Cheerful Ghost Blog

Cheerful Ghost Victory Condition Booth

This is a picture of me and Nic Blondi, the developer of Hard Lander at the Cheerful Ghost booth at the Victory Condition Arcade yesterday. If you you are going to be in downtown Portland tonight from 5pm - 10pm, stop by the Art Institute of Portland and pick up a Cheerful Ghost sticker. After that you should check out the board and video games showing like Hard Lander and Monsters at My Birthday Cake.

Originally the Victory Condition Event said it ended today, but I was mistaken you can come tonight too.

http://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/events/56/cheerful-ghost-the-victory-condition-arcade

Check out our recent Interview with Nic Blondi about the Ouya sensation, Hard... Read All

Cheerful Ghost Fan Art From PDX Artist Hagen Deloss

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BmHL8eWCUAAMHoT.jpg

Wanted to share some Cheerful Ghost fan art from one of my friends and local PDX artist Hagen Deloss. I love seeing this stuff, so if you have seen someone make something or have made something yourself please share it with me.

https://twitter.com/thedelossopher/status/459872880054923264/photo/1

Follow him on Twitter @thedelossopher

Cheerful Ghost Gets Emotional With Emoji

Have you ever wanted to put some Emoji in a comment on Cheerful Ghost but couldn't? Well now, you can. Instead of rolling our own special Cheerful Ghost flavor of Emoji code we incorporate a standard dialect common on many popular websites such as Github, NodeBB, Trello, Campfire and Basecamp!

If you are curious what Emoji we support, checkout the site below and try it out in the comments on this post.

http://www.emoji-cheat-sheet.com/

:godmode: Enjoy!

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 04/16/2014 at 04:12am

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/16/2014 at 04:13am

I dig there are Doom Emoji.

:suspect:

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 04/16/2014 at 02:31pm

Ha! Rock on!

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 04/16/2014 at 02:32pm

:squirrel:

scrypt Supporter wrote on 04/16/2014 at 03:28pm

Fantastic

Orionnoir wrote on 04/16/2014 at 09:15pm

Wha?!? (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/16/2014 at 09:26pm

We've supported full UTF8 since launch, so all that should work too

Timogorgon Member wrote on 04/16/2014 at 10:27pm

Who flipped this table over? Lemme put it back.
┬─┬ノ( º _ ºノ)
Wow, there is a -ton of emoji we can use on here. Crazy!

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April Fools 2014 Video Game Fake Story Roundup

Every year the Internet explodes with fake news on April Fools. Since some of the stories in gaming can be fun, I decided to catalog them here. If you have a particular story that isn't noted, hit up the comments.

Blizzard Outcasts is the new fake brawler by Blizzard. That said, fighting as Deckard Cain sounds pretty rad. http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/games/outcasts/

While not gaming related, Think Geek has a pretty fun Flux Capacitor USB car charger. http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/1ba1/?srp=2

Guild Wars 2 set all the in game players heads to bobble. http://i.imgur.com/m4GmxvB.jpg

Path of Exile just went pay to win. Candy Crush players rejoice. ... Read All

What Are You Playing Right Now?

Curious to hear what everyone has been playing lately? I haven't really been playing anything specific and hope to hear something interesting that I can dig into.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/11/2014 at 06:48am

I feel like I've gone old school, but I've been playing a lot of Dota 2 and Awesomenauts, with some NBA 2K14 mixed in.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/11/2014 at 03:19pm

Next to nothing, except Portal 2 the other day.

Speaking of which, we need to get back into that.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/11/2014 at 06:15pm

I'm tiptoeing around my wall-of-shame. Just finished Darksiders and started Darksiders II. If you haven't played, the first is a mix of God of War and a 3D Zelda game. The second is the same but a much more spacious landscape, and deeper RPG elements. It's a sequel progression similar to Arkham Asylum vs Arkham City. I love the art style of Joe Mad in the Darksiders series; moving around within it is like playing a comic book. Highly recommended.

Also, a scattering of platformers, including Intrusion 2 and Capsized. Capsized is pretty, but with frustrating controls. Intrusion 2 seems like a ragdoll-physics Contra game, but, again, the controls can fight against you at times.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/11/2014 at 06:19pm

I agree with you on Capsized. I loved the idea and tone but the controls are super odd. Then again, that might be part of the fun.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/11/2014 at 06:40pm

If you want super odd controls, try out Octodad. I have never had so much fun in such a small amount of time and then completely lose interest so quickly.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/12/2014 at 12:47am

Minecraft! I realized recently that every time the game plays it's music (it doesn't always play), I fall deeply in love with the game again. I think the game is extremely relaxing, I love it!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/12/2014 at 04:36am

Minecraft is very relaxing. When I play it I really have no agenda and my focus really drops off. I think that's why Terraria is my jam. Not only can you build, but there is progression and boss fights. Sweet, sweet boss fights/

Travis Admin wrote on 03/12/2014 at 01:20pm

And bees.

vdogmr25 wrote on 03/12/2014 at 04:05pm

My copy of The Stick of Truth is arriving today. Also been playing rymdkapsel and Fire Emblem: Awakening.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/12/2014 at 07:05pm

I have heard a lot about Stick of Truth. I might pick that up in a sale, it doesn't catch my fancy for $60 though.

