General Discussion [ Page 42 ]

The Alienware Alpha Coming This Holiday 2014 Season

If you follow Cheerful Ghost news, it's no surprise that I am looking forward to buying a Steam Machine. Alienware just dropped the details of it's Alienware Alpha that is shipping this holiday season.

"The Alienware Alpha console will ship with Windows 8.1 which, through a custom software interface exclusive to Alienware, can be easily navigated with the included Xbox 360 controller — no mouse or keyboard required. The Alpha console is also SteamOS and Steam Controller READY, and designed to easily integrate with the highly anticipated launch of each.

The Alienware Alpha console will start at $549, and will begin shipping in time for the 2014 Holiday Season."

Well,... Read All If you follow Cheerful Ghost news, it's no surprise that I am looking forward to buying a Steam Machine. Alienware just dropped the details of it's Alienware Alpha that is shipping this holiday season.

"The Alienware Alpha console will ship with Windows 8.1 which, through a custom software interface exclusive to Alienware, can be easily navigated with the included Xbox 360 controller — no mouse or keyboard required. The Alpha console is also SteamOS and Steam Controller READY, and designed to easily integrate with the highly anticipated launch of each.

The Alienware Alpha console will start at $549, and will begin shipping in time for the 2014 Holiday Season."

Well, yeah, it makes sense that Alienware has decided to continue on with it's console efforts even though Valve has put off the official launch of SteamOS and it's Steam Controller till 2015. In the meantime, it seems Alienware is moving full speed ahead on it's console and has decided to replace SteamOS with Windows 8.1 and a XBox 360 controller.

You might think Alienware might be ditching SteamOS or the Steam controller and according to them, that is absolutely not the case and according to a recent Forbes interview with Alienware they said...

“Steam Machines aren’t dead, they are absolutely pursuing SteamOS and the controller 100%,” my Alienware rep explained. “They refuse to release something that is not ready, and we commend them for that. But we want similar things: For the PC gamer to choose what the hell they want and play how they want to play.”

Alienware has also talked a bit about the internals of the Alpha in that it will consist of user replaceable components and a custom build nvidia GPU. I imagine the reason for a custom GPU is to make it fit in the small case and for this reason it doesn't seem replaceable. That said, the Alpha will also ship with an Intel CPU, 4GB DDR3 memory & 500GB hard drive.

All told I was pretty bummed when I heard Valve was pushing back it's Steam Machine efforts a year but it seems Alienware is still moving forward and I think that's a good idea. Alienware has said the hardware will ship SteamOS and Steam Controller ready so if you want to go ahead and get it, you can use it as a proper Steam Machine later. The launch price for the Alienware Alpha will be $549.

http://www.alienware.com/landings/alpha/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevangelho/2014/06/11/alienwares-alpha-is-a-gaming-pc-with-the-dna-of-a-console-and-its-the-real-deal/

GOG Summer Sale

GOG's summer sale started today. http://www.gog.com/ Lots of flash deals, daily deals, and other deals. Thinking about picking up some fun older stuff, or lots of cool new stuff...

Looks like they are getting in just before the Steam sale. :)

What are you thinking about picking up?

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/13/2014 at 08:28pm

I was thinking about Ether One, thought it looked interesting. I've been meaning to pick up Beyond Good & Evil for PC, and heard that the GoG file is better supported than the Steam version (I have no idea if that's true or not).

hardeyez Post Author wrote on 06/13/2014 at 08:35pm

Beyond Good & Evil is a great game (in case you never played it before).

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/13/2014 at 08:52pm

I have, and I agree! I mostly just wanted access to play it on PC, rather than hook up my Xbox 360 or Wii.

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/13/2014 at 09:24pm

The Roller Coaster Tycoon deal is great. I have 1 & 2 on CD but to get them digitally... it's tempting.

So many great deals here. The D&D masterset is great too, if you don't already have it(which I do).

JaBo wrote on 06/18/2014 at 08:06pm

Oh ya! Just picked up the Might and Magic RPG collection. See, I had a Sega, not a SNES and I played a lot of Might and Magic 3... was a great RPG and some of these others look awesome! $8.50 for 10 games... yes plz thnk you

JaBo wrote on 06/18/2014 at 08:10pm

Considering the Thief pack...but worried the graphics will hold me back on that style of FPS/stealth game. Especially after I have the new one. Some games graphics don't matter, some games they do...

