tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45389616589492628502024-03-16T15:22:16.858-07:00Video Game RuminationsThoughts, musings, ideas and occasionally short rants on the past, present and future of electronics entertainment Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.comBlogger742125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-58457264403887034772024-01-01T14:32:00.000-08:002024-01-01T14:32:51.074-08:00Weird Music Associations<p>This is probably just me, but for whatever reason I sometimes make weird associations with songs and video games. The fundamental cause is always the same; I happened to be listening to a particular song a lot while also playing a particular video game around the same time. Even so, the game and the song don't really have much in common...and yet my brain will act as if the two are somehow interconnected. Here are three such examples.</p><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAkf746WIMhhk35xSbyuH3ZyuTp4HA8HPf3gEJ1lly-D2IHynVEVjgKOa8xB-v2VEzCIq_FSxSHgjvwwy7xOtZKmDelgHgK8JYfFGlPYmj-yUc6tcL3axI9La_n0eoF1JyepL0cL7HBNbJhNNNI3fV1_Ipycd1SFC_JwtGXII9sRihgwKCV251d_BVVKLT/s1024/IXION.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="1024" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAkf746WIMhhk35xSbyuH3ZyuTp4HA8HPf3gEJ1lly-D2IHynVEVjgKOa8xB-v2VEzCIq_FSxSHgjvwwy7xOtZKmDelgHgK8JYfFGlPYmj-yUc6tcL3axI9La_n0eoF1JyepL0cL7HBNbJhNNNI3fV1_Ipycd1SFC_JwtGXII9sRihgwKCV251d_BVVKLT/s320/IXION.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div><i>IXION </i>is a space sci-fi themed survival city-builder along the lines of <i>Frostpunk </i>or <i>Outpost</i>. It has an interesting visual aesthetic and moody soundtrack to go along with it. The story is compelling, but the gameplay leans really hard on micromanagement. So, take that as a plus or minus based on your own gaming preferences. The song that I somehow got stuck in my head while playing <i>IXION </i>is "<a href="https://youtu.be/kNRO_ZdlS5g?si=dZFZjg6NBeXeWo8v" target="_blank">Edge of the Universe</a>" - a retro synth tune done up like something you'd hear in an early Madonna album. I guess one could argue that the song does have some association with the game since they both use outer space as a core theme, but if you watch the music video that goes with the song then you'll realize very quickly that these are very different pieces of media. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBx3zXznLE4rEDl-pUShvvV9zAP1dMDWZk_a0z1vXWWxvGHri182zcz9qFW6ZYeZpDSsodo8Zp8WU5WYmtIyJO9-1k6GKD7vNk4yt4m-wk7ELnIAGWojoC9uvm7n46Tc2JM85PSPiw5ZT6yljJirdalTE8qo6oKOL29uhEeSTAijfLRpKJEQnCZvt0SJmp/s800/Satisfactory.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBx3zXznLE4rEDl-pUShvvV9zAP1dMDWZk_a0z1vXWWxvGHri182zcz9qFW6ZYeZpDSsodo8Zp8WU5WYmtIyJO9-1k6GKD7vNk4yt4m-wk7ELnIAGWojoC9uvm7n46Tc2JM85PSPiw5ZT6yljJirdalTE8qo6oKOL29uhEeSTAijfLRpKJEQnCZvt0SJmp/s320/Satisfactory.png" width="320" /></a></div>If you have ever played <i>Factorio </i>then you know that <i>Satisfactory </i>is basically a 3D version of that game minus the swarming bugs. To give a slightly longer explanation though, <i>Satisfactory </i>is a logistics and manufacturing game that is designed to teach you so much about factory production that you might almost be ready to try the real thing after mastering the game. Sadly, it seems to be stuck in early access hell. Hence, I haven't booted up the game in a long time despite never uninstalling it from my hard drive. When I was playing it regularly though, I often listened to an odd (alternative rock?) song while driving in the car entitled "<a href="https://youtu.be/qneb8hdfbcE?si=kdxFeqhktmLeGVaD" target="_blank">Ghosts (Silent Gloves Remix)</a>". The lyrics are downright bizarre, but the song itself has a nice vibe that, in my mind, melds well with the vaguely jaunty mood of <i>Satisfactory</i>. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38tcNKpBJ-lRS_mKmWdARi54VUa6guTmtYyFBoOyV3d7L7_gzh_ZCBLFtVNIurzdI8MZliqJsRqwY_LALs0zzzH_lArqmC7WkoXre-MyeETPV5xUeMZkGYwCCR-OQY5a8e2gDHVfma0U5eeTxHbPPK6vXA76e-wTPm2BDgelLYEkGDzs69_8AorRSmokh/s404/WC3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="404" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38tcNKpBJ-lRS_mKmWdARi54VUa6guTmtYyFBoOyV3d7L7_gzh_ZCBLFtVNIurzdI8MZliqJsRqwY_LALs0zzzH_lArqmC7WkoXre-MyeETPV5xUeMZkGYwCCR-OQY5a8e2gDHVfma0U5eeTxHbPPK6vXA76e-wTPm2BDgelLYEkGDzs69_8AorRSmokh/s320/WC3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This final example has got to be the strangest of all. I used to be big into the <i>Wing Commander</i> series, and at one point was obsessively playing <i>Wing Commander III</i> after finally upgrading my PC hardware to the point that the game was actually playable. It so happened that around the same time the movie "Batman Forever" came out. I had no interest in the film...although, that new 2022 "The Batman" movie isn't half bad...anyway...I digress. The hot song that went with that summer blockbuster was "<a href="https://youtu.be/yivLt9cTaio?si=v6YyO-3Ba1MKNWiq" target="_blank">Kissed by a Rose</a>" which came up on the radio a lot. This song has absolutely nothing to do with <i>Wing Commander</i> or military sci-fi, and yet I have inexorably tied it to a WW2-in-space combat flight-sim featuring humanity's war against an alien race of anthropomorphic felines. Yeah...I think it is weird, and I beat anyone reading this thinks likewise.<p></p><p>On a final note, I just want to address the absence of regular posts on this blog. It began with nothing being uploaded for the month of December (2023) and will likely continue to be irregular for the foreseeable future. I've had a lot of things going on in my life that have dragged my attention away from video games and I don't know when (or if) I will refocus on the hobby. Still, I will post here if I have anything I want to mention about them...so please don't assume this blog is dead...yet. </p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-3427188266741875802023-11-25T21:25:00.000-08:002023-11-25T21:25:48.362-08:00Original Flashback<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXHIqT-QqeJFFRh2vGfUiXdGT8QwSIzopyEj5jQtVuezMSQkg0TAxnZTtCS7M8CaXgK0RpD5a8PBhaphUjO0PNQflHVbnpfC9wEHwNTY3hUdpFfaw2j9rKCKrjUmgHvoc9GTBno1Xk0kkZiG1QnWLS0TsfJgHFBcaQw-POiJBiGdNTPTN8YJGpdON2obB/s498/flashback-game.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXHIqT-QqeJFFRh2vGfUiXdGT8QwSIzopyEj5jQtVuezMSQkg0TAxnZTtCS7M8CaXgK0RpD5a8PBhaphUjO0PNQflHVbnpfC9wEHwNTY3hUdpFfaw2j9rKCKrjUmgHvoc9GTBno1Xk0kkZiG1QnWLS0TsfJgHFBcaQw-POiJBiGdNTPTN8YJGpdON2obB/s16000/flashback-game.gif" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxtKcW0CyZ7-7iXeJR753C3Ojw4bPtwAdtZZiqtp56nkg-EdLSVXNfa-2g2wpAsHO2fL-SzXLlZzk1J_bvSxYs8UhuZAZqXPnbw_8fiv9RGsx-F5D4bi_B96QPoH0xU1W0yNoe6ZUpqIFsx4gpcQjGQh_UbHm0Bdk551jpF0LjjbfXnu_Ux8_GpYFsedgS/s412/flashback-game%20(4).gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxtKcW0CyZ7-7iXeJR753C3Ojw4bPtwAdtZZiqtp56nkg-EdLSVXNfa-2g2wpAsHO2fL-SzXLlZzk1J_bvSxYs8UhuZAZqXPnbw_8fiv9RGsx-F5D4bi_B96QPoH0xU1W0yNoe6ZUpqIFsx4gpcQjGQh_UbHm0Bdk551jpF0LjjbfXnu_Ux8_GpYFsedgS/s412/flashback-game%20(4).gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTj61awB37AcfhrTi-wnrzcIV5C_q_uPeXOWZ259P4dny4uiIkBJJZv01hQjgXyct7o5iP3uFMm1R7YB_9hmh3LMTjMZGBM3NRsU_NNgpI3s6nNY6J3aCEIemmEDWJzO9IjWZaPbSBu1gqcn4OY03KdmFVCUPQqHgkkm5qaDzUAdNS-Xw8FJSVSOSFQYph/s498/flashback-game%20(1).gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTj61awB37AcfhrTi-wnrzcIV5C_q_uPeXOWZ259P4dny4uiIkBJJZv01hQjgXyct7o5iP3uFMm1R7YB_9hmh3LMTjMZGBM3NRsU_NNgpI3s6nNY6J3aCEIemmEDWJzO9IjWZaPbSBu1gqcn4OY03KdmFVCUPQqHgkkm5qaDzUAdNS-Xw8FJSVSOSFQYph/s16000/flashback-game%20(1).gif" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpuZlxva9q7yU6hKPN3Gi7fAxNMfsVNx16K8MIG_bB33oWmmwWYPMJ3ST36aswnHlDXU3Fxxu7YuY4MFkBYi-0UAGZY6WjtJ_xOrhHN-LYGUf7BICbR4rBxUrGn560tBxLPpI4wEgfS1O5fDkjjjXCdcrxZyxyohz2BUMmNw0-5cNNHP0cwyTToSjXkpnr/s540/flashback-game%20(3).gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpuZlxva9q7yU6hKPN3Gi7fAxNMfsVNx16K8MIG_bB33oWmmwWYPMJ3ST36aswnHlDXU3Fxxu7YuY4MFkBYi-0UAGZY6WjtJ_xOrhHN-LYGUf7BICbR4rBxUrGn560tBxLPpI4wEgfS1O5fDkjjjXCdcrxZyxyohz2BUMmNw0-5cNNHP0cwyTToSjXkpnr/s16000/flashback-game%20(3).gif" /></a></div><br /></div><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxtKcW0CyZ7-7iXeJR753C3Ojw4bPtwAdtZZiqtp56nkg-EdLSVXNfa-2g2wpAsHO2fL-SzXLlZzk1J_bvSxYs8UhuZAZqXPnbw_8fiv9RGsx-F5D4bi_B96QPoH0xU1W0yNoe6ZUpqIFsx4gpcQjGQh_UbHm0Bdk551jpF0LjjbfXnu_Ux8_GpYFsedgS/s16000/flashback-game%20(4).gif" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilmjgE0eC140jF4Kw4HWApPEIjlgZqVF8YJzE9ASGQMIch3RA4WOue4WWVnz2vGVVx-yqPDRVjBFYO1WJZBBHzSbCveFrNEV37ppQYyZHJOnW9YsWSljtdIaTPU5-BxZbfYIDMZb1bskH3DCH-7tEbQaigGXkWTXbm9XlX3H2RWhZ0sFt1GCwnAxBuVbJ4/s594/flashback-game%20(2).gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilmjgE0eC140jF4Kw4HWApPEIjlgZqVF8YJzE9ASGQMIch3RA4WOue4WWVnz2vGVVx-yqPDRVjBFYO1WJZBBHzSbCveFrNEV37ppQYyZHJOnW9YsWSljtdIaTPU5-BxZbfYIDMZb1bskH3DCH-7tEbQaigGXkWTXbm9XlX3H2RWhZ0sFt1GCwnAxBuVbJ4/s16000/flashback-game%20(2).gif" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-10985430352205672762023-11-17T17:40:00.000-08:002023-11-17T17:40:02.608-08:00The Awards for 2023 Go to...<p><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Avant-garde Award:</span></u></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGb9XpTtNytN6mR2_h9vCn5fvkz1K7-gYQUEdZSMVJMwiATqv7JNoZ_N2rl1xzMpcsspc90fiWazsT4BZARldSHEfOia0ZbdkU0Bhwwm1Xr48MmjR0hRQBW69oATb2ezrhJAjmIPqKYKXHMZpaNFfbFoPSCwmZjilW04biG2ap28WoTsrG0j729DrJZEac/s1600/TearsOfTheKingdom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGb9XpTtNytN6mR2_h9vCn5fvkz1K7-gYQUEdZSMVJMwiATqv7JNoZ_N2rl1xzMpcsspc90fiWazsT4BZARldSHEfOia0ZbdkU0Bhwwm1Xr48MmjR0hRQBW69oATb2ezrhJAjmIPqKYKXHMZpaNFfbFoPSCwmZjilW04biG2ap28WoTsrG0j729DrJZEac/s320/TearsOfTheKingdom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>While it doesn't have the level of customization found in most block games, <i>The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom</i> still provides players with a great deal of freedom. In particular, they can choose how and in what order to tackle the challenges the game has to offer. For better or worse though some more meanspirited people have turned the game into a Korok torture simulator. I suppose this sort of thing was inevitable, but unexpected nonetheless. <p></p><p><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Backlash Award:</span></u></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaznez_d6TmhOILHmFW7fHEW3uk4bc4gXAfyRBgnJ0x9JjUDIVopB5pA0K-YsK5dsey-yA8YE7R5aWr78Bn9E_f93r2aFb4TwwArunTxuu5tZbvW8481EvgynFws9UYmK5ISyLEsOGqLe4_1F1HXKnNB4tGOhAXV5v7hf68XGqAuhuTmAqVgm_W4U7Kve6/s1280/LotRG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaznez_d6TmhOILHmFW7fHEW3uk4bc4gXAfyRBgnJ0x9JjUDIVopB5pA0K-YsK5dsey-yA8YE7R5aWr78Bn9E_f93r2aFb4TwwArunTxuu5tZbvW8481EvgynFws9UYmK5ISyLEsOGqLe4_1F1HXKnNB4tGOhAXV5v7hf68XGqAuhuTmAqVgm_W4U7Kve6/s320/LotRG.