Blog Posts from "Hellforge Hitpoints" - Gameriot.com

Hellforge Hitpoints Episode 005: Greatest Hits, Part Deux - The Greatest Hits

no.spam@gameriot.com (The Extremist) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:56:36 -0400

And now for the thrilling conclusion to episode five of Hellforge Hitpoints...

"The Greatest Hits"

Part Deux

Ian "Sol Invictus" Cheong, Kobus "Cleric" Nel, and I (Gabriël "The Extremist" Vermeulen) continue where we left off last time (Part 1, "Hellforge Updates" can be found in an earlier post).

We chat briefly about the change of ownership and administration at Limit Break as well as Snail's last article, A Note To EA Regarding Inferno, Sex, and Poetic Justice, before delving into the greatest hits of some of the writer of Hellforge and her younger sibling Limit Break.

The greatest hits, in ascending chronological order, are:

For those that prefer to download rather than stream, you can download the podcast here.

All the music used is licensed under Creative Commons licenses and was downloaded from Jamendo. The intro and outro were cut from (Carry On) River of Life by The Vegetarians from A Vegetable Soup of Songs. The other tracks played throughout the podcast are by Celestial Aeon Project from their albums Aeon and Aeon 2.

Hellforge Hitpoints Episode 005: Greatest Hits, Part 1 - Hellforge Updates

no.spam@gameriot.com (The Extremist) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 06:11:42 -0400

Good morning, shoppers and welcome to another exciting installment of Hellforge Hitpoints. It's a bumper edition this time round, with Ian "Sol Invictus" Cheong, Kobus "Cleric" Nel, and I (Gabriël "The Extremist" Vermeulen) blabbing so much we had to split the podcast into a cliffhanging two-parter.

In this, Part The First, we talk a lot of Diablo. From playing Diablo 2 at 21^st century resolutions to all the new old news on Diablo 3 surfacing at Blizzard's forums. We also discuss Agamemnon's rebuttal to Gamasutra's report that there isn't enough minority representation in games, his archive of every Hellforge article and blog post ever, as well as the article by yours truly on whether the global recession has finally caught up to gaming or if the titles released of late just sucked.

Stay tuned for Part Deux where we delve into the greatest hits of the more established bloggers and/or community members of Hellforge and Limit Break.

Hellforge Hitpoints Episode 004: Casual or Hardcore?

no.spam@gameriot.com (Sol Invictus) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:50:50 -0400

This week's episode of Hellforge Hitpoints, featuring myself and Nichole “Snail” Ramos of Limit Break as its hosts concerns the topic of casual games with hardcore appeal. The terms of “casual” and “hardcore” are often debated to no end in the arena of public discussion, so this is our attempt to settle the issue once and for all.

What determines if a game is casual or hardcore? Feel free to chime in on the discussion in the comments below.

This week's music is the indie outfit Head Like A Kite featuring Asya of Smoosh with their awesome track, Noisy At The Circus. Don't forget to participate in our Likes contest this month, with two prizes up for grabs!

Blizzard's Bashiok Discusses Dungeon Designs in Diablo III

no.spam@gameriot.com (Sol Invictus) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:04:53 -0400

Blizzard's community manager for Diablo III, Bashiok, recently talked about the aesthetic direction of dungeons in the upcoming Action RPG, who explained that the look and feel of every dungeon will vary depending on its importance.

We assume that this means that adventurers will be given the 'red carpet treatment', one that no doubt consists of bloody corpses, the moment they step into the lair of a particularly nasty beast.

Source: Battle.net

Blizzard Explains Diablo II Patch 1.13 Delay

no.spam@gameriot.com (Sol Invictus) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:21:56 -0400

Blizzard community manager Bashiok wrote a lengthy and revealing post concerning the delayed release of the Diablo II 1.13 patch that was announced some months ago. Details are as follows:

Many have speculated that the release for the patch's delay was due to the development of a Warcraft III patch which is currently in its final testing stage, which indeed appears to be the case.

Valve Teases Upcoming L4D DLC Announcement

no.spam@gameriot.com (Sol Invictus) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:45:25 -0400

Speaking to CVG, Valve's Doug Lombardi says that the teeming masses of Left 4 Dead players can expect some announcements for Left 4 Dead downloadable content come Summer.

He also mentioned that new L4D2-relaced announcements will be made within the coming months, with details of new Special Infected, weapons and campaigns being made available along with an L4D2 demo that will give everyone a chance to play the game before it hits the shelves.

Lombardi added that he thinks players will be able to understand Valve's method of madness months after Left 4 Dead 2 has been released, with continued support for the first game.

At the same press event, writer Chet Faliszek said, “We never thought, ‘We need to say that we’re going to keep updating Left 4 Dead,’ because that was always our plan. Briefly before that [E3] we’d already posted on our blog about the updates that were coming. We didn’t think people would think, ‘Oh wait, now they’re not going to do that stuff they talked about’. Yes, we are.”

