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576

I'M BACK / Join the Khushrenada World Revolutionaries or die! [spoiler]of natural causes

« on: February 14, 2008, 09:45:47 AM »

Well, now that I've been shown the stat sheet, there's only one thing to do. Climb that leaderboard like there's no tomorrow. Let's face it. Someone is going to try it so it might as well be me. Someone we all trust and love.  Yet, even with that on my side, some people still be hestitant to help out. Maybe they see this as an opportunity for forum glory as well. So, I can understand if you need a bit more convincing. The reason you should help me out is because of upstarts. You know, some new forum member shows up and sees the stats and feels the only way he can consider himself adequate is to start grabbing all the stats he can.

Well, I swear that I will do so a such a thorough job of putting a stranglehold on the stats that anyone who logs on and thinks of challenging them will be immediately disheartened by the incredible lengths they would have to go just to catch up to a fraction of one of my stats. (That shows how far ahead I'm thinking in this plan. I know my stats will be that huge.) And as a fellow NWR resident, I know how much we enjoy sticking it to the new users. So, this plan of mine perfectly meshes with all our other goals.

So, at this point, I can tell that you want to sign up for this right now. But wait, there's more. If you join in my quest64, I'll let you put "I'm a Khushrenada World Revolutionary Foot Soldier*" in your signiture.^ (Copyright pending). Yes, now everyone on the forums can see just how much you are doing to make them a better place for everyone. Since they will be in such high demand, I'm sure many people will want to compliment you on them and thus make you the center of attention you've always craved to be but been too slow to figure out how. Friends helping friends. It's what the KWR is all about.

Of course, now that I've discussed the glamour, it's time to talk about the dirty work. What can you do to aid in this worthy cause? Well, I think the first couple stats I want to go after are topics created and post count. Now this is good since they tie into one another. The more topics I create, the more posts I make also. And with the forums wiped clean, there's a whole new world of topics to be created and, wait for it, RE-CREATED. That's right. I'm going to start recreating all the topics that we once had to continue the discusiions from where they left off. Unfortunately, I didn't start many topics in the first place. That's where you the foot soldier comes in. If you created a topic or remember a topic created from the past, send it to me in a PM and I will start that thread again. Not so hard is it. This is going to be great. I just feel it.

So, just sign up below (Not all at once now, heh heh) and start letting me now what needs to be brought back. Even if you think of a new topic, tell me about and I will start the thread for you. And don't worry about your post count either. Just because I start the thread doesn't mean I'm going to steal your thought. You can still post anything else you want to add to the topic in my, I mean, our thread.

Footnotes:
*somewhere in the back of the battalion maybe scrubbing some pots or mending the clothes of some real soldiers. You know, the stuff the give the guys unfit for duty until they want to attack the enemy and then put them in the frontlines so they can take the bullets for the more trained soldiers.

^With a payment of $7.50 to Khushrenada.

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I'M BACK / Yes! RABicle is back and Hot Topic is dead.

« on: February 10, 2008, 06:54:39 AM »

I knew there was something odd about the forums when I was visiting the past week. At first I thought it was just the name change to the funhouse. But after I got used to the name, I realized that wasn't it. There was still something else not quite right. As I stared at the funhouse background, I tried to figure out what was missing, why the forum index didn't seem quite right. And then it hit me. I was seeing Rabicle's name as a poster again. Welcome back. Though I'm not sure if it's Ty or really RAB at the moment. But time will tell.

Oh yeah, and the Hot Topic feature is gone. I guess that would have made things different also.

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I'M BACK / Dear staff (This IS a political discussion)

« on: February 06, 2008, 04:38:43 PM »

Why do you hate Picross? I demand that you change your policy on this situation and post a friend code thread for Picross. One of the greatest examples of online play available for the DS. I also think that instead of remaining quiet on the situation of Picross, you should be more open and comment on the game a lot more to give it more word of mouth. More people need to be playing this game to share their friend codes also.

In short, I believe change is neccesary. We need to change the friend code forum to include a topic for Picross friend codes. After all, there is nothing wrong with NWR that can't be fixed by NWR. (Well, maybe that isn't entirely true but it's rather inspiring.) As you may recall, I said during 9/11 that in order for NWR to move forward, it would need a forum to post friend codes for when a truly great online game came about. That time is now.

Read my lips, I really regret this choice of joke. I thought I might capitalize on the current political situation in the funhouse and took my post in this direction. But I realize now that it isn't funny and actually sucks. So, if you want to tell me off because of it, bring it on. Sadly, I just can't seem to stop. And now I fear that I will have lost my message of a request for a Picross friend code thread. Of course, I have nothing to fear but fear itself. I just can't stop the qoutes

Mr. Khushrenada, tear down this thread.

579

I'M BACK / Predict the Captain Falcon Update Thread.

« on: November 28, 2007, 05:18:02 PM »

Never.

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I'M BACK / Let's hear it for Mark Hamill's greatest role!

« on: November 26, 2007, 06:04:32 PM »

The Joker!

I've been watching the Batman animated series right now and, besides turning my brain to mush, I must say that Mark Hamill will always be the Joker to me. Jack Nicholson should get some acting advice from Mark because Mark's portrayal is leagues above. I just find it so hard to believe that Mark is really the Joker. He will never do the voice in public. Conspiracy, maybe? Regardless, I must say I love it every time the Joker makes an appearance. You can't help but laugh and get caught up the mayhem the Joker is about to create. You somehow root for the man despite knowing he's a homicidal maniac and you laugh along with his exploits.

So kudos to you Mark. They should have cast you as the Joker in The Dark Knight movie. I think Mark even has the face for it.

581

I'M BACK / Mmmmmm. I love turtles.

« on: November 21, 2007, 04:23:10 PM »

Unless they are raw or still alive. I don't like it when my food is still moving.

582

Reader Reviews / Yoshi's Island DS reflections.

« on: October 24, 2007, 06:03:57 PM »

Although I wrote this up following the format of an NWR review for the most part, looking back this really is more of a reflection on the game then a review hence the thread title. Enjoy!



Yoshi’s Island DS Review
By: Khushrenada

A game that reminds you why Yoshi was and is so popular.



When this game was announced, there was a lot of reminiscing about the classic SNES game Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island and the unevenness of late Yoshi games. The fact that this game was being named as THE official sequel to Yoshi’s Island put a lot of expectations on it. I know that when it was first announced as Yoshi’s Island 2, it became one of the biggest DS titles of the year to me behind only New Super Mario Bros. Now that the game has come out, we can finally see if the game lives up to its title.

I want to spend a couple moments to talk about the nostalgia factor. Let’s face it, this game is going to live under the shadow of the SNES original and be compared to it. I know that as I played this game, I kept flashing back to the SNES game and making comparisons. So after finishing this game, I popped in my copy of the SNES game and went through a few quick levels just to see if my memory was accurate or hazy. One of the first things I noted about the SNES was its ability to surprise. Playing through some levels, it seems that there was always a new effect or idea that the designers just seemed to have thrown in because it was neat. There were the fuzzy’s that warped the screen, 3D turning blocks, spitting watermelon seeds, squishy blocks that you could flatten or rise and the different gigantic bosses. When you think of all the different ideas that were packed into this game and levels, it is really quite amazing.  My personal favourite things were running from the giant chain chomp that was chewing up the level behind you and the flaming Shyguy. I liked all the crazy versions of Shyguys in the game but there was just something about a guy who has set himself on fire running around that was just so hilarious.

That is why in some respects, the DS game is lesser than the original. It takes a few of these surprises and puts them in this game. However, it doesn’t do anything new with them. Yes, it is still fun to run from the giant Chain Chomp or rolling Tap-Tap but I’ve experienced that already. Take for example, the Yoshi morphs. Here is where the game could have taken an idea and done more with it. In the original, you could turn Yoshi into a car, train, helicopter, mole digger, or submarine. For this game, only the helicopter, mole and submarine morphs were brought back. And nothing was done with them. I think the most you use a morph is twice in this game or 3 times tops. And often their inclusion added nothing. Use the helicopter morph to fly straight up and around some rotating flames to get a flower. Morph into a sub and follow a quick path of coins from one side to the other. Surely, there could have been some better uses for these morphs. So, in this respect, the game does fail to surpass or match the original.

