Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

Half-Life: Alyx Will Launch March in 2020 On PC VR!

"Half-Life: Alyx is Valve’s VR return to the Half-Life series. It’s the story of an impossible fight against a vicious alien race known as the Combine, set between the events of Half-Life and Half-Life 2. Playing as Alyx Vance, you are humanity’s only chance for survival."

The new Half-Life game trailer dropped today and if I was underwhelmed by the announcement of a VR Half-Life game that dissipated somewhat as this game does look good. The chances I buy a PC VR set for this are low but if I ever were to get one this is the first game i'd buy for it.

It makes sense that Valve would make a new Half-Life game in VR but when asked about if a Half-Life 3 would be VR only... Read All

Hungry Goriya Reviews The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

I picked up The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap in box on Game Boy Advance a year ago and it's in my backlog of games to play. Right now i'm playing Final Fantasy IV on GBA and plan to get to Minish Cap afterward. That said, I recently enjoyed this video review of Minish Cap by Hungry Goriya and if you haven't played the game or want to relive some of the magic you should clickly clack that video play button.

Now that the Link's Awakening remake is solidly out to quite high reviews i'm curious what game Nintendo might remake? I think a Minish Cap remake would be incredible and if that's off the table then a best-of collection of Gameboy and Advance games might be in... Read All

Luigi's Mansion 3: Switch Tech Breakdown

Luigi's Mansion 3 is out on Switch and Digital Foundry has a compelling tech breakdown of the game graphics to film-like CG. Luigi's Mansion on GameCube is a classic and so far, Luigi's Mansion 3 looks to be just as good. Curious if anyone has picked it up what they think of it?

"One of the best looking exclusives to hit Switch yet, Luigi's Mansion 3's visuals have a CG film-like quality. The push for world physics and dynamic shadows is a highlight here too, taking it far beyond what the first two games could achieve on GameCube and 3DS."

Shaders Make Minecraft Beautiful!

Wow, shaders really make Minecraft beautiful! If you haven't tried them, you're missing out. I've embedded a video that shows off some different ones. Beware that some shaders may require high-end hardware, but there are also some for low-end hardware, too (check out https://youtu.be/swOAdaTN770). You may want to look for information on the web about the various settings in each shader, some shaders have different presets you can use, which don't require you to change any settings. Otherwise, just play around with the different settings and see what looks and performs best for you.

I don't know if this applies to all shaders, but at least some of them require you to... Read All Wow, shaders really make Minecraft beautiful! If you haven't tried them, you're missing out. I've embedded a video that shows off some different ones. Beware that some shaders may require high-end hardware, but there are also some for low-end hardware, too (check out https://youtu.be/swOAdaTN770). You may want to look for information on the web about the various settings in each shader, some shaders have different presets you can use, which don't require you to change any settings. Otherwise, just play around with the different settings and see what looks and performs best for you.

I don't know if this applies to all shaders, but at least some of them require you to install Optifine. If you're running Minecraft on a computer, you should be using Optifine anyway. It comes with a lot of features that help the game look and perform better. Optifine doesn't work with snapshots, so if you want to try it out, you'll have to check Optifine's versions to see which Minecraft versions are compatible. You can check it out at https://optifine.net/downloads. Installation is easy. Download whatever version and wait for the "skip" option to appear in the top right side of the page (if you're using an Adblocker, you won't see an ad, just a banner). You'll download a .jar file, which requires that you have Java installed. Once all that's done, double click on the Optifine file and click "install" and it'll be installed quickly. You'll need to select the Optifine profile next to the "Play" button on the Launcher. Then, when in Minecraft, go to your video settings and check out all the options.

I decided to check out Sildur's Vibrant Shaders and it makes Minecraft look amazing! One quick tip I have for you is to turn off Vsync. I usually have Vsync on, because I don't like screen tearing, but I don't notice it in Minecraft unless I'm move the mouse really fast to see if I can see any screen tearing. Turning off Vsync will unlock your FPS potential, instead of limiting it. With the setting on, I was able to get 60 FPS (for my 60hz monitor), but it averaged about 40-50FPS sometimes, which I think is still playable. I turned Vsync off and now I'm seeing an average of abut 100 FPS.

