Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

An Awesome Old Coat: Link To the Past Playthrough

On a lark yesterday I decided to start a game of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. I was kind of deciding between games and picked out a classic. At first I thought I might really only play it for a few minutes of nostalgia, but after I beat the intro I decided I was up for more.

As I have been playing more modern indie titles that use pixel-art or try and riff the Zelda motif I have noticed they do quite a good job of harnessing that tone and style. After playing the first bits of Link to the Past these games seem a bit further away from the absolute amazingness of this game in particular. I am not saying modern indie takes on the retro 2D games are bad, far... Read All On a lark yesterday I decided to start a game of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. I was kind of deciding between games and picked out a classic. At first I thought I might really only play it for a few minutes of nostalgia, but after I beat the intro I decided I was up for more.

As I have been playing more modern indie titles that use pixel-art or try and riff the Zelda motif I have noticed they do quite a good job of harnessing that tone and style. After playing the first bits of Link to the Past these games seem a bit further away from the absolute amazingness of this game in particular. I am not saying modern indie takes on the retro 2D games are bad, far from it. But there is a level of polish with this game that few games achieve and its worth noting that even 22 years later that still comes across strongly.

I never noticed this before, but as I first entered Kakariko Village, the game gives you waypoints of sorts. Zelda didn't invent this perhaps, but I can't remember a ton of games that did this before Zelda and they are super useful. Not that I need them, so far I have completed much on pure reflex memory alone, but they are interesting to see and compare to games made now.

The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past was one of the triple A releases of the day and as such the level of polish and game design is superb. Blowing the game up on my widescreen TV(but in fullscreen aspect ratio of course) I can see more detail than I otherwise did on my ol CRT. Since I am not a barbarian, I don't set the pixels to smooth out and experience the game in all its blocky pixel glory.

The superior game design comes across right at the start of the game in how it guides you along and teaches you the gameplay as you go. Feeding you easy puzzles that teach you the basics as it slightly changes them is a really nice touch. As a kid I flew through the dialog and now find myself reading it more now and taking it in at level I didn't really appreciate as a youngster. Not that the writing is very good, its passable, but I want to soak in more of the game and its interesting to take in the words in a way I haven't before.

My one complaint about the game, if its even a complaint, is the game isn't as deep in lore and story and I would like a bit more. Opting instead to have the player mostly piece the story together based on what they do, the game delivers you a great couch and popcorn experience but I am finding I want a little bit more "Hyrule by campfire."

Before I started the first light world dungeon I had already collected 5 hearts, 2 bottles, the net, bag of magic, bombs and the lantern. As I was coming up to the first dungeon I realized Link was moving rather slowly and one of the things you get after the first dungeon is the boots that allow you to sprint. Again, more absolutely awesome polish here because just as you start to realize you move slowly you get the ability to sprint.

I plan on posting more of my thoughts as I continue my quest through Hyrule. As I was considering what to screenshot for this post I decided to do the flute boy. I couldn't snap the picture with all the animals around the trunk, but got him as he was fading from view. By the end of my first playthrough I completed the first dungeon and just nabbed the icerod. I also am nearly maxxed out on Rupees, those really were fairly plentiful in Link to the Past.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 04/16/2013 at 06:57pm

You really should mark this as containing spoilers! Sprinting boots?!? Way to ruin the surprise man.

But really, this was such an amazing game! I've been meaning to play through it again as well. I think you're right about the polish vs today's retro games. Back in the day, the paradigm was "How can we make this look as amazing as possible?" They weren't constrained by anything but technology. These days we have so much more potential, limiting ourselves to a "retro" look is quite limiting, and that comes across in some retro style games.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/16/2013 at 09:18pm

I can be limiting I suppose depending on the game. I think some are just using that style, but Nintendo has certainly moved on for sure.

Spoilers, yeah I guess for some it totally is. Not everyone played this for sure. Especially new gamers.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 04/17/2013 at 12:19am

lol, I really don't think you should put a spoiler alert for sprint shoes ;)

What I meant about it being limiting is that when creating Zelda, the artists could say "We can use this color *and* this color!" whereas a developer today would say "We can use this color and this color." It's self limiting, which could stifle some creativity. But that's just my theory. I could be totally wrong.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/17/2013 at 02:05am

I agree. Many of the retro 2D games now days go beyond the original limitations of the SNES and I think that's totally fine. Its the vibe the graphics produce for me, not the limitations of the platform. Then again, art through adversity and all that.

krcDeuce Supporter wrote on 04/17/2013 at 09:45pm

I think there are many good reasons why this was #1 on Nintendo Power's list for years.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/18/2013 at 02:48am

Agreed.

