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.

2757 Posts

Chex Quest is a non-violent breakfast cereal game released in 1996 that was a conversion of The Ultimate Doom. I had a copy of this and really rather enjoyed it in 96 but as with some things, I got rid of it not knowing it would achieve cult status later on. The legendary status of Chex Quest is still very strong and it so much so that recently got an HD remake and came to Steam last month. Since I enjoyed playing the original and it's currently free on Steam I downloaded it and gave it a go.

Firstly Chex Quest HD is free and that means that it shouldn't really be held up to the same light as a game you paid for. With that is Chex Quest good? I think that depends on what you like but for a free game it's well worth your time and if you never played the original this could be fun to try.

All that said, I'm not sure as a remake this does much more than bring the original namesake back into the light for a time. Reason being is the game is aimed at recreating the levels and gameplay of the original but doesn't really improve anything. The graphics are in HD and entirely remade here which is interesting but the gameplay is so stiff and uninviting i'd argue the original Chex Quest is a far better game. Chex Quest HD is based on the Unreal Engine 4 but the gameplay doesn't feel like it is. The original Doom and Chex Quest by association were on the same engine and those games are bound to the limitations of 90's era control schemes and what DOS was capable of. One improvement i'd have made to Chex Quest HD is that since you are on a modern shooter engine, make the game feel like a modern shooter. The original Chex Quest was awesome because it was on the DOOM engine which was an entirely modern shooter engine back in the 90's. Sad that the HD remake didn't take take advantage of the modern Unreal Engine it was built within to feel more like Unreal or any other modern shooter made with it.

I absolutely love that Chex Quest is getting the attention it deserves. It's a fun classic campy game that should be more widely played. That said, I wonder if simply porting the classic game to modern systems and making it work in widescreen with a modern Doom engine port would have be better? The developers could have made a feature to switch between two WAD files one being the original and the other being a touched up version. In the end remaking a classic game with an entirely new codebase and art isn't bad and we've seen it done to incredible levels with the recent Link's Awakening remake. One reason why the modern Link's Awakening remake shines is because it improves on the original game in various ways that create a new fresh experience that builds on the classic game. I appreciate the love that the developers put into the Chex Quest HD remake I'm just not sure it hits quite the same notes as the original.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/804270/Chex_Quest_HD/


YouTube documentary great Noclip dropped a timely look at the recent Command and Conquer + Red Alert remastering. I knew the remastering was made with a lot of attention and care but I didn't know they got the original developers back to work on it. Clocking in at 40 minutes this look at how EA remastered one of the best games of all time is a must watch.

"Featuring interviews with Jim Vessella, Petroglyph Games and Lemon Sky, we explore how Command & Conquer Remastered Collection came together, and how the international team remastered FMV, graphics, audio, music, gameplay and more."


I heart Sim Tower so when I heard there was a sequel a few years back I was surprised. Sim Tower gets some love in retro circles but seems like a forgotten gem. Lazy Gamer Clint Basinger is back doing his review magic on a game that I feel holds up well even if some of the games simplicity doesn't fare well for longer play sessions.

"There was a Sim Tower 2? In all but name, yes! Let's take a look at Yoot Tower, aka The Tower II, developed by OPeNBooK9003 and published by Sega in 1998 for Macintosh and Windows PCs. Along with the Towerkit maps and other plugins from Japan!"


I've played a lot of Donkey Kong Country but I wouldn't consider myself a pro. When I was in my prime I could be the whole game start to finish without dying, which is quite difficult. To celebrate the game coming to Switch Online on July 15th Nintendo released a fun Classified Information video showcasing some Donkey Kong Country secrets. One features infinite lives you can get while Diddy Kong and also a trick to getting 101% which is just what all the Donkey Kong Country completionists out there needed.

The full list of games Nintendo is adding on July 15th is Donkey Kong Country, Natsume Championship Wrestling on SNES and The Immortal on NES.


2K Games dropped a raft of games on Switch recently with Bioshock The Collection, The Borderlands Legendary Collection and X-Com 2. Last week I happily opened The Borderlands Legendary Collection on Father's Day and was able to play it enough to note that's it's another solid Switch port worthy of the games strong legacy.

