Tuesday, December 31, 2013

2013 YEARLY ROUND-UP! PART 1! JANURY-JUNE!

 DUMBLEDORE SHOT FIRST PRESENTS
THE 2013 YEARLY ROUND-UP!

2013 is coming to a close and it was another transformative year for Dumbeldore Shot First; this was a whole year without school but, rather than seeing the blog become bloated with articles, I found that less is more. After consistently writing about a dozen articles a week for two years straight, save a few weeks here and there, I've come to the conclusion that half that many is more than enough. Quality over quantity has become my mantra. And yet, I still had a numbers problem when deciding what to write for my final article of the year.

At first, I thought "Top Ten" sounds good...until I realize that I wrote and published 448 articles over the course of the last 52 weeks. Then I thought it would be fun to trim it down to about 24 articles as a nod to my 24th birthday (Dec. 31st, today), but that was still not enough. I probably had about 60 articles but, after trimming away a lot of Pokémon articles, the total remaining on my list came out the convenient double of 24... 48.

So, you were getting the Top 48 articles, in chronological order, of 2013 but instead are getting something pretty damn close; a year I couldn't have survived without my friends, family, and the subjects found within these articles that cover every from Call of Cthulu to MtG Commander and videogamedunkey to a variety of board games. This was a year dominated by Pokémon X & Y and filled with hundreds of hours of League of Legends.

All in all, I think you'll be excited to take a look back with me and forgive me for not being able to chip away more articles from these lists. Part two can be found HERE.

Monday, December 30, 2013

MUSIC MON! SUPER MARIO 3-DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS TRAINED BY STEVE IRWIN!


This is the game I was most excited to find under my Christmas tree. I had bought a Wii-U for cheap and there were two games I knew that I needed-- Super Mario 3D World and Windwaker HD. While I've been waiting a long time to play Windwaker, I'm more excited to play 3D World. After exposing my friends to the chaos that is New Super Mario Bros. Wii-U, I realize that four player 3D platforming would be the best gift I get could myself or my friends.

Also, the soundtrack is phenomenal.


An awesome song you'd love to hear played at your local tavern and a hilarious music video with all of the fixings of such an experience make for a winning combination. My favorite part is clearly the wizard.

Respect the beard.


Speaking of respect, Steve Irwin was a loving father, an inspiring activist and an amazing example of the human animal. He introduced a whole generation to animals and much of the world to Australia with his educational show. This is a guy that you can't look at without seeing someone who enjoys life so much and wants to share nature so much that he won't let a little thing like fear or pain get between him and the animals or the audience and the experience. Most people don't even realize how important his work was to creating awareness and his legacy will leave a huge impact on conservation in Australia for years to come.

The world needs more "Crocodile Hunters" and less Swam People. That's all I'm saying.

Sunday, December 29, 2013

MIXED BAG. TABLETOP TALES! GLOOM REVIEW!

TABLETOP TALES PRESENTS
GLOOM REVIEW!

Designers: Keith Baker
Artist: Scott Reeves
Publishers: Atlas Games
Type: Card Game
Themes: Gothic Horror, Story-Telling, Strategy
# of Players: 2-4
Ages: 13& Up
Time to Play: 30-60 min.
Approx. Price: $15-25

Saturday, December 28, 2013

MIXED BAG. TABLETOP TALES! ELDER SIGN REVIEW!

TABLETOP TALES PRESENTS
ELDER SIGN REVIEW!

Designers: Richard Launius & Kevin Wilson
Artist: Dallas Mehlhoff
Publishers: Fantasy Flight Games
Type: Card Game
Themes: Sci-fi & Fantasy, Horror, Adventure & Strategy
# of Players: 1-8
Ages: 14 & Up
Time to Play: 60-120 min.
Approx. Price: $40-50

Friday, December 27, 2013

EFFED UP FRIDAY! WORD OF THE DAY! 12/27/13!



sacrifice [sak-ruh-fahys]
noun
1. The offering of animal, plant, or human life or of some material possession to a deity, as in propitiation or homage.
2. The person, animal, or thing so offered.
3. The surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.
4. The thing so surrendered or devoted.
5. A loss incurred in selling something below its value. 
verb
7. To make a sacrifice or offering of.
8. To surrender or give up, or permit injury or disadvantage to, for the sake of something else.
9. To dispose of (goods, property, etc.) regardless of profit.