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Usually games maintain an air of anticipation until their release day even if the previews don't seem promising. In the case of <i>Lord of the Rings: Gollum</i> though, it got trashed two days before launch due to gameplay footage being leaked online. This game literally never had a chance. The design is awful, the gameplay is awful, the graphics are awful...even the voice acting is not good. Also, who came up with that design for the elves? They all look like chemical substance abuse is on their daily itinerary. <p></p><p><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Brutality Award:</span></u></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyn2XcoW9Q9rouLWXgohOu8B9NGs9EhwrogMn33xdBZS4nSUHEZxH4UHZ6uhHYSPEZP-JQt66ySb7_Lhd0wmSIxblc2q7LEBlVdf9KVLfkxABGGgfLXciVSAfBHefx9wTnPlZiGOo7p8i2FySlrYcj970oOpjeyvD5IkRJ53QM574ca-drRSBsrp54lQx/s616/World-of-Horror.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="616" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyn2XcoW9Q9rouLWXgohOu8B9NGs9EhwrogMn33xdBZS4nSUHEZxH4UHZ6uhHYSPEZP-JQt66ySb7_Lhd0wmSIxblc2q7LEBlVdf9KVLfkxABGGgfLXciVSAfBHefx9wTnPlZiGOo7p8i2FySlrYcj970oOpjeyvD5IkRJ53QM574ca-drRSBsrp54lQx/s320/World-of-Horror.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>While there are five different difficulty levels to choose from, <i>World of Horror</i> is not an easy game even on the lowest setting. The themes and atmosphere certainly support the notion of being doomed from the start. When it comes to random elements, the proverbial deck is stacked against the player. Couple that with the roguelike design philosophy behind the game, and it becomes abundantly clear that the player is in for a world of hurt each time they begin a new run. <p></p><p><br /></p><p><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Canvas Award:</span></u></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoF3A96qeuBzf1V-ANn85ifTbveOT1RGbdRAlxHGDEibLUFnwh7bOocOnw1CsXgdJSFzG9SdRstqUbaxG_y8xRUJZj94KCjH64SjuVywOM_ACuliGJvJYraScAh9XeZLnRa9HgOv7zDhkvi8YdW_8h55mD2iB3VBlSV-n-gHS4BXryj78hbJdA6fQfq33i/s1110/PB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="1110" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoF3A96qeuBzf1V-ANn85ifTbveOT1RGbdRAlxHGDEibLUFnwh7bOocOnw1CsXgdJSFzG9SdRstqUbaxG_y8xRUJZj94KCjH64SjuVywOM_ACuliGJvJYraScAh9XeZLnRa9HgOv7zDhkvi8YdW_8h55mD2iB3VBlSV-n-gHS4BXryj78hbJdA6fQfq33i/w320-h181/PB.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>While not the most exciting or innovative game in terms of gameplay, <i>Phantom Brigade</i> is certainly a pretty game to look at. The variety of colors is of course welcome, but the subtle use of varying shades of reds and blues mixed with the pastoral landscapes of green and brown create an interesting contrast between the two opposing sides of the conflict. Normally in these types of games grey tends to be the dominate color, so it's nice to see a visual design that takes a step back from that. <p></p><p><br /></p><p><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Ecology Award:</span></u></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9qEFBJB9iNGLlePC2VPWUdf3xIZxrcAGg5KFz0oL5j6uD9T3dZsUu7zdRyNtnlIuggdH9nbH6-Cw4CqhXaa_3xJetybs48PGpZshC22E5gq5xw6-dGOEZZD-aDvLQomfhHX6csZMnWh8tg66O4lIOvYVYu6vqX_psG5H_oaT5dWimGnP6xYXOaoaK4TJ/s1280/SMBW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9qEFBJB9iNGLlePC2VPWUdf3xIZxrcAGg5KFz0oL5j6uD9T3dZsUu7zdRyNtnlIuggdH9nbH6-Cw4CqhXaa_3xJetybs48PGpZshC22E5gq5xw6-dGOEZZD-aDvLQomfhHX6csZMnWh8tg66O4lIOvYVYu6vqX_psG5H_oaT5dWimGnP6xYXOaoaK4TJ/s320/SMBW.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Koopas, Goombas, pipes and plumbers...coins, mushrooms, stars and question blocks...we've seen it all many times before, and that's not a bad thing. Mario is probably the most iconic character in video game history. That said, the folks over at Nintendo seem to really like re-using old assets. I guess they ascribe to the old adage "don't fix what isn't broken." Oh well...at least we get a cool new elephant costume this time around.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">"Engrish" Award:</span></u></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytScZTwqBnl6qTxhe2zcc_rcEtPCILairaLxW1dI8zqa3vGIHqgLnpg8fM0p5XytnIn40UUE0__toMinGTmQ1SsIKJwOdrM5O6GBF3TnJCw1VrKR3Nj8fIWjI7q897sCEkRlyy9VvmSvS1Oij4rKiUZVpiz2WgjWfh8q-MoSZ7pW1c20CcKbTScgK-j1p/s616/MS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="616" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiytScZTwqBnl6qTxhe2zcc_rcEtPCILairaLxW1dI8zqa3vGIHqgLnpg8fM0p5XytnIn40UUE0__toMinGTmQ1SsIKJwOdrM5O6GBF3TnJCw1VrKR3Nj8fIWjI7q897sCEkRlyy9VvmSvS1Oij4rKiUZVpiz2WgjWfh8q-MoSZ7pW1c20CcKbTScgK-j1p/s320/MS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Despite rapid improvements to AI translation software, there are still a fare amount of indie games that suffer from localization issues. In the case of <i>Midnight Shift</i> we have a number of misspellings resulting in great lines like "Good evnening" and "My axe is <u>thirty</u>" Don't worry though because despite being the lone employee on duty at an isolated gas station, it's still possible to call the "Pilice" for help when a masked assailant shows up looking to cause trouble. <p></p><p><br /></p><p><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Esoteric Award:</span></u></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdGrbduYl3YDjebOdnjQiFZz8nMRfc9JQVtTyBBHALlBbgT7NfEFNqAUiiqJCu1eIIrcrHJKI2-G33RhvSYZJf2XEudL5VmrHEOknf0SmyW2qc2Qs6fn1u5MwM9tOtfHP6cAxyABj-NyLLdE7RrKipi7RXUKoqBufbmbOwCHC6xKY3MWEmUQ-g-SJwaAo/s616/Neb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="616" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdGrbduYl3YDjebOdnjQiFZz8nMRfc9JQVtTyBBHALlBbgT7NfEFNqAUiiqJCu1eIIrcrHJKI2-G33RhvSYZJf2XEudL5VmrHEOknf0SmyW2qc2Qs6fn1u5MwM9tOtfHP6cAxyABj-NyLLdE7RrKipi7RXUKoqBufbmbOwCHC6xKY3MWEmUQ-g-SJwaAo/s320/Neb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>While technically still in early access, I decided to go with <i>Nebulous: Fleet Command</i> for this category because it serves as such an excellent example of obtuse design. Not only does this game feature Newtonian physics and realistic electronic warfare, it also has highly customizable spacecraft. Players can even create their own kind of missiles; down to the guidance system, warhead and propulsion. While it's not quite as detailed as <i>Children of a Dead Earth</i> in terms of the simulation, the complexity is still staggering to behold. <p></p><p><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Lemon Award:</span></u></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYMjyDnwGHMUXytxLia88ne8SIXKWGTcaKjF2IU0zX_sl69JRNn5V_7VpJjxhS6HaboKAbMKCoo5znt4SrNbQoynKZzHw4LnoGOz3KvsPfuhqunefq1w4c2q3GbL_oyJ-t2TeGh6BSTIu0Cqub5_nnn9vwaAcpSKq_BDgAdDbDBdFDd4vNDOf0Ghi5JWg/s1280/SWJS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYMjyDnwGHMUXytxLia88ne8SIXKWGTcaKjF2IU0zX_sl69JRNn5V_7VpJjxhS6HaboKAbMKCoo5znt4SrNbQoynKZzHw4LnoGOz3KvsPfuhqunefq1w4c2q3GbL_oyJ-t2TeGh6BSTIu0Cqub5_nnn9vwaAcpSKq_BDgAdDbDBdFDd4vNDOf0Ghi5JWg/s320/SWJS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The PC version of <i>Star Wars Jedi: Survivor</i> was rated the worst PC port of 2023 by Digital Foundry. Five months, and many patches later, it still doesn't run well. It's unclear if it ever will. While other games released in 2024 such as <i>Redfall </i>are also quite buggy they had low potential to begin with. <i>Star Wars Jedi: Survivor</i>, on the other hand, is alright on other platforms. It's simply the PC version that is terrible...which is a shame considering how much effort went into making the game to begin with. <p></p><p><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Testosterone Award:</span></u></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtFG98P92xiClgu_BMIKL-wKOXatSRFj3sCRP-Qr_FMecUd41wZIPZnjZ9XOjevIL4V3DKKrfyhqXxCYaAlNum9ME5MmAzy-zsrP5LxX1P_q3DsE1KWSV3mRQJBDqq3A4VI9Ipo5311Au_nCmOxUIQF3K4oTgCcLgwDG1lV00CCwY_kFAPVhl1g4UgwJg/s616/MMJ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="616" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtFG98P92xiClgu_BMIKL-wKOXatSRFj3sCRP-Qr_FMecUd41wZIPZnjZ9XOjevIL4V3DKKrfyhqXxCYaAlNum9ME5MmAzy-zsrP5LxX1P_q3DsE1KWSV3mRQJBDqq3A4VI9Ipo5311Au_nCmOxUIQF3K4oTgCcLgwDG1lV00CCwY_kFAPVhl1g4UgwJg/s320/MMJ.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Are you manly enough to rescue the influencer princess from rogue cyborgs? Playing like a first-person version of <i>Hotline Miami</i> through an anime lens, <i>Mullet Mad Jack</i> tasks players with maintaining a continuous killstreak in order to prevent their health bar from slowly depleting. The result, unsurprisingly, is a frantic cornucopia of violence all the way to the finish line. Seriously, you slide down a ramp while shooting bad guys at the end of each stage. <p></p><p><br /></p><p><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Underdog Award:</span></u></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyLrKiQO1sjk6O4eM98Bj-uRFVIuwBePm48HM40E0OXB6OuNLYhpZr2J7pV0-CSl6HmwrQxz6TKR9JaSllPlmncCzl4BsW3gX5SxjEurSLjQ9meXAA0mMdP9JvDNx-UGoNRMLGgC7bx8qVMCnj1-jG8oZlaO9lY8OD8ZAvvi6ptNVKPGzG4n0A31k2T4xX/s616/TI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="616" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyLrKiQO1sjk6O4eM98Bj-uRFVIuwBePm48HM40E0OXB6OuNLYhpZr2J7pV0-CSl6HmwrQxz6TKR9JaSllPlmncCzl4BsW3gX5SxjEurSLjQ9meXAA0mMdP9JvDNx-UGoNRMLGgC7bx8qVMCnj1-jG8oZlaO9lY8OD8ZAvvi6ptNVKPGzG4n0A31k2T4xX/s320/TI.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I was actually very critical of this game in a post made just recently on this blog, but since then have been shocked to hear how few people seem to know it even exists. A forum post highlighting a link to the game's lackluster sales thus far was filled with response comments that were almost entirely variations on "Never heard of this game" or "didn't even know it was out". Then again, <i>The Invincible</i> did come out in what is one of the busiest times of this year when it comes to big new releases. Chalk it up to bad timing, I guess... <p></p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-8215355268936059272023-11-10T18:56:00.003-08:002023-11-14T02:00:29.556-08:00Too Close for Comfort<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCARRLMNMaK3_W-Vl-EAVP6t5G1vjxfjIkMrHkAPeDRe1TFVCGo7P8EgrmPiSPdru94gbO9GKRz0-cqe_ugMH9iMUXNwhDPx9hilV2JA55g1mZYttJjF2x0ICfqZn4Jc7Tm_BBM8zNjJS88m1YUKzFxj-yucdzYqe7yAXihEBrUvwATX2pb1xyDEMda6Ig/s1920/Invincible.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1071" data-original-width="1920" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCARRLMNMaK3_W-Vl-EAVP6t5G1vjxfjIkMrHkAPeDRe1TFVCGo7P8EgrmPiSPdru94gbO9GKRz0-cqe_ugMH9iMUXNwhDPx9hilV2JA55g1mZYttJjF2x0ICfqZn4Jc7Tm_BBM8zNjJS88m1YUKzFxj-yucdzYqe7yAXihEBrUvwATX2pb1xyDEMda6Ig/w640-h358/Invincible.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>"The Invincible" was originally a novella by science fiction author Stanisław Lem, but has since been adapted into a comic and video game. It is also the name of the titular starship which plays a notable part in the story. Unlike the comic, which is more-or-less a direct retelling events in the original story, the video game acts as a prequel of sorts. In theory, this sounds like a great idea. It gives the developers, Starward Industries, an opportunity to expand on the setting and characters. Sadly, the game sticks a bit too close to the source material.