Screenshot is of Europa Universalis IV and was taken from the Quill18 video here.
Being the thinking man that I am, (and perhaps having too much time on my hands), it was only natural that I would progress from playing the fairly common Age Of Empires that most everyone knows, to something that requires far more thought. Thankfully, Paradox Interactive's grand strategy games scratch that itch.
Grand strategy. What on earth is that? (Teehee) Grand strategy is a term typically used to describe the games made by the Paradox Development Studio, the child company of Paradox Interactive, who also publishes their games. These grand strategy games typically involve a bit more than a single villager who miraculously makes a house take form by hammering the floor. (Because logic. Maybe I can get rich by blowing air into my wallet?) Anyways, these games involve various time periods and the control of entire nations as you try to manipulate all the facets of the nation to lead them to greatness. While hardly easy, for people that like to think, they are endless fun. I've listed the most recent games below, in order of the time periods that they take place:
1. Crusader Kings 2
Crusader Kings 2, also colloquially known as Betrothal Simulator with Assassination and Parenthood DLC. (I'm seriously joking, and joking seriously.) Crusader Kings is the Paradox game of the medieval era, with plots of intrigue, succession wars for thrones and a lot of marriages. Crusader Kings 2 is less about world domination and more about the prestige of a bloodline, with you being in control of a single bloodline rather than a specific nation.
While certainly interesting, even Quill18 grew quickly tired of the game thanks to the incessant need to marry off daughters, marry your main character to someone, marry your sons to someone prestigious, and then try to stop the pretenders from offing your heir before he can claim the throne. Best enjoyed in small chunks with a specific goal in hand, like getting your bloodline to own the entire Iberian peninsula.
2. Europa Universalis IV
Europa Universalis, the mainstay of most grand strategy gamers, (That I know at any rate.) Europa Universalis is the roughly renaissance era Parardox game, taking place roughly in the same period that the America's were colonized by the European powers. As a favorite among many YouTubers and casual gamers, (myself included), EUIV and it's multiple expansion packs sees the the player(s) attempting to make the most powerful nation possible through trade, diplomacy, war, and colonization. There's also religious and cultural aspects mixed in for added fun.
While perhaps nothing much to look at, this oddly addicting game makes minutes into days just by you trying to figure out the best ways to run your country and deal with the issues that pop up ever so frequently. Combine that with new and interesting addons being made by Paradox frequently, and this is a thinking game that can keep you busy for a long time.
3. Victoria 2
Victoria, the World War 1, American industrialization, global politics game that nobody plays due to complexity. While not by any means a bad game, Victoria suffers from the issue of age and a Paradoxically difficult to use interface compared to Europa Universalis. (Heehee, see what I did there?) While extremely interesting in that it works off of the management of actual population groups tracking everything from the fulfillment of their needs to their ideological beliefs and literacy levels.
Now, that might sound like a lot of work for some people... which it probably is, but for crazy individuals like myself, managing several millions worth of peoples beliefs enough to make them work and fight cohesively and aid the development of a country sounds like a ton of fun... If only the game actually explained how to do anything of the sort to you. 80% of playing Victora is just figuring out how to do anything, with the enigmatic Nothernlion of YouTube summing this up by detailing how excited he was when he managed to make his people 1% more literate. But here's to hoping an updated sequel comes out... eventually.
4. Hearts of Iron 3
Hearts of Iron, the world war 2, assault management, supply line, factory structuring, diplomacy, political, technology, empire simulator. In all frankness this is perhaps the most interesting of the 4 games, but it's also the most complex in terms of management. (as averse to simply getting stuff to work ala Victoria.) This game is literally so complex, that it offers to let you have every single aspect of your nation managed by the AI. Not that that is always such a good idea, but it can allow you to chop and change so that you can focus on specific areas more than an inefficient control of everything.
I will admit to slight amusement at their allusions that the tutorial was written by Hitler, who promptly offs himself by the end of it (they would likely refute that it was him though.) This is definitely the most ambitious of the Paradox games, with so much detail that the time passes in hours rather than days, meaning a far shorter period can have far more happen in it. Intense, interesting and difficult, managing to do anything in this game is a reward in itself.
I will mention that they recently announced Heart Of Iron 4 and are currently signing on Beta testers for it. Including an improved UI and various other enhancements and changes, (Thank heavens), the new game should be far easier to play but without the loss of any strategic depth. So definitely something worth keeping an eye out for if you're into that sort of thing.
In any case, that's enough about my nerdy game likes. If you're also a fan of the Paradox strategy games, or just want to know something else about the games then do be sure to ask us down in the comments below of over Facebook/Twitter. Also, if you've got some insane friends that like games like these, be sure to share this post with them. I guarantee they'll appreciate it. Of course, if you would like to read more articles about subjects like this and different to it, then do be sure to like the official TCSA Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left, so that you can get the latest posts as they go up. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.
"The frog... is scary as hell... Nightmare fuel even... Hold me?" - OddballGreg
Have you ever heard a doll talk or a wall answer you back, then you probably know the work of a ventriloquist, (or you're delusional, maybe both). Either way, hearing voices from strange sources can be a somewhat rather entertaining experience, lets talk about that.
