Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

Link's Awakening Is Still One Of The Best Games Around

Everyone has a handful of games that they love more than others. For me, one of those games is The Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening. It's an interesting game that builds on it's Super Nintendo predecessor Link to the Past and in many ways improves on it. The story is tighter, the gameplay is often tighter and the music and graphics are great. Link to the Past might have a better control scheme due to the extra buttons of the SNES controller but Link's Awakening has a more immersive story and tighter gameplay.

From the start of the game you are tasked with finding all the instruments of the Sirens to wake the slumbering Wind Fish. I am not going to spoil anything but... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 02/29/2016 at 03:09am

I meant to mention it in the Roundtable, but we got onto another topic and I missed my shot: this is still probably my favorite Zelda game, even with its really limited technology. It's the pinnacle of GBC.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 02/29/2016 at 03:13am

I agree. It's such a great game and they did so much on the original Gameboy that it's fairly incredible to consider. When I play it I don't really think of any technical limitations as the game really shines beyond all that especially with the addition of simple colors. As I said above in my review I think the only real limitation is to the A/B buttons for the Gameboy.

JustAWeeaboo wrote on 02/29/2016 at 03:43am

Its so weird knowing i met you in person...hmm

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 02/29/2016 at 03:47am

JustAWeeaboo: Did you come out to the PIGSquad/Starship Rubicon/Cheerful Ghost booth for OMSI Game Masters?

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/01/2016 at 05:15am

I've pretty much said this before, but I'll say it again. I got Link's Awakening some time around when it was released for the Gameboy. The Gameboy was my primary gaming device, I didn't have a Nintendo or Sega Genesis, although my cousin had all three. I did eventually also own a Sega Game Gear, but that's not too relevant to this post.

Anyway, I enjoyed the game and I probably still have it somewhere around here. I have played the Gameboy Color version, which was cool. I honestly don't recall very much about it other than the things you've mentioned and that it seemed unique in many ways, especially the music. But yeah, it was fun and I certainly enjoyed it. I'm glad you've been enjoying it.

rettisawesome wrote on 03/08/2016 at 09:52pm

Haven't played the newest Zelda's. But easily in the top 3. So great

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Hearthstone Deck Building: Midrange Mech Mage

Greetings fellow HearthGhosts!!

I made rank 16 for the first time and I'm pretty proud of myself. Why? I created my own mech mage deck!! So what?! It's DIFFERENT!!

I've been playing HS since about last June. I am free-to-play, and I haven't spent a dime on the game. For me the challenge of rank is coming up with a deck that 1) is fun to play and 2) doesn't spend all of my dust to create.

So here's my version of mech mage, followed by why I think it's worth looking at:
Clockwork Gnome x2
Cogmaster x2
Leper Gnome x2
Frostbolt x1
Micro Machine x2
Snowchugger x1
Sorcerer's Apprentice x2
Harvest Golem x2
Spellslinger x2
Spider Tank x2
Tinkertown Technician x2
Fireball x2
Polymorph x1
... Read All

Stardew Valley Drops Today To Great Reviews

Stardew Valley is out today on Steam and GOG on PC to superb reviews.

"AmnesiacJack - Have you played Harvest Moon but wish it was done better? Tired of not owning a console for Rune Factory? Well now the PC has it's own farming darlin and honestly it feels like we got the best deal out of the three series. You'll be doing your self a big diservice if you purchase another farming game instead of this one."

"christopher.blue - Very fun Farming/Country Life Sim. Hunt slimes, raise crops or just have a thousand free range goats..."

"Vega - This game exceeded my expectations. I've been waiting to play this game for so long, but I had recently re-found it while browsing the... Read All

News About Fallout 4's New Survival Difficulty Surfaces

Fallout 4's Survival difficulty level hasn't impressed folks much, and as I mentioned on the upcoming DLC post, Bethesda is working on it.

The 1.4 beta (which you can download on Steam if you're adventurous) apparently has the start of this in the game files, but not yet implemented. An enterprising reddit user named ShaneD53 has pored over the game files and found some details, which Bethesda has confirmed to be accurate, though maybe not final. It seems that this was inspired in many ways by the survival mode in Fallout: New Vegas, but with some new additions.

