Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon Announced

Today Yacht Club Games announced an all new Shovel Knight game in development called Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeons.

"Delve with Shovel Knight into the depths of the Pocket Dungeon in an action-packed puzzle adventure mashup like none other! Join your mysterious guide Puzzle Knight as you shovel through scads of foes, procure new equipment, and battle bosses both familiar and new. Explore a tale with endless twists and turns, quest as your favorite heroes, and even challenge a friend for fast-paced head-to-head competition in Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon!"

No release date or platforms are announced yet but I hope the pocket part means smartphones as Shovel Knight on a... Read All

The Witcher Netflix Season 1 Review (No Major Spoilers)

The Witcher is a new series on Netflix. So far, it only has one season, but it is apparently going to have at least one more. The show is based much more closely on the original literature than the game and there’s apparently a lot of material there which can therefore lead to a lot of episodes. I enjoyed watching season one, but there are some things I thought I’d also point out.

I haven’t read any of the original literature. My knowledge of the Witcher comes from the three video games. I wasn’t too fond of the first one, the second was better, and I really enjoyed the third. I really like Geralt in the game. I like his voice actor. I also enjoyed the collaboration... Read All The Witcher is a new series on Netflix. So far, it only has one season, but it is apparently going to have at least one more. The show is based much more closely on the original literature than the game and there’s apparently a lot of material there which can therefore lead to a lot of episodes. I enjoyed watching season one, but there are some things I thought I’d also point out.

I haven’t read any of the original literature. My knowledge of the Witcher comes from the three video games. I wasn’t too fond of the first one, the second was better, and I really enjoyed the third. I really like Geralt in the game. I like his voice actor. I also enjoyed the collaboration that was done to add him into Monster Hunter: World. That was quite fitting to put the two together.

However, the game’s voice actor for Geralt is not in the show. Although, Henry Cavill does a pretty good job of being Geralt, at least I think so. He speaks kind of like the voice actor in the game, giving Geralt a gruffy kind of sound. I’m pretty sure I read or saw something some where that said Cavill was actually a fan of the Witcher before taking the role and that he wanted to change his voice a bit to match. He is a gamer, actually.

Yennifer was one of my favorite characters in the game, so I was surprised to find out her origin story. I did not know it was so significant. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but you may not recognize her the first time you see her in the show, or at least until someone calls her by name. By then, you’ll wonder what the difference is, which you’ll learn eventually.

Triss Merigold is also in the show. She teams up with Geralt to solve a monster mystery. This episode reminded me of Game of Thrones. Speaking of which, the two shows have some similarities such as “adult” language and nudity. So, this show isn’t “for kids.” Triss later teams up with Yennifer and other sorceresses.

Dandelion is in the show, too, but I don’t think he’s ever called by that name. You’ll know who he is though, he’s the only bard that seeks Geralt’s companionship. I really love his song, "Toss A Coin To Your Witcher." I think it's quite catchy. Search for it on Google. Of course, Roach, Geralt’s horse is there, too.

Of course Ciri is in the show as well. The first season will help you learn about how and why they are bonded, which I thought was good. If I remember correctly, this story differed in the third video game. She's special, not just because she's a princess. You'll see (hint: and hear).

One of the most confusing parts about season one is the timeline. I watched one episode that had a character in it that died and then saw that character again in a later episode. I wondered if it was a twin, but I ended up finding out that we were shown timelines out of chronological order. You’ll see this happen more than once, but when it finally happens, you’ll pretty much understand it. It’s basically just there to give you the perspective of another character at that time, but that first time it happened was rather confusing.

Of course there are also monsters and magic. You get sight of a monster right off the bat, within the first ten minutes of episode one. You’ll see magic later, although it’s more focused around the sorceresses like Yennifer and Triss. Geralt does use it, but not very much. He also drinks potions some times. One thing to point out about magic, too, is the overall understanding that magical use comes with a price (not monetary).

I strongly recommend watching the video posted on the New Rockstars YouTube channel after watching season one. It will clue you into the timeline confusion and point out some things that you may have overlooked, including things that were in the game. You can find it here: https://youtu.be/EkZir-2mjf0

I am looking forward to seeing more of this series and I hope it does well. I think it could. I believe it was received well and I know for certain that it caused a spike on Steam of people buying and playing the third game.

