Monthly Update: April 2015

Whew!  Actually, I don't know why I said that.  I just finished writing another post for later in this fine month of April.  A few weeks of April are going to consist of long delayed articles about Dead Space that will span everything from before the Aegis VII incident and everything leading up to the events in Dead Space 2.  One of the articles has been sitting on the back burner since late 2013 even, but now I have found the right time to release everything.  Because nothing says April like Easter and Easter is when Jesus rose from the dead, like um, the necromorphs. . .because you know, Unitology is a religion. . . moving on.

Aside from this past week, I actually haven't been able to give a whole lot of time over to playing video games and with this current week coming to a close, 16 units of accounting schoolwork has started up again, so after the first couple of weeks, I will be going back to my sporadic posting schedule.

Conklederp and I did pick up another card game called Gloom, which was recommended to us from one of our friends.  We inadvertently bought the Unwelcome Guests expansion before first acquiring the stand alone game, so now we have more cards than we know what to do with for a game that neither of us have played, but it's a game that can be played with two to five people so I'm sure that Conklederp and I will give it a go before inviting others to join in.

Sadly, Dungeons & Dragons has yet to happen again due to scheduling mishaps, but this is something that tends to happen when you are trying to schedule between six people.  Maybe I should start killing off PCs?  An offering has been sent out so hopefully they will take the bait and by bait I mean invitation.

Lastly, Conklederp and I finally finished in setting up (mostly) our office / retro video game room.  I am still having issues with the SNES as it will display tinted color bars that scroll down the screen indefinitely.  Originally I thought it was due to a 1990 console to a 2011 HD TV, but I still get the color bars on an older tube TV.  The N64 and Game Cube run fine though.  The only N64 game giving me trouble is F-Zero X, which will automatically reset anywhere from three seconds to about two minutes in.  I'll have to look into that.  The point though, is hopefully I'll be putting out some more posts in the coming months looking back at the last 20 years of Nintendo video gaming.

We'll see you later in the month.



~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
Like Anything Was Possible

Pak Watch Deluxe: Point-and-Click Adventure games

This is a Deluxe edition of Pak Watch because it features 4 games instead of my usual one or two.  I recently completed 'Six Days a Sacrifice, and I wanted another taste of the point and click adventure genre.  It appears that this genre is thriving on the internet;  when I started looking, I just kept finding new and interesting information about the genre, least of which is the Adventure Game Studio community.  More on that later, for now, some games:

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Shardlight

Developer:  Ben Chandler and Francisco Gonzales
Publisher:  Dave Gilbert of Wadjet Eye Games

Shardlight is a post-apocalyptic game, that I can find minimal information about, and the same four images over and over again.  But I really like what I see, and I'm very interested to see how it works out.  I love the post-apocalyptic genre, and the 'world of junk and ruin' aesthetic looks solid here.  I can't speak for the story, but here's hoping.  

 ------------------

unprintable MAGENTA
Developer: Fitz
Publisher: (Unknown) 

Another link I got from Indie Game News.  Unprintable Magenta has a strange, low-production visual style that piques my curiosity.  It looks to take place in a modern, superhero setting, and has plenty of room for silliness.  I appreciate that.   

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Thimbleweed Park
Developer: Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick
Publisher: Kickstarter, kind of.  
 
Maniac Mansion is back! Or at least, the creators of that classic game are back, with a very successful kickstarter for a new game called Thimbleweed Park.  Viewing the promo video for said kickstarter, I think we can count on a true retro delight.  There are hilarious referential jokes all throughout the kickstarter page.  Have a look if you have any interest at all. 

--------------------

Project Scissors: Nightcry 
Developer: Hifumi Kono and Takashi Shimizu
Publisher: Playism games

And one more game with celebrity developers: a horror game from the makers of the Clock Tower series and the director of JuOn (the grudge).  That was enough to get my attention.  Then I got scared after viewing some of the images.  Maybe I don't have the guts to play this game.  Do you?

