I attended PAX Prime this year on Saturday and perused a ton of new Indie games. One game that caught my attention was Super Meat Boy Forever. I was alerted to it by Travis and saw it at the Indie Megabooth. I watched a few people play it and immediately realized how great this game will be. When I first heard that Team Meat was working on a possible mobile Meat Boy game I didn't think it would work. After watching Super Meat Boy Forever and playing it, I can say that unless they change the game from what I played to make it worse, this game will be great.
In a world of really lame endless runners, Super Meat Boy Forever propels the genre forward by creating richer... Read All
I attended PAX Prime this year on Saturday and perused a ton of new Indie games. One game that caught my attention was Super Meat Boy Forever. I was alerted to it by Travis and saw it at the Indie Megabooth. I watched a few people play it and immediately realized how great this game will be. When I first heard that Team Meat was working on a possible mobile Meat Boy game I didn't think it would work. After watching Super Meat Boy Forever and playing it, I can say that unless they change the game from what I played to make it worse, this game will be great.
In a world of really lame endless runners, Super Meat Boy Forever propels the genre forward by creating richer gameplay. Meat Boy runs forward and you can do a few things by tapping. Tapping on the right hand side of the screen causes Meat Boy to jump and tapping on the left causes him to crouch. Whereas I didn't see anyone use the crouch, I can imagine it coming in useful at certain points. If Meat Boy comes in contact with a wall he automagically starts walking the other direction. If you tap the jump button after he jumps into a walk it causes a wall jump in the opposite direction. These really simple controls make for a really rich platformer that felt like a proper Meat Boy game.
Where as it wasn't me playing the game, I snapped the above YouTube footage at PAX and it shows off a bit of the gameplay. Super Meat Boy Forever isn't an endless runner but it features randomly generated levels and will ship with an endless mode to it. That said, according to Team Meat, Super Meat Boy Forever will feature a full story, 6 levels and double the boss fights of the original. But don't take my word for it, you can read the announcement yourself.
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... Read All
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.
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).
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.
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
Blizzard seems to really be enhancing the game for hardcore Diablo players to give them even more content than before. With the changes, are you planning on heading back to Sanctuary? As a special bonus to help get players back this week, Blizzard mentioned that..
"To celebrate the arrival of this major content update, all... Read All
What's included in patch 2.1.0? In short: Seasons, Greater Rifts, Leaderboards, The Cesspools, Treasure Rooms & balancing. Oh and...
"An additional Stash Tab is now available for all players with Reaper of Souls."
Awesome.
Read about all of the features of the Diablo III 2.1.0
Blizzard seems to really be enhancing the game for hardcore Diablo players to give them even more content than before. With the changes, are you planning on heading back to Sanctuary? As a special bonus to help get players back this week, Blizzard mentioned that..
"To celebrate the arrival of this major content update, all players who log into Diablo III this week on Windows or Mac will not only receive a +100% bonus to Gold Find, but all Treasure Goblin spawns in the game have been doubled! (As with our previous buff, please note that the Gold Find bonus will stack multiplicatively with existing bonuses including those provided by items and Paragon points.)"
GOG.com just launched an interesting new feature: DRM free films. Starting with a few movies like "Indie Game: The Movie", "Minecraft: The Story of Mojang", "Gamer Age" & "The Startup Kids." If you head over to GOG right now you can download two films for free "TPB AFK: The Pirate Bay Away From Keyboard" and "The Art of Playing."
Movies, coupled with Linux support and the upcoming GOG Galaxy, GOG is really becoming a first class digital game service. I hope the DRM free films movement takes off and we see more great content come to it.
http://www.gog.com/movies
GOG.com just launched an interesting new feature: DRM free films. Starting with a few movies like "Indie Game: The Movie", "Minecraft: The Story of Mojang", "Gamer Age" & "The Startup Kids." If you head over to GOG right now you can download two films for free "TPB AFK: The Pirate Bay Away From Keyboard" and "The Art of Playing."
