Happy New Year!

  Yes, I'm still here... well, I'm actually HERE, but you gnu that already, right? Anyway, Happy New Year, and may 2016 bring you all you desire (or else?)

Happy New Year! (Or Else...)

  

Yeah, that's right: I'm EARLY for a change. Actually, I'm probably going to take tomorrow off and rest up a bit (NO, I'm not going to Times Square with the rest of the fools who get trapped down there for the better part of a day without the ability to pee), so I'm posting that new banner above and this post here to wish you all a stellar 2014. Or else. Now, I won't do anything to you if you don't try and have a super year, but I'd say you need to kick a few bad vibes in the nether regions and get some stuff DONE that you've been putting off for a while. You know you want to. Hey, change is good although moving forward can be tricky business if you're set in your ways and unwilling to bend a bit. 

Yeah, yeah, I'm talking to myself as well, so let's see what happens 365 days from now and maybe kick up a heel or two in a victory dance. And oh yeah, one BIG change anyone reading this can make (if you haven't done so yet) is follow me over at the NEW DAF site! Lots of stuff going on there and you may even get lucky and win something when I run a new giveaway! That's a pretty good way to start off a new year, I'd say...

Happy Holidays To All (Or Else!)...

Random advice time! Whatever you celebrate, do it and have a damn good time doing it. Stay away from the crazies who want you to tumble into their gloomy un-holiday traps, imbibe and consume responsibly and if you're giving gifts, give from the heart first and the wallet last. Shut up and listen for a change if you're a big talker. Go squeeze a plush object if you're a big hugger and generally, be nicer to random strangers unless they're trying to ruin your day. Then, you have my permission to kick them with those Nutcracker boots you're wearing, which them a merry whatever and stroll away home for a cup of hot cocoa or home-made eggnog (or a carton of the store bought stuff with some special additive that's usually rum or some other adult spirity liquid). That is all. No, wait - in case you STILL don't know this: I'm writing over at Wordpress on the NEW DAF! So boogie on over, check the site out and sign up! It's you're gift to ME if you do this, as followers and hits keep me happy and I KNOW you're cheap when it comes to getting total strangers presents. Note: if you're NOT cheap and don't mind parting with a few thousand dollars, sure, I'll take it!

Game of the Month: Dragon's Crown

As in just shut up and buy it already if you own a PS3 or Vita. There are big differences in both versions (so yeah, you want both), that art book is PHENOMENAL (and even more so if you happen to have imported either expensive deluxe Japanese version of the game) and the game itself is an instant classic that's both a throwback to arcade beat 'em ups as well as its own bird.

Take a peek at the video below if you're not convinced yet. If that stunning artwork and outrageously stylized characters don't get your eyes popping and your wallet flying out of your pocket or purse, well... I can't help you in your art appreciation much. Anyway, grab this for home and/or the road and tell a friend if they own a PS3 or Vita to buy this as well. You'll be able to play together... but the game WILL make both of you work like hell for that privilege, as co-op is locked out until you play through the main game once. This won't take too long, mind you and hell, you'll NEED the bonuses earned in order to survive the harder difficulties and alternate paths.

Game of Thrones Season 3: So Far, So Great (And More to Come)...

Yikes. How about that first episode, hmmmm? Well, it looks as if there's a lot more to come in terms of shocks and surprises. I'll probably catch this again on HBO on Demand at some point this week, as I may have missed a line of dialog when I sneezed at one point. Anyway, Happy April Fool's Day, I suppose. This is going to be a wickedly cool TV month, that's for sure...

Hey! I'm Still Alive (and More Productive Elsewhere!)...

Woo-hoo? You're STILL here? OK, OK, How can I get you to subscribe to the NEW DAF site over on Wordpress? (sings) "Tell me, tell me, pleeeeaaaaase!"... Well, you COULD just click on over, see the 160+ posts I've done this month and say "Oh, that's a LOT more updated... I like it!" and sub away. OR I could always BRIBE you to join (a penny each, as I've a bag of them here collecting dust), but that's not feasible and bribery always sucks when you get caught doing it and need to do some jail time. Not that I plan on EVER going to jail, mind you. I couldn't do the site from there unless the Wi-Fi was REALLY good and I didn't have to worry about getting a shiv in the shower every so often. Anyway - go poke around the new site, sign the heck up and let me know how you like the place. I'll be waiting. or posting too much to notice you unless I look at my followers listing (which is hovering around 120 or so)...

