Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

Heroes Rise: The Prodigy-- the first Text Adventure on Steam

No genre ever falls completely out of favor. Heroes Rise takes you to a world where heroes are celebrities and you have to work your way through tons of enemies to end up on the A-list.

I missed out on the text adventure heyday, I only ever played one or two, but the idea is captivating. In a world where the next big thing has to be graphically intense, it's nice to see that text adventures can still carve out their corner of the market.

Video Game of Thrones: The Legend of Zelda

Game of Thrones intro done with the art of Link to the Past? Apparently it happened and you can watch it.

Would You Buy a Steam Based Handheld? Steamboy is Coming.

Even though SteamOS and the Steam Controller is being pushed to 2015 it seems some companies are still moving forward to design products built around the Steam ecosystem. Intro the Steamboy, a new project meant to bring all the amazing awesomery of your Steam catalog to a handheld device.

They've released a trailer and it's fairly impressive. That said, after I watched it I was a bit skeptical. Valve has pushed back it's Steam Machines till 2015 and now we hear about a Steam based handheld? Not to say I don't want one, but i'll hold off on my excitement until I hear a few more details.

http://www.steamboymachine.com/

Travis Admin wrote on 06/16/2014 at 02:09pm

It isn't a Valve project, so I don't factor any Steam Machines delays into this. It's a third-party who wanted to make a handheld gaming PC, basically.

And unfortunately there isn't enough data here. Does it run them natively or stream like the NVIDIA Shield? They say it can play "most" Steam games, but does that mean most current or most of the library... because a PC that's way outdated can still play most of the library, since there's such a major back-catalog.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/16/2014 at 04:50pm

For sure. That said, if they want to use the "Steam Machine" brand or controller they have to sign a contract with Valve which means they are on "Valve time." That's why the Alienware Alpha isn't a "Steam Machine."

That said, the idea of a Steam handheld is great might be worth waiting for. To this date I haven't picked up a handheld gaming machine because i've been waiting for the right one. That said, this may be it?

Travis Admin wrote on 06/16/2014 at 05:12pm

If it will let me play something like Wolfenstein: The New Order on the go (i.e. not tied to my home network) then yeah, this will be one to get, for sure!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/16/2014 at 05:17pm

If it's Steam proper, then they will allow in home streaming. Which is fairly similar to what the Wii U or Vita offers!

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/18/2014 at 09:16pm

I don't know. Unless you have kids, and only one TV/monitor in the house, in-home streaming to a portable seems really excessive. I tried it on the Vita, and it was cool for all of two seconds. Then, I sold my Vita. For me to enjoy mobile games, they have to be designed to be played on mobile systems. Playing a console, or PC, title on that small of a screen is like watching the Avengers on an iPhone. It might do in a pinch, but not desirable. If Steam actually opened up to market native handheld games, that would be one thing. This... I don't know.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/18/2014 at 09:50pm

I agree native handheld games are the best option. But there are cases where I'd maybe want to play a PC only game on the couch in a pinch and the wife is using the TV. Realistically it's not a huge use case at all.

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The Alienware Alpha Coming This Holiday 2014 Season

If you follow Cheerful Ghost news, it's no surprise that I am looking forward to buying a Steam Machine. Alienware just dropped the details of it's Alienware Alpha that is shipping this holiday season.

"The Alienware Alpha console will ship with Windows 8.1 which, through a custom software interface exclusive to Alienware, can be easily navigated with the included Xbox 360 controller — no mouse or keyboard required. The Alpha console is also SteamOS and Steam Controller READY, and designed to easily integrate with the highly anticipated launch of each.

The Alienware Alpha console will start at $549, and will begin shipping in time for the 2014 Holiday Season."

Well,... Read All If you follow Cheerful Ghost news, it's no surprise that I am looking forward to buying a Steam Machine. Alienware just dropped the details of it's Alienware Alpha that is shipping this holiday season.

