Overhaul Update: June 20, 2018

So I've decided to start refining all of my blogs, groups, YT channels, etc., and as a result, The Black Sh33p Blog will be having some things removed from it. Namely, everything to do with crafting, wargaming, computer modification projekts and art in general. I've decided to move all of that to my Modz & Designz blog, as well as I've already begun the creation of a new dedicated Facebook page for it, and have even begun the complete overhaul of the appropriating YT channel also.

In doing all of this, I hope to be much better organized, be of more use to everyone, and if at all possible... be able to actually "do this stuff" much more actively. Until then, thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you again soon. Take care!

100% complete overhaul coming soon!

Hello folks, it's been a while! Lots of things in life have changed over these past few years, and much more is yet to come. One major thing, is that soon I'm completely revamping and relaunching The Black Sh33p Blog! So if you're interested, stick around, 'cuz it's about to finally get interesting. Thanks all, catch you 'round soon. Take care.

Had to move again...

Hey folks, just wanted to update here, saying we had to move again recently. We just got internet again and will be moving again soon (hopefully, and in a better light) as well. Have a good day!

Net Neutrality - Fight For Our Rights!

Join the fight for Net Neutrality, don't let the greedy corporations win!

Wizkids/NECA - D&D Icons of the Realms "Tyranny of Dragons" releases!!!

Well folks, I don't know about you, but I am really excited about this! Whether you're a D&D gamer or a regular everyday tabletop minis gamer, this set is AWESOME!!!!! Oh, and did I mention it's... DRAGONS?!?!?! Anyway, as you can clearly tell, I'm super stoked about this and cannot wait to get my hands on some of these myself, and of course the opportunity to play with them, woo! Anyway, here's what showed up in my email today, check it out!

D&D Icons of the Realms: Tyranny of Dragons Miniatures Available Now!

WizKids Games, the industry leader in quality pre-painted plastic miniatures, announced that the inaugural wave of D&D Icons of the Realms miniatures, based on the iconic Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game from Wizards of the Coast is available in select stores now!

 

Inspired by the new Tyranny of Dragons storyline, players can expect to find dragons, kobold fighters, bugbears, wraiths, mind flayers, and many more iconic Dungeons & Dragons characters guaranteed to level up their tabletop RPG experience. Collect all 44 miniatures found in the D&D Icons of the Realms: Tyranny of Dragons booster packs today!

Just getting started with your collection? Wizkids recently announced the launch of the D&D Icons of the Realms Starter Set, the perfect supplement to the new Starter Set for the D&D tabletop roleplaying game. The 6-Figure miniatures Starter Set includes the 5 player characters featured in the tabletop roleplaying game Starter Set and are some of the most iconic classes and races from the Dungeons & Dragons universe, including the dwarf cleric, human ranger, Halfling rogue, Northlands fighter, elf wizard, and the famous drow ranger, Drizzt Do’Urden.

You can find out more about D&D Icons of the Realms: Tyranny of Dragons by visiting wizkidsgames.com/dnd

Thanks for dropping by folks, this is Ronald DMNKLR Smith signing off. Feel free to drop me a line below and let me know what you think of this game, any ideas you have, aspirations, etc. Until then, getcha' game on!

I didn't go away 4ever... ;)

Hey all, I'm back (well, sort of, lol)!!!  Boy, do I need to get busy with posting stuff again, har-har, but I do have a very good reason for my months-long absence (I'm just not sharing it here as it's too personal).  Anyway, upon my daily Facebook perusal, I happened upon this little ditty, and I think you'll like it:

The Blackheart Gaming March 2014 AMAZING GIVEAWAY!!!

Trust me, you're going to LOVE the epicness that is in store for you, should you choose to enter this giveaway!  Prizes are provided by Blackheart Gaming, Togoo Tech, Enos Tech and EvilGMR, and range from a plethora of sweet games to 1337 PC gaming hardware!  So get on up and over to that link, and enter to your heart's content (or til you run out of entry options at least)!

Anyway, I'm signing off for now.  Have a good weekend all!

June 7th, 2013 - Gaming Deals Update

What's up fellow gamers?!  This week has been what seems to be a little slower than others, but it's not a total loss, I swear!  ;)  We do have a couple of nice reveals for y'all today, so keep readin' 

First up, we have the Arclight Bundle from Indie Royale, featuring the following titles:

1. AI War: Fleet Command (read below for further details)
2. A Valley Without Wind 1
3. A Valley Without Wind 2
4. Shattered Haven
5. Tidalis
6. Great Permutator (added 06-14-2013)

From Indie Royale: The bundle nets you Steam, Desura and DRM-Free keys for five of Arcen’s titles on both Windows and Mac: Sprawling sidescroller A Valley Without Wind and its sequel A Valley Without Wind 2; top-down environmental puzzle game Shattered Haven; the already mentioned space RTS AI War: Fleet Command and Tidalis -- a surprisingly deep puzzler with a unique ‘streams’ mechanic. AI War specifically includes all five of its expansions. That's right, five. The four that are currently released, as well as the upcoming Vengeance of the Machine expansion -- available in beta starting today and playable now for bundle owners. On top of that, if your purchase beats the $8 mark you’ll score all 9 original soundtracks by Arcen composer and rising star Pablo Vega and, additionally, the amazing Deorbit album from games music superstar Disasterpeace. That's an incredible line up of sound track goodness! Whichever route you decide to go, you’ll be picking an absurd amount of content (both in terms of depth and variety) for an insanely low price! You can find more information on The Arclight Bundle, including real-time statistics and its current price, on its official website or via its Facebook, Twitter and Google+ pages. The price will increase as the promotion progresses over the next week (unless kind purchasers lower it), so grab the bundle now while the price is still low so that you'll have hundreds of hours of indie gaming to look forward to!

