GRID 2 Launch Trailer: “Hotter Than Georgia Asphalt…”

Posted on May 31, 2013 by geelw

Yeah, I was watching Wild at Heart again this week _ I don’t think Sailor and Peanut will mind me swiping that line. Anyway, GRID 2 Codemasters’ gorgeous and innovative racer is zooming into stores and yes, go grab a copy and see what the fuss is all about, I say. I’ll be reviewing this sometime next week or around the weekend when my review copy slides into my mailbox. Yeah, yeah, it’s not the upcoming 1200+ car overkill beauty pack that is Sony’s upcoming Gran Turismo 6, nor is it the “Everyman’s a winner because of our difficulty curve assuring you do indeed win a lot of races on the first or second go!” that the stunning-looking Forza games are. The team here if focusing on a ton of cool offline and online play that looks to shake up the racing game field and hopefully, many will dive in feet first and enjoy the ride. Back in a bit with more words dropped onto a digital page at random about this one…

Remember Me Live Action Trailer: Dontnod’s Lost Angel in the City of Light

Posted on May 31, 2013 by geelw

Capcom and developer Dontnod Entertainment have a Royale (with no cheese) surprise coming to PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on June 4, 2013 with Remember Me, a sci-fi action game set in and around a 2084 Neo Paris about a former “memory hunter” forced to take on her former employer after her own memory is erased. Some hands-on time with a demo at a recent Capcom press event revealed a stylish and cinematic single player focused experience with a unique “rhythm” based combat system, some nice and fluid parkour elements and what’s looking like a few tricky environmental puzzle-based surprises and rewards. Lead character Nilin’s slim athletic build, multiracial look and telltale scar make her a refreshing change of pace from certain other female characters that usually step in from the same gene pool, so hopefully gamers will hook into her and fine a heroine worth (wait for it) remembering. I think they will. Back with a full review sometime next week…

Castle of Illusion Behind the Scenes: Disney & Sega Stir Up That Nostalgic Stew Just Fine…

Posted on May 30, 2013 by geelw

Between this remake of the Sega Genesis classic and Capcom’s spectacularly remastered DuckTales coming to gamers, I’m almost ready to forgive Disney for it’s transgressions regarding killing off Lucasarts (although it remains to be seen if their new track for future Star Wars games and content will be as successful as they’re thinking and wanting it to be under new development hands). They have the game’s original director aboard as an adviser, the in-progress work looks gorgeous and if this one is as fun and challenging as the original, there’s going to be a new legion of gamers playing this. Er… as well as an older generation hogging that console for too long and getting dirty looks from the wee ones who might want to play what dad and or mom is waxing nostalgic over.

Say… If you’re one of those aging hipsters, just break down and buy your own console already, I say. You can let your kids have fun without pretending to show them those classics and somehow never letting them actually PLAY the games…

Humble Indie Bundle 8: Too Much For Almost Nothing At All (And More If You’re Not Cheap!)

Posted on May 28, 2013 by geelw

How the heck do they do it, I keep wondering. Games like these cost a chunk of time and money to make, but here we go once more – your chance to help out charity by paying what you want to grab some great indie games and awesome bonuses. A buck (cheapskate!) gets you FIVE great games and a nice set of soundtracks, but if you beat the average price and pony up a few dollars more, you unlock two more really cool games (and feel better about yourself, right?). As with most Humble Bundles, this one’s up for two weeks and after that, it’s gone for good. Pop on over to the Humble Bundle site, poke around and see what’s what, then give ’til it doesn’t hurt. The Electronic Frontier Foundation and Child’s Play Charity will thank you kindly and you’ll walk away with a steal and a happier hard drive full of cool stuff to play.

