Gaming Podcast Discussion [Archive] - Quarter To Three Forums

MSUSteve

07-22-2008, 08:24 AM

I'm not sure about you guys, but I listen to a lot of gaming podcasts during my morning and afternoon commutes. I love listening to them, but I often find myself wanting to react to what's been said and to learn how others feel about particular episodes and whatnot. I realize that the various gaming sites have boards with threads dedicated to their podcast output, but I'd like to try a discussion thread here in order to avoid the jerks and morons that tend to clog up those boards. Anyway, if I'm the only one that cares, the thread will die a quick death and we can forget it ever happened.

I'm still plowing my way through the epic 3 hour 1upYours from last Friday. It's an E3 wrapup show that quickly dissolves into drunken shouting. It's too bad because they had a lot of great guests on, that many times couldn't seem to get a word in edgewise. Shane in particular dominated the conversation.

My biggest takeaway from the podcast so far is that they completely wussed out when Randy Pitchford was on. Just a day or two before Shawn Elliott had been on ripping Gearbox's presentation of Borderlands, yet Garnett and Shane never took the opportunity to ask Pitchford about it. I would've loved to have heard his counter to Shawn's assessment that the presentation was way too "rah rah".

I did enjoy Denis Dyack taking a chance to rip Unreal Engine 3 a little bit. I wish he'd gone into specific criticisms of the engine to support his statement that it's not good, especially in light of the fact that a lot of pretty good games have been made with it.

moromete

07-22-2008, 08:42 AM

1up is sometimes interesting, but the Gamers with Jobs podcast, or the Conference Call as they call it, is always a joy to listen, being more a discussion around games than a discussion specifically about games...

MSUSteve

07-22-2008, 08:48 AM

I've never listened to that podcast, but I'll definitely check it out. I'm definitely a gamer with a job. Do they approach games more from the perspective of fans that are busy with their lives as opposed to dedicated games journalists? That sounds really interesting.

Cyranix

07-22-2008, 09:01 AM

I'd like to try a discussion thread

There are so many topics per podcast (and a fair number of podcasts) that it might not be feasible to contain all discussion in one thread. If a topic from a podcast warrants a thread, I'm sure you'll find some people here who are willing to discuss it. (Personally, I listen to the 1UP podcasts excluding Legendary Thread and Sports Anomaly, plus GWJ.)

As for the latest 1UP Yours, I enjoyed the poolside podcast probably as much as I enjoyed the first one. I don't really blame them for not pressing their guests on many issues, though -- they weren't trying to mix too much business into the pleasure of unwinding. (N'Gai Croal in particular sounded like he needed to be poured into a taxi or a bed.) A few interesting comments came out, sure, but I didn't head into it expecting the pinnacle of hard-hitting professionalism.

Oh, and about Shane dominating the conversation -- take a look at any of the recent 1UP Show episodes which feature a "group discussion" and estimate what percentage of it is Solid Shane. Maybe it's the editing, but I've definitely noticed that he gets a lot of air time.

MSUSteve

07-22-2008, 09:08 AM

There are so many topics per podcast (and a fair number of podcasts) that it might not be feasible to contain all discussion in one thread. If a topic from a podcast warrants a thread, I'm sure you'll find some people here who are willing to discuss it.

Yeah, that might be the case. I guess we'll see. I prefer the 1up podcasts over others, so my posts would typically revolve around their stuff, but I will listen to some of the IGN podcasts, along with the OXM podcast if 1up's podcasts aren't enough to get me through the week. Typically only a handful of things ever strike me as worth discussion per podcast, so I tend to think it's feasible to distill discussion to a single thread, but I surely could be wrong.

As for the latest 1UP Yours, I enjoyed the poolside podcast probably as much as I enjoyed the first one. I don't really blame them for not pressing their guests on many issues, though -- they weren't trying to mix too much business into the pleasure of unwinding. (N'Gai Croal in particular sounded like he needed to be poured into a taxi or a bed.) A few interesting comments came out, sure, but I didn't head into it expecting the pinnacle of hard-hitting professionalism.

Oh, and about Shane dominating the conversation -- take a look at any of the recent 1UP Show episodes which feature a "group discussion" and estimate what percentage of it is Solid Shane. Maybe it's the editing, but I've definitely noticed that he gets a lot of air time.