Movies, coupled with Linux support and the upcoming GOG Galaxy, GOG is really becoming a first class digital game service. I hope the DRM free films movement takes off and we see more great content come to it.
This is really cool, not just for the DRM-free aspect, but because of the collection of titles that they are offering right now. I'm sure that will grow and change, but having all of those game related movies and documentaries in one place... well, I just want to watch all of them now!
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 08/28/2014 at 04:18pm
The DRM free aspect is pretty important to me because few film distribution channels focus on it. With everything moving the cloud, it seems certain aspects of DRM are fairly commonplace. I'd like to make the transition from buying physical media(I can rip easily) to something digital and i'd rather it not come with a silly lock.
That said, this is a pretty cool collection and I hope it grows. Wonder if films like Primer and Upstream Color will come to the service as those are great Science Fiction films that are still independently owned.
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When I grew up I heard that Dungeons and Dragons was an evil game that was created by Satan as a gateway to the occult. The idea was that if you played it your mind would be invaded by evil and that evil would take root in your soul such that you might one day worship Satan or vote for a liberal president.
These kinds of videos remind me that some people still think odd things about the world. When I cast a spell in Skyrim or make Mario shoot a fireball, I don't spend time trying to figure it out in real life(mainly because it's impossible). I would love to live in a world where magic was real so I could be the oldest student at Hogwarts(or it's United States sister... Read All
When I grew up I heard that Dungeons and Dragons was an evil game that was created by Satan as a gateway to the occult. The idea was that if you played it your mind would be invaded by evil and that evil would take root in your soul such that you might one day worship Satan or vote for a liberal president.
These kinds of videos remind me that some people still think odd things about the world. When I cast a spell in Skyrim or make Mario shoot a fireball, I don't spend time trying to figure it out in real life(mainly because it's impossible). I would love to live in a world where magic was real so I could be the oldest student at Hogwarts(or it's United States sister school). I imagine if magic were real many people would learn it and it would become quite common place. Why wash your dishes when learning an incantation would do it for you? I would love to live in a world where magic was some kind of real, but until then we will all just have to pretend.
**EDIT Apparently I was a bit wrong as a study was done that shows kids watching Harry Potter have become Satanists. Even I can be wrong sometimes, sorry everyone, consider this a formal apology.
I love the part at the beginning where he says that the kids are into things that "we know absolutely nothing about," even down to how to turn the machine on. It's interesting how many people will come from that position, and yet proceed to judge, based on appearances, conjecture, fear, tradition, in the name of what's right, just so that they have something to say against whatever is going on. Why are we so defensive, as a society? What is it that we think will happen if we open our minds before we open our mouths?
Scrypt nailed it. Ignorance breeds fear. Its easier to yell 'devil' when you encounter something you don't understand and in this case CONTROL the minds of the children and take them away from the fold in which they want to KEEP them. But I am just free thinking here without trying to name names... Man this stuff fires me up... lol
I agree. Fear of the unknown gets people to do weird things. As jdodson said we grew up with the explanation of "It is wrong". Leaving things with that sort of explanation (as a father of 5 kids that I am) promotes a justifiably "Why?" question. We need to understand and not throw rocks at kids and their form out entertainment. With the age of this video now adults. It also gives us a chance to see how inventive and creative people can be in their world around them. With out D&D I do not think we would have had some our most amazing and favorite games we all grew up with and experience to this day. Brining out creativity in people is always something we need to do. And if you disagree with what it promotes. That's good. Stay away. Let the dreamers dream and build us an even better world to live in.
jdodson Admin Post Author
wrote on 08/27/2014 at 07:23pm
I agree, D&D really did influence a ton of the awesome games we have now. Neverwinter Nights, Magic, etc. I really appreciate how games build on that sort of thing.
