October Brewed – Coffees Consumed, Games Played, & Site Notes

Coffee Beans
October has vanished like Halloween candy from a kid’s basket! If you skimmed here occasionally during October, here are some posts you might have missed:
     1) Is Okami for the PS3 worth $20? How many hours can you expect from Okami? Data Report
     2) Can the Wii U GamePad be charged with a USB port on the console? Nintendo answers, sort of…
     3) Nintendo says no, then yes, now no AGAIN on LEGO City: Undercover’s multiplayer feature.
     4) New Super Mario Bros. U to have online multiplayer? “Online Interactions Not Rated…”
     5) What is the most played Just Dance Wii game?
     6) STAY CALM! Wii U’s Miiverse details before launch, & all Wii U features and functionality ready at launch? Nintendo’s Bill Trinen and Scott Moffitt
     7) “Black Ops II will just be on Wii U”, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 not releasing for the 3DS, DS, or Wii.

November is now brewing, and what coffees did I consume and games did I play during October? Brew yourself some coffee and let’s take a look!

Coffees Consumed
Maxwell House coffees were the main coffee blends for us in October, with us finishing off a Maxwell House Gourmet Roast blend container, as well a Maxwell House 100% Colombian blend.

Another coffee that we brewed quite often in October, one Mrs. Coffee gave me as one of my birthday gifts, was the Gevalia Espresso Roast. The name says it all really, “Espresso Roast” and it is a nice, super dark, roast. I enjoyed it a great deal, but it was a tad too strong for Mrs. Coffee’s liking.

Games Played
The skimmer list for games I played in October is: Super Mario 64, Super Mario World, Rage of the Gladiator, New Super Mario Bros. DS, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Mutant Mudds, LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean, Double Dragon Neon, Punch-Out!!, Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, BIT.TRIP COMPLETE, Mario Kart Wii, and LittleBigPlanet.

All Super Mario Games – I’m still playing these with Bean 1, randomly. The Mario game(s) he selects to play can vary each day, but in October Super Mario 64 was a favorite of his, as well as New Super Mario Bros. Wii. We have made decent progress in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and when he requests me to play through a level with him, I am instructed to carry him through the entire level. He doesn’t want to bubble necessarily (he did enjoy doing that for a while), he just wants me to carry Toad, Luigi, or Mario (depending who I’m playing as) through the level and survive. He recognized and called out New Super Mario Bros. U in the first Wii U system commercial Nintendo released yesterday, then went back to his snacks.

Rage of the Gladiator – I’m just going to leave the following link for a site that covers a lot of digitally downloaded titles: http://www.facebook.com/RageOfTheGladiator.
Batman: Arkham Asylum – Our neighbors are gamers, and we have loaned/traded games over the last few years. The last loan-trade was me giving him Metroid: Other M, and me getting Batman: Arkham Asylum in return. I completed Arkham Asylum in October, and I enjoyed my time with the game. Being that the game can be found for under $20 new, if you have been interested in this title but not played it, I can easily recommend the game.
Mutant Mudds – I’m still playing through Mutant Mudds, and enjoying it. I have said it before, and I’ll say it again, if you enjoy challenging platformers, I recommend you give the game a try. Bean 1 had discovered the start menu on my PC and I have randomly found him attempting to play the game a few times, and he will tell me sometimes to play “Mutant Mudds” so he can watch me. I’m waiting to learn more about Mutant Mudds Deluxe for the Wii U, before I worry with buying the Xbox 360 controller to make it easier for Bean 1 to play it on my PC.
LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean – Mrs. Coffee gave me this as a gift a few months back, but it wasn’t until October that I actually opened it up. I have completed the first movie’s levels so far, and have enjoyed my time back in a LEGO video game world. I think the developers did a great job making LEGO Captain Jack run/walk like he does in the movies, and I like how in certain levels there aren’t hidden/invisible walls to keep you from venturing further than they want, but an actual LEGO shark in the water to help keep you where they want you.
Double Dragon Neon – I won this in a contest/giveaway over on Chalgyr’s Game Room, and played through the first level, and almost finished the second level (maybe third?). The game plays well so far, and the boss I’m currently on though was giving me quite the challenge my first night, and after a few attempts I had to get that thing some call sleep. I haven’t been back to it since, but I do plan on trying to finish it up this month.
Punch-Out!! – I’m slowly making my way through the game’s Title Defense Mode, and I believe Bear Hugger was the last boxer I was able to get my belt back from. Yes, he pummeled so many times while I was trying to figure out the new timing of his attacks.

Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 – Did you miss the Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 data report post? If so, you can see how many hours the game has been played, as well as gameplay video I uploaded from one of the FPS minigames in it. Bean 1 enjoys one of the plunger FPS levels a lot (the one in the video), and can make his way through it. Every time the Rabbid shows up with a camera, he says, “Cheese!” Bean 1 also found the Rabbids LAND trailer on the Wii’s Nintendo Channel earlier this week, and played it 3-4 times in a row laughing at the Rabbids in the trailer. I’m interested in Rabbids LAND on the Wii U, as I mentioned in the data post, because of Ubisoft’s history/support on the Wii.
BIT.TRIP COMPLETE – If you missed my birthday post, Mrs. Coffee gave me this game(s) as a gift. I have just played BIT.TRIP RUNNER on it, but I have enjoyed the game so far. I’m up to world 1-11, I think? Considering I burned through almost the first world my first night with it, I may finish this one sooner than I was expecting. I am looking forward to hearing more about Runner2 on the Wii U, so hopefully I finish this one up soon, and perhaps be ready for more endless running when the Wii U launches.

Screen grab from Bean 1 playing.

Mario Kart Wii – Bean 1 randomly, out of nowhere, asked to play the, “Mario Wii Racing” game one day. I was surprised he remember the game from his time with it from over a month ago, and broke it out for him to try. We have both played the game, sometimes together, but often times with me watching him, or him watching me. He surprised me earlier in the week when he finished 2nd in a race, which means he’s made some great improvements since he first started off by driving in circles and often in reverse.
LittleBigPlanet – This is Bean 1’s final game delay tactic at night. The PlayStation 3 is the console closest to his room, and to play LittleBigPlanet is his last request/delay tactic. He enjoys finding a lot of the user created levels, and just running around in them. He completes many of them though, and I’m impressed with how he has learned to grab and hold onto items since he first started playing the game not that long ago.

Site Notes
Changes are brewing! If you haven’t noticed, there’s a tab that has now been removed from the top section. The “Reader Points” tab has been removed, but the “Reader Points” that were there are stored (across three emails!), and if I can get over my reluctance to go to the Post Office again, I can mail the rest…yes, they are sitting on the table, and Bean 1 has been looking at them this last week.

Also, gameplay videos (of myself playing and even Bean 1, and Mrs. Coffee occasionally) and impressions of games will become more standard on the site, and the “Critics vs. Consumers” posts will continue. Data posts will continue, but probably slow down once the Wii U releases, unless the Wii U provides the same type of data for Wii U games…PLEASE NINTENDO! I have even been experimenting, a little, with a podcast idea…

There’s a few other features/ideas/changes I have been roasting for a while now, and one should be popping up at the end of next week.

Questions
What video games did you play in October, and are there any you would recommend to others? Also, were there any new coffee blends or drinks of choice in October, perhaps even while gaming?

As always, if you have any questions about the games I played, or the coffees I consumed in October, please me in the comment section below, or by sending me an email.

Caffeinated Thoughts on Mutant Mudds!

Coffee Beans
Mutant Mudds was released last week on August 30th, for PCs everywhere. A portion of the game’s description reads, “Love pixels? Fond of platformers? Is there a special place in your heart for the 8-bit and 16-bit era? Want to have fun? Yes!? Well, you’ve come to the right place, my friend. Mutant Mudds is a ’12-bit’ action platformer full of pixels and platforming fun!”

