RP
Categories: Blade Runner, cinefix, computer games, Cyberpunk, David Dutton
Showing posts with label computer games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label computer games. Show all posts
Wednesday, 2 September 2015
Sunday, 16 August 2015
I still remember reading my first piece of Cyberpunk. It was Neuromancer by William Gibson and the thing that stays with me to this very day is the opening line
The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.
Cyberpunk has evolved from its genesis in Blade Runner (the film by Ridley Scott, 1982 which was loosely based upon Philip K. Dick's book; Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 1968) and the Sprawl trilogy by Gibson and continues its evolution today, and beyond. It is alive and well in many guises but particularly in the form of Shadowrun.
Shadowrun began life in 1989 as a tabletop roleplaying game, developed and published by FASA Corporation and continue today in its 5th edition (published by Catalyst Game Labs), remaining a popular choice in roleplaying circles.
It made the jump into cyberspace in 1993...
In 1993, Beam Software developed Shadowrun as an action RPG video game for the SNES.
In 1994, BlueSky Software developed Shadowrun for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.
In 1996, Compile developed the game for the Sega Mega-CD.
In 1997, a Collectable Card Game was also developed that gained acclaim through the awards it won.
In 2007, FASA Interactive developed a FPS version for XBOX 360/PC (via Microsoft) as a multiplayer online game - it is outside of the official Shadowrun timeline.
Shadowrun Returned in 2013, it did exactly that! It let Shadowrun return; on Windows & OSX and then on IOS & Android. Harebrained Schemes, a company headed by Jordan Weisman, the creator of the Shadowrun tabletop roleplaying game, Kickstarter'd it into existence.
In its new incarnation it got an 8/10 from GamesTM and a 'feel like Shadowrun Returns is only going to grow in value as time goes on' to propel it into the future.
I have it on my hard drive, waiting - there's a future in the future - go play it...
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Great opening lines from SF - Neuromancer, William Gibson
Wikipedia - Shadowrun, a wealth of information for the tabletop game
Catalyst Game Labs - Shadowrun tabletop
Shadowrun Tabletop - blog
A Very Short History of Cyberpunk - by Marcus Janni Pivato
Shadowrun - Universe
Harebrained Schemes - Shadowrun Returns
Wikipedia - Shadowrun (disambiguation)
Moby Games - Shadowrun SNES
Moby Games - Shadowrun Sega Genesis
GamesTM - Shadowrun Returns review
Shadowrun - The Trading Card Game
The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.
Cyberpunk has evolved from its genesis in Blade Runner (the film by Ridley Scott, 1982 which was loosely based upon Philip K. Dick's book; Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 1968) and the Sprawl trilogy by Gibson and continues its evolution today, and beyond. It is alive and well in many guises but particularly in the form of Shadowrun.
 |
| Shadowrun - Cataylst Game Labs |
Shadowrun began life in 1989 as a tabletop roleplaying game, developed and published by FASA Corporation and continue today in its 5th edition (published by Catalyst Game Labs), remaining a popular choice in roleplaying circles.
It made the jump into cyberspace in 1993...
 |
| Shadowrun SNES box |
 |
| Shadowrun SNES start screen |
In 1993, Beam Software developed Shadowrun as an action RPG video game for the SNES.
In 1994, BlueSky Software developed Shadowrun for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.
In 1996, Compile developed the game for the Sega Mega-CD.
In 1997, a Collectable Card Game was also developed that gained acclaim through the awards it won.
In 2007, FASA Interactive developed a FPS version for XBOX 360/PC (via Microsoft) as a multiplayer online game - it is outside of the official Shadowrun timeline.
 |
| Shadowrun Returns logo |
Shadowrun Returned in 2013, it did exactly that! It let Shadowrun return; on Windows & OSX and then on IOS & Android. Harebrained Schemes, a company headed by Jordan Weisman, the creator of the Shadowrun tabletop roleplaying game, Kickstarter'd it into existence.
 |
| Shadowrun Returns desktop |
In its new incarnation it got an 8/10 from GamesTM and a 'feel like Shadowrun Returns is only going to grow in value as time goes on' to propel it into the future.
 |
| crime scene screenshot |
----------
Great opening lines from SF - Neuromancer, William Gibson
Wikipedia - Shadowrun, a wealth of information for the tabletop game
Catalyst Game Labs - Shadowrun tabletop
Shadowrun Tabletop - blog
A Very Short History of Cyberpunk - by Marcus Janni Pivato
Shadowrun - Universe
Harebrained Schemes - Shadowrun Returns
Wikipedia - Shadowrun (disambiguation)
Moby Games - Shadowrun SNES
Moby Games - Shadowrun Sega Genesis
GamesTM - Shadowrun Returns review
Shadowrun - The Trading Card Game
Saturday, 15 August 2015
When we're talking procedurally generated, lots. In the case of No Man's Land from Hello Games, it's 18 Quintillion!
18,446,744,073,709,551,616 to be precise and we may as well be precise if we are going to this level of detail. The number, is 2 to the power 64, which is 64 bits. It has been estimated that it would take nigh on 585 billion years to visit each one. Now that's what I call a game with replay value.
I have been following the game's genesis from its first mentions in the press and things have lately been given a boost; The Guardian, Edge, PC Gamer, Venture Capital Post?! What really peaked my interest though was this - No Man's Land released in August 2015!