Ha ha! Yeah, I wasn't trying to rip 1upYours too much, but it was less interesting with all the shouting and off mic discussion. Just a wasted opportunity with the glut of talent there. Still, I do appreciate them letting us in on that discussion, which I think would've happened whether they were podcasting or not.

I think Shane dominates discussions on podcasts and on the 1upShow partially because that's how he is, but also because he has an opinion on most things. Sometimes he has an opinion on stuff he clearly doesn't know much about, but for the most part the guy is pretty tuned in.

qbakies

07-22-2008, 09:17 AM

I listen to 10-12 podcasts per week and always find myself wanting to talk about something they said but I hate the general forums on those sites. If you're just listening to 1up podcasts your missing out. Gamers with Jobs, Drunken Gamers Radio, Joystiq, and IGN Gamescoop are all good too. Also, the Totally Rad Show is a great weekly geek show that I recommend.

As far as the epic E3 1up Yours podcast, I thought it was amusing. It was way too scattershot to be terribly informative but it was still fun to listen too. I wish Totillo and Croal would start a podcast. I'd be interested to hear their opinions but I don't like their blogs.

Fozzle

07-22-2008, 09:17 AM

(N'Gai Croal in particular sounded like he needed to be poured into a taxi or a bed.)
twitter twitter twitter...I think perhaps he was twittered out.

I like the podcast. I do miss the griefer guy however (Shaun?). The show where he was describing a particularly hilarious session of persistent GTA worlds online was brilliant. Killer clowns with dildos attacking player run police and running out of the jail is win in any book.

The E3 podcast was good I thought. I like their informal format in general, because it just seems like what you always get is an honest opinion of what they thought about the things they have seen the previous week. It's far less "scripted" then some other podcasts feel like.

I actually liked it a lot better then the previous week's diatribe about the dangers of professional opinions... (metacritic)

MSUSteve

07-22-2008, 09:29 AM

Gamers with Jobs, Drunken Gamers Radio, Joystiq, and IGN Gamescoop are all good too. Also, the Totally Rad Show is a great weekly geek show that I recommend.
I do usually check out Gamescoop! each week, but to me that (and Podcast Beyond) have devolved into a lot of squealing and yelling. The schtick on those shows is growing a little old, though Daemon Hatfield does a good job on Gamescoop despite all that.

I'll check out your recommendations on podcasts for sure. I tried to watch the Totally Rad Show way back when they first had the guy on 1upYours, but I couldn't get it to display smoothly on the decrepit laptop I use to watch stuff while I run on the treadmill.

Oh, and did anyone else think it was hilarious when they took some jabs and Mielke's interviewing "skills" on the last 1upYours? I thought I was the only one that noticed in every interview he does (at least on the 1upShow) it's always, "Your game is awesome. How awesome is your game?"

MSUSteve

07-28-2008, 06:51 AM

I just started listening to 1upYours from 7/25 and I thought the discussion about NCAA 09 was pretty interesting. In particular I thought Garnett's comments, or lack thereof, about the new one man reviews in EGM and Todd Zuniga's A- for NCAA 09 were interesting. Both Garnett and David Ellis pointed out some problems with the game that they thought were significant, but they didn't come right out and criticize Todd's review. I know that A- has been the cause of some discussion and disagreement. My only comment on NCAA 09 is they STILL haven't fixed passed out to the flat. If you throw the ball to a guy that's running toward the sideline, he will, no matter how much field he in front of him, run straight out of bounds. That's pretty frustrating.

I also completed my first listen of the Giant Bombcast and really enjoyed. It's like listening to an old school Hotspot podcast, without Rich Gallup. I'll definitely be adding the Bombcast to the rotation.

Rob_Merritt

07-28-2008, 07:02 AM

I listen to the PC gamer podcast. Its not great but its nice and relaxing most times.

I have a love hate relationship with games for windows podcast. I haven't listen to it for weeks but I had to check out the episode with Rod Humble. I don't know if any real Sims info was talked about. I made it as far as Elliot wanting to talking about the sex lives of Jeff's and Rod's kids when I had to shut it off.

I was listening to the bombcast. As it was said before, its like gamespot of old. However since the website isn't going to be all that, I'm planning on dropping it.

1up is just too freakin long.

Just can't find a really great gaming based podcast anymore.

MSUSteve

07-28-2008, 07:36 AM

When do you typically listen to podcasts Rob? I listen to them on my commute, so length is never an issue. I can see how it might be if I had to settle in and just sit there to listen to a podcast at home.