JaBo wrote on 06/18/2014 at 08:42pm

Eh... I got it too, I'm a sucker for a good deal lol. Plus, I like the idea of expanding my digital collection outside of Steam.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/18/2014 at 08:49pm

It is hard to go back and play some 3D games with dated graphics. Much easier to revisit 2D games this way. The Thief games are solid, though, if you can look beyond graphics.

Picked up Ether One, and Omikron: Nomad Soul (talk about awesomely dated 3D graphics), and Magrunner is free right now! Always wanted to try that Portal-esque game out. I didn't realize that Omikron was from David Cage, of Heavy Rain and Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit fame. Anxious to dig into that.

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/18/2014 at 09:47pm

I agree some games are hard to go back to now. Some are timeless, but many from the PS era haven't aged well.

JaBo wrote on 06/18/2014 at 10:31pm

Minor correction, but it was Might and Magic II (not III) that I played on Sega. And it was one of the best...so I'm looking forwarding to trying some of these others. I installed an emulator on my phone and was playing 2 again and it was still quite playable for me. 2D graphics are much easier to handle than bad 3D graphics.

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Steam Summer Sale June 19th - 30th?

http://cdn.pcper.com/files/imagecache/article_max_width/news/2011-05-17/steam.jpg

It's being reported that the Steam Summer Sale is going to be June 19-30.

http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Steam-Summer-Sale-2014-Dates-Leaked-64631.html

There's also some "Mysterious Cards" on steam... but no one's sure what they're for. Speculation is that they're going to be part of the Summer Sale event.

http://www.pcgamer.com/2014/06/11/steam-starts-dropping-mysterious-cards-likely-pointing-to-incoming-summer-sale/

And here's just an interesting site I stumbled across that shows what games are on sale on Steam *right now*!

http://steamdb.info/sales/

Doom (4?) will be shown at QuakeCon

The confusingly titled fourth installment to the Doom series, which so far has publicly just been called "Doom," will be on display at QuakeCon this year.

The Cyberdemon gets all the attention in this teaser trailer, and it looks pretty badass. And did anyone else get all giddy at the door-opening sound?

Keep an eye out for more info on this game July 17-20. http://www.quakecon.org/

Live Streaming E3

Live streaming from E3 today. Will anyone be watching? I'm interested to see what's announced and shown, but if I miss something, I won't be terribly disappointed.

http://www.ign.com/events/e3

Maybe I'll post thoughts along the way in the comments. Join in if you're watching :)

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/09/2014 at 05:12pm

Watching it as I work. So far nothing seems compelling at all.

That said, they seem to think 1080p graphics is a new hot thing. :godmode:

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/09/2014 at 05:14pm

Fable Legends seems OK. It's the most interesting thing i've seen yet.

The combat seems pretty fun.

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 06/09/2014 at 05:17pm

It is funny how much they're saying "All in 1080p!"

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/09/2014 at 05:27pm

The Halo Collection on XBone looks interesting. Too bad it's not on PC/Windows.

IT WILL BE IN 1080P!

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/09/2014 at 05:31pm

You can watch the stream live on Twitch too.

http://www.twitch.tv/team/e3

Seems to be better quality.

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/09/2014 at 05:40pm

Witcher 3 gameplay looks great. So far, the best game i've seen show. I think the reason why is because they were just hunting an animal in game. Kind of getting "save the entire universe" fatigue with games and movies.

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 06/09/2014 at 05:44pm

What a right-wing hater you are. "I don't want to save people, I just want to hunt meat."

Travis Admin wrote on 06/09/2014 at 09:08pm

So far I haven't seen anything that amazing. I was looking forward to details about Mirror's Edge 2 but they really didn't give us anything. Criterion's next game looks incredible, I have to say.

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/09/2014 at 09:17pm

What was Criterion's game?

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/09/2014 at 09:50pm

Here is the E3 schedule for those interested: http://blog.twitch.tv/2014/06/twitch-broadcast-schedule-for-e3/

Going to watch The Witcher presentation tonight!

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 06/09/2014 at 10:15pm

I think Ubisoft just turned smart phones into a Wii controller for Just Dance...

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/09/2014 at 10:21pm

They didn't say much about how it works, but it's a great idea.

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 06/09/2014 at 10:29pm

yeah... but there's a reason the Wii remote has a strap lol.

I'm already looking forward to the stories of people throwing their phones whilst playing Just Dance ;)

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/10/2014 at 02:23am

Excited to see more about Abzu, coming from Giant Squid. Ex-Thatgamecompany art director for Journey, Matt Nava and company. Have been following since they formed Giant Squid, because of an unhealthy attachment to all things Journey. Really want to see what they are capable of on their own.

