Dungeons and Dragons - Song for Ulvaak

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Many of us (or so I hope) play Dungeons and Dragons when we can. Well these two girls wrote a really nice song about Dungeons and Dragons that is very meta.  The titled Song for Ulvaak  recounts the tales of a hardened warrior that has been paid to kill a ghoul.  It starts out seeming like it is a normal adventure, but takes a nice turn.  The two singing it did a great job so give it a listen in the embedded video.

Mario + Portal Gun = Awesome Game Idea

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A few months back I posted a few videos of Mario with a portal. Well it appears that the idea took deeper root than we thought it did.  The team at stabyourself.net is now creating this:

Yes, a banner! What? You don't like just a banner? OK fine, this is actually a game that combines the original Super Mario Bros. and the portal idea from, you guessed it, Portal.  The game will have the original Super Mario levels, the Lost Levels, and a built-in level editor.  Finally the game will have simultaneous multiplayer.  So let's look forward to this game (which will be FREE) to come out soon.  In the mean time sate your appetite with this video of the gameplay.

Legend of Zelda : Skyward Sword Bundle Release Info

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Image courtesy of gonintendo.com Check out their site for the full press release by clicking the imageNintendo has just announced details concerning their up and coming Legend of Zelda release.  As stated earlier, the release date is official November 20th.  At that time of release, Skyward Sword will be sold in a limited-edition bundle including the game and a gold Hylian styled Wii Motion+ Controller for the price of $69.99.  This is a very good deal as you get the Wii Motion+ controller for only $20 with the game.  It's useful for those of us like me, who haven't made the plunge into buying one of the new controllers. 

Nintendo is also including a special treat for everyone who buys an initial production copy by inlcuding a bonus CD containing the 25th Anniversary soundtrack as performed by the symphony this fall.  So not only do you get the game, you also get a fully orchestrated soundtrack of the past twenty-five years of classic Legend of Zelda music.  And for those of you not interested to purchase the bundle, never fear.  Skyward Sword will also have just a game disc release for $49.99 and will also include the music CD for the initial production run.

I don't know about everyone else, but I for one am excited and am really looking forward to this game.  I'm going to have to go and see who I can do a preorder from so I can get that controller with the game.  It looks really nice and it's a good buy for me.  I'm also really digging the official cover box art for the game.  I know there has been talk about the game's esthetic, but I really do like the water color look of the illustrations and game.  It makes it feel classic and timeless like an epic story.  Just a couple more months to go at this point and I can't wait.   

Conversations with IrishPride Episode 6

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That's the power of love...err, choice!

 

Hello everyone and welcome to Conversations with IrishPride Episode 6.  Sorry I missed last week, had something come up, but now I am back and ready to babble!
 
Can a game that's a prequel to another one that was released over a decade ago be good?Today I'm going to talk a little bit about Deus Ex: Human Revolution.  This is not going to be a review of the game, just some of my initial impressions of it.
 
First off, it's not very often I buy a game on the day that it's released and it's even rarer when I pre-order a game.  Well, I pre-orderd Deus Ex: Human Revolution because I had high hopes for it and thankfully, I wasn't disappointed.
 
When I first booted up Deus Ex, I was really looking forward to the overall atmosphere.  I like science fiction games, but I'm tired of all the sci-fi games that are simply based on killing aliens.  Well, Deus Ex has a great mood to it.  The setting is 2027 and it's not way out in left field, like other games can be.  You can actually see this type of future happening in real life which makes Deus Ex that much more engaging.
 
Secondly, a lot of games tell you that you have full choice on how you want to approach each mission.  When, in the end, it feels like you were still pushed in one certain direction to get the mission accomplished.  Already putting 8+ hours into Deus Ex I can state that you truly have your own choices on how you want to beat a mission.  Well, that is except for the bosses.  Being a fan of stealth, I obviously have approached my gameplay as a stealth agent that sneaks by guards or take them down with hand to hand combat, I really don't rely on guns.  However, when you fight a boss, you have no choice to use stealth maneuvers and have to defeat them with guns blazing.  It's disappointing that you can't have Adam Jensen looks like a badass, but is he really one? Answer: Yes.the same choice options you have throughout the game during the boss battles, but it's not a deal breaker.  It's awesome to think outside of the box in a game to get your mission done.  I like not feeling pigeonholed and having only one path and one option to finish the game.  I'm already looking forward to my second playthrough as a badass gun totting s.o.b. that will shoot first and ask questions later and I haven't even finished my first playthrough yet!
 
There are tons of games out there that claim you have the choice to play the game as you see fit, when in reality, you really don't.  Deus Ex: Human Revolution truly gives you the feeling of choice and the dark gloomy atmosphere of Detroit 2027 really gives a futuristic approach to what we may actually see in real life.  The combination of a great atmospheric mood and the true options of choice really makes Deus Ex an exciting story to unfold.  Thanks for not disappointing me Deus Ex.  I'm still not sure if I'll pre-order more games down the road but at least this time, it didn't bite me in the ass.
 
Well, that will do it for episode 6 of CwIP.  I'll see you next time.  Until then, remember, you have the power of choice!  Whatever that means.  Game on!
 
~IrishPride

DeusEx And Gamestop - Not the Happiest Couples

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If you purchased a PC copy of DeusEx: Human Revolution you would be lucky to find a code inside for a free copy of the game on OnLive, unless you purchased it from Gamestop.  Gamestop was not aware of the included coupon when they received the games, and since they do not have a partnership with OnLive was rather appauled that the coupon was included.  So much in fact they opened all of the copies of the game and removed the voucher.  Well people, including Square Enix, were not happy about new product being opened and the coupons removed.  Now Gamestop, instead of having to deal with angry customers that are mad about them opening the game before being purchased, Gamestop has decided to just outright not sell the PC version.  The promotion that SquareEnix has setup is in direct competition with a cloud gaming service that Gamestop has in the works.  So they are just going to return all the copies of DeusEx: Human Revolution.  If you purchased a copy through pre-order they will still honor it, but don't expect your OnLive game coupon.

Portal Videos!

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Well what a week.  We have had two amazing portal videos on the span of a few days.  Lets start with the amazing live action one, shall we?

Cool Huh?  Lets hope that if Valve does a portal movie they look this guy up.  The portal effects were amazing and you get a real sense of how much of a b**tch GLaDOS is.

Second we have a video that is a few custom rooms.  It is truly amazing what a person can do when properly persuaded.  Make sure you watch the whole thing and don't jump around.  It loses the effect when you do that.

Did you watch the whole thing?

Good, she said yes by the way, so good going on this super geeky but awesome proposal!

Game Over - inFamous 2

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New series I am going to try and do. This article will happen after I beat a game and will happen sometime after the review goes up. Due to the spoiler filled content of this section it will always happen after the jump. The section will include my thoughts on the end of games I play. This edition of Game Over is going to focus on the endings of inFamous 2. So if you too have beat it, or don't mind the spoilers, click the link and let me know if you agree if not.
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