How is rymdkapsel? That looks really neat.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/12/2014 at 07:05pm

@Travis AND BEES! I hope in a later patch we get more with bees. Like a super Bee hardmode boss.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/12/2014 at 10:27pm

LOL I agree with you Jon. In Minecraft, you make your own agenda. I have more to say about both Minecraft and Terraria, but I'm going to say that on my most recent Minecraft post.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/12/2014 at 10:54pm

I've been looking at Stick of Truth, as well. I think it would be a blast to play, especially since Matt and Trey have been really close to the project.

vdogmr25 wrote on 03/17/2014 at 05:34pm

Stick of truth has turned out pretty good. It's a little buggy (Thanks Obsidian), but it's incredibly funny. Definitely worth $40, maybe not $60. Also, rymdkapsel is a blast. Pretty simple TD-esque game. Perfect for the work commute.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/17/2014 at 09:12pm

Adym, what are your thoughts on Dota2? I have it installed, but haven't tried it yet.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/17/2014 at 10:09pm

vdogmr, I'm absolutely shocked that an Obsidian game is buggy.

... that was sarcasm, yes.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/17/2014 at 10:46pm

Dota2 takes some effort to get into really, but is worth the initial effort. I normally skip tutorials, but this is one game where they definitely are useful. I'm really enjoying playing it, and try to get a game or two in a day right now. I am completely brand new to the world of ESports, but think that it would be really interesting to get into someday.

If you do get into it, my recommendation is to start with the Death Prophet as your hero. She's pretty easy to play (ranged, so you're not in the middle of the action) and powerful.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/17/2014 at 11:17pm

Adym, by 'completely brand new' do you mean that DOTA 2 is the only MOBA you've played? Just curious if you've given League of Legends a try.

I'm starting to like DOTA 2 more and more as I play, but it took a lot of getting used to, coming over from LoL, and I still trip over some of the basics, like tower aggro and denying. Taking advantage of the courier was another thing that I had to get over, especially without a default base-return option.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/18/2014 at 12:20am

Yeah, I wasn't even aware of MOBA games. I do love RTS, but MOBA was completely foreign to me.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/18/2014 at 01:11am

What is MOBA? I don't think I've heard of that one.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/18/2014 at 02:02am

MOBA = Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, sometimes knows as ARTS (Action Real-Time Strategy), used to describe games like DoTA, LoL, HoN (Heroes of Newerth), SMITE, Awesomenauts, etc. The genre started with a mod for Starcraft called Aeon of Strife. It's like Starcraft, but with just hero fights.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/18/2014 at 02:05am

We should totally start a DoTA 2 group!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/18/2014 at 05:23am

Thanks for the clarification, Scrypt.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/18/2014 at 05:30am

That's a good idea, too, Scrpyt. I saw Ragnarok Online and Ragnarok Online 2 on Steam. I used to play the first one long ago and miss it. It would be cool if we had a guild in there. I'm getting tired of Minecraft.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/18/2014 at 11:18pm

I gave DoTA 2 a try and passed the tutorial, which is more than I can say about Star Trek Online (the Borg are still kicking my ass and preventing me from finishing the tutorial). It looks interesting, I might try to play it more. I remember the days of playing Ragnarok Online with friends, that was probably the best MMORPG I've ever played (well, I've only played it and FFXI). I was delighted to see it on Steam. I thought I'd check out RO2, but the reviews for it are horrible. So, I've decided to give RO another try. It's been a long time and I still remember gripes I had with the game (people taking my loot from monsters), but I also remember being a bad ass knight, too. So....this is me, tired of Minecraft, looking for something else to play.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/19/2014 at 01:55am

We'll definitely have to put together a Dota2 group and schedule a game :-)

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Cheerful Ghost is Two Years Old Today

Today marks the second anniversary of launching cheerfulghost.com. When I think about two years it seems like it's been a lot longer. It's hard to remember a time when Cheerful Ghost wasn't a big part of my life, but I guess I can only attribute that to the fact that I love doing it so much. During our second year we made some pretty important changes to the site. We made interviews a first class item, added the event system and just six months ago started The Cheerful Ghost Roundtable.