Then again, one could argue that ALL of that is based on Tolkiens work too. I mean, yeah, if shooters are "Doom clones" then fantasy stuff is a "Tolkien clone."
I thought the bit about "...some social misfit off in the corner playing D&D..." I played D&D for years before I met someone I would have characterized as a social misfit. But as has been pointed out, he is speaking out of ignorance. I can only imagine how horrified these folks must have become be the like of UltimaOnline, EverQuest, and WoW.
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After it's initial debut on XBox 360 and XBox One, Super Time Force is coming to PC on Steam August 25th. The Steam release is not only adding "Ultra" to the name but is getting a ton of new content.
"STFU brings all the insane time-travel action of Super Time Force to PC along with brand new bonus content including: 50 new Helladeck challenge levels, inter-dimensional Ultra Force powers and 3 super-awesome, super-secret new characters! STFU is the ultimate in personal computing time travel technology!"
After it's initial debut on XBox 360 and XBox One, Super Time Force is coming to PC on Steam August 25th. The Steam release is not only adding "Ultra" to the name but is getting a ton of new content.
"STFU brings all the insane time-travel action of Super Time Force to PC along with brand new bonus content including: 50 new Helladeck challenge levels, inter-dimensional Ultra Force powers and 3 super-awesome, super-secret new characters! STFU is the ultimate in personal computing time travel technology!"
Take a trip through the history of one of the most iconic weapons in video games, the double-barreled shotgun. After hitting the scene in Doom II the double-barreled shotgun has been used in tons of shooters. It's a great gun, but in shooters of late the reload time has been a bit higher than i'd prefer. That said, there isn't anything i'd rather have at the Zompocalypse.
Take a trip through the history of one of the most iconic weapons in video games, the double-barreled shotgun. After hitting the scene in Doom II the double-barreled shotgun has been used in tons of shooters. It's a great gun, but in shooters of late the reload time has been a bit higher than i'd prefer. That said, there isn't anything i'd rather have at the Zompocalypse.
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... Read All
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...
If it wasn't for PC Gaming the video game industry wouldn't be nearly as cool. One part of PC Gaming I am in awe of is the rigs some people have. Like a souped up show car, some PC setups are amazing to behold. Since being a wee lad I have been involved with PC Gaming and a huge part of my current love of it comes from LAN parties. After the proliferation of ultra-fast Internet and online play some may have the impression LAN parties might be old hat. After attending PDXLAN 2014 I can tell you that LAN parties aren't going anywhere and for good reason, they are awesome. After contacting Matt Conwell I was able to attend this year and was impressed with the PC builds I... Read All
If it wasn't for PC Gaming the video game industry wouldn't be nearly as cool. One part of PC Gaming I am in awe of is the rigs some people have. Like a souped up show car, some PC setups are amazing to behold. Since being a wee lad I have been involved with PC Gaming and a huge part of my current love of it comes from LAN parties. After the proliferation of ultra-fast Internet and online play some may have the impression LAN parties might be old hat. After attending PDXLAN 2014 I can tell you that LAN parties aren't going anywhere and for good reason, they are awesome. After contacting Matt Conwell I was able to attend this year and was impressed with the PC builds I was able to behold. Don't take my word for it, check out the imgur album I created of the event and rigs in action. Apologies if I missed anyones setup, there was so much to take in.
I want to thank PDXLAN for letting me hangout with them and Matt Conwell for answering my questions about one of the coolest geek events in Portland.
jdodson: PDXLAN has passionate community around it. From it’s early years to what it is now, how do you look at how things have evolved?
Matt Conwell: I am proud the way the community has evolved. From early on in 2004 we started doing charity-minded activities. The community really latched on to that and has taken it further than I could ever have imagined. What surprises me most about the community is the range of attendees that we have. Our average age is 32 years old - much higher than other LAN Parties. Most people hear "gamers" and they think teens and college age. Our jobs are all over the board. From microprocessor engineers to stay at home moms - our community is diverse.
