Miscellaneous Links 2009 - The Re-Vengeance

[Anthony Edward Stark]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6KMAm_228s

Mega Man romhack that looks promising. For some reason I think this was linked before, but I don't remember it and it's awesome enough to warrant another one

http://www.threadless.com/profile/708623/Blake_B/blog/441167/Pokemon_With_Human_Faces_51_75

See the URL

The best Mega Man ROMhack ever is still Mega Crap, a ROMhack of Mega Man 5 that starred Grab Me, Man (because the author didn't know how to change the number of characters displayed). Grab Me, Man gives Hoe (your character's name) the Balls Hold, giving him the power to hold balls and also reverse gravity using "Homo Up" tiles.

It's basically the best thing ever.

[Shale]

Because we had to have some bad news this week:

Activision sues to block Brütal Legend release

[hinode]

From an earlier article when EA picked Brutal Legends up: http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=21498

Activision Blizzard Bobby Kotick later explained the decision by claiming that the franchises in question didn’t "have the potential to be exploited every year across every platform, with clear sequel potential that can meet our objectives of, over time, becoming $100 million-plus franchises".

So basically Activision is taking up the mantle of Videogame Satan from EA now.

[metroid composite]

I like Schafer's response: "Hey, if Activision liked it, then they should have put a ring on it," Schafer said. "Oh great, now Beyoncé is going to sue me too."



http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Noh
Amusing D&D character.

http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Sameo
Amusing D&D story.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jYLx_BnPo6sLU4mJPxtECCt0z6RQD98JVLEG0
Bill's actor from Kill Bill is dead.

http://gizmodo.com/5277456/stem-cell-contact-lenses-cure-blindness-in-less-than-a-month
Cure for blindness through stem cells.

[Ultradude]

http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Noh
Amusing D&D character.

http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Sameo
Amusing D&D story.

Sometimes D&D has the craziest things...

I so would have thought of bringing Noh along.

[Magetastic]

Personally? I probably would've wanted to stab Noh. >_>

[AndrewRogue]

At least three people in one of my groups would have simultaneously decided to bring her along.

That's just how we roll.

[Ultradude]

Personally? I probably would've wanted to stab Noh. >_>

That's the rest of my party v_v

[Magetastic]

Personally? I probably would've wanted to stab Noh. >_>

That's the rest of my party v_v

Well, it just handles the situation so quickly, right? And it's the classic response.

Enter room.
Find shiny things.
Shiny things have guardian.
Guardian stops you from getting shiny things.
You try to get shiny things anyways.
You and guardian commence fighting.
Somebody dies a gruesome death the likes of known aren't known to man nor beast.
Wiener gets shiny things.

[NotMiki]

I so would have thought of bringing Noh along.

Had a game where I did pretty much that once.  'Cept instead of a cute girl, it was a talking skull that radiated hideous evil.  Or so the paladin says, but I know he's just jealous the skull likes me better.

Seriously, like every talking skull is going to be evil?  It's just lonely.

[Ultradude]

I so would have thought of bringing Noh along.

Had a game where I did pretty much that once.  'Cept instead of a cute girl, it was a talking skull that radiated hideous evil.  Or so the paladin says, but I know he's just jealous the skull likes me better.

Seriously, like every talking skull is going to be evil?  It's just lonely.

...Demilich?

[SnowFire]

According to the talk page, Sameo is in fact faked.  Not that it needed confirmation; I never would have believed that story anyway.  (Critical fumble tables that require 3 rolls?  What kind of splat book is that?  And blatantly obviously the kind of failure described is no failure, so wouldn't be a good choice anyway.)  It's an okay story but this is a genre where truth really does make for a much better tale.

Since we are in D&D story mode with a slice of paladins, though.  My GM rolled up using the 2nd edition random character generator CD "Minmay," a 1HP Lawful Good Necromancer.  With 12 Intelligence (!) and 16 Wisdom (!!).  Clearly she was in the wrong profession.  Meanwhile my character, Gram, was an undead-hunter type Paladin of the LN God of Death in the Forgotten Realms, Kelemvor (who - and I never read the fiction - apparently was basically LG but cursed such that he couldn't really be good, meaning the fact that they left him LN when he became a God was weird anyway.  So LN with strong tendencies toward good.).  Gram had 15 Intelligence and 13 Wisdom, 13 being the old minimum stat for Wis for 2nd edition Paladins.  So, yes, the Paladin with clericy-divine spells with a higher Int than Wisdom, and the Wizard specialized in Necromancy with higher Wisdom than Intelligence.  Go figure.  Anyway, in the campaign, Minmay got to play damsel in distress a bit, and we decided after the campaign was over that Gram & Minmay could ride off into the sunset together and get hitched - the Paladin of Death & the Lawful Good Necromancer, aw how sweet.  (Thankfully Minmay was not a sleazy lounge singer who somehow stops an intergalactic war.)

In other linky news...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/04/poland-caused-wwii-russia_n_211415.html
An unorthodox theory of WWII.  From the RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENSE.  WTF Russia, just blame all the evil things the Soviet Union did on the previous government and you don't even have to feel guilty.