Thanks!
Scott, Jonathan, Ian and Graeme
Indie Royale

Today's IGN iOS app store updates:

Game Debuts

Gangstar Vegas – ($6.99)
SpongeBob Moves In – ($1.99)

Freebies!

Fireflies!
Spirited Soul
Table Top Racing
Percepto
Cosmic Conquest

Even GreenManGaming is joining in on the fun, just a little bit, but still doing so nonetheless.

This weekend you can get a 25% discount on an incredible selection of pre-purchase titles. Simply use the voucher code* below to get 25% off titles such as: Company of Heroes 2 & Digital Collector’s Edition, Total War: Rome II, Batman Arkham Origins, Civilization V: Brave New World, and many more. For a full list just click the voucher code below.

GMG25-GDSAK-7FPWQ

This voucher will end on 14/06/2013 1500UTC, so make sure you use it before then!
On Saturday 8th you can get 75% off LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4. This magical deal ends on Monday so make sure you don’t miss out!

If you're looking for an extra discount on your next purchase, just use voucher code* GMG20-JLKSA-7A8HA. This will give you 20% off on hundreds of titles across the GMG Store.

You can get up to 75% off a selection of Sid Meier’s Civilization titles including Civ V: Gold Edition, Civ V: Gods & Kings, as well as the plethora of DLC that is available for Civ V.

Stealth Bastard Deluxe  is $4.99 USD (50% off)
Defiance is $29.99 USD (50% off)

So as I like to say, getcha' game on and have some fun already!

June 6th, 2013 - Midweek Gaming Deals Update

What's up fellow gamers?!  This week seems to be a little slower than others so far, but for those of you who love FPS gaming, I have a small treat.  I also have a new deal from GamersGate, so read on and check 'em out!

Humble Weekly Bundle:

1. Serious Sam Public Test 2 (Windows)
2. Serious Sam: Kamikaze Attack (Windows, Android)
3. Serious Sam: Double D (Steam, Windows)
4. Serious Sam: The Random Encounter (Steam, Windows)
5. Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter (Steam, Windows)
6. Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter (Steam, Windows)
7. Serious Sam 2 (Steam, Windows)*
8. Serious Sam 3: BFE Deluxe Edition (Steam, Windows, Mac, Linux)*

*These are the current beat-the-average titles, current price to beat at the time of this posting is $4.13 USD. You'll need to pay at least 1 cent above the average to get this title along with the others.

Next up, we have the Swedish Developer Weekend event going on over at GamersGate, including their Swedish Developer Bundle, which nets you a bunch of games at an astounding 80% off!  They're also featuring the Total War Shogun Weekend (up to 75% off); Overlord Weekend (flat 75% off); save 75% off of Red Orchestra 2; save 30% off of Defiance; and lastly for the Mac gamers out there, we have the Sid Meier's Mac Weekend, which nets you 50% off of all Sid Meier games for Mac.

Finally, we have today's IGN iOS app store updates:

Game Debuts

Kingdom Rush Frontiers – ($2.99 USD)
Kingdom Rush Frontiers HD – ($4.99 USD)
Defense Technica – ($0.99 USD)
Kinetic Damage – ($2.99 USD)
Bridgy Jones – ($0.99 USD)
Sparkle 2 – ($2.99 USD)
Scurvy Scallywags – ($0.99 USD)
Cubemen 2 – ($1.99 USD)
Runaway: A Road Adventure – ($4.99 USD)
9th Dawn – ($2.99)
Titan: Escape the Tower – ($0.99 USD)
Color Zen – ($0.99 USD)
Kill the Clowns – ($2.99 USD)
PYXL – ($0.99 USD)
Kyubo – ($0.99 USD)

Price Drops

Eclipse: New Dawn for the Galaxy – ($4.99 USD)

Freebies!

Towelfight 2: The Monocle of Destiny
Critter Panic!

Updates

Minecraft: Pocket Edition – ($6.99 USD)

It seems that this is the end of today's run, but hopefully you'll see something in here that you can go for.  If not, have patience, there's always something just around the corner.  Anyway, getcha' game on and have some fun already!

IGN iOS App Store Updates June 5th, 2013

 Good day/evening folks, I know I haven't been on the ball lately, but hopefully this will wet your appetites slightly.  If not, no worries, some more cool stuff is coming soon.  I'm also working on things for my modding blog, so bear with me.  Anyway, I present to you today's IGN iOS app store deals.  I take no credit for any of the text, that's all copied from IGN's site, as are the images for Covenant of Solitude, FFT and Garden of Fear.  Anyway, check these deals out, they won't last long.  Hopefully I'll soon return with some other awesome, but I make no promises yet.  ;)

Game Debuts

RPG Covenant of Solitude – ($2.99)

Kotobuki Solution Company keeps on churning out more and more JRPGs, and this latest one focus its story on the magical power of genies. It's $2.99 for a limited time to celebrate its launch – wait too long and it'll spike up to its normal $8.99 level.

