Proud Gamer

Happy Generic Summer Holiday

2008-06-16T06:54:00.002-04:00

Today is Generic Summer Holiday in Kingdom of Loathing. This is brilliant.

"As luck would have it, the festivals for several different religious sects fall on this day in mid-summer. For years, the various fanatics from each religion insisted that theirs was the only true holiday for that day, and got horribly offended when anyone called the holiday anything other than what they called it, and everyone had different traditions and rituals, and the retail stores got the holidays all confused, trying to figure out how to sell it to everyone without offending anyone, and there was almost a huge holy war throughout the Kingdom... until finally someone quit arguing, noticed it was a nice day outside, and suggested that everyone just take a break and go swimming.

And thus was the fighting ended, and the Generic Summer Holiday was born." quoted directly from KoL documentation.

Have a great Generic Summer Holiday everyone.

Wii

2008-05-06T18:25:00.002-04:00

I FINALLY own the Wii. I own the games Wii Sports, Wii Play, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, and Star Trek Conquest. Zelda and Metroid will be coming soon.

If you haven't played this system give it a shot. The motion sensitive controller feels wasted on some games, however Wii sports can make you wonder why no one thought of this years ago. I am happily addicted to Bowling (Wii Sports,)Billiards (Wii Play) and Super Smash Brothers.

I would say more but I am going to go play. Take care

Mabinogi

2008-04-16T18:33:00.003-04:00

Mabinogi - Fantasy Life

Here is a great game to consider in the Free MMO category. Mabinogi has a surprisingly relaxed atmosphere for an MMO. There is plenty of depth for hardcore gamers, an over arching story line, tons of skills to improve, and a seemingly endless number of quests to choose from. This game has an unusually high appeal to a more casual style of game play with a very high number of non-combat quests and odd jobs to take a look into.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Quick look: Dig N Fight and Lagoon B

2008-02-11T20:23:00.003-05:00

Persistent Browser Based games are a great way to get in a little bit of video gaming when money and time are in short supply. They are usually free games that make money with a combination of adds and optional donations. Games like Dig N' Fight as well as Lagoon B are played by setting a course of action, and then simply checking in at a later time.

Dig N' Fight allows you to create a dungeon. You start with an imp that will dig out tunnels and dig for gold. As your dungeon becomes larger it becomes an attractive target to other dungeon makers. It quickly becomes prudent to form a defense force that will scout your tunnels for signs of danger. You may also create an attack force that will attempt to pillage other dungeons. The game starts off slowly with the first few days focused on gathering materials and improving your digging teams but as you unlock monsters, spells, traps, and new types of rooms the game really begins to shine.

Lagoon B places the player in the roll of someone attempting to start a company on a small island. The player starts as a beach comber who sells orange juice to the locals, but if you stick with it you may end up with a huge company.

Both of these games have similar pros and cons. Both games start slowly, but they become more addictive fun as your options expand.

Superbowl Stunner. . .

2008-02-04T10:02:00.000-05:00

What a game last night. I am a Patriot's fan, and of course I was hoping for a win, but what I got was a view of one of the greatest defense based football games I have ever seen.

I am pretty bummed about the end of the football season, so I will be keeping myself amused with gaming. You may enjoy this quick play quarterback challenge. 2 Minute Football 2008, it is a pretty fun little Shockwave game that I hope you enjoy.

It has been a little while since I mentioned the Mass Effect hystaria, so I thought I should bring readers up to speed. Cooper Lawrence admits that she misspoke about Mass Effect saying, “I recognize that I misspoke,” she said. “I really regret saying that, and now that I’ve seen the game and seen the sex scenes it’s kind of a joke. Before the show I had asked somebody about what they had heard, and they had said it’s like pornography,” she added. “But it’s not like pornography. I’ve seen episodes of ‘Lost’ that are more sexually explicit.” You can read about this in The New York Times and Game Politics. Outspoken Game Critic took a surprising stance stating that he has no issues with Mass Effect, this was reported on Kotaku. One thing that is still disheartening is that Fox News has yet to print a retraction.

