July of Adventure - El Fin

Babbling at the Counter #52 - Blog

July of Adventure - El Fin

Ok, so today, we are closing up our second event, July of Adventure. Hope you all have found it fun, and check out the event page to make sure you didn't miss any post! Until the next event!

- The Storeman

ro9, First Person Dungeon Crawler x9

Review #52 – Free Video Game

ro9, First Person Dungeon Crawler x9

Yeah, as the last video game for July of Adventure I have something on the weird side of the gameplay scale. From the same contest that brought us Dungeons of Fayte comes “ro9”. In this game, you take control of a whole party of adventurers trying to loot and subsequently escape a multi-level dungeon. And you play as the nine of them, at the same time, in first person.

So, you have 9 simultaneous screens with individual characters that move in the same direction when you press an arrow key.

As messed up as that might seem, you can understand what’s going on, and it ends up being easier than you might expect. Movement and combat are “Rogue-like-like”, so you attack by moving against an enemy.

There are few more rules to learn, but it’s more fun if you do while you play. Oh, and after you have played for a while, check out the secret on the title screen. Just press “9” and see.

-The Storeman

Disclaimer: I didn’t upload any of the content in the following link. I have downloaded and checked it as I always do. I have even executed it in my own computer and did not experience any kind of problems. But I can’t ensure that it is free of virus and/or malware that my anti-virus programs couldn’t find. That’s the author’s responsibility.

External Download Link: http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=9614.0

David vs. Goliath

Babbling at the Counter #51 – Pen and Paper

David vs. Goliath

I guess most roleplayers can say they’ve had this moment: Your party and you get into a fight (as parties are wont to do) and after the first round you realize the though brute in front of you can shrug your attacks like they are nothing. So… what to do now?

I’ve already covered unstoppable juggernauts before, but inspired by a recent experience and Aaron's latest Tiny d10 post, I wanted to revisit and add to the idea.

My invincible monsters had a simple but effective rule, to know: They should deal average damage. There were reasons for that (see link), but let’s break that rule and think outside the box. How can one handle a creature that’s really powerful and really dangerous?

A few weeks ago, my group and I (I wasn’t the GM) found ourselves fighting inside a prison. We didn’t had access to our weapons or armor, the mage couldn't perform magic and our rival was a giant crocodile man (so bite and tail club were natural weapons, oh, and he had natural armor).

We were done, we knew that. But given the GM, he clearly expected a fight, and we didn’t disappoint. I don’t like fights, so our most tactical player took the lead. We scoured through our character sheets, looking up any kind of skill trick or combat advantage we could use.

I must say, we feared for our characters. The GM is new to GMing, and the encounter was completely unfair. Still, we survived, and it was awesome!

The thing is, some GMs don’t like killing characters. I know I don’t. When I read the Horror of the Lake for Tiny d10, I kept thinking “Instant Death? That’s not cool”. Then I remembered Power Points could help with save rolls. I started thinking that, yeah, T10 Toughness is a problem, but it’s not impossible to beat. Now I actually want to fight against that.

Yes, this is a delicate art, and can easily be the end of inexperienced or lazy players. That’s the main reason I said no “overpowered” monsters in my previous post. So, while not restricting yourself, thread carefully. And if you have any advice on how to run monsters out of the character’s league, drop by the comments and let us know!

- The Storeman

Adventure Quest

Review #51 - Free Video Game

Adventure Quest

Hello everyone, in order to honor July of Adventure I wanted to do something, so I decided to write a review of the most adventurous game ever: Adventure Quest.

Why? Adventure Quest is a Single Player, 2D, turn-based RPG that started in 2002 and was developed and published by Artix Entretainment. You have multiple weapons to choose from, including types like melee, or ranged, or even magic. There are many different classes that you can try out. You can be a werewolf, and a ninja, or even a necromancer. You can be whatever you want, and each thing you decide changes your skills and attacks. Plus, yes, here comes the cute stuff: you can have a pet. And they are badass.

One thing that might not be very important during the game, but that I found fun, and clever, is that AdventureQuest has an alignment system, similar to that of Dungeons and Dragons, which includes selection between Good and Evil as well as Unity and Chaos. Now, actions taken in-game affects the player's alignment, so be careful.

Also, the players can get into different and adventurous quests (see what I did there?), to find strange items, unique classes, or sets. This stuff that you can get through hard work, or by paying for the premium currency, can grant your character many different assets.

Another sweet feature that I always liked about AQ was the humor all the game had, I mean, there are complete quest that are mostly nonsense and weird stuff. The bad thing is that if you’re not that into the fantasy world you maybe not be able to catch all the jokes and references.

The game has several stories going on, and you have tremendous amounts of monsters to kill, basically, you never run out of stuff to do. There is always a random quest in which you can acquire loony things, like the Anchorhand Z, that was an unique weapon that was made for the Talk Like a Pirate Day.

  

Well, finally I have to tell you the bad stuff: The game can get repetitive, but, even if you stop playing, you will get back at some point of your life, that’s guaranteed.

Also, a common criticism of AdventureQuest is that there is little to no player interaction with other people in the game.

But who really cares when you can have THAT as a pet.

- Emma

External Link (Play Online): http://www.battleon.com/

Nostalgia just for the sake of nostalgia

Babbling at the Counter #50 – Video Games

Nostalgia just for the sake of nostalgia

Weird line of thought today. Didn't edit much, kind of messy. Just a heads up.

