Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

You can finally buy a real life Aperture Science Portal gun

You can finally buy a real life Aperture Science Portal gun that... doesn't actually shoot Portals. They don't sell it very well in the video to do much more than make noises that kind of sound like the game and light up a bit. I am thinking this would be cool have on a shelf somewhere with some other video game collectors stuff like my Power Glove.

I love my sweet Power Glove. Sweet. sweet Power Glove.... Oh wait... Sorry... Im back now...

Might have been better if it could at least project a light on a wall then it could double as a rad flash light. Still, this will be rad for Cosplay and Halloween.

They are already sold out.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 03/28/2012 at 11:32pm

lol, I just read about this on Joystiq and came on here to share it. You beat me to it!

As for the toy Portal gun: DO WANT.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/28/2012 at 11:41pm

Did you see how much it was?

Timogorgon Member wrote on 03/28/2012 at 11:47pm

It didn't say on the Joystiq article, but Kotaku says it's $150. Seems kinda steep for a toy, even for one that does look really, really awesome.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/28/2012 at 11:49pm

Wow. Maybe when I win the lottery then. :)

Tungsten wrote on 03/29/2012 at 06:55pm

I tried to get my wife to do this last Christmas. She didn't go for it...

http://uploads.neatorama.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/portal-tree.jpg

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/29/2012 at 09:42pm

Sucks because that would have been totally awesome.

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Recently put this up at my house. I took a picture at a

Recently put this up at my house. I took a picture at a time to chart my progress.

Here are the steps to create a post it note 8bit Link on your wall:

1. Figure out what 8-bit creation you want on your wall.
2. Buy post-it notes, realize they cost WAY more than they should in the store.
3. Buy them anyway, its art baby!
4. Get the picture on your smartphone or print it(like its 2002 inkjet style)
5. Put up one post-it, snap a pic
6. Put up a few more
7. Snap a pic
8. Screw up a bit, start over again
9. Snap a pic
10. Realize half way you were over a few centimeters and try to backpedal
11. Snap a pic
12. Get really close and get really excited because this looks really bad ass
13.... Read All

Wondered a bit how everyones game habits have changed over

Wondered a bit how everyone's game habits have changed over time. Lately ive noticed that time is harder to come by so my game habits have migrated quite a bit to mobile games.

Just a few years ago I could spend a few hours here and there playing any ol game. Weekends were pretty lean, so I easily delved into Fallout 3, Halflife 2 and every expansion. I played through many other games as well and some weekends I could knock out 6 hours or more. Finding that lately having that kind of game time has evaporated due to being busy with this or that.

I told myself that I wouldn't sink money into iPhone games. I just don't generally find them more fun than console or PC games.... Read All

Timogorgon Member wrote on 03/27/2012 at 05:42pm

Off topic: Cool, I see the general discussion thing is up now! Awesome :D

Back to topic: My gaming habits have changed pretty drastically. Back in high school it was pretty common that my friends and I would spend entire weekends playing games. Now with work, school, and kids I don't really get to play games as much as I would like. Plus I can't really play a game like Fallout in front of my 3 year old, so I have to wait until they go to bed before I can play a lot of games.

Because my time is pretty limited I've noticed I mostly play games I can pick up and put down very easily. Anything on my PSP (especially now that I hacked it to play PS1 games :) ) is great because I can suspend my game anytime.

The types of games I play also has shifted. As far as any new games go, I find I get more enjoyment out of smaller games that won't take me several months to complete. I love Fallout 3, but I have been working on that game for almost a year now. Smaller games (in terms of hours of play) like Portal or Ben There Dan That are great for me because I know I'll actually be able to finish them.

I've also noticed that I play a lot of older games I'm already familiar with. I use my hacked Wii more as a NES/Gameboy/SNES emulator than I do for actual Wii games. When I only have an hour to play I have no idea if I can even really do anything in a new game, but I know how far I can get in Earthbound or FF7.

And you can forget MMO's. There's no way I can justify paying a monthly sub for a game I won't get to play enough to accomplish anything. :)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/28/2012 at 01:36am

Off topic: Yeah it is cool, I realized its way better than "Cheerful Ghost." I think people understand "General Discussion."

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/28/2012 at 01:39am

I hear you on MMO's. I recently tried Star Trek online. Besides not being very fun and hard to play... Well I guess thats where my mini review of that games ends. :) Cool its free to play.

Been wanting to go through an old game and sort of journal/blog it for quite sometime now. Secret of Mana comes to mind as a game to do that with. Damn that would be fun.

