Random Heroes (iPad)

So I've been going nuts buying random junk from the App store on my new iPad 2. Sunk fourty bucks into the short time I've owned it so far and have hardly anything to show for it.
Random Heroes is one of those games. At least, one of those games that I actually have something to show for. (If that's a sentence that was ever meant to exist)
Random Heroes is a platformer who's "catch" is that as you play you slowly earn money to buy new characters and weapons, who all have different stats. There are three worlds which you have to battle through, each ending in a boss fight. You collect coins scattered throughout the world (and in baddies). If you die you start at the beginning of the level, keeping all the coins you earnt. This helps when you keep mucking up the same level over and over, you still feel like you're achieving something. And if you suck hard enough you'l still eventually get a better gun which will help you along.

It's made by Woblyware, a game company I suddenly realize I quite like. I've sunk many hours into Chubby Ninja, a game they released a while ago on Newgrounds. They just have a way of making platformers addictive, as well as sexy looking. You can play a lot of their games on their site, so go check 'em out. Actions speak louder than reviews. Don't let the free version of Random Heroes fool you though. The iPad version has been smoothed out, movement feels a lot nicer. Also they've dropped the item part of the game and replaced it with more characters and weapons to buy and upgrade along the way. Monsters are now worthwhile killing as well, since they hiff all their spare change everywhere once they die.

I was apprehensive at first about buying a platformer. I wasn't sure how nice it would play on a touch device. But after playing this it has really given me hope for the genre. I didn't feel clumsy or retarded at all as I run and jumped my way around the game. I'm considering getting League of Evil now, another game they have in the app store.
Random Heroes can be clocked in a couple sittings, but the replay-ability is quite high, since you can keep running through till you have all the guns and characters.
It could benefit from a speed run setting. But I guess I'll just have to settle for the "Don't die in the entire campaign" achievement.

Snow: Episode 20

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A lot of peace signs in this weeks episode of Project: Snow. The writing process for the strips are starting to be fine tuned. It's exciting meeting up with Matt each week to find out what he has in store for the characters.

Started reading The Walking Dead the other day. Me 'n Becky got lent the first ones by the venerable Nicola. She isn't actually old, just the last post she did on her blog is.

Anyway, I cut through the first book. I then quickly consumed the second and third during a single class. I savoured the fourth that evening, feasting on its delicious imagery and dialogue. The next day I borrowed the first couple episodes of the show and also found it quite enjoyable. Either way, I think I'm onto a good thing. You should totally get onto the good thing as well. 

It has the typical 28 Days Later start, but don't discount it on that alone, or the fact that it's a "zombie book". It's like saying that Lord of the Rings is an "orc book" so it must be gay. LotR is actually a "too long to be worth it book" so it is gay.

Updated 20/8/12 Mucked around with the innkeepers beard. Went on an anti-room spree. They said it way too much before. Added "Mr" to one of the panels, so the Slugger joke actually works. Yay for refinements! The Room thing really bugged Matt. He just had no room for words being used over and over. I didn't mind room, most people don't mind rooms. Room room room.

Dedicated Follower

I don't know where the crossover of audience interest is in our blogs, but I've been putting it off for far too long. You should check out Phil's blog. He started it not too long ago, but has been really onto it with updates and stuff.
Phil has appeared on a few of my videos. He even appeared as an "Arabian night" in one of them.
I find his blog facinating, perhaps because it's so outside my scope of interest it becomes interesting again. A bit like how a far right politician and a far left politician go so far in their respective directions they end up making the exact same shit theocracy. Maybe that was a bad analogy.
I tried articulating this to him once, "Phil. You've introduced me too a world that I never knew existed." "What world is that?" "... Fashion."

Snow: Episode 19

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I quite like this comic. Matt's writing really helps the physical comedy flourish.
Penny Arcade has started its Strip Search scouting. Will I be applying? Hell no! I can't take my writer with me. To be honest I wouldn't want to be put into a competitive atmosphere to do this sort of thing. I mean. I'm sure I'd do alright. But then there's the whole cultural thing. Does my humour translate? It worked ok for Flight of the Concords I guess. But definitely any jokes about the mad butcher or foreshore and seabed are going to go sailing over heads. The whole thing really got me thinking, how PC are they over in the states? Do they call their grandma "nigger" like we totally do all the time over here in New Zealand?
Blorkal out, peeps! This is otherwise known as trolling every other country at the expense of your own.