EX. My sacrifice to Chin Chin? My Friday article. For those of you who need to catch up, make sure to check up the other two major components of the Chin Chin chronicles HERE and HERE. As for the rest of this article's sacrifice... I will sacrifice the new female companion of timelord Ash Ketchum to a herd of Rhyhorns.

Candy is dandy, liquor is quicker, but feeding a little girl to rock monsters is priceless.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

WORD OF THE DAY! 12/26/13!

after effects [af-ter-eff-ekts]
noun
1. The secondary reactions to a primary reaction/s.
2. Computers. An Adobe program used by casual users and professionals alike in post-production to primarily add visual effects.

EX. The after effects of a good Christmas? I found a thing. As an after effect, I did a thing. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. (As I wear my David Tennant as the 10th Doctor shirt).

Where is my best friend? I think I left him in the liquor cabinet.

P.S. Took a couple days off to enjoy my two days off in a row. Now, to resume things with a little after Christmas spirit.

Monday, December 23, 2013

MUSIC MONDAY! X-MAS SPECIAL FT. KEVIN MCCALLISTER, THE MARIO BROS, & CAPTAIN PICARD!


This little ditty had me whistling the soundtrack from Home Alone for two nights straight at work and, really, that's the most Christmasy I've felt this season (save when I've spent time with my friends and family). It really makes you appreciate the care and effort put into the film's soundtrack has helped it stand the test of time as a Christmas classic. And the sequel is good too. But the next sequel is kinda suck too.

And the fourth movie is just awful. Terrible. Horrible Awful.


What's better than Danny Avidan and Arin Hanson, of Game Grumps, teaming up for a new band? A new Egoraptor (AKA Arin Hanson) cartoon based on a song from their debut album ft. Rachel Bloom. It puts the classic rivalry of Mario and Luigi on display, over the affections of the fair Princes Peach, and is a fun way to close out the Year of Luigi. It's a fun bit of fan fiction that is pulled right out Game Grumps. I dunno if I think Mario deserves to be portrayed as a sexual maniac and Luigi a soft-spoken and sensitive lover, but I digress. It's pretty frickin' sweet.

This is the best animated work Ego has ever done, in my humble opinion, with a level of detail, style, and visual humor that really shows off his talents that, when combined with the lyrics, creates an awesome story. It's not Christmasy, but it deserves to be seen right now.


Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard from the best Stark Trek, The Next Generation (in my humblest opinion), remixed to sing a Christmas Song? Best Christmas ever.

And if you didn't like one of these videos, even a little...

Sunday, December 22, 2013

WORD OF THE DAY! 12/22/13! SNOWDOWN SHOWDOWN PT.3! (LoL Update)

poro [por-oh]
noun
1. League of Legends. A native beast to the Freljord, these fluff balls are seemingly harmless and useless. If the creatures found on the Howling Abyss are fed Poro-Snax Biscuits, they will grow larger until, after eating ten biscuits, will pop into 7 or 8 poro-lings.

(SOURCE)
And, if I still have your attention (after Part 1 and Part 2), I want to talk about the strongest League champ concept I've thought of so far; Poroporo the Wonder Poro.

Poroporo was a small Poro. But not just the smallest Poro in the adorable explosion that spawned his siblings. Poroporo was the smallest Poro in all of the Freljord. All of the other Poros used to laugh and call Poroporo names. After all, a tiny Poro like Poroporo would never be given any Poro Snax by the terrifying tourists of the Howling Abyss. Then, Nunu tried to eat all of the Poros in Howling Abyss! But Poroporo didn't run around in circles. Poroporo bit Nunu's butt! Nunu ran away from the Abyss on a rampage and neither he nor his little buddy could remove the pest. Poroporo was small but tough! Eventually, they got an Ice Witch to remove the pest but, so inspired by its courage, she took him as a pet and began fattening the little munchkin up. She also enchanted it so that Poroporo would always come back together after popping and eventually Poroporo became the biggest Poroporo in the land... but he still hungered for Yeti and somehow managed to find his way into the Summoner's Rift as the seemingly dopiest champion of all time!

