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Half-Life: Alyx Interview

As Half-Life: Alyx nears launch Valve has been doing press about it and found this half hour interview with Gabe and Robin to be really compelling. They talk about Alyx, the Campo Santo acquisition and brain interfaces. If you dig Valve and like hearing Gabe talk about it, clickity clack that video play button above.

"In a rare half-hour conversation, Valve co-founder Gabe Newell talks about the studio's past with Half-Life, the surprising answer to what his favorite Half-Life game is, mistakes that Valve has made, what keeps a man worth billions of dollars coming to work every day, how he spends his days, what the next decade looks like for Valve (hint: it involves a... Read All

LGR: "Doom Eternal Has To Be One of the Best Shooters I've Played Period."

Some early media reviews are coming in for Doom Eternal and they look great. I wanted to share one from one of my favorite YouTube channels LGR. LGR has a nice chill style and mixes top notch capture footage (seriously the game looks incredible in his video) and it running on his wide ASUS monitor.

One of the first things I noticed is that in Doom Eternal the starting weapon is the shotgun which is a great. The pistol in Doom 2016 was fine, but Doom Eternal looks to start you out with Doom's signature weapon which is as it should be.

If you are getting Doom Eternal soon let me know and what you think of the game once you play it.

Metal Jesus Reviews The New RetroTINK 2X-Pro

The RetroTINK creators have released a new version called the RetroTINK 2X-Pro that is an upscaler/line doubler for retro consoles with analog, s-video and component inputs with an output to HDMI. Metal Jesus puts the new TINK through it's paces and it does quite well with a very minimal amount, if any noticeable lag. The TINK is an essential option if you want to plugin your old consoles to a modern television and only have HDMI on your TV to work with. That and the TINK is also great to convert old console video signals to HDMI for capture the video or streaming to Twitch.

The RetroTINK 2X-Pro is $140 brand new and is currently sold out. At the time I wrote this... Read All

Get Anodyne 2, A Short Hike and Mutazione Free On Epic Until March 13th!

You can get Anodyne 2: Return to Dust, A Short Hike and Mutazione free on the Epic Games Store on PC right now until March 13th! Let's say you are finding yourself at home with a bit more time on your hands then now is the time to click buy on these games at a really incredible price of $0.

https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/product/anodyne-2-return-to-dust/home
https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/product/a-short-hike/home
https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/product/mutazione/home

Call of Duty Warzone Is A Brand New Battle Royale Game That Adds A Lot of Fun To The Crowded Genre

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Warzone is a brand new Battle Royale game that launched for free on Battle.net, XBox and Playstation. So far the game is garnering great reviews calling it a fresh take on a pretty established Battle Royale genre. Warzone ups the ante by allowing a maximum of 150 players in a match, creating a much larger world map and adding two games modes in the normal Battle Royale mode and Plunder. So far, Plunder is the only mode I've played and it's great. You jump into the map Apex Legends style with a team and you work together to collect cash from loot chests around the map. The teams that collect the most cash are shown for everyone to come... Read All

These New Lego Mario Toys Look Adorable!

Nintendo and Lego are teaming up with a new Lego Mario set that looks like it will be a lot of fun for kids. If you were thinking Nintendo + Lego collection would just be any ol' themed Lego bricks then you'd be wrong as Lego seems to have added some digital gamification to this set. Not only does the new Mario figure speak but when you bop on a Goomba head you can collect coins as well as a few other things. Regular Lego set are already expensive so I'm curious how much this digital set will be? Regardless of the price I bet this will be a popular present come this holiday season.

Command & Conquer Remastered Releasing June 5th (Pre-Orders Open)

Command & Conquer is a real time strategy game and was one of the most memorable games in my PC gaming life as a teen in high school in the mid ‘90’s. I had at least a couple of friends that played it. I remember trying to play it with friends, but we were never able to hook our computers up together to play. This game also came out some time after Dune 2, which was also a great RTS game, although it was based on the Dune novels (and movie) by Frank Herbert. Dune 2 later got a bit of a newer version as Dune 2000, but I didn’t play it. It is also very similar to the original Warcraft games. C&C was quite memorable, it has awesome music, cool cinematics and was... Read All Command & Conquer is a real time strategy game and was one of the most memorable games in my PC gaming life as a teen in high school in the mid ‘90’s. I had at least a couple of friends that played it. I remember trying to play it with friends, but we were never able to hook our computers up together to play. This game also came out some time after Dune 2, which was also a great RTS game, although it was based on the Dune novels (and movie) by Frank Herbert. Dune 2 later got a bit of a newer version as Dune 2000, but I didn’t play it. It is also very similar to the original Warcraft games. C&C was quite memorable, it has awesome music, cool cinematics and was just an all around great game. I remember how difficult the first expansion was, which was very off putting. I seem to recall a mission where you had to fight against dinosaurs, too.

