General Discussion [ Page 28 ]

Song of the Deep by Insomniac

Insomniac Games recently announced a new title they're releasing this summer "Song of the Deep". I really enjoy almost every Insomniac release (especially Ratchet and Clank) so I follow them closely and now I'm eagerly awaiting this "Metroidvania-style underwater adventure"

Announcement: http://www.insomniacgames.com/announcing-song-deep/

Another Month Of Cheerful Ghost Website Stats

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ywjU6RBiKXM/maxresdefault.jpg

File this under "completely nerdy stuff no one may care about" but I've thought it would be interesting to post some of our website statistics for a month. This isn't to wreck privacy or anything, mostly to get a snapshot of the average Cheerful Ghost patron. For instance, did you know what the most popular web browsers Cheerful Ghost users use?

Well, now you do.

These statistics were from December 2015.

Users

Each user hit 1.64 pages per session*

The average user session duration is about 1 minute and 49 seconds

The percentage of totally new users/sessions is 64.17% which means we have more new people looking around than site regulars

The top browser languages in order... Read All

Each user hit 1.64 pages per session*

The average user session duration is about 1 minute and 49 seconds

The percentage of totally new users/sessions is 64.17% which means we have more new people looking around than site regulars

The top browser languages in order are English, UK, Spain, German and no language set

Traffic country breakdown is as follows: United States 59.69%, Canada 3.75%, United Kingdom 3.72%, Russia 3.09%, Germany 2.07%, Australia 1.88%, Brazil 1.58%, Spain 1.32% & Netherlands 1.32%

Browsers

The top browsers in order are Chrome 63.51%, Safari 14.74%, Firefox 12.73%, Internet Explorer 2.20%, Mozilla Compatable Agent 1.25%, Android Browser 1.22%, Edge 1.15%, Opera 1.09%, Safari (in-app) 0.69% & Opera Mini 0.33%

The top operating systems in order are Windows 54.82%, Mac 13.79%, Android 13.69%, iOS 13.49%, Linux 2.53%, (no set) 0.72%, Chrome OS 0.43%, Windows Phone 0.26%, Nintendo Wii 0.10%, Playstation Vita 0.10%

The top mobile operating systems in order are Android 49.41%, iOS 48.69%, Windows Phone 0.95%, Windows 0.59% & Playstation Vita 0.36%

I was surprised to see Android topping out iOS but it makes sense considering how well Android has been doing recently. Fun to see people come to the site using the Wii and Vita. I have no idea how the site looks on either anymore so i'll have to boot up my Wii to see if it's not a complete mess and since I don't have a Vita I am not sure how well that works. Oh and apparently few actual Cheerful Ghost users use Internet Explorer. I still test with it, so for the remaining hold outs, you're welcome.

* A session is basically a time someone came to the site to look around, login or comment.

Cheerful Ghost Turns 4!

Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday SPRIIIIIIGGGHTTT Happy Birthday to you!

Today Cheerful Ghost turns 4! 4 is one of those years where it feels like something substantial but it's not quite 5 years but we didn't just start yesterday either. As Cheerful Ghost hovers onward in 2016 I've really been enjoying this time in gaming and how we've all been talking about it together. PC gaming is incredible right now as we have an embarrassment of riches in Indie and Triple A games. Mobile has never been stronger with a wealth of great smartphone titles as well as 2D/3DS games and the Vita is there to give people some mobile Playstation enjoyment.... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 01/29/2016 at 03:16am

How are we 4?

Seriously, it seems like it could have been less than a year ago. Great times. I'm glad you sent me a message on Facebook saying, basically "Hey, I made this site for video games and I think you might like it." Actually, I don't have my old Facebook history, I clear it every now and then, but if you do I'd love to see the conversation.