Travis Admin wrote on 06/10/2014 at 12:52pm

Jon, Criterion's next game doesn't have a name yet from what I can see but it's a massive open-worldish racing game where you can race many different kinds of vehicles.

Travis Admin wrote on 06/10/2014 at 01:59pm

Catching up on the highlights from last night-- Little Big Planet 2 has me wanting a PS4. If I do end up getting one, this will be a major reason why.

Travis Admin wrote on 06/10/2014 at 02:00pm

Er... 3. Little Big Planet 3.

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 06/10/2014 at 04:32pm

So far I've been impressed with Nintendo. I don't care at all about the Amiibo, but both Captian Toad's Treasure Tracker and Zelda look impressive. Zelda and Mario Kart 8 might be making me lean towards actually getting a Wii at some point.

I really am interested in the open world feel of Zelda. Hopefully it's as big and open as the press conference made it sound!

And it looked briefly like in Captain Toad, the remote controller could be used as a first person perspective? I would like to see more of that.

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 06/10/2014 at 04:33pm

And I'm loving the Robot Chicken interludes between games lol

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 06/10/2014 at 05:02pm

Splatoon looks like a lot of fun! I'm already thinking up strategies :)

Travis Admin wrote on 06/10/2014 at 05:11pm

Nintendo is trying hard to get my money. Mario Kart 8, a new Zelda, Bayonetta 2, Star Fox... yeah, I might have to shell out. Hopefully at the end of the conference they announce a price drop.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/10/2014 at 05:55pm

I haven't seen Nintendo's showing yet, but I caught up on Microsoft and Sony last night. Watching Microsoft first got me excited about the Halo Master Chief collection (big halo fan...), the resurrection of Phantom Dust from the original Xbox (very fun title back in the day), and Inside (from creators of Limbo). Then...then I saw Sony's and I quickly forgot about what the XBone had to offer. Suda51's Let It Die, Bloodborne from From Software, Abzu, Grim Fandango, even the 3rd party games that will be on multiple systems made the PS4 more enticing. Playstation Now was interesting. The idea of being able to use that service simply through a capable Sony TV is most interesting. Latency will be the key factor there. Interested to see what they do with Morpheus.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/10/2014 at 10:02pm

Okay, watched Nintendo's Digital Event. Not super impressed. Captain Toad does look cool. The idea of an open world Zelda is exciting, but I'll believe that when I see it. Splatoon looks amazing; wish it was coming to other consoles. I'd play Hyrule Warriors. Never a huge fan of Dynasty Warriors, but I loved Ninety-nine Nights, which is similar enough. Bayonetta 2 will be good, and the inclusion of the original is nice.

With most of these games sporting a 2015 release, I'll probably put off getting a Wii U for a while longer.

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Retro News: Parents Upset Over New Super Nintendo Console

"In 1991, local newsstation reports Nintendo released their successor to the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in America. But the parents wasn't too happy about it. The parents thought Nintendo was exploiting their children into buying new and expensive hardware for new games when the improvements to the new hardware were obvious."

It's fun to look back at video games to see how far we've come. I watched this news clip from the 90's that made me laugh a bit. I still remember the first time I played Super Mario World and experienced the Super Nintendo for the first time. The music, graphics and controls were very good. We... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 06/08/2014 at 12:34am

Wow, that 80's hair! (OK, early 90s hair, but still)

But yeah, I remember reading about how people said the printing press was going to be the downfall of conversation, the radio was going to ruin the world, television was rotting our brains, and so on. This is just an extension of people not understanding technology.

But as for the SNES, I just bought one for the first time about 5 years back. I went from NES to Genesis, and while I LOVE the Genesis I was a bit bummed out that my parents wouldn't get me another console. I don't regret my choice, the Genesis is the bees knees, but it was great reliving a lot of the experiences I had at friends' houses when I finally got an SNES of my own.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/08/2014 at 02:48am

Those were the days, right? I think the news was run by Satan back then, so I wasn't allowed to watch it, but I do remember the SNES and it's heavenly 16bit glory. And the hair.

Travis Admin wrote on 06/08/2014 at 03:58am

" I think the news was run by Satan back then, so I wasn't allowed to watch it"

That sounds like a story in and of itself.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/08/2014 at 04:08am

His parents weren't the only people that thought stuff like that. I couldn't go trick or treating because of that. Early on in my gaming years I couldn't play Mario 2 and had to stop playing Zelda because they had magic and potions.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/08/2014 at 05:06am

Smurfs, He-Man, Depeche Mode... It all came from the fiery depths.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/08/2014 at 06:08am

Ah yeah, He-Man. That was the first thing that was excised from my child years. I had the sheets and the toys then we went to a different church or something, I don't entirely remember I was very little.