Red Alert followed C&C, but was actually a prequel. While C&C’s timeline was present day, RA took place during the Cold War era. It was also based on a history that was changed with the removal of Hitler, which allowed Stalin to rise in power. It came with new units and continued to be everything great about C&C. It received some expansions as well.

Personally, I think it might be around here where the series started to take a bit of a nose dive. I did enjoy Tiberium Sun and it’s expansions while I was at college. I also did enjoy Red Alert 2 and it’s expansions. Everything after this point is a bit of a blur to me, regarding the history of C&C. I have Red Alert 3 on Steam and other C&C games I’ve played, like Generals, but they never appealed to me the same way the original C&C and RA did.

C&C came out in the mid 90’s. I remember when it was first a DOS based game, but then it got a Windows 95 version. Since then, there have been attempts by fans to make the original game(s) run on modern systems. However, those fans can now rejoice as EA is officially releasing the C&C remaster on June 5th. It includes C&C and RA along with their expansions. I watched a video recently that showed how they had to go about getting the cinematics, which were thought to be completely destroyed. The game looks greater now. I’m really looking forward to it. I just recently realized a release date was set and I might actually pre-order it, it’s only $20. However, you can spend more than double that and get an awesome hard copy edition that comes with a Steam download key and more. I’m really tempted to get this, mostly because I really love the soundtrack. You can buy a digital version of the remaster it on EA’s Origin or Steam, but you can also buy a hard copy on Limited Run Games (see link below).

This really has me very excited! Is anyone else interested in this, too? Are you going to pre-order? Digital or LRG? Let me know what you think about this in the comments!

Limited Run Games Pre-Order: https://limitedrungames.com/products/command-and-conquer-remastered-special-edition
FMV documentary (a recommended must-see for C&C fans): https://youtu.be/ikJLYYTrIxs
Source: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/command-and-conquer-remastered-collection-gets-rel/1100-6474598/

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/13/2020 at 03:32am

To me, the highlight of the Command & Conqueror series was Red Alert and Red Alert 2. The original is a classic and quite fun, but when Red Alert hit the scene the series was perfected.

This re-release is incredible and REALLY tempting I'm not entirely sure but I don't think I'm going to get this. The remastered edition is $20 on Steam as you say and the only other thing I'd want is that Soundtrack collection. I wonder if it will get a release outside of this?

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/13/2020 at 06:41am

Travis was my roommate when I was playing Red Alert 2. I remember playing a bit of Tiberium Sun at college, too. I'm not sure if I finished with it's expansions by the time Travis was my roommate. I'm eagerly looking forward to this remaster, more so than anything in a while, it's got me very exciting. Just hearing the music has me excited. I miss one of the first versions of the game where you could actually trap the AI in their base by using sand bags. This was later patched and vehicles are now able to drive over and destroy them. Some of the missions were tough, especially in the first expansion, so I'd love to see something like a mod that enables cheats some how. I'd love it if they'd remaster Tiberium Sun and Red Alert 2 as well.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/13/2020 at 02:32pm

I have Red Alert 2 and it’s hard to play. I imagine I could patch it up in some way but it’s a bit of a mess on Windows 10.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/13/2020 at 08:12pm

https://limitedrungames.com/blogs/news/the-same-but-better-inside-command-conquer-remastered-collection

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/13/2020 at 09:57pm

Cool thanks for the link. It didn't really provide me with any new information though as I was able to get all of that in the video I watched and linked in my post. I'm glad they mentioned Dune II. I think C&C was just the next step of that game. Mentioning Starcraft is only slightly odd. I don't really attribute the success of C&C to Starcraft, instead I attribute that to Warcraft. The two are separate, yet similar and different enough to be enjoyable unique games. I think I got started w/ Dune II, then C&C, then I either played Warcraft or Warcraft II and then Warcraft or Warcraft II. I'm not sure, I played all of those games around the same time in about '95 when my family got our first Windows PC, it was a very exciting time to be a PC gamer! I remember I even subscribed to PC Gamer, which not only sent me a magazine every month, but also a CD with game demos. Those were wonderful times, indeed!

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Ultimate NES Remix Is A Retro Geek Dream!

Ultimate NES Remix is a 3DS games collection of the "best of" remixed classic Nintendo games that came to the Wii U in the form of NES Remix 1 and 2. Basically if you love retro NES games and want a fresh way to play them, Ultimate NES Remix is the perfect game for you.

"Take on a rapid-fire onslaught of challenges and mash-ups from 16 of Nintendo’s finest 8-bit games! Test your skills on a gauntlet of quick, tricky challenges and remix stages that combine parts of different games. The best mix of titles from the NES Remix and NES Remix 2 games is on Nintendo 3DS. Now you’re playing with PORTABLE power!

Link vs. Donkey Kong! Kirby vs. Boo! It’s mash-up mania in this... Read All Ultimate NES Remix is a 3DS games collection of the "best of" remixed classic Nintendo games that came to the Wii U in the form of NES Remix 1 and 2. Basically if you love retro NES games and want a fresh way to play them, Ultimate NES Remix is the perfect game for you.