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A few months ago I tried Tiny Tower and deleted it pretty

A few months ago I tried Tiny Tower and deleted it pretty quick. Didn't seem too interesting to me at the time. After hearing @Tungsten recommend, I installed it again.

Above I stitched together screen-shots of my Tower. I like that you can rename businesses whatever you want. The movie and video game store is named "Cheerful Ghost" and I named the cake store "The Cake is a Lie." I like that simple customization to your Tower. As you can see, I haven't quite come to name the new businesses at the top yet.

I generally never allow my apps to notify me when they have new business, but for this app I let it notify me for a few days with updates so I could build my tower at a... Read All

Sequel? One of the best written comedy games ever. Sure,

http://cdn.themis-media.com/media/global/images/library/deriv/82/82033.jpg

Sequel? One of the best written comedy games ever. Sure, the platforming could drive you mad (I never actually did beat the meat circus), and it had its share of bugs, but it also had some of the best art, characters, and pure inventiveness, all wrapped in that patented Tim Schafer cleverness.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/115713-Notch-Volunteers-to-Fund-Psychonauts-Sequel-UPDATED

Did you guys play the original? It didn't sell well (though I think I've technically bought it three times myself). What do you think about the idea of a sequel?

I am really excited about a few games coming out. Diablo 3,

http://www.dota2-utilities.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/DOTA-2-3rd-February-2012.jpg

I am really excited about a few games coming out. Diablo 3, Borderlands 2 and DoTA 2. I played the original DoTA at University in the CS lab and it was awesome. Ill readily admit I wasn't any good nor am I still, but I find the game to be quite a bit of fun.

I am excited for bots in DoTA 2. Reason is, im not terribly great at these games and don't plan on being the best but want to have fun. Bots for these kinds of games allow me to, you know, like actually play them and have fun. A problem with DoTA is that the second I start downloading the map I get kicked from War 3 for being a "newb." The other issue is if I get into a match and suck I get trashed talked by... Read All

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 03/22/2012 at 09:45pm

Ok, total noob question: What's DoTA stand for?

Tungsten wrote on 03/23/2012 at 01:56am

Defenders of the Ancients?

Something like that. I never played it myself, just a bunch of clones. It was kind of fun, but I've always wanted either something faster paced.

That said, I'm a bit of a Valve fanboy right now, so they could release a steaming pile of crap and I'd buy it.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/23/2012 at 02:02am

Yeah, Defense of the Ancients.

And I agree, I think I'd buy anything Valve as well. They just seem to release awesome stuff.

Tungsten wrote on 03/23/2012 at 02:19am

Did you see those Gabe Newell Stickers someone put up all over GDC? I want one.

http://www.destructoid.com/elephant/photo-m.phtml?post_key=223364&photo_key=216966

The promise that somewhere in that potent gaze lays half life episode 3... shudder...

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/23/2012 at 02:23am

I saw those, they are cool. In a way.

On one hand people on the net seem to worship Gabe Newell. That doesn't seem horrible I guess as Valve with gaben at the wheel is doing amazing work. Then again, is it awesome to have yourself appear like that everywhere? Im not sure. Its cool to be adored but then again... ?

Tungsten wrote on 03/24/2012 at 03:42am

Gabe just seems to honestly want to make good games. The way he talks about actually reading all of the e-mails he gets from fans, or dressing up and taking a promo pic with the portal gun. I doubt he's really a wonderful sack of butterflies in real life, but his company has made at least 3 of the best games of all time, with several honorable mentions to go along with them.

He's like the thinking man's Cliff Bleszinski, or the dumb guy's Sid Meyer.

That said, I do think them trying to get the rights to the name "Defense of the Ancients" is a bit hinkey.

http://www.gosugamers.net/dota/news/18555-blizzard-challenges-valve-s-dota-copyright

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/24/2012 at 07:41am

Yeah, DoTA was a community thing. They did hire the lead developer so I imagine some ownership transferred. I wonder if the DoTA dev had a trademark?

I agree it's a strange case that isn't terribly clear.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/24/2012 at 07:41am

To me anyway.

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If you ever find yourself getting bored of ranked games you

If you ever find yourself getting bored of ranked games you should give some of the popular custom games a try! I have been playing ARAM and ARAB with my friends for a change of pace. These are the "all random all mid" style on summoner's rift and "all random all bottom" on the dominion map. If you're looking for something new to try in LoL you should give these a shot!

