Tiny & Big in: Up That Mountain – Black Pants’ Instant (Even As A Work In Progress) Classic

Posted on January 14, 2011 by geelw

I absolutely love independent games and this year's crop of IGF 2011 entrants and finalists just may be the most creative to date. From the super-popular and amazingly successful Minecraft or Super Meat Boy, innovative gems such as Desktop Dungeons, Amnesia: The Dark Descent and more, there's something for every taste (as well as plenty of games a non-gamer would try). A few of the nicer surprises have been the as yet unfinished projects that show off some amazing innovation in visuals as well as gameplay.

For me, the best example of this is the beta demo of Tiny and Big in: Up That Mountain, developer Black Pants Game Studio's wonderfully fresh and funny episodic 3D adventure/platformer (for PC, Mac and Linux) that features stunning comic-styled visuals and excellently implemented game mechanics that are simple to understand while allowing for a number of ways to tackle environment navigation. The current demo build is a bit raw and definitely needs more work, but what's here will make you crack a smile that lasts for as long as you're playing.

L.A. Noire "The Technology Behind Performance" Video

Posted on December 16, 2010 by geelw

http://media.rockstargames.com/products/rockstar/media%20player/RockstarMediaPlayer.swf?skin=rockstar/EN/embed_480&vidID=6341&legacy=no

Rockstar shows you how it’s done in this excellent clip. As you can see, new tech is indeed a blast when the right folks get their hands on it. Note: If you somehow can’t see the video, click the post title and BOOM – there you go.

Gallery Update: Splatterhouse

Posted on August 1, 2010 by geelw

More magnificently (and only mildly) gory Splatterhouse screens for you to pore over. This one is looking better and better with each new batch. Keep those fingers and toes crossed that we actually see this one hit stores before the end of the year. I can’t wait to put Rick through his paces, that’s for sure…

Get A Little Bit Of Dead Space 2 In Your Inbox…

Posted on June 8, 2010 by geelw

EA’s Dead Space Community is offering up a chance for members to get an early peek at the sequel to the great sci-fi/horror hybrid. Just click on over to the game’s official site, sign up if you haven’t already and watch your inbox until June 14, when you’ll get a nice little email with a slice of exclusive DS2 community-only footage enclosed. Simple, huh?

Yeah, an actual demo code or demo disc would be even better at some point in the near future (note to EA: hint, hint…), but you can’t argue with the free part, right?

Review: Deadly Premonition

Posted on March 17, 2010 by geelw

Platform: Xbox 360

Developer: Access Games

Publisher: Ignition Entertainment

# of Players: 1

Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A-

Deadly Premonition just might be a tipping point for certain gamers who don’t quite trust mainstream review sites for any number of reasons. Sure, if you apply the now boring “by today’s standards…” mantra to every aspect of the game, it deserves a low score for failing to have stunning graphics, online multiplayer modes, flawless controls and so forth and so on. On the other hand, if you approach DP as a game experience that’s going to be (outside of yearly sequels and games trying to copy other games) wholly unique… well, hell – welcome to paradise. Granted, it’s a twisted paradise of survival horror, intentional comedy, open world exploration, police car driving and a main character that’s crazy as a herd of cows on a crack binge.

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Sherlock Holmes vs Jack The Ripper To Stalk 360 in April

Posted on March 14, 2010 by geelw

Looks as if the adventure game on home consoles isn’t quite dead after all. Thanks to Dreamcatcher and The Adventure Company, Xbox 360 owners will get their hands on Frogware’s Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper on April 20, 2010 for a mere $29.99.

The game is a port of the 2009 PC version (which garnered pretty decent reviews overall) and features first and switchable first and third-person perspectives, detailed environments based on actual locations around London and more investigating than you can shake a walking stick at. Here’s a quick peek at a few screens as well as a little bit of info on what to expect in the final version:

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Gallery: Clash of the Titans

Posted on February 27, 2010 by geelw

Here’s a nice batch of screens from the upcoming Namco Bandai licensed movie tie-in action game currently in development by Game Republic. I’m intrigued out of sheer curiosity, even though the depth of field in some of these images is a wee bit over the top for my tastes.

Confession: as a kid, I hated the 1981 film (except for Ray Harryhausen’s creepy, effective Medusa sequence), but the remake looks slightly more intriguing (at least from a technical perspective). Besides, with ancient Greece in play in a few games (notably God of War III) and a few other recent titles targeting the GOW style of gameplay (Dante’s Inferno, anyone?), it’ll definitely be interesting to see where this particular game lands on its own merits.

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Gallery Update: 3D Dot Game Heroes

Posted on February 27, 2010 by geelw

Lock up your daughters (well, unless they’re kidnapped princesses that need rescuing)! Atlus USA is letting loose a few more screens from its upcoming PS3 exclusive 3D Dot Game Heroes. Before you take a peek down there, you need to ask yourself a few important questions.

Do you like HUGE swords? Er, in a non-threatening, but increasingly screen-filling manner, that is? Well, take a gander at these big’uns, read the descriptions and try not to lose an eye in the process…

Yeah, this game is going to be a total blast (er, try not to take that the wrong way, folks).

Ancient Sword: The sword of the legendary hero, left in the Sacred Woods should evil arise again.

Claymore: A massive blade that cuts down your foes!

Excalibur: A sword of legend that will require you to gain favor with King Block to obtain it.

Holy Sword: A sword forged in sacred water.

Katana: A sharp, thin blade from the east!

Rare Fish: …? Really?

Gallery Update: Splatterhouse

Posted on February 25, 2010 by geelw

Well, well, well… Namco Bandai’s upcoming relaunch of their seminal horror/action franchise is looking mighty tasty lately and very much improved over those screens from a few months back. Look at all that ketchup – yum! Rick is looking beefy, the monsters are meaty and the red stuff most certainly paints the floors, walls and pretty much everything else.

“This time, we didn’t forget the gravy…” indeed. Q3 2010 can’t come soon enough for me, that’s for sure.

Now, if only NamBan remembers the hardcore fans and actually sticks the arcade version on the game disc somewhere as well as make the great Sega Genesis sequels available as DLC (or heck, on the disc… pretty pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?), this one just might be near perfect… or as good as it gets for us Splatterhouse junkies.

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The Madness is OVER (But Boy, Was It Fun While It Lasted)!

Posted on January 25, 2010 by geelw

Yes, I FINALLY completed my strategy guide for Neo Nectaris: Military Madness for the iPod Touch and I’m quite pleased with how it turned out. I’ll be reviewing the game later this week, so keep a eye peeled. How is it? Let’s just say if you’re a fan of Nectaris, you’ll love what’s here. The game is pretty tough and definitely not a “casual” experience and it’s definitely not one of those cutesy Japanese strategy games with spiky-haired characters and cranky, demonic end bosses.

But I’m getting ahead of myself – back in a few with a couple of updates. I’m going to be catching up on a lot of stuff, that’s for sure…