"The Alienware Alpha console will ship with Windows 8.1 which, through a custom software interface exclusive to Alienware, can be easily navigated with the included Xbox 360 controller — no mouse or keyboard required. The Alpha console is also SteamOS and Steam Controller READY, and designed to easily integrate with the highly anticipated launch of each.

The Alienware Alpha console will start at $549, and will begin shipping in time for the 2014 Holiday Season."

Well, yeah, it makes sense that Alienware has decided to continue on with it's console efforts even though Valve has put off the official launch of SteamOS and it's Steam Controller till 2015. In the meantime, it seems Alienware is moving full speed ahead on it's console and has decided to replace SteamOS with Windows 8.1 and a XBox 360 controller.

You might think Alienware might be ditching SteamOS or the Steam controller and according to them, that is absolutely not the case and according to a recent Forbes interview with Alienware they said...

“Steam Machines aren’t dead, they are absolutely pursuing SteamOS and the controller 100%,” my Alienware rep explained. “They refuse to release something that is not ready, and we commend them for that. But we want similar things: For the PC gamer to choose what the hell they want and play how they want to play.”

Alienware has also talked a bit about the internals of the Alpha in that it will consist of user replaceable components and a custom build nvidia GPU. I imagine the reason for a custom GPU is to make it fit in the small case and for this reason it doesn't seem replaceable. That said, the Alpha will also ship with an Intel CPU, 4GB DDR3 memory & 500GB hard drive.

All told I was pretty bummed when I heard Valve was pushing back it's Steam Machine efforts a year but it seems Alienware is still moving forward and I think that's a good idea. Alienware has said the hardware will ship SteamOS and Steam Controller ready so if you want to go ahead and get it, you can use it as a proper Steam Machine later. The launch price for the Alienware Alpha will be $549.

http://www.alienware.com/landings/alpha/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevangelho/2014/06/11/alienwares-alpha-is-a-gaming-pc-with-the-dna-of-a-console-and-its-the-real-deal/

Activision Gives A Serious Nod to Destiny Coming to PC

http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/34275931/destiny_e3.0_cinema_960.0.jpg

Read an interview today with Eric Hirshberg of Activision publishing about Destiny coming to PC.

"It is [a good fit], and it's something we're talking about and looking at very carefully, and obviously it makes a lot of sense with the genre and the type of game it is," Hirshberg stated.

"You know, developing on PC is a different animal than developing for consoles and so we just want to make sure that we're putting one foot in front of the other and getting it right, and that it's of the highest possible quality. But obviously I see the same things about the natural fit."

This seems to be a serious nod that a PC port will come for Destiny and if is the case will it... Read All

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/15/2014 at 11:54pm

If they could ever get it to the point that the multiplayer was cross-platform, then I'd consider picking up for PC. Destiny is going to have a lot of MMO type interaction, and most people are going to want to play with their friends, so you usually go with the system that most of your friends have. There have been a few games that I've bought multiple copies of on different systems, to try to be flexible in those situations, but it never really worked. You spend time on the PS3 with Borderlands 2, then your friends on Xbox 360 are leveling their characters at a pace that you can't keep up with, and vice versa.

I'm sure they will bring it to PC at some point, but I don't know many that would hold out for it. I can't imagine that it would be released on PC within this holiday season, and the thing about Destiny is that it will sell systems. I had the chance to participate in the Alpha demo this weekend, and it looks and feels amazing. They are catering to a wider audience than just Halo or Call of Duty fans. If I didn't have a PS4 already, I'd certainly pick one up before Destiny arrived.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/16/2014 at 05:16pm

Totally. Destiny, to this point, was the reason to get a PS4 if I were to get one. Now that they are all buy saying it's coming to PC, i'll wait. Makes sense though, sell it on consoles then later on PC. It's not a bad model, if a bit annoying for some that buy it twice.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/17/2014 at 05:58pm

I wouldn't hold my breath, is all I'm saying ;). I'd be willing to bet that a major contingency in bringing it to PC is how the sales figures look in September and the following holiday months. Another key quote from that article: "...And you asked how are we dealing with the complexity of developing for so many platforms, how about one more on top of that?" More platforms, more problems. The good news seems to be that Bungie is investing in Destiny for the length of this current console cycle, so I'm sure there will be opportunity to jump on at any point. I'm curious, how long would you wait, though? A year? Two years? What if it never actually came to PC, would you be okay with skipping it altogether?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/17/2014 at 06:33pm

I would be ok with skipping it if the only way to play it would be buying a console I otherwise wouldn't.