Have you tried it out? Do you have a favorite shader pack? Are you using Optifinet? Feel free to let me know. If you want help, I can try to do that, too.

Half-Life: Alyx, Valve's New Flagship VR Game

No need to rub your eyes or clean your glasses, you are seeing that title correctly. Valve has announced that they'll be unveiling their new flagship VR game in the Half-Life universe this Thursday at 1PM EST/ 10AM PST.

There's not much more to be said as of yet, as we don't know a time frame, gameplay style, whether there'll be a non-VR option, whether it'll be Steam-exclusive or if PSVR will get it... we don't know much.

What we DO know is that Valve is actually making a new Half-Life game. I can't wait to find out more on Thursday!

Source: https://twitter.com/valvesoftware/status/1196566870360387584

A Brief Introduction to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

I ignored Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order until it was released, for no particular reason. Maybe it's my lackluster impression of Star Wars games or my lack of actually playing any. But, this game just came out and I think it deserves a Cheerful Ghost introduction (as it seems no one's talking about it here yet).

Reviews: I recommend watching the embedded "Before You Buy" video by Gameranx. You could also double down and watch the review it received from GameSpot (https://youtu.be/kIJ0kfjhuws), though they both pretty much say it's a good game and worth playing. It currently also has a "Very Positive" rating on Steam. If you'd like to see someone playing the first 40... Read All

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 11/18/2019 at 02:59pm

30 hour games are short now days?

I picked this up. I plan of playing it soon.

Overall, I want to support any single-player Star Wars games.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 11/18/2019 at 05:52pm

>30 hour games are short now days?

Well, if you're still used to playing games The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Although, I can think of other games I've played recently that lasted more than that like Monster Hunter: World and CivVI, although MHW's story mode is kind of short, there's a lot of post end game. I think I began to want my games about 100 hours back when I got into Final Fantasy games.

>I picked this up. I plan of playing it soon.

Cool, I'd like to see what your thoughts are about it.

>Overall, I want to support any single-player Star Wars games.

At this point I want to support any good single-player games. In the "Before You Buy" video, they described this as dying genre, which I've been noticing a lot lately and it's really pissing me off. I hate how pretty much every game has to have some sort of multiplayer to it or content that's so hard that you pretty much cannot do it alone. I mean, it's great if you have friends to play with, but I don't have very many Steam friends and only one of them has one of these games I'm referring to (MHW). I do have a friend that has Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order though.

Travis Admin wrote on 11/18/2019 at 10:51pm

I'm playing it, expect a review when I'm done.

In short: More of this, please.

I don't think the hour to dollar ratio is a useful metric at all. I love Bethesda RPGs that last 250 hours and I love tightly paced 8 hour games. I think all too often you end up with a really good 10 hour game that the developer/publisher/shareholders think needs to be longer, so it gets padded with unnecessary bloat and really holds the game back.

I'd rather buy a nice $25 steak dinner than 25 McDoubles.

Plus, I work and don't feel like coming home and just pounding out video games. And I'd like to see the ending of these games and play more than two a year. Don't get me wrong, when The Elder Scrolls 6 comes out I'll probably put in 250 hours on that too. But I enjoy shorter games that don't feel daunting.

Travis Admin wrote on 11/18/2019 at 10:53pm

(FWIW I've seen it said that a completionist run of Jedi Fallen Order is around 20-22 hours which I think really fits the kind of game it is, akin to God of War, Tomb Raider, etc)

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 11/18/2019 at 11:33pm

Good points, Travis. I'm looking forward to your review.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 11/21/2019 at 01:20am

I just started to play this. The in-game font could be bigger. :)

Travis Admin wrote on 11/21/2019 at 02:35pm

It really could. This is a common complaint about modern games but yeah. Glad I’m no longer rocking a 32 inch TV!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 11/21/2019 at 02:49pm

I have a 47 inch that I sit about 10 feet away from.