Price Drops & Updates

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions – ($7.99)

"Price Drops" and "Updates" are combined today, as this Square Enix strategy classic qualifies for both categories – it's just received a graphical overhaul to bring its visuals up to the HD standard, and, to celebrate the release of that update, its price has been slashed in half for the next week. Grab it before next Wednesday to save some dough!

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions for iPad – ($8.99)

If you're up for spending just one dollar more, you can grab this iPad-native version of the game instead for its expanded screen real estate.

Freebies!

Rebirth of Fortune 2 – (Free)

Speaking of Final Fantasy Tactics, fans of that game should appreciate this similarly-styled 

turn-based strategy title from Dotomchi – especially since it's free right now.

Rebirth of Fortune 2 YouTube video

Anodia – (Free)
Also free today is Anodia, a brick-breaker in the tradition of Breakout and Arkanoid.

 Anodia YouTube video

Garden of Fear – (Free)
And, lastly, Garden of Fear – a freebie for all the horror fans out there.



Garden of Fear YouTube video

  There you have it folks, I'll try to be more on the ball, but for now all I can do is my current best.  Anyway, thanks for visiting!

Func Gaming - New Products @ Computex 2013

Good day folks, how are you?  I'm great!  The weather today has just been incredible and allowed me to actually get some things done.  Anyhoo... on to the article's actual focus - Func Gaming have announced three new products at Computex 2013, in Taipei Taiwan.  Many know Func from when they arrived on the scene back in 1999, but today's Func is a whole 'nother animal.  They're back, better than ever and are on a mission to prove it!  I'll let what they say for themselves as to what's on the dinner table, this is taken directly from the e-mail I received today, a direct copy, so they're not my words but rather those of Func Gaming themselves.

-:-

Func introduces an impressive new lineup of products at Computex 2013.

June 4th, 2013 - Func continues to expand their product portfolio with new products, this time introducing the Func KB-460 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, Func HS-260 Gaming Headset and the Func F-series Gaming Mouse pads to complete the range of PC peripherals.

The Func KB-460 is a mechanical gaming keyboard featuring silent, linear, Cherry MX Red switches, full N-key roll over and a smart, individual key illumination system. For those who want even more control than the KB-460’s standard Plug n Play functionality, management software is included to allow the user to make key adjustments such as script macros, re-assign buttons and create profiles. The KB-460 is also equipped with a 2.0 USB connect-through port and integrated media controls.

The Func HS-260 Gaming Headset addresses the need to stay focused on the game no matter the environment. Optimized to give you an extraordinary gaming experience with its clean, optimized sound image, the HS-260 can also be easily converted into your favorite headphone by detaching the removable microphone. The controls are located on the ear cup for easy access allowing you to intuitively adjust key functions while keeping your eyes sharply on the screen with minimal distractions.

 

The Func F-Series 10 is a continuation in development of the classic F-Series launched in 2005. The F-Series offers exceptional traction capabilities thanks to the textured special synthetic rubber incorporated within the surface, also known by F10.s. The F-Series are available in two different sizes to fit different game styles.

Func KB-460 MSRP $119.95 (Launch promotion MSRP $99.95)

Available in July 2013

 

Func HS-260 MSRP $79.95

Available in September 2013

 

Func F-Series 10 MSRP $22.95 / $24.95

Available in June 2013

-:-

And there you have it folks.  Obviously, as I find out more, I'll try to post up about it, but I'm limited to what's presented to me.  Hopefully I'll have more detailed info soon, but I make no promises.  Regardless, I hope you have a great evening, I'm going to try.

Until next time...

PC Gaming Goodies May 31st 2013 Update

Wow, my e-mail tossed me a few great messages today, totally tossed me for a loop, hehe.  Anyway, we have great offers this weekend from GreenManGaming, GOG, Indie Royale and IGN.  I'll do it the easy way for you, as always, and just post screenshots of the deals (or the names of the titles in IGN's case).  To get to these deals, just click the links above - again - as usual.

First 75% off link

Rebellion link

25% off voucher link

 Sega link

Sacred Citadel @ 50% off link * Sniper Elite V2 @ 66% off link

Grid 2 link

GMG Twitter * GMG Facebook * GMG Google+

Weekend Deal link

Chaos Overlords link * The Night of the Rabbit link

Expeditions: Conquistador link * Race Driver: GRID link

GOG Facebook * GOG Twitter

Hammerhead Bundle link

IR YouTube * IR Website * IR Facebook * IR Twitter * IR Google+

Update 06-04-2013: Hammerhead Bundle now includes the title "Potatoman Seeks The Troof" and an eBook "Nazi Zombie Army" (this eBook is free regardless, just click the title and download).  Hope you enjoy!  Potatoman looks to be hilarious, mainly because apparently you jump around and do everything... naked, lol.

IGN iOS App Store update titles

1. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – ($9.99)
2. Anthill – (Free)
3. Ninja Wrath – (Free)
4. Blosics HD – (Free)
5. Order & Chaos Online – ($0.99)
6. Tasty Tadpoles – (Free)
7. Magicka: Wizards of the Square Tablet – (Free)
8. Luxor Legend – (Free)

BONUS: The Steam store is having some decent features this weekend as well...

