Travis4

Joined 01/23/2012

Web developer and all-around geek.
https://travisnewman.me

547 Posts

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Sony has announced that the PS4 will be available this winter for $399. That's $100 less than the XBox One (or as I've taken to calling it, the XBone). Sony has apparently learned from the mistakes of old.

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/06/playstation-4-will-be-available-for-399-this-holiday-season

In addition, they showed off some interesting games. Final Fantasy XV (which was once Final Fantasy Vs. XIII), Kingdom Hearts 3, a new Mad Max game (seriously, how fun could that be), a new Infamous, and The Order: 1886 which from the teaser looks amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tdcXjOfiLsg

They made it a major point to point out that there will be no DRM, including a pretty funny video slamming Microsoft. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kWSIFh8ICaA

So, for me, Sony wins. If I have to pick one, I'll pick the PS4.


That's right, folks. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare.

I jest with my title, but seriously, this game looks awesome. A third-person shooter where you play as a plant or a zombie? I'm totally game.

Other tidbits from E3 today:

Microsoft
XBox One is launching for $500, a new 360 was released today that looks more like the XBox One (this can't lead to confusion, not at all), Microsoft is moving away from MS Points and will be using real money on the Marketplace, and really nothing else whatsoever that interested me.

EA
EA has so far managed to steal the show for me. In addition to the adorably chaotic Garden Warfare, EA also announced that DICE is working on Mirrors Edge 2 and a new Star Wars: Battlefront game? I'm so on board.

Sony
Not much yet, but we got a peek at what the console looks like! Kinda reminds me of the launch PS2. http://www.polygon.com/e3-2013/2013/6/10/4417238/this-is-what-the-playstation-4-looks-like


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Many people played Diablo 3, and then for whatever reason hit a wall where it was no longer enjoyable. For most, it seems, that wall was Inferno. Back in the day the increase in difficulty when moving to Inferno was so high, people just stopped. But there have been many patches over the time Diablo 3 has been out, which have added some interesting and fun features. If you've been wondering if it's time to come back, here's what you may have missed.

General improvements
First off, and probably most importantly, things have been smoothed out. Some skills that were lacking have been buffed, some that were way overpowered have been scaled back. The difficulty curve when going into Inferno has been adjusted so you don't feel like you're running into a brick wall. Many other things have been adjusted so the game just *feels* better, and it's hard to put my finger on why.

Paragon levels
Unlike Sir Patrick Stewart (http://i.imgur.com/RZk4cX2.jpg) now when you reach max level, you don't stop leveling. On top of the 60 normal levels, there are 100 paragon levels that you can achieve to increase your stats as you work your way through all Inferno has to offer. Each level gives you 3 of your primary stat, 2 vitality, and 1 of each other main stat. In addition, you gain 3% gold find and magic find. You'll gradually get stronger and tougher, and pick up more fun stuff as you farm Inferno.

More about Paragon Levels: http://www.diablowiki.net/Paragon

Monster Power
If you want more of a challenge than what the base difficulty gives, you can increase the Monster Power up to 10. Each level of Monster Power makes the enemies a little stronger, but gives you more experience, magic and gold find, and fun. In Inferno, playing at MP1 or above greatly increases the density of enemies in a level, which can lead to some seriously badass fights.

More about Monster Power: http://www.diablowiki.net/Monster_Power

Keywardens, the Infernal Machine and the Hellfire Ring
There's a new enemy type called Keywardens, and one appears in each act. The first three have a chance to drop a different key, and the Act 4 Keywarden drops the plan for the infernal machine. Once you get one of each key and teach your blacksmith how to make it, you can have him make you an Infernal Machine.

The Infernal Machine will take you to a different realm where you fight buffed versions of bosses that appear elsewhere in the game, two at a time. Again, there are three sets, and each set has a chance to drop a different item that you'll need to take to your jeweler to have him make the Hellfire Ring. You can choose the main stat, and it gets other random rolls.

This may seem like a lot to do for a single item, but this isn't just another legendary. This ring gives you a significant boost to experience and has a chance to spawn a fireball.

More about keywardens and the ring: http://www.diablowiki.net/Hellfire_Ring

So if you haven't played in a while, and especially if you have a level 60 you abandoned because Inferno just wasn't fun, you should definitely give it another shot. If you liked the mechanics but felt like the game wasn't scaled well or didn't give you enough fun things to do, the team has made some changes that make it far more fun and worth your time.


http://media.mmo-champion.com/images/news/2013/may/installer.jpg
MMO Champion has a rundown of the currently available features of a Steam-alike client that Blizzard is currently testing. It does everything you'd expect an app like this to do.