It's Toy Fair Time Again!

Hey... it's that time of the year again, folks. It's said that he (or she) who has the most toys wins, which means Toy Fair ALWAYS wins every single year. I'll be there covering the big event from a few angles on the other DAF blog, so pop on by during the week of the show for some thoughts on stuff that I like. I'm going through my too-packed inbox making appointments, so I'm going to be busy as heck that entire week. Even better, Electronic Arts will be in NYC for their spring press event, so I'll have a few games to write about as well. Hmmm... sometimes I think need some interns or something, as I have too much on my plate every so often. But then again, it costs a lot to care and feed interns and no one makes that perfect robot companion that can do it all, so I guess I'm flying solo once again!

Random Film of the Week: Fiend Without A Face

Yup, this is re-posted from the other DAF blog just to have something up daily here. I'm still transferring content to the new blog from here, so I may as well add selected posts from time to time. Lazy? Hah! Not really, as I'm in the middle of writing a stack of game reviews and figuring out what to do with a THIRD site (eek)- enjoy!

   

If you're old enough and recall camping out in front of the TV on Friday or Saturday nights long after the sun went to sleep (Chiller Theater or Creature Features, anyone?), you probably saw a ton of horror and sci-fi flicks from the 50's and 60's. For some reason, Hollywood's "B" movie makers were brain-obsessed during this period, churning out films good to terrible with titles such as Donovan's Brain, The Brain From Planet Arous, The Brain That Wouldn't Die and so forth and so on. All those brains on screen and yet, the best one wasn't even made in the USA. For years I always thought Fiend Without A Face was a US-made "B" flick, but I just found out recently that it's British. Oops. Granted, that doesn't make it any "classier" at all - it's just yet another reason you should check out this classic 1958 sci-fi/horror gem.

It's That Time of Year (Again)...

Holiday season. Whee. People running around jamming elbows into ribs when they could sit at home or in a coffee shop somewhere and buy the same (or better bargains). people buying cheap HDTV's big and small that are actually really bad deals when it comes to picture quality, getting suckered into a new phone or device when their older one is working fine and so forth and so on. Bleh. I'm not a big fan of all this holiday hype, as it taps into some people who should know better and makes them NUTS when they could do all that gift-buying during the year, sock stuff away and hand it out when they finally get that tree or whatever up and decorated. Meh, whatever - I'll be home sipping adult beverages and sleeping near my anti-air guns. Santa better have some good radar on that sleigh is all I'm sayin'. OK< I'm not THAT much of a Grinch - I'll have a few Holiday Gift Guide suggestions on the other DAF site. Well, there are some ALREADY posted if you just do a simple search over there...

Merging Ahead (on a Few Fronts)...

This weekend should be "fun" if you consider moving posts here to the other DAF clog and adding a few new reviews if I can get all I need done. I also need to find banner images (I know what game I'll choose for December), write up some article I had notes for, lost, then found a day ago and so forth and so on. Hmmm. I also realized that some people think the world will end next month... Er, if you're reading this and are one of those folks, can you send me all your money in a well-wrapped package? Hey, you can't take it with you and I'll make sure to put it to good use. IF you DO decide to take me up on this offer and the world doesn't end, I'll send it back - er, minus shipping and a 5% fee.

The Final Naughty Bear: PiP Costume Will Make You SCREAM...

 

One killer bear game gets one more costume change based on yet another popular slasher flick. I can only imagine how much more gory a Naughty Bear game would be if they went for a Mature rating, but then again, that would limit the fan base a bit in places where some users would be shut out of a purchase. Then again, given that Panic in Paradise is a digital download, that point might bee totally moot. Anyway, go grab that Ghostface Bear costume (which includes The Mask of the Major Yawn, Pitch Black Hood, Pitch Black Garb and Pitch Black Skirt) from PSN or Xbox Live NOW. Naughty will stalk you if you don't (and that's NOT a good thing)...