The New XBox Series X Will Be Backwards Compatable

Microsoft unveiled a ton of new details on the upcoming next gen Xbox Series X today and one in particular caught my attention. Historically Sony has provided excellent backwards compatibility between the Playstation and Playstation 2 era of console to later drop it after a time during the PS3 and entirely on the PS4. It seems Microsoft has picked up the love for compatibility in that it seems the upcoming Xbox Series X will still be able to play some original Xbox, 360 and all Xbox One games:

"Four generations of gaming: Our commitment to compatibility means existing Xbox One games, including backward-compatible Xbox 360 and original Xbox games, look and play better... Read All

The Lineage of Shovel Knight Explained

Shovel Knight launched in 2013 and since then received a ton of free content updates. It might be a bit confusing what it all is so Noclip created this handy Shovel Knight Lineage video explained by Yacht Club Games David D'Angelo.

This last weekend I put Shovel Knight Showdown through the paces playing it with a friend. It's a fun addition to Shovel Knight Treasure Trove and is a worthy brawler game. I didn't quite get the feel for each of the Knights but I appreciate that they all fight very differently. If you have friends over and Treasure Trove is on tap, you should give it a go.

Wargroove Is A Fantastic Retro Themed Turn Based Strategy Game: My First Thoughts

I'm late to the uptake with some game releases as there are so many. This isn't something I've minded for a while now because even folks that professionally review video games can't play everything. Recently I heard a glowing review for a, new to me, retro turn based strategy game called Wargroove that takes the formula that Nintendo perfected in Advance Wars and gives it a fun fantasy spin.

Wargroove is Hard by Default

Generally speaking modern triple A games or indie titles, unless they are a rogue-like, have a normal degree of difficulty by default. If you want more of a challenge in a typical shooter you can raise it and lower it if things are too hard. Typically I... Read All

The Batman - Camera Test

I geek out over superhero movies, and this camera test just dropped for The Batman.

I didn't think we needed another Batman movie... but we probably always will lol.

This is very simple, but looks so rad!

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 02/13/2020 at 11:47pm

It kinda has a Daredevil Vibe to it!

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/13/2020 at 11:49pm

Today I learned i'm way less interested in the new Batman movie than I was.

Good to know. 🤣

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 02/13/2020 at 11:54pm

#HeartBroken

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 02/14/2020 at 01:46am

I wasn't really interested when I found out about who would be the next Batman, but I do like this video. I like the music as well. From what I've read, it seems Penguin, Catwoman, and the Riddler will be in the new movie. I think we've seen enough of those characters, but perhaps we've also had enough Batman movies. I guess we'll see how it goes.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/14/2020 at 03:59am

He definitely has the jawline for it.

I'm very hopeful for this. Ignore the Twilight stuff and Pattinson is pretty good at what he does. Now that the DC movies are kinda uncoupling and they're shying away from the shared universe formula, things seem to be getting better. I mean... The Joker, wow. It seems they're taking a hands off approach and letting people make their own takes on things so there's the gamble of quality but that gamble is also pretty exciting. You know what you're getting with a Marvel movie.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 02/15/2020 at 08:20am

I the "knife gun" idea. Travis will get it. https://youtu.be/qK_y8FXGfdI

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 02/19/2020 at 04:37am

I'm always down for a batman movie.

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The State of the Wyvern: Day of Devotion Update & More!

Hello Adventurers, we hope you all had a great holiday season and we wish you a belated Happy New Year! As you may have noticed Jon and I decided to take a much earned holiday break from active Wyvern development, and the good news is, we had a very relaxing time and the even better news is we’re back in active development toward the final 1.0 game launch.

The Day of Devotion Holiday Event

To kick things off, Tale of the White Wyvern is getting a new holiday event called “Day of Devotion.” Rather than explain it ourselves, we’re going to turn to the expert on Wyrmdoor traditions, Helga!

”The Day of Devotion is an annual celebration of love. Couples traditionally... Read All Hello Adventurers, we hope you all had a great holiday season and we wish you a belated Happy New Year! As you may have noticed Jon and I decided to take a much earned holiday break from active Wyvern development, and the good news is, we had a very relaxing time and the even better news is we’re back in active development toward the final 1.0 game launch.

The Day of Devotion Holiday Event

To kick things off, Tale of the White Wyvern is getting a new holiday event called “Day of Devotion.” Rather than explain it ourselves, we’re going to turn to the expert on Wyrmdoor traditions, Helga!

