Half Life 2 Contra??
Posted by Jon | Filed under Geek Life, Video Gaming
In the spirit of the most recent 2d post I just made, I figured these would be great videos to post.
They are Half Life 2 mods that allow for 3d playthroughs of the first level of the old school NES classic, Contra, and of Castlevania!
Many of the sprites are 8-bit inspired, and all the music and sound effects are also lifted from the originals. The level designs are also completely flawless reproductions of the originals!
Enjoy!
Half Life Contra
Half Life Castlevania
More 2d goodness!!
Posted by Jon | Filed under Video Gaming
Wow, been on a 2d rampage lately! Maybe its just easier for me to get into 2d games because of my past original love for gaming, my original foundation of love for gaming supplied by the original NES system, or because there’s so many decent new side-scrollers available that just kick ass! Either way, I have a doozy of a post for y’all…
First off is an XBOX live download. I don’t usually post exclusive console content, but this is well worth a mention. Shadow Complex. For those familiar with Super Metroid for the SNES, you are in for a treat! Double and triple jumping, hyperspeed running, grappling hook, weapons galore, its all here. Although it has a great deal of 3d content, it functions primarily like a side-scroller, while still allowing the protagonist to shoot enemies in the background. Bosses are epic, and the plot/story was written before the game was even made, based on a book by well-known author, Orson Scott Card Probably the best game I have played that was so cheap! A mere $19.95!
Here’s a trailer for your perusal..
Second off we have Trine, another gorgeous 2d game focusing on puzzle solving, platforming, and hack and slash combat, all rolled into an old-school fantasy environment. Players can freely switch between three characters… A thief, a wizard, and a knight, all of which can level up their special abilities, and be equipped with all sorts of special items.
The thief is equipped with a bow & arrow and a grappling hook, the wizard can conjure boxes of all sizes, ramps, and platforms (and manipulate them along with objects in his environment), and the knight wields a sword and shield, or eventually a huge double handed lightning imbued hammer. Each of the characters special abilities must be exercised to their fullest in order to traverse the spiked pits, lava traps, and swarms of all manner of undead enemies.
The only gripe I have about this game is similar to the one I have about Wolfenstein, reviewed by myself here, I tend to play games on the hardest settings that are available in order to extend the game play experience. The game is challenging and fun, and I invest some good time enjoying the difficulty. Then I get to the final boss/level, and its is just insane. I think I have tried the final level of Trine a good 30-40 times without success. If I had run into such an intense level of toughness from the beginning of the game, I would have restarted weeks ago on an easier level.
Regardless of this minor inconvenience, I highly recommend this to all my readers.. It’s available on the PC and on the Playstation Network, for $40 and $20 respectively.. Weird how it cost me almost double for the PC version! 
Demo video!
My final 2d recommendation for this wondrous post is a slightly more relaxed game, with IMMENSE exploration aspects..Titled Aquaria, this indie game is a gorgeous side-swimmer (lol!) based underwater.. as you swim around the breathtaking scenery uncovering the story of Naija, you will solve numerous challenges, fight scores of varieties of enemies (there are literally hundreds of types) and fight massive bosses that all require unique methods of being dispatched. Don’t pick this one up if you can’t invest a significant amount of time. Even with a walkthrough, the immensity of the world maps will have you playing for quite a large number of hours, not even factoring in the extra time you will need to harvest items from various plants and animals (needed for a complex cooking mini-game that will net Naija all sorts of healing and buff-related food items) However, the sheer beauty of this game, along with its unique control mechanisms to sing Naija’s spells make this a great title.
Download the demo here (direct link to 63 MB file) Whats great about the demo is that if you decided to purchase the full game for $21.73 Canadian (online purchase), your demo saved games will carry across! Available for both OS X and Windows machines!
Trailer here!
That’s all for now, sorry for the Christmas break, but I will be back with some good ol’ fashioned MMORPG reviews next as I tackle the issue of gameplay vs time investment vs monthly cost!
