GOG.com Wants You to Return to the Dungeons (and Yes, There Be Dragons Inside)…

Posted on August 15, 2013 by geelw

Back in April, gog.com had a very cool sale on an assortment of Dungeons and Dragons PC games and I think I was lamenting (with a really tiny violin solo in the background playing away) about not having enough time to play the games I already had in that lovely set to buy any more D&D titles. Well, I get a second chance (and so do YOU) as the sale is back with ten mostly massive role-playing experiences for a mere $26.40. The cool thing is if you already own any of these titles thanks to a gog.com purchase, you actually get a discount applied to your total. Nice.

Of course, given that the potential of a few hundred (if not THOUSAND plus) hours of gameplay lie in wait for you once you click that BUY NOW tab, you may want to invest in a few emergency rations and start e-mailing people you know to tell them you won’t be around for a while. If you really want to get them buzzing, tell them you’ve been summoned to a dungeon or something similarly vague yet eye-popping before you stop answering calls and emails. That should get them thinking about your extracurricular lifestyle activities, right? And by the way, I still have no time to buy any new epic until I clear through a few I’ve started already. I really need a TARDIS, people…

Capcom Essentials Coming October 8: Five PS3 or 360 Games, $60, Any Questions?

Posted on August 14, 2013 by geelw

For years, I’ve been noting that game companies NEED to shift retail bundle packs or collections of older titles at bargain prices into the marketplace and while we’ve seen plenty of franchise-based collections from all over, this set of five Capcom titles is a sort of first in a few ways. Sixty bucks gets you older titles such as Devil May Cry 4, Dead Rising 2 and Super Street Fighter 4 (which will be upgradable to the upcoming Ultra SF IV next year) plus last years multi-million selling (but still somehow a critical and commercial “failure” to some) Resident Evil 6 and the super tough retro throwback Mega Man 10.

All that gaming goodness (each on its own disc!) and you get a free travel bag just because Capcom happens to love you or something similar. That or they just have too many of those overstocked somewhere, ha ha. Anyway, PS3 and Xbox 360 only on this deal, so this will make a perfect gift for that gamer just getting around to getting one or both systems or those folks who’ve yet to play anything in this value-priced collection.

Once Again, Bundle Stars Brings You Lots of Conflict on the Cheap…

Posted on August 13, 2013 by geelw

If you’re like me, you prefer a low stress lifestyle and as little conflict as possible. Of course, here comes Bundle Stars again offering a LOT of conflict for very little money, so how can one not want to slip them a few bucks and partake of some back-alley brawling to let off some Steam? Ah ha ha ha. Anyway, this latest crazy deal offers up ten games for five bucks (slightly adjusted to whatever that is in Pounds, as they’re based in the UK) and it’s a really varied (but conflict heavy) set of titles this time out.

Of course, with my current ridiculously massive backlog, I’m still flipping a coin as to whether or not to commit to MORE games on my hard drive I won’t get to for a while, but as I’ve said before, I won’t stop YOU from buying in and supporting charity. So go get some and think of me when you’re getting into (or running away from) digital danger…

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures Hands-On: Pac Is Back, Junior Division (and a Fun Play, At That)…

Posted on August 12, 2013 by geelw

I think Pac-Man has appeared in nearly every game genre except for RPG, Strategy and Simulation, but with such a long history in gaming since 1980, I know I’ve yet to play every single game with the character in it. Namco has been keeping the character active over the past 33 years in a number of non-game projects and the latest is a fun kid’s CG animated 3D show on Disney DX called Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, which also just so happens to be coming your way soon as a video game for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U and Microsoft Windows. Some hands-on time reveals this one to be a light and really fun romp for the kids that’s actually worth a look if you’re a creaky old platform fanatic like I am…

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Hands-On With Pac-Man Championship DX: Dot’s Entertainment (And How!)

Posted on August 12, 2013 by geelw

As an old fogey, I can’t recall a year not going by since 1980 without playing a Pac-Man game. Granted, I’m sure a lot of other people can say that, but it’s pretty incredible that the dot-munching, ghost avoiding/chasing character has held up for over 30 years. Of course, next to the arcade classic, the best ways to play a good game of Pac-Man these days is by hopping online and getting in some quality time with the excellently addictive Pac-Man Championship Edition on the Xbox 360, which is finally getting a content upgrade soon in the form of Pac-Man Championship Edition DX. The original game was an Xbox 360 exclusive, while DX made its Windows 8 debut earlier this year. Pac-fans old and new will LOVE this one for its spin on the classic game, the funky HD neon visuals and the lighting fast pace of the game that’s bound to keep you playing ’til the wee hours…

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VGA 101: Let There Be Light! (Or, John Carmack Explains It All For You)

Posted on August 11, 2013 by geelw

OK, now THIS is my idea of Sunday school: here’s a VERY technical talk from legendary game maker John Carmack at this year’s QuakeCon that’s going to send your brain into a few handstands and back flips out an ear if you’ve a short attention span or just don’t give a hoot about what it takes to get lighting effects in games and how important this is (well, in more modern and future titles). I’d say this is also required viewing for you kids out there who want to show their parents that a career in making games is a GREAT deal more than sitting on one’s butt all day with a controller in hand. If you’re saying out loud something along the lines of “Huh? Light has physics?”, then yup – you need to get learned, so pay attention.

