Cloudbuilt: Eternal Run Shines (of the Spotless Kind)…

Posted on February 15, 2014 by geelw

I haven’t even played Coilworks’ incredible looking Cloudbuilt yet, but between that very descriptive game trailer above and the lovely screens below, I’m getting a serious Gunvalkyrie meets Mirror’s Edge meets Mega Man vibe – and that’s a damn good thing.

Man, I wish this game was on consoles on a disc so MORE people could play it. The sense of speed and what looks like solid controls only add to the fun, and given the levels seem to be open to each player’s skills, I’m expecting this to be one of those games that’s not played and put away (or deleted) any time soon (unless you’re a total loser who despises a decent challenge). Now I just need to find time to actually play that demo I’m being teased with, as Toy Fair is going to take up a huge chunk of my time for the next four days and afterward as I write up a few articles. Eh, it’ll all work out soon enough. It always does. Back in a bit.

BOUND BY FLAME: Spiders’ New RPG Seems Quite Witcher-iffic. This Is A Good Thing.

Posted on February 14, 2014 by geelw

A-ha. I was wondering just what developer Spiders was up to, as they last teamed up with Cyanide Studios for Of Orcs and Men and Cyanide is now busy with the follow-up, STYX: Master of Shadows. Spiders is working on BOUND BY FLAME, an upcoming fantasy action/RPG set to hit PC, PS4 and “last” gen consoles later this year (although there seems to be no Xbox One version? Hmmmm…). Casting such a wide SKU net usually means a drop in quality somewhere unless you have a developer who knows their stuff, and I think Spiders can pull this off if they’ve learned from proper criticism of previous games. I like the visual style here (although the faces on the characters look a bit… “off”) and the gameplay and mature time seems similar enough to CD Projekt RED’s The Witcher games that the game may find an audience among those who like European-style RPGs as much as they like the games made here and elsewhere. That crafting system looks pretty fun as well and I hope it’s as flexible as noted in the trailer above.

Like Focus Home Interactive other RPGs, I’ll be keeping an eyeball on this one. I still get use out of my PS3, so I may go that route for the final just because I don’t need to connect it online in order to play stuff. We shall see, as usual…

Nintendo Direct: 2/13/14: Some Things Old, Some Things New, Still A Work In Progress…

Posted on February 14, 2014 by geelw

So, Nintendo is definitely trying hard to find its place in this crazier era of free to play games, pay to win and cheap, cheap indies and major releases bundled up and ready to sell as a song for charity at the drop of a hat. I’m a happy Wii U owner disappointed that first party titles that use that otherwise innovative gameplay seem to be slow to get made, a misstep the company that usually pioneers things that get copied hasn’t quite made up for thanks to other issues they’re dealing with. Granted, this set of new games on the way goes a long way in making me cheer up a little, but for my tastes, things don’t get interesting until about 24:11 when the indies roll in. Renagade Kid has always been one of the best developers on the DS, so it’s remake of MOON for the 3DS, MOON Chronicles should be quite a showpiece that makes waves as the first “FPS” for the handheld. It’s also a sci-fi/mystery game between the aliens coming at you, so hopefully those elements get played up as much.

As for first party games? I’m not a HUGE fan of those uber-cute franchises these days, but I see the need for them. I hope more publishers jump on board the Game Boy Advance reissue bandwagon, as there are some true classics for that old handheld worth seeing and playing once more (or more). Finally, Monolith Soft’s upcoming RPG looks great, although I get a sense that some of the gameplay quirks from Xenoblade (Chronicles) will be in full effect. Bayonetta? I wrote about you yesterday, my dear and I know you HATE being spoiled (well, too much). So far, so good… but I’m still wanting to see more and more unique games on the way.

Strange Love: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle

Posted on February 14, 2014 by geelw

Namco Bandai seems to be conducting a little experiment and I’m gathering they need your assistance. For a little while the company has been releasing digital versions of popular Japanese anime-based fighters available overseas as retail and digital purchases, and now they’re trying out a limited edition physical release to go with the (to some) more convenient downloads.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle is coming sometime this Spring via PSN (digital) and as a limited edition physical disc (ClubNamco.com and Amazon.com). No price has been announced just yet, but I think it’s a good idea as even niche games have fans who want them who can’t buy digital only product. Ever busy developer CyberConnect2 shows once more they’re the master of making anime fighters look as close to their source material as possible, as you can see above and in the screenshots below.

As for what’s on that disc or download, below the jump is some cut ‘n paste press release work plus those eleven screens… enjoy!

Continue reading →

Thirteen Minutes of South Park: The Stick of Truth: Obsidian Nails It Quite Well Indeed…

Posted on February 14, 2014 by geelw

While I’m not what I’d call a regular viewer of South Park, I’ve seen enough episodes of the show that I have to give veteran developer Obsidian huge credit for getting it right. I love how the game pokes at some traditional RPG/JRPG tropes (gotta love that main character with amnesia and no speaking voice!) while also nailing the rhythm of the show in the editing and other bits. It’s a good thing Ubisoft picked this up after original publisher THQ went under, as it’s got hit written all over it (provided you’re a fan of the show, of course). How this will do outside the show’s base is tough to say, as I know some folks despise the art style and limited animation the show uses. I’m not one of those, by the way. Anyway, March 4 is the big day for this one, so keep an eyeball peeled if you haven’t placed a pre-order yet. I have the feeling this may sell out in a few spots and be one of those overpriced eBay titles if it scores highly with the critics and people make it a surprise sleeper hit. Yeah, it’s NOT supposed to be for the kids, but you know how THAT always goes with South Park games, right?