As for the Bombcast, what does the layout of the site have to do with your enjoyment of the podcast? I'm legitimately asking, not trying to be a dick.

The Rod Humble GFW Podcast was great, but if you want a big discussion of the Sims, it didn't deliver much of that. Rod was very funny and interesting though. I'd fully support him being on the podcast full time. That's how good I thought he was. I thought the constant inquiries into what Rod's wife thought of his gaming habits to be a little strange. Jeff and Shawn sort of went back and forth for a while asking Rod all about his wife's opinions, past the point where it made any sense to continue doing so.

Troy S Goodfellow

07-28-2008, 07:40 AM

Just can't find a really great gaming based podcast anymore.

Gamers With Jobs podcast. It has just the right mix of people gabbing about games and a clearly laid out agenda.

If I only catch one podcast a week, this is the one.

Troy

EvilIdler

07-28-2008, 07:43 AM

Game Theory isn't too bad. Not-GfW Radio tends to drift before you even click play :/

psu_13

07-28-2008, 07:44 AM

MSUSteve

07-28-2008, 08:09 AM

Shadari

07-28-2008, 08:43 AM

The GWJ show is also very well produced. You can understand who is talking and what they are saying. They don't talk over each other, much. They have a pretty well defined, although flexible, format so you know what to expect. They use good mics and a high quality mix, etc.
One other cool aspect of the GWJ podcast is that the people on it aren't scared of being blatant fanboys. But it's all in good fun. This is the type of thing that would never work on a typical messageboard because you can't joke about anything without someone getting super offended.

Jeff Green

07-28-2008, 09:23 AM

I'm a little surprised at how many people don't like GFW Radio. It might just be my favorite podcast. Yeah, it tends to ramble, but I actually like that about it. It covers a lot of topics and is always entertaining. It also never devolves into shouting and overtalking, which sometimes happens with 1upYours.

That would be your backlash in full effect, which is fine.

The discussion last week with Rod re: his wife and his gaming habits is probably my fault. That's just a pet topic of mine, as a hardcore gamer in his 40s with a non-gaming wife. So if I meet someone in a similar situation, I'm interested in probing the dynamic. If it went on too long or whatever, that's my fault for finding interesting what may bore the daylights out of others. :)

Duly noted for the future. (And next time, Rod, you can tell me to shut up!)

Troy S Goodfellow

07-28-2008, 09:38 AM

I thought the Rod Humble podcast was fine, since it addressed a question that I've always been interested in: Do producers and PR people know when they are showing a crappy game?

Troy

MSUSteve

07-28-2008, 09:44 AM

The discussion last week with Rod re: his wife and his gaming habits is probably my fault. That's just a pet topic of mine, as a hardcore gamer in his 40s with a non-gaming wife. So if I meet someone in a similar situation, I'm interested in probing the dynamic. If it went on too long or whatever, that's my fault for finding interesting what may bore the daylights out of others. :)

Duly noted for the future. (And next time, Rod, you can tell me to shut up!)
I didn't mean to say it ruined the podcast by any means. I found the answers interesting to a point, but it just went past that a little bit. My girlfriend and I live together and she doesn't play games at all. She certainly doesn't hang out with me while I play games, but I also don't worry about what she thinks or if she "approves". I'm sure it's a little different for you married guys, especially those with kids, but I never feel the need to have my girlfriend's approval or permission to play games.

Equis

07-28-2008, 10:07 AM

Another vote for the Gamers with Jobs podcast.

There are several things I love about them that set them aside from either GFW radio (sorry Mr Green) or Game Theory (Sorry Mr Whitta). They have a clearly laid out format that allows for a lot of flexibility in discussion. Basically, its Games they playing right now (talk about those) ----> Topic of the week, which ranges from how they feel about sandbox gameplay to AOC: love it or hate it -----> emails, which they will willingly disagree with their fans.

They're also unashamed about admitting their positions, so you can feel free to disagree with them and call them idiots. They don't mind. They have high quality mikes, and is a generally well produced podcast, and everyone talks like they've been friends for years, freely ribbing on each other and making in jokes you'll get if you listen for some time. It's like hanging out with a bunch of gamer friends.

Also, lately, they've been roping in some awesome interviews with gaming celebrities. Felicia Day, John Carmack, Ken Levine, Turbine, etc. It's cool to listen to a lot of designers actually given free reign to talk about how they design, rather than the end user feedback.

