Transistor: Supergiant Games’ Next WIP (PLUS, Buy Bastion Cheap If You Haven’t Yet!)

Posted on March 20, 2013 by geelw

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Transistor_19-mar-2013_01 Meet Red, heroine of Supergiant Games‘ currently in development action/RPG, Transistor. That’s a mighty big sword she’s swinging, isn’t it? Turns out that weapon is integral to the plot, as it was previously used in an attempt to kill the poor gal, but she survived and is out to find out who wanted her dead and why they used such a damn big butter knife when an accidentally dropped piano would have done the job. OK, so THAT piano stuff is probably not part of the plot (I hope), but those of you who played Supergiant’s amazing Bastion on any platform it ended up on know that Transistor will be a spectacular and memorable experience. Keep an eye on this one, folks – it’s going to be one for the ages, I predict…

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The Croods: Prehistoric Party Hits Nintendo Systems: It’s Time to Get Seriously Stoned!

Posted on March 19, 2013 by geelw

Hey! You thought I’d forgotten to post today, hmmm? Well, I was working on some reviews at the home office and then I went to a screening of Dreakworks’ latest CG animated flick, The Croods. It’s actually quite good and pretty hilarious with some fine performances overall. Nicholas Cage actually makes a MUCH better animated caveman in this film than he does in the last couple of movies he’s made (ha ha), the 3D is pretty cool and yep, there’s a message rolling throughout, so expect some dramatic points mixed in with all the fun.

Just in time for the film, D3Publisher of America is shipping out The Croods: Prehistoric Party for the Nintendo Wii U and Wii, as a collection of 30+ mini-games presented in a fun family board game format a la Mario Party. The 3DS and DS also get versions of this, but geared toward solo play action.

Anachronox Is $2.39 On GOG.com…(!) Yes, You Should Give It A Try.

Posted on March 18, 2013 by geelw

anachronox cover To some gamers, Ion Storm’s excellent 2001 role-playing game, Anachronox hasn’t aged so well in terms of visuals (the 3D character models in particular can be quite ugly thanks to the aging, but heavily modified Quake II engine), but the story, writing, art direction and turn-based combat are all prime reasons for checking this out. As usual, GOG.com comes to the rescue with a temporary price drop on this gem that makes it well worth a test drive. The game is often very funny, there are some interesting quests and NPC’s to meet, nice nods to eastern and western RPGs and film noir in all that sci-fi shininess and yeah, it’s pretty darn long. The ending is the weakest link as the game was so huge and seemed ripe for a follow-up that never got made. Nevertheless, at the end of the day there’s a lot to love about this not quite forgotten slice of gaming history, so yes indeed… I say you should set aside time to check this out…

(*whispers* It’s kind of hard to pass up a value like this, is all I’m saying…)

Capcom Makes With The Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Humor So You Don’t Have To…

Posted on March 18, 2013 by geelw

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! I have the funny as hell feeling that somewhere on the Internet, SOMEONE is thinking this video is for a REAL product and is very madly tapping out that 800 number, credit card at the ready. Sucker. Of course, if Capcom DID actually release swag like this and put it up on their web shop, it would sell out in about the time it takes to watch that video. Yeah, you know how those rabid fans are. A fool and his money actually NEVER get parted because he or she sits in the corner crying because that fake number didn’t dial though. A real smart dude or dudette is broke and happy because they have a crapload of too cool swag filling their shelves. That, dear reader is today’s wisdom. Now go buy something too cool for yourself… oh, a brand new Wii U and/or 3DS and copies of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for both systems would be a great start, I (and Capcom) would say…

BioShock Infinite TV Spot (Long Version): A Good Week Is Many Miles Away… Look Up!

Posted on March 18, 2013 by geelw

March 26 is what, a week away and 2K Games is finally getting the bigger, more splashy ads for this out in full force. As usual with a game so long awaited and important, I’m not going to go poking around for quickly written reviews or the opinions of friends who blow through this in a day at all. I’m thinking this is yet another one of those deeper than it looks games that deserves a full play on my own time and not some speedy rush through just to make a deadline. I’m gathering Ken Levine and Irrational Games would prefer people take the time to “relax” when they’re not being shot at or otherwise maimed in the game world and check out as much of Columbia as they can survive, as I can see the potential for Easter Eggs galore that take a bit of Sky Hook action, some deft shooting skills or other fun, challenging navigation and/or gameplay to reach. As usual, we shall see, folks… we shall see…

Does He Fight Retro Man? Mega Man III Blasts onto 3DS Via Nintendo eShop

Posted on March 18, 2013 by geelw

Well, you probably don’t need this if you’ve already bought Mega Man I through V on WiiWare, but in case you only own a 3DS… well, here you go. The classic third entry in the classic franchise presented as a standalone game. it would actually be really cool to see Capcom HD the entire series up, maybe add optional 3D elements to them (to take advantage of the now seemingly underplayed 3D function of the handheld) and get it out on a retail game card, but we’ll see what happens. Hell, I’d be planning this if I were running thing over at Capcom’s Suits ‘n Sales Division (and I’d add the newer MM games PLUS Street Fighter x Mega Man to the deal), but as usual – we shall see what happens in the future when the future arrives. It’s coming up now… every second, at that. Scary, isn’t it. Tick, tick, tick….

