Top VG Countdown - #6: Dungeon Defenders

If you are looking for an incredibly fun multiplayer game, look no further. Dungeon Defenders is a tower defense and action RPG released on October 19, 2011, by Trendy Entertainment. It was quite successful when it released, selling over 250,000 copies during the first two weeks. And I can see why. Some of my friends and I got a little bit obsessed with this game and played many, many hours of it because it is so addictive.

The game involves setting up towers and traps to defend against hordes of monsters that try to destroy a crystal you have to protect. Along with the towers, you also control a character that does melee or ranged damage, and can get armor, weapons, and familiars. There are originally four character classes (more were added later): the squire, who uses a sword and can set up barriers (don't ask me why he's not wearing pants. I really don't know); the apprentice, who uses a magic staff and sets up towers; the huntress, who lays down traps and uses a crossbow; and the monk, who puts down auras and uses a melee staff.

You can run through the campaign levels with a maximum of four players, and new maps and challenges have been added (like Capture the Flag!! Who can resist Capture the Flag?) that allow you to play with eight players. A neat feature of this game is that it is updated regularly, with new challenges, heroes, and downloadable content made available, which keeps it interesting. I used to play with the monk all the time, which I really enjoyed (he's really fast, and I like speed), but my new favourite hero is the Series EV, a robot that can lay down damaging beams and make a double of herself to attract and fool enemies.

Though my addicted craze over this game has faded now, it brought me hours of fun with friends and I still maintain it is a great game. Try it out with some buddies and you'll see what I mean.

Geek Pride Day and News

Jamie over at Mithril Wisdom has enlightened me about the importance of today: it is Geek Pride Day!! How did I not know about this? So go out, have a Star Wars marathon, watch Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, read a Terry Pratchett book, play a video game, have a round of Magic, or treat yourself to something geeky. I will not have time for anything major, but hopefully I will squeeze in a video game or something later tonight.

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I also made it as one of the six finalists in Cherie Reich's flash fiction blogfest! Woohoo! Thanks to Cherie for holding a wonderful blogfest and inspiring some terrific stories. I had tons of fun reading the other entries, and am honoured to have made it to the final round. Go and vote for your favourite!

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In other news, Rachel Morgan, a fabulous blogger and writer, has a new novelette out today, Traitor, third in the Creepy Hollow series. You can also get the first novelette of the series on Amazon for free on your Kindle this weekend, so check it out if you enjoy YA fantasy.

Cherie Reich's Flash Fiction Blogfest Entry

I discovered Cherie Reich's blogfest the other day and decided to join in! I have an awful time keeping my stories short (they usually turn into novels), so this was a challenge for me. But it was a great way to get me writing again when I wasn't feeling like it. The rules are to write a story below 300 words and begin with the clause "lightning flashed." So for your inspection and hopefully reading pleasure, I give you "Soul Stealer."

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Lightning flashed, missing me by a mere two inches. I jumped as it lit up the dark, empty street. Who knew sorceresses had such hot tempers?

Her long hair blew in the wind and her green eyes sparked with anger. Literally.

"Give it back, little man," she hissed, advancing on me. Her voice might have been nice if it hadn't been coated with ice and rage.

She was suddenly right in front of me, gripping my throat and cutting off my air supply.

"I... I sold it," I managed to choke out in shock. She let go and I crumpled to the ground, gasping. I dealt with magic-users all the time, but usually not when they were awake. It was easier to steal their memories when they were asleep.

"To whom?"

Despite the fact that I might be fried for this woman's early breakfast in a minute, I was overcome by curiosity.

"Why do you want it back?" Memories were powerful magic, especially the ones from sorceresses and warlocks. I stole them and sold them to magic vendors in the black market. But I only took bad memories. I figured I was doing everyone a favour.

Her stare sent a chill through me and I fought the urge to scramble backwards on the hard cobblestone street. I gave her the name of the vendor. I thought she might strike me down then and there, but her expression softened.

"Memories are part of who we are, even the bad ones," she said. "You stole part of my soul, and I want it back." She turned and walked down the street in the direction of the black market, no doubt to recover the haunting memory I had stolen from her.

And as rain began to fall, I felt regret.

Once Upon a Time Finale

**Spoiler warning if you haven't seen the finale or any of this show yet**

Well, I really enjoyed the first season of Once Upon a Time. It started out good and just got better as it went on. The only thing I was worried about was that they might drag it on forever and Emma would never figure out the truth.

Hurray! I am happy that now she knows. There are so many interesting places for this story to go now, and I hope the writers take full advantage of that in the next season. I have also been waiting for Rumpelstiltzkin to discover that his Belle was not dead after all, and I'm glad they put that in this episode as well. I think there will be a pretty awesome war between Rumpelstiltzkin and Regina in the future.

