At this years Gamescom 2016 Video Games Live performed a cut from the Hearthstone score called "Pull Up a Chair." It was recorded in VR and you can watch the performance in 360 degree view on YouTube. Even if you don't have VR you can move the video around and watch the performance from any angle you can making for a really interesting experience.
If someone is able to watch this with some VR glasses i'd be interested in hearing how that turned out.
I remember there was a time when the thought of buying a game on Steam seemed crazy. Why wouldn't you want the actual game install disc? What if the servers went down or if you weren't online? Buying a game on Steam seemed crazy and I stuck to purchasing games in a box. The thing that finally got me to actually use Steam was the second Humble Bundle. I much preferred the DRM free downloads for the games but since I had those Steam keys lying around I decided to redeem them. It was really nice just downloading the games and playing them from Steam and I ended up buying the Binding of Issac on Steam, then another game then another and now nearly all my modern game purchases are digital sales, many through Steam.
Yesterday Valve turned 20. Valve pioneered the PC game digital landscape and also brought us an incredible assortment of games in that time such as Half-Life, Portal, Half-Life 2, Left for Dead, DoTA 2, Portal 2 and CounterStrike. Valve has been hard at work over the last year but it's releases are mostly support the Steam ecosystem such as SteamOS, Source 2, Steam Machines, the Steam Controller, Steam Link and the new HTC Vive VR. Valve has had a pretty regular drumbeat of releasing one game per year since 2007 but skipped 2014, 2015 and so far nothing has been announced for 2016. We may be seeing a new era of Valve in a company that no longer releases many games but I think we can all admit that Steam and it's associated lineup is pretty important to gaming.
Next year will be 10 years since any Half-Life, and 2018 will be 20 years since the first. 10+20=30. These numbers are in base 10. 30/10=3. HALF LIFE 3 CONFIRMED.
But seriously, either 10 years after Episode Two or 20 years after the first game was released would be a great time to reintroduce it. I've often wondered if a new game in the series would just be a disappointment, but we've had a major time gap now and I think the time might be right if they plan on doing it. It's still something people know about but it won't carry much baggage from the previous entries.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 08/27/2016 at 11:13pm
Honestly... I am over Half-Life 3. Like, yeah, i'm not really interested in it anymore. If it came out i'd certainly play it but I am not longer emotionally on the hook for this game at all. I think I just need to let it go. It helps.
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 08/31/2016 at 10:31pm
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 09/01/2016 at 04:15am
"Valve has had a pretty regular drumbeat of releasing one game per year since 2007 but skipped 2014, 2015 and so far nothing has been announced for 2016." They released The Lab this year.
FEZ was one of the games that some consider to have started the new Indie gaming explosion. Originally launching on the XBox, it was later ported to PC and some time later Mac and Linux as part of the Humble Indie Bundle. In my opinion FEZ is an incredible game and one of my more moving experiences. FEZ designer Phil Fish dropped some news that FEZ 2 was being developed to only later scrap it and sort of disband his company in a sad snowball of events. It was a sad time to be a fan of FEZ as it seemed the future and present of the game wasn't very clear. But as it turns out FEZ is getting a fresh update from it's original developer Renaud Bédard.
"Since I shipped FEZ 1.11 I had little intention of making additional fixes or features to the game because I simply don’t have the time with a kid and a fulltime job… and working on FEZ is getting old after 9 years. So I did want to address problems that people have with the game, but I don’t want to do it for the rest of my life. I had spent enough time away from the game that I was somewhat enthusiastic about coming back to it, especially if it’s at my pace, and that it’s my last time doing so.
So I didn’t announce anything, I didn’t announce a date, and I slowly chipped away at making this humongous update to FEZ. It’s been in beta-testing with an army of fans, speedrunners and friends since late January 2016 and over 120 bugs have been reported and fixed."
