jdodson | Cheerful Ghost

Get Jade Empire Free On EA Origin!

EA is giving away the classic BioWare RPG Jade Empire so head over to Origin to redeem it while supplies last! While the digital supplies last. So basically until they run out of keys? Or does it expire? They don't really say so just click that link down there.

https://www.origin.com/en-us/store/free-games/on-the-house

Kirby's Dream Land - An Amazing Retro Platformer That Is Incredibly Easy To Beat

One of the retro karts I picked up as this years Portland Retro Gaming Expo was Kirby's Dreamland on Gameboy. I have fond memories of Kirby on NES and since I wanted to pickup a Gameboy Advance at this years PRGE I decided to also get some classic Gameboy titles such as Metroid Return of Samus and Kirby's Dreamland.

A week ago I snapped Kirby's Dreamland in my Advance and started it up. Immediately I was reminded of how much fun Kirbys Adventure is on the Nintendo as it's nearly perfectly translated here to Gameboy. The play control is great and the platforming is super smooth. Kirby can suck in enemies and air that he can then shoot out as a projectile weapon as well as suck in air to float around the screen. Kirby may very well be one of the most overpowered characters in a platformer from his default set of abilities alone. So overpowered that in my first session I was able to complete the game with only dying two times. I bet with a couple more play sessions I could beat the entire game with only one life as the game doesn't really offer much of challenge. That said the game is fun and well worth the hour or so I spent playing it. The game does contain a cheat code you learn at the end of the game that unlocks a harder mode which I haven't tried but does promise an increase in difficulty. Kirby's Dreamland is a short Gameboy classic that doesn't offer much challenge but lots of fun and engaging platforming.

Tales From The Void - My Thoughts On The First Half of Starcraft II Legacy of The Void

I am a StarCraft zombie from way back so when news of the final chapter of the StarCraft II series was releasing I zerg rushed to get it. Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm took the series into a much deeper and more interesting place and as seen in my numerous play sessions of both games. Legacy of the Void continues the epic saga and I can safely say that it's quite enjoyable and so far, a very entertaining ride. I don't want to spoil the game for anyone so I am going to not get too specific about anything I feel is related to the plot.

As the game launches you back into the StarCraft-verse things happen that I didn't expect but make sense with how Blizzard like to tell stories. After the initial couple missions things get very bleak, which makes sense considering they want you to feel like the odds are against you and you might not win. But since you always win in video games that you spend the time to complete this trope is honestly starting to feel a bit played out. It's not that I don't mind the odds stacked against you in a game, it's just that the lengths Blizzard goes to accomplish that seem entirely transparent. I'll try to explain what I mean without getting too specific about the story but at one point you come across a race that did very well in the last couple games and should be quite strong yet in one mission they are unbelievably devastated. "You mean all the stuff I did in the last games to build things up are wiped out in a mission or two? *sigh* sure Ok then." The only other thing I found a bit obnoxious was the Protoss have very well reasoned plans with clear objectives that keep getting figured out for not apparent reason. The game makes it plain that you are on the cutting edge of an idea and means to make you believe you arrive on location before the enemy does to only be hoodwinked by them as they have already arrived and are extremely well prepared. The game basically wants you to believe that when you come to some news first and leave right away the bad guys beat you to the punch... every... single... time. Again, this isn't a bad trope if you do it once or twice but it happens all the time.

That said the other aspects of the game are solid and extremely enjoyable. The diversity of missions is solid, the art direction is incredible and the music is top notch. If you loved the earlier StarCraft games you'd do well to play this one as it's a fitting end to the series.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/01/2015 at 02:22am

I must admit that I still haven't played it. Fallout 4 and Ark: Survival Evolved are to blame. Well, that and my anxiety with even the first Oblivion mission. As I've said, I intended to play Fallout 4 first. I've also thought about starting LotV and going back to the Oblivion missions when I feel more comfortable with the Protoss, since it's been so long since I've seriously played some StarCraft II.

