Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 33: Kirby's Adventure

Travis gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Travis gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

In this episode of Cheerful Ghost Radio, we're talking all about Kirby's Adventure!

Kirby's Adventure was the sequel to Kirby's Dream Land, and is the first game to introduce Kirby's copy ability. It was developed by Hal Laboratory in 1993, late in the lifespan of the NES. Come check out our thoughts on the game and the legacy of the Kirby series in this pink and puffy episode of Cheerful Ghost Radio!

In season two of Cheerful Ghost Radio we are doing bite-sized NES Classic review episodes. We want to make you all part of these episodes, so if you want to join in the fun, head here and join in the event for next month's NES Classic review, Metroid!

... Read All

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 09/04/2018 at 02:02pm

Another fun episode!

I'll answer your last question first before talking about Kirby and the review. I love that you're going through these NES Classic games. I don't think there's many "great" games on it, but it's been fun listening to you talk about all these old games, and it's basically a curated list for you, by Nintendo. I doubt many of these games would ever make a CGR podcast, but I'm enjoying the conversation around them.

That somewhat ties into this point about the ratings you guys have been giving the NES Classic games. First, I want to say that this is a critique on your scores, but I'm not lobbying you to change your scores. Everyone has their own reasons for scoring the way they do, and all of your reasons are just as legitimate as my own reasons. BUT, I've noticed that "historical significance" (or something along those lines) often seems to bump a game from one rating to the next. I have often heard the phrase "because of the historical significance of this game, I'm going to rate it _______". Again, all reasons are equally valid, but, it seems like these games are often recommended not because they're good games, but more so because they were popular games in the past. I should give Kirby a "Meh" because it's an ok game, but not one I'd ever recommend a friend to out and buy. And I can read an article (or listen to a podcast) to find out about the historical significance. BUT, I'm not everyone. I am sure there are people out there that do want to play historically significant games, even when they're not great, so your recommendations for those people are great. I do appreciate the context you give to your scores. Just something I've noticed on most of the Classic games. Hopefully 5his doesn't read too harshly; it's meant more as an observation and opinion than a criticism :)

Playing through Kirby, you're super correct that he's overpowered lol. The first time I played it, I just flew until I got to the tree boss. It took forever and I thought "Well, this is a super boring game!" Lol. But, I've recently put some more time into it, and learned the copy command, and it definitely was more fun playing it "properly." Not super challenging, but a decent game to try, since I have the NES Classic. Like I said before, it's only a "Meh" score for me though. (Oh, one last thing, and I'm on my phone, so I'm just typing here, rather than scrolling back before my eating lol. The controls are much better than a lot of NES classic games, but Up making Kirby fly was super annoying for me at the end of levels, trying to leave through the door, and not being in just the right space, so I fly away from it lol)

(And I'm looking forward to that Disenchantment discussion lol. I've only gotten through 5 or so episodes myself and haven't found a reason to go back)

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/04/2018 at 02:20pm

Hmm you make good points. I’d give this one a Must Play regardless of the historical significance because of the fun and polish. When I do use that as a deciding factor I’ll usually give two scores for it. But I think as a reason to play a game it is definitely a factor. It would be for me. I feel like the people who would seek out an episode about classic NES games would be more likely to care about that history.

And historical significance is the only saving grace for Ice Climber 😂

But I kinda agree with your last parenthetical. I think we are also 5 episodes in and I haven’t felt the drive to finish them. It’s not a bad show, don’t get me wrong. There’s humor and charm there but ... there are funnier things to watch.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/04/2018 at 02:26pm

And also yeah, having ⬆️ be the float button took some getting used to. I’m used to games where you can float having that mapped to holding the jump button (and I think later Kirby games added this).

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/04/2018 at 03:56pm

Actually I take back what I said in my first reply. I wouldn’t give Kirby’s Adventure a Must Play without the historical significance. A high Rad, but there’s enough to pull it down if you don’t take that into account.

But I do stand by considering it as part of the reasoning. I want to play a lot of these games but i wouldn’t without the historical reasons.

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/04/2018 at 04:49pm

If you have a NES Classic, I think playing all of the games makes sense to me because they are all a piece of history. I'm not sure I recommend anyone go out and buy one if they don't care about that sort of thing.