Hylo

07-28-2008, 01:15 PM

And here's another person for Gamers with Jobs. I've come to realize in the past few weeks that GWJ hits my demographic pretty perfectly, as even when they get off topic (Dr. Horrible discussions or D&D 4th Edition, as recent examples), I'm still very interested.

I used to enjoy the Gamespot podcast, but the turnover has drastically affected the show.

Rob_Merritt

07-28-2008, 01:35 PM

When do you typically listen to podcasts Rob? I listen to them on my commute, so length is never an issue.

During the commute as well but I only travel about an hour a day. Thus anything longer than an hour takes multiple days and I feel it just drags hearing people talking about the same thing multiple days in a row.

As for the Bombcast, what does the layout of the site have to do with your enjoyment of the podcast?

If I don't follow a website or a magazine, I don't have any interest in what those people have to say.

Gamers With Jobs podcast. It has just the right mix of people gabbing about games and a clearly laid out agenda.

I'll have to try it again. I remember listening to it for a month in 2006 I think and it really didn't clicked with me.

MSUSteve

07-28-2008, 01:48 PM

If I don't follow a website or a magazine, I don't have any interest in what those people have to say.
Fair enough. So long as I listen to the podcast long enough for me to care about the hosts' opinions, the website/magazine doesn't mean much to me. Case in point: I love 1up's podcasts, but I don't tend to visit 1up.com for much else (though I do subscribe to EGM and GFW when it was around).

fuzzyslug

07-28-2008, 01:53 PM

I used to enjoy the Gamespot podcast, but the turnover has drastically affected the show.

Agreed. If you haven't gathered it from the conversation above, the old Gamespot crew is now over at GiantBomb.com. The giant bomb podcast is essentially the old Gamespot one as a result.

Moggraider

07-28-2008, 02:27 PM

If I don't follow a website or a magazine, I don't have any interest in what those people have to say.

You're not making much sense. It's not like they're going to talk about the website or mag all the time (though they did do one focused on the site when it launched recently). Best not to listen to GWJ either cuz they don't have a magazine!

OblivionSHO

07-28-2008, 02:31 PM

PC Gamer Podcast, Gamers with Jobs, and GFW Radio are the ones I listen to. I really like PCGamer Podcast and Gamers with Jobs. GFW radio is decent, but seems to go WAY off topic. Feels too much like just a bunch of guys sitting around and BS'ing... plus, I can't listen to it at work since they swear like sailors.

Rob_Merritt

07-28-2008, 02:41 PM

Best not to listen to GWJ either cuz they don't have a magazine!

But I do read their website articles.

madkevin

07-28-2008, 02:54 PM

That would be your backlash in full effect, which is fine.

Ah, fuck the haters. I love your podcast.

perrinbar

07-28-2008, 03:25 PM

I'm a fan of both 1up Yours and GFW Radio. It's always a week to week thing though in that sometimes, mostly on 1up Yours, things can get a bit out of hand. However, I think they've both shown that they can have some very interesting discussion about games and gaming. I'll say though that Shawn Elliott, Jeff Green and John Davison will always pull me to a podcast, for differing reasons, but I like listen to what all three of them have to say. I miss the more regular production of the gamasutra podcasts, but I think that just has to do with Tom Kim's schedule. The backlog there is pretty sweet though.

Gendal

07-28-2008, 04:00 PM

Yep, Gamers with Jobs followed by Games for Windows radio. If Green joined GwJ then I could happily retire GfW.

If it's an interesting topic or interview then 1up yours gets a listen too.

EvilIdler

07-28-2008, 09:10 PM

I don't hate Not-Gfw Radio 2006 (or whatever year they think it is :), but it DOES drift a bit ;)

Added GwJ to my subscriptions..now I have a huge backlog of radio, too :(

merryprankster

07-28-2008, 11:33 PM

Just cuious what games people play while listening to podcasts? I'm partial to either Skate of Civ Rev, both of which play fine without sound.

Supertanker

07-28-2008, 11:39 PM

GFW and 1UP Yours are the first two I listen to (being of a similar aged demographic to Mr. Green, I appreciate his participation), then Legendary Thread and The Instance for WoW news & discussion.

On the second tier, I squeeze in the PCGamer podcast if I'm on the road a lot in a particular week. I'll have to give GiantBomb a try, it seems.

