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Turtle Revenge

Ruh roh!

Travis Admin wrote on 05/29/2012 at 02:11pm

This makes me want to play TMNT2 on the NES. I played that game so much.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/29/2012 at 02:39pm

Only played the orig TMNT on NES.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/29/2012 at 02:56pm

TMNT2 was a port of the arcade game. It was more of a beat-em-up than the first game.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/29/2012 at 05:56pm

The TMNT arcade game is fun. I remember many quarters lost on my way to beat Shredder and Krang. The Simpsons video game came later and it's very similar in style to TMNT arcade and I played that a ton as well.

Cool to see both get modern console ports recently. Fun to relive that magic.

Tungsten wrote on 06/02/2012 at 01:09pm

The first one was impossible. I picked it up again a few years ago to see if my adult reflexes could succeed where my child reflexes failed. I got owned.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/02/2012 at 02:25pm

It's very hard. When I was in middle school I put some time into beating the game. One time I got as far as the Technodrome but died quickly after that.

Travis Admin wrote on 06/03/2012 at 05:08am

I stayed over at a friend's house one weekend, and we spend all day playing it. We eventually got to the technodrome, and the power went out. I'm not sure I have played it since.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/03/2012 at 05:12am

Yeah, it's not a game I'd return to willingly. Some fun elements here and there.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/24/2014 at 05:17am

Awesome! Speaking of TMNT, (since you guys mentioned it), I also recently played those games via emulator and cheating.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/24/2014 at 06:20am

Well TMNT is so hard I don't know as I'd say cheating in that game is really "cheating." So very hard.

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What can I say about Diablo 3 that hasnt been said already?

What can I say about Diablo 3 that hasn't been said already? Is it a fantastic game? Yep. Is it beautiful? Yep. Do I think they improved on the hack n slash game formula they already solidified in Diablo and Diablo 2? Yep. Is the story great? Its fine. Do you feel like a bad-ass in the game? Yep.

So that ends my formal review of the game. I guess it goes without saying that I don't like formal reviews of the game that go over how I rate certain aspects of the game. I think its more interesting for me to know what actual people think about a game and if this site is proof, people seem to really love Diablo 3.

That all said, there are a few things I haven't seen talked... Read All What can I say about Diablo 3 that hasn't been said already? Is it a fantastic game? Yep. Is it beautiful? Yep. Do I think they improved on the hack n slash game formula they already solidified in Diablo and Diablo 2? Yep. Is the story great? Its fine. Do you feel like a bad-ass in the game? Yep.

So that ends my formal review of the game. I guess it goes without saying that I don't like formal reviews of the game that go over how I rate certain aspects of the game. I think its more interesting for me to know what actual people think about a game and if this site is proof, people seem to really love Diablo 3.

That all said, there are a few things I haven't seen talked about too much online so ill bite. Someone has to do the good work of talking about every nuance of great games and I don't mind batting clean up.

People say that Diablo 3's online requirement is DRM. I becry foul. If it came with a monthly fee no one would claim it has DRM. Yes its annoying to have a server outage but its awesome to have a game as connected to your friends and the world as Diablo 3. One such feature I love is that my games travel with me. This weekend I went to Idaho to visit family and I took my Macbook. My Diablo 3 character travelled with me and I didn't miss a killing beat.

The auction house seems a little overpowered. For instance, a few days ago I purchased 4-5 perfect square gems for around 2k a piece. These gems are WAY outside my range to craft and I purchased them to increase my gear attributes. Seems a little out of balance to do be able to do that. Then again, I chose to purchase and socket my weapons. You could take a more pure path. All that said, I haven't purchased any gear at the auction house but I imagine its just as easy to get great gear too. I wonder how the real money auction house will change things after it drops?

