scrypt | Cheerful Ghost

Games Club - What Next?

We're looking for help in deciding the next game we jump into for the month(-ish). Go here to vote: http://goo.gl/qO87UO , then join us in playing and sharing your experience!

We'll post a link to the event here in this post as soon as we get a clear winning title.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/18/2015 at 09:37pm

Ah, it's back to neck-and-neck with Half-Life 2 and Last of Us.

If they end up tied, want to just flip a coin and which ever wins goes first, then we get to the second one after?

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/18/2015 at 09:43pm

I seem to recognize all but one of those games by name and I haven't played any of them. So, that's why I haven't voted. I did see a demo for Half-Life 2 on Steam, perhaps I'll give it a try some time.

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 03/18/2015 at 10:23pm

A coin flip sounds good. Or beanbag toss.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 03/18/2015 at 10:23pm

Yeah if there's a tie in the end we'll just flip for which one do to first, then just make the other game our next one. :)

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/19/2015 at 12:42am

I accidentally voted on Half-life 2 twice. So you should take one away from that count.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/19/2015 at 03:04am

No, Jon! Don't tell them that! :D

Timogorgon Member wrote on 03/23/2015 at 02:56am

Looks like Half-life 2 took the lead, but then again Jon apparently voted for it twice. >.>

Let's give it until Wednesday Night's Roundtable. If there's a tie, we'll flip a coin on the show. We'll start the next Games Club on the first of April. :D

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/23/2015 at 03:33am

Listen voting is hard OK. All that clicking and remembering if you clicked. So many details!

dynamicInception wrote on 03/25/2015 at 12:52am

I started replaying HL2 a couple months ago and got distracted. This would be the perfect excuse to get back in the saddle.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/25/2015 at 02:34am

There's the tiebreaker!

Travis Admin wrote on 03/28/2015 at 05:36am

https://www.polygon.com/2015/3/27/8302337/half-life-2-update-mod-valve

More reason for Half-Life 2 to be the game we pick.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/28/2015 at 06:15am

I just tried this out briefly, and it's noticeably better looking all around, without feeling like a mod, if that makes sense. Really well done.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 03/28/2015 at 07:04pm

I'm calling it and naming Half-Life 2 the official winner. The official start time for the event is April 1st. :D

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/28/2015 at 07:16pm

I should probably play the demo a bit more to see if it's something I want to play. I played it very briefly and haven't gotten into combat yet. That's cool, about the update mod. Even though the game is a bit dated, I didn't feel like it looked bad. I haven't really played FPS games in a long time.

Since I'm playing Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls (see my event for why), I'm thinking it would be a good Games Club game. I also think in June, Terraria, would be a great pick for when 1.3 is released (we may even want to create another server).

Travis Admin wrote on 03/28/2015 at 08:55pm

We will create another Terraria server for 1.3, this goes without saying. It's a bit more than Games Club though since we'll all be playing together.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/28/2015 at 08:57pm

I think a few of us would riot if there wasn't a new server for 1.3 :)

Timogorgon Member wrote on 03/28/2015 at 09:09pm

Oh yes, we will definitely set something up when the Terraria patch hits.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/29/2015 at 12:09am

Awesome about a Terraria 1.3 server. If you need any kind of help let me know. I could attempt to run a server from my PC and we could test it.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/29/2015 at 02:07am

Thanks for sharing that Half-life 2 mod Travis. I liked the water effects. I wonder what kind of machine you need to run this now that the game supports enhanced lighting.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/29/2015 at 08:01pm

I still maxed out everything with no issues on my meager set up.

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Persona 5 Expected for 2015, PS3 and PS4, probably NA

Not officially announced for a 2015 release on PS4 in North America, but good enough for me! ATLUS had previously announced that Persona 5, as well as a handful of other Persona games, would make it to the West in the near future, though the big question here is whether the "PS4" in the above trailer is something that is meant for Japanese audiences only. With how well PS4 sales have been growing in the US, it seems likely that we'll see it sooner rather than later.