It was just a limited series, but I enjoyed the Penny Arcade series that Dragon Magazine recently did. I was afraid that listening to a podcast of web comic creators playing D&D would cause a Geek Black Hole, but I happily survived. I just can never mention that to non-geeks, ever.

Scott Kevill

07-28-2008, 11:39 PM

I listen to them while jogging, and sometimes while driving.

Can't imagine playing games at the same time, as I tend to focus better on a single task at a time. :)

Scott Kevill

07-28-2008, 11:41 PM

Hah! And after that comment my post title amusingly changed to "Good Shape."

EvilIdler

07-29-2008, 12:10 AM

These things go well with Puzzle Quest or other games where I'm sick of the noises. Also any MMO.

MSUSteve

07-29-2008, 06:46 AM

I'm almost done with the 7/25 1upYours. During the E3 wrapup discussion I laughed out loud when Shane was criticizing the MS press conference and said he wished they had shown some Games for Windows games. This comment came amidst him defending the Sony presser (which I think has been unfairly bagged on) and trying to downplay the effectiveness of the MS presser. I don't disagree that showing some GFW stuff would've been cool, but I know for a fact that Shane couldn't care less about playing PC games. I thought it was a little off (though somewhat characteristic) that he downplayed the RE5 portion of the MS presser too. I have a feeling that had that been in Sony's press conference, he might've had a different reaction. It's interesting to me to see people's biases come out like that.

zengonzo

07-29-2008, 06:56 AM

He's ridiculous. I don't mind his presence so much when there is a good, logical counter, but when he gets going and nobody is around to verbally shut him down it can really make the show painful.

MSUSteve

07-29-2008, 07:05 AM

You're right about that zen, but that didn't happen this week on 1uY. David Ellis, Garnett Lee, and John Davison all disagreed, especially with regard to the RE5 stuff, and Shane was reigned in. He even said that MS had the best presser because of the FFXIII announcement. I didn't mean to crap on Shane too much, I just thought the GFW comment was priceless coming from him. Shane rightly pointed out Sony's phenomenal PSN titles as part of his Sony defense strategy. I just thought criticizing MS for showing some of the biggest multiplatform titles during their presser wasn't really fair.

divorced

07-29-2008, 08:23 AM

Just cuious what games people play while listening to podcasts? I'm partial to either Skate of Civ Rev, both of which play fine without sound.

Only while playing Madden or NCAA Football as the announcing gets very repetitve very quickly. Anything else and listening would be a distraction.

Gabe Lewis

07-29-2008, 10:02 AM

Complaining about GFW-radio drifting off topic is like complaining about drunken hobos drinking. They could clean up but aren't they more entertaining the way they are?

Ok, sorry about the tortured metaphor, that took way too long to conjure. But honestly them going off topic is the reason I kept listening in the first place.

I'm bothered by some game enthusiasts having such a myopic view of games. Having the flexibility to relate gaming to the larger world is what makes the show unique, even if that sometimes means they'll speak more to the tangential than not.

zengonzo

07-29-2008, 10:06 AM

To what are you referring? The general idea, or did someone say something here specifically?

Technically-speaking, considering that they don't have very many Games for Windows games to talk about, they by necessity have to be off-topic to put out a show.

Rock8man

07-29-2008, 10:09 AM

He was responding to Jeff Green's post, I believe, where Jeff implied he'd try to reign in his topic drift.

BlueJackalope

07-29-2008, 10:09 AM

Only while playing Madden or NCAA Football as the announcing gets very repetitve very quickly. Anything else and listening would be a distraction.

Add NBA2K8 and just about any sports game.

I also listen to them at work (headphones).

MSUSteve

07-29-2008, 10:12 AM

To what are you referring? The general idea, or did someone say something here specifically?
A few people complained about GFW's meandering focus earlier in the thread. I understand that the approach they have could be somewhat divisive, but myself, I love it. I don't check in on GFW for my up to the minute gaming news and discussion. I listen because I want to hear Shawn Elliott, Jeff Green, and Robert Ashley talk about what's going on and what they've been up too.

zengonzo

07-29-2008, 10:21 AM

What I can't stand in many other podcasts is when they crack up all over one another over lame jokes, and can't stop being intentionally wacky, and yell all at once like the back of a school bus.

