Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

Shovel Knight review: I dig it.

Get it? Dig? Yeah, that was low-hanging fruit.

When I first saw Shovel Knight on Kickstarter, there was just some concept art, basic gameplay info, and a little gameplay available to view, but I was hooked. I backed it early and have been waiting patiently ever since. Yacht Club games has regularly shared information and trailers with us, only making the wait harder.

Well, the wait is over. Today, June 26, Shovel Knight is out! Yacht Club Games was kind enough to share review copies with us a few days early so we could share our thoughts on release.

If you're familiar with the difficult platformers on the NES, this fits right in. The only thing missing from the... Read All

Cheerful Ghost Roundtable: S2 E9 Steam Summer Sale & E3 2014

In this thrilling episode of the Cheerful Ghost Roundtable we talk about the 2014 Steam Summer Sale, E3 and PC gaming. We start everything fresh talking a bit about what we are drinking and what we've been playing.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 06/26/2014 at 04:16pm

a.k.a. The Tim found the sound effects episode. :P

I promise not to abuse my power in future episodes.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/26/2014 at 05:44pm

They actually worked out pretty well. I'll just put a permanent ban on any fart sounds or anything else that resembles something you'd hear from a 90s radio soundboard.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/26/2014 at 07:47pm

Yeah, Tim, I thought it was a brave and victorious move. You've taken us to a new level. Like, we could be ready for endorsements and shit. I wish you would have jumped in sooner, when I was drowning in my own beverage ;).

Timogorgon Member wrote on 06/26/2014 at 09:53pm

I'd hate to steal the lime light from you during your special moment. :P

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/26/2014 at 10:46pm

Such a special moment :)

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 06/27/2014 at 04:46pm

That wizard came from the moon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlOYatDYC40

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/27/2014 at 07:47pm

"That wizard came from the moon."

That's why it's so difficult to work as an artist, with someone looking over your shoulder, or in this case, show a small sample of your unfinished project. You have to expect that the viewer/player will go off the rails from time to time, and lose a bit of perspective. I'm glad that Bungie took it in stride :).

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 06/27/2014 at 08:32pm

Absolutely

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/28/2014 at 04:51pm

I honestly don't understand, that line sounded fine. A bit one note, but it wasn't the worst thing i've ever heard in video game voice acting by far.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 06/28/2014 at 06:43pm

I think it was more the content on fhe line, mixed with the context of the scene, plus the flat delivery (without filters and effects) that made the community have a WTF moment hearing that. It definitely wasn't terrible, but this is PETER DINKLAGE!!!!111

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Waiting For Steam Machines: Try Ubuntu Linux 14.04

http://cdn-static.zdnet.com/i/r/story/70/00/028578/ubuntu1404-620x465.png

If you were like me then when you heard Valve was delaying Steam Machines to 2015 you were bummed. We might not be able to buy our shiny new hardware yet BUT that doesn't mean you can't play around with the next best thing. Valve's Steam Machines will run on top of SteamOS, a modified version of Linux. Valve has made SteamOS publicly available BUT it's not the easiest thing to install yet. In the meantime you can get your feet wet with Linux using the next best thing, Ubuntu Linux. Ubuntu is a Linux distribution that has been around for a few years and as it currently sits, i'd argue it's the easiest way to run a Linux Desktop. It also has the added benefit of being... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 06/25/2014 at 02:18am

As far as dual booting goes, I will say that I've never had an issue with setting up dual boot. However, when you're ready to partition your drive for Ubuntu, it's very easy to click a button and wipe out everything. So, while it's easy to set up dual-boot, be sure you know what you're doing.

Travis Admin wrote on 06/25/2014 at 03:18am

Oh! And for that Steam Machine feel, you can also do this:
http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2012/11/how-to-login-to-steam-big-picture-mode-in-ubuntu

The system will start up in Steam Big Picture.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/25/2014 at 03:27am

"For Dat Steam Machine feels..."

Travis Admin wrote on 06/29/2014 at 10:00pm

So in the past on Ubuntu you've installed Gnome and used that. Are you sticking with Unity this time?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/30/2014 at 02:21am

I think I am. I moved away from it before because it wasn't great but I have no problems with this particular version. It's much snappier than before and as I think about it more I can't remember what my problem with the old one was, but whatever it was I don't seem to have it anymore.

Travis Admin wrote on 06/30/2014 at 03:21am

It's interesting, because in the past the reason I stuck with Unity was because Gnome 3 sucked, but it's gotten better and I'm thinking of using it.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/30/2014 at 03:23am

Gnome 3 is really great after you make a few tweaks to it. With Unity or Gnome 3 on the latest versions I don't really have a problem with either.

To be honest they really do just about the same thing except Gnome 3 doesn't ship with a dock by default(it really should).

Travis Admin wrote on 06/30/2014 at 03:29am

Well, it has a dock but it's hidden in the activities menu, which is an odd choice. Overall my problem with Gnome 3 has been the bizarre defaults that take an act of congress to change. That's still an issue, but it's gotten better.

That said, it's started crashing a lot. I've barely used this new version but these crashes are not a good sign.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/30/2014 at 03:30am

Are you using the latest version of Ubuntu and some Gnome 3 PPA?

Travis Admin wrote on 06/30/2014 at 04:22pm

I'm actually talking about the latest version of Gnome that's available for Ubuntu by default. I don't want to mess around with PPAs to get Gnome 3.12 because that breaks Unity.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/30/2014 at 10:03pm

I didn't know there was a native Ubuntu Gnome version. I might have to check that out at some point.

