geekspective.com » Dylan Pulley

Breaking the Crust – My First Week with Terraria

Dylan Pulley — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:00:16 +0000

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: world-building, survival RPG developed by independent developer generates hundreds of thousands of sales in mere weeks time. Developed by Re-Logic and released on May 16th via Steam, Terraria is earning a solid reputation already as a game many are lauding as “Minecraft in 2D”. Sure, the similarities are seemingly staggering based on one’s initial impressions of screenshots. There is a definite dynamic of “crush blocks, gather resources, craft items, build fortifications” that is quite familiar to fans of Minecraft. Being one of those fans, I quickly picked up a copy and gave her a whirl on a self-hosted server with a handful of friends. What I discovered about the game was surprisingly refreshing.

In my first encounter I generated a single-player world named Ferros, then created my character sprite from a handful of hairstyles, clothing colors, and skin colors. After a brief loading screen as the world was being generated, I popped into an area with an NPC named “Guide”. Talking with the Guide, I received information on how to use the basic set of tools that I started with to chop down trees, dig up minerals, and construct basic crafting items. Information was even provided on how to get other NPCs to move in and populate an area. After some digging, gathering of stones, and baking of gray bricks in my homemade forge, I was able to construct a stone building with doors, walls, and torches. As soon as the final wall went in, the Guide walked up to the door, opened it up, and moved right in, thus forming the foundation of my new town.

A new member to the neighborhood.

As with Minecraft, the day and night cycle is a very prominent mechanic. While there are slimes which populate the surface world during the daylight hours, they are easily slain for gold and gel, which can be used to craft torches. When the sun goes down, however, zombies and demon eyes roam the earth, pounding at the doors of your fortifications in an attempt to reach your delicious brains. For those well-equipped and brave warriors willing to wade through the moonlight, there is ample reward. Falling from the sky every night are shooting stars, which may be picked up and combined together in order to raise your character’s maximum Mana Points. Through dynamic character progression which carries over from single-player to any multi-player server you join, one may learn advanced spells, bolster their health points, and carry over high-tiered gear.

This wand shoots thorns. Through anything. It's kind of a big deal.

After my first session playing single-player, I tried my hand at hosting a server in order to see what the multi-player was like. To me, this is where the game really shines, despite the fact that it is currently a little bit difficult to set-up and get working properly. After a fair amount of time figuring out port-forwarding, setting up a static IP, and downloading Hamachi, I was able to connect with a few friends from out of town. One friend explored to the East and found a pit where the “Corruption” had set in, a seemingly random occurrence where the sky darkens, the terrain looks blighted, and massive worms and flying baddies roam the surface. She put up a wall stronghold at the edge of the pit, creating a symbolic line of defense and a perfect staging area for future excursions. While the building in Minecraft is far more intricate and involved, the construction in Terraria has a level of utility that feels like you’re accomplishing something beyond simply building for building’s sake.

Another exciting addition to the gameplay in multi-player mode is the addition of events. Whenever a few of us were online at one time, we would receive foreboding messages in the chat box indicating that something was about to happen. For instance, one day when the sun went down, the message of “The Blood Moon is rising…” appeared, causing some confusion as to what that meant. It soon became clear, as swarms of zombies began assaulting our fortified town. Much to our dismay, fueled on by the crimson moon rising in the sky, these super-powered zombies began to destroy walls and open doors to flood our protective constructs. Fighting back to back until the morning, we pushed off wave after wave of the undead hordes until finally the sun came up. As we caught our breath, we checked our pockets and counted our gold to find a healthy sum of loot from the long night of relentless assault. These events seem to occur only when multiple people are connected at once, and can range from goblin invasions, to the announcement that a meteorite has landed somewhere, prompting players to explore the surface to find these incredibly rare sources of meteor rock which can be crafted into high-end armor and even ammo for guns.

Upon a full week of playing online with friends, we are still managing to discover new loot, and with new updates already being released and planned, the opportunity for continued exploration and discovery is potentially limitless. We’ve just begun to explore the deepest reaches of hell, an area populated by fire imps and devastating bone worms. I look forward to all of the future plans for the developers, as the sheer fun factor can only improve as the systems become more refined and robust.