That's a good thing to kick off the conversation on this post: in as much detail as you can remember, how did you find the site?

scrypt Supporter wrote on 01/29/2016 at 03:47am

At the time (I can't remember the date, but it must have been in early 2013, though it seems it should be earlier...), I was searching the web for sites that allowed you to catalog your game library, but also had a community. I stumbled on this budding site called Cheerful Ghost (I'm pretty sure it was through a Google search), and loved how clean and simple it was. Cool people that loved games, and a cool place to talk about that shared interest. I jumped in headlong, maybe even a little too headstrong, but you guys accepted me anyway, and for that I'm thankful.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 01/29/2016 at 04:27am

It was just brought to my attention that I actually found this site through Reddit. I've never been a frequent Reddit user, so I probably Google searched, landed on Reddit, then linked from there. I forget things :)

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/29/2016 at 05:14am

I'm not sure when it was exactly (although I could check my history) I found out about Cheerful Ghost because of Travis. I don't think I got very involved until that one time I was looking for recommendations of a good game to play. I posted in the Video Game Nerds group on Facebook asking for recommendations and Travis (and possibly Jon) replied with something like "...one of us" and suggested Terraria. While I didn't jump on that train immediately, I did eventually and I fell in love with it. I believe that was when I became a regular here. I've been enjoying being part of a great community of gamers. I enjoy writing and gaming, so this site is just really right for me.

So, Happy Birthday Cheerful Ghost!!!! I also want to take a moment to thank you guys (again) for this awesome community. I've visited other gaming communities and I've seen just how different Cheerful Ghost is. This is quite frequently a very positive gaming community. People here don't spew a lot of negativity, hate, and other drama that you see elsewhere. And, even though the occasional typo occurs, people here obviously know how to spell and have a good grasp on the English language. So, thanks again!!!

@Scrypt, awesome job on the pic, man!!!!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/29/2016 at 05:21am

"And, even though the occasional typo occurs, people here obviously know how to spell and have a good grasp on the English language."

Haha, yeah. We are getting better. Maybe I should say I am getting better.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/29/2016 at 08:57pm

I’d just like to share how it all started for me. I knew Jon from way back in 2004. We were both moderators on the official Ubuntu forums. We didn’t talk a TON but we knew basic things about each other, and I think we were Facebook friends at the time.

So out of the blue I get an email from Jon, with the subject line “Window Glass is an Upwardly Mobile Venture” and I can remember thinking “OK, I’m going to have to tell Jon his email account got hacked. But I read it anyway, and here’s what it said, with some things cleaned up for readability, and posted to pastebin so that this isn’t just a massive wall of text:

http://pastebin.com/SrKLJnRA

I was intrigued, but still not entirely sure of what to expect, and I responded as such: “Yeah man, sounds awesome. Let me know when it's online. I think I know what you're going for with it, but it sounds like something that will make more sense once I see it in action. I look forward to being a hipster cat.”

And that’s where it all began. When Jon launched the site, I joined up, and immediately dumped literally every single game I owned into it, on all platforms, and started chatting about games with people I’d never met. But I love this email that I sent back a week later, titled “One Week with Cheerful Ghost.” I read this now, four years later, and it still holds up:

http://pastebin.com/FjT9Zcnx

Seriously, it’s hard to believe that it’s been that long ago. I had no idea back then that I’d love this place as much as I do, but It has become an integral part of my life. Not because of the games, but because of the awesome people.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/29/2016 at 08:58pm

(and thanks, Jon, for forwarding these old emails to me)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/29/2016 at 09:06pm

No problem Travis!

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 01/30/2016 at 04:26am

Happy Birthday!

It's fun to go back to the first posts and see how the site has grown (No titles at first, really short sentence posts, etc).

Super happy for you Jon! And for me!

hardeyez wrote on 01/31/2016 at 04:22pm

Wow, 4 years already? Congrats!

rettisawesome wrote on 02/01/2016 at 06:13pm

Good work guys!

