These kinds of videos are always interesting. The film has James Rolfe the Angry Video Game Nerd as a news caster and features the original voice of Sonic in the Cartoon Jaleel White.
It's cool to see people being creative and using subjects that we're familiar with. It was a pretty slow video (I kept skipping ahead), but I think they made a pretty good looking fan film.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 01/12/2013 at 10:40pm
"Here's a quick rundown of how dueling will work in Diablo III as well as some insight into our design philosophy for the system.
How it Works:
To duel another player, you’ll need to speak with Nek the Brawler at the inn in New Tristram.
Speaking with Nek will take you and your party to the Scorched Chapel, a new zone designed specifically for player combat
This zone has custom geometry and features four different areas: the church, the graveyard, the river, and the lake
Dueling currently supports up to four players in a Free-For-All format, which means you can battle your friends either one-on-one, three-player FFA, or a full four-player FFA
If you die in the dueling world, you will be resurrected in the dueling zone
Death is not permanent in the dueling zone, even for Hardcore characters
You don't take any durability damage while in the dueling zone
When you're done dueling you can take a portal out or use your Town Portal to return to town.
"
Beyond the dueling update in 1.0.7 the Wizard and Monk are getting buffs. There are also a plethora of other changes you can read about below. Interested in checking out duelling although from everyone I know, my character isnt as epic. Still, something new to checkout.
During the Steam holiday sale I picked up Rage: The Scorchers. I liked Rage quite a bit and I am pretty excited to check out the new stuff. I am not finished with it and will periodically post about how my experiences are going with it.
When I played Rage the first time I noticed some areas that seemed like they should have allowed you some access. Like an area at the far end of Haggar Territory where there was a settlement of people, if you go a bit further there is a huge installation you couldn't go in. I figured it would open up at some quest point, but it didn't. There was also a Casino in Wellspring that was closed that you couldn't get in. Always wondered about these locations. In The Scorchers both of these places are available to you in the quest line. Was this content that they took out because they had to make a deadline? Its a shame it didn't make the final game because Rage would have been more epic if it shipped with this content.
So far The Scorchers levels have been really inventive and beautiful. The extra Mutant Bash TV you have to beat to travel the new Scorcher quest line is a totally awesome addition. The only downside to the new Mutant Bash level is you can't replay it in game like the main one. They did add a new mode where you can replay any mission from the game, this is a nice addition but you can't play the new Mutant Bash level over again in your single player game.
Overall the content is fantastic and the extra chance to inhabit the world of Rage is great. Oh right and the new Nailgun is lots of fun. The animations when you switch between the ammo types is interesting as it swaps the entire look of the gun. My gun of choice in Rage is the combat shotgun, sniper rifle and wingstick. Even if harder enemies take a few shotgun hits thats not a problem as I love ducking in and out of cover.
If you dug Rage and wanted a bit more, you should get The Scorchers. I recommend getting it if you are starting out as the missions are available very early on in Haggar Territory and the addition of the Nailgun in your early arsenal would be epic.
http://i.imgur.com/9Rulw.jpg: The new Mutant Bash TV level, at the end you shoot Mutants flung at you with a big ass cannon deck! When you hit one a mess of blood flies everywhere.
Nice review! I haven't gotten around to playing this yet. I got it during the steam sale as well, and it's been on my todo list. Sounds awesome!
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 01/11/2013 at 02:52am
It really is. Ill keep posting as I am playing. One of the things I wanted the site to do was be a place I could talk about my experience with a game piecemeal. :D
Valve posted that Linux client usage is already at 0.8% where Mac client usage rose to 3.7%. Wonder how these numbers will change as more games are ported to Mac and Linux?
According to a recent interview with Gabe Newell, some developers are earning as much as 500k per year adding content to the Steam Workshop. This just in, I am considering switching my career to "digital hatter."
Back in 2004 I heard about a remix album for the SNES classic Donkey Kong Country called "Kong in Concert." I had never considered that people would remix video game tunes and decided to download it because it was free and I loved Donkey Kong Country. I wore out the digital files of that album, if such a thing is possible because it is so awesome. Over the last few years I have stocked my Video Game Music collection with Humble Bundle Game Soundtracks, Collectors Edition Soundtracks and free downloads from OC Remix.
To date I have collected 77 albums and most of them are really great. Recently I trolled the OC Remix site and noticed a few new albums dropped one being "Double The Trouble!" the remix album of Donkey Kong Country 3. Now the strange this is I never played DKC3 but since I loved Kong in Concert, I picked this one up. I wasn't disappointed as the remix album is largely fantastic. Not every track is great, but the majority are and it was a joy to discover them.