That doesn’t mean the game doesn’t have any new surprises. One of the most original ideas it has is the inclusion of different babies with different abilities. There is also a bouncy kangaroo with a big pouch and some round pink bouncy things which seemed to be called “Boings”. There are a few other original ideas also.
However, this brings me to my second negative: the potential of this game. Now, it might not seem fair to judge a game on what it doesn’t do or could have done but hear me out first. One of the things the designers seemed to have realized about this game and took advantage of was its linearity. Unlike a Mario game which can have various paths and warps, the levels all progress in order from 1-1 to 1-2 to 1-3, etc. Because of that, the designers realized that more of a story could be told. Often after you beat a castle, a brief cut scene will appear that will advance the story a bit or introduce a new character. I thought this was a really clever idea that took advantage of the linear situation. Unfortunately, the story still ends up being underdeveloped. Compared to New Super Mario Bros., Yoshi’s Island DS definitely has more narrative. But compared to say the story mode in F-Zero GX, I think F-Zero’s story is better and more developed. There’s nothing worse than having lingering questions about a story and not being able to know the answer. As you may be able to surmise, the story still leaves me wondering about some parts of it.

This is what I mean about the potential this game has. Even the baby swapping has some flaws. Two of the babies, Wario and Bowser, can only be used in 4 levels and the final castle. That right there limits some of the potential for puzzle elements. And I mentioned already how the developers could have done more with things like the Yoshi morphs instead of the brief cameos they gave them. It’s disappointing to realize how different elements could be utilized and never see that potential realized.

Now, I’ll admit, I’ve been highlighting the negatives pretty much in this review. This doesn’t mean the game is sub par. It’s actually the opposite. This game is a worthy sequel. And it gets me wishful for the future. I know Nintendo likes to have separate games for their consoles and handhelds. That’s why you mainly see actual Pokemon games or Wario platformers on the handhelds. I think with a little more work, Yoshi platformers could also be a part of the handheld experience. With this game, Artoon has shown they can make a great Yoshi platformer and they did this even though they stayed quite similar to the original game. So, now that they have the basics down, I hope Artoon takes these lessons and the potential shown in this game and applies them in a sequel.

SCORES:

Graphics - 9

I’d say most of the graphics match the storybook look of the SNES original. The lines may be sharper and less cartoony or scribbly but I think I prefer that sharper image. Only the Yoshis and babies seem to have changed a bit but it doesn’t take long to get used to their look. There a few interesting backgrounds also.

Sound – 7.5

Playing a level in a castle or a boss, my brain would expect the music of the SNES game to start playing instead of the new music used. But after awhile, I came to accept the new tunes and there are a couple that I began to enjoy and hum along with. It still would have been nice to keep the invincibility music from the SNES game that played when Baby Mario changed to Super Mario.

The sound effects aren’t too bad either. The biggest complaint is still the annoyance of when a baby falls off Yoshi and starts crying. But after playing the original, I think the DS babies are less annoying. And DK’s cries are actual tolerable. The sound effects won’t wow you but they are familiar and stay similar to the original.

Controls - 9

The game allows you to choose from different controls schemes. I went with the control scheme similar to the SNES controller. Although I prefer the patient release of eggs, you may find that you need to switch to the hasty control scheme in later levels when the action gets quite frenetic. Controls were responsive and worked well. My biggest annoyance was trying to make Yoshi flutter repeatedly.

Gameplay - 8

Levels can be quite expansive thanks to the 2 screens and there is much exploring to do. The game presents a good challenge for all platform fans and is definitely more difficult than other Mario platformers released on the DS so far. At the same time, the longevity and difficult of levels can get tiresome and you may find yourself needing a break from the game now and again. As well, constantly looking up down between the two screens to make sure you don’t miss anything can be wearisome. Still, if you’ve played SMW2, you’ll find gameplay is nearly identical.

Lastability - 9

If you want to just blast through the levels without worrying about getting 100% on each level, it will still take you a couple days of play and I’d say it would take longer than blasting through New Super Mario Bros. But, if you’re like me and try to collect everything on your first play through and explore every nook and cranny, then it could take you a week or more just to get through the game once and getting 100% on each level and the secret levels will take just as long. I’m still trying to get 100% on some of those extra levels. You can also challenge your scores in some minigames and there is a Time Trial option to see how quickly you can get through a level.

Overall: 9

Although Super Mario World 2 is respected as a classic platformer, Super Mario World still seems to garner more admiration. I suspect this trend will continue on the DS. Even though Yoshi’s Island DS does live up as a good sequel to SMW2, New Super Mario Bros. will most likely get more attention. But don’t let that cause you to overlook this title as well. It is still a worthy platformer to add to any collection especially if someone is looking for more of a challenge. It shows that the Yoshi platformer is a game that deserves to be explored further.
 

583

I'M BACK / Mafia XIX: Hang 'Em High. Day 7.

« on: October 15, 2007, 06:50:50 PM »

The story for today is the fact that I spent all my time to write the story, writing an essay on private messaging im my mafia games instead. You can see it in the dead thread. I have a backlog of stories to write. Not good. Maybe I should let someone else write a chapter or two. I'm looking forward to duel hosting the next game. Make things so much easier in that regard. I'm too long winded.  

[TVMan? Or should I say, Col. Sancho Volente?]

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I'M BACK / Mafia XIX: Hang 'Em High. Day 6.

« on: October 14, 2007, 07:29:40 PM »

As operator of the local General Store, TVMan had genreally been busy working at his store while the rest of the town boozed up what might be their final days. This had paid off in the fact that he wasn't always noticed by the town folks and their drunken accusations. It kept his mind sharp and allowed him access to many fine luxeries. Using these, TVMan had been able to gain much influence in the town. Thus, it was a bit of a surprise when a large group of townies came to his shop and called him a filthy low down swindler. Appearantly, one of the products TVMan sold at his store had caused a great deal of anger to the citizens.

"This checkers game just follows the same formula as the last few checkers games you've sold. All you've done is made the playing peices higher quality and changed the colors. It still follows the same gameplay as the other checkers games and its getting boring."

"Yeah, why can't checkers games have an epic story where it explains what happens when you reach enemy territory and turn into a king?"

"What if the checkers board was even bigger instead of the small one that it is now. What if the checkers board expanded into other boards like the chess board?

"I'd like a checkers game where the player fails."

Somehow, despite being dead, people still filled in what Stinky Pete would have said about the situation. I guess he talked that much. Still, it creates some awful plotholes and by the time we get out of them, TVMan had already reached for one of the many guns he sold and held it at the crowd.

"Now don't any of you city folks get any fancy ideas. I have no plans to go to trial. I've seen what this Judge Khushrenada is. He's a hangin' judge and ain't no judgin' lenient judge. So, if you'll excuse me, I'll just leave town if you think I am so guilty and we'll see if your troubles still persist. Which they will because your after another innocent man," TVMan shouted to the crowd.

With that he began to back out of the store. He reached the back door, swung it open and ran out. Outside the store, TVMan did a quick sweep up and down the street to see if anyone was around but it was empty. He started to run when a shot rang out and his gun flew from his hand. Having felt some great force on his hand, he looked down to see it had been shot. Walking out from behind a barrel was Sheriff Rock Williams, his pistol drawn and aimed at TVMan.

"Going somewhere TVMan? Or should I say, Col. Sancho Volente? Didn't realize I had finally caught up to you. You've been careless, Col. Perhaps you felt you had the town in your grasp. I know it seemed like that might be the case. But you forgot who you were dealing with Col. I never stop pursuing any criminal in my sights. Now, turn around and march to the courthouse," the Sheriff ordered.

