Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty First Impressions

Azurephile gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Azurephile gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

First impressions:

Recommended

Has an expansion

Available as Starter, Standard, and Collector's Editions

Graphical upgrade over original StarCraft game

Quick and easy tutorial

Achievements

Expansion and editions: Since getting my new PC, I've been desperate for a new epic game to play. I decided to get StarCraft II (along with the expansion). I haven't installed the expansion yet, I intend to do that when I finish with the original game. There are apparently different versions of StarCraft II. After I installed the game, it told me to upgrade. I noticed I had installed the Starter Edition and had to use my code that came with the game to unlock the Standard Edition.... Read All First impressions:

Recommended

Has an expansion

Available as Starter, Standard, and Collector's Editions

Graphical upgrade over original StarCraft game

Quick and easy tutorial

Achievements

Expansion and editions: Since getting my new PC, I've been desperate for a new epic game to play. I decided to get StarCraft II (along with the expansion). I haven't installed the expansion yet, I intend to do that when I finish with the original game. There are apparently different versions of StarCraft II. After I installed the game, it told me to upgrade. I noticed I had installed the Starter Edition and had to use my code that came with the game to unlock the Standard Edition. I believe there is also a Collector's Edition which can be purchased, which unlocks more upgrades and units.

Installing the game took a long time, really that's because of the size of the updates I had to download (at least 2 gigs, I think). While I had the game installing and updating, I decided to search YouTube for some videos regarding the story of StarCraft (the original). I found plenty of videos and was glad that I was able to recall the original story.

My first impression of StarCraft II is that it is amazing and beautiful! Some of the old characters have returned with their original voice actors. The main difference is that everything, including old characters, have a brand new look. If nothing else, the game is a huge visual upgrade to the original. Even for it's age, I think the original StarCraft looks good, but the sequel gives a vast improvement on visuals, which really should go without saying.

The tutorial section is quick and easy to get through. One new thing about the game is that there are various achievements unlocked by completing certain objectives, such as completing a mission on a harder level of difficulty. Other objectives include picking up Protoss Artifacts or obtaining Zerg research. These are available in the Terran missions, which is the campaign I'm currently working on. Various upgrades are available for purchase of in-game "credits." So far, I don't think I've run into any new units.

The terrain and background got a huge visual upgrade as well. On last mission I played, I was on a planet where I had to mine expensive minerals, but had to work around the lava that would overflow low-lying terrain every few minutes. So far, I'm very impressed with the game. Although there is some new music, the original music is in the game as well.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/23/2014 at 08:56pm

Collectors Edition: I have the Wings of Liberty CE as well as the Heart of the Swarm CE and it's the same base game you have but they come with making of documentaries, game score and more. That said it's the same base game for sure.

There have been a ton of updates since launch. Like with most modern Blizzard games they have added to the game so much it[s a practically new download. Kind of odd they still release on a DVD, it means nearly nothing because right away the majority of the game is replaced :D

As to the game, I loved it. The story and gameplay was fresh and fun.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/23/2014 at 09:38pm

Sweet, as much as I love it so far, I think it might be cool to upgrade to the CE. I might look into it. I'm loving it more than I thought I would. Although I loved StarCraft, that was one of the best games of it's time. I haven't played World of Warcraft, but I've played the first 2 Warcraft games, those were really good, too. In my early Windows PC gaming days, I played those games along with the Command & Conquer series, though I haven't played the latest one.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/23/2014 at 09:42pm

Yeah, Blizzard Collectors Editions are pretty neat. If you like watching the making of stuff and dig game scores and art books, you should look into it.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/23/2014 at 09:43pm

I see there's a free Starter Edition of Diablos III. I should probably give that a try sometime.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/23/2014 at 09:45pm

Yep. Takes you all the way to the Skeleton King.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/23/2014 at 10:19pm

Yes, you should play D3. Such an awesome game.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/23/2014 at 10:27pm

It's $20 right now and should go up to normal price after Reaper of Souls launches in a few days.

https://us.battle.net/shop/en/product/diablo-iii

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/24/2014 at 09:16pm

Cool, thanks for the updates. If anyone wants to send me a friend request on Battle.net my user name is GregoPeck#1971. Also, I've never played a Diablos game, although I believe I have the original.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/24/2014 at 09:27pm

I have 4 Guest Passes for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty and 4 Guest Passes for World of WarCraft. If anyone would like one, please feel free to send me a message. WoW is free up to level 20, I've never played it.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/24/2014 at 10:03pm

My recent gaming activities (over the last few months or more, since I've been a member here) have changed once again. It's not the first time, this has happened, just in this particular way. When I got my first Windows PC, I was playing games like Command & Conquer, Dune 2, WarCraft I & II, Doom I & II, and Duke Nukem 3D. So, I was more into RTS and FPS games. My college days changed me more into RPGs, with my introduction to Final Fantasy VIII and Grand Theft Auto. Lately, I've noticed a new change in the way I game, which is that I've moved more into digital games, that is with my usage of Steam and Battle.Net.

