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

Blizzard dropped the date of the upcoming Gadgetzan launch date in a recent game stream and amazingly enough, it's this Thursday! In the stream there were many cards revealed and afterward Blizzard made them available to see on Facebook. You can check out all the Gadgetzan cards on the Blizzard Facebook page or Reddit linked below.

I love that we are getting more Hearthstone cards and that the meta will be changing again, hopefully for the better. I've usually enjoyed each expansion theme and this one is the first I haven't really connected with. Never been into crime noir or gangster stuff and it seems so strange mixing that in a fantasy world. That said, the cards and mechanics they are shipping are really interesting and I personally can't wait to build a Jade Golem and deck and a new Reno deck featuring Kazakus. Some of my friends have been asking me which cards I like from the new set and I've got a few below I find really interesting.

Mistress of Mixtures: She is a good Zombie Chow replacement that seems to work well with Priest negative healing.
http://i.imgur.com/fXGeZLc.jpg

Kazakus: If I don't open this legendary this will the be the first one I craft. The spell building effect is awesome and I love Reno decks.
http://i.imgur.com/aUkE9g3.jpg

Red Mana Wyrm: This is similar to the Mage card yet has better stats and costs more. This card is likely bad but I enjoy that Blizzard is making this available to all classes.
http://i.imgur.com/q5p0cYz.jpg

Hobart Grapplehammer: If you run more than a couple weapons this seems like an auto include. The dream is coining this on turn one then playing Axe on turn two. Well statted and has a great effect.
http://i.imgur.com/m7eEg3M.jpg

Wickerflame Burnbristle: Like Tyrion Fordring this may be an auto include in every Paladin deck. At this point, I am not sure why you wouldn't include this in every deck and because of that I wonder if this is too powerful?
http://i.imgur.com/GroZk2z.jpg

Public Defender: Public Defender is a fun card with an amazing concept but may not actually be very good. As someone that enjoys playing with Taunt decks I like where Warrior is headed there but taunt decks are typically fun but not very competitive.
http://i.imgur.com/QOqRGYF.jpg

Jade Idol: Welcome our new Druid Jade Golem overloads! The Jade Idol mechanic is so strong I wonder if this is one of the most powerful cards in the game now? Basically for one mana you can put three more cards in your deck FOREVER making it impossible to fatigue due to milling OR you can summon a Jade Golem. *Whew* I can't wait to try out this deck, it looks really fun.
http://i.imgur.com/fyT4fVu.jpg

There are a ton of other great cards in the set but those are some of the ones I find interesting. What cards are you interesting in trying?

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Hearthstone/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1257814800927952

https://www.reddit.com/r/hearthstone/comments/5b5mlg/the_mean_prerelease_reveal_chart_all_currently/


I want to wish everyone a very happy Turkey Day and hope you are spending it well! One tradition of mine is watching the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Turkey Day streamathon. This year is pretty incredible as they are streaming the top fan voted 6 best MST3K episodes. They just finished with Pumaman a so good it's bad movie about a professor that finds out he can wield the powers of the Pumaman while wearing a special Aztec belt. Whereas Pumaman didn't quite catch on as a Superhero franchise back in the 80's I hope Marvel can work it's magic to bring it back to a modern audience. Until then I recommending putting on the rest of the MST3K stream as the movie on now is Pod People, one of the strangest movies they've riffed.

**UPDATE**

You can still watch the entire 6 movie stream above as they are leaving it up for the holiday. When the Stream feed ends, i'll replace it with the official Manos The Hands of Fate episode on YouTube. Until then, enjoy it in all it's 11 hour glory.

The final top MST3K episodes as voted by fans are:

1. Manos The Hands of Fate
2. Space Mutiny
3. Mitchell
4. Final Sacrifice
5. Pod People
6. Pumaman


Metal Jesus got a very unique Atari 2600 mod system that's so cool I had to share it here. Basically someone created an Atari 2600 that has video HDMI outputs while it uses the original 2600 carts and controllers. As Jesus shows off in his video, the output looks incredible as the device is capable of full HD video at 60hz.

This is a very cool device and I wonder if it will be produced as it seems to fit in the same category of the Retron or other modern HD retro remake systems?


https://images.nintendolife.com/news/2015/11/guide_the_best_2015_black_friday_nintendo_deals_in_the_us/attachment/1/885x.jpg
The Blackest Friday is nearly upon us and as such there will be some pretty crazy video game deals coming and I am going to collect the ones I see here. If you pick something up or find something too good not to share, drop it in the comments to share with everyone.



The Hearthstone world championship finals ended this year at Blizzcon with a nail biting set of matches between Pavel and DrHippi. I don't want to spoil the ending but if you like awesome comebacks, these final matches will be something you need to watch.


