Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

Game Stop: Episode 7

In this action packed episode with those wacky kids at The Game Shop, the Game Shop loses power! I am pretty impressed with how much they are able to do with just a Game Shop and a few characters.

This just in from the "I am getting old Department" it seems Quake II marks its 15th birthday today! Bethesda and iD Software rang in the occasion with some interesting tidbits from iD's Tim Willits.

Only three artists made all the 2D and 3D art for the entire game.

One of the original suggested names for QUAKE II was WOR, but the game’s fast-paced, tactile feel felt closer to a QUAKE game than a new franchise.

‘The Edge’ (Tim’s favorite deathmatch level in QUAKE II or any other game), has over 50 trick jumps possible in the map. Tim only designed two of them, and the rest were discovered by the QUAKE II community.

... Read All

Isaac Rebirth News & Mewgenics Update

Edmund McMillen of the Super Meat Boy & Binding of Isaac fame dropped some news on The Binding of Isaac Rebirth. Recently he had a Formsping Q&A on his blog and you needed to be made aware of the details. Your welcome in advance.

"-Rebirth is a totally remade game based on the flash version of the binding of isaac + wrath of the lamb.

-The game is being produced and developed by Nicalis, the guys who did all the cave story remakes and the VVVVVV port.

-Nicalis is working on the port for Ps3/Vita and PC (steam) and is also currently talking to MS and Nintendo about releasing on their platforms. we are also looking into an iOS version if its not garbage.

-The remake... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 12/06/2012 at 02:50am

Oh hey, I didn't know he did both of those. I should have guessed based on the art though.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 12/06/2012 at 05:23pm

Right. He is pretty busy right now. Isaac remake, Mew-Genics, Meat Boy Mobile and something else... But I don't rightly remember right now.

Gary_Butterfield wrote on 12/06/2012 at 11:54pm

Get out of my dreams and into my car! My only misgiving is the no online multiplayer. Anyone on the Watch Out For Fireballs steam group knows I have put a whopping 350 fucking hours into isaac. Now, maybe 50 of this is idle time but this remains my go to comfort game.

New Isaac is very, very good news for me.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 12/07/2012 at 12:41am

Have you done a lets play with Isaac? 350 hours means you must be good at it and id like to see someone awesome play that game because its all real life tears when I play it.

Looking forward to this version.

Gary_Butterfield wrote on 12/07/2012 at 12:52am

I hate to brag but I'm actually awesome at it. The problem is my let's play software thing needs a program to export in direct x to work.

Gary_Butterfield wrote on 12/07/2012 at 12:53am

I really wanted to do a one-off let's play/beginners guide for it. It's been done to death but I've personally given out like 10 copies of that game.

Gary_Butterfield wrote on 12/07/2012 at 12:55am

What do you use for Let's Plays? Wanna send me a email?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 12/07/2012 at 02:08am

I will.

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 12/07/2012 at 10:50pm

This is awesome news. The flash version runs horribly for me on almost every machine I've tried it on. In fact, the Linux port from the Humble Bundle runs worse. Fullscreen's not an option, so maybe this rebirth will allow me to finally finish the game.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 12/07/2012 at 11:41pm

Yeah, it seems like Rebirth is written in something non Flash to help out there.

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A Few Stracraft Bit-lets: New Starcrafts & Dev Q&A

New Starcrafts cartoon short released, linked above. So many times I was foiled by that lone air unit when the brunt of my army had no anti-air. This is why I am not a pro Starcraft player. Fun game though.

Continuing with the Starcraft 2 dev Q&A Blizzard recently posted Part 7:
http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/blog/7994699

I thought this question and answer were particularly interesting(yeah, I sort of follow the Starcraft lore and all that):

"Question: Are Tassadar and the Overmind one now?"

"Answer: Not now, no. But something like the Overmind does not die instantly. Some synapses may fire for a time as it fades away. And at the moment of impact for both of these... Read All

TonyJapMayo wrote on 12/06/2012 at 02:36am

Thanks for vid, love them, found them from this website months ago =)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 12/06/2012 at 05:22pm

I think they are awesome too.

BR Supporter wrote on 12/07/2012 at 02:44am

I also love this series. The animations are just amazing. They are smooth and the take on each unit as almost an innocent....being, I guess, is absolutely hilarious.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 12/07/2012 at 11:47pm

A bit of a heads up... I am talking with the creator of Starcrafts right now and they have agreed to do a interview with the site. If you guys have any questions you want to ask them about what they do, toss them my way and ill forward them along. Ill also post your name as the person that asked them so you get credit in the interview!