If they do or don't port it, that would be fine BUT I do want to play it, just not to the tune of $560 dollars.

I've invested a bit in my PC and like that ecosystem quite a bit. I also like my PS3 but if it wasn't for Bluray it wouldn't be used much. Kind if like my Wii. Again, great systems and I have no regrets but if I look at the games I played on them: the orange box, fallout 3, wolfenstein 2009, borderlands, borderlands 2, portal 2, etc all of these are PC titles too.

In the last few years this sunk in and I have switched over. Not to make this a PC vs console discussion, but one about my gaming habits.

But all that said, I won't hold my breath and I don't mind waiting. Plus, if my friends get a Ps4 it would give me more reason to come over and play it with them.

If it does come to PC I also hope it comes with cross system play too.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/17/2014 at 07:48pm

One thing they have mentioned that they are working on, is the ability to transfer your player profile from older systems to the new. When asked if that included cross-platform upgrades, Bungie said it's a wait-and-see situation, with the ball mostly in the platform holders hands. An interesting scenario would be PS3 and XBox players being able to transfer their characters to a PC version, if they wanted to leave the old system behind but still get the next-gen experience. What would be even better is if they offered a server log-in, like most MMOs and MOBAs do, where you could log-in from anywhere, on any platform, and continue your progress. I can't really see it happening, but it's fun to dream.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/17/2014 at 08:36pm

Save/character sync is magic and I hope they implement it in some form. In some games it's effectively DRM but with others it's kind of like "sync up if you can" and I like that stuff quite a bit.

This game has a mad huge budget, if it makes a ton of money who knows where it could go? Maybe they will add it in a future DLC set.

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The History Behind Grim Fandango With Creator Tim Schafer

"The makers of Grim Fandango discuss the development of the beloved adventure game and how Double Fine Productions plans to release the original classic to a contemporary audience."

Hot of the E3 news that Double Fine will be re-releasing Grim Fandango on the PS4 and Vita is this new documentary by 2 Player Productions featuring Tim Schafer. Grim Fandango is a classic adventure game and seeing more on it's history and development is seriously cool.

GOG Summer Sale

GOG's summer sale started today. http://www.gog.com/ Lots of flash deals, daily deals, and other deals. Thinking about picking up some fun older stuff, or lots of cool new stuff...

Looks like they are getting in just before the Steam sale. :)

What are you thinking about picking up?

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/13/2014 at 08:28pm

I was thinking about Ether One, thought it looked interesting. I've been meaning to pick up Beyond Good & Evil for PC, and heard that the GoG file is better supported than the Steam version (I have no idea if that's true or not).

hardeyez Post Author wrote on 06/13/2014 at 08:35pm

Beyond Good & Evil is a great game (in case you never played it before).

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/13/2014 at 08:52pm

I have, and I agree! I mostly just wanted access to play it on PC, rather than hook up my Xbox 360 or Wii.

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/13/2014 at 09:24pm

The Roller Coaster Tycoon deal is great. I have 1 & 2 on CD but to get them digitally... it's tempting.

So many great deals here. The D&D masterset is great too, if you don't already have it(which I do).

JaBo wrote on 06/18/2014 at 08:06pm

Oh ya! Just picked up the Might and Magic RPG collection. See, I had a Sega, not a SNES and I played a lot of Might and Magic 3... was a great RPG and some of these others look awesome! $8.50 for 10 games... yes plz thnk you

JaBo wrote on 06/18/2014 at 08:10pm

Considering the Thief pack...but worried the graphics will hold me back on that style of FPS/stealth game. Especially after I have the new one. Some games graphics don't matter, some games they do...