The MMO-LARP-ARG

2008-01-26T08:57:00.000-05:00

I had a dream that is the coolest inspiration for a game. I know that most of the gamers that read my blog will know what these acronyms mean, but just in case . . . MMO: Massive Multi-player Online, a descriptor for huge on line games like Sword of the New World (Free to Play game) and World of Warcraft (Which is an insanely huge Pay to Play). LARP: Live Action Role-Playing Game, a game in which people take on characters and get together to play out a story. Some groups play fantasy games with ornate costumes and padded swords, others have modern day mystery cruises. ARG: Alternate Reality Game, is a game that has clues throughout the internet to help tell a story, the film Cloverfield has an ARG that is massive and has been used to promote the film and deepen the mystery of what is happening in the movie. If you are interested in the Cloverfield ARG the best place to start is here.

This brings me to the dream that I had last night. I was playing an MMO with a few of my close friends when this other player finds our group and tells us that he is trying to meet someone in real life, if we can help arrange this we will get $2000. The mystery man explains that the man he is looking for plays many MMO games and he can't personally monitor them all. Within hours we meet the target of the search and tell him about the unusual offer, he informs us that he is a data security expert named Bill and he explains that he gets crazy offers from headhunters all the time. Bill said he would be glad to help us out and meet with our mystery man, but he wants a free lunch as a show of good faith. My friends and I agreed to meet Tom at a restaurant and treat him too a meal. It is when we get together that I realize that the dream has been about a game within a game, "Bill" is a character played by my cousin. I woke up shortly after this, but I am curious about trying to create an ARG like this one. Character Profiles could be created in Myspace or Facebook, and the game would take place in online and offline meetings. It would be quite a bear to put together, but I imagine that it would be very fun.

Mass Effects . . .

2008-01-22T21:28:00.000-05:00

Perhaps you have heard of the controversy surrounding the game Mass Effect. If not I highly recommend reading Game Politics for a quick recap starting with coverage from a Conservative site, and the very recently Mass Effect coverage on fox news.

Let me put it this way, a Mature rating on a video game is most similar to an R rating on a movie. People claim that mature video games are marketed toward children yet I have yet to see anyone put forth evidence of this. Here is an interesting fact: I have heard many people who favor video game legislation say that the typical video gamer is an adolescent male, but this is an often repeated lie. The truth is that the average video game player is male but he is 33 years old and has been playing games for 12 years, the typical video game buyer is 38 years old.

Video Game Frugality, Free Charities, & Joe Berry

2008-01-22T20:22:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite frugality blogs, The Simple Dollar talked about video game frugality and getting the most bang for your buck. Not too long ago I talked about the joys of free gaming on the net his advice focuses on console gaming.

Ever want to give to a charity but you didn't have a spare time or a spare dime? Let advertisers foot the bill. The Literacy Site allows you to click through once a day to help fund the purchase of books, this site also has donation pages for hunger, breast cancer, child health, the rain forest, and animal rescue. The Ecology Fund, has a very similar mode of operation but it focuses entirely on environmental issues. FreeRice is unique in that you can make as many small donations of rice as you want, and you get to test your vocabulary while you do it.

Lately I have been on a music kick so I have to mention FineTune. This slick little site allows you to create your own mini-net radio with play lists of music. I have also recently had the honor of meeting country singer and all around cool guy Joe Berry today. Personally I am a big New Wave, Punk Rock, Celtic Rock (ETH Rules!), Classical, Big Band Jazz, and Heavy metal fan, but I have got to say country is growing on me.

Free Tabletop RPGs, Odd Batteries and Neat Houses

2008-01-10T18:41:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone I just wanted to set up a quick post to show you a site dedicated to free table top RPG games Have fun delving through them.

I have been poking around sites looking for interesting tech I found Sugar powered batteries and liquid power batteries that you may find interesting.

