Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

Rise, Rapture! Rise!

In anticipation for Bioshock Infinite, I got it in my mind to sit down and play where it all started. I put in the game, survived the plane crash, and swam to the Lighthouse for the first time in years. I found myself humming along to 'Beyond the Sea' while waiting for the bathysphere, oblivious for just a moment to the horrors that awaited me. I still found myself with a sense of wide-eyed wonder as Rapture laid itself out in front of me, actually gasping as a whale swam between 'skyscrapers'. I took the trip, and even had a sense of hope as the neon lit above me. "All good things of this world flow into the city."

Of course, as soon as the lights went out, I... Read All In anticipation for Bioshock Infinite, I got it in my mind to sit down and play where it all started. I put in the game, survived the plane crash, and swam to the Lighthouse for the first time in years. I found myself humming along to 'Beyond the Sea' while waiting for the bathysphere, oblivious for just a moment to the horrors that awaited me. I still found myself with a sense of wide-eyed wonder as Rapture laid itself out in front of me, actually gasping as a whale swam between 'skyscrapers'. I took the trip, and even had a sense of hope as the neon lit above me. "All good things of this world flow into the city."

Of course, as soon as the lights went out, I remembered exactly why I love this game. The sinister voices, the slinking shadows. The innate sense of wrongness in this sunken city. I was taken to being awestruck at the shell of this new world, to seeing how the inside has rotted, all in the course of a few seconds, and it still gives me a chill. This, however, did not hold a candle to the first time I heard the voice of Rapture's lord and benefactor, Andrew Ryan. In one moment, we go from hearing how grandiose his dream started, to witnessing firsthand how the cancer of this sunken city has even affected the man a the top of it, I am the ultimate outsider. Atlas, the kindly voice on the other end of the radio, is my only friend in the entire world, and every other person in the entire city is looking to take my entrails, and make a lovely hat out of them.

The cap of the opening act of this game came in the form of meeting my first Big Daddy. In my first play through, I has only caught glimpses of these behemoths in the game, and had been terrified by the promo material. These beasts were huge, and terrifying, and utterly inhuman. They oozed violence, and were about as cute and cuddly as a rabid badger. Coming back, it was no easier. If anything, It was harder to approach these beasts, not because I have fought them before, but because at this point, I am totally unprepared. I have fought these monsters without problem when we were on equal footing. If given a chance to prepare, and take the fight on my own terms. Looking at my meager handgun, a few paltry shotgun shells, and plasmids that I has just started to be good with, I was firmly in David and Goliath territory. The true horror of this was that I has to start the fight. I was a non-entity to this hulking beast, and he would remain neutral as long as I would.

The truly incredible part of this set piece was the knowledge that between myself and the Big Daddy, I was the monster here. They were simple, mostly mindless beasts. Their entire purpose in life was to protect their Little Sisters, and cared for nothing outside of that. I go from wandering stranger to the idiot kid that pokes a bee's nest hoping for honey. I've not felt a greater, scarier, or more emotionally charged fight than my first Big Daddy. Not even the Dragons of Skyrim gave me that same rush. Instead of shouting "FUS-RO-DAH!" at my foe, the best I can muster is a "Please, God, Don't Kill Me!". Even knowing what was coming this latest time around, and having been through it all a few times before, this fight still caused me to pause, set down my controller, and reflect. Even now, it took a few moments to get my hands to stop shaking and my heart to find a regular beat. I had nightmares that night of drills and diving suits.

Rise, Rapture! Rise! I know I'll keep coming back.

I have hope that BioShock Infinite will start on as high of an emotional note. Even if it doesn't, the look and feel seems epic enough to keep my attention. Having a shoot-out with a mechanical, chain-gun wielding George Washington? Sign me up!

Note: This was written for the BioShock Infinite Contest held just prior to the release of BioShock Infinite. Even though, it was a blast to revisit Rapture, and I'm glad the folks here at Cheerful Ghost gave me an excuse to get back in the ol' bathysphere.

Eat Game Live: Make Food Inspired by Games

"Eat Game Live is what happens when you let a gamer into the kitchen. I was sick of eating trash all day, so I decided to learn how to cook. My goal of this blog was to write recipes for people in my situation: gamers who just want a good meal. I try to keep my food healthy without sacrificing flavor."

Eat Game Live has some really cool recipes on the site themed around some awesome games like Starcraft, FTL, Dark Souls, Borderlands and more.

http://eatgamelive.com/category/starcraft
http://eatgamelive.com/category/faster-than-light
http://eatgamelive.com/category/darksouls
http://eatgamelive.com/category/borderlands

The photos of the dishes look really good and I might try... Read All

Beat Hazard: Gameplay Powered by YOUR Music!