Here are a few highlights:

Manual saves and quick saves are disabled-- you have to sleep to save

You deal... Read All

Cheerful Ghost Roundtable S4 E2: Showing Up For The Show We Shouldn't Have Shown

The latest Episode of the Cheerful Ghost Roundtable is out and newer than ever! We start things off talking about what we've been playing and watching like Rocket League, Hearthstone, Pokemon and Sherlock. We then move right in to talking about the new Fallout 4 DLC and Star Wars. This episode is a bit shorter to keep things interesting and we are including more TV and movie discussion. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Also, our next episode will be all about Fallout 4 so drop any questions or comments you have about the game here as scrypt will read them in the next episode for us to discuss.

Show Notes:

... Read All

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 02/23/2016 at 08:10pm

I was going to say that I can't think of any Fallout 4 questions, but I did...Who did you ally with? Who was your favorite companion? What place did you end up making your settlement? What's your favorite weapon(s)? How many times did you do those never-ending Minuteman missions? How many hours have you clocked? Did you find all locations, bobbleheads, and other extra stuff? What do you think about the game pretty much forcing you to choose sides?

As for Star Wars VIII, I think I agree with the rest of you. I'd like to see some character development. I'd also like some of the questions I had about VII answered. I think we all want to know who Rey's related to.

I also thought I'd point out how interesting I find it that some of us have been playing one game for half a year or more and we continue to play. Scrypt's game is Rocket League, Jon's is Hearthstone, and mine is Ark: Survival Evolved. I just think it's interesting. As for me, I do have plenty to say about Ark, still, and especially now that I've finally accepted an invitation to join an official server. So, I am playing with and against others. I enjoy the co-op aspect of it most and haven't gotten into the PVP part much. My tribe tries to remain neutral. Anyway, maybe more on that later.

BTW Pokemon *IS* cool! Gotta catch'em all!! Once I found out it was an RPG game, after having played some Final Fantasy games, I was hooked!

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 02/24/2016 at 03:16pm

http://9gag.com/gag/aydNKbr?ref=9g.m.mw
That's for Script :)

scrypt Supporter wrote on 02/24/2016 at 07:32pm

Thanks, Adam ;) Smithers should have got his ass back in that goal, that's all I'm saying.

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Upcoming Twilight Princess HD To Feature 54% Less Jagged Edges!

This new comparison video shows off just how well the new Twilight Princess HD will look on the Wii U. Nintendo isn't just bringing the game to the Wii U in HD but also adding some new features as well.

Twilight Princess HD drops March 4th on the Wii U and if you want to know of some more features coming to the game checkout the Cheerful Ghost article.

http://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/posts/2774/the-legend-of-zelda-hd-on-wii-u-launches-march-4th-with-amiibo-support

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/08/2016 at 10:37pm

Shhh...don't tell him, I just ordered this for Vinny for his upcoming birthday (3/26). I believe it comes with the Dark Link and Midna amiibo. I also decided to order the Wind Waker HD, too. I decided to go ahead and get the physical copies. I also pre-ordered Terraria for the 3DS. It comes out on the 15th and he wants it. Oh, I just remembered he wants Minecraft for the Wii U, too. LOL Hm, couldn't find Minecraft Wii U edition, but I did also pre-order Terraria for the Wii U, which comes out next month. :)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/10/2016 at 12:55am

That sounds great Greg. And I won't tell him.

Let me know what you think of it too, interested in seeing your review. Been considering bringing out Twilight Princess on the Wii to play it alongside you all.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/10/2016 at 03:33am

I think it sounds great, too! The odd thing is that I really don't mind the expense or the fact that these are already games we own. I think that's a little odd, but I think the games are totally worth and and we love them all! :)

I'm not sure when or if I will play the HD Zelda remakes. Certainly I'll see him playing them. Perhaps I'll pick them up and play them, too. We'll see what happens. While I thought Wind Waker looked fantastic on the Gamecube, I'm more excited to see Twilight Princess get the HD treatment. In my opinion, if you compared the two games, Wind Waker definitely looked better. That's also kind of odd, too, because a lot of people whined about Wind Waker's graphics, while I enjoyed it very much. I also love the bonus discs I got for pre-ordering it, which are Gamecube versions of the previous Zelda games.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/10/2016 at 03:37am

> In my opinion, if you compared the two games, Wind Waker definitely looked better.

I think that's one of the great design choices Nintendo made going with a cell shaded style, it looks way better on under powered hardware. It also looks great in HD too, but it looks great on the GameCube too. I think Nintendo did a good job with Skyward Sword as well as it has an airy sort of airbrushed look that looks really good on the Wii.

http://b4he.com/images/zss2.jpg

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 03/10/2016 at 04:58am

Yeah, I think Skyward Sword looked pretty good as well. :)

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Super Mario's Hidden Language by Game/Show

I love this show, and the new episode is one of my favorites. Using basic sentence structure, this video describes how complex a game about jumping can be, and how more emergent gameplay can happen when multiple things can happen with a single verb.