While I've never technically finished a Persona game, I've put plenty of time in them (Persona 3 FES, especially), and I can't get enough of Shigenori Soejima's artwork. The way his illustrations and the action of the games blend together, and those soundtracks! Persona 5 just made it to the top of my most anticipated games of 2015.

Official site: Http://persona5.jp

If an Attack on a Compound Occurs That No One Sees...

So, I'm just now finishing Wolfenstein: The New Order, and was quite pleased with the bulk of it, but I have a couple questions. Firstly, am I supposed to beat the game on Uber to get a more complete ending? If not, are we to presume that B.J. dies, or does the sound of the helicopter after the credits imply that he was rescued? Secondly, and more importantly, I totally thought the whole thing was going to be some dream or hallucination, due to the events that happened shortly after the Nazis "shut down" the asylum at the beginning of the game. When you are running around in your hospital gown, killing lots of Nazis, the colors on the screen change drastically from blue to red tones, which implies to me that there are two realities at play, or at least two perspectives. If you say, "well, that's just him getting used to walking around again, getting his bearings", then why didn't the same thing happen after Bubi stabs you with a syringe full of Nazi juice? You pretty much get over that right quickly. Something that also made me think that something else was at play, was Fergus' (I saved Fergus) attitude and demeanor half-way through the game. For the sake of double spoilers, I'll just say that he doesn't act like himself, or at least the Fergus that I was rolling with earlier in the game. Granted, over a decade had passed since our last encounter, and a lot of shit happened.

Anyone have any insight? I could go roaming the web, but it's dark and I'm lazy.

Travis Admin wrote on 08/30/2014 at 01:49pm

I don't think they would do the "it was all a dream" thing. It would cheapen it significantly. I think the ending was left ambiguous because it works well as an end to BJ's story, or as a great segue into a sequel.

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 08/30/2014 at 06:33pm

What do you make of the lighting change in the asylum when BJ comes out of his dormant state? I especially thought it interesting that there were several references to the shrapnel still lodged in his brain. There were other comments to, by Fergus, that I thought sounded like he was implying that the situation near the end of the game was ideal for BJ due to him being a Nazi killing machine, compounded with the fact that almost the entire world was now Nazi's (I'll have to go back and listen more closely to what he says).

jdodson Admin wrote on 08/30/2014 at 07:11pm

You know it may have been. That might be how they bring the world back to normal? Glad you wrote this bEcause I honestly hadn't considered it.

I _HOPE_ ey are going to do some DLC because I'd love more of the game.

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 08/31/2014 at 07:30pm

Playing through again through Wyatt's timeline is proving interesting. With my perks leveled up as they are, Uber doesn't seem as crazy as I thought it would be, but I'm assuming will be pretty brutal against Mecha-Deathshead. I really like Wyatt's story, so far, even if the "choice" interaction seems a little more contrived here. Wyatt feels guilty for the people that died under his command, I get that, but he also seems like a thoughtful, more empathic soul than, say, Fergus, and the animosity toward BJ for the choice that he made doesn't feel quite as believable. I really like the implication of "J" and what he brings to the story. One of the better game+ experiences I can remember.

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 08/31/2014 at 09:38pm

One thing that really sucked, was going through the submarine. It just made me wish MachineGames would make a Bioshock game.

jdodson Admin wrote on 08/31/2014 at 10:18pm

Yeah, I bet they'd do a great job with it too.

jdodson Admin wrote on 08/31/2014 at 10:19pm

I saved Fergus in my first playthough(I think most people did) and want to play it again saving Wyatt. Interesting they let you choose so you could come back and replay it.

Sounds like you liked the Wyatt choice better as far as the story went?