Ventriloquism is the act, as referred to in English, of throwing your voice to make it sound like it is coming from a different place; usually a puppet or doll of some sort. Ventriloquism was first a religious practice. The noises produced by our stomachs were once believed to be the voices of the undead and the ventriloquist would then interpret it as they were able to speak with the dead, as well as foretell the future (whooo spooky).
The following paragraph is made up and should not be taken seriously.
In the beginning, as people started to do ventriloquism for entertainment, there was a man. He practiced day after day, until he could throw his voice so well, you would say the person across the room uttered them. He started to go to the park and make the peoples pets talk to their owners as practice; after a while he was so confident in his skill that he went to a bank and shouted through another person's mouth, "everyone on the ground this is a heist!!" The poor person was arrested but this ventriloquist found it rather amusing. So the next day he went to a stripper club... and well... you know what he did there. No one ever found this man, but if they did ... they would hire him to do stand up comedy. But wait! They did find this man and his name is Jeff Dunham. (Jefafa... Dun Ham... Dot Com).
Jeff Dunham is a very well known ventriloquist and stand-up comedian who does various shows with his famous puppets, (Peanut, Walter, Achmed, José Jalapeño on a Stick and others), but the most well know of the lot is Peanut. This overactive, purple skinned puppet, who only has one shoe, is hilarious. He often makes fun of Jeff and torments another puppet, José Jalapeño on a Stick. Jeff often has to argue with Peanut to do the stuff Jeff wants, (remember he is a puppet). When people call José Jalapeño, on the other hand, he will often have to say "on a stick" meaning that it is his name not just an attribute. The fights that Peanut and José have are really quite comical.
Nina Conti is another ventriloquist that has done many shows, where she gets a "volunteer" from the audience and puts a fake mouth on them, which she controls. She makes them say they want to dance, which is really funny since no one ever does. There is another skit that she does with a monkey, where it possesses her, considering it is a puppet, it makes things somewhat strange.
(warning: strong language)
Ronn Lucas has been on The Late Show With David Letterman, his show was with Scorch the dragon. He makes fun of the audience, the host (David Letterman), and the city they are in and the people that live there. He also pretends that the puppet isn't a puppet and gets him to throw his voice. He was also on the British Royal Variety show and sang a few songs with Scorch which was spectacular.
Ronn Lucas at the British Royal Variety show
Anyways, if you found this to be interesting, funny or you have any stories of your own, please let us know down in the comments, over Facebook or tweet us on the Twitter of the Tweeters. Please share this with anyone who likes playing with dolls, or anyone who likes a good show. They'll probably share it with more people and our beginning of conquering the world can start. If you would like to read more of what I and OddballGreg have to say then please like our official TSCA Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left, so that you can see the latest posts as they are published. Regardless of what you do please have/had an awesome day. Thank you for taking the time to read the post and I shall speak to you soon.
People say clowns scare them? Are you afraid? Technically speaking... Gene Simmons is scarier.
About 6 days ago I wrote an article about horror games, and why they tend to make me yelp like a little puppy for no reason. So it seemed fair to continue the train of thought and discuss some other reasonably fear-inducing media, though of a kind that I actually enjoy. That would be CreepyPasta's, the internet's ghost stories from around the camp fire.
According to the Creepypasta Wikia, a Creepypasta is a "short story posted on the Internet that is designed to unnerve and shock the reader." An internet phenomenon that arose years ago, these short horror stories were quickly popularized for a variety of reasons, ranging from peoples need to scare themselves for laughs, to literary enjoyment, and the eventual movies, memes and games that originated from these stories. There's also a ton of people on YouTube who continue to say that the stories are true. (There's also people who think the contents of a lava lamp make a good moisturizer... so believe what you will.)
One of the CreepyPasta stories that is most notorious for the way it has expanded the the Creepypasta following is Slenderman, a tall, faceless man with tentacles who kidnaps people and, in some versions of the stories, spikes them onto pine trees in the forests. Slenderman has seen hundreds of stories written about him, and a fair few games which were played on YouTube by various personalities including, (Of course), PewDiePie. (Who on an unrelated note, apparently made an old game so popular that the publisher started printing it again according to Kotaku.co.uk) Some of the other notorious CreepyPasta stories range from Jeff The Killer to Smiledog.png. All extremely odd and yet strangely fascinating at the same time. (One must wonder at the mind of people who write stories like these.)
Of course, being the artsy person that I am, I found the stories themselves to be far more interesting and fun than PewDiePie's screams... but that's just personal preference. So if you are looking for some fun scares or are simply a fan of well written stories, then be sure to visit either www.creepypasta.com or the Creepypasta Wikia; both of which are compendiums of these strange horror stories.
However, being the YouTube warrior that I am, (That basically means I'm frequently bored and watch a lot of inane videos.), I have found a rather good channel by the name of IReadCreepyPasta's in which a man takes some of these stories and narrates them in his very well suited voice, complete with additional sound effects and a bit of visual stimulus for a very entertaining and genuinely frightful combination. He's even managed to scare me this way. (Which, apart from games, is rather hard to pull off.) Perhaps of all the CreepyPasta stories I know, The Russian Sleep Experiment, complete with his narration, is by far one of the best in my opinion.
Ghastly isn't it?