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PC 1.2 PVP & Cannon Update Preview

In this latest Terraria Talk video they are given an exclusive screenshot of the new content coming in Terraria 1.2. What it includes:

Sandstone bricks, backdrop and furniture.

Cannons

PvP

Jungle Trees can be harvested for Mahogany wood

New banner designs

New armor and vanity sets including an Eskimo Suit

Cactus building sets w tables and chairs

Steampunk armor/vanity set

More I may have missed

Really looking for this update to drop. Right now there is no ETA on release but when I hear something you will be the first to know about it.

Bethesda has stopped development on Skyrim

http://cdnstatic.bethsoft.com/bethblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/teamphoto_new_3-1024x643.jpg

The Bethesda team has announced today that they're moving on from Skyrim, with the exception of minor updates as needed. There's a new big project (I'm hoping for Fallout 4) that's gotten to the point where it needs the team's full attention.

I was personally hoping for at least one more kickass DLC, but I can't complain. I've put hundreds of hours into Skyrim, and I've certainly gotten my money's worth.

It's sad though, that there won't be any more content for what may be my favorite game of all time.

Ah well, time to start a new character!

http://www.bethblog.com/2013/04/15/moving-to-our-next-adventure/

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/15/2013 at 07:09pm

I wish the team well on their next endeavor! They shipped a good game here and supported it for a long time. Looking forward to the GoTY wrapping up all the extra bits :D

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/15/2013 at 07:31pm

Oh Travis, this:

http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/04/10/bethesda-will-be-announcing-new-stuff-later-in-2013/

BR Supporter wrote on 04/15/2013 at 07:56pm

Oh man...I hope its fallout 4. I LOVE the fallout games! I might have to give up on the rest of my life if its fallout 4 in order to get max playtime in.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 04/16/2013 at 02:52am

I KNOW. I SAW THAT. MY BODY IS READY.

BR Supporter wrote on 04/16/2013 at 03:15am

I'M FREAKING OUT, MAN! I'M FREAKING OUT!

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/16/2013 at 04:45am

Spoiler Alert! FALLOUT 5000! Beth is skipping 4996 versions to make the most epic game ever!

/this comment may not actually contain facts

Blue_Element wrote on 04/16/2013 at 05:04am

I'm not hinting at anything, but I really wish I could like/favorite/+1 comments right now.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 04/16/2013 at 07:02pm

+1 @Blue_Element

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/16/2013 at 09:35pm

Ill add that to the list.

Blue_Element wrote on 04/17/2013 at 12:17am

+1 @jdodson :P

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/17/2013 at 02:05am

:D

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Achievements: Are They Worth It?

After days of work, hours of frustration, and a rage that very nearly claimed a controller, I claimed the 'Scavenger Hunt' achievement in Bioshock Infinite. For those of you not in the know, the parameters of this particular achievement are as follows:

1) Beat the game on the hardest difficulty, which includes a hundred dollar charge per continue. no money, no more game. You have to reload at your last checkpoint.
2) Not spend any money at a Dollar Bill machine. While this may not seem like a big deal, health, ammo, and salts (Which is basically your mana) are at a serious premium in 1999 mode, and these machines are basically the only easy source, outside of hoping to... Read All After days of work, hours of frustration, and a rage that very nearly claimed a controller, I claimed the 'Scavenger Hunt' achievement in Bioshock Infinite. For those of you not in the know, the parameters of this particular achievement are as follows:

1) Beat the game on the hardest difficulty, which includes a hundred dollar charge per continue. no money, no more game. You have to reload at your last checkpoint.
2) Not spend any money at a Dollar Bill machine. While this may not seem like a big deal, health, ammo, and salts (Which is basically your mana) are at a serious premium in 1999 mode, and these machines are basically the only easy source, outside of hoping to scour from the environment or having some thrown to you. By choosing to complete the achievement, you are foregoing the only way to make this mode easier.

