Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

DOTA: Dragon's Blood Comes To Netflix March 25th

In partnership with Valve, Netflix is releasing a new show called DOTA: Dragon’s Blood which looks to be an Anime styled sword and magic show. If this is as good as the Castlevania show on Netflix, we should be in luck! Many years ago Valve announced a partnership with JJ Abraham’s where he and Gabe discussed brining Valve properties to life and nothing ever seemed to come from that so it’s good Valve is making something happen here.

Who do I send my letters to for a Portal show?

The new Valve joint comes to Netflix March 25th.

"The sweeping fantasy series tells the story of Davion, a renowned Dragon Knight devoted to wiping the scourge from the face of the world.... Read All

Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition Gets New Expansion Lords of the West

I’m a bit late to announcing this but since it’s a very old game already why not share old news about it too. Age of Empires II Definitive Edition recently received a new expansion Lords of the West bringing longtime players a bunch of new content. Some old games really never need to go away and if they are popular, why not entirely new expansions?

* Challenge your friends with two all-new civilizations, each of which include unique units and technologies for you to explore!
* Battle across Western Europe and the Mediterranean in three new campaigns—including the British king, Edward Longshanks!
* Claim victory by means of sheer military might, diplomatic prowess, or... Read All

Kingdom Hearts Finally Comes to PC (EGS Exclusive)

If you're unware of Kingdom Hearts, it's a series of action-adventure games in which the worlds of Disney and Final Fantasy are as one. You'll see familiar characters such as Cloud, Sephiroth, Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck. You'll also explore many of the Disney worlds created from the vast history of Disney movies. The voice overs are nice, too. I really enjoyed hearing David Boreanaz as Squall in the first game. Leonard Nemoy also had a voice over in one of the DS games I played. It's an amazing co-existence and I've really enjoyed the KH games I've played, though I've missed out on some of them. If you think this idea sounds interesting, you should check it... Read All If you're unware of Kingdom Hearts, it's a series of action-adventure games in which the worlds of Disney and Final Fantasy are as one. You'll see familiar characters such as Cloud, Sephiroth, Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck. You'll also explore many of the Disney worlds created from the vast history of Disney movies. The voice overs are nice, too. I really enjoyed hearing David Boreanaz as Squall in the first game. Leonard Nemoy also had a voice over in one of the DS games I played. It's an amazing co-existence and I've really enjoyed the KH games I've played, though I've missed out on some of them. If you think this idea sounds interesting, you should check it out sometime.

If you're a fan of Kingdom Hearts and want to play the games on your PC, your chance is here! They will arrive on 3/30/21, however as an exclusive on the Epic Games Store. Another factor is that the games will cost $50-60. There are four separate games including one for KH HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix, another for HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, another for KH III + Re Mind DLC, and a final one for KH: Melody of Memory, which is a rhythm game (absolutely one of my least favorite types of games).

Personally, I prefer to have all of my games on Steam, in one place, but I have grown to accept the various digital gaming platforms available to us now. I still don't like exclusives, although I've always given Nintendo a pass for that. As long as I have, even if eventually, access to an exclusive that I want then I'm pretty much ok with that. I'm currently holding out on FFVII: Remake, hoping it will make it's way to Steam, eventually. Honestly, I think the worst part of it is the price. I don't think each package necessarily merits a $50-60 price tag. I'd love to get this (except for the rhythm game), but at it's current price, I'm definitely going to wait until that changes.

Let me know what you think about this! Is this something you're interested? Have you ever played a KH game? How do you feel about the EGS exclusive? How do you feel about paying $50-60 for them?

Source: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/entire-kingdom-hearts-series-coming-to-pc-on-epic-games-store-next-month/1100-6487443/

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 89: Wandavision First Half Review

We are mere hours away from more Wandavision! Prepare yourself by joining us for our thoughts on the first half, and thoughts on what's to come! We also talk about some other Marvel TV properties and how they all fit together, and which ones may stick around in canon.