There are others he has narrated which have proven to be equally entertaining to listen to, such as Mister WideMouth and Tulpa, both of which, like The Russian Sleep Experiment, appealed to my enjoyment of topics regarding the human mind. So naturally I found them very entertaining.
In any case, I should mention that these stories can be VERY scary for some people, with the CreepyPasta website even requesting your age before allowing you entry because of that. So consider yourself warned. In any case, if you found this article to be of interest, or have some of your own CreepyPasta stories that you think are worth mentioning, do be sure to let us know down in the comments below or via Facebook/Twitter. And of course, if you are friends with any horror aficionados, then perhaps sharing this article with them. They'll probably thank you for it. Of course, if you would like to read more interesting articles like this one, then do be sure to like our official TCSA Facebook page and or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left so that you can get the latest posts, as they're posted. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.
Music. It's something we (usually) listen to every single day of our lives. Some of us listen to it on the radio on our way to work, others play it from their phones while waiting outside of class. However, some people see it as yet another way to make us laugh. People like "Weird Al" Yankovic, who think that you should just eat it, rather than beat it.
A parody is "an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect." In recent years, however, the meaning of parody has taken on the meaning of any song that has the same music behind the voice, but the lyrics have been changed into something funny. There are many artists that do this for a living and if you have heard any parody before, you must have heard of Weird Al Yankovic.
Alfred Matthew Yankovic aka "Weird Al" is regarded, in my opinion, as the best parody musician in the parody business. He has been making parodies as far back as 1976, (although he was a child back then, not a time traveler), that is 38 years of making parodies, (which is almost 4 decades). He is still making parodies today of the likes of Iggy Azalea, Lorde and even Imagine Dragons. He also has this thing about getting the artist's permission to do the parody of their song even though he doesn't have to. He says it is to keep on the good side of the artists, although that does not seem to be the case with Prince.
My favorite song of Weird Al is Word Crimes, (a parody of Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines.) He uses perfect English and corrects a lot of mistakes that people make these days in a very comedic way. The way he gets so much information across in a funny way is rather impressive and rather AWESOME in the true sense of the word. Weird Al recently did 8 songs in 8 days, (#8videos8days), as a promotion for his new album Mandatory Fun which topped various musical charts.
The YouTube channel Barely Political's series The Key of Awesome, (a.k.a. Ducky of Awesome), is another set of parodies. Their parodies come out more often than Weird Al's though. Making "The Key of Awesome" sound like "Ducky of Awesome" was a really clever thing to do, as it created a mascot for their parodies. They have also made a spoof of Harry Potter which many people have frowned upon, but I personally think is was really clever.
Tom Lehrer is a Mathematician, teacher, lyricist, pianist, composer, singer and songwriter. He made the infamous song known as The Elements Song. This song is just a list of all the elements. (at the time he wrote the song). Now to memorize this song is really impressive and I shall give anyone who can recite this song, without aid, a cookie, (only for the first 100 people though. Maybe even 2 cookies if you are really good). His song New Maths is strangely funny, which shows how hard maths can be.
The next time you are in the need of a laugh, google some parodies. If you want a cookie, please show us if you can sing The Elements song. If you have any friends who likes cookies or like a good laugh please share this with them too. If you think I missed a parody artist or think I am completely bonkers for offering cookies please let us know down in the comments, over Facebook or tweet us on the Twitter of the Tweeters. If you would like to see what else I or OddballGreg have to say please like us on our official TSCA Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter so you can get the latest posts as they come out. What ever you do, I thank you for reading and hope you have the most Awesomest day, and I shall speak again soon.
Nothing more challenging than climbing up a 90 degree wall right? Well, except for getting out of bed early.
Life is difficult. Few can say that they have never had a moment of hardship, suffering or strife in their lifetime. So it's fair to say that most people's lives are defined by these challenges that they have to face. What's interesting, however, is that it is often the people with the most challenging lives that turn out well.
You've probably seen them everywhere, especially Facebook. (You, that place where people share everything, bowel movements included. *facedesk*) "The happiest people have had the saddest lives, the strongest people have had the hardest lives" etc, etc. The list goes on. The point that they all seem to be trying to make is that, strangely, the most virtuous people are often the ones who have struggled most in life.
Image from abegailrosales.wordpress.com I've seen this on Facebook more times that. Also, congrats for continuing the stereotype that grandma's in woolen coats are poor.
So why is that? Why is it that people who struggle turn out to be the most likable people? Well, like always, I look to two things for all my seeming wisdom, (apart from my own head, since I can't really look at that.), YouTube and Movies. Namely, in the YouTube video Why Do We Feel Nostalgia by Vsauce's Michael Stevens, and the movie Little Miss Sunshine from 2006.
In Michael's video, apart from multiple other subjects as he typically does in his video's, he explains that people are, essentially, a series of linear experiences, even when the individual atoms they started out with are long gone from their bodies. (Sound crazy? Watch the video. Michael is brilliant with his explanations.) So what does that mean? Effectively, it means that we, as people, are the cumulative sum of our past experiences which have taught us to be who we are.
In the movie Little Miss Sunshine, the teenage son of the dysfunctional family flies into a rage after realizing that cannot pursue his dream due to colour blindness, and eventually find himself speaking to his uncle who had attempted suicide prior to the movie's plot. In their conversation, his uncle mentions a French writer, (who's name escapes me.), who, in his old age, having lived a difficult life with no money or success to speak of, decided that "All these years he suffered were the best years of his life. The years where he was happy were wasted and useless to him, since he'd learnt nothing from them."
