Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

Indie Minute is live!

Hey everyone, I've been planning to do this for a while now, and I've finally started a series of super short videos all about indie games.

Indie Minute is my attempt to create something like Destructoid, but solely for independent games, in short bursts that combine the essence of a topic, like an upcoming game, a review, rumor, tips for developers, etc, with my tendency to get super excited and talk really fast.

Anyway, the first three episodes are online. I'm about to leave for GDC, so I wanted a few shows up for people to see, and I plan on doing some interviews while I'm down there for future episodes.

Let me know what you think! Also, I'm looking for more games to... Read All

Age of Empires II: HD is Superb!

Age of Empires 2 is a classic RTS game that for many, defined the genre. I have had many epic LAN battles with my friends over the years and its really sad I can't play it with them anymore. I have tried much to get back to those awesome multiplayer battles, but nothing has worked.

As it turns out Hidden Path and Microsoft think this problem must solved and have paired up to release Age of Empires 2: HD Edition. Travis and I just got press beta access to this game and I had to post my first few hours with it!

Put simply, this is the game I wanted them to make.

fullscreen/windowed

There is a simple toggle to go from full screen to windowed mode and it works very well. If... Read All

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/22/2013 at 12:37am

Can't wait to play!

http://imgur.com/E4yz1

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/22/2013 at 02:33am

I just played multiplayer with Travis, going to be writing about that soon :D

Travis Admin wrote on 03/22/2013 at 02:36am

It. Was. Awesome.

It still lags out a bit when you get a ton of enemies on screen, but I'm sure Jon will be talking about that soon in his post.

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 03/22/2013 at 02:40am

Never played AoE II. Played a metric-poop-ton (trying to keep it clean) of the first, though. Many a late night gaming session became an early morning bedtime as me and my cohorts played 3-on-5 battles against the AI. Egyptian priests were my army and the computer's weapons became mine. :)

I drooled over AoE II before it came out, but life happens and I just never played it. Glad to see it got revived and is just as fun as it ever was.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/22/2013 at 03:17am

Yeah, it is very fun. I just posted about the match Travis and I had.

Microsoft and Hidden Path both said this won't be coming to Linux though. Total bummer.

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 03/23/2013 at 01:38am

Oh well. There'll be other games. There will always be other games.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/23/2013 at 05:10am

Always more games!

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

Sign Up / Log In

Interview with Sam Didier About Heart of the Swarm

PC Gamer keeps dropping the interviews they gave on the SC2: Heart of the Swarm launch. Sam Didier or Samwise as been an artist at Blizzard for quite sometime. He has a really unique art style that isn't seen a ton in the video game industry and its cool to hear his perspective on the game. He also does a very good Zegara impression.

Publishers balked at female lead of Remember Me

Apparently some companies still think a female protagonist can't sell games. Despite the successes of some (admittedly few) series like Tomb Raider, Portal, and Metroid, some refuse to publish a game with a female at the forefront.

From the article:
"We had some [companies] that said, 'Well, we don't want to publish it because that's not going to succeed. You can't have a female character in games. It has to be a male character, simple as that."

Source: http://penny-arcade.com/report/article/remember-mes-surprising-connection-to-facebook-and-why-its-protagonist-had

Dungeon Defenders 2 Drops Late 2013

"Dungeon Defenders II is the sequel to our popular tower-defense role-playing game, Dungeon Defenders. Unlike it’s predecessor, Dungeon Defenders II features a cooperative and competitive mode. Heroes, cosmetic items, pets, and more will transfer across both modes."

The interesting bit is that Dungeon Defenders II will ship as a free to play game. Taking the on the mantle of many free to play MoBA and Tower Defense games, DD2 will be free to play. Looks like all the hero's in DD2 will not be F2P and only a few rotation selections will be. DoTA2 and League allow you full access to all the heros and you can purchase skins and other cosmetic items to allow you to... Read All

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 03/23/2013 at 01:47am

I liked the original but didn't play much because I got it well after most of my friends had. I have it for the PS3 and Steam (Windows only...for now) and the Linux port. Do you know if DD can be played cross-platform?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/23/2013 at 05:14am

It was on a recent bundle and I think it's on Steam for Linux now.

