Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

Bioshock Infinite Review: part 1

Let me just start by saying this game is visually stunning. The graphics really pop on my Sony Bravia 3D TV. I think we've now gotten to the point in gaming where the graphics improvements in future generations really won’t change the industry as much as they have in the past. I can’t imagine a higher polygon count making this game any prettier. Sometimes I just had to stop and look at the beauty in this game. This gave me a great opportunity to take a break for some Doritos and Pepsi while I sat back and enjoyed the beauty that the game could push through my Sony Bravia TV before jumping into the action.

The gameplay is solid. The shooting mechanics feel basically... Read All

Fifteen Years in the Koprulu Sector

Blizzard recently celebrated the 15 year anniversary of Starcraft. And in other news, I feel very old.

"Following its release on March 31, 1998, StarCraft warped millions of us through time and space to the 25th century, where we explored the unruly Koprulu Sector for the first time. We built armies and brought ruin to countless enemy bases as we helped the terrans, protoss, and zerg wage war against each other. The release of StarCraft: Brood War just nine months later saw the Queen of Blades become one of the most iconic villains of all time, and the popularization of professional StarCraft competition in South Korea....

Blizzards post gives a good brief of Starcraft... Read All

Battlefield: The Best Game Franchise of All Time

I need to take a break from playing amazing EA games to talk about the crown jewel in its chalice of badassery, the Battlefield series. Battlefield is the best franchise of all time and EA is the best company in the industry to bring us this series of games. We totally need to all slam a Pepsi as the ensuing bro-dom sugar rush as I take us back to look at this franchise.

You’d better put on them headphones, because I am going to RAWK you EAStyle!

The first Battlefield game was 2002’s Battlefield 1942. This game was solely unique in that it offered all us dude-bros a way to live our shared dreams of fighting in World War 2. No game to that point brought us gamers the... Read All

BR Supporter wrote on 04/01/2013 at 07:12pm

Don't you just love EA? Such great people :)

vdogmr25 wrote on 04/01/2013 at 08:10pm

This post gave me cancer. All the cancer.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/01/2013 at 08:33pm

But Brah, why don't you like Battlefield? Its so Epic!

Chris_Schetter wrote on 04/02/2013 at 04:22pm

This post should feel free to die in a fire.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/02/2013 at 04:55pm

It was very tedious to create, at the end I skipped two Battlefield games. I was like "fuck the rest, I want to end this." :D

vdogmr25 wrote on 04/02/2013 at 06:58pm

I enjoyed BF2 quite a bit and 2142 was alright, but the "bro" gamers kinda killed it for me.

BR Supporter wrote on 04/02/2013 at 07:19pm

In all honesty I enjoy BF3, I just can't play it very well cause my computer sucks.

Its not a great game but it is fun to play every once and awhile.

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A Quest from the Other Side of the Counter

http://www.carpefulgur.com/recettear/about_3.jpg

Ever notice how, in your garden-variety RPG, the shopkeep gets to sit behind a counter all day while you quest up and down the countryside slaying monsters and looting dungeons... yet the shopkeep seems to be the one to wind up with all your gold by the end of the game? Ever wanted to switch places for a day?

Meet Recettear. This game is all about the business end of the RPG world. You get to manage stock, decide which of your wares to showcase, haggle over prices, and, pay off an outstanding debt. Nope, not even kidding - paying off the debt, in fact, is the main storyline of the game. In a nod to traditional dungeoneering, you do get to hire adventurers to explore... Read All Ever notice how, in your garden-variety RPG, the shopkeep gets to sit behind a counter all day while you quest up and down the countryside slaying monsters and looting dungeons... yet the shopkeep seems to be the one to wind up with all your gold by the end of the game? Ever wanted to switch places for a day?

Meet Recettear. This game is all about the business end of the RPG world. You get to manage stock, decide which of your wares to showcase, haggle over prices, and, pay off an outstanding debt. Nope, not even kidding - paying off the debt, in fact, is the main storyline of the game. In a nod to traditional dungeoneering, you do get to hire adventurers to explore procedurally-generated dungeons for you, and you get to control them (while your actual main character tags along behind, invincibly, to do the beancounting), but the big moments of the game happen while you're behind the counter.