I watched the credits roll, and the "Achievement Earned" notification popped up on the screen. All that work, all the annoyances and frustration, all for that. Not even something that I can show off in-game somewhere, like achievements in Team Fortress 2. As I sit and watch the credits wrap up, I am struggling to justify the headache I just put myself through.

And then it hits me. To me, it's not about having something to show off, though that is a plus. I found myself challenged even on medium difficulty, and hard was a scary prospect. I decided to forego hard, and jump in head first, and just knock out 1999 mode. I had heard that outside of the paying for continues, there was not a whole lot of difference between the two modes, so I thought why the heck not. I felt like I needed to give myself a challenge, and it only made sense to REALLY challenge myself, and add the Scavenger Hunt achievement to my docket.

For a very long time, I've had a hard time shaking the feeling of failing at most everything I do. My self-esteem is something that has always been easy for me to undermine, and feeling like I've done something right is an experience that does not come often. Call me silly, or strange, or even stupid, but my achievement list, or trophies, or gamer score stands as a list of my accomplishments, no matter how big or small. They stand as a personal record of challenges I've risen to, and a road map of challenges to come. I look at the Platinum trophies I have for Assassins Creed 2 or Uncharted 3, and I see proof that I can follow through on something I set my mind to.

I have days where I feel like I don't do as well as I could at work, or that I'm not being the husband I should be, even if I'm doing everything right. I can't help it. Perhaps if my boss gave out arbitrary, useless, but awesome rewards, I may feel like a better employee. If my wife learned how to make the 'trophy unlocked' sound when I remember to take out the garbage,..

Simply put, are achievements worth the trouble? For me, yes, they are.

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/16/2013 at 01:59am

Thats really cool man, I hope you keep hitting strides you enjoy. I envy this kind of dedication myself and hope that I can find a game that warrants me putting this kind of love into its harder aspects. I am playing through(post will come) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past right now and playing through it entirely by memory I accumulated a few decades ago is a kind of achievement I am pretty proud of. Scoured every area of that game and it still comes to me.

Are there any things left for you to achieve with BioShock Infinite?

Travis Admin wrote on 04/16/2013 at 03:15am

I have good and bad feelings about achievements. I like a good mix of stuff you're going to do anyway, to chart your progress, and fun stuff to do. I was really annoyed with finishing up Fallout: New Vegas and having some achievements left that consisted of doing a certain amount of damage with weapons I didn't care about.

I mean I did them anyway because with Bethesda games I'm a hardcore completionist. I created a hard save and then went to the strip and blew up securitrons. But it didn't add any extra challenge, just busy work.

Nick_Donahoo Post Author wrote on 04/17/2013 at 07:01pm

Now I just have fun and do a little mopping up. Voxophones, infusions, and drunk killing. .

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A rather interesting game.

Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals was a pretty decent game. It is a surreal Sci-fi point and click adventure puzzle game.

Taking me around three and a half hours to complete, it is definitely a game that can be completed in one sitting and gave me something fun to do while my power was out.

Even from the main menu, the graphics are absolutely beautiful. The opening scene is that of Nikopol's apartment and I was impressed by the amount of detail from cracked plaster to the artist's paintings. It gives you the impression that Nikopol knows what it means to be a starving artist.

When starting the game, you get a dynamic cursor that allows you to interact with the... Read All Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals was a pretty decent game. It is a surreal Sci-fi point and click adventure puzzle game.

Taking me around three and a half hours to complete, it is definitely a game that can be completed in one sitting and gave me something fun to do while my power was out.

Even from the main menu, the graphics are absolutely beautiful. The opening scene is that of Nikopol's apartment and I was impressed by the amount of detail from cracked plaster to the artist's paintings. It gives you the impression that Nikopol knows what it means to be a starving artist.

When starting the game, you get a dynamic cursor that allows you to interact with the environment around you, picking up some objects while simply reading others or getting a back story. You have to be very through and at times, I felt like I was combing a beach, having to run my cursor back and forth across every surface if I was missing something.

You get right into the action of the puzzles, although sometimes the puzzles felt a bit out of place, like the puzzle was there just to be there and those had a rather pointless feel to it. But other puzzles were strong in the storyline and there were quite a few puzzles where you really have to sit and thing about what you're doing. While some puzzles were incredibly frustrating, it's a small triumph to beat them.