Blizzard Entertainment is offering a series of special

http://hothardware.com/articleimages/item1817/big_wow_front.jpg

"Blizzard Entertainment is offering a series of special charity auctions featuring server hardware originally used during World of Warcraft’s early days. We’ve since upgraded the game’s infrastructure with the latest technology to offer an even better player experience, but these 'honorably discharged' server blades are now unique collectors’ pieces. The net proceeds from the auction will go to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital."

Totally awesome to get your hands on one of these servers. For the plaque and historical nature alone. I imagine they wipe the drives before they ship them though :)

source:

... Read All

I know with the hype of Diablo III it almost seems moot, but

I know with the hype of Diablo III it almost seems moot, but being a Baldur's Gate fan, I thought I should share this. Baldur's Gate is getting remade with better graphics and new content. It's planned to be released in the summer. The sequel is going to be remade and released later.

http://baldursgate.com/

I'm so excited for this. I get to wield a trash-talking sword again!

I havent been through Skyrim in about a week. I have Deus

http://vividgamer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Tiny_Tower_Promo1.png

I haven't been through Skyrim in about a week. I have Deus Ex, game of the year to several institution, sitting nearly untouched. I have about 6 games from the last humble bundle that I haven't even downloaded yet.

Tiny Tower is dominating all of my time...

Tiny tower is one of those "freemium" games where you do something a little fun, but then it starts to take a lot of time unless you give them money. In this case, it is building a tower, filling it with apartments and businesses, and stocking those businesses with products and services.

It sounds inane, and it kind of is. But I can't stop...

Anyone else ever get hooked on this evilly addictive little gem?

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/18/2012 at 07:42pm

Installed.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/19/2012 at 04:35pm

Dude, this game is awesome. Love the graphics and the simple gameplay.

Very similar to a simplified SimTower!

vdogmr25 wrote on 03/19/2012 at 04:55pm

I play it too. I CAN'T STOP!

Timogorgon Member wrote on 03/21/2012 at 07:12pm

I picked this up last night. I can see why you guys like it. Although now I really want to go play Sim Tower!

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/21/2012 at 08:56pm

Sim Tower was en epic game.

Im gonna stitch together a picture of my entire tower and post it in the next few days.

Tungsten Post Author wrote on 03/21/2012 at 11:24pm

I miss Sim Tower. Someone needs to mod it to raise the elevator maximums. I would love to play it with another bit's worth of elevators.

Actually, I bet it exists. Non-existent award to the first person who googles it to figure it out.

Tungsten Post Author wrote on 03/21/2012 at 11:28pm

https://github.com/fabianschuiki/OpenSkyscraper/wiki

This is as close as I could find. Hey you, coders, I'm talking to you. Make this work on my computer. With gud grafix plz.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/22/2012 at 01:11am

What? Holy crap thats amazing!

I have SimTower and played it not that long ago! The end game was impossible and I couldnt figure out how to make people happy though. Totally awesome to see it live on beyond its commercial viability or whatever reason EA hasn't done rad things with it.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/22/2012 at 01:11am

PS... I can't stop paying attention to Tiny Tower every few minutes.....

Tungsten Post Author wrote on 03/22/2012 at 01:15am

Ya. The iPhone version > Android. The updates on your tower don't come through on Android. I still find an opportunity to check in every hour or so.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/28/2012 at 05:13pm

I recommend everyone save up tower bucks for the elevator upgrade. Its so much faster to get people up and down the building.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/28/2012 at 05:17pm

Oh and you can get a image of your tower by going to the menu -> share tower and then saving the image. I took screenshots and then GIMP'd the pictures together, yeah seems they make it easier to do that....

I use http://imgur.com/ to easily upload pics I can hotlink to, its nice.

Tungsten Post Author wrote on 03/29/2012 at 02:45am

I'm on the second elevator upgrade. It's great. Stupid game takes up all my time.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/29/2012 at 02:48am

:) Yeah, few games can be played easily in spare 30 second cycles as well as this one.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 03/29/2012 at 06:40pm

Yeah the elevator upgrades are nice. My play time has decreased quite a bit now that the newness has worn off, but I do still enjoy the game and check it a couple times a day. :) I'm currently trying to optimize my work force, kicking out bitizens with crappy skills and trying to find some with dream jobs that match the businesses I already have.

Tungsten Post Author wrote on 03/29/2012 at 10:52pm

I'm on a "dream job" kick too. Evicting bums is kind of satisfying. Makes me feel like a true capitalist.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/29/2012 at 10:58pm

Evicted someone that was straight up zero's. Felt good, those kind of people are not fun to work with at all.

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