This is a *very* Japanese game. The translation to English was done just fine, maybe even better than most imports, but the culture was preserved. For example, nobody is "slightly" anything. The game's "broke adventurer" fellow isn't just hard on his luck; he's found in the park trying to suss out which plants are safe to eat. The game's "rich snob" makes a special trip to your shop to explain how she's going on an excursion for the express purpose of eating foie gras. Your character berates herself every time you fail to make a sale; the sound effects and visuals would be right at home in any manga or anime piece you could imagine, and so on and so on and so on.

It's a fairly easy game. I won't go into spoilers here, but I will say that there's only so bad that the game will let you be. I've "beaten" the game - yes, I'm sure, because the characters actually broke the fourth wall and thanked me for beating the game on behalf of the studio - but they also point out that there's a lot more content to be enjoyed in the game's "endless" mode. To that end, I don't feel qualified to fully evaluate the story... but I will say that when I beat the game, there were some pretty glaring loose threads that none of the characters even really felt like acknowledging. I'm not sure if that's reserved for a Super Special Secret Plus Plus Plus Hooray ending, or if the characters are just like "whatever" about these points, but I was definitely left waiting for something that never came.

All in all, I'd give this one a 7/10. I don't know that I'll ever play it all the way through again, but I feel like I enjoyed my time here. And the next time I fork over 100,000 gold for a Diamond Sword, I'm going to hesitate just that one moment longer. Now I know for *sure* this shopkeep's job isn't as hard as he's making it out to be.

When does a Game become Art?

Often, many stories rely on the 'Audience Surrogate' Trope. The inclusion of the audience surrogate or 'Outsider' character, is necessary, as it gives a reason to explain things that are commonplace in the world we are visiting, yet are utterly alien to us as a viewer or reader. The truly unique thing about video games as a medium is that the line between audience and audience surrogate is blurred to a point of indistinction. While we may feel for the characters in a book, it's still a passive experience. It's someone telling us a story, and as good as it may be, we are still victim to a layer of insulation between ourselves and the characters. The unique thing about... Read All Often, many stories rely on the 'Audience Surrogate' Trope. The inclusion of the audience surrogate or 'Outsider' character, is necessary, as it gives a reason to explain things that are commonplace in the world we are visiting, yet are utterly alien to us as a viewer or reader. The truly unique thing about video games as a medium is that the line between audience and audience surrogate is blurred to a point of indistinction. While we may feel for the characters in a book, it's still a passive experience. It's someone telling us a story, and as good as it may be, we are still victim to a layer of insulation between ourselves and the characters. The unique thing about video games is that it removes that passive aspect, and instead of being told the story of the Lamb of Columbia and the False Shepherd, or the real purpose of Sir Francis Drake's journey, you step into a floating city and search for the girl that will clear your debts, or brave the desert to find the Atlantis of The Sands.

****WARNING: Spoilerific Spoilers ahead. you have been warned. If you have not completed Infinite, then, for the love of all that is Holy, do not, I repeat, DO NOT ruin it for yourself. Heck, if you haven't completed the first two, just stop here, mmmkay?****

Andrew Ryan's thundering voice led us through the first half of Bioshock. No bones were made about the angry man booming through the loudspeakers being the ring leader, sending wave after wave of splicers to stop this 'topsider' from destroying what was left of his fair city. The fact that the game didn't end with the Fall of Ryan was a huge twist, and took the game from merely good, as the death of Andrew Ryan would have been where most games finished, and vaulted it into a truly great story. As Atlas dropped the phony accent, and hit you with that fateful 'Would You Kindly?', the game was truly afoot.

A Man Chooses. A Slave Obeys.