There were several timed "missions" in the game, and usually you don't know it's timed until you die. Expect to die a few times until you get the hang of what you're supposed to be doing. There are no directional arrows and very few hints and until you get every step right, you'll become familiar with the fade to red death screen.

The game is definitely immersive, with good voice acting (mostly) and music that sometimes adds to the suspense of the game.

The few things I found lacking for the game wasn't enough to make a poor game, for me.

There were times I felt like I was supposed to know the story or that I was missing out on something. After looking up the game, I found out that the game is even better if you play it in conjunction with reading the graphic novel Cave of the Immortals by Enik Bilal (on which the game is based).

The save function was also a bit hard to find (hint, main menu and far to the right) and I would have rather enjoyed a quick save of some sort.

All in all, not a bad game at all. If you enjoy tricky puzzle games with a good story, this is definitely a game to try.

Nintendo to Discontinue Some Wii Online Services

"We at Nintendo sincerely thank you for your continued patronage of our company’s products. We would like to inform you that a portion of the online services offered through the Wii console will be discontinued from 28th June 2013. We apologise to those of you currently using these services."

Specifically they are discontinuing:

- Nintendo Channel
- News Channel
- Forecast Channel
- Everybody Votes Channel
- Mii Contest Channel
- Data exchange with Wii Friends via WiiConnect24*

I view modern consoles in the same way I view computers, but it doesn't seem console makers do. The Internet Channel is still available so you can get news and the forecast from that, but its still... Read All

CapnCurry Supporter wrote on 04/15/2013 at 05:27am

Ugh. I hate decisions like this. Either it's a feature that people are still using in large numbers, in which case: continue the damn product. Or it's a feature that people are *not* still using in large numbers, in which case: throw the damn thing on a shared hosting service and downgrade the support to "best effort".

I'm less inspired to upgrade to the Wii U to keep my precious Everybody Votes Channel, and more worried about what I'll *actually* fall in love with on the Wii U that they'll decide isn't worth their time.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 04/15/2013 at 04:04pm

The Mii Contest and Everybody Votes channels were the only ones I found interesting, and even then it was only for a short time. This is a little more disturbing, and I'm not sure why it was left off the above list:

- Data exchange with Wii Friends via WiiConnect24*

* Exchange of Wii messages on the Wii Message Board, exchange of Mii characters on the Mii Channel and message/data exchange within some games will be disabled.

I still play Animal Crossing City Folk from time to time, and its sad to think that a big dynamic of the game (having friends send you items or messages in the mail, or even come to visit your town) could be eliminated. I know it happens, and it's happened to much more popular games. It would be awesome if there were shared hosting services, or P2P options for this dilemma. Unlikely a solution we will be offered soon...

The problem is the consumer. We make statements with our money, and our money says that we will buy just about anything that falls within a very wide netted parameter. Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo... they aren't in any real way convinced that we want anything less than what we are already getting, just dressed in a newer outfit. They'll do what they do, because it makes them happy. Don't like the way things are going? They're response is trending toward (or explicitly stated, in the case of Microsoft) "deal with it". "Uhhh, the future we are planning is out of control, you guys! This is the nature of the thing! We're just trying to do the best we can (i.e. profit) on this crazy ride!"

The other side of that is "stop giving them money."

They pretty much know that isn't going to happen. Consumers aren't that convicted.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/15/2013 at 07:03pm

I think people will handle pain to a certain point. But maybe its a bit more deeply psychological or philosophical in a way. Well economic philosophy :D

If after a few years my console services shut down, my console has little value left then people will value the next round of consoles less(I do). I think it might be less apparent in peoples minds, but they will do things where the value prospect is stronger. And frankly with everyone shutting down console servies (PS3 removing the Linux options, now Wii with this) the idea of a "traditional" console, to me is lessened. I mean, compare it to my XP EeeBox I bought well before my Wii. Can still do everything I did with it the day I bought it today. Console manufacturers don't really see stuff in the same way and its a shame because I believe peoples dollars follow that pattern.

I think this might creep a bit into all the next gen consoles, or at least I think it might. Wii U isn't the only console that will suffer from this generation upgrade apathy. Or at least, thats my guess based on my thoughts now.

Really suck when they turn off the Mario Kart online play.

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Improvements to Our Game Database

One task on my list for this month was to add in new Game Platforms to Cheerful Ghost in Linux, Mac and more. I also added the Platform sections so you can get a breakdown on the most popular games for those platforms.

