Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

A Boatload of Free PC Games

I'll admit, I am a sucker for free stuff. Not that free is always good mind you, but the price is right. Recently I stumbled across a game site that catalogs all the good free games on PC called Freeware Games. I wanted to share it with you because I had forgotten about some of the games on the list and I know some of you somewhat new to PC gaming and might want to try a few games on the list.

Some awesome games of notes:

Black Mesa(The Fan Recreation of the original Half-Life.), CaveStory, Super Mario Bros. X, Team Fortress 2, The Original Grand Theft Auto, DOTA 2, League of Legends, Dwarf Fortress, Lord of the Rings Online, Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall & Kings... Read All

RIOT, An Upcoming Game About Political Conflict

"As the economical crisis advances, the discontent of an entire population cannot help but outburst in Riots, where the sounds of many voices get heard at once. The Director Leonard Menchiari has been experiencing this form of protest in person, and the game "Riot" was born as a way to express it and to tell the stories of these fights. What is it that triggers such a strife? What does a cop feel during the conflict? In "Riot", the player will experience both sides of a fight in which there is no such thing as "victory" or "defeat"."

RIOT was a game funded on Indiegogo awhile back that I only just heard about recently. The game has the style of Sword & Sworcery... Read All

y cant metroid crawl?

Click to embiggen the image above and take a look, then come back for more.

I want to preface this by saying that this is not intended to ridicule anyone. Please bear that in mind.

The image contains posts on the Super Metroid Miiverse page from quite a number of people who have gotten stuck in Super Metroid, mostly at the same place. I can clearly remember the wonder of playing this game the first time. It was my first Metroid game and when I got to this area I just assumed that I would come across something later that would let me get through.

These posts, however, show that things have changed. There was no NPC standing there telling them that this was blocked without... Read All Click to embiggen the image above and take a look, then come back for more.

I want to preface this by saying that this is not intended to ridicule anyone. Please bear that in mind.

The image contains posts on the Super Metroid Miiverse page from quite a number of people who have gotten stuck in Super Metroid, mostly at the same place. I can clearly remember the wonder of playing this game the first time. It was my first Metroid game and when I got to this area I just assumed that I would come across something later that would let me get through.

These posts, however, show that things have changed. There was no NPC standing there telling them that this was blocked without a certain tool, or something to that effect, so they had no idea what to do.

Again, I'm not intending to make fun of people, but this shows more clearly than many other examples how the gaming landscape has changed. Modern gaming holds your hand and tells you everything you need to know. We hit a roadblock and backtracked to find somewhere we *could* go, but these posts show people hitting a roadblock and have no idea what to do.

I also don't want to sound like a bitter old man, talking about how gaming was better back in my day. It wasn't, necessarily. Bioshock Infinite most definitely held your hand through a lot of things, but it's some of the best time I've spent gaming. The Terraria wiki, the collective knowledge of everyone who has played the game, is basically required to know what to do for a large part of the game. While it's not the game holding your hand, you benefit from having a guide with you at all times. The new Tomb Raider had puzzle rooms that you could pretty much see the solutions to with a click of a button, but it was one of the most engrossing games of the past few years.

I guess what it comes down to is priorities. The early 8 and 16 bit systems didn't have the hardware for cinematic gameplay. It was basically all a puzzle or a test of hand-eye coordination. You were beating the system with your mind and reflexes.

Games today can spread their focus. With games almost universally coming with fully voiced dialogue, the ability to really wow you with the environments you play in, and all the other benefits that have come from higher-powered hardware, games can appeal to casual gamers as well as hardcore gamers.

Basically, the game has changed, for better and worse, but we're still having fun aren't we?

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/18/2013 at 05:24pm

First off the image above is kind of funny, but yeah, its not awesome to ridicule.

"y cant metroid crawl?"