Also, for those willing to drop 10 dollars on this gem through Steam and join us on-line, Geekspective has a community server. Don’t be a dick, take only what you need, and respect others’ buildings when not involved in a time of war.

The IP for this server is : 24.12.110.116:7777

ACen 2011 Post-Con Preview

Dylan Pulley — Mon, 23 May 2011 03:11:56 +0000

If any of us dropped off the face of the internet this weekend in any capacity, it would be because we were having too much fun rocking our faces off at Anime Central this weekend. Over the next few days, expect to see plenty of cosplay photography, video footage of live panels, and anecdotal tale and story from what has been lovingly dubbed “Rapture Con” this year. From rousing elevator rides packed in with a late-night reveling Joker, to a 5-way slow-motion finger bang with none other than Dean Venture, you will swear you had been to ACen 2011 for one of the biggest Anime conventions in these United States.

Initial Impressions – Dragon Age 2

Dylan Pulley — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:30:57 +0000

Having spent at least 100+ hours on Dragon Age: Origins and digesting nearly every marketing ploy regarding the Dragon Age universe, to say that I was excited for Dragon Age 2 would be a grave understatement. Prior to release, there was a lot of talk about focusing on the overall visual style for the sequel. I was eager to see if the talk would be vindicated by the end result, because honestly I felt that the lack of any unique visual spice was one of the major downfalls of Origins. Upon spending close to 10 hours with a red-haired Fighter with sideburns and a Rogue with an uncanny resemblance to a certain pop idol, I felt comfortable to pass judgment on my cursory glance at the tip of the iceberg.

Things are immensely different this time around, that much is made clear in the first 15 minutes of game play. If you played the demo that dropped a couple weeks ago, the intro is not much different. A tall tale is told regarding an event in the player character’s life. You’re thrust onto a mountaintop surrounded by an army of Darkspawn blighters and given an arsenal of devastating new abilities based on what class you picked. This serves the purpose of letting you figure out at the offset that, while war never changes, the combat in Dragon Age obviously has. As a warrior, I was pulling off whirlwind cleaving attacks that would turn large arcs of 5+ foes into a fine red mist. The pace of combat is much faster, the attacks are far more devastating, and the number of enemies thrown on screen at once would make Origins‘ frame-rate develop a stutter. 2-3 hours after your character has been reset to the reality of only having one ability, it becomes clear that the handful of skills they let you sample at the offset are an amuse bouché compared to the sheer volume and intensity of attacks available.

As always, the world is rife with rich characters, gorgeous set-pieces, and enough collectible lore to make an ogre choke. So far, the game feels much more geographically concentrated in comparison to the first. Much of the game takes place in the city of Kirkwall, a large metropolis that used to function as a slave trade capital. Quests will take you into the outlying wilderness, but for the most part you will be traveling the mean streets, making a name for yourself. Whether that reputation is good or bad is entirely up to you, considering BioWare’s signature dialogue options are back and more diverse than ever.

For all the good, there are a few things that still don’t sit very well with me about the title. For one, you can no longer pimp your companions out with all of that sweet armor you’re going to be finding, because a companion’s head, chest, and boot slots are all taken up by a special set of companion armor. These can only be upgraded by completing certain companion quests or finding the proper vendor to sell you upgrades for specific characters. Granted, this prevents the issues from the first game where characters would get pissed off and walk out with your premium gear. Aside from that, there is the issue of not actually generating your character until after the previously mentioned intro. This led to me finding out 15 minutes into the game that my Dragon Age: Origins save file was on another memory unit and in one of my finer moments of impatience I just said “Fuck it” and kept playing as a fresh character.

At the end of the day, Dragon Age 2 is still a damn fine game. Despite the previous issues, I’ve gone back and relocated my old saves and started a new character based on my main character in Origins. So far, there isn’t much that I can tell is effected by the events of Origins, but I’m sure as the timeline pans out, some of those characters and actions will come into play in the faraway city of Kirkwall. As long as you don’t mind a little less customization of your companions and a combat system that seems a bit more God of War, Dragon Age 2 is sure to be a game that will easily get the most mileage out of your gaming dollar.