<p></p><p>Stanisław Lem's writings have a deliberately incomplete quality to them that is a significant part of his appeal. His stories tend to emphasis the unknowable in that encounters with extraterrestrial life end up in either a complete inability to communicate or (perhaps worse still) miscommunications that lead to disaster. It's a theme that pops up in some of his other most famous works, such as "Fiasco" and "Solaris". "The Invincible" is no exception, and exhibits this almost trademark aspect to his style. The problem I have with it is there isn't a strong narrative arch. Practically by necessity, the story must end in a dissatisfactory way. However, this doesn't mean that there can't be some kind of payoff at the end. The ending of "The Invincible" novella feature one of the POV characters volunteering to recover the bodies of dead crewmates who fell in the field. It's somewhat of a harrowing final chapter that could have had a uplifting twist. Perhaps one of the crew thought to be dead is actually still alive and in need of rescue? I'm not an editor for a science fiction magazine, so I can't say for certain how the story could have been improved, but I definitely feels like it's missing a certain special something that would make it stick with the reader...and for better or worse (probably the latter) the game sticks with Stanisław Lem's signature way of drawing to a close.</p><p>There are actually three possible endings to the game. None of them are particularly compelling. They don't really expand on the lore, nor do they give us much more in the way of insight into characters featured in the novel itself. Mostly, the story of <i>The Invincible</i> is a retelling of what people who have read the original story already know. This lack of ambition also extends to the gameplay, which is very much of the walking simulator variety. That's not to say I dislike the genre, it just feels like a missed opportunity in terms of all the different ways players could have experienced exploring the exoplanet Regis III. It's all a bit baffling considering how much time was spent on development. What were they spending all their time working on? Was there a lot of cut content? Maybe the team at Starward Industries held the author in too high esteem?...so much so they were unwilling to stray too far or build too high up from the foundation? It's hard to say...regardless, <i>The Invincible</i> is kind of bland outside of its retro-future visual aesthetic. Also, why the heck is there no way to play this game with characters speaking in Polish? </p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-64338477786733685802023-11-03T03:10:00.003-07:002023-11-03T03:10:47.636-07:00Halloween is Over But...<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3q38DSuGx8cAYZ8r2tTWkxoJZi5mQG9XYTPTa97OKcrVmZE9cKOzCmk1RcYTXn_Uln4xCJ4UDHgRaW-LNKL5JdkPxOseu66lCw8u3x3QTXe3fm3IQIK6zK63sJCGu0j8TWDP_biQwbjVBh1GxG7NCvmFksx24ZeaTYqEvJTkWux6DdU507Hl5ey8BAxSX/s480/Nope5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3q38DSuGx8cAYZ8r2tTWkxoJZi5mQG9XYTPTa97OKcrVmZE9cKOzCmk1RcYTXn_Uln4xCJ4UDHgRaW-LNKL5JdkPxOseu66lCw8u3x3QTXe3fm3IQIK6zK63sJCGu0j8TWDP_biQwbjVBh1GxG7NCvmFksx24ZeaTYqEvJTkWux6DdU507Hl5ey8BAxSX/s16000/Nope5.gif" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisvGJwApei5lX40SS1P0-QezSKWvr0betc5AqH4J79cuXbokXcRqQCQXtcigNUXlZCVpLT80ll02wiYwwWBXPp-jhnTspLWS_x2ahruA3fF1X5cbBhyphenhyphenwPuHemXYrPDr1hyphenhyphenfhLDNycfCJRNZq11xbB_MsqfIg9zK1hPxz23y6cjfpfU5g6OeJyaKMtCYaoc/s358/nope4.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisvGJwApei5lX40SS1P0-QezSKWvr0betc5AqH4J79cuXbokXcRqQCQXtcigNUXlZCVpLT80ll02wiYwwWBXPp-jhnTspLWS_x2ahruA3fF1X5cbBhyphenhyphenwPuHemXYrPDr1hyphenhyphenfhLDNycfCJRNZq11xbB_MsqfIg9zK1hPxz23y6cjfpfU5g6OeJyaKMtCYaoc/s16000/nope4.gif" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcYLvbRMEda_vt1QV_5Ucx_uUJlfs1BwWhH9rO5dxuia84fzuibaegKlzBus6SqIKPXMYUvVxDr3awScGnW4nh9Fx-IJ5gsZtCjPU3khyiQEbx6U8A4uNY9zRt2cjoB0_wPv31VLjCMhExNdH8NFn-qyRdMREQLAb0hZZX7eow8CKQ9UYOWW7HLxTjihv/s400/nope2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcYLvbRMEda_vt1QV_5Ucx_uUJlfs1BwWhH9rO5dxuia84fzuibaegKlzBus6SqIKPXMYUvVxDr3awScGnW4nh9Fx-IJ5gsZtCjPU3khyiQEbx6U8A4uNY9zRt2cjoB0_wPv31VLjCMhExNdH8NFn-qyRdMREQLAb0hZZX7eow8CKQ9UYOWW7HLxTjihv/s16000/nope2.gif" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEERPnqeOX8GYNgbFA4iKuJXnSZ8lGCSktBOgeIO1Ohtp0FG6X0a9mpZjfFNx-Uf_YbQWd20e4xakTol1nt-yS9pFTO0R6eoJLwXyBTl9agBZ4IuU1SJKSSy_ZvZF9WyFZIJ-TuFnEWX3ivPhs9_KGhurfVCgOPYPX7vb3mAwe3Re_scN-3MaIlVumZk_/s460/nope3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEERPnqeOX8GYNgbFA4iKuJXnSZ8lGCSktBOgeIO1Ohtp0FG6X0a9mpZjfFNx-Uf_YbQWd20e4xakTol1nt-yS9pFTO0R6eoJLwXyBTl9agBZ4IuU1SJKSSy_ZvZF9WyFZIJ-TuFnEWX3ivPhs9_KGhurfVCgOPYPX7vb3mAwe3Re_scN-3MaIlVumZk_/s16000/nope3.gif" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-74106797634719037082023-10-22T00:06:00.007-07:002023-10-22T00:07:25.747-07:00Something about that Lighthouse...<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDt4ZSLvkEIwuA01K1mp0-dgTifbfxjFEAiat8eU7YlhoSsLKTgJaqm9yZmgYJt7lauYPNqtQDRZ7_gTFfUlbdCpWJkGKeiOVEdo3_EpcHS439rCDSc1mJO9AbxVCJV0RDYZE8WnjpcihvusPvp2lPCw0ZfaU9I5uiX-Pn7My_aAPuKGpxZnz2VemJxVT7/s616/WoH2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="616" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDt4ZSLvkEIwuA01K1mp0-dgTifbfxjFEAiat8eU7YlhoSsLKTgJaqm9yZmgYJt7lauYPNqtQDRZ7_gTFfUlbdCpWJkGKeiOVEdo3_EpcHS439rCDSc1mJO9AbxVCJV0RDYZE8WnjpcihvusPvp2lPCw0ZfaU9I5uiX-Pn7My_aAPuKGpxZnz2VemJxVT7/s16000/WoH2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXoqsH-sfIP9iOXZt7sfQrta6gJ3pHCplcUsP99wtk8IeRbhPpUmv0BzghfIBLnItao-EyKRmSkn1AUxU0G7mpf_cnKodwMz4PJwsx2g14ckJeSBGx9-KlGsdPg3FFhv54g0YbKb4p1bUGkhA74bify3fE8wRj3Iw0HXWIfyO0WcZZgyAA4zC8V1XOfDy/w640-h640/heroes_of_might_and_magic_1_map.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtihhSPTnBUu7tK6jPHG66ZFS9-2fBw2N6z-rDgPDsPVs7UY2lo1bfwqVRgaA3YH5t7kDRLGmHNZ0KF2DGmqRNAuG_nHg0uo3UepqY2VMlZ-E8pGKrH5LghXU8pmN9AeXsFlDHhnig17ZsmlpyFshGTQ0fBtUZxV4JSgpukK_kwH17NY-QuELsJ2BlcT7s/s800/Red-Dead-Redemption-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="800" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtihhSPTnBUu7tK6jPHG66ZFS9-2fBw2N6z-rDgPDsPVs7UY2lo1bfwqVRgaA3YH5t7kDRLGmHNZ0KF2DGmqRNAuG_nHg0uo3UepqY2VMlZ-E8pGKrH5LghXU8pmN9AeXsFlDHhnig17ZsmlpyFshGTQ0fBtUZxV4JSgpukK_kwH17NY-QuELsJ2BlcT7s/w640-h482/Red-Dead-Redemption-2.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NYcJTjXe5ZsyFUmtOHUNxe1PzuSYDizn3w5VwoZ_RkCQNSb6RV43fLKkOXXlSmiA7eoGmy2Oz33Dg56BwDpRaIv00eQZxT7HpGFShaZzYWN-qRcqOYhia_a4cqKJ0-a2O6NPznZtFb86i4wvCRdgcOTy23PeRHm-zNhFRsUT7RjHx5eIjTbiwDn8sYFo/s640/SupMarWor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NYcJTjXe5ZsyFUmtOHUNxe1PzuSYDizn3w5VwoZ_RkCQNSb6RV43fLKkOXXlSmiA7eoGmy2Oz33Dg56BwDpRaIv00eQZxT7HpGFShaZzYWN-qRcqOYhia_a4cqKJ0-a2O6NPznZtFb86i4wvCRdgcOTy23PeRHm-zNhFRsUT7RjHx5eIjTbiwDn8sYFo/s16000/SupMarWor.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyKVAjOX6QGCJVa_Pm2CHnSj7tHuT0rlyCpb1B4Hz6hY-w2grXNxBW4_va2znVdd2XIybcWqi8hj5Opg-Ocm6xv8d9xt9RBoezo2PaYLB3x7RPd1abGX6MqmiXbGDXiZQ3dhH86JbMdG3BfVetevvBjRwBQyST5RofQMPDE9PnZOpMxTfuZtQJBCvSECu/s480/zelda_map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyKVAjOX6QGCJVa_Pm2CHnSj7tHuT0rlyCpb1B4Hz6hY-w2grXNxBW4_va2znVdd2XIybcWqi8hj5Opg-Ocm6xv8d9xt9RBoezo2PaYLB3x7RPd1abGX6MqmiXbGDXiZQ3dhH86JbMdG3BfVetevvBjRwBQyST5RofQMPDE9PnZOpMxTfuZtQJBCvSECu/s16000/zelda_map.png" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-36898148957357876632023-10-08T02:26:00.000-07:002023-10-08T02:26:47.036-07:00Celebrity Video Game Characters<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0sVLenHgC3elR9x_5JEhV0FURn1Z_aAdoi5jB1LCxRjKT7TNf114TCn16az2-1fH9V2kVXtEKwa06suaHe7sk3F4oZrxVRhQO3ShUa-99Uxe4wl60VxdZOCDwgnhQVYcl-08k7kESuo7xH7BNDIp3qbYi9asNOV8h2gZRB_TJAdeAECE7DgR_Judvrvo/s1280/willem-dafoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0sVLenHgC3elR9x_5JEhV0FURn1Z_aAdoi5jB1LCxRjKT7TNf114TCn16az2-1fH9V2kVXtEKwa06suaHe7sk3F4oZrxVRhQO3ShUa-99Uxe4wl60VxdZOCDwgnhQVYcl-08k7kESuo7xH7BNDIp3qbYi9asNOV8h2gZRB_TJAdeAECE7DgR_Judvrvo/w640-h360/willem-dafoe.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Willem Dafoe</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtl4g8vtMfiuuewRnJh54Hd1pH95ojZHvav_mtSCFFo0fj8xJ4wN4gEzh8wtQdARpPS40pVpDzVN5o7bbB3oxIr_gTZ2bLiwJXdoE8rBW7hylsI9bPOoC3k82adBfWCO-4HkSGqGGAHJQ9dvFFehGc4EIq4Aa6y-92_lNKfvuRtI8D3rPz4cmZdplVJgNh/s1280/reedus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtl4g8vtMfiuuewRnJh54Hd1pH95ojZHvav_mtSCFFo0fj8xJ4wN4gEzh8wtQdARpPS40pVpDzVN5o7bbB3oxIr_gTZ2bLiwJXdoE8rBW7hylsI9bPOoC3k82adBfWCO-4HkSGqGGAHJQ9dvFFehGc4EIq4Aa6y-92_lNKfvuRtI8D3rPz4cmZdplVJgNh/w640-h360/reedus.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norman Reedus</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlZNVJGYINNmkrX3NhHT7332CygwCz7xwFhFBSD1wTr0ta55p2aj83HpMD4RoBYlO2bN9CFJ9mXPMPvtICrjgIa57_vInogfbuKpPHS2FbcTKpKAERdqyfnSnK-2a4E8u27nyn7d_VcWfskHBQVEsmVlzPehCGjdDVqYMZZxa1uxt1nFSMAnKfHk3N3ji/s480/kit-harington.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlZNVJGYINNmkrX3NhHT7332CygwCz7xwFhFBSD1wTr0ta55p2aj83HpMD4RoBYlO2bN9CFJ9mXPMPvtICrjgIa57_vInogfbuKpPHS2FbcTKpKAERdqyfnSnK-2a4E8u27nyn7d_VcWfskHBQVEsmVlzPehCGjdDVqYMZZxa1uxt1nFSMAnKfHk3N3ji/w640-h360/kit-harington.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kit Harington</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGoX0k4S4PkV9mA2Omy8T_CMsNSYadXVWjIeNKrFc2BWDKI0FbQBq-3J7wY2qh6OvY6LJS7Njqv8wE6muwrlJGOp7VUtKQElY1_AcH3D3gHZsVE7ZVVp0t-hU5FNahZQP9_G2VGwBREpLND1okjYfB-QlAXB09kyMcHvqWZp9DnSLtQ0r-0Yh5IAaNsD0L/s1214/keanu-reeves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="1214" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGoX0k4S4PkV9mA2Omy8T_CMsNSYadXVWjIeNKrFc2BWDKI0FbQBq-3J7wY2qh6OvY6LJS7Njqv8wE6muwrlJGOp7VUtKQElY1_AcH3D3gHZsVE7ZVVp0t-hU5FNahZQP9_G2VGwBREpLND1okjYfB-QlAXB09kyMcHvqWZp9DnSLtQ0r-0Yh5IAaNsD0L/w640-h492/keanu-reeves.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keanu Reeves</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPDQhHRoWjQ0UxXQccEOwCba1lyLjPeybgIAnDCJ3U5bY-xL9j8tIa0AbFVWtweonFUCYlappr2-kWmlH0_AD646pT6GcruBzp7soGyxSvqseqbVz1ToPGdLcvC9wGs2YGOtuhVigCmKex4Y_4Wh3k82fNdSmHBadrRlU_J1MqYY3DM42A83kfQuhwFT7/s320/christopher-walken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTPDQhHRoWjQ0UxXQccEOwCba1lyLjPeybgIAnDCJ3U5bY-xL9j8tIa0AbFVWtweonFUCYlappr2-kWmlH0_AD646pT6GcruBzp7soGyxSvqseqbVz1ToPGdLcvC9wGs2YGOtuhVigCmKex4Y_4Wh3k82fNdSmHBadrRlU_J1MqYY3DM42A83kfQuhwFT7/w640-h480/christopher-walken.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some dude...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-43252928313720807252023-10-02T05:12:00.000-07:002023-10-02T05:12:08.651-07:00Something to Look Forward too<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TMzGI396iyT38Az_HfWYZRkXEI7p_xZzETFFRMjGH16tj2FfgU4ZhfXCzKJTMg3QTVZoMFOZwVAFcGnZT-VTVe4Rlpuyo8GGFxg55ZFzDe6nPYQC4Oz8S0ibD6U-SDjsS8wwncxTBpDtAG-trhPFhsy-LpWKCnpFHgA-U_BmzJYoFLLdkucF5K7FvopD/s616/Rizia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="616" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TMzGI396iyT38Az_HfWYZRkXEI7p_xZzETFFRMjGH16tj2FfgU4ZhfXCzKJTMg3QTVZoMFOZwVAFcGnZT-VTVe4Rlpuyo8GGFxg55ZFzDe6nPYQC4Oz8S0ibD6U-SDjsS8wwncxTBpDtAG-trhPFhsy-LpWKCnpFHgA-U_BmzJYoFLLdkucF5K7FvopD/s16000/Rizia.jpg" /></a></div>There are a lot of games I'm looking forward to playing, but nearly all of them don't have firm release dates. Even if they did, delays are an inevitable part of game development. As such, it is a little bit hard for me to get excited about anything on that mirage-filled horizon. Still, there is one game that is coming out soon and I am eager to talk about it.