Thanks for your input! How many missions have you played through? Or, how many hours have you put into LotV?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 12/01/2015 at 05:55am

I've played through a bit more than half of the game. Hours? I don't know Blizzard doesn't make it easy to see that. By the end maybe 25 or 30?

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/20/2015 at 08:33pm

I finally just finished Whispers of Oblivion. It was a bit difficult to get into it and proceed through the first two missions, I had to look up some help after a few attempts. I failed a few times with the last mission, but ended up finishing it. I played on Normal difficulty. At first, it was because I wasn't used to Protoss units and wasn't sure how to proceed. In the first mission, I built some very strong robotic ground units, which was helpful. For the second one, I used a good group of air units.

So, what do you think about LotV now that you finished?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 12/20/2015 at 08:56pm

Ah, good question I should get a review out. In general i was hapoy with it but it wasnt as great as Wings or HoTS. That said it had a very satisfying prologue ending.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/20/2015 at 09:08pm

Did you pre-order the Nova thing yet? I'm thinking about it, there is a sale going on for it.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 12/20/2015 at 09:34pm

Yep, I will.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/20/2015 at 09:45pm

I did. It's only $14.99. =)

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The Best Gift Of All - The Starship Rubicon Demo For The Holidays

After a string of summer events showing Starship Rubicon, winter approaches, and as such comes the incredible march of the holiday sales. Starship Rubicon will join the legions of games on sale and we want to give people an extra incentive to buy the game at its super discounted rate so today we are launching a demo. If you haven’t tried Rubicon and have always wanted to this is your chance! As everything awesome in the PC space the Starship Rubicon demo runs on PC, Mac and Linux and contains a tasty slice of the actual game in 3 playable ships and the entirety of level Sol level 2. As with most demos we keep some of the great stuff for the full meal deal but we think there is a lot here to try and it’s well worth your time.

For folks that may not know, Starship Rubicon is a modern take on the classic space shooter genre. It's a smart and challenging rogue-lite that features a unique control scheme, pixel art remixed with real NASA photographs, and an existential crisis about who is REALLY the monster.

In Starship Rubicon, Earth has been casually destroyed by a mysterious race of space-faring invertebrates. You are a fighter pilot whose cryopod has been collected by a possibly-insane AI, who has placed you in the unenviable position of being humanity’s savior. Shanghaied and alone, you must gather the remaining human survivors and traverse the surprising biodiversity of deep space to find a new home.

Download the Starship Rubicon demo on Steam now.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/372030/

My Review Of Valves Steam Controller - A Great Couch PC Experience

Valve is making a big push into the living room and the new Steam Controller is a large part of that. As reviews pour in what I've read hasn't left me with a good impression. Based on some reviews you might think Valve is insane and the new controller is an abysmal failure but i'd like to offer a different perspective.

Valves new Steam controller is amazing at some things and meh at others. Overall though, it provides a great middle ground that doesn't prefer one PC game type to another, which I think gives people a skewed impression.

So let's talk about what the Steam Controller doesn't do well to get that out of the way. In my opinion the Steam Controller isn't great at first person shooters. Don't get me wrong, it's fine but compared to the XBox 360 controller or keyboard and mouse the Steam controller isn't great. The dual trackpads don't make for a great aiming experience but that doesn't mean you can't have fun using it. It's not just not ideal. Since FPS games dominate the gaming landscape this control perspective will dominate the Steam controller discussion. That said, if you verge into nearly any other game type the Steam controller does very well.

So lets dive into the games I tried and I'll talk a bit about each.

Portal 2

This experience was fine but from the couch the 360 controller is superior. Since Portal 2 isn't a twitch game the Steam controller experience isn't bad at all I just prefer the traditional game-pad or keyboard and mouse.

Fallout 4

Bethesda provided a default binding for the Steam controller, which is great in every way except aiming. It just never felt responsive enough. I feel like you have to flick with the trackpad way more than you should but if you turn the sensitivity up it feels too jittery. If you stick to VATS for attack things are fine but in my opinion the 360 controller is better from the couch.