This is yet another one of my favorite unsung hero of a game.

Beat Hazard (Cold Beam Games) is an awesome experience powered by your music. After a quick setup of importing all of your sound files (it's super easy to do, just point Beat Hazard to the appropriate directories), you are ready to delve into a world that reminds me of Asteroid on LSD.

You play as a little fighter jet running your way though a psychedelic colored space, pew pewing at everything from giant balls of space rock to space worms to other little fighter jets. But the awesome thing that makes this game come alive is the fact that it is powered by your music. The waves of enemies and the how they... Read All

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/25/2013 at 02:53am

I nabbed this in the recent bundle and have heard great things about it. Wondering how the game changes if you replay the same song? Is it the same thing or does it hangs it up a bit?

Sparklepop Post Author wrote on 03/25/2013 at 03:24am

Pretty much, it's the exact same thing. But with so many different modes, you get a different experience each time.

CapnCurry Supporter wrote on 03/25/2013 at 05:27am

I've had a delightfully unique experience with this game, because my playlist is very clearly not what the game developers had in mind for this. At first, I had trouble figuring out what the game play / music connection actually was, but after a few rounds I started to figure it out. If the music is just right, it goes from action-movie sequencing of beats-to-action and takes on a feeling of bona fide choreography.

Also, it's *hilarious* to see what the game is willing to interpret as a dramatic enough swell in intensity to warrant a boss fight in, say, a Gregorian chant.

Try taking something like these for a spin:

Dance with the Balamb Fish (Final Fantasy 8 soundtrack) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV42kmH7zc0
Oompa Radar (Goldfrapp) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw1LqE-GBAA
Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian (John Prine) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siuxtvEndLE
Polkarama (Weird Al) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY9BaOXFXtA
Veni Sancte Spiritus (Gregorian Chant) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pU34vUoO9g

Sparklepop Post Author wrote on 03/25/2013 at 05:47am

I've also had some great experiences with the music.

For instance, anything by Explosions in the Sky is enough to completely confuse it!
And I will try out those songs next, thanks for that!

Sparklepop Post Author wrote on 03/25/2013 at 09:22am

Me playing Beat Hazard to Veni Sancte Spiritus (Gregorian Chant).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XafulFmYiIE

CapnCurry Supporter wrote on 03/25/2013 at 06:01pm

Awesome! I love how the mellower songs just change the whole pace and feel of the game. Nice screencapture, too - what software are you using for that?

Sparklepop Post Author wrote on 03/25/2013 at 06:59pm

It was Fraps. I'd used it once a long time ago but still had an outdated version.

I know that there are some products out there that work waaay better, but since I'm playing on a few years old Dell laptop, I can only screencapture while in less graphically intense games without buggering my fps all up.

(I don't sleep and was really bored last night, if that wasn't obvious, lol.)

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 03/25/2013 at 08:32pm

This game has a permanent place in my constantly-evolving Top 10 list. Maxed out all the trophies on the PS3 version in about a week because I played so damned much.

I really enjoy switching genres when playing Normal Mode or attempting to play through an entire album in Survival Mode. Have yet to survive an entire VAST album, but one of these days...one of these days.

In addition to the different game modes, power-ups provide extra variety to keep the game exciting. Power-ups are earned by collecting money to purchase them. They modify things like number of enemy-seeking missiles you fire, how much ammo you start with, how often bonuses appear and so on. You're limited to equipping only a few powerups at a time, so there's a bit of strategy tossed in there as well.

Game soundtracks work pretty well, too:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=82355323
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=82355231

Sparklepop Post Author wrote on 03/26/2013 at 12:31am

I actually found that game soundtracks are amazing for any game that imports your own music. Because of that, I always try to get the soundtrack versions of games, if they're available.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/26/2013 at 01:14am

@Sparklepop: I do too. Ill even pay a few bucks more to get the score with the game. For games I love its a really awesome addition.

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 05/11/2013 at 05:13am

Sorry for the bump, but that's one of the things I appreciate about the various indie bundles. Most of them offer soundtracks in addition to the games themselves.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/11/2013 at 05:25am

Bumping old posts is totally awesome, I do it from time to time just for fun :D

And I agree, the game scores are a big reason I pick up bundles too.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/20/2014 at 09:07pm

Part of this week's Humble Bundle! I had honestly forgotten about this game, but now I'm excited to check it out!