-D

Pak Watch: Tribute

Curses n Chaos - 
Bellwood and the forest of lost souls

I got these really great looking screenshots from my old friend JPBruneau on his tumbler.  This is a game from developer Tribute Games that I can't find any information of apart from the screenshots.  I'd think it was just pixel art if the caption didn't say that they were spending time 'coding this game.'  

I really like the backgrounds, lots of cool layering.  And if you follow the link to more screenshots, take note of the spider repelling down a web, ala Zelda II.  The company website has more info.  This is the company that produced Wizorb, and another game called mercenary kings that I haven't played. 

-------------------------------

Crossing Souls

This is another compelling game I found in an article from the Verge.    This game has animated cinemas in a cartoon style, kids on bikes, 1980s California.  Someone called this game:  'stand by me meets far cry 4.'   I'm not sure about the second half of that statement, but love the first!   I wonder if the Goonies wouldn't have been a more apt comparison.

I definitely have a sweet spot for the 'merry band of adventurer kids' genre.  In video games, Chrono Trigger is a great example, and of course Earthbound.  Strangely enough, this game is being produced by a Spanish Developer called Fourattic (because it is four guys in an attic)  And yet it is a nostalgia game about California in the 1980s.  I don't know how this game will play, but I really like the art and the concept. 

There are only 3 days left on their kickstarter, though they have reached their initial goal. I'm certainly intrigued by this game, and I encourage everyone to give these kids money for that time machine they're building.   

Full Review: Witch and Hero (3DS)

First off, apologies that this article is coming out a few days late.  Things happened in the later half of the week that I hadn't anticipated (nothing bad) and I wasn't able to complete this article on time, or even in a form that I could post on Saturday, which is something that I've done in the past.  So now, here is Friday's post today, on Monday.

Witch and Hero is a game that I first saw back in January when the demo became available in Nintendo's eShop, despite the game having been released since April 2013.  The demo was pretty short, coming in at only 19 minutes, but it did everything a demo is supposed to do.  I was introduced to the concepts of the game and played through the first couple of levels.  I was immediately taken with the "retro" visual and musical style, enough so that a week or two later, I bought the game via Nintendo's eShop.  FK Digital, the company behind Witch and Hero have made a game that's charming, fun and can be played in short bursts when you know you'll only have a few minutes while the Top Ramen noodles boil to perfection.

STORY
You probably shouldn't be expecting much in the way of story from this game, as it is attempting to emulate the JRPGs of the late 1980s (Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy, Ultima: Exodus).  The story is something that you find out before the gameplay begins and it's about as bare bones as an RPG story can be, but it's all done with a sense of humor.  You're told in the intro that the Witch and the Hero go off to kill Medusa, but the witch is turned to stone and the Hero is beaten to a pulp.  The Hero manages to escape with the Witch, but he seeks revenge and must kill Medusa to release the curse on the Witch.  How much more of a story do you need?

GAMEPLAY
The game is pretty basic.  You move the Hero with the joystick.  Your mission/goal is to kill of the hordes of enemies that come at you from all over the screen.  You are to protect the Witch who is sitting stationary in the middle of the screen.  You both have your own health meters and while you regenerate health after you reach 0 HP by lying prone, if the Witch loses all her HP, she crumbles.  You attack enemies by running into them and you damage to each other.  If you attack from behind, you are awarded with a different attack sound, you do more and take less damage than from frontal assaults.

Later in the game when you are able to temporarily bring the Witch back to life (with the blood of your enemies), you can change between two spells she continuously casts with "X" and have her face whichever direction you want her to cast her spells in with the "L & R" shoulder buttons.  Even later, after you find the Holy Sword (of course there has to be a holy sword), you can become super charged and do a lot of damage by charging up a meter that fills as you kill enemies in the stage.

As you go through the stages, you earn both experience points and money.  The experience points raise your level (this is an RPG after all), while the money you use to upgrade your Sword, Shield, Boots (speed) or the Witches Fireball or Storm spell.  I do not know if there is a level cap for experience (I reached level 48), but the equipment and spells max out at level 20.

