Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

Dr. Mario World Will Cure Your Android and iPhone on July 10th!

Nintendo just Tweeted out some more details of their upcoming free to play mobile game, Dr. Mario World that's coming to Android and iOS July 10th! It looks like a modern take on the classic gameplay made to work well for phones. Since it's free to play, it will be a day one thing I'll play. That said, the gameplay in the video looks fairly slow paced and its not obvious that the "upside down" gameplay of sorts will be fun. Makes sense they are doing it that way with touch controls but it looks like something I'll have to try to know for sure. For me, Dr. Mario is one of the best puzzle games somewhat in same league as Tetris so they have some of that to live up to.

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 60: The Phantom Menace Anniversary Special

On May 19th of this year The Phantom Menace celebrated it’s 20th anniversary so we got together to record this bombad, okeeday celebration Podcast!

Jon, Tim, and Travis are back as always, but as a special treat, our friends Rett and Taylor from Game Dev's Quest joined us to reflect on Episode I, what it means to us, and how its perception has changed over time.

And stick around to find out how well we do at discerning Star Wars character names from actual human diseases!

Game Dev's Quest is an awesome podcast about game development, and you should go listen to that now. Well... Listen to this episode and *then* go listen to Game Dev's Quest.

https://gamedevsquest.com/

E3 2019 Wrap-Up: What were your favorites?

If you were paying attention on Cheerful Ghost this week, you saw my posts about the big presentations up to Sunday, and then only scattered info from there on. Yeah, sorry about that everyone. I had planned to do my usual summaries from each of the big conferences but I got knocked out by a bad case of strep throat.

But I've caught up on the news, and rather than suddenly dropping a ton of posts, I'm just going to share a few highlights. I picked the Engadget video embedded above for this post because it hits a lot of the high points for the general public, even if they aren't all my highlights.

These aren't in any particular order except the first two:

BREATH OF THE... Read All

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/17/2019 at 01:14am

I haven't really paid attention to anything. I know about some games that may be relevant to me (PC games), but I haven't even really looked at them. So, the only thing I care about out of this E3 is the Terraria update. I'm glad BotW is getting a sequel, but I don't own a Switch and have no idea when I might get one. I've read that there are other models coming out, so that seems to make it even more worth while to wait it out. I'm not completely sure how I feel about the FFVII Remake, but I don't own a PS4 and don't plan on buying one or a PS5 (the game will work on both systems) any time soon. I am glad that FFVIII has been remastered for the Switch, it's my favorite FF, but again, I don't have a Switch and I already have it on Steam. I might get into Doom Immortal and the new Wolfenstein.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 06/17/2019 at 03:54pm

That for the shout out Travis! I am a Limited Run Games fanboy, so they were the highlight for me. Super Mario Maker 2, Link's Awaking, Jedi Fallen Order, were all the games that I want now, and preordered. Cyberpunk 2077 I am optimistic about. I was really disappointed in Marvel's Avengers, the characters look nothing like the MCU counterparts or the comics, so it was very off-putting. I would like to know more on why they went with the character models that are in the game.

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/17/2019 at 05:17pm

Basically everything I was already excited for beforehand:

* Link's Awakening Remake
* Super Mario Maker 2

A few new things:

* Terraria: Journey's End (Like, yeah, awesome. Sad it's ending but it makes sense.)
* Elder Scrolls Legends on Switch (I have very low expectations, hopefully this is more fun than the phone version)

Things I knew about but am more excited for

* Wolfenstein: New Blood. (I have yet to play New Order, so I think after Tale launches i'll wrap up Rage, New Order and then get to New Blood. Who am I kidding, I'll prob get sidetracked by the Nintendo stuff and finally beat these games in 2032.)

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Get Enter The Gungeon Free on The Epic Games Store Until June 20th!

Enter the Gungeon is a bullet hell rogue-like dungeon crawler where you pick from an assortment of different characters on your search for a gun that can kill the past. It's a campy premise and uses a chunky pixel art style that seems to be a mix of Secret of Mana and the more recent Nuclear Throne. If you haven't picked it up yet(like me) it's free on The Epic Game store until June 20th!

I've played a few rounds today and so far I really enjoy it. It's like a less frantic Nuclear Throne but it's pacing, art and style seem quite different. If you are looking for a new game to play, head over to Epic and get it for free right now.

... Read All

Conan Exiles Review

Azurephile gives this a solid "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

Azurephile gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

This winter, I played Conan Exiles. However, I neglected to write a post about it, so here it is (assuming I can remember it well enough).