The change from Atlas's slave to finding your own way with the help of Tennenbaum was, to that point, the most poignant moment I had experienced in a game up until that point. I had played many games with a decent story, and titles like Uncharted had managed to be thoroughly entertaining, if a bit one-dimensional. It was in the closed, claustrophobic corridors of Rapture that I first found myself completely emotionally invested in a story. I had played games before that gave me a moral or tactical choice on how to proceed, but this was the first time that an 'evil' play-through made me feel repulsed by my own actions. It wasn't until well after the credits rolled that I realized how deep Andrew Ryan's words went. A Man Chooses. A Slave Obeys. Regardless of what happened in Rapture before I came into it, I decided if the world above welcomed a ship full of orphans, or was exposed to an army of super-powered psychopaths.

Delving back in some short time later, the Iconic words of Andrew Ryan still rang in my head. Subject Delta was, as a prototype Big Daddy, more than just a slave. Even with the absence of choice, a slave still has the freedom of thought. While this took a certain amount of choice that the first game prided itself on, it was this lack of freedom that really made this experience memorable. One of the sadder stories from the first Bioshock was learning how tragic the story of the Big Daddies are, knowing how they are stripped to less than human and conditioned to care for nothing but the well-being of their charges, By the time you reached the end of the first game, you realize that it is not them, but the Splicers, and maybe you, the player, that are the real monsters. Seeing the world from inside the diving helmet did not give me the sense of raw power I expected from the heavy hitters of the first. Instead, I felt the vulnerability these behemoths must have felt. I walked the halls of Rapture a target, a pig fattened for the slaughter among the starving masses. I expected to be an unstoppable force. Instead, fear often turned me into an immovable object. Upon revisiting the earlier days of Rapture, I found myself apologizing to these gentle beasts as I liberated their Little Sisters from Suchong's spell, and delivered them to the loving arms of Tannenbaum, knowing it wasn't their fault we had to fight.

I rowed (Well, I didn't row. DOESN'T row) to the lighthouse again, expecting to be moved. What I didn't expect was the sky screaming out in red, and sucking me into it. As I rose above the clouds, I immediately forgot about the majesty of my first glimpse of Rapture. I had long thought that the towering underwater city would be the bar I measured all other game locations by, but it was raised so much higher as soon as I glimpsed the massive statue of Columbia. Upon visiting Rapture, my first human contact was not precisely human, and definitely not cordial. To be welcomed so warmly into Columbia took me off guard, but I decided to roll with it. This was not a fallen paradise, no ruined Eden. True, there were seeds of unrest, but it was no different than the rest of the world at the time. To step into this floating wonder in its prime was so unlike my trips to Rapture, I scarcely knew what to do with myself. I darted into an alleyway anytime a constable came sauntering around. By the time I came to the carnival, I had started to feel like maybe, just maybe, things would be alright. Hey! I won a raffle! What's the prize, I wonder?

Suddenly, the polished veneer of this utopia is stripped away, and things fall into perfect focus.All of those happy faces were rich, white, and affluent. My prize? First ball thrown at a black and Irish mixed-race couple. To see how precariously this city hangs, not just physically but politically, was mind-blowing. As the game progressed, and It turned out that it was my actions that turned this rebellion from a fringe movement to a full blown violent uprising, at least in my perceived series of event, I couldn't help but feel deeply responsible for the bloodshed I was witnessing. My every action, no matter how noble the cause, just made things worse. We jumped into a world where the Vox had the guns they wanted, which launched us head-first into a civil war that had the streets running red, both metaphorically and literally. I made a deal with a devil, and saw the fruit of my labors first-hand. Not only have I ruined this flying city, but I have destroyed the innocence of the woman I came to save. I've taken her from wide-eyed wonder and dancing on a beach to a cold-blooded killer in nearly the blink of an eye.