A lot of the reviews online bring up the repetitive gameplay that makes up the majority of Witch and Hero and I cannot argue at all with this observation.  The game is exceedingly repetitive.  You will often find yourself grinding at the last stage you were able to complete so that you can purchase enough upgrades to get you through the next stage.  If you never played any of the late 80s / early 90s RPGs and were used to grinding levels, then this game probably will become very boring to you very quickly.  What I liked was that I could pick the game up, go through a stage which would take no more than two minutes, maybe raise a level and make enough gold to buy an upgrade or two then put the game back down.

VISUALS

As you can tell, the art style is very similar to something that you would find in the early Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy games.  This is something that really drew me into the game.  Just looking at the world map, I knew what it was that F K Digital was trying to get across to the player.  While there is no exploration of the world and each stage is only a single screen with a graphical style that represents the geographical region/area that you are in, I feel that anything more would have felt out of place.

Even the monsters look like they could be found in Dragon Warrior, although as the game progresses, they look more like early SNES era monsters.  And yes, in classic RPG style, a lot of the monster sprites are reused but given a different pallet, meaning they are stronger.  Little touches like this that harken back to established rules for RPGs are very welcome.


SOUND & MUSIC
I was very pleased with the sound effects in the game.  There was a different tone when you struck an enemy and when you hit them from behind.  It's like the difference between a high five, and one that connects with a satisfying SMACK!  When the Hero gets knocked unconscious, there's a very stereotypical "Wee-wee-wee-woo-woo" sound as you spin away from your last hit and then fall to the ground.  There's even a separate heart crushing sound when the Witch takes too much damage and she crumbles into pieces.  It's a simple sound bite that would be missed if it had not been included.

The music in the game continues to fit with the style set forth by visuals.  During the credits, Sound is credited to PANICPUMPKIN while "Background Chip" is credited to REFMAP.  After some preliminary searching, it appears that PANICPUMPKIN might very well be the composer, but whomever it is that composed the music did a fantastic job.  The overworld and shop themes all sound appropriate for what they are while the battle music is very catchy in the same way that the battle music from Final Fantasy I & II is memorable.  I only wish that I would be able to purchase/acquire the soundtrack.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Witch and Hero is not going to be a game for every person out there.  It is a short game, taking me 5 hours 24 minutes to complete; I reached level 43 and maxed out everything except the Fireball spell.  On one side, I would say that the game is marketed towards those who grew up playing NES era RPGs, but on the other side, it could be aimed at people who are looking for a pick up and play RPG-type game that doesoften  require you to grind for a while just through the next stage.

The only thing that I felt the game lacked was any 3Dness, despite being sold/marketed for the 3DS market.  While any 3D effects would have potentially conflicted with the visual theme, I feel that I would have been a simple endeavor and would have only added to the "charm" factor.  That being said, not have any 3D effects did not in any way detract from the game or my overall feelings towards my enjoyment.

Normally retailing at $3.99, Witch and Hero is currently on sale via the Nintendo eShop for only $2.79 until May 1st (2014).  I find the price to be about right for what the game is, which a single screen combat game stylized after NES era RPGs, and if that's your thing, you will have fun.


~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
With Action Overcomes Death

My Time In Evoland (PC)

Dr. Potts already did a full-on review about Evoland, which you can read here, and I highly recommend it, and not only because we share the same space here in internetland, but because it's a good article.  I however, after only just finishing the game not 10 minutes ago (upon writing this, not publishing today on Monday January 6th, 2014), wanted to give my own thoughts.

I really liked Evoland, although knowing from Dr. Potts that it was a short(ish) game probably helped in the development of my feelings.  By "short," I expected the game to be somewhere between 2-5 hours in length, and it took me about 3.5 hours from start to finish, although some of that time was spent trying to raise levels only to realize that that didn't matter outside of overworld battles.

As the good Doctor stated, I too wish that more time was spent in the 2D pre N64/PS1 era.  There was an area where you reverted back to Legend of Zelda (circa 1985), but that was only after you had been playing in 3D-Land for a while.  One aspect of reverting back to 2D graphics, was that the music also switched back to the classic NES 8-bit tones, but the music itself was the same.  I enjoyed hearing how the layering of instruments changed based on what "era" you were in.

