I'm pleased to announce that Team Wanderlust has finally unveiled a 'public' demo of Wanderlust: Rebirth, a game that many (myself included) feel is already one of the richest experiences crafted with Game Maker to date.
The game, a solo / online action RPG, represents a re-imagining of the original Wanderlust game, of sorts. Upon starting, players can choose from a handful of classes, and can level up their character with points as they progress through the game's chapters. Each chapter that is completed unlocks the next, and can be repeated again in order to obtain a higher rating, and earn more points.
Rebirth also features an intuitive dialog system, killer retro 16-bit style graphics, customizable controls, and of course, online play. Using the Reflect account system, or by connecting directly, players can join up with each other and play through chapters as a party of up to 4 players. The co-op gameplay is actually encouraged, as the game awards alternate scores for different group sizes, so if you want to complete the game in its entirety (and have some fun to boot), gather up some buddies and have at it!
I've really enjoyed watching this game as it is developed, and it's great to see it finally released to the public and finding a warm reception therein. A lot of work has been put into this game by just a handful of talented people, and I hope to see it finished in the time to come.
Matt, Rebirth's chief programmer, has also given me some great ideas to expand the functionality of Reflect as well - you'll see some of his suggestions come to fruition in future updates.
Anyway, I highly recommend you take the game for a test drive. I'm sure you'll agree with the growing consensus that the new Wanderlust is truly an epic game, with lots to do, and lots of rewards for both the casual and the dedicated alike.
Wanderlust: Rebirth's topic at the GMC can be found here, or you can download the game directly here.
Driving to work today, I only passed by one Cingular store, but I could see a small throng of people standing outside of it, waiting for it to open. Listening to the radio, I heard that the frenzy had reached a higher pitch in the bay area, where some people have been waiting outside of Apple stores since Wednesday, and lines have extended to span almost a block of city streets.
What earth-shattering, ground-breaking, head-exploding new product are all these sad souls waking up early for?
The iPhone 3G, of course. A slight upgrade to the iPhone.
As a somewhat frequent visitor of Digg during the work week, I'm actually quite sick of hearing about it, if you want to know the truth. Almost every other story submitted has been about the iPhone 3G, and each one seems to try to make something as mundane into something interesting more so than the last, and not coincidentally, insult my intelligence more.
Want to watch someone activate their iPhone?
Or navigate an application store?
Or take it out of the bloody box, and handle it?
All covered, courtesy of fanboys, Engadget, and the piece of trash that is Gizmodo. And it makes me sick. How pathetic has our society become that we waste minutes and hours of our lives standing in line for an upgraded telephone?
It's gotten to the point where I feel like I'm about the only man in his mid 20's in California who doesn't shit himself every time someone mentions the iPhone - a sad reality. I even had the displeasure of listening to KGO interview a guy who was first in line at one of the Apple stores in San Francisco, who admitted he already had an iPhone, but wanted a second version phone as well.
Yes, in this time of economic downturn, people are buying a second version of the same phone they already own because it has a few more features than the last. At the time of this writing, Apple's stock is down 1.9% - on a big product launch day, no less - and people are still casting away their barely-year-old old iPhones so they can browse the internet on it slightly faster. And people wonder why our economy is tanking.
This foolishness must stop. Currently, I'm using an LG Chocolate 2, and I really like it - it's easily the best phone I've ever owned. It does everything I need it to do, and it looks cool. But I am not going to rush out and buy the LG Chocolate 3 when they release it, especially not if my current phone is working fine. In fact, the next time I buy a phone will likely be when this one stops working. And I'm not going to participate in the ridiculous douchebaggery that permeates the iPhone crowd, and take videos of myself opening the box, using the phone, or buying applications. I'm a tech guy, and even I find this crap completely neurotic, obsessive, and just plain disgusting.
Being as interested in games as I am, it's hard to keep from playing them. I do play quite a lot of games. And even though much of the time I spend playing games amounts to nothing so far as actual, tangible achievements go, I do consider at least some of the time spent useful as far as my knowledge of graphical effects and current gaming trends goes. I've got to stay on top of this gaming thing, after all, especially if I'm making games of my own!