Rage

Honestly Rage felt a bit better but perhaps I was just getting used to the Steam controller at this point. Again not a bad experience but for these kinds of twitch shooters a 360 controller might serve you better. Then again, I really can't play this game with the 360 controller either as I can't really hit anything. But you know, iD games were born on the keyboard and mouse and I find that a better way to play the game.

Little Inferno

Non FPS games are where the Steam controller shines and Little Inferno is a great experience. Had no issues with the game and found the couch experience to be extremely fun.

FTL

Whereas the controller isn't as accurate as a mouse this game is very playable on the couch. Since you can pause the game you can take a bit more time to do what you need. FTL from the living room wasn't something I thought could work but the Steam controller makes this possible.

Age of Empires 2

If you don't mind hunting and pecking for building things, Age 2 works OK. I'd dumb down the AI considerably because of that but if you need to play Age 2 from the couch it's possible. I don't love it but it works well enough.

Hearthstone

This was the first game I tried and it worked perfectly. No special mappings or anything, just load up the game and go.

Diablo 3

Frankly this worked better than I thought. Whereas I didn't do this, if you could import Diablo 3 into Steam you could bind the Steam controller properly to make this a extremely seamless experience. That said I just played by clicking the mouse and it worked way better than I thought it would. Valve made a great controller that works well with Blizzard titles, so thanks Valve!

Binding of Isaac

Since the Steam controller ships with a standard analog stick and physical buttons games like The Binding Of Isaac work just as well as a traditional controller. The community even has a really interesting binding set that takes advantage of the trackpads in a really unique way in that you can move and shoot using them by touch or click. It's one of the more novel uses of the Steam controller and I tip my hat to the people that made it.

Knights of Pen and Paper

Like Hearthstone, this game works very well as it is primarily driven by the mouse. Games like this is where the Steam controller shines.

Terraria

The best Terraria control experience in my opinion is on the PC with a keyboard and mouse. I've never felt comfortable playing it with a PS3 controller or even on my iPhone. The controls just felt awkward. That said, Re-Logic has an official binding set for the Steam controller that makes it one of the best ways to play the game. It's not as good as the keyboard and mouse but it's damn good and I was surprised how well it worked. It takes a bit to learn but offers a really interesting way to play the game you should try.

Escape Goat 2

This is another title that works flawlessly due to the analog stick and physical buttons. Great experience.

Guacamelee!

Again, great experience due to analog stick and physical buttons.

Kingdom Rush

The community keybindings make Kindom Rush work really well. I'd say I enjoyed the couch experience more than using the traditional keyboard and mouse. I even enjoyed it more than playing it on my phone.

Shovel Knight

One more game that works just as well as using a traditional controller due to the analog stick and physical buttons.

In Conclusion

In a diverse Steam library that demands to be played from the living room the Steam controller is superb. If your gaming diet is primarily first person games i'd recommend you trying the Steam controller before buying it. Since it's new Valve is updating it's firmware, fixing bug and Steam games are getting more community and official bindings. Based on the early reviews I didn't expect it to be good but what I found was a lot more fun and should get better with time.

Wick wrote on 11/21/2015 at 09:39pm

Ooooo! I'd love to take a look at it sometime. Thanks for sharing!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 11/21/2015 at 09:58pm

No problem! One hitch is that I am borrowing it and need to return it next Tuesday so my time with it is limited.

Travis Admin wrote on 12/31/2015 at 07:13am

I'm going to chime in with a full review, but my experience with FPS games is the opposite of yours. It's not quite as good as M/KB but it's better than a 360 or PS3 controller. I was amazed after 5 minutes of Portal 2 just how much easier it was to control than a 360 controller.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 12/31/2015 at 05:14pm

The Portal games aren't really considered FPSs, due to a large absence of the S part of that acronym. Anyone use the Steam controller in a CS:GO or TF2-type environment? I've heard that the gyroscope is the secret feature that shines in FPSs, making the Steam controller even somewhat competitive(?).