Woot!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 12/08/2012 at 05:45am

Oh sorry I wasn't clear, it's an interview with the people that do the Starcrafts cartoon animations that is above. The guys from Carbot animations.

TonyJapMayo wrote on 12/08/2012 at 05:52am

Ah, ok, deleted prev comment..

Maybe ask if they can make it longer (its prob hard, idea wise, editing etc) but yeah.. I love their video, will be even more it they are longer =)

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Torchlight II Contest Entry.

I never played any Diablo games, so when a friend recommended it to me I wasn't sure what to expect. He said it involved a lot of hack-and-slash and equip gathering. It didn't seem very amusing, but I decided to give it a shot. Boy was I wrong.

First of all I loved the art style for not being so serious, it was a new experience to me, so it made it all seem less intimidating. I soon found myself playing for hours and never wanting to stop. I do confess only having 3 character choices (and no gender options) bugged me a little, but nonetheless I happily played as an Alchemist, with a wolf for a pet. I spent a lot of time fishing too, and I loved loved loved the shape... Read All

A legendary RPG overlooked by most gamers.

Twelve short months ago, I began playing Planescape: Torment in an effort to motivate my writing and completion of stockpiled games on my Backlog Killer blog. (www.backlogkiller.com) I chose it as my first game because friends, Watch Out for Fireballs, were playing it for one of their episodes and I wanted a little support for finishing such a long game. Even though I had finished it when I was in high school, I wanted to complete it again to see if anything about the game had changed for me. Boy, was I in for a surprise.

Planescape: Torment is an isometric RPG using the Infinity Engine of Baldur's Gate fame. It is based on the Dungeons and Dragons Planescape universe... Read All Twelve short months ago, I began playing Planescape: Torment in an effort to motivate my writing and completion of stockpiled games on my Backlog Killer blog. (www.backlogkiller.com) I chose it as my first game because friends, Watch Out for Fireballs, were playing it for one of their episodes and I wanted a little support for finishing such a long game. Even though I had finished it when I was in high school, I wanted to complete it again to see if anything about the game had changed for me. Boy, was I in for a surprise.

Planescape: Torment is an isometric RPG using the Infinity Engine of Baldur's Gate fame. It is based on the Dungeons and Dragons Planescape universe in which an infinite amount of dimensions or "planes" intersect at one focal point: the city of Sigil where the game takes place. You play as the Nameless One, a scarred and weathered fellow who wakes up in a mortuary with no memory of the past. Sound like standard video game fare? Here's something else to add into the mix: you cannot die.

I mean this in the most literal sense. Every time The Nameless One dies in combat or for any other reason, he awakens in the mortuary to continue his quest to discover the past. Along the way, you meet many other colorful characters who each have their own back stories and motivations for following you. These include a half-demon thief, a fallen angel, an ancient warrior, and (my favorite) a floating, wise-cracking skull named Morte. Working together, you must work backward to piece together your past and uncover the true nature of your soul so that you can rest in peace forever.

What makes Torment so different from almost every other RPG is its dedication to TRUE role playing via dialogue and moral choices. This isn't a Dragon's Age choice of good, evil, or neutral. Torment lets you choose everything from promising to do good to the most evil option, in my opinion, lying about doing good to get what you want. The game lets you choose exactly what character you want to play with no systemic repercussions about your choices. If you can live with what you've done... that's another matter altogether.

I wholeheartedly recommend Torment, but be warned: it is a LONG game. It will probably take at least thirty hours to finish, and that's only if you try to find some of the extra content. If you see all there is to see, I would set aside 50 to 60 hours. The game remains one of my favorite PC gaming experiences and I hope to return to it periodically to revisit its intense and touching story.

Find out: "What can change the nature of a man?"

I have written my thoughts and experiences with Planescape: Torment on my blog, The Backlog Killer. (http://www.backlogkiller.com/2012/01/2-planescape-torment.html)

You can purchase the game for the low price of $9.99 on Good Old Games. (http://www.gog.com/gamecard/planescape_torment)

Travis Admin wrote on 12/05/2012 at 03:31am

It sounds like I need your site. I have a backlog a mile long.

jdodson Admin wrote on 12/05/2012 at 06:19am

Awesome, from your write up this game sounds great. The only BioWare RPG I have played thus far was Neverwinter Nights and it had some of what you mention.