Dead Space 2 – The Devil in the Details

Dylan Pulley — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:00:52 +0000

Dead Space 2 has been out about a month now. Since it’s release, I’ve had plenty of time to play through and ruminate on the effect the title had on me. After playing through several chapters again on Zealot difficulty, it is clear to me why this game has me so enamored. It is the way Visceral Games uses subtlety in its narrative that makes Dead Space 2 the best January release since Bayonetta.

It’s been three years since the necromorphic shit hit the fan and Isaac Clarke had to fight through a ship full of Scientol-er-Unitologist fanatics, space zombies, and miners gone insane to escape the USG Ishimura. The previously silent protagonist awakes with no memory of the last three years he had apparently spent in an insane asylum, his last memory of destroying the first marker on Aegis VII and watching his girlfriend kill herself lingers at the forefront of his mind. To my relief, Isaac reacts to the situation in an incredibly fantastic verbal shit fit. The game then sends you running from moment one, as you are still swaddled in a straight jacket without a weapon to defend yourself against the rapid assault of necromorphs.

Audio and Text logs make a big comeback in Dead Space 2, and with Isaac’s new voice, the radio communications have an added level of depth this time around. Gone are the days when Engineer Clarke would simply act as a silent tool, running off to risk his life at a moment’s notice on the whim of anyone with access to his holographic chest phone. While some may be put off by having bits of plot content locked away in hidden logs, I find that the quality and content of these completely optional audio and text snippets serve as a potent spice which keep you exploring the absolutely succulent level design.

Isaac’s foul mouth isn’t the only new addition. A slew of new necromorph enemies further adds to the variety of the gameplay. From the surface-mounted explosive-shooting Cysts to the hordes of screaming kindergartner necromorphs, each new addition forces you to adapt your play accordingly. The most memorable of these new additions for me are the predatory Stalkers. These raptor-like pack hunters tend to populate wide open areas with lots of cover, where in the previous title you may have just backed into a corner and shot anything that moved until you’re clear. Now the Stalkers will hide behind cover until you maneuver into an ambush position, whooping and calling to each other to coordinate flanking maneuvers in groups of 2 or 3. The whole experience forces you to develop your own predatory tactics, setting traps at chokepoints to keep yourself from being surrounded. Things can quickly turn foul, but these “clever girl” moments are just so exhilarating that it is hard to get frustrated when you’re surrounded and ripped apart for the umpteenth time on the same encounter.

All around, there are subtle cues to keep you exploring and trying new things. It may be tempting to run straight through a crowded area and enter the next room, leaving the necromorphs trapped and saving yourself some ammo. However, clear the room out and pop open some footlockers, and you’ll be rewarded with additional ammo and credits. Some rooms even spawn additional enemies who will drop better items if you stick around long enough. The game is simple enough that you can get through it fairly easy. However, as with most survival horror games, if you take the time to learn how to conserve your ammo and kill smarter, you’ll be heavily rewarded for your troubles.

If you have never played the first title, fret not. For the uninitiated, there is a pretty nice “last time on Dead Space” video for you to watch which explains what events transpired in the first game. Even if you played the first game, and maybe it’s been a while, this video serves as a good refresher course if you can’t remember who founded that religion which created what marker.

Between the “previously” video, exploration cues, amazing level design, and exceptional sound design, Dead Space 2 establishes that Visceral can not only create an incredibly competent third person survival horror game, they can also wrap it in finely crafted narrative and atmosphere. And, with the fully independent DLC Severed, there is plenty more game to be had.

Final Verdict: 5 disturbed mothers out of 5.

Felicia Day Fronts New Dragon Age Webseries

Dylan Pulley — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:37:09 +0000

Last night, that giggling nerd of a talk show host Jimmy Fallon had on his show a very special guest. That guest was Felicia Day, creator of The Guild and golden crimson-haired siren to geeks everywhere.

What was Miss Day doing on Late Night? Aside from announcing that a fifth season of The Guild had been picked up by Microsoft, the big treat was the trailer for a Dragon Age web series in which Felicia will be the lead role. Dragon Age Redemption will play out during the same timeline as the upcoming Dragon Age 2, and will feature plenty of Felicia Day in elf ears.