I first noticed Conan Exiles on YouTube. There were a few channels that I follow that had game play of it. I began to watch the first video in a series, but didn’t finish the video. Something about it just didn’t look appealing. It was pretty much the UI. So initially, the game didn’t look like something I’d be interested in, so I ignored it for a while.

I did notice some of my friends on Steam were playing it. I eventually decided to watch the series posted by Sl1pg8r that I had started. I ended up watching the whole series and yet... Read All

E3 2019 The Nintendo Wrap Up

I'm not going to get every E3 Nintendo news bit so if you have something you thought was noteworthy, drop it in the comments. That said, Nintendo did drop some really interesting bits and I'm going to dance over the stuff I'm most excited about starting with...

The Link's Awakening HD Remake

So.... this looks incredible and if you haven't yet I seriously recommend you watch the embedded video of the Link's Awakening Treehouse gameplay footage above. The core gameplay looks just like what you'd expect and they've gone to pretty great lengths to keep the feel of the original Gameboy title intact. That said, Nintendo is brining quite a bit more to this remake than just the... Read All

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/13/2019 at 08:01am

Sequel to Breath of the Wild

I wish they'd release this for the Wii U as they did the first game, but I seriously doubt this will happen.

https://youtu.be/3fr1Z07AV00

Oh, and Final Fantasy VIII Remastered! This is my favorite Final Fantasy. This is the one Travis introduced me to and got me hooked on the series. Luckily, I have this on Steam, I don't know that the two versions are different, just glad it's remastered/HD.

https://youtu.be/ywNYKWQEbZI

Travis Admin wrote on 06/13/2019 at 05:04pm

Yeah I feel like the biggest thing out of the Nintendo Direct was the BotW sequel announcement. Even if it’s not a huge reveal and we still know nothing about it.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 06/13/2019 at 06:45pm

Super Mario Maker 2 Online Multiplayer with Friends is coming! https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1138532590384701440

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/13/2019 at 07:32pm

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 06/27/2019 at 12:34am

Looks like SMM2 is reviewing quite well

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eUtA7Pg4qH0&time_continue=365

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/03/2019 at 03:19pm

https://mobile.twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1146433415362670594

Travis Admin wrote on 07/03/2019 at 05:17pm

Oh wow, that is GORGEOUS.

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E3 2019 - Day 1 - Limited Run Games

Limited Run Games once again stole E3 (imho) with an excellent showcase. For their 2nd Annual E3 showcase they showed off around 50 games being released, physically, in the upcoming months. Personally I am excited for all the LucasArts Games (mostly released on their original platforms) and Blaster Master Zero. This is going to be an exciting year for LRG!

Here is a list of the games announced, stripped from their site (https://limitedrungames.com/blogs/news/lrg-e3-2019 ):

Atari Flashback Classics (Vita)

Atooi Collection (3DS)

Bad North (Switch)

Blaster Master Zero (Switch)

Blazing Chrome (Switch, PS4)

Corpse Killer (PS4)

The Curse of Monkey Island (PC)

Damascus Gear... Read All

Atari Flashback Classics (Vita)

Atooi Collection (3DS)

Bad North (Switch)

Blaster Master Zero (Switch)

Blazing Chrome (Switch, PS4)

Corpse Killer (PS4)

The Curse of Monkey Island™ (PC)

Damascus Gear Operation Osaka (Vita)

Damascus Gear Operation Tokyo (Vita)

Dark Devotion (Switch, PS4)

DEADBOLT (Vita)

Double Switch (Switch)

Freedom Planet (Switch, PS4)

Guacamelee! (Vita)

Hover (PS4)

Mercenary Kings (PS4)

Metal Slug 3 (Vita)

Monkey Island™ 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge (PC)

Night in the Woods (Switch, PS4)

Papers Please (Vita)

Pix the Cat (Vita)

Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid (Switch, PS4)

realMyst (Switch)

Red Faction (PS4)

Revenant Dogma (Vita)

Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken (Vita)

Rocketbirds 2: Evolution (Vita)

Rogue Legacy (Switch)

The Secret of Monkey Island™ (PC)

The Secret of Monkey Island™: Special Edition (PC)

Shenmue III Collector’s Edition (PC, PS4)

Star Wars™ (NES, Game Boy)

Star Wars™: Bounty Hunter (PS4)

Star Wars™: Dark Forces (PC)