I am wondering though, recently Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition was released and I wanted to play that. That said, if you had to direct someone to start would you say Baldurs or Planescape? I want to start one of them and go through it, wondering which one you suggest?

Will_Owens Post Author wrote on 12/05/2012 at 08:14am

It really comes down to what you want out of the game more: combat or story. The story in the Baldur's Gate series is pretty good and typical fantasy fair, but the combat is a very well balanced and fun part of the game. On the other hand, Torment is almost all story and hardly about combat at all. In fact, the combat in the game is pretty much trash and could have been tossed out completely. I speculate in my review that the team may have been forced to put combat in, even if they originally didn't plan to, because it came out after Baldur's Gate and is an Infinity Engine game. It can get a little annoying in my opinion.

So, your options are pretty much as follows:

Story-- Planescape: Torment

Mix of Story/Combat: Baldur's Gate

Or, if you want full combat with almost no story: Icewind Dale (which I love)

Will_Owens Post Author wrote on 12/05/2012 at 10:17am

*fantasy fare -- The editor

jdodson Admin wrote on 12/05/2012 at 04:40pm

Thanks Will, that helps. Still mulling it over. Let you know how it turns out.

Just read this today:

http://colinmccomb.com/?p=157

Gary_Butterfield wrote on 12/05/2012 at 05:35pm

See my tweets for my response. I think Will is underselling how much better Torment is in terms of writing and story. Baldur's Gate has a good story and great mechanics. Torment is probably in the top 3 best written games ever and has a setting that is bursting with imagination and character. They're both mandatory at some point, but your individual tastes can determine which one comes first.

jdodson Admin wrote on 12/06/2012 at 12:27am

Makes sense, I am thinking Torment due to the focus on story.

Thanks guys!

Will_Owens Post Author wrote on 12/07/2012 at 01:02am

I very well may be. As for writing, I can't think of many other games that do have as competent and impactful writing. Actually, what suggestions would you have on that front, Gary?

jdodson Admin wrote on 12/07/2012 at 03:19am

For me the game that stuck with me the most is Link's Awakening. I played it again a few years ago and none of its impact was lost on me.

Gary_Butterfield wrote on 12/07/2012 at 04:51pm

I love Link's Awakening but not for the writing. I think the writing in most of the Zelda/Mario games is more or less almost non existent. Note, it still has a very enchanting story but it's not one presented through writing.

Off the top of my head: The Walking Dead, Alpha Protocol, Fallout 1, 2 and New Vegas and Dear Esther (though it's barely a game).

It's hard not to confuse world building with writing. Is something like Dishonored well written? Well, yeah, but most of the good will I'm feeling towards the writing is actually the mythology/world building aspect.

jdodson Admin wrote on 12/07/2012 at 05:26pm

Good point about LA. I sort of hitch onto it for the feelings I get when certain things happen. I think they handle simple scenes like Link an Marin sitting and talking well. They cover the concept of loneliness and the loss well. I think in the end the simplicity of the storytelling and its notion of things not being what they seem.

I love that game.

Gary_Butterfield wrote on 12/07/2012 at 06:00pm

Oh, it's great. The only flaw I find in it is that it's easy to not know what to do next. I would like a little more direction. Other than that, it's my 2nd favorite Zelda game (after A Link to the Past).

jdodson Admin wrote on 12/07/2012 at 06:02pm

I agree, I couldn't remember how to get into the Catfish's Maw so I needed guide help.

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JACR...but that's a good thing.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted is Just Another Criterion Racer. That may seem dismissive, but it's anything but. Criterion has a knack for making racing games that are equal parts addictive, fun, frustrating and rewarding. NfS:MW is no exception.

It has many of the typical Criterion touches: bright sun reflecting off wet road, leaving you blind; obstacles that blend perfectly with the background; and AI racers that seem hellbent on pummeling you out of their way instead of racing. NfS:MW also includes billboard breaking and gate smashes first seen in Burnout:Paradise. In fact, this game almost feels like Burnout: Paradise 2 at times...with cops.

The single-player is pretty... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 12/04/2012 at 10:22pm

This was recently on sale for Black Friday. I read some Amazon reviews that said basically "This is terrible, it isn't even a NFS game, it's basically Burnout Paradise 2!"

