Update: What a Couple of Weeks

Ah so as you can guess from my title I have decided it more efficient just to do a generic update rather that to post individual thing I have been buzzing about; after all I am just one busy (very lazy) frood. So without further ado the stuff

- On new ground the other week I found this interesting flash game that is at the same time brilliantly executed, unbelievably cute, and vomit inducing (quite literally), it is called Spewer, as the subtitle says: "a game about puking", I admit it is not much more than that though it ma help to say that it is a platformer with great (if slightly wonky) physics , in which you primary puzzle solving tool is projectile vomiting (just like elementary school) to your target. But be warned this game is very tough, and those who do not want to be frustrated by repeated gruesome (if undeniably cute) deaths of your puking worm-thing.

- Last weekend the adventures of my band of chaotic treasure-looting mercenaries continued, the first "real" dungeon of my campaign was completed and the next is up coming. The mantle of divine spell caster was taken up by a new player: Bridger, another veteran of d&d and a druid. Yet again the party proves the old constants of being perfectly unpredictable, trying their best to temp death, and taking the violent solution above all others. There was also the bit of starting up a hither to unknown to me "zombie campaign" to pass the time at five in the morning when we were all to inebriated (mostly due to caffeine, late night, and propane fumes) to continue within a narrative structure of a traditional campaign.

Yeah, something like that

- last week I also found a relatively new roleplaying system, pathfinder, currently in an early stage a good portion of the manual can be downloaded on their site: paizo.com (Pathfinder RPG). I would basically refer to It as AD&D v3.75, for it is clearly a direct decedent of the game (certainly more so than fourth edition), I personally chose not to use it because it is basically interchangeable so therefore would be more difficult to convert (you know, people not remembering what they are playing), and may of the "significant" changes I had already included in my home-brew update/setting which I use for my campaign (though it is still mostly D&D), though one thing that may make little difference to those dedicated Role-players is the overly stylized (gamer english for: can't draw) Anime-ish art style

- I have just finished the fist cycle of the Elric novels by M. Moorcock , they are good, origional in the description and function of the planar multi-verse if a bit to existentialistic at some points for my general enjoyment of continued existence. the story kind of "pulpy" (as in the 50's-70's episodic type writing) Elric's adventures consist of moping, gaining hope, going fantastic places, meeting interesting characters, then after the struggle being driven to kill then by his psychotic-soul-sucking sapient rune-sword: Stormbringer, to relate this to you purely vidogaming types; Aurthas' (you know warcraft) blade Frostmorne took it's name and powers from the twin blade of Elric's; Mourneblade, in fact much of Aurthas (early on) was based upon Elric.

The Dead have RISEN!.... A second time!

well as a posted previously I was "intrigued" by the screen-shots and teaser for the next dead rising game, but with the recently circulated trailer I am left with one thought; "dual wielded chainsaws, f*ck yeah!!", anyway here is the link , "y'all come back now, y'hear".

this blog is interrupted for a commercial break

Did you know, that the dead love iMerchandise as much as they hate the living...

Agh!! Indie zombies *grabs shotgun*, *blam, blam, blam*, now that we have that problem solved: my arrogant opinion. From the video you can surmise that the slightly campy humor from the first game will remain intact for this release rather than going the way of the analogue TV recept0r and the power glove. Also the new hero, Chuck Greene apparently has a daughter, which I suppose would give him a better reason to stick around than unlikeable action-photographer Frank West, also our new hero shows ingenuity of the same school of Bruce Campbell

Shown: Ingenuity of the highest order

The combat (from the trailer at least) appears to have been fine tuned and polished a bit, and from the articles attached I can imply that the Aiming which was the equivalent of a mentally retarded blind pacifist trying to get a head shot on the pope from a mile away, was improved. If they fix the flaws of the last game this could shape up to be one of those games that stays near my xbox for years upon years to come. But being a Japanese designed game they are liable just make a near exact copy of the previous game with little to no problem fixes.

Dead Rising 2, Woot!

For those of you who have not played the original dead rising, you do not know what you missed. Dead rising was not so much a survival horror as you would expect it was much more like a mutant hybrid of grand theft auto, dynasty warriors, and Shaun of the dead. Admittedly in the game you found yourself repeating the game over and over again just to level up enough to go the distance, the shooting mechanics for a lack of a better term; sucked ass, the bosses were ludicrously powerful compared to your photo journalist/zombie "re-deadifyer"/cross dresser (the crappy shooting doesn't help this either), and slaying thousands of zombies however fun gets old when there is a total of three "re-deadifyings" every five seconds for several hours. But despite all of this; the game is ultimately fun, and truly unique, I mean what other game allows you to pummel zombies to death with a gumball machine.

The sequel to this "classic" was announced recently, apparently the outbreak of the last game was not contained and began leeching out from it's home in the small town (with a Beverly Hills sized mall) of Willamette and has spread to the generic Los Vegas look alike that the sequel shaping up to be set in. the graphics appear to have gotten a significant over hall from the initial 360 launch timed original (after all that was a "staggering" four years ago)

original left, new right

our new hero looks more a former member of the Hitler youth that a grizzled combat photograph which in retrospect will probably make for a much more likable character. it's also plain to see that the new zombie hunter shops for cloths in the same place as the Bride from Kill Bill.

Capcom (the developer) says they are going to try to appeal more towards the western audience with this installment, which is odd considering that if I had not known the developer I could have sworn that the game was made right here in the good ol' USA. Well I suppose the game is in a stereotypical American town with stereotypical crazy and or stupid Americans with handguns in excess coming out of every trash can and zombie's pocket. But anyway the game looks good, and you can find the trailer; Here

and one more thing:

GIANT HAMSTER BALLS!

Oh No! Zombies!

A construction sign on a highway in Austin Texas read caution: zombies ahead then urged the passersby to seek colder climates. A government warning of for the zombie apocalypse it wasn't; but of course since it wasn't they "logically" assumed that it was hacked as part of a a viral marketing campaign for Capcom's Resident Evil 5. Um "okeeeey" Why would any company preform an act of vandalism to get some notoriety for a game in development that already has a number of people who want it scrapped, but any way Capcom has already denied their involvement after all what company would be stupid enough to commit any crime even a misdemeanor to drum up business, and besides I am more liable to beleive them than the Idiots on the net.

Now we think It is for a lack of a better phrase "absolutely freaking Hilarious" but the police don't, after all the the person in question did break the lock, change the pass word of the machine which enabled this to keep cycling for days, and caused general chaos amongst those stupid enough to beleive it. So in conclusion the vandal has my applause, but don't do it again.

Oh no!