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 03/23/2013 at 05:36am

I have Dungeon Defenders from the first Humble Bundle that offered it, so I have access to the Linux version, but it's not yet in Steam for Linux. Not all of the HB titles have transitioned to Steam. Torchlight (which never really ran that well for me to begin with), Binding of Isaac (sad, sad, sad, sadness), Swords & Soldiers, Psychonauts, Super Meat Boy and a handful of other games offered in the early Humble Bundles are still not in Steam yet.

From what I was reading elsewhere, though, some of those titles may never actually get into Steam. Some have Linux ports just to satisfy the Bundle's requirement for cross-platform. I imagine part of the delay is adding in the additional hooks for Steam and getting someone to work on the port.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/23/2013 at 04:59pm

Yeah, well I hope someone does work on those Steam ports and gets them added. Ive heard the Meat Boy Mac version wasn't awesome, can't imagine the Linux port being much better.

I see more games being added to my Steam Linux account over time though. I currently have Solar 2 and FTL installed on Linux and they both run very well. I see Torchlight listed, but I haven't tried it yet.

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

Sign Up / Log In

John Riccitello Steps Down as EA's CEO

EA CEO John Riccitello has announced he's stepping down at the end of March. The one reason most sources agree upon is loss of revenue, but others mention botched product launches, so I can't help but wonder if the Sim City launch has anything to do with it. Losing revenue is par for the course these days, with competition from mobile games rising, but that much loss of face may be something they can't let slide.

EA used to be the bad guys of gaming, then Activision kinda took that role for a while, but over the past few years it seems EA has been trying to get that title back. Requiring one-use codes to enable multiplayer on their games, requiring you to give them... Read All

BR Supporter wrote on 03/19/2013 at 05:50pm

Hopefully this will change the way they look at gamers to actually people instead of walking money bags. If they honestly changed their ethic to producing games they could become a favorite to me. They could start by not releasing day 1 dlc.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/19/2013 at 05:52pm

+1 to progress.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 03/19/2013 at 07:27pm

Day 1 DLC can be good if it's done for the right reasons. After the game is done you have a while to wait before it hits stores, and even before completion there are some teams who won't be working on bug fixes. So it can make sense that there might be some DLC completed in time for release date.

What I hate, though, is when the day 1 DLC is just a few k in size. You can tell the content is already on the disc and you're just paying for an unlock.

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 03/20/2013 at 12:50am

I don't expect things to change any time soon. The micro-charge-you-till-you-die approach from mobile gaming seems to be bleeding into all other gaming. Large studios have stopped taking chances on new IP and are content to regurgitate the same 4 titles ad nauseum.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/20/2013 at 01:36am

Good thing indies are making awesome stuff. Plus they all seem to be doing cross platform, which is awesome.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/20/2013 at 04:21pm

EA player appreciation sale:

http://store.origin.com/store/ea/en_US/html/pbPage.origin-deals

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

Sign Up / Log In

Fez hits Steam May 1, OS X version planned

Probably fed up with XBLA; and spying a bright, shiny, Steam-Box-powered future; Fez is slated to come available on Steam with a Windows release in May. [Insert obligatory missed deadlines joke.] However considering XBox -> Windows port, it's probably not that much of a brainer, and wouldn't expect it to take terribly long, so May is probably pretty realistic.

In any case, being console-less, I'm excited to finally get to play this game.

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/03/get-excited-brain-bending-platformer-fez-finally-coming-to-steam-and-os-x/

What Should I Play Next?

I was just talking to @scrypt on Steam about this and I am wanting to ask you all as well. Now that I have completed Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm what should I play next? I mean, I am totally getting Age of Empires II: HD but, beyond that, what should I play?