But game length is very important here.  I felt that 3.5 hours was a perfect length of time for what the game was trying to accomplish.  If the game had been longer, I definitely would have felt cheated by how much time was spent in the early 2000's (Final Fantasy IX and beyond).  If the game were to have been twice as long, I feel that more time would have been spent playing as Gameboy Clink, or maybe even started at an earlier point in gaming history, such as with the Atari or the Intellivision.

All of that aside, again, I really enjoyed Evoland.  I feel that I was able to pick up on most of the references to video game history.  Even non-video game history, but general fantasy works, such as including A'Tuin from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.  Other references  include Super Mario Bros., Diablo, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Final Fantasy VII and a whole helluva lot more, which is where I found a lot of the fun with Evoland.  I'm sure/positive that there were references that I didn't get, but I can't/won't mention them because I don't know what they were, hence the not getting the references bit.

It kind of reminded me of the way that "Weird Al" does his parodies.  They are often shorter versions of the original songs, but he gets his point across with what he's trying to do, although this is not always the case.

I will say that around the time that the game took on it's definite Final Fantasy VII and beyond tone, I did lose some interest.  Upgrades to the look and mechanics of the game became less and less and treasure chests which once held quips directed towards the video game industry and semi-ridiculousness of certain RPG rules, these chests started to contain Stars and Cards (Stars are there just to collect and Cards are used for a TCG, similar to the game card game used in Final Fantasy IX).  I felt as if I had reached the pinnacle of game development too soon as there was at least another hour of gameplay left.

Unlike Dr. Potts, I don't know if I see myself going through the game again, even  knowing what I now know about the overall length of the game.  The story was not very engaging, but I never felt that the story was a driving part of the narrative, or lack thereof.  It would be like playing Final Fantasy IV minus emotional investment and 50 hours of additional gameplay and story arcs.  So then why even play Evoland?  Because it's a game that knows who its target audience is and I like getting the references to other video games that I played 20 years ago.  In short, because Evoland is fun.

You know, I could easily see this concept used for other over-arching gaming genres such as Doom-style FPS' or even a Streets of Rage / Double Dragon type brawler-beat-em-up.  Although at the moment, it looks like Shiro Games is in development of a multiplayer adventuring game called Until Dark, which by the name and font alone sounds promising.  And now, a new video game development company to keep our collective eyes on.


~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
A Future That Ain't What It Used To Be

Gog.com ~ Finally

I think I've mentioned Gog.com a couple of times and if I haven't, I probably should have.  Well, by the looks of it, both DRPOTTS and I have mentioned this video game consignment store (aka Take My Money) site before, but only in a rudimentary passing type of way, meaning that aside from links and little blurb, neither of us have seem to have brought this site up as extensively as it deserves.

So gog.com (Good Old Games) has been around since 2008 although I only became aware of the site since, maybe, the middle of 2012, who can say?  The point is, gog.com offers a lot of older PC games at frequently ridiculously low prices, which I won't specifically mention as I still sort of hold that stigma since our KDVS 90.3FM Freeform Radio days; non-profit radio cannot mention prices on air, at least we were told never to do mention prices.  They've also started offering newer games, possibly to compete with both Humble Bundle, Steam and Amazon's Indie Gaming Store.

I only bring up gog.com now, because a short while back, I picked up a game that I had heard about sometime last summer.  I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream is a psychological horror point-and-click game from 1995 that was based on a science fiction book of the same name and published in 1967 by Harlan Ellison.  While not available on Steam, gog.com had this game for, we'll just say exceedingly cheap.  Science fiction point-and-click psychological horror are three genres that I love, so it was really just a matter of not caring about spending less than $5.

After purchasing the game, I looked at my games shelf and was horrified at what I saw.  There were eight games on my shelf.  All said "New" in the upper right corner.  I immediately checked my credit card statement online as well as my email to see if I had accidentally purchase seven other games.  Now, if I had taken the time to actually look at the games, all my fears would have been alleviated.

These seven other games were free.  That's what the green banner across the upper left of the box art that spelled out "FREE" meant.  I didn't buy them, they just. . . came with my purchase?  These seven games are simply free from gog.com and you don't even have to sign up for an account, although by signing up, they are automatically added to your library.