Additionally, a Valve representative told Eurogamer that pre-orders for Left 4 Dead 2 are double the amount that of the first game, an object lesson on the effectiveness of online petitions.

Blizzard Trademarks “Cataclysm”

no.spam@gameriot.com (Sol Invictus) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:27:28 -0400

Blizzard has filed a new trademark by the title of “Cataclysm” leading many to speculate that it may be related to an unannounced, and perhaps final expansion for World of Warcraft. Cataclysm was registered for the following reasons:

Entertainment services, namely, providing on-line computer games; providing computer games that may be accessed via a global computer network; and providing on-line information in the field of computer gaming entertainment
Comic books, computer game strategy guides, trading cards, coloring books, adhesive stickers, rub-on transfers, notebooks, stationery-type portfolios, posters, greeting cards, calendars, instructional leaflets in the field of computer games, computer game instruction manuals, catalogs in the field of computer games, advertisement boards of paper or cardboard, photographs, art prints
Computer game software and related instruction manuals and guides sold together as a unit; downloadable computer game software; interactive multimedia computer game program; mousepads

While the name could very well be a reference to The Great Sundering, also known as the Cataclysm, an event within Warcraftian lore, the name could also be a reference to Blizzard's upcoming, and as of yet unannounced MMO. That being said, Cataclysm fits the pattern that Blizzard has followed in the past with regards to expansion announcements, so don't get your hopes up!

Hellforge Hitpoints Podcast: Episode 003

no.spam@gameriot.com (Snail) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:52:44 -0400

It's time again for another episode of our podcast, Hellforge Hitpoints! This time around Sol and I are joined by Gabriel "The Extremist" Vermeulen. Together we discuss the merits of PC Gaming and console gaming, and try to determine which platforms provide a superior gaming experience.

As an Easter Egg you can hear my dog barking in the background. Pretty ferocious, huh?

Tell us where you stand in the comments!

Hellforge Hitpoints Episode 003: Versus

no.spam@gameriot.com (Sol Invictus) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:11:31 -0400

Hellforge Hitpoints returns with its third episode as Nichole “Snail” Ramos and I take on the ultimate subject of gaming debate: PCs versus Consoles. Also joining us today and chiming in with his distinct opinions is Gabriel “The Extremist” Vermeulen as we approach the touchy topic that has threatened to cause a rift between gamers for well over a decade.

Are you for computers or consoles? Take a stand, and feel free to contribute your thoughts and opinions on the subject in the comments thread below. As always, we appreciate your feedback! Oh, and remember to vote for what you think is the Best Racing Game of All Time!

Thanks again to the Flashmen for providing this week's music.

Hellforge Hitpoints: Episode 002

no.spam@gameriot.com (Snail) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:09:38 -0400

Hellforge Hitpoints is back! Hosted by Sol Invictus and yours truly, this week's Hitpoints focuses on sequels, touching on news of Diablo 3, Final Fantasy XIV, and Left 4 Dead 2. Please feel free to join the conversation with your comments.

Special thanks to who graciously provided us with this week's intro and outro music with the tune "Little Wildkat."

Hellforge Hitpoints Episode 002: Daybreak

no.spam@gameriot.com (Sol Invictus) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:22:46 -0400

Hellforge Hitpoints, Hellforge's and Limit Break's very own podcast, is back after a short hiatus with the second episode of the show, with Nichole "Snail" Ramos and I as its hosts. We missed talking to all of you!

In this second episode of the show, we cover some of the weekly news from the Final Fantasy XIV and Diablo III fronts, and we delve into the exciting subject that's been on everyone's lips ever since it was first announced: Left 4 Dead 2.

We plan to turn Hellforge Hitpoints into a weekly event, so stay tuned for the next episode!

Special thanks to of the electro-house duo Flashmen who graciously provided us with this week's intro and outro music with the tune "Little Wildkat".

As always, please feel free to leave any comments and suggestions in the comments section below. If any of you would like to be on the show, please PM us and tell us why you'd make a good guest!

Hellforge Hitpoints Episode 001: Origins

no.spam@gameriot.com (Sol Invictus) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:18:09 -0400

I'd like to present Hellforge's very first podcast, Hellforge Hitpoints, featuring the notable personalities of Hellforge regulars Alex "Idoliside" Sharkey, Nichole "Snail" Ramos, and yours truly.

In this very first episode of Hellforge Hitpoints, we discuss the rise and fall of Duke Nukem, and touch upon the subjects of Demigod, the influence of piracy on the game industry and a couple of other happenings on and around Hellforge and its sister website, Limit Break.

The singing cockatiel referenced in the beginning of the podcast can be found here. Please feel free to leave any comments and suggestions in the comments section below!