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Candy Box and Candy Box 2 Double Review: a Real Sugar High

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.

Candy Box is a tricky game to explain. Jon told me about it. the other day and I tried it out, and I was initially very confused. It's a candy counter that constantly goes up right? And you can either eat or throw the candy? That's all? What's the big deal? But you realize something else is behind the initial facade when a merchant (who looks like the fourth Doctor in ASCII) shows up to sell you things. The game does not tell you what you can do, and the merchant is no different. You don't have the option to buy things until you have the candy for it. But when you buy a wooden sword, you get your first glimpse into this game's surprisingly complex mechanics.

I don't... Read All Candy Box is a tricky game to explain. Jon told me about it. the other day and I tried it out, and I was initially very confused. It's a candy counter that constantly goes up right? And you can either eat or throw the candy? That's all? What's the big deal? But you realize something else is behind the initial facade when a merchant (who looks like the fourth Doctor in ASCII) shows up to sell you things. The game does not tell you what you can do, and the merchant is no different. You don't have the option to buy things until you have the candy for it. But when you buy a wooden sword, you get your first glimpse into this game's surprisingly complex mechanics.

I don't want to give too much away, because the discovery of what the game is all about is part of the fun. But in brief, Candy Box is an RPG/Adventure style game. Candies and lollipops are your currency, which you use to buy things for quests. But on top of that you're managing your income of candies and lollipops like you might in a Cookie Clicker style game, only in Candy Box you don't have to keep clicking. Part of the game is idling, especially at first, so it's a good game to kinda keep open and flip back to every hour or so.

Candy Box 2 is more of the same, but things are balanced better, and the gameplay has way more depth. Definitely play the first one before you play the second one. Again, I don't want to say much about the changes in the sequel because so much of the fun is in discovering what you can do.

I found myself wholly engrossed by these games. They aren't super long, you can complete both in the span of a couple of days, but a significant chunk of that is idling while waiting for your candy/lollipops to build up. But there are multiple wikis, walkthroughs, and Youtube let's-plays of it. There are arguments over the best strategies for accomplishing certain tasks. The game is written in javascript, and there are a few instances where it really seems like the developer expects you to cheat by using your browsers developer console to find the right values for something (but you don't have to).

There's so much depth here that a review can't, and shouldn't, show. This review is short, intentionally, because going into too many specifics would ruin it (I may have already said too much), and it's an ASCII based game so a lot of things reviews normally talk about (environment, graphics, sound, controls) don't really apply here. It's stick figures and buttons and a strange, compelling, satisfying gameplay loop.

If you haven't played these games, you need to play them right now!

And you can play them right here:
https://cheerfulghost.com/games/candybox
https://cheerfulghost.com/games/candybox2

Valve's Artifact Card Game Coming November 28th!

Since Valve talked about launching a new card game and that it wouldn't be free to play i've wondered how much it would be? Not only has Valve dropped the Artifact launch date of November 28th but also more information on how much Artifact will cost. You can buy two starting decks of 54 cards + 10 boosters for $20. Looks like each booster contains 12 cards and each booster costs $2. The base Artifact set will have about 280 cards so it would take a bit to get each card by opening packs but the good news is you can buy the rest of the cards straight up on the Steam store from other players selling them. Looks like Valve is implementing the same model you can use to... Read All

Hearthstone Boomsday Project Launches August 7th!

Hearthstones new expansion The Boomsday Project launches August 7th and if you sign on around that time you can grab three free packs and a expansion Legendary. The Boomsday Project is also launching single player puzzle content later in the month and if you check that out you will get 3 more free packs. I like the idea of splitting up the release in two chunks over the month and it's always cool to get a few free packs.

You playing The Boomsday Project when it launches?

"For a limited time after The Boomsday Project starts on August 7, log in to claim 3 card packs and a random Class Legendary minion (or Hero card)—both from the new expansion—for free!

Get 3 more The... Read All

Metal Jesus reviews a new Composite/Component/SVideo to HDMI converter

Metal Jesus posted a review of the RetroTINK 2x today on his youtube channel. This little device will take Composite/Component/SVideo input along with audio and convert it to 480p and output it over HDMI. All for $100. Compared to the framemeister and OSSC, this seems like it is a good affordable solution to get your old consoles up and running on modern TVs. To me it also seems easier to use, which is a bonus. I ended up pre-ordering one of these after watching Metal Jesus's review of it. What do you all think?

You Are Wrong About Skyrim Ports!

This might be the best episode of Ports Center i've seen. Ben starts things off talking about Skyrim and the ports to various systems and how the gaming community has looked at that. It's becoming a kind of meme that Skyrim will be eventually be ported to anything and that joke hit peak hilarity when Bethesda ported Skyrim to the Amazon Echo.

I don't want to spoil the video but it's a much watch and Ben brings it around for a solid conclusion while drawing parallels to fan reactions to The Last Jedi, a topic we've talked about quite a bit.