1. Orion Dino Horde (formerly Orion Dino Beatdown) is FTP this weekend.
2. Primal Carnage is FTP this weekend.
3. Alan Wake franchise is a whopping 90% off this weekend ($3.00 USD), a nice little extension from humblebundle's weekly deal from last week.
4. FTL: Faster Than Light is today's daily deal, and is 50% off.
5. The Swapper is now available and is 25% off.
6. DmC Devil May Cry is 40% off this weekend.

There you have it folks, today's PC gaming deals of the day.  Enjoy it if you can, but either way I hope you have a great day regardless!

Gamersgate Tropico Weekend and more!

Yet another nice gaming deal weekend is upon us folks, this time over at GamersGate, and primarily featuring the Tropico series from Kalypso Media as the main deal.  Check out the image for details:

As you can see, this is also their Baldur's Gate weekend (up to 75% off titles), Sniper: Ghost Warrior weekend (all are 50% off) and even the BIT.TRIP games are 10% off as well.  Plus the pre-order is up for the new upcoming title Remember Me, and the new releases of 8 other games - including Grid 2 from Codemasters - are also shown.  Anyway, I'm out for now, getcha' game on folks!

Plush Buddy Blade!!!

I don't know about you folks, but I love a good scary movie now and again (Pfft, yeah, lol, more like I'm a horror movie fanatic!!!), and grew up watching movies like Puppet Master, Friday the 13th, etc.  Well, over the years I've been keeping up with Full Moon Features.  Most of their stuff in the last decade or so has been "meh" (note: my opinion, yours may differ) compared to previous films, and of course the Puppet Master films never go out of style.  Well, today I received an e-mail from FME and I G33KED OUT big time!  Today I present to you... the "Plush Buddy Blade" doll!!!

Blade image copyright 2013 Full Moon Features, all rights reserved.

(The following description is taken directly from the Full Moon Direct website)

"Description

PLEASE ALLOW 3 WEEKS FOR SHIPPING.
PUPPET MASTER PLUSH BUDDY BLADE HITS SHELVES SOON
HORROR’S NEW FAVORITE CUDDLY TOY

"His knives may be soft, but he’ll carve his way into your heart!"

Personality: Sharp-witted
Hobbies: Stabbing things
Favorite Food: MinceMeat Pie

Born from the brain matter of the brilliant Dr. Hess, Blade is one of the Puppet Master’s most trusted creations. With a meat hook for one hand and a razor-sharp knife for the other, Blade get’s straight to the point!

Full Moon’s first-ever plush toy! Standing at twelve inches tall and huggably soft, the “Plush Buddy” series begins with a horrifically cute re-imagining of Blade, the iconic puppet from Band’s tent-pole franchise Puppet Master. Previously teased to fans with an appearance in the GrindhouseFlix original film, Blood of 1000 Virgins starring Playboy Playmate Nikki Leigh, Plush Buddy Blade will appeal to toy collectors of every age and gender, portraying a softer side of the classic character while tapping into the aesthetic sense of kawaii Japanese pop culture and the animated creations of Tim Burton. Plush Buddy Blade comes with a collectible hang tag featuring character art and personality stats, and is available now!"

The cost for this adorable little terror is $24.95 USD, and is currently available, so get it while you can!  While you're there, have a look around the site and check out all of the other awesome that's there.  You won't know what you'll find until you actually take a look!  Until next time, take care folks, I'll see you around.

Humble Weekly Bundle - Telltale Games

Hey folks, the Humble Weekly Bundle is back, and this week's just as good as last week's deals, perhaps even better to some!  Check out what we have here:

1. Poker Night at the Inventory
2. Back to the Future: the Game (all 5 episodes!)
3. Sam & Max: Devil's Playhouse (all 5 episodes!)
4. Hector: Badge of Carnage! (all 3 episodes!)
5. Puzzle Agent 1&2 (2 full games!)
6. Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures (all 4 episodes!)
7. The Walking Dead - Season 01 (complete, all 5 episodes!)*

*This is the current beat-the-average title, current price to beat at the time of this posting is $4.02 USD. You'll need to pay at least 1 cent above the average to get this title along with the others.

That's the only little update I have for now folks, but check back soon, there should be more incoming! Have a great day and getcha' game on!

Edit 01 May 30th, 2013: I bought the bundle, payed over the average and got all the loot (downloading still as I type this).  When you get the Steam keys, you get ONE key for the Steam Telltale Games bundle (which is for the first 6 games in the above list), and a separate Steam key for The Walking Dead, so there are only 2 keys.  The epic bonus though is you also get each of those first 6 games in DRM-Free downloads to use outside of Steam (WOO!).  The only 2 soundtracks in this bundle are for Hector: Badge of Carnage! (MP3) and Puzzle Agent (FLAC and MP3 both available).  This is a pretty sweet deal.  Admittedly, I mainly wanted the TWD game myself, so I may very well be having a giveaway/contest for the Telltale Games Steam key soon, so keep an eye out for a possible post about that one!  Either way, this is a decent deal.  I pulled the trigger this time because I'm still kicking myself for not getting that Darksiders II bundle they had about a month or so ago, which was also really inexpensive.  Anyway, happy gaming folks!

GMG midweek blowout + Humble Indie Bundle 8!

Hey folks, how are you today?  Me, well I'm doing pretty swell, but I have a small treat for all of you PC gamers.  Green Man Gaming has 3 pretty sweet developer deals this week:

1. Codemasters
2. Iceberg
3. Plug-In Digital

Also use voucher code* GMG20-LLASD-D8WBQ for 20% off a huge selection of games across the GMG Store, including a selection of titles already on offer such as DiRT 3 and GRID.

