Fallout Shelter has had specially themed holiday quests for sometime but this week I decided to get in on the special season update during this Christmas. It seems the game adds a couple quests to sate your dystopian wasteland cheer in "The Spirit of Taking" and "Santa's Helpers." Besides these new quests there is also a decorated tree outside your vault with twinkle lights that help set a more cheery mood. The quests are set just like the others but the quest dialog boxes are set in green and the dialog is set to a very Fallout Christmas vibe. For instance with Santa's Helpers at one point my people went into a raider area claiming to be Santa's Helpers where I could try and spread Christmas cheer using nice words and singing songs or by fighting. Since I try to be nice around the holidays we sang songs and that got us a good ending where we earned a special Science outfit. During the beginning of a couple quests you can win a Santa costume and an in game character that I took a screenshot of. Besides the cool Santa outfit you can also get some elf costumers and I decided to send Santa and his elves out to the wasteland on the infinite explore mode. Santa does well exploring the wasteland and as you can see I need to bring him in soon to cash in on his loot and give him new stimpacks for his next loot run.

https://bethesda.net/en/article/2yVJy2lIhKCmCekO6QOIE4/fallout-shelter-update-1-7-new-quests-features-and-bottle-and-cappy

What if scenarios are interesting and more so with a proof of concept. We've had modern Donkey Kong Country releases in HD such as Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze on Wii U and Donkey Kong Returns on the Wii. YouTuber BlobVanDam created the video Bramble Blast that is a recreation of Donkey Kong Country 2 in full blown HD. Personally i'd buy a modern revisioning of the original SNES Donkey Kong Trilogy in HD which would have to be essentially a whole new set of games in the same upgrade style as Super Mario All Stars. I bet Switch owners wouldn't mind either.

After I picked up the NES Classic this year I played a lot of Mega Man 2. It’s the one i’ve played the most of as a kid too but never could actually beat it. After putting in the time to complete Mega Man 2 on the NES Classic I continued playing it to keep improving boss battle by boss battle. I still have yet to focus on the entire run but instead make sure certain parts are ironed out instead. For instance, right now, i’m focusing on completing the boss stages in a nearly perfect manner. Later on i’ll focus more on the Wiley stages and then glue them together.
The reason why I like focusing on the game this way is that hopefully micro focusing on aspects of the game can come together to allow me to complete the game without dying once. At least, that’s my goal and so far I’m a ways from that but it’s fun to keep playing the game and get better each time I play it.

In 2015 Capcom released the Mega Man Legacy Collection that includes Mega Man through Mega Man 6 making it a must have for Mega Man fans or people that want to get into the franchise. After playing a ton of Mega Man 2 I decided to get the Legacy Collection but I didn’t want to get it on Steam. In the end I decided to get it on 3DS and had to get it used as it seems that Capcom is no longer stocking fresh copies in stores or online, at least not at the time I wanted to buy it. The used copy arrived in great condition and included two mega man stickers and two codes to 3DS Mega Man skins that surprisingly enough, were not redeemed. Mega Man Legacy Collection includes all 6 original Mega Man games that you can play in “Mega Man” or “Rockman” mode. I’m not entirely sure what the di erence is here but it seems you can play the original US Mega Man or the other Japanese or EU version.

If you are interested in looking over the game concept art, manuals and box art that Capcom created for each regions Mega Man release Legacy Collection includes a Museum and Database mode that makes accessing all of that really easy. You can even zoom in to inspect the ne detail on the box art which is a feature I enjoyed more than I thought I would. Like a lot of remastered versions Legacy Collection also includes all of the music in a music player you can listen to as much as you want. Want to DJ a retro party? Hook up your 3DS to the sound system and mix it up over all 6 games. Or not... I really have no idea if people have retro game parties but it’s a thing you could do if you want.