Taking the powerups out of the equation, everything Mario does is running and jumping, and the sheer amount of effects that come from jumping is amazing, even in the original Super Mario Bros.

"34.7% More Hype" Right Here for Minecraft 1.9 The Combat Update

http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/3008741-minecraft.jpg

Well, it's been over a year and Mojang is almost ready to release Minecraft version 1.9. I can't recall exactly when I was aware of this new version, but I know it's been quite a while now. As far as my own personal knowledge, this is called the "Combat Update" in which we will be able to dual-wield things such as holding a torch and a sword, maybe a shield? I also know that arrows are getting the various buffs or debufffs, so if you want to heal yourself, you can make healing arrows, shoot them straight into the sky to have them hit you, and then you'll have that buff.

Recently, I found out that the latest update is finally ispre-release and is expected to be fully... Read All Well, it's been over a year and Mojang is almost ready to release Minecraft version 1.9. I can't recall exactly when I was aware of this new version, but I know it's been quite a while now. As far as my own personal knowledge, this is called the "Combat Update" in which we will be able to dual-wield things such as holding a torch and a sword, maybe a shield? I also know that arrows are getting the various buffs or debufffs, so if you want to heal yourself, you can make healing arrows, shoot them straight into the sky to have them hit you, and then you'll have that buff.

Recently, I found out that the latest update is finally ispre-release and is expected to be fully released next week (2/25). Not much of what I've learned about this new release really makes me want to jump into the game again, but it also seems as the The End is getting a new area with new things, so I think that will be cool to check out.

I've recently decided to rewatch the Minecraft tutorial "Survive and Thrive" videos by Paul Soares, Jr. I watched all of his pre-1.8 videos before I played the game. It did take a while for me to become aware of the game. Initially, my son, Vinny, was really interested in it and I even had a copy for him to play on my computer, but I hadn't played it. Once I watched Paul's videos, I decided to jump in and it's hard to describe how it made me feel. I really enjoyed it, perhaps much more than I expected. I love the music, it seems so relaxing. I also enjoyed the open world exploration, mining, and crafting parts of it along with taming animals. So, since then, I've definitely fallen in love with the game and enjoyed it. It's even become something I've looked for in other games. I have, however, not done everything in the game. Re-watching Paul's videos reminds me of the things I've missed out on like the beacon and Wither boss.

So, I'm curious what my fellow Ghosts think about this new update. Are you excited about it or are you done with the game? Are you going to jump back into the game? After I told my son, Vinny, about the new release expected to come out next week, he's been pretty excited. He asked me how I feel about it and I honestly told him that I do want to play it again when the new version is released. He wants to play together again, on a server, which I've done for us before and I may do again. One of the cool things about the game is that it bridges so many generational gaps and allows people of all ages to play together and have fun. From my experience, it's definitely been something I've enjoyed doing together with my son.

Other versions of the game are expected to receive an update, too. I'll include links to those details below. I do have the Windows 10 and Kindle Fire versions of the game, but I've come to the conclusion that, so far, the regular PC version (for me at least) is the best. I expect other versions (like the Windows 10 beta) to grow and contain everything that's included in the main version of the game, but it's disappointing to play them now knowing that some things are missing.

I'm really hoping to jump in once the new version is released and I'll be more than happy to report my experience with it here at Cheerful Ghost. :)

1.9 patch notes news: http://www.gamespot.com/articles/latest-minecraft-patch-notes-include-bug-fixes-and/1100-6434894/
"Overworld" update for Windows 10 and other versions: http://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-overworld-update-introduces-new-skins-re/1100-6434924/
Paul Soares, Jr.'s Minecraft "Survie and Thrive" tutorials: https://youtu.be/B36Ehzf2cxE?list=PL7326EF82122776A9

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/20/2016 at 05:24pm

Interested in dual wielding for sure. That said, not much in that Gamespot article is mentioned for content for the patch.

The full list looks to be coming next week. Oh and yes, please post your review of 1.9!

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/01/2016 at 02:29pm

So, I spent some time playing with the new update and thought I'd share my initial reaction. It seems a lot has been added, so you can look at the link below for more info. I did watch a video, which covered many of the new changes. Right away, the most notable change is the combat system (hence the name "Combat Update"), although this entails more than I was expecting.