*This voucher cannot be used in conjunction with another voucher, selected titles only. Valid until 1500UTC 31/05/2013.  Please Note: Some offers may be subject to region restrictions.


In addition to the GMG deals, Humble Indie Bundle 8 is up for grabs!  This go-round we have a decent variety of titles - and when I say variety, I really mean it.  They are even available not only for Steam and standalone DRM-Free in Windows, but also this is their Linux debut - SCORE!!!  Here's what's featured in this bundle:

1. Little Inferno + Soundtrack
2. Awesomenauts + Soundtrack
3. Capsized + Soundtrack
4. Thomas Was Alone + Soundtrack
5. Dear Esther + Soundtrack
6. Proteus + Soundtrack**
7. Hotline Miami**
8. Tiny & Big In Grandpa's Leftovers + Soundtrack** (+)
9. Intrusion 2 + Soundtrack** (+)
10. English Country Tune + Soundtrack** (+) 
11. Oil Rush + Map Pack + Soundtrack** (+)

 **To get these titles, you must pay above the average price featured at the time of purchase.
(+)These titles were added as of June 4th, 2013.

So, there you have it folks, getcha game on!  I'd buy a bundle myself, but the only titles I'm interested in are Awesomenauts, Capsized, Thomas Was Alone and Hotline Miami, and at this very moment the average price to beat is $5.69 USD.  Seeing as I just got the Alan Wake Humble Weekly Bundle (which has 1 day and 19 hours left as I type this out), I don't really have the money to get this one.  If you do, let me know how the games are, I'm actually interested in your opinions.  Thanks and have a great day!

Sniper Elite V2 Silver Star Edition - Xbox 360

Good day folks, hopefully some of you are able to enjoy this day more than those of us stuck indoors due to crappy weather, but either way, hopefully the day is and has been good for you and yours.  Today I want to talk a little bit about a game I recently received (I won it from The Gamers Hub), Sniper Elite V2 Silver Star Edition.

So far, I've not really been doing a whole lot with this game, but as time progresses I'll update this blog accordingly.  Admittedly, being as I don't hardly game on my Xbox 360 much (thanks in large part to not having money, but also that long hiatus from October 2012 until recently when I got the console's motherboard re-flowed to repair it), it's taking a little bit of time to get used to the controls again.  As many know already, I'm primarily a PC gamer, using the keyboard + mouse configuration and only a controller when it appears to fit more appropriately.  On my PC I use an Xbox 360 controller when I feel the need to use one at all, but that's not often.  Anyway, I've pretty well a good hang of the controls for this game already, and am only on the 3rd level (Mission 2 - Mittelwerk Facility Part 1).

Some things that I've found I really like about the game are:

1. Rich environments.  The atmosphere honestly does make one feel as though they are in authentic WW2 locales.  Such details even include noticing that the sky is "raining" ashes, not snow.
2. Plenty of choices on how to approach each mission.
3. Weapon loadout options during mission loading screens (use the right shoulder button to get to this menu).
4. Intelligent AI.
5. The bullet view, especially where it shows the impact and internal organ damage due to where the bullet penetrated the body (this does get somewhat old after awhile though and happens only where scripted to, it's not every time or totally random).

Some things I've noted so far that I am disliking:

1. Environments are too restrictive, not allowing any sort of free-roam opportunity.  This definitely makes the player feel too restricted and thus killing a good deal of the authenticity of gameplay.  In other words, I would really like to pick my own vantage points, be able to break out windows, shoot lights out for night cover, etc.  Come on Rebellion, this is driving me batty!
2. AI is too predictive because they're scripted to only do "this one thing" or "that one thing", "go this way" or "go that way".  There's no randomness.  While I do like that with getting my bearings on the game, it does help me to grow into it, I want a challenge, a realistic challenge.
3. The character played doesn't always do what he's told!  Numerous times already, I've gotten too frustrated because I click the A button when it tells me to and he just stands there, doing nothing but looking confused.  Climb into/onto the window/ledge you numbskull!!!
4. Scripted event triggers.  Yes, a lot of games still have these, and yes, I most certainly hate them... a lot!  Do I sound angry enough by now?  I'm not angry, per-se, I'm frustrated.  I'll be walking around, looking for people to shoot, and not a soul is in sight, but as soon as I walk through "this room" and peek around the corner of the building, suddenly there are 6 guys just randomly walking around where there were literally zero just a second prior.  Literally, a clear street suddenly has 6 random soldiers walking around, seriously?!
5. AI enemies can see me through machines, but can't see the dead body of their comrade - that's right in front of them - as they walk into the room?  Come on now, get real!
6. I understand that they have to place the Gold Bars and Wine Bottles strategically, so that obtaining them is either difficult or by random chance, but so far I've only seen random appearances of them in places where they weren't there the first 1 to 10 times I walked through there, no joke.  So far, I've covered every single square inch of the levels I've played through, multiple times over, and yet I've not found all of the gold bars or wine bottles "hidden" throughout, and over half of the ones I have found were literally randomly-appearing.  This isn't one of those "Oh, I just didn't see it when I walked through there the first time." things, this is one of those "I walked through this entire building multiple times over the last hour, covering every angle of every room at least 10 times, and now this just pops up in front of me out of nowhere!" things.  What's up with that?!
7. An inexcusable lack of physics.  Half-Life 2 came out, what, back in 2004 (almost a decade ago), and has far superior physics in comparison.  I can't move furniture when I walk into it, I can't break anything that isn't scripted to break,  and that's just the beginning.
8. I can't jump.  Yeah, you read that correctly, I can't jump in this game.  You can't either, just to be clear, there's literally no jump button at all, there are only "click A to climb/vault/etc." events, nothing else.
9. Who's bright idea was it to set "Hold B to xxxx" for 2 different things when standing next to a corpse?  If I'm searching the corpse for items, I don't want to accidentally pick up his weapon and toss mine to the ground.  This is also lazy, inexcusable, and best be fixed in the next Sniper Elite game - if there even is one to be released.