My second play through is more interesting than I thought it would be. Finding myself taking even more time and spending it grinding or trying out new Witch Doctor builds. Currently I am way less pet focused and more spell focused. Its an interesting style that is doing pretty well. Seem to be levelling much faster in Nightmare too. Appreciating how much more challenging the game is and how much more gold drops. Blizzard did a good job with repeatability, I can see myself playing this game much more than the typical faire.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/29/2012 at 01:21pm

I started Nightmare last night after a level 60 friend popped into my game and made the last mini-boss and Diablo a cakewalk (I think I might go back in and solo that last stretch in a few levels, but that last mini-boss was kicking my teeth in).

I haven't had any trouble at all in Nightmare so far. I have yet to face the Skeleton King, which is where I imagine the real challenge will show itself. But overall, I have learned so much about the monk class in Act 3 and 4 that I'm applying better strategy in Nightmare, and that's where most of my success is coming from. It was interesting to see some fairly low-risk enemies using freeze spells. I can tell even though you're doing the same thing over again, it's going to feel very different.

I have problems with the online-only aspect. I don't think it's *necessarily* DRM, but it certainly functions as such. They could have made it offline and still let you stay connected to your friends with no problem. I wonder if it's in part due to the Diablo 2 character sales on ebay. Overall, it bothers me, but I see why they did it and it certainly doesn't matter enough to change my opinion about the company or the game.

As for the auction house, I like it the way it is. Exactly the way it is. When the real money AH comes out, I worry that all the good gear will be put on the real money AH and/or with gold sales sanctioned and performed by Blizzard the price of items on the gold AH will skyrocket.

But yeah, I've been upgrading my monk's gear every 7-8 levels, never paying more than 5k for any one piece of gear, and getting way better stuff than you can find in the game. Since you generally find loot that's 5-10 levels below your level, I wonder if they planned it like that, so you almost have to go to the AH for the best gear. It does take away from the excitement of getting loot, but it's fine.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/30/2012 at 01:24am

Cool, the Auction house is fun, its new to me though. I have mostly spent my "point and click" game time grinding for gear so it kind of blows me away there is a different mechanism to get good gear if you want.

Someone mentioned that when the real money auction house comes out it might siphon all the good gear from the regular auction house so the best way to get gear will be to pay? I guess you can elevate yourself to operate above all that but its interesting to see it all shake out.

I think its cool you can hop in a part of the game with a friend to clear it, I love the social aspect of D3. Or the DRM aspect of D3. I guess its all in how you look at it.

Tungsten wrote on 06/02/2012 at 01:19pm

The AH has been a god send in hard core. There you can't mess around with crappy hear.
Speaking of which, I know everyone is scared of rolling a HC character, but try it, you might like it. I had one site on me the other day, and it was frustrating but at the same time it gave the game more meaning.
When the real money AH opens up, I think that will put prices where they should be I'm the gold house.

Tungsten wrote on 06/02/2012 at 01:20pm

Site = die. Swype auto correct is killing me

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/02/2012 at 02:28pm

I'll roll at Hardcore character at some point. I recently discovered a build for my WD that is very very good. I'll post on it soon.

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Skyrim! Im sorry sorry Ive been neglecting you! But Ive

Skyrim! I'm sorry sorry I've been neglecting you! But I've more than made up for it this weekend so far.

I had gotten to what I thought was a lull in the game, and work/life got crazy busy, so I took a couple months off from gaming, but man, I picked it right back up Friday night and into Saturday morning!

This game just keeps getting better! Tons of story lines going on right now. I actually felt bad today because I'm an assassin (along with so many other things lol) and I was sent to kill this old guy. He knew I was coming, so he just turned around and let me kill him... so after I killed him I killed the guy who paid me to kill him ;)

Im giving my wrist a rest. I had the day off today, and with

I'm giving my wrist a rest. I had the day off today, and with the exception of a few errands and a call or two when things went wrong at work, I've been playing Diablo 3.

I think I'm approaching the end of act 2. As amazed as I was with the pacing in Act 1, it's like it just keeps getting better. The enemies keep ramping up their difficulty as I level, obviously, but the sense of your power growing is present throughout. One of my pet peeves with games is when the progression never feels like you're progressing. This avoids that stagnation in a major way, and I can't even put my finger on why.