[Dunefar]

Yeah, Sameo is faked. It's still a well told and written story. Noh's real by all reports.

Edit: To be fair, I've rolled a 20 four times in a row before. It was also for initiatives for a bunch of scrubs. It can happen, just...even if it does, odds are it'll be for something stupid. Oh, and http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanficRecs/DungeonsAndDragons - This has links to other /tg/ related good stories. You could go to the actual /tg/ archive but you'd wade through dozens of crap topics for one good one. Not recommended.

[Hunter Sopko]

Yeah, Sameo is faked. It's still a well told and written story. Noh's real by all reports.

Edit: To be fair, I've rolled a 20 four times in a row before. It was also for initiatives for a bunch of scrubs. It can happen, just...even if it does, odds are it'll be for something stupid. Oh, and http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanficRecs/DungeonsAndDragons - This has links to other /tg/ related good stories. You could go to the actual /tg/ archive but you'd wade through dozens of crap topics for one good one. Not recommended.

I rolled 20 20 18 20 once as well. However, this was at the most critical juncture of the game at that point (which also ended up shaping the entire game afterwards). I realize maybe it's a bit fudged, but whee killing a level 18 sorcerer at level 2!

At least three people in one of my groups would have simultaneously decided to bring her along.

That's just how we roll.

Yeeeeeeah. Can totally picture it too. Probably know at least two of the three too.

[Grefter]

I so would have thought of bringing Noh along.

Had a game where I did pretty much that once.  'Cept instead of a cute girl, it was a talking skull that radiated hideous evil.  Or so the paladin says, but I know he's just jealous the skull likes me better.

Seriously, like every talking skull is going to be evil?  It's just lonely.

...Demilich?

Seriously, fuck you guys.  Play Torment.

[Anthony Edward Stark]

I so would have thought of bringing Noh along.

Had a game where I did pretty much that once.  'Cept instead of a cute girl, it was a talking skull that radiated hideous evil.  Or so the paladin says, but I know he's just jealous the skull likes me better.

Seriously, like every talking skull is going to be evil?  It's just lonely.

...Demilich?

Seriously, fuck you guys.  Play Torment.

Indeed. Fuck you both Mr. Hands style.

[metroid composite]

http://weeklyworldnews.com/alien-alert/8672/jellyfish-crop-circle/
Crop circle art.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj-x9ygQEGA&feature=player_embedded
(video) Literal Version of Total Eclipse of the Heart.  AWESOME.

[OblivionKnight]

Not sure if I've posted this before, nor do I remember if I've hyped them a lot, but here...

http://www.youtube.com/user/ImprovEverywhere

ImprovEverywhere is fabulous, and greatly entertaining.  Go watch the videos.

[Hunter Sopko]

This is just all sorts of Neil Patrick Harris level self-aware awesome.

http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/saved-by-the-bell-returns-zack-morris-meets-jimmy-fallon--395

It's scary how little he's aged.


http://blogs.sega.com/usa/2009/06/08/valkyria-fans-we-love-you/

Valkyria Chronicles sales went up 400% during GameDays.

[metroid composite]

http://www.thelocal.se/19928/20090607/
The pirate party takes two seates in the EU congress.

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-scribblenauts/50735
(video) Scribblernauts.  Looks really interesting technology-wise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye7b3bOQ6lY
(video) Magikarp sweeps a team of ubers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfxCnZ4Dp3c
(video) hammerpants mob.

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/japanese-castle-yuusha-30/45569
(video) "We should totally copy Hydlide's combat, that's a good idea!"
"But sir, Hydlide isn't fun."
"Well then, we'll just have to make it fun!"

[Xeroma]

I can say from experience that Half Minute Hero[aka; yuusha 30] is a good game, sooo >_>

[metroid composite]

I can say from experience that Half Minute Hero[aka; yuusha 30] is a good game, sooo >_>

It...looks like it is, yeah.

I mean, in standard RPGs I'm not a fan of grinding, but that's because grinding in most games is a broken resource system (you have access to unlimited exp).  Or else it will be a very simple closed system (you have access to limited enemies; kill them all = most exp).

In Half Minute Hero it looks like you have three major resources (time, health, and money).  Each of these resources can be spent to make the character more powerful (with time you kill more easy enemies; with health you kill harder enemies; with money you buy gear).  Most of these resources can be traded for the others in some way (money buys time; money buys health; time fighting enemies can get you money; time running back to the town can get you health; and so on).  In other words, there is a proper min-maxing subgame there.

If done right it might be among the deeper RPGs I've played strategy-wise...which is just ironic given that its combat seems to be summed up by "hold right".

[Xeroma]

There's also Half Minute Overlord[RTS kinda], Half Minute Princess[shooting game, though not of the danmaku flavor], and Half Minute Knight[haven't unlocked so can't say] modes that also revolve around the 30 seconds mechanics. Neat game overall, really.

[Captain K.]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzRppw5vrs0

Finals from the Junior division of the Philadelphia Pokemon tournament.  Notable for a Hitmonchan kicking massive ass, and for something that happens at 2:20 of the video.  The guy in the referee shirt is Marriland.

[NotMiki]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/06/10/million.words/index.html

The number is in dispute, but I love the idea.