I know this might not be a popular opinion but I think the first Borderlands game is the best in the series(I have yet to play Borderlands 3). And now that the original Borderlands was remastered with a ton of updates and quality of life improvements (auto pickup, etc) it really is the best looter shooter around. 2K took this remastered version and perfectly ported it to Switch such that I honestly can't tell if they had to compromise anything in the way of visuals or gameplay.

If you are interested in buying the physical version of Borderlands on Switch there is something to keep in mind. 2K was able to put the original Borderlands on the game cart but if you want to play Borderlands 2 and the Pre-Sequel there is an included code to download them. As someone that enjoys buying a physical copy and loaning it to friends this is a bummer but on the other hand, there is no cart switching required to play Borderlands 2 or the Pre-Sequel. Plus if you just wanted to play those two games, one could buy the game snag the codes and loan out the game cart to someone that has yet to play the original.

Earlier on I picked up The Bioshock Collection and 2K put a bit of each game on the cart and required complete downloads of all with the game cart. I appreciate that they included a sample of all three games I think I prefer what they did with The Borderlands Legendary Collection.

Borderlands is already a classic game and it's good to see it continue to be relevant and come to an even wider audience on Switch. If you have Borderlands remastered on PC already and prefer that platform i'd recommend playing it that way but if you have a Switch and have yet to try it out this is a great way to do that.

I also wanted to note that I played Borderlands on Switch co-op with a friend recently and if your Switch is online it requires you friends account to be connected to a Switch online account. This makes some sense as Borderlands co-op can interact with public online as well but it was a major hassle to figure out how to get around this. To get around Switch Borderlands requirement for a friend account to link online you simply turn wifi off on your Switch. It's a strange hack but it worked and hope it helps anyone that runs into that problem.


Cyberpunk 2077 is the follow up to the Witcher III by developer CD Projekt Red. Recently they released some 30fps 4K footage of Cyberpunk and Digital Foundry did a really interesting analysis. Digital Foundry updated their video notes to say that the 4K footage is in fact using Ray Tracing to get those incredible lighting effects. So if you want to play Cyberpunk to the fullest it looks like you should play with RTX on the PC until the PS5 and XBox Series X have released.

I know there are many people on Cheerful Ghost that played The Witcher III and I'm wondering how many are excited about Cyberpunk?


Metal Jesus made a video ranking the most under rated consoles and after watching the video I wondered what would be on my list? Frankly I don't think many consoles are as under rated as they were unpopular. The Wii U wasn't very popular but I think it's fairly well loved for being a low seller. What consoles do you think deserve more love than they get? I'd also put the Ouya on my list as well as it proved there was a market for indie games on your TV and then Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo noticed and then allowed anyone to publish to their systems.


Dwarf Fortress is one of the coolest games I've ever heard of but is so incredibly evolved i'm somewhat nervous to try it. Like D&D i've gone so long admiring it and not playing it I get lost admiring the complexity and lack of starting it.

That said, one highlight of going to PAX West a handful of years ago was talking with Tarn Adams for a good while about Dwarf Fortress and watching this recent No Clip video reminded me of that PAX. Tarn is a fun developer to listen to and Dwarf Fortress is one of those games that even if you might not have played it it's still an impressive feat and if games are considered art, and I think they are, Dwarf Fortress would rank at the tippy top of that list.


We are in the age of classic game remasters and as many of these remasters are of games I love I enjoy the trend. The Command & Conquer Remastered Collection brings the original game + Red Alert a new coat of paint and a lot of really impressive tech under the hood to breathe life into these classic games. Personally I've played Red Alert the most and consider it to be one of the best RTS games around. It refined the original game and spun up the crazy style of Command & Conquer that was later made even better in Red Alert 2.

As usual Digital Foundry has run the new games through their paces and give them fantastic marks. Plus the collection is only $20 on Steam so why not give these classics a try?

"It may be 25-years-old, but Command & Conquer remains one of the greatest strategy games ever made - and the recently released remaster is a simply exceptional piece of work. Alex Battaglia has the full lowdown on the modernisation of a stone-cold classic."


Be excellent to each other.