By this time, the crowd in the General Store had come out back to see what was going on. Across the street, Judge Khushrenada and Saloon Girl Sally came out of the bar to watch.

Volente tried to figure out how he could get out of this one. He eyed his gun lying on the ground. He dove to reach it but the sheriff was too quick for him and shot the gun further out of reach.

"You're not getting it back. Now get up," ordered the sheriff.

There's no way I'm going to hang, Volente thought, I will not suffer such an indignity. Volente slowly got to his feet and realized what he had to do. He raised his hands in the air and by doing this, was able to pull out a knife hidden up his sleeve. Volente tossed the knife at the sheriff and then hightailed it and ran down the street and turned around the corner of a building, yelling, "The great Volente can be caught by no man. I will dance a thousand dances before you ever catch up to me."

Sheriff Rock Williams quickly dodged the knife but by the time he had gotten out of the way and then raised his pistol for a shot, Volente had fled around the building. Rock quickly got to his feet and ran after Volente. Turning around the corner of the building Volente had around, Rock came upon the Doctor John Baxter standing over an unconscious Volente and a plank of wood in his hands.

"What happened?" asked the Sheriff.

"When I saw Volente was going to try to make a break for it, I quickly grabbed this plank and ran this way to cut him off. As soon as he turned the corner, POW! Right in the kisser," the doctor explained.

"John, you are the best friend a sheriff could ask for. C'mon, let's take him to the judge," Rock replied.

"Well, I'll be jiggered. They actually caught an outlaw. And Volente no less. I guess that sheriff is good for something," Judge Khushrenada said.

"Unlike you," Saloon Girl Sally replied, tired of the Judge's attitude.

"You wouldn't say that after one night with me," responded the Judge.

"Ha. If you're anything like you are in the saloon, no thanks. I don't need an evening of you just staring at me all night," retorted Sally. Then she added, "Or maybe its my dress that's caught your eye. In that case, I'm sorry to tell you that it's not your size."

With that, Sally went back into the Saloon. Just watch out, the judge thought to himself. I'm still the law in these parts. In a foul mood, Judge Khushrenada ordered the hanging of Volente immediately. Hopefully, a hanging could return him to good cheer.

"Any last words, Volente?" the judge asked.

"Yes. Even though I, the great Col. Sancho Volente have stolen many things from these peoples, I want to let you know that your humble town has stolen my heart."

"Aww. Let's him go," someone from the crowd cried out.

"It's too late. He's already dead," said the Judge already walking away from the crowd. Indeed, hanging in the wind was the once and mighty Volente. Peace was returning to Stumbleton Creek Valley.

------

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I'M BACK / Mafia XIX: Hang 'Em High. Day 5

« on: October 12, 2007, 06:42:46 PM »

Sir_Stabbalot. Judge Khushrenada remembered him well. When the judge came into town, Sir_Stabbalot had beat him over the head with his pan for gold. In fact, the judge was pretty sure he still had a lingering headache from the old prospector. Thus, when Sir_Stabbalot was forced to stand trial, his verdict was pretty much assured.

"I find you guilty of claim jumping, not being funny and bad odor. Take 'em to the gallows!" ordered the judge.

But some of the citizens hestitated and no one stepped forward to take Sir_Stabbalot to




More story to come. I will let you know the results for now.

Yeah. Rather than write five deaths today, I think I will call it a night and finish this when I have the chance later on the weekend. I'll still check in tomorrow just not as frequently as I have been the past few days.  

586

Nintendo Gaming / Kirby Super Star 2

« on: October 11, 2007, 07:47:09 PM »

I can't believe no one has picked up on this yet. Kirby Super Star is one of the greatest games on the SNES and the best Kirby game ever. Heck, it's such a great game that many of its ideas are appearing in Smash Bros. Brawl. It may still be HAL labs and Sakurai's best and most original work. The fact that they are now making a sequel is the best news I've heard from this Nintendo conference. It could be just the thing to launch Kirby back into top tier status for games.

I'm just worried that this is not a sequel but a remake. In the screens shown, it looks like they;ve just updated the game a bit. There's the gourmet race, the first Kirby game where King Dedede steals all the food (if I'm getting the picture with King Dedede holding the meat correct) and the Great Cave Offensive. In fact, if you look at the great cave offensive pic, on the bottom map, you'll see bosses from the original Kirby Super Star shown by the big dots. Like Fatty Whale, Bongo Bongo and the Chameleon. So, this makes me worried that it will only be a remake. I hope that isn't the case and Kirby's 3rd DS game takes him back to his platforming greatness.  

[18 Days]

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I'M BACK / Mafia XIX: Hang 'Em High. Day 4

« on: October 11, 2007, 07:20:20 PM »

Judge Khushrenada mafe a decision. He wasn't going to wait for people to come to him. He was going to go to them. He was tired of missing most of the action that happened. He was going to go out and see it unfold instead. Witnessing a great commotion at the saloon, he hurried over there. Inside the saloon, a great arguement had erupted over an incident that occured in the daily newspaper.

Appearently, the endless arguing over whether causing the neck to snap by hanging was the most humane way to die had caused someone to snap and post filthy images in the newspaper that morning while it was being printed. Most townsolK figured it was Volente who posted those pictures since he would be most opposed to this hanging idea. However, nothing could be proven. Instead, baseless accusations based on past history could only be thrown around. This had caused folks to pick on two people. Shift Key and 18 Days. Things got so tense over this weird distraction that the town was equally divided as to who was guilty.

Judge Khushrenada checked out the saloon window to the gallows. Yep, there were two ropes. Looks like a double hanging today today, he thought to himself. But then he noticed Saloon Girl Sally mingling with the Vote Shift Key crowd. Now what is that little vixen up to, the judge wondered. She definitely had the eyes of many of the people in that crowd. But there was one person in particular that seemed to be head over heels in love with Sally. As Sally went to get another round of drinks, the love-sick puppy followed her over to the bar. There they talked and flirted for a bit more. The judge was pretty sure the man asked Sally for a date tonight. Then, the conversation took a hushed tone. There seemed to be a bit of arguing. From what words the Judge strained to hear over the noise, it seemed that Sally wouldn't go out with the man unless he changed his vote, which the man didn't want to do. After a bit, Sally walked off in a huff and served the other froup some drinks. The man watched her, torn between his buddies and Sally. Finally, the man decided to follow Sally and but ho's before bro's. With a loud hollar, he announced that he was now voting to hang 18 Days.

Well, that sudden shift of momentum soon eroded the rest of the Shift Key faction's resolve and 18 Days became the most hated man in the room. Noticing the judge was there in the saloon, they brought 18 Days before.

"Open you courthouse Judge. We're pretty sure we found our man."

"I've been watching you argue for quite awhile," answered the judge, "And I say, why bother to hold a trial? Where there's smoke, there's fire. Let's hang the scoundrel!"

The mob roared in approval. Khushrenada smiled to himself. He was always good at inciting a mob.

Standing at the gallows, Khushrenada asked 18 Days if there was anything he had to say in his defense before he was hung.

"Yeah. I'm a townie, you stupid *bleeping* idiots. And another thing, I didn't put those pictures in the paper. RABicle did. Finally, I just want you to all know that you are...." 18 Days yelled defiantly.

He was cut short as the trap door beneath him was released and he was hung.

"Well, you win some, you lose some," said Khushrenada. Then, on thinking about the recent events, he added," Actually. You haven't really won anything you have you. I guess you just lose some. No. Wait. You lose them all. Well, see ya later."

And with that, he went home smiling to himself. Another perfect day in Stumbleton Creek Valley. I should make myself a pro-Volente badge, he thought to himself. It looks like I am going to need it.

