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I Lived, I Died, I Rage 2'd

Rage 2 was one of my most anticipated games of 2019 and as such I pre-ordered the Deluxe Edition that April. I always felt the original Rage was a somewhat forgotten shooter that I think is good by falls flat at the end. When the trailers came out hyping Rage 2 I was excited as it looked like the perfect follow up.

When I wrote about Rage 2 back in May of 2019 I noted that Rage 2 was fun and that it took a bit of practice to master each of the abilities to fit my style of play. I also wasn't so focused to sticking to the main story and didn't write about this, but played a few things out of order and got my ass handed to me quite a few times. The BFG saved my bacon... Read All Rage 2 was one of my most anticipated games of 2019 and as such I pre-ordered the Deluxe Edition that April. I always felt the original Rage was a somewhat forgotten shooter that I think is good by falls flat at the end. When the trailers came out hyping Rage 2 I was excited as it looked like the perfect follow up.

When I wrote about Rage 2 back in May of 2019 I noted that Rage 2 was fun and that it took a bit of practice to master each of the abilities to fit my style of play. I also wasn't so focused to sticking to the main story and didn't write about this, but played a few things out of order and got my ass handed to me quite a few times. The BFG saved my bacon early on but wasn't something I ever really used beyond getting out of those "oh shit" moments caused by playing the game out of order. One big event was that I wanted to complete early was the Cult of the Death God mission to get the Settler Pistol and Raine armor. If you do that early on in the game the super mutant boss is INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT and I wasn't quite ready for it but the BFG was.

I'm mentioning my first experience with Rage 2 only to note that Rage 2 is a good game but not an absolutely perfect one and frankly it doesn't really need to be. Rage 2 is a kick ass shooter that focuses on what it does well which is great gameplay and a really hardboiled Mad Max styled plot with a villain so campy he never leaves the tent. Which is to say, Rage 2 is a lot of fun.

I never felt Rage 2 was so compelling that I had to complete it all in a short amount of time which I'll note to the games credit. Games that are fun in bursts and compelling enough to return to a year after you bought it get high marks in my book. I know some gamers are looking for the next fully immersive experience where you lose yourself in a game but I'm not. Is a game fun? Can I pick it up again quickly for 45 minutes? Do I even want to keep playing it? With Rage 2 the answer is hell yes.

I finally completed Rage 2 a couple days ago on a whim. I had completed enough of the main story to have the "last mission" marker unlocked on my HUD. Up until that point I had just been exploring the map and defeating random bandit dens and decided I might as well complete it. In this way Rage 2 and it's open world feel a lot like a Far Cry game. Far Cry is an open world game with a lot of places to explore but each "bandit den" is very similar to the others and you have those interspersed with story locations and you can decide to main-line the story or just hang around doing other stuff if you want. It took me just as long to finally complete Far Cry 3 and I enjoy it just as well as Rage 2.

Since I purchased the Deluxe Version I have some story DLC and i'm not sure when I'll get to playing that. Until then Rage 2 will camp out on my PC until I decide I want to head back to its particular shooter shenanigans. I hope Rage 2 did well enough to justify it becoming a series that will live on for a Rage 3 because I think there is a lot they could bring to the table with MORE player powers and by doing some sort of time fast forward to space.

I Beat A Link To The Past... Again

The Super Nintendo Classic has been hooked up to my TV since it was released in 2017 and I've played so much of it it might be the video game system I've played the most of since I picked it up. One fun part about the Super Nintendo Classic is that a lot of the games are meant for younger audiences and my son is getting older and enjoys watching me play them. He can even play Super Metroid well enough to get by but he won't be breaking any speedrun records anytime soon. Still it's a fun system and may be one of the best consoles made in the last 5 years or so if I was the only one that voted for that sort of thing. One game that I've been playing a handful of minutes... Read All The Super Nintendo Classic has been hooked up to my TV since it was released in 2017 and I've played so much of it it might be the video game system I've played the most of since I picked it up. One fun part about the Super Nintendo Classic is that a lot of the games are meant for younger audiences and my son is getting older and enjoys watching me play them. He can even play Super Metroid well enough to get by but he won't be breaking any speedrun records anytime soon. Still it's a fun system and may be one of the best consoles made in the last 5 years or so if I was the only one that voted for that sort of thing. One game that I've been playing a handful of minutes per day is The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. One cool part about Link to the Past is that each dungeon is relatively short(compared to later Zelda games) meaning that the entire game can be completed in a short amount of time. HowLongToBeat.com says you can complete the main quest in 15 hours and I may have taken longer than that but not by much.