Travis Admin wrote on 12/31/2015 at 05:16pm

Yeah Portal isn't an FPS, but it's great to get used to first person gameplay. (just mentioned that in my own review actually)

And I've heard that too, that the gyro's fine-tuned aiming can give people an edge. I still haven't gotten used to that, but it is neat.

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James & Mike Play The Famicom Legend of Zelda

Many of us grew up playing the original Legend of Zelda on the NES. That said, the NES wasn't the original launch system for the Legend of Zelda and James and Mike from Cinnemassacre talk about the original Famicom version. It differs from the US version and they discuss them as the play the game.

Pols Voice: A ghost with big ears and a weak point – he hates loud noises.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Turkey Day Is Coming

Mystery Science Theater 3000 recently achieved it's crowdfunding goal on Kickstarter for three new episodes. It's a little under halfway to it's further goal to full fund a full 12 episode season if the nerd crowd so desires. Either way we will be getting new episodes which is an awesome thing. If you were alive in the 90's you may have caught this show on Comedy Central and later on the SciFi Network. One yearly staple was MST3K Turkey Day where Joel and Bots would select 6 episodes to show over the course of Thanksgiving and record a new video segment to kickoff each episode. In the last couple years Turkey Day has been something they've continued through streaming and this year should be worth checking out.

Why not relax with this message from Internet sensation Joel Hodgson:

"If you've been watching Mystery Science Theater 3000 for a while, maybe you already know about a little holiday tradition that we like to call the MST3K Turkey Day Marathon.

Every year on Thanksgiving, we get together and spend the day giving thanks for our favorite meal: the cheesy movies that have been feeding Mystery Science Theater 3000 since we first aired on Thanksgiving Day in 1988.

Now that you're part of our family, I'd love for you and your family to become part of our tradition."

If you are interested in forgoing football in favor of 6 classic MST3K episodes there are a ton of options to stream it free online on their Kickstarter page.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mst3k/bringbackmst3k/posts/1420187/

Cheerful Ghost Video Mini: Every Starcraft II Collectors Edition Unboxing

I do a quick unboxing video of all the Starcraft II Collectors Editions featuring Wings of Liberty, Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void.

Can't Play Fallout 4? Play Fallout 3 Instead!

Lots of us on Cheerful Ghost are playing Fallout 4 but I understand many of you can't right now. Christmas is right around the corner or maybe your PC isn't up to the task. Not partaking in Fallout 4 might be your reality but why not play the next best thing with Fallout 3?

Bundle Stars has a crazy deal on the Fallout Series where you can pickup Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics, Fallout 3 Game of the Year and Fallout New Vegas Game of the Year for only $20. This is one of the best deals in our pre-apocalypse so grab it while you can.

https://www.bundlestars.com/en/bundle/fallout-bundle

If you want to pickup each game in the series they have deep discounts on those as well.

https://www.bundlestars.com/en/games?publishers=Bethesda%20Softworks

Travis Admin wrote on 11/19/2015 at 04:19am

That's a crazy deal. Tons of value. Like 1000 hours of gameplay for $20

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 11/19/2015 at 09:32pm

Picked it up. After the PS3 died, I really want to head back to Fo3 at some point and this is a great deal.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 11/19/2015 at 09:32pm

Any mods you recommend running with it?

JaBo wrote on 11/20/2015 at 11:14pm

I have been playing FO3 a bit. My reason for not playing FO4 is that I haven't played FO3 much, and I don't want to bypass a good game. I likely wouldn't go backwards if I played FO4 a ton, just like I didn't go play morrowrind after I started with oblivion.

Travis Admin wrote on 11/20/2015 at 11:25pm

The only mods I've ever run on fallout 3 were the unofficial patches and one that brought in a TARDIS so I'm not well versed on them. I do recommend those unofficial patches though.

Travis Admin wrote on 11/20/2015 at 11:27pm

And JaBo, I know what you mean. I tried to get into Morrowind but it was hard going backwards. Which sucks because many people count Morrowind as the best in the series.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 11/21/2015 at 01:42am

Yeah, stick with Fallout 3. It's a great game plus, like you say, it might be harder going back.