Mega Man Legacy Collection is a nearly perfect release if not for one minor gripe I have. In the US the NES was presented in a 4x3 aspect ratio on all our CRT TV's. Nintendo games were sprite based and each pixel was a perfect square yet the Nintendo slightly stretched the image to use the full width of the TV. It’s one of those lovable aspects of the analog days and not a choice I actually fault Nintendo for as the image t the screen and never looked bad as a result. That said in the Mega Man Legacy Collection the default mode is pixel perfect meaning the 4x3 aspect ration is not preserved. The NES Classic and SNES Classic default to 4x3 mode but also provide a pixel perfect mode for people that want to play the games in that way. That said, not having the choice to play it in 4x3 is a bit of a bummer. Again, it’s not a huge deal but the game doesn’t look quite right to me but once I tuck in to a play session it’s not something I think about much.

I plan on continuing with the Mega Man series as i’ve really only played Mega Man 2 and 3. The original is included but i’ve heard it’s not quite as good as Mega Man 2 yet I plan on playing it and talking about it. I usually play through games at a snails pace so expect to hear from me in regard to the remaining Legacy Collection games over the entirety of 2018.

As the holiday seasons is upon us we all get closer to the reality that some of us may open a SNES Classic on Presents Day! If you want a SNES Classic and need the mythical Gift Elf to bring you one for Presents Day I recently watched a recent DF Retro video that you need to watch. DF Retro takes a pretty long look back at Donkey Kong Country and interviews quite a few developers that worked for Rare during the games development. Watching this video helped me shovel more coal into the SNES Classic Presents Day hype train and I hope you like it too!

Star Wars: The Last Jedi releases tomorrow night and i'll be there in line with the rest of the nerds to take in director Rian Johnson's visual space fiesta. And because Star Wars is a big deal the trolls are out in force on social media spoiling things so I want to recommend that you take a break from Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and even some online games if you want to keep your first experience spoiler free.

As Cheerful Ghost tradition we will be doing a Star Wars Special episode where we talk about the Last Jedi and will make part of that spoiler free and then let everyone know when we switch to talking spoilers. We're recording the show this Sunday and hope to have it out soon after that so if you are seeing it this weekend or early next week so look out for that episode!

Also feel free to drop in the comments when and where you plan on seeing the movie. I'll be checking it out tomorrow evening at a local Regal theater with a whole bunch of friends. It wasn't possible to get opening night tickets of reserved seating so i'll show up a couple hours early to stand in line to make sure our seats don't suck.

Grim Fandango Remastered is available for free on GOG right now for the next couple days and if you haven't played this LucasArts classic remastered by Double Fine, now is the best chance you will have DRM free!

"Something's rotten in the land of the dead, and you're being played for a sucker. Meet Manny Calavera, travel agent at the Department of Death. He sells luxury packages to souls on their four-year journey to eternal rest. But there's trouble in paradise. Help Manny untangle himself from a conspiracy that threatens his very salvation.

One of the most acclaimed adventure games of all time is now back, better than ever. Grim Fandango's epic story of four years in the life (or death) of Manny Calavera, travel agent to the dead, has been remastered to look, sound, and control even better than when it won GameSpot's Game of the Year award upon its original launch. Grim Fandango still stands as a classic of the genre, with unforgettable characters and unique combination of film noir and Mexican folklore. "

Head over to GOG to claim Grim Fandango Remastered before Dec. 14, 2 PM UTC!

https://www.gog.com/

Street Fighter, Street Fighter II, Street Fighter II: Champion Edition, Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting, Super Street Fighter II, Super Street Fighter II: Turbo, Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Street Fighter III, Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact & Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike are coming to Switch, PC, PS4 & XBox One May of 2018 making the 30th Anniversary Collection the best Street Fighter collection release ever. If you love Street Fighter and want to jump in to playing these classic games I can't think of a better way to do it unless you have them all in your collection already.

One awesome bonus of the new collection is that Street Fighter II, Street Fighter II Turbo, Alpha 3 and 3rd Strike will all come with online multiplayer.