Been awhile…
Posted by Jon | Filed under Tabletop RPG
Since I or anyone has posted. Sorry for the delay, got plenty to add to this blog…
The robot revolution has arrived… and damn, is it cute.
Posted by Kim | Filed under Tabletop RPG
Nissan demonstrated their latest model of Eporo “robot cars” at CEATEC in Chiba City today. These little guys aren’t just adorable – they’re brilliantly designed. The inspiration behind these robot cars comes from the movement patterns and obstacle-avoidance techniques of both bumblebees and schools of fish.
Schools of fish are able to travel in groups and not run into obstacles or each other for a few reasons – lateral-line sense, sight, and communication. The lateral line is a sense organ, found mostly in fish, that detects movement in the surrounding water. Nissan has replicated this using a laser range finder, which allows the Eporo to avoid both obstacles and other Eporo.
Since Eporo contain an artificial lateral-line sense, they can sense where the other Eporo in the “school” are located, and can maintain a safe distance between themselves.
So, what does all this mean? Well, Nissan intends to evolve the Eporo into the future of automobiles. Not only are they developing electric car technology; they’re combining it with collision-avoidance technology as well.
At some point in our lifetimes, we may very well see cars that are not only fully electric and sustainable, but entirely capable of keeping us safe on the road.
You can learn more about Eporo technology here, and watch a full demonstration of the Eporo from CEATEC below.
Wolfenstein
Posted by Jon | Filed under Video Gaming
There’s a new shooter on the block, and its a reiteration of a classic… Wolfenstein 3D. Once again, the player takes control of William “B.J.” Blazkowicz, an agent for the American Government, once again fighting Nazi’s and their bizarre paranormal research.
I am currently playing through this title in my PC, and I must say that once thing that first struck me is that the graphics really aren’t “super” when compared to other realistic shooters like Crysis. The singleplayer game that this game follows Return to Castle Wolfenstein) was developed with the Quake III engine, and for its time, was a fairly pretty game with good particle effects, crisp lines, and excellent physics. However, this new title was more developed for consoles, and it shows. The new title uses Havoc physics, and id’s Tech 4 engine, which is a port from Quake 4/Doom, but the details are smoothed out to allow for high framerates on console systems. While this detracts somewhat from the immersion aspect during play, it is more than made up for by fabulous gameplay. In Wolfenstein, BJ can activate an amulet that allows him to enter “The Veil” a sort of 4th dimension that grants him all sorts of powers:
- enhanced speed and night vision
- Increased damage
- damage shield
- slow time
These can be toggled on and off at will, and use a meter that can be recharged in special “energy wells” which are represented by distorted areas that resemble heat ripples. Now you might be thinking that this sort of thing is somewhat cheesy, and that every game has bullet time, etc etc, but in this instance, it is really well done. Most of the powers suck the meter dry very quickly, and since it don’t recharge very quickly on its own at all, you really have to be sparing in its use.
Another great aspect of the game is the ability to upgrade weapons and “Veil” powers. There are collectibles (that are found across the levels in two types: Gold and Intel), and these allow for new abilities to be unlocked (some are accessible after finishing main missions, but those gleaned from item collection are far more powerful and useful) I usually don’t enjoy this sort of dynamic, as its either way too difficult to find these items (see retarded games like Assassins Creed, where items are tough to locate, there are hundreds of them, and they don’t give you much of a reward) or its so simple to find them, that they might as well just give you new abilities automatically after you finish each section (See games like FEAR and FEAR 2 where bullet-time upgrade vials are located in the most obvious places)
No frustration here.. some of the items are fairly easy to ferret out, others are clearly visible in some hard to reach locations, and the player must figure out how to access them, whereas others are simply so well hidden that no matter how hard I searched them out, I kept missing them. This balance allows the plot to roll out smoothly and didn’t frustrate me with not finding all the items. Also allowing the player to choose where he spends his “gold” makes for a customizable experience.