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 09/01/2014 at 01:30am

Again, I've been drinking (see your latest PAX post), but I think I do like Wyatt better. Fergus is a bit of a downer. Wyatt has a small breakdown when you get to that "choice" FMV, but otherwise, he's a really positive person, despite the hell that's around him. I think, in terms of how I would rather handle a situation (like Nazi's taking over the world), I'd rather have a positive view of the hell I'm in, as opposed to being bitter. Not that Fergus is a bitter character through and through, but he leans on it hard sometimes. Which might just come from age. They've both seen, and been through, some shit. They both have a reason to hate the world and the people they hold responsible for leading them to it. Wyatt just seems to handle it with a bit more grace. The impact to the story, though quantifiably small, is enough to make the experience uniquely different.

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 09/02/2014 at 11:47pm

"J" is definitely the best reason to play Wyatt's timeline :D

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/03/2014 at 01:35am

Yeah, I didn't see that character at all when I played the game. Good reason to head back to it.

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Cheerful Ghost Roundtable - Listening

Every other Wednesday, a few of us here in the Cheerful Ghost community come together and talk about video games and the industry that produces them. This week, with the events that have transpired in our country, we felt it necessary to focus our attention on bigger issues. However, as we discussed the episode as a group, we were humbled by the weight of it all, our thoughts heavy on what the family of Michael Brown, and the city of Ferguson, are going through. We concluded that it would be much more productive to push that focus away from our own voices, and listen closer to those, not just in Ferguson, but around the country, that need to be heard. We hope that you’ll join us in doing that, and maybe spreading the idea around a little by saying...

We’re listening.

They Say Time is the Fire in Which We Burn

While discussing something interesting on the main page about the current state of game pricing ( http://goo.gl/q3ZRCi ), we found our way onto a much more interesting topic, that of the integrity of one of the more controversial movies in the Star Trek franchise, Generations.

We open to the newly commissioned USS Enterprise-B, with three former crew members, Chekov, Scotty, and Kirk, aboard as guests to see the ship off on her maiden voyage. All hell breaks loose, and bad things happen. Fast forward eighty years, and the Enterprise is now adrift on the open ocean as a sea faring vessel. No, it's just the crew "relaxing" on the holodeck, and giving Worf an upgrade, and then making fun of him. Then Data shoves Beverly into the ocean, and all hell breaks loose. Then Guinan gets a weird feeling, and the Nexus comes, and all euphoria breaks loose. Picard has kids, Butler is alive, and Guinan is an even bigger mystery than ever before. Kirk is there, too, with Butler. This is a horrible summation of this movie. The end.

Since this forum entry is for those who have seen Generations to discuss Generations, the above paragraph is more or less pointless, but I was feeling saucy :).

Personally, I loved the ideas in this movie, for what it brings to Star Trek, and for science fiction in general. The cinema of the thing resonates with me to this day: The opening credit footage of the champagne bottle flying through space as it christens the Enterprise-B, the struggle of Dr. Soran to get to the Nexus, the subtle presence of Guinan at key moments, Data's struggle with emotion... Not to mention the properties of the Nexus and it's inhabitants, characters displaced in time, and some Klingon shenanigans with Geordi's visor, all add up to big pluses for me. Kirk's treatment was questionable. I didn't mind it as much, and I can explain later, but I can see why it didn't go over well with the fans.

Anyway, thoughts, anyone? What did you love/hate about Generations? What would you have done differently?

jdodson Admin wrote on 08/07/2014 at 04:44am

Thanks for posting this. I watched Generations a few days ago to refresh myself. That said, I'll be back to talk about it BUT I think the Red Letter Media Plinkett review of it is apt to start things off. I don't agree with all of it, but it is hilarious.

http://redlettermedia.com/plinkett/star-trek/star-trek-generations/

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 08/07/2014 at 08:48pm

I love their Plinkett reviews, and I don't think I had seen this one yet. Hilarious, but very good points. I remember thinking it was stupid that Picard chose that time to go to when leaving the Nexus. I didn't make any sense. With infinity at his disposal, he chose to give himself the smallest window of opportunity to fix his problem.

