Marvel Super Hero Squad Online Halloween Theme

Just like last year, the Marvel Super Hero Squad has uploaded a Halloween theme. It changes two zones - The Daily Bugle and The Baxter Plaza. Enjoy!

The announcement

You can give your hero a Frankenstein head...

...or a pumpkin head...

...or a witch head...

... or a mummy head...

...or an alien head!

Dr. Strange's house is added including a pumpin patch...

...and a graveyard...

... and an interior featuring two staircases, a library, and a chair...

...that turns you into a ghost!

The coolest feature is probably this little cat, however.
The black cat replaces the usual robber in the Daily Bugle zone.
What's cool is that he isn't always found in the same place
like the rest of the chaseable heroes.

There are also plenty of Halloween decorations up all over!

That coffin has a mummy that springs out at you when you walk past.

I'm not sure what a wrecked truck carrying toxic waste has to do with Halloween.
Perhaps it is the cause of the zombies...?
Only problem is that the zombies never showed up in game!

In the Baxter Plaza there is a creepy fog everywhere.
Also, there appears to be some general looting
with overturned trash cans and the like.

Scott As A Dungeons and Dragons Character

I recently took the (very long) survey to determine what type of Dungeons and Dragons character I am. at http://easydamus.com/character.html. I think the results are fairly accurate. It would be very interesting to play this as a character sometime. Check it out!

I Am A: True Neutral Human Cleric (4th Level)

Ability Scores:
Strength-11
Dexterity-14
Constitution-12
Intelligence-15
Wisdom-15
Charisma-13

Alignment:
True Neutral A true neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. He doesn't feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most true neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as better than evil after all, he would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, he's not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way. Some true neutral characters, on the other hand, commit themselves philosophically to neutrality. They see good, evil, law, and chaos as prejudices and dangerous extremes. They advocate the middle way of neutrality as the best, most balanced road in the long run. True neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you act naturally, without prejudice or compulsion. However, true neutral can be a dangerous alignment when it represents apathy, indifference, and a lack of conviction.

Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Class:
Clerics act as intermediaries between the earthly and the divine (or infernal) worlds. A good cleric helps those in need, while an evil cleric seeks to spread his patron's vision of evil across the world. All clerics can heal wounds and bring people back from the brink of death, and powerful clerics can even raise the dead. Likewise, all clerics have authority over undead creatures, and they can turn away or even destroy these creatures. Clerics are trained in the use of simple weapons, and can use all forms of armor and shields without penalty, since armor does not interfere with the casting of divine spells. In addition to his normal complement of spells, every cleric chooses to focus on two of his deity's domains. These domains grants the cleric special powers, and give him access to spells that he might otherwise never learn. A cleric's Wisdom score should be high, since this determines the maximum spell level that he can cast.

 

Marvel Super Hero Squad MMO

When I was volunteering at a local library, I saw some boys playing a Marvel Super Hero Squad MMO. I was intrigued so I asked them about it. It turns out, it's free! I quickly signed up for my own account... um, I mean I signed my four year old up for HIS own account... I must say I'm impressed with this game!

First, the gameplay is just fun. Different characters are given different abilities and attacks. For example, Ms. Marvel can fly, Cyclops can attack from a range, and Daredevil can double jump. The character's catch phrases wear a little thin but they're unique to their own personalities and character histories such as the Thing mentioning growing up on Yancy Street.

Another reason this game is great is the character selection. Some of the characters are pretty obscure, such as the Falcon or the Valkyrie. Some, like Spider-Girl, are actually not even from the main Marvel comics continuity. Some characters are given different versions such as the Hulk, Red Hulk, and Gladiator Hulk. They even pull some things out of the Marvel continuity vault like Spider-Man's clone, the Scarlet Spider. 

The game also has surprising depth. The game features lots of side missions and mini-games. You could see how different players would be attracted to the game for one feature or another.

Although there's a pay feature it isn't necessary to access any game feature which is nice.

So I'm impressed with this game - it's my new addiction! Way to go Marvel!

The Great Gatsby: The Video Game!

You know, sometimes even reading the CliffsNotes is too much effort. Rejoice, high schoolers everwhere! I present to you: The Great Gatsby: The Video Game! How do you turn a literary classic into an 8-bit video game? Who knows. WHY would be a better question. Check it out at http://greatgatsbygame.com/. Below is a screenshot:

What's crazy is that this isn't the first Great Gatsby video game! THIS is:

You could play these games and try to pass the test in class but I strongly suggest you actually read the book. It really is a classic for a reason, you know.

Online Resource: Game Table Online

If you're a fan of board games or card games, you should check out www.cardtableonline.com. There are many online versions of your favorite games that you can play (in a limited fashion) for free. A few that I like to play include Guillotine, Tsuro, Nuclear War, Robo Rally, and Kill Doctor Lucky but there are many more.

Now, I say you can play them free in a limited fashion. Many of the games only allow you to play for free against AI opponents, not live human opponents. I'm okay with that myself. You can pay to play against human opponents if you feel you want to do that.