Star Wars™ Episode I: Racer (PC, N64)

Star Wars™: The Empire Strikes Back (NES, Game Boy)

Star Wars™: Jedi Knight (PC)

Star Wars™ Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast (PC)

Star Wars™ Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (PC)

Star Wars™: Racer Revenge (PS4)

Star Wars™: Rebel Assault (PC)

Star Wars™: Shadows of the Empire (PC, N64)

Star Wars™: TIE Fighter (PC)

Star Wars™: X-Wing (PC)

Super Meat Boy (Switch, PS4, Vita)

Super Mutant Alien Assault (Vita)

Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack (Vita)

Transistor (Switch, PS4)

Turok (Switch)

Turok 2: Seeds of Evil (Switch)

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/11/2019 at 11:27pm

The Atooi Collection collect is awesome and it's great we are still getting new 3DS carts.

That link seems broken.

Are those LRG Star Wars games on DVD on PC? Curious if Podracer might come to Switch or if they are legit reproducing the N64 cart and PC CD?

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member Post Author wrote on 06/11/2019 at 11:40pm

link is fixed

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member Post Author wrote on 06/11/2019 at 11:42pm

They are legit producing the carts. These titles are coming to the platforms listed in the parenthesis.

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/12/2019 at 12:00am

I know they do but Star Wars Episode I: Racer (PC, N64) is coming back to PC and N64? Huh.

Cool but I was hoping for a more modern cart on Switch. That said, if you missed it on 64 nows the time!

Travis Admin wrote on 06/12/2019 at 02:35pm

I guess I'm missing the point for some of these. Sticking with Jon's Episode I Racer example, getting that on the Switch or other modern platforms would get more people playing it. I know it's coming to PC too, but presumably that's the PC version that released back in the day and is different from the N64 version.

But for me the larger issue is, it's not like it's hard to find Episode I Racer used for N64, and wouldn't it be cooler to have the original than a repro? Buy a couple copies just in case one breaks and you're probably out less money than this will cost.

Travis Admin wrote on 06/12/2019 at 02:47pm

> different from the N64 version.

Margnially, I should say. With the exception of much better graphics and more cutscenes on the PC version, the N64 version. has some cheats and lets you use two controllers, one for each engine, kinda like how the arcade version worked.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member Post Author wrote on 06/12/2019 at 04:36pm

To me, it depends on what collectibles are packaged with it. If there are some cool extras in a CE, some of these titles I already have will be worth picking up again. Also, don't underestimate the power of "new". That being said, these are probably aimed more at the fans/collectors of the games, rather than the general gamer.

Travis Admin wrote on 06/13/2019 at 02:18pm

Good points all around. I hadn’t considered the pack-ins, things like that can really make the difference.

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The Final Fantasy VII Remake Releases March 3, 2020

I had planned to roll this into my Square Enix roundup post but I'm way under the weather today so that may be later and I wanted to get it out there.

The Final Fantasy VII Remake will be with us on March 3, 2020, exclusively on PS4.

We are sure to get more at the Square Enix presentation, but a trailer was shown at Square Enix's recent Final Fantasy concert.

This looks shiny, and I can't wait. This has been on my radar since rumors started years ago. You may remember, in our predictions for 2019 episode of Cheerful Ghost Radio, I jokingly predicted that we would learn nothing about the remake this year, hoping that reverse psychology would take hold and they'd give us... Read All

Terraria: Journey's End Update Will Release This Year

If you've been on this site much, you know we love Terraria, and that we've been waiting for the next update for quite some time. Well, we only have a little longer to wait, as Terraria will receive the Journey's End update this year. It will naturally be free, as all updates have been.

The name "Journey's End" certainly sounds final, and that's what Re Logic has in mind. This will be the last major update to the game, with only bug fixes, balancing, small things like that. What had been teased as 1.3.6 has become 1.4 because of the massive changes they've added.

Shortly after this was shown at E3, the official forums got the news in full, with all the changes coming,... Read All If you've been on this site much, you know we love Terraria, and that we've been waiting for the next update for quite some time. Well, we only have a little longer to wait, as Terraria will receive the Journey's End update this year. It will naturally be free, as all updates have been.

The name "Journey's End" certainly sounds final, and that's what Re Logic has in mind. This will be the last major update to the game, with only bug fixes, balancing, small things like that. What had been teased as 1.3.6 has become 1.4 because of the massive changes they've added.