Even when they meander on their subjects, 1up Yours and GFW both do a pretty good job of keeping the production on track - remembering that people are actually going to be listening to the thing after it's been recorded.

JPR

07-29-2008, 10:45 AM

That would be your backlash in full effect, which is fine.

GFW Radio is the only podcast that I look forward to listening to, and I'm always sorry when it's over. I don't care that much about hearing a 2 minute discussion about gaming headlines, and I don't care that much about hearing hardware numbers, and I don't care that much about what uses waggle and is for babies.

What I do care about is hearing intelligent people have long and nuanced coversations about context (I like the game stuff, too). None of the other podcasts I've listened to come anywhere near the topics that you guys spend most of your time talking about, and it's a huge hole in the market that you are filling. When you have guests, you get much better material out of them than other podcasts, too.

I would love to pay you guys to do 4 hours of podcast a week instead of 1.5-2. If you got Jeff, Robert, Shawn, etc together with occasional guests (I'd like to hear Tom on there sometime, by the way), I would happily give you $10 or $15 a month, and I bet I'm not the only one. Granted $10 a month doesn't pay for 16 hours of anybody's time, but still...

MSUSteve

07-29-2008, 10:46 AM

What I can't stand in many other podcasts is when they crack up all over one another over lame jokes, and can't stop being intentionally wacky, and yell all at once like the back of a school bus.

I see you've been listening to Podcast Beyond. That podcast has really gotten carried away with the "morning zoo" style.

zengonzo

07-29-2008, 10:53 AM

Right on the money, Steve.

Moggraider

07-29-2008, 11:23 AM

Podcast Beyond is better wacky than how it used to be - boring.

Jeff Green, don't change a thing.

Rod Humble

07-29-2008, 11:37 AM

I really enjoyed doing the GFW podcast. It was a good time. I think its developed a style of its own which is rather refreshing. My only regret is I didnt manage to turn the conversation to questions gamers and devs have about game reviewers/journo's and get some old war stories out of those guys, of which they have legion. Next time!

zengonzo

07-29-2008, 11:50 AM

I really enjoyed that one, Rod. Thought you lent a great perspective to the discussion. Hope to hear you on again soon.

Podcast Beyond is better wacky than how it used to be - boring.

I haven't listened in a few weeks - it's a last resort at this point. I'd say I can most easily ignore the wackiness, but when they shout at once for brief stretches and I can't even hear anything, I turn it off.

MSUSteve

07-29-2008, 11:54 AM

My only regret is I didnt manage to turn the conversation to questions gamers and devs have about game reviewers/journo's and get some old war stories out of those guys, of which they have legion. Next time!
I think this means you have to make a return to GFW Radio, preferably sometime soon.

Roc Gaude

08-07-2008, 11:26 PM

Gaming podcasts are a staple in my weekly listening routine so I have to chime in here.

GFW Radio is, by far, my favorite show. To me, the mix of personallities is perfect. The group is just so relaxed about the whole thing which allows the humor to be entirely natural. The most recent episode with Rabbit from GWJ (Episode 8/7/08) encapsulates everything that I love about the show.

Gamers With Jobs is also a great show. That Elysium guy sure is hoot. For a bunch of "gamers with jobs", I'm constantly amazed at how much time they spend playing MMORPG's and Sins of a Solar Empire (minimum 4 hour play session). Man, I want their job.

The GiantBombcast is my guilty pleasure. I loved the HotSpot when it was Gerstmann and Gallup. Now that Jeff and company are in full swing, their show has gotten extremely opinionated and it's much better for it. The views they take on games really sway much differently then the those found on IGN/GameSpot/1UP and it's pretty refreshing.

Next, 1UP Yours. With all it's lineup shifts and tribulations, it's still my official "weekend confirmation". Sometimes, it's hard to love it but it's still a consistantly great show. Anytime John's on, the show seems tighter. Garnett's a tolerable goof and Shane's a necessary evil but, largely, it wouldn't be 1UP Yours without 'em.

Lastly, while not completely a gaming podcast, my favorite one of the video variety is the Totally Rad Show. That show is just 100% fun with 0% pretentiousness...and I love that.

zengonzo

08-08-2008, 04:48 AM

Rob_Merritt

08-08-2008, 05:14 AM

That said, I would like to try me some oat milk.

Speaking of podcasts, Gary Whitta was on PC Gamer again this week.

zengonzo

08-08-2008, 06:14 AM

PC Gamer, that's one I've meant to try .. They have any good milk recommendations?