Below will be a brief rundown of the games that were included with my purchase, because I want to find out about these games (and proclaim my ignorance publically) at the same time you find out, then feel free to shun me in whatever way you feel appropriate.

Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar.

Now, I'm familiar with this game, but only by name and the cover art.  I recall seeing this game as an NES cartridge at DRPOTTS' house.  I never tried playing it, knowing his family's penchant for not playing someone elses save files, and by the time I knew of this game, I had already developed a fairly decent etiquette when it came to video game save files.  If this game is anything like the only Ultima game that I've played, Ultima: Exodus, then I probably won't make it too far.

Tyrian 2000.

This is a top down spaceship shooter that came out back in 1999 from Eclipse Productions.  It basically looks like a mash up between 1942 and Gradius, which is a good thing.  I had fun playing both games although I was never a wiz at them, but this still sounds like a lot of fun.

Dragonsphere.

Dragonsphere came out on the PC back in 1994 from MicroProse.  The game is a point-and-click fantasy adventure game that looks like it was ripped straight out of a Dungeons & Dragons module from the same era.  And hell no that's not a bad thing.  For me, that's pure nostalgic fun.  And apparently it's a cult classic, which is a sign that I think always bodes well.

Warsow.

Warsow, released in 2012 by Chausser De Bots, by only looking at it, sounds like a Team Fortress 2 type multiplayer battle royale with a sense for camp.  I'll probably give the game a go, being free and all, but this genre really isn't my pint-of-stout mainly because I don't want/like to deal with online rage douches, but it's worth a try.  And, I don't think the same mean spirited 12 year old boys will be playing Warsow instead of Battlefield 4: Co-op Enemy Massacre Revenge: The Return of the Camped Out Revenge Killing Part IIa

Treasure Adventure Game.

Treasure Adventure Game, released in 2011 by Robit Studios  looks exactly like it's title proclaims: a retro style 2D platformer with a less violent Super Meat Boy thrown in because that seems to be a thing now-a-days.  I'll give the game a spin, but if it's as frustrating as Super Meat Boy, I may have to just pass after, say, 30 minutes.

Beneath a Steel Sky.
Beneath a Steel Sky was released in 1994 by Revolution Software.  It is a point-and-click science fiction adventure game.  I know absolutely nothing about this game (as opposed to the other six games that I know nothing about) and, I'm going to take a stab in the dark here, looks a bit like the film Dark City and Brazil with something else thrown in that I can't quite pin down (Shadowgate meets Who Framed Roger Rabbit maybe??).  Either way, whatever this game is, it looks like something that I will end up loving or never finishing because it's too avant garde.  As long as Eraserhead's babby doesn't show up, I might be alright. We'll wait and see.

Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire.
Released in 1990 by Origin Systems.  I'm not even sure about this game.  I mean, the T-Rex's posture isn't correct and the flying reptile looks like it's a mix between Rhamphorhynchus and a Pteranodon.  Oh, and I guess the scantily clad savage woman next to the safari game-hunter seems out of place too.  So maybe an Ultima style game, but instead of high fantasy, it's high colonial steam-punk meats Journey to the Center of the Earth?  I am of course making some of this up.  I will of course try out the game.







One additional thing that I want to let shine on gog.com, is that even the free games often come with their own special features of sorts.  Ultima IV comes with an audio interview with Lord British, maps, manual and spell book; Warsow and Treasure Adventure Game both come with the soundtrack; I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream comes with a manual, soundtrack and a making of documentary pdf file.  This is a great place and I am sad that I only recently discovered how amazing it is, this land of the lost pc games.


~JWfW/JDub/Jaconian
Learning To Live

2013 Year in Review

When reading over our mission statements, I do wonder if I have lost sight of anything.  Actually, I wonder that whenever I post, and I just used the mission statements to reinforce that belief.  Or something.  Anyhow, it is true that I originally spent more time reminiscing about my life and video games, and the influence games on my life.  However, posting at this blog has guided me to become more involved in the video game 'scene' as it were.  Really, the scene is made up of many different 'scenes' and I'm mostly interested in Art Games, Retro Games, free indie games, and higher production indie games available on Steam.  