Travis Admin wrote on 08/08/2014 at 01:56am

Yeah I don't understand why people disliked this one. Nemesis, yeah. Insurrection, OK. But Generations is good stuff for the most part You're right, Kirk deserved better, but it was a nice movie to officially pass the torch. I just wish we'd seen a Deep Space Nine movie. Not sure how they could have pulled off Voyager, but DS9 had some more stories to tell. Hopefully something to retcon the last few episodes.

jdodson Admin wrote on 08/08/2014 at 04:57am

The Red Letter Media Plinkett Review was pretty good, but I don't really agree with all of it. They are right that Generations is darkly filmed and in some shots, not great, but that's not a huge deal.

That said, I watched Generations a few days ago and largely it's a great movie. In fact, i'd say I enjoyed it more watching it now than when I did originally. Originally I was pretty let down by it, but I can't say for what reason.

That said, the start of the film is nice, I liked how it started with Kirk, Chekov and Scotty. Like scrypt said, the way they open up with TNG crew was great. Malcom McDowell as the bad guy was great. What made him bad was a bit off. If the Nexus is so powerful to trap people, then why was it so easy for Kirk and Picard to leave it?

All told, I really enjoyed myself and thought it was a fun ride. Kirk at the beginning of the film is really different to the character Picard finds in the Nexus. Kirk was fun, but he wasn't outright silly. It's not that I demand "serious Kirk" or anything, but he was serious enough and funny enough in the original films and the Kirk after the Nexus was written a bit too silly for me. I don't mind the way in which he died, or that he died at all, it was fine. Death or no death, they wanted to pass the torch to TNG crew.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 08/08/2014 at 06:13pm

I like Generations, but I think it had a couple things going against it that unfortunately made people judge it a little too harshly. For starters the movie came out not too long after TNG wrapped up, and the series finale was AWESOME. With the show leaving on such a high note I think expectations for the movie were pretty high. It's already been mentioned, but the way they killed of Kirk was pretty lame. If you're going to kill off a beloved character, you need to give them a better death than that. I also think the movie had a problem with not raising the stakes high enough for a movie. I could easily see Generations being a two part episode of the main series and it would probably hold up a lot better if it had been. We see the first star get destroyed in a system that may or may not be populated (do they ever say? I don't remember). Now the second time Soran goes to destroy a star we're at least told that there is a populated planet near by, but that's about it. We don't ever see the alien population, and it's not a previously known species, so we have no real reason to care about what happens to them as an audience.

Hmmm, I was going to type a much longer post but my son is currently hitting me with a light saber, and I think I need to go defend myself. I'll be back later. :P I'll also try to watch that red letter media review and come back with my thoughts on that.

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 08/08/2014 at 06:52pm

I don't remember the transition from the show to the movie, but you're right, All Good Things was absolutely awesome. I don't think I've ever seen a show wrap up so nicely, with such strong characters, and putting the entire history of the show into a specific perspective. I guess Lost tried to do this, in recent memory, but it didn't work as well.

One thing that keeps bugging me, now that I've seen the RLM review, is the drastic change in Picard's personality and values, in Generation, and in all of the TNG movies. I think I was so caught up in the spectacle to really notice it.

The part comparing the show and the movie in regard to the Kurlan naiskos was hilarious. That seems like another big hole.

jdodson Admin wrote on 08/11/2014 at 03:49am

Picard's personality and values is a HUGE deal but it doesn't make Generations a bad film. It makes the films really inconsistent and sad, in a way, but it doesn't make it bad perse.

The Kurlan naiskos bit might have been a Generations in-joke, the RLM review assumes it's just a prop, it might have been a Generations set crew joke.

@WhiteboySlim: I really liked the stakes of Generations. In fact I really liked that it seemed like a longer episode. As I watched it recently I was like, "this movie is a film adaptation of a great TNG episode at it's prime." For that, I really liked it. Plus the stakes were about a large as a normal episode, which I appreciate. It seems that every movie wants to make the main characters save the Universe and I am getting a bit tired of that. Most of the time, the stakes aren't that high and I appreciate that Generations took it back some. Soran was a bad-guy, but he wasn't a moustache twirling cliche.

