Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

Get Jade Empire Free On EA Origin!

EA is giving away the classic BioWare RPG Jade Empire so head over to Origin to redeem it while supplies last! While the digital supplies last. So basically until they run out of keys? Or does it expire? They don't really say so just click that link down there.

https://www.origin.com/en-us/store/free-games/on-the-house

Kirby's Dream Land - An Amazing Retro Platformer That Is Incredibly Easy To Beat

One of the retro karts I picked up as this years Portland Retro Gaming Expo was Kirby's Dreamland on Gameboy. I have fond memories of Kirby on NES and since I wanted to pickup a Gameboy Advance at this years PRGE I decided to also get some classic Gameboy titles such as Metroid Return of Samus and Kirby's Dreamland.

A week ago I snapped Kirby's Dreamland in my Advance and started it up. Immediately I was reminded of how much fun Kirbys Adventure is on the Nintendo as it's nearly perfectly translated here to Gameboy. The play control is great and the platforming is super smooth. Kirby can suck in enemies and air that he can then shoot out as a projectile weapon as well... Read All

Tales From The Void - My Thoughts On The First Half of Starcraft II Legacy of The Void

I am a StarCraft zombie from way back so when news of the final chapter of the StarCraft II series was releasing I zerg rushed to get it. Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm took the series into a much deeper and more interesting place and as seen in my numerous play sessions of both games. Legacy of the Void continues the epic saga and I can safely say that it's quite enjoyable and so far, a very entertaining ride. I don't want to spoil the game for anyone so I am going to not get too specific about anything I feel is related to the plot.

As the game launches you back into the StarCraft-verse things happen that I didn't expect but make sense with how Blizzard like... Read All I am a StarCraft zombie from way back so when news of the final chapter of the StarCraft II series was releasing I zerg rushed to get it. Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm took the series into a much deeper and more interesting place and as seen in my numerous play sessions of both games. Legacy of the Void continues the epic saga and I can safely say that it's quite enjoyable and so far, a very entertaining ride. I don't want to spoil the game for anyone so I am going to not get too specific about anything I feel is related to the plot.

As the game launches you back into the StarCraft-verse things happen that I didn't expect but make sense with how Blizzard like to tell stories. After the initial couple missions things get very bleak, which makes sense considering they want you to feel like the odds are against you and you might not win. But since you always win in video games that you spend the time to complete this trope is honestly starting to feel a bit played out. It's not that I don't mind the odds stacked against you in a game, it's just that the lengths Blizzard goes to accomplish that seem entirely transparent. I'll try to explain what I mean without getting too specific about the story but at one point you come across a race that did very well in the last couple games and should be quite strong yet in one mission they are unbelievably devastated. "You mean all the stuff I did in the last games to build things up are wiped out in a mission or two? *sigh* sure Ok then." The only other thing I found a bit obnoxious was the Protoss have very well reasoned plans with clear objectives that keep getting figured out for not apparent reason. The game makes it plain that you are on the cutting edge of an idea and means to make you believe you arrive on location before the enemy does to only be hoodwinked by them as they have already arrived and are extremely well prepared. The game basically wants you to believe that when you come to some news first and leave right away the bad guys beat you to the punch... every... single... time. Again, this isn't a bad trope if you do it once or twice but it happens all the time.

That said the other aspects of the game are solid and extremely enjoyable. The diversity of missions is solid, the art direction is incredible and the music is top notch. If you loved the earlier StarCraft games you'd do well to play this one as it's a fitting end to the series.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/01/2015 at 02:22am

I must admit that I still haven't played it. Fallout 4 and Ark: Survival Evolved are to blame. Well, that and my anxiety with even the first Oblivion mission. As I've said, I intended to play Fallout 4 first. I've also thought about starting LotV and going back to the Oblivion missions when I feel more comfortable with the Protoss, since it's been so long since I've seriously played some StarCraft II.

Thanks for your input! How many missions have you played through? Or, how many hours have you put into LotV?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 12/01/2015 at 05:55am

I've played through a bit more than half of the game. Hours? I don't know Blizzard doesn't make it easy to see that. By the end maybe 25 or 30?