<p></p><p><i>Suzerain </i>is a very special game to me because it is a visual novel that I genuinely like. There are only two other titles in the genre that I can say that about (one is <i>Eliza </i>and the other <i>Subsurface Circular</i>). Needless to say, it's a genre that I don't have much fondness for. Regardless of all that, I am looking forward to upcoming DLC.</p><p>While there have been few details, this supplementary content takes place in the previously unrevealed Kingdom of Rizia. The player's role is that of King Romas Toras. The idea of being the sovereign of a relatively modern, yet monarchist, country is certainly interesting. It's also fairly novel in that most games in which the player is royalty tend to be in medieval settings. It will also be interesting to see if and how the narrative ties into the original game.</p><p>In all honesty, I was not good at being a president in the original <i>Suzerain</i>. It took me three tries to get an ending that wasn't a complete disaster. Somehow I doubt my attempts as a monarch will fare much better. Despite my lack of political skills, I hope that the narrative is as branching as the original. <i>Suzerain </i>serves as an ideal example of a game that really makes the player's choices matter. Since the game is made by the same dev, chances are this design feature will be preserved in the new content.</p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-58643264783195677882023-09-29T14:29:00.001-07:002023-09-29T14:29:40.544-07:00Karate Practitioners <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YRXeW1JEGqRS8yakKnK4lVNRYSAo1ozd3tOmOc3yYA5TfstWvCDIB3nDU3Y3cPdY-4Qh1oiCNpI943cHNGj87_eCEiWwARP_EAz8aQIaKXObuRtj4FpQdkMzPNZTW6PkPL26ooKUvaeHZIe-MWt0mO3WmhuzJgxcGP-ljQ5_K9OT8St6YcIWLuuX6OsV/s1024/makingkarateka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YRXeW1JEGqRS8yakKnK4lVNRYSAo1ozd3tOmOc3yYA5TfstWvCDIB3nDU3Y3cPdY-4Qh1oiCNpI943cHNGj87_eCEiWwARP_EAz8aQIaKXObuRtj4FpQdkMzPNZTW6PkPL26ooKUvaeHZIe-MWt0mO3WmhuzJgxcGP-ljQ5_K9OT8St6YcIWLuuX6OsV/w640-h640/makingkarateka.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-23146911805724036612023-09-23T21:34:00.001-07:002023-09-23T21:34:51.711-07:00Artist Under the Bus<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5iXIIRMA-aJHKjzMoF0Hs9C6azo55oxRa53FRnflc_pHjW_Te3vHfcvsu_lzJXSbwje1DkyxtLI-h6_DSZoh79o7JXkJ3WBzSnlTl6PdmqcVpUCCLFR1Mpx_xGz2sTJkVzcAfX8Ff1i5wW5yR5ELyIDq16uTQdEaAp9kLMUNyuN4xa2o8z5q43JZ5-fSo/s512/End1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5iXIIRMA-aJHKjzMoF0Hs9C6azo55oxRa53FRnflc_pHjW_Te3vHfcvsu_lzJXSbwje1DkyxtLI-h6_DSZoh79o7JXkJ3WBzSnlTl6PdmqcVpUCCLFR1Mpx_xGz2sTJkVzcAfX8Ff1i5wW5yR5ELyIDq16uTQdEaAp9kLMUNyuN4xa2o8z5q43JZ5-fSo/s16000/End1.png" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinK2poEErSfBUIm5UEsWUMJw7gFFyu11p3nMMP0utykNqNEt3D07WxSAdyBKoNkUBEOZ5y8snMNoJ3hkI-CO8SD20egWKqgb4Lnp1gND7VgYX7rmElMuE1SrDcqlzuQZ0ec8nNT2p4meIjwY780n-JhGNMcMSZ1VRysUxQMl-6R-8B6Z3HGopkSnaSulB4/s512/End2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinK2poEErSfBUIm5UEsWUMJw7gFFyu11p3nMMP0utykNqNEt3D07WxSAdyBKoNkUBEOZ5y8snMNoJ3hkI-CO8SD20egWKqgb4Lnp1gND7VgYX7rmElMuE1SrDcqlzuQZ0ec8nNT2p4meIjwY780n-JhGNMcMSZ1VRysUxQMl-6R-8B6Z3HGopkSnaSulB4/s16000/End2.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC0EwHWGvvsl6agYedywkhGa8bK0Io0ct1IbS29InEA3ugku7FtcB2o8g_m3djf5aLExwsHyFc9Bh7J_yU0J3WIqItz9p3KB1wao9RxAnepkPDjQwTZSv1xIXNDHRRl2v49OCTNnrxmDMGdFORAEiJWantf9oB1hBbxf65gDZtbjjFLBV1scqTZxcg-19v/s512/End3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC0EwHWGvvsl6agYedywkhGa8bK0Io0ct1IbS29InEA3ugku7FtcB2o8g_m3djf5aLExwsHyFc9Bh7J_yU0J3WIqItz9p3KB1wao9RxAnepkPDjQwTZSv1xIXNDHRRl2v49OCTNnrxmDMGdFORAEiJWantf9oB1hBbxf65gDZtbjjFLBV1scqTZxcg-19v/s16000/End3.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0zhUT-CUzPD8cuAPRcm5gp_rXpEHmJhML7FN9KnhDk-w5VRbiKyaFpUfZdc-3GSBJR8go-zTxvNQTONmwFUmiTf9KZgLCR6ZGBGp38fKxwybyOlrsaDy9xGBWMI-6pxcuUyCp688AYzsToCnXxnP-OOStV7R3N01Ij1CqHPWV9i4UUWjS0RgU1FFZbMz/s512/End4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0zhUT-CUzPD8cuAPRcm5gp_rXpEHmJhML7FN9KnhDk-w5VRbiKyaFpUfZdc-3GSBJR8go-zTxvNQTONmwFUmiTf9KZgLCR6ZGBGp38fKxwybyOlrsaDy9xGBWMI-6pxcuUyCp688AYzsToCnXxnP-OOStV7R3N01Ij1CqHPWV9i4UUWjS0RgU1FFZbMz/s16000/End4.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-48021511433759574892023-09-15T17:09:00.000-07:002023-09-15T17:09:02.345-07:00What if...<p style="text-align: center;"> ...the plastic game cases that games (used to) come in had animated cover art?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5L1KIh87vbhYgO9SmcMaUsa9Io5eWYv-4vNwJq-QhHYVIhKo-FCpioR7auoh_MOnCVyQbtpn_ckio8YN4gnall_03_qkXOeJB__8Eu9sJ7c5iVfM8ZmefK1jWOgCfphtQB87AHgljF5oHu29ogEtwoimEf_F6H2FPbcDb9_t1g_REy_xAWjvkFDoo-iqP/s16000/BA2.gif" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjih88b33txTG5B2Ph3WRTp-R38X_Szm-h9Og_nTygBQkhFATG73GFDtfzNRxyo7B7ApS_TlUddc96Ggdg3YP3RFnV8IvEB7vldFTTFVBxhAM3wvhx6hmFzavWobFM9IRJHTxGPD3vxp_IiNqUoACDNBQXZAYq_Xi6P68Ad3vQmlxhNPKB9BVzh6JMpOodv/s482/BA1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjih88b33txTG5B2Ph3WRTp-R38X_Szm-h9Og_nTygBQkhFATG73GFDtfzNRxyo7B7ApS_TlUddc96Ggdg3YP3RFnV8IvEB7vldFTTFVBxhAM3wvhx6hmFzavWobFM9IRJHTxGPD3vxp_IiNqUoACDNBQXZAYq_Xi6P68Ad3vQmlxhNPKB9BVzh6JMpOodv/s16000/BA1.gif" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-1174299400234195332023-09-09T18:05:00.001-07:002023-09-09T18:05:10.240-07:00The Ultimate Retrospective<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/V7FLCg4KdyE?si=Is9E8AQc92dKoyrZ" width="480"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm not even much of a Fallout fan, but at 9 hours 25 minutes and 50 seconds this is has to be a new record in terms of breadth and depth when it comes to video game analysis.</div>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-91053744859704064272023-09-02T04:07:00.000-07:002023-09-02T04:07:02.893-07:00Old School Action <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0Fihn-_OMj_9ERkWs7arQ8tzD2wRqQ5JmcS1ruQQhMk_6m_hZKhI70Eh3EwcCuQs7eFb8FPI1q0dmdZ8WUO-UdbnYL9BD85yIYzo9GG5YLko5LuscGaUuNud8q80IWz9Ghv_FGg2vWM8ngL2lMVu3tfOg794PGVaqAV6rPJzr0NNa26JQ9ix5oPbh5k7/s16000/Contra.gif" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-50157704258804005312023-08-26T14:41:00.001-07:002023-08-26T14:41:30.619-07:00Emulation Insights<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDwv-aF2GeL8ILjLXmwpJ-7sefkLkR7FIYvWcid1pimNNU8WyKU-N1h9nMLWLRMkclKgGT-DFYTH6v_aFJImApYPhZvJiXA6jUmNfb75U38Ga1FI5NOohznfjeBzor0RxjYesfCS9eI9Tni5E8RZItH594yWLsi8MjTA91iHI4oSXV-XVZmI9HEQFsJjeI/s1280/RealRetro.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="1280" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDwv-aF2GeL8ILjLXmwpJ-7sefkLkR7FIYvWcid1pimNNU8WyKU-N1h9nMLWLRMkclKgGT-DFYTH6v_aFJImApYPhZvJiXA6jUmNfb75U38Ga1FI5NOohznfjeBzor0RxjYesfCS9eI9Tni5E8RZItH594yWLsi8MjTA91iHI4oSXV-XVZmI9HEQFsJjeI/w640-h174/RealRetro.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQqmFlL881CvvYLj8x6PXBqMCtrPnDDKLn0jH4HiiOMhu5kuhSHYKWRgkdhrBOE-QgEGGT3a_h2RmHwyQ_RMxi8Xc1411mQwk5dg8czZV6Iu9SjPbQK5Zd_MPuR9pliD5Pm-qebAPLwGFAWfn9O8pVjNu7d7G8ZOTUX_KwW8KRH_A812dwvGI_Qzzsn9h/s570/PIXL1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQqmFlL881CvvYLj8x6PXBqMCtrPnDDKLn0jH4HiiOMhu5kuhSHYKWRgkdhrBOE-QgEGGT3a_h2RmHwyQ_RMxi8Xc1411mQwk5dg8czZV6Iu9SjPbQK5Zd_MPuR9pliD5Pm-qebAPLwGFAWfn9O8pVjNu7d7G8ZOTUX_KwW8KRH_A812dwvGI_Qzzsn9h/s16000/PIXL1.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGpdMZzMmsnuUAQyOwBeEdEAfLI1y-FYAeaCpux2TG1N05QiJKBTF-1FWGGk0RRa6DhjTqz-S70cj1MP4nKkcdf-BRwlhEGhMsYRJ8ggKInNUDfTzI6cRAn2eRJ0Nfo5NoneUf4UroVNVfhukmIQqXtAUQQz-ltipzyuHZAq2wIHomL_AYre7cKRviSlS/s570/PIXL2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGpdMZzMmsnuUAQyOwBeEdEAfLI1y-FYAeaCpux2TG1N05QiJKBTF-1FWGGk0RRa6DhjTqz-S70cj1MP4nKkcdf-BRwlhEGhMsYRJ8ggKInNUDfTzI6cRAn2eRJ0Nfo5NoneUf4UroVNVfhukmIQqXtAUQQz-ltipzyuHZAq2wIHomL_AYre7cKRviSlS/s16000/PIXL2.png" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3AGKrySpjQU7hHftJZQ8FOyeGiPQPsakI1O4Fyqcotavkuwe3KWiNT05d-6baDeryLOGV51ow_ZNdAHn0EDZqgMEO-nEPpBXwm_bz3hB-J1Pjgl-CQtt0nuK79LNnwzvWJ_3FIQYs-6xHvA_yu6F8gy55fgPe0pRulM9HDIL47C9hv0FxZ1hHfFWqUSQ9/s570/PIXL3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3AGKrySpjQU7hHftJZQ8FOyeGiPQPsakI1O4Fyqcotavkuwe3KWiNT05d-6baDeryLOGV51ow_ZNdAHn0EDZqgMEO-nEPpBXwm_bz3hB-J1Pjgl-CQtt0nuK79LNnwzvWJ_3FIQYs-6xHvA_yu6F8gy55fgPe0pRulM9HDIL47C9hv0FxZ1hHfFWqUSQ9/s16000/PIXL3.png" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><p></p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-91179932930105132712023-08-22T01:32:00.000-07:002023-08-22T01:32:53.360-07:00The Bad Ending<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yYoeeXOfFG3j2qLBqGh_iA1thXxehwSSFp6rVEHQTEaWE9qwmpX7YfKpubJHVyApCVA-fTq6dj0Mn8KGG1Wjm2jGN_C06UUzCU_FHyv7rw3R8VqVzkYWUVqLTSdwSubm2BBvujW7V5sHowT2nhbeG59dhmmk5KvBZ1vGUiBbPETw_iRxC7aMSuCUcMA1/s800/Machine.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6yYoeeXOfFG3j2qLBqGh_iA1thXxehwSSFp6rVEHQTEaWE9qwmpX7YfKpubJHVyApCVA-fTq6dj0Mn8KGG1Wjm2jGN_C06UUzCU_FHyv7rw3R8VqVzkYWUVqLTSdwSubm2BBvujW7V5sHowT2nhbeG59dhmmk5KvBZ1vGUiBbPETw_iRxC7aMSuCUcMA1/s16000/Machine.gif" /></a></div>It's pretty common for games to have multiple endings. Generally, certain endings in said games will have better or worse outcomes for the characters. In that sense, players tend to view some endings as "good" while less satisfying endings are typically seen as "bad". It goes without saying that there are a lot of perfectionists who play video games. So, more often than not, the good ending in any particular game is what most people want. Unfortunaly, a lot of game designers like to hide these good endings behind some very esoteric requirements. Let me illustrate with a couple of examples.<p></p><p>The original <i>Silent Hill</i> had it's best ending dependent on the player exploring a tucked away side area and finding a particular item (the "Aglaophotys"). This is actually an atypical way game designers gate off their best endings; acquiring a weird item that needs to be used in an unclear way. On the plus side, this juncture doesn't come up until near the halfway point. A few games (such as the SRPG <i>Hoshiguma</i>) have the ending dependent on a decision the player makes very early in the game.</p><p><i>Blasphemous </i>is another example of the good ending being nearly impossible to achieve without a guide. In fact the true ending is post-launch DLC which was added once the devs figured out what they wanted to do for the sequel. Normally, I'd say this is poor design, but as someone pointed out online, it's not at all strange that a game about the Catholic path to righteousness is so inscrutable and easy to irrevocably screw up that nobody could ever be expected to successfully do it without the hand of god guiding them.</p><p><i>Fatal Frame 2</i> is especially meanspirited when it comes to endings because it's impossible to get anything other than the worse ending on the first playthrough. Hence, the game requires subsequent completions in order to see anything other than a really downer conclusion. Of course, the counterpoint to all this is sometimes the supposed good ending not actually much better. The default ending to <i>Vandal Hearts</i> is (outside of a congratulatory message in the credits) the same as the "Vandalier" ending. Plus, you don't have to grind through a bunch of side missions to get it. Similarly the very-difficult-to-get 108 stars true ending to the original <i>Suikoden </i>isn't much different than if you just played the game normally.