Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom Saves My Sanity This Week…

Posted on November 18, 2014 by geelw

Okay, between the kitchen ceiling and walls here STILL not being repaired (oh, it’s a comedy of errors on the whys and hows of that nonsense – worth a post in of itself, but I’ll do that tomorrow or Thursday) and me pulling what’s left of my hair out at other things, I’m glad to have one nice diversion today: Little Orbit’s Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom. WayForward Technologies has cooked up a very inspired top-down adventure with gameplay and aesthetics that are going to be VERY familiar to fans of a certain marquee mascot character. Okay, the game is a shameless homage to the sprite-based Legend of Zelda games, but I’d say that Link HAS to be jealous. Why? Well, he’s only in a big deal fighting game and a nice non-canon beat-’em-up this year on two platforms while Finn is in a game that’s actually a solid Zelda adventure with Adventure Time humor packed into it.

Okay, let me get back to it. Tomorrow, another wall gets partially knocked in and I hope to heck there’s not anything leaky behind it, grrrr… Oh yeah, a bunch of AAA titles arrived today, but I’m not playing any of them (yet).

A Rainy Monday Means It’s Bundle Time…

Posted on November 17, 2014 by geelw

Man, it’s pure unadulterated LOUSY outside. I went out early, so I missed the super soaker shower downpour that’s stopped, but is returning later this evening and dropping the temperature about 15 degrees or so. Blech. Anyway, today’s IndieGala Every Monday Bundle is a nice one for two bucks. Seven games in a mix of genres and all of them cheaper than a cup of coffee and a doughnut in most places? That’s a BUY, people. Unless you need that doughnut to munch on and that coffee to keep you awake in that soon to be spending too long in front of the monitor manner. Anyway, I like the kooky Dungeons: The Eye of Draconus in this week’s deal because the music in the trailer made my weary bones laugh:

(Thanks, William McDonald)

Ah, Tiny Tim must be spinning wherever he’s at. Spinning, I say! Still, I bet you laughed as well, so it’s all good. Anyway, go get some games and stay dry tonight!

Review: Rollers of the Realm (PC)

Posted on November 17, 2014 by geelw

Platform: PC (also on PS4, Vita)

Developer: Phantom Compass

Publisher: Atlus

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: ?

Official Site

Score: A- (90%)

While it may seem like a super-easy casual game at first glance, don’t let the either the art style or offbeat hybrid concept fool you one bit. Rollers of the Realm offers up a serious challenge to pinball aficionados and is one of the bigger indie surprises of 2014. However, you really don’t need to be a pinball wizard to fully enjoy what’s here. The game offers up enough fun to get pretty much anyone who picks it up pulled into its unusual blending of genres. Developer Phantom Compass gets some decent mileage from its medieval fantasy epic setting, dedicated voice actors and yes, the all-important element of making the gameplay both fresh and rewarding… Continue reading →

All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy. Therefore…

Posted on November 14, 2014 by geelw

This is about to happen. Well, later this afternoon once I get a few updates in. Yup, Rollers of the Realm on the Vita will be my savior for this rather crap-tastic week with the asbestos and the yucky kitchen situation and other stuff that’s still unresolved. And that’s not all, ladies and germs. I also have the PC version of RotR here as well as this to dive into for a bit:

I got home last night and played Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom for about 20 minutes, which definitely helped lighten my mood considerably. So, that’s also going to get reviewed but good shortly. Okay, that’s my fast “what the heck am I doing?” update, minus a few other recent games and books I need to cover. Back in a bit. I’ve got to poke through my inbox and whittle down the pile of requests, review codes, news and other potential work making stuff. Back in a bit…

The Internet Arcade: Your Monday (and Every Other Day) Just Got A LOT Less Productive…

Posted on November 10, 2014 by geelw

Holy Cats. And here I thought archive.org was a disorganized mess of free movies and music files of assorted quality plus the home the not so perfect Wayback Machine where one can dig up archives for old websites no longer online. Well, the Archive’s Jason Scott has compiled over 1000 classic arcade games running on the MAME/MESS/JMESS emulators (which were cooked up by many other creative folks) and you can lose a week playing as many as you can for FREE.