The trouble is, I've accumulated a pretty large backlog of games that need finishing, or some other attention of sorts. In order to help myself organize this list, I've posted each game on my to-do list below, along with a progress report. Read how behind I am!
Diablo 2
Status: Just started
Following Blizzard's recent announcement that Diablo 3 is in the works, I re-installed and began playing Diablo 2 for a little bit of nostalgia, and to bring myself more up to speed with the series. I'd played Diablo 2 before, but never got too far through it, and I figured that now would be a great time to pick it up again. It's an old game, so it loads and unloads fast enough to play casually whenever I want, and though the graphics are a bit dated (the resolution is locked at 800x600), it's still a lot of fun to play. The only problem is that the game is just as I remember it - incredibly addictive.
Just as long as I don't wear out my mouse with all the frantic clicking, I should be okay.
Grand Theft Auto 4
Status: Somewhere around 30-40% complete
I'm not sure what happened with GTA4, but for some reason, I stopped playing it for a while. I think it was a combination of my re-ignited love for PC gaming, and running one to many failed missions that involved a lot of driving at the outset. Seriously, when I press the button on the in-game cell phone to retry the failed mission, I shouldn't have to drive all the way there again!
Team Fortress 2
Status: Need medic and pyro achievements
I've not spent as much time with TF2 as I've wanted over the last few months - I just haven't had time. Every time I pick the game up, I don't stop playing for 3-4 hours, and that's a hard chunk of time to try to fit into my busy schedule. As noted above, I need the achievements for medic and pyro, as I have yet to even try out any of the new weaponry. Hopefully I'll have some time one of these weekends to sit down and work through it all, without becoming hopelessly addicted again.
World of Warcraft
Status: Grinding for PVP gear/rep
I've hit the level 70 player cap, I've gotten my epic flying mount, and I'm guildless... what should I do? Play PVP battlegrounds for gear and grind enemies for reputation, of course! Fun sometimes, and boring the next, there's always something to do in WoW.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Status: Halfway through the final case
This one's almost finished - I just haven't had time to play it much lately. Looking at the list above, and taking the rest of my real life obligations into consideration, that's reasonable, right?
Half-Life 2: Episode 2
Status: About halfway through
I really like HL2 - I even pre-ordered Episode 2 and had it the moment it was released. And yet, as with so many other games, I started doing something else halfway into the game, and never got around to finishing it. This one should only take a few hours to do, and I really should just set aside some time and do it.
Mass Effect
Status: Finished multiple times, just want more achievements/gamer points
I'm an achievement whore, what do you expect?
So where do you stand on your games? Got a lot of games that need some loving?
I'm proud to announce that Reflect Games has gained its 6000th member!
It's been a long journey for me, starting up Reflect, and working through a lot of ups and downs, fast times, and slow times. It's been a lot of fun, and I hope that it continues to be so as we push on into the future.
I've not had as much time to work on games recently, but I have worked on things slowly over the last few months. I've got a game in the works for the next YYG competition, and I still plan on finishing up some of my more undercooked projects at some point, and getting the site update for Reflect out eventually, too. I usually find time to visit the Reflect Games forums, to interact with the community and help people with their work, and I'm always interested in previewing projects people may want to utilize the Reflect system as well. As time goes on, I will have more time for creating things myself as well - I'm just doing a lot of commuting for work right now, and that has a habit of making my free time scarce.
In any case, this is a very happy time for the Reflect community and myself, and I hope that if you have not yet checked out Reflect Games, you will take this opportunity to do so. Many people have put a lot of hard work into making Reflect what it is today. It's a fun place to be, and I thank everyone for helping it continue to be that way.
I might be working on a special giveaway to commemorate this milestone as well - more on that later though. Thanks for reading!
Blizzard has announced that Diablo 3 is on the way!
And from the looks of it, this is going to be one of the most visually rich dungeon runs you've ever been on!