So yeah, those aspects worked for me pretty well.

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The Destiny Beta Approaches - What You Need To Know

http://www.destinythegame.com/content/dam/atvi/bungie/dtg/media/mars-02-destiny.jpg

If you are a Playstation 4 (or 3) owner, or you have a really good friend who is, and have pre-ordered Destiny at participating retailers, in less than seven days, on July 17th, you'll no doubt be pacing in front of your console, waiting, what will feel like forever, for the Destiny Beta to download. Xbox users will have to wait a bit longer, till July 23rd. After that install, though, you will be knee deep in moon wizards and nothing else will matter. It's because of this euphoric tunnel-vision that I'm offering a simple guide of things you might want to look out for on this sweet, sweet journey.

Check your email! Before, during, and after the Beta, keep an eye on messages coming from Bungie. Might want to follow @Bungie and @DeeJ_BNG on Twitter, while you're at it. Emails are going out now, requesting that you go to Bungie.net and lock in your console type and region, so that you get proper codes for access. They'll send the actual Beta download codes at a later date, which you will then enter into your console.

Three (3) codes incoming! When Bungie does send out download codes, they've noted that they will come in packs of 3, so you can bring friends along with you (same console type, same region) who haven't already pre-ordered and gotten their own Beta keys.

July 26th!(possibly the 27th!) This is an important date for two known reasons: 1) This is the final day of the Beta, and 2) Bungie has said they will be issuing special in-game emblems to Beta testers playing on this day, starting at 8pm PDT. Don't miss out on your due swag!!

Be alert for those sneaky, sneaky surprises! Bungie has also said that they will be "delivering some fun and unexpected surprises throughout the Beta!" Feel free to use the comments section of this post to drop knowledge and insight for the community if something pops up.

Be kind to your fellow Guardians! There is a puddle of animosity out there right now between Xbox and Playstation users over this Beta, and the whole Bungie playing for both teams thing in general. Two months from now, it won't matter to anyone, but in the meantime, do yourself and everyone a favor and be nice to each other. Exclusive content sucks, and we've all been affected by it in one way or another. This, too, will pass.

** UPDATE **

Beta maintenance! The Destiny Beta will be OFFLINE for maintenance on all systems from July 21st and July 22nd PDT.

For more information, check the Destiny Beta FAQ on Bungie.net: http://www.bungie.net/en/View/Bungie/DestinyBetaFAQ

Again, if you have any news or updates concerning the Beta, drop it in the comments. It would be nice if we could keep it all together under one thread, for the good of the many.

Be brave!

Zach_Foster wrote on 07/11/2014 at 04:48am

Wish I had a PS4 :( I'll definitely share the information with my not-close-enough-to-let-me-borrow-their-console friends though.

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 07/11/2014 at 06:05am

It's coming to PS3, as well. Sorry about that. I've updated the post to clarify. I'd actually be interested to know how it plays on the PS3 or Xbox 360.

Zach_Foster wrote on 07/13/2014 at 03:47am

I've got a 360 and a ps3 that gathers dust, i rarely use it. I'm very excited to see how it will play on either of them. I really just want to play it. I started playing Combat Evolved again and i'm pretty pumped.

to clarify, do you get the early beta on ps3 also or only on ps4?

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 07/13/2014 at 03:31pm

According to Bungie, "On PS4 and PS3, the Destiny Beta will begin on July 17th at 10AM PDT."