As the game progresses, and I discovered the true identity of Father Comstock, the hopelessness of my situation truly comes into focus. No matter how you look at it, I did this. Everything this poor, sweet girl suffered was at my hands. As I stand, waist deep in the water, things suddenly become crystal-clear. To love Elizabeth is to hurt her. There is no possibility of keeping the daughter I came to love without leaving the world open to the horrors of Father Comstock. Truly, the only kindness I could pay to her is to prevent her. Anna, the little girl that will have a chance to visit Paris with her father, a Booker that never even considered the Baptism, may grow up to do wonderful things.

But she's still not the girl that danced on the beach, or sang in the bar's basement, or cried as she said goodbye to her dear and precious Songbird. As the credits rolled, I didn't say goodbye to a game, or even a story. I said goodbye to Elizabeth. I clutched my controller and cried. I couldn't keep it together when the credits kept rolling, and "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" chimed out. I stayed up half the night piecing together the emotional trauma I just experienced. I am, and will from this point forth, be changed by my experience.

The definition of art is "the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance."

The Firehose: Diablo III, YouTube, Ouya & More

Recently at a GDC Panel, former Diablo III lead designer Jay Wilson spoke a bit on his thoughts on the auction house. He believes the auction houses really hurt the game and they are looking into ways to address this in the future.

http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/03/29/diablo-3-auction-house-jay-wilson/

YouTube is entering the game video streaming space currently occupied by Twitch.tv. They cite the popularity of certain game videos and the massive ascent in game videos as entertainment.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/28/4157298/youtube-announces-new-live-streaming-video-platform-for-game-developers

Looks like the Ouya will see its retail launch June 4th. With a initial cost... Read All

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/30/2013 at 05:51pm

I'm excited for my Ouya to arrive! I don't really know when it will come. Hopefully in the next few weeks or so. Interesting development: Team Ouya has announced on the backer forums that a credit card will be required to be on file to download games. Most people seem pretty disappointed by this move, siting issues of security on such a new infrastructure. It doesn't really bother me that much, but I can see where they are coming from. I don't think any other game system requires such a thing (with the exception of Apple's App Store, maybe?), so I don't really know what Ouya's rationale is for implementing this.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/30/2013 at 10:12pm

Yeah, even the PSN doesn't make me have a Credit Card on file to download a demo. Account, yes, credit card no.

I can understand why they do it, its kind of a account validation thing but also to encourage people to buy. It wouldn't be my strategy but I understand why they doing it.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/30/2013 at 10:13pm

Let me know how it goes when you get it. You were on the Kickstarter I take it?

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/30/2013 at 10:57pm

Kickstarter, yes. They started shipping to backers on Friday, I think, sending an email to each backer as soon as the item ships. I'm a little worried, because I opted for the exclusive metallic brown model, and I don't know what priority those have, whether they will toss them in with the standard shipping rotation, or wait to ship them last.

One of the things they've been really good at is responding to feedback. Since the official launch is still a few months away, I'm sure they'll be tweaking things here and there, and I wouldn't be surprised if they offer another option for billing.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/31/2013 at 02:48am

Makes sense and hopefully they can ship the brown model soon. VERY interested to see how it turns out for you. Can you load it up with emulators as well as the Ouya store?

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/31/2013 at 02:54am

Supposedly, it's going to ship with emulators available in the store. NES, SNES, Genesis, N64, what-have-you. It's entirely hackable, open system, so who knows what people will be making for it.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/31/2013 at 02:04pm

That's great. Let me know how CG runs when you get it. Did they say what Browser it will ship with?

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/31/2013 at 03:23pm

The early consoles that shipped to developers (I was going to say "dev consoles," but remembered that all Ouya systems are dev consoles) had some custom built-in browser, but I don't know if that will stick in the general release. I'm sure the Ouya store will have free downloads of whatever browsers run on Android.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/31/2013 at 06:29pm

I hope so. Whereas its not amazing to use a controller w a browser, its really nice to watch web video on my TV. I have a Mac Mini for that purpose but its getting long in the tooth and the latest and greatest browsers won't run on it. Technology moves quick.

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The Journey Down: Chapter One

I was actually really excited to get The Journey Down (SkyGobblin) because I really love both Indie games and point and click adventures.