Oh right and the album is no slouch as it clocks in at 5 hours and 23 minutes of total music. Its also interesting as this remix album does something few do in that it remixes tracks from the SNES and Game Boy Advance versions seperately.
There are others but I don't want to spoil your first listen of the entire album. You can pick up the entire album FLAC+MP3 or just MP3 on the OC Remix site.
In one of those totally odd and awesome moments I present to you a video I found from The Gourmet Gamer. In this Episode the Gourmet Gamer makes the peanut cheese bars from the game. He also shares the recipe for all of you that will be making some this weekend.
It started about a few years ago. I bought my first Humble Bundle and linked it to my Steam Account that contained Half Life 2 & Counterstrike. I then bought Portal 2 on PS3 and got a free Steam copy. After that I bought my first Steam game, The Binding of Isaac and then after a few more Bundles and Steam Sales I now have 81 Steam Games. I have more PC games, but those are the ones that Steam manages. Its awesome to be able to pick up any game I want. Its also awesome to have a zillion choices for what to play.
Well. Sort of. On one hand I can pick up a great game on a sale for cheap. On the other hand I have 81 games and the list keeps growing year over year. Placing that next to the fact that we have a limited time, it is becoming apparent to me I have games I may never actually play.
Again, its awesome having so much choice but on the other hand it poses a problem, for me anyway. Like what games I should play? Should you play 50 games at once, I mean I can so that should be awesome. Also having so many games often leaves me at a loss for what to play as there as so many awesome choices and I need to pick the awesomeness choice. I also don't want to just play 4 seconds of each game, I find the best experiences I have are with games I have sunk some serious time into.
One of my friends linked to a TED Talk by Barry Schwartz called "The paradox of Choice." I don't entirely agree with his points in the first few minutes, but found by the end I agree with the crux of his argument. In a world with so many choices, its hard to pick the right one. I don't want to speak for him and his talk is awesome, so ill link to it now:
Over the last month I have come up with a strategy to combat this problem as I love Video Games and want to make what time I have be as much fun as it can be. I limit my choices of games I can play. For instance, right now I am only playing 3 games. Rage: The Scorchers, The Binding of Isaac and Dragon Age: Origins. 3 games might be too many but its a start and so far it has helped out.
So what do you think, do you have a sea of games and if so what do you do?
@Will_Owens had a similar problem and started his blog http://www.backlogkiller.com/ to go through each of his games one by one and blog the process.
It's the cereal aisle conundrum. I can never decide what cereal to buy. You walk into this massive aisle of delicious, grainy goodness, and there are so many choices, what do you pick?
I was faced with this recently with Steam. I finally broke down and started organizing things into categories: Currently playing, coming up next, waiting for DLC, stuff I'll never stop playing, Completed, Meh, etc. This is far less daunting. I put everything I have a currently open game in under "currently playing," and it almost immediately became far less daunting. Thinking about what I wanted to play soon and getting a small category makes me look forward to the next few months.
Coming home from work, wanting to unwind, and being greeted by a massive alphabetical list presents a decision you have to make, which takes away from the fun a bit.
I do think this was better when we were kids. One, NES games were generally short. I've cut SMB1 down to an under 7 minutes speedrun (certainly not worthy of the near sub-5 minute mark speedruns), and even the substantial SMB3 can be completed in a day without warping. Games these days are massive undertakings, which means you don't really play many of them more than once. Plus, there weren't Steam sales back in the day, and we weren't working for our money, so we had to depend on allowances or gifts for our games.
I'm beginning to ramble a bit, but I'll use an argument my history teacher used in high school to explain the efficiency of laws-- they're like tomatoes. When everyone around grows their own tomatoes, and the weather is perfect, nobody will pay more than a few cents for a tomato. When the weather is bad, crops aren't great, and fewer people grow them, their value increases. The same can be said for laws-- a few really good laws will be respected far more than a complex maelstrom of legal red tape and vague speech. The same can also be said for games-- if you have a few good games, you'll appreciate them far more than if you have your pick of whatever is available.
Tell me about it. I only recently started paying attention to Steam sales and I know I went overboard last summer. One of these days, I'll quit acquiring games faster than I can play through them... Or not.
beansmyname Supporter
wrote on 01/12/2013 at 05:11am
*raises hand*
Guilty as well.
Thanks to the Humble Bundles and the Steam seasonal sales, I have a glut of games, many of which I will probably never play. On the PS3, Sony throws older titles, and occasionally some newer ones, at PS+ subscribers, so that collection has grown.