I've had that in my head for the last few days it is quite funny :D

That said, yeah you know games are different than they once were. I have to admit, Super Metroid does contain some head scratching moments, but those weren't it for me. When I borrowed that game from my friend he lent me the Nintendo Guide for it, and ill admit I needed it quite a few times.

That said, games now days, yeah the do use waypoints and lead you in the right direction more than games of yesteryear did. Then again, there were a few games where the only way to go was right.

I think the Terraria wiki is a good thing though. The chances I would find some terse combinations of things to build are minor. Some games need deep hidden secrets, but games like Terraria, I don't know. Id rather know what I can build up front I guess. That said, when Starbound drops the wiki will be sparse so in the first few months we will all be discovering things. I think that sounds like fun, but at some point knowing what's possible with the game is awesome too.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 05/19/2013 at 12:54am

I dunno, I thought Super Metroid was really good about introducing new players on how to play the game. It may not have a whole lot of text boxes or NPC's saying "do this" but the game was definitely designed in such way that players can easily discover how to play the game. Don't know what I mean? This guy outlines it pretty well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcrdJD8whfE (you might know him from some of his "Game Theory" videos.

Now since you guys were nice and not ridiculing the people in picture I won't ruin the moment too badly, but let's just say those players really have no excuse for having THAT much trouble with this game. ;)

Especially since I know exactly where that area in those first couple pictures is at in the game, and there is ONLY ONE DOOR down there that leads them to the proper tools needed to get out of that area.

Tungsten wrote on 05/19/2013 at 01:40pm

Mock... no... lament, yes.

I've lost all faith in the youth of today. Back in the golden days, you needed red keys for red doors, maps were abstract and hard to read, and if you saw an arrow telling you where to go, you figured it was a trap! There's no surprise that Bioshock ∞ has the "1999 mode" (though I though games were harder in the 80's/early 90's).

I know it's the fault of game designers. They figured out that if they just hand people exactly what they want, people will pay more for it. While I can't really blame them for that, what's the point of the internet if I can't be a bit irate, surly, and overly sure of my own perspective?

Then again I just picked up Dark Souls...that sucker's hard.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/19/2013 at 05:40pm

"I've lost all faith in the youth of today. Back in the golden days, you needed red keys for red doors, maps were abstract and hard to read, and if you saw an arrow telling you where to go, you figured it was a trap!"

People play what games are available to them. The majority of games designed now are one size fits all way-point paradises. One could blame "the kids" but its really designers and triple A companies that make this trough-ness. That said, I like some of those games but there are games that don't fit inside that mold.

Anodyne, CaveStory, Terraria, Minecraft, etc. "The kids" play those too, lots of kids.

People said the same thing about my generation and now people say the same thing about the next. Thing is, the next generation just eats up the culture and ideas we promote. So its a little strange when the last generation laments the next considering it created the next generation.

Now get off my lawn! :D

Tungsten wrote on 05/19/2013 at 10:08pm

Oh, I know... for every Candy Crush there's a Binding of Isaac.
I guess, like any other medium, there will be different "levels" of involvement. I haven't seen a single movie nominated for best picture for the last three years because I don't feel like trying to watch anything with that much of an investment. These days, when I got to watch a movie, I purposely avoid anything that will make me think. Sad? Maybe. Movie's just aren't that big of a part of my life.
I guess I can accept that there are gamers like that... but I that doesn't mean that I don't get to condescend.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 05/19/2013 at 10:25pm