Rarely will you hear me complain about a game, but this is one that I just couldn't get in to.

In The Journey Down, you're Jamaican mon (see what I did there?), that runs a fuel and charter company with your brother. Times have been hard so when a lady comes in looking for a certain book, you are sure to find some books to sell her and eventually sell her a flight out of dodge. It seems like they were trying to go with a mystery adventure here, but if they were, it was severely lacking in some places.

As with just about any point and... Read All I was actually really excited to get The Journey Down (SkyGobblin) because I really love both Indie games and point and click adventures.

Rarely will you hear me complain about a game, but this is one that I just couldn't get in to.

In The Journey Down, you're Jamaican mon (see what I did there?), that runs a fuel and charter company with your brother. Times have been hard so when a lady comes in looking for a certain book, you are sure to find some books to sell her and eventually sell her a flight out of dodge. It seems like they were trying to go with a mystery adventure here, but if they were, it was severely lacking in some places.

As with just about any point and click puzzle game, you encounter a variety of obstacles, from having to find rungs for a ladder to fixing a wench so you can pull up the anchor on your airplane. The puzzles are simple but amusing and sometimes you have to think outside the box to get past a particular part.

I'd have to say that the worst part was the dialog that takes up the majority of the game. It wasn't so much that the scripting was bad, as it felt like the accents of some of the characters were really forced, thus making it hard to listen to. The voice of the sophisticated sailor was the worst, as he honestly sounded as if he was reading instead of speaking. And with this being a story based game, I wish the developers would have thought this through a little more.

There were quite a few times were the game made me smirk a little and at some points, even chuckle. There were a few parts where the main character says something that is so off the wall ridiculous that you have to laugh.

I'd say the main redeeming quality is the graphics. They are done beautifully and are very colorful, so it's fairly easy on the eyes.

The developers are currently working on The Journey Down: Chapter 2, While I'm unsure as if I will get this one, they have really high hopes for this game. If you want to give it a whirl, it can be found fairly cheap on Steam and they offer up a free version at http://www.skygoblin.com/the-journey-down/ -- And I would definitely suggest trying out the free version before purchasing the full.

We Should Lose Well

The other day I was playing a game with four complete strangers. One of the players came into the game boasting that he was very good and simplicities sake lets call him “Boastmaster.” Its also worth mentioning that it was known that most of the people playing the game hadn’t played before, myself included. As the game moved forward Boastmaster was moving closer to last place. From the halfway point of the game onward, Boastmaster started getting really upset about that. He commented a few times about so angry and flipping the table and as the game game to the end, threw a few chips down and stormed off only to come back and finish his turn. At the end of the game... Read All The other day I was playing a game with four complete strangers. One of the players came into the game boasting that he was very good and simplicities sake lets call him “Boastmaster.” Its also worth mentioning that it was known that most of the people playing the game hadn’t played before, myself included. As the game moved forward Boastmaster was moving closer to last place. From the halfway point of the game onward, Boastmaster started getting really upset about that. He commented a few times about so angry and flipping the table and as the game game to the end, threw a few chips down and stormed off only to come back and finish his turn. At the end of the game Boastmaster came in last place and wasn’t too happy.

Boastmaster said “I just want you all to know I will never get that time back!” I wasn’t sure what to say about that and just listened. Boastmaster left muttering to himself about his lost time and the rest of the people around the table gave a sheepish smile and talked about the game a bit. I joked that I had a lot of fun and as such, “would never get that time back.” People laughed and I put Boastmaster on my list of people to never play games with.

When I was at University I had a friend who was really good at Counter Strike. He was also good at a Half-Life mod where you played as a Vampire or Vampire Hunter. He showed me his game ability one time and ripped through everyone. Really, he just destroyed them and it was awesome to watch. As he did this people typed “haxx” and other less savory things. Thing is, he wasn’t a hacker or things less savory, he was just really great at the game.

As I continue my journey as a gamer I realize there is a fine line that separates awesome people from people that are lacking. And one such thing is your ability to lose. I get it, I totally love winning too. But how awesome is it to play with someone that can’t lose well? Its really not.

