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E3 In 2021 So Far: Microsoft Is Game Pass

With Sony not involved in E3 this year as well as the continuing effects of COVID have caused this years event to be very different. E3 always seemed to be overstuffed with gaming news but with this one it seems like all the announcements have been at a sustainable clip. E3 always felt like a fire hose and this year it's more like a fun lawn sprinkler that's out in the yard just the right amount of time. I'm going to lightly cover some fun bits and if you saw something you wanted to mention, drop it in the comments.

Halo Infinite

I'm not sure how, but Halo Infinite multiplayer looks a bit more interesting than the brief single player they showed. I'm still quite excited... Read All

Masters of the Universe: Revelation

My childhood just came rushing back!

I had *all* the He-Man toys (probably nowhere near "all" lol) as a kid, but eventually gave them away to a neighbor kid... and then would go over to his house and play with the toys with him lol.

I LOVE He-Man, and this trailer looks so good! I will definitely be watching this on Netflux next month!

Loki Streaming Now!

I thought I'd give you a quick reminder that Loki is now streaming on Disney+. After re-watching the trailer, I see it's started a little earlier than first announced.

I'm not going to include spoilers here, but if you want to talk about them, we can do so in the comments.

I think the first episode is pretty good, though much of what we saw in previews was there. I'm looking forward to seeing more. I think, if you're also a fan of the MCU, you'll also enjoy the show and want more. I think, so far, all of the Marvel Disney+ shows have been really good. I also like the tidbits of mystery in each episode and seeing them revealed and explained on the New Rockstars channel... Read All

No Man's Sky Prisms Update

I just noticed via Steam an announcement about the newest No Man's Sky Prisms update. I've decided I'm not going to get into the details. Trust me, watch the trailer (embedded link). This update definitely feels more like something you have to see instead of read about. That's because this update seems to pretty much be about making the game look better and it does.

I'm really happy about this, but I played NMS recently and even though I enjoyed it, I ended up finding myself feeling a bit bored. I was constantly doing the same thing, pretty much just trying to jump from black hole to black hole to get to the center of the galaxy quicker. Unfortunately, even though... Read All

Minecraft Caves & Cliffs Update Part 1 (1.17) Arrives on June 8

In April, Mojang announced that the Caves & Cliffs update would be separated. They said the first part (1.17) would come “soon” and the second (1.18) near the end of the year. This was due to the affect of the pandemic (not just for Mojang, but for the entire world, really). The latest news is that the first part is scheduled for release on June 8. It includes new mobs such as axolotls, glow squid, and goats. It also includes new blocks and other things like the spyglass.

Axolotls are cute aquatic creatures. You can catch them with a bucket of water. However, you’ll want to keep them in water, because if they’re on dry land for five minutes, they’ll begin to die,... Read All

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 06/03/2021 at 05:36pm

My son will be excited! He is disappointed that the release got broken up, but at least this is something.

GregoPeck Super Member Post Author wrote on 06/03/2021 at 09:33pm

Yeah, I understand. Waiting for something isn't fun, especially if you're really looking forward to it, but when the time arrives, you forget about the wait and (at least try to) enjoy what you have. Sadly, I feel like often we wait much longer than the time we spend actually playing and enjoying something. I've noticed this multiple times.

GregoPeck Super Member Post Author wrote on 06/05/2021 at 07:37pm

Since this post is recent and I just found something new, I thought I'd share what I just found here instead of making a new post.

Here's a new video featuring a couple members of Mojang answering questions about both parts of the Caves & Cliffs Update: https://youtu.be/_6XjfohyyRg

There are some interesting things to point out. I said in my post that I began to think like some others that I think I'd prefer them to just release everything at once, even if it meant waiting the rest of the year for it. However, I believe they gave a good reason for not doing so. It helps them focus. So, they can finish parts and release them and adjust them with community feedback, but having finished some parts allows them to focus on finishing the rest.

Since world generation is changing in part two, including adjustment how high and deep worlds are, and that Mojang doesn't want to do something that destroys things you've already built, the world generation from old to new is going to feature "blending." This means that where you've already been is going to remain the same, but what you've only seen, but not where you've actually been, and new chunks will have the new world generation. This includes very tall mountains and deeper caves with new biomes.