That said, the coolest part about the last two years is playing video games and talking about them with you all. Playing Left 4 Dead, Terraria, Diablo III, Starcraft 2 & FTL with... Read All

Come See Our Booth At The NWCGE Video Game Swap Meet

"PRGE is proud to present the Northwest Classic Games Enthusiasts video game swap meet at the Portland Doubletree Hotel on January 18, 2014. We are taking it old-school...back when it was all about getting buyers and sellers together to help build buyers collections and help sellers find good homes for their extras while preserving the cultural and historical aspects of videogames. Nothing fancy - just games, games and more games.

Doors open at 10:00 AM until 7:00 PM. Admission is $5.00 at the door. The event is child-friendly so bring the entire family"

Cheerful Ghost will have a booth at this years Northwest Classic Games Enthusiasts Swap Meet in Portland. Since... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 01/05/2014 at 04:51am

Pick me up a copy of Actraiser while you're there! ;)

Travis Admin wrote on 01/05/2014 at 04:56am

Also seeing that rack of games has me drooling a bit.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/05/2014 at 06:42am

I'll take more pictures this year than I did at PRGE 2013. I also need to come up with a few things I want to nab. Maybe some old Mario comics, Nintendo trading cards and some old Nintendo Power magazines.

dynamicInception wrote on 01/22/2014 at 12:53am

I haven't signed in here since the Retro Game Con and can't believe I just missed this by a couple days! Going to have to keep a closer eye out from now on. Anyone know of any other gaming events in the Portland area that I should know about?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/22/2014 at 01:44am

I'll be posting about the events that Cheerful Ghost has a booth at OR I attend as a "regular person" for sure. The next event I am going to and trying to get a booth at is Gamestorm 2014. It's a pretty awesome event if you love board & card games or LLARP's.

http://www.gamestorm.org/

dynamicInception wrote on 01/22/2014 at 06:14am

Awesome, thank you! Gamestorm looks pretty cool actually - I've only just recently started getting into more tabletop gaming so I might have to give it a try, though it's been kind of an intimidating world to get into so far. Would you say that PGRE and the game swap are the main events around as far as video games are concerned?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/22/2014 at 06:33am

Game events in Portland? Yeah, I'd say so. There are PIGSquad game jams and such, but those are for people wanting to make games.

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Happy Thanksgiving

https://bnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net/cms/content_folder_media/D8R0XXK6577B1385580049552.jpg

I want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving(if you celebrate it) and wish you a very video game playing holiday. And, if you are lucky enough to be, what games you will be playing?

Super Turbo Turkey Puncher 3 does count!

Our 3rd Terraria Server Comes to a Close

Our 3rd Cheerful Ghost Terraria server just came to a close and I was a bit sad to see it go. I had a great time spelunking through the new 1.2 content with Travis, WhiteboySlim and jaelte! This server was different in that it went much longer than any we'd had previously as we spent much more time in hardmode and exploring all of the 1.2 content. One thing the 1.2 update did well was make hardmode much more interesting and gave us lots of reasons to keep advancing and work together.

It's no secret one thing I loved in the 1.2 update were the new bee hives & queen bee fight. I also really appreciate the new Crimson and increased usefulness of the Jungle, Dungeon... Read All

What Games Do You Play Around Halloween?

We will be recording the Cheerful Ghost Roundtable Halloween Special this coming Wednesday and I was wondering what everyone was playing this Halloween? For instance, one of the games I play that reminds me of this time of year is Doom 3. It's creepy jump scare element really make this time of year seem more enjoyable.

If you have such a game or games you play, chime in the comments, i'd love to read them off during the roundtable!

Timogorgon Member wrote on 10/22/2013 at 05:11pm

I use to play other games, but then I took a Terraria 1.2 to the knee.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/22/2013 at 05:49pm

Hahahahahaha, ain't that the truth. He is planning on more updates too, can't even imagine how much cooler things could get.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 10/22/2013 at 06:20pm

I had all kinds of plans to play scary games too. I've been sitting on Lone Survivor and Amnesia: The Dark Descent and been wanting to give those a go. Haven't even loaded them up because of Terraria. :P

rettisawesome wrote on 10/23/2013 at 01:36am

Been planning on Amnesia. And I'm sure dota will have another diretide event.

BR Supporter wrote on 10/23/2013 at 03:47am

I'm probably going to be out most the night on Halloween but when I get home I also plan on playing amnesia: a machine for pigs. I played the first amnesia last Halloween and it was an insanely fun time.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 10/23/2013 at 03:53am

Awesome, thanks guys i'll add that to the show.

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