One of my buddies mentioned this to me last night on World of Warcraft, but I had not gotten an opportunity to check out the official site until this morning.
If you're a fan of the Diablo series, I'd definitely recommend giving the website a look - Blizzard has released a large collection of screenshots (which I've got hosted here as well, in a gallery at the end of the post), as well as some wallpapers, concept art, lore, and a lot more. It's a great way to kick off what looks to be another triple-A title.
I'm a big fan of multiplayer dungeon-run games like Diablo and Dungeon Siege, and though I like the pre-made levels available in these types of games, I've always reserved a special place for those that can generate dungeons randomly as well. Random dungeons give the player a sense of discovery that's simply not possible when they run the same levels over and over, and I love the idea of working my way through a dungeon that nobody else may have ever seen before. From what I have read about Diablo 3, this game will include this feature and that, coupled with the amazing graphics and the classic Diablo gameplay, is just about enough to get me to put in a pre-order right now.
Hopefully we'll be learning more about the world of Sanctuary soon - I'm especially looking forward to a release date. The fact that Blizzard is posting job listings for Diablo 3 on the website makes me believe we won't be playing this anytime really soon, but seeing as the game is far enough along to deliver these amazing screenshots, it couldn't be that far off, right? Maybe a holiday release? Please?
In any case, I'm going to have to round up my current batch of unfinished games and get through them so I have time for this... but then Spore will be out later this year, as well as Gears of War 2. And possibly C&C: Red Alert 3. And then there will be more updates to Team Fortress 2. And the World of Warcraft expansion.
Ah, well... sleeping was always such a waste of time anyway, right?
Look at that beast. Just take a moment and look at it. In that gooey pile of nacho goodness rests a quarter bag of tortilla chips, several handfuls of shredded Mexican cheese, three quarters of an avocado, a heap of sour cream, and a whole can of refried beans.
This, folks, is a still-sizzling plate of super nachos, whipped up by yours truly.
Believe it or not, I ate the entire thing last night... I guess that's why I wasn't hungry for breakfast this morning (or lunch, for that matter).
After a few well-deserved days off, I'm back on the mean streets of California, choking on the smoky air, navigating the dense freeway traffic, and cranking my air conditioning up to 11.
I bet you didn't even notice I was gone, did you? (Don't answer that!)
I had a great time though, and I wanted to post a bit about it here before I return to the doldrums of my normal updates... and before I get back into working on my competition entry, which I'll be showcasing on the blog as soon as I can.
Anyway, my girlfriend had to do some traveling up north for her work, and seeing how we both love it up in Seattle (and we both needed a break from the California heat), we decided to make an extended weekend out of it. Our legs are sore from all the walking around, but we both had a great time, and got to see and do a lot of cool things on the trip.
Fremont Summer Solstice Parade
Our first stop, after dropping off our bags at our hotel and grabbing a bite to eat, was the Summer Solstice Parade in Fremont. My girlfriend, having lived in Seattle for a few months some years ago, had already been to the parade before. I had not, and was pretty excited about it. Watching a throng of crazy people parade down the street is always fun, right?
Turned out it was. The parade, which was founded on the principle of being entirely human-powered, was filled to the brim with neat ideas for floats, interesting costumes, and awesomely-demented people. The Fremont street fair, a large gathering of local crafters and merchants, was equally cool, and was about ten times larger than the last time I'd seen it, presumably because of the number of people at the solstice parade. I liked the "art cars" they had there as well.
One thing that took both my girlfriend and myself by surprise (in a good way) was the pre-parade bicycle cavalcade. Admittedly, this probably doesn't sound very exciting - until I mention the fact that 90% of the people riding these bikes aren't wearing anything but some body paint and a smile. All I can say is that public nudity is kinda awesome.
Bainbridge Island
On the west side of the Puget sound is Bainbridge Island, a small bit of land accessible via only one bridge to the north, and by ferry from Seattle. Though neither my girlfriend or I have ever explored the island in its entirety, we always manage to find something fun to do there, and usually some good eats as well. For this most recent trip, we made it to Doc's Marina Grill for some excellent fish & chips, and then walked up the hill to the Bainbridge Pavilion to rest and catch a movie. We ended up watching Kung Fu Panda.