</p><p>On a final note, there are games like <i>Bloodborne </i>that has three different endings (none of which are particularly satisfying). Sometimes you just got to choose what you want and stick with it (warts and all). I defiantly feel like this applies to games that will have whole lot of subtle variants on a single ending based on what players chose to do throughout the game (see <i>The Quarry</i> for a recent example). Sure...it might be fun to do another run using an entirely different approach just to see how things play out and note changes, but then again it can be good to accept what happened, leave it behind and simply move on to other games...either that or just watch the alternate endings on Youtube and call it good. </p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-23906825217314962432023-08-15T21:14:00.002-07:002023-08-15T21:15:23.047-07:00A Novel Experience<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvqBpoqjPTyaThnIbIJlop9aw4bKN6R0B5heWyWYooeiRLlYiZNnjl_QMqoEqWN5Iv6GDGymPuhSqnz_tK8EVaAhTGK1A8txw-HTVgvHpw39wK9RfxgzjTErj33dd-Gpz5XfXWcTFVx9YFItPbfXe4zu47rt1srb-eT4h_IXu-x_ICCDKkllsjugv9ljR/s1280/Eliza.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvqBpoqjPTyaThnIbIJlop9aw4bKN6R0B5heWyWYooeiRLlYiZNnjl_QMqoEqWN5Iv6GDGymPuhSqnz_tK8EVaAhTGK1A8txw-HTVgvHpw39wK9RfxgzjTErj33dd-Gpz5XfXWcTFVx9YFItPbfXe4zu47rt1srb-eT4h_IXu-x_ICCDKkllsjugv9ljR/w400-h225/Eliza.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>ELIZA is the name of a natural language processing computer program designed in the 1960s. It was pretty limited in what it could do, and by modern standards it would be considered little more than a "chatbot". Even so, the program drew out a surprisingly strong emotional response in some people at the time such that they would confide personal thoughts and feelings to it. That feature of the program is what partially inspired the indie visual novel <i>Eliza</i>. <p></p><p>Despite sharing the same name, the fictional "Eliza" program in the game is a far more advanced AI-driven piece of software. Set in Seattle, Eliza is being commercialized as a more affordable alternative to a professional therapist. I'm sure some people will already be picking up on the dystopian themes here. It's certainly true that the visual novel parallels Ursula K. LeGuin's "Lathe of Heaven" or even a William Gibson novel (particularly something out of his Blue Ant trilogy) in places. The protagonist of <i>Eliza </i>is a thirty-something half Japanese, half British woman named Evelyn. She was (before the start of the game) one of several coders who developed the Eliza program, but dropped out about three years ago due to the untimely death of a colleague. For reasons not elaborated on until the end of the game, Evelyn has decided to return from her self-imposed exile and start working for an Eliza clinic as a "proxy". What is a proxy? Well, they're basically pseudo-therapists in that they simply parrot whatever Eliza prompts them to say in order to create the calming illusion of human interaction. It's actually the game's fundamental premise (and is an interesting one), but also makes the early parts of the game painfully linear. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Y8BverIrT2mB9QIgSp_uJWyUUsJrGaFlBqNWsWkmyVsGHuFSIzTa-79XkirCucC36iKvZXZk71X3kblBXxDZaBnlldB5yzi1Kl3ZaVB-4dDPVmL5tFwULYGZwnY7QNHoiCc0z_ycb6ZHSctomhZpIuItQ8ddQ1la9LfMKedg4FR-mf2x_00fxCVaY8Nb/s1196/ElizaCharacters.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="1196" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Y8BverIrT2mB9QIgSp_uJWyUUsJrGaFlBqNWsWkmyVsGHuFSIzTa-79XkirCucC36iKvZXZk71X3kblBXxDZaBnlldB5yzi1Kl3ZaVB-4dDPVmL5tFwULYGZwnY7QNHoiCc0z_ycb6ZHSctomhZpIuItQ8ddQ1la9LfMKedg4FR-mf2x_00fxCVaY8Nb/w640-h242/ElizaCharacters.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />From here, <i>Eliza </i>dives into its cast of characters. Some are Evelyn's former co-workers while others are her patients. Generally speaking, this is where the game really shines. The characters are well written and have very relatable problems, fears and desires. It's hard not to empathize with most of them on some level. I was also very glad to see how the game portrays people with mental health problems. Based on my own (somewhat limited) experience in the field, the origin of things like depression and anxiety can come from either social troubles or biological ones. The thing is these two are like each side of the same coin. Which one of them starts the problem isn't all that important because this cruel duo will work hand in hand to drive a person down into a cycle of misery with unsettling synergy. Some people are able to climb back to some form of normalcy, but others find themselves trapped and unable to find a way out of their horrible circumstances. Of course, this is where a good therapist can help...sadly, the Eliza program really isn't up to the task. That's not to say it's useless...its just that over the course of the game its limitations really start to show.<p></p><p>Speaking of limitations, I often find that my enjoyment of visual novels depends heavily on whether or not my decisions matter. In the case of Eliza, there aren't a whole lot to make until the very end. The game really emphasizes the "novel" part of visual novel, though to be fair the visuals are quite good too. Characters are extremely well drawn, and there's a consistency to it all that these kind of games sometimes lack. Sound effects are almost non-existent, but the music does a decent job of setting the mood. I picked up <i>Eliza </i>as part of the "Steam Visual Novel Fest" and as such am quite happy with it considering the amount I paid for it. At it's suggested retail price though, I would have been underwhelmed. Regardless, it's a thought-provoking game and definitely one that offers a wide range of perspectives on AI and mental health. So, if that's the sort of thing you're interested in, by all means give <i>Eliza </i>a try.</p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-22835693356979126672023-08-08T14:26:00.000-07:002023-08-08T14:26:08.988-07:00Indiana Jones and the...<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMumrDsz-3EyaVs-iAKU17on9YeB0hvqOq84NzT77On1aw9iNZ8TTIE1EpSA-ACiJGfTHtVHFGiDmlTzOl5KCi8Bhcpr9ABFptrwS6Xt8d0q6NgZVzzJpXkRdyRNb5ae2hBoGgPBRaKJEvc4ctxeBER737c6aXurNXP2sUGi_D8idkHGA8hpBD9c-HfrlF/s340/Fate_of_Atlantis_artwork.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMumrDsz-3EyaVs-iAKU17on9YeB0hvqOq84NzT77On1aw9iNZ8TTIE1EpSA-ACiJGfTHtVHFGiDmlTzOl5KCi8Bhcpr9ABFptrwS6Xt8d0q6NgZVzzJpXkRdyRNb5ae2hBoGgPBRaKJEvc4ctxeBER737c6aXurNXP2sUGi_D8idkHGA8hpBD9c-HfrlF/s16000/Fate_of_Atlantis_artwork.jpg" /></a></div>I'm not much of an Indiana Jones fan, but I have to admit the franchise has an extensive portfolio; five major motion pictures, a TV mini-series, a couple of comic book runs, novels and a bunch of video games. Since this blog is mostly about that last category that's what I'll be focusing on...and more specifically one game in particular. Before that though, lets look at the franchise conceptually for a bit.<p></p><p>When it comes to video game adaptations of everyone's favorite archeological adventurer, there have been a few. I'm of course referring to Lara Croft...no, wait...I mean Nathan Drake...just kidding! Jokes aside, what makes Indiana Jones special is the time period in which he thrived. Unlike more contemporary characters like Croft or Drake, Dr. Jones is a man of the interwar years. Honestly, I feel like the setting makes the character since he is archetypal and very much a product of that era. The original trilogy did an excellent job of cementing the format and serial nature of his adventures. A quick rundown might look something like this:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The bad guys are Nazis, cultists or criminals of some kind</li><li>Indiana Jones has allies and acquittances who help him (including a love interest)</li><li>There are a bunch of action scenes including fist-fights, shootouts and chases</li><li>He gets captured at least once</li><li>There's a McGuffin artifact that has some sort of real world tie-in with supernatural qualities</li></ul><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSRF7JfeEUCPmGO1Njss-pHEp8iFPV31CQa6oqm_EiPl71T3ypS0pZP27UYtcDYT1eCTx-k3wiGve_k-wfBicRdFNQlxYMD4mGEDTE3PjDGRu4bcflPBemTtcmhqIcYbLBft1aopQ3sZEAAhbUERTHgMaNafDvKovIeXf1QFSPEej8hAjX7YyV72v_6MZ/s364/Indiana_Jones_and_the_Infernal_Machine.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSRF7JfeEUCPmGO1Njss-pHEp8iFPV31CQa6oqm_EiPl71T3ypS0pZP27UYtcDYT1eCTx-k3wiGve_k-wfBicRdFNQlxYMD4mGEDTE3PjDGRu4bcflPBemTtcmhqIcYbLBft1aopQ3sZEAAhbUERTHgMaNafDvKovIeXf1QFSPEej8hAjX7YyV72v_6MZ/s16000/Indiana_Jones_and_the_Infernal_Machine.jpg" /></a></div>What makes each individual story special is the creative ideas woven into it all. Overall, the tone is pretty light though it can have some dark or grewsome bits to juxtapose with the comical stuff. Sometimes it's slapstick and sometimes it's almost a mini-history lesson. Indiana Jones himself is generally an honorable man, but can fight dirty when the preverbal chips are down. This back-and-forth is part of what gives the IP its roller-coaster vibe. So, now with all that out of the way lets focus in on that one game I mentioned back at the beginning.<p></p><p>I've embedded images of box art from several original stories found within the franchise. The thing is, the overwhelming majority of Indiana Jones video games are action-driven experiences which (paradoxical as it might sound) aren't the best fit for the source material. Oddly enough, the one original title that fits the Indiana Jones formula is a point-and-click adventure game - <i>The Fate of Atlantis</i>. It's actually a direct sequel to the movie tie-in game The Last Crusade, and about three times as long. It was Lucas Arts first "talkie", the studio's first video game to feature a fully voiced cast (for the CD-ROM version). Developed using the SCUMM interface, <i>Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis</i> has beautiful pixel art similar to <i>Maniac Mansion</i>, <i>Monkey Island</i> and <i>The Dig</i>. What really makes the game standout though is the three different paths players can take; "team", "wits" or "fists". Each path features events that may or may not happen in a different path, which (in turn) provides a degree of replayability typically lacking in these kinds of games. Regardless of the player's chosen path, the story adheres closely to the formula. It features a love interest (Sophia Upgood), bad guys (Nazis again), various action sequences, and our titular hero getting captured at least once. The McGuffin is (as implied by the title) a location - the lost city of Atlantis. Rumored to have been a treasure trove of extraordinarily advanced technology, the Nazis obviously want to obtain its secrets for their own nefarious ends. In particular, Orichalcum beads thought to have come from Atlantis seem to hold vast amounts of non-radioactive energy. While not explored in detail, the backstory for Atlantean technology is the byproduct of a visit by ancient aliens. The various devices powered by these beads are bronze-age knock-offs of the alien's tech, making the people of Atlantis a long-vanished cargo cult of sorts. Funny how a lot of these ideas got recycled in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (along with a few more from an unmade video game-turned-comic-book, Indiana Jones and the Iron Phoenix).