DOS Attacks

Now If you're a New Zealander  reading this I should hopefully not have to give you a background report of what I'm about to talk about. This post is a behind current affairs, but I wanted to see how things shaked out in the media first to make sure I wasn't covering old ground.

For all of those who aren't: Recently a bill has come up in parliament about redefining marriage, making us the 15th country to allow gay marriage. Homosexuality was abolished as a crime in 1986. In 2004 we passed a thing called Civil Unions, but it's not quite up to scratch and isn't internationally recognized (although we recognize people coming into the country who have a similar contract).
Now I'm not here to discuss the finer points of this debate. I am admittedly conservative, so my opinion of this matter is obviously skewed, as is everyones opinion (apart from maybe an alien who's come over here to tell us he's pissed about us dropping an atomically powered RC car on his red planet.)
I consider the internet my home, as nerdy as that may be. So I'm fiercely interested in things that happen on it. I was angry about SOPA. I'm angry about chinas big arse firewall, and I watched with fascination as human beings have been reduced to their base nature as the internet mercilessly mauled them.
I also care about politics and democracy and all that  free speech stuff. I guess that's kind of apparent by the SOPA/Chinese firewall thing.

So when I heard that the protect marriage site went down due to a DoS attack I was instantly sifting in to see what was going on. It seems that opposition to the site is strong. Or at least strong enough for a dude to do a denial of service attack. In the past I have been sympathetic to the perpetrators of these sorts of things. Like when Anonymous DoS'd Visa, Mastercard, Paypal and Amazon in 2011. They did this because these companies suddenly decided that people couldn't donate to the wikileaks guy. Effectively telling people what to do with their own money. It's like your mum locking down your internet banking because you aren't patriotic enough.

However, in the case of Protectmarriage.org.nz they're collecting signatures, and creating easy methods for people to get in contact with their MPs to tell them what their opinion was of the situation. The content on the site isn't hateful. No squealing about how the gay virus is spreading or anything like that. What the DoS attack did was interrupt democratic process, silencing people from voicing their opinions. This is something that can't and shouldn't be tolerated no matter which side of the debate you are on. Stopping people from signing a petition is just plain wrong, and who ever was behind the attack is just giving the same sex marriage supporters a bad name. The only reason I bring this up is because no one else seems to have mentioned it, or viewed it in this light (other than the victims of the attack.)

People have a right to say what they think. If you disagree with the redefinition, say something, or better yet, do something. If you are for the change, go tell your local PM that you are behind him 100% of the way (but not behind him in a gay way, more like a supportive way.)

Snow: Episode 18

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Slight delay on this episode. Not due to Matt though, he wrote this one ages ago. I've been slack. Also I went paintballing yesterday. Also I got an iPad yesterday, also yesterday was the single most expensive day I've ever experienced in years. Happy birthday Quin, You bastard you.

Also don't let me forget, I have an angry post to make before current affairs deems it irrelevant.

Spelunky - Go Play It

I've been delving into the world of Roguelikes recently. My gateway drug, was of course Dwarf Fortress. Out of curiosity I moved on to looking at Nethack, another cult classic. The number of free indy games I'm piling up on my desktop have necessitated having a folder dedicated to them. Sitting in there as well is Knytt Stories and Cave Story.
But what I'm really coming here to point you towards is Spelunky. Go download it now! It's getting a swish XBLAh port in July. But until then you can play the free PC version.

So pretty much you're this little dude, who decides to do the most dangerous dungeon crawl known to man. This game keeps track of how often you die. That's what sort of game this is. I decided to wait till I got at least 50 deaths before writing about it.

There's a lot hidden away in this game. It's a rewarding for uber gamers who are willing to learn and perfect the game. You learn through trial and error. Only the truly talented survive.

If you do happen to die, then you start from the beginning again (well, if you're persistent enough you don't.) Fortunately for you the levels are randomized, so playing through the same bit over and over doesn't get lame. You curse yourself for smashing the pot with a snake in it right next to your face and start again, this time learning your lesson.

I've purposefully not looked up any wiki's or anything. The process of discovery is far too rewarding. A five or ten minute play through can't begin to show you what's hidden away in this game. It's fantastic.