The PC version it seems is still destined for 2016 and if the PS4 version does land early, it's going to be expensive. Still, with 585 Billion years worth of planets to visit, the sooner you start, the sooner you finish :-)
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Oh, did I mention, it's got dinosaurs in it too!
RPGamer
The Key
I've now finally gotten around to installing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Legendary Edition.
What a palava (a cross between a pavlova and a pullover?). I purchased said game back in October last year, did nothing with it for eons. So, the moon is full, Mercury is in ascendence (whatever that means, the bones have been thrown and all bodes well. I open the case; a gorgeous full colour map, information about the 3, yes 3 expansions! and the temptation leaflet to spend the rest of my life 'online' in Tamriel with The Elder Scrolls Online and... No Steam Key. What? No Steam Key?
Now, the smart amongst you will have cognitively registered that a Steam Key is obviously important to get the thing up and running. You would be correct in that assumption, it was a boxed purchase with a digital key. I spend several days looking for the manual, there must be a manual right? Do I have a vague recollection of removing it from the case and pouring over the tome, late one night in bed, by the light of a wan moon? Or is this just false memory... I don't find it. I got in touch with the company I bought it from and they now kindly inform me it would have been in an email.
Email? don't tell me email! I keep them all, of course I do. I have folders stretching to infinity, all neatly labelled and chronologically archived, except that I had to cull my Inbox/Outbox/Dumpbox/Mustn'tdeletebox a couple of months ago! Aha! Luckily, fortuitously, sensibly, I took an export, so I trawled through this but alas, no Steam Key. The company I bought it from said it had to be addressed within two weeks but if it had been within six months, they would have had a copy of the email but they cleared their emails after six months. I thought I smelt something, it wasn't pleasant...
Aaaaarrrggghhhhhh!
Thankfully, those wonderful people at G2A came to the rescue with a not too expensive solution to get hold of a Key. Installation was a doodle (like a doddle but I scribbled on random bits of paper whilst the game downloaded) and the whole saga came to a close.
The saga of Skyrim is just about to begin.
-----
The moral of the above is; get the damn thing installed!
RPGamer
 |
| The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Legendary Edition |
I've now finally gotten around to installing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Legendary Edition.
What a palava (a cross between a pavlova and a pullover?). I purchased said game back in October last year, did nothing with it for eons. So, the moon is full, Mercury is in ascendence (whatever that means, the bones have been thrown and all bodes well. I open the case; a gorgeous full colour map, information about the 3, yes 3 expansions! and the temptation leaflet to spend the rest of my life 'online' in Tamriel with The Elder Scrolls Online and... No Steam Key. What? No Steam Key?
Now, the smart amongst you will have cognitively registered that a Steam Key is obviously important to get the thing up and running. You would be correct in that assumption, it was a boxed purchase with a digital key. I spend several days looking for the manual, there must be a manual right? Do I have a vague recollection of removing it from the case and pouring over the tome, late one night in bed, by the light of a wan moon? Or is this just false memory... I don't find it. I got in touch with the company I bought it from and they now kindly inform me it would have been in an email.
Email? don't tell me email! I keep them all, of course I do. I have folders stretching to infinity, all neatly labelled and chronologically archived, except that I had to cull my Inbox/Outbox/Dumpbox/Mustn'tdeletebox a couple of months ago! Aha! Luckily, fortuitously, sensibly, I took an export, so I trawled through this but alas, no Steam Key. The company I bought it from said it had to be addressed within two weeks but if it had been within six months, they would have had a copy of the email but they cleared their emails after six months. I thought I smelt something, it wasn't pleasant...
Aaaaarrrggghhhhhh!
Thankfully, those wonderful people at G2A came to the rescue with a not too expensive solution to get hold of a Key. Installation was a doodle (like a doddle but I scribbled on random bits of paper whilst the game downloaded) and the whole saga came to a close.
The saga of Skyrim is just about to begin.
-----
The moral of the above is; get the damn thing installed!
RPGamer
So, how to start?
I have no time to play games, I am too old to play games and I'm rubbish at them!
But I am not going to let that stop me...
A little while back I built my own PC to play stuff in 1920x1080. It's my KAR120C; 'I know every nut and bolt and cog, I built it with my own hands!' [quote]
I played around with a few games but progressed little further than the first few footsteps.
My install list is as follows
I have no time to play games, I am too old to play games and I'm rubbish at them!
But I am not going to let that stop me...
A little while back I built my own PC to play stuff in 1920x1080. It's my KAR120C; 'I know every nut and bolt and cog, I built it with my own hands!' [quote]
I played around with a few games but progressed little further than the first few footsteps.
 |
| Internals |
- Final Fantasy XIII
- Divinity - Original Sin
- Warhammer - Dawn of War
- Shadowrun Returns
- Ultima VII - Serpent Isle [on Abandonia]
- Ultima VII - The Black Gate + The Forge of Virtue [on Abandonia]
- Jade Empire
- The Witcher - Enhanced Edition
and I have the following waiting in the wings list (well, on a shelf actually)
I calculate that if I live to 127, I have a chance...
RPGamer
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
- Diablo III
- Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth
- Sins of a Solar Empire
- some more...
and my most eagerly anticipated 'next ones' list
I calculate that if I live to 127, I have a chance...
RPGamer
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