Bahimiron

08-08-2008, 06:26 AM

I love GFW. It's one of the three podcasts I look forward to most and it is the gaming podcast I look forward to most.

PC Gamer is better these days now that Greg Vederman and Norm Chan are gone. Less of them means less enabling of Dan Stapleton's boner for shitting on consoles, which means they can actually talk about games more often. It also means there's more room for Logan's unique brand of lunacy.

Oh, and for Shawn Elliott, it was Karol Wojtyła.

MSUSteve

08-08-2008, 06:35 AM

I tried Bombcast the other day and I couldn't get through the whole thing. At a minimum, every other comment seemed to have to be ultra-snarky, and they spent so much time on hemp milk that I had to skip forward forward. I had to do this numerous times because they kept fucking talking about hemp milk.
I totally understand your reaction to this latest episode zen. I was pretty irritated at the 15 minutes of hemp milk tasting myself. Not only was it boring, but it was gross listening to them smack their lips and gulp down milk substitutes. Even so, I'd urge you to check out a previous episode before you write it off completely. Even in this milk fest episode, I appreciated their takes on recent games like Soul Calibur IV. Their views certainly diverged from the 1up lovefest (for Soul Calibur) and while I don't particularly care either way, I do like to hear different perspectives and I appreciate Bombcast providing that.

I've tried GWJ based on all the positive impressions in this thread and I do indeed like it. That said, I found Elysium's (sp?) take on co-op gaming to be completely untenable. He essentially argued that because he doesn't like co-op gaming, it shouldn't be included in future games because the resources used to create that feature divert resources that could make an even stronger single player game. I disagree with this for a few reasons, most notably that I absolutely love co-op gaming. I find it odd that someone's argument could be so seated in pure selfishness though. I, for example, do not enjoy adversarial online multiplayer games, but I would never advocate that such modes should not be included in games. I realize that many many people enjoy that style of gaming and I would never espouse an opinion that those modes should be axed simply because I don't happen to like them. Elysium tried to back pedal a little on what he said, but it was clear to me that he really and truly believed the because he doesn't like co-op, it shouldn't be a priority to include it in future videogames. That just left a bad taste in my mouth.

MSUSteve

08-11-2008, 09:38 AM

Roc Gaude

08-11-2008, 10:01 AM

I just finished up last week's GFW Radio and I really enjoyed it. I thought Julian from Gamers With Jobs was a very very natural fit with that crew. I mean, it wasn't like he was just a good guest. It was like he belonged there. Of course I was pumped that Robert "Bobito" Ashley (a.k.a. Dr. Max Chill, M.D.) was there and his tangent about lactating Yoda had me in stitches. Great episode of the Brodeo.

No kidding...I almost hit a pedestrian during the "Yoda Milk" clip.

Last week was a solid week all around for the 1UP podcasts. 1UP FM was pretty good and 1UP Yours just killed it with Mark McDonald in tow. Heck, Skip even plugged my show (the Squadron of Shame) during the community segment. Always a plus.

Bahimiron

08-11-2008, 10:04 AM

1up Yours this week confirmed for me that the world would be a better place if everyone had access to a button which, when pressed, would cause Garnett Lee to be slapped on the back of the head.

Roc Gaude

08-11-2008, 10:07 AM

PC Gamer is better these days now that Greg Vederman and Norm Chan are gone. Less of them means less enabling of Dan Stapleton's boner for shitting on consoles, which means they can actually talk about games more often. It also means there's more room for Logan's unique brand of lunacy.

That's good to know. I was never a fan of "the Vede" back when he was the tech guy on PC Gamer. I always considered him a goofball. When I heard he was EIC for awhile, I was in a bit of disbelief.

I'll have to give the show a chance now.

Roc Gaude

08-11-2008, 10:08 AM

1up Yours this week confirmed for me that the world would be a better place if everyone had access to a button which, when pressed, would cause Garnett Lee to be slapped on the back of the head.

Harsh...but true more often then I'd like to admit. Having John on the show seems to keep him more on course then when he's not around, though.

MSUSteve

08-11-2008, 10:16 AM

I tend to listen to (or at least begin listening to) 1upYours on Mondays, which is the plan for my drive home today. I can't wait to hear Mark MacDonald back on the show. He was the only person other than Luke Smith that could keep Shane's fanboyish tendencies in check, and in my opinion, MacDonald did it in a much funnier, less abrasive way.

