Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

Nintendo Labo Brings Cardboard Crafting to the Switch

Nintendo announced Nintendo Labo today which looks to be a game that merges hobbyist DiY crafting and the Nintendo Switch. It's a really interesting concept and the trailer shows off some of the fun things you can do with Labo. Many people are jumping into the maker communities creating mini computers that do certain tasks and it seems like Labo is on the edge of that with some of the silly peripherals of the Wii era. Want to make a remote controlled device with your joy-cons that uses the rumble to move? Check. Want to build a cardboard fishing pole to catch something? Check. Want to build a full robot suit to fight other robots? Check.

I could see Labo going pretty... Read All

NES Remix, Link Between Worlds & Super Mario 3D Land 3DS Coming To Nintendo Selects!

Nintendo is continuing to support the 3DS by adding 3 games to the Nintendo Selects program. Nintendo Selects is cool system where Nintendo takes the most popular games and re-releases them in a new selects package for $20. The new games coming to selects are Super Mario 3D Land, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Ultimate NES Remix. These are all really highly rated games and if you wanted to add a couple games to your 3DS library sticking to the existing selects releases and these new ones isn't a bad way to go.

Nintendo Selects is a program for the 3DS and Wii U and hopefully over time becomes something Nintendo brings to the Switch!

... Read All

So You Want To Make Games For The NES?

Back this on Kickstarter!

If you've ever had a dream to make a game that runs on the original Nintendo Entertainment System there is a new project on Kickstarter you need to check out! NESmaker looks to streamline the process of creating new Nintendo games by providing useful software tools to allow you to make NES games easier. NESmaker was born out of a project a couple friends had to make an NES game from scratch and grew into this Kickstarter project. Even if you're not interested in making NES games the Kickstarter video is worth watching featuring a fun 80's premise.

"NESmaker is a software tool for creating brand new, hardware playable, cartridge based games for the Nintendo... Read All

Civilization VI Review

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

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

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

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

Review

Recommended

Awesome turn-based strategy civilization builder with some combat

Has tutorial and demo

Multiple ways to win a game

Each game can last for hours

Great replayability

After almost 200 hours of Civ6, I find it a good time to write more about the game. Basically, Sid Meier’s Civilization is a turn based strategy game. It’s not completely focused on combat, it’s more about growing a civilization. I don’t really like the combat part of the game, it doesn’t fit my play style and that’s perfectly ok, there are many ways to play. I like to build cities. I’m too busy building districts to worry about units, so my armies are usually very small. Unfortunately... Read All

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 01/12/2018 at 05:03pm

Awesome review! Does Civ 6 still retain AI for the other civilizations, or is it all multiplayer at this point?

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/12/2018 at 09:04pm

Oh yeah, other Civs are AI. I'm sure there is a multiplayer part of it, but I haven't looked into it. @Scrypt decided to buy Civ6, too! :)

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/13/2018 at 02:56pm

Hey Greg. One bit I have with some modern Civ games is that they are a bit complicated to pickup and play. Civilization Revolution really improves this I thought.

Curious how long you think it takes to get familiar with the basic gameplay to be successful at the game?

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/13/2018 at 10:37pm

That is a really good question and I'm not sure I can answer. It took me a while, but I was new to the series, too.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/14/2018 at 05:31am

I haven’t played Civ 6 but Civ 5 was pretty good at the easy to play, hard to master difficulty curve.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 01/15/2018 at 09:43pm

I don't remember which Civilization I played, but it was a really fun game back in the day.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 01/17/2018 at 07:17am

Here's a great new video about the new features in the Rise And Fall expansion, which is coming soon! https://youtu.be/h31myLyc_qk

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DF Retro Explores Out How Spectre & Meltdown Vulnerabilities Slow Down Your PC

DF Retro is on the scene with a brand new video that runs benchmarks against PC's before and after the recent Sprectre & Meltdown CPU vulnerability patches. If your not familiar with the recent bugs effecting nearly every computer, I found some great PC World articles that explain the situation pretty well.

"A pair of nasty CPU flaws exposed this week have serious ramifications for home computer users. Meltdown and Spectre let attackers access protected information in your PC’s kernel memory, potentially revealing sensitive details like passwords, cryptographic keys, personal photos and email, or anything else you’ve used on your computer. These are serious flaws.... Read All

Hyperkin is Releasing It's Own Version of The Classic Gameboy!

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--kp-szmGC--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/t2hx9m2xznilspl2qcx3.jpg

Gizmodo is reporting from CES that Hyperkin is showing off prototype for an upcoming Gameboy it will be releasing. From the article:

"The Ultra Game Boy’s housing is made from aluminum, which has a wonderful heft when you pick it up. Your original Game Boy is probably covered in knicks and scratches, but it will take a lot of abuse for Hyperkin’s remake to start showing wear and tear. The Ultra Game Boy carries over the original’s volume and contrast dials, but the final version will include a third dial allowing you to adjust the portable console’s new backlit LCD display through the entire RGB spectrum. That backlight can also be turned off, if you want a truly... Read All

Cheeful Ghostradamus 2018 Gaming Predictions!

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Jb47zFYC-Nw/maxresdefault.jpg

I expect that 2018 will be a great year in gaming but how great will it be? I reached out to people in the Cheerful Ghost community to look into the future to see what awesome stuff might be coming this year. At the end of the year we can come back to this and see how well we did and use creative readings to make us all look way smarter than we actually are!

If you have any other predictions drop them in the comments!

Nintendo Releases Virtual Console for Switch

Will Ball: One person can dream, right? Nintendo will finally release a virtual console for the Switch. It will cover the NES, SNES, all gameboys, N64 and GameCube. This will keep the Switch as the number one... Read All

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 01/10/2018 at 04:31am

I am missing out on those cup of noodles.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 01/10/2018 at 06:57am

There's nothin' else like 'em. They're easy to make whenever you've got a craving and their delicious to boot.

I'll never forget my first time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kKfjaT1ZQM&feature=youtu.be&t=10s

Travis Admin wrote on 01/10/2018 at 06:04pm

That's some intense product placement.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 01/10/2018 at 10:24pm

You can also download a cup noodles hat for the main character. :P

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 01/10/2018 at 10:36pm

Is the hat just a cup turned upside down?

Timogorgon Member wrote on 01/10/2018 at 11:26pm

The answer is actually somehow weirder: https://imgur.com/a/fk9Bf

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/11/2018 at 03:18am

That's so serious for something so silly. It doesn't seem like they are actually hamming it up but it's so bad...

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 01/11/2018 at 04:24am

Timogorgon: that is scary.

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Chrono Trigger. It's About Time.

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.

When the Super Nintendo Classic released last year one game people thought was missing was Square's classic RPG Chrono Trigger. I agree with that thought but the SNES Classic's inclusion of Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy VI, Earthbound and Super Mario RPG really give the SNES Classic the best of breed RPG's of that generation. All that said, Chrono Trigger is one of those games I missed playing as it came out later in the Super Nintendo's lifecycle. I put it on my list of games to play in 2018 and recently started it and I'm going to write about how that's going from time to time until I beat it.

"A chance encounter amid the festivities of Guardia's Millennial Fair in... Read All When the Super Nintendo Classic released last year one game people thought was missing was Square's classic RPG Chrono Trigger. I agree with that thought but the SNES Classic's inclusion of Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy VI, Earthbound and Super Mario RPG really give the SNES Classic the best of breed RPG's of that generation. All that said, Chrono Trigger is one of those games I missed playing as it came out later in the Super Nintendo's lifecycle. I put it on my list of games to play in 2018 and recently started it and I'm going to write about how that's going from time to time until I beat it.

"A chance encounter amid the festivities of Guardia's Millennial Fair in Leene Square introduces our young hero, Crono, to a girl by the name of Marle.

Deciding to explore the fair together, the two soon find themselves at an exhibition of the Telepod, the latest invention by Crono's longtime friend Lucca."

After only a couple hours playing Chrono Trigger I understand why this game is one of the most beloved RPG games of the Super Nintendo Era. Released after Secret of Mana and Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger is a game made at the height of "Square in peak RPG creation mode." The game feels like it's a mashup of the best parts of Secret of Mana and the Final Fantasy series that goes an entirely new direction with a fresh world and characters. Chrono Trigger keeps the top down overworld of Final Fantasy VI but goes a bit of a different direction graphically as it's not in the Super Nintendo's mode 7. Chrono Trigger borrows some fighting elements from Secret of Mana but pulls it together in the same turn based battle system from Final Fantasy.

The music from Chrono Trigger was co-written by Nobuo Uematsu who worked on the music for Final Fantasy VI. Just like most other aspects of Chrono Trigger the music feels like a best of breed 16-bit square game but also goes it's own direction as to not be mimicry. In fact i'd say the music really tips the game into something very special and I can see why fans find it so compelling.