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/20/2015 at 08:33pm

I finally just finished Whispers of Oblivion. It was a bit difficult to get into it and proceed through the first two missions, I had to look up some help after a few attempts. I failed a few times with the last mission, but ended up finishing it. I played on Normal difficulty. At first, it was because I wasn't used to Protoss units and wasn't sure how to proceed. In the first mission, I built some very strong robotic ground units, which was helpful. For the second one, I used a good group of air units.

So, what do you think about LotV now that you finished?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 12/20/2015 at 08:56pm

Ah, good question I should get a review out. In general i was hapoy with it but it wasnt as great as Wings or HoTS. That said it had a very satisfying prologue ending.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/20/2015 at 09:08pm

Did you pre-order the Nova thing yet? I'm thinking about it, there is a sale going on for it.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 12/20/2015 at 09:34pm

Yep, I will.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/20/2015 at 09:45pm

I did. It's only $14.99. =)

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Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/241930/header.jpg?t=1447180561

http://store.steampowered.com/app/241930/?snr=1_7_15__13

I picked it up since it's on sale for $17 for the GotY edition and it's been one of the most fun games I've played in a long time. I played 4 hours last night and I'm so eager to play more tonight.

Pick it up if you don't have it!

It's similar to assassin's creed or batman where you can sneak and stealth around and the combat is really interactive, so that's fun. But to me so far, what's really cool are the enemy captains you come across. The orcs have all their normal grunts, but then they have a pile of captains, veteran captains, elite captains out there. Each with their own personality and traits.

I came... Read All http://store.steampowered.com/app/241930/?snr=1_7_15__13

I picked it up since it's on sale for $17 for the GotY edition and it's been one of the most fun games I've played in a long time. I played 4 hours last night and I'm so eager to play more tonight.

Pick it up if you don't have it!

It's similar to assassin's creed or batman where you can sneak and stealth around and the combat is really interactive, so that's fun. But to me so far, what's really cool are the enemy captains you come across. The orcs have all their normal grunts, but then they have a pile of captains, veteran captains, elite captains out there. Each with their own personality and traits.

I came across this guy that was a veteran captain, and I was a little new to be facing him, so I ran and hid. I'm hiding and hiding, but unlike in other games where you are generally safe after hiding for a while, not so here. This captain was a tracker! He and his posse followed me around this cliff, through some other areas, up a ladder, down a ledge.... I mean, I didn't know where to go lol. I used all my bow power shots on him but he was still only half dead (and he was supposed to be weak to bow shots).

I eventually lead them to a big rock wall and and they went around to the left and I circled behind them and picked off some of the guys at the end with a bow. Then was able to finish the captain with 4 more powered up shots. (I only get 4 at a time, then have to recharge them elsewhere). He died and was crossed off the captains list.

I thought sweet. I picked up a power-up from him and went on my day.

Well, I came across him again, except he was wearing like a bandage on his head. He said, you thought you killed me?! And we fought again. This time, I ran away and he lead the chase. I turned and attacked him while his posse was a little lagged behind. I dropped him to half health pretty quick, and he said he was retreating and tried running. He ran behind his orcs and dropped off a ledge. Well, I sprinted past his group, dove off the ledge and clipped him with my sword, then turned and did a wicked finishing move on him!

This game is uber fun. Grunts get promoted to captain when there's room and enough time passes (or you die). There's tons of side missions and power struggles between the captains... I haven't been so excited for a game in ages!

PS: Jon, I couldn't find this game on the game list to talk about.

jdodson Admin wrote on 11/30/2015 at 06:00pm

I added it so you can now add it to your list: http://cheerfulghost.com/game/28042/middle-earth-shadow-of-mordor

jdodson Admin wrote on 11/30/2015 at 09:39pm

The game sounds great and it's FAR up my list of games to play. What with Fallout 4 and Legacy of the Void I have quite a bit of game for the time being. That said the Steam Holiday sale is coming too and I might pick this up then(if it's on sale).

This game keeps getting recommended to me by friends, I will pick this up it's just a matter of when I can play it

JaBo Post Author wrote on 11/30/2015 at 11:42pm

Hopefully it is, it's 66% off right now for the full package. maybe it'll be same or cheaper for Christmas. It is worth every penny. I'm just dying to get off work and go play!