</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXcUBqOvPBcztIg8aXNy4usXLz5FUWpNj20RaJpryXnetOmlMHT6UKLJQKoU3EDqZKboDLuUB4YPkhLOt1d4K13m97wefElrEhJd5EayvQ-jAlTSPFdjjadE1lgvMHK8N250YWYTy4JVGz0tI7IHxlmM3euQPcZllqlpYwI_e-mIjoWUATug9Hwqt1v_M/s364/Indiana_Jones_and_the_Emperor's_Tomb_Coverart.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="273" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXcUBqOvPBcztIg8aXNy4usXLz5FUWpNj20RaJpryXnetOmlMHT6UKLJQKoU3EDqZKboDLuUB4YPkhLOt1d4K13m97wefElrEhJd5EayvQ-jAlTSPFdjjadE1lgvMHK8N250YWYTy4JVGz0tI7IHxlmM3euQPcZllqlpYwI_e-mIjoWUATug9Hwqt1v_M/s320/Indiana_Jones_and_the_Emperor's_Tomb_Coverart.png" width="240" /></a></div>On top of checking all the boxes typical associated with an Indiana Jones adventure, <i>Fate of Atlantis</i> also has a couple of callbacks. The golden idol from the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark can be seen in Indy's office at one point. Looking at a statue of a falcon in the college museum will prompt Indy to say "it's the stuff dreams are made of," which is a reference to the 1941 film The Maltese Falcon. Similarly, looking at some scribbles on the the stone walls of Atlantis will lead Indy to comment "Atlantean Graffiti." Younger me thought this was an attempt at verisimilitude specific to real archeological discoveries made at the ancient ruins of Pompeii, but it's far more likely a world play joke referencing the George Lucas' film "American Graffiti". Another similar example is a street in the Monte Carlo section of the game named "Rue des Guerres des Étoiles", a rough French to English translation being "Star Wars Road". One last language related joke comes from some of the controls for a German U-boat. Three, in particular, are labeled "Ausgeschnitzel", "Flugeldufel" and "Krauskefarben". These words have no meaning which I suppose is a good way to keep it from being too easy for people fluent in German (or those who happen to have a German-to-English dictionary on hand).<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbhz_OhQmSadO8Kylq19geIYDcF_o7ntz1to4UOYqMeVvPcFhcOfSFUs5WFLelDcsYg5vCSWh5M0_7cAzoaZn7t4sSTDy4nZ_hE2CJrwEnRqYmOiMT8mgCwpDzT4MEjq9qaN-TP5gCdWllQRXpkVFVIy5Iklsy_ARhBeREU4LxpCP_cvmmHSWupjxommJ/s325/Staff_of_Kings.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="256" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbhz_OhQmSadO8Kylq19geIYDcF_o7ntz1to4UOYqMeVvPcFhcOfSFUs5WFLelDcsYg5vCSWh5M0_7cAzoaZn7t4sSTDy4nZ_hE2CJrwEnRqYmOiMT8mgCwpDzT4MEjq9qaN-TP5gCdWllQRXpkVFVIy5Iklsy_ARhBeREU4LxpCP_cvmmHSWupjxommJ/s320/Staff_of_Kings.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>Of course, it's not a perfect game. The keystone puzzles are somewhat tedious and were part of the copy protection for the original disk-based version. The music is also a bit bland though the Indiana Jones theme does come through at the appropriate moments. Obviously, Harrison Ford would have been prohibitively expensive so they had to hire someone with a different, albeit, appropriate sounding delivery. Some of the other characters drift a little bit more toward Saturday morning cartoons in terms of delivery, but overall the cast ranges from good to competent. <p></p><p>I sometimes wonder what it would have been like had we gotten a live-action version of Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. Considering the lackluster reception Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Dial of Destiny got, I doubt it could have faired worse. Sadly, we'll never know, but at least we have the video game to enjoy. </p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-12522466933192189862023-08-02T01:49:00.001-07:002023-08-02T01:49:55.495-07:00Remake Request<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcceTUzHJ1qIOzEOT3eilHWaKDuAdfBluf-uR7G1nb4n108rSyByII56A5uxaERgVgDS-mVbu1QfBQvXEL9vDSJwlwSuoGNjunBHT4onbZAkTKOJEiM4qLtwCgh8DgC976FcHBukaUedZlHwJNPanM6UcshiyPyFNqc1bIGOckeXXVq2SZMTWBilV4EgG/s1529/ICOBOX.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1076" data-original-width="1529" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcceTUzHJ1qIOzEOT3eilHWaKDuAdfBluf-uR7G1nb4n108rSyByII56A5uxaERgVgDS-mVbu1QfBQvXEL9vDSJwlwSuoGNjunBHT4onbZAkTKOJEiM4qLtwCgh8DgC976FcHBukaUedZlHwJNPanM6UcshiyPyFNqc1bIGOckeXXVq2SZMTWBilV4EgG/w400-h281/ICOBOX.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffd966; font-family: arial;">There is a novelization of the game though it differs<br />somewhat in terms of scope and plot</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>These days I find myself a bit weary of all the remasters, remakes, and reimaginings that dominate big budget media. Even so, if someone were to ask me what video game I'd like to see get this special kind of treatment there is one title I can think of. It's an old PS2 title called <i>ICO</i>.<p></p><p>I used to think the correct pronunciation was "eye-ko" or "ai-ko", but based on the original Japanese spelling it appears to be "ee-ko". Anyway, it's the first in a spiritual trilogy of sorts. The second entry is <i>Shadow of the Colossus</i>, a game that has been remade three times (on PS3, PS4 and PS5), while the final entry is a PS4 exclusive called <i>The Last Guardian</i>. <i>ICO</i>, on the other hand, came out not long after the PS2 launched. It also has some truly abysmal box art for the North American version. As for the game itself, <i>ICO </i>is a 3D puzzle platformer with some light combat sprinkled in. What makes it stand out from games made in the same vein is the attention paid to movement and animation.</p><p>The game director for the entire trilogy, Fumito Ueda, has (in his own words) had a life-long fascination with kinesthetics. As such, the protagonist (a boy with a pair of horns sprouting out of his head) moves in an unusually realistic manner. He will throw up his hands to stop himself from slamming in to walls. He'll slide and stumble if he suddenly tries to change his direction of movement. Even pushing, pulling, lifting and falling has a weightiness that the boy clumsily exudes in a believably adolescent way. Of course, all this has been done in other titles such as <i>Prince of Persia</i>, but what really makes it special in <i>ICO </i>is the addition of a second major character.</p><p>As the fairytale-like story goes, all horned boys born in the region are taken as prisoners under escort to a massive mist-shrouded castle on an ocean coastline. Here they are transported by a small boat to a sea cave entrance and brought up through tunnels to a sacrificial vault. Fifty-four stone sarcophagus-like containers line the sides of the chamber. The boy is placed in one, but not long after being sealed away an earthquake sets him free. His captors have already made a hasty exit so he's presumably all by himself in the castle. However, after doing some exploring he happens upon a taller (and probably older) girl locked up in a metal cage. After freeing her, he finds that she seems to be only half-aware of what's happening...like she is being held partially in a magical trance or daze (more on that later).</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0ADtCs-f8KLFCRfR3RsmZKNV5XpJ9y5Q0GVVsroW5aC9VAeyiPNvGrBeMt9FmIJcDnxFVREi5afRIyTGm5zxhpbeTZmPqVOYmwKOk5LodAXPBB5nk5AEBwPHdUyzMaH2Cgc1nOWEfBYBs97okDgZ7V7VJ7HGdlx-j09RHKcUWEXgNTlOVqDOqFqtczhd/s720/Queen.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="720" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0ADtCs-f8KLFCRfR3RsmZKNV5XpJ9y5Q0GVVsroW5aC9VAeyiPNvGrBeMt9FmIJcDnxFVREi5afRIyTGm5zxhpbeTZmPqVOYmwKOk5LodAXPBB5nk5AEBwPHdUyzMaH2Cgc1nOWEfBYBs97okDgZ7V7VJ7HGdlx-j09RHKcUWEXgNTlOVqDOqFqtczhd/w400-h225/Queen.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: arial;">The Queen claims that Yorda is her daughter, but it is<br />unclear if this literal or metaphorical</span></b></td></tr></tbody></table>If led by the hand she will follow, but she can also be drawn to the boy by beckoning and the call of his voice. The difference in movement is interesting to contrast. The boy often skitters about almost haphazardly, while the girl moves in a much slower and more deliberate manner. When the two hold hands there's almost a tug-o-war between the characters that must have been a real challenge for the animators to get right. Naturally, these two want to escape their imprisonment together - each having abilities the other lacks. However, as it turns out, they aren't alone in the castle. Worse still, these other inhabitants aren't friendly either.<p></p><p>At first these foes only appear small in size and few in number. They are shadows of dark vapor given form, each with a pair of pale glowing eyes. The horned boy only has a stick, or (or later on) a somewhat more formidable sword with which to fend them off. Blows from weapons don't seem to hurt them so much as dissipate their physical presence until they vanish, eyes and all. Their appearance is always heralded by the opening of one or more dark portals in the floor which they seek to drag the girl through. The boy, to them, is only ever a mild annoyance, avoided or swatted aside (by the larger shadow monsters that come later). As their numbers increase so does their size, and some begin to have bat-like wings, tails or even horns of their own. Later in the game it is reveled that these creatures are the spirits of previously sacrificed horned boys. They have been enthralled by the ruler of the castle, a sorceress-queen. She too lacks a physical form. Nonetheless, there's some interesting implications regarding her appearance.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJaUK2Efp5Gg3RfcdZhTFKjihfclqwjNWZ5EXFFm3vjCgAe6-wGoL-kCFxacKcSVymv8eLa127lqAj7ohRkmDD4FlUsqoXymTBTgOQqQ1BERESE0S76Q1_b5Ei_PIVSy7MNGs1Oqhx6aI7BiRp5K_CmHW8opwl2cI-Cs_sJlpNPqCK54XNr8BZ_35XJEie/s2612/Sofa.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1465" data-original-width="2612" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJaUK2Efp5Gg3RfcdZhTFKjihfclqwjNWZ5EXFFm3vjCgAe6-wGoL-kCFxacKcSVymv8eLa127lqAj7ohRkmDD4FlUsqoXymTBTgOQqQ1BERESE0S76Q1_b5Ei_PIVSy7MNGs1Oqhx6aI7BiRp5K_CmHW8opwl2cI-Cs_sJlpNPqCK54XNr8BZ_35XJEie/w400-h224/Sofa.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: arial;"><b>The ending of <i>ICO </i>is fairly ambigious to the point that<br />Fumito Ueda doesn't consider his interpretation<br />strictly canon </b></span></td></tr></tbody></table>For simplicity's sake, I'm going to mention that our boy/girl duo are named "Ico" and "Yorda" respectively. Neither can speak the other's language, though the queen seems to be fluent in both. Yorda is very pale from head to toe and so is the face of the queen. However, atop her head and below the neckline she has a shadowy form similar to the monsters that serve her. It also seems that her power is tied to stone. The castle has some rather impossible looking architecture which (understandably) collapses once the queen suffers an untimely demise. During her climatic boss battle she emits waves of energy that can turn the boy to stone. Incidentally, this magical petrification happens if Yorda is ever dragged through one of the dark portals by a shadow creature. The implication here seems to be that Yorda is providing a degree of magical protection to Ico. Between the two, I'd say Yorda is the more powerful which is why the queen is focused on keeping her in an inhibited state. Conversely, Ico is an amusement to the sorceress or at worst a mild nuisance. This underestimation is of course the big mistake that proves to be her downfall.