Carnage Heart EXA Set To Mech Up Your PSP or Vita Tomorrow…

Posted on March 18, 2013 by geelw

CH_EXA_square Natsume and Artdink have a nice and challenging little treat for you if you happen to have a PSP or Vita in your hot little hands. Carnage Heart EXA will be hitting PSN tomorrow and promises to be a pretty deep and engaging experience for all comers. Packing in loads of customizable mechs and the ability to “program” their moves for real-time battles is cool enough, but CHEXA also offers direct control for those gamers who want a bit more action as well as wi-fi play for that versus action you’re craving. Of course, there’s a Story mode to play through for you solo play junkies reading this, but it seems the game will find a nicely sized audience among online and offline mech-heads in the mood for something unique.

I believe I’ll reviewing this at some point before the month is out. I was planning to dig out my PSOne and copy of the original Carnage Heart to see if I was a terrible as I recall, but I haven’t had the chance to do so what with so many other things happening. This is probably a good thing, as this newer game seems to be a bit more user friendly yet still as tough if you go in unprepared.

KILLER IS DEAD: Xseed Teases Voices You’ll Hear in Your Head Down the Road…

Posted on March 18, 2013 by geelw

Ha- Xseed Games is really just showing off here, now that they’ve got a nice voice cast lined up for Suda 51 and Grasshopper Manufacture’s upcoming PS3/Xbox 360 action game, KILLER IS DEAD. Despite all the stylized blood spraying all over, I’m betting the farm this is one more love story from Suda, just like the last few games he’s made. As I’ve said previously, the man is a romantic at heart with a really bizarre sense of humor and a love for putting whatever is in his head into the games he cooks up. That’s fine by me, as playing a Grasshopper game is like going to the world’s most innnnnnnteresting amusement park that just so happens to have the strangest arcade you’ll ever step inside. Which is a very good thing indeed, by the way…

The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct Launch Trailer: Hopefully, Reality Isn’t Terminal for This One…

Posted on March 18, 2013 by geelw

Hmmm. Usually, I get wind of a review copy at some point before a game ships out, but Activision’s PR has been quiet thus far. I probably should be worried, but I’m not (well… not too much). I actually read some silly post on YouTube that siad because the game was retailing for $49.99 ($10 less than a triple-A title), it was a bad sign. Duh… what? That’s just DUMB, period. Lesson of the day: Price is in NO way an indication of a game’s quality and if you think spending MORE money means you get better entertainment value for that extra cash, you need your head examined (by an actual zombie). That and hell, Telltale Games, 2K Sports, and a few busloads of indie developers out there who get out budget-priced (or free games, in the case of some great indies) just might want to tap you on the shoulder at the same time and make you fall over like Fred Flintstone’s car with a tray of bronto ribs placed on the side. Yeesh.

Anyway, I guess I’ll wait around and see what’s up with the reviews, but I have the feeling this one is headed for the collection here at some point once there’s a decent price drop. Hey, no matter what the critics say, pretty much any game with zombies in it is fun, warts and all…

Dead State: DoubleBear’s Indie ‘ZRPG’ Looks Awesomely Apocalyptic…

Posted on March 18, 2013 by geelw

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combat_shot_final I’ve been way too busy to keep up with every indie game I’d like to play, but once in a while I catch up to something like DoubleBear Productions work in progress, Dead State and all is well in my little corner of the Internet. As you can see, there’s a nice The Walking Dead meets Fallout vibe going on here (which is double cool) and the WIP combat video below shows off a pretty impressive engine and grid-based tactics at work. The writing here is solid as well, with some nicely done descriptions that bring the slower-paced battles to life very well indeed. Hopefully, this will run on my ancient PC or laptop when all is said and done. I could use a nice turn-based post zombie apocalypse RPG that’s not a system hog for the sake of flashy graphics (and so could you, I bet). This absolutely looks as if it’s going to have a wider appeal amongst a few types of folks into the current zombie craze which seems to be without end and only growing in strength.

Keep an eyeball on this one, folks. If everything falls into place, this just might be an indie sleeper that gets a ton of attention and puts DoubleBear on the lips of zombie fans around the globe. Or at least keeps them busy for way too many hours across many sleepless nights… or both.