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Should have posted this a while back because it's probably been two months since I played it. I ran through this game this Summer and had a great time doing it.

In a lot of ways, this is the anti-GTA of the RockStar world: It's (very) closed world mayhem where you never drive a vehicle or get any down time. No sandbox here, this is straight story action story action rinse repeat.

If fatigue didn't set in, you could easily play the game straight through. There is never a loading screen, no signal to stop playing except for mid-chapter inserts that are usually so captivating that they keep you playing. More than once, I realized I was playing more for the story than for... Read All


As I continue my adventures as the Dragonborn, the things I can do in Skyrim become more and more epic. Somehow I missed that Bethesda released a free DLC update to Skyrim that adds high res textures to the game. I knew community members had high res packs but finding out about Bethesda's drew me to the immediate download and install.

After starting the game after the DLC was installed I noticed right away, the game looks even more incredible. It shows the game was "mastered" with consoles in mind and the high res. textures really make the game feel more organic. The swords and game environments seem less pixelated and edgy. Plus with lighting turned up, the game has a... Read All


In anticipation of the actual game (already pre-ordered! Can't wait for the 28th!), I've downloaded the Madden 13 demo.

One feature I was really interested in checking out was the new physics engine, called the Madden Infinity Engine. In the past, when Madden players interacted with each other (tackling, hitting, catching the ball, etc), what was shown was a preset animation. Now there were very many of these animations, so it looked great, but it wasn't always "perfect."

Now, thanks to Madden's Infinity Engine, the players truly interact with each other. Speed, momentum, mass and body parts are all melded into a unique action. The animations are limitless, and usually... Read All


Today is a sad day in gaming. Psygnosis (AKA Studio Liverpool) has been closed. This developer has been one of my favorites, primarily because of their WipEout racing series and the game Lemmings. I honestly didn't think I could feel this sad about a game company closing its doors.

http://kotaku.com/5936821/sony-closes-one-of-the-oldest-video-game-developers-in-the-world


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Looks like Nintendo Power is going to be closing up shop. It had a fantastic run in the late 80's and early 90's and whomever had a subscription I was always envious of. I read each issue cover to cover many times.

I remember reading the issue with Secret of Mana detailed and I couldn't put it down for weeks. The way Nintendo stiched together images and game hints was magical to my young video game addicted brain.

A few years ago I got a subscription to Nintendo Power again and some of the spark remained but my habits changed and I didn't read them as eagerly as I once did. Oh and they talked about Nintendogs too much for my tastes. I should have kept my original issues... Read All


What better way to celebrate Retro Tuesday that with a Super Mario Brothers post it note video? Well, perhaps Shigeru Miyamoto visiting your house and telling you they are making another Zelda game in the style of Link to the Past and releasing the source code for the original Zelda as open source.

One can dream can't he?


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Blizzard dropped the news today that Heart of the Swarm will enter multiplayer beta "very soon." I enjoy the Zerg quite a bit and am looking forward to the single player game. Wings of Liberty was very well done and I anticipate Heart of the Swarm to be just as good or better! I know, perhaps my expectations are too high for a post Diablo 3 Blizzard? I certainly hope not.

Relevant bits from the blog:

"We are preparing to invite testers for the Heart of the Swarm beta very soon! To be clear, this test will be for the multiplayer experience only. We will begin with a select group, including many players who assisted us in testing Patch 1.5, as well as some pro-gamers and... Read All


OK here's my epic Terraria base. I spent weeks off and on with this thing. If you noticed I wasn't around on the CG server for days at a time, this is why.

I created/destroyed so many new worlds just to get the materials for this, so I could get different colored dungeon blocks mostly.

One thing I didn't show off there at the end, I decided not to bore anyone further, is that I have a long line of bricks in Hell, ending with a lava pit like the one WhiteBoySlim made, and a house above so you can set your spawn point.

I also have houses at the entrance to the dungeon, corruption, and underground jungle.

I used Tedit to copy in a couple of additions you'll recognize, and... Read All


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Diablo III 1.0.4 patch notes released

Last but not least in our series of D3 posts, the patch notes!

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/6368188147?page=1#1

Hope you have some time to kill-- this one takes a while to read. SO many changes, almost all of them good.

And confirmed, The patch is coming tomorrow!

To recap...
Diablo III Profiles release: http://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/posts/443
Initial 1.0.4 preview: http://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/posts/451
Legendary item improvements: http://cheerfulghost.com/Tungsten/posts/458
Diablo III Starter Edition availability: http://cheerfulghost.com/panickedthumb/posts/460
Barbarian improvements: ... Read All


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The Paragon system... It's official!

https://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/6968517/Introducing_the_Paragon_System-8_20_2012

This looks incredible. 100 extra experience bars to fill, giving you awesome bonuses the whole way.

It isn't *just* experience, apparently. It looks like you get some boosts to your core stats along the way as well!

By the time you hit Paragon level 100, you will have reached the maximum Gold/Magic Find available, and GF/MF gear won't matter.