The new Hearthstone Kobolds & Catacombs expansion is out today and for just logging in you will get 3 K&C card packs. If you kill a Dungeon Run boss you get another card pack and then another if you kill 5 and then another if you kill 10. Kobolds and Catacombs is a normal 150+ card expansion that adds Legendary weapons to each class and as an added bonus you get a free weapon for just logging in. It seems like Blizzard is setting the pace with expansions with a free random set Legendary and about 6 packs of cards.

I've played quite a few dungeon runs tonight and I think it's a really amazing single player expansion mode. You don't need any cards in your collection and can select the ones you want to add to your deck as you make your way through the dungeon. I got to the second to last boss but lost because they held over 20 damage in 4 spells and just demolished me in one turn. Dungeon Run mode is really fun and does capture the rogue like spirit as you can randomly find awesome cards and that can swing many boss fights in your favor. The new single player Dungeon Run mode is really fun but downside is you can't complete daily quests playing it. That's a huge bummer because the only way to grind for gold to open card packs is to complete quests BUT if you are looking to come back to Hearthstone and don't know the game well or have many cards Dungeon Run mode is the one to try.

https://playhearthstone.com/en-us/blog/21274279

I honestly didn't think we'd get more games in the Portal universe but it looks like December 20th Bridge Constructor Portal is going to see me happily wrong. The developers of Bridge Constructor look to have licensed the Portal franchise from Valve and if the trailer is an indication the games looks like it fits well into that universe. But what's the game?

"Enter the Aperture Science Enrichment Center and experience Bridge Constructor Portal – the unique merging of the classic Portal and Bridge Constructor games. As a new employee in the Aperture Science test lab, it's your job to build bridges, ramps, slides, and other constructions in 60 test chambers and get the Bendies safely across the finish line in their vehicles. Make use of the many Portal gadgets, like portals, propulsion gel, repulsion gel, aerial faith plates, cubes, and more to bypass the sentry turrets, acid pools and laser barriers, solve switch puzzles, and make it through the test chambers unscathed. Let GLaDOS guide you through the tutorial, and learn all the tips and tricks that make a true Aperture Science employee.
The bridge is a lie!

Features:
- The merging of two worlds: the first Bridge Constructor with an official Portal license
- Create complex constructions in the Aperture Science labs
- Let GLaDOS accompany you through tricky physics adventures
- Use portals, aerial faith plates, propulsion gel, repulsion gel, and much more to master the complicated tasks
- Evade dangers such as sentry turrets, emancipation grills, laser fields, and acid
- Help your Bendies cross the finish line – on their own or in a convoy"

All of that sounds great and to top it off it's coming to iOS, Android, Linux, Mac and PC on December 20th and Switch, PS4 & XBox One in early 2018. I think i'll be playing this on iOS unless the reviews aren't great because this game seems like a good fit for mobile devices. Is Bridge Constructor Portal something you are interested in playing?

For the most part i've decided to stop buying a lot of new games and focus on playing through my backlog for the next year. It's still something i'm working out the final details on (how many games to limit myself to purchase next year, if any at all) and what games i'll play in some kind of order. Now that I have a son my time is limited and i'd like to spend it the best I can and since I have games i've never played now seems like a good time to do that. One such game is Zelda II: The Adventure of Link a game that before I picked got it with the NES Classic I've never owned before. I've played it a handful of times and always thought it was an interesting game in the Zelda series as it's the only side scroller with experience based RPG progression.

The Beginning of The Game

The story of Zelda II starts like the game before it, with an intro story scroll.

"After Ganon was destroyed, Impa told Link a sleeping spell was cast on Princess Zelda. She will wake only with the power of No. 3 Triforce sealed in a palace in Hyrule. To break the seal, crystals must be placed in statues in 6 well guarded palaces. Link set out on his most Adventuresome quest yet..."