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Metal Jesus Interviews Complete Wii Game Collector

Retro YouTube gamer Metal Jesus interviews the retro game collector Kacy da Game Nerd. Metal Jesus focuses on Kacy's complete Wii collection and asks him a bit about his other collections(game cube, gameboy advance). Kacy has 1260 Wii games admitting that 1/3 is shovelware which an unfortunate reality of Wii games. I think the Wii is a great system and according to Kacy if you want to get Wii games now is a good time to pick them up because most are not expensive.

I still play my Wii and have a couple games I have left to get such ask Skyward Sword, Mario Galaxy 2 and Punch Out.

Watch The Steam Controller Play The Star Spangled Banner Using Vibrations

Did you know you can have your Steam controller play music using the haptic vibrations? Now you do.

Now if someone could program it to play Nirvana?

Cheerful Ghost Roundtable S4 E1: The Most 2016 Thing We've Ever Done

In this episode of the Cheerful Ghost Roundtable we talk about our highlights of 2015 in gaming as well as talk about what we are looking forward to in 2016. We take a break to read some Chick Tracts, discuss paid mods as well as our guesses or general lack of knowledge around Nintendo's new dream console NX!

jdodson may also have first coined "Triple Indie" to discuss Indie games with large budgets. Even if he wasn't, it's still nice to dream big! Come for the discussion stay for Scrypt drinking so much he can't think of what to say next!

Notes:

Cheerful Ghost 2015 GoTY Awards - http://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/posts/2753/cheerful-ghost-2015-game-of-the-year-awards

... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 01/21/2016 at 06:39pm

https://medium.com/@morganjaffit/indipocalypse-or-the-birth-of-triple-i-eba64292cd7a#.nom0ekkfg

This guy called it Triple-I back in August, which is close. I still give you credit.

I'm gutted that I can't find my Chick Tract collection. At least I still have the weirdest one.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 01/21/2016 at 07:10pm

Scrypt sounds so defeated when talking about Destiny lol

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 01/21/2016 at 07:10pm

(And a little drunk)

scrypt Supporter wrote on 01/21/2016 at 08:37pm

So defeated! Pathetic, right? No more booze at the RT for me, I think :)

scrypt Supporter wrote on 01/21/2016 at 08:38pm

I couldn't talk about life shit, or I would have lost it, so I had to dump it on Destiny.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/21/2016 at 08:39pm

I think it's OK for games to disappoint us. Destiny disappointed many people so you're not alone there. When you also consider how much money people spent on versions of it, I think it's OK to think about it.

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Video Power!

I was not aware of this game show, but as a 90's kid, it would have been my favorite, easily.

If you've not seen it before, I recommend you check it out. It's pretty "rad."

At least check out the theme at the beginning.

Word.

(Also it includes all the commercials, which are an amazing 90's time capsule as well)

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/15/2016 at 05:03am

I __LOVED__ video power as a kid. I watched it as much as I could and really wanted to be on the show. The best part was at the end when the kids ran all over the place and grabbed whatever games they could. I always dreamed about how awesome that would be to be able to grab as many games as possible.

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/15/2016 at 05:08am

Watching this show is something else, I had the intro memorized and wow it's got that incredible 90's rap thing going for it.

Word.

I wonder if this guy was hyped on Coffee, he is really amped for each take. Never really noticed that as a kid, I was just really excited to be watching it.

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/15/2016 at 05:10am

They guy with the guitar isn't actually playing it. The music is all beats and keyboards. He looks "Polly Shore Amazing" holding that guitar though.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/15/2016 at 05:02pm

This is so incredibly 90s. I had forgotten this show existed. I wanted to go through that course and grab games. I remember as a kid being annoyed with kids getting terrible games and passing up great ones. At least the winner in this one got Duck Tales and Batman, two of the best.

As for "hyped on coffee"-- I'm thinking another word that starts with C. They cut out all the times he rubbed his nose or sniffed. This was the early 90s after all, everyone was doing it :D

The commercials in this are amazing. I remember some of them. That Honey Nut Cheerios commercial hit me right in the nostalgia.