All-in-all, I'm having some fun, and for not having to pay for the game, it's a definite plus, but it's not quite what I was expecting after having seen it online and read all the articles, box descriptions, etc.  This game more has the feel of playing Hitman in WW2 than it does a sniper game.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a HUGE fan of the Hitman games and have them all so far, but this is supposed to be a sniper game.  What it really is, is a "sniper does everything an entire military force is expected to do, all by himself" game, which is highly unrealistic.  Perhaps after I'm finished with this game, I'll play some Hitman, I don't know, but it's possible.  Or perhaps, since I recently got Alan Wake CE and Alan Wake's American Nightmare from the current Humble Weekly Bundle, I might just dive into some of that.  Bioshock Infinite?  Maybe, Far Cry 3?  Also maybe, I don't know.  Either way, I'll blog about it.  Perhaps I may even get the PC version of SEV2 if I can get a good enough deal on it, then compare it to the Xbox 360 version, since the PC version is supposed to be more detailed and have realistic physics, but we'll see.

Thanks for visiting, happy gaming and have a great Memorial Day (just don't forget why we have this day to begin with)!

Edit 01: 05-28-2013, it appears that the gold bars appear only after specific triggers occur.  Again with the stupid trigger scripts?  Really?  This is just ridiculous.  I'm going to experiment and see if perhaps maybe they also disappear after certain triggers as well, because so far that appears to possibly be the case.  if it's so, then I'm officially failing this game hard.  For now, I'm gonna go play it some more.  I'm past the Mittelwerks mission now, and getting much better at sniping, but have quite far still to go.  Later y'all!

Memorial Day 2013

Good day folks, did you miss me at all (or if this is your first visit, I'll just leave it at hello, lol)?  I've had a lot going on, but mostly I haven't been updating things because most of what I need to do requires a good digital camera and the image sensor on my Samsung Digimax D53 is going bad (I got it in 2006, so no real surprise there).  I'm currently in the process of trying to come up with a way to get the funds to buy a new one.  Hopefully soon I'll be back up to speed, but for now it's on slow-mo.  I have been keeping an eye on the graphic novel, video game and other media markets, so for now I'm just observing and keeping tabs on things so that I don't fall too far behind on those as well.  Looking at other potential interests for this blog, etc.

One of the things I recently discovered is there's this pretty nifty little website, sort of a "collector's club" kind of deal, called Loot Crate, which has some pretty decent stuff.  It's a subscription-based deal, starting with a month-by-month deal that allows you to cancel at any time (but of course the bigger the sub, the lower the price).  I suggest you check them out, it may just interest you enough to try it.

Also, this week, GamersGate is having some somewhat decent offers:

 

There's also still the Humble Weekly Bundle going, there are just over 2 days and 19 hours left on this one, which includes the DRM-free versions of Alan Wake Collector's Edition (including tons of bonus content) and Alan Wake's American Nightmare (again, lots of bonuses).  Pay $1 USD or more (of course I'll suggest to pay as much as can be afforded) and you'll also get Steam keys.

Last, but most certainly not least, let us all ensure to remember why today is called "Memorial Day".  Many men and women laid down their lives, sacrificing them for us, even the ones who survived still made major sacrifices and many still do.  They did this to ensure that the rights given us - and recognized by the US Constitution and Bill of Rights - remained and still remain protected.  That We The People are protected.  To all men and women who've ever served in the armed forces, including their families who made just as big of sacrifices as they, we salute you and give our thanks to you for all you've done and continue to do, for upholding that oath that you took to protect us all from enemies foreign and domestic.  Thank you.

I found this wallpaper image above while searching for "American Flag Wallpapers" on Google, and noticed the Faith for the Family website is who created and issued it.  I checked the site out a little, maybe you can too.  It couldn't hurt.  Anyway, have a good day and God bless all of you!

Motion Picture Review: Evil Dead (2013)

Movie: Evil Dead (2013 Remake)

Format: Standard (2D)

General movie information (cast, synopsis, MPAA rating, etc.) can be found at 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1288558/

By now, if you don't know what “The Evil Dead” is, you either don't know what good movies are or you just simply don't know what media is as a whole. In 1981, Sam Raimi set out to make a low-budget horror movie that would not only make a mark on the industry, but also knock people out of their socks, screaming with fear. It spawned two sequels (Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness), countless other media forms, including comic books and is still regarded as one of the best – if not THE best – franchises in cult horror history. Though the second movie was touched by slightly less horror and more humor, and Army of Darkness is more considered just a dark comedy, as a whole the franchise still falls under cult horror.