Thanks for the comments, trying to keep these reviews fresh is something I think about quite a bit! Next time i'll recommend someone play the game based on the box art alone!

10/10 Metroid art is better than new game art therefore MUST PLAY

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 09/04/2018 at 06:14pm

Some sort of Metroid guide better be a Must Read then lol

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 09/04/2018 at 06:15pm

And I totally get adding in the historical significance. I'm glad you at least state that that's part of the score :)

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 09/04/2018 at 06:54pm

Also, if anyone hasn't played Metroid, it would be interesting getting an opinion of someone who doesn't look up any tips online!

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/04/2018 at 07:31pm

I read it out of a book. Does that count?

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/04/2018 at 09:41pm

I have barely played the original. I remember nothing from it. I wonder if I'd be able to get very far without looking things up.

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/04/2018 at 10:40pm

Ha. Yeah, good luck.

You can map it but even so it's fairly hard. Knowing where to go help me out a lot.

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

Graveyard Keeper is Like Stardew Valley with More Dead People... and That's Awesome!

Travis gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Travis gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Note: tinyBuild provided us with a copy of this game for review because they're awesome. Thanks tinyBuild!

I'm having withdrawal from Graveyard Keeper. It's the kind of game that gets under your skin and has you thinking about game logic when doing day-to-day things. The grocery store is a nightmare: "No, I don't need apples, I have about 50 of those in my trunk. Wait... that's not real life, Travis." According to Steam, it took 45 hours for me to beat the game but I could have happily gone another 45. I didn't intend to wait until I beat it to write this review, it's just that I couldn't stop playing it.

If you've played a farming sim, Graveyard Keeper will feel... Read All

Does Twilight Princess Running on the NVidia Shield Showcase What's To Come On The Switch?

If you didn't know, Nintendo is licensing some Wii games for release in China by Nvidia on it's Nvidia Shield system. Essentially these are emulation/rebuilds of the games running on modern hardware you can download to play on the Shield in China only. DigitalFoundry has been downloading these games and running them through the paces and it seems like Twilight Princess is a bit more than just a Wii port. It does show that these games run incredibly well on the Shield paving the way for a possible re-release on the Switch as both systems share very similar hardware.

I'd love to see a bunch of Wii games get ported to the Switch, what about you?

Where Have All The Demos Gone?

Game demos used to be a staple of gaming but in recent years are few and far between. Some live on mostly as console downloads and seem to have nearly evaporated on PC. Ben Paddon of PortsCenter takes a look at why and it seems to be because game demos ... don't really sell games. Still it's fun to look back at what game demos were and some good examples of modern titles that did well with releasing a demo.

It Is Finished - My Candy Box Review!

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

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

jdodson gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

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

I always get a sense of satisfaction when I beat a game for the first time and today was such a day in that I finished Candy Box. If you didn't know, we launched a Games BBS on Cheerful Ghost and Candy Box was one of the first wave of games to launch on it. It was one of the original games in the web clicker genre and it proved that you can do really creatively simple things in JavaScript. If you haven't played Candy Box I recommend trying it out, it really is just a couple clicks away => "Games / Candy Box."

That said, you start the game by collecting candy one piece at a time. The only controls you start with are the ability to eat the candy or throw it. If you... Read All

Shovel Knight Showdown Coming Soon To Treasure Trove!

Shovel Knight had a very successful Kickstarter and because of that keeps getting a bunch of new incredible updates to the base game. That said, we're nearing the end of the Shovel Knight feature train and the last few stops seem to be some of the most compelling! Announced today, Shovel Knight Showdown looks to create a brawler style local multiplayer game featuring Shovel Knight and a ton of other boss characters. IGN got a 10 minute gameplay trailer linked above and from that it looks like a fun brawler that looks right at home on the PS4, Switch and XBox One!

"Duel with up to 4 players and scramble after gems as your favorite heroic or villainous knight in Shovel... Read All

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 32: Kid Icarus

In this episode of Cheerful Ghost Radio, we play Kid Icarus!