I'm aware the story could be better, but this was improved in about ten minutes...

Poroporo is a melee support champ with a secondary role as a fighter. PP is a tank with the ability to protect lane partners as a living shield.

 
Poroporo's Passive, Nomnom, which would allow PP to grow and gain a stack of Nomnom every time that it uses a consumable (PP has to finish using a healing potion, mana potion, or biscuit to gain a stack). Every time it grows/gains a stack, PP gains defensive stats like health, armor, and magic resistance. Poroporo can have a max of eight stacks. When PP dies, PP loses half of PP's stacks.

Nomnom is a flavorful passive that can be worked into almost all of PP's abilities.

Poroporo's Q is Nog Launch, allowing PP to dash forward and knock up and away all champs in a target area.

Nog Launch is PP's bread and butter ability that gives him a ton of disruption.

Poroporo's W is Chomp Chomp. It is a targeted melee attack where Poroporo bites an enemy minion or champ and roots them for a very short period. If not reactivated, PP will become attached to an enemy champ and gain a stack of Nomnom until the ability is reactivated or PP is disrupted/killed. While attached, the champ is slowed.

This ability allows PP to seek out a single target and stay on target.


Poropro's E is Love Puddles and has two uses: a Passive that allows him to also grow every time that he gains a level.
 
Love Puddles is an activated aura that heals all nearby champions and PP. It drains PP's mana over time. It also gives a small boost to nearby champion MR and Armor based on the number of Nomnom stacks that PP has.

A good support ability that give Poroporo's allies sustain.

Poroporo's R is Poro-Splosion! PP's Ult has PP explode in AoE knocks back allies, enemies, minions, and monsters. PP becomes a swarm of little targetable Poros with increased move speed and attack speed that all act as one unit. The number of Poros is equal to Poroporo's stack of Nomnom. If PP had no stacks, activating R gives PP four stacks of Nomnom. Each of the little Poros has decreased Armor and MR and, if they die, PP loses a stack of Nomnom. By reactivating Poro-Splosion or dying, Poroporo becomes a single target again and returns to normal.

This ability is a great initiate and opens up all sorts of position possibilities. Combined with PP's Q and W, PP can work as a great Jungle.

And, for the first skin, I think it would be fun to have a two-pack! A Mr. and Ms. Poro pack with skins based on Mr. and Ms. Pacman! This not only plays off of the cute glutton theme of Poroporo, it also plays off of the gender neutral theme and the general body shape. It's pretty clever, in my humble opinion.

What do you think of this champ concept? I think it would be a good addition for three reasons:

1. Poros are a creature unique to League of Legends and everyone loves them/

2. Poroporo would be the least humanoid champion ever. This sort of creative addition would add some diversity to the roster.

3. His ability suite is familiar but uniquely PP's own. A disruptive melee tank that focuses on zoning and chasing would be fun.

I'd love to get some feedback on this rather light concept.


Saturday, December 21, 2013

WORD OF THE DAY! 12/21/13! SNOWDOWN SHOWDOWN PT.2! (LoL Update)


showdown [show-down]
noun
1. The laying down of one's cards, face upward, in a card game, especially poker.
2. A conclusive settlement of an issue, difference, etc., in which all resources, power, or the like, are used; decisive confrontation.

EX.  In Part 2, we discuss the 1 V 1/2 V 2 battles that take place in the new mode for Howling Abyss (prolly for a very limited time), Showdown!



Like any mode, you begin by queuing up. In this case, you queue up alone or with a partner and then draft ban three champs each. You then proceed to the Howling Abyss, pick some items, an ability, and make your way to the middle. The deciding factors on who wins Showdown are as follows:

1. First blood or first team to two kills.
2. First enemy tower destroyed.
3. First individual or team to 100 minion last hits.

And that's pretty much it. So how does it stack up?


1 V 1 is a pretty bitter affair suited to settling disputes between players or practicing single lanes, but I think it's not my cup of tea. 2 V 2 is more my speed, as a dual-laner, and has more possibilities for this mode that's meant to be enjoyed in short bursts. 