This was a big year for non-game, games.  2012 might get a little mixed in here, since I don't really distinguish the two years very well, but I've played a few games that bend the rules about what video games are.  So far there's:  Proteus, Dear Esther and To the Moon.  And I'm also set to play Gone Home and The Stanley Parable.  Pretty excited about those two.  And about these high profile games that are so non-traditional.  

Because, let me tell you, when I returned to the gaming scene, I was appalled at how completely saturated it was with First Person Shooters.  I was never a huge fan of the genre, but to my understanding, there are so many generic shooters out there that even big fans of the genre are getting over-saturated.  I guess the good news is that the over-saturation of fps market has created a greater interest in non-traditional games like the ones I listed above, four out of five of which are from the first person perspective.

And then there's Portal.  Technically a shooter, but you don't shoot bullets, you don't shoot people, you shoot walls, and you create portals.  Beautiful and awesome, I still love this game, and had a great time playing through it again.  I also played Portal 2, which suffered a little by being, in my opinion, too long.  I also wasn't that into the whole 'gels' thing.  But I did just the other day get to play co-op mode with Jaconian for the very first time.  I had a great time and I can't wait to do it again.  

There is so much more depth in games than I am experiencing, and co-op mode reminded me of that.  We were just hanging out, playing video games (before we were rudely interrupted by a broken internet connection on my end).  It was nice.  I thought of my non-gaming friends who might not have such an easy time getting into hang-out mode with someone who lives hundreds of miles away.  

Okay, resolution time:   I resolve to play more online co-op (not hard, since my total games last year were 0).  I resolve to work harder on my more complex posts, rather than rushing them out at my self-imposed deadline.  As an amendment to that resolution, I'd like to actually finish the posts about the Console Wars and Graphics in games that I began over a year ago.  Also, to finish knitting the scarf I started, and one more too.  I also learned to knit this year - it's a excellent thing to do while watching TV or movies.  

Alright, acheivement unlocked:  New Years Ramble.

Happy New Year,

-Dr. Potts


P.S.  Here's some lists for the new year:

My Favorite gaming podcasts:  Experience Points, Brainy Gamer, A Life Well Wasted

My Favorite games I played this year:  Proteus, FEZ, SuperBrothers:  Sword and Sworcery EP

Top games I desperately want to play again, but don't have access to:  Journey, Barabari Ball, Nidhogg

Games I desperately want to play for the first time, but don't have access to:  Mario Galaxy 2, Zelda: Windwaker HD, Monster Hunter 3

My favorite posts I can't seem to finish:  Console Wars, What I mean when I talk about Graphics, Tecmo Bowl

My favorite Online video Programs relating to video games:  Extra Credits, PBS Ideas Channel, Hey Ash, Watcha Playin?

The consoles I am most nostalgiac for:  NES, SNES, Playstation 1

Consoles I would buy if, y'know, I had a TV and some extra spending cash:  Wii, Playstation 4 (it's backwards compatible, right?), Steam Box (just 'cause steam is awesome)

P.P.S.  Oh yeah, I lost my job in August, and proceeded to couch-surf for the next four months.  I guess that was a pretty big developement, huh?  Right.  Well, I discovered that even with a bunch of extra time to game, I don't play any more video games than before.  I guess I feel like I earn the time to play more when I'm paying rent.  But I'm going to pay rent at a house with a PS3 come January, so we'll see what develops!

Video Game Maps

I've been thinking about maps lately.  Fictional maps, specifically.  Great fantasy authors like  J RR Tolkein, L Frank Baum, George RR Martin and a newcomer named Ian Silva -- have grasped the power of maps to draw a viewer in and to lend a new dimension to a fictional world.   I'd like to draw special attention to Ian Silva's Maps as they are the only one of this small collection that are of a Modern design, but they also contain a history of a fictional society, and 100 years of baseball records.  

