Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

The New Castlevania Netflix Show Is Bloody Great!

The new Castlevania Netflix show dropped recently and last night I sat down to watch the entire first season. It's not hard to binge watch the whole show as it's only 4 episodes that clock in at about 30 minutes each. That said I really appreciated that the show didn't waste much time and completed it's first story arc in four episodes. My only real complaint by the end was that there wasn't more story waiting for me but Netflix has said that it's picking up another season of 8 episodes so if you liked the first season, more is on the way.

The basic premise of Castlevania is that Dracula lost his wife and wants to take his revenge on mankind for taking her life. The... Read All The new Castlevania Netflix show dropped recently and last night I sat down to watch the entire first season. It's not hard to binge watch the whole show as it's only 4 episodes that clock in at about 30 minutes each. That said I really appreciated that the show didn't waste much time and completed it's first story arc in four episodes. My only real complaint by the end was that there wasn't more story waiting for me but Netflix has said that it's picking up another season of 8 episodes so if you liked the first season, more is on the way.

The basic premise of Castlevania is that Dracula lost his wife and wants to take his revenge on mankind for taking her life. The first episode focuses on Dracula and you really feel for him and understand why he decides to become a super villain. I was very surprised at how much I loved the story and how the choices the show creators made I didn't really expect. I was expecting some generic vampire hunter show and what I felt very fresh and original. The first season is an interesting take on religion, science and how power is used to control people. I didn't expect that Castlevania would start the show on such a pro-science bend but it does and it's an entirely surprising focus in a universe that is primarily focused on sword and sorcery. Kind of strange to consider but the Castlevania show expertly juggles science, religion, magic and monsters in such a way I was really impressed.

Simon Belmont is the main character of the show and he starts out as a defeated drifter who literally gets the shit kicked out of him when we first meet him. I really enjoyed Simon's character and the voice acting by Richard Armitage is superb. Other characters are brought in over the course of the four episodes but I don't want to spoil anything by telling you who it is.

The show feels like it's taking notes from Castlevania III and Symphony of the Night. Castlevania III is the highlight of the NES series for me but the show doesn't feel like it's a direct companion to the NES games. Frankly I really enjoy the fresh take on this universe, religion, science and the like so having the Netflix show have only light parallels to the video game is entirely fine by me.

If you have Netflix and are curious to watch the show I recommend you check it out. My only cautionary tale is that you take heed to the content as this show is very dark, bloody and contains some shocking stuff.

Amazing Speedruns From Summer Games Done Quick 2017: Part I

After each Games Done Quick stream is over I get a bit depressed because I honestly love watching the streams so much. The speedrunning community and organizers at GDQ create such a fun event it's sad when it's over.

This will be the first of a couple posts where I highlight the runs from Summer Games Done Quick 2017 so expect a few more of these over the coming weeks.

Kyatto Ninden Teyandee OR Samurai Pizza Cat is a relatively unknown NES Japanese game in the states. Usedpizza blows through the game with ease and it's a fun run to watch because it's always good to see games i've never heard of be played quickly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP3055kYHq8

Marble Madness... Read All

An Ode To The CD-ROM

For many years, CD's were the best way to listen to music and play video games. Streaming seems to handle what CD's were traditionally used for but from the 80's to early 2000's CD's were the way to go. I still primarily buy music on CD and still think it's a great way to listen to music and even now I find curating my digital music collection is still something I really enjoy. Lazy Game Reviews CD-ROM Retrospective video is an interesting look in the computer CD-ROM and how that shaped PC and console gaming.

"Taking a nostalgic look back at the 'compact disc read only memory' experience! Especially in regards to computer gaming and software in the 1990s. Redbook... Read All

Free Shadow of Mordor Update Prepares The Way For Upcoming Sequel Shadow of War!

Feral Games is updating Middle Earth Shadow of Mordor with an all new Nemesis update that adds the ability to see your different nemesis Orcs that will carry over for you to play against in the games sequel Shadow of War. This is a cool update in that it gives the original game a bit more to do and sort of acts as a way for new people to get into the franchise if they were interested in upcoming Shadow of War.

Feral Games is putting Shadow of Mordor GoTY on sale for $4 and to sweeten the chance you give it a shot making the game entirely free to play for the next couple days. $4? Totally free to play for a couple days? Seems like a good time to try it out on PC.

Travis Admin wrote on 07/07/2017 at 02:41pm

"Dropping the price"

It's not a price drop is it? Just looks like a sale based on what is on Steam now. BUT they could be presenting it as a sale for a few days then dropping it.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/07/2017 at 02:58pm

UPDATED

Travis Admin wrote on 07/07/2017 at 03:38pm

thumbsup.jpg

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 07/09/2017 at 02:10am

Holy crap. I checked Shadows out today, and it's amazing!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/10/2017 at 03:40am

Glad I tried the demo because I didn't like it. More than likely because I kept dying and couldn't really figure out how to succeed either.

Apparently if I were going up against Sauron he'd win. Good thing Frodo had Sam.