I actually really enjoyed Kung Fu Panda, for a few reasons. Probably the first things you notice about the film is that it's a visual splendor. The backdrops are beautiful, the animation is slick, and the characters are amazing - there isn't one scene in the entire movie that isn't a complete treat for the eyes. The all-star voice acting was also very well done, especially Jack Black's performance as the panda, Po, who leads the film. Also well done is the story, which is somewhat predictable, but which is told so well that it manages to stay just fresh enough to be interesting.
Kung Fu Panda is definitely a children's movie, but I liked it a lot, and would see it again. I actually feel somewhat inspired to create a stylish Kung Fu-type game now, but I need to finish my competition entry before I start something like that. Kung Fu Panda was a great movie though, and I highly recommend it.
Dinner with Gunner McJack
If you've followed Reflect Games since its beginnings, you probably recognize the name Gunner McJack - a hardcore firearms master, and a professional ass-kicker. The fictional Gunner McJack is derived from a character a friend of mine and I created back in college. I got to grab a bite to eat with my buddy, who's taken on the nickname of Gunner McJack, which was fun. Not much more to say about that, except that I still do plan on making a Gunner McJack game one of these days.
Experience Music Project
One of the last things my girlfriend and I got to do in Seattle was visit the Experience Music Project, or EMP, which houses some really great exhibits on the history of rock 'n roll, as well as the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame.
I wish we would have had a bit more time to look through both sections of the EMP. The collection of historic items from rock history was impressive, and the current exhibition, a Jimi Hendrix retrospective, was amazing. The compendium of related items was fun to look at, and even included pages from Hendrix's diary detailing a few nights of gigs. Also on display was a large collection of historic guitars, spanning the range from awesome to eccentric. Upstairs from the main floor are a series of booths where you can learn the basics of playing a variety of instruments, audio mixing, etc. There's also large media room where you can listen to and watch audio / video clips of artists discussing their songs and performing. I'm not an audiophile by any means, but I could have spent at least a few more hours looking at everything.
The Science Fiction Museum also had a great exhibit called Robots: A Designer's Collection of Miniature Mechanical Marvels, which contained a large number of robot models and toys, including various Transformers, Mechagodzilla, and other gun-toting, plastic automatons. It was a great way to end the tour through the museum itself, which housed a fine collection of science fiction memorabilia from every era since its inception. I'm not sure if most of it was replication or original, but it was awesome to see artifacts like the original Star Trek costumes, the gun Bruce Willis used in The Fifth Element, and the E.T. spaceship. It was also quite enlightening to see how entrenched our culture is in science fiction, and I think that even my girlfriend, who isn't really into science fiction much, got a kick out of some of the show.
And Now I'm Back
So yeah, after a whirlwind of activity in Seattle, I'm back. I'll be picking up production on my competition game again tonight, and probably getting in a little gameage on the side too. You'll be able to read about all that here, and I'll try to get some images (or maybe some video!) of the new game uploaded soon. It was a great vacation, but I'm glad to be back, too. After all, being at home and getting things done now is what makes vacation in the future so much more enjoyable!
Thanks for reading, and if you're up in the Seattle area, check out some of the stuff I mentioned above, if you can.
Clichéd as it is, let me start this with a few definitions:
Mundane-adjective
2. common; ordinary; banal; unimaginative.
Uninteresting-adjective
1. arousing no interest or attention or curiosity or excitement.
Stupid-adjective
2. characterized by or proceeding from mental dullness; foolish; senseless.
Mundane, uninteresting, and stupid. These three words perfectly describe one of the newest internet cesspools, Twitter.
If you took MySpace, dropped it into a special machine designed to wring out everything but the superficiality, narcissism, and lust for attention, and then you took what was left, put it into some bullets, and then fired them at the internet with an automatic machine gun, you'd have Twitter. And probably a few dead bystanders.