In Kid Icarus you play as Pit, and you're tasked with finding three treasures to save Angel Land and its queen, Palutena. Kid Icarus is a mash up of many styles of gameplay, but mostly action platformer. It's bizarre and pretty tricky, and has become a cult classic over the years. Come be a part of Cheerful Ghost Radio by discussing Kid Icarus with us!

In season two of Cheerful Ghost Radio we are doing bite-sized NES Classic review episodes. We want to make you all part of these episodes, so if you want to join in the fun, head here and join in the event for next month's NES Classic review, Metroid!

... Read All

Play Crescent Loom On Cheerful Ghost Games BBS Today!

When we originally launched the Cheerful Ghost Games BBS we let you know that more games would be coming that you could play. Today is a good day because we’re launching the ability for everyone to play Crescent Loom right here on Cheerful Ghost in your browser. Crescent Loom is a game created by Wick, the developer of Starship Rubicon (a game Cheerful Ghost published) and according to Wick Crescent Loom is a game about creating life. Knit bones, stitch muscles, and weave neurons into a biologically-realistic simple creature.

You can find Crescent Loom by clicking the Games link about and selecting it or hitting the link below. I encourage everyone to give Crescent... Read All

Batman: The Telltale Series Review

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

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

Will_Ball gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

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

When I first heard about Telltale taking on the Batman mythos, I thought it was a weird match, but I was intrigued to see what would become of it. Over a year later, I would be giving it a go on the Nintendo Switch.

Batman: TTS is labeled an adventure game, but I would not call it that. I would end up calling it an interactive graphic novel. There are very little adventure game portions to this game. When you do run into a traditional adventure game area of the game, there is so much hand-holding, that not much thought is needed to figure out the puzzles.

What drives this game is quick time events (QTE). Batman: TTS uses these to a fault. Sometimes they can end up with... Read All

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 08/26/2018 at 05:36am

I think I've decided that Batman is my favorite comic book hero, even though I think I like Marvel more than DC. I've only played one TellTale game and that was Jurassic Park. I was disappointed, because it wasn't what I expected it to be. At the time, I didn't know anything about TT games. "Interactive graphic novel" is a perfect description, even though I haven't played this one. That's what I didn't like about the JP TT game. I imagine being a fan of Batman, I would too also enjoy the story. Thanks for the review!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member Post Author wrote on 08/26/2018 at 02:49pm

You’re welcome Greg! Batman is also my favorite comic book hero while Marvel is my favorite universe, so we are in the same boat.

I have only played some of the earlier Telltale adventure games and those were more traditional adventure games. Sounds like they might have moved more towards this “interactive graphic novel” approach over the years. I am not sure how I feel about this. Part of me feels that this will drive gamers away, but part of me thinks it might make the games more accessible to people that don’t traditionally play video games. What are your thoughts?

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 08/26/2018 at 06:32pm

That's funny we're in the same boat.

It seems that these games are more for story telling rather than the kind of story telling we're used to with other games. I can agree this "might make the games more accessible to people that don’t traditionally play video games." It's an interesting concept, but I'm not sure that it really appeals to those of us who are used to playing video games. Although the story of JP was interesting, the game was a disappointment to me because I was expecting a traditional game.

It would be interesting to see what others here think about these kind of games.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 08/27/2018 at 02:00pm

I've not played a Telltale game at all, but I'm intrigued by them. It does seem like one needs to expect a Choose Your Own Adventure style (I personally shudder when I hear "quick time event," but CYOA is the same thing, but rebranded in my mind lol) to enjoy them, but, as an interactive story, and not a "video game," this seems like it would be pretty entertaining.

If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.

Want To Know More About The History of The BBS and Cheerful Ghost Games?

Download this podcast.

Game Dev's Quest is a cool local Oregon Podcast about game development and I was part of their most recent show. In this episode I talked about my history of BBS's and the launch of our new games BBS. If you wanted a deep dive of the games we launched and my absolute love for the retro days of BBS past this is a must listen! I've embedded the audio podcast above but I recommend heading over to Airpodcast to listen below or, even better, subscribing to Game Dev's Quest on the Podcast client of your choice.

"Jon Dodson is back to talk about launching the Cheerful Ghost BBS! We discuss what a Bulletin Board System is, its history, and why we are still interested in them... Read All