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 07/16/2014 at 06:46am

I'll add these here for now, a list of trading card codes that can be entered through the Redeem Code portal on Bungie.net:

Card 1: Titan: MVD-4N3-NKH
Card 2: Hunter: 3DA-P4X-F6A
Card 3: Warlock: YKA-RJG-MH9
Card 4: Rixis Archon Slayer: TCN-HCD-TGY
Card 5: Old Russia: HDX-ALM-V4K
Card 6: Hive: 473-MXR-3X9
Card 7: Moon: JMR-LFN-4A3
Card 8: Gjallarhorn: HC3-H44-DKC
Card 9: Duke MK.44: 69P-KRM-JJA
Card 10: The Tower: 69P-VCH-337
Card 11: The Hive 69R-CKD-X7L
Card 12: Valley of the Kings, Mars: 69R-DDD-FCP
Card 13: The Fallen: 69R-F99-AXG
Card 14: Red Death: 69R-VL7-J6A
Card 15: Los Cabal: 69X-DJN-74V
Card 16: La Costa Devastada, Venus: 6A7-7NP-3X7
Card 17: Vex: Minotauro: 6A9-DTG-YGN

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 07/20/2014 at 01:58am

If anyone is looking for Beta codes, I've got two that I'm not using. PM me here, or send a message on PSN if you're interested.

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 07/20/2014 at 01:59am

Sorry, codes are for US, on PS4.

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/20/2014 at 04:15am

How is it so far? I've heard the improved Peter Dinklage audio. Kind of lame that they removed the "Wizard on the moon" audio though.

Curious how much of the game is included with the beta?

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 07/20/2014 at 04:54am

Today is my first chance to get on the Beta, and it seems roughly the same size as the Alpha, which Bungie has said is somewhere near 10% of the actual game! which I take to mean actual map space. The level cap so far is 8, which mirrors the Alpha cap. They've shown a couple more PvP maps, on Venus and Mars, which are quite cool. Peter sounds much better with the effected robot voice, which was expected. I'm kinda glad they took out the moon wizard remark, as it keeps the moment special for us Alpha testers ;).

Everything feels slightly more tuned-up from the Alpha gameplay, as it should. PvP feels a bit more balanced. It's nice to be back in the fray. The wait between Beta's end and the Sept 9 release will be unbearable.

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Preview - Abyss Odyssey

"19th Century Chile. A powerful warlock has fallen into a deep sleep. His nightmares are becoming real, and his monsters emanate into the world above. Enter the Abyss, and confront the source."

Developer ACE Team is creating a monster of a game. They've sampled the DNA of Castlevania, Smash Bros and Pokemon, making the whole thing co-op (Steam shows Local Co-op included), and are about to unleash Abyss Odyssey to the masses in less than a month, on July 15th.

Emphasis seems to be on the combat system, that resembles classic 2D fighters like Street Fighter, but with a move set more akin to Smash Bros (easy to pickup, hard to master). As you fight through the abyss, you gain the ability to fight as the enemies you defeat. One of the demo videos shows you fighting as a giant bull demon, which looks powerfully fun. Most of the world is procedurally generated, finished in fine detail, with the creative soul that ACE Team is known for. The developer has announced that other game events or objects will be revealed upon community accomplishments, like taking down that narcoleptic Warlock.

ACE Team is responsible for the Zeno Clash games and rolling boulder war simulator Rock of Ages. Abyss Odyssey will be available on Xbox 360, PS3 and Steam for $15, with Steam offering a sale right now ($9.99, and includes the soundtrack).

The site Gaming Trend has an interview that was posted a few months ago, and offers a good bit of detail. Check it out: http://gamingtrend.com/2014/03/13/zeno-clash-dev-talks-abyss-odyssey/

Official site here: http://www.abyssodyssey.com/abysspage.html

Awaiting Arrival - Tangiers

"Tangiers is a tense stealth game set within the confines of a dark, self-destructive world. Disregarding the analogue, 'puzzle' trappings common to third-person examples of the genre, Tangiers closely follows the emergent 'immersive sim' mould of Thief. While reverent to the roots of the stealth genre, Tangiers also exists as an homage to the darker avant-garde of the 20th century. Unfolding as the player progresses into a world built in the shadow of William Burroughs, J.G. Ballard, Dada, Early Industrial and many, many others."