So how does this answer the question? Quite simply, as people, we grow and are formed by the challenges we face in our lives. Those of us who suffer know what it is to suffer, and would not wish it upon others. The hungry waste not, the thirsty savor each drop, and the poor treasure all they are given. Essentially, they appreciate the things they did not always have, and what it took to get them. (The value of Hard Work is a good one to learn.)
The challenge of survival is one that changes a person definitely. Coddled children and fortunate son's, while perhaps good people despite it, often lack lessons in life that turn them into respectable adults. It's like asking an athlete and a bookworm to run a marathon. The bookworm will obviously be unprepared to meet the challenge. In the same way, those lucky enough to grow up with all that they could want suffer in their own ways as they never develop the ability to deal with their own challenges.
A rather apt joke that I've known for years more or less depicts the issue. As the story goes, a man notices how well his boss is running the company and decides to ask him how he manages to do so. The exchange goes as follows:
Man: "Sir, how is it that you manage to run such a successful business?"
Boss: "Good Decisions."
Man: "And how is it that you make such good decisions?"
Boss: "Experience."
Man: "And how does one obtain said experience?"
Boss: "Bad Decisions."
Even the joke details the necessity of strife in our lives, albeit in a more lighthearted manner. It is a fact of life that the mistakes we make define our future decisions. Our failures make us work harder in the future and our clumsiness makes us more careful. Part of being human is the necessity to learn from ones own actions and act upon the lessons you have learnt to ensure a better future for yourself.
Consider for a moment, Italy, who for thirty years under the Borgias experienced some of the worst brutality that the world had to offer, and yet produced historical greats such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and was even the origin of the Renaissance. Why is that? Because suffering brings out the best in humanity, as sad as it sounds. Humanities greatest moments are found where people have struggled the most in their lives.
King Louis XVI of France was an aristocrat born into the lap of luxury, and was promptly deposed and beheaded for his somewhat lax leadership skills. Martin Luther King was born into a time of intense racial discrimination and yet through his hardships in growing up, (having even attempted suicide), he became the historically heroic figure that many in the world know him for as a paragon of civil rights and equality.
So the next time you're feeling down and wondering why you bother, just think about the fact that these challenging times of suffering, more than anything else, are what define you and mold you to be a better person in the world. If you have any stories of personal challenges or any suggestion in general that you would like to share with us here at TCSA then be sure to let us know in the comments section below or via Facebook or Twitter as some like to do. Also, if you have friends who are going through a hard time in their life right now, perhaps consider sharing this post with them to help them through a rough patch. I'm sure they'll appreciate it. And of course if you would like to read more interesting articles like this one, do be sure to like TCSA's official Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter so that you can get the latest posts, as they go up. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.
"Turns out there's no pictures of mythical creatures on the internet. Who would've guessed?" - OddballGreg
Have you ever wondered how mythical creatures would fit into society or if they would even help us. It could be interesting to see how the world would be different if these fantastical beasts were an actual part of our everyday lives.
The following is a list of some of the mythical creatures I know of and the uses they would have in society. I use the assumption that they would be domesticated in some way to help in society but still may keep some of the bad traits they may have. Most of these creatures are from Greek mythology.
Unicorns - are beautiful creatures, but as the myths go, it is not tamable by man, thus making it is a very dangerous creature. In Harry Potter, the blood of the unicorn would be able to heal any wound but at a price, so for anything other than their beauty and their uses as pretty horses, they are rather pointless. (XD see what I did there)
Dragons - can emit fire from their mouths. In movies such as "How to Train Your Dragon", and series such as "Game Of Thrones", people seem to be able to tame them to some extent. The Fire breath would be of use for starting fires, melting metals and smoldering your enemies. (sorry Kraznys mo Nakloz)
Centaurs - all but one in Greek mythology were unruly and got drunk often. Except for the horse part there are a lot of people who act like that today so they would just kinda blend in wouldn't they?
Giants - are very angry creatures that throw rocks, trees, (and people), at Mt. Olympus for fun. The only use they would have is moving heavy things and the destruction of unwanted land/buildings. (And throwing people.)
Griffins - are amazing creatures. Their feathers are believed to change colour in the presence of poison and their nests are made out of gold. So they would be able to assist in gold mining and their feathers could be made into something that detects poison.
Trolls - They already exist, and are natives of the internet. Wish they didn't. Let's move on.
Hydra - is a beast that has usually 6 to 9 heads and will regrow 2 heads if one is chopped off. So if it's true that 2 heads are better than one, then this is the best creature in the list.
Kraken - is a huge sea creature that devours ships and sea goers. SUSHI. 'nuff said.
Pegasus - is a white winged horse that was entrusted to bring Zeus his bolts and thunder. He would be used as a faster means of travel to someone that would be able to afford such a thing. (Because obviously somebody is going to charge you to ride them.)
Phoenix - is a beautiful bird that is born from the ashes of another Phoenix. It is believed that it's tears can heal any wound and, that until its death, it is completely resilient to fire. So they would be able to look for survivors in a burning building and try and rescue them, and they could be useful in winter.