You can read Renaud's full post below for a ton more details than I can cover here as well as the full changelog. FEZ 1.2 is out now on Steam for PC, Mac and Linux and is being well received by fans. As with any new development some new bugs are being found and it seems Renaud is looking in to fixing some of them. FEZ is a special game and it makes me happy for it to get fixes for some of these issues that should give it a much longer lifespan. I consider FEZ one of those games that really should always be accessable so I hope Renaud can come back from time to time and make sure it's playable on modern systems. It's really cool that Renaud was able to find time for this and I want to thank him and Ethan Lee for making this happen in their free time.
Diablo III launched in 2012 to some very mixed reviews. I enjoyed the initial game and story but like many dropped off after beating the main campaign a handful of times. In 2014 the Reaper of Souls expansion and the Loot 2.0 patch released that cut the Auction House and brought in a new era for the game many considered it's saving grace. I thought the Reaper of Souls expansion, new campaign and Crusader class was really great and I quickly looked forward to the next expansion.
According to fairly substantive rumors Blizzard did have a follow up to Reaper of Souls in development called "The King in the North." This expansion was scrapped and some of the content was wrapped up in free game updates in the form of the new Adventure only zones Ruins of Sescheron and Greyhollow Island. I am happy that content was released but I am still wondering what more Blizzard has planned for Diablo III? Will we get another proper expansion or maybe they will make a break for Diablo IV?
I'm not sure we will get a new expansion or full new game but Blizzard has dropped some hints on their official Twitter feed that may point to some big Diablo news to come from this years Blizzcon. When a Twitter user pined for some new Diablo news out of Blizzcon this was the response:
"@Coleslaw1989L: @Diablo I really hope this year Diablo gets a huge announcement at Blizzcon.... :("
"@Diablo @Coleslaw1989 BlizzCon will be really cool this year :-)"
That's a far cry from official news but it may hint at something new for Diablo. Personally i'd like another proper D3 expansion to wrap up the Leia's story that was undone in Diablo III. That said, Blizzard may be working on a new Diablo game as well so we will just have to see.
What would you want a new Diablo III expansion or a full blown new Diablo game? I know some of my friends are kind of done with Diablo entirely after the disappointment of Diablo III so hopefully Blizzard can bring back some goodwill to the franchise.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 08/24/2016 at 02:16pm
I'm not sure which I'd choose, an expansion or a new game. I think I'd be happy with either, they both have advantages and disadvantages. An expansion would be more familiar and would probably cost less. However, a new game *might* be better overall, containing who knows what that's new. I don't think I was at all disappointed with D3, so I can't really imagine being disappointed with a new Diablo game.
Please keep us up to date. When is Blizzcon?
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 08/24/2016 at 02:30pm
The Cheerful Ghost Roundtable is back after a short 4 month break! The reason for the show taking a hiatus was that I was busy being a new Dad! Scrypt, Travis and I blast our way through what we've been playing and what we've been watching such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Orange is the New Black, Hearthstone & a ton more. During our main show topics we talk about some great upcoming new Nintendo stuff such as the NES Classic, NX and Zelda Breath of the Wild. Coming off a rocky couple years Nintendo looks like they are going to have some really compelling stuff that we are all interested in playing. We cap off the Roundtable discussing the brand new Hello Games mega hit No Man's Sky. Travis and Scrypt talk about the game and how much they are enjoying it and we also chat about some of the games controversy and future features we'd like to see added.
As always, drop your thoughts on the show in the comments!
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 08/23/2016 at 06:15am
NX: I have a Wii U and right now I'm not sure if I'm going to buy Breath of the Wild for it or get an NX with it. I'm waiting to see what the NX actually is and if the game will be any different on the new system.
This week Blizzard released The Opera wing for the latest Hearthstone expansion One Night In Karazhan. One interesting card I've been waiting to play was also released this week called Moat Lurker. Moat Lurker is a very unique card in that its Battlecry is that it destroys a minion and it's deathrattle is that it re-summons it. On first blush this might seem like a very silly mechanic because why would you want to destroy a minion if it would just come back later? As it turns out this enables some very interesting game-play as you can use this to remove an enemy minion and then silence Moat Lurker OR you can destroy your own minion such as Sylvanas Windrunner to double her stealing effect. Toast also found out that you can copy the Deathrattle using Unearthed Raptor. So in some cases you can destroy one of your big minions near death with Moat Lurker and then copy it with Unearthed Raptor to get two copies. It's a pretty unlikely case, but it's possible which is one of the reasons why Moat Lurker is so powerful. I sort of look at Moat Lurker like a neutral version of priests Entomb but a bit less cool as Etomb puts the card in your deck and Moat Lurker re-summons it for your opponent.