Another interesting tidbit is that Agnes said they already have a plan for the post Caves & Cliffs Update for Minecraft, which they will announce at Minecraft Live 2021.

The Caves & Cliffs Updates will be released for all platforms at the same time.

Feel free to let me know what you think about this.

Source: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-worlds-will-blend-when-new-world-generation-arrives/1100-6492413/

GregoPeck Super Member Post Author wrote on 06/09/2021 at 04:47am

Caves & Cliffs update part 1 is out now with a funny trailer (mostly goats head butting every one): https://youtu.be/0maWbr0FHKY

Here's the article I found that in along with some details of what's in the update (some of which I wasn't sure about):
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-caves-cliffs-part-1-update-is-out-now-watch-a-trailer-here/1100-6492520/

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Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey Review

GregoPeck gives this a solid "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

GregoPeck gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is a very interesting and unique game that follows the evolution of hominids. It includes crafting, survival, exploration, and creatures to dodge and counter attack. It is a cool game, but is quite brutal to begin with. It does tell you some things (assuming you turned on the optional tutorial), but it doesn’t tell you everything, which can be very frustrating. There is a “help” section on the pause menu for you to reference, but again you’ll probably still not have enough knowledge to feel comfortable. The tutorial basically prompts you, telling you how to play or what to do, but it kind of gets in the way, especially during the first... Read All

Fortnite Is A Meditation

While it's not currently the biggest online multiplayer game out there right now (PUBG Anyone?) Fortnite is still going quite strong. When Microsoft allowed multiplayer for free to play games to not require an XBox Gold membership Fortnite was the first game I downloaded. Frankly, in 4K 120fps, playing Fortnite on XBox is the best way to play it. The game on the Series X is so smooth and lag free it feels like a massive upgrade and with the enhanced visuals the game whole experience can be quite serene. So much so that playing Fortnite in the mornings or at night has become a kind of meditation.

Hey friend, things are hard out there but playing a game where you jump... Read All

Subnautica and Below Zero Review (No Spoilers!)

GregoPeck gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

GregoPeck gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

I noticed that I didn’t write a review for Subnautica. Since I just finished Subnautica: Below Zero (BZ), I thought I’d give both of them a review here.

If you haven't played Subnautica, it may interest you if you like games that include survival, crafting, and exploring (probably the kind of game that has most interested me for quite awhile now). While you can craft things like base pieces and tools, you obtain these recipes by finding the items or fragments of them in the game and scanning them with your scanner tool.

There is a bit of a scary element, too, as there are huge creatures called Leviathans that are definitely scary as they will attack you and your... Read All I noticed that I didn’t write a review for Subnautica. Since I just finished Subnautica: Below Zero (BZ), I thought I’d give both of them a review here.

If you haven't played Subnautica, it may interest you if you like games that include survival, crafting, and exploring (probably the kind of game that has most interested me for quite awhile now). While you can craft things like base pieces and tools, you obtain these recipes by finding the items or fragments of them in the game and scanning them with your scanner tool.

There is a bit of a scary element, too, as there are huge creatures called Leviathans that are definitely scary as they will attack you and your vehicles. These games take place in an underwater environment, the planets are mostly made of an ocean with very little landmass. So, you’ll spend your time mostly underwater and you have to be aware of your oxygen level (along with food, thirst, and temperature, since BZ has frozen areas). There are different game modes, so these things are optional.

If you liked Subnautica, you'll probably like BZ. I bought BZ pretty much as soon as it was released into Early Access on Steam. I stopped playing it after a while as I decided to wait until the completed version was released. BZ is essentially Subnautica, just with more of an Arctic-like setting. Just like Subnautica, you’ll find there are different biomes, so it’s not all wintry. It also has some new things such as a Sea Truck and Spy Penglings, among others. At first, I didn’t like the Sea Truck. I liked the Sea Moth and Cyclops submarine in Subnautica, so initially (during Early Access) I was disappointed that these were missing. However, the Sea Truck has modules you can craft, connect, and disconnect easily. I found all of them useful, except the Sleeper module, which I didn’t build. It was frustrating in Subnautica when using the Cyclops and bumping into things, just like it is in BZ with the Sea Truck, although you can repair them easily with a repair tool (which was made easier in BZ). I also didn’t enjoy having to try to be quiet in certain areas with the Cyclops as it could attract Leviathans. That’s not the case in BZ, but if they see or get near you, they will attack. However, you can get an upgrade for the Sea Truck that lets you shock them, which will greatly reduce the amount of damage received. This will make them stop targeting you for a little while. I did find ways of killing a Leviathan (one of which is no longer valid as the tool used was removed), but they do respawn.