The catch? Well, you’ll need the latest version of your current browser, meaning you’ll be online when you’re supposed to be working hard on those spreadsheets or whatever. However, be warned that Firefox works the best over anything else, meaning you Chrome and Safari users may have issues with running this perfectly. So, yeah… so much for getting to do important stuff like walking the dog, raising a family or stocking your zombie-proof shelter. Also, a controller is recommended, as keyboard controls are going to be funky on many titles. That’s being tweaked as we speak. Finally, the sounds and music will be a bit garbled on some games. Crank down the volume if you’re using headphones so your eardrums don’t crack when some high-pitched MIDI tune blasts them.

I’ve scanned that list of games and my eyeball popped out of my head a few times. If I had a controller with me here at the away office, I’d be playing some BLASTER, Q*Bert, Crystal Castles, Crazy Climber, The Three Stooges and way too many others to list here. This is a work in progress, so it’ll be fiddled with and fixed as time passes. I’m NOT going to go back to that page today at ALL or else I’ll get nothing done at all. YOU can boogie on over there yourself just to ogle all the awesome marquee art. Consider this your museum trip for this week. Yes, another excuse to call gaming educational is always a great reason…

Nintendo Direct 11/15/2014: A Familiar Mask, Lots of Steam + Many Other Surprises in Store…

Posted on November 7, 2014 by geelw

More eye-popping news from Nintendo in this 33-plus minute Direct video. Seeing The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask return as a 3DS/2DS exclusive was a huge surprise for sure. Still, I’ll say I’m a tiny bit upset that it’s not gotten a proper HD reworking on the Wii U. The again, neither have any of the other N64 Zelda games, which is a shame. Anyway, MM looks spectacular on the 3DS and is an immediate must-buy game. That said, a new F-Zero would be spectacular and I’m still wondering when we’ll see some developer who can do it beg to make a new Earthbound game for the Wii U. It’ll most likely sell much better than the initially under-appreciated SNES game that now has a much more loyal fan base. Granted, that base may not be in the multiple millions, but it would absolutely appreciate a new (or old!) entry in that non-franchise… Continue reading →

Far Cry 4 Also Gets The Soundtrack Treatment…

Posted on November 7, 2014 by geelw

Cliff Martinez, formerly a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and composer of some fine film scores (“Traffic,” “Drive, ” “Spring Breakers”) is also the main man behind the tunes to Ubisoft’s upcoming FPS, Far Cry 4. Working with Ubisoft Montreal’s Music Designer for the game, Jerome Angelot, Music Supervisor Simon Landry and Audio Director Tony Gronick, Martinez has created an original score meant to flow flawlessly with the game’s action and cinematic sequences. While the game’s soundtrack won’t be getting the big deluxe box treatment Rockstar is giving Grand Theft Auto V, it’s a more than solid enough set of tunes to add to your own music library (especially if you’re a soundtrack collector).

Of his collaboration on the soundtrack with Ubisoft, Martinez says:

“It was an honor to be asked to write the music for the Far Cry 4 game as my first full-length video game soundtrack,” said Cliff Martinez. “It was exciting for me to be asked to take my usual minimalistic cinematic approach to the immersive game world. Any game where you can ride on a rampaging elephant is a project you can’t turn down!”

Well, I’m listening to the music as I type this post and really feel as if I’m in some very dangerous foreign land about to go on some rather wild adventure. Granted, I’m typing this post in a public place, so the worst that can happen is some old guy bumbles by and drops a hot cup of coffee on my shoe. But hey, I’ll settle for that tiny bit of excitement over dodging digital bullets and rampaging elephants any day of the week. Anyway, the Far Cry 4 Original Game Soundtrack digital edition will release worldwide on November 4, the limited 2-CD edition will release on December 2 in North America and on December 9 in Europe, and the limited 3-LP edition will release in January 2015. Far Cry 4 will be available November 18 worldwide for PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC.

