And now to round out this flurry of pre-Turkey Day updates, because I simply can't be bothered to take the time to update while I'm at home, is finally a new Play This Now. Night of the Cephalopods is a fairly straightforward top-down shooter with a Lovecraftian theme, but has an interesting auditory twist: Many of your characters actions are accompanied by a voice-over narration. It's an interesting experiment that is still early in its development, as there's only about half a dozen screens to explore and can be finished in just a few minutes. But it's worth taking a look at just to see a new, unique mechanic at work, and following as the author promises to continue his work on the game.
Link, notc.zip
-K.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Play This Now: Night of the Cephalopods
Thursday Morning Video (Early Edition): Sumotori Dreams
Not another MST3K short today, but these videos are infinitely more obscure and do require some set up. Sumotori Dreams is a very small program that can't necessarily be called a game, much less even a tech demo. The premise is supposed to be two large, blocky creatures duke it out sumo-style, and the first to fall to his knees is the loser.
Thanks to some automated character physics that can best be described as "wonky," it doesn't really work like that:
The second video is without sound, so I recommend playing Elvis Costello's I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down over it.
The bouts last mere seconds, but that's not the highlight of the game, obviously. From what I understand, after victory is decided, the two misshapen characters attempt to shift themselves into position to face each other and bow, marking the end of the battle. Either by confused programming or a mad genius, this tortuous process is the most entertaining part of the game.
Engorged in a Feast of Digital Entertainment
The constant assault on my visual and auditory senses is mercifully beginning to wane. Though I still have yet to finish Fallout 3, even after dumping 60 hours of my life into it. Now that Bethesda has finally announced that they will be releasing the dev tools and as well as going into detail about the three DLC expansions they have planned for the coming months I don't think I will be able to escape the game's death-like grip any time soon. And I still have yet to really return to Dead Space or Far Cry 2. I see them sitting there by my side, calling out for attention, only to be ignored. The release of Left 4 Dead does not help, as I feel secure in saying it is one of the finest multiplayer experiences ever crafted. The standard co-op campaign gameplay is pretty great, but surviving the Versus mode, taking on human-controlled opponents, has it's own unique, palpable tension. Conversely, doling out the punishment as one of the special boss zombies has it's own incredible thrill.
I did play through Gears of War 2 with Chris, which was a safely fun experience. I say safe because. obviously. it did not have the same initial impact of the first title, which is to be expected, as it simply iterates on the formula that works really well. Where it tends to fall apart is when any of the characters decides to open their warbleholes and deliver what is supposed to be dialogue. A stronger focus on Epic's part of improving the cut-scenes and including more exposition did not help this weak point. Thankfully it does not get in the way of actual gameplay, and it is not as aggressively stupid as to include a button where you celebrate with your bro. I will probably be picking this up for myself at some point.
And I still have yet to play Mirror's Edge or Episode 2 of Penny Arcade's opus. Also, I think Chrono Trigger for the DS drops today as well. Shit.
-K.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Thursday Morning Video: Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Here Comes the Circus
Another MST3K short. Look, it's all I've been watching lately.
-K.
Important News Alert
It's hard to believe that Half-Life turned ten years old yesterday, and harder to believe that there's anyone with a PC that does not already own the game. But in case you do not, to celebrate it's first decade of existence Valve has offered their debut masterpiece for 98 cents via Steam until noon PST today. So if you want it you better jump on it quick.
-K.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Thursday Morning Video: Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Mr. B Natural
Another MST3K short, been watching a lot of these lately.
So since I decided to try to cut down on caffeine I haven't had anything with it in about a week, and my body doesn't seem to be responding well to the change. I've been taking more naps lately.
-K.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Poorly Timed Releases
Though I made initial headway into Far Cry 2 and Dead Space, since Fallout 3 arrived it has consumed all the attention I can spare. I'm about 38 hours into the game and have reached the level 20 experience cap (Which I didn't know existed until after I was at level 19) and I think I'm maybe midway through the main quest. But without the reward of further character advancement some of the combat and exploration has lost some of its appeal. I can understand why the cap is there; I have amassed quite an arsenal and I am already pretty much a walking death machine, I can only imagine how broken and imbalanced it would seem if I could continue to make my character even more deadly. Though I think it should be stressed that I am criticizing a game for getting a little stale after thirty-eight hours of playtime.
The release of Gears of War 2 today does not make things more convenient, neither does the release of Mirror's Edge in five days nor the full version of Left 4 Dead in ten days. I may hold off on Mirror's Edge until the PC version but found the demo that was released to be compelling, the controls simple enough that falling to your death or missing a jump will almost always be the result of poor timing and not control confusion or lack of responsiveness. By all accounts it seems that Gears of War 2 improves on all aspects, and I really enjoyed the original, but that's another game I may have to put off for a while.
The official demo for Left 4 Dead has been released a few days early to those that pre-ordered the game, and you would be safe to assume I was one of those. I'll have more to say about the game later, but I'll throw this up for now:
-K.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
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