Shortly after this was shown at E3, the official forums got the news in full, with all the changes coming, including:

Terraria: Journey’s End includes a full re-visit to all elements of Terraria. Over time, some things may have felt left behind or made obsolete by newer content. No more! Old things made new and new elements added to flesh out the overall experience – think you know all there is to know about Terraria? Think again!

Terraria: Journey’s End will include over 800 new items for players to find or craft!

Terraria: Journey’s End adds new foes to defeat and challenges to overcome as you seek fortune and glory.

Terraria: Journey’s End will see a full revamp of world generation – including overall improvements and a handful of new mini-biomes to explore.

Quality of Life improvements abound in Terraria: Journey’s End! From Block Swap to the Void Vault, these will ensure that the player spends more time doing what they enjoy most – and having more fun at the same time.

Terraria: Journey’s End will see the addition of an in-game Bestiary. As players defeat higher numbers of any given foe, they will learn more about them – from key statistics to even what each foe can drop as loot!

Terraria: Journey’s End will bring the hallowed game of Golf to Terraria. Golf? That’s right, Golf. Trust us, it is insanely fun – so get your golf skills up to par now!

Terraria: Journey’s End will add an all new difficulty mode. Beyond the existing Expert Mode, this is intended to be a true challenge for the most experienced and skilled Terrarians – a true gauntlet for the best of the best. Will your gaming skills and creativity be up to the task?

Terraria: Journey's End adds in all new and enhanced weather effects.

I cannot wait to get my hands on this. While I'm sad that this will be the last major update, at the same time it's cool to have this capstone to kinda tie things up. Even if we never get a Terraria 2, this has been a hell of a ride.

I'm absolutely sure that shortly after this drops, we'll have a new Cheerful Ghost server to play on, so stay tuned for that!

Read the full announcement here: https://forums.terraria.org/index.php?threads/re-logic-announces-terraria-journeys-end-at-e3.80018/

And for a full list of all the teasers we've been fed over the past couple years, the wiki has you covered: https://terraria.gamepedia.com/Upcoming_features

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/11/2019 at 06:25am

Double post, I posted before you. :)

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/11/2019 at 04:09pm

This one has a bit (a lot) more information in so I vote we keep it.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/11/2019 at 06:03pm

Done, my post is gone. Travis did do a good job here. I barely said anything about it.

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/11/2019 at 07:54pm

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 06/12/2019 at 04:54am

Trailer breakdown w/ Chippy Gaming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StRvxSf_sMw Watch this one if you're interested in him pointing out some new things you might not have noticed. Don't watch if you don't want any spoilers at all and want to discover everything new by yourself when it arrives. I don't believe every new thing was revealed even in the trailer. *Also don't continue reading as my comments "may" contain spoilers!*

"The last update?" w/ Chippy Gaming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfe6amm4zTI Just some thoughts, commentary, and such.

I'm not sure how I feel about some things. They didn't mention the Razor Chroma support that my favorite spoiler contained (which is one of the main reasons I bought this awesome keyboard). Golf? I don't know, maybe after trying it out, I'll like it. Kites? I'm not sure what the point is. New stuff? Heck yeah bring it on! Master Mode? Well I think Expert Mode is hard enough, especially solo, so I'm not sure if I'll ever make it there. Maybe we'll do it on a Cheerful Ghost server. I like the void vault. Travis can tell you from experience, I usually keep a full inventory and often have to warp back home to drop some off, this should be really helpful. New music? Sounds good. Weather? That looks cool, too! I think it makes the game more "alive" or realistic. Otherwise, I'm not sure. Ducks and new summons I'm all for, too. I did read on the announcement page that it should arrive (or "drop" as you guys like to say) "prior to the end of the year." We'll see how that goes. I wouldn't be surprised if it gets delayed, although right now I'm ok with waiting (however I might grow impatient as time moves on and I run out of games I want to play lol).

It's been spoiled for over a year now, it seemed like it was never coming. However, it makes sense now knowing it's the fourth and (apparently or seemingly likely) last update for the game (aside from some minor updates like bug fixes. If it is the final one, I hope they move on to Terraria 2, I'm interested in seeing more Terraria in the future.

What do you guys think about this update? What do you think may lie in store for Terraria's future or is this the end of official (unmodded) Terraria content?

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 06/12/2019 at 01:27pm

> is this the end of official (unmodded) Terraria content?