And I hear ya, far too often I pick up a game because it's on sale, but then never make time to play it. Or I buy it full price and never play it lol. I'm pretty bad about it, honestly. I was nervous I'd do the same here, but watching the 8.5 minute video on steam sold me so hard. (Watch that if you haven't, it talks about some of the aspects of gameplay and you'll be drooling after).

It's definitely an action game, not an RPG game, but that's totally fine by me, I don't have much time for RPGs anymore... I can't dedicate enough time to them.

JaBo Post Author wrote on 12/01/2015 at 05:28pm

I played another 5 hours last night..... I'm starting to get into the power struggles of the orcs with each other. I had a quest which basically is a lead in to me flexing my influence. The quest involved a scrawny whiny orc working with me. I basically killed a captain and this little guy cut his ear off and took credit for the kill so he'd be captain. Then I killed an elite captain for him and finally a Warchief. I had not previously faced a warchief. I had to infiltrate his fortress first (not interior) and kill a bunch of guys to get his attention. So now, this scrawny orc is the new warchief, but he supposedly will follow my commands... I know at some point (probably now that I did this little intro into it) I can mindmeld with orcs to dominate their mind and make them my puppet. Then I think I can manipulate the power struggles to get them to rise to higher ranks as my puppet. We'll see!

My combat skills are definitely on the rise, I can face down a hundred melee grunts. I still die to javelin throwers (pesky bastards) and captains are still hard, especially with a swarm of enemies or other captains. This one captain was particularly hard to kill, he had loaded armor on, huge shield and unblockable spear attacks. He slashed me and threw me around for half my health... lot of dodging. But he was also a learner. The same tactic didn't work more than once on him. He was immune to ranged attacks. I couldn't jump/dodge over the top of him to get him from behind easier.. He called reinforcements often. The only way I finally won after running away ragged was to keep sprinting away, climbing this platform and then sneak kill his allies to get him alone before more showed up. Even 1v1 he was super hard to fight since he blocked any head on attack.

(cutting post due to 3000 characters)

JaBo Post Author wrote on 12/01/2015 at 05:28pm

I finally killed this other bastard that rose all way up the ranks and kept surviving encounters with me which earned him promotions. He killed me as a grunt a long time ago which promoted him to captain. Then every time I faced him he was with 3 other captains and I couldn't win. He finally got to a high power that he was strong 1v1, he had this bloody wicked long knife that dug into me. But I got him last night! He was doing a recruitment mission to get orcs to join him. I snuck in to disrupt him. Well, I shot down a nest of angry hornet things and he happened to be afraid of them, so he ran for it and the recruits were like, I'm not going to follow that guy! So success there, plus I left the outpost he was in and chased him as he fled. I caught up to him and since he was in a fleeing state, I was able to land a 1 hit KO on him.

The little personality quirks are really cool. Some guys are scared of beasts, some get enraged by you hurting their guards, each captain has different strengths and weaknesses. Also, the dialogue is fun. One captain I kept facing was a cannibal and he kept making eating jokes. I'm excited to start getting more into the power struggles and trying to get a foothold against these warchiefs.

Game is so fun! A solid 9+ hours played now and I'm still so ready to play more!

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The Best Gift Of All - The Starship Rubicon Demo For The Holidays

After a string of summer events showing Starship Rubicon, winter approaches, and as such comes the incredible march of the holiday sales. Starship Rubicon will join the legions of games on sale and we want to give people an extra incentive to buy the game at its super discounted rate so today we are launching a demo. If you haven’t tried Rubicon and have always wanted to this is your chance! As everything awesome in the PC space the Starship Rubicon demo runs on PC, Mac and Linux and contains a tasty slice of the actual game in 3 playable ships and the entirety of level Sol level 2. As with most demos we keep some of the great stuff for the full meal deal but we think... Read All

My personal progression

https://thingiverse-production-new.s3.amazonaws.com/renders/54/b1/17/6f/2d/hearthstone_arena_key_5_book_extended_preview_card.jpg

So this was from my post dated 5/15/15:

Mage-60
Shaman-42
Druid-60
Paladin-42
Warlock-39
Hunter-44
Warrior-44
Rogue-37
Priest-60

and 5/21/15:

Here's my wins on each hero currently for ranked

Priest 500+
Druid 230
Mage 142
Warrior 136
Shaman 74
Paladin 66
Hunter 53
Warlock 46
Rogue 44

That totals 1291. It says I have 1616 Play Mode Wins though. Also, it says My best arena key is 911, but I don't know what that means lol. Ok, I used google. That's my total wins in the arena, my best run is 10 wins.