Being that I have a fondness for platformers, I took advantage of an early sale price and downloaded Mutant Mudds for my PC 2 nights ago, and I have already played through several of the levels. How far have I made it battling the filthy Mutant Mudds, and what do I think of the game so far? Brew yourself some coffee and take a look!

The Brew
I have made it through 15 levels in Mutant Mudds so far, with Level 4-2 being the last one I finished. Of the 15 levels completed, 14 have been the main levels and one has been a secret, or neo-retro, level. Each main level I have played had 100 Golden Diamonds spread around them, and you can collect the Golden Diamonds to upgrade Max’s equipment in Grannie’s Attic, which is located on the level select screen.

I have been playing the game with the default control setting which is mouse and keyboard, but it does support the Xbox 360 controller as an option, and it allows you to customize the keyboard and/or gamepad if you want that option as well. You can see an image of Mutant Mudds’ controls customization box in the image below to get an idea of what you can do:

When I posted up the, “Mutant Mudds gets official PC release date, price, & trailer!” piece last month, a visitor, Hover, commented about the 3DS version saying, “And even as the levels get harder and harder, you never get more than 4 minutes to finish a level.“

If you own Mutant Mudds on the 3DS and perhaps have been a little frustrated with only having 4 minutes to finish levels, I have some good news for you about the PC version. Mutant Mudds for your PC has a timer in the levels, but not a set time to finish them in. I tested it in Level 1-1 and let the timer run past the 4 minute mark to make sure, and the music just kept on playing.

While Mutant Mudds for the PC doesn’t have a 4 minute limit per level like the 3DS version, finishing the levels as quickly as possible is highly encouraged in the PC version. How? The PC version has on-line leader boards that allow you to upload your times and compete against other players for completing the levels the fastest. Has my coffee drinking helped any in my speedrun attempts? The image below shows you where I was able to rank on Level 1-1 the first night of playing the game:

Coffee With Beef? Or, Beef With Coffee?

Caffeinated Thoughts
I’m really enjoying the challenge of the platforming elements in the game, and I like how the game is set on three different 2D plains that Max goes between during some levels. I can honestly see how this effect would benefit from the 3DS’ 3D screen, but the solution they came up for it on the PC works very well.

As for “enjoying the challenge”, Level 1-4 has proven to be the most challenging for me so far. Why Level 1-4? The game has fading platforms placed throughout levels, adding a bit of difficulty to your typical spiked pit jumps. The fading platforms will appear, then fade away, then appear again; with the fading/appearing pattern usually being 1-2 seconds.

Level 1-4 has a spot where you have to jump across two alternating fading platforms in a row, and beneath the platforms is a nice bed of spikes waiting to break your fall. Spikes are instant death in Mutant Mudds, no matter how many hearts you have, and I made my bed in the spiked pit many times at that spot.

This was the spot!

The image above is from the spot in Level 1-4 that I was having issues with, and it might help you understand the fading/appearing platforms a little better. I probably tried the spot 20 times, before finally timing my jumps correctly and making it across grabbing both Golden Diamonds along the way.

I think the music in Mutant Mudds fits the “12-bit” theme extremely well, with Level 1-1 and Level 2-1 having my favorite tunes so far. If you are a fan of chip-tune music in games, you can listen to (even download) the soundtrack for the game, HERE.

Like the music, I think the art style used for Mutant Mudds fits the “12-bit” theme really well. I like the brightness of the levels, and seeing small graphical details on certain objects in levels I think is really awesome. The fact Renegade Kid took time to add the little details I think is great, and if you are just running through the levels quickly though, you might miss the little details that have been added to certain objects. The screenshot below is from Level 3-2 in Mutant Mudds, and you can notice how a fire/lava heat reflection of sorts, has been added to the platforms above the lava. The platform that is up and to the left of Max’s head in the screenshot (behind the “100”), does not have the same heat reflection. Attention. To. Details.