I started on Steam a while ago when I found out that Portal was free. I gave it a try, but only spent 3 hours on it. Then, I came here and got connected with various people here on Steam. Since then, my Steam Library has grown and I have yet to pay for a game yet. I now also have Terraria, Ragnarok Online, FTL, and DoTA 2. Some of them were free and some were gifted.

Now, Battle.Net is showing me a different way of digital gaming. When I installed StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, I noticed that there were a lot of updates to download, and I still hadn't unlocked the Standard Edition. This I had to do at Battle.Net by creating an account and redeeming the code on the disc sleeve. I believe I had to download a SC2 client. In a way it sucks that I'd have to go online to install the full version of a game that I paid for, it would be worse if I didn't have Internet access.

Then I noticed on the website that there are different versions of games, some of which have a Starter Edition, which are free to download, install, and play. I not sure of their individual limits. I did notice that Diablos III has an SE, so I'm downloading that now.

It's also cool that games have a Starter Edition, which sounds to me like a demo or much more than a simple demo, free to play. I've always liked demos, since my early PC gaming days when I subscribed to PC Gamer, which came with a CD full of demos. It's always nice to "try before you buy," which could save you money from buying a game that you're not really into. That's always the risk of buying games that don't have demos, which has been one issue with console gaming, but that has changed with digital media and network connectivity.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/24/2014 at 10:55pm

In Blizzard land "Starter Editions" are basically demos. In the case of World of Warcraft it's the full game up to level 20 and there is a certain gold cap as well. I guess if you get that far, it makes sense to buy it. I played through WoW starter and had quite a bit of fun but stopped at level 6 or something. I might head back in and give it a try again though.

All modern Blizzard titles now require internet access. Starcraft 2 will run in offline mode but it's fairly crippled and only allows access to the single player part. Diablo 3, WoW, Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm all require internet access. Kind of makes sense for most of those games but some have complained about d3 requiring online. I think d3's online requirement is nice in that you can play with your friends if you want because it forces everyone to play in that way.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/25/2014 at 01:43am

Awesome, Jon. The Diablos III Starter seems to be almost 15 gigs to download. I also forgot to mention something else I love about StarCraft II, you can hover over the Menu button and see what time it is and how many frames per second the game is running at. I've seen it above 60, sometimes over 100. It's pretty sweet.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/25/2014 at 02:01am

Starcraft II launched in 2010 and computer have gotten much faster since then. I know i've upgraded my Desktop since then myself. They have kept the system specs around that level too so even when the next expansion comes out, it should work just as well.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/25/2014 at 03:05am

Greg, I think you're confusing Diablo with Diablos, the summon from Final Fantasy :)

Don't feel bad, I do it too sometimes.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/25/2014 at 10:35am

Could be, Travis, could also be a typo. Maybe I'm just used to Diablos. LOL

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

Reaper of Souls Drops Next Week. Death Gets Nervous.

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls drops next week adding a whole bunch of content to the game world of Sanctuary. In the new Act V Diablo III story, Malthael the Angel of Death steals the soulstone and as such you must put a stop to it. It's fun seeing what maguffins the Diablo III writers come up with after the destruction of Diablo at the end of the game. On one hand, I love coming back to Diablo and having fun but on the other hand, haven't we killed ultimate evil a few times before? Well, apparently not because we need to take a swing at the Angel of Death. Still, the game looks great and I can't wait to play as the Crusader.

nod to the happenings of act V

The video... Read All Diablo III: Reaper of Souls drops next week adding a whole bunch of content to the game world of Sanctuary. In the new Act V Diablo III story, Malthael the Angel of Death steals the soulstone and as such you must put a stop to it. It's fun seeing what maguffins the Diablo III writers come up with after the destruction of Diablo at the end of the game. On one hand, I love coming back to Diablo and having fun but on the other hand, haven't we killed ultimate evil a few times before? Well, apparently not because we need to take a swing at the Angel of Death. Still, the game looks great and I can't wait to play as the Crusader.