Since the site's launch we imported our games list from various un-awesome sources. It required a ton of manual cleaning and pruning of bad games in the list. We also had to add a __TON__ of games by hand. So I retired the old game importing routines and started afresh. I also decided to ditch our old game list sources and go primary so we now import direct from Steam, Android Store, iOS Store and the Wii U. As new consoles are released ill add support... Read All

Risk of Rain: An Interesting New Platformer

Back this on Kickstarter!

"Games with roguelike elements have recently had a large jump in popularity. However, most players find these games hard to get into: they are usually exceedingly complex in UI and game rules. Risk of Rain is an action platformer with roguelike elements aimed to revitalize the genre with stylized graphics and an intuitive gameplay scheme that teaches itself, rather than having to be taught."

Risk of Rain is a new platforming rogue-like on Kickstarter. Unlike other Kickstarter projects they link to a demo you can play. The demo doesn't contain music or sound but that's one of the reasons for the Kickstarter.

The game has an Out of the World vibe to it and I appreciate... Read All

Stardew Valley Development Updates

Eric Barone has been hard at work on Stardew Valley since our interview with him a while back. I still am very excited about this game and want to let you know how its shaping up:

"I’ve made a bunch of progress on character customization, and I’d like to share some of the results with you! Above, you can see just a few of the many possible combinations for your character. After you’ve created your starting look, there’s nothing stopping you from getting a haircut or changing your outfit in the future. Below is the unfinished character customization screen. You won’t have access to all clothes when you first start your character, but over time you’ll be able to put... Read All

Starbound Pre-Order Just Dropped: Heart Explodes

The Starbound pre-order just dropped and the minute I heard about it I pre-ordered my copy, downloaded the soundtrack and put it on my phone. You should too, the game looks wicked awesome.

The first few pre-order levels:

Pixel Tier:

Copy of Starbound + Steam Key

Beta Access

Soundtrack

Silver Tier:

Copy of Starbound + Steam Key

Beta Access

Soundtrack

Tier 1 Forum Badge

You can check out the rest on the pre-order site. It goes up from there and maxes out at the Impervium Tier that only costs $2k but you get an in game statue, name in the credits, tier 6 forum badge & your name in the NPC generation routine.

It's only been available for a few minutes and they have... Read All

IceMice wrote on 04/13/2013 at 01:14pm

so this is the project they dropped terraria for? (or am i confused with another game?)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/13/2013 at 09:13pm

So some of the developers are from Terraria but in what capacity were they involved with Terraria I am not sure. Travis might know more about that.

Travis Admin wrote on 04/14/2013 at 02:28am

I do. :)

Tiy, the guy who started Starbound, was on the payroll with Re-Logic (the Terraria people) only for part of the development of Terraria. He signed on to do the sprite design for the last big update (the one that added all the new content after the Eater of Worlds), but shortly thereafter he left to do his own thing.

Redigit (Andrew Spinks) is the lead at Re-Logic, and currently I think the only employee. He decided to stop development of Terraria because he had a baby and wanted to spend time with his family.

But since then, Redigit has announced that he's started development again. In a few months, we should be getting an even bigger update than the one I was just talking about, so that's amazingly exciting!

So you're thinking of the right game, IceMice, but not the right circumstances. Terraria wasn't dropped for another game, and (as far as I know) there's only one common developer between the two games. The teams who do Terraria and Starbound aren't affiliated in any way, except that one person happens to have worked at both.

IceMice wrote on 04/14/2013 at 02:35am

o ok thank you for all the info :D the style seemed very similar and i hadn't heard the details about terraria before (i had heard the devs had dropped it to create another game, hence my confusion) but that does clarify a lot and i can't wait for that terraria update ^-^

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/14/2013 at 02:53am

I can't wait for the new Terraria update and Starbound!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/14/2013 at 03:16am

Oh and thanks for the update Travis, wondered that myself :D

Travis Admin wrote on 04/14/2013 at 04:41am

I'm active in the Terraria subreddit and I see a lot of misconceptions. Once the Terraria forum got word that development was stopping, everyone felt betrayed and all kinds of rumors started flying. I thought a year of post-release content updates was pretty amazing as it was, and taking time off for a newborn is about as good a reason as possible, but the Internet loves its pitchforks

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