The Black Magic Temple

Bored at Work? Got a Droid? No Worries

2011-05-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

Here is 10 of the best Droid Games. Enjoy!

Cordy (Silvertree Media)

Cordy is an old skool platform game, with audio and visuals so perfectly lovely there'll be a smile on your face in seconds.

The simple, responsive controls make it playable while collectibles and time trials help bolster its replay value.

Best of all, performance settings allow even the lowliest Android handsets to run its splendidly realised world.

It would be high up the list of recommended games even it wasn't completely free.

Speed X 3D (Hyperbees)

Of all the endless runner games around, Speed X 3D is among the finest.

Developer Hyperbees has stripped the idea down almost to the minimum. You're travelling down a long tunnel into the screen, tilting the phone left and right to dodge oncoming obstacles.

There's no scene-setting (unlike in Canabalt), but the minimalist look and blistering speed ramp the tension up just fine, while the random hazards and morphing terrain keep things fresh.

Tank Hero (Clapfoot Games)

Tank Hero's basic premise has been around for years in the form of Battlezone and its ilk - you control a tiny armoured vehicle dumped into a large arena, with one or more enemies doing their best to kill you before you can take them out.

But this is classic gaming updated the right way, giving you scores of increasingly complicated maps, different types of opposition, weapons, and with two game modes - Campaign and Last Stand - both with medals to aim for.

Rocket Bunnies (Defiant Development)

If you're hungry for more cartoony physics puzzlers, Rocket Bunnies should prove pretty filling.

Each map has you riding your tiny spaceship through a network of planets revolving in the void.

You need to use their gravitational pull to slingshot yourself from one to the next, trying to drop off carrots to all the starving rabbits on the surface as fast as possible. But enemies, mines, and other interstellar hazards make planning the optimum route a fiendishly addictive proposition.

Angry Birds (Rovio)

Never mind whether Angry Birds deserves its astonishing success or not. It's still a quality franchise.

For anyone who's managed to ignore it up until now, you launch the title characters from a catapult at their evil porcine targets on the other side of the screen.

Whether Angry Birds classic, Seasons, or the 2011 movie tie-in, Rio, the solid graphic design, hundreds of levels, and secrets to discover across the three games mean every Android owners should give one of them a shot.

Pyxidis (Hyperbees)

How would you explain Hyperbees's Pyxidis? Well, imagine a match-three game where the pieces are rolling all over the screen instead of neatly lined up in grids.

To match them you have to draw lines connecting three or more when they're close enough. Fresh pieces warp, rather than drop in.

This bizarre spin on the traditional format is maybe a little too clever for its own good, but it's still compulsive stuff. A lengthy campaign and Puzzle Quest-style special powers give it a healthy dose of longevity.

Slice It! (Com2uS)

Slice It! doesn't exactly need a manual. You're shown a shape, ranging from simple geometric forms to complicated asymmetric patterns, and you have to divide it into a set number of equal pieces with exactly the given number of strokes.

Cutting a square in half with one slice is easy, but the game soon gets much tougher. Developer Com2uS has been regularly adding more challenges and the clean, attractive presentation makes it a pleasure (of sorts) to struggle through them.

Shinobi Barrage, Software Industrial Co. Ltd.

Fans of manic arcade shooting don't have too much to choose from on Android, but they still get some excellent games.

Shinobi Barrage lacks polish, with some fairly cheap and cheerful graphics, but the presentation (drawing from Japanese myths and legends) is strong, and the touchscreen controls are smooth and precise.

Multiple difficulty levels offer steadily more enemies and tighter patterns of bullets to weave through, meaning high score fiends will be kept busy for a while.

Townsmen 6, (HandyGames)

Strategy games on mobile platforms are often pretty abstract, like playing a boardgame, but HandyGames's popular Townsmen series is a richly detailed throwback to classic economic strategy games like the Settlers series on PC.

In this sixth edition you're managing provinces in a stylised version of revolutionary France, building settlements, and keeping the people happy, busy, and productive.

While visually it's an obvious Java port, this is still a deep, compelling little simulation perfect for a free afternoon.

Tesla Plushies (Bithack)

Bithack's Tesla Plushies is tough enough that it's liable to result in a few broken handsets.

The concept takes some getting used to, for starters. You need to guide one or more brainless little creatures through a maze, but they can only move by drifting towards the places you touch.

The graphics and sound are effectively placeholders, but the idea proves bizarrely fascinating, and mastering how to coax your charges along provides quite the endorphin rush.

Xbox and Steam Bring the Heat

2011-04-30T08:38:00.000-07:00

Just picked up 2 games from Xbox Live Arcade and Steam.

The first is Outland for XBLA.