Travis Admin wrote on 11/22/2019 at 02:37pm

Yep, it’s still not great with a 55 inch about the same distance. But I can’t imagine people with smaller TVs managing to read it.

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Check Out The Dragon Quest 11 Demo on Switch!

Dragon Quest XI is one of the finest modern Dragon Quest games of late and recently came to the Nintendo Switch. They added a few really great Switch features over the PC, XBox One and PS4 versions including a pixel art mode and new score. One unique benefit of the Switch version is that it comes with a 10 hour free demo you can download! I don't play a lot of modern single player RPG's but Dragon Quest XI is one i've really enjoyed on the Switch. If you are still deciding on if you want to play it check out the attached Digital Foundry review.

Competitive Season Races Are Coming to Tale of the White Wyvern in January!

Recently Travis and I worked on a large update for Tale of the White Wyvern to bring Paragon levels to the game and add more late game progression beyond the 5th Wyvern fight. We never thought people would be able to make it to the 5th Wyvern kill so quickly even after massively increasing the difficulty of that fight. Personally, I’m also impressed with how people play the game, finding strategies I never had in mind when I created it. Some of those are still in the game, and we’ve had to nerf some and buff some to make the game more fun. Tale of the White Wyvern is one of the best things I've ever worked on in my life and I want to thank everyone for playing it. It’... Read All

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 11/11/2019 at 03:28pm

Awesome Jon! I would love to learn people's strategies for the game. I am finally trying dual class, and have been pouring gems into skill points instead of defense. I am slowly creeping towards the 5th Wyvern.

Travis Admin wrote on 11/11/2019 at 03:35pm

That fifth Wyvern is rough, Will. But yeah pounding out skill points and grinding for gear will get you there. I think everyone spent a week or more at level 12 working on it.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/11/2019 at 07:31pm

Cool! I'm looking forward to new stuff!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/12/2019 at 07:21pm

I have my own strategy now and I don't intend to change it. Dual class seems pointless to me. I could explain why, but then I'd have to give some details about my thoughts on this and include my strategy. It's not that I don't want to share my strategy, more like I don't want to at this present moment. I now have a preferred class and I now only spend gems for that class's skill points, because I need as many as I can get. It's cool to know, though, that we all have our own strategies, even more fascinating is how our strategies differ and how they've evolved over time.

Travis Admin wrote on 11/13/2019 at 03:26am

> It's cool to know, though, that we all have our own strategies, even more fascinating is how our strategies differ and how they've evolved over time.

This is what thrills me most about this whole process. Truly. People (self included) have developed strategies that we had no idea they would.

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Why Video Games Are Good For Your Mind and Body

I jut found a cool video on a YouTube channel I'm subscribed to and thought I'd share it here. This video is from the channel Bright Side, which often features fascinating general knowledge. If you like learning new things, you should check it out.

Most of this video doesn't surprise me, but I have a couple of comments I wanted to make about it. I think video games are in part a distraction, a way to reduce stress. However, I find that sometimes video games can be incredibly frustrating. They can also help you concentrate, but I've noticed that they don't always completely occupy my mind. I think this often happens when I'm quite familiar with a game and no longer have... Read All

Doom II - 25 Years Later: An LGR Retrospective

Doom is a legendary game series that started the shooter genre that continues quite strong into 2019. Doom 2 was the glorious follow up that added a bunch of new levels, the double barreled shotgun and a ton of other new features. Doom 2 became my go to shooter in the mid 90's and one I still come back to and play now. Doom 2 is still being ported to any system where it might sell and this year iD Software brought it to the Switch alongside Doom and Doom 3. LGR recently released a Doom 2 retrospective that's an incredible overview of the game as well as its importance in video game history. If you are looking to murder a few minutes with a nostalgia blast to the face... Read All