Sphinx - were the guardians to tombs and pyramids. They would make a rather good watchdog(cat?), provided they don't sleep all day.
Titans - were the rulers before the Olympians. They are of enormous size, of which one is said to hold up the earth. So they could move anything including planets.
Mermaids - have the torso and head of a female and the lower end of a fish. So yeah...
Sirens - would sing songs to entice sailors to steer their ships towards them and often into rocks, leading to a very water grave for the sailors aboard. They would make really good music and be able to make instruments out of your bones for others to play. (Teehee)
Anyways, if you have enjoyed this article, or have other uses for mythical creatures perhaps, then please let us know in the comments below or over Facebook or Twitter. If you have any friends that enjoy mythical stuff or are really into Greek mythology, please share it with them. They will probably thank you for it. If you would like to read more posts like this one, do be sure to like our Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left so you can get the latest posts as they go up. Regardless of what you do, I do hope you have a fantastic day and thank you for reading.
Image is a screenshot of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and was taken from www.pcgamer.com. TCSA are in no way related to or supported by The Witcher 3, CD Projekt Red or pcgamer.com, nor do we own the image.
In the information era, games are big business. If you believe the statistics, more than 75% of people below the age of 30 play videogames on a regular basis. Why? Because they're fun as hell. So today I'm going to tell you about 8 of my most anticipated games yet to be released, and why I think they'll be awesome.
If you're a frequenter of this blog, or just happen to know me in person, then you likely know that I really like games of all kinds. I spend a great deal of time playing them, thinking about them, talking about them and researching things about them, including when the latest and greatest are to come out. So without further ado, allow me to tell you about 8 of my most Personally Anticipated Upcoming Games (In no particular order):
1. Borderlands: The Pre Sequel!
No that's not actually a mistake in grammar or punctuation, "Borderlands: The Pre Sequel!" is the actual title of the upcoming 3rd Borderlands game being developed by 2K Australia, Gearbox Software and being published by 2K Games. Slated for a release on the 14th of October 2014, there a couple of reasons I'm excited for this game.
First and foremost. It's Borderlands! I will admit to being a huge Borderlands fan ever since Cage The Elephant introduced the original 4, rather mental characters of the original Borderlands. Borderlands as series of games is (in)famous for it's crazy, over the top characters and sheer mental attitude towards mass slaughter of robots, wildlife, and other people, (Misanthrope challenge anyone?), has made the Borderlands games the go-to series for hilarious co-operative play.
Secondly, any gamer who's been around the block has probably played Diablo or a similarly themed clone. The fight, loot, shops and repeat formula is responsible for making many games famous simply because of it's fun and simplicity; and Borderlands does that and more, combining great gameplay, an outrageous storyline and fun multiplayer to create an unforgettable experience. All in all, this is looking to be another great experience to be played when it comes out.
I may or may not also be biased because they had The Kongo's in their most recent trailer, a South African alternative rock band.
2. Tales From The Borderlands
Okay... so maybe I'm a bit of a fanboy. I'll admit it. (Teehee) But allow me a moment to tell you why the Telltale Games developed and published Tales From The Borderlands is going to blow your mind when it (hopefully) comes out in 4th quarter 2014.
What's the difference between Tales From The Borderlands and Borderlands: The Pre Sequel? Simple. The former is being developed by Telltale Games, a fact which you might understand as important when you consider that they are the creators of The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead episodic story games which have left many in tears and many more in awe at their story telling ability. I myself have played The Walking Dead game which followed the story of Lee and Clementine in their hopes of surviving the zombie apocalypse.
In few words, I expect Tales From The Borderlands to offer a different perspective on the Borderlands compared to the other games in the series, as it has been said multiple times that the game will not be as much about the shooting and looting, but more about the incredible story and background of the fictional planet of Pandora, with a fair few cameos of characters from other titles in the series. Without sounding deluded, I think with Telltale's reputation for making meaningful games, Tales From The Borderlands could easily end up being a great story that many will remember for a long time.
3. Dragon Age: Inquisition
Third game in the series, number three in the list... HALF LIFE 3 CONFIRMED! (Teehee) Just kidding. But on a more serious note, Dragon Age: Inquisition is shaping up to be fair competition for the holy grail of RPG's as far as we can so far tell. Developed by Bioware and set to be published by Electronic Arts on the 21st of November 2014 to the European (and thus South African) audiences, in terms of scope, history and reputation, Dragon Age: Inquisition is looking fantastic so far.
So what precisely is Dragon Age: Inquisition? It's a rather massive, story based RPG based in the lands of Thedas. That probably makes no sense to you, but believe me when I say you should be excited for this game. The 3rd Dragon Age game following on from Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age: Inquisition takes the scope of everything previously experienced in the series and blows it to massive proportions. An epic story, fully fleshed out companions and world and a lore rich story that would likely make Lovecraft and Tolkien cry out in awe.
People more familiar with games have likely played or heard of the Mass Effect series which was largely developed by the same people who are now currently developing Dragon Age: Inquisition, so it is fair to say that a massive and brilliant story awaits those who are willing to wait the few months left until Inquisitions release. (Suffice to say, I'm bouncing in my chair in excitement like a ADHD 5 year old that's been told they can drink the sugar bowl, and promptly done so.)