I don't know that the good old days were always as good as we remember them. I certainly have fond memories of gaming on almost every system since the Pong machine, but there was a lot of games that were just clones of other games, or expanding on a proven mechanic. It wasn't all clever challenges or epics of great design. What was essentially different between Metroid, Castlevania, Blaster Master, or Rygar? Not much. The puzzles varied, but the ideas were generally the same. If you knew how to backtrack in Metroid, you knew how to backtrack in Castlevania. Don't get me wrong, I love those games, and credit them for helping to make me a better problem solver (or maybe I just had a lot of patience for running around), but things were different back then. Now we move in three dimensions, and the area of the game worlds can be staggering. If Skyrim didn't have a quick travel system, or the occasional NPC telling me to "Go explore this cave for the key...", I would be too overwhelmed to play. Too many variables and not enough time to devote to pure adventuring. We still have our challenges, though. Portal is a great example of a recent game that doesn't hold your hand. You get a genuine sense that you are discovering this secret, by means of your own ingenuity. Demon's Souls/Dark Souls, Super Meat Boy, Antichamber, Braid... a few others that challenge the brain as much as the nimbleness of ones fingers.

Remember, too, that we had the Nintendo helpline back then, and it was successful enough to keep around until June of 2010. Not everyone figured it out on their own. We just have the internet now to humiliate them :).

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/20/2013 at 06:36am

@scrypt: Or that people dump wads of cash on F2P games so they can win faster. Heck i've read about people dumping money on the D3 auction house because they have lots and just want to kick ass. I don't really think that kind of thing is bad, I guess whatever people have fun with. And I totally wish I could have called the Nintendo Hotline, we could just never afford it :D It seemed so magical, but now internet searches take care of stuff.. or wikis.

@Tungsten: That makes sense. I do enjoy Films, but go to the theater less than I did. I just saw the new Trek movie yesterday, it was a great ride but I really enjoy watching shit at my house more. So many annoying movie goers, but still, nothing quite like Cinema.

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Stardew Valley Greenlit on Steam

Eric Barone, creator of Stardew Valley just Tweeted that Stardew Valley was Greenlit on Steam. Now the upcoming 2D Community Retro Farming Sim will be coming to a familiar platform.

He also dropped a bit of a status update on the games progress as well:

"Still in dev, but I am on a grind to get this game finished, without skimping on anything. I'll let u know soon as I can about release date!"

From the recent Twitch streams I have seen the game looks incredible and am really looking forward to its eventual release. Thanks to everyone that voted.

https://twitter.com/ConcernedApe/status/335104754860568576
http://playstarbound.com/16th-may-progress/
... Read All

Watch Out For Fireballs Kickstarter

Back this on Kickstarter!

Are you in Portland? We're going to do a live show at the PRGE! We need help to do it! I won't be obnoxious about this but consider helping out!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/53695366/watch-out-for-fireballs-live-at-prge

Interview With Jay Watts Creator of Solar 2

Solar 2 is a beautiful game where you start as an asteroid, gain mass to become and planet and finally a black hole. The game play and score are mesmerizing and after I got it as part of the last bundle I was hooked. The made a pretty large impression on me and as such decided to hit up creator Jay Watts and ask him a few questions.

I want to thank Jay for taking the time to talk with me and wish him well on his next project which at this point, is a secret to everybody. Well, except Jay. :D

jdodson: I just wanted to start by saying “thank you” for making Solar 2. The game is very fluid and as I play it I find myself going to some kind of zen place with the music and... Read All

Collect Many Apples, Stupidly Die in a Lava Pit

I recorded 3 Let's Plays this weekend and I leave you with the finale, my recent play through of The Legend of Dungeon. Its actually a pretty good run until I... overshoot a jump into a Lava Pit. That said I collected a ton of Apples and found a neat hat, so I have that going for me at least.

Steam trading cards are a thing now

http://media.steampowered.com/steamcommunity/public//updates/tradingcards/02.png?v=2

It's been joked about for years that Steam is a game in and of itself-- much like Pokemon, you gotta catch em all. They had little contests around the major sales that helped support this claim, but now that's being kicked up a notch.

Currently in beta, Steam Trading Cards are virtual cards you earn while playing Steam games. Once you collect a set, you can turn them into a profile badge (like the "Pillar of the Community" badge from one of last year's sales) that will get you virtual items and XP toward your Steam level. Leveling up earns you other virtual items. Also, you can win coupons for other games, which is what's driving my interest.