GameStop has been my friend and nemesis for years. I have this mantra: "No matter how amazing the game at launch, one day it will be $30." While true, when 40 of those titles go to $30 in the same week, this would leave me staring at the used games wall blankly for 30-45 minutes unable to decide what I would take home.
@panickedthumb Thank you for the tip on organizing my library in Steam. That'll help a lot.
Your point about gameplay time is a great one. It's one that I've been ranting about to my wife lately. Sometime in the last 15 years, hours of gameplay became a marketing term; a number to be used to let us know THIS game was better. Some recent examples I can give: Mass Effect 3, Assassins Creed: Brotherhood, Batman: Arkham City and Darksiders II. All three of those titles require logging several hours of gameplay WITHOUT engaging side quests. Need for Speed: Most Wanted has a challenge, for all 41 (46 with DLC) vehicles, awarded after 10 hours of driving.
So, it's tough to find time to play them all. For the most part, I play one big title at a time until I've completed it.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 01/12/2013 at 05:22pm
@beanismyname I agree, it is hard to find time to play them all. I usually set aside a few hours per week, but this week wasn't kind to that. :D
After finding too many barely played games on my computer some time ago I seriously cut back on game spending. And I'm finding my time very precious now a days, this limits the amount I'm willing to allocate to computer games.
beansmyname Supporter
wrote on 01/13/2013 at 01:22am
@MoonWyrd I'm there right now. I have more than enough games to keep me busy for the next few years solid. Time to put the spending on hold.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 01/13/2013 at 07:21pm
Spending on hold?? Dude, how will publishers get that 5th yacht?
beansmyname Supporter
wrote on 01/14/2013 at 12:53am
By selling off a development studio that made a game we all enjoyed 6 months ago...or that was released a week ago. That's worked for EA.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 01/14/2013 at 01:10am
EA.... yeah don't get me started on them.
If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.
@Gary_Butterfield posted on the Watch out for Fireballs podcast page a question that I wanted to re sound here because I was interested in what everyone was thinking.
What video games are you looking forward to in 2013? No table limit, send up as many as you are excited about.
Full disclosure, I don't know a ton about all the games that will be released in 2013 beyond a few. But those few I am very excited about like:
Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm, MewGenics and The Binding of Isaac 16 bit de-make.
Hmm... Probably... Sir You Are Being Hunted, Routine, Watch Dogs, The Witness, Among the Sleep, Last of Us, Spy Party (fucking FINALLY), Lifeless Planet, Mech Warrior Online (even though you can play it now, it's still technically only in beta), I could probably do this all day. Those. We'll stick with that list for now.
I'm curious as to what that Fallout news actually means. Realistically I will play whatever Fallout game they put infront of me because I'm a huge Fallout fanboy. However I'd like a new, distinct and fresh location. So either they better have a good reason for him to be in this new location or we're back in DC, which I don't really want.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 01/09/2013 at 08:45pm
I have heard rumblings about Fallout Boston... Let me see...
To me, the writers are more important than the location. It's my favorite game world, I love it. I want to drink it up. But it needs better writing than Fallout 3, I think.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 01/09/2013 at 10:28pm
A movie? Interesting, not sure I am interested in that...
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 01/09/2013 at 10:45pm
But, you know, I am watching In the Name of the King the Dungeon Siege Movie and its not terrible, just pretty bad. I mean, they used a good camera but the dialog is really sub par.
Haven't seen Burt Reynolds in a film in quite some time....
Keep in mind, I actually loved Fallout 3. I just like 1, 2 and New Vegas more. I'd watch a movie, hopefully it wouldn't be a Uwe Bowl nightmare.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 01/10/2013 at 02:02am
I am going to save the majority of my Dungeon Siege Movie review for a later post(OH YES, PREPARE YOURSELF) but its not technically a nightmare if you dig camp and OH BOY this movie has camp. Unintentionally I am sure, but wow, its so... Laugh out loud funny at times and then at other times the visuals are stunning.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 01/10/2013 at 02:02am
Oh and and I have planned to Dive into New Vegas this year, totally in my Steam queue and on my list.
I am torn between 3 and New Vegas. I think whichever one I'm playing is my favorite of the two. The factions and plot are better in New Vegas (far better) but the world of Fallout 3 is so incredible. If Obsidian had set up all the quests and plot and such, and then Bethesda built the world around it, it would be perfect.
I wish the world of Fallout 3 wasn't 60% subway tunnel. The other thing New Vegas has going for it is companions/characters. The companions in FO3 were trash. In New Vegas, each was an interesting character.