I am curious about what the purple smoke Rumpelstilzkin released from the well means, however. I thought it sounded like he was releasing magic into the world again, but someone else suggested that he was just putting everything back the way it was before (because it looked like the clock stopped again). Please no--move the story forward, I say!

Watched Once Upon a Time? What did you think of Season 1 and the finale?

Top 10 VG Countdown - #7: MYST

Myst is an oldie but a goodie--a first-person adventure game released in 1993. I played it when I was young and loved it. I played it again more recently and still enjoyed it a lot.

In the game, you play as a stranger who has traveled to the mysterious island of Myst. There, you find a series of books that an explorer named Atrus has left on the now uninhabited island. These books allow you to travel to other worlds, and each world provides you with clues about what has happened to the game's characters.

Myst is a thinking game. This is one of those games, that after staying up for hours struggling through a puzzle, you shout "YES!! I'VE FIGURED IT OUT! I AM AWESOME!" in satisfied glee after finally getting it, thoroughly startling your roommate (or parent, or sibling, or dog, etc.) who had been sleeping in the next room. And no, using a walkthrough is not allowed.

Though the graphics aren't that great now, they were pretty awesome at the time. I still think the island and the different ages you visit are beautiful and convincing in their other-worldliness.

This is another one of those games that both gamers and non-gamers would enjoy. It is unusual in that there is no objective laid out for you at the start; you are free to wander around and figure out what you have to do. There is no time limit. There is no apparent enemy for you to fight and no violence. Myst is about enjoying a fascinating story as it unfolds through your discovery, observing, critically thinking, and puzzle solving.

I am not alone in my appreciation of this game either, as Myst was a hit when it came out, becoming the best-selling PC game until The Sims surpassed it in 2002. It has also gotten four sequels, which I have yet to play, but am looking forward to when I can find the time.

Played Myst? Going to play it now? It is relatively inexpensive on Steam, if you are interested in challenging your mind with this great game.

Top 10 VG Countdown - #8: MARIO KART

The latest version of this much-beloved game brings to the table new tracks, characters, and controller options. For those of you who have never played Mario Kart (and I am sad for your childhood), it is a racing game filled with Mario characters and crazy tracks where you can not only pick up boosts and other useful assists, but can deter your enemies by dropping bananas or throwing brightly coloured shells at them. Sounds childish? Well, this is Nintendo, remember, and Nintendo knows how to do things fun and colourful.

Mario Kart Wii, in my opinion, is the ultimate party game. I love it because non-gamers can have a ton of fun playing it even if they have never gamed before (note: I didn't say they'd be good at it, I said they'd have fun. The game does take some skill and practice to get good at, for you gamers who like a challenge).

The Wii version doesn't mess too much with the Mario Kart formula (which is fine with me), and just adds a few bells and whistles to enhance the play. You can use motion-controlled steering so it seems like you are using an actual wheel as pictured above (I find this incredibly difficult and prefer to use a Nunchuck, however I know lots people who like it). There are a total of 32 tracks, half of which are from previous games. You can use bikes in addition to karts (and they are awesome. The mach bike and the dolphin dasher are my favourites). There are also a few new items, like a lightning bolt that gives you a boost and then shrinks you if you don't bump into an enemy and pass it on, and a POW block that spins everyone out and gets rid of their items.

There are some super fun tracks, including the difficult Maple Treeway and Rainbow Road. And I thought the Rainbow Road track was fun in the Nintendo 64 version... they have improved it in this one by taking away the walls! (heheh yes, that was irony. Most of my friends hate that track because it is so hard.)

The AI is especially challenging in single player mode on 150cc, reacting to both your position in the race that you are playing and your overall number of points towards winning the cup. Get ready for a challenge if you want to unlock everything in this game!

Well, Nintendo, I applaud you for reviving one of my favourite games from the 64 in such a spectacular manner. If you love racing games with incredibly fun multiplayer modes, this one's for you!

Movie Review: THE AVENGERS

Saw it. Loved it. 'Nuff said.

But if you want more, here are some of my highlights:

I was worried that six heroes in the same movie would all demand center stage and create too many story lines. But I needn't have worried. Joss Whedon masterfully wove their individual stories into the main plot and allowed the characters' different personalities to play off each other wonderfully.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Robin (Cobie Smulders) from How I Met Your Mother playing uptight and awesome agent Maria Hill.

I'd never heard of Hawkeye before, but now I think he should get his own movie. A hero who appears to have an interesting back story, shoots explosive arrows and hits his mark without even looking? Yes, please.

Seeing all the heroes with their fantastic weaponry and then Black Widow standing beside them with her tiny pistol at the ready made me laugh. (Her cool, manipulative assassin character made up for her lack of interesting weaponry though.)

Joss Whedon, you have done it again.