BZ also has a different story, though it's kind of related.

Subnautica received a lot of really good reviews and since BZ doesn’t stray very far from that game, I imagine that it will also get positive reviews. Already on Steam, the reviews are “Very Positive.”

I did restart my game a few times (something I frequently do in games once I start playing them). If you don't want to lose items when you die, then take my advice and save your game often, so that you can quit and reload to prevent that.

The game is short. I do wish it were longer, but I did enjoy it. At some point, you may want to look at a walk through to help you advance. I did this once I reached a certain point, because the game doesn’t always hold your hand and tell you what to do or where to go next. Also, it can be difficult to find some things on your own, though the game does give you some markers of places to visit. You can turn these beacons on or off in your main screen (PDA) and even choose a few colors for them. You can hit F1 to bring up a screen that tells you a lot of info, including coordinates. You can find coordinates of where things are on the game’s wiki page. If I remember correctly, the first number relates to East/West, the second is depth, and the third is North/South. You may want to consult a quick video on how this works, so you can find things easier and not get as lost (though you still may find yourself getting lost). You can also craft beacons to place so you can find your way back to an area easily. You may want to revisit an area for things that you may have missed or to gather more resources. Speaking of resources, it seems they do not respawn, though I seem to recall that the wildlife does (at least in Subnautica). There are plenty of resources, though, so this isn’t really something to worry about.

I recommend checking out Subnautica and then checking out BZ, especially if you liked Subnautica. I think Subnautica helps get you started and gives you a good understanding of the game in general. Plus, as I mentioned, the stories in both games are kind of related. Subnautica starts you off with you crash landing on an alien planet covered in a large ocean with little landmass. BZ, however, has you playing a character who wants to investigate the death of her sister on a frozen alien planet. Though it is interesting to note that you can freeze on land, but once you get into the ocean, temperature is no longer relevant (unless you get into a thermal vent).

If you’ve played one or both games, let me know what you think. Also, let me know if you think this is something you may be interested in.

You can check out my other BZ (spoiler-free) post here: https://cheerfulghost.com/GregoPeck/posts/4629/subnautica-below-zero-cinematic-trailer-and-release-date

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 90: The Switch After Three Years (a little over a year late)

We're gearing up for more episodes of Cheerful Ghost Radio, but while those new episodes are baking in the oven, we've done some spring cleaning and found this old episode in the couch cushions. The Nintendo Switch just turned four in March, and we recorded this never before heard episode last year about our opinions of the Switch after *three* years. Listen back to our thoughts on the Switch without the past year to inform us, and also hear which things we wanted back then that we got!

Venom Let There Be Carnage Trailer Released

Sony has released a new trailer for Venom Let There Be Carnage, the sequel to the Venom movie. It looks kind of interesting. I really enjoyed the first Venom movie, so I'm really hoping this one is as good or better than the first.

Surprisingly, my greatest disappointment with the trailer is that it says, "only in theaters." I'm fully vaccinated now and I did go see Godzilla Vs. Kong (before I was vaccinated), but I guess I've grown so used to watching things on Disney+ or HBO Max that I think I'm preferring to be able to watch movies and shows in the comfort of my own space. What do you think about this?

Let me know what you think about the trailer and what you... Read All

E3 In 2021 So Far: Microsoft Is Game Pass

Masters of the Universe: Revelation

Loki Streaming Now!

No Man's Sky Prisms Update

Minecraft Caves & Cliffs Update Part 1 (1.17) Arrives on June 8

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey Review

Fortnite Is A Meditation

Subnautica and Below Zero Review (No Spoilers!)

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 90: The Switch After Three Years (a little over a year late)

Venom Let There Be Carnage Trailer Released

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