jdodson1

Joined 01/23/2012

I'm an Engineer and built the video game community Cheerful Ghost and text based mini-MMO Tale of the White Wyvern.

2757 Posts

Blizzards Heroes of the Storm finally launched today. During the launch party live stream they talked about the new Crusader hero that will soon be added to the game. Johanna looks like a pretty beefy powerhouse that melee characters should enjoy playing.

Blizzard also is giving away a free in game Mechanospider mount for free if you play a Facebook game. I did it and it's not too bad but is currently experiencing some issues with a zillion people trying to play it.

https://teambuilder.heroesofthestorm.com/

If you are interested in checking out the Heroes of the Storm launch event archived feed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL9WtwA1r0_TYrK0Nikr77uHZOJA96aryz&v=XNsxOaHCOr0


We usually don't speculate endlessly about rumors, but occasionally some surface that seem interesting. From the NeoGAF post:

"The interesting part is that the article starts by discussing Nintendo's next platform - the one Iwata codenamed NX. They have an insider source who claims that the OS for the platform will be Android based, and that it is a paradigm shift for Nintendo business-wise. The source goes on to say that when third parties abandoned Nintendo's WiiU one by one, it caused turning point in the company. So while they have had a philosophy of developing their own software and hardware concepts internally for all these years, they are now prepared to embrace a more open platform with Android, to allow developers more flexibility in making content that can also be on smartphones and tablets."

The NeoGAF thread cites a supposed Japanese leak that claims Nintendo will be moving to Android for their base platform because of lack of third party support. If this happens, in my eyes, it will make Nintendo one of the more compelling gaming platforms. What do you think, if Nintendo moves to Android what would this mean for you? Would it be good for Nintendo or gaming in general?

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1055078


Apparently if you mix young Anakin with Darth Vaders voice the results are hilarious and don't end well for the Empire.


Jack and Rich review the latest Tim Schafer Adventure Game Broken Age and conclude that it is indeed a Tim Schafer Adventure Game. Rich seemed to have enjoyed while he points out that Jack may not be a fan of the Adventure Game genre. Jack also brings up something I thought was really interesting in that people may have jumped aboard the Double Find Adventure Kickstarter hype train and may not have had a good understanding of what an Adventure Game really is.


It seems the way of the average MMO. Launch to acclaim and player applause and over time the audience changes. The MMO market is really competitive and each game that comes out is inevitably compared to the still reigning champion, World of Warcraft. As the MMO continues through it's lifecycle most adopt a free to play model and WildStar is the latest MMO that will launch free to play in the fall.

A few details from the WildStar F2P FAQ:

"“Free-to-Play” means that anyone can download the game and play without spending any money to buy WildStar or committing to a required subscription fee.

Is the game really free?

Players can acquire the game, create an account, login and play through everything the game has to offer without spending any money, so yes, we do mean free.

That said, we will also offer completely optional in-game purchases that cover a wide range of player services, convenience options, and cosmetic offerings.
"

WildStar is a cool future themed MMO that got some high praise when it launched. Hopefully this move really catapults the community and makes the game better for everyone. Will you try it out when the game goes free?

http://www.wildstar-online.com/en/news/2015-05-28-wildstar-is-going-free-to-play-heres-all-you-need-to-know/


In this latest Game/Show video Jamin asks why Mario's theme is so gosh darn catchy. He discussed the limitations of the early NES and modern music and what properties are more ear pleasing that others.

Mario's theme is catchy but nothing brings me back to a nostalgic adventure trip like hearing the music from NES Zelda.

"The Mario theme song is HARDWIRED into our brains. It's SO CATCHY! You absentmindedly hum the first six notes in your head when you’re doing laundry, or even find yourself hearing echoes of it in the modern music of today. What was it about your experience with games like Mario, Zelda, Final Fantasy, and Tetris that made their music so memorable? The Tetris theme? Classic! Final Fantasy Prelude? Famous! But why? There’s an easy answer, and then there’s the CRAZY answer that Jamin sheds light on in this week’s episode of Game/Show. Watch it and find out what makes retro game music so memorable!"


In this episode of the Cheerful Ghost Roundtable we talk about what we've been playing, the latest Humble Nintendie Bundle & the latest craze with free to play games. In this episode you can find out how much our lifetime spend is on free to play games and if we regret any money we've put into them. You're welcome internet!


Overwatch is a upcoming game by Blizzard that is a FPS first for the studio. With each new gameplay footage drop the game looks like a really fun entry into the team shooter space. Taking nods from Team Fortress and Unreal Tournament, Overwatch is a game in a dystopian far future that doesn't bring the gritty dark tone with it. It's also an entirely new set of IP so nothing from the Diablo, Warcraft or Starcraft universes here.

The character shown in this gameplay reveal is Hanzo a parkour assassin that can climb walls and pick off other heroes with his bow. Whereas I don't typically enjoy playing heroes like Hanzo, the overall game mechanics seem interesting to try and I can't wait to try the game out.

Blizzard is still unsure if Overwatch will be a free to play game or have some sort of up-front cost but if the success of Hearthstone or Heroes of the Storm is an indicator, we might be able to play this one for free too.

http://us.battle.net/overwatch/en/


In it's first ever console debut, The Humble Bundle folks are at it with the Humble Nindie Bundle. Partnering with Nintendo eShop all the games in this bundle are redeemable on the Wii U or 3DS. The titles available on the Wii U are Guacamelee, Stealth Inc 2 & The Fall. The games available on 3DS are Woah Dave!, Mighty Switch Force! & Moon Chronicles. Two games are available for the Wii U & 3DS such as SteamWorld Dig and OlliOlli.

If someone has a Wii U i'd love to hear about how seamless the games are to redeem and how they play.


The latest Mad Max Fury Road is racing to box office gold and on it's way has received a few parody trailers. Would a post apocalyptic Mario Kart game be fun? Not sure, but this trailer is.