In the case of video games, maps come in different forms.  Overworld maps in RPG games are the most prevalent, where players will navigate the continental structures of the given video game world.   The navigation of an overworld is often aided by a sub-map which displays the entire planet, highlighting the players current position in a 'you are here' style.  

There are also Dungeon maps, made popular in the first Legend of Zelda.  And there is another style of map which you can find on a website I just found, called VGMaps.com - The Video Game Atlas.  This website uses screen captures to map out entire games, from the NES, SNES and even Nintendo 64, among others.  The database is extensive, and if you were a former Nintendo Power subscriber, you might lose some time wandering through their library.

VGMaps is an old site, it just celebrated its Tenth Anniversary.   It reminds me of the old internet, when commercial interests hadn't moved in, and everything you could find was put there by dedicated people, doing it out of love.  I miss that internet, but I don't think it's ever coming back.  Still, there are sites like VGMaps, more like outposts in deep space, or oases in the desert.  Or something.

Anyhow, go have a look, have fun.  They're doing a Map of the Month thing, and the one for December is from a Japanese Sequel to Paladin's Quest that I never heard of.  Enjoy

-D

Zelda Fan Art

Well, I don't have a post for you all, so I thought I'd just go through some of my bookmarks for some sweet video game art.  Fan art, on a whole, is an incredible thing.  Some amazing stuff bubbles to the surface on the internet.  Like that sweet Ganon picture up there.  Isn't it totally awesome?  That image is part of a series of of Legend of Zelda images I found over at this place called the Zelda Dungeon.

I really appreciate the art style, and I also appreciate that it is all images from the original Legend of Zelda game on NES.  We've waxed about nostalgia for this series before, and about the potential it may have lost over the years.  Images like this remind me of that potential, of how these simplistic critters could look totally sweet and how there could be a rich mythology behind the happenings in the Zelda games.Also, it reminds me of all the cool names the baddies in Zelda have:  Gleok, Dodongo, Keese.

The artist is called Deimos-Remus at deviantart.com.

Also at Zelda Dungeon, I found an interesting article about Skyward Sword that used terms like 'skill scaling'   'sub optimal dominant strategy' and the like.  I love this game theory stuff, and I harbor dreams of being that kind of a smarty pants and getting to talk about video game design all day.

The writer for this article GaroXIcon, and I like him so far.  In addition to the above article, he pitches a direct sequel to A Link To The Past, and says that Majora's Mask is his favorite game of all time.  How do you like that?  GaroXicon is my new video game critic crush.  and Deimos-Remus is my new video game art crush.

-D

First Impressions: FEZ- interrupted

So, after a long time waiting, FEZ was released for Steam.  And then, shortly after, it went on sale at 50% off, and I bought it.  Even though I don't have a job and should be saving my money.  I've been wanting to play FEZ since I first heard of it!  But for a long time it was only available on X Box, so I had to hold out for 'some day.'

Well, that day is today.  Or, actually it was a few days ago.  Anyhow, I installed FEZ, and it runs.  It doesn't run great, however.  It's a little choppy, really.  Not terrible, but not smooth.  Playable though.  At least through the first two stages.  The third stage ratcheted up the image complexity, resulting in a huge cut to the framerate.  If I had to guess, I'd say it's down to about 5 frames per second.  I believe film runs at 24 frames, and fancy high def film runs at 60.  I've also heard that the human eye can't perceive more than 60.  That's neither here, nor, there-- I guess the point is that I can't really play FEZ.  damn.

Having seen Indie Game the Movie, I am tempted to judge FEZ harshly.  Mostly because the creator, featured heavily in the movie, comes across as too hyperbolic.  But also, I know that he went back and remade all the tiles in the game, to a greater graphical complexity.  I think his efforts show, FEZ is very pretty, but it doesn't do me any good, because that same complexity is very likely contributing to my difficulty in playing the game.  I'm a strong advocate for gameplay first, graphics second.  Otherwise the graphics are a bit more of a window dressing for a game that doesn't play all that well.  