Blizzard is launching the final Nova CovertOps mission pack on November 22nd and as a long time StarCraft fan I am happy to head back to the universe and vanquish evil yet it seems bittersweet. The first two Nova packs were were fun and I hope Blizzard releases more if not a full sized campaign. Recently a friend asked me what the last game was that I was engrossed in and it was the last StarCraft expansion, Legacy of the Void. Playing the campaigns was a fun experience and if Blizzard makes more, i'd love to head back in.

As far as the continuing story it seems that Blizzard is setting up a showdown with the newest evil Protoss on the block, the Tal'darim and the trailer above seems to tease that. After the missions drop and I finish them up i'll post my final review of the set and if they are anything like the first two chapters it should be a good one.


February 14 2013 I put in an order for Skyrim on CD from DirectSong. DirectSong's tagline is "your unique record store" and seems to exclusively sell albums by Jeremy Soule. I figured i'd get the album in a couple weeks so I could rip it and listen to the Skyrim score from anywhere. A month later my Skyrim album hadn't shipped so I reached out to them to see where the order was. The first response from them was an automated email telling them I couldn't open a support ticket that way and I need to create a separate account on the support site. They told me that they had a stock issue and my response was:

Jon: I recommend next time being a bit more proactive by letting me know when you know. I totally get backups and product delays and don't fault you for that. But I had to submit a complaint before I knew.

DirectSong: I completely understand your concern and apologize for any Inconvenience. Unfortunately there has been a hold on shipping due to manufacturer delays. We are expecting the arrival of product any day now, Once received they will be ready for a signing session with the composer. Your patience understanding and cooperation thus far has been greatly appreciated. Once your order has been dispatched you will receive a confirmation email and USPS tracking number

We will be sure to keep you posted!


I felt pretty good about that. Jeremy was going to autograph my CD when stock came back which was a big bonus but I was annoyed they didn't reach out to tell me about the delay. Not a huge deal and I was super excited Jeremy would autograph it.

A few weeks later I got this email:

DirectSong: I am contacting you regarding your soundtrack order through DirectSong.com Our records indicate your order is well over the 4-6 week window we have quoted in the disclaimer, We understand the inconvenience these several delays have caused and truly hold your support with high value.

It is within my authority to issue your soundtrack at no additional charge via Link

Please keep in mind you will still receive your Autographed soundtrack.

To receive your soundtrack via DirectDownload please change the "Subject" of this message to either: "Skyrim", "Guildwars2" or "Both" and Reply to this message.


I was impressed. They reached out and I was going to get a digital download of the album and getting the album autographed? Awesome. That said 5 months went by and I didn't hear anything from them. I guess it could take 5 months to get more albums back in stock. Maybe they got lost somewhere? I filed another support ticket and received no response. I was pretty upset and at that point I stopped reaching out to DirectSong at all.

August of this year I decided to reach out again and send them a much less happy email. Years had gone by and I didn't receive my album and I was very upset. At this point I figured my money was flushed down a toilet. I actually did get a response back from the agency that represents Jeremy Soule and they finally shipped the album 3 months after they contacted me.

I do not recommend you buy anything from DirectSong if you want it to actually be delivered to you. My experience isn't unique as many people have had a terrible time with them too, I just wish i'd known that beforehand. That said the Skyrim score is fantastic and if you are looking for a great classical score for one of the best open world games around, it's worth listening to just don't go to DirectSong to do it.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/10/ign-has-your-back-dont-use-directsongcom
https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/14slg7/ive_fought_with_directsong_for_too_long/


Sorry Android friends, Super Mario Run is coming out on iOS exclusively(for now) on December 15th. Super Mario Run should eventually come out on Android but for now it seems to be exclusively iOS. Originally Nintendo said the game would cost money and not be free to play and today they let us know that Super Mario Run will debut for $9.99. You will be able to download the game at no cost and try it out but if you want the full meal deal you will have to pay a full meal price. I have seen some people complain that $9.99 is too much for a phone game and if Super Mario Run was as bad as most mobile games i've played then it really wouldn't be. That said, if the game plays as good as it looks then I think it will be well worth the $9.99 price tag.

But what do you think? Is $9.99 too much for a mobile game or is this just right for Mario?

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161115005715/en/Super-Mario-Run-Launches-iPhone-iPad-Dec


Ty Anderson is remaking the gameboy classic Link's Awakening with original art assets using the Ocarina of Time 64 game engine.

"I work tirelessly for hours at a time every moment I can, building temples, creating new actors, animating them, writing scripts, designing puzzles and relentlessly studying the possibilities of the old Nintendo 64 Ocarina of time ROM. My aim: to create a completely original version of The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening in the Ocarina of Time Game Engine. "

This kind of project is interesting in that if it comes out could bring the game to an entirely new audience. With that, I wonder how well the game translates to 3D? The small 2D nature of the original game captured how connected everything was which led to the ending being much more powerful than a 3D open and expansive game.

https://www.facebook.com/UraZeldaRestoration/