From what I've heard, the pacing just keeps getting better.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/26/2012 at 02:57am

The pacing is very good. Id say for me the act with the least good pacing was Act 3. Act 4 was the best followed by Act 1. IV is great because its like a bunch of mini-boss fights to the end and that was really fun.

I just started Nightmare and its much more difficult and as such I need to change my play strategy as its not working as well as it was.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/26/2012 at 03:17am

What level did you end up on when you finished Normal? Just wondering what the exp-per-level curve is like.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/26/2012 at 02:56pm

32. Some people beat it in less time round level 20ish though.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/26/2012 at 07:10pm

Trying out Nightmare. So much harder and as such I die often. Really fun though.

Tungsten wrote on 05/26/2012 at 11:42pm

I've been joining public games. If you don't have a bunch of friends around, I highly recommend it, at least your second time through. Playing with other people is just so much more interesting. Then enemies are harder, the play-styles more diverse.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/28/2012 at 01:43am

How important is communication in public games? I can't read the chat box to save me.

Tungsten wrote on 05/28/2012 at 04:07am

it's not actually used all that often. Here and there people will say hello, but usually you can tell what's going on by just reading body(?) language.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/28/2012 at 04:31am

After I am done with my first normal (and get my authenticator, because I am paranoid) I will probably start jumping into some public games, and just follow the leader.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/28/2012 at 04:47pm

I have been doing a bit more multiplayer in Nightmare. Its quite fun and now that I am back home on my Desktop I plan on playing more of that.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/28/2012 at 06:08pm

Looks like I'm going to end up right around 32 or 33 when I'm done with Normal. Looking forward to Nightmare, I think.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/28/2012 at 08:07pm

I think you will like it, its much harder but fun. Talked about it in my latest post. Hard to pin why, but it is.

Tungsten wrote on 05/28/2012 at 09:47pm

More elites, and the combinations of powers. I can't handle plagued, frozen, I just run away. And everything has at least 10x the hp.

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Dungeon Twister is an awesome 2 player board game. Recently

Dungeon Twister is an awesome 2 player board game. Recently I heard it was coming to the PS3 and am pretty interested in checking it out. I am not sure the game will translate well to a video game as the trailer makes it look pretty complicated compared to the board game which is fairly simple. At least thats what hit me about watching that video, playing it might be different.

Dungeon Twister stands above your average dungeon crawler board game because its basically a two player head-to-head experience. The goal is to acquire the most points and you can do that by killing the other players characters or having one of your characters exit the dungeon. Nothing is random... Read All

I am going to pack a few things into this post. I couldnt

http://www.justd3.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/diablo3screen6.jpg

I am going to pack a few things into this post. I couldn't go too long without talking about Diablo III!

"Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that as of the first 24 hours of Diablo III’s release, more than 3.5 million copies had been sold, setting the new all-time record for fastest-selling PC game. That number does not include the more than 1.2 million players who received Diablo III as part of signing up for the World of Warcraft Annual Pass promotion. Altogether, more than 4.7 million gamers around the world were poised to storm Sanctuary on day 1 of Diablo III’s release -- representing the biggest PC-game launch in history."

Wow. Thats pretty impressive. I... Read All

I first heard about Kingdom Rush in an episode of the

I first heard about Kingdom Rush in an episode of the Totally Rad Show about games they were playing on the iPad. They mentioned that Kingdom Rush started as a Flash based browser game and I kind of shrugged it off as I don't typically play browser games. A week ago I decided to give it a try and I was blown away with how good of a game it was.

We have mostly all played Tower Defense games like Plants VS Zombies or DoTA. Kingdom Rush is a game similar in nature but has its own spin on the genre. One thing I really latched on to was the unique art style of the game. Another rad thing it does is allow you to upgrade the kinds of towers you want to use. Many bad guys... Read All

Some arranged Radioheads OK Computer and Kid A as 8 bit

Some arranged Radiohead's "OK Computer" and "Kid A" as 8 bit recordings and released the entire albums on YouTube and download. YouTuber QuintonSung has them available for YouTube streaming:

OK Computer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxLnu4PhQNQ
http://www.mediafire.com/?k19e847uw1wb5wl [MP3 download]

Kid A:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFUIeDjo2dA
http://www.mediafire.com/?i1fjgryo63czhhg [MP3 download]

Listened to it today and they are both really cool. Like how he puts in Zelda and Mario sound effects from time to time.