4. Dead Island 2
What self respecting gaming fan doesn't like the following: Zombie Apocalypses, Borderlands-like Co-op fun, Over the top weaponry and combat and finding new loot to do the aforementioned with. If you like those things, then it's possible that you might be looking forward to playing the Yager Development made and Deep Silver published Dead Island 2 when it comes out (hopefully) sometime in the 2nd quarter of 2015.
Now you may be wondering. If it play like Borderlands, then why should I bother with it? Which is a fair question. many have been saying that they will rather play Dying Light when it comes out rather than play Dead Island 2 which seems a bit like everything else. So why is it worth playing? Probably because the same could have been said about the original Dead Island. It was buggy, it used ideas from other games, just in a different setting with a different focus. You would be right if you thought that sounded slightly dull. Of course, I thought the original Borderlands was dull too. And then I played it with someone else. Like Borderlands, Dead Island was notoriously fun as a co-op game as you ran around yelling random things to your friends while decapitating the newly undead. Perhaps not groundbreaking in itself, the experience of doing these crazy things with friends is always unforgettable.
Extra bonus, if you consider the Dead Island 2 trailer, it can be reasonably asserted that the developers are embracing the over the top craziness that people enjoy in these types of games, so Dead Island 2 could easily give us more of what we want, more crazy fun with friends. I'd say that sounds like fun, no?
5. Dying Light
You might note that the most read post on this blog, (at the time of writing), is an article I wrote about Parkour. If you don't know what parkour is, you should probably read that to get a quick understanding since it's one of the reasons people are so looking forward to Dying Light. Combine Zombie Killing with night time horror and parkour building climbing and running, and you get the Techland developed and Warner Bro's Interactive Entertainment published Dying Light, slated for release sometime or other in February 2015.
Here's the irony: Dying Light originally started out as a sequel for Dead Island, but quickly became it's own project as the team started to change it's focuses in terms of gameplay, looking to bring something new and interesting into the zombie apocalypse genre. Considering the MASSIVE cult following of the first mainstream parkour game, Mirrors Edge, it comes as little surprise that people would lose their minds when a Parkour based, zombie apocalypse survival game got announced. Suffice to say that Dying Light could turn out to be a ton of fun if they pull it off right.
6. The Witcher 3: Wild hunt
The Witcher, a name synonymous with... well, not that much if you haven't played or heard of these games by CD Project Red which is to be published by a whole slew of companies on the 24th of February 2015. For those of you who do know what the Witcher is about, you already know why I'm excited for this game.
Earlier in the post I mentioned that Dragon Age: Inquisition is shaping up to be a fair contender for the holy grail of RPG's. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is it's competition. (And also, ironically, also the third game in it's series as well. Gabe Newell conspiracies abound.) The Witcher is the hardcore RPG players love... or one of them at least. Famous for a very in depth story, dark,brooding mood, need for preparation to survive near most fights and a grim faced but relateable and believable character by the name of Geralt of Rivea; The Witcher has been a paragon of fine storytelling for 2 games already, so it should come as no surprise that I'm looking forward to what's looking to be a great game when it finally comes out.
7. Sid Meiers Civilization: Beyond Earth
I might not always sound like, but I enjoy thinking. (*cough* Philosophy Friday *cough*) As such, believe me when I say that I am looking forward to what is being called the spiritual successor to Alpha Centauri, a strategy game built on an alien world that I played when I was still knee high to most things. In development by Firaxis Games and to be published by 2K Games on the 24th of October 2014, my thinking cap is anxiously awaiting another strategy game of excellence from the great Sid Meiers.
Sid Meiers and strategy games have been synonymous terms for a long time with the series of fantastic civilization building strategy games that have been around longer than I have. (Seriously, the first one was released in 1991.) The point is, these games are good. It's not easy to beat them, and the many different strategies one can take to win means that there's plenty reason to keep playing again and again. So I'm fairly interested to see how Civilization changes up the mixture with it's first game not based around actual human history, but rather around the science fiction that so many Alpha Centauri fans adored.
8. Wasteland 2
A hand for the only game that's technically released already and yet slated for release as well. (*Claps by himself*) Anyways, Wasteland 2 is the creation of Brian Fargo and his crowdfunded and undefunct game studio inXile Entertainment. (That basically means that he got a Kickstarter that was successful, and restarted his company.) While technically playable in it's beta phases through Steam early access, the official release is slated for the 19th September 2014.
So what is Wasteland 2? It is, in the words of Brian Fargo, "The Fallout he always wanted to make". "The Fallout?" you may be wondering, thinking of the vastly popular 3rd person RPG's by Bethesda Softworks that were described as "like Skyrim with guns". Yes, same series, originally inspired by a game called Wasteland which turned into Fallout, the first 2 of which were developed by Brian Fargo. Make sense? Nevermind. The point is, Wasteland is looking to be the isometric, tactical RPG that should have been Fallout 3 before inXile went out of business. As a fan of the alternative and strange, Wasteland is looking to be the thinking mans RPG, with many ambiguous decisions which can have far reaching impacts on the world in way you would not expect. Definitely an interesting game to watch out for if you like different things. (Like me!)