No more He-Man sheets or toys.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/08/2014 at 07:00am

Was this something from Fox News? It seems like something they would report. LOL I didn't get a SNES until my college years, I believe, same with the NES. I still don't have a Genesis, though I want one. I was, however, lucky to have a cousin that had a NES and a Genesis and friends that had a SNES. I got the Gameboy, the first one. I got a Game Gear during my early high school years.

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What IS Steam: The Game?

A new game popped up on Steam today for just a few minutes, but someone caught a screenshot of the page before it went down. It's called "Steam: The Game."

http://i.imgur.com/RvS2wW8.png

The description seems to just describe Steam itself, not a new game of any kind. It matches up to an entry on steamdb.info that refers to it as a Tutorial App. For those who don't know, SteamDB crawls through the Steam databases to look for data, and in the past has shown new games before they were announced.

http://steamdb.info/app/255700/

So what is this? Its timing makes it seem like something related to the upcoming Steam Summer Sale.

I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. I was ready to... Read All

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/07/2014 at 02:41am

So all of those trading cards we get by playing games might actually have a purpose? I guess we shall see in due time.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 06/07/2014 at 05:22am

Oh they already have a purpose. You can combine them into badges and get coupons and stuff from combining them.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/07/2014 at 05:32am

Hm, that's something I may have to look into some time.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 06/07/2014 at 06:26am

http://steamcommunity.com/tradingcards/faq/

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/07/2014 at 06:37am

Hope this turns into something cool. When is the summer sale?

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 06/07/2014 at 07:38pm

I don't think anyone knows for sure yet. Someone always leaks the date early, though.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/07/2014 at 08:58pm

When you visit that link you gave me, is it in German? I'm not sure why, but when I go to a Steam page it's in German and I have to click the button to translate the page. Any ideas?

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/07/2014 at 09:08pm

Steam bug

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/07/2014 at 09:47pm

Cool, so it's not just me then, huh?

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/07/2014 at 10:01pm

No, i've seen bugs like that before.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 06/09/2014 at 08:26pm

I sure hope the cards don't have a purpose in a game, as I've been selling them off as I get them.

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GOG.com announces an optional, DRM free client: Galaxy

GOG is joining the ranks of PC Game clients like Steam and Origin with GOG Galaxy, a purely optional client to let you manage your GOG library.

This will automate game downloads, automatically update your games, let you show off your achievements to your friends, etc. But it is in no way mandatory, and if you choose to use it, you don't have to be online for any offline features.

This is exciting news. I always loved GOG for being a DRM-free option for buying games, but hated the loss of the convenience Steam provides. Steam kinda controls the board in the PC gaming marketplace these days, so I hope this provides some extra competition to make the whole scene even... Read All

Cheerful Ghost Will Publish It's First Game By Years End

I started Cheerful Ghost because I wanted to create a place where I could talk about video games with my friends. When the site shipped it needed to do three things: hold my video games to my list, allow me to write about any game in my list and share that conversation on the everyone on the web. As the site marched on we started interviewing people in gaming, the Cheerful Ghost Roundtable started & the event system was built. Over the last year I have been involved in the Portland Indie game scene and in our last Roundtable episode, was able to get Will Lewis, the founder of PIGSquad to join us.

As Cheerful Ghost has evolved as a community we have become much... Read All

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/03/2014 at 01:51am

Interesting. I could see a bit of a conflict of interest, and ambiguity where a review from a community member might be mistaken as advertising. Will the community arm and the publishing arm fall under the same "Cheerful Ghost" name? That sounds... challenging.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/03/2014 at 01:52am

I do think it's a cool idea, the publishing!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/03/2014 at 01:56am

Thanks for the input.

Cheerful Ghost is a great community site that will also be publishing games. The trick in that no video game site, to my knowledge has ever done this. Can we do it right? I am confident we can and am open to ideas people have on it.

The site will get a few changes to support the games better and before I do anything i'll run them by a few people. If you want to be on that list i'd love to discuss them with you.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/03/2014 at 02:17am

This is interesting news, indeed! I'm curious as to what this entails and I may need to do some research on my own about video game publishing so that I can better understand this news. I'm looking forward to seeing more about this new aspect of Cheerful Ghost and I'd be glad to help out.