Well, they have said as much. This is the end of their big updates, anything that comes after would be wrapping things up. That said, we heard the same thing about 1.1 back in the day and we definitely got more. Those were incredibly different circumstances, however.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/23/2019 at 03:42am

Journey's End will not be releasing this year. https://youtu.be/rVQqTab6EIA

jdodson Admin wrote on 11/23/2019 at 06:56pm

Yeah, that seems like a useful thing to do to push the launch back. Glad they are in a position to do that.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 11/23/2019 at 10:00pm

I think I've come to the realization that game release delays are actually good for the game overall. I guess I've gotten more patient with game releases. It's still nice that Re-Logic explained why it's getting delayed. It just makes sense, a delay gives developers more time to perfect the game, perhaps reducing bugs or issues and even adding extra content. So, overall, it's good for the game. I also think my disappointment in some games that I was eagerly awaiting too impatiently kind of gave me a bit of perspective. I don't want to get over hyped for something that might disappoint. Although, I'm sure Terraria's update won't disappoint, but I think it's still good to be patient. In the mean time, I can focus on other games while I wait.

jdodson Admin wrote on 11/23/2019 at 11:13pm

> In the mean time, I can focus on other games while I wait.

Agreed. I think we're in a better place in regard to video game options right now. Frankly there are too many games to play and a game shifting a few months on the delivery date isn't as big of a deal as it was. I think most gamers are coming to think about things in similarly in regard to dates but there is a vocal minority that doesn't take date change very well.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 11/26/2019 at 03:38am

Damn. Well, good that they want to get it right. I'd rather it be done well than on time.

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E3 2019 Day 1 - Bethesda

Bethesda kicked off their presentation with Todd acknowledging the missteps Fallout 76 had at launch, but praising the community for helping fix things. And it's true. It was a mess back in November, but it's fantastic now. Not perfect, there's still plenty to do, but we got some sneak peeks at what's to come among the announcements. Here's what's coming over the next year for Bethesda:

Fallout 76 is, as mentioned above, getting some big updates. The Nuclear Winter update coming this summer brings a battle royale mode to the game, which... is odd. But OK. I will play it to get any items that I really want, and then ignore it but if people want it, it's cool that it's... Read All

Fallout 76 is, as mentioned above, getting some big updates. The Nuclear Winter update coming this summer brings a battle royale mode to the game, which... is odd. But OK. I will play it to get any items that I really want, and then ignore it but if people want it, it's cool that it's there. Based on the players I've interacted with, though, I'm not sure how popular it will be.

In addition, the Wastelanders update coming this fall brings humans back to the region after the scorched plague drove them off (or killed them, or turned them into weird sentient zombies. But not the cool non-feral ghouls). It will also bring a new quest line with factions and game altering decisions. THIS is the one that is most interesting to me.

Finally, tomorrow begins a week-long free trial, so get your Bethesda launchers ready folks (I'm panickedthumb there, by the way)

The Elder Scrolls Online is getting a new expansion, Elsweyr, that takes you to the Khajit homeland and there are some dragons to fight.

The Elder Scrolls Legends is getting an Elsewyr card set to go along with the Online expansion

Ghostwire Tokyo is the next game from the makers of The Evil Within, and it looks like either The Leftovers or the Thanos Snap in Tokyo, with some seriously creepy vibes. I want to see more about this, I have no idea what kind of game it is, but I'm intrigued.

If you told me 3 hours ago that I'd be typing the following sentence I'd have said you're crazy: We're getting an online, free-to-play, cartoon-styled Commander Keen game. Yeah, what a time to be alive! I'll definitely check this out but much like the above, I don't really know what kind of game this is.

Arkane is bringing us Deathloop, a game where two people are re-living the same time loop. One person wants to keep the loop alive, one wants to break it. Trouble ensues.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood looks suitably amazing. If you've played the recent Wolfenstein games this will look very familiar but now you can play co-op. It's more Wolfenstein, and therefore it's awesome

Rage 2 is getting frequent small updates, including some new vehicles and a mech suit soon, and the new expansion is coming later this summer.

Orion is Bethesda's new streaming tech that can be included in any game, and increase streaming performance by reducing the required bandwidth to stream. As a dev I *really* want to know how they're pulling this off.

Doom Eternal looks amazing. So amazing. The same insanity from Doom, but with far more veritcality and a focus on world traversal. You have a grappling hook for one, but there are also other platforming elements added. The end result is something that's even more fast paced, and the twitch shooting is ramped up significantly with so many more interesting ways to take out an enemy. This one launches November 22.