SuperHyperCube Behind The Scenes - I Still <3 FEZ

SuperHyperCube is a retro VR game that mixes up Tetris with a stylized sort of "tron-like" vibe. Created as a collaboration between Kokoromi & Polytron SuperHyperCube was initially released on Playstation VR and then later Steam VR. At the moment I don't own any VR gear nor am part of the overall VR movement. I think it's an interesting space to be in and I was able to play SuperHyperCube in a Sony store and thought it was one of the most fun VR experiences i've had. All that to say, the behind the scenes doc included above features one of the game developers Phil Fish who has a long and complicated career in gaming. He was the designer of FEZ, which I find to be... Read All

A Clever Title For Summer Games Done Quick 2018 Wrap Up III

How about another wrap up of some of the great speedruns from Summer Games Done Quick 2018? Yep, let's do it.

Pokemon Blue/Yellow 2 Games 1 Controller by MeGotsThis in 2:58:36 Two Pokemon games at the same time? These kinds of double speedruns are fun to experience along with the cleverness of the runners on such classic games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AsZf3JnCIg

Kirby's Adventure by swordsmankirby in 49:06 This Kirby run by swordsmankirby is one of the reasons why we're reviewing Kirby's Adventure for this months Cheerful Ghost Games club. The early Kirby games aren't very hard but the skill shown on this run by swordsman is impressive.

... Read All

Minecraft The Essential Guide Book 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.

As Minecraft is now one of the most influental and popular games of the last decade it made sense that someone would make a book about it. In fact a ton of books have been written about Minecraft but the one that I saw sold in stores and advertised the most is Scholastic's 2014 "Minecraft The Essential Guide." It's priced right for it's audience and at $7.99 it's an impulse buy for anyone curious about what the game is. So many copies of this book have been sold that I found it used at a second hand thrift store for $3. Since I own a few video game guides and this one is the right kind of pocket sized hardback in great condition, purchasing it seemed like the right... Read All As Minecraft is now one of the most influental and popular games of the last decade it made sense that someone would make a book about it. In fact a ton of books have been written about Minecraft but the one that I saw sold in stores and advertised the most is Scholastic's 2014 "Minecraft The Essential Guide." It's priced right for it's audience and at $7.99 it's an impulse buy for anyone curious about what the game is. So many copies of this book have been sold that I found it used at a second hand thrift store for $3. Since I own a few video game guides and this one is the right kind of pocket sized hardback in great condition, purchasing it seemed like the right thing to do.

If you've played Minecraft for a while now nothing in this book will be new to you. In fact, it's already aged as there are things in Minecraft the guide doesn't cover. That said, if you like collecting stuff about the games you love then this will be a fun romp through the high points of Minecraft. The book has a brief history of Minecraft and contains a really good primer on how to get in and play the game quickly. It even features sections by Paul Soares Jr, Notch and Jeb that really light up the book with a bigger context to the history of the game and some of it's biggest players. For Mincrafters like me that haven't memorized every recipe, it's nice to have this guide tell you but obviously an Internet search could yield the same result. Still, it's nice to have it all in this little book and if the Internet goes out and you HAVE to play Minecraft and need to craft a bucket this is a nice option.

This book is so well put together that it feels like Minecraft from the header fonts it uses that mirror the base game to how the pages are laid out. It really feels like a Minecraft field guide that you'd want if you were inside the game and I bet the kids that got this as a present loved it. The practical tips it gives are also spot on and one specifically from Paul Soares Jr. about building a house and putting a light on top of it you can see from a distance to not lose your house are super helpful.

If you love Minecraft or want to get a fun gift for someone this book hits the sweet spot at $7.99. But if you don't like Minecraft or the thought of owning some dead trees turned into a physical book isn't your thing, skip it.

Digital Foundry Takes A Peek at No Man's Sky on XBox One In 4K

If you were wondering how No Man's Sky faired on the XBox One Digital Foundry has an incredible(as always) analysis. The video even goes over the new stuff to No Man's Sky as well as a bit of a retrospective on the game at launch. Looks like XBox One X users are in for a special 4K treat even if the framerate isn't always as consistent. Still the game looks amazing at those frames and someone you might want to look into if you an ultra fan of the game.

Leia Will Be Back For Star Wars Episode IX

Some big Star Wars Episode IX news dropped today that I wanted to share with you all. Not only is Luke Skywalker coming back for Episode IX but so will the entire principal cast of the The Last Jedi including Lando Calrissian! Wasn't sure if they'd bring Lando back but it was confirmed along with some awesome news on how they plan on including Carrie Fisher from the director of Episode IX J.J. Abrams:

"Finding a truly satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga without her eluded us. We were never going to recast, or use a CG character. With the support and blessing from her daughter, Billie, we have found a way to honor Carrie's legacy and role as Leia in Episode IX... Read All

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 07/28/2018 at 04:27pm

I really hope this goes well!

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 07/28/2018 at 04:28pm

I could see it becoming another Superman's Lip if not done well

Travis Admin wrote on 07/28/2018 at 05:35pm

Yeah that's interesting. I'm glad they've found a way to do this and make it work. December 2019 is too far away!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/28/2018 at 07:41pm

Yeah, I could see them making her say things maybe she didn't to make it work based on past footage. Some Marvel movies got it fairly right in Civil War and Guardians 2. Hopefully they will have enough time to sort it out properly.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 07/30/2018 at 04:16pm

> Yeah, I could see them making her say things maybe she didn't to make it work based on past footage. Some Marvel movies got it fairly right in Civil War and Guardians 2.

There was past footage in Civil War and Guardians 2?

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