In any case, I should mention that this is mostly based on conjecture about what I know about the previous games, what the developers have done and what they have promised. So don't get mad at me if any of these games flop for some reason. Hype is notorious for being hard to meet, as those who waited so patiently for Watch Dogs found out. Also, this is not all the games I'm waiting for, there are a fair few more that are looking like they could be great games, but I can only do so much writing in one day. (*crying face*) Suffice to say that games like Star Citizen and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfighter are definitely on my watch list, and will most likely be subjects of discussion down the line.
In any case, that's all I've got for you today. If you enjoyed this article, or think that there's another good upcoming game that you think I should check out, then be sure to tell us about it in the comments below or over Facebook/Twitter. And of course I'd appreciate it greatly if you share this post with any of your gaming buddies. They'll probably also appreciate it. And if you would like to read more articles like this one, do be sure to like our Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left so that you can get the latest posts as they go up. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this article; hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.
"Do you realize how hard it is to get images of magic tricks that are in the public domain? Also, TCSA are not related to magic practitioners in any way. Just to be clear." - OddballGreg
Performing magic is one of the most amazing feelings I have ever experienced, although is somewhat underrated among those who do not understand the kind of skill and practice that is required to do it. Lets talk about what it's like to be the one doing the tricks... again.
A good friend of mine, Clinton, mentioned that I didn't really sell the Magicians point of view from The Dissolution Of Magic post I did 6 days ago. I just wanted to say thank you to him for discussing it with me; so now I can talk all about how amazing it really is. (And boy is it awesome.)
Once you have a couple tricks under your belt, you can perform it in many different ways just by changing the story that goes with it. A lot of the time it is the story that can sell a trick more than the skills behind the actual trick would do; even the most simplest of tricks can become outstanding when you put a good story with it.
One of my favorite magic tricks is the This'n'That card trick as it was one of the first tricks that had an awesome story behind it, that even if you perform it twice, (never do that though), it will still dumbfound a fair few more people. Here is WTF Magic trick performing said trick.
If you don't have the time to watch the video, I would recommend trying to watch it when you do have time. Now for all of you people that like to over-analyze the video, he made 2 or 3 mistakes that will show you some of the moves that he does, but still an amazing performance of the trick regardless. (please don't look for them). Anyways, the just of the trick is that he has 3 cards, 2 of which are "this" card, and 1 "that" card. Then he magically makes it 3 "this" cards and then 3 "that" cards.Then right at the end he reveals they are 3 different cards.
The story that goes with this trick makes it seem like he is showing you what happened to him, and thus pulls you into it. There are so many uses with the 3 moves he does, and there are many variations on it as well. Now SoFloAntonio did the same trick but put his own unique twist on it.
I have had so much fun with this, along with many other tricks, and with so many people that it is hard to count. There was a time for like 2-3 weeks where I did these tricks at school and freaked a few people out, and the most outrageous reactions are always the best. I was know for a while as the Magic Man. (there was a teacher that took some of my cards and threw it away, but I was kinda playing with them in her class to be fair. That was still pretty mean though.)
I still like learning new ways to do tricks and illusions and trying to figure out how other people do it,since I know a lot of the basics; I can usually suss out how a trick is done most of the time which makes it even better when there is a trick that I don't know how it is done. So the Magic of seeing the tricks is still somewhat still there for me, but it is a lot more rare then for most others.
Who knows what you can do with Magic tricks. You can be the life of the party or entertain at family gatherings, or even for the brave, you can pick up girls. (I will be trying it in the future XD, wish me luck. I will let you know how it goes afterwards.)
That is my urge to show you how AMAZING tricks are: fulfilled. If you feel the same way about magic tricks or want to see me perform some tricks, please be sure to drop a comment below or post a comment over on Facebook, or for the twitters you can tweet us on Twitter. If you found this post interesting or have friends that would like to hear about magic tricks, please share this post with them aswell. If you like my posts and would like to see what else I or OddballGreg have to say, please be sure to like the official TCSA Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the left bar so you can see the latest post as they're posted.
But whatever you do, I hope you have/had a magic filled day and I will speak again soon my comrades.
Are you a fan of being scared? Perhaps you're one of those odd people who enjoy the adrenaline rush that comes with terror? (I'll be frank with you, I think you're weird. Which is saying a lot coming from me.) Despite my utter fear for most things horror, there has been some interesting news in the gaming world if you're into that kind of thing.
As is my won't to do, I was browsing the most recently uploaded videos from some of my favorite YouTubers when I noticed in my Twitter feed that JackSepticEye, a fun Irish commentator; made a tweet about his playthrough of PT. PT is short for Playable Teaser and was released somewhat mysteriously by developers under the name 7780s Games to the Playstation store for the PS4. Of course, many being the curious types that they are, the teaser was downloaded and played and promptly took the world of Social Media by storm as people realized that PT was not just any teaser, it was a teaser for a new Silent Hill game with Hideo Kojima and Guillerrmo Del Torro both collaborating to make it.
Of course... that kind of news naturally makes people lose their minds on the internet, considering Silent Hill is one of the mostly highly acclaimed horror game franchises EVER. (Not that I have any particular experience with it for reasons I will mention shortly.) More interestingly though, was that people did not actually know HOW to beat the Teaser to get to the trailer for the new Silent Hill game.