JaBo wrote on 06/18/2014 at 08:42pm

Eh... I got it too, I'm a sucker for a good deal lol. Plus, I like the idea of expanding my digital collection outside of Steam.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/18/2014 at 08:49pm

It is hard to go back and play some 3D games with dated graphics. Much easier to revisit 2D games this way. The Thief games are solid, though, if you can look beyond graphics.

Picked up Ether One, and Omikron: Nomad Soul (talk about awesomely dated 3D graphics), and Magrunner is free right now! Always wanted to try that Portal-esque game out. I didn't realize that Omikron was from David Cage, of Heavy Rain and Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit fame. Anxious to dig into that.

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/18/2014 at 09:47pm

I agree some games are hard to go back to now. Some are timeless, but many from the PS era haven't aged well.

JaBo wrote on 06/18/2014 at 10:31pm

Minor correction, but it was Might and Magic II (not III) that I played on Sega. And it was one of the best...so I'm looking forwarding to trying some of these others. I installed an emulator on my phone and was playing 2 again and it was still quite playable for me. 2D graphics are much easier to handle than bad 3D graphics.

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Miniverse Is Coming To iOS Very Soon!

As I am out taking the message of Cheerful Ghost to the masses I meet many awesome people doing cool stuff. While I was boothing at the last few events I met a local Portland developer working on Miniverse, a new iOS space game. The game contains a very unique premise and set of game mechanics that are really fun and well worth checking out. As someone that doesn't have a lot of fun with mobile gaming, I was surprised with how much I enjoyed it.

Recently Ryt Games sent me a poster of the game and I wanted to share it in it's awesomery.

Miniverse will drop June 30th on the the iOS App Store so prep your app buying fingers.

http://miniversegame.com/

Civilization V Is Now On SteamOS/Linux

"Aspyr Media is pleased to announce our first Linux and SteamOS title, Sid Meier’s Civilization V. The SteamOS release includes all Civilization V DLC and expansion content, including Gods & Kings and Brave New World.

This release targets SteamOS on current gen hardware. Additionally, we're working towards supporting Ubuntu 14.04 as well as additional video cards in future updates.

Here’s where we need your help! To improve Civ V and future AAA games on SteamOS, we're looking for feedback. Tell us below what's working great or what's not working. If you're having any problems, please contact our support directly at http://support.aspyr.com/tickets/new"

Aspyr has... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 06/13/2014 at 03:09am

I'm glad to see Aspyr jumping on the Linux train. From what I hear, this implementation isn't perfect but it's quite good.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/13/2014 at 03:44pm

Aspyrs Mac Ports are really good. I played much of BioShock Infinite on the Mac. Hopefully they will fix some of the bugs so it's a pretty seamless port.

MoonWyrd Supporter wrote on 06/24/2014 at 12:50pm

One thing I noticed immediately was that that leader intro screens are animated on Linux. The is missing on OS X. Not a big deal to game play, but a nice environmental touch.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/24/2014 at 11:05pm

Great. I wonder why they did that? Maybe a newer version of SDL supports something a bit better than the one they used on the OSX version?

I also noticed that the title is a bit misleading. It wasn't JUST Civ 5, it was 4 and all the expansions too, at least it seemed to be the case when I opened up Steam on Linux.

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Steam Summer Sale June 19th - 30th?

http://cdn.pcper.com/files/imagecache/article_max_width/news/2011-05-17/steam.jpg

It's being reported that the Steam Summer Sale is going to be June 19-30.

http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Steam-Summer-Sale-2014-Dates-Leaked-64631.html

There's also some "Mysterious Cards" on steam... but no one's sure what they're for. Speculation is that they're going to be part of the Summer Sale event.

http://www.pcgamer.com/2014/06/11/steam-starts-dropping-mysterious-cards-likely-pointing-to-incoming-summer-sale/

And here's just an interesting site I stumbled across that shows what games are on sale on Steam *right now*!

http://steamdb.info/sales/