Where are you in the game?

JaBo wrote on 11/23/2015 at 05:03pm

Yeah Travis, my brother says Morrowind is the best and he's played 3-4-5. Him and his friend downloaded a graphics mod and some other things maybe and are playing it again even. He said it at least brings the graphics up to low quality skyrim.

Not far at all - Jon, lol. I've played a bit on PS3 and I was investigating a school and then a city with mines in it. That's what I can remember. I started on PC and I went to some place that is being attacked by a gang and was going to help there, but then I decided my character sucked at combat and I rerolled. I'm now a bastard thief/assassin and I'm starting off by killing and looting Megaton before I set on the quest to blow it up.

So, I haven't really played much at all. It's hard to put Hearthstone down! especially when I just got my first golden legendary (Aviana).

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 11/24/2015 at 10:34pm

> I'm now a bastard thief/assassin and I'm starting off by killing and looting Megaton before I set on the quest to blow it up.

I want to start a Fo3 game and play evil to blow up Megaton. It's one of the craziest choices I can think of in a game and ... I just want to see how it works and what the crater is like. If there is a crater created, I just assumed there was.

Travis Admin wrote on 11/25/2015 at 04:05am

There is. A pretty big one. Only one or two survivors

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Cheerful Ghost Roundtable S3 E7: The One Where We Fall Down 4 Times

In this episode of the Cheerful Ghost Roundtable we get together to work our fears and thoughts on the upcoming Star Wars The Force Awakens. We also discuss what we are all playing which is mostly Fallout 4.

Come for the fun banter, stay for belt references along with WhiteboySlim and his hat.

Travis Admin wrote on 11/19/2015 at 04:21am

This one was fun! One of my faves.

Travis Admin wrote on 11/19/2015 at 04:22am

Also, Adam, you were essential.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 11/19/2015 at 04:36am

Yeah. I think we will do more to advertise the live stream for the next episode.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 11/19/2015 at 06:40am

That was really fun. Adam's comments were great! I think doing the live stream was a great idea.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 11/19/2015 at 04:14pm

Interacting with you guys was great! This was fun to watch live.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/20/2015 at 02:34am

About Fallout 4: People complaining about the graphics quality reminds me of when people whined about Wind Waker. I thought that was a great game and enjoyed the graphical difference. Fallout 4 may not have uber fantastic graphics, but it's style is very good, I think. To me, it looks a lot like Fallout 3, but better. As for bugs, I haven't seen very many, but I've seen at least a couple. Sometimes the weapon I'm carrying turns invisible along with my Pip-boy and I can't see either even though they're there. I've also seen things like the Ghoul glitch Travis mentioned. Still, I think Bethesda did a good job with it and the points you guys brought up (like not everyone having a "Greg-station") are excellent. Take, for instance, Ark Survival Evolved and look at that. The game is extremely graphically extensive and even PCs like mine have trouble with it, but it's also an Early Access game and not yet fully optimized. Back to Fallout 4, I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm not sure I've really enjoyed it as much as you guys. It does seem more difficult, at least to me. I've also run into some issues (like being overwhelmed with the weapon choices and not being able to carry enough weight), which I think could be resolved once I'm more used to playing it. Still, I'd recommend it to fellow Fallout fans.

About the new Star Wars movie: I'm not planning on seeing it when it comes out. I'm sure I'll watch it eventually. So far, from what I've seen, it looks like it'll probably be really good. I also have low standards as I probably like the prequels more than most of you. I agree with Travis in that a light saber duel would still make me happy.

I'm glad you mentioned Jurassic World, since I just bought the Blu-Ray Jurassic Park collection to watch with my son. Jurassic World may not have been as extremely awesome as the original, but I thought it was cool enough to make me want to own it or watch it again. I was kind of disappointed with some of the JP sequels, though, especially the third movie.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 11/20/2015 at 03:15am

> It does seem more difficult, at least to me. I've also run into some issues (like being overwhelmed with the weapon choices and not being able to carry enough weight), which I think could be resolved once I'm more used to playing it.