Some Late Humble Bundles to Keep You Humming…

Posted on November 6, 2014 by geelw

Well, humming on the road with engines revving or humming a calming tune because you’re playing a scary game with a blanket half over your head from under your bed or couch. Let’s take a peek at what’s up this week (and nope, I’m not intentionally trying to rhyme here – I’m typing off the top of my head quickly so I can pend this post for later today and that happens a lot when I do this):

The Humble Weekly Bundle Racing has some nice games in its six title deal. Pay what you want for three games, but I say drop the nine bucks down and get all six games, as they’re well worth the money. Real World Racing will probably be the standout for some players thanks to its high-quality aerial imagery used for courses set in actual locations around the world. Take a peek:

Meanwhile, the Humble inDIE Bundle 13 features some scary games, not so scary games and a chance to snap up some cool collectibles if you go above and beyond the call in your charity spending. Again, pay what you want for three titles, but spend a bit more and get a load of great stuff as well as six game soundtracks. $12 gets you nine games and if you have a spare $65, you not only get all 11 games, but get a gift box sent your way filled with swag! Everything here makes for a nice way to lose some hours, but I’ll say that Minor Key Games retro first-person adventure/shooter Eldritch got the most of my attention:

Even better, just for visiting the page, you can get a Steam code for the awesome Teleglitch: Die More Edition for FREE. This top-down pixel-packed retro shooter manages to be challenging and slightly scary thanks to clever old-school design and some pretty tough enemies in its procedurally generated levels. Anyway, you’re busy – I’m busy! Go get some games for cheap and play them when you can.

Dragon Age Inquisition Updates Keep You Twitching and Choosing…

Posted on November 5, 2014 by geelw

So, the final (but not quite final I’d bet) push is here as Electronic Arts and BioWare even more heavily promote Dragon Age Inquisition, the upcoming BioWare-developed epic RPG set for release November 18. While the game is coming to PS3 and Xbox 360, it’s the PS4, Xbox One and PC versions that are getting the most attention from many fans and pretty much every critic set to review it. Those versions should clearly show the developer making the game they wanted to make from the beginning of this popular franchise, although one can only imagine how future games will look once older hardware becomes less common.

There is also an intriguing and optional social feature currently in beta called Dragon Age Keep that looks to immerse fans even more completely into the world of Dragon Age as they learn every bit of lore from previous games and even share their progress in the new adventure as they play. Check it out:

if you’re Twitching for more Dragon Age, fear not. EA and BioWare have you covered this coming Thursday with a live stream of the game’s multiplayer component starting at 10:00AM PST (that’s 1:00PM EST) on the developer’s Twitch channel. This content will include the following:

Three Multiplayer Maps: The team will be showing three destinations: Elven Ruins, Orlesian Chateau and Tevinter Ruins.

Three Multiplayer Characters: The team will be showing character progression on the three unlocked starter characters: Legionnaire, Keeper and Archer.

Tips & Tricks: The team will be walking viewers through core tips and tricks on how to be successful in Dragon Age multiplayer. They will also touch on Ability Trees, Chests, and Crafting.

Live Q&A: Producer Scylla Costa and Associate Producer Billy Buskell will be taking questions from viewers live during the stream.

Who: Dragon Age multiplayer Producers Scylla Costa and Billy Buskell

What: Dragon Age multiplayer gameplay feature 3 maps, 3 multiplayer characters, and Q&A.

When: Thursday, November 6^th at 10:00AM PST / 1:00PM EST

Where: http://www.twitch.tv/bioware

That should tide you over until the game is finally launched on November 18, 2014 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows.

IndieGala’s LATE Every Monday Bundle Says “Who Needs Mondays!”

Posted on November 4, 2014 by geelw

Ha! And I thought I was losing more of my mind yesterday. Nope, IndieGala just didn’t post any bundle news is all. Then again, a few other places didn’t either, but it’s late and I’m about to get kicked out of the library, so I’ll hit those up in a separate post tomorrow. Well, here you go, six games for $1.89, all unique and pretty hard to pass up at that price. And heck, it even has a game based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet for crying out loud: