Stage-Select-Start

http://stageselectstart.blogspot.com/ 

As of 7/1/2015 the Two Boys and their Blog Team,  Jaconian, Conklederp and DRoBOTTS have moved to Stage-Select-Start.  Please follow the link to read the latest.  

Moving on

D: Hello everyone out there in cyberspace!  We have an important announcement.  Starting this coming month, we will be re-branding and moving the site, to our new space over at http://stageselectstart.blogspot.com/ .  We have toyed with the idea of changing the name over the last 3 years, and now we are finally doing it.  Two Boys and Their Blog was a good name, and it got us to start writing and publishing our thoughts on the internet, and appropriately evoked our shared sense of nostalgia for the video games of our childhood.  However, the name also tended to evoke inappropriate sentiments, and people in my personal life would often twist their faces in incredulity when saying the name.  Okay, I get it.  

J: True.  Every couple of days or so I look at our stats for the page here to see how people found us and what they were searching for.  It would happen about once a month (roughly) that someone would find us looking for a type of porn they wanted to gaze upon.  I would chuckle to myself.  It probably also didn't help that we briefly talked about the SNK/Neo-Geo arcade game Crossed Swords.

D: We're not planning to change the content or anything.  It's still what you'd call a 'nerd culture' blog, or... what I just called that.  

J:  Yeah, I don't see the way we do things changing much at all when we move over to "Stage Select Start" and we'll still have a lot of the same columns that we're (semi)-consistently doing here: MIDI Week Singles, Stage Level Start, Game Scores, Emulator Hour, Monthly Update, Full Review, et cetera.  It's just going to be the same thing with a different name that I think DRoBOTTS and I are more at ease with speaking in mixed company and to our respective families.

D: So, if you are here, reading this, please head over to StageSelectStart and have a read!

Two Boys and Their Blog,  April 2012 - June 2015 and beyond!

http://stageselectstart.blogspot.com/ 

Success! A tale of trouble shooting.

Dear God, I just fixed a computer problem that was making me literally angry with rage.  For the last couple weeks, I was having a devil of a time connecting my laptop to my TV through my HDMI cable.  To make matters worse, I began to further lose display functionality as I struggled with the problem.  I was trapped in hd quicksand, and it really pissed me off!  However, I'm happy to say that having solved this problem, my satisfaction is all the greater for having endured such frustration.  Continue reading for the longer tale.

Part of the reason I'm writing about this is to add one more location on the internet where this problem arises.  I clicked on so many links and shuffled so many different search terms, only to find an obnoxious pie of obvious solutions I'd already tried, less obvious solutions I'd already tried, tough solutions I wasn't prepared to try (I won't change my registry key lightly) and irrelevant posts that didn't match my search terms.  Over and over again, I searched and skimmed and read.  Finally, for whatever reason, I noticed I was getting more interesting search results on my break at work, so I decided to start copying and pasting links for myself to try at home.  Ultimately, it was this post that helped me solve my problem:

http://superuser.com/questions/552269/use-this-device-as-the-primary-monitor-is-now-greyed-out

My problem was quirky, for sure.  The simplest description is that I couldn't get my laptop to connect to my TV via my brand-new HDMI cable.  But that wasn't strictly true.  I could duplicate my display, but I couldn't extend my desktop.  In fact, if I tried to extend my desktop, it would snap back to 1 display and a blank screen.  But to make matters worse, the previous scenario would only work if I started my computer in 'low resolution video mode'  which I accomplished by holding f8 while booting up.*   

The real problem was that, if I didn't use low res video mode, when I plugged in an hdmi cable, the display would turn off completely.  And it wouldn't turn back on until I rebooted the computer.  The HDMI cable didn't even have to be plugged into anything on the other end, but I would have to do a hard reset every.single.time.  

It all started peacefully enough.  When I first plugged my monitor in to my laptop via my brand-new HDMI cable, the screen extended quickly and painlessly.  My new TV even politely informed me that a device had been plugged into the HDMI slot and would I like to enjoy this now?  Yes I would, thank you.  Now I can watch a movie on one screen and casually browse on another.  Or I can play video games on a big screen and seamlessly transition to my small screen between play sessions.  Or I can research the solution to a problem on one screen, and execute the proposed solutions on the other.  I love having two monitors.

I suppose the real cause of my problem could be traced back to hubris.   Or, if I want to be more generous, the dangers of curiosity.  Because, while everything was working well, I was curious about what my new TV monitor was capable of, so naturally I opened my display settings.  My television is a humble 32" 720p LG that I got on clearance at Target.  But, hey, look at that: according to my display settings,  it can be set to a higher resolution.  I can even ask it to go up to 1080.  That seems incongruent, but what the hey?  I'll give it a shot.  

Uh oh.

Screens go black.  Clearly I've pushed this thing beyond its limits.  No matter, I'll just reboot, and reset the resolution back to it's native 720, just as god intended.  Should be simple... (go to top of the page)

I'm glad it's over.    

-D



*I wish I still had the link to the post where a helpful internet citizen provided with the information about low-res video mode (f8).

MIDI Week Singles: "Glider" - Pilotwings Resort (3DS)

"Glider" from Pilotwings Resort on the Nintendo 3DS (2011)
Released: Promotional Release
Composer: Asuka Ito
Developer: Monster Games / Nintendo SPD

Before I picked up the N64 Pilotwings soundtrack, I would have told you that this composition for the 3DS was a great arranged version of that song.  What I was actually hearing was an entirely new song, similar in style and flavor to Dan Hess' compositions from the N64 game, but a new song all together.  And a beautiful, slightly jazzy (Is it jazzy?, I don't actively listen to jazz) song this is too.

This just felt like the right song to go with on an overcast cool (presently 69° F, or 21° C) Portland morning and I'd been wanting to put this song up for a while.  

I find this song to be a great mix of melody, one that you can recall to memory and hum/whistle and calming enough while you try and aim your hang glider towards the next thermal so that you can climb towards the floating landing platform.  If Nintendo wanted to be jerks they could have had someone else compose some raucous tune to keep you on edge or feeling frantic as you circle your way up the thermals.  But no, instead we are given this soothing jazzy (there's that jazz again) little number that I would want pumped in over some sort of speaker device the next (and first) time I go hang gliding.

~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian

I Couldn't Escape the Memory

A Blurb on the Remake of FFVII

The recent announcement of a Final Fantasy VII remake has got me thinking about that classic title.  I have a mixed relationship with Final Fantasy VII.  As Jaconian has said in the past, I think it's one of the most overrated games of all time.  You should read his post on the subject for further thoughts.  However, I have played through the game several times, and when I take a moment to daydream about the games aesthetic, I find myself welling with pleasant nostalgia.  

It's not to say I don't like FFVII -- I do!  Heck, I've revisited it several times throughout the years.  My issue is that, right from the start, it was hailed as the greatest game ever, or the greatest RPG ever or some other expression of the highest possible praise.  And, often enough, this praise game from people who had not played previous iterations of Final Fantasy games. 

At the time of its release, it was the first Final Fantasy on a non-Nintendo System.  I had to buy a Playstation just to play it!  So I was already a little annoyed.  Actually, wait, I was a teenager, so I was actually shocked and betrayed and hurt.  I think I stamped the game as tainted or something, and I became an outspoken Final Fantasy VII critic.  But I do really like it.  

I guess I don't have much to say about the potential remake, except that I really hope for a remake of the Super Nintendo game, FFVI(III) to follow.  Additionally, I want to say that I really like the blocky graphics and rendered backgrounds of the original VII.  I think the characters look like little puppets and are fairly expressive; enough to get the job done.  On the other hand, the soundtrack should be great!

But I get it.  FFVII is the legendary greatest of all games.  Of course this one will get the remake, simply from a business standpoint.  It's not the game that has the most to gain from a remake, but it is the one that is most likely to sell copies.  That's fine.  But I'll cross my fingers for Final Fantasy VI(III)

-D

Nerdy Nit Picks: Wolverine's Height

This was the funnies image of wolverine I could find

First off, I will say – I MUST say, that Hugh Jackman did a great job as Wolverine.  In fact, I’d say the whole cast and crew did a fantastic job with the first X-Men movie.  I did not think it was possible to make a good X-Men movie at the time, and the results far exceeded my expectations.  A lot of that had to do with the depiction of Wolverine, easily the most popular X-Men character, and one of the most popular characters in Comics.  Wolverine was placed at the center of the action, and he was great, just great.  Cigar Smoking, mutton chopped, grumbly a-hole with a ridiculous haircut.   Sweet metal claws and quick to heal.   Yep, that's Wolverine, and he is awesome.  

But they did get one thing wrong.  Hugh Jackman is over 6 feet tall.  Wolverine is like 5’2”.  He’s a short man, not a tall one.  I know this is nitpicking, but I think it really would make a difference.  In general,  It’s not an often-featured element of Wolvie’s character, but I always thought it was an important one.  His rivalry with Cyclops, for example.  Cyclops is the straight-backed, strapping boy-scout.  Wolverine is the hairy, snarling animal; testosterone incarnate.  Really, his height is about his only disadvantage.

Hollywood likes tall male leads, and there are only a handful of successful leading men under 5'8".   Still, I will admit Jackman was probably a better choice that Seth Greene.  So yeah.  Not a huge deal, they did a great job with those first two movies, when the series was still fresh.  But they did miss that one (little) thing.

-D

Things that Kind of Went on at E3: 2015 Re-Edition

I've had this banner-thing lying around since 2013 and I figured that either I used it or throw it in the local incinerator.  If you didn't know, we're all about recycling here up here in the PNW.  I'm not going to bore you with a breakdown of the most interesting games for each system or show you a scientific ranking based on the amount of endothermic radiation tabulated during each presentation.  I will bore you with a generic list of games that caught my attention (based on my own pre-existing personal tastes) while looking over what happened during the last four days from this three day convention of this Electronic Entertainment Exposition for consumers.

ADR1FT: Sounds like Amnesia: The Dark Descent, but in space.  Which I am perfectly okay with.

Attractio: An FPS puzzle platformer that, by description alone, sounds similar to Portal.

Bravely Second: End Layer: The sequel to Bravely: Default, of which I still have yet to play, but the demo kept me entertained.

Catadoomed: An interesting game for Android devices that is available now (I just downloaded it) and it's free, so why not at least try it out.

Dark Souls III: Thanks to Extra Credits' "Side Quest" series, Dark Souls has its proverbial hooks in me once again.

Doom: What made me sad about seeing the gameplay footage, was that I felt that some of the animations would now no longer be a surprise.  For example, I saw the same chainsaw cutting-in-half animation at least twice and thought, "Oh, it's this one again then?"

Dragon Quest Heroes: Apparently there's going to be another Dragon Quest game, although this one's a PS4 exclusive and by the description at box art, looks like Dissidia: Final Fantasy, but with characters, or shall I say, heroes from the various Dragon Quest games.

Dreams: A PS4 exclusive and an interesting concept if done the way I think it should be done.

Earthbound: Beginnings: A Wii U virtual console exclusive of Mother (1989, Famicom), which boggles me a bit as to why it's not coming out for 3DS virtual console either.  Although I never did play Earthbound on the SNES.

The Elder Scrolls: Legends: A free to play TGC from Dire Wolf Studios and published by Bethesda.  I will reserve judgement until after I play, but I probably will play it on PC as the only other mentioned platform will be iOS.

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture: I am still sad that I may never get to play this game (PS4 only), but I've loved what the people at The Chinese Room have done with Dear Esther and Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs.  And EGtoR now has a release date of August 11, 2015.

Fallout 4: I feel caught up in the excitement machine with this game seeing as how I've played on the first Fallout, and not ever to completion.

Fallout Shelter: An iOS game that I may have to have Conklederp download to her iPad.  I like the idea of a micro SimCity-type post-apocalyptic simulator.

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water: Kind of surprised that this is a Nintendo Wii U title with a very Japanese theme.  You use the Wii U pad while exploring/detectivizing a forest where people have been committing suicide.

Final Fantasy VII Remake: Yeah, yeah I know, it's on every other E3 list out there, why shouldn't it be on ours?  What interested me was the mention of changes/additions to the plot.  And even though the trailer says "Play it first on Playstation 4," I feel that that hints to a PC release as well.

Guided Meditation VR: An interesting concept with Oculus Rift support that is ready to play now via the game's website.  

Horizon Zero Dawn: I liked the setting and the idea based on the trailer (post-apocalypse meets The World Without Us meets the Monster Hunter franchise).  The "in-game" sequence got me a little concerned that the unnamed protagonist would actually talk to herself throughout the course of the game; an attempt at co-op play (as in announcer commentary?) in a single player game?  I'm not sure.

King's Quest: Yet another classic game that I have never played any iteration of, but this remake/reboot/update might be either the first I play or I'll go back and dabble in the old ways.

The Last Guardian:  I recall seeing something about this game around the time of PS4 being launched (I lied, it was back in 2011) and it looks like this PS4 exclusive has finally reached a point where it might actually get to be released.  This trailer almost makes me consider buying/acquiring a PS4.

The Legend of Legacy:  Yeah, I'm a sucker for JRPGs.  That's pretty much all I have to say here.

Mad Max: Post-Apocalyptic open world game in the Mad Max universe?  Yeah, I'll play that.

The Manus: A sleeker, sexier (but who are we kidding!?) version of the Power Glove.  Spiffy idea, but I get the feeling that it's a limited market.

Mirror's Edge Catalyst: As long as I don't dread the run-and-gun gauntlet stages and the fighting mechanic has improved (ie: I don't suck using the fighting mechanics designed for the game), I will be very happy.

NieR New Project: Apparently this is a sequel (not officially named) to NieR, and the game looks. . .nice?  I don't know really how else to describe anything about this.  The design and look of the game are pretty much all that is presented in the trailer, and not having played the first game (which will be unconnected to this one), I would have no qualms about starting here, if it is released on PC.

Overkill's The Walking Dead:  The trailer was pretty god damn intense and I'm assuming it was only there to set the mood, considering that this is supposed to be an FPS co-op game (Left 4 Dead in The Walking Dead universe I presume).  Hopefully it's better than the Dixon Brothers Walking Dead game that I never played.

RareReplay: I really love this idea of bundling a bunch (here it's upwards of 30) games from a studio's library, but I will be sad about this because it's an Xbox One exclusive.  Which, probably also means that there will be no Donkey Kong Country included here, but that's only a guess.  And it looks like Goldeneye 007 isn't included either, otherwise, one would assume, that it would have made it into the trailer.

ReCore: About time for another Xbox One exclusive that peaked my interest.

Star Fox Zero:  It's Star Fox and I would probably want to play it if we owned (someone gave us) a Wii U.

Super Mario Maker:  I love the idea of creating your own levels in a Super Mario game, until I immediately remember that general skulldickery will be responsible for the majority of the levels being made.  I can only hope that in order to either submit, publish, or complete making a level, the designer has to be able to make it through their monstrous demonseed creation.  And since it's a Wii U exclusive, I probably won't have to experience said skulldickery.

Tearaway Unfolded: A PS4 only title here that looks like Little Big Planet (same studio) and the trailer did what it was supposed to do.

The Uncertain:  There's a robot wandering around a house in what is described as a post-apocalyptic setting.  Yeah, I'm kind of a sucker.

Unravel: Little Big Planet meets LIMBO meets Yoshi's Wooly World.

Until Dawn: Another PS4 exclusive (bloody 'ell) that looks like Cabin in the Woods with some Tell Tale Games illusion of choice decision making; surveillance monitors and all.

What Remains of Edith Finch:  Yup, you guessed it, PS4 only.  I like the idea of playing as different members of the same family over generations (Eternal Darkness).

Whew!  That was a lot longer than I had initially intended, but there it is.  There were many more games presented in their varying states of completeness, so you're welcome to check out the full list of games at E3 this year.  There were also a handful of games that I was initially interested in until I looked at them beyond their title (World of Final Fantasy, Sea of Thieves, Metroid Prime: Federation Force, The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes, Hyrule Warriors Legends) and then I decided that I wasn't as interested as I was hoping to be, all due to one reason or another (maybe a later post). I'm going to go drink a pot of coffee now.

~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian

 Instrumental

A couple mini reviews for some mini games

Don't Look Back is a cool little poem of a game, by Terry Cavanagh.  I am an unabashed Terry Cavanagh fanboy, and have been so since I first played VVVVVV.  This latest game (latest for me-- Cavanagh produced it in 2009) is a great entry into his body of work.  With just 4 colors, a great soundtrack and basic gameplay, Don't Look Back is a compact little sonnet.  It could have been more, but it didn't have to be.  About twenty minutes in total, I recommend it. 

note:  I originally played the game on my phone, but eventually switched to playing on my computer over at Kongregate.  I just couldn't handle the touch-screen controls.  I need to play my platformers on a proper d-pad.  

Pretentious Game is right up my alley.  You can tell by the title.  The game is reminiscent of Thomas was alone and Starseed Pilgrim.  A game which uses gameplay as a metaphor, and obscure phrases as instructions.  And it features squares as characters. 

I only played the first batch of levels, as I downloaded the free version for Android.  I will probably buy the full version as they don't ask much for it.  Also available to play online at armor games.

-D

P.S.  further miniature games worth noting are:  Today I die, Grow Cube, The Crimson Room and many more.  

MIDI Week Singles: "Forest Theme" - Super Amazing Wagon Adventure (PC)

"Forest Theme" from Super Amazing Wagon Adventure on the PC (2013)

Composer: sparsevector

Soundtrack Released: Self Released

Developer: sparsevector

Publisher: Self Published

Before I wrote up today's article, I don't think I realized that sparsevector Amenábarred (or Rodríguezed too) this video game.  Think what The Men Who Wear Hats did with their Oregon Trail parody, Organ Trail, but instead of the zombie apocalypse, it's about heading out west, to Oregon (I presume since I haven't beaten the game) to strike it rich panning/mining/dynamiting for gold.  So more like Oregon Trail, but with automatic weapons. . .and rabid squirrels. . .and a retaliatory herd of deer. . .and a meteor shower. . .in space.

"Forest Theme" is the beginning song that you will hear every time you start up the game as it's the starting area.  It's that first song that sucks you into the retro-esque-ness of the world.  If you're going to be picky, as I occasionally am, the music here is beyond what you would actually find in the original Oregon Trail game and even possibly the 8-bit NES music processing chip, but the flavor is still there.  Basically it's a catchy little ditty that does its job very well.

And if you liked this one song, then you can hop on over to Mr. vector's bandcamp site and download the album for free (there's even a great rap remix version of the "Desert Theme").

~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian

We'll Be Coming Back Together

Game of E-Thrones 3: The Painting of Coming in Winter

I have no idea what all of that means as a single title.  And just a forewarning, today's post is going to ramble quite a bit.

E3 starts tomorrow (June 16, 2015), which means if you add all the numbers together you get 3 (6+1+6+2+0+1+5=21=2+1=3), which is the number of topics that I will be rambling about today.  So E3.  Going into E3 week this year, all I knew ahead of time was the handful of announcements from Bethesda: Doom, Fallout 4 and Nintendo: Nintendo World Championship 2015.  That's all I knew about before I woke up this morning and since the waking, I read more Bethesda announcements which include an online TCG from Bethesda called The Elder Scrolls: Legends, which people are saying is akin to Blizzard's Hearthstone, of which I know the name and basic mechanic (there are cards used for fighting) and that's about it.

As for other games, there's a gigantic list here that I will be sorting through as the week goes on.

Hopefully there's some word on last years announced Steamboy, but as their site hasn't been updated since last year, I fear that this project may have fallen through; but I can still have hope.

Lastly, I wanted to talk a little bit about Game of Thrones season 5, part in the season finale that aired last night (6/14/15) and part on the whole season.  First off, I am very happy with how the season finale went as far as story, or as some people have commented, the lack of story and/or character arcs.  Yes, I agree that some characters (Sansa) didn't appear to have done much this season aside from going from one not great situation to an exceedingly worse off situation, but I have learned from this show (as well as other long running shows such as LOST and X-Files that character arcs may last multiple seasons and GoT is a fairly massive show with a massive number of characters and giving important and memorable arcs for even half of the characters every season, I feel would not leave time for the other half to have any on screen time.  Sure this would be great and for the show to follow the books more closely, but people age [especially the youngin's (Bran, Arya, Sansa, Rickon, Tommen, Myrcella)] so obviously things have to be cut out, reduced and characters should be doing things more interesting than their respective characters in the books.

That paragraph/semi-rant boils down to, I will reserve judgement on characters, their motivations, their arcs until the end of the show.  Now that I think about it, I'm sure someone has charted how much time has elapsed during each individual season and the amount of time passed between seasons.  I might just go and look that up.  

And again, I was happy with season 5 as a whole and I look forward to nine months from now when I can binge watch the season all over again, then again with all of the commentaries, because that's the way I like my cake.

Additionally, fan theories (regarding both the books and the TV show) about characters and how people think they should be connected make me almost irrationally irritated.  I always bring it back to fan theories/demand about Will Turner's father in Pirates of the Caribbean. I could lead myself into a long rant that won't get me anywhere except just more worked up and annoyed, so I will stop myself here.

And since we agreed on three topics earlier today, with any luck, I'm going to start painting some Reaper Bones this week for our D&D group.  It's been almost 4 years since I've pointed a paintbrush at some minis, but it's time I got back into the habit.  And with eight minis to paint (and then some), I think I'll have full for the remainder of the week.

~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian

Et ca me fait quelque chose.

TV Review: Farscape - season 1

Want some more Star Wars in your Star Trek?  Then Farscape is the show for you.  I'm assuming you not have already watched it, given it began its four-year run in 1999.  

Farscape is an Australian/American production from the Jim Henson company.  It may be worth noting that Brian Henson, son of legendary puppeteer Jim Henson, is the co-producer of the show.  Farscape features a wide array of creative alien muppets, two of which are show regulars.  It took me a little while to get used to the puppetry, but now I can't imagine the show without them.   Additionally, Farscape features a great cast of unknown actors and some imaginative writing.

I'd classify the title as science-fantasy, rather than science fiction, but in the first season, the writers do play around with some great sci-fi concepts like time loops and multiple dimensions not to mention Moya, the living starship which is the primary setting for the action.  The episodes that drew me in were more abstract and science fiction based, but as the show progressed, I grew to love the characters and be invested in them, Moya included.  I suppose it's worth comparing the show to other shows like Firefly or Cowboy Bebop, in that Farscape is heavily character-driven, and the characters are all good-hearted outlaws.  

I'd say my favorite characters at this time are Aeryn-Sun, the Peacekeeper and D'Argo, the Luxan.  When I first saw D'Argo, I have to admit that I thought he was just some kind of knock-off Klingon.  But even if that is what he were, he is still an excellent character, and well performed.  D'Argo is a Warrior, but he is also a deeply caring person.  Aeryn is a military grunt who shows signs of character growth that are intriguing.  Because she lived a highly regimented life, being an outlaw makes for a tough transition.    

From what I've heard, this show gets even better as it progresses, though I have really enjoyed it in the first season.  It's a science fiction show with a lot of heart, that's not afraid to get weird.  I recommend it to any fans of science fiction television looking for a new/old show to watch.

-D

Misc Link Post

Calvin and Hobbes

Every so often, I will stumble onto a tribute to Calvin and Hobbes and they are almost always a great read.  This latest one from the AV club is such a one.  While I will always have a certain association with Garfield the Cat, Calvin and Hobbes is, in my opinion,  far and away the best daily comic strip every published.  After reading this article, I thought:  wouldn't it be cool if Bill Watterson quietly released a book of Susie Derkins comics?

Ricky does great fan art but lots of original material as well

Mr. Revenge

While I’m on the subject of comic strips, I’d like to mention that an old friend of mine has started selling his art.  I first met Ricky working at a Movie Theater when I was 19, and he was a fantastic artist even then.  He has since developed his abilities further, and is really one excellent illustrator.  Check out his stuff on deviant art as Mr. Revenge, or look him up on facebook under Ricky Romero.

Tetris

I found a note I made to myself at one of my recent jobs as an Executive Assistant.  It says: "It's not like Tetris per se, It's like two games of tetris at once, and they speed up and slow down erratically."  This was my attempt to describe my job working for two different executives and managing their calendars and travel plans.  I actually think it might be really fun to play two different tetris games at once.  To that end, I decided to look for one, and I found an exhaustive list of Tetris Variants, including one interesting website:  chesstris.

-Dcom

MIDI Week Singles: "Filmoa" - ActRaiser (SNES)

First off, how the hell have we not done any music from ActRaiser!?  That is now changing!

"Filmoa" from ActRaiser on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1991)

Composer: Yuzo Koshiro

Released By: G.M.O. Records ALCA-105

Developer: Quintet (Now part of Square Enix)

There are so many amazing tracks from the ActRaiser soundtrack that I should probably just do a Game Scores article. . . I will do a Game Scores article about the music from ActRaiser.  But today, I am going to highlight the music from the first action sequence in the game, the forest stage in Filmoa.  I remember thinking when I first played this stage the the music reminded me of music that I was like to find in a Castlevania game, which is never a bad thing when it come to comparisons.  Even just listening to the music makes me wonder why I'm not playing the game right now.

What's interesting to me about "Filmoa," is that it doesn't scream "YOU'RE IN A FOREST OF DEMONS!"  All the music tells me is that this game is going to be exciting and there will be some amazing music the accompany you along the way.  "Filmoa" is like the opening track on an album, put there up front to hook the audience, meanwhile wondering if this song is going to be the only good thing on the whole album.  Then you remember the title track (to be covered in the upcoming Games Scores article) and you feel reassured.  Or maybe you don't.  The point is, I love this song which is why I'm sharing it with y'all today.

~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian

Schlaflos , rastlos, such ich. . .

Monthly Update - Winnie June 2015

Monthly Update

Hoo boy, I am slacking in the blogging department.  In my defense, things really have been busy lately.  I’ve got plans every weekend in June, through the first weekend of July.  This last weekend, I was busy all day Friday, Saturday and most of Sunday.  My time management just hasn’t caught up to my newfound busy status.  

The most important thing to happen in my life was that I became an Uncle!  My older sister Emz had a baby, a tiny and beautiful girl named Winnie June.  Unfortunately, she lives thousands of miles away, so I am unable to visit her at this time, but it's the thing I want to do most.  It will happen eventually.  For now, I’m just glad my niece is here, and I am happy to let the new parents have some time with her on their own.

On the gaming front, Jane and I have continued to progress through the Blackwell series.  So far, we both really like it.  We’re about halfway through the third game in the series, Blackwell Convergence.  With every episode, the production value improves, and by now we’ve got better acting, writing and graphics.  Not to mention that the plot is contiguous and it is growing more intriguing with every release.  So far this one is the best yet, and I hear really good things about the next game in the series.

On the Television front, I started watching Farscape.  Only fifteen years late.  The show was put on by Jim Henson productions and it shows in the many imaginative alien designs and puppetry.  So far I'm enjoying the show, and I hear it gets better as it goes on.  

I think I’m going to keep this one short, but I’ll have more in the near future.

-D

MIDI Week Singles: "Haters Gonna Hate" - Tiny Barbarian DX: The Serpent Lord

"Haters Gonna Hate" from Tiny Barbarian DX: The Serpent Lord on the PC (2013)
Released on BandCamp
Composer: Jeff Ball
Developers: StarQuail Games

And yet another game that I have yet to play purchased from Humble Flash Bundle: Modern Retro.  I was actually on the fence about buying this particular bundle until I watched the video and heard the music from Super Amazing Wagon Adventure and Tiny Barbarian DX: The Serpent Lord.  While the concept of SAWA was influential in and of itself, it was the clip of music from TBDX:TSL that really made me cough up whatever amount I decided to fork over that was over the average amount to get everything from this bundle.

"Haters Gonna Hate" makes me think of Souleye's music from VVVVVV, but with a blood dripping claymore in one hand, the skull of a fallen foe in the other while charging down a hill of bones towards a scantily clad virgin on a stonehenge-esque altar who is about to be sacrificed to the evil Serpent Lord.  There's a little more light hearted aggression here, which is perfect for the type of game that TBDX:TSL looks to be.  I am only a little afraid of finding out that I am in fact terrible at the game and the only enjoyment I am able to extract is this great song from a equally great soundtrack.  And really, that wouldn't be too terrible of a thing.

~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
A Magic Missile Shoots and Fireball Explodes

Monthly Update: June, 2015

Happy June everyone!  Unless June is an unhappy month for you, so in that case, "HAPPY JUNE EVERYONE ELSE!  And you too."

So updates from our gaming worlds it is now that we're on to talking about.

Within the realm of Dungeons & Dragons, I've come to the realization that I need to work on describing environments that the PCs are in when there are no descriptions prewritten from the module.  Sure I've got maps and whatnot, but for when the PCs are traversing along a well traveled road from morning to night through the grasslands of Faerûn, I need to do more than say "After you wake up, you continue traveling south along the road.  (Sound of a die rolling). . .The weather throughout the day is fairly windy and (die rolling). . . is uneventful.  You make it to about. . .here on the map by nightfall."  I also need to do a better job at describing enemies rather than by their name.  "A twig blight scuttles out of the bushes and goes after Dagnar."  I also feel that I should have a random name generator up because the few people that I've given names too have been "Joe" and "Bobby."

But Conklederp reminds me that people keep coming back so I must not be doing that bad of a job DMing descriptions.

I managed to finish Silent Hill on the PSP late last month.  It was about as stressful as I was expecting and after just over nine hours, I was able to see the fruits of my fingering labors.  There will be an article later in the week or the beginning of next week, somewhat akin to the Dead Space articles about my experience with the game rather than directly about the game.  It did come out 16 years ago after all.

I've also managed to progress a bit in Radiant Historia on the 3DS although I still find that I'm overthinking things as far as time travel and parallel universes.

In the PC gaming arena, Conklederp and I have been playing the proverbial fecal matter out of The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited.  Last week alone we clocked in around 17+ hours traversing the vast swaths of High Rock and portions of Hammerfell.  I don't know if we will keep pace this week as I have a lot of real world work I have to finish.

Lastly, there are going to be some changes coming up this month that DRoBOTTS and I have been working on for just about the last month.  We're both happy to see this happen (no we're not monetizing and no we were not bought out for 4.7 million after a tense bidding war between PC Gamer and Gamespot), so stay tuned for more vague updates.  I'm sure you'll enjoy our cryptic ramblings as much as we've had creating them.



~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
I Oughta Get Going

MIDI Week Singles: 'Opening Menu' - Blackwell Legacy (PC)

"Opening Meu" from Blackwell Legacy for PC (2006)

Composed By: Peter Gresser

Released By: Something Else Works

Developer: Wadjet Eye Games

Hey, why not?  Trifecta on Blackwell Legacy.  The opening track is pretty good, slow, spooky piano melody layered with even slower, spookier cello.  The timing is off, which makes it work.  It all adds up to a pretty solid spooky track.  Which I suppose is appropriate in a game about ghosts.

-D

The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited: A Co-op Experience

Yes, I have previously reviewed The Elder Scrolls Online before, but that was back in the days of yesteryear.  In the days before the Zenimax/Bethesda changed the pay structure from a monthly fee to a pay once to play with no subscription fee.  This was also my first real foray back into the game since I ended my subscription back in June 2014 due to the omnipresent "lack of funds" despite the game becoming subscription free back in March.

But now Conklederp's computer (from 2007) has been replaced and it is capable of running TESO:TU so we finally have been able to, more or less, play Skyrim together.  The first night we put in an hour and-a-half, followed by five and-a-half hours the following day and a few minutes ago (before going back to work), we adventured for about an hour.

Having already played 100 hours with my main character (Nord Dragonknight, Ebonheart Pact) and 13 hours with my secondary character (Bosmer Nightblade, Aldmeri Dominion), For my co-op playing, I created an Aldmeri Sorcerer as part of the Daggerfall Covenant to go with Conklederp's Breton Sorcerer.  Sure, a lot of people will tell you that it's probably not wise to group together with only two sorcerers, but we're not looking to become the Emperor as part of the siege in Cyrodiil, we're just running around exploring, doing quests and trying not to die/be killed/die.

These two are totally trustworthy. . .

Having come from a severely limited background in online gaming (Diablo II, Path of Exile), the experience of questing with someone else (along with umteen thousands of others in the background) has definitely been an experience (we're currently both level 7, as long as we're talking about experience).  The little arrow/crown above the other person's head is a nice touch, which is still visible when looking at the map screen, so finding the other person isn't too difficult.  Dealing with lag on the other had can be frustrating.

This is something that I did experience when I was playing solo, but presently, both Conklederp and I experience some-type of lag somewhat regularly, especially in towns and waiting for dialogue options to crop up.  Exiting out of conversations is always doable, which is sometimes the only way to progress with a quest when we find ourselves unable to continue with a conversation after incessant clicking.  The only other frustrating experience I have had is that I have been kicked off of the server (so out of the game) due to "Error 318."

What is funny/odd/weird about this error popping up, is that the only person I talk to is Conklederp, and since she is sitting right across the table from me, there is really no reason to talk to her in chat when I can just use my mouth hole and throat tube to verbalize what it is that I want to tell her.  Sure, I will often have my character play the lute, do pushups or just sit on the ground while I wait for her to find me or if I wait for her outside of the bank/smithing shop.  And this has now happened four separate times (three yesterday and this afternoon.  Thankfully Bethesda is aware that Error 318 is happening to people like me who have been kicked out.  So all I can really do is every time I have been dropped is to log back in, submit a bug report (/bug) using the chat window and let them know about what I was doing at the time.  I should also note that this has not happened to Conklederp.

Well, when I am not getting dropped from the server, I am approaching my sorcerer from the point of view that my character is fawning over Conklederp's character.  He wants to protect her even though she is a fully capable mage.  He hopes that one day she may fall in love with him, but in the meantime, it's questing time.  I have him wearing a combination of heavy and medium armors (what with trying to be a protector and all) and I have been switching back and forth using either the Destruction Staff and the Bow.  Not having played a magick-type before in any of The Elder Scrolls games, this a quite a departure for me, but for the time being I am quite enjoying the game so far.  I should also say that neither Conklederp or I are paying attention to any of the many guides for how to build the best possible class if you want to enjoy the game.  I guess then we will not be enjoying the game together, to the best of our ability.  N00bs are we!

So, taking TESO:TU, for what it is, I think that I would recommend the game, if Dr. Potts and I were ones to actively recommend games in the fashion that one tends to recommend games.  If the recommendation comes in the form of, "Yes, I will still be playing this game today and tomorrow with Conklederp," then that's exactly what it is.

~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian

Move Your Legs To Dance A Soldier Dance