Video Game Appreciation 101: Twinkle Nights Isn't Inexpensive (It Just Reeks of Cheapness)

While it's rare and probably still fairly expensive once found, Intarus' Twinkle Knights has far too many problems keeping it from being anything other than a cool prize for hardcore 3DO fanatics, collectors of Japanese strip games (of which there are plenty, according to one friend who seems to have dozens for all sorts of systems)  or those folks heavily into Kusoge ("shit" games). As an actual game experience, it's far too short and quite easy to beat, yet can be infuriating at times when the CPU decides to put a stop to your progress. As "adult" entertainment, it's pretty poor (OK, it's beyond terrible) and of course, if you're still one of those people that thinks imports like these are packed with all sorts of hidden salacious content, you'll be very sorely disappointed in a WYSIWYG manner.  Besides, there are far better ways to get that sort of er, "sexy interactive excitement" on a shiny disc you can pop in a player of some sort.

"Retro" Review: The Dark Spire

Platform: Nintendo DS

Developer: Success

Publisher: Atlus

# of Players: 1

Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)

Official Site

Score: A

(Note: while I'm cooling my heels and planning a new site relaunch soon, here's an old review to peruse. this previously lost review was written LONG before the PSN Wizardry games from XSEED and Wizardry Online were announced, but I decided not to alter anything mostly because I'm surprised this turned up in a folder packed with stuff I thought was gone for good - enjoy!)

Since no US publisher seems to even be thinking about reviving the classic Wizardry franchise anytime soon, Atlus has pretty much taken up the mantle of "publisher of Wizardry-like gameplay experiences" on the Nintendo DS. Some of you might be asking "Hey! what about that excellent 2001 PlayStation 2 game, Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land, huh?" However, that game (great as it was) wasn't at all related to the eight Sir-Tech PC games. Other than a few console remakes of the first seven games scattered over an assortment of Japanese consoles and a few handheld version the numerous Japanese-developed Wizardry games are their own bird (and yes, it would have been grand to see them localized in English), but that's another subject for another time. Anyway, thanks to titles such as the two Etrian Odyssey games (which can be seen as spiritual successors to Sir-Tech's original games) and now The Dark Spire, developed by Success, Atlus will absolutely make you do a happy dance if you love your RPGs old-school tough yet completely user-friendly.

Jack the Giant Slayer Trailer: Well, It's Got To At Least LOOK Better Than the Original, Right?

 

Hey, I'm old enough to remember seeing the original 1962 flick on TV a few times during the late 60's and early 70's, but even then I thought it was pretty cheesy when it came to the special effects. That was thanks to seeing almost all of Ray Harryhausen's work in better films and noting my my smart little head right away that the "special" effects in Jack weren't up to snuff. Hell, 1940's The Thief of Bag(h)dad beats JtGK by a few miles in terms of sheer visual punch.Anyway, some who view this trailer are crying "sacrilege!" or claiming Warner Bros has RUINED their childhood memories, but I say this new coat of CG paint might at least be a better film in terms of looks. OK, and acting as well, as I never could stand Kerwin Matthews as a lead. There was something about him was so wooden that the effects in the fantasy films he was in were more compelling (well, except for the ones in the original JtGK). We'll see about the story and all that in a bit, I suppose...

Three More Wii U Quick Takes (Before I Go Back To Playing)...

I'm in a Sergio Leone sort of mood, what with all this chaos happening in my tiny corner of the blogosphere, so here you go: a tiny bit of humor to lighten the mood...

THE GOOD! TANK! TANK TANK! Is basically a riff on Sandlot's Earth Defense Force series of games, but with all tanks, all the time, a lot of them to unlock and some pretty fast-paced levels. Playing on the Gamepad is pretty awesome and you can even play multiplayer with bots in case you can't get online (or don't want to). Nice.