Attention. To. Details.

I believe I have encountered all of the enemies in Mutant Mudds, and so far I think Royal Mudd and Pork Plop are my favorite enemies in the game. I remember being surprised when I was first attacked by Royal Mudd, simply because I wasn’t expecting the attack! Pork Plop has been the most surprising to me, because I wasn’t expecting the range of its attack. Almost all of the enemies in Mutant Mudds appear to be, well, muddy, and each one usually goes away in splatters when defeated.

As for the default control setting I have been using, it works well enough for me, though I can see how some might prefer using something like the Xbox 360 controller perhaps for comfort. I do suggest playing the game in “FULLSCREEN” mode though if you are using the default controls, because I have gotten to clicking away in the game and have accidentally clicked off the game screen while playing, which will cause the game to pause and can throw off your momentum.

Just based on my time with the game over the last 2 days, I definitely recommend Mutant Mudds to fans of retro-platforming games. I believe it is challenging enough for the price, and if you are picking it up for the first time don’t expect to speed through the levels right away. While it may take a little bit to learn the play mechanics and how to handle Max properly for platforming success, once you do, you should get a solid number of enjoyable platforming hours out of the game.

Questions
Did any of you purchase Mutant Mudds for your PC since its release last week? If so, how far have you made it in the game, and have you been able to place in the “Top 10” leader board on any level?

If you own the Nintendo 3DS version of Mutant Mudds, does the removal of time limits per level, and the addition of on-line leader boards make you more likely to purchase the PC version, if you haven’t already?

If you are interested in purchasing Mutant Mudds for your PC, you can do so from GOG.com, GAMERSGATE.com, Desura.com, and The Renegade Shop. If you have a Steam account, Mutant Mudds has been submitted for Steam’s Greenlight project, and you can vote for it HERE.

Mutant Mudds gets official PC release date, price, & trailer!

Coffee Beans
     Renegade Kid, developer of the award-winning Nintendo DS Dementium series, has revealed that their Nintendo 3DS title Mutant Mudds, now has an official PC release date and price (sorry, no Mac version yet).
     Mutant Mudds will be available to purchase before August ends, and if you purchase the game within the first week it’s available you will save 20% off the regular price.

     To see what apparent platforming greatness awaits you later this month in Mutant Mudds’ PC release, check out the new trailer for the game below!

     Mutant Mudds will be available to purchase through several PC distribution partners. Those are currently listed as: GOG.com, GAMERSGATE.com, DESURA.com, and apparently through Renegade Kid’s own digital shop, Renegade Shop.
     The PC version is releasing at a price point of just $9.99, but as mentioned above, if you purchase Mutant Mudds between August 30th and September 5th, you will get the game for its “Introductory Price” of just $7.99; a 20% savings.

Caffeinated Thoughts
     The game has not been confirmed to be releasing via Steam yet, but I am hoping it will be announced for the service soon. I do not have an account on GOG.com, GAMERSGATE.com, or DESURA.com, but if the game releases with no word of a Steam release, I will have to pick one of those services to sign up for.
     As for “Renegade Shop” being listed as a buying option, I have contacted Renegade Kid directly to see if they will be selling the game on “The best shop on the internet.”, at least according to Grannie.
     Being that I greatly enjoy platforming games, I’m really looking forward to giving Mutant Mudds a try, perhaps even the day of its PC release!

Questions
     If you have experience with GOG.com, GAMERSGATE.com, and/or DESURA.com, has it been a good experience and would you recommend it to other PC gamers that are perhaps looking at purchasing Mutant Mudds when it releases?
     If you have played Mutant Mudds on the 3DS, have the confirmed extra levels (and perhaps even newly added achievements) for the PC version made you think about purchasing it as well?