Everything has been said about Link to the Past already but I will say playing it with your kid brings a new level of joy to the experience. He seemed to think I should have been better than I was and dying and coming at bosses again seemed to bother him which added to some of the stress you get while playing a game. "Daddy don't die here, don't get hit, why did you get hit Daddy?"

I've heard rumors that a remake to Link to the Past would be coming and if that happens that would be something i'd be interested in. That said i'm not sure it's strictly needed but that's also what I thought before the Link's Awakening remake came out and I rated that in my top 10 games of the last 10 years.

*FUN NOTE* I embedded a Link to the Past Let' Play above I recorded in 2013 when Lets Plays were rather new. It's one of the most popular videos I've ever made on YouTube clocking in at over 35 thousands plays. Not a lot when you consider the most popular YouTubers around but a fun number considering I don't really make Lets Plays and my Link to the Past chops aren't top notch.

Never Stop Buying: Get This Stardew Valley Collectors Edition!

Stardew Valley is a modern classic that many consider to be one of the best games of all time. It debuted to critical acclaim but never received a physical release until now. You can pre-order Stardew Valley collectors or standard edition on Switch or PC. The each version is priced a bit differently and the Switch SKU seems to be a couple bucks more than the PC version. That said, the Switch Collectors edition is $69 and for what you get that's quite a good deal.

I have yet to really dig in to Stardew Valley and now that play most games on my Switch am considering picking up the standard physical edition. Anyone else thinking about that?

"Stardew Valley is now available... Read All

Tale of the White Wyvern Season 3, our first Race, Starts Now!

Tale of the White Wyvern Season 3: The Wyvern Race is now open! In this season, we're changing up the goals a bit. This time, it's a race to see who can get three Wyvern kills first. Once that threshold is met, the season will end and the leaderboards will be filled out.

To help speed this up a bit, we're also increasing the number of forest fights and PvP fights, as well as giving you a bonus to experience gain and gold find.

Come join the race, whether you plan to be competitive or just want to play a second game!

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 81: Tale of the White Wyvern First Anniversary Celebration!

It's hard to believe that a year of Tale of the White Wyvern is behind us. In this episode of Cheerful Ghost Radio, we're looking back at our favorite moments from Wyrmdoor, and looking forward to what's ahead.

Thank you all so much for playing Tale of the White Wyvern!

Analogue Pocket Pre Orders Start August 3rd

Pre Orders for the Analogue Pocket will go live August 3rd @ 8am PT. The base system will play Gameboy, Gameboy Color and Gameboy Advance games and be priced at $200 and will ship with a raft of other add-on gear and some entirely new features that look to make the system even better than we originally thought. I'll clip the spec sheet below:

* Compatible with Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance game cartridges.
* 3.5" LCD. 16001440 resolution. 615ppi.
* 360 display rotation (tate mode)
* Variable refresh display
* Rechargeable lithium ion 4300mAh battery
* 6-10 hour gameplay time & 10+ hour sleep time 9
* All buttons mappable
* Stereo speakers
* micro SD card... Read All

Rocket League Will Be Free to Play This Summer!

In the mostly great news with some downsides department, Rocker League is going free to play this summer! The downside is that moving forward it will only be available for new players on PC on the Epic Store and not be available for new players on Steam. If you have Rocket League on Steam already you can still play it moving forward just fine, but they are funneling all PC players to play on the Epic Store. Some fans have questions about mod support and Steam Workshop integration as the Epic Store has none of these features, that said this seems like an overall good move as it puts Rocket League in the hands of more players.

I bought Rocket League on sale last year on... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 07/27/2020 at 07:59pm

And all Linux players were basically told, sorry, we're taking the game away from you.

Epic being Epic. :/

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/27/2020 at 08:08pm

Wait so the Linux version is going away on Steam moving forward?

Travis Admin wrote on 07/27/2020 at 09:09pm

https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/23/21078989/rocket-league-macos-linux-march-epic-games-online-multiplayer

I was a bit hyperbolic with "taking the game away" but for what most people do with it, that's basically the case. Nothing online at all, they're dropping support. I hadn't realized Mac was affected as well.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/27/2020 at 09:26pm

Thanks for that Travis, I didn't see any of that. Also new information I didn't know.

1. Epic Games bough the company behind Rocket League last year.
2. Now game is going PC Epic Only moving forward and dropping Mac+Linux online support.

Now I get why Epic is doing the Epic Store only thing and I really don't care but dropping Mac+Linux moving forward and Epic Store only? Ehhhhh, that's not awesome.