------

That night, Pale was following a lead on the filthy images scandal. Pale was the top reporter for Stumbleton Creek Valley's newspaper. Well, he was the only reporter. Anyways, Pale had finished talking to the sheriff about the revent events in town. Both agreed that the Judge didn't really seem interested in helping the townies but in hanging everyone he could. They both agreed that it no doubt stemmed from the incident that occured last week. They both agreed that for their sake, they should keep clear from him. Other than that, the sheriff had no new leads for Pale. But, that didn't matter because Pale had received another lead which he didn't mention to the sheriff.

Slipping through the shadows, Pale went over to the town stable where he had arranged to meet with a close friend of his who always seemed to know what was going on in town. Slipping in to the stable, Pale saw his friend and went over to meet him.

"Hey. What have you got for me?" Pale asked, coming up to him.

"This," he replied. And with that, someone stepped out behind Pale and knocked Pale's cowboy hat off his head.

"Hey, what the heck, man?" Pale asked, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm sorry buckaroo but you've been a bit too nosy. I'm going to have to take care of that," answered the man. Then 3 other men stepped out of the shadows.

"You're Col. Sancho Volente," Pale said, putting the pieces together.

"Ha ha ha. You are indeed correct, small man. All this time, I, your trusted friend and compatriot was really the great Col. Sancho Volente. Ha-cha!" Volente exclaimed. Then he proceeded to dance a quick jug while his men applauded.

"But enough with the dance and its beauty and mystery. I can not let you live now, you swine! Not when you know the greatest secret of this town. Boys, you know what to do," Volente yelled.

With that, one of the men produced a bucket hat and started walking towards Pale.

"No! Not that! Please. I'll do anything. I promise I won't tell anyone your secret," Pale pleaded.

"There is only one thing that you can do for me. The great Volente. With all you investigative knowlegde, tell me. Who is Black Heart Jack?" asked Volente.

"I don't know. I wish I did. If I did, I'd tell you. I swear," Pale sobbed.

"I believe you. But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you live. Finish it boys," ordered Volente.

"This death sucks," yelled Pale, "But you know what really sucks? Being a townie for the 5 games in a row. I can't believe..." But his complaints were silenced and the bucket hat was placed on his head. Afterwards, Volente realized they were in a stable and decided to put horseshoes on Pale's hands and feet. Then, they rode him around the stable until he died. Volente has a twisted sense of humor.

"Ha ha ha. Well, that was fun, wasn't it amigos? But, you know what is not funny? This Black Heart Jack trying to steal attention away from me. I'm a worse villian than him. I want him found and killed. You understand me? The great Col. Sancho Volente will let no man take his spotlight. Now, let's go," Volente said. And then the bandits went off into the night.

---

At the same time this was happening, Windyman was going to the headquarters of the Stumbleton Creek Valley Newspaper which he owned, operated and printed. He knew that Pale should be back soon with the day's news and they would have to get to work. But as he waited in his office, someone else entered the building.

"Hello Windyman," the man said.

"Yes. Hi. What can I do for you?" Windyman asked.

"Don't you recognize me?" the man asked, "I applied to work for your paper twice now and you've rejected my application both times."

"You know, I get so few applications it's hard to keep track of everyone," Windyman replied, hoping to end the conversation before the man rants about deserving a job.

"You should have hired me!" the man yelled, getting upset, "I have a lot of good ideas for this paper."

"Yeah, I'm sure," Windyman replied, wondering how he could get the man to calm down and out of the office, "Let's hear some of them again"

"Well, for one thing. You should give every good game you review a low score and every bad game a high score. This will generate a lot of controversy and get a lot of people to read your paper. Also, you should make you letters to the editor page like that Nsider Paper and have people working to up the number of letters they send to the paper."

"I do remember you. You suggested we just stop bothering with the paper and shut it down. You have terrible ideas," Windyman said.

"It's a good idea and I'll prove it!" yelled the man. Then he shot Windyman 21 times. "There. Now this paper is shut down. Now everyone will see that I was right."

With that, Black Heart Jack walked out of the Newspaper HQ and slinked off into the night, trying to control the nervous tics that were causing his face to spasm as rage flowed through his body. Revenge is sweet, he thought, as his arm began to twitch uncontrollably.

----

"Did you hear the news?" asked Sheriff Rock Williams.

"That Pale is dead?" replied Doctor John Baxter.

"No. I'm refering to a different townie. Windyman is dead also. Killed last night by Black Heart Jack," explained the Sheriff.

"Cripes," replied the Doctor, "This town is going to hell in a handbasket."

"Well, I'm not going to give up. I'm going to do all that I can to bring these killers to justice. They'll slip up sooner or later," said the sheriff.

"Yeah. I just hope it's sooner," replied the doctor.

And with that, they left the doctor's office and faced the new day.

588

I'M BACK / Mafia XIX: Hang 'em High. Day 3.

« on: October 10, 2007, 06:37:42 PM »

Well, I hate to do this but I am just tired. Wednesday's are a busy day for me. So, I'm afraid I won't be posting a full story until late in the day. But that doesn't mean I'll hold up everyone else. So, here is the voting thread for now.

Judge Khushrenada was enjoy his day. After that incident last week, he was enjoying seeing the townsfolk turning on one another and tearing each other down. Like today.

Sitting in the courtroom, Judge Khushrenada listened to person after person come and give testimony about why the Country Borg Queen or Golden Phoenix (which is her real birth name) was most definitely mafia. It was all circumstantial and quite biased but the judge wanted to hear it all.

"She's slimy"

"She keeps trying to assimilate me."

"She's a not a real cowgirl. She just has a photoshopped cowboy hat and is really a science-fiction character."

It was all really fascinating. Yet despite these stunning revalations, there was nothing to really convict her on. Until someone mentioned the fact that:

Yeah, I know. I still need to finish up this story. Le sigh.

[Dasmos]

589

I'M BACK / Mafia XIX: Hang 'Em High. Day 2.

« on: October 09, 2007, 07:00:31 PM »

Judge Khushrenada was awoken by loud banging on his door. Racing to the door, he opened it up to find a large mob outside waiting for him.

"Whadda ya want?" He asked, groggily.

"We think we've found an outlaw. We want you to hurry up and judge him," said one of the citizens.

"You want to have a trial? Well, c'mon. Hurry. Hurry. Let's go to the courthouse," Khushrenada replied, instantly awake.

With that the mob and judge sprinted to the courthouse, eager to conduct business.

"Court is now in session. Bring the accused forward," the judge ordered.

Dasmos was brought before the judge.

"Dasmos, you are accused of conspiring with Col. Sancho Volonté and murdering innocent people. How do you plead?" asked the judge.

"....." Dasmos was about to speak but he was cut off by his lawyer, Miguel Sanchez, also known as Patchkid15. Taking Dasmos aside, he said,

"Hi, I'm Miguel Sanchez, court-appointed attorney. I'll be defending you on the charge of... Murder One! Wow! Even if I lose, I'll be famous! Now don't you worry, Dasmos, I... uh-oh. We've drawn Judge Khushrenada."

"Is that bad?" asked Dasmos.

"Well, he's had it in for me ever since I kinda ran over his dog," answered Patchkid.

"You did?" Dasmos replied.

"Well, replace the word "kinda" with the word "repeatedly," and the word "dog" with "son," Patchkid explained. Then he turned to face the judge and jury.

"My client has been accused of being a murderer in Volonté's band of outlaws but I'm here to tell you that this is the most blatant case of false advertising since my suit against the movie The Neverending Story. Now, I don't use the word 'hero' lightly, but Dasmos here is the greatest hero in American history. And so, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I rest my case," Patchkid proclaimed.

"Hmm. Mr Sanchez, do you know that you're not wearing any pants?" asked Judge Khushrenada.

"DAAAA!! I move for a bad court thingy," Patchkid answered.

"You mean a mistrial?" asked the Judge.

"Right!! That's why you're the judge and I'm the law-talking guy," replied Patchkid.

"You mean the lawyer?" the Judge asked.

"Right," said Patchkid.