  • Keep all your Blizzard games in one place, and automatically update them when an update is available. (This also replaces the game-specific launchers)

  • Chat with your Battle.net friends outside of gameplay

  • See all the news about your Blizzard games.

  • A store, of course, to buy new games (though this isn't implemented in the current build).

  • Other social features like forums and player profiles, also yet to be implemented.


I've been wanting this for a long time, but the screenshots don't answer two questions that I'm really curious about:

1. Will this also replace the login? If I have already signed into Battle.net through the client, do I then have to sign into it again when I launch Diablo 3 and again when I decide to play Starcraft 2?

2. Will this support the old Battle.net games, the original Starcraft, Warcraft 3, Diablo 2?

The full details are here:
http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/3267-Battle-net-Desktop-Client


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I'm really quite sorry for the title. I couldn't resist.

From the playable title screen (I managed to stay alive for quite a while once or twice), the game starts you off right in the action. There are no tutorials to help you on your way, but you'll see things that you can only get to by using a skill that you can easily figure out. New mechanics come organically in this way, rather than popups telling you what to do. It's easy to figure out the skills, but not so easy to pull them off every time. The challenge in unashamedly high, but it never feels cheap. When you mess up, you can see what you did wrong, and correct it next time. It's the good kind of Nintendo-hard where you don't want to throw the controller down, you want to get back in and beat it!

I'll admit, I haven't been able to complete the game yet, but I keep getting further! There is no way to save as of this writing, so if you have to close it you'll have to start over again. So far this hasn't bothered me at all, because it's a joy to play.

The only downside is the keyboard controls, which for my hands don't feel natural no matter how I remap them. This game needs a gamepad, but the controller settings are in a bit of a pickle at the moment. The team is currently working on a new XInput system to make it work, but for now if your controller doesn't work you'll need to get XPadder or JoyToKey going or just stick to the keyboard. Those programs have never worked well for me, throwing in extra keypresses when I don't need or want them, so I've been sticking to the keyboard. I have a feeling the game will feel much more natural when we get to play it with a controller.

The graphics in Tiny Barbarian are great, just what you'd expect from a retro hack-n-slash from the NES/SNES era. The sprites are all done well, and the animations are smooth.

The music is chiptune heaven. Some of the best music in a retro-styled game I've heard in a while. It complements the settings well, and doesn't get in the way.

Overall, this is definitely well worth the price and will give you tons of fun. Pick it up at http://tinybarbarian.com/ and help it get on Steam at http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=110272647


EDIT: SPOILER WARNING. Major spoilers are included in this video. Most of the games are a few years old, but a pivotal moment in Borderlands 2 is revealed.

I have yet to watch this, but just saw it had been released and wanted to share. I'll be in with my thoughts later tonight.

The first video in the series caused quite a stir around the internet (see: http://www.feministfrequency.com/2012/07/image-based-harassment-and-visual-misogyny/), and this one seems to be off to a similar, if not as extreme, start. It was pulled from YouTube quickly after release due to bogus reports, but they restored it in under an hour.

This video moves into modern gaming and shows how current developers are trying to move away from the tropes of old, but end up falling into more tropes.

So what do you think?


This may not be new to a few Final Fantasy IX players, but to nearly everyone, this is an undiscovered sidequest that was just unearthed yesterday.

It requires a lot of obscure stuff to have happened before you can get everything, and most people won't even check after the first couple.

From the video description:

"This is a side quest on disc 4 that was unknown to most FFIX players until yesterday when a topic popped up on the FFIX message board at GameFAQs. It was discovered by The_Kusabi_ (through the Ultimania guide) and confirmed by MysterPixel. Naturally, I had to check it out and I decided to record a video.