I did like exploring DC, however.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 01/10/2013 at 04:58pm
Fawkes in F3 was awesome. I loved his story and how overpowered he is. His story was one of the most compelling game elements to me in the last few years. It was awesome.
I really liked Dogmeat my only minor quip is that he was a dog and barked and growled all the time, that said loved having him in my party.
There has still been talk about the Fallout MMO but I don't think this is related. I would be really surprised if this info were related to a movie, simply because Erik Dellums wouldn't make sense to actually play Three Dog on film. There is also speculation that this game will take the Final Fantasy route and be Fallout 3 II and not Fallout 4, which would explain why it is back in DC, instead of a new location.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 01/10/2013 at 05:18pm
Fawkes was the only companion with any development in that game. Fawkes is neat but I actually don't like how overpowered he is. Compare, however, the bandit you meet in the first town with anyone from New Vegas. Actually, you haven't played New Vegas! Imagine 8 companions with as much depth and nuance as Fawkes, with the added benefit of quests attached to each of them that upgrade them.
The only issue with the companions in New Vegas was that so many of their quests were buggy. I loved it but never being able to upgrade Raul in multiple games was really disappointing. I think if Obsidian had another 4 or 5 months to iron out some issues it would have been so much better.
But yeah, each of the companions is awesome in his/her/it's own way, and the quest lines are complex and interesting. I also like that, unless you're playing on Hardcore, the companions are marked as essential so they just get knocked out rather than dying. And the companion wheel adds so much more control. I was annoyed with the functionality of the companions in Fallout 3 so I never used them. I never go without companions in New Vegas (except in Casinos since they can permanently delete companions' default weapons).
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 01/11/2013 at 01:25am
I rolled with Fawkes some, but opted out because of how OP he was. Dogmeat and I went through the whole game together but it was janky at times.
One thing that got me about Dogmeat, Rex, and every dog in Skyrim (yes, it's been a problem for that long) is that they ALWAYS stand in doorways. I once had to reload a save in Skyrim because of a stupid dog.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 01/11/2013 at 05:52am
Yeah they do that. I think I did it mostly because I liked the company. The Capitol wasteland was pretty large and going into tunnels by myself wasn't awesome.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 01/11/2013 at 06:15am
Those are interesting world building bits but dialog/writing is still super important. I can imagine that being great but I can also imagine it being clumsy. I think about something like the PS2 spinoff Fallout game which was fine from a lore perspective but the writing was atrocious and it got disavowed quick.
SimCity is the first big game of 2013 for me. The multiplayer looks like it will be a blast and I have some friends that I think will get a lot of fun out of working on a region together.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 01/15/2013 at 04:23pm
SimCity does look really great. I still haven't made the leap to Origins yet but for this game I may very well.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 01/15/2013 at 04:24pm
Hadn't heard about the multi-player, that sounds really fun, co-op building would be fun.
If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.
"Tetris. We’ve all played it, rotating the pieces (“tetrominoes”) and dropping them in the perfect place, or despairing as we discover a piece won’t fit. You may have even joked about “mastering” the game during a stint of unemployment, or as a child, before you could afford any other Game Boy cartridges. But what about the people who’ve truly mastered Tetris? Where are the Kasparovs and Fischers, the great champions who’ve dedicated their minds to solving its deepest puzzles?"
I would place Tetris as one of the best games of all time. After playing it on the Gameboy I was hooked. This love for the game brought me to watch "Ecstasy of Order" a recent documentary that covers the history of Tetris and its best tournament players. While the start of the film wasn't to my liking the documentary really gains its steam over time and by the end I was fully immersed in the story.
The documentary shares some space with "The King of Kong" in that it features the current high score keeping organization/arcade Twin Galaxies. "Ecstasy of Order" showcases one of the early Tetris masters, Thor and covers the famed Nintendo World Championships.
I was really impressed with how much effort it takes to be the best at something. The people they show as attending the Twin Galaxies tournaments really are masters at Tetris and even the last place entrants are Wizards of the craft.
If you love Video Game movies and documentaries, I really recommend you watch "Ecstasy of Order." It provides just the right mix of Tetris history and makes some as it brings the best Tetris players from around the world together for an awesome competition.
It's cool to see people being creative and using subjects that we're familiar with. It was a pretty slow video (I kept skipping ahead), but I think they made a pretty good looking fan film.
Right, I agree.
Wait, wait... Jaleel White was the voice of Sonic? Like Steve Urkel?
Whoa...
Yep. He apparently, did that.
*rimshot*
I don't know if that was terrible or amazing, Jon.
Hahaha. Oh the 90's!