Today I played a match that went into fatigue against a very fun control Shaman deck that featured Moat Lurker. In the end I had over 60+ shields and that combined with brawl and Elise Starseeker meant that I eventually won in fatigue. I really enjoy long running control V control matches as beyond them going super long I enjoy the patience and strategy of when to play certain cards and when to do a Warrior armor up "power pass."
What they didn't show is if Moat Lurker's Deathrattle would re-summon a minion after an Unearthed Raptor that copied the Deathrattle dies and does so. Would there be multiple copies of the originally-destroyed minion?
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 08/24/2016 at 03:17pm
Huh. I think there would be as it seems Unearthed Raptor is the only card that seems to copy it fully.
Ya, when I saw this card, I immediately thought of using it so preserve one of my near death guys. Like banking a Ysera, then board wiping and getting it back fresh.
Or if your opp is playing warrior and you know they want to brawl you soon. Just gotta be careful it doesn't get silenced.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 08/27/2016 at 11:12pm
Totally. I haven't seen Moatlurker in play much which is surprising. I am going to put it in a deck soon though, I just love the mechanics so much I want to try it out.
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If you somehow missed BioShock, BioShock 2 and BioShock Infinite they are all coming out soon in one remastered collection featuring some really impressive looking graphical updates you can see featured in the video embedded above. The trailer focuses more on the graphical updates to the original BioShock as I imagine there are few changes they made, if any, to BioShock Infinite.
As 2K mentioned before if you own any of the aforementioned games you will be able to upgrade on Steam for free on September 13th.
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 08/18/2016 at 04:31am
Oh man, watching the video brings up good memories of the first game. I never tried the sequels.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 08/18/2016 at 04:34am
> I never tried the sequels.
I seriously recommend BioShock Infinite. Maybe it suffers some to the end compared the absolutely amazing pacing of the start to middle but I found the whole experience to be well worth it. The two DLC expansions were great too and they really seemed to just be a continuation of the story of Infinite anyway.
Bioshock 2 wasn't received well. The story is okay, but the gunplay was better than the first. Infinite found a great medium (I should hope so after the Dev hell it was in for so long). Personally, Infinite was my favorite. I love Booker and his story. I love the way they implemented everything and successfully incorporated the huge plot twist/reveal. I like how they ended it, and I loved how the DLC's tied the entire series together, back to the first game.
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 08/18/2016 at 03:35pm
I might wait for the price to drop on the bundle. I know you are getting a lot for $59.99, but it still seems like a lot. Plus I have a ton of other games to play.
If you have them on PC you will get the upgrades for free, so that might help.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 08/19/2016 at 03:17am
> I might wait for the price to drop on the bundle. I know you are getting a lot for $59.99, but it still seems like a lot. Plus I have a ton of other games to play.
Like Travis said, you get some amount of this free if you already own the games previously. PLUS the price for this will go down considerably over time, like with all games. I'm waiting on lots of games to drop price before I buy them. Pretty sure that's how i'll buy most of my games from here on out. Bundles or huge savings unless it's a game I need to have on launch which seems to be becoming less and less.
Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member
wrote on 08/19/2016 at 04:53pm
> Bundles or huge savings unless it's a game I need to have on launch which seems to be becoming less and less.
I am in the same boat. To me gaming has reached a point where a lot of games made today will still feel fresh tomorrow.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 08/19/2016 at 05:02pm
> ... a lot of games made today will still feel fresh tomorrow.
And more stable, etc. I bet by the time I get around to playing No Man's Sky mostly all the issues will be worked out
I finally actually checked out the comparison video. It's nothing groundbreaking but it's quite nice. Everything just looks a bit sharper and has better lighting. I imagine they're using the console footage on Bioshock for comparison. It looked lower res in the comparison video, but you could run it in 1080p on PC.