And I mean just that, we should lose well. When I lose, I congratulate the winning parties. Why? Because when I win I don’t want someone fussing about it. Fussing over a win breeds an air of illegitimacy to the win that doesn’t need to exist.

If its really important to you that you win at a game take that negative energy and focus it on practice and improve. Because you can’t argue your way to first place, all you can do is just win your way there. But if you can’t be the best then just be awesome and lose well.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/29/2013 at 05:53pm

What the hell do you say to "I will never get that time back." Were you supposed to let him win so his time would be well-spent? That makes no sense.

What game was that?

Nick_Donahoo wrote on 03/29/2013 at 06:25pm

To be perfectly fair, I find myself to be a gracious loser in most cases. At lan parties I usually high five the guy that got that perfectly timed headshot on me.

However, I am also that gamer that follows up said high five with a detailed description of my exploits with their mother the night before, but at least I do it with a smile on my face..

Travis Admin wrote on 03/29/2013 at 08:26pm

Trash talking is perfectly acceptable, and in fact, encouraged, as long as it's done with a wink and a nod and not with malice.

Nick_Donahoo wrote on 03/29/2013 at 08:50pm

Oh, the fact that I have two sisters usually levels the playing field. Heck, half the fun of playing multiplayer is the trash talking.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/29/2013 at 10:37pm

I think talking trash with your friends and giving them a high five when they win is totally fine. Getting angry and storming off because you lose is not :D

Again, this is more how to lose with grace, not how to have fun with your friends :D

Nick_Donahoo wrote on 03/29/2013 at 11:14pm

Oh absolutely. For some folks, it's easy to forget that it's just a game.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/29/2013 at 11:31pm

Right and games should be fun, if they are not then its work and ... then... why?

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/30/2013 at 04:51am

My biggest frustrations come when I feel like the playing field itself is unbalanced, and in those situations I tend to vent my frustrations. 99 times out of 100, this is in some multi-player, competitive FPS, and it usually has something to do with the less than awesome internet options available in the great state of Alaska. I don't mind losing when I can see that someone is playing better than I am, or if I'm just having a really off day. In fact, I can even enjoy it, because I can sometimes learn from it. But when it's obvious to me that they have host, or the superior connection, and trash-talk on top of that... then I tend to lose it. Then I have to stop playing those games for a while :).

Nothing beats good sportsmanship. I'll accept losing all day long if I can have fun with the people I'm playing with.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/30/2013 at 04:13pm

That's a good point. Host advantage is huge and can really make a big difference in shooters.

CapnCurry Supporter wrote on 03/31/2013 at 10:23am

Was this a game of poker, by any chance? The worst losers I've ever met were at poker tables. I once got cussed up one side and down the other by an old lady who was very, very upset that I beat her two jacks with a three-of-a-kind I got from a hand that "only a complete jackass" would play on. (8/3 off-suit; I have to agree it was a jackass's hand.)

I told her that while she was busy playing her cards, I was playing my opponents, and while I wished her the best of luck with her strategy, I seemed to be doing OK with mine. That didn't help her mood any. :)

I placed 2nd out of 32 players in that tournament. And yes, I did earnestly congratulate and shake hands with the winner. There are some things more important in life than The Grand Prize.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/31/2013 at 06:27pm

@CapnCurry: No, a board game. If we had money on the table I bet it would have been much worse though :D

I also played my opponents and specifically played The Boastmaster. It wasn't to hard to figure him out as he worse his strategy on his sleeve.

krcDeuce Supporter wrote on 04/01/2013 at 09:18pm

I never liked playing jdodson at Starcraft because he had more experience with it and would always whoop me. His Zerg strategies always beat my Protoss strategy attemps. Hopefully I wasn't a sore loser back in the day (gosh, 10+ years ago). Counterstrike was a fun time, 'cause I was ok at that. Never the best. I played Risk once recently, and I think I got my rear handed to me, but it was hilarious seeing how people reacted to my early and obvious attempts at making alliances with other players.