So, apparently there have been a lot of user accounts

http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/05/22/diablo-3-accounts-hacked-items-stolen-real-money-auction-house-due-next-week/

So, apparently there have been a lot of user accounts hacked. Is everyone here safe?

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/22/2012 at 04:01pm

So far so good. At some point I may do the mobile authenticator entirely but thus far I have a pretty good password.

Ben_Dodson wrote on 05/22/2012 at 04:30pm

I have my Mobile Authenticator. Easy to setup, easy to use. Make it that more secure

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/22/2012 at 06:02pm

I'm considering a physical authenticator, myself. Something about a mobile app seems less secure.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/23/2012 at 01:42am

Same RSA mechanism, different delivery.

Ben_Dodson wrote on 05/23/2012 at 04:49pm

I have both and since I know 1. my phone is with me always and locks it self. 2. I have the restore and original serial numbers. I am ok.? I did test this and it took about 20min on hold but less than a minute with all the right information to remove it. I do have both but my phone is deffinatly easier cause it is with me

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/23/2012 at 09:48pm

Yeah, under ideal circumstances I would go with the phone app too. I only ever play in one place, I have my RSA token from FFXI on a lanyard in a container on the coffee table, so it's simple enough to grab. I have my phone with me everywhere, and that's exactly why I don't want it on my phone. 1. My smartphone belongs to my employer, 2. I could lose or break the smartphone, 3. Someone could steal my smartphone, and 4. The token looks pretty cool. :)

The app is convenient as hell, but for my purposes the $6 token is totally worth it.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/23/2012 at 09:59pm

Right. Totally go token. I wouldn't rely on that if I didn't own my smartphone either. $6 is cheap too.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/25/2012 at 09:15pm

The unfortunate thing is that their shipping is apparently stupid. Next day shipping apparently means nothing. I ordered it like 4 days ago now and there hasn't been any kind of update. Perhaps they're getting a lot of orders due to the recent account hackage.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/26/2012 at 02:54am

I bet they are. Id tell them because if you pay for next day shipping and you dont get it you need a refund.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/26/2012 at 03:15am

I have submitted a ticket and haven't heard back, but with the authenticators, next day shipping is free anyway.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/26/2012 at 02:56pm

That makes sense.

jdodson Admin wrote on 05/26/2012 at 02:57pm

Hope you get it soon. Is you account locked down yet or do you turn it on when it arrives?

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 05/28/2012 at 01:44am

You just assign it when it arrives. I finally got a response from Blizz. They mail them out once a week, and the next day option was there in error.

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I love Borderlands and as such am very excited about

http://cdn.ientry.com/sites/webpronews/pictures/borderlands2collectors_616.jpg

I love Borderlands and as such am very excited about Borderlands 2. More gun collecting RPG shooter mayhem? More guns? Going more places than just the desert? Uhm.... Totally in. So totally in.

When I love a game++ I am drawn to pre-order it. Often times I buy the collectors edition. What can I say? I am sucker when people say "game, art book and soundtrack." I just have to pay more because I love that kind of stuff. Borderlands 2 seems willing to indulge me with pre-ordering and they upped the ante with TWO collectors editions.

I am going to pre-order the game I am just not sure what version of the game I will actually buy. To my eye there are actually 4 different... Read All I love Borderlands and as such am very excited about Borderlands 2. More gun collecting RPG shooter mayhem? More guns? Going more places than just the desert? Uhm.... Totally in. So totally in.