Khushrenada looked over to the jury in disgust. Dasmos began to weep uncontrollably over the display of incompetance he had just witnessed.

As Dasmos had the noose put around his neck, he was asked if there were any last words he wanted to say.

"As a matter of fact, there is. Most of you know me as Dasmos but that's just the nickname I use for posting and sending messages to people around the world. My real name is George "Cactus" Bartlett the famous Telegrapher. Tell my kids that I hope they will follow in my footsteps one day. Well, not to be hanged but to become telegrahers. You know what I mean. And for my wife, tell her......"

"Talk talk talk talk talk," said Judge Khushrenada, pulling out the platform and hanging Dasmos, cutting him off. "Well, it looks like you folks got a bit noose happy and sent an innocent man hanging. But what can you do? The jury was the people responsible for this mess. They found him guilty. Hope they can live with themselves. I'm going home. Call me if you need me"

And with that, Judge Khushrenada went home and the crowd slowly dispersed. Dasmos lifeless body slowly rocked in the air. Watching from a distance, Sheriff Rock Williams wondered if Judge Khushrenada was going to be a problem and if he'd have to deal with him.

That night, Patchkid was digging around through the trash when he heard a noise. He turned around to face whoever was coming up behind him.

"I'll have you know the contents of this dumpster are private! You stick your nose in, you'll be violating attorney-dumpster confidentiality," called out in the darkness.

"Relax. It's just me," said a man, coming out of the shadows, "Don't you recognize me?"

"No, I don't," replied Patchkid.

"Well, I recognized you in the courtroom today. Miguel Sanchez. You haven't changed. You also defended me. I got sentenced to hard labour for 5 years because of you. But, I'm back and I've come to get justice," said the man, walking towards Patchkid.

"Please. Stay back. I'm not really Miguel Sanchez. My real name is Patchkid15. C'mon. Don't you have an elaborate plan to get revenge? Surely we could fight on a houseboat, right? You don't want to kill me. I'm the only lawyer in town. Imagine a world without lawyers," Patchkid pleaded. Then he began to sufficate and shake uncontrollably as he imagined a world without lawyers.

"Hey. C'mon. Get up," the man ordered, "Quit killing yourself. I want to kill you. Snap out if it."

The man frantically tried to save Patchkid but it was too late. Patchkid was dead. Upset and angry at the world, the man left Patchkid there, wrote the number 21 on Patchkid's chest and raced off into the night.

Patchkid's body was found the next day by the Saloon Girl Sally. She immediately brought the Sheriff over. A quick investigation revealed Patchkid15 to be just a normal townie.

"Who could have done this?" asked Sally.

"I don't know," said Sheriff Rock Williams. But he did know. Patchkid15 had been killed by the killer Black Heart Jack," the only person Sheriff Rock Williams had never been able to bring to justice. Not only did he have to deal with Volonté and his men but now a ghost from the past had emerged. Troubled, Sheriff Rock Williams went inside the saloon with Sally to get a drink.

As a new day dawned over Stumbleton Creek Valley, the news that another killer seemed to be on the loose, sent a further wave of panic over the town. Who could be trusted?

590

I'M BACK / Mafia XIX: The Wild West. Day 1

« on: October 08, 2007, 05:16:49 PM »

Stumbleton Creek Valley. A new day was now beginning in this humble backwater town.



The doctor John Baxter had already informed the townsfolk that Sheriff Rick Williams had something to announce regarding Col. Sancho Volonté and his bandits. In anticipation of this news, the townsfolk gathered around in front of the Sheriff's office. At 8 am sharp, Sheriff Rock Willaims rode into town and went straight to his office. There he stood before the townsfolk and addressed them saying:

"Good citizens of Stumbleton Creek Valley. I am sure you all know by now of what I am here to talk to you about. And I'm sure you've also heard the news of Henry and Maria's death last night at the hands of Col. Sancho Volonté and his men. Well, I am here to tell you that before Maria she revealed to me some info about Col. Sancho Volonté and his men. But before I mention what that is, let me first explain something to you all that happened yesterday when myself and a posse rode up to track Volonté and his bandits."

The sheriff then preceeded to inform the townsfolk what had happened when he followed Volonté's tracks. Continuing the story, the sheriff said:

"Now initially, I was confused about what might have happened. And then that evening, I had a visitor come to my house. It was Maria, badly injured and nearly unconscious. She had been beaten by Volonté and his bandits and left for dead. But she survived and came to me for help. She told me that Henry.... was one of Volonté's bandits."

The town gasped at this revelation. Honest Henry, the town banker. It couldn't be true.

"I'm afraid it is so. It appears it was Henry's job to cover the tracks of the outlaws so that we couldn't track them. He had done a good job of it up until now. Often, when a posse rode out, we had no real trail to follow. But for whatever reason, this time a trail was left. It seems Volonté heard that we were able to follow this trail and track his path. Because of this, Volonté and the rest of his men paid a visit to Henry and Maria. It seems Volonté will not tolerate failure. Even from his own men. Henry pleaded for them to let Maria go since she had no involvment with the gang of outlaws and had no idea that Henry was a part of it. But Volonté refused saying she knew too much now. And well, like I said, Maria was left for dead after and Henry was dead. But Volonté made the mistake of not checking on Maria and she rode to meet me and tell me what had happened. I sent out a farmhand to have the Doctor John Baxter meet me at the home of Henry and Maria while I rode over there with Maria to see if there were any other clues. When John got there, he found Henry was dead and did all he could for Maria but she was too far gone by that point. But Maria did enough to help me learn the identities of Col. Volonté and his bandits."

The citizens all went silent at that announcement and concentrated completely on the sheriff's words.

"You see, Volonté and his bandits wore bandanas over their faces when they attacked Henry and Maria. So, Maria was unable to identify them herself. But she heard their voices and recognized them. Due to the traumatic events she suffered, Maria wasn't able to dwell on where she had heard them before. She just knew they were familiar and that she had heard them in town before. That got me thinking. How could she have heard Volonté and his bandits in town before? Why did Volonté kill Henry? How did Volonté and his bandits vanish so close to town? The answer is simple. Like Henry,....... Volonté and his men are all citizens of this town!"

Shock and disbelief rippled through the crowd as the stunning revelation hit them.

"Think about it. How could a band of strangers have survived a month in this land without anybody spotting them or finding any traces of them in all this time? Why would Volonté and his gang circle back to the main road so close to town when they could be easily spotted? The answer is because they have been hiding in plain sight. Volonté and his men are not strangers. They are our neighbors. They weren't afraid of being spotted because they are citizens of this town. People are on guard for strangers not people they see everyday. That's why Henry was killed. He left too big a clue regarding the identity of Volonté and his bandits. The fact that Henry was a member and that his wife recognized the voices from people in town all add up to the same conclusion. Volonté is among us."

"What do we do?" someone from the crowd asked.

"I'll tell you what. We use this knowledge to our advantage. We all start opening up our eyes to the people around us. Start racking your brains for any suspicious or odd behavior you may have noticed. Reflect on anything you may have noticed that seemed strange to you. It may be another clue to the identity of this ruthless gang. And I don't want to start mass hysteria but start examing your fellow citizens. Because sadly, some among them are responsible for all this trouble. I'm going to do what I can investigating things on my own but this problem requires the help and effort of each and every one of you."

"Over there, in the town square is our gallows. When we find Volonté and his gang, and I swear to you we will find them, that is what will await them. A public execution and a swift death. Volonté and his men have declared war on us all. The gallows is a symbol of our resolve and determination to bring these theives to justice and to show that we will not back down from their brutal tactics."

"Well, that's all I have to say. I don't want any mass lynchings or mass hysteria starting up. If you believe you've found someone who's guilty or suspicious, I expect you to bring them forward to Judge Khushrenada and he will render a verdict on the suspect. You can all carry on with your business."