If you go to the Tantalus hideout at the beginning of disc 4, you will find Zenero and Benero wondering where Marcus and Cinna are. You've likely seen this before, but this is actually the beginning of a side quest. Now, head to Memoria and proceed until you watch a cut-scene or fight a boss. Then head back to the hideout to find Genero wondering where Benero and Zenero are. Then repear this process seven more times and every time you go back to the hideout, you will find a new member of the family. The last five are girls and the final one seems to be a child, as she is really small. Once you talk to her, Zidane will comment on the huge family and you will now find a new chest containing a Protect Ring inside the hideout. The next time you come back, the quest will simply start over, but there's not enough events to complete it twice. These are the events that move the quest forwards:

1. The beginning of Disc 4.
2. The battle with Nova Dragon.
3. The battle with Maliris.
4. The flashback of Alexander.
5. The scene where Zidane talks to himself.
6. The flashback of Dagger on the boat.
7. The scene with the giant eye in the sky.
8. The battle with Tiamat.
9. The scene with the two planets colliding.
10. The scene where Quina thinks he/she is drowning.
11. The scene where Garland talks about memories.
12. The battle with Kraken.
13. The scene about Gaia's birth.
14. The battle with Lich.
15. The scene where Garland talks about the beginning and the Crystal.
16. The scene where the party enters the Crystal World.
17. The battle with Deathguise.

It's no surprise people have missed out on this, considering how obscure it is. It also makes an Excalibur II Perfect Game more complicated. New things are discovered in old games all the time, but it's usually glitches or obscure tricks. This time, we got a whole new side quest, a treasure chest and seven characters! Needless to say, my mind is blown."

Found on NeoGAF: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=568409


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Come one, come all, to the first Cheerful Ghost Release Day Betting Pool of Awesomeness (title subject to further scrutiny)!

From what we can tell, Terraria's 1.2 update, the biggest update yet, will be releasing some time soon. Scour the internet for all the tidbits of information you can find, and then make your guess. The winner will receive an awesome trophy on their profile for being the best guesser, and win the admiration and envy of many.

The rules are simple:
  • Simply comment on this post with your guess of when 1.2 will drop.

  • If someone has already chosen the same date, please pick another. Only the first occurrence of a date will count.

  • If an actual release date is announced, no further entries will be allowed. While an official release date is not a guarantee of when the release will happen, it certainly gives you some significant hints.

  • When the update is available, whoever guessed the closest wins!

  • In the event of a tie, say Player 1 picks January 2, Player 2 picks January 6, and the actual release was January 4, whoever guessed the earlier of the two dates wins. Think of The Price is Right, only not as strict. You won't get punished for going over unless someone went the exact amount of time under.


Now go forth and pick a date!


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EDIT: Putting this at the top because it's a hot-button issue that people have been wondering about. CVG is reporting that installing games is mandatory, and that installing the same game by a second user will be behind a paywall. It isn't exactly blocking used game sales, but there will be some sort of fee.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/407912/microsoft-confirms-pre-owned-fee-for-xbox-one/

It's a pretty slick looking box, but can we just talk a sec about the name? How many kids are going to get a used original XBox for Christmas?

It boasts a lot of interesting features. Here are a few:

THEY FIXED THE D-PAD

It will be all in one system, has TV capabilities, and will allow you to switch between TV, games, music, etc. instantly.

It comes with Kinect out of the box.

You can control it with your cell/tablet, probably with the same kind of app as SmartGlass.

You can skype with your friends while watching movies (and I wonder if skype and XBox Live will have more integration).

Blu Ray is making its XBox debut.

It comes with 8 gigs of ram, an 8 core CPU, and a 500 gig hard drive.

USB 3, HDMI, 802.11n wireless built in.

It can switch between Windows and XBox os. Perhaps we'll start seeing more of why they did the things they did with Windows 8. If you can navigate the Metro interface with the controller or Kinect, that would actually be pretty sweet.

I'm wondering how the Windows thing will work, and since this is running on x64 hardware, how long before someone hacks the OS to run on normal PCs. Also, if the Windows side is a Windows PC as you'd expect, this seriously may be a buy for me depending on the final price. How awesome would it be to boot up your XBox, play a game or two, then switch to Windows, load up Steam, and play PC games? It could be serious competition for the Steambox if they allow that. Even if they don't, if I can replace the functionality of the XBox 360 *and* what I use the PC I have connected to my TV for, this is seriously tempting. I had imagined skipping this console generation to be honest, focusing on PC gaming, but this alone may change my mind.

Tons more to be seen. Follow along with livestreams and such below:

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hub/reveal
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/08/watch-the-xbox-reveal-event-live-on-ign
https://twitter.com/Xbox
http://www.gametrailers.com/netstorage/xboxcountdown/live.html


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Recently Chris from TRU FUN Entertainment answered some questions for us about Rad Raygun, currently on XBox Live Indie Games, being released for PC soon, and currently in the Greenlight process for a Steam release.