Recently I have been considering a move and I found very interesting prefabricated houses

Table Top RPG Game

2007-12-28T10:23:00.001-05:00

I enjoy table top role playing games, and one of my interests is game development. I have recently created a table top role playing game and I will be distributing this for free on the internet.

The game is called Farm Champions (FRMC) and it is a quick play fantasy role playing game.

Farm Champions

I hope that you enjoy it.

2007-12-10T13:57:00.000-05:00

I apoligize that I have not been posting regularly as I have had limited access to a computer. I expect uninterupted internet service in early to mid-January.

Recently I have discovered, "The Blog Readablility Test". I hope you enjoy it.

Get a Cash Advance

A Few Fun Links

2007-11-08T06:46:00.000-05:00

Today I wanted to do something a bit different. I will be giving you a few video game related links from around the web that I found fun or interesting.

Kongregate is my flash game site of choice with over 2000 games. Desktop Tower Defense 1.5, Feudalism, and Momentum Missile Mayhem Ultimate are a few of my favorites.

If you are interested in what goes on in the world of video game politics the one place that is required reading is GamePolitics. The game politics blog is well written and it is frequently updated.

Shareware Game Review: Astral Masters

2007-11-01T13:14:00.000-04:00

Astral Masters
http://astralmasters.com

This game is similar in feel to a collecting card game, the free sample game offers unlimited game time with a limited access to cards. Registration is inexpensive and it adds quite a few cards to your library.

The cards represent spells that summon creatures or they have other game play impacts such as creating direct damage or healing your creatures. The game can be enjoyed as a single player game or online multi-player, this adds replay value to the game.

The game is similar enough to Magic the Gathering to draw comparisons, but dissimilar enough that it does not feel like a clone. The spells are placed into four basic categories based on the traditional elements; fire, wind, water, and earth. The elements are well balanced and each has unique strengths and weaknesses.

Pros: Easy to learn, yet deep game play. The ability to have network or Internet multi-payer adds to the value of the game.
Cons: While the game does have some dynamic adjustments in order to fine tune the cards and add new cards they tend to be infrequent.

Bottom Line: If you enjoy Collecting Card games you will love this. This is a solid game that will keep you up at night 5/5

Browser Game Review: Adventure Quest

2007-10-25T20:23:00.000-04:00

Adventure Quest.

This browser game is free with an additional charge for optional content. Most of the quests and classes remain intact for the free game, however the availability of powerful items and skills greatly improves with the "Guardian" registration, thankfully similar to a shareware game the registration is a one time fee.

This game is set in a fantasy realm with several sci-fi elements. The setting is quite refreshing in the fact that the game is laced with a light, campy humor that shines through most of the quests. The Non-Player Characters are memorable and fun.

Game play is typical of single player role playing games. The main character is a blank slate with a number of classes to train for as well as customizable attributes. The game is shown from a first person point of view that switches to a third person point of view during combat. Combat is a turn based system that allows you to cycle through your equipment without wasting any turns. Activating items requires skill points, a resource that refreshes quickly during combat while magic depletes your magic points which can only be refreshed outside of combat, or through the use of items and skills.

Adventure quest is very dynamic. Every few weeks new content is added to the game. You can count on a few permanent additions as well as temporary quests that give great rewards.

Pros. Very dynamic, Quests are frequently updated. The option to have a single battle allows you to get a quick game in without the time investment of doing quests. The ability to switch armors (Classes) to access new skills on the fly helps keep combat interesting.

Cons. Simple graphics with limited animations, there are no mini-games.

Bottom line: This game feels surprisingly deep for what could be described as a casual RPG. If you enjoy RPGs and you are looking for a change of pace from overly serious settings you should check out Adventure Quest. 4/5

How I drastically cut my video game budget (and still had fun)

2007-10-18T20:06:00.000-04:00

I consider myself an avid gamer, however I am also interested in pinching pennies and saving some money. How can I enjoy what can be a very expensive hobby while saving some cash?