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

A Dying Wish

Imagine that we lived in a world so technologically advanced that you could be granted your dying wish. Even if it something impossible, you could at least have the memories of your dying wish to take with you to the next life (or whatever comes after death). What would you wish for? Fame? Riches? Glory? What about a trip to the Moon?

To The Moon is a game that does just that from Freebird Games. It's art style is primarily 8-bit with some splash art, which was originally something that turned me off about the game. But boy am I glad I could get past it.

You play as one of 2 Doctors, Niel or Eva. You work for a corporation that can influence people's memories, making... Read All

scrypt Supporter wrote on 03/25/2013 at 12:16am

I started into this game a while back, but got distracted by something or another (probably hunger, or some pesky social activity...), so I never finished it. Thanks for the reminder! It really does look fascinating.

Sparklepop Post Author wrote on 03/25/2013 at 12:21am

I think more people should play it! =)

CapnCurry Supporter wrote on 03/29/2013 at 04:52pm

I played through this last night - on this recommendation, as a matter of fact. I have to agree - this is worth the price of the download and 4-5 hours of your time.

The story is told with a great degree of artistry and subtlety, and I think it's actually enhanced by being told in game format (as opposed to book or movie format or somesuch). I've been thinking about it pretty much nonstop since I finished it.

If you play - and I highly recommend that you do - try to set yourself up in a distraction-free environment and play through it like it's 2 movies you want to watch back-to-back. 5 hours is a long time in front of a PC, to be sure, but I feel like if I broke it out over a few days I'd have missed some of the subtle beauties of the story.

Sparklepop Post Author wrote on 03/30/2013 at 06:23am

Yes! This is the type of game you want to play in a single play through, if you have the time. And I'm glad you liked it as much as I did, CapnCurry!

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

Would You Kindly?

Who doesn't remember their first time delving into the world that are the Bioshock games?

When the first Bioshock came out, I wasn't much of a gamer. I played World of Warcraft on a casual basis and that was about it. I was going through a rough time in my life, at this point (I'll save you the sob story because really, who wants to read that?!). And video games were my way escaping.

I'd always had a love for things that were a little on the darker side. Movies and books, mostly. And then imagine my suprise when my roommate comes busting into my room at one in the morning, holding up a copy of Bioshock. "You gotta play this." was all he said before throwing it at me... Read All Who doesn't remember their first time delving into the world that are the Bioshock games?

When the first Bioshock came out, I wasn't much of a gamer. I played World of Warcraft on a casual basis and that was about it. I was going through a rough time in my life, at this point (I'll save you the sob story because really, who wants to read that?!). And video games were my way escaping.

I'd always had a love for things that were a little on the darker side. Movies and books, mostly. And then imagine my suprise when my roommate comes busting into my room at one in the morning, holding up a copy of Bioshock. "You gotta play this." was all he said before throwing it at me and leaving. My roommate had excellent tastes in video games and he knew me well enough to know what I'd enjoy. So, I figured I'd give it a shot (after the fact, I found out he'd only given me the game because he didn't think I'd make it past the first Big Daddy because apparently girls are bad at games...right).

It took me all of about 5 minutes to decide that I loved the game. After watching the opening cinematic of the plane and water on fire, looking like something out of a dream, I was all, "Dude!..!!!" and I made it through almost the entire game before I could even think of sleeping. And the next day, I finished it up. I was completely in awe of the story of Jack and what took place in Rapture. And I couldn't get over how creepy the Little Sisters were (even though I've refused to harvest in any play though which by now, has been several).

This was the first time I was in awe of a video game. I'd never seen that side of a video game, that can be fully emersive and have you wondering what will happen next and never knowing what is waiting around the corner. And from then on, I was hooked. I was a gamer. (And funnily enough, "Would you kindly" has become somewhat of my saying and it will make other Bioshock fans stop in their tracks, every time! It's like a gamer mating call or something).

Bioshock became the first series that I was eagerly await a sequel for. I'd never done that with a video game but from the time I heard of Bioshock 2, I was already over-the-moon excited for it. In my tiny little town, there wasn't much to do and the community of "gamers" was small but the local video game story had a midnight release (another first for me and how amazing that was is an entirely different story!). I couldn't wait to get home to try it out and with a case of Redbulls, I couldn't stop playing. It was all I'd hoped it would be.