And with that Sheriff Rock Williams entered his office. The townsfolk milled around a bit briefly still a buzz over the revelations they had just heard. But they didn't start congregated for long for fear had begun to spread through the town. Conversations became hushed, eyes darted back and forth scrutinizing every action. Slowly, a majority of the townsfolk headed over to the Saloon to help ease their worry. Sheriff Rock Williams watched them mosey on over. He needed a drink also and he had a bottle in his desk for just such an occasion. He had laid everything on the line. Everyone now knew what he knew so hopefully this would keep Volonté and his men from coming after him to keep him silent. Still, he knew couldn't just end his involvment at that. Nope, he still wore a badge and he was still sworn to protect these citizens. He was fortunate to have lived as long as he had doing what he did. Rock realized that this might be the toughest case he ever tackled and of all the dangers he had encountered, there was a very good chance he would not make it through this case. But if he was going to die, it was going to be because he was doing his job and all he could to bring these outlaws to justice. With that, Sheriff Rock Williams took one last swig from his bottle, put on his cowboy hat, straightened his badge and stepped out into the town to do his job.

Not many people paid him much attention. Instead, most people kept glancing at and thinking about that edifice that stood in the center of town. The gallows.

 

[Players]

591

I'M BACK / Mafia XIX: The Wild West. Player, Role and Announcement thread.

« on: October 08, 2007, 04:38:15 PM »

Here is a list of the players who are alive and who are dead.

Players

Alive:

Bustin98 - (Angel Eyes)
Crimm - (General Custer)
Nuclearspeed - (Bounty Bob)
Shift Key - (Blondie)
ShyGuy - (The Duke)
Spak-Spang - (Marty McFly)
Stevey -
Zach - (Hedley Lamarr)

There are 8 players still alive.

Dead:

Dasmos - Telegrapher George "Cactus" Bartlett
Patchkid15 - Townie
Golden Phoenix - Townie
Thatguy - Townie
KashogiStogi - Mafia Bandit #5
Wandering - Townie
18 Days - Townie
Pale - Townie
Windyman - Townie
Sir_Stabbalot - Townie
Vudu - Townie
Decoyman - Bandit #4
Darkheart - Townie
Athrun Zala - Bounty Hunter Captain Aran
TVMan - Col. Sancho Volonté
Sessha - Bandit #3

This is a list of the roles that are still active. When a role is eliminated, it will be removed from the list.

Roles:

Bandit (Mafia) Roles:

Bandit #1
Bandit #2

Townie Roles

Sheriff Rock Williams
Doctor John Baxter
Saloon Girl Sally

Other Roles

The Killer Black Heart Jack

Finally, there are 2 townies still alive.        

[2 is better than 1.]

592

Reader Reviews / My Application Review: Brain Age 2.

« on: October 07, 2007, 11:38:51 AM »

Brain Age 2 Review
By: Khushrenada

2 is better than 1.                     Review Score: 8.5

For over a year now, North Americans have had the chance to train their brains with Brain Age. Because of the success of Brain Age, Nintendo now brings us Brain Age 2 Although it is just being released in North America, Brain Age 2 has been out in Japan since before North America received the first Brain Age game and has sold over 4 million copies in Japan alone, surpassing the sales of the first Brain Age. Following the sales charts in Japan always made me wonder, is Brain Age 2 that much better than the original? (From here on, the first Brain Age will be referred to as Brain Age 1.) With Brain Age 2 now here, I was finally able to find out.

The first thing I noticed was that most of the problems with the first game are remedied in the sequel. Let’s face it, Brain Age 1 has a problem with understanding the word Blue. For Brain Age 2, the stroop test has become a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors in which you are shown a fist making one of those signs and you must answer what will win or what lose to that sign depending on the instructions given. It doesn’t sound too complicated but I have definitely had moments where my mind suddenly went blank and or I would just forget how to win or lose. Fortunately, there are no real issues this time concerning voice recognition. Although there were a couple occasions where the game misunderstood me, it was more a result of not saying the words loud enough and mumbling them.

Another change that I prefer is Number Memory. In Brain Age 1, there is an activity called Word Memory that required you to memorize as many words as you can in two minutes and then write however many words you could remember in the next two minutes. The handwriting recognition drove me nuts. I could hardly ever get a K to work. Other letters like B and M also seemed to have trouble getting recognized. Worse, if it recognized one letter wrong, you had to erase everything and try writing out the word again. Thus, by the time you finally got the game to recognize the word, you had little time left for other words or you forgot a lot of the other words you memorized. For Brain Age 2, Number Memory has taken the place of Word Memory. Number Memory puts the numbers 1 – 25 in different places on a 5 by 5 grid. Then after two minutes memorizing the numbers and their locations, you are given a blank grid and have two minutes to write the numbers in their correct positions on the grid. Because the game has always seemed to recognize numbers much better than letters, the memory game is much more improved. It may not seem like much to you but it always frustrated me that I couldn’t get the results I should have because of the handwriting software.

That doesn’t mean that there are no games that require you to write letters. There are two that require you to spell words, Word Scramble and Word Sprint. (Calendar Count will also require you to write out a day of the week but you generally just have to write the first or second letter of the day.) In both of these games, however, if the game inputs a different letter than what you are trying to write, you can now simply erase that one letter or backspace it if you will. This makes things easier so that you don’t have to rewrite a word and helps keep your time low. Besides that improvement, the writing software does seem to recognize letters better than Brain Age 1. It often helps to write in lowercase letters rather than uppercase as well.

Other improvements over Brain Age 1 are the removal of games where you had to read a literary text fast or count from 1 – 120 fast. Those games really had no way of knowing if the person was honest and just came off as pointless since there was no way to verify the results nor did it feel like you were actually being tested. A couple activities have been tweaked a bit. In Brain Age 1, there is an activity called Head Count, which had the player track how many people entered a house. In Brain Age 2, it is called Memory Sprint and requires the player to keep track of where a runner finishes in a race while he passes people and is passed himself. Instead of writing down the answer to 20 calculations, Brain Age 2 has Sign Finder which requires the player to provide the missing sign in the calculations.

The best difference between Brain Age 2 and Brain Age 1 would be the variety of activities. Brain Age 2 has 10 daily activities compared to the 9 daily activities in Brain Age 1. It may not seem like there is more being offered but remember, Brain Age 1 had Calculations x 20, Calculations x 100, and Voice Calculations which were all pretty much the same activity or one third of the activities offered. Not to mention, Brain Age 2 comes with 4 multiplayer activities and a Dr. Mario puzzle game called Virus Buster with Dr. Kawashima in place of Dr. Mario. (If Dr. Kawashima appears in Smash Brothers Brawl, I wonder if he will have a clone. Dr. Dr. Kawashima.) All of this makes Brain Age 2, a better game than the original.

The Sudoku puzzles are also back and the same interface from Brain Age 1 is used here for which I am thankful. I absolutely love it and the only change I wish was that there was some background music for the puzzles instead of silence. One of the reasons why I recommend the Brain Age games to friends is because of these Sudoko puzzles. They are that expertly done.

The only areas where Brain Age 2 doesn’t surpass the original would be in graphics and sound. The interface and style is pretty much the same as the original and the music and sound effects seem unchanged also. Of course, there are a few new sounds added for the new activities, most notably Piano Player, but for the most part, you’ve heard it all before. And on the subject of Piano Player, I can’t help but feel that the activity would have been better with the DS held in the normal position. After all, when playing the piano, you normally have your notes above with your keys below you, not side to side. There is also a danger of repetition in some games. I noticed a few time a word getting used again in Word Blend and Word Scramble. Of course, this happened in Brain Age 1 with phrases in the Syllable Count game getting used over and over. It doesn’t ruin the game but, if you have a good memory, it will reduce the challenge of those activities. Finally, although multiplayer is offered, there are only 4 activities that you can play. You’re still better off getting 3 other people to use the same cartridge with you for more fun. Still, these flaws are minor and are not going to affect most players.