<p></p><p>So, after spending all that time reminiscing on <i>ICO </i>we finally come to the question of a remake. The game was given a slight upgrade on the PS3 with higher resolution, a steadier framerate and some improvements to the AI. A few puzzles were also modified. Obviously, all that is well and good, but what benefit would a full-on remake bring? Simply put, the environments could receive a massive visual upgrade both in terms of textures and set dressing. The castle could also be shown more fully and explored seamlessly, rather than having to be somewhat divided into self-secluded mini-areas. One thing I hope any would-be designer leaves well alone is the stone sofas. They act as save points, but can only be used if both Ico and Yorda sit side-by-side on one of them. The music accompanying the save menu is also quite nice and, in a way that is hard for me to describe, embodies the overall vibe of the game. Hilariously, loading in a saved game from the main menu shows that these two have been taking a nap (presumably in the player's absence). Personally, I have a hard time imagining a couch made of stone being comfortable enough for sleeping, but I suppose if you are tired enough just about anything will suffice.</p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-30526528410408954412023-07-27T22:37:00.001-07:002023-07-27T22:37:30.476-07:00Martian Gothic<p> As one person put it in the comment section of Youtube:</p><p>"The story and design of <i>Martian Gothic</i> is as beautiful as the gameplay is terrible and disgusting."</p><p>I agree. Overall, it's a terrible game, but there are a few gems tucked in with all the garbage. For example: </p><p>"I'll not survive to hear midnight's chimes. The bad dream has come true." </p><p>Keep in mind when the player hears this audio log they're down in the Necropolis, vast and cyclopean, with what sounds like synthesized pipe organ music playing in the background. It's such a great bit of audio design. Also, <i>Martian Gothic: Unification</i> really earns its title when you meet that ghost of a man buried out on the surface and he says:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpQsEzpamVyEN9h9vi0bB_FhOdT5whxCUaentd5Q8BNQmCmZR_oAhIQE-tKfvZZE57rYONF1bzLWvRsXOHk9E4fCUik9lV_mfTGw70_ZTm5u-3djFsvsrN2ZaNgp19N9joobXDHw8Vq7rudDjJODsLLJpUMSEwmKUh3jDgmm6-g1cfDclwSlRnFDmYw/s268/MGUgif.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="268" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTpQsEzpamVyEN9h9vi0bB_FhOdT5whxCUaentd5Q8BNQmCmZR_oAhIQE-tKfvZZE57rYONF1bzLWvRsXOHk9E4fCUik9lV_mfTGw70_ZTm5u-3djFsvsrN2ZaNgp19N9joobXDHw8Vq7rudDjJODsLLJpUMSEwmKUh3jDgmm6-g1cfDclwSlRnFDmYw/w400-h223/MGUgif.gif" width="400" /></a></div>Soft and slow, we are flowing back<p></p><p>like sand, like time, back to the beginning</p><p>I am the first, reborn of the red soil</p><p>Come with us, down into the dust</p><p>and rise again, transformed.</p><p>Anyway...enjoy a few screenshots from a survival horror game that wasn't very good, but perhaps would be a interesting candidate for being remade. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4Bg-RxAZU5ef5YQKQ7zq9vEN7YfcvbcVg3cGz-cPblOtu2V41Jn55Jp58B4O5TikGVJksiHNvnRY3zLd3bYQzqpoYI5oYAaZF63eSmiC59xNFZYBbeyEMoDCVZ_Or5HtmDp1jKNofRrku3VypwT_yDgIChxiFe9cU3A6pVix5UI1V21r_DGEfPaUGg/s852/MGU4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="852" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4Bg-RxAZU5ef5YQKQ7zq9vEN7YfcvbcVg3cGz-cPblOtu2V41Jn55Jp58B4O5TikGVJksiHNvnRY3zLd3bYQzqpoYI5oYAaZF63eSmiC59xNFZYBbeyEMoDCVZ_Or5HtmDp1jKNofRrku3VypwT_yDgIChxiFe9cU3A6pVix5UI1V21r_DGEfPaUGg/w640-h396/MGU4.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNHoIPG8VlwO675BCTC_9p1jvPcBA_lLIQTIegit3N4XFCbGD37i9PDhmOwzla2vMb1qlndgSvnE1z24uPEU2bLl19OIQ5Zy_RxsCJyna1i7HZ4sEQ9XFD_kJbiaxhn5zhGzkJNZMqyUXFnvx8rKXE6LrMnpJAzGGHIZ2Vlj_m6QuIVpJZBESedlYsQ/s640/MGU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNHoIPG8VlwO675BCTC_9p1jvPcBA_lLIQTIegit3N4XFCbGD37i9PDhmOwzla2vMb1qlndgSvnE1z24uPEU2bLl19OIQ5Zy_RxsCJyna1i7HZ4sEQ9XFD_kJbiaxhn5zhGzkJNZMqyUXFnvx8rKXE6LrMnpJAzGGHIZ2Vlj_m6QuIVpJZBESedlYsQ/s16000/MGU.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgor-hggbOU6piI4lPYahS4cH5NpbrBos4e9QkEmPG7_j9pDRafHu0NsfQB63XpDlm5v-prtD7IDI7KPGi6p9gzi5885P8BTXba-NWVYKxNmz4nYDG3TlAcpGmm5fNGufL1Aw02pHirWudqeloflcJ5AO5_bN-a8h7Xee8JqX5-q_CcaxssjTFdtHA3yg/s640/MGU2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgor-hggbOU6piI4lPYahS4cH5NpbrBos4e9QkEmPG7_j9pDRafHu0NsfQB63XpDlm5v-prtD7IDI7KPGi6p9gzi5885P8BTXba-NWVYKxNmz4nYDG3TlAcpGmm5fNGufL1Aw02pHirWudqeloflcJ5AO5_bN-a8h7Xee8JqX5-q_CcaxssjTFdtHA3yg/s16000/MGU2.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-25975757999342918202023-07-21T18:45:00.001-07:002023-07-21T18:45:54.754-07:0016-bit Mazes and Monsters<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2f9OnM7Xa5VmYhrwJbeqbUKXY069H7uR132HV5H0qbqAMxHrfnrNVksJbxbnMsHFLuKJQOUiwTIK61W-VkgLDN1mKyu36G029RwK2NMv34pLuL7FKHA6g7OLE_984mWJHhD6g-zH-_h4PySm6MCAuord9sEN3Fk6pxPKqU1pg0RSaaoU_XPbos8T12w/s1026/Shining_and_the_Darkness-jp-cvab-x640.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1026" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2f9OnM7Xa5VmYhrwJbeqbUKXY069H7uR132HV5H0qbqAMxHrfnrNVksJbxbnMsHFLuKJQOUiwTIK61W-VkgLDN1mKyu36G029RwK2NMv34pLuL7FKHA6g7OLE_984mWJHhD6g-zH-_h4PySm6MCAuord9sEN3Fk6pxPKqU1pg0RSaaoU_XPbos8T12w/w640-h399/Shining_and_the_Darkness-jp-cvab-x640.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f9cb9c; font-family: helvetica;">Oddly enough the Japanese name of the game is<br />"Shining <b>and </b>the Darkness"</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Before <i>Shining Force</i> there was <i>Shining in the Darkness</i> - a dungeon crawler in the traditional sense. By that I mean no automapping, random encounters galore, and a fair amount of grinding. It's not a bad game, but playing it has reminded me of why I like the SRPG spin-offs that followed a lot better. You see...every battle in the <i>Shining Force</i> series is a set piece encounter. This originator of the franchise has room for a small amount of tactical thinking, but for the most part it's about navigating a multi-level maze filled with hazards in the form of monsters and traps. There's treasure to be had too, although much of it is of little importance. The goal of the game (as laid out in the opening) is to rescue the princess Jessa who has been kidnapped by the sorcerer "Dark Sol". It's about as generic a plot as you can get. Even so, it's presented well. <p></p><p>The art style for the early entries in the the <i>Shining </i>IP are distinct in that they subtly blend 1980s Disney with a bit of an anime aesthetic. In terms of setting it's more Narnia than Middle-earth when it comes to demi-humans. To this day, I must admit centaur knights (complete with armor and lance) look pretty dang cool and are something you don't see a whole lot of in fantasy settings these days. Unlike some dungeon crawlers, players only go it alone during the early stages of the game. After defeating a giant crab (and mini-boss of sorts) the hero of the story gains two companions (Milo and Pyra) who can help him on his quest. At first glance this team of three seems like a fairly standard warrior-healer-mage combo, but in truth the lines between them are a bit blurrier than say...Dungeons and Dragons. While it's true that the meat-shield warrior protagonist never gains the innate ability to casts spells, his pious looking companion (Milo) hits pretty hard and has magic that overlaps a bit with Pyra the mage. Meanwhile, she can deal out decent damage while still having a repertoire of AoE and utility spells. She's also the fastest of the three when it comes to turn order. Monsters vary quite a bit - ranging from the simple (bats, wasps, slimes, and slugs) to the standard (goblins, ape-men, skeletons, and minotaurs); all the way up to slightly weird foes like ax-beaked ostriches and "clodhoppers" (hat-wearing puppet-like enemies that consist of a head with a pair of legs sprouting from underneath).</p><p>The variety is much appreciated, but it isn't enough hold my interest. As far as old-school dungeon crawlers go, <i>Shining in the Darkness</i> is very well made example of its genre. It's just not the kind of game I can really get into. Still, there are plenty of worse ways to spend your time, and if you are the kind of person that enjoys titles like the <i>Bard's Tale Trilogy</i> or the original <i>Wizardry </i>then this Sega classic might be right up your alley...or maybe I should say up you subterranean corridor? Actually, never mind...that sounds kind of gross. </p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-19436060263399053202023-07-14T23:04:00.001-07:002023-07-14T23:04:50.570-07:00Double-Edged Nostalgia<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbXLeK06-rWX6EJfC82x5iYvQiymMGOm8mf5OxBrOY3imODZQQ-tcGlcXQ-LjKJKQ5T9BqkndU7ukPRgrsxEBSOE8rxeuKPmb_ty4uAv_5kols3Vsj5xmLLG4u-IxDXJtMJlfc2b2wmTkHwNQluB1pgIgF2SqQ_rzymoP9D6N1g7m_texqhr6dG6bhQ/s4032/Retro.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbXLeK06-rWX6EJfC82x5iYvQiymMGOm8mf5OxBrOY3imODZQQ-tcGlcXQ-LjKJKQ5T9BqkndU7ukPRgrsxEBSOE8rxeuKPmb_ty4uAv_5kols3Vsj5xmLLG4u-IxDXJtMJlfc2b2wmTkHwNQluB1pgIgF2SqQ_rzymoP9D6N1g7m_texqhr6dG6bhQ/w640-h480/Retro.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>It's easy to get a rose-tinted view of the past. One of the saddest things I have read so far this year is a Reddit user post that states "it's depressing when you play one of your old favorite games and realize that you haven't missed the game, but rather how you felt back then." You'd think with all the hardships that are happening in the world right now I would have gone with something else, but it hit me hard. It hit like the ending of the "Great Gatsby" or that scene in "Amelie" wherein she returns the tin box of childhood keepsakes. It felt very personal, and yet it's an emotional reaction that many people know all too well.<p></p><p>Reaching back to the furthest recess of my memory, I can still recall some of my earliest experiences with video games. I grew up in the golden age of arcades so it's tempting to say that I was there from the beginning. However, the truth is arcades have been around in one form or another all the way back to the 1800s. Originally the machines were purely mechanical, but eventually gave way to electromechanical designs. Oddities of that bygone era include <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutoscope" target="_blank">Mutoscopes</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baffle_Ball" target="_blank">Baffle Ball</a>, and fortune telling machines. Some featured elaborate dioramas. In general though, the vibe was similar to that of a carnival (seedy atmosphere and all). A few of these electromechanical games are around to this day such as Skee-Ball, air hockey, whack-a-mole, and pinball. I actually got to see all these machines growing up, but the purely electronic arcade games were where the future was headed. They were fairly ubiquitous even outside arcades, and could be found tucked into the corners of bars, laundromats, restaurants, college campuses and even supermarkets. The games were, what are now considered classics (<i>Asteroids</i>, <i>Centipede</i>, <i>Galaga</i>, <i>Pac-Man</i>, etc.) For me, the big draw of video games wasn't the flashing lights or bombastic sound effects but simply the fact that players could influence what was happening on-screen. Unlike film, television, novels (excluding choose-your-own-adventure stories), or stage theater - video games have an interactive component that sets them apart from other forms of media in a big way.