The game is wicked hard to start. After you get some good armor and mod weapons things are easier but yeah... it's hard to start. Always be looting and checking to see if what you found it better than what you have. I am always checking to see if this or that armor is better. I didn't upgrade my armor at the start and have started to, it can be useful. That said, you will generally find better armor as you progress.

Equip a few pistols, rifles and mod a tire iron to put a blade on it. It's a great early hand weapon you need because bullets are scarce to start.

I recommend sinking points into the Gun Nut skill. This will allow you to mod weapons to make them more powerful, something that is very important. You can find what you will off stuff you loot/kill but I am able to make my weapons WAY more powerful and it really helps.

Sneak around bad guys even if you suck at it. Also get a rifle and try and pick off bad guys if you can. Going in with guns blazing is fun but picking off a couple or all is safer.

Sometimes I hit "Q" to go into vats if I am unsure if there are badguys around. If there are it goes into vats and alerts you to what is around you.

I hit F5 to save ALL THE TIME. When I die, reload, it's pretty easy.

That's all i've done and I just cleared the Corvega Factory. I went in guns blazing, got wasted. Then I crouched and sniped people and did way better. If people come in close, I hit them with my shotgun but I am much more effective with my rifle.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 11/20/2015 at 03:22am

Looks like Star Wars might be headed for some box office records:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/star-wars-aims-its-mighty-force-toward-a-box-office-smash-1447966327

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/20/2015 at 04:12am

Well, luckily it's easy to tell if something's better because the stats have a + or - next to them. I upgraded some armor, but only used the "Pocketed" mod which helps you carry more weight. I have bought and sold armor, too. I've started using more guns, but now I'm running out of ammo, so I should probably buy more when I can. Yeah, I'm glad I finally found a sniper rifle, which has been helpful. I also use the 10mm and shot gun, too. I've cleared the Corvega Factory a few times now since I've started a new game multiple times.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/20/2015 at 09:21pm

Steam says my Fallout 4 hours equals 48. My current save is for 10 hours and about 20 minutes. This is probably around the 4th new game I've started, so it wouldn't surprise me if I've only made it a bit over 10 hours into the game before starting over again. The good thing about this is that I feel like a bit of an expert when it comes to beginning. I don't die in the Vault or shortly after. Hahahahaha (I doubt anyone does.)

Travis Admin wrote on 11/20/2015 at 11:26pm

Explore the Museum of Witchcraft when you can. Bring chems. Bring power armor. I'm not saying anything else. :)

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/21/2015 at 01:24am

I'm aware of that museum only because Paul Soares Jr. has some Fallout 4 videos and he met an NPC that mentioned it. The game just recently told me that things get more dangerous the further south you get, which is where I was the last time I played. I have a lot of Fusion Cores some how (just less than 10 I think). Thanks for the tip. I've left my Power Armor at Sanctuary. I have found other pieces for it, but I haven't been using it.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 11/21/2015 at 01:45am

Hahahahah. Museum of Witchcraft. I love that name. I look forward to going there.

Some day.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 11/21/2015 at 02:59pm

Someones illegal grow operation in Fo4: http://gfycat.com/NeatFreeBats

Travis Admin wrote on 11/21/2015 at 06:25pm

It's actually a real place, we went there a few years back when we visited Boston:

https://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/

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jdodson1

2753 Posts

Get Jade Empire Free On EA Origin!

Kirby's Dream Land - An Amazing Retro Platformer That Is Incredibly Easy To Beat

Tales From The Void - My Thoughts On The First Half of Starcraft II Legacy of The Void

The Best Gift Of All - The Starship Rubicon Demo For The Holidays

My Review Of Valves Steam Controller - A Great Couch PC Experience

James & Mike Play The Famicom Legend of Zelda

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Turkey Day Is Coming

Cheerful Ghost Video Mini: Every Starcraft II Collectors Edition Unboxing

Can't Play Fallout 4? Play Fallout 3 Instead!

Cheerful Ghost Roundtable S3 E7: The One Where We Fall Down 4 Times