To sum up, even with the same interface and style, Brain Age 2 is still a superior game to Brain Age 1. It has a greater variety of activities, better writing and voice recognition, it removes the flaws of Brain Age 1 and comes with new Sudoku puzzles, 4 multiplayer activities and a Dr. Mario game. Of course, the value of this software is still going to depend on whether you can enjoy activities like these. Those who can’t see the fun in unscrambling words or memorizing numbers probably won’t find themselves suddenly having a better time with this game. But if you’re like me and view the Brain Age games as arcade games where the objective is to just get the highest score and shave down on your time, Brain Age 2 is a blast. If you don’t have a Brain Age game but want to try one, Brain Age 2 is your choice. If you have the original, you should get Brain Age 2 also due to the improvements made.

Summary:

Pros:                                                                            
+ Fixes the problems of the original                              
+ Has a greater variety of activities                                
+ Over another 100 sudoku puzzles                              
+ Virus Buster (Dr. Mario) bonus game
+ Makes excellent use of the capabilities of the DS
+ More than worth the retail price

Cons:
- No major differences from the original
- Sound, style and interface seem the same as the original
- Could have used a greater variety for Multiplayer


Page 2

Graphics: 6.0

While everything runs smoothly, the graphics are very simple and textbook or road sign styles aren’t the most exciting looks. You can only do so much with letters and numbers.

Sound: 6.0

The music is very simple and forgettable. Only Piano Player really needs or has music. Sound Effects are mainly all you hear during the activities.  Most of the sound is repeated from Brain Age 1.

Control: 9.5

Voice recognition, touch screen, and handwriting all work well and are much improved over the original. The game is still fast to respond to right answers and slow to respond for wrong answers giving you the extra second needed to correct yourself.

Gameplay: 8.5

Much broader range of activities and improvements over the original Brain Age gives the game more depth. Being designed for quick play every day means the activities can be over pretty fast. Extras like multiplayer and Virus Buster ad more fun to the experience.

Lastability: 9.0

There is much to do. Whether it be trying to achieve your optimum Brain Age, set a new record for an activity, solve Sudoku puzzles, pass time with a Dr. Mario puzzler, play multiplayer with some friends or just keep logging in every day to keep the mind sharp and chart your progress, Brain Age can definitely last awhile. It just depends what you want to get out of it.

Final Score (Not an Average): 8.5

Like Brain Age 1, Brain Age 2 makes great use of the many capabilities for the DS. It uses the microphone, both screens and the touchpad all very well. An excellent example of the type of gaming experience the DS can create. It is more refined than the original but isn’t that fundamentally different from the original. If someone doesn’t like Brain Age, this game won’t change their mind. For everyone else, it is worth checking out.
 

[The Story]

593

I'M BACK / Mafia XIX: Hang 'Em High. The sign-up, rules and roles thread.

« on: September 30, 2007, 07:28:30 PM »

Yes, I realize that I have stolen the title for this mafia game from a Clint Eastwood film. But it is not based on that movie alone. Rather, I felt it was the best title for this theme. The Wild West. Yes sir, for Mafia 19, we're doing it old school. So, let's get out back story started.

The Story

Prologue:



The evening sun was bleeding out its final light on the day. Sheriff Rock Williams watched the sky. It had been another long day that kept getting worse and he was thankful that it was finally over. Another two ranchers had been found dead today. The work of Col. Sancho Volonté and his bandits. They had been terrorizing this countryside for a month now with great success. With the deaths of Stevens and Baker today, there were few, if any, who would dare openly oppose Volonté's gang now.

Indeed, Rock had already seen the effect the news of the deaths had on the townsfolk. Paranoia, fear and helplessness. It was on everyone's faces. It was expressed by everyone's body language. The deaths today seemed to signal the end of a war. Defeat. That's what it was. Defeat was what everyone felt. Volonté had won and he was now the lord of this county.

Rock sighed. Had he been responsible for this? He had been sheriff for so long now. Had he gotten too old? Too tired? Too lax? He had the respect and admiration of the townsfolk for so many years. But more importantly, he had their trust. Not automatically but because he earned. Because he had fought hard to preserve its citizens and to protect their freedom. Success after success. Anyone who dared start trouble didn't last long. But was the relative peace that everyone had enjoyed for some time the cause of this? Was it because there had been no trouble for so long, that he now forgot how to deal with it? Had success made Rock ignorant that he might be defeated?

Rock knew that his reaction to Volonté had not been swift when his band started causing trouble. In fact, Rock knew now that he had underestimated the threat of this group. That slow start is no doubt why it felt like Rock he was always trying to catch up to Volonté; why it felt Volonté was always ahead of him. And today, the truth about Volonté and his band had finally been revealed to Rock.

After the death of Stevens and Baker had been conveyed to the town, Rock quickly gathered a posse to follow the trail left behind by Volonté and his men. It was more just a token show of force. Nothing had come of the other times he had rode out against this group. But it appears success had also affected Volonté and his men as this time, they did leave a trail behind and only halfheartedly attempted to throw people off it. After following the trail for some time it eventually looped back towards the town. This concerned Rock since he feared the band may have felt brazen enough to now attack the town in broad daylight. Rock and his posse kept following the trail as it came closer and closer to town. And then he was unable to follow it any longer as it joined the main road leading into the town. It appeared Volonté had decided on riding into town after all. Rock and the posse quickly sped back to the town to see if everyone was all right.

They were. There had been no disturbance in the town since he rode out. Puzzled, Rock tried to figure out what had happened. He followed the main road some more but there was no sign of Volonté and his men's trail coming off the main road after they got on it. How could they have just vanished? They couldn't have gone back on the road or they would have been spotted by Rock and his posse. But if they went forwards and into town, they would have spotted which is something they had avoided. No one had yet been able to give a description of Volonté and his men for anyone that saw them was killed. Since no reported seeing any strangers on the road, Rock couldn't figure out what had happened. Until Maria came.

As John Baxter, the town's doctor, came out of the house and on to the porch, Rock turned away from his view of the starry night sky to hear the verdict.

"How is she?" Rock asked.

"She's dead," John flatly responded.

Rock sighed again, his shoulders limp and head to the floor. "Hell," he whispered. It was all he could think of saying.

"Care to tell me what happened to her?" John asked.

"Volonté," Rock answered.

"I could surmise that. But why her?" John pressed, "What did Maria do?"

"It wasn't Maria they were after. It was her husband," Rock replied.

"Henry? He's not a wealthy fellow. He barely gets by month after month. What would Volonté have wanted from him?" John asked.

Rock raised his eyes up from the floor and faced John again. "I'll let you know. Not just you but the whole town tomorrow. When you ride back tonight, let everyone know that Sheriff Rock Williams has an announcement to make about Col. Sancho Volonté and his gang. Tell them that I have a solution to this problem also and that Volonté's reign of terror is coming to an end," Rock steely explained.

"Alright Rock. But you better mean it. This town is running out of hope fast," John said.

"I mean it," Rock replied. Then he got on his horse and rode home. John Baxter watched him ride off for a bit and then saddled up on to his horse and rode into to town.        

594

General Chat / Present for Evan: The Bourne Ultimatum discussion.

« on: August 03, 2007, 09:58:25 PM »

Just saw the movie tonight. I'm not going to get into my thoughts right now because it's late but I just thought I'd start this thread to give Svevan someplace to release his thoughts on the movie. We all know he's going to see it also.

I'll give my impressions later but I will say this for now. Very great in the beginning and middle. The end just didn't seem to compare to what came before it.

595

Nintendo Gaming / Civilization Revolution.

« on: June 29, 2007, 04:37:55 PM »

Holy crap! How did this not get noticed today? Sid Meier is coming back to Nintendo and bringing Civ with him. Now admittedly, it's not just Nintendo but seems to be for all consoles. Also, it seems like this is going to be a different Civ experience but still. This is great news. I've been thinking for awhile now that Civilization would be a great game to bring back to consoles and it appears Sid and the team at Firaxis have realized that also.