Still, I'm looking forward to seeing the shiny coat of paint!
Still finishing up watching a handful of SGDQ 2016 run and I wanted to share this extremely interesting Donkey Kong Country run. Eazinn shows off some really crazy ability as he continuously uses extended barrel rolls to make jumps I didn't know were possible. I also didn't know from playing it originally but there are quite a few level warps in Donkey Kong Country that allow you to skip entire level sections.
Ubisoft has already released Prince of Persia Sands of Time & the original Spinter Cell in celebration of their 30th anniversary. Seems fitting that one of the 7 games they release would be one of their more iconic franchises Rayman. Make sure to head over to the link below to secure your PC copy on UPlay on August 17th!
They have 4 more games to go and my money is on a FarCry game as well as an Assassins Creed game. What games do you think they will hand out later this year?
jdodson gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale
This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.
jdodson gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale
This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.
It's pretty obvious I am big fan of Blizzard games. I grew up playing Warcraft and StarCraft and I am currently nearly obsessed with Hearthstone. So when Blizzard adds new campaigns to StarCraft, one of my most favorite games, it's an instabuy. Before Legacy of the Void launched Blizzard let us know we were getting some new missions in the form of DLC. I was of mixed emotion as Legacy of the Void hadn't dropped yet and they were already talking DLC, something i'd wait to discuss after the formal expansion had dropped. That said I've really enjoyed Nova Covert Ops and recently completed playing the second set of missions.
How Is Nova Covert Ops Pack 2?
After completing the second 3 missions I can say that Blizzard is quickly building up the fun and story of Covert Ops to something really great. I don't want to give anything away but the ending of the latest 3 missions leaves you on a cliffhanger I can't wait to see resolved. I was wondering if they would keep the same high quality story telling that we've come to expect from StarCraft and minus a couple of odd moments, I found it to be pretty engaging. I enjoyed the cinematography and the in game engine cut scenes between each mission look incredible on my new nvidia graphics card.
Needless to say if you love StarCraft getting Nova Covert Ops is a must.
What is the Long Term Future of StarCraft II?
I might break this topic out into a larger post because I have the same question for other Blizzard games like Diablo III but.. where is the long term roadmap for StarCraft II? Originally they wanted to tell an epic story that spanned the Terran, Zerg and Protoss and it was wrapped up neatly in Legacy of the Void. They left some stuff on the table for future games and we are working some of that out now with Nova CovertOps but I'm not all sure when the StarCraft II train will come to an end? Don't get me wrong, I want more content and if they decided to do a bunch more DLC missions or another full expansion I'd totally get it. I'm just not sure what to expect or if StarCraft III is around the corner?
I also have the same question for Diablo III and I've heard rumors they scrapped a full expansion and released it piecemeal as patch updates as we've seen with certain zones such as Greyhallow Island and the Ruins of Sescheron. Again I might break this topic out into it's own post but it's just something I've been thinking about.
I Just Realized Nova's Suit Design Is Ridiculous
I really like Nova's character and personality, I just find her suit design to be kind of laughable. Here is an image to look at for reference.
When I see her all I can think is "hubcab boobs." Now I'm not offended by this or that and her suit isn't rage inducing I just find it ridiculous. Like that's a suit that grants Nova invisibility right? So what d actually do? It's like someone asked the question "what if we put the bra on the outside, would that make invisibility work better?" If it's some kind of armor then it's really out of place at it leaves her mid section entirely unprotected. Again, i'm not saying we should censor anything or that I want to destroy games or whatever, I just think the outside space bra is odd.
Azurephile Super Member
wrote on 08/17/2016 at 04:07am
I still haven't played the first mission pack. I might wait until the last one comes out and then play them.
I'm not sure about the future of StarCraft II either, it seems pretty wrapped up to me.
As for Diablo III, I haven't played in a while, so there's quite a bit of new content in patch releases I've missed out on. I'd love to see more though, I've really enjoyed playing it.
I see your point about Nova's suit, still she's hot. She not as hot as Zero Suit Samus though. LOL
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