The decade of running an event has given my wife and me a way to positively grow a community and shape it into what it is today. Our sponsors often comment about just how unique PDXLAN is.
jdodson: Any games come to mind that have dominated PDXLAN this year?
Matt Conwell: Really - gaming isn't just one game anymore. Typically there is a game in each genre that dominates. In the MOBA space it is League of Legends. In the FPS space it is Battlefield 4. The RTS space is still dominated by Starcraft 2, and the MMO space is dominated by World of Warcraft. At PDXLAN there is always someone playing the game you like - the hard part is finding them. :)
jdodson: We talked a bit about the network setup for this years PDXLAN. I wonder if you could describe it for everyone?
Matt Conwell: Our network has gone through many iterations over the past 12 years. Currently we use a 1GB fiber connection from Xfinity as our internet backbone. We use a class B range as a bridge of a class C will just mess up in game browsers. From the Internet gateway we go to the core switch (Cisco 48 Port GB w/management). From the core we go via 1GB to each table of 24 people. Each table switch is a DLink 24+2 managed switch. (24 ports x 100MB / 2 ports x 1GB)
We haven't upgraded the network to full GB for a reason. Most tables pull 250mb/s consistent. Spikes take it up to about double that. It would take 10 users at full 100mb to saturate the line to the core. If we were able to give everyone GB without upgrading the line to the core, one person could saturate the line. A lot of file sharing takes place. While we could drop WFS at the core and kill file sharing - we've elected to just keep it a 1:10 ratio. There is talk about upgrading to a 10GB core and 1GB to the attendee with 10GB lines to the core - but no staff member has won the lotto yet. :)
Two other cool things about the network are SNORT and Captive Portal. We run SNORT on the PfSense box to drop and ban internal IP addresses from the gateway found to be torrenting. We don't want the LAN's bandwidth soaked up downloading all those Linux ISO's. We also run captive portal at the LAN. When an attendee arrives they input their personal password when their browser first loads to gain access to the Internet. That password ties their DHCP IP address to their name, and seat number.
jdodson: As I was touring the event I noticed a lot of beefy PC’s and displays. All these rigs come with some hefty power requirements, how do you manage to not blow a circuit breaker every hour?
Matt Conwell: We have the same power setup that we did 12 years ago. We put 6 computers on a 20 Amp circuit. Over the past decade we've lost CRT's and gained more efficient LCD or OLED monitors that take 1/4 of the power. Additionally processing power per watt has greatly improved. Systems today take the same power - but they just do a whole lot more with it.
We do have restrictions in place. We ask that attendees not have a power supply of over 650W per seat. If they need more, buy two seats. In reality all we care about is the constant draw of a power supply. Most systems don't use a constant draw of 600W - and if they do... they can afford two seats :)
jdodson: Certain types of traditional media outlets have some very negative views of gaming culture as being hyper violent and in some ways a contributing factor in events like school shootings. How do you look at these kinds of negative stereotypes about gaming culture?
Matt Conwell: In the 1950's it was music. In the 1970's and 80's it was Television. In the 1990's it was movies. Today, people blame games. One reason we do so much for charity is to gain awareness that gamers make a huge difference in the world. The PC-gaming market is an enigma in the marketing world because there are so many types of people in the demographic. Salary range is $0-infinity, Age range is 6 to 95. Education level is Kindergarten to PhD. Geographic location is Earth. Over 80% of people are considered "gamers" by the media. To the media a gamer is anyone that plays a phone, tablet, console, or PC Game. As a clinical Psychologist once put it to me: "It is more clinically relevant if a person does not play a video game, than if they do." Food for thought.
jdodson: For you, what game hooked you into the LAN scene originally?
Matt Conwell: My first "LAN" was a two person LAN in 1996 with my roommate playing Warcraft 2. From there it went to Starcraft in 1998 and CounterStrike in 1999. My first real LAN was in 1999 in the George Fox Computer Science Lab. CounterStrike may have affected my grades at the time....
jdodson: What games have you been playing lately?