Travis Admin wrote on 07/30/2020 at 03:24pm

I have heard a ton of good things about Rocket League so I went ahead and pulled the trigger on Steam before it leaves. Just in case I want to play it on PC, I am sure that I won't want to support Epic by buying it there. Or playing it free to play there.

They've been problematic over the past few years and that doesn't seem to be changing.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/23/2020 at 03:32pm

Rocket League is now available to download for free on the Epic Store, Switch and I imagine many other platforms* for free.

https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/product/rocket-league/home

* Of course not Steam because why would the biggest PC gaming platform want a game like Rocket League?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/23/2020 at 03:33pm

Just to be super clear here, I think Rocket League should stay on Steam. Sad Epic is removing it.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/23/2020 at 03:36pm

And I just checked Rocket League is no longer available to purchase and is de-listed on Steam.

"Notice: At the request of the publisher, Rocket League® is unlisted on the Steam store and will not appear in search."

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Tale of the White Wyvern Update: The Citizens of Wyrmdoor Are Celebrating the Wyrmdoor Jubilee!

Hello adventurers!

Tale of the White Wyvern launched last year on July 28, 2019. We are celebrating our anniversary with an in-game event in which the Wyrmdoor residents celebrate the town's founding!

From now through August 3, you can get some great bonuses as with all of our events:

+11 forest fights.

+1 fishing.

+3% to forest fight gold.

+18% to forest fight experience.

But the main attraction is the Wyrmdoor Jubilee itself. Head over to Jubilee to play Ring Toss, Wyvern Smash, and Bean Bag Throw for some awesome prizes, and talk to Ilsa to learn more about the event.

Helga, as always, keeps the history of Wyrmdoor available for all who are interested, so check in... Read All

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/27/2020 at 04:05pm

🐉❤️

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/27/2020 at 09:49pm

Happy (Early) Birthday Tale of the White Wyvern!

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/28/2020 at 02:46am

🎂

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/28/2020 at 03:59am

It's hard to believe it's been a year! There have only been very few in-game days that I missed. So yeah, I still play every day.

jaelte wrote on 07/28/2020 at 05:51am

This is great! I'm happy to have been playing this since the start. :)
Just a quick note, though, clicking "(R)eturn to Other Places" from the Wyrmdoor Jubilee page actually takes me back to the Town Square. Not a big deal, but I figured I'd mention it.

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/29/2020 at 03:22am

jaelte: Fixed and thanks for playing!

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Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 80: The Life Update, Summer Edition

The year 2020 has been with us for approximately 57 years now. Experts are still at odds on the specific amount of time it's been. But we're still here, and we're back this episode to tell youwhat we've been playing and watching in the absolute hellscape of 2020, and also to dish about the Fallout TV show that may be filmed if there's ever a time when it's safe to be around people again. Plus , we talk COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, and other things hitting us hard in this nightmare of a year.

FYI: There are Final Fantasy VII Remake spoilers from 47:25 to 52:50 so please skip that part if you want to play this and haven't.

Plus Travis mentioned Daveed Diggs and how... Read All

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/21/2020 at 03:53am

❤️👻

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 08/03/2020 at 07:16pm

Way to toe the company line, Jon! Glad this podcast was reigned in early to talk about Star Wars!

As far as Hamilton goes, I love the music, but have yet to connect with the musical. I have seen it live on tour once, and watched part of the Disney+ movie. Maybe it is due to me not being able to parse words from music very well?

jdodson Admin wrote on 08/03/2020 at 09:11pm

⭐️ 🔫

jdodson Admin wrote on 08/03/2020 at 09:11pm

Watching Hamilton with subtitles is a great way to view it. We immediately switched those in and it helped the enjoyment a lot.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 08/03/2020 at 10:13pm

Oh, I should do that!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 08/04/2020 at 07:29pm

I just heard multiple uses of my name in this podcast. Where my monies at?

jdodson Admin wrote on 08/04/2020 at 07:43pm

Checks in the mail!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 08/04/2020 at 11:43pm

Oh and you guys were correct. Terraria was not for me.

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BioShock Playthrough: Are All The Important People In Rapture Insane?

I'm noticing a trend as I play BioShock. Enter a new area to find out about a new person in charge that at first seems a bit goofy. Find out more backstory to realize they are a psychotic murderer. Spend more time and find out they are so much worse than that. Also note that every "normal person" either doesn't really notice the writing on the wall (sometimes literally in blood) or doesn't seem to care. Then again if you lived underwater that might make leaving very hard or impossible such that you had to make working with your boss work even if they seemed to enjoy being a horrible person.

Even though at this point BioShock seems like a game that can't stop making it... Read All