Game developer Housemarque (Super Stardust HD) and Ubisoft today released Outland on the Xbox LIVE Arcade. Outland is now available for 800 Microsoft Points ($10) from XBLA. If you enjoy side-scrolling platformers, definitely try Outland. As you’ll see in the demo, the animations and controls are fluid, and the visual treatment is unique.
Details on Outland, from xbox.com:
“In the middle of Balance and Chaos, now stands one man whose efforts may bridge the ancient divide, or doom the world to destruction. The award-winning studio Housemarque, maker of Super Stardust HD, has teamed up with Ubisoft to create an ambitious platformer inspired by epic adventures such as the Prince of Persia series. Each player’s adventure will take him between light and darkness and force him to adapt to an ever-changing world.”

The Second can be bought on Steam

Magicka is a satirical action-adventure game set in a rich fantasy world based on Norse mythology. The player assumes the role of a wizard from a sacred order tasked with stopping an evil sorcerer who has thrown the world into turmoil, his foul creations besieging the forces of good.
Players will be able to combine the elements to cast spells, wreaking havoc and devastation on the minions of darkness. They will also be able to team up with friends and fight their way through the campaign, or test their skills in the magickal arts through other challenging modes.
In Magicka, up to four players take on a grand adventure to save their world from certain doom using a fully dynamic spell system. The adventure mode takes the players across three different levels, ranging from the lush forests of mountain valleys to the frozen halls of the Mountain King where wits and creative thinking are the keys to victory.

You can get the full game PLUS the 3 expansion packs for just $13.00. Totally worth it! Pick it up.

Evangelion Rebuild!!!

2011-04-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

Now with 40% less angst and more badass!... seriously.

In 1995, Hideaki Anno—fresh out of rehabilitation caused by problems during the production of Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water—started work on what was originally planned to be a mecha otaku's ultimate dream. Following his increasing disappointment in and hatred for the otaku community, issues in his personal life, and Gainax's financial troubles, Anno transformed the show into the infamously brutal and often depressing deconstruction of the Super Robot genre (and quite a few common anime tropes) that is Neon Genesis Evangelion.Fast forward to 2007—Hideaki Anno is happily married, as rich as Howard Hughes, and arguably more respected than ever before by virtue of having created what is arguably the most popular and influential anime franchise of the decade. What does Anno do? He decides to revisit the work that made his name—only without the depression influencing the story. Anno makes plans to re-tell the story of the Evangelion saga by giving his Byronic Hero cast a second chance (literally or figuratively), making them somewhat more emotionally stable, and actually giving them hope and light at the end of the tunnel. (It doesn't hurt that he's got a massive theatrical budget to help him out.)Thus begins the salvation of Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami, and Asuka Langley Shikinami in the four-film saga called Rebuild of Evangelion (of which two have already been released), directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki of FLCL fame.The films in this series are as follows:

Evangelion: 1.0 Jo (Beginning)
- You Are (Not) Alone.
Evangelion: 2.0 Ha (Breaking)
- You Can (Not) Advance.
Evangelion: 3.0 Q*
^{or "kyu", if you like; see Idiosyncratic Episode Naming below}
(Quickening)
Evangelion: Final*
^{If the supplementary book in the 1.11 Special Edition was right, this should be released at the same time as 3.0. Given that the 3.0 trailer made no mention of it, though, and given how much money the first two movies made, this plan may have changed.}

While by no means Lighter and Softer (the High Octane Nightmare Fuel remains as truly soul-shattering in its intensity and horror as the original), if the tone of the second movie's ending holds true, this retelling promises to not be the suicide-fuel that the original Evangelion was. If anything, Rebuild can best be characterized as the original staying on its medication: ultimately no happier than before, but a hell of a lot more stable.

Currently, Evangelion 1.0 and 2.0 have released here in America. I have no heard any solid release dates for 3.0.

Portal 2 is Finally Out!

2011-04-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone Portal 2 is finally out! In celerbration of the release our "friends" at Aperture have released a personality test. Here are my results!

Ratman

You're the quiet, artistic type, happy to ponder the solution to a puzzle in quiet solitude. Compatible cooperative test partners include introspective loners, deaf-mute invisible people, and mannequins.

Take the test and have fun...with science.

http://www.thinkwithportals.com/coop_survey.php

Mass Effect 3

2011-04-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

Its coming. Mass Effect 3. If you have not played the first 2 its time to play them. According to wiki ME3 will release Holiday of 2011 so that means you all know what I want for Christmas. lol.

From here on I am issuing a formal

Story so far!

How It All Began...

At its core, Mass Effect is about about the three-part journey of Commander Shepard, your Commander Shepard. Mass Effect allows players to customize the look and actions of the chosen leader of humanity. It's a big job. Mass Effect opens in 2138 AD, a period where humans discovered advanced technology on Mars that allowed them to leave the solar system, encounter other alien races and begin the transition to joining intergalactic culture. It's not an easy process; no one trusts the humans.
Shepard must earn trust from the Council, a body of elite members of other alien races with influence over galactic decision-making. The Council's located on a massive starship called The Citadel, where much adventuring takes places. Shepard is tasked with investigating a recovered alien beacon on the human colony of Eden Prime. Shepard heads there with future squadmate Kaidan Alenko and a turian (another alien race) Spectre (a label for trusted Council agents) to investigate the beacon.

