point at an actual media preview…

Enemy Front Story Trailer: Resistance Is (And Most Likely Will Be) Futile…

Posted on May 29, 2014 by geelw

CI Games’ upcoming WWII shooter has drawn my interest thanks to its story taking place during a few key points and in a few key places during that conflict. I’m withholding my judgment on this one completely until I actually PLAY it,but color me impressed that it looks to be packing in a LOT of content. As long as it’s not a straight-up linear run to the checkpoint experience (and press materials suggest it’s not at all), I think it will find an audience that likes what they see and may ask for more down the road. We’ll see in a few weeks as Enemy Front hits retail and digital outlets for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on June 10, 2014.

This Humble Weekly Bundle Will Get You Busy Playing AND Making Games!

Posted on May 29, 2014 by geelw

Okay, this one’s pretty awesome. If you’re seriously interested in creating your own 8 and 16-bit inspired role playing or other games, RPG Maker is an excellent tool to get into once you learn how to use it effectively. Of course, with the ton of great games that come in this week’s bundle, you may never get to playing around with the different programs you’ll snap up at a ridiculous price. Pay what you want for RPG Maker VX Ace, a DLC set of graphics and music you can use in your games, SEVEN games ready to play (Skyborn, Sweet Lily Dreams, Legionwood: The Tale of Two Swords, Star Stealing Prince, In Search for Immortality, and The Reconstruction. Each of these is a great example of what can be done with the software, but that’s ONLY the beginning (and if you’re a total cheapskate, you’ve ONLY spent a dollar or two so far!)

Just wait until you see what else is in this deal, folks… Continue reading →

Sacred 3 Coming To PC & Consoles August 5 (Or: There Goes My Late Summer)

Posted on May 28, 2014 by geelw

As a fan of the Sacred series for about nine or so years since that Sacred Gold box fell on my foot at a GameStop, I turned it over, saw it was an action/RPG and bought it on the spot, I’m completely psyched for Sacred 3. Coming to PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (yet again, the newest consoles are shut out thanks to the game being developed for what was available at the time), I’m expecting more open world fantasy madness, plenty of quests and side quests, intentionally campy voice acting, LOADS of hidden goodies, and of course, excellent replay value. Screenshots don’t quite do these games justice thanks to the isometric view (although zooming in will likely be in the game, it makes the game much harder), but here you go just for fun:

Personally, I’m a gameplay video guy myself, so I like this better as an example of what’s to come:

I’m trying to figure this one into my schedule so I at least have one or two characters completing their story arcs just in time for that Diablo III expansion to hit the PS3 and I segue from one high quality dungeon crawler to another. Well, in THEORY, that’s what’s supposed to happen. We’ll see soon enough, though. Ancaria

These Humble Bundles Get Bookish And Robotic, But That’s Okay In These Cases…

Posted on May 28, 2014 by geelw

Got an e-reader of some sort? Get the Humble eBook Bundle while you can. Nine books, ten bucks (or more if you like), at least one more unlocked free later. While the fantasy and other fiction stuff comes highly recommended, I’d say ABSOLUTELY grab this for MARCH: Book One by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell.

This real-life account of Lewis’ struggle during the Civil Rights era is not only one of the best modern works about the period, it drives home how important the man himself is as a current voice against those who think race issues don’t matter in America these days.

As for that Humble PC and Android Bundle? Eight games that run on PC or Mac via STEAM or on assorted Android devices, six soundtracks, more games unlocked later, five bucks (or more, as before). You get to read and/or play yourself into a stupor, some charities get your money and everyone’s as happy as un-caught clams doing whatever clams do when they’re not worrying about being tossed in a pot or shucked by someone stuffing their maw in an eating contest. Yep, that’s the way to do it, I’d say…

Sony’s PlayStation E3 Experience: Packing Them In Faster Than The Speed Of Pretty Much Anything…

Posted on May 28, 2014 by geelw

So, it seems that game companies are getting a bit grabby as this year’s E3 seems to be one where the gaming public gets to convene in an actual public place to see big announcements as live as can be. Not one to do anything small like a simple online broadcast, Sony has rented out space in big theaters across North America and is inviting folks to grab free seats and free swag for attending. Of course, as they’ve been ignoring little ol’ me, I had to sign up for this as soon as it popped up in my inbox. Double of course, the event was “SOLD OUT” a mere few minutes after I got the email, but I’m on a waiting list (Oh, joy?). If I do get in (wonder of wonders!), I’m predicting minor chaos outside because I know people will want to show up without tickets and try to see if any seats free up (which probably won’t happen given gamers love FREE stuff and the prospect of seeing new games on someone’s dime).

Oh well, time to keep my fingers crossed that I get a ticket and get in in one piece, I guess. I’d make it an all day affair, as there’s no way I’m going to be dumb enough to just show up at 8pm and think that line won’t be circling the block and filled with mostly people who think they’re getting in my some magical means. I generally dislike crowds as well, so this will be a “fun” experiment in terror. The good thing is that theater is about a block from the subway home and it’ll be a mad dash afterwards for me just to get back in once piece to knock out a news story before collapsing in a snoozy heap.

The Order: 1886 Won’t Be Ready At Dawn (Or By Night-Fall), But That’s Just Fine With Me…

Posted on May 27, 2014 by geelw

Sooooo, one of Sony big first party PlayStation 4 exclusives is now dropping into 2015 and some of those who care about such things are lamenting about the delay to no end. I say “So what? (again)”, as this means more polish and a better, less buggy game experience. The deal with new consoles is always that it takes time for developers to get used to the hardware, particularly when doing things that the old console couldn’t do as well. So developer Ready At Dawn is just allowing the team some extra breathing room, which is a great thing. It also gives slow dopes like yours truly to find out more about the game. I’ll admit to that title not making my eyes and ears perk up because it sounded like it would be some sort of odd historical simulation game, a genre I’ve avoided for a number of years because I have neither the time nor patience for something that deep. Anyway, I guess I can and should keep my fingers crossed that SCEA’s invisible PR team remembers who I am after all this time and actually invites me to see this game when it’s shown in NYC at some point.