Travis Admin wrote on 07/10/2017 at 03:50am

Huh, I have this semi-clear memory of you having played it already a while ago and really liking it. Then chowda commented on the post a couple months back and I thought, well there's two people here who really like it, I should check this out!

Wonder who I'm thinking of!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/10/2017 at 03:57am

I believe that was hardeyez

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What If Everybody Dies? New Hearthstone Expansion Knights of The Frozen Throne Drops in August!

Knights of the Frozen Throne is an all new expansion coming to Hearthstone in August. It features a new card type that changes all the in game heroes to Death Knights that are themed to the class. The announcement video shows off Deathstalker Rexxar which has a battlecry that attacks all enemy minions for 2 and changes his hero power to create a Zombie Minion. Knights of the Frozen throne also look to bring back Deathrattles, a card type that we saw a bit less of after the last set rotation. This expansion is also the first to include an all new single player component that costs no gold or money to play.

"The first steps you’ll take to join the Knights of the Frozen... Read All

Summer Games Done Quick Is Speedrunning For Doctors Without Borders!

Games Done Quick is back with it's yearly summer speedrun and so far it's as amazing as ever. If you can spare some time to watch the runs and donate to Doctors Without Borders I encourage you do to so. The next speedrun that will drop in a few minutes is of Doom 2016 then Half-life 2 and Silent Hill 2 wraps up the day. That said if you are up late, Summer Games Done Quick is up all night with you streaming round the clock until this Sunday at midnight!

The Games Done Quick charity run is something I look forward to watching twice a year and it's always good to donate to a great cause!

https://gamesdonequick.com/schedule

What Are You Playing This Freedom Roasted Holday?

https://www.mariowiki.com/images/d/d1/Fireworks.gif

For many people in The United States this 4th of July holiday is an extra long weekend. As the freedom explosions encompass our neighborhoods I'm curious what you're all playing and watching?

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 07/03/2017 at 05:39pm

Diablo 3

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/03/2017 at 05:59pm

Playing Diablo 3, watching Family Guy

Travis Admin wrote on 07/03/2017 at 06:29pm

Diablo 3! Katie and I are going through the necro together. I just realized a couple days ago that the only other class I didn't have at 70 was the witch doctor so I ran a few bounties with Cain's set and got him bumped up.

It's been a while since I've played D3 so I'm coming back to quite a few chances aside from the new stuff in patch 2.6. I'd never even seen a greater rift for instance. It's amazing how it's still Diablo 3 like it has been since launch, but it's so very different.

Travis Admin wrote on 07/03/2017 at 06:30pm

(Oh and that's a perfect header image, Jon)

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 07/03/2017 at 06:59pm

I haven't got the Necro pack yet. Any good? I still haven't put much time into it, so I have yet to put money into buying Necro.

Travis Admin wrote on 07/03/2017 at 07:44pm

Necro is amazing fun. There are some issues with it and people on the internet are complaining loudly, as they do, but I love the class so far. There's an ability that allows you to explode corpses to damage other enemies. So then you get new corpses to explode and you can just chain them together for crazy mayhem. And that's in the first hour, you just get more crazy things after that. I'm slightly afraid they'll nerf it.

Travis Admin wrote on 07/03/2017 at 08:07pm

Find me on B.net at Namwen#1800 and I'll send you an invite to the CG clan! :)

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 07/03/2017 at 08:27pm

Will do!

Travis Admin wrote on 07/04/2017 at 04:33am

So weird thing-- apparently you can't invite people to clans or communities who aren't online? Which is odd since I noticed Greg wasn't in them and sent him invites to both earlier.

You can search for Cheerful Ghost in the clan search and community search and join both there if you like, or next time we're online at the same time I'll get you invites!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/04/2017 at 05:46am

The clan is a cool idea, thanks for the invite. You helped me find Katie :) I still need to get used to the chat. You sent me a message days ago and I only noticed it today.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 07/05/2017 at 02:17pm

I am in the clan now! Thanks Travis!

Travis Admin wrote on 07/05/2017 at 10:17pm

ONE OF US! ONE OF US!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/05/2017 at 10:42pm

OBLIG:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y_KNYNzN6A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2HX5wsQVEA

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/05/2017 at 11:56pm

Ha ha!!

As for this topic, I ended up finding my son's 3DSXL with Pokemon Sun, so I started playing it. So far I like it, but I haven't played for very long.

As for D3, I played that, too. i finished the campaign with my male Neck Romancer, so I started a female Corpse Bride.

Travis Admin wrote on 07/06/2017 at 03:16am

So question for you Greg-- what's the benefit for you in playing male and female? Since the skill assignment lets you totally change your build at will, is it just for the dialogue? Because after my second time through I just skip that.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/06/2017 at 03:41am

I don't know exactly, but I'd dialogue is part of it. I started with one male character per class and then decided to have females as well. It did make the campaign a bit tedious at times. I remember thinking I never want to run through the campaign again, but here I am with my second necromancer. After that, I'm planning on getting more into Adventure Mode.