And wow, the "fashion" choices, and the 90s mullets.

I was a 90s kid, basically. Born in 81, but I came into who I am in the 90s, and feel the most attachment to that decade. It doesn't seem that long ago, but things like this show just how far back that was.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/15/2016 at 05:09pm

Huh, I wonder if this was the start of eSports.

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 01/15/2016 at 05:21pm

This and The Wizard

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/15/2016 at 08:11pm

I think it could have been an early start to eSports and I think the Wizard and the Nintendo World Championships really helped that along for sure.

Having the commercials really does make this video something very special, I remember many of these. I always thought that eastport pack was something really cool but it was just a bag that had a Gameboy in it.

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ASMR Reads 90's EGM Magazines While Whispering

YouTuber ASMR made this video where he pages through Electronic Gaming Monthly while he whispers his thoughts about them. His channel is dedicated to him doing playing games, crinkling plastic and going through magazines while whispering. If you were really excited about looking over some EGM magazines while someone softly talks to you, get ready for an amazing time!

Decided to share this because this was so different I had to share it with somebody.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 01/14/2016 at 02:42am

I dig ASMR. I've been listening to a few different "asmrtists" (I think that's what they call themselves) for years, mostly female, to help me fall asleep. For me, I chalk it up to being an introvert. When I was a kid, and my parents would have people over at the house, one of my favorite things to do was grab a coloring book and hide behind the couch against the wall. I loved the sound of everyone talking, and me in my little world, coloring away. That's what I get out of ASMR. No tingles, unfortunately :).

Travis Admin wrote on 01/14/2016 at 03:55am

Yeah, ASMR videos are just creepy to me. It's like something out of a nightmare.

For more about what we're talking about, if you aren't in the know:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_sensory_meridian_response

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 01/14/2016 at 07:33pm

I hadn't heard of ASMR until watching this video. I think it could be relaxing, but the consonants popping drove me crazy. I decided to jump around YT for other ASMR videos, and I kinda hate them all for the same general thing. Whispering is cool, but I really don't like consonants, nor tapping/crinkling/noise making that they all seem to like to incorporate.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 01/14/2016 at 08:58pm

I avoid the crinkling. Tapping is alright, as long as it's gentle, and not thrashing the object at hand. I usually listen to these videos with earbuds at very low volumes, so it's never too jarring. This one is one of my favorites: https://www.youtube.com/user/KaylaSuzette .

It can be a little weird, for sure. The roleplay, for me, is unnecessary to the experience, but I'm sure it's fun for the actor to come up with a script of sorts, rather than talk about what they had for breakfast, or other personal things.

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Our New YouTube Channel Cheerful Ghost Art

For the last couple years we've been going strong with the Cheerful Ghost Roundtable which is a monthly live stream video roundtable show where we talk about all manner of geekery and video games. Recently we've been advertising the livestream more and had a great time in the most recent episode about Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I've also been doing more with video as seen in my recent interview with Wick as well as Let's Plays and Cheerful Ghost mini videos. I've updated our Cheerful Ghost YouTube channel, organized everything into tidy playlists and we just recently added our new YouTube channel art as seen above.

I want to thank Scrypt for working on the amazing... Read All

My Review Of The Android Handheld GPD XD

Some games are fantastic on smartphones. Hearthstone, Flappy Bird, Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake and Skullduggery are all good games that work well when you tap around your screen. There are also entire genres of gaming that are not served well on smartphones. First person shooters, real time strategy and traditional platformers are not great with tap controls. Because of this i’ve been searching for a handheld gaming system where I can play a different variety of games. In the last couple months I picked up the GPD XD and it’s one of the slickest gaming devices I own.