It looks interesting. Steam... Read All

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/16/2013 at 01:02am

I think this is pretty neat. At some point hopefully you can play a game with these?

vdogmr25 wrote on 05/16/2013 at 01:39am

I'm not too big on the idea of a gamerscore. I generally don't care either way, but the ability to turn that into coupons or in-game items now and then actually makes me willing to work for these a bit.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 05/16/2013 at 03:28pm

This is something along the lines of what I thought Microsoft was initially going to do with their Gamerscore system. My local friends are very much completionists, though they aren't on Steam much, or at all. In either case, I don't think this would be something that would attract them, or compel them to play more. It seems a definite progression toward their living room experience, and if someone was to play toward 'leveling up' their profile, why not play on the system that gives you something for that, rather than just a number?

I think it's a cool idea, but will have to spend some time with it.
(just updated my Steam with a beta token/invite thingy. Nice that they assign a level based on what you've already accomplished, so you don't have to start from scratch. About to jump into Team Fortress 2 to see if any magic happens...)

scrypt Supporter wrote on 05/21/2013 at 04:46am

Okay, I've collected a few cards in the games that are available for collecting. Traded, and purchased from the Steam Market, some cards that I needed to complete a set... The whole system seems pretty damn cool. Play the games, and cards "drop" into your inventory while you are playing, up to a certain limit. Trade extras that you have, or sell on the Steam Market. When you have collected enough to have a set, you push a button to craft a badge for that card set. This crafting unlocks other items, such as graphic backdrops for your Steam profile, chat emoticons, even coupons for discounts on Steam games. I don't know if this will show up properly, but I'm linking a copy of my profile here, as a preview (check the "Favorite Group" unlock!):

http://steamcommunity.com/id/neverhouse/

Very interested to see what else they do with this. If (when) other developers jump on board with cards for their games, it's going to explode. So far, I'm impressed.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/21/2013 at 06:37am

Awesome scrypt, what games does it drop cards for to start? Half-Life and Portal 2 only?

scrypt Supporter wrote on 05/21/2013 at 07:25am

Half Life 2, Portal 2, Counter Strike:GO, Team Fortress 2 and Don't Starve. For now, at least.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/21/2013 at 03:02pm

Don't Starve huh? That may accelerate my acquisition of that one...

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/21/2013 at 05:32pm

Don't Starve is interesting. It's a roguelike-like survival world-building game.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/21/2013 at 06:48pm

Yeah, I played it on a friends computer, it really is fun.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/25/2014 at 05:16am

It is interesting. I'm probably a bit of a newb when it comes to Steam as I only have two games, Portal and Terraria. Guess how much I paid for both games.....that's right $0. I got Portal when I found out it was free. I spent 3 hours on it, I think, that's it. Terraria on the other hand, well I spent 159 hours on. It was interesting once I started playing Terraria that I noticed I had earn some of these cards based on Terraria. I may have but a few and it doesn't seem like I've earned any since. I'm really not sure what they're for, but it is interesting.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 01/25/2014 at 02:31pm

How did you manage to only spend 3 hours on Portal?

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/25/2014 at 04:04pm

I think the game can be completed in three hours. That said, my first play through was much more than that.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/25/2014 at 10:06pm

Hahaha, Travis, probably because I got so frustrated with it. Sometimes puzzle games make me feel so stupid.

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Here it comes again.

I get the feeling that this won't get a whole lot of hype on CG, but Gran Turismo 6 has just been announced. I enjoy good racing games, and this series is near and dear to me, so I'm looking forward to this next installment.

So Much Evil For Your Desktop

Blizzard's art team released 4 new desktop backgrounds for Diablo III today. If you are looking to amp up your desktop's hell factor, I seriously recommend checking them out.

The offer some seriously epic resolutions so you can see all the blood in oh so crisp and savory HD.

http://us.battle.net//d3/en/blog/9691897