If you're looking to watch the remake for Ashley J. Williams, hehehe, don't bother. Despite how the original series heavily relied - and still does – on Ash, this reboot is designed for the story more than anything. Any fan, however, already knows that Ash isn't in this movie, but will see it not just despite that fact, but actually because of it. The concept is pretty intriguing really. With all of the pivotal components that Ash portrayed in the original film, some nice creativity had to be followed in the remake in order to tell the story more successfully. So everything that happened in the original story is there, save for a few key zingers – which somehow made it into the trailer and not the theatrical film release – but generally speaking it's all there.

If you want to see it, regardless of whether I say yay or nay, you will do so, so it's probably a good thing I say yay anyway, har-har. You won't likely be disappointed, just try not to compare it to the original too much or you might be. It's a remake, more a reboot actually, and not meant to be an exact replica. I will however say that out of every franchise reboot I've ever seen, this is probably on the #1 best position of the list for accuracy, continuity, common-sense writing, dialogue, etc. It's just plain and simply a great and entertaining film and you're sure to thoroughly enjoy it.

Are there any negatives? Sure, but not big enough annoyances for me to actually nitpick at them. The movie is so great as a whole regardless, that it doesn't even matter on the minor trivial details. Go watch it, you'll love it, and that's an honest statement. While it may just be my humble opinion, I'm pretty well certain I'm correct in stating such a thing.

Story: 10/10

Dialogue: 9.5/10

Continuity: 10/10

Overall: 9.8/10

This article copyright 2013 Ronald H. Smith. All images are property 2013 Sony Pictures Digital Inc. All rights reserved.

Motion Picture Review: The Last Exorcism Part II

Movie: The Last Exorcism Part II (2013)

Format: Standard (2D)

General movie information (cast, synopsis, MPAA rating, etc.) can be found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2034139/?ref_=sr_1

 

Picking up where the first movie left off - and if you haven't seen that one yet, do it – this film has new writers, a new director, etc., however the characters, environment and everything else is a perfect end cap to the first film's “ending” (don't want to spoil that part for those who've yet to see the first one). Since the final incident of which the first film left us with, young Nell Sweetzer has been trying to move on from her previous life situation, though it's taken it's toll on her rather well. We see her trying to move on and forget about the past and creating for herself a new future.

She meets a boy, falls head-over-heels for him and has even made friends with some other girls, growing into some independence. It's not long, however, before trouble comes-a-knockin' and Nell starts feeling the pressure. Her nightmares of nights-passed had become beautiful dreams of things unrelated, and in the blink of an eye she starts becoming seduced by the demon of which had previously possessed her body. We learn a lot more in this film about Nell herself, rather than the general story of exorcisms and demonic possession, and that most definitely helps to add to the depth quite a bit.

Because the movie focuses on Nell herself, completely centered around her in fact, we are given opportunity to become attached to her and to feel for her much in the same way we would someone in real life. It's as though we're watching someone we've met live out their days. There are even elements of which Nell is treated as a kind of small-time celebrity, but for the most part we just see a blossoming young wallflower, much like Stephen King's Carrie – replacing psychic abilities with being haunted and seduced by a demon of course.

The story does seem a tad on the short side, I do have to admit, but that's not enough for me to take any marks from it because it doesn't affect the story negatively in any way. If you really think about it, connecting the two movies together actually weaves a fairly intimate and semi-lengthy story. Exorcism movies don't usually bode well with two or more films per franchise, however I do have to say that as long as this one doesn't get a third part, it will do quite well holding it's own. It isn't the greatest film of all time, or even the greatest exorcism film (it is kind of hard to beat The Exorcist after all), however it actually is not that bad a film or pair of films in the slightest. The first installment was a documentary-stylized model, with this one being more Hollywood “this is the aftermath” style. Rather than anyone following Nell around with a camera and cataloging everything like data, the actual story of what's happening to the main character is allowed to unfold and be presented as-is.

Is it perfect? Far from it, but as many know I am a major stickler for continuity, and with that this film hits the nail on the head perfectly. The Last Exorcism Part II quite literally picks up right where the first film left off, and in the intro it actually gives viewers a catch-me-up on what the first film was about and what all happened (though not as entertaining as that film itself, it covers all the major components). I'm seeing ratings on the web that make this film seem like it's a cheese-ball attempt at making a bit more $$$ from something that should just be left alone, however as that might possibly be the case (I can't say yes or no), to me it definitely just seems like a way for those of us who watched the first film to have some closure on what happened.

One thing I also liked, just to point this out, is that unlike a lot of other films in this sub-genre, this film did not go way over-the-top Hollywood craziness with the FX. That happens to be one of my most favorite parts of The Last Exorcism (both films as a whole story), the realism of it. It doesn't have tons of cheesy crazy talk, and the character of Nell is actually convincingly realistic. I applaud Ashley Bell (Nell) for her performance in these films, especially Part II, because she's actually believable in her fear, terror and innocence.

I didn't much like the end of the film, but that's because of what route it took, not because of the FX, stylization, etc. It's an actual end to a story (or is it?) however, and that's appreciable as many films often leave us hanging (and the first one had me for awhile until I saw the trailer for this one) without any closure whatsoever. If you like the exorcism sub-genre of horror films, then you'll possibly like this one, but if you haven't seen the first one yet, I implore you to do so. Watching the first The Last Exorcism film will greatly help you to appreciate Part II much greater than Part II's introduction story-catch-up feature, plus it's actually a pretty nice film all it's own.