Here's the press release. Click to read! The most interesting comment part about the release is Sid's comment that: "Civilization Revolution is the game I've always wanted to make!" Now I'm really wondering what this game is going to be like if he's been wanting to make a game like this for awhile. In fact, they even mention this quote in the trailer.


And here is the trailer from the official site. Sadly, it takes longer to load than it does to click on this sentence and see the greatness of Civ and Sid.


I wonder if more will be shown for E3 or if we'll have to wait around for more news. But at least 2008 is starting to have some great titles to look forward to.

596

I'M BACK / Hired Get

« on: June 12, 2007, 06:33:12 PM »

Placeholder for the inevitable announcement.

(This is how you play it smart with your 1,000 post. Now to wait for the results.)


EDIT: Ugh. What happened? Where am I? Hired get? 1,000 post? Oh wow. I've ended up way back in the forums. Wow. I vaguely remember these days. What was I thinking back then?

I guess I always thought I could make staff for some reason. Huh. The other posters here are right. This is a thread to laugh at me. Well, no time to wallow in self-pity. These forums need saving!


EDIT 2: I'm.. I'M TRAPPED!  I can't leave this post. My journey through the forum code rip has resulted in me experiencing a weird posting glitch. But if I can't leave this post, how am I going to get back to the fight against Anti-Khushrenada! This is bad. Can anyone see me? Is anyone reading this right now? You have to help me! I need this thread massively bumped up to the front of the Funhouse before it's too late!


Anyone?



HEEEELLLLLLPPPPPPPPP!


EDIT 3: Hello Khushrenada. How are you? I'm fine Khushrenada. How are you? I'm great except for the fact I've now resorted to talking to myself to keep sane! I never thought I'd ever get to this point. HEEEEELLLLLLPPPPPP! Is there anyone out there?!


EDIT 4: Oh man. The name of the Funhouse has been changed. That can't be good.


EDIT 5: I'm really hoping UncleBob hasn't gone and messed everything up again. 


EDIT 6: Alright, I can kind of see what's going on but I'm still trapped here. I think if you can get the laser to fire at this thread, the energy should reverse the effects of my travel through the rift and cause me to be free again. Can you do it?

597

I'M BACK / VICTORY PARTY!!!

« on: June 01, 2007, 08:34:53 PM »

Some might say it's a little rash to be proclaiming victory so early and others may say it's inconsiderate to the other candidates but as Sun Tze said:

Quote
Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.

And I made sure to claim victory first and then campaign. That Khushrenada, he's a sly little devil. Let's look back at the victorious campaign. After all, Sun Tze also said:

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All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.

So, now you have a chance to see from how victory came about. First of all, we must remember that Sun Tze said:

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Now the reason the enlightened prince and the wise general conquer the enemy whenever they move and their achievements surpass those of ordinary men is foreknowledge.

Seeing that an opportunity to join the staff may be opening, I siezed on that right away. This allowed me to kickstart a campaign before anyone and prepare for any rivals to come. But more was needed.

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All war is deception.

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Secret operations are essential in war; upon them the army relies to make its every move.

As different rival parties began to pop up, I used some more subversive tactics. Hello Lady Une. Thanks to this subterfuge, I was then able to accomplish the following:

Quote
The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities...It is best to win without fighting.

Quote
Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.

Sadly, Sir_Stabbalot had to be the victim of that. But, with his resignation, it seemed to be a demoralizing effect on the other candidates. That was good. Further, I then created the thread about people not liking me. As mentioned, the purpose of that thread was to accomplish the following:

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To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy...Keep your Friends close and your Enemies closer.

But more was needed. PartyBear was the answer. You see, I did try to bribe PartyBear. I can admit that now because I don't really care. It was just part of the strategy.

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It is essential to seek out enemy agents who have come to conduct espionage against you and to bribe them to serve you. Give them instructions and care for them. Thus doubled agents are recruited and used.

One method of accomplishing that was by the many offers and acceptions to take a position in my party. And although PartyBear failed to live up to expectations and join me, he did help me accomplish one other goal:

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A military operation involves deception. Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent. Though effective, appear to be ineffective.

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Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.

It may have seemed odd that I seemed to be hurting my chances and make myself look weak every time an accusation came up. Others may have thought they had a chance at toppling my campaign. But, in truth, I was just setting them up further for defeat. Thanks for the help PartyBear and TVMan. You too Thatguy. You helped prove another point:

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Know thy enemy and know thyself, find naught in fear for 100 battles. Know thyself but not thy enemy, find level of loss and victory. Know thy enemy but not thyself, wallow in defeat everytime.

Unfortunately, Windyman then decided to increase the submission time. He appearently forgot this lesson:

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There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.

So, I took this extra time to implement the final peice of strategy.

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Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate.

Yes, after all the bad press, I seemed to just disappear. There was nothing else to feed the fire. I made it seem as though my campaign had been derailed. But no. Aside from showing up here and there to promote Atlus, I was continuing on with my plans and watching my rivals. I built up a case for myself and I waited for the campaign to end to now pronounce my victory. So, let this be a lesson to you:

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The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand.

Now, let's get to the business at hand and Parrrrrrrrrty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who wants champagne?  

598

I'M BACK / It really bothers me that some people do not like Khushrenada

« on: May 05, 2007, 09:10:33 AM »

Generally these people are beyond all rational thinking. But still, how can people live with themselves fighting so hard not to like me?

Well, this thread is dedicated to all you poor, poor, wretched souls. Maybe by acknowledging you have a problem, you can begin the first step to recovery.

599

I'M BACK / Election Time: Time to vote me into office.

« on: May 04, 2007, 08:25:11 AM »

Alright. Let's make this brief. As many of you are no doubt aware from all the media ho-ha-ing, I have been thinking about running for office here at NWR. I know this has made all other candidates nervous over my possible entry into the ring. Well, I'm here today to tell you that THEY CAN START SWEATING!

I'm in it to win it, Baby! Let's let the good time roll!

It seems lately that there is a lot of problems with NWR and do you think the current candidates are going to do anything to facilitate real change? I don't think so.

We need someone who can ask the hard questions! We need someone who can push all the right buttons! Someone who isn't afraid to look at the problems of this board and confront them. We need someone to actually review a game, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. In short, we need ME!

Obviously, this is going to be a short election since none of the other candidates can come close to matching a quarter of my skills and intellect. However, I also know that many of you will want to do what you can while this election process goes on for a little while to try and get in my good books. I approve of sucking-up. So, for those of you who want to be on the winning side, just put in your signiture the following message:

Vote for Khushrenada. A vote for Khushrenada is like Chuck Norris losing a fight. It just doesn't happen.

Now some of my supporters may be confused by this slogan. Don't be. I've done this to counter my attackers smear campaign. We all know they'll take what I've said and try to make it sound the opposite. So, by making my slogan one that is insulting, they will take it and make it into one that is praising me. Like I said, my intellect is way ahead of these people. So, I'll have the backing of my supporters and my attackers will be on my side also.

Well, I said I'd keep this short so I'll now field some questions. Yes, you there.    

600

General Chat / The Hockey/Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

« on: April 18, 2007, 04:54:50 AM »

Hey, just a general thread to talk about anything hockey/NHL related. If you want to cheer on your team or jeer the opponents, I guess you could do that here to. Well, lately, I've been talking a bit about the playoffs in the Mafia game I've been running and since there seems to be quite a few people who also follow hockey a bit, I figured I'd set this thread up.

And since this is playoff season, I'll give you a quick rundown of the teams I hope to see advance to the next round.

Western Conference

Detroit beating Calgary
Anahiem beating Minnesota
Vancouver beating Dallas
Nashville beating San Jose

Eastern Conference

Buffalo beating New York Islanders
Tampa Bay beating New Jersey
New York Rangers beating Atlanta
Pittsburgh beating Ottawa

For the most part, things are going pretty good this year for the playoffs. It's just the Pittsburgh versus Ottawa part that worries me.