”The Day of Devotion is an annual celebration of love. Couples traditionally celebrate with gifts and delicious meals. The Inn of the Old Hen throws a party every year for anyone who doesn't have a partner to celebrate with. The Day of Devotion is celebrated from February 13 to February 15.”

https://thewhitewyvern.com/game/1/potions/seasons

Alongside the holiday event we created two new fun themes called “Day of Devotion” and “Night of Devotion.” We recommend turning your screen brightness all the way up and putting on some fuzzy slippers when you give those a try.

The Fishing Update

We are very focused on the Fishing update which has turned out to be the BIGGEST single content update Wyvern has ever recieved. When we described what’s coming to some of our friends and that it was taking much longer than we anticipated, one mentioned that it was because it sounded like we are building an all new game and that’s actually fairly accurate. One of our development goals with the Fishing update is to add a boatload(har har) of new content to keep longtime players busy exploring for quite some time. All that in mind we’re still in active development on it and it should take a bit longer to finalize things. Whereas this is a huge update that adds a lot of new mechanics to the game, we do plan on updating the game with fishing for everyone at the same time.

If you haven't played Tale of the White Wyvern yet, head over to https://thewhitewyvern.com/ now to play for free!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 02/13/2020 at 01:48am

Cool, looks like the inn will throw me a party. I'm surprised you mentioned version 1.0, because I honestly feel like the game is worthy of it already. I'm looking forward to fishing. I hope it's good.

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/13/2020 at 05:19am

> I'm surprised you mentioned version 1.0, because I honestly feel like the game is worthy of it already.

I actually agree with you Greg. We're not waiting to get to 1.0 because we don't feel like the game isn't ready or not bug tested or anything. We're adding more features to sustainably support more users such that if we grew considerably, which we want to do, we could pay for keeping the servers rolling.

Plus I really wanted Fishing in the game before launch

> I'm looking forward to fishing. I hope it's good.

I like it, but it's an entirely optional thing that people don't need to do it if they don't want to. Like you say, the base game is already good, this just adds more if people want and I think most people will.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 02/13/2020 at 06:53am

I've been looking forward to this update! Can't wait!

Jon and Travis, you guys have been doing a fantastic job. It's already such a great game and I love that you keep making it bigger and better :)

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 02/13/2020 at 02:35pm

Thanks for the kind words!

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/13/2020 at 03:55pm

❤️

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Digital Foundry Got To Peek at the Tech Behind Doom Eternal

Doom Eternal's launch date of March 20th is fast approaching and as such certain media outlets are covering it before launch. Digital Foundry got a peek at the game for a few hours and interviewed the folks at iD about the game.

"As well as sitting down for *three hours* to play the upcoming Doom Eternal, Digital Foundry's John Linneman also had the opportunity to discuss the new id Tech 7 engine upgrades with Doom Eternal executive producer and id software studio director, Marty Stratton. From engine upgrades to ray tracing to Switch to next-gen consoles, there's a ton of new info in this one."

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 02/08/2020 at 02:31am

Cool video. I feel like this game is hyped or at least it is in my mind. It may be a high expectation that I feel, but that's because Doom (2016) was so good and this one seems to be doing even more of it better. I feel like this will most certainly be an awesome game. Although, I'm still not sure when I'll get the game, assuming that I do.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 02/08/2020 at 11:35pm

iD is trying to sell the game for sure. What I think is clear is that if you loved Doom 2016 this looks like a much improved version so I don't think fans will be disappointed. With that, I'm not sure I'll get it at launch and if folks haven't played 2016 that game is incredible and it's also pretty cheap too.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 02/09/2020 at 12:18am

Yeah, I totally agree. And one amazing thing I've found out is also that Doom 2016 can run very well on even "budget" PC builds. So, it doesn't require a beast. I haven't really paid attention to Eternal's system requirements, but I bet it's quite similar in that way. Also, to me, one of the most notable pieces that came up in this video was "optimization." A game that's properly and greatly optimized can run very well.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/12/2020 at 10:51pm

No, my old PC ran it pretty dang well with only a few graphical sacrifices in the settings. It's so well optimized, especially with the vulkan renderer.

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WarCraft III: Reforged Is The Best Coat of Paint on Azeroth!