THE BAD! For some crazy reason, Nintendo seems to think EVERY potential Wii U owner has a HDTV (thankfully, the console supports standard definition TV's, but you need to set the system up correctly) AND a solid broadband connection. You absolutely CANNOT register the console unless you connect online, which is quite stupid. The company should have thought ahead and included a "low-fi" option (old-school reply card, toll-free phone number, online registration for dial-up users, whatever) for people who want to get those 160 Club Nintendo points for filling out the registration survey. FIX THIS!

& THE UGLY! The otherwise superb enhanced port of Tekken Tag Tournament: Wii Edition is GREAT and quite spectacular to play (long load times aside), but some of the Wii U exclusive features are silly to the point of distraction. In particular, the Mario, Luigi and Peach costumes for some of the characters just look really dumb (at least I thought so). It wouldn't be so bad if there were ONE character stuck in those ridiculous get-ups, but, noooooo - here you see too many of the same goofy costume. Granted, there are a bunch more Nintendo-themed outfits to see (and yep, anyone looks good as Link), but it would have been nice to have a choice from the beginning. Fear not, Namco Bandai - I'm not going to dock the game any points for having to look at Paul Phoenix and a few too many others in the game with those red overalls, bag, fake nose and familiar mustache.

OK, back to working on some games and plotting out some more reviews... Back in a bit.

To those who celebrate it - Happy Thanksgiving, by the way!

Random Film of the Week: COLOR ME OBSESSED: A Film About The Replacements

For a film that hasn't a single second of their music, zero interviews with surviving band members and only briefly shows a few photos of the band at its ending, COLOR ME OBSESSED: A Film About The Replacements manages to be one of the best documentaries on any subject I've seen this year. Whether or not you agree with the "Best Band Ever" status the Replacements have among their most avid fans, director Gorman Bechard (a seriously obsessed fan of the band himself) makes the case for this haughty title thanks to a series of outstanding interviews with their their peers of the period (fellow musicians and producers, that is), die-hard fans young and old and even a few Hollywood types, all who reveal their love (and sometimes hate) for the band as the film progresses.

Like any great music documentary, COLOR ME OBSESSED will make you want to track down the band's back catalog of releases because the stories you'll see told about their work are more than compelling enough to make you want to create a playlist based on the songs and albums discussed. One very cool thing here is how Bechard compares each of their releases to the biggest selling albums of the year they were released in. You'll find out that compared to top acts of the time, the "Mats never sold a ton of albums throughout their history, but the loyal fan base and critical acclaim they received all added to their legendary status. At least as far as their recorded works...

Review: Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (PS3)

Platform: PS3 

Developer: Blitz Games 

Publisher: Disney Interactive 

# of Players: 1 - 2 (Co-op) 

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) 

Official Site 

Score: Single Player: D+ (65%)/Co-op B+ (85%) 

Rather than cut and paste my Wii review of Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two  from earlier today with a few HD-themed edits, I decided to get a little more creative... to a point. Yup, this is what happens when you stay up to long playing one version of a game after another, folks...

More Epic song? OK, I've got one- 
In HD, Mickey's hot as strong sun
The shadows here? They can't be beat  
with detailed backgrounds that are quite neat.

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two looks great on the PS3, with some gorgeous cartoon colors, more detailed backdrops, better draw distance and some great use of shadows that give areas a lot more life than on the Wii version. It may seem like a small thing, but the care that went into elements such as the bucket-carrying brooms casting shadows on the walls (and yes, recalling the Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence in Fantasia) add to the overall game experience. Granted, lovely shadows and backdrops don't make a great game, but for the most part, the game doesn't disappoint on the visual front...

Sandy, Systems and Such...

It's been a hell of a month so far, as you can probably guess if you keep an eyeball on the news. Hurricane Sandy did a number on the NYC metropolitan area and the surrounding states (in a fairly wide random areas at that), so things are a bit chaotic in a few places, yet quiet in others. We didn't get much bad damage here, but a few blocks over in any direction, the power has been out for folks, but is slowly being restored. Staten Island, parts of Brooklyn, Queens and New Jersey were beat up badly and will take ages to get back to "normal" - but with enough help and effort, they can do it, I'd say...

It's October! Games & Movies Galore Month (But Isn't It Always?)...

