Fantasia: Music Evolved: Harmonix Has A Hit Here (But I Bet The Real Yen Sid Is Rolling In His Freezer…)

Posted on June 4, 2013 by geelw

Ho-kay. I’m so behind the times in the modern music thing that I initially thought this was going to be a game featuring that former American Idol winner who fell on hard times (pay your taxes, people!) getting a second chance in a new IP where players got to sing in front of their KINECT-enabled TV’s. Boy was I wrong. Look, I’ll give Harmonix every benefit of the doubt because they’ve made some great and innovative music and dance-themed games for a number of consoles, but this trailer is pretty lousy because it doesn’t say “Disney” to me at all – it says “desperation” for whomever got behind this and forgot all about the original movie and that still impressive classic animation/classical music combination.

Yes, I get the whole argument about tuning in to modern tastes, and YES, poking about for previews has revealed that the game has a few interesting aspects that make it sort of a cross between Child of Eden and some sort of exploration/collection-fest. That said, as a fan of traditional animation and more types of music than the not yet completely revealed track list that’s seemingly made up of later 20th to more current hits, I have to pull the emergency brake and fall onto the heaving bosom of a tutu-clad cartoon hippo for comedic effect. Come on, Harmonix – there’s a great library of classical tunes that deserve being introduced to folks who have no clue what an orchestra is.

Yeah, this will probably do well and make people like me warm up the oven to pop in another frozen crow pie, but no classic Disney magic means… no classic Disney magic, period. Bruno Mars and classic Queen are for listening to when you’re dancing in the shower (watch that soapy floor!) or driving to the mall with the kids (as they’re screaming at you to change the station because Freddie Mercury’s voice freaks them out). I guess this being an exclusive for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One means the chances of a Wii U game that’s closer to the original film (or hell, even Fantasia 2000) in tone. But, whatever – maybe I’m just old fashioned or something…

Halo: Spartan Assault Announce Trailer: Selling Points (Minus Some Common Sense)

Posted on June 4, 2013 by geelw

Hey, I happen to like twin stick arcade shooters, so I was happy to see that this upcoming game is going to feed that need… provided I (*urgh!*) buy a twin stick-free Windows 8 PC, phone or other device. Which, by the way… is something I have zero intention of doing. Oh well. Still, I’ll give it up for Microsoft, developer Vanguard Entertainment and 343 Industries, who do have the right idea in trying to get fans to get into a portable Halo experience. Still, skipping the Xbox 360’s huge user base and Windows 7 PC’s (but probably not the upcoming Xbox One where it SHOULD be a free pack-in on the HDD to lure in more early adopters) and effectively enforcing an upgrade to play this one isn’t settling in with some folks who’d prefer the entire Halo series ported over at some point sooner than later… Continue reading →

Now Playing: Remember Me (and Other Stuff)…

Posted on June 4, 2013 by geelw

Of course, I had to run out early on Friday evening and zoomed past the UPS truck a block away that I SHOULD have hung around a few minutes to bug the driver about any packages that were mine on board, but, oh well. Anyway, Remember Me popped up again yesterday and I’ve been playing it since (which is why there weren’t a load of posts happening, folks). Anyway, it’s quite a blast and yep, a review is incoming probably tomorrow. So far, it’s quite original, somewhat linear, but very gorgeous in a “this is the game you make when your studio is in Paris!” kind of way.

Back in a bit – spoiler: the score will be good unless the game falls apart in what looks like the last few areas I’ll be getting back to soon enough. As for “Other Stuff”, that’s not a game – it’s just my queue stacked up with a bunch of games I’ll try to get to before the E3 crunch steamrolls me…

Random Indie Game of the Week: DreadOut

Posted on June 3, 2013 by geelw

Amusingly and ironically enough, one of the scariest work-in progress games I’ve played this year comes from a developer named Digital Happiness. Based out of Indonesia, this small studio is in the process of polishing up their first game, DreadOut, a nicely frightening homage to Tecmo’s criminally neglected Fatal Frame series with a modern (and optionally social) twist.

DH is using the extremely versatile Unity game engine, a wonder tool for a number of small to large studios that can pump out some fantastic visuals the can be scaled to run an a wide range of computers and devices. The speed at which this has come together combined with the quality of the work is pretty astonishing. I believe Digital Happiness happens to be in the CG animation business or something, and you can see this in the character art, animation and general pleasingly realistic style of the visuals.
Continue reading →

Killzone: Shadow Fall Update: Guerrilla’s in the Midst (and Not Monkeying Around)…

Posted on June 2, 2013 by geelw

Well, it sure looks like Killzone: Shadow Fall is going to be another marquee title for Sony’s new console and as you can see here, the guys and gals at Guerrilla Games are making sure series fans get their money’s worth and then some. What’s really impressive here is despite being yet another shooter in a very well-packed genre full of them, if you follow the game from its first chapter on the PS2, you can see the developer maturing as they lay down the series’ trajectory as the focus shifts from one side to another. Win or lose, war is indeed hell for both sides at the end of the day…

GOG.com’s Latest Weekend Sale Will Get You Regular Like Clockwork…

Posted on June 1, 2013 by geelw

Another weekend of life on earth means another awesome gog.com sale, so here you go: Another all-Activision deal with a nice lot of classics up for grabs at dirt cheap prices. Of course, you’ll need a BIG clock with a lot of time on it (just make your own and stick by the 100 hours in a day deal you’ve cooked up in your head) and a new career in doing nothing but going through the library of stuff you’ve bought if you buy the whole 31 game package. Well, you don’t HAVE to grab the entire bundle, as it’s quite varied and yes, you might not like every game in the set. But I bet you’ll definitely see a few you just HAVE to try out and that’s what it’s all about, right?