Travis Admin wrote on 07/06/2017 at 03:47am

I always do the campaign once with each new class but never really touch it after. It's a good curve to really learn the class as you're leveling but after that it's all adventure mode!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/06/2017 at 03:56am

Yeah, I like the opportunity to learn my class as I go, which campaign mode is great for, as you said. I've hardly touched adventure mode. I completed some bounties, but it's been awhile since I've tried it again.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 07/06/2017 at 03:51pm

I still need to finish campaign with one class to open up adventure mode. Soon!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/11/2017 at 04:08am

After taking a bit of a break I'm back to playing Link Between Worlds and having a blast, it's such a great game.

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Even More Nazi Killing Mayhem: My Thoughts On The Wolfenstein The Old Blood So Far

Somehow I missed out on playing Wolfenstein: The Old Blood initially. It was the standalone DLC follow up to Machine Games amazing story driven shooter Wolfenstein: The New Order. After Bethesda revealed that Wolfenstein II is coming out this year I decided to head back to Old Blood to finally play it. The Old Blood is a sequel the The New Order but is confusingly a prequel reboot of the original Wolfenstein game. Old Blood features BJ on a mission that takes him to castle Wolfenstein and in the typical fashion, he is immediately imprisoned and must escape. The game starts off with stealth missions that you must handle with care because the alternative is attacking... Read All

The NES30 Pro by 8Bitdo Looks Like The Perfect Wireless Controller

I recently read a review on Gizmodo about the NES30 Pro wireless controller by 8Bitdo and it looks fantastic. Heavily modeled after the original NES controller this looks to be aimed squarely at the retro and PC gamer community. The NES30 uses Bluetooth to connect Windows 7, 8, 10, Android, MacOS, Steam, Switch, Rasperry Pi, Wii, Wii U & PS3.

The action on the controller looks like the best of the NES and Super NES world with the analog thumbsticks styled similarly to the Gamecube / Dual Shock controllers. Gizmodo called the NES30 Pro "the best controller for the Switch" and from what I've seen, I don't find that hard to believe.

... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 07/01/2017 at 05:33am

Oooooohhhhhh. I want this. It would be perfect for modern retro games like Shovel Knight and Duck Tales Remastered. Modern D-pads don't get the love they deserve.

Travis Admin wrote on 07/01/2017 at 06:00am

It may be worth waiting for the SNES30 Pro, though. The layout seems a bit more friendly.

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/6/15/15809834/8bitdo-snes30-pro-bluetooth-controller-switch

Travis Admin wrote on 07/01/2017 at 06:05am

This is the layout I mean: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DCOZPEhU0AA_Aij.jpg:large

The NES30 Pro has the shoulder buttons side by side instead of stacked.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/01/2017 at 01:30pm

That's cool. So the benefit is the dual shoulder buttons? Hmm might want to hold out for that one.

Travis Admin wrote on 07/01/2017 at 02:06pm

Well, they both have dual shoulder buttons, they are just next to each other instead of stacked.

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--drbGwfw1--/c_scale,f_auto,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/ofyyuwsqbuyuz9e1mudt.jpg

It's not a deal breaker but my fingers already have the muscle memory to use them stacked and moving inward rather than down for L1 and R1 would take some getting used to.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/01/2017 at 02:10pm

Right. It would. That seems like that matter more in a traditional shooter and I have the XBox 360 PC controllers for that.

Travis Admin wrote on 07/01/2017 at 02:17pm

Yeah, for the games I'd play with this I doubt it would matter much.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/01/2017 at 02:47pm

I agree.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/02/2017 at 03:11am

As long as the analog sticks feel good, this could be the perfect retro controller. Sexy!

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StarCraft Remastered Leaves Hyperspace On August 14th!

StarCraft Remastered will launch on Battle.net August 14th and is available for pre-order for $14.99 right now. Pre-purchased unlocks the unique command center skins Korhal Command Center, Aiur Nexus, and Char Hive. If you purchase StarCraft remastered you unlock a few things in StarCraft II, including Alexei Stukov as a co-op commander and three unique portraits.

StarCraft Remastered comes with the added bonus of being entirely playable via multiplayer with the free StarCraft Anthology released earlier this year. Is anyone planning on picking up as i'm curious if people want to get in a game of multiplayer afterward?

... Read All

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/01/2017 at 04:29am

I'm thinking about it. I watched a video about it on YouTube last night. I remember enjoying SC when it first came out.

Travis Admin wrote on 07/01/2017 at 05:36am

Interesting. One thing that's noteworthy on that pre-order page, it says "Starcraft Anthology required."

I guess it's an interface into that code, in a sense.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/01/2017 at 01:31pm

Yeah, it might be. Might be easier to mod out the UI than create seperate builds.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 07/02/2017 at 02:08am

Got my preorder in.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/02/2017 at 04:01pm

Interesting article on how they made the StarCraft remaster https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/06/hands-on-with-starcraft-remastered-ahead-of-its-august-14-launch-for-15/

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