Gamers Trump Scientists - Solve 15 Year Old AIDS Problem in 10 Days

Yeah, you read that title right. Take that, Ph. D. scientists! Gamers rule! on the website Fold.it gamers were tasked with playing a game that is actually decoding complex enzymes. In this case, it was a critical enzyme in AIDS. So apparently scientists, frustrated and desperate for help from any quarter, threw this 15 year old riddle at the gamers. The gamers laughed and said, "No problem." Ten days later the mystery is solved. No biggie for a bunch of min/maxing gamers. Check out the news article here.

So I'm thinking we should go ahead and throw a whole bunch of other problems at gamers as well. Maybe, say, the economy. I'm betting gamers could run the economy pretty well. Or how about peace in the Middle East? I'd say gamers could have both of these problems solved in under a month if you turned them into a real-time game online. Maybe unsolved crimes could be next! And theological conundrums!

No problem or mystery is to great for gamers to solve! I am gamer! Hear me ROAR!

How Old Are You In Angry Bird Years?

Great... an alarm clock that looks AND sounds angry.

A recent Time story revealed that if you add up all of the time spent playing Angry Birds since it was released in 2009 you'd come up with 200,000 years. That's right - YEARS. I think I've added a year or two to that total myself... Hey, what can I say? I wanted to get three stars in every level. (mission accomplished, FYI).

So how old are you in Angry Bird Years?

"Googled" Not in Google Chrome Spellchecker?

I love Google Chrome. Best browser ever. One of the best features? Automatic spellcheck as your type! But it bothers me sometimes what words AREN'T included in the spellcheck (like the word "spellcheck" for example). The most shocking, however, may be "googled." Everyone knows "google" has been turned into a verb. "I'll Google it." You know your brand is ubiquitous when it gets added to the English language such as "eBay," "Q-Tip," "Band Aid," and "Kleenex."  So why wouldn't Google add the verb inspired by their own name to the spellchecker?

Oh, and while you're at it Google could you add "roleplaying" and "vampirism." Thanks.

Goodbye, Zombie Lane

Zombie Lane, the online video game, has got some issues. I played the Google + edition. I reported recently that I was rabidly playing this game. In a week or so I was level 19... and then I randomly lost my ability to see my "neighbors." This may not seem like a big deal but it's HUGE because this game is designed to be a social experience. Without neighbors I am unable to...

• Hire neighbors
• Neighbors stopped showing up at my house to "help out."
• Visit neighbors (which denies me the following)-
• +1 extra energy per visit
• 1 Duct Tape per visit (pretty much the only way to get duct tape which is needed for missions and to craft special weapons)
• A small amount of coins per visit
• The ability to to stuff at neighbors houses (you get five energy at each neighbor)
• Complete missions. As of right now the only three missions I have deal with neighbors... I *could* complete them because I still have access to the AI neighbor but it would take me twenty times as long as opposed to one day if I had access to my neighbors.
• Complete accomplishments. Since the game gives special rewards for repeatedly visiting neighbors and hiring neighbors, I can't reasonably achieve those accomplishments.

So, basically, this crashes the entire game. I gave it a few days to see if it would come back.... even added some new neighbors to see if I could start again from scratch... but, no. It seems my neighbors are gone and gone for good. I checked the Google+ Zombie Lane forum and it appears I'm not alone - scores of people have reported the same problem as me. Google+, please pull this game until this issue is resolved! I didn't spend any real-world cash on the game but I can't imagine how angry people are who did. It really stinks to pour yourself into a game only to have a buggy glitch pull the carpet out from under you. Goodbye, Zombie Lane. I guess the zombies won after all.

Zombie Lane Online Game Review

I'm known to become feverishly addicted to one online game. I'll play it day and night for months, burn out, and move on to another one. In the past it has been Wizard 101, Maple Story, and Elements: The Card Game. Now it is Zombie Lane (Google+ edition).

The initial attraction to Zombie Lane is, of course, killing zombies. But killing zombies is actually a very small portion of what  you do in the game. In fact, you can't die! You are really focused building a world for yourself - a safe haven after the zombie apocalypse. To do this, you clear trash, clear debris, build buildings, mend and build fences, craft weapons out of common household goods like Macgyver, and many other things. 

You're given missions to go on. One major ongoing storyline is the return of your spouse who is out walking the dog. How he or she survives when you've had to kill 1,000 zombies by that point is beyond me!

One frustration with the game is how they determine what you can do. Everything is an "action." But you're only given so many actions in a given period of time - say, 15. Once you've used up those 15 actions, they regenerate at a rate of one per five minutes. That makes progress in the game slow at best sometimes. You can buy items that will restore your energy with real money but that would get expensive very quickly!

The key to the game is playing socially. You won't do very well as a man on your own. You've got to "friend" people on Google+ and then ask them to be your neighbor on Zombie Lane. This way you can visit them and get additional actions at their house each day, hire them to help you at your house, and gift one another. Gift all day long every day! To my knowledge there are no restrictions on gifting so this becomes an important element in the game.

All in all, Zombie Lane is a fun and addicting game.

1LR Review - 15 out of 20 - It's a Hit!