It's the bundle time of the year.

Well, let's face it, we all secretly adore that trend that took over the forums during 2010. A random combination of words, approved by ddq, and created by Snake was taken over by Ben304 and into a game, that created a RON-like universe.

So Ponch, a mastermind behind bundles (or so I keep hearing), has decided to force me to finish my paper and also has forced two other forumites to make a 3-game bundle.

The Oceanhumble Dennisbundle

GET IT BY CLICKING ON THE RED

First up, Ghost serves up a peek into Dennis' childhood:

1. THE SHINDIG OF DENNIS

Then Ponch kills some time with Ray in The City:

2. A TASTE OF MAN CAKE

And finally Ben304 takes us to strange new places:

3. LOL, OCEANSPIRIT DENNIS

AGS History X: Lesson 1 - You thought I'd never find out

Well, it's bad news people. I have found the link to the old AGS forums. I'm going to track what I always craved, but in the meanwhile, your darker secrets are no good.

To help those following the blog remember:

Topic: "My music making days are over!!" by Mods
or well, let's go for a really cheesy one

Page: The best fact page. Sorry the really cool links don't work, but you will see the following:
-Announcement of the first RON game.
-Mods first attempt to Mittens
-Yahtzee posting in the AGS forums


Topic: "Where to go with these forums" by Chris Jones (Pumaman's secret identity.
See how Chris Jones moved the forums from Eg-zboards to UK.

Topic:"Evil Night" by Snake.
See what was Snake working on before Leitor's edge..

Also self-note: RickJ used to be rickj42? You sneaky!!

Going Postal

What with a postal strike looming in the UK it time to go postal and read up JD's nice long review of The Postman Only Dies Once, which not only is a Reality-on-the-Norm game but was also written by none other than Dave Gilbert who some of you may have heard of.

I had a wee cough

Or was that a week off? Anyway, lots happened while I was off visiting Beijing:

JD reviewed The Reposessor and Mr Danger's contest.

Grundislav gave a sneak peak of a Ben Jordan car chase!

MAGS June began with new host Dualnames and the theme Sellout.

Dave Gilbert found an article on RoN in PC Gamer UK

Reality on the Wiki

Well, Reality-on-the-Norm has opened up its new wiki and its new website. Not much there yet, so feel free to contribute!

A new home for RON

Well, looks like Reality-on-the-Norm will take CJ up on his offer of hosting, as a new forum has appeared over on the AGS forums, dedicated to RON. You can go there and discuss the re-organisation of RON games amongst other things...

Doggone it

There's reports that The Home of the Underdogs, which introduced many to AGS games and hosted Reality-on-the-Norm may have died. Not sure what this means for RON's future either.

However, if you speak Russian, you may find that the new Russian AGS forum is your cup of tea (or samovar?)

H.A.M: Hats, Androids, Mika

It appears that February is coming hot for AGS..well, at least I hope it will.

-Hatmaker's tale:

MashPotato has just told us about her new project, she's working on. And she's giving out her development blog to free eyes .. The artwork is low-resolution but of very high quality..and well the game looks really really cute. It's about slimes and books. And castles. It seems like a really cheerful adventure, we'll have our hands on, when it's done, that it managed to put a smile on my face.

-Edge of Reality is now reality..?!:

Well, yes, indeed. One of the biggest AGS projects (time as size) ever, and the biggest RON game ever to come out, this is probably the best way to revive the RON series. And that is be releasing a game that contains all the elements of RON games we loved. It's weird that this one started as one of the first RON games, and now it ended up as the last one. Nine years in production, but Mika is the playable character on this one, and she's on her way to solve mysterious disappearances that are occuring at the neighbourhood.

-Annie Android: Automated Affection or How to get laid with a robot:

Ben304, has finished another short little cute game. This one is as good looking (and even better) than his previous one, and this one has a weird but yet attractive story to tie in his sprite magic. Annie Android, a female robot, really wants to bang the rocks with Mailbot but she has another partner.

-Things to check out:

Yahtzee is going to run a Gameshow..with two co-hosts. A gameshow you'll see him talk, instead or hear him. Hope he puts a full stop every couple of paragraphs. Go here to see more info or Alt+X. The show is called Game Damage unless I got brain damage.

Reality on the Tube

Dave Gilbert did a brief history of RON in a presentation which you too can enjoy on YouTube. More background in the forum thread on the same.

RONimation

The dudes over on the Reality-on-the Norm forums are appealing for people to animate the non-animated characters in the RON resource pack, so if you feel like animating, get over there now.

Nothing butt the naked truth.

Title: Reality-on-the-Norm: Au Naturel
Author: Bitby
Release date: 18 May 2008
Playtime: 10 minutes
Size: 2.4Mb

This game was released some time ago already (a month to be precise) but I thought I'd wait until all discussions were done with. Because there was more to do about the acceptance in the database than there was to do about the game itself. And I still don't get it.

Let's be honest. The game isn't about the graphics. Being a Reality-On-The-Norm game, it's all in a downloadable pack for you (except for some extended parts (ahem...) here and there). It isn't about the story. Pictures got in the wrong hands and you want them back. And it isn't about the puzzles. It's the standard get this from there and bring that to here. I'm not really that impressed by the game.

The real fun of the game isn't in the game but in the world you play in. Just look at things, browse, try and have fun. Laugh about the humoristic responses, the twists in the dialogs, the monologues of the bum, the beer drinking of Death. That's where the power of the game is. That's where I had fun.

And the nudity? Oh well, as a publicity stunt it's a nice addition. Personally I don't bother. You'll get a huge warning at the start and you can choose if you want the private parts to be covered or not. And I don't understand all the commotion about the nudity. I was more shocked by the visual effects of the explosion in the Yahtzeebrand. But I never heard anyone discuss that. Why not? Because we see that every day, right? Kids be warned!

Common sense prevails

Hard to believe it, but common sense seems to have prevailed over in RON-land. Au Naturel has been added to their games database, so innocent young minds now have a choice on where to download their corrupting influences from. This came after a campaign from RON contributors asking for their stuff to be withdrawn from the site in protest, a boycotting of French Fries and Ron Jeremy threatened to rename himself Freedom Jeremy. The final straw came when yours truly threatened to remove his one piece of fanart from the site which was too much for the admins to bear and the capitulated.

Of course, the whole thing was probably just a publicity stunt to try and kick-start RON.

pRON RONtroversy

The much-acclaimed RON game Au Naturel which, as its name suggests, features some nudity has attracted controversy by being banned from the RON games database. RON admins did not want to face the problems of trying to prevent minors from downloading this piece of disgusting filth. However, others have pointed out there there's already plenty of disgusting filth in the RON database anyway. If you dare face its corrupting influence, you can still download it from the liberal wishy-washy muck peddlars at the AGS Games database. Thanks to Dave Gilbert for the heads up. In the ensuing debate he described it as the best RON game since 2005, so perhaps its a bit of a Botticelli?