For anyone out there who is not familiar with Twitter, it's a lot like having a blog, except instead of taking the time to think about and actually write a cohesive collection of sentences, your updates consist of one-liners and simple thoughts. To better illustrate my description, here are some example Twitter entries:
"its already 10:30???!?!? when did that happen??"
I dunno, maybe while you were sitting there posting stuff on Twitter?
"Speaking of food.....lunchtime!"
Nobody was speaking of food.
"At the hospital waiting on Labor and Delivery."
It really sounds like you've got more important things to do than Twitter.
"Why do I hear windchimes in the office?"
I dunno, but you should get that checked out.
"confused by backpack"
Average Twitter user.
"I can't stop eating DORITOS!!! mmmmmm"
Perhaps the first advertisement on Twitter?
"i started a juice fast yesterday... i now think my stomach is eating itself!"
Yes, that rare feeling us humans call "hunger".
Twitter users call these small messages "tweets." I refuse to do that.
There's a reason why I don't speak aloud every little random thought that goes through my head, let alone post them in my blog. It's because, like everyone else, most everything I think about throughout the day (and most of the stuff I do, for that matter) isn't interesting enough to share with people. And the same goes for everyone else, regardless of who you are.
Nobody cares if you're eating Doritos. Nobody cares about your momentary confusing over a backpack. Nobody cares if you hear windchimes in your office. These things are not important.
And yet, thanks to Twitter, the internet is bombarded with a constant stream of similar garbage. I honestly can't think of a bigger waste of time - sitting around posting and reading things on Twitter makes a full day of World of Warcraft seem like an exceedingly productive thing to do. It gives a bad (worse) name to social networking on the internet, and cheapens somewhat more legitimate outlets of information, like blogging.
Twitter annoys me worse than lolcats, and I think that given the chance, I would purge every memory of its existence from the collective consciousness of mankind. If you use Twitter, please just stop. You're ruining the internet for everyone.
In all my excitement over the Spore Creature Creator and trying to fit my game playing/creating time into the remainder of the day, I nearly forgot that Valve had announced a Team Fortress 2 update, along with the release of a new character vignette!
Meet the Sniper is another brilliant clip introducing the playable character classes from TF2, this time, quite obviously, for the sniper. The short video follows the sniper around his "workplace" as he guns down and machetes enemies, drives his truck, and... talks on the phone with parents (who, by the sniper's own admittance, don't like his job).
The camping scene and the ending are also fantastic, but I won't ruin it for you - watch it for yourself, below.
As I mentioned in a previous blog post, these videos are the result of a fantastic promotional campaign for Team Fortress 2 by Valve. They shine with the kind of polish that can only be obtained via confidence and respect for one's work and considering how great of a game Team Fortress 2 is, and continues to be with each class update, Valve has a lot to be proud of.
I've yet to play the updated flame-thrower, but I'll be sure to report back here when I do.
And for one last note - don't forget to download Firefox 3 if you haven't already. It's hardly been 24 hours since its launch, and the new browser has already been downloaded over 7 million times! That number seems a bit bloated, but - wow! Congratulations to Mozilla - there's no doubt their little browser is a big hit.
After having read about countless people playing with the Spore Creature Creator (and watching the number of creatures added to the online database jump by the thousands with each page refresh), I finally got a chance to try it out myself... and it's pretty fun!
I also made this goofy blue dragon.
I haven't had a chance to give this a really lengthy go-round, but from what I have played so far, it's intuitive, easy, and fun. Taking your creature for a test-drive as you develop him is awesome, and the features the team has built into the game for taking pictures, creating videos, animated avatars, etc. is great. I'm still going to reserve final judgment for the final release of the game, but just from this small taste, I think Spore is going to turn out great.
As with the Mii channel on Wii, half the fun will be to see what kind of creations people can make that resemble existing creatures. I've already seen a Murloc creature floating around, and it was a pretty damn good recreation.
Anyway, I'm going to get back to playing around with this, as well as working on my YYG Competition 3 entry - be sure to try out the Creature Creator though and let me know what you think!