Weapon choices range from the standard MP40 to flamethrowers, the Tesla gun, etc… I honestly found very little use for most of the energy weapons. The ammo is few and between, and upgraded one of the automatic weapons and the bolt action rifle fully. One of the gripes I have with the game, however, are the grenade physics… simply appalling bounce mechanics.. they made the explosives all but useless, which is frustrating. You can also throw enemy grenades back, a nice feature taken from other popular titles such as COD. The only other really upsetting part was the difficulty level. I always enjoy playing on the most challenging setting possible, and this game wasn’t even particularly tough on the hardest one available, until the final boss, which I have attempted at least 30 times, rarely removing more than 25% of his total health. I really not enjoy games that ramp up so insanely at the last possible moment.
All in all, the plot line is excellent. I didn’t get into much multiplayer, as I find it to be fairly boring unless its a game like Left 4 Dead, which forces the team mechanic.
So all in all its one of the most fun games I’ve played in awhile.. and yes, when some of the Germans get shot, and drop to the ground with bleeding throats, they say “Mein Lieben!” as they expire!
Dragon Age: Origins – first thoughts!
Posted by Kim | Filed under Geek Life, Video Gaming
This past weekend at Toronto’s Fan Expo, I was lucky enough to try out the upcoming Dragon Age: Origins game on the XBOX 360 (they do, of course, have multiple console types set up for game play). As an aside, that’s a good reason to go to Fan Expo – you get to play games that aren’t even out yet.
I didn’t get to play for very long, as there were lines of people waiting to get their hands on the controls for a brief chance to play this game. However, I have to say that everything I saw was amazing.
Let me first start with the graphics – I felt like I was watching a lovingly-rendered CGI film. This game has set a wonderful bar for game graphics in its obsessive attention to detail. If you go to the official website and check out the videos, you’ll only get a taste of the glorious high-def graphics in the game itself.
As for game play, I’m not completely sure what to think. I didn’t get to play any introductory gameplay – I was thrown right into the thick of a battle in a castle keep. In this situation, of course, it’s always going to be really hard to figure out how to, well, hit the barbarian with your sword. It felt like most of the controls didn’t really do much – although I’m sure they do, just not in the heat of battle – and despite trying just about every button and trigger, it felt like actual fighting was eluding me. I am assuming that all of this is covered in the introductory parts to the game that I missed.
Unfortunately, this meant that a barbarian soon set me on fire. Yes, you can actually catch fire, and the third-person viewpoint means that you watch yourself go up in flames. Despite the fact that I felt like a colossal idiot, it was pretty cool to watch.
Dragon Age: Origins launches November 3, 2009 for the PC, XBOX 360, and PS3.
T.I. starts MMORPG – wait, what?
Posted by Kim | Filed under Video Gaming
Hang on, let me wrap my mind around this. Rapper T.I. (currently incarcerated, which makes the whole thing that much better) is working with Heatwave Interactive on a frigging MMORPG called “Platinum Life”.
Let’s have a moment to process that.
Okay. So it’s a hip-hop oriented game (natch) in which players assume the role of an aspiring musician, gaining “fame” (experience) points by playing shows, etc., until you inevitably reach superstardom. Now, a few things about this are just boggling my mind, so I’ll throw them out there one at a time.
As you get more and more famous, you get an entourage. Yep, NPC’s follow you around and you have to keep them out of trouble, etc. Okay, this one strikes me as sort of cool. I feel like I need some sort of entourage and/or posse in my everyday life.
Playing a successful concert involves two things: successful completion of what is basically a hip hop-themed Guitar Hero mini-game (and those of you who know me will know that I despise Guitar Hero and anything it’s inspired), and using – and I quote – “spell-like special abilities to move the virtual crowd”.