The series is scheduled to begin later this year. Now, enjoy this video of Felicia Day with daggers.

The Whole Cast of MvC3 Wants to Take You for a Ride

Dylan Pulley — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:00:42 +0000

It’s February 15th, and while yesterday may have been Valentine’s Day, the sweetest treat was saved for today. That’s right, today is the day that Marvel vs. Capcom 3 graces our presence with over 30 playable characters. To mark the occasion, enjoy this video, won’t you?

Now, if you need to find me, I’ll be Hyper-comboing well into the week.

Duke Nukem Gets Balls of Steel

Dylan Pulley — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:30:21 +0000

Everyone’s favorite misogynistic protagonist has been on hiatus for over a decade, which would be long enough to be declared legally dead in most states. However, this May, Duke will finally be slamming his combat boots right back into the ass of the video game scene in a big way. The wait will certainly be worth it, because for a premium price you can stake your claim to a very premium Balls of Steel edition of the upcoming Duke Nukem Forever.

This Duke-sized package of Grade-A weapons-grade swag comes with exclusive cover artwork for the game as well as…

Collectible bust of the greatest alien ass-kicker of all-time

Numbered, limited-edition certificate of authenticity

100-page hardcover book: The History, Legacy & Legend: Duke Nukem Forever Art from the Vault

Duke Nukem Forever postcard series

Duke Nukem Forever radioactive emblem sticker

Duke Nukem Forever collectible comic book

Duke Nukem Forever foldable paper craft

Duke Nukem Forever poker chips

Duke Nukem Forever mini-card deck

Duke Nukem Forever radioactive emblem dice

Swing by your favorite games retailer or pop online to secure yourself one of these bad boys before we find out what Duke’s been up to this May.

Pirates of Black Cove Announced

Dylan Pulley — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 23:00:45 +0000

Paradox Interactive, the folks behind intricate RTS series Europa Universalis and Hearts of Iron, have just announced and released a trailer for the upcoming Pirates of Black Cove. It looks like everyone will be showing up, by which I mean shirtless pirates and old bearded fellows with muskets. The brunt of the gameplay seems to be aquatic and land-based strategy combined with RPG elements as you establish a pirate crew and fight to become the King of All Pirates, but more like a real pirate and less like that stretchy bastard from that one show.

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Pirates of Black Cove is scheduled to release later this year on PC.

Comic Tie-in Bridging Arkham City This May

Dylan Pulley — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 18:30:06 +0000

If you’re anything like most of us at Geekspective, 2009′s Batman: Arkham Asylum got your Bat-gas off in a big way. It may come as a pleasant surprise, then, that a six-issue comic mini-series has just been announced to bridge the gap between the stories of Arkham Asylum and the upcoming Batman: Arkham City. The series will be penned by Paul Dini (Batman: The Animated Series) and inked by Carlos D’anda (Arkham Asylum/Arkham City concept artist).

Look for the first two issues to drop in May, with the other four coming out on the lead up to the autumn release of Batman: Arkham City for PC, XBox 360, and PS3. And if you can’t wait until May, check this out.

New Character Get!

Dylan Pulley — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 17:00:58 +0000

Platinum Games recently announced the addition of Jack Cayman to the roster of the upcoming multiplayer brawler Anarchy Reigns. This brings good news for fans of the mature-themed, Wiimote-swinging, black-and-white murder simulator Mad World. Hopefully, this development will be the first of many, considering Platinum’s pedigree could potentially bring badasses like Bayonetta and Viewtiful Joe into the mix.

If any developer could breath life into the stale brawler genre, it would definitely be the always over-the-top and uber-stylish Platinum Games. As it stands, a lot of the gameplay simply looks like an online version of Bayonetta, which is not a bad thing. This game just stepped onto my radar in a big way. Anarchy Reigns will be released later this year on Xbox 360 and PS3. Which Platinum or SEGA characters would you like to take control of?

Gamify.com Wants to Gamify the Planet

Dylan Pulley — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 20:00:25 +0000

Recently, the web saw the launch of gamify.com, a San Francisco start-up that seeks to set the standards to turn the world into one big game. The Gamify platform and Gamify Expert Network will provide a singular destination for web developers, app developers, and anyone looking to harness the power of gamification to engage their users and consumers. Easy to install custom widgets and applications will be provided for content developers to easily add game mechanics and detailed analytics to their user experience.