He was also gracious enough to send us along a review copy, which I played through. For the price, anyone with an XBox should check this game out. The gameplay is similar to Mega Man, with some other inspiration here and there from other titles, including Tetris. Yes, Tetris. Getting the hang of placing the pieces takes some time, but it's a great homage.

The art style perfectly represents the visual style of the original GameBoy, with some amusing cutscenes telling the story of Rad. The music by Fantomenk rounds it out quite well. Nobody does chiptunes like Fantomenk, and the music really sells the style of the game.

Read on for the interview!

Travis: This game is really unlike anything I can recall seeing-- a greenscale platformer based in the Cold War-- what was the inspiration that led to Rad Raygun?

I wanted to create an homage to the games of yesteryear. At first, I envisioned the game being an 8-bit, NES-style game, but the more and more I thought about it, I kept simplifying it. When I stumbled upon the idea of using the color palette and resolution of the original GameBoy, I was intrigued! I knew it was something that *I* would love to see, and I thought others could get a kick out of it as well.

jdodson: When do you anticipate the PC port will be ready to ship?

We're still hoping to be approved through Steam Greenlight. It's a tough, up-hill battle but we've had a ton of positive feedback thus far. Ideally, we'd like to have the PC version available by the end of the year.

Travis: There’s a sequel tease at the end of the game. Will Red Raygun be in the same style, or will it be updated to a 90s feel?

I would LOVE to develop Red Raygun in the future! The ending is very tongue-in-cheek, but how awesome would it be to play an all-red, 16-bit version of Rad Raygun, that played like Vector Man?! I, myself, would love to see it! The biggest obstacle is finding the time. With families and full time jobs, we're left to sacrifice our nights and weekends for years at a time to complete a project of this size.

jdodson: Rad Raygun ships on PC and is Greenlight on Steam. What’s next for TRU FUN? If you are at a loss for ideas i'll toss you one for free: “50 Shades of Green.”

LOL! TRU FUN Entertainment will always be around. The whole reason I originally got into programming was to make video games. I may not develop games professionally, but as long as I've got a programming language and some free time, you can bet that I'll be building the next game from TRU FUN Entertainment. This is my hobby and my passion. :)

Travis: If Ronald Reagan actually had a robot like Rad at his disposal, how would recent history have changed?

I don't know, but that song "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto" would make a whole lot more sense!

Travis: I’m a huge Fantomenk fan, so I was stoked to find that they did the soundtrack. What was the process like for developing the music for the game with him?

First off, we were super excited when FantomenK agreed to join the team. He was our first choice and his tracks immediately set the tone and atmosphere for the game. Since FantomenK is also a retro gamer, we could make suggestions like, "Let's make the boss song a little more 'Sonic 2' and a little less 'Link to the Past'" - and he knew exactly what we meant. :P The music was completed a full two years before the game was done, so it was actually a good source of guidance and inspiration.

jdodson: After the Martian invasion leaves our current civilization buried, a few humans survive by living underground. After 5,000 years they leave their underground caves and find the Martian menace gone. As they build an above ground civilization they find a XBox 360 that hasn’t red ringed with Rad Raygun on it and they get it working. I wonder what you hope these humans can learn from our civilization through the time capsule of Rad Raygun?

"Hey, the 80's must have been pretty rad, let's fire up the DeLorean and go check it out!"

Travis: Do you plan on releasing the soundtrack?

Yes! In fact, FantomenK just released it: http://fantomenk.bandcamp.com/album/rad-raygun-soundtrack

Travis: There are some subtle stabs at how the politics of the time were handled. Is there any particular message you hope people take from those?

No, to me, it's all tongue-in-cheek. In fact, I hate politics!

jdodson: I wonder what your favorite title on Gameboy is?

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - AND, believe it or not, that's my favorite Zelda game too!

Travis: You’re currently in the Greenlight process on Steam. Some games in the past have found luck with XNA ports through Monogame. Are there any plans for Mac or Linux support if you get greenlit?

Nothing is set in stone, but we definitely want to reach a broader audience. We're focusing on the PC version now, since it's already supported by XNA, but once that's done, I'm interested in seeing what the Monogame platform has to offer.

jdodson: I want to thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. Before we wrap up is there anything you want to leave us with?

First off, thank YOU, Jon and Travis, for having me - I do appreciate it! And, to everyone out there, thank you for playing our game! What you see is a labor of love. For me, this really is a dream come true. To hear that people enjoy Rad Raygun means the world to me!

If you have a moment, check out RadRaygun.com, where you'll find links to the 360 version, Stream Greenlight, and you can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

And again, thank you!