WarCraft III: Reforged launched yesterday and being a huge fan of the original and the Frozen Throne expansion I was heavily anticipating it's launch. Now that the game's out I've downloaded it and played it on my PC and started the Orc prologue campaign. Back in 2002 Blizzard released the Orc prologue campaign as a standalone game demo that setup the events of WarCraft III. I always felt like it was a unique way to release a demo, with original post game content but as Blizzard recently noted, most fans had no idea it existed. Later on they patched in the prolog into the main game as a playable option but it didn't contain the incredible voice acting and most people... Read All WarCraft III: Reforged launched yesterday and being a huge fan of the original and the Frozen Throne expansion I was heavily anticipating it's launch. Now that the game's out I've downloaded it and played it on my PC and started the Orc prologue campaign. Back in 2002 Blizzard released the Orc prologue campaign as a standalone game demo that setup the events of WarCraft III. I always felt like it was a unique way to release a demo, with original post game content but as Blizzard recently noted, most fans had no idea it existed. Later on they patched in the prolog into the main game as a playable option but it didn't contain the incredible voice acting and most people we're either focused on multiplayer or were done playing WarCraft III to notice. All that said, WarCraft III: Reforged is back and it might be a cliche thing to say at this point but it's more true with this game than most but if you loved the original you need to play Reforged.

Let's Start With The Controversy... Because There's Always Controversy

The strongest part of WarCraft III: Reforged is the thing it's getting some negative reaction from in that originally Blizzard said that they'd change up aspects of the single player campaign considerably and it seems like they let that go in favor of giving you the original game with a new visuals. As you can see from the video above the way they showed the scene at Blizzcon this year is not how the game shipped. It seems Blizzard took the fan critique they heard from players that preferred the original WarCraft III camera and reverted back to that forgoing the more modern cinematic style they showed at Blizzcon. This has caused quite a negative fan reaction but I frankly can see both sides and I'm with Blizzard on reverting the camera style to the original.

Put simply, HD remakes are better served with fewer changes to the original source material and deciding to prefer the original camera angles is best form of respect to the original material. I know the original WarCraft III is still available to install and that version will always exist but focusing HD remakes on making fewer changes to the base game is the better choice because HD remakes are generally more more accessible because they are newer and in the case of WarCraft III: Reforged seamlessly connect to modern Battle.net and are available in the launcher making them more accessible. There's also a charm to the hokey camera angles of WarCraft III that firmly date it back in the 2000 era of PC gaming that should be experienced by a modern audience in 2020.

I Don't Care About Camera Angles, Is This Game Any Good?

If you like hero focused real time strategy games then uh yeah, WarCraft III is good, it's actually really good. But you know, I'm also incredibly biased because every couple years I come back to play the campaign. In fact when I heard Reforged was on it's way I stopped playing WarCraft III and decided to play the Reforged campaign from the start again ... for the first time.

And like I said before, this is WarCraft III with a 4K coat of paint and it's superb. The gameplay is crisp and that 2000's PC era awkward polygons of the original game are rounded out to create quite a visual treat. Blizzard did such a great job respecting the original game it's actually pretty hard to notice many changes. That said the biggest change to the game are the visuals, something they took the most inspiration from being World of Warcraft. Because, see kids, before World of Warcraft hit the streets WarCraft III was the king of Azeroth. As World of Warcraft became the biggest MMO of all time it also developed a more of a unique visual identity that was originally rooted in WarCraft III. That said, as visuals evolve and 3D tech to match it certain characters look different in World of Warcraft than in WarCraft III. One big change I noticed right away is that Thrall in WarCraft III: Reforged looks quite different than in vanilla WarCraft III. It's not a big deal but as the original is burned forever in my brain I noticed. And a lot of other models have changed too to fit World of Warcraft better and this is a change I don't mind. It's less keeping WarCraft III: Reforged for strict purists but it's not abandoning the World of Warcraft players either.

I heartily welcome WarCraft III: Reforged because it's Blizzard giving one of my most beloved games a very purist treatment. But I do understand that some people wanted what they saw at Blizzcon and I can't say I blame them for that. With that I also agree with Blizzard for keeping to the original game because at the end of the day, the game was already great it just needed a 4K coat of paint.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/30/2020 at 10:00am

I've played the first two WarCraft games and that's it. I'm not sure how I over looked WarCraft III. I'm glad they did this, that means I have something to look forward to playing, whenever I get around to it. It's difficult to play classic games in modern times, because they look awful in comparison, that's why I love these HD remakes.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/30/2020 at 03:55pm

All that I’ve read about this game controversy-wise seems to be that it’s way unoptimized and buggy but it seems like you haven’t seen that at all.