FUSE Launch Trailer: Tip #1: Don’t Die Hard, Duck, Dodge and Destroy…

Posted on May 28, 2013 by geelw

So, FUSE is finally out and, Insomniac fans can get their game on for the first time on both the PS3 and Xbox 360. As I’m up to my eyeballs in stuff to do, I haven’t grabbed a copy yet, but I’ve played a few demo builds at press events and based on the quick report from a friend who picked up his from a certain game shop, it’s super challenging and a hell of a lot of fun. I’m more of a solo player, so I’ll need to make it through the campaign with my fingers crossed that the AI is really good (it was in those preview builds) and Insomniac tweaked the challenge in that one crazy mode where the objectives change randomly for each wave of enemies. OK, enough daydreaming – back to work…

Review: Resident Evil Revelations (Xbox 360)

Posted on May 26, 2013 by geelw

RER_360 Platform: Xbox 360

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

# of Players: 1 – 2

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A- (90%)

Calling Resident Evil Revelations a mere “port” actually does it a tiny bit of a disservice, as Capcom didn’t simply press some magic upscaling button to get this great, formerly Nintendo 3DS exclusive onto PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U. The game’s character visuals have been completely redone in HD, there’s a brand new monster type added to the game, a few new modes and a good deal more (especially for Wii U owners, I hear) that make this one a must by for any non-3DS owner who missed out on this as a portable game experience. If you’re one of those longtime series fans overwhelmed by the crazy kitchen sink that was Resident Evil 6 (I actually liked the game’s chaotically schizo overkill amount of content) or the nonstop MP-centric focus of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (which was fine, provided you played with like-minded friends), RER’s return to greatness will bring a smile to your face at the return to classic form. Continue reading →

New Young Justice Legacy Trailer: This Hit’s Really Going to Hurt…

Posted on May 26, 2013 by geelw

Little Orbit and Freedom Factory’s upcoming action/RPG might not help being the fan-favorite show back, but it’s going to be a hell of a lot of fun to play for many out there who want more of these heroes in a more interactive form. Sure, it’s not packing the most amazing visuals, but there’s a ton of fun to be had busting heads and solving some straightforward puzzles as the game progresses. I got a bit of hands-on time with an earlier version of the game not too long ago, so I’m really hoping the final product adds even more polish and does well at retail. This sort of non-MMO hero-packed game used to be a bit more popular a few years back, but it would be nice to see this do well enough that this sub-genre makes a welcome return.

VGA 101: New DS Aquisitions: Soma Bringer & ATV Wild Ride

Posted on May 26, 2013 by geelw

new DS stuff

One is an awesome Japanese import action/RPG that’s very much Diablo inspired with an anime edge (and sadly was never localized into English – thanks, Nintendo for missing out on what would have been yet another a surefire hit new IP!).

The other is an amazing technical wonder in the form of a 60 frames per second racing game featuring those four-wheeled death machines some folks seem to love a wee bit too much. Thanks to Anthony Bourdain nearly killing himself when he fell off one that proceeded to roll over him as he tumbled down a sandy slope on an old episode of No Reservations, every time I see or think ATV, I get a good laugh going that takes a minute or two to subside… Continue reading →

GOG.com Ends A Crazy Week With A 50% Off FPS Fire Sale…

Posted on May 25, 2013 by geelw

It’s been a hell of a good week for fans of classic PC games who happen to have gog.com accounts. Between UnEpic, Wizardry 6, 7 and 8 and the newly announced Xbox One making some people never want to go near a Microsoft console again (heh – little joke there), the team at gog has done it up right (again). Of course, all you want to hear about is what’s on sale this weekend, so… BOOM! here you go. Nothing but shoot-tastic firt-person classics (and not so classics) this weekend, so if you’re into wild action, over the top humor and packing too much heat as you take down alien bastards who stole your ride, crazed undead, assorted futuristic scum and lots of Nazi soldiers, well… it’s your move… but only for the weekend folks, so get busy – your trigger finger needs something to do.

GRID 2: Only A Few More Days to Hit The Road…

Posted on May 24, 2013 by geelw

I just saw a TV commercial for GRID 2 and it caught me off guard because I was changing channels when I passed it and quickly flipped back to see the rest. The game certainly looks beautiful (even more so once you have a controller in your hot little hands, as I can attest from my two hands-on experiences), it’s fast as hell and Codemasters is introducing some fine innovations to the racing genre that should keep this one a hot item for some time.

I’m actually kicking myself because I’d traded my copy of the first game to a friend for two other racers and I actually miss it. Well, it looks as if I’ll have this sequel to drool over and keep, as I’ll be hanging onto this until I see everything it has to offer. Hmm… I’m out of coffee, too. I think I’ll need to grab some before this hits stores, as I don’t think I’ll be leaving the house for a while…