Matt Conwell: I have really been loving Minecraft. If you like logic and Legos, stay away from this game. Other games I currently play are Diablo 3, Starcraft 2, Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare (a FPS version of PvZ), and I dabble in World of Warcraft from time to time. Games that stand out to me over the last decade are "Sid Meir Railroads!" and "Orcs Must Die!" - two PC games that are amazing - but got little press at the time.
jdodson: LAN events have changed over the years and as such I remember when Counter-Strike 1.6 required a constant connection to Steam. This was a major hassle for many LAN events at the time as fast Internet connections were not as common. Curious how the shift in technology has impacted PDXLAN over the years?
Matt Conwell: Oh man. When Steam came out and started forcing online only play - it was a headache. At the time we load balanced 10 cable modems into an aggregate Internet connection. Because of this a packet could leave one modem, and then the response could come back in another. It was weird. We dealt with it mainly by increasing the Internet connection (So thankful for Comcast!).
I think game developers have to start doing more of this as a result of the rampant piracy that is out there. It's sometimes hard to deal with technically - but from a business perspective I get it.
jdodson: What was the last movie you saw? Do you recommend it?
Matt Conwell: Lucy. I'd give it a B- as it had a good premise and Scarlett Jo-Hansen, but the last part of the movie got strange. In my household movies are rated as "Theater" "Rental" or "Meh" - this moive gains a "Rental" from my wife and I.
jdodson: You recently completed your first year of PDXAGE a tabletop gaming event in Portland. Curious how the event went and if your approached changed from PDXLAN?
Matt Conwell: The event went better than expected. Starting off in a new space is hard - getting the word out about the event is the hardest. PDXAGE stands for "Portland Analog Gaming Event" where as PDXLAN is Portland LAN.
PDXAGE leveraged the experience we had in PDXLAN for sure - but it also helped us build out some mad scheduling skills. I really have seen the increase in table top gaming the past few years - I think this event has a lot of potential. It's also a heck of a lot easier to set up than PDXLAN in terms of Power and Networking :)
Hotline Miami is a great gam I loved every ultra-violent second of. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is currently in development and according to Dennation Games will come out sometime this year. With that, a new Kickstarter dropped today to fund a 12 inch collectable figure of Jacket, the main character of Hotline Miami.
Right now you need to buy it at $85 to get the Jacket Figurine + digital rewards. It's a really interesting Kickstarter and if you love the game, I recommend you check out the video.
"Hotline Miami is a high-octane action game overflowing with raw brutality, hard-boiled gun play and skull crushing close combat. Set in an alternative 1989 Miami, you will... Read All
Hotline Miami is a great gam I loved every ultra-violent second of. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is currently in development and according to Dennation Games will come out sometime this year. With that, a new Kickstarter dropped today to fund a 12 inch collectable figure of Jacket, the main character of Hotline Miami.
Right now you need to buy it at $85 to get the Jacket Figurine + digital rewards. It's a really interesting Kickstarter and if you love the game, I recommend you check out the video.
"Hotline Miami is a high-octane action game overflowing with raw brutality, hard-boiled gun play and skull crushing close combat. Set in an alternative 1989 Miami, you will assume the role of a mysterious antihero on a murderous rampage against the shady underworld at the behest of voices on your answering machine. Soon you'll find yourself struggling to get a grip of what is going on and why you are prone to these acts of violence.
The primary figure is 12" tall and comes with four removable heads: Tony (Tiger), Richard (Rooster), Aubrey (Pig), and a bloody, bandaged Jacket head. The figure also comes with interchangeable clothing including a letter jacket, t-shirt, pair of jeans, Air Vigilante sneakers and a hospital gown. Three weapons - a shotgun, baseball bat, and katana - are included for Jacket to hold as he is posed using the 15 points of articulation."