My son likes to game, but he doesn't like to lose. I'm hoping that he will eventually understand what it means to win gracefully, because right now he doesn't. Maybe I should lose on purpose some of the time. :-)

Missile_Drop_Kick wrote on 04/04/2013 at 04:03pm

I told you to never speak of that situation again. Boastmaster is out.. Peace! (I'm going to start using that as a gamer tag now.)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/04/2013 at 04:33pm

:D Awesome.

PS just so everyone knows, it wasn't you. Heh.

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The Guild Wars 2 Score & Soule's Kickstarter

Back this on Kickstarter!

I picked up the Skyrim 4CD score from a music site and a month later I hadn't received it. I emailed them and they let me know they were refilling their stock and would ship it out as soon as it could. To tide me over for the time I didn't have the album they allowed me a digital download of the album and a bonus of the Guild Wars 2 score. I haven't played Guild Wars 2 yet and as such, wasn't familiar with the score. As I loaded it up in iTunes I noticed that the Guild Wars 2 and Skyrim score were both written by Jeremy Soule. Pleasantly surprised, I have been listening to it over the last few days.

As I listened to the first few tracks I started becoming more aware of... Read All I picked up the Skyrim 4CD score from a music site and a month later I hadn't received it. I emailed them and they let me know they were refilling their stock and would ship it out as soon as it could. To tide me over for the time I didn't have the album they allowed me a digital download of the album and a bonus of the Guild Wars 2 score. I haven't played Guild Wars 2 yet and as such, wasn't familiar with the score. As I loaded it up in iTunes I noticed that the Guild Wars 2 and Skyrim score were both written by Jeremy Soule. Pleasantly surprised, I have been listening to it over the last few days.

As I listened to the first few tracks I started becoming more aware of Jeremy Soule's style and started thinking back to Dungeon Siege. The Guild Wars 2 score seemed somewhat reminiscent of that and I did a bit more searching on Soule and as it turns out, he did indeed compose the Dungeon Siege score. Dungeon Siege is a game that is on my list of old classics that is amazing in the tone it conveys. The score is superb and the graphics and style allow you to feel immersed in the game.

Soule is a fairly prolific composer as he has worked on many games spanning his career some of them being The Secret of Evermore, Total Annihilation, Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, Dungeon Siege, Morrowind, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Unreal II, Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna, Guild Wars Prophecies, Dungeon Siege II, Company of Heroes, Oblivion, Prey, All the Guild Wars Expansions, Skyrim, Guild Wars 2 and World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandera.

I have some of the games listed above and am trying to figure out how I can obtain the individual scores for them. The Dungeon Siege and Neverwinter Nights score stick out to me as ones I particularly want to obtain. I played those games so much that I believe I have all the music forever burned into my brain. Being able to come back to it whenever I want particularly appeals to me.

Soule is Kickstarting his next project "The Northerner: Soule Symphony No. 1" and I have linked to it above. This is a interesting project as it is not tied to a video game like much of his work. As a fan of Soule's work I am going to back this project and think its pretty cool that the starting backing option is a physical copy of the album.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/499808045/from-the-composer-of-skyrim-soule-symphony-no-1

Super Time Force: Remember Life, She is For Living

Capybara Games upcoming game "Super Time Force" looks rad-tacular. Pulling many elements from sugary cereal, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, GI Joe, Contra, Metal Slug and no-death-time-rewindy-amazing puts Super Time Force in "game-citement list in 2013." And it also has one of the most epically funny game videos I've seen in quite some time.

Clipped from the Capy site:

"THE PROBLEM: EVERYTHING’S GONE TO SHIT!

THE MISSION: FIX IT!

THE GOAL: MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE FOR YOU AND ME + ALIENS!"

I can respect the "EVERYTHING'S GONE TO SHIT SO FIX IT" premise. I also respect the games about section being in all caps. Capy is showing this at PAX East and you are in the... Read All