Hideo Kojima has a reputation for some absurdly difficult puzzles and just completely strange things in his games. So it's with little surprise that getting to finish PT seemed like a fairly random thing to many all over the web, the more enterprising took it as a challenge to figure out how the puzzle worked together, and eventually worked out a functioning method to complete PT every try. The story of how @tortoiseontour managed to figure this puzzle out is quite fascinating is well worth the watch.
As exciting and entertaining as the story is though, there's still no way in hell you'll catch me actually playing the Teaser or the actual Silent Hills games once it is eventually released. Why you ask? Because I find horror games to be beyond terrifying. (Haha, well... Tell noone.)
Strangely enough, I find it near impossible to even watch people play horror games, despite finding movies, stories and books about the subject to be rather unfrightening. I cannot explain why, but suffice to say, watching JackSepticEye play the Playable Teaser had me nearly fall out of my seat at the point where the header image came from, and I actually DID fall out of my chair during this Markiplier playthrough of Five Nights at Freddy's. (Two words... Bloody Bear.)
I can't explain to you why these things scare me so, they simply do. It's odd, and forcing myself to sit through them is often slightly unpleasant. Still, such is gaming and media these days, and there has simply been SO much talk about these horror games of late among the YouTube community. It would have been a shame if I hadn't spoken about it I think.
In any case, if you suffer from the irrational fear of horror video games too, or simply want to tell me I'm weird, please be sure to do in the comments below or via Facebook/Twitter. Also, if you happen to have any friends that enjoy interesting puzzles or just horror games, do be sure to share this post with them as well; I'm positive they'll appreciate it. Of course, if you would like to read about more interesting news like this in the world of gaming, do be sure to like the official TCSA Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left so that you can get all the latest posts, as they're made. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.
"The Truth About Spongebob" Because TCSA must do it's part to continue the tradition of media sensationalism. - OddballGreg. (Image is from http://spongebob.wikia.com/wiki/Thread:104210 and TCSA is in no way related to or sponsored by Spongebob or Nickelodeon.)
Have you ever wondered if the cartons you and/or your children are watching might have a deeper meaning, or be an allegory for something else? There are always theories about such things with all cartoons, but lets talk about Spongebob Squarepants today.
Spongebob Squarepants has been one of my favorite cartoons of all time, for a long time. The humor in it can still tickle the fancy of the oldest (possibly immature) person. I still enjoy watching it to this day. Watching it yesterday reminded me about a discussion I had with someone in the past, (I strangely don't remember who it was though.), where we were trying to determine if Spongebob was actually an allegory for the 7 deadly sins.
7 deadly sins meme. Because blue and obviously a slow colour, and blood is red. Even colors can be stereotypical.
It can be said that each of the main characters in Spongebob Squarepants is a representation of one of the biblical 7 deadly sins, of which in the cartoon they are:
Spongebob- LUST. Not in the traditional sex meaning but rather for the love of others. "He shows his love of others with his overeagerness to do good and help people. If anything is true about SpongeBob its that he loves everyone around him, even if they don't exactly love him back." - www.toonzone.net This can be seen when he tries to play with Squidward in most episodes.
Patrick- SLOTH. Well this one is rather self explanatory if you know the show, as Patrick is always slow and lazy. I remember there was even an episode where he tried doing "absolutely nothing".
Gary the Snail - GLUTTONOUS. This one would need a fair knowledge of the series, but you may notice that Gary often wants to be fed in most episodes, Spongebob tries to remind himself to feed Gary frequently and he even ran away in the one episode that he was not fed. (Albeit to Patrick.)
Squidward- WRATH/ANGER. Squidward fits this one to a T. He is always angry, shouting and he dislikes Spongebob greatly.
Sandy the Squirrel- PRIDE/VANITY. Sandy is always saying she is proud of where she comes from and that she can do many things that others cannot since she is the only land mammal under water. (because **** logic)
Plankton- Envy. Plankton is always trying to get that Crabby formula and wishes it was his. This causes Plankton to do many a stunt to try and get the recipe.
Mr Crabs- Greed, There's a fair bit you could say about Mr Crabs for greed, but the image below effectively sums it up.
"Crab who can magically make his eyes into dollar symbols? Yeap, that seems fairly accurate." - OddballGreg
There has been a scientific study that has shown that the fast paced cartoon Spongebob may decrease the attention span and concentration levels of pre-schoolers. So is it "killing their brains". (According to Gizmodo.) This may not just be Spongebob and the attention span of preschoolers is a hard thing to determine as it is all over the place to start with, so the credibility of such a study, like many, is questionable.
Now there are many other theories about so many things on the internet, and if there is content of it on the internet, there is a most likely a way to link it to the illuminati. (Whatever that is.) I think that there may or may not be a link between the 7 Sins and Spongebob but either way it is still a rather strange coincidence.
If you have an opinion on Spongebob, the 7 deadly sins or the Secret group, (sssssh, we don't talk about them.), please share it with us in the comments down below or via Facebook/Twitter. If you have any friends who are a fan of cartoons or like reading conspiracy theories for laughs, please share it with them. Of course, you found today's post thought provoking or amusing, do be sure to please like our Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter to get the latest posts as they go up.
Also, Sorry about all the links, I am a little link crazy. (Just not as crazy as crazy dave.)