I Am Save-Scum: The Art of Cutting Yourself A Break

Quite enjoyed the latest video by MtPain27 where he admits he is Doom Save-Scum. Save-Scum refers to a play style of Doom where you save and reload to complete a level. In some hardcore circles of Doom Save-Scumming is frowned upon as playing the whole level start to finish with pistol start on incredibly high difficulty is seen as one holy grail. MtPain talks about that and admits his Save-Scumness and it's nice to hear because I am too. I don't mind challenging games these days but I play games to have fun and sometimes that means... being Save-Scum.

"Some thoughts on save-scumming, Doom difficulty, and being too hard on yourself.

"I am save-scum. When I play Doom,... Read All

Puzzle Quest 3 Will Launch this Year As a Free to Play Game!

Puzzle Quest was one of the first match three games to add RPG mechanics creating a whole genre of games that continue to be very popular. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords was the first game in the series that launched at time where mobile gaming was focused to handhelds like the Nintendo DS and PSP. Puzzle Quest also came out on a lot of other systems as well but these days games like Puzzle Quest typically only release on your phone. It's a fun thing to remember a time where mobile gaming meant playing on your Nintendo DS or PSP and I wonder if Puzzle Quest 3 might come out on the Switch as well as phones? Publisher 503 Games is heading up this latest Puzzle... Read All

Godzilla Vs. Kong Trailer Released

A trailer for the much anticipated movie, Godzilla Vs. Kong has been released and it's AWESOME, so I thought I'd share it with you. If you're a fan, you definitely should check it out. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments! I'm going to share some thoughts (and other videos) with you now. I don't know what's going to happen in the movie, so I don't have any spoilers for it, but I do have some possible spoilers for other Godzilla movies below. I've also included some ideas about what might happen along with some other videos you should check out, if you're interested.

I'm a big fan of Godzilla. I remember seeing the original Godzilla Vs. Kong sometime in or... Read All A trailer for the much anticipated movie, Godzilla Vs. Kong has been released and it's AWESOME, so I thought I'd share it with you. If you're a fan, you definitely should check it out. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments! I'm going to share some thoughts (and other videos) with you now. I don't know what's going to happen in the movie, so I don't have any spoilers for it, but I do have some possible spoilers for other Godzilla movies below. I've also included some ideas about what might happen along with some other videos you should check out, if you're interested.

I'm a big fan of Godzilla. I remember seeing the original Godzilla Vs. Kong sometime in or before my teens. I remember falling in love with the 1998 version of Godzilla. I saw that movie so many times! The ending really did make me very sad. I loved the soundtrack, too, well to be more precise, I LOVED Green Day's Godzilla version of "Brain Stew," which included Godzilla's lovely (in my opinion) roar. I also loved the Wallflower's cover of "Heroes" by David Bowie. I did not, however, like the Puff Daddy song that "sampled" the song "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin.

I have recently complete watched (and in some cases rewatched) every Godzilla movie. I also watched the 1998 animated series. I have some thoughts on that and they're negative, but I don't plan to share them here unless you'd like to know. Doing so made rewatching Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which came out in 2019 a bit better (though I already loved it). This gave me a better background on all the "kaiju" (Japanese for "monster or beast") and helped certain pieces of music stand out. For instance, I definitely heard the music that always plays when Godzilla is spotted and comes ashore. I also definitely heard the music that always plays when the military has a plan to defeat Godzilla and the battle begins. However, in that movie this music played when the military was helping Godzilla, not fighting against it.

I recently watched a trailer breakdown from New Rockstars (https://youtu.be/cYnQa5I3Agk). It was good, though I think Erik Voss stated that Kong's new weapon handle was made from a tree, but to me it clearly looks like a bone. I also watched another from Dangerville (https://youtu.be/WWVPyE4HPQg). If you're really into Godzilla and the like, Dangerville is a channel you definitely want to check out!

From what I've seen (not limited to what I've posted here), it seems that Godzilla is acting abnormally. In the previous movie or movies, Godzilla was human-friendly. You could tell this by the fact that it would swim around and under ships, but in this new movie, Godzilla clearly doesn't care as he runs right through a ship and destroys more. So, what's going on? The humans are definitely shipping Kong some where, is it to a destination to fight Godzilla? They are definitely rivals, as the movies make clear, but if so, then why does Godzilla attack Kong before he even makes landfall? One theory I've seen in the videos I've mentioned and others is that MechaGodzilla is involved. It's possible that someone is controlling MechaGodzilla and maybe that's why Godzilla's acting so aggressively. I even heard that maybe humans found a way to make MechaGodzilla look like Godzilla, perhaps by hologram imaging. They'd disguise MechaGodzilla an attack do something to Kong to make him attack the real Godzilla. If that were true, though, then why do we see what looks like MechaGodzilla in one or two shots of the trailer? Who knows. We'll just have to wait and see, but it's good to know that this movie is coming out this year. I believe, like everything else, it was delayed last year due to COVID.