Let's say for the sake of averages, I have a 50/50 win ratio. Meaning, I've won 1616 games in ranked and lost 1616 games in ranked. For Arena, let's say I average 4 wins with 3 losses. That means... Read All

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 11/23/2015 at 10:35pm

This makes me wonder how many times I've lost to you lol

jdodson Admin wrote on 11/24/2015 at 05:38pm

549 total wins and I just hit my highest ladder rank of 17!

My highest ranked wins are for Hunger at 33. I have been playing more ranked lately as its a good way to get wins compared to where you are at.

JaBo Post Author wrote on 11/24/2015 at 08:32pm

Nice! You also get rewarded at end of the month for your ladder progress (it marks your best spot, not current at end of month). Ladder is weird because it can be challenging at all points of it. Since someone can be legendary rank and then get pushed backwards at end of month, maybe then they don't play for a few weeks after... I've certainly lost at rank 20. There's also different deck styles that settle at different parts of the ladder. For instance, face-hunter or other aggro deck is best for getting through 20-10 I think.

I think my best is 6 or 7, I have a hard time getting under 10. When I play a consistent deck, I have the best results. Like I went from 15-10 in one day of druid play, but soon as I start switching to warrior and priest, I just fall off. Not to say those decks are bad, but I think you gotta be in the groove lol

Travis Admin wrote on 11/24/2015 at 08:32pm

FYI, your first line that you're trying to bold, use strong in these <> instead of [b].

JaBo Post Author wrote on 11/24/2015 at 08:39pm

Also, there's definitely the meta to build around. There's a LOT of secret paladin, mech mage, flamewaker mage, freeze mage, dragon priest, control warrior, hand-lock (warlock), oil rogue, totem shammy, and some others... there's always going to be FOTM (flavor of the month) decks to make sure you are ready for.

JaBo Post Author wrote on 11/25/2015 at 07:12am

Thanks.

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My Review Of Valves Steam Controller - A Great Couch PC Experience

Valve is making a big push into the living room and the new Steam Controller is a large part of that. As reviews pour in what I've read hasn't left me with a good impression. Based on some reviews you might think Valve is insane and the new controller is an abysmal failure but i'd like to offer a different perspective.

Valves new Steam controller is amazing at some things and meh at others. Overall though, it provides a great middle ground that doesn't prefer one PC game type to another, which I think gives people a skewed impression.

So let's talk about what the Steam Controller doesn't do well to get that out of the way. In my opinion the Steam Controller isn't great... Read All

James & Mike Play The Famicom Legend of Zelda

Many of us grew up playing the original Legend of Zelda on the NES. That said, the NES wasn't the original launch system for the Legend of Zelda and James and Mike from Cinnemassacre talk about the original Famicom version. It differs from the US version and they discuss them as the play the game.

Pols Voice: A ghost with big ears and a weak point – he hates loud noises.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Turkey Day Is Coming

Mystery Science Theater 3000 recently achieved it's crowdfunding goal on Kickstarter for three new episodes. It's a little under halfway to it's further goal to full fund a full 12 episode season if the nerd crowd so desires. Either way we will be getting new episodes which is an awesome thing. If you were alive in the 90's you may have caught this show on Comedy Central and later on the SciFi Network. One yearly staple was MST3K Turkey Day where Joel and Bots would select 6 episodes to show over the course of Thanksgiving and record a new video segment to kickoff each episode. In the last couple years Turkey Day has been something they've continued through streaming... Read All

Cheerful Ghost Video Mini: Every Starcraft II Collectors Edition Unboxing

I do a quick unboxing video of all the Starcraft II Collectors Editions featuring Wings of Liberty, Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void.