If you’d like to add experience points to your new iPhone pedometer app, you believe your forum could use some epic loot, or you’re just plain intrigued by the gamification movement, give them a look. Even more information can be obtained over at the Gamification Encyclopedia.

The iPad Is Upon Us, But Is It Worth It?

Dylan Pulley — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 00:30:30 +0000

Our friends over at The Chaos Grenade have posted a rather thoughtful article regarding the Apple iPad. The article takes a look at one viable, if not superior, alternative.

If touch-screen interfaces float your boat, then take a look…. here.

Bioshock 2 – First Impressions of Rapture

Dylan Pulley — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:00:44 +0000

Well, it’s February 9th and 2k Marin’s sequel to the 2007 Game of the Year, Bioshock, has been released. How has Rapture fared during the decade between titles? What’s all this about multiplayer? How have the mechanics changed? Will I ever look at the box art the same ever again? Well, having picked up the game at midnight and spent several hours with it, I’ll be happy to answer most of these questions.

The intro of the second title in the series finds the player controlling Subject Delta, a Big Daddy with little to no memories of his past. Delta wakes up a decade after the events of Bioshock to the voice of familiar secondary character Brigid Tenenbaum. It seems over the last 10 years, things have been getting even worse in Rapture. For those familiar with the shit/fan levels of discord in the first title, one can imagine that the city is pretty biblically boned. Thanks to the atmospheric Big Daddy suit, you’ll be able to wade through the damaged and submerged portions of Rapture, as well as a few trips out to the ocean floor, allowing you to gain some pretty awe inspiring vistas of the underwater metropolis.

One new feature that was never introduced in the first title is the multiplayer mode. Fans of FPS mainstays like Call of Duty and Halo will find a lot of familiar mechanics here. Individual Loadouts can be arranged to combine a vast number of weapons, plasmids, and gene enhancers for your character. These weapons and plasmids are unlocked by gaining experience, or ADAM in this case.

ADAM is acquired through many different means. Hacking a gun turret to only target your opponents will earn you ADAM, not to mention giving you an advantageous position on the field. Killing your opponents and then researching their corpses to gain a damage boost against them will also earn ADAM. ADAM can even be collected in vials which are spawned only once in areas all over the maps detailed environments and secret passages. All of these things combine to force the players to stay moving around the field in order to take advantage of opportunities to gain ADAM.

There are several different modes of play, including renditions of Free-for-all, Team Deathmatch, Territories, and Capture the Little Sister. All of these game types feature the 1959 Civil War between Atlas and Ryan, with the player fighting on the side of one of the charismatic would-be-Rulers of Rapture. The whole experience is wrapped up in a stylish hub where your character can change weapon loadouts, costumes, and listen to audio journals from the main characters as they fight through this Civil War. Everything blends together to create a multiplayer experience that feels more like a canonical account of the civil strife going on in Rapture during the actions of the first Bioshock title. The multiplayer experience is innovative and easily on par with many of the other popular multiplayer titles out right now.

My only issue with the feature so far has been a small margin (approx. 5-10%) of matches which were cripplingly laggy. I’m sure this could merely be the rush on the servers for being the first day of release, or an early bug that will be quickly resolved. Time will tell, but for now I think that the inconvenience is minor enough to ignore for the sake of such a fresh multiplayer dynamic.

One of the other main differences in the first two titles is the ability to dual-wield plasmids and weapons. This allows players to execute a quick left trigger freeze plasmid followed by a right trigger shotgun blast moments later, causing the splicer on the receiving end to shatter into pieces. The hacking mini-game has been replaced as well, with focus on mid-combat hacking being a very viable option. Instead of completing series of tubes, you’re now tasked with stopping a moving needle on green zones instead of red zones. The rest of the action will not be paused however, requiring you to dive into cover in order to turn a sentry gun against your enemies.