Anyway, please feel free to share your thoughts on this!

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/28/2021 at 04:05am

Promoting to main. This trailer is awesome!

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/28/2021 at 04:13am

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/29/2021 at 03:10am

One sad moment in my history is when I got rid of a Godzilla VHS movie pack. I didn't quite know I'd collect VHS later in life but mark that as a sore memory. That pack had some good entries including Son of Godzilla.

I've heard the last Godzilla film, King of Monsters wasn't great BUT if you want an incredible monster movie you need to check out Kong Skull Island. It came out in 2017 and it's campy in all the right places and great in all the right places. HOPEFULLY Godzilla VS. Kong is a lot more like Skull Island!

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/29/2021 at 05:46am

I didn't like Son of Godzilla. Along w/ the Godzilla movies and show I watched or re-watched (as stated in my post), King Kong movies were among them as well. I've probably seen Kong Skull Island nearly 3 times now. I really enjoyed the modern Godzilla movies. I liked King of Monsters, perhaps especially because other titans were involved. My only disappointment that I can think of is that I didn't notice the music or sound that plays for each titan. They all have their own unique signature sound at the very least, but that seemed to be missing almost entirely, with Godzilla being the exception. I don't want to see Godzilla and Kong fight (again), but I'll definitely watch this movie and I imagine I'll probably love it.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 01/29/2021 at 07:02am

Needs more man in rubber suit

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/12/2021 at 05:38pm

3/26/21!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXPps7p0UUI

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/13/2021 at 04:15am

Awesome, that’s pretty close now! I’ll have to watch skull island again.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/13/2021 at 11:43am

There's a Skull Island Netflix series coming, along w/ an anime called Godzilla Singular Point. If you want to see more info about these, check out the Dangerville channel on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DangerVille/videos

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/14/2021 at 05:19am

Whoa, awesome!

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/17/2021 at 06:12am

New teaser! I watched a video on Dangerville recently that covered this, but I didn't see one shot that I thought was cool. It seems that shot was in what Japan got for trailer/teaser footage. Apparently fans noticed that Kong was doing all the hitting in the trailer, but in the Japanese one, I saw Godzilla bitch slap Kong. LOL

Check out the new teaser: https://youtu.be/J-FjUN0O61k

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/25/2021 at 06:59pm

After checking with some sources, confused as to why my local theater wasn't playing the movie tomorrow, it seems the movie has been delayed to 3/31/21 (which is supported by the fact that that is when the movie is playing in my local theater).

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/25/2021 at 07:49pm

Yeah, seems like everything is getting pushed back. Hopefully with a large vaccine rollout we can go back to theaters soon.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 04/01/2021 at 03:24am

I just got back from the movie. I thought it was really good, but I'm a big Godzilla fan, so I may have some bias. I was only minorly disappointed. One of those disappointments relates to a potential spoiler, so I won't spell it out here. It's not something regarding the plot, just the look of something. I was also disappointed not to hear Godzilla's theme when we see him, but I later realized this isn't a TOHO movie (the original studio that created Godzilla). It would have been nice if they had a bigger hand in this, because I think Godzilla's music is awesome and powerful (kind of like the modern day Wonder Woman's music). Godzilla doesn't have his signature roar either, but that shouldn't be a surprise as this movie is part of a series (the modern Godzilla movies & Skull Island), meaning he pretty much sounds just like he has in the most recent movies. As I said, it was a Legendary production, not TOHO, so I think that makes sense why these audio elements were left out. It's not that Godzilla doesn't have a roar, it's just that it's not what it usually is. I went in afraid of being disappointed with the outcome, but that didn't happen, so keep your expectations in check and I'm sure you won't be disappointed either. I could go into more, but I don't want to spoil things, so if anyone wants to talk about this, let me know and I'll create a forum post so I can hide the spoilers from others. Oh and don't waste your time during the credits, there is no post-credits scene.

