Dorkadia Press

What’s the best digital distribution platform for you?

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Charles Spurr

Since you’re reading Dorkadia, I’m going to go out on a limb and presume that you’re familiar with at least one or two places to purchase and download games from the internet. Heck, they’re built into every modern console on the market and that’s probably not going to change anytime soon. So the real million dollar (quite literally for these companies) is which one or ones do you go with? Of course, depending on the games you want to play, sometimes you don’t have a choice. I both love and fear digital distribution platforms. They’re an amazing and convenient way to manage a library of games, but what would happen if the company you trusted with your library were to go bankrupt? Continue reading

Star Trek: Into Something Something Something

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Nick Bergeron

I wasn’t thrilled with the new Star Trek. I’m not using that phrase as an intentional understatement implying that I didn’t like the movie. I did enjoy it. It just didn’t thrill me. Which, in an action movie such as Abrams reboot of Trek, is a seriously problem. Why didn’t it blow me away as it seems to have done many of the other critics? I’m not entirely sure, but I suspect that it has a lot to do with the fact that the movie was too busy. This is going to contain some massive spoilers, so be warned. Continue reading

Game of Thrones: Second Sons

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Reuben Poling

On the surface, “Second Sons” wasn’t that much different from the last couple weeks of Game of Thrones: lots of set-up, checking around the world, and a loose thematic connection with one big Oh SHIT! moment holding it all up. But while it lacked the snappy dialogue of “The Bear & the Maiden Fair” or “The Climb’s stunning visuals, “Sons” was a much better paced, plotted episode than either of those, and a quiet contender for one of the season’s strongest yet.

The title of the episode is about as much “theme” as it needs – second sons, from Stannis to Sandor to Tyrion, unfavorites everywhere you look. But there’s another undercurrent running through the episodes, in moments of brutal and sometimes unasked-for honesty; characters getting or seizing the opportunity to finally say what’s on their mind, with mixed results. It’s part of the power of the episode, where even when there aren’t any more events actually happening than in the last few weeks, characters are making powerful and inescapable choices that very clearly set things in motion.

“Fuck you, OKCupid.”

Don’t Starve! The Tim Burton Roguelike

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Jon Spengler

Once again I find myself returning to the roguelike well for a drink. This time, though, I’m visiting a game that I had originally passed on called KLEI’s Don’t Starve. The combination of the art style and the $14.99 price tag made me look elsewhere, even if it toted a survival roguelike gameplay. It took a friend to recommend it to me before I finally tried it, was it worth it? Continue reading

The Convention Guide, Part Two – So You Got There!

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Hannah Craig

RRRRRRR HOW MUCH IS A SANDWICH AT THE CONVENTION CENTER?!

via Pop Culture Geek

Dorkadia’s Convention Guide; Part 2, is part of a semi-regular ongoing series of articles for handy tips and information for the convention season.

You’ve figured out WHICH convention is YOUR convention, how you’re getting there, and where you’re staying. Now it’s time to think about what you’re going to do when you get there, starting with…getting there.

Episode 5 – Player Prep

Posted on May 16, 2013 by admin

On this episode of the Dorkadia podcast, the staff talks about the importance of player preparation for tabletop RPGs. The consensus seems to be that you need to do more than just show up with a bag of random dice. So take some notes, learn your character sheets, and bring some enthusiasm. These and many more illuminating tips are waiting for you in the podcast.

Download the mp3 file here.

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Marvel Heroes brings familiar heroes and plenty of action

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Charles Spurr

Marvel Heroes Title Screen

It’s virtually impossible to bring up a game like Marvel Heroes without having someone say that it’s “like Diablo”. Genres are like that and expectations can be hard to live up to. I have recently been playing in the beta and I have to say that Marvel Heroes not only delivers the kind of KAPOW action you want from a game based on Marvel’s more popular characters, it does it without feeling like a clone of another game. It truly stands on its own against all opposition. Separate gear for each character, the ability to swap out characters you own on the fly, and voice acting for quick quips in combat all make this game feel amazing. So don your mask and spandex and save the world! Continue reading

Iron Mang 3

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Nick Bergeron

I saw Iron Man 3 this weekend and it was pretty good. Probably the worst of the trilogy, but still a good movie. As a final capstone to the journey of Tony Stark from rich douchebag to rich douchebag dating Gwyneth Paltrow, it functioned admirably. Lots of stuff blowing up, some good character moments, pounding music, and actors that bravely left no bit of scenery unchewed. Let’s take it apart, shall we? Continue reading

Game of Thrones: The Bear and the Maiden Fair

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Reuben Poling

We need to talk about Theon Greyjoy.

Well. That’s not entirely accurate. We don’t need to talk about Theon Greyjoy. I just feel compelled to bring him up, because there has been a lot of screen time spent on the misadventures of Balon Greyjoy’s baby boy and at this point, it’s not really taking us anywhere. One of the downsides of book-to-screen conversion is that unlike ink-and-paper creations, characters with actors attached to them can’t really be shuffled offscreen for years at a time. Sometimes that’s yielded dividends for Game of Thrones, as with Jaime Lannister’s invented Season 2 material and the unexpected prominence of the Tyrell family. And sometimes, well…

Like hell we're posting any pictures of the Theon stuff. Have Bronn & Tyrion bantering instead.

Sometimes you get six minutes of gratuitous NSFW. Have Tyrion & Bronn bantering instead.

Card Hunter Beta: Exceeding All Expectations

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Jon Spengler

I’ve been patiently refreshing my inbox since I heard that Blue Manchu was sending out a new bevy of beta invites for their tactical RPG Card Hunter. I wasn’t lucky enough to get one in the first wave, but much to my F5 button’s relief, Charles was. He knew exactly how frothy I was to get my hands on the game after playing it at PAX 2012, so he reluctantly handed over his beta key to allow me to write this piece.

Card Hunter already seemed like a polished and fun experience at PAX, but demos are a hard beast to judge. Whole teams can be whipped up to create an alluring and functional facade while all that lies behind is a mess of a game. Now that I’ve had the opportunity to spend a few hours with the beta, does Card Hunter deliver the fun experience it promised at PAX?

Fuck yes it does, and more. Continue reading