Upon landing on Eden Prime, the Specre is killed and Shepard discovers Mass Effect's central villain, a rogue turian Spectre named Saren Arterius, and has a vision of the future. Shepard and company witness Saren's evil actions first-hand but the Council does not believe them. At that point, Shepard takes command of the SSV Normandy and must find out what Saren -- and others -- are up to.

And Then Over The Next 20 Hours (Or So)...

Well, quite a bit.

Shepard becomes the first human Spectre, meets up with his squadmates -- Ashley Williams, Liara T'Soni, Kaidan Alenko, Garrus Vakarian, Urdnot Wrex, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya -- and makes complicated moral decisions with unknown implications in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3. These decisions determine who lives and who dies, choices that could ultimately remove their role from future stories in your version of the Mass Effect universe.
He also discovers Saren isn't really the one humanity and the rest of the known univers needs to worry about. Saren's just a mean puppet. The real bad guys are a race of machines known as the Reapers, sentient beings who wipe the galaxies clear of organic life every so often. Those mass relay stations that allow everyone to run around the universe so quickly? Built by the Reapers.
Why do the Reapers hit the big delete button? They don't need a reason. They do it because they can (also, because it's not actually revealed in the original Mass Effect and they need to save details for the sequels!).
During a assault on the Citadel at the end of the game, Shepard is able to push back the Reapers and one of two scenarios plays out. In one, Shepard lets the Council die but in saving the Citadel, humanity becomes the new galactic leader. In another, Shepard saves the Council and his actions convince the Council of the Reaper threat. In doing so, Shepard earns humanity a spot on the Council. Shepard picks who will take that seat -- Ambassador Udina (who is a jerk) or Captain Anderson (who is cool).
Roll credits!

Which Leads Us To Mass Effect 2...

Now depending on what you did in the first game the story might change a little bit. But the main plot is thus.

2 years after you save the Citadel Shepard is attacked by an unknown enemy. His/her ship is destroyed but manages to save all his crew. Unfortunately, Shepard does not make it. Shepard is shown being thrown out into space and than burning up in the atmosphere of a the planet they were orbiting.

All is not lost though! 3 years after Shepard's death....he is brought back to life by Cerberus.

Cerberus is a human-survivalist paramilitary group led by the enigmatic Illusive Man Cerberus' core belief is that humans deserve a greater role in the galactic community, and that the Systems Alliance is too hamstrung by law and public opinion to stand up effectively to the Citadel races. Any methods of advancing humanity's ascension are justified, including illegal or dangerous experimentation, terrorist activities, sabotage and assassination. Cerberus operatives accept that these methods are brutal, but believe history will vindicate them. Nevertheless, both the Systems Alliance and the Citadel Council have declared Cerberus to be a terrorist organization and will prosecute identified Cerberus agents accordingly.

After Shepard's revival he/she joins Cerberus only because they share the same goal. The Reapers are coming and they must be destroyed.

Green Lantern!!

2011-04-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know there is a Green Lantern Movie coming out. It's gonna be awesome. So I thought I would take this time to help everyone get amped for the movie.

First off lets start with detail. For those who don't know the Green Lantern Corp are basicly the police force of the Universe. Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and power lantern that gives the user great control over the physical world as long as the wielder has sufficient willpower and strength to wield it. The ring is one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. So its pretty big stuff.

Hal Jordan is the first human Green Lantern (minus Alan Scott who was the first Green Lanern in the Golden Age) Hal was given the power ring and battery (lantern) by a dying alien named Abin Sur, whose spaceship crashed on Earth. Abin Sur used his ring to seek out an individual who was "utterly honest and born without fear" to take his place as Green Lantern. Now in the movie it looks like Hal Jordan finds Abin Sur and is given the ring on the spot.

After that I am not sure how true to the comics they will stay.

The villian in the movie is Hector Hammond Hammond is a petty criminal on the run from the law when he discovers the fragments of a strange meteor in the woods Observing that radiation from the meteor has caused the nearby plants to evolve rapidly. The radiation causes their intellects to evolve, but also has the side effect of sapping their wills. Or so says the comics. If this will translate to the movie is unknown.

Hal Jordan will be played by Ryan Reynolds. Who is a solid actor in my book.

Hector Hammond will be played by Peter Sarsgaard. Who is also a very solid Actor.

I am so excited!

The first of many!

2011-04-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

Greetings my Acolytes! Welcome to the Black Mage Temple! This is my first blog and I am really excited to get started. Not 100% sure what I want this blog to be about but have no fear I will figure it out. I can assure you though it will be full of awesome and for all of you that follow in the dark arts of Black Magic be sure to take notes cause this is gonna be Epic! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!