And now, some 3 years later, another installment is here! A lot of things have changed since then, including me losing my job that I had for 5 years. Long story short, no midnight release party for me. No chance to wait in line with others that have been waiting on this game for years. And as much as it saddens me that I won't get that experience, it makes me even more sad that I don't know when I'll get the chance to get my hands on what will be such a phenomenal game.

And even if I don't get this game, everyone better enjoy the hell of out it. Don't be afraid to lose yourself in the magic that is Bioshock.

Would you kindly?

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/24/2013 at 11:35pm

Thanks for entering, you are in the contest but we are going to take the post off the main page!

Thanks again.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/26/2013 at 01:22am

If you ate Chinese food tonight, your fortune cookie would totally say "Good news is coming your way."

http://cheerfulghost.com/Travis/posts/1139

Sparklepop Post Author wrote on 03/26/2013 at 01:33am

...What?!

Nick_Donahoo wrote on 03/26/2013 at 08:02pm

A hearty congrats to you, and a world of gratitude that they had two winners. I fear you may have beaten me in a straight write-off.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/26/2013 at 08:34pm

You were quite close. I won't name names, but one of us was about 2% more in favor of Nick, and one was about 2% in favor of Sparkle. Thus why we decided to flip a coin, but then decided not to let either of you miss out.

Nick_Donahoo wrote on 03/26/2013 at 08:45pm

And for that, I shall be writing in a lot more often, to repay this awesome site for their abundant generosity.

Sparklepop Post Author wrote on 03/26/2013 at 08:54pm

Oh, Nick, as soon as I read yours I didn't think I'd have won! Yours was wonderfully written and congrats on winning yourself!

I stayed up until 6am, waiting on it to finish downloading so I could have a taste. And now I'm back at it. I can't explain the giddiness to have that awe-struck feeling back again.

Nick_Donahoo wrote on 03/26/2013 at 08:56pm

Well, then, shall we agree that there was badassedness abound?

Sparklepop Post Author wrote on 03/26/2013 at 10:00pm

Yes! That, I can most definitely agree on!

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

Terraria to Drop on Consoles in March

Terraria will drop on consoles in North America on March 26 and March 27 on the PS3 and XBox 360 respectively. Hoping for a demo to try out how the controls work on the console for this one. Ultra interested to see if this content comes to the PC in some way. And yes, I would buy an expansion for Terraria.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/22/terraria-digs-in-on-psn-march-26-xbox-live-march-27/

News from the Gearbox panel at PAX East!

I watched most of the Gearbox panel and read up on the stuff I missed. Some exciting stuff coming!

First, next week there's a new playthrough being added for everyone. In addition, a content pack including a level cap increase to 61 and a new class of weapons, Pearlescent. This will be free to season pass subscribers, and $5 otherwise. That said, if you don't buy the new pack, good luck surviving a third playthrough.

Kreig is the new vault hunter, releasing in May! He's a bandit psycho who gets rewarded for doing crazy stuff in battle. He'll cost $5, the same as Gaige, and will be entirely separate from the season pass. As rumored, he is melee focused, and has a pretty... Read All

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/24/2013 at 05:51pm

Not part of the Season Pass? Huh. I don't know if I would have done that but there we are.

The guy looks amazing and I can't wait to get all the DLC in one shot. Kind of held off on the season pass, now it seems like ill wait a bit longer for all of it wrapped up together.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 03/24/2013 at 06:03pm

The new character isn't, but the new campaign DLC is. I'm editing my post to reflect that.

And that's the same way Gaige worked, but if you pre-ordered the game you got her for free. They were pretty up-front with the season pass that it would be for four campaign addons, so I hold no ill will against them for that.

Also editing the post to add in some news about the loot chest, which looks beautiful.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 03/24/2013 at 06:07pm

And added a video for the teaser.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/24/2013 at 06:11pm

Fair point on the DLC, but.. I don't know on one hand YAY more Borderlands 2. On the other hand Yay the game costs about a hundred bucks to get everything.

Again, cool to hear about more stuff for sure.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 03/24/2013 at 06:21pm

Yeah, I've been kinda hating DLC in general lately. I've pretty much decided to wait until almost everything is released to get back into BL2 (at least my main character), because my Assassin's Creed 3 mode, for example, has passed and even though the new Tyranny of King George DLC interests me, I can't get motivated to play it.

I can't hate it too much, since this *is* all stuff developed post-release, and I don't really feel like my $60 was wasted on just the game itself. I just almost wish that we would get everything and then it's done with the exception of major expansion packs, like the Shivering Isles for Oblivion. The periodically released smaller DLCs just don't hold my interest as much.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/24/2013 at 06:24pm

I used to wait to buy this stuff until the GoTY was $60. I might consider doing that again for certain stuff again. For some stuff, I totally am, like Max Payne and Farcry 3.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/24/2013 at 06:43pm

Oh and Dishonored. That game looks wicked.