Features:

Sandbox, shadow based stealth gameplay closely modeled on the Thief series (not the fourth one).

Steal language, re-using it to spread disinformation and to further your goals.

An original dark ambient, early industrial tinged soundtrack.

A world that corrupts and rebuilds itself in response to your actions.

Journey through a paranoid, visually unique world.

I remember playing Thief on the PC years ago, and feeling a sense of fear and aprehension for what I was trying to attempt in a virtual world. The sneaking and hiding, and variety of ways I could navigate the world to reach my objective was an entirely new and captivating experience. Tangiers looks to take that spirit and dip it in the industrialized trippy sauce, and deliver it to us sometime later this year. Successfully Kickstarted in August of 2013, developer UK Studio Andalusian seem to have a proper and well fleshed nightmare on their hands (in the best possible way). I especially like the bit about stealing language and using that to your advantage. Sounds promising. Coming to PC, Mac, Linux, and currently undisclosed consoles.

Head to their site for more screenshots and information: http://tangiersgame.com/

Transistor - See You in the Country

"Transistor is a sci-fi themed action RPG that invites players to wield an extraordinary weapon of unknown origin as they fight through a stunning futuristic city."

Transistor is richly decorated, savory/sweet, ear, eye and soul candy. It even tastes good. Yeah, I licked my screen. It hurt a little, but it was delicious.

No, I didn’t really lick my screen. But I want to. I want to immerse into Transistor with as many senses as I have. For how barren the world is, Transistor absolutely drips with life. A world of death, where everything is alive. Lonely, but not alone. You don't really quite know what's going on at the start, but you get the feeling that you are caught up in the middle of something. Something big. You see a man lying on the street with an odd weapon stuck in his chest. The Transistor. It calls you Red, tells you to pull it from him. When it speaks to you, it seems to know you. You take to the streets to try to find answers. There are interactive kiosks scattered about, offering news updates, citizen polling, weather predictions... Sometimes Red will interact by posting a comment for the city to read, which can give keen insight into what she's going through, emotionally. A pseudo-multiplayer experience exists, somewhat similar to Dark Souls, where you see the ghosts of other players skittering through the streets. There are also in-games statistics that seem to represent global activity in certain polls or weapon use percentages, but I wasn’t able to verify whether this is actually tied to global statistics, or just made to represent such a thing. Either way, even an echo of life can be reassuring when you’re fighting alone. Story information is fed to you from the environment, from Functions you equip - offensive and defensive executable actions - and even from the enemies. They all join together, in a very synergetic way, to flesh out the mystery of this ghost town known as Cloudbank. This is one of the things I love most about Transistor, how it unravels it’s mysteries.

Style plays just as much a part in telling the story, too. Since there aren’t really many people around town, to speak of, the change in tone and color, in the design of the layout, can go to significant lengths to convey poignant emotion. Music and other sound cues are also masterfully designed. Logan Cunningham, known for his voice work in Bastion, developer Supergiant Games’ previous debut hit, returns as the voice of the Transistor, giving sometimes cryptic, but often specifically contextual, commentary on what transpires here. This voice reminds me of all the good things about Elizabeth in Bioshock Infinite. Very little to do with impacting your direct gameplay, but a constant presence with significant influence on how you participate with the game. The Voice is very much the soul of the experience.