Well, I thought, SIGN ME UP!

Burnout Paradise is such an amazing game. Looking forward to digging into Most Wanted.

jdodson Admin wrote on 12/05/2012 at 02:27am

Yeah, this sounds good. Do you recommend Most Wanted for someone that really only has experience with Mario Kart as a game to start with?

Travis Admin wrote on 12/05/2012 at 03:05am

If it's like Burnout Paradise, yes. I haven't actually started it yet. As you know, I have a bit of a backlog and now that you have me playing SC2... well...

But Burnout Paradise is an amazing game, and I'm sold on Criterion's ability to make a fun, accessible, but challenging game.

Travis Admin wrote on 12/05/2012 at 03:30am

Jon, if you decide to get it, and you're looking for someone to race with, I have it for PC. You'll have to venture into Origin territory.

jdodson Admin wrote on 12/05/2012 at 06:20am

OIRIGAINfasdlkfjasldkj!

Well, I might get an Origin account eventually OR it seems EA is dropping enough games Steam's direction. HMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

beansmyname Supporter Post Author wrote on 12/07/2012 at 10:51pm

I would not recommend this to casual race fans. Criterion Games' racers tend to straddle the line between hardcore racer ala Gran Turismo and the arcade style of their own Burnout series.

jdodson Admin wrote on 12/07/2012 at 11:42pm

That makes sense, thanks bean.

Travis Admin wrote on 12/08/2012 at 04:08am

I don't know, Most Wanted feels just like a Burnout game to me. It's like Burnout Paradise + cops. It isn't quite as arcadey as a Cruisin' USA or anything like that, but it's far closer to that than Gran Turismo. I hate those racing simulator games. I can see the appeal, but I'm more in the mood for fast, off-the-wall racing carnage, and this game is delivering that so far.

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Super Mario Beads 3

Totally awesome and beautiful. Lost it when they went to Mario Kart!

We are giving away two copies of Torchlight II!

Updated 12-04: Contest rules have changed, please see below
Greetings friends of the Ghost,

You may remember our Borderlands 2 Haiku Contest from a few months back. Now, we're back to bring you the next thing in awesome contests. Like many people we loved Torchlight and after getting our hands on Runic's epic second take on the on the Dungeon Crawler we happily started slaying evil minions, and we wanted to share the fun. So gather round and listen to a tale of how ye will come to possess this shiny Runic gem, this "Torchlight 2!"

We are giving away a copy on Steam Gifts as per usual to drop in one lucky person's Steam account on December 22. No strings attached. Head... Read All

jdodson Admin wrote on 12/04/2012 at 04:12am

Looking forward to how this turns out!

Gruni wrote on 12/08/2012 at 03:37am

Captain Tightpants and the fluffy Sergeant Buttons

Martin_Kristensen wrote on 12/11/2012 at 10:07pm

General Scarx and The Fearsome DreadTooth

ZiperiS wrote on 12/15/2012 at 11:12am

Marine Division Jackson and the "fearsome" Jimmy the Bellyscratcher

PowerPuffGirl wrote on 12/19/2012 at 08:27pm

blossom heart and her cat ms. fluffy paw

Elmes wrote on 12/22/2012 at 08:49am

Monkey.D Elmes and the Fearless Janbo

Elvinas_Gurauskas wrote on 12/22/2012 at 09:25am

The Ruthless Dojo and The Peacemaker Mojo

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Goodbye Xbox

Goodbye Skyrim,
Goodbye Kinect
Goodbye Madden
It's the Red Ring of Death

I've had my Xbox since 2007, and it kept getting less and less reliable. First it just "couldn't read" perfectly good disks occasionally, then it decided that black wasn't a color it want to display and instead replaced it with pink.

Now it's finally dead.

I don't think I will replace it. My daughter loved the Kinect games, but other than that, I just didn't use it enough to warrent buying it new. Xbox will be out soon enough, and in the meantime I need a new computer ;)

Game Stop: Episode 7

Quake II Turns 15 Today!

Isaac Rebirth News & Mewgenics Update

A Few Stracraft Bit-lets: New Starcrafts & Dev Q&A

Torchlight II Contest Entry.

A legendary RPG overlooked by most gamers.

JACR...but that's a good thing.

Super Mario Beads 3

We are giving away two copies of Torchlight II!

Goodbye Xbox