Skyzefawlun wrote on 03/24/2013 at 10:56pm

Dishonored is well worth the wait ;)

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/24/2013 at 10:59pm

Awesome, can't wait!

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

Hearthstone: A New Blizzard Collectable Card Game

Blizzard just announced its next new game at PAX East called "Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft." Hearthstone looks pretty interesting and according to the FAQ:

"Hearthstone is a free-to-play digital strategy card game that anyone can enjoy. Players choose to play as one of nine epic Warcraft heroes, and then take turns playing cards from their customizable decks to cast potent spells, use heroic weapons or abilities, or summon powerful characters to crush their opponent."

Since I really enjoy Magic: The Gathering I am interested in Hearthstone. Essentially its a free to play CCG that you can play online in a few minutes. Sound like it could be fun.

I know a few people... Read All

Friday at GameStorm:Kickstarter & Community Panels

My first day at GameStorm was great. Its nice to come to an event by Geeks for Geeks. If you love playing RPG's, Board Games, Miniatures or Collectible Card Games GameStorm is your jam. I do and it was fun to sit down and play some games I wasn't previously exposed to. After my first panel(more on that later) I hit up the floor and settled on playing Steve Jackson's Revolution! Revolution! is a game where you try to coerce the town such that your influence spreads such that you gain the towns support for your revolution. I was mesmerized by the bidding and strategy process so much that I forgot to expand my influence in the city. I was spending time reading the table,... Read All

Duck Tales is being remade!

If you played this game on NES, you know how big a deal this is. I'm seriously looking forward to this game more than most 2013 releases.

Duck Tales was released by Capcom, and designed by some members of the same team that did Mega Man, including Keiji Inafune. It's easily one of the best NES games, back when you could actually get good licensed games.

Gary_Butterfield wrote on 03/22/2013 at 11:13pm

I'm a little luke warm on the art style. The scene with the Beagle Boys running to the right looks like a flash cartoon to me, which is a pretty lousy aesthetic. Especially when Way Forward does amazing pixel art.

Still, the original is one of my favorite NES games, so I'll definitely give it a shot.

Gary_Butterfield wrote on 03/22/2013 at 11:26pm

Style: http://nintendoeverything.com/wp-content/gallery/adventure-time_1/adventure_time-3.jpg

http://www.brashgames.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Aliens-Infestation-DS-Screenshot-1.jpg

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/23/2013 at 05:02pm

Looks good to me. The art style looks fine to me, though I do prefer the Pixel Art aesthetic. My only question is hit detection, from the video I was wondering how easy it would be to make a jump or do things. Beyond that, looks cool.

Clifton wrote on 03/23/2013 at 05:22pm

This game had such an impact on me, beginning with the purchase. I remember specifically my dad buying it for $49,99 at Fred Meyer, and seeming a little shocked at the price. I felt slightly bad at the time, but I really wanted that game, and it wasn't like I was gonna ask him not to buy it. I knew he'd be fine.

I probably spent more hours playing that game than anything else for NES, except RPGs and Mario titles. It soon got to the point where I beat it every time I popped it in the machine, but the fact that the challenge was gone didn't bother me at all. It was always fun to play. Didn't care about my high score or anything, just liked bouncing around on my strange springy walking stick thing.

As an interface designer, I can also remember how picky the controls scheme was. You had to hold down and press B to do the downward air attack, but B on its own didn't do a damn thing, so why make me hold down as well? And the second or so it took pressing up against an object before you could thwack it with your stick seemed so arbitrary. It didn't add to the challenge, just added extra time to an otherwise straightforward action.

I was eight years old when I was thinking about this stuff. No wonder I do what I do now.

krcDeuce Supporter wrote on 03/23/2013 at 05:36pm

I never owned it, but I remember renting it multiple times from the local video store.

Gary_Butterfield wrote on 03/24/2013 at 05:34pm

Pixels are great for hit detection, which is a big part of this this game. It's just weird that they got a studio renown for pixel art and had them do flash art. I'm still into it.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/24/2013 at 05:49pm

I remember many of Capcom Disney licensed games from "Disney Afternoon" being pretty good. Duck Tales, Chip & Dales, Tale Spin. Darkwing Duck didn't seem as awesome though.

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