The again, this just may turn off a short stack of the lazier gamers reading and watching this while making their parents all of a sudden start pushing them like mad to get better in school so they can make those new games (and maybe prop them up with some nice retirement money at some point – hey, it’s only fair with the free food and rent you’re getting, right? RIGHT??! Yeah, I thought so.)…

The Elder Scrolls Anthology: More Proof Physical Product Isn’t Dead Yet…

Posted on August 2, 2013 by geelw

BOOM. Nine game discs, five maps, hundreds (if not thousands) of hours of gameplay, a custom package to die for and something hard to hit the digital-only detractors upside their harder heads with, Bethesda Softworks upcoming must-buy The Elder Scrolls Anthology has officially and instantly made it to my Holiday Gift Guide 2013 list, gaming division. While it’s missing the LONG out of print standalone TES: Battlespire and Redguard side-story adventures (which I say NEED to get re-released one of these days), $80 for the entire main Tamriel saga (including expansions AND the Morrowind Construction Set!) is an absolute BARGAIN when you consider some of the games here are still a bit expensive when bought in either their original or Game of the Year formats as individual packaged products…

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Indie Gala Tempts Me Mightily With Bullet Hell and More…

Posted on August 2, 2013 by geelw

Argh. Here I am, PERFECTLY pleased with only spending the barest amount possible last month by NOT buying a thing during that insane Steam sale (only to be lightly bludgeoned over the scalp by an unbeatable Bundle Stars deal) and now my inbox tells me Indie Gala is running a sale of almost equally epic deal proportions. Fie and a pox on you and all your digital houses. Granted, I totally stink at those Japanese arcade shmups with all those tiny bullets closing in on my poor cute character or spaceship, but they certainly get the adrenaline going when needed. That and a few of the other games look pretty neat. I may pass on trying out the train simulators, though. Not because they’re NOT good, mind you – I just know a few train fanatics who play some of these or other games and yeah, they LOVE them (a bit too much, perhaps… but it keeps them from trying to fondle moving freight cars as they slowly trundle past their favorite hangouts). OK, this time I’ll flip a coin and then decide what to do. Wish me luck and go buy this set of thirteen titles (which will be fourteen when that bonus unlocks on Steam) for yourself or as a gift for that gamer in your life…

Bundle Stars Superfly Indie Bundle Breaks My Sale-Ignoring Streak

Posted on August 2, 2013 by geelw

Yeah, I managed to make it through the ENTIRE month of Steam’s summer sale without spending a damn dime, but I saw this pack of games at Bundle Stars about two weeks back and also ignored it mainly because I thought I had Disciples III: Renaissance already (bought in another Bundle Stars deal a few months back). Well, it turns out I actually had Disciples III: Resurrection from that older bundle. Oops! That and a few of the other games in this new deal were ones I’ve wanted to play but haven’t yet, so there goes my $4.93 off to charity (adjusted to $5.11 with the Paypal fees, boo! But hell, STILL an incredible deal) and I now have ten more games I’ll slowly but surely get to at some point.

Shakes fist at screen: Damn you Bundle Stars (and digital games in general)!!!

(digital eel’s Weird World: Return to Infinite Space looks pretty cool as well – another reason I bought this bundle!)

*Sigh* anyway, if these came in boxes, I’d HAVE to pass them up because I have no room for more physical product here in the home office. At this point, if I dedicated all my free time to going through my stupidly large lot of digital titles from all these bundles I’ll be playing my current digital backlog until 2018 at the earliest (and yes, I did the math for that)…

Rollers of the Realm Pre-Beta Hands-On: Pinball Wizards Whip Up an Instant Classic

Posted on July 7, 2013 by geelw

I can probably tell you the long and boring story of my first pinball machine memories (1972,Gottlieb’s Batter Up, first version, but I also vaguely recall playing Central Park a few years earlier at Coney Island while standing on a rickety wooden crate), but then you’d be fast asleep and drooling in front of your computer instead of up-voting Phantom Compass’ (and friends!) innovative Rollers of the Realm on Steam Greenlight.

The team is working on what’s turning out to be a superb genre-blending mix of old and new ideas that features some excellent pinball action, decent writing and so far, what’s looking to be the makings of an instant hit that absolutely deserves to be on as many platforms as possible. I signed up to get access to a playable version as soon as I heard this was in development, that pre-beta access popped up in my inbox on Friday and after playing the first chapter a few times, I’m definitely recommending anyone even remotely interested in pinball, RPGs and puzzle games to take a nice long look at this one…

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