So far i've been taking my time moving through the game and talking to people in the world while exploring as much of it I can before moving on. I'm also spending a bit more time level and gold grinding for fun and to be prepared for boss and dungeon encounters. So far it feels like i'm in the intro to the game so nothing is terribly difficult but i'm feeling out the game systems, learning what tech combos to use and the general flow of the battle system.

One cool part about playing Chrono Trigger for the first time in 2018 is that i've never played it before so I am playing it entirely fresh, something I wish I could do with other games like Secret of Mana or Link to the Past. The game holds up very well and at no point during my playthrough so far did the game feel antiquated or boring. In fact, I really understand why people rank this game so high and i'm glad I decided to pick this up when I did. Since Super Nintendo carts of Chrono Trigger sell upwards of $150 I decided to pickup the DS version and i'm playing that on my 3DS. It's a good version that pulls in a newer translation than the SNES version with some extra content but keeps the graphics and music of the original SNES version.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/09/2018 at 06:34am

I got into Chrono Trigger around 2001 or so. I still have the Playstation copy. It's a good game, I enjoyed it. There are a variety of things to do and different endings, I believe.

Travis Admin wrote on 01/09/2018 at 04:22pm

I have that PS version as well. I barely played it at the time, I need to get back to it at some point. I find that I have problems keeping interest older JRPGs that I don’t have a nostalgic connection with, but there are some classics like this that I feel like I’m missing out on because of that.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/09/2018 at 09:24pm

LOL @Travis Chrono Trigger reminds me of our time at RU. I remember playing the game while I was Jake's roommate in Tyler Hall.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/10/2018 at 04:02am

So far the game has been more fun than i'd have thought and the set pieces are really well done. I don't want to spoil anything but there isn't much downtime between really cool stuff that happens, interesting boss fights or story beats that keep you interested in the game. I've been playing it more since I wrote the article and it just keeps going and keeping the game interesting. It feels like a 90's era RPG but doesn't suffer from it at all.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 01/10/2018 at 10:44pm

I played Chrono Trigger back on the SNES when it was pretty brand new, as well as the PS1 re-release and the DS version. If the DS is your first experience with the game then that's actually a really great way to experience it for the first time. It's a great re-release and the added content is all optional/mostly end game stuff that does not affect the original experience. The only changes I can remember outside of the new content was an updated UI to accommodate the two screens on the DS and they added the animated cut scenes from the PS1 version.

Uematsu worked on a few tracks, but most of the music is by Yasunori Mitsuda, who is another phenomenal composer. He most recently contributed a song to Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ignis (one of the DLC).

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/11/2018 at 03:20am

> they added the animated cut scenes from the PS1 version.

Which aren't awesome and sort of break you out of the game in a bad way. So far that's my only complaint and it's something they added to the game when they really didn't need to.

THEY RUINED MY IMMERSION! http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/e8/e85ca29d88d3c26841f5752330123d3a4278828505527d747d80613c957bbb1f.jpg

I also read that they changed Frog's dialect to NOT be as thick which is a bummer because I do remember him having his dialog be a bit more silly than that. I played a handful of hours on the SNES version but I had to give it back to my friend and never spent more than a bit actually playing it.

Bina wrote on 03/12/2018 at 06:39pm

This game is ranked my number 1 favorite of all time. I'm glad you are enjoying it as well. It's got a lot of little bits at the end to keep you hunting.
What's your progress? At this stage in the game, who are you playing with?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/13/2018 at 03:46am

Chrono, Robo and Frog. I really like that combination a lot.

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Donate & Watch Awesome Games Done Quick 2018!

Games Done Quick is a twice yearly charity speedrun that started today and is running 24/7 all week raising money for The Prevent Cancer Foundation. You can watch the event stream linked above all day and night until January 14th!

I watch this event every year and donate because it's so much fun to watch and the charities are well worth supporting. I think we've all known someone with cancer and chipping in a couple bucks can help.

"The Prevent Cancer Foundation is one of the nation’s leading voluntary health organizations and the only U.S. nonprofit focused solely on cancer prevention and early detection. Founded in 1985, it has catapulted cancer prevention to... Read All

Is It Worth It To Update Your Nintendo 64 With HDMI For $400?

The illustrious Metal Jesus has a new video out where he shows off his Nintendo 64 hardware mod that adds HDMI. It's a pretty extensive mod that hacks into the graphic chip of the system and gives it a very clean HD output to modern televisions. Jesus does some side by sides with the composite video and the graphics output looks incredible. Much like many old system HDMI mods this seems to really crisp up those games but with a price tag of $400 I wonder if it's worth it the cost? If you love the Nintendo 64 and play yours a lot it's well worth considering but this price eclipses the cost of a modern console.