nod to the happenings of act V

The video linked above is a recent interview with some people involved with the voice acting at Blizzard including the voice actors of the new Crusader class. It's a really great roundtable style interview but I found one point interesting as it may shed some light to the particulars of Act V. In the interview, Gideon Emery lets slip that as he was reading lines for Reaper of Souls that you are "Visited by another character and had to reign in the emotion…." Whereas this could mean many things I am wondering if this is a possible hint at the return of some main characters we lost in Diablo III(to avoid spoilers I am being a bit hazy here).

more reaper newsy bits

If you are wondering how you might allocate skills to the new Crusader class, you should check out the new skill calculator. It allows you to read all the new skills and runes you can use to make your perfect build.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/crusader

If you want to know more about the design process for the Crusader, Blizzard has a nice post about it with some design sketches and videos.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/13299171

In other Diablo III news, the auction house is now closed bringing it's reign of terror to an end.

Diablo III drops March 25th on Mac and Windows. Also, if we kill death in Act V does that mean people stop dying in Sanctuary? I guess we'll know on March 25th.

Mighty No. 9 GDC Gameplay Video

Keiji Inafune's Mighty No. 9 is deep in development after a very successful Kickstarter but they took some time during GDC to release a new gameplay video. From the creator of Mega Man, the game seems very similar but give the game a modern edge. I really love the idea of a new fresh take at Mega Man but wasn't in love with all the art choices they showcased. After seeing Mighty No. 9 in action I am convinced the game will be good.

Mighty No. 9 will launch April of 2015 on Linux, Mac, Windows, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, Vita and 3DS.

Tetropolis -- "Tetroidvania" platformer starring a tetronimo

With all the news about the big AAA releases dominating what's coming out of GDC, this indie announcement is the one that's stuck with me.

In Tetropolis, you play as a defective tetronimo. As the story goes, there's a factory that creates all those puzzle pieces for all the puzzle games. Perhaps that's why you only see the next one piece in Tetris-- it's the one currently being made! At any rate, our hero gets made with only three blocks instead of four, and is sent to the disassembler. Along the way you'll meet another defective tetronimo, one with only a single block, and work together to try to escape disassembly and find a place to fit in.

The gameplay is what's... Read All

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/24/2014 at 12:58am

I like the idea quite a bit. Tetris doesn't contain a huge amount of lore... or should I say doesn't have any lore so adding some characterization to it could be really interesting. Hope this is game is more than just a really inventive gimmick.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 03/24/2014 at 06:36pm

There was a threadless t-shirt that explained where those tetronimoes come from. Unfortunately it's not for sale anymore but here is a picture of it: http://cdn9001.ripten.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/blurb_tetris1_20100714.gif

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/24/2014 at 10:50pm

Getting a FORBIDDEN on that image.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/25/2014 at 12:43am

http://www.ripten.com/2010/07/14/threadless-t-shirt-explains-where-tetris-pieces-come-from-lbd416/

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/25/2014 at 12:46am

Tim's link didn't work for me at first, but now it looks like it's working.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/25/2014 at 02:00am

Ah yeah, it is working now. Odd.

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

New Hyper Light Drifter Gameplay Trailer Surfaces

"In Hyper Light Drifter you'll travel a ruined land with a twisted past, delving deep to collect lost technologies and unveil secrets long buried. Hyper Light is comprised of various elements: combat that's lightning quick, brutal, never unfair and always satisfying; a highly stylized, lush and varied world to explore with an intense atmosphere; a strong narrative and character interactions expressed through visual design."

The more I see the gameplay and hear Disasterpeace score I want to play this. Heart Machine is planning on releasing Hyper Light Drifter in mid 2014 for the PC, Mac, Linux, PS4 and Vita.

Cheerful Ghost Roundtable: S2 E5 The Indelible Nature of ...

In this episode of The Cheerful Ghost Roundtable we are talk about a smattering of game related bits such as the new Steam Controller re-design, Gauntlet Reboot & Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls. We also chat about what games we've been playing as well as other awesomery not found anywhere else(except for the other places you can find them).

What We are Playing & Drinking

0.25m scrypt: Darksiders & Darksiders II, Dark Souls & Pinball FX2

2.00m WhiteboySlim: GTA V Online & Ocarina of Time Remaster

5.00m Travis: Portal 2, Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake & Super Mario World

6.30m jdodson: Portal 2, Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake, Diablo III 2.0.X & Nom... Read All

Unreal Engine 4- Linux, Steam Machines, Oculus, and Github

I lied to you yesterday when I said GOG.com's Linux support was the best news all week.

This is.