"Take on a rapid-fire onslaught of challenges and mash-ups from 16 of Nintendo’s finest 8-bit games! Test your skills on a gauntlet of quick, tricky challenges and remix stages that combine parts of different games. The best mix of titles from the NES Remix and NES Remix 2 games is on Nintendo 3DS. Now you’re playing with PORTABLE power!

Link vs. Donkey Kong! Kirby vs. Boo! It’s mash-up mania in this celebration of all things NES! Race through to earn stars on increasingly tough tasks, like beating Ridley from Metroid or making Princess Peach save herself! Compete in Championship Mode’s blitz of challenges from the Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, and Dr. Mario games, then compare scores with others in your region via online leaderboards."

As demand for the 3DS has gone down considerably I've been picking up 3DS games on the cheap such as a recent sale at a local store that had Ultimate NES Remix, Animal Crossing New Leaf and Pokemon Ultra Sun ultra-cheap. Since I don't have enough time to crack an Animal Crossing or Pokemon game right now I popped in Ultimate NES Remix knowing that it was a mash up of classic NES games and wouldn't require a massive time investment. Immediately Ultimate NES remix starts you out with a few classic games such as Super Mario Brothers, Donkey Kong and Dr. Mario to ease your way into the remixed challenges starting with the easy "accelerate on your bike" in Excitebike to more challenging scenarios like completing a race without crashing. Each challenge can net you up to three stars and many are timed making them quite fun. I'm an avid retro gamer and so far, none of the challenges have stumped me beyond a handful requiring a few attempts. I'm also going for a completionist run making sure for each challenge I net 3 stars. I've heard from a friend something fun happens if you complete the game this way so it's what I'm going for.

Ultimate NES Remix is one of those incredible games that begs for a Switch port and considering Nintendo hasn't Remixed the Super Nintendo era it seems like rich territory for a sequel. I'm certain i'm never going to get tired replaying classic games and when Nintendo puts an entirely fresh spin on them i'm totally in.

I Beat New Super Mario Bros. 2

Today over lunch break I finally defeated Bowser in New Super Mario Bros. 2. I picked up New Super Mario Bros. 2 on the 3DS back in September of 2018 and i'll clip a bit from that initial review:

"New Super Mario Bros. 2 takes everything that worked about the previous games and continues to do that while focusing on coin collection. You have a running tally of coins you can collect that unlock things in-game making progression tied to coins and continually completing stages."

Ever since picking it up back in 2018 I've played when I got the itch as it's a perfect game for that kind of attention. If you are a player that likes to play everything a game has to offer New... Read All Today over lunch break I finally defeated Bowser in New Super Mario Bros. 2. I picked up New Super Mario Bros. 2 on the 3DS back in September of 2018 and i'll clip a bit from that initial review:

"New Super Mario Bros. 2 takes everything that worked about the previous games and continues to do that while focusing on coin collection. You have a running tally of coins you can collect that unlock things in-game making progression tied to coins and continually completing stages."

Ever since picking it up back in 2018 I've played when I got the itch as it's a perfect game for that kind of attention. If you are a player that likes to play everything a game has to offer New Super Mario Bros. 2 has a lot to do with re-playing stages to collect all the large coins, unlocking the Star World as well as the hidden Mushroom and Flower Worlds. When I started out I was quite attentive to finding all the large coins but as time passed I started spending most of my focus on completing stages. Leaving behind the large coins doesn't matter too much if you just want to defeat Bowser but you can only unlock the Star World if you collect 90 large coins and I'm a few short.

How Does New Super Mario Bros. 2 Rank In The Series?

Out of all the New Super Mario Bros. games I've played 2 feels the most accessable and fun. The attention to coin collection and the inclusion of the leaf from Super Mario Bros. 3 makes this entry fly above the rest. New Super Mario Bros. 2 never feels too difficult and this might turn off some hardcore platformer fans. That said the hidden stages might offer more of a challenge and the included coin rush mode literally allows players the ability to partake in challenging scenarios with others.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a great game and the saddest part about it is that it's a 3DS title and the system might soon be sunset by Nintendo. Many new fans to the Mario series might miss out because getting a 3DS isn't in the cards for them. As Nintendo ports the best of Wii U titles to the Switch I hope these best of breed Wii and 3DS games can get packaged for a newer audience too.

The 3DS Will Never Die - My First Impressions of New Super Mario Bros. 2

https://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/posts/3871/the-3ds-will-never-die-first-impressions-of-new-super-mario-bros-2

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 76: The Post Holiday Update

The episode you've all been waiting for, the scheduling-around-holidays-is-hard-but-we're-back-now episode! It's been a little while but we're back to talk about all the cool stuff we've been playing and watching since we last graced your podcast app of choice. Plus our Christmas gaming loot, and an update on Tale of the White Wyvern development!