Recently, reading for a class, I stumbled upon the term “pastiche”. The author claimed that it was “an imitation without the original propose” of something. It got me thinking. I play games that imitate old games. I love pixel art. Was it all nostalgia just for the sake of nostalgia? Was I just looking for the past?

While playing Meikyu, I kept thinking “it’s like when I was young and games were only in English or Japanese”. I couldn’t read them. But, as I played, as I had to guess what to do, as I had to experiment to discover how use the item I just got, I remembered. I remembered why I liked games in spite of my inability to read them, not because of it.

I had no idea the game had an English patch. I thought it was Japanese or nothing. And I didn’t mind. Just like old times.

I don’t play “retro” games just because they are “retro”. I play them because I actually like them. Console games have their characteristics. Online games theirs, too. The same can be said of any subdivision of games. Retro, at least for me, means “short”, “simple” and “different”. When I started gaming that’s what I liked. Today, I just look for the same.

These ideas are kind of wild and difficult to connect, so I’ll just finish the Babbling with a summary. Making games is not just choosing graphics and controls. You are providing an experience. It’s true that there are games that just pay lip service to the “retro” concept. But low res graphics are back for a reason (they are easier to work with, so developers of free games work). The short games are back for a reason (see low res, above). The simplicity too and a lot of other qualities.

Today, with the free games I have access to, I can enjoy gaming like I used to, like I like to. It’s not trying to imitate the memory; it’s actually getting the real thing, the real experience. There is a reason behind it, not just nostalgia.

- The Storeman

Meikyu, Dungeons and Hydras!

Review #50 – Free Video Game

Meikyu, Dungeons and Hydras!

Another July of Adventure entry! Check out the rest!

Thanks to Hikikomori Complex for providing the English Patch, and to the RGCD team for providing the links

Brave knight, would risk your neck for fame and fortune? If so, then come, enter the Hydra's Labyrinth and test your mettle.

Meikyu is a pretty straightforward game. You guide a knight though the corridors of a dungeon, killing monsters and claiming magical relics. As you go, you'll get new weapons and abilities, and, obviously, face stronger enemies.

The game is simple, but complete and challenging. Something I admire about it is how, like Doukutsu, new weapons mean more options, not a just an improvement over an old one. I've used the boomerang, the first secondary weapon you get, the whole game. As every weapon is unique, each is better in different circumstances. Learn to use them all.

A word of advice: the doors open in a specific order. Maybe the English version tells you which order it is, but playing in Japanese it's mostly guessing. So, if you have a key, try all the doors.

Enter the Labyrinth. Riches or death await you.

- The Storeman

Disclaimer: I didn’t upload any of the content in the following link. I have downloaded and checked it as I always do. I have even executed it in my own computer and did not experience any kind of problems. But I can’t ensure that it is free of virus and/or malware that my anti-virus programs couldn’t find. That’s the author’s responsibility.

External Download Link: http://www.vector.co.jp/download/file/win95/game/fh549490.html

(Hover your mouse until you find the hyperlink that ends with “.zip”)

English Patch: http://blog.tetramor.ph/post/7507872709/hydracastlelabyrinth

Pre-Patched Game: http://www.rgcd.co.uk/2012/01/hydra-castle-labyrinth-pc.html

(Link at the bottom of the article)

July of Adventure!

Babbling at the Counter #49 – Blog

July of Adventure!

Now, I, the Storeman, officially announce the beginning of... July of Adventure!

Ok, technically, it began last review with Slayin, but let's roll with it. This, our second theme month, is very important. After all, the Warehouse of Trinkets opened its doors on July, 2013. So, happy birthday Warehouse!

About the theme, well I had it in store for a special occasion (read, anniversary). The first review on the site was about one of my favorite games, and it is of the medieval fantasy genre. So, after finding a suitable tabletop RPG and a few cool games, I just sat and waited for a few months to host this event!

Finally, let's welcome Emma to the site's banner! She's been writing reviews for a while, so she earned that spot.

All in all, a great month for the Warehouse! Thanks for everything to you too!

- The Storeman

Slayin, Arcade Monster Hunting Madness

Review #49 – Free Video Game

Slayin, Arcade Monster Hunting Madness

With this post, July of Adventure has officially begun! More information about the event will be available on this week’s Babble.

Opening our second theme month ever, I present Slayin. In this arcade title, you take control of a hero slaying hordes and hordes of monsters. But your character is so... let's say “inspired”, that he cannot stop!

You can change your hero's direction and make him jump, but that's all. The characters move constantly, and enemies also continue spawning until you kill enough to gain a level. Get coins, buy upgrades, and kill bosses.

You have three characters to unlock, and after you defeat the final boss, the game enters a non-stop wave after wave of baddies. Maybe that too has an end. I haven't seen it.

So, go ahead, hero, and get this kingdom rid of the horrible monster menace!

- The Storeman

Disclaimer: I didn’t upload any of the content in the following link. I have downloaded and checked it as I always do. I have even executed it in my own computer and did not experience any kind of problems. But I can’t ensure that it is free of virus and/or malware that my anti-virus programs couldn’t find. That’s the author’s responsibility.

External Download Link: http://www.pixellicker.com/games.html

Play Online: http://www.pixellicker.com/games/games_slayin.html