Dual-wielding is as I described in this post, which is actually helpful. If you're walking around with a sword in your main hand and a torch in your "off-hand" slot, then you can right-click to place a torch without having to switch between the sword and torch individually. You can put items in that off-hand slot by clicking on them in your inventory and pressing the “F” key. Of course, the main item you probably want there is the newly added shield.

I think I read in another article or perhaps heard in the video I watched that blocking with a sword is no longer an option, which pretty much makes sense. I think it's pretty cool, especially since a skeleton can shoot you from a distance while you run up to it to hit it with your sword. This is especially good early in the game when you don't have a bow yet. Shields can also apparently be decorated with banners.

"Attacking now has a 'cool-down' delay, making it more important to time your attacks." This basically means that if you spam the attack button (left mouse button), your attacks will do less damage. So, it's better to wait between each attack. I think this also gives you time to use your shield while waiting for that “cool-down” period.

I also noticed that the sword has a new swing mechanic or animation and hearts appear on enemies when they take damage. I'm assuming this shows how much damage they've taken. Another thing I noticed is that some of the sounds are different. I'm not sure if squids had a sound before, but they definitely do now.

They have also made additions to the End. Apparently, there are new islands you can visit, but I think you get there after defeating the Ender Dragon. They've changed that battle a bit, too, as it now attacks differently and can be re-summoned. There is apparently something else in this new area that lets you fly, which seems pretty cool.

https://mojang.com/2016/02/minecraft-19-combat-update/

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/02/2016 at 12:18am

I think a separate post outlining what is in the update might be good so others can see it.

Thanks for the update Greg!

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What Would Hearthstone Look Like As A Retro Game?

I really enjoyed watching this Hearthstone de-make video. As per-usual the playing Priest got a terrible start, which is ... you know.. how it goes in Hearthstone.

New Doom Campaign Will Last About 13+ Hours & More

https://bethesda.net/data/images/event/78/DOOM_Cacodemon_Plus_730x411.jpg

Twitter user Unreal389 asked the official Doom twitter handle about how much time the new Doom single player mission would take to complete. Since I can't stop cramming my brain with new Doom news, the tweet is below.

"@Unreal389 The difficulty level plays a factor, but folks playing at the office average 13+ hours in the campaign"

https://twitter.com/DOOM/status/697883390821982208

13+ hours seems like a reasonable amount of time for the single player campaign. I plan on spending as much or more time building levels in Snapmap and i'll also give multiplayer a try.

Bethesda has been keeping the new Doom hype train going and recently dropped more information about the... Read All Twitter user Unreal389 asked the official Doom twitter handle about how much time the new Doom single player mission would take to complete. Since I can't stop cramming my brain with new Doom news, the tweet is below.

"@Unreal389 The difficulty level plays a factor, but folks playing at the office average 13+ hours in the campaign"

https://twitter.com/DOOM/status/697883390821982208

13+ hours seems like a reasonable amount of time for the single player campaign. I plan on spending as much or more time building levels in Snapmap and i'll also give multiplayer a try.

Bethesda has been keeping the new Doom hype train going and recently dropped more information about the single player campaign.

"This is where the show really begins. Martin seems to be everywhere at once. He mantles to an upper deck and hits one demon with some plasma fire. He drops to a lower level and uses his modded Rocket Launcher to detonate some heavy ordnance behind a heaving Hell Knight. Out comes the Chaingun for some rapid peppering of multiple enemies. He staggers one demon, then another, then rushes forward to Glory Kill the first and immediately dispatches the second with an explosive burst from his modded Combat Shotgun. And, as he earlier promised to show us, he’s flick-switching – id’s in-house term for the instinctual and nearly instantaneous swapping of weapons that players can pull off once they learn their way around the weapon wheel. A quick tap, a quick flick… and the weapon wheel never even appears. “It makes you feel super slick when you’re doing it,” Martin smiles. “You’re just flick-switching between weapons and you’re like…” Martin pauses to make some rapid-fire pew-pew-pew sound effects. We get the point.

But Martin isn’t just showboating for us. He’s also demonstrating something we haven’t yet seen in action: the player progression system. While id wasn’t ready to reveal the mechanics behind this system, they wanted to give us a taste of how players can customize their abilities to fit their play style."

https://bethesda.net/#en/events/game/inside-dooms-brutally-fast-single-player-campaign/2016/02/17/78

New Doom will drop May 13th on PC, XBox One and Playstation 4. Let me know in the comments which platform you plan on playing it on.