I'm concerned that FEZ has a bit high of a window dressing component.  On the other hand, the central gameplay mechanic - rotating a 2D world - is fantastic.  It really is brilliant, and it appears to be executed pretty effectively.  My biggest argument for this is that I had FEZ dreams the first night after playing it for about an hour.  There's just something so satisfying about the rotating Platforms.  The platforming isn't that great, however.  The jumping is unwieldy, and I find I miss jumps I think I should make. On the other hand, there are lots of fun references to classic games, such as Ocarina of Time and the Super Mario Series.  These are done well without seeming overdone.  More window dressing, perhaps, but it's really good window dressing.  

So, bottom line, based on my impression of the first couple of levels:  The creator may have some issues he needs to work out, but FEZ is, thus far, delightful.  I hope I can get a hold of a better graphics card and finish playing before too long.

-D



P.S.  Oh look, and now it's available for the Humble Indie Bundle 9 - wouldn't you know it?  If I had just held out, I could have gotten FEZ and a bunch of other games for the same price I paid for FEZ + soundtrack.  Oh well, that's how it is with the Humble Bundles:  you win some, you lose some.  Really, you mostly win.  Pretty much always.   

P.P.S. And look again!  It turns out my janky ol mac laptop can actually play FEZ better than my desk top!  whodathunk?  This machine is full of surprises.  Except the overheating after a half hour of play.  That is like clockwork.  In the meantime, I will at least get a chance to take a few more bites out of FEZ.  For this, I am grateful.

Nine days into June, and I'm posting again

Whelp, I've been busy lately, 



I'm going to take a moment to comment on the various things Jaquonian said in his previous post. Just 'cause. And I'm going to do it in reverse order.

Firstly, I guess I'm okay with Evangeline Lilly, until further notice. It makes sense that they'd want to have a character with a name who is an elf, given that in the Hobbit Book, the Mirkwood elves don't really have any distinguishing characters. It's kind of like how they expanded Haldir's character in LOTR.  Also, it makes sense that she'd be female, because there is a serious lack of female characters in Middle Earth.  

Personally, the thing I didn't like about the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was how bloody long it was. Granted, I expected it to be long when it was first announced, but I don't see the point now that it's been broken into three films. In addition, it felt much longer because of the directors insistence on regular 'edge of your seat' chase scenes. Over and over again, the characters were literally - and I do mean literally -  hanging from cliffs. It just made for a stressful viewing experience, especially for a movie based on a book that I find rather relaxing.  

I'm prepared to forgive non-canon moves, but when they contribute to an already over-long and stressful movie experience, then I'm not happy.  That said, I'm excited to see the Mirkwood scenes, and for god sake, SMAUG!  I mean... I have some pretty high expectations for that guy.   Benedict Cumberbatch is pretty awesome in Sherlock, and was great in Star Trek II.  Quick aside:  Star Trek II was not as good as Star Trek 1, though not particularly bad - just not particularly good.  It also suffered from the 'roller coaster ride' effect, like the Hobbit.  I guess that's just how it's done now.  I could have used much more dialogue from Cumberbatch. 

Topic Jump!

In retrospect, I wish I'd paid more attention to that first Humble Weekly Bundle.  Walking Dead has gotten great reviews, and I think it's mostly a point and click adventure.  And, what the hell, maybe Back to the Future is good too.  I think point and click is right about my speed these days, given I'm 30 going on 60.  Just kidding, but yeah, getting older sucks, especially the part where you have to work all day.  

As another aside,  my life has felt a bit like this scene from Ghostbusters.  "Dogs and Cats, living together!"

Bummer about Shadow of the Eternals.  However, their message does seem very hopeful, so even if they couldn't come up with the cash, maybe this will continue to lead to good things.  

-D


I'll leave you with a link:  Good old Games.  This is yet another digital gaming store.  The focus here is on retro PC gaming.  This is a pretty deep well for me, seeing as my years up until recently have been spent console gaming.  I'm particularly interested in giving a game called 'Planescape: Torment' a try.  

And you know, while I'm at it, here's another retro gaming link, Racketboy.  It's a really well designed retro site, where you can find great images, and well organized topics, and articles on a very extensive selection of gaming systems.   Except... so far, I haven't really enjoyed the writing.  I guess you can't have everything.  Check it out when you're in a retro mood.