OK, You're still here, huh? Well, you're missing out on the game and film reviews, dopey commentary and other junk on the NEW DAF, so there! Anyway, October is a pretty busy time everywhere, but this month in particular brings gamers a ton of awesome stuff like Resident Evil 6, Dishonored (my game of the month, if you want to know where the banner images is from - the other blog has a better header that's kind of Halloween themed) and a bunch of other stuff I can't remember because it's freakin' 8am and I've been up all night working on too many things AGAIN.

Anyway, let me shut up and go to sleep, but I'll leave you with a link that fits the season. NO, not Christmas, silly - some shops were putting up displays LAST MONTH (*Yaaaaaaa!!!!*), which was a bit annoying to see, but hey, the economy is kind of awful if you're not raking in the dollars as an online shop. Which is a nice segue to SINISTER CINEMA, a fine purveyor of things cinematic. OK, they sell "B" movie classics across a few genres on VHS (shocking!) and DVD and a bunch of cool books you might like if you're old and creaky like I am (or just have an interest in stuff like that). Anwyay, go check them out sometime, as website aside, they still do things the old-fashioned way when it comes to shipping what you pick out.

OK, basta es basta, as I hear the Sandman calling... or is that snoring?  Yup, once again, I think he's passed out on the chair in the other room (in front of the TV, actually). Ha! That sleepy sap with the nappy sack can't keep up with me!  

Babycastles Summit Info - Get Ready For A Big Gaming Blast!

Are you going? This is looking like the event of the year for the NYC gaming "scene" (eek), but I'm not going to gawk at geeks and geekettes galore. No, sir - I'm all business, mister! OK, I'll dip into that game project thing and see what's what and maybe smile once or twice (I'm near my quota for the month already)... 

BABYCASTLES SUMMIT AUGUST 24th 25th 26th featuring KEITA TAKAHASHI IVAN SAFRIN KAHO ABE NEIL FRIDD Brought to you by NYU GameCenter CITE Game Innovation Lab TAKAHASHI TAKES NYC Special Interview with Keita Takahashi by Frank Lantz ✌ THREE DAYS OF ✌   BANDS ✌ WORKSHOPS ✌ TALKS Inspired by Keita’s kid-friendly play-scape designs and Anna Anthropy's book, "Rise of the Videogame Zinesters: How Freaks, Normals, Amateurs, Artists, Dreamers, Drop-outs, Queers, Housewives, and People Like You Are Taking Back an Art Form" Our goal is to inspire and encourage people who didn't think they could make games to make games. Babycastles will be building four video game play-scapes designed by Keita Takahashi In association with Kaho Abe, Neil Fridd and Ivan Safrin. They will be on display and available for play throughout the summit at the Museum of Art and Design. RSVP HERE. 2 Columbus Circle // NEW YORK // NY 10019 Sponsored By THE NYU GAME CENTER CITE GAME INNOVATION LAB ALSO ANNOUNCING: Join Gameifesto and Babycastles on a journey through videogame's dynamic history, from the arcade to the living room and beyond, we'll discuss how technology, design, culture, and commerce have all influenced each other to create the most important medium of the 21st century. Featuring Anna Anthropy, Nolan Bushnell, Phil Fish, Tim Schafer, Keita Takahashi, Doug Wilson + more! #WhatsInAGame CHECK OUT OUR DEBUT TRAILER PREMIERE NICE HAIR The Babycastles summit is a three-day series of talks, panels, bands, hands-on workshops and custom video game installations designed by Keita Takahashi, game designer of Japan’s Katamari Damacy.  The summit will be hosted by the Museum of Art and Design from August 24th through the 26th as part of the “Fun Fellowship”. GET YOUR TICKETS HERE JEAN CLAUDE VAN JAM A NEW GAME JAM ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ celebrating the film career of the most excellent actor  JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME ☜ ☚ ☜ ☚ ☜ ☚ ☜ Come make games with Babycastles & Eyebeam! --------- RSVP www.jeanclaudevanjam.com BABYCASTLES WANTS YOU to join our Volunteer List

☺ HELP US OUT AND VOLUNTEER  xoxox  - Syed Salahuddin, Colin Snyder and all of Babycastles