Well since Adventure is in the title of the game I suppose this could be his most adventuresome quest yet. It's also funny to see that Link is placing crystals in statues as the goal because in the next game in the series Link to the Past the goal is to collect the crystals... err pendants... err... sage crystals!

I also like that there is some ambiguity on who cast a sleeping spell on Zelda. But that ambiguity lasts all of a handful of minutes because when all your lives are gone a red screen flashes showing an outline of Ganon with him laughing at you harkening his return to Hyrule. Yeah I kinda figured it was him but Zelda II is a sidescroller so it's possible they changed other elements and I just didn't know about it.

You're Going To Die A Lot

The original NES Legend of Zelda never felt too difficult to me. Whenever I played the game I had a map that a friend made me or something I made myself. The difficulty of the dungeons never felt too crazy and the last dungeon wasn't too hard... if you mapped out your route. I personally never played the second quest but the first quest always seemed amazingly fun and not too hard. I felt similarly about Link to the Past and Link's Awakening. Come to think of it i've never felt any of the Zelda games were too difficult. Sometimes what you have to do next was impossible to figure out and I had to ask a friend or consult a player guide but I've never considered the games to be particularly challenging. All that said Zelda II: The Adventure of Link might be the most difficult Zelda i've ever played.

Zelda II has a experience based progression system that when you gain enough experience you can level up. Health, attack and magic are all abilities you can level up and each makes you tougher, hit harder or the ability to use less magic while casting spells. Along the way you can find heat containers that increase your life and magic bottles that increase your magic. To progress through Zelda II you need to make sure you are collecting enough experience to level up while making sure you get each heart and magic bottle or else the game will simply be too difficult. For instance, after you complete the first dungeon you can either go south to get the hammer or east for the second dungeon. I opted to go for the hammer so I could make my way easier through the overworld and I spent over 10 runs and 6 level-ups before I could make my way to actually collect the hammer in the cave maze. I might have taken that part a bit early but I was also getting completely wrecked at the second dungeon too. Zelda II is a fun game but it's the first Zelda game i've spent time level grinding to progress.

Zelda II Is All About Defense & Run Management

Zelda II reminds me of a modern rogue-like in that each enemy has a specific method of attack and way you approach it and if you don't consider defense to be more important you will not progress through the game. In fact, i'd say a good defense coupled with health management is the most important part of Zelda II. In most games you can ignore small enemies that you outclassed because the amount of damage done to you is minuscule and you can easily heal. It's the same in Zelda II as low class enemies don't do much damage to you but healing is hard to come by and you need to plan your run accordingly. For instance the best healing in the game is a spell you get but that takes up magic which isn't easy to come by either and you need that magic for defense and jump spells. If you run out of magic and you need the jump spell you can't progress. If you run out of magic and you need the defense spell for a tough run of enemies you will die. If you die too much the game is over and you can continue but back at the start of the game.

Zelda II is a game all about managing your runs to dungeons, items and the like and how to balance when to focus on leveling up VS when to focus on getting items to progress. For instance if I am close to death on my last life but also close to leveling up I'll choose leveling up and focus less on progression so I can save the game and restart my run. But if i'm close to collecting an item (key, heart, hammer) I might choose to avoid fights to collect the item so I can die, save the game and start over a new run.

I'm using a map to make my playthrough of Zelda II easier and I'd recommend you do the same if you are going to play it. Like nearly all the NES games i've played recently on the classic I am using the map out of the Playing with Power book. The Zelda II maps aren't perfect and contain a few omissions like they print out the general area where you can find Bagu but not the actual tile location. Some of the text is also vague but I didn't find it too hard to figure out or enhance it with a quick search online.

If you missed out on Zelda II and are looking for a challenge you might want to play Breath of the Wild. But if you played that and want to head back to something a bit more retro, Zelda II is here and Ganon is ready to laugh at you each time you die.