You know, I think T.I. is missing a key demographic here. What about a tabletop RPG? I can just imagine it now… “I entrance the crowd with a stunning lights display!”, or ”I cast ‘human beatbox’!”. You could use your fame points to level up your tour bus and eventually buy a diamond-studded private jet. Come on, it could potentially be the best/worst GURPS release ever.
Release is slated for 2011 or 2012, on PC and other un-specified systems.
New life for Diablo 2?
Posted by Jon | Filed under Geek Life, Video Gaming
Diablo 2 was one of those games that I would always have on any machine I owned, from desktops to laptops, to netbooks. The only reason its not on my current desktop is because I have a 24″ flatscreen with a 1920×1200 display, and the 800×600 mac res that Diablo runs in looks like total ass! Well fret no more! No longer to do have to suffer in waiting for Diablo 3 to be released (I’m betting 2010 or 2011) and you don;’t have to cry at seeing massive pixels on your screen when playing this classic. High res native display support has been released, and boy does this breathe replayability into this Blizzard game! Here’s a link to a 1280×1024 screenshot
Looks amazing! So what are you waiting for? Direct download link here.
GP2X “The Wiz”
Posted by Jon | Filed under Casual Gaming, Video Gaming
Emulator gaming has always been exciting and fun for me, but who wants to play SNES games on their computer? Its always been preferable to play using emulators on consoles, but sometimes we want to have portable gaming with lots of options. Gamepark has been making emulator handhelds for a long time, and their vastly popular GP2X has just been upgraded with the GP2x Wiz version. The original was a bulky unit, and 233 Mhz…
The new one sports an ARM9 533MHz Processor overclockable to 800Mhz, a touchscreen, and 1 GB of built in storage. But it doesn’t stop there… Its equipped with an SD card slot for additional storage, functions as an e-book reader, calendar, and voice recorder. It also plays movie files including MPEG4, Xvid and DIVX formats.
You can play Atari ST games, Commodore 64, Amiga, NES, SNES, Gameboy, Gameboy Advance, NeoGeo, Flash Games.. its all open source, so you can visit plenty of home-brew pages to further expand its usefulness.. with a 320×240 crisp QVGA screen and 64 MB of video ram, it is blindingly fast and still provides 7 hours of continual use. Behold the GP2x Wiz…
available for 179.99 from ThinkGeek
Rogue Games releases Colonial Gothic revised!
Posted by Kim | Filed under Tabletop RPG
Last week, Rogue Games released Colonial Gothic Revised, a long-awaited follow-up to, er, Colonial Gothic (I know, you couldn’t guess that on your own, right?). This is such a cool game. As you’d presume, it takes place around the time of the USA’s colonization, and the years leading up to the American Revolution.
Oh, you think history is boring, do you? How about we throw in some magic, and supernatural enemies? Yeah, that got you thinking, didn’t it?
This game was a very early release from Rogue, and the play was a bit buggy – some inconsistencies, things left out of the rulebook, etc. However, with the Revised edition, just about all of that has been fixed. There’s so much more information, and a lot of the inconsistencies have been cleaned up with regards to the rules, etc.
There’s a free 7-page preview downloadable from the e23 link at the beginning of this post. It consists of some background info in the form of letters, and some chapter excerpts.
The players take on the characters of more-or-less everyday people, dragged out of their normal lives to fight the supernatural forces guiding events in the 13 Colonies.
For long-term GURPS or D&D players, the rule system may seem uncomfortably different at first. Each character has five stats – Might (strength), Nimble (agility), Reason (intelligence), Resolution (willpower), and Vigor (health). You also have stats which can change throughout the game, and they’re pretty self-explanatory – Vitality (your health, lose it and you die), Sanity, and Faith. Most decisions are made with two 12-sided dice.
The biggest complaint I’ve heard about the original Colonial Gothic is that it just wasn’t quite enough, in any respect. The Revised edition has really fleshed the game out, hopefully making it much, much more playable. I, for one, can’t wait to sink my teeth into this game.
Check out the main Colonial Gothic site here.