The biggest issue with this mode is that Howling Abyss is designed in such a linear way that certain champs have the advantage-- control-heavy champs with lots of range that can keep enemies at a distance are always at an advantage on this map because the weakness of those sorts of champs is sneak attacks and being flanked. Since you can't get the jump on your opponents on Howling Abyss (or it's difficult), these champs will always be at an advantage. Especially if they already start out strong at low levels since matches on this map, especially in this mode, take place at early levels. But that's just the challenging nature of this sort of map that is so different than the standard map of Summoner's Rift.

Maybe Magma Chamber would fix this problem? I dunno. Shrug. Still, it's fun and you should definitely check it out... ASAP!

Don't be a sad and lonely Poro.

 Bonus: Dictionary for n00bs HERE.

Friday, December 20, 2013

WORD OF THE DAY! 12/20/13! SNOWDOWN SHOWDOWN PT.1! (LoL Update)



Snowdown Showdown [snow-down-snoh-down]
noun
1. League of Legends. The annual seasonal event in League of Legends that as come every Winter since 2009. The event has a heavy winter theme, with a focus on snow/ice themes & Christmas themes, usually involving a snowy paint of coat on a map/s, gifting events, special bundles, legacy skins, special sales, and other promotions.

EX. This year I got a little indulgent; after all, it's my first Snowdown Showdown and, after buying all of my NuFu buddies some RP, I decided to spoil myself by buying all three of the new Snowdown skins. Today, I think I'll review the three skins and tomorrow I will give my thoughts on the brand new 1 V 1 and 2 V 2 Showdown mode.

P.S. I realize that starting with the skins is a little backwards but that is how it naturally occurred...


I've been playing a lot of Sivir since her most recent VU, being an ADC main and all, and I think this was a pretty good skin. The snowy particles, the big snowflake chakram, and the coordination of elements into her winter wear costume were all pretty well implemented. All in all, it's a pretty passable skin that sits comfortably with other new efforts but doesn't do anything terribly creative or special. That's why I think I can only give it a 3/5.


Singed is a character I have always been fond of using in Top Lane and in Dominion/Twisted Treeline modes. We move more out of just taking an aesthetic theme and get a properly implemented theme with Singed's skin; an outfit that would like right in place in a Disney's Goofy Winter Olympics cartoon, with a silly winter hat, puffy jacket, mittens, scarf, and big ol' winter boots on a lanky body, a big old sled-turned-shield as a melee weapon, snowballs used to slow down foes, and, to pull it all together, a big old "Portablizzard" backpack that mixes a wood-burning stove with a snow machine to hit that spot between silly and awesome. It is put just over the top by a recall animation that has Singed spinning in circles on his sled to give it a solid 4/5.


Oh boy, this skin was so cute that it got me to finally breakdown and buy Lulu (and so far I've been pretty glad I did). Let's get down to business. Poro business.

The hook, line, and sinker of this skin, putting it a tier just above the other skins, is the inclusion of a Poro version of Pix, Lulu's pixie companion. Since the introduction of Poros in Howling Abyss, the fans can't get enough of these little half-Yeti half-Mogwai abominably adorable adorabominations-- you can feed them snacks until they explode into a love puddle of baby Poros! The theme carries over into Lulu's skin with her wintery ensemble complete with fur accents, pointy boots, cute little gloves, and a big hat with a wintery crown. And, of course, we got those adorable ears, big ol' animalistic eys and big smile that brings it all home. Add in appropriate theming like a cute Poro balloon for backing and we've got a perfect skin. 5/5.


And that's the first part of our three part Snowdown Showdown weekend spectacular. Tune in for Part 2 and Part 3 on Saturday and Sunday!

P.S. Also indulged in a Tim Burton-esque skin.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

WTF WED! BUTTFACE MCFARTSALOT PLAYS THE ELEPHANT GARDEN SIMULATOR!


Alrighty then folks! First up is the latest animation effort from hotdiggedydemon in the form of a Pokémon parody in the vein of a John K. cartoon-- complete with grotesquely detailed facial expressions, comic timing, and that full dose of comic violence that would make any overbearing mother write an angry letter.

In other words, it's fantastic.