The GPD XD is a Chinese made Android handled that resembles a Nintendo DS. The GPD XD sports a Quad... Read All Some games are fantastic on smartphones. Hearthstone, Flappy Bird, Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake and Skullduggery are all good games that work well when you tap around your screen. There are also entire genres of gaming that are not served well on smartphones. First person shooters, real time strategy and traditional platformers are not great with tap controls. Because of this i’ve been searching for a handheld gaming system where I can play a different variety of games. In the last couple months I picked up the GPD XD and it’s one of the slickest gaming devices I own.

The GPD XD is a Chinese made Android handled that resembles a Nintendo DS. The GPD XD sports a Quad Core 1.8 ARM CPU, 16GB of storage and 2GB of RAM. It has the clamshell hinge, two full analog thumb-sticks, a directional pad, X/Y/A/B buttons as well as two trigger bumpers for each index finger. It has a volume toggle, on and off switch as well as ports in the back for headphones, usb power, a micro SD card and HDMI mini out. It runs a GPD semi-custom Android build that sports a strange UI that you can change if you want. It’s a fully unlocked Android 4.4.4 device so you can install anything from the Google Play store or any Android app through an the .apk format. From my initial usage the battery seems to last about 4-6 hours and it has a relatively quick recharge cycle. The battery lasts a bit longer if you turn off Wifi and turn it off when you are not using it as the sleep cycle seems to drain the battery.

The specs are actually pretty solid for a handheld device but the most powerful gaming device is junk if you can’t play any games on it. Needless to say the GPD XD comes loaded with a ton of games over the Google Play store and some are tuned well for a traditional controller. I’ve downloaded Duck Tales Remastered, Knights of the Old Republic and Sword of Xolan and they all work amazingly well with the controller. I obtained those games for free on Amazon Underground as Amazon has a special deal with certain games to provide them to the player for no cost. It’s an interesting model Amazon is trying and I am not sure how it works for the game developers, but as a player it’s pretty solid. Only a couple Android games work with the controller and I imagine as more games are optimized for AndroidTV, the landscape will get much better here.

That said, playing Android games isn’t the only thing the GPD XD can do and one other big use case for it is Emulation. I have a ton of physical Nintendo, Super Nintendo, GameCube and Wii games and it’s nice to be able to play them wherever I want. It’s also nice to use only one device to play them all. The GPD XD emulates the Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Gameboy, Gameboy Advance and PSP with ease. It falls down on DS emulation but since I don’t have many DS games it’s not a huge problem. In world where your NES and Gameboy cart batteries die, it’s nice to be able to load up the game on a device that will never suffer that fate. It’s also nice to be able to switch between Gameboy Tetris and Secret of Mana in a couple seconds.

Since the GPD XD is full blown Android you can use it for pretty much whatever you can think of. Want to output the XD to your HDMI monitor and plug in a keyboard and mouse and use it as a sort of PC? You can. Want to attach it to your TV and connect a USB controller? You can. Want to watch a movie on it? Yep. One of the big problems I have with buying tech is buying into an ecosystem that doesn’t allow you to use in whatever context you want. I love the hell out of my iPhone but it’s annoying I can’t always use it in the ways i’d like to. These unlocked Android devices really allow that and I think it’s a huge bonus.

One other killer feature of the GPD XD is Moonlight. Moonlight is an open source project that allows you to use NVidia streaming to play your PC games on any device that can run Moonlight. Since the Moonlight developers have a great Android port Moonlight runs well. What this means is that I can stream Fallout 4 to my GPD XD from anywhere in the house. Well, Fallout 4 or any other PC game I have. Someday I hope Valve releases a Steam in home streaming client for Android and iOS but until then, Moonlight works amazingly well.

The GPD XD is a great device if you are interested in the fledgling Android controller games market (like I am) or want to play your retro games in a more convenient context without rebuying. Since it’s a Chinese designed and made device it suffers from some odd translation and usability decisions but if you can hack your way around Android, it’s not a problem. In the end if you are looking for a device that is open and hackable with a traditional control set the GPD XD is for you. If you are looking for a place to play the latest and greatest Nintendo or iPad games, you should stick with what you already have.