Travis Admin wrote on 06/30/2014 at 10:34pm

Yeah it's just the one in the Debian repositories.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/30/2014 at 11:02pm

Cool. In earlier versions Ubuntu had removed Gnome 3 so it's nice to hear they left it in from the Debian sources.

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Is Net Neutrality Good For Gaming?

"Should gamers care about net neutrality? If you're someone who uses the internet on a regular basis (and I'm betting you are), you should make yourself aware of the current Net Neutrality debate. The FCC is considering new rules in which internet providers could charge companies (like Steam, Sony or Microsoft) for a "fast lane", the costs of which could be passed on to the consumer (YOU). With so many gamers downloading, playing, streaming online, what could this "fast lane" environment do to gaming as we know it?"

In the latest Game/Show Jamin makes a really good point about net neutrality and gaming. One of my biggest "gaming fears" is a bandwidth cap in a world... Read All

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/24/2014 at 03:39am

If I understand it correctly, the net is already operating under the free market, and the fear is the FCC won't intervene to keep giant mergers from happening, thus turning the free market into one monopolized by TimeCast WarZoner, or whoever.

Must watch: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - http://youtu.be/fpbOEoRrHyU

Ars Technica: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/01/drop-regulatory-hammer-on-internet-providers-says-former-fcc-commish/

The FCC: http://www.fcc.gov/openinternet (a link on that page allows comments to be sent to the FCC on the matter)

It looks like the job is up to us now, or the net is doomed.

Travis Admin wrote on 06/24/2014 at 04:17am

John, I think your title is the opposite of what you're asking. The END of net neutrality is bad for gaming.

But yeah, we're already seeing the problem manifest with Netflix. Verizon, Comcast, and some other ISPs are capping Netflix bandwidth, even though they basically forced Netflix into paying them. Think about how much it would suck if they started doing that with Steam.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/24/2014 at 11:07pm

Travis: Good catch. That said, maybe it could work as a... dumb question.

scrypt: You are correct, and so far things seem to be fine but who knows for how long. So strange that out of all the things to de-regulate, the Internet seemed the easiest to do it to. A few other things I could think of that might actually benefit from that treatment as opposed to the Internet.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 06/25/2014 at 02:44am

Net neutrality is totally bad for gaming. Just imagine how awesome it'll be when WoW pays Comcast so your can connect at BLAZING FAST SPEEDS. Or when Steam pays Time Warner so your downloads are ROAD RUNNER FAST!

And don't worry about this speculated "abuse". Telcoms exist in a free market, with plenty of "competition" which will hold them accountable!

Now excuse me while I go cash this check Comcast gave me.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/25/2014 at 03:24am

THAT FIVE CENTS WILL GET YOU A SALT PACKET AND STRAW!

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Shovel Knight first impressions: Justice in spades!

Get ready to dispense justice: Shovel justice.

The credits for Shovel Knight, which releases this Thursday, June 26, are rolling on my PC right now. I can't think of a more satisfying platformer in recent memory.

The game takes plenty of inspiration from some old NES favorites. If you're familiar with Capcom's NES library, you'll feel right at home here. The graphics, music, controls, and every other detail have been pretty immaculately crafted.

Expect a full review of this when the game drops, this is just a teaser. If this game hasn't been on your radar, you owe it to yourself to check it out. If you backed it on Kickstarter, don't worry: you made a good call.

Video Game Company Simulator

http://www.implayin.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/GameDevTycoon_Screen5.png

AdamPFarnsworth gives this a solid "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

AdamPFarnsworth gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

On sale for $3.99 on Steam!

I can't believe I haven't written about this game yet! I've put in over 20 hours and really enjoyed it.

I don't want this post to be too long, as the sale isn't going on long, but the game is definitely worth this price.

You create a start up video game company, starting back in the 80's. You have a few different options when you start, 4 different topics (you start with 4 different topics. Anything from Ninja to Transport to Zombies to Hacking), and 5 genres (Action, Adventure, RPG, Simulation and Strategy). Then you balance different aspects of the game based on the topic and genre (Story/Gameplay/Sound/AI/etc).

As you progress through the... Read All

JaBo wrote on 06/20/2014 at 08:19pm

I picked it up based on your review, thanks. Love light little games, easy to play at lunch at work or my laptop. I saw there's an andoid app to for it, but it didn't seem as good...

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 06/20/2014 at 08:43pm

Excellent! I hope you enjoy it :)

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/20/2014 at 09:21pm

I'm kind of curious to play Call of Shooter...

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/21/2014 at 05:36am

Game Dev Tycoon is a lot of fun and runs well on my Mac. It's a nice sort of "pick up and play" whenever kind of game.

jaelte wrote on 06/23/2014 at 06:28am

Hey yeah, I played that game for a few hours awhile back and I am not ruling out picking it up again. It's quite fun.

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Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake Trailer And Release Date Drops

Hold on to your butts, Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake is coming to mobile on June 26th and Steam July 1st. It will run you $3.99 on iOS and Android and $14.99 on Steam for all your PC HD needs.

I took a test drive of the Monsters Kickstarter backer beta a few months ago so if you are interested in that clicky, click.

http://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/posts/1938/monsters-ate-my-birthday-cake-early-preview-is-fantastic

And we also did a few interviews with them over the last year that you might fill your cake hole for the next few weeks.

http://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/posts/919/interview-w-sleep-ninja-games-justin-baldwin
... Read All

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... Read All

A New Super Mario 1-up Secret Found

Seems hack free and also contains a strange set of actions to achieve. I wish we have the source for these old games so I could find out what game state triggers this bug.

That said, 2014 and the game community is still discovering more about Super Mario Brothers.

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.