Let's start by going over my spending. I was once the type of gamer that would have to own all the latest & greatest games. I would impulse buy bargain bin games with alarming regularity, justifying the purchase due to the low cost. My wife and I began to notice that I would rarely finish games, sometimes it was legitimately because I lost interest in the game, other times it was simply because I was distracted by my latest and greatest game. This was my wake up call, I was buying games faster then I could finish them.

I have come up with a rules to live by when it comes to my video game spending.

Console Games

1) Do not buy a system when it launches. History has shown that many systems have issues that have not been resolved in testing, the high rate of failure among the first generation of XBox 360 systems is a fine example of this.

2) Consider buying a video game system when it has five or more games that you want to own, a video game system is a long term investment. If a system has many enjoyable games you will have greater opportunity to stretch your dollar by getting years of enjoyment from the system.

3) Trade games. When you are finished with a game that you will no longer play consider trading it with friends or trade it in for credit towards new games.

4) Think of the expense vs the entertainment value. When I buy a game I would like to get at least an hour of entertainment per dollar spent. If I buy a $50 game I want to feel like that I am going to get at least 50 hours of entertainment. If I suspect that a game is fun, but short with little to no replay value I won't buy it. If a game is long and engaging, or if it is short and has a high replay value it may be a great deal.

5) Have a library cap. I will own up to a specific number of games, once I have reached that cap I can only buy a game only if I trade another game in. This forces me to carefully analyze my purchases so I will not impulse buy any games.

6) Consider Renting. If there is a game that you expect to play only for a week or two, or if you want to try it before you buy it, spending a small amount on renting the game could be a good investment.

Computer Games

1) Play Free Games. If you own a computer and you have an Internet connection you can find a massive number of freeware and open source games.Freewaregames.net

2) Play "Mostly Free" Games. In addition to free games there are many games which are free to play but they have extras that you can pay for, often times the extra content is inexpensive and well worth the investment, the trick to this is simply making sure that you don't spend the small amounts frequently. Sample site
PuzzlePirates.com

3) Look for Dynamic Content. Many online games have frequent updates that add adventures and new features, this greatly boosts replay value. Sample Site Adventure Quest

4) Play Casual Games: Many of these games are inexpensive, have a high re-play value, and you can often try them before you buy them. Sample Site Big Fish Games

My final tip for all situations is to keep an eye out for great opportunities. Sample Site GetRichSlowly.org

The bottom line is this, a tight budget can still be fun as long as you are creative.

PC Game Review Puzzle Pirates

2007-10-15T16:22:00.000-04:00

http://www.puzzlepirates.com/

Puzzle Pirates is a free down loadable massively multi player puzzle based video game. The piracy on the high seas concept is played to the hilt and even players are prone to using "piratey' language during game play.

As a player you controll a pirate with a customizable appearance. You will be given a modest home and some rags to wear. As you play the game you may take ship based jobs sailing, bilging, navigating, or more. Each job is a unique puzzle that earns a modest amount of currency called Pieces of Eight (PoE) this currency is combined with another called Dubloons that you can buy with real world cash or a slew of PoE. As the PoE & dubloons start to roll in your options begin to expand, buy some clothing, build a house, by a labor badge that unlocks land lubber puzzles.

Pros. Free! There are a very variety of puzzles to play. You can play solo by sailing with the navy or you can take up challenges with a crew. The rewards for earning currency are quite nice as badges unlock more games, and ships allow you to lead your own pillages

Cons. Puzzles can get interrupted by status reports. Simple but cute graphics may turn off hardcore gamers.

The Bottom Line: Do you like puzzle games? If so you'll be needing this game ya scurvy dog! 4/5

Welcome to the Proud Gamer blog

2007-10-15T15:56:00.000-04:00

Hello and welcome to Proud Gamer.

I am an avid fan of role-playing games and video games. This blog will be dedicated to several aspects of gaming; video game and role playing game reviews, the business of gaming, the politics of gaming, and gaming on a budget.

I'm in my mid 30's and I have been a fan of video games and role playing games for as long as I can remember, starting with Atari 2600 and Dungeons & Dragons and the respectively.