All things considered, I think the game is innovative enough to warrant some more accolades to be piled onto 2K Marin’s titan shoulders. It remains to be seen if and when the lag issues will be dealt with, so unless you’re the type that doesn’t mind the occasional setback, you may want to wait a bit before dropping any money on the title. Otherwise, I think the innovative multiplayer is more then ample enough to warrant a solid regret-free purchase. One more thing, if you can still manage to get the swag-riddled Collector’s Edition, don’t make my mistake of missing out on it. Buy the damn thing, the multitude of goodies are more than worth the cash.

Five Dollar Review – Chime

Dylan Pulley — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:00:12 +0000

The realm of musical puzzle games is inhabited by few games intrepid enough to meld quick wits and adaptive audio. Last week, another title graced this hallowed land with its presence on the XBox Live Arcade. Chime, developed by Zoe Mode and published by the non-profit publisher OneBigGame, is now available for the paltry sum of 400 MS points.

Many of the game mechanics follow in the footsteps of musical puzzle giant Lumines. The player is tasked with placing Tetris-like blocks across a large grid as a bar moves across the screen to the tempo of the audio track. Placing these pieces in a manner that creates at least a 3×3 square will form what is known as a “quad”. These quads will fill up slowly and can be expanded for as long as the quad continues to fill up. Once the quad fills completely, it is stamped into the grid, gaining Coverage of the board. The goal is to attain as close to 100% coverage to gain points and unlock new levels.

Each level features a unique track donated pro-bono by musical artists Moby, Phillip Glass, Paul Hartnoll, Fred Deakin, and Marcus Schulz. Depending on the size and shape of active quads, a variety of audio layers will be added to the audio track. Meanwhile, the rest of your inactive bricks will provide different chime effects as the bar scans across them on the grid. This builds up slowly in the beginning, but once you start keeping up with multiple active quads at one time and covering the board with bricks, the audio experience intensifies.

There are two play modes, Timed Mode and Free Mode. Timed mode gives you either three, six, or nine minutes to cover the board as many times as possible, with coverage earning you more time. Free Mode lets you handle things at your own pace, giving you no time frame to cover the board.

Multiple leaderboards are the only Live capable portion of the game right now, but if this version is successful, future iterations could potentially include multiplayer.

All in all, the price is right at only 5 dollars considering there are only 5 tracks to play with right now. If you’ve got the points burning a hole in your pocket, and you’re a fan of musical games like Lumines and Frequency, by all means give Chime a shot. Also, you’ll be met with a rather cute achievement as soon as you purchase the game.

Thanks to Retodon8 from Gamerdna for linking to this Youtube tutorial by game developers Zoe Mode. The vid does a great job emphasizing all above points made.

DLC Mini-review – Return to Ostagar

Dylan Pulley — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:00:22 +0000

After several false starts, the newest DLC for Bioware’s Dragon Age has finally been released on XBox 360 and PC with no word on PS3 yet. Thanks to some poor planning on Bioware’s behalf, the content dropped on January 29th, a mere 3 days after Mass Effect 2. Thanks to these overlapping releases, I’m willing to bet that I wasn’t the only Dragon Age fan that was blissfully unaware of the new content. I’ll let you know if it’s worth the five dollar price tag.

In Return to Ostagar, the player is tasked with returning to the battlefield of Ostagar where a majority of the Grey Wardens were exterminated by the Darkspawn. Arriving on the scene, you find there are no survivors and a lot of Darkspawn to be punished. Along your way, you’ll reclaim the lost arms and armor of King Cailan and Duncan. Not only do these look pretty cool, they are statistically superior to much of the armor in the game.

This is basically where the content stops, however. Ostagar hasn’t changed much, aside from now being covered in snow and in a state of crumbling disrepair. There is one additional achievement to be earned, and all in all the Return to Ostagar mission takes all of 30 minutes if you’re quick about it. For the amount of content, I can’t personally see what caused all the delays.

The price point seems to be on par with the rest of the DLC for the title. 15 bucks will get you a new character and a few new quests and items. 7 bucks will get you a new quest, a storage box, some new powers, and some new items. And apparently for 5 bucks you can just get a new quest and some items. If you’ve already got the MS points burning a hole in your pocket, or 5 bucks is just a trifle to you, by all means add this little bit of spice to your already zesty RPG experience. If not, I would certainly wait for the chance of a sale or DLC bundle to be released on the cheap.