jdodson1

Joined 01/23/2012

I'm an Engineer and built the video game community Cheerful Ghost and text based mini-MMO Tale of the White Wyvern.

2746 Posts

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.


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


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.


In 1993 iD Software melted the faces off the entire world with the release of Doom on DOS. Doom was a masterpiece of violence and gore that ushered in a new era of gaming with the First Person Shooter. iD created some very iconic work such as Wolfenstein, Doom and Quake and as many books and documentaries have been dedicated to the topic. I recently saw one you all need to check out and is linked above. The video is somewhat dated in that it was released in a post Rage world but it mentions the upcoming Doom reboot and the sale of the company to Zenimax/Bethesda.


In the latest episode of Previously Recorded Jack and Rich don't paint a very good picture of the Steam controller. After watching a couple hours of Rich playing games he doesn't look like an easy person to please but I do respect his opinion. Both seem to think the Steam Controller was a good idea that hasn't quite hit it's stride yet. I've read some reviews that speak well of it but I haven't heard anyone say it's a slam dunk win and something they love using.

I plan on getting a Steam Machine soon but am a bit nervous of the prospect as the Steam Controller is a large part of what makes the Steam in the Living Room work.


http://cdn.idigitaltimes.com/sites/idigitaltimes.com/files/styles/embed/public/2015/11/18/fallout-4.PNG
As seemingly everyone in gaming is playing Fallout 4 I see more and more reviews of it, lets play videos and news about where Bethesda will take it post launch. One bit of Fallout trivia you might find interesting is that 12 million copies were sold on launch day alone! Hopefully the estimated $750 million in sales can cover the games budget and Bethesda can safely have enough left over to build each of the Fallout developers a working Mr Handy robot.

“We’re extremely proud of Todd Howard, Game Director at Bethesda Game Studios, and his experienced team of developers for their talent and dedication in creating this extraordinary game,” said Bethesda Softworks president Vlatko Andonov. “Fallout 4 is a masterpiece in game development and storytelling, providing fans hundreds of hours of fun as they explore and are challenged by this fascinating, beautifully crafted world.”

Digital sales of Fallout 4 have also broke records as it became the number one game played on Steam with 470,000 concurrent players. The Fallout Pip-Boy companion app became the number one game on iTunes, and Fallout 4 itself also set the record as the most viewed game launch of 2015, according to Twitch.


http://www.shacknews.com/article/92158/fallout-4-sales-to-be-in-excess-of-750-million-with-12-million-copies-on-launch-day-alone


http://stardewvalley.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/steam4-1024x604.png
"I know many of you are wondering about a release date. Developers who are a lot more experienced than I have advised me not to set a release date until the game is completely finished. I’ve made some foolishly optimistic predictions in the past, and even recently I said the game will “definitely be released this year”. I don’t think a full release will happen this year. I wish the game was ready, but it’s not. As I’ve said in the past, it’s just so hard to predict how long game development will take. I’m working my hardest to get the game finished and it’s so very close, but the last thing I want to do is rush the game to release and have it be sloppy. I’ve been working on this thing for too long to do that."

We've covered Stardew Valley a bunch on the site here and I wanted to update everyone that it seems like we are in the final stretch before launch next year. In a world of unfinished Early Access games that leave you ultimately unsatisfied I respect the "ship it when it's done" philosophy.

http://stardewvalley.net/dev-update-31/


About a month back I decided to save up my gold to open packs with one of my friends Dan. Since I only have a couple Goblins VS Gnomes cards I decided that would be what I opened and Dan wanted to focus on classic. Join us as I open 19 GvG and 1 TGT pack(oops) and Dan opens 27 classic packs. Even though I took the unlucky first spot I was happy with what we both pulled.

After this round of pack opens I plan to turn my gold attention to unlocking the new League of Explorers Adventure. So far i've seen many of the new cards in my match ups and can't wait to unlock them for myself!


http://i.imgur.com/9RRRRTZ.jpg
Last night I went to Best Buy to pickup my pre-order of Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void Collectors Edition and I also grabbed Fallout 4 on PC. If you have the chance to get a physical copy I recommend it as you can install the first 1/4th of the game off the DVD and it also comes with a very cool perk poster.

As I was installing Fallout 4 last night I played a couple Legacy of the Void missions. The starting missions for Legacy of the Void do a good job of bringing you back to the game, so if you've taken a break and have forgotten how to play you should be all set. After Fallout 4 installed I decided to head in and play and after my first two hours I can say that so far, it's as engrossing and immersive as you come to expect from a polished Bethesda title. The design, music, voice acting, pacing and tone of the game are top notch and if you love open world games, this is for you.

Many gamers have complained that the graphics in Fallout 4 are bad for a modern game and so far I think this claim is silly. Fallout 4 may not feature the most cutting edge graphics but the game world is a lush, bright, harsh world that feels alive. Yeah so maybe the graphical knob isn't turned to 11 but that isn't as important to me as an immersive world, good game play and it being a hell of a lot of fun. And fun it is.

One of my most favorite parts of Fallout 3 was the time you spent in the vault. I wont spoil Fallout 4 but I will say it doesn't steal many beats from the first game in this regard. Even though you don't spend a lot of time in the vault at the start what time you do spend makes sense for the story and is well done. The intro of the game is long enough to hook you, but seems to get you in the game fast enough to make replaying it more satisfying.

So far I've only explored a little bit of the world and I love how Bethesda rewards you for doing that. Take a stroll of the path? Find a secret cave with some caps and useful equipment. Walk over to the Concord water tower? Find a burial site with some caps and ammo. I recommend making your way into Concord as you get some useful weapons that make your Wasteland adventures a bit easier, but if heading off the main quest and scrapping it in the wilderness is what you want to do you are all set.

For some reason I find hitting things with my baseball bat to be amazing. The image linked above of the Concord water tower? I hit it. Trees? Hit em'. Mannequins? Hit. Skeleton leaning over a podium? Right in the skull. But don't take my word for it, grab a bat and hit something. For science.


Back this on Kickstarter!
Joel Hodgson has been talking about bringing back Mystery Science Theater 3000 and today he launched a Kickstarter to fund new episodes. MST3K holds a special place in my addled 90's heart and to this day remains one of my most beloved shows of all time. I am currently making my way through the whole show and I just finished season 6's Village of The Giants featuring Timmy Kirk, Beau Bridges and Ron Howard. It's a strange go-go dancing film where Ron Howard invents a growth putty that causes the town bullies to grow to giant size and they use their new power to rule the town. It features one of the strangest movie intros I've seen with a car crash and immediate mud dancing go-go. It's really something you have to watch to fully grasp the raw power of. Which is why Mystery Science Theater needs to come back.

If you are not familiar with MST3K you can watch 13 episodes that stream free off the official YouTube page below. I recommend Manos The Hands of Fate (come for the ambiance, stay for Torgo), Mitchell (the one where Joel escapes the Satellite of Love) and Outlaw of Gor.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYy4ZargUluf-iyr4vFpe-xaJ46GEDpBI

The MST3K reboot Kickstarter aims to raise 2 million dollars for 3 episodes and has stretch goals to make a new 12 episode season. Y'all this needs to happen so if you have the ability to, give. I am eyeing the $35 DRM free download level or going one higher to pickup a shirt. Hopefully in the not too distant future we will get more show. Until then, I'll just keep checking the Kickstarter page but I really should just relax.

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