A few thoughts on games I could buy:

* FTL
* The Walking Dead
* Dishonored
* FarCry 3

Games I own I haven't started yet:

* Bastion
* Fallout: New Vegas
* Braid

So what do you think I should play next? Ill make a choice based on your suggestions and let you know how it turns out.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/19/2013 at 03:16am

You already own three amazing games that you haven't played. I would suggest New Vegas. If you want to ease your way in before going into another hardcore game, Braid can be completed in just a few hours.

jaelte wrote on 03/19/2013 at 04:06am

While I know I do not follow this example at all, it's probably best to go for a game you already own. If you've played Fallout 3, you probably have an idea of how much time you'll be putting into New Vegas. Should you be up for a long game, I'd say go for that one. I haven't played Braid, but I can definitely vouch for Bastion. I beat it in 11 hours, but you could spend a lot more time going for various challenges if that was the sort of thing that interests you.

jaelte wrote on 03/19/2013 at 04:09am

All that said, you really do need to play The Walking Dead. So if you have a little extra money burning a hole in your pocket, get that one.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/19/2013 at 04:22am

All that makes sense, thanks guys. Leaning to New Vegas, because I own it already and LOVED Fallout 3.

Then again, Bastion, FTL and Braid.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/19/2013 at 03:27pm

You also should watch LOST lol

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/19/2013 at 04:52pm

Ok its down to FTL and Fallout: New Vegas.

Gary_Butterfield wrote on 03/19/2013 at 05:27pm

New Vegas is so fucking good and it's easily twice the game FO3 is (and I love FO3). I think the answer is clear.

2nd runner up? Bastion is a pure joy and is short.

BR Supporter wrote on 03/19/2013 at 05:55pm

Definitely New Vegas since you already own it. Although, the waflkig dead is an amazing game I'd wait till you can get it on sale because it is a small game, content-wise (huge game story-wise though)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/19/2013 at 05:57pm

Yeah, I am edging to Fallout: New Vegas. Already have it, seems to be double awesome over Fallout 3 so can't go wrong there.

For sure will play The Walking Dead and FTL and Bastion at some point though.

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 03/20/2013 at 12:24am

I know your mind is made up, but here's one more vote for Bastion. Beat it once, but there is so much that I left undone, I'll be going through it again.

Also, The Walking Dead (the Telltale adventure, not the travesty that just came out) is a must-play if you enjoy the comics or television show. It's not a feel-good, romp-a-minute action game, but it'll stop your heart once or twice.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/20/2013 at 01:35am

Ill take a swing through Bastion at some point for sure!

Travis Admin wrote on 03/20/2013 at 01:08pm

Anyone else wanting Bastion can get it for as low as a buck this week: http://www.humblebundle.com/weekly

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

Sign Up / Log In

Achievement Unlocked: Game Complete.

So I beat the single player missions of Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm. This time I put it away in less than a week, which is a personal best. I drew out Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty to take 2 weeks to complete because I wanted to savor the game more. I can't say which experience was better, but I am a bit biased to Heart of the Swarm. Not sure if its because it was a better single player experience or because I just played it.

tone & story

Tonally the two flow well together. Wings of Liberty single player might be a tighter game and overall a bit better experience but Heart of the Swarm takes it up a few notches. All said, I really appreciate the ambition of... Read All

Zelda Starring Zelda

"Earlier this week, I read about that awesome dad who edited Donkey Kong to let his daughter play as the Princess. I wished I had someone who could have done that for me. Then I remembered. I'm an adult now. If he could work it out, I could too.

I'm hobbyist animator and my boyfriend is a professional video game programmer. I sent him the article and I asked, "How do I do this?"

"I think he's just using an existing rom editor, so he just went in and changed the sprites."

"I want to switch around Link and Zelda."

That got his attention. We'd been talking about a Zelda-centric game ever since the first Tropes vs Women in Games video was released. He's a huge fan of the... Read All