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZVze26vuJrI8nK0CsNr6qC2S8ZONhBC7aTbPb-V4kYTEs_N6YdIowsWDYhSpC9zLbNu94pCJ-GRjFJ-ylKCTOdi542ng7MhyI7FV15R1Sm-qzGtEWMvYzpvalH-xQMTUiuOk9HdF19mF4Nw1_n5HfMwEf-VdYzlnJHOaV-AMiuzkYzJ4uJVBGZkN4Lg/s948/Expect.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="948" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZVze26vuJrI8nK0CsNr6qC2S8ZONhBC7aTbPb-V4kYTEs_N6YdIowsWDYhSpC9zLbNu94pCJ-GRjFJ-ylKCTOdi542ng7MhyI7FV15R1Sm-qzGtEWMvYzpvalH-xQMTUiuOk9HdF19mF4Nw1_n5HfMwEf-VdYzlnJHOaV-AMiuzkYzJ4uJVBGZkN4Lg/w400-h400/Expect.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Of course, there is an equally bad flipside to video game nostalgia; newer is better. It's hard to argue with older games being inferior to some degree simply because they were designed to run on what is now outdated hardware...not to mention that a lot of really old games were sadistically hard...and not in a fun challenge (i.e. <i>Dark Souls</i>) kind of way. Strange as it might sound, there are some games that straddle those two opposing views surprisingly well. The point-and-click adventure genre is one example, but there's another I have been getting back into after a very long hiatus.<p></p><p>The first-person dungeon crawler has been around since <i>Wizardry </i>released back in 1981. My first delve into the subgenre though wasn't until <i>Tales of the Unknown: The Bard's Tale</i> in 1985. The last time I played one of these games in earnest was fittingly enough <i>Bard's Tale 3: Thief of Fate</i> which released in 1988. So after three-and-a-half decades I'm playing <i>Labyrinth of Zangetsu</i> and not all that much has changed from a gameplay standpoint. Granted, there have been some much needed improvements - automapping being the big standout. Overall though, I see little reason why a fan of the earliest dungeon crawlers wouldn't also like <i>Legend of Grimrock</i> or <i>Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi</i>.</p><p>When it comes to evolutions in game design, I feel like it tends to be one step back for every three steps forward. A lot is gained, but something is also lost along the way. Thankfully, there are retro throwbacks and even the originals (preserved by emulation software) for us to go back to should we wish to be reminded of where we came from and where we are going.</p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-48464472719813260552023-07-08T23:05:00.000-07:002023-07-08T23:05:08.419-07:00Inspirational Failure<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjAUgmV3t6LvHjy-z7K1kGIBc5GAQ-UsfjmeV-U57Infc0rq4R1d9iu2PJZu_HWREnYC0HA7P6mDC1UnPNWbZ3YYH3cwSOEQfR7rnr-t_DYEoeRa_kZgJTMmflTrOeVO7yDI7oiZTLGXmf9vME2T6BTP225SAOBDm-txbXDlOC_F_CWlCdnq9RKh6lVA/s1125/TP.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1125" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjAUgmV3t6LvHjy-z7K1kGIBc5GAQ-UsfjmeV-U57Infc0rq4R1d9iu2PJZu_HWREnYC0HA7P6mDC1UnPNWbZ3YYH3cwSOEQfR7rnr-t_DYEoeRa_kZgJTMmflTrOeVO7yDI7oiZTLGXmf9vME2T6BTP225SAOBDm-txbXDlOC_F_CWlCdnq9RKh6lVA/w400-h400/TP.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i>Trespasser </i>is one of many games in the Jurassic Park franchise. Released in 1998, it was a commercial failure and winner of Gamespot's worst-game-of-the-year award. Disappointing to see considering that it spent three years in development with a very talented team of designers. Just to stress that last point, Austin Grossman (the writer for <i>Deus Ex</i> and <i>Dishonored</i>) along with Seamus Blackley (father of the Xbox) both worked on this game. So, what happened? In a word - "overscoping".<p></p><p>As is all too common in game development, the team behind <i>Trespasser </i>bit off way more than they could chew. There were a lot of ambitious "firsts" such as large open outdoor environments, a diegetic interface, a physics engine, and a complex AI to give the dinosaurs life. That last point is especially noteworthy because all of the half-dozen or so dinosaurs species (as well as sub-types) found in the game move and act in strange ways due to them literally being puppets on strings. It's kid of surreal to see in action and hasn't been emulated since (the one exception being the creatures found in <i>Rain World</i>). </p><p>The physics engine also ties into this due to how players interact with the environment. Much like the mannequin dinos controlled by the AI, the main character has a single working arm that they use to pick up, manipulate and throw objects with via the mouse. Again, it's kind of weird and not a game mechanic you really see outside of quirky indie titles like <i>Octodad </i>and <i>Surgeon Simulator</i>. Nonetheless, Gabe Newell cited the physics engine in <i>Trespasser </i>as an influence on a similar system Valve used in <i>Half-Life 2</i>.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg74XyaUgAvzxOZcnGSDBDHU7sOgqxLPfd079hue-EGP_ODXTKT2jiFehXUUR-E1JkgWIHslbMZpoecffdlqwBP4nqddEnz5WIVCRkC9dcBg_ScI3zDejSmaX_ueq5Oton2RSfdmyD6Xdeeao5R6KSZVqgC7yhGX9xm8hMgIyWFBd_FfzJbbf6k3hnSQ/s1000/Trespasser.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="1000" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg74XyaUgAvzxOZcnGSDBDHU7sOgqxLPfd079hue-EGP_ODXTKT2jiFehXUUR-E1JkgWIHslbMZpoecffdlqwBP4nqddEnz5WIVCRkC9dcBg_ScI3zDejSmaX_ueq5Oton2RSfdmyD6Xdeeao5R6KSZVqgC7yhGX9xm8hMgIyWFBd_FfzJbbf6k3hnSQ/w400-h294/Trespasser.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>Not having any kind of HUD was hardly a new concept in 1998, but doing so in an action-oriented FPS was courting disaster. To work around the lack of a health meter the protagonist has a visible heart tattoo that indicates their status based on how full it is. Ammunition for guns is tracked by the player character vocalizing how many shots they have left after each pull of the trigger. Weird as these ideas are, they eventually popped-up in games much later on. <i>Dead Space</i> for example has a life bar on the back of Issac's suit. Meanwhile Alyx (from <i>Half-Life: Alyx</i>) sometimes comments on her ammo supplies. The official game for "Peter Jackson's King Kong" movie features a particular button that (when pushed) causes the player character to exclaim how many bullets they have left. In truth, it kind of makes sense in that game since <i>King Kong</i> features a lot of teamwork. Maybe you'd want to let your allies know how you're doing ammo-wise from time to time...?<p></p><p>Lastly is the outdoor areas which were quite expansive for the time. For the most part, FPS games released around that era were of the corridor shooter variety. Obviously, <i>Trespasser </i>was brutally difficult to run on 1990s hardware because of the sheer amount of geometry on-screen at any given moment. Even so, the idea of wide open environments was a direction that game development would expand toward; <i>Halo: Combat Evolved</i> and the original <i>Far Cry</i> being two big steps the industry took that way later on.</p><p>While it certainly deserves to be called a very flawed game, <i>Trespasser </i>ultimately attracted a cult following of sorts in the form of mod makers and bug fixers. These individuals actually poured in a considerable amount of effort in order to make the game run with fewer issues and even significant improvements. In some ways the fan updated (i.e. current) version of the game feels like a VR title. Incidentally, someone is working on a mod for that. There's also an unofficial pseudo-remake of sorts in the works, but it's anyone's guess if the DNA of the original can be revived or if it will simply live on as little bits and pieces in games that have come since. </p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4538961658949262850.post-6193074137236860372023-07-01T16:04:00.000-07:002023-07-01T16:04:08.605-07:00Regressions<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJFTegplLpp1eX6300XZET-wYgn8y0nWH22QfN1qCMoYbbeMKJpqw3r1Owdzlc-PLcDEI_1nb9eYBZuDSpInVs0Ie8I1jAyEymt8QKekEFS3SRedtxWvBfYv-L3OrUuffU7Ijl5fI00rNEAw03b9S_aEoIsfyI9Mo08TpcSmRhIgQ-mnVO0Kw8fg1tg/s627/eldern-ring-stutter.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="627" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJFTegplLpp1eX6300XZET-wYgn8y0nWH22QfN1qCMoYbbeMKJpqw3r1Owdzlc-PLcDEI_1nb9eYBZuDSpInVs0Ie8I1jAyEymt8QKekEFS3SRedtxWvBfYv-L3OrUuffU7Ijl5fI00rNEAw03b9S_aEoIsfyI9Mo08TpcSmRhIgQ-mnVO0Kw8fg1tg/s16000/eldern-ring-stutter.gif" /></a></div>PC gaming these days seems to be on somewhat of a backward slide. Actually, that's not entirely correct. The indie scene remains as vibrant and varied as ever. However, larger budget computer games are in serious trouble. The nature of the problem is a bit hard for me to explain. Not being an expert on computer hardware and software, I'm not sure if I can do the topic justice...still, I'll try to illustrate in general terms. <p></p><p>Graphics on PC games are handled in no small part by specially designed software such as Vulkan and DirectX. For the sake of simplicity I'll focus on the old DX11 and new DX12. As one might expect, DX11 is less capable in terms of potential performance. On the other hand it's also a lot easier to use. DX12 allows for far more optimization and customization. In theory this means nicer looking games, but only if coders know what they're doing. In fact, if you don't have the time/knowledge/skill it's possible to make games that are a downgrade. To be exact, we are seeing games that look objectively the same or even worse in DX12 and yet have higher video memory requirements than they would have had in DX11. PC gaming woes don't end here though, there's also shader compilation stutter. It's a persistent problem that many game developers don't seem to know how to fix. The end result is games with frames-per-second counts that dip periodically regardless of the in-game performance settings or processing power of the PC. It appears that without the "guardrails" that come with DX11 and console dev kits, many programmers can't properly optimize their own work and, worse still, can't devise antiquate solutions (at least for certain game engines such as Unreal).</p><p>One might be tempted to say it's time to go back to the drawing board. However, I think (in many cases) computer programmers need to go back to school and (re)learn the basics of memory usage and allocation. Also, what is up with all these bland looking video games that take up over 100GB of SSD space?</p>Casey Goddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01090820441049118534noreply@blogger.com0