Story: 7/10

Dialogue: 9/10

Continuity: 10/10

Overall: 8.7/10

This article copyright 2013 Ronald H. Smith. All images are property 2013 CBS Films Inc. All rights reserved.

Motion Picture Review: G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Title: G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Format: RealD 3D

General movie information (cast, synopsis, MPAA rating, etc.) can be found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1583421/

Allow me to begin this review by saying that I have been a G.I. Joe fan for pretty well my entire life, since I was a baby. I'm 31 years old and if you add the years up, that's a long time to be a fan, nearly an entire lifetime. From the comics to the cartoons, and even into the toys (naturally) and now the live-action films, I've followed Duke, Hawk, Sgt. Slaughter, Destro, Zartan and the rest of the Joe and Cobra crews throughout the entirety (though I cannot say I'm an expert, far from it in fact), and as such I expect a lot of things – as any real fan should – of these kinds of adaptations, primarily continuity. I'm a huge stickler for continuity, and quite frankly, when it really comes down to it, we deserve such things to be well-preserved and incorporated. It just makes complete sense to do so, right? Right. Anyway, without further ado, I present my own personal review for G.I. Joe: Retaliation.

At the beginning of the film, we start out with some of the most pivotal Joes on a mission to retrieve a fellow-Joe from a Cobra operative base. Duke, Roadblock, Lady Jay and Flint – who we quickly learn has quite a sense of humor – are all there, using advanced technological weaponry and lots of cunning. One of the other things we notice, is that a decent amount of the cast has been replaced with other actors. First red flag goes up there, I don't like that whatsoever because the first film – The Rise of Cobra – had a huge audience of devoted fans who saw those roles played by certain people and like myself they expect continuity. In all honesty, only maybe 4 original actors/actresses from TroC are the same in Retaliation (Snake-Eyes, Storm Shadow, Duke and Zartan that I noticed). I was intrigued by the story though, so I kept watching. We did pay to see it after all, no turning back now.

Almost immediately after that opening sequence, my stomach turned. As I've said, continuity is a major issue for me in just about everything, especially movies. The opening credits part of the film began and while I was all “cool!” from the 3D fx of all the nice digital this and that flying around, what they were explaining really ticked me off a lot. I am not joking, so prepare yourself here... Between the first and second movies, roughly an entire movie's-worth, or a couple of TV seasons-worth, of content has simply just been tossed to the wayside, years have passed and it's all casually tucked in a drawer like it's nothing. I mean seriously, with what all they explain, an entire film, 2 television show seasons and even a few years of comics could have all been slapped together and explained ALL of it!!!

The entire film is full of action, drama and humor, but honestly it felt rushed to me. There was a bit too much going on and being skimmed over lightly, it easily could have been split into at least two separate movies rather than just one. One of the few things I did like was to see more Joes and Cobras brought into the mix, however with them focusing heavily on how the Arashikage were mixed up in the primary situation and plot (and somehow a key member of the Arashikage in the previous iterations of G.I. Joe shows up and yet doesn't appear to have anything to do with them whatsoever in this movie – say what?!), it greatly takes away any real creativity of the film.

Another thing to note, is that although the film is RealD 3D, it heavily used the overlay 3D effect, which is when the movie itself is 2D, yet uses 3D FX over the top of it, but only in certain areas of the screen. For example, if yuou took off the 3D glasses, you would notice that the movie itself is like normal, but the flashy credits, flying objects in explosions, etc. are wavy and blurry. From the other RealD 3D films I've seen, this is a cop-out to me and really doesn't give me my money's-worth to be honest. When I went to see Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (which I've also reviewed) in RealD 3D, I was actually pretty amazed at how they used it to their advantage, adding depth of field, immersion, etc. This film, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, left me feeling a bit jipped because of that. Call me spoiled, but once you have something to compare it to, you really do see it.

Overall, the actual 3D fx were decent, but I really would have preferred them used in the entirety of the film. There are some scenes, the Snake-Eyes Vs. Storm Shadow one in particular, where the screen is difficult to watch due to blur, as if the movie was filmed at a higher speed than the projector would actually refresh at. The scene where Snake-Eyes and Jinx were fighting the Cobra Ninjas on the mountainside, admittedly it was pretty nice, but it felt too average visually (no depth-of-field distinction, etc.). Quite an opportunity was missed there, clearly. I'd also have liked to have seen some additional notable characters lingering about, supporting characters if you will. It would have made for some of the depth and immersion in the story to be made up for. Then again, I'd also have liked for this film to have actually had some depth to it, a real hook-you-in story, and for it to have not left the same taste in my mouth as a can of 6-month-old flat cola.

I am thoroughly disappointed in the film and would say if you can find it at your local cheap-o/dollar theatre, it's worth watching there, but no way would I pay full theatrical price to see it again. Hasbro has some serious making up to do with us fans, I do have to say, as does Paramount. Go see it if you must, but even my 9-year-old son – who loves G.I. Joe as much as I do – was sorely disappointed in it. We might pick it up in the $5 Value Bin at Walmart one day, but certainly won't bother to touch it at any price above that.

Story: 4/10

Dialogue: 6/10

Continuity: 2/10

Overall: 4/10

This article copyright 2013 Ronald H. Smith, all images are property 2013 of Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Skydance Productions, Hasbro and Di Bonaventura Pictures.  G.I. Joe is a registered trademark of Hasbro, all rights reserved.