Not your typical RPG, Supergiant has successfully combined party management, ability management, and ability modification, all within the same mechanic. That is to say, your abilities (Functions) are imbued by the spirits (called Traces) of the party member that hosts it, and when you combine said abilities, you not only kick a little more ass, but also learn more about your party members situation. It plays out in a more simplified fashion, but I found it clever, and it works really well. If you want the full story, you have to accept the challenge of trying out different Function combinations. You’ll unlock most Functions as you level up, but some will come in other, more story-driven ways. While I’m on the topic, if you fall to zero health in battle, rather than die, you’ll temporarily lose an assigned Function, and then your life bar is filled back to full, and then the process continues (pun intended). Now you finish the fight, but with less of a punch. Oh, and the Functions are lost by priority of most powerful. Makes for interesting challenges when assembling your arsenal. Go with one heavy hitter and a few light backups, and you’ll find yourself quite underpowered should you take a fall. All ability assignment and modification is managed at save points, which are, thankfully, abundant. Your lost Functions will eventually be recovered here as well. You’ll also unlock Limiters, which are fancy trinkets that allow you to modify the combat challenge.

I highly recommend Transistor to anyone looking for a soulful, strategic, action combat adventure. If you do pick it up, words of advice: Soak it all in. Pay attention to the voice(s). Play with headphones. Play with a controller (if you get it on Steam, like I did). Play in the evening, and if you’re lucky, when it’s raining. Sea Monster is really the only option. Read between the lines. Play with Luna. Stick around after the credits. Play it twice (the Recourse allows continued use of retained Functions, and leveling up, as well as subtle story changes). This isn’t Bastion, and it doesn’t try to be. This is a good thing. Don’t be sad. This is a good thing.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/30/2014 at 02:00pm

I didn't realize this was out! I need to get this. After Bastion I have a lot of trust in SuperGiant Games.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 05/30/2014 at 03:02pm

This sounds really cool. I only read about half your post, as I want to get into the game knowing nothing about it. But I will definitely have to check this one out!

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 05/30/2014 at 04:41pm

@Adym: I tried to be vague, or intentionally cryptic, with things that had to do with actual story, and anything that is specific happens literally within the first minute of the game. Figuring everything out, even the mechanics, is part of the fun, too, so I respect that :).

Travis Admin wrote on 05/31/2014 at 01:37am

Also it's worth noting, this game will be coming to Mac and Linux later on, if you swing that way.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/31/2014 at 05:01am

I'm a little over an hour in, and loving it. It's nice to have Logan Cunningham back as a kind of narrator, though in a very different way, and a very different character.

The game is absolutely beautiful, and the soundtrack just blows me away.

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 05/31/2014 at 03:23pm

I was thinking of springing for the soundtrack, but for some reason it didn't sound as good to me outside of the game. I'm assuming I was just in a mood, or something, because it really is an amazing set of songs. You can listen completely, and repeatedly, to the whole thing for free on Spotify: https://play.spotify.com/album/3vrhY9tG4lA8Z16LVGqok5

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/03/2014 at 12:39am

Really interested in picking up something after Wolfenstein and this looks like a great candidate. Super Giant seems to always drop their games for Mac & Linux a bit later so I imagine they will port it at some point.

That said, this seems like a couch laptop game.

Does it work with a controller?

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 06/03/2014 at 01:43am

My opinion, it works best with a controller.

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/03/2014 at 01:51am

That's great. The game seems to be suited best for it too.

Travis Admin wrote on 06/03/2014 at 02:23am

Jon, see my comment from a few days ago-- they have announced that it's coming out for Mac and Linux, it's just not ready yet.

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/03/2014 at 02:24am

NICE! Maybe i'll wait till it comes native then.

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Sometimes, A Glimmer Of Hope Is All That's Needed

As gamers, I'm sure most of us love to hear about new game announcements. Better still when the game actually sees the light of day (but, not always, especially if you're a Superman fan). Sometimes, the waiting between reveal and release can be excruciating, but the slightest sign of hope can be enough to hold you over. At about 2:02 in the above video, Michel Ansel, the mind behind Rayman Origins, literally flashes such a sign to all Beyond Good & Evil fans.

Sometimes...sometimes, this is all we need.

Is there a game like that for you (besides Half-Life 3)? What game(s) did you wait near eternity for, and, when they finally arrived, satiated your nerd-heart? Also, is "nerd-heart" redundant?

scrypt359

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Sometimes, A Glimmer Of Hope Is All That's Needed