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/01/2021 at 06:07pm

You went to the theater to see this? Awesome. I’m scheduled for my vaccine next week so when all of that resolves I might head back!

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 04/01/2021 at 07:55pm

Yeah, I did. I decided to do it, because the movie was supposed to come out on Vinny's 17th birthday. We've been to the movies 2 or 3 times before (the newest Star Wars trilogy and I don't know if we saw the 2nd movie in that series together). I wanted to share that experience with him again. We both enjoyed the movie and I was impressed with how much he knew about Godzilla/Kong lore. Later I asked him about this and he said he read stuff online and watched some YouTube videos. I'd be happy to share my opinion with you after you see the movie and see your thoughts about it, too.

I'm also scheduled for my first dose vaccine next week.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 04/06/2021 at 05:43am

New Rockstars has a new video pointing out some things about the movie. If you want to watch it, beware it contains spoilers, so after you've seen the movie, you can check it out here: https://youtu.be/tdhIBsoLf54 But, I just wanted to say that Erik Voss pointed out that the Godzilla TOHO theme does play when we see Godzilla, but to me it doesn't sound like what I've grown used to hearing, so I thought it was missing. It is a really good movie and I totally recommend watching it. I recommend watching Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla (2014), and Godzilla: King of the Monsters before watching this one, though. This movie directly connects to those and they're all made by Legendary Entertainment, which is a company I strongly favor. Obviously Kong: Skull Island introduces us to Kong and Godzilla (2014) introduces us to the most modern Godzilla, which is followed up with what you could call a sequel, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and all of that leads us here. Both monsters do get their appearances changed. For instance, Kong has grown to match Godzilla's size and there were other modifications to Godzilla since the 2014 movie (like his dorsal plates now look more like the original TOHO Godzilla). The CG was really awesome and probably my favorite part of Godzilla was that his dorsal fins and his atomic blast are blue. It was difficult for me to resist by thing Godzilla action figure in Wal-Mart, but I ultimately did resist.

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My Thoughts On The Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch

I got a lot of Mario gifts for Christmas and one of those gifts was the Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch. To me, having this is a kind of tech is a guilty pleasure because it's a handheld that's primarily a watch that can play only three games. In a world where I have a bunch of clocks at my fingertips and every version of Super Mario Bros. the Game & Watch feels a bit redundant but in the same way many of us enjoy eating cookies. We don't need to eat cookies to survive and many times we should stop at having a couple but we don't because we love cookies even though they are bad for us. Mario isn't bad for us like cookies but somewhere in what I wrote is a... Read All I got a lot of Mario gifts for Christmas and one of those gifts was the Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch. To me, having this is a kind of tech is a guilty pleasure because it's a handheld that's primarily a watch that can play only three games. In a world where I have a bunch of clocks at my fingertips and every version of Super Mario Bros. the Game & Watch feels a bit redundant but in the same way many of us enjoy eating cookies. We don't need to eat cookies to survive and many times we should stop at having a couple but we don't because we love cookies even though they are bad for us. Mario isn't bad for us like cookies but somewhere in what I wrote is a point.

The Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch feels a bit small in the hand but I don't find it hard to hold or unreasonably uncomfortable. The screen is plenty bright and the one speaker seems loud enough for me so much so that I've turned the screen bright and speakers down a bit from the factory default settings. The whole user experience of the Game & Watch is well considered and the Game / Time / Pause Set buttons work quite well in navigating it.

The Game & Watch includes Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels and a digital recreation of the original Mario Game & Watch game. As an acolyte of the first Super Mario Bros. this was the biggest draw of buying the Game & Watch beyond having a fun collectors piece. In a world where one owns a Nintendo Classic, Switch -w Nintendo Online and the original Super Mario Bros. NES cart is there a reason why one would play the game on the Game & Watch? The answer is yes as just yesterday I completed a full play though of each level of Super Mario Bros. on the Game & Watch and I plan on playing it a lot more as a result. My only minor complaint about the Game & Watch controls are that the A & B buttons are smaller than the original NES controller versions. I'm not sure this amounts to really anything significant but those original controls are forever burned in my brain so I notice it whenever I play. Super Mario Bros. itself is emulated on the Game & Watch and it's done so well that I can't really tell a difference in that I don't notice any emulation lag.