GOG.com Shows EA How Free-To-Play SHOULD Work With Dungeon Keeper…

Posted on February 14, 2014 by geelw

Okay, so it’s probably being done with EA’s approval partly to appease fans of the original and new players ticked off at the recently released mobile/tablet remake that’s been seen by some as a wallet draining arrow to the heart, but hey, gog.com is doing it up right.

You can boogie on over to gog.com NOW and get the original Dungeon Keeper Gold (which contains the Deeper Dungeons expansion pack) for FREE this weekend. In addition, you can grab Dungeon Keeper 2 for a paltry 1.49 (!), making this quite a sweet deal on Valentine’s Day. Amusingly enough, I snapped up this as soon as I saw it earlier this morning and got the following message:

BIG SUCCESS MY MINION! You’ll get your game soon! Minion, due to high demand, we will tell you when your free copy of Dungeon Keeper is ready via email in a little bit.

So, yeah… like the remake that has you wait HOURS if you choose not to pay your way into the game, it seems that it’ll take a bit of time before I can see the fruits of my clicky labors. Still, at least I’m getting an entire game and expansion for nothing here and not a grumpy face because some pay wall popped up and wants my credit card number. I guess this also shows that the classics never die (which is always a great thing) Thanks, gog.com!

Oh, there’s also a VERY nice sale happening, but you’ll see when you hit that front page…

Larian Studios Makes Marriages Merry With A Bit Of Divinity: Original Sin

Posted on February 14, 2014 by geelw

Well, this is a pretty neat Valentine’s Day post for you warm-hearted Kleenex-carrying freaks out there who get all weepy at the drop of a hat. I’ve heard of like-minded gamers proposing in all sorts of online only games and I think I even recall proposals given by game developers for fans of certain titles. However, I believe this is one of the first proposals I’ve seen made by one person for another using a game editor. I still haven’t gotten around to buying or playing Divinity: Original Sin yet (hey, my backlog is killing me!) Okay, I’ll admit it… I’m a kind of (shh!) hopeless romantic at heart (shhhh!), so this stuff makes me grin inside (I can’t let the world see me smile much – it hurts my curmudgeonly image a bit).

Okay, I’m not THAT cranky and this is pretty sweet. LESSON: video games aren’t all about running around and killing each other dead and some are even wonderful at allowing players the freedom to pull off super cool stuff like this. Well, congratulations and best of luck to the happy couple and everyone else who’s going to be hitched because of their love for Larian Studios and their excellent game!

Why Yes, Bayonetta, I Did Miss You. Now, Get Over Here…

Posted on February 13, 2014 by geelw

I think I’m the only person I know who wasn’t hesitant about buying a Wii U because I knew Bayonetta 2 was an exclusive. PlatinumGames has gone through hell thanks to fans begging, pleading and even threatening them to get this on other systems, but the team has stuck to their guns and as Nintendo is publishing this one, the chances of this popping up elsewhere are ZERO. Unless Platinum decides to recode this at some point, which I’d say isn’t going to happen. I have to give them all the respect in the world for sticking to their guns on this and I also say if you own a Wii U, you need to support these hard-working guys by buying this game as soon as it drops for full price and not waiting a few months or longer for a price drop when no one notices you picking up the game at a discount. That’s NOT support, folks (despite it being the big thing to do with PC games in those charity bundles). It may seem backwards, but the big three still rely on day/week one buyers to get games such as this selling well enough to justify their development costs AND keep people employed at the end of the day…

Hmm, judging by the spike heel now sticking out of my ear (ouch), I think Bayonetta wants me to let her go so she can get back to that game she’s starring in soon. Well, I shall do just that (and remember not to squeeze her so much while typing). Ouch.

It’s Henry Rollins’ Birthday! I’ll Be The Guy With The Gag Gift…

Posted on February 13, 2014 by geelw

(Thanks, HA L!)
SO, yeah – get him a gift if you know the man and/or listen to some of his music today if that’s your thing. Me, I’ll just dig up a copy of Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter and play through a few missions. It’s not a “terrible” game (just a bit bland) and developer Warthog did some amazing job with that proprietary game engine that allowed seamless transitions from first-person shooting and exploration to spaceship combat way back in 2003 that it’s still pretty cool to see in action. I’m sure somewhere out there Rollins is wishing no one brought this game up, but hey, I think it’s better than making a thing of his appearances in those Def Jam fighting games for EA. What the heck was THAT all about? Ah well…

STYX: Master of Shadows Trailer: Cyanide’s Sneaky Goblin Wants To Steal Your Attention…

Posted on February 13, 2014 by geelw

While Of Orcs and Men didn’t light up the RPG scene when it was released, the game’s two leads drew enough attention that developer Cyanide Studios is cooking up an all new adventure starring one of them and based on the teaser trailer above, it looks quite interesting. STYX: Master of Shadows puts that mean-faced but very charismatic little goblin back in the human world and looks to be a stealthy action game along the lines of the Thief series. We’ll see how this one plays out and if the stealth elements make the cut among the fans of the genre who demand perfection. So far, this is PC only, but I’ll hold out a hope it makes it onto consoles at some point just so I don’t need to spend more money upgrading my dinosaur rig that’s still holding its own but is aging in dog years by the day. As always, we shall see, but this one looks like it would fit well on either the PS4 or Xbox One at some point…