When I love a game++ I am drawn to pre-order it. Often times I buy the collectors edition. What can I say? I am sucker when people say "game, art book and soundtrack." I just have to pay more because I love that kind of stuff. Borderlands 2 seems willing to indulge me with pre-ordering and they upped the ante with TWO collectors editions.

I am going to pre-order the game I am just not sure what version of the game I will actually buy. To my eye there are actually 4 different versions you need to discern between. Ill drop you to the site so you can check it out:

http://www.borderlands2.com/preorder/

So basically, you have the pre-order game that comes with a crap load-o-dlc. I think rewarding your biggest fans is a great thing. I got a few special bits with my Diablo 3 Collectors Edition(ill post about that in the future). Thing is, its not quite that simple.

Every pre-order gets the same DLC except Game Stop. Game Stop's pre-order nabs you all the DLC goodness AND the "Creature Slaughter Dome" and a special rocket launcher. Honestly that sounds like a really great pre-order bonus that everyone should get. I don't dislike Game Stop, I just don't like special retailer only pre-order bonuses. I also don't like special console only DLC. That said, you know about it now so plan accordingly.

The other two versions of the game are the collectors edition and they seem fun save one critical thing I would love. A soundtrack. I LOVE GAME SOUNDTRACKS! I may very well be in the minority here, but when a collectors edition includes the soundtrack I get much more interested in purchasing it. Toss in a making of or behind the scenes DVD and you have my money in your hand. Both Borderlands 2 collectors editions seem to omit both. That said, they are both pretty hefty and the $150 collectors edition includes a loot chest that looks pretty epic.

I am leaning to the pre-order at Game Stop on the PS3 for the "plain Jane" game itself as the collectors editions are not really compelling me right this minute. Are you going to pre-order Borderlands 2? Do you buy collectors editions? Do you like retailer specific DLC? Did you enjoy SkiFree on Windows 3.1?

Let me know in the comments.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 05/22/2012 at 02:48am

Retailer specific DLC is pretty dumb in my book, but whatever. There's worse ways to handle DLC. Of course if Gamestop is offering all that stuff for preordering with them, it looks like I'll be preordering it through them. My only beef with Gamestop is that sometimes their employees are a little too pushy, but really that can happen at any store. And you're not the only one who enjoys video game music. As I type this I'm actually listening to Distant Worlds II, which is a collection of music from the various Final Fantasy games. :)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/22/2012 at 02:18pm

Where did you gt Distant Worlds from? Is it free?

Timogorgon Member wrote on 05/22/2012 at 06:02pm

It's on Spotify. Search for Nobuo Uematsu.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/22/2012 at 07:50pm

Retailer specific DLC is one of the banes of the industry. But you aren't going to buy the collectors edition? This is the collectors edition I have wanted the most. That loot chest. I know it costs way too much, but just look at the loot chest!

SkiFree was amazing, by the way. It was terrible, if we're being honest, but it was fun when we played it back then.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 05/22/2012 at 09:19pm

I rarely buy the collectors edition of anything, although that loot chest is pretty epic looking... I think the last time I bought a collectors edition was one of the Lord of the Rings movies. I got a really cool Gollum statue that I hide in my house for guests to discover. :P

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/23/2012 at 01:44am

The loot chest does look cool but everything else doesn't look that exciting to me right now. I could change my mind though and ill think about it for a bit before pre-ordering through Game Stop.

Travis Admin wrote on 05/23/2012 at 09:49pm

Dude, hiding the Gollum statue is brilliant. Unfortunately I don't have any creepy things to hide.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 05/24/2012 at 12:10am

lol. It started because I had no where else to really put him. Currently he's in the kitchen cabinet waiting for someone to go get a glass. :P

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/24/2012 at 02:03am

Apparently you find your cups WAY too precious..... :)

Travis Admin wrote on 05/25/2012 at 09:17pm

I would hide him in opportune places where a Gollum quote might be useful in conversation. In the kitchen, for instance, whenever someone makes potatoes, bring him out and say "What's taters, precious?"

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 05/26/2012 at 02:55am

Hahaha, awesome. Or he could go next to your fish tank.

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