The Game & Watch has a lot of fun secrets to it and I've included a link below for you to check them all out. Now that I've beaten Super Mario Bros. I've unlocked the ability to switch into hardmode when I want and start at any level I choose. This is a fun unlockable feature that was available in the original after completing the game but due to no save states would be lost when you reset your Nintendo.

https://screenrant.com/every-secret-super-mario-bros-game-watch/

If you are looking for a fun Mario collectable you'd do well to check out the Game & Watch. It's not particularly hard to find right now and Nintendo will stop manufacturing it on March 31st of 2021 so if you are interested I'd get one while you can. While the Mario Game & Watch came to usher in Mario's 35th anniversary this year will mark the 35th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda. Given how fun this handheld is, I hope Nintendo does something similar for Link!

If you want the IMMERSIVE Game & Watch experience you should consider getting the stand for it. I did and it's a great thing to have hold the watch up on your desk.

https://rosecoloredgaming.com/products/new-game-watch-super-mario-brothers-display-stand-holder-famicom-edition

Completed It: New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe

One of the best parts of playing New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe on Switch is playing it alongside my 4 year old son. He gets so excited watching me play the levels and loves talking about Mario even when we aren't playing. Recently I beat the game and decided to take a bit of a break from it because he was talking about Mario a bit too much. As a kid who grew up obsessed with Nintendo, I understand how awesome video games can be to certain kids so taking a break was helpful to get him to focus back on other things for a while. Recently I decided to start playing it again as we took a path through the Cloud level and completed the game that way so now we are coming... Read All One of the best parts of playing New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe on Switch is playing it alongside my 4 year old son. He gets so excited watching me play the levels and loves talking about Mario even when we aren't playing. Recently I beat the game and decided to take a bit of a break from it because he was talking about Mario a bit too much. As a kid who grew up obsessed with Nintendo, I understand how awesome video games can be to certain kids so taking a break was helpful to get him to focus back on other things for a while. Recently I decided to start playing it again as we took a path through the Cloud level and completed the game that way so now we are coming back to complete Rock Candy Mines.

How Does New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe Stack Up?

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is the best New Super Mario Bros. game I've played to date. Each game in the series keeps the same core mechanics, Mario 3 styled overworld and item system but U Deluxe kicks things up a notch to a place I appreciate. One difference I didn't like at first was that U Deluxe only allows you one board of items to store. In other games, Mario 3 included, you could bank up to three or more boards of items but U Deluxe only allows one. At first this was annoying because I love banking items that I, generally speaking, never use. One benefit of not allowing you to store unlimited items is you either use them or you lose them which forced me to use items. This has changed up how I play the game in that I actually use items now which makes the whole game feel a whole lot more fun.

Lots of Secrets To Unlock

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe contains a lot of hidden secrets and unlocking them allows you to skip over levels. Just like in Super World there is a Star Road series of levels however to play them you have to find all the big coins in each level. This gives the game a lot of replay ability but is a bit annoying if you just want to jam on to the Star Road levels, like I do.

What's Next?

After completing the main game I'm focusing on completing Rock Candy Mines and then will head back and complete the levels I didn't finish on my first play through. Occasionally there are two paths you can take and I just took the one so I want to head back and complete the other path levels. After that I'm not sure but I think I'll chip away at finding the hidden coins in each level. Some of these coins are hard to get and require some epic platforming but nothing seems impossible.

New Super Luigi U?

One awesome addition to New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe on Switch is the inclusion of New Super Luigi U and I plan on starting it up sometime this year. The only thing I really know about the game is that it features Luigi as the main character as Mario seems... missing. It's also way harder, which sounds frustrating but hopefully on the fun side.

There Was A Lock for the NES?

How do you keep kids focused on homework and away from video games? Well if it was the late eighties you used a... checks notes... an actual lock. The Gaming Historian is back with a new video covering a very interesting piece of Nintendo Entertainment System esoterica called Homework First that locked kids out of the NES unless they had the code.