Ride to Hell: Retribution “Built, Not Bought” Trailer: Hmm, How About A Slice of Iron Pie?

Posted on June 1, 2013 by geelw

Well, OK… you can technically add food to stuff you can “build” and not buy off the shelf, but who’s writing this lame material, hmmm? Anyway, Deep Silver’s and Eutechnyx’ grindhouse biker action game is still on the way and sure, it’s not going to win any Game of the Year awards for visuals, but it just may be a hell of a lot more fun than some expect. Especially because you absolutely CAN’T judge a game by looks alone in this day and age. Hell, that would kill nearly the whole retro/indie games market in one go. As I’ve noted elsewhere, if it’s fun to play and makes you laugh in all the right spots (as in WITH the game, not AT it), it’s a keeper. Sort of like with people, you know…

Mamorukun Curse! PSN Announcement Trailer: The ONLY Time “Crazy Meets Cute” Works.

Posted on June 1, 2013 by geelw

Consider the humble “bullet hell” arcade shooter. Some think they’re a dying breed, but for some reason they keep turning up all over the place as developers and fans of this niche genre know what they like and there seem to be enough old to new games appearing on a few platforms obscure to current that keep things really interesting. Anyway, G.rev Ltd. and Gulti’s insane “cute ’em up” Mamorukun Curse! is finally hitting PSN on July 16, 2013, so here’s a look at the announcement trailer and a small batch of screens. This one’s cool because you’re not in a spaceship or plane at all, but on foot or floating about in some maps, which reminds me of Pocky & Rocky, Twinkle Tale, Elemental Master, Undeadlinee and a bunch of other classics. But harder, as you’ll see above. Anyway, mark that date down and keep an eyeball peeled I say. Finger exercises optional, but if you go down in flames because of hand cramps, it’s your own damn fault…

Here’s what to expect in the game:

3 exciting game play modes: Netherworld Action Mode, Arcade Mode, and Story Mode
Online Leaderboards: Use Curse Powers to rack up huge bonuses and challenge your friends to the top-ranking spot of the online leaderboards
Includes all previously released DLC from the original Japanese version:
2 Extra Netherworld Adventures Courses
2 Additional playable characters: Nowa and Rukino for use in Arcade Mode and Netherworld Adventures Mode
Alternate Costumes for all 7 characters
66 challenging PS3 Trophies to unlock

Batman: Arkham Origins Update: The Riddler Is Back To Drive Bats Nuts…

Posted on June 1, 2013 by geelw

Hoo boy. Those darn Riddler Challenge puzzles were am optional set of very tricky timed action sequences that extended the life of the previous games for anyone up to the task, and WB Montreal isn’t forgetting about them in this next installment. You know the drill, folks. You’re doing your Darkight Detective thing and while on a rooftop or some other otherwise nondescript location, you spy a glowing green “?”, accidentally or intentionally trigger a pressure plate and need to race to hit a few other spots so you can nab something cool before it’s locked away. The first one’s a gimme, but they get harder and harder and the next thing you know, you’re up at 4am consulting an online FAQ or making one yourself. This is actually the ONLY question I had about the game, as I know it’s in mighty fine hands otherwise. Off to look at jumbo-size aspirin, as some of those later puzzles will no doubt require a few…

Random Indie Game of the Week: Bundle Stars Wants YOU To Adopt Lucius (He’s a Hell of a Child)…

Posted on May 31, 2013 by geelw

lucius art

Hey there. Bundle Stars KNOWS how much you love kids, so they’ve got a really special one they desperately want to find a few new homes. His name is Lucius and he’s quite talented. As in VERY talented. As in his birthday was 6/6/66, and it’s six years later and he’s discovered who he really is. As in this is VERY bad for his family in their lovely and secluded mansion. As in if you’ve seen The Omen (the original, not the remake), you’ll find a chilling little horror game with a bit of bite that 85% off for a LIMITED time only. As in if you have a Steam account and about three bucks burning a hole in your pocket (or Lucius has set your purse or pants aflame so that money falls to the carpet), you SHOULD buy this game… NOW.

I mean. look at those sad (read: glowing and hypnotic “adopt me… or I’ll kill you”) eyes… they’re begging you to take him home! And Bundle Stars seems to have a lot of little Lucius to go around. Won’t you please help them out? OK, it’s for the Special Effect charity as well, so now you HAVE to drop that three bucks and get this. Think of the children! And prepare to get scared out of your wits… eek.