Then we've got a trippy Samurai Jack-esque that is more psychotropic than the amount of LSD it would take to kill an elephant and more messed up than taking that LSD while standing beside your wife giving birth to quadruplets with the help of a witchdoctor midwife.

In other words, it be WTF.


Last, but certainly not least, this video is a little bit of glitched out hilarity set in the already glitched hilarity that is the Sims 3. If I try to explain what makes this funny, I will probably just confuse you and that's the video's job.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

WORD OF THE DAY! 12/17/13! (LEAGUE OF LEGENDS UPDATE)



toxic [tok-sik]
adjective
1. Video games. Used to describe a hostile or unfair player/s or game mechanic/s that create an imbalanced or unpleasant game experience for one, some, or all of the other players.

insta-lock [in-stuh-lawk]
verb
1. League of Legends. To pick a player/lane without the consent or consideration of your teammates.

EX. I've talked a little bit about teamwork before and shared the Teamwork OP video from Riot a few months ago, but today I want to talk about what happens when players, admins, and game makers don't work together to create a fun and fair game experience.


I still play with Team NUFU, as much as I can. I talked about them in an article in September (check it out HERE). Aceofspadescard mains support on our team and, mostly without our knowledge, saw fit to record some of our recent matches for the funnier parts and best moments. Posted directly above is a link to a recent game we played that started out very toxic-- the Volibear player on our team insta-locked Volibear without picking a lane, forcing Ace as Yasuo to mid, leading to some frustration in the first half of the match. The Volibear was very toxic, from the get-go, criticizing other players and generally being a useless slab of bear meat. The video above shows us shutting down their team (I'm playing as Jungle Vi) and, eventually, would carry us to a win.

We won because of skill, luck, and/but, most importantly, teamwork.

Monday, December 16, 2013

MUSIC MON! TEAM FORTRESS 2: NEVER HAD A WRECKING BALL FOREVER AND ALWAYS!


This week we're keeping things light with a trio of machinima music videos through the venue of Team Fortress 2 (download it for free today):

So, first up, we have the over-the-top sugar and rainbows saturated mess that is the theme of Robot Unicorn. It's a pretty well done little bit of animation with some solid mouth animation and facial expression of Scout on the screen.


Then, we've got a nice homage to the recent "classic" from Miley Cyrus but, rather than being performed by a scrawny pop star with daddy issues, it is being performed by a human wrecking ball with sandvich issues.


And, speaking of "sandvich", we've got a Disney's Aladdin (1992) vidja for your video viewing pleasure.

I wish there was more, but that's all f-f-f-folks! Tune in next week for a Christmas themed Music Monday.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

WORD OF THE DAY! 12/15/13!

winspirational [win-spuh-rehy-shuh-nuhl]
adjective
1. The inspiration given by fans to the their hero to win.
2. Something that invokes someone to become the fan of a winner.

EX. Miles Scott made headlines back in November. Not because he ruined an award show or started a political scandal. Miles Scott saved San Fransisco and, in the process, Miles and the city of San Fransisco restored the collective faith of millions in humanity. Miles Scott isn't just any kid, after all. Miles Scott is Batkid! And here is his winspirational story...

Miles Scott is only five and, like Batman dealing out justice to the crooks and criminals of Gotham, has put his leukemia into remission. The Make-A-Wish Foundation, an organization made-up of heroes that would make the Justice League proud, managed to bring Miles Scott's comic book dream into reality.

Thousands of citizens came out in support of their little champion, buying t-shirts dedicated to his bravery (with the proceeds going to charity), and cheered Batkid on as he foiled a bankrobbery, saved several hostages (including a seal mascot), defeated the Riddler, and ended up not just saving the day, but inspiring the people of this city to never give up.

Batkid's is not just the hero Gotham that deserves, but the one it needs right now. So we'll support him. Because, together, we can take on anything. He's not just a hero. He's a symbol. A rally cry for adults everywhere. A bright light. The Dark Knight.

P.S. Make sure to donate and support charities like the Make-A-Wish Foundation nationally, and in your local area, that help children like Miles Scott every day.

It can be as simple as saying "sure, why not" with a slightly amused smile when someone asks if you want to donate a dollar to St. Jude after ordering your pizza or buying a movie ticket.

You can be a hero or, at the very least, you can help a hero.