Travis Admin wrote on 06/03/2014 at 03:04am

Exciting stuff! I can think of few things in gaming more rewarding than bringing awesome stuff to gamers.

Side-note: do we use the word "awesome" too much? :D

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/03/2014 at 03:08am

@Travis: Cut down on the awesome's per minute in the release. And yeah, I do use that word to much.

Sungorth wrote on 06/03/2014 at 05:19pm

hopefully i didnt skim too much - whats the game? Genre, developer ..

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/03/2014 at 05:31pm

@Sungorth we aren't talking about the game yet, but don't worry.. we will.

That said, I can say that it's fun and will ship on Windows, Mac and Linux.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 06/03/2014 at 06:05pm

This is great! I really can't wait to see what happens!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/03/2014 at 07:10pm

What parts of video game publishing will CG be participating in (licensing, marketing, financing, etc.)?

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/03/2014 at 07:14pm

It really is a cool thing, and I hope it really takes off! Sorry to be an initial naysayer. It was a rather unexpected post :D. I guess we aren't like most other video game sites, not strictly 'journalists', per se, nor bound by any such creed. I think you can make it happen, and the bit about clarity would be a good thing. Exciting times! :)

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 06/03/2014 at 08:08pm

@scrypt Conflict of interest was one of the first things I asked about to Jon in person. It's a totally legitimate question :)

Timogorgon Member wrote on 06/04/2014 at 01:35am

Say whaaaaaaaaat? That's crazy, and awesome, and awesomely crazy. Damn it, I think I used awesome too many times...

Does this mean you can go to E3? Or maybe send a CG representative? Like someone who already loves games and lives in California? :D

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/04/2014 at 01:44am

Yeah it was a bit unexpected. Honestly as I was writing it and then thinking about it after I posted, it was surprising to me to. Surprising in that it's so odd for a game site to publish games. Because of the kind of community Cheerful Ghost is, it makes more sense but it still kind of loops me sometimes.

That said, lets keep talking and if anyone has any ideas to make it better, let me know.

GregoPeck: What we are doing is partnering with people making games to help them get the word out. So i'll help them get it on digital game stores, figure out pricing and the like. Also figure out how to talk about the game, make some videos of it, help them refine it some and take care of a ton of other hard to see details. Basically help them such that they can focus on making the game great.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/04/2014 at 01:46am

WhiteboySlim: I imagine after we publish a few games it will open up for us to go to events we didn't go to before. As to which, no idea but if E3 presents itself and I can't go, i'll think of you.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/04/2014 at 02:22am

That's cool, Jon. It sounds like you're focusing on the marketing aspect of it. I think it's a cool idea! I'm not familiar with many digital game stores and don't know how many there are, but I imagine Steam is one of the big ones to consider.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/04/2014 at 04:04am

Steam is on my list for sure.

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Sadly, Steam Machines Will Be Delayed Till 2015

http://media.steampowered.com/img/steamuniverse/SteamControllerNotes.jpg

Valves news to delay the launch of Steam Machines until 2015 makes sense when you think about it. The Steam Controller has received some pretty mixed reviews so far and seems to have taken quite a bit longer to perfect than Valve originally may have thought.

"We’re now using wireless prototype controllers to conduct live playtests, with everyone from industry professionals to die-hard gamers to casual gamers. It's generating a ton of useful feedback, and it means we'll be able to make the controller a lot better. Of course, it's also keeping us pretty busy making all those improvements. Realistically, we're now looking at a release window of 2015, not 2014.

Obviously... Read All

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/29/2014 at 04:10pm

This is disappointing, but I trust them that it'll make for a better experience in the future. Maybe I'll just build my own :)

scrypt Supporter wrote on 05/29/2014 at 04:31pm

I'm becoming more and more a fan of delayed production of technology. Let it simmer, perfect it, and then maybe it will be something worth buying. Rather than just enter the console market, what Valve is attempting is more along the lines of a revolution.

"But our number one priority is making sure that when you do, you'll be getting the best gaming experience possible."

I want that more than I want a Steam Machine, and I really want a Steam Machine.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/29/2014 at 08:24pm

I'm ok with this. I want that thing to be as close to perfect as possible.

Sungorth wrote on 06/03/2014 at 05:18pm

I dont expect this controller to make much of an impact, but I am not really a believer in the steam OS

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/03/2014 at 09:38pm

Fair point. Because it's so different, Valve has a lot of ways to go to make the new controller great. I hope it works out for them but I am thinking I may have to buy a bunch of controllers to make my steam machine work right.

But either way, it should be awesome anyway.

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