Unreal Engine 4 launches today, and will soon support Oculus VR, Linux, Valve’s Steamworks and Steam Machines and HTML5. And the source is hosted on GitHub, though you do have to pay a subscription to access it.

That Linux support is for deployment and development. Linux will be a first-class citizen all around for the new engine.

They're also building an app store model for sharing awesome code-- free stuff and paid-for.

Read the full release here: https://www.unrealengine.com/blog/welcome-to-unreal-engine-4

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/20/2014 at 10:47pm

Pretty! I like the low cost of entry, although a free version to learn on would be nice, but the 5% royalty to Epic seems sketchy. I just hope other companies don't start doing this. Imagine if all the software you used as a professional took a cut of your success (Adobe, don't you dare!)?

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/21/2014 at 02:55am

I agree. That said, if you are wanting to build the next amazing shooter, that might not be that bad. Well, depending on what you are used to. One of my friends who developed for consoles and such said that kind of rev cut isn't that uncommon and that engine companies have been doing that for a while. That said, if you don't want a rev cut then Unity might be the ticket. And really, I kind of would rather just buy tools outright than pay them scrilla per month and a rev cut.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/21/2014 at 04:28am

I like Unity's approach. The subscription cost is higher, but the option to purchase a license is, I feel, still important. Of course you can learn to use the tools at no cost, which is the way it should be. I'm glad that model is working for them, and hope they continue with it. UE4 is so beautiful, though (graphically). I've never used it, but watching a few of the training videos they have on it make it seem less intimidating than I imagined. I've only gone as far as making test levels in Unity, but if UE4 is as welcoming to use, and (I would assume) more powerful, then it would certainly be worth $20 a month to try it out, at least.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/21/2014 at 04:58am

I'd love to see what you cooked up with Unity. I downloaded the free version but I haven't gotten around to playing with it yet.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/21/2014 at 06:18pm

My test level isn't much more than going through some tutorials that I followed to get used to the tools. When I was finished I had hills and a wooded area all textured with grass, some bushes, proper rocks, some sand (texture), and a skybox. First person perspective. Playing around with it made me thing two things: "Yeah, I can do this," and "I have a lot more to learn." I'll see if I can dig it out and send it to you.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/21/2014 at 06:42pm

Nice! Looking forward to going through those tutorials myself.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 03/22/2014 at 03:11am

"Yeah, I can do this," and "I have a lot more to learn." I'll see if I can dig it out and send it to you.

That's the best place to be. Seriously, I love that feeling.

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

Valve's Free To Play Documentary Launches on Steam & YouTube

"FREE TO PLAY is a feature-length documentary that follows three professional gamers from around the world as they compete for a million dollar prize in the first Dota 2 International Tournament. In recent years, E Sports has surged in popularity to become one of the most widely-practiced forms of competitive sport today. A million dollar tournament changed the landscape of the gaming world and for those elite players at the top of their craft, nothing would ever be the same again. Produced by Valve, the film documents the challenges and sacrifices required of players to compete at the highest level."

You can watch it right now on YouTube linked above or download it on... Read All

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/20/2014 at 05:58pm

I thought this was a very interesting documentary. Really makes me want to quit my job and just play video games all day though lol.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/21/2014 at 02:57am

It was pretty good. I didn't want to quite my job to play DoTA 2 though, it seemed.... very hard to get to a level where it would be worth it. Plus, didn't the video seemed to say old people can't win at professional DoTA 2?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/21/2014 at 02:57am

Being that I am both old and very near death.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/21/2014 at 02:26pm

Yeah, but I have too much ego to let a 20-something year old tell me that I'm "too old."

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/21/2014 at 04:31pm

PROVE THAT Kid WRONG!

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake Early Preview is Fantastic!

I just sat down to play the Kickstarter Early Access for Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake. Needless to say the game is awesome and I was really impressed by it. After playing many Early Access games on Steam I have come to accept a certain amount of broken and bugginess from early previews. The Kickstarter Early Access for Monsters Ate My Birthday Cake transcends all of that and throws you into a very polished game oozing with charm. If I had any questions about how good this game will be, they were answered in first few minutes of playing.

Once you start the game you are brought right into the games story and meet the main character Niko. Niko wakes up on his birthday... Read All

Mario 64 remake in the works, using Blender Game Engine

Aryok Pinera is doing an amazing job so far in creating a remake of Mario 64, using the free Blender Game Engine. Looks like he's keeping a running development roadmap on his Twitch page http://www.twitch.tv/aryoksini .

Looks quite impressive. Hope Nintendo doesn't...intervene.