It could have been neat if they kept the changes they presented at blizzcon with the option of switching to what they shipped with. Best of both worlds. There’s lots of speculation as to why they ended up shipping what they did but this wouldn’t be a deal breaker for me

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/30/2020 at 05:21pm

> but it seems like you haven’t seen that at all.

Last night the game seemed to hard lock near the end of a mission but it just paused and continued and I was REALLY nervous i'd have to replay it. So i'd say so far, everything is fine, but there are little pauses from time to time that I imagine Blizzard will fix. Seen nothing beyond that but i'm running a pretty beefy Desktop and Windows 10.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/31/2020 at 03:43am

Uh, this isn't very cool.

"All your Warcraft 3: Reforged custom games belong exclusively to Blizzard"

https://www.pcgamer.com/all-your-warcraft-3-reforged-custom-games-belong-exclusively-to-blizzard/

I guess they are still sore about DoTA.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/01/2020 at 08:38pm

I saw this reddit comment breaking down some of the critiques. The one about them removing the old client for online play and forcing that download, while removing features is problematic. Even if you don't buy this, your current version of War 3 gets downgraded.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/ex1927/warcraft_3_reforged_has_a_record_low_08_score_on/fg5y8pp/

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Season 7 of Star Wars: Clone Wars Arrives Feb. 21

The seventh season of the Star Wars animated show Clone Wars arrives on Feb.21. If you haven't checked out Star Wars: Clone Wars, now is a good time to get started. I watched all current seasons on Netflix and enjoyed it, so I recommend it for Star Wars fans. It will be on Disney+ and you can find more information here: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/star-wars-clone-wars-season-7-release-date-reveale/1100-6472475/

"How Star Wars: Clone Wars’ Final Season Crosses Over with Revenge of the Sith" https://youtu.be/cftmJIXFOsQ

Feel free to share some thoughts and comments!

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/26/2020 at 10:41pm

Promoting to main page.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/26/2020 at 11:00pm

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 01/27/2020 at 09:05pm

For those that have yet to watch it, the watch order is here: https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-the-clone-wars-chronological-episodeorder

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/27/2020 at 09:09pm

I hadn't realized there was a watch order. I watched the episodes of seasons one through six one by one, starting with episode one of season one and ending with the last episode of season six.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 01/28/2020 at 12:00am

Now you need to watch it again using the watch order! :)

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/28/2020 at 01:58am

I'll probably wait until season seven is done, but I'll keep it in mind and come back to this post when I'm ready. Thanks!

Travis Admin wrote on 01/29/2020 at 03:31am

Honestly, the effort of following the watch order isn’t worth it IMO. We’ve gone through the series twice and nothing major felt out of place.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/29/2020 at 05:59pm

Also I gotta say, I’m more excited about this new season of clone wars than I was for Mando or any new movies. I’ve been wanting that missing plot ever since the first time I saw this show.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 06/01/2020 at 04:44am

Now that season 7 is done, I'm rewatching the series. I started out ignoring the chronological watch order, but then decided to try it out. I think this watch order is pretty good. I didn't feel like things were out of place or off when I originally watched it, but this order adds to the experience, I think. This show is good and I only recently realized they not only made this Clone Wars show, but also a movie of the same title, which is slightly confusing. Because of this, I was able to actually see how Anakin and Ahsoka met and how or why he calls her "Snips."

Travis Admin wrote on 06/02/2020 at 01:56pm

Yeah the movie was basically one TV show arc cut for movie length.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 06/02/2020 at 08:05pm

So, basically at the start, one thing about this chronological watch order that's cool is that there are clones in an early episode called "Rookies," but you don't actually see them train until season 3. So, if you watch that episode, before "Rookies" (a season 1 episode), then you know who's who. It's cool, I think.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 07/03/2020 at 05:46am

Wow! I just finished my re-watch of The Clone Wars, which included the newly released season seven. I must say that viewing episodes in order of the canonical timeline is really helpful, it puts some things closer together. I sorted the webpage to just show me stuff like TV and movies, so I also watched the prequels during this re-watch. I must also say, wow (again), Star Wars is amazing! Even if you know that characters survive, since they appear in later media, it still has an affect on you. I definitely recommend this!

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