1upFM was awesome, as always, last week, but I didn't have a big takeaway from it to bother commenting on. Still, that show is already a favorite of mine.

Retronauts was good last week (2 weeks ago?) too, but of course it always is, even when I don't care about the game. I admit that I thought the discussion of GW2 prior to the SCIV discussion was the highlight of the show, but I liked it all. It's interesting to hear Ryan O'Donnel making more appearances on 1up podcasts lately. Both he and Matt Chandronait have been making regular appearances on 1upFM and I've really enjoyed their takes on the topics they're there for. I admit that I thought I didn't like Matt Chandronait when he first replaced Kathleen Sanders (who I admit I found to be fairly obnoxious) but the guy is really growing on me and I'd go so far to say that I'm pleased when I hear he's back on 1upFM every week.

This brings me, serendipitously, to something I hadn't thought about in a while. Since the great Jane Pinckard left the 1upShow, there hasn't been a female podcaster/1upShow-er that I've really liked other than Jenn Frank. (Btw, anyone have any idea what happened to Jenn?) I mean Jen Tsao is fine, but she rarely actually contributes anything other than baby stories and the obligatory statement that whatever game is being discussed "intimidated her at first, but now she loves it." Anyone else feel like there has been no real standout female podcaster/personality at 1up since (or anywhere else for that matter) since Jane Pinckard?

Roc Gaude

08-11-2008, 10:30 AM

I admit that I thought I didn't like Matt Chandronait when he first replaced Kathleen Sanders (who I admit I found to be fairly obnoxious) but the guy is really growing on me and I'd go so far to say that I'm pleased when I hear he's back on 1upFM every week.

Yeah, it takes people time to relax and fine their comfort zone and I think Matt's finally found his.

(Btw, anyone have any idea what happened to Jenn?)

She's not with 1UP anymore. You can now find her at her new blog (http://www.infinitelives.net). She dons the "librarian" guise.

ColonelT

08-11-2008, 12:14 PM

1up Yours this week confirmed for me that the world would be a better place if everyone had access to a button which, when pressed, would cause Garnett Lee to be slapped on the back of the head.I dig Garnett 99% of the time, but he always throws out at least one reference a week that drives the show to a grinding halt. The "Baseketball" reference this week is perhaps the most egregious example.

Anyone else feel like there has been no real standout female podcaster/personality at 1up since (or anywhere else for that matter) since Jane Pinckard?If anyone has never listened to the earliest 1up Radio podcasts when Jane was soloing, they make for pretty fascinating listening. It's as if someone transformed 1UP into an NPR station. The shows are from late-2005 with lots of good 360 launch speculation. Worth a download or two.

MSUSteve

08-11-2008, 12:16 PM

If anyone has never listened to the earliest 1up Radio podcasts when Jane was soloing, they make for pretty fascinating listening. It's as if someone transformed 1UP into an NPR station. The shows are from late-2005 with lots of good 360 launch speculation. Worth a download or two.
I didn't start listening to 1up podcasts until 1upYours when Luke was there. I will definitely seek out those Jane-casts, though I don't think I'll listen while I drive. Her voice is so mellow and soothing, I might pass out at the wheel.

Roc Gaude

08-11-2008, 12:28 PM

I didn't start listening to 1up podcasts until 1upYours when Luke was there. I will definitely seek out those Jane-casts, though I don't think I'll listen while I drive. Her voice is so mellow and soothing, I might pass out at the wheel.

Same here. No offense but I can't stand the NPR style. Of course, Howard Stern fare doesn't work for me either. I need just a touch of punch and a good flow of natural humor for me to really buy into a show.

I also started listening during the Luke Smith days. Man, was the show awesome back then. It wasn't just due to Luke's involvement, it was mainly because the next generation was looming so the "what if" talk was very exciting to listen to. Still, I sure do miss Luke's smarmy ass.

Post-It

08-11-2008, 01:03 PM

Another vote for GWJ here. It's probably the best produced gaming podcast. It's really difficult to listen to some of the other ones when GWJ sounds so good. And like others have mentioned their format really makes it easy to listen to. They've really got a good thing going over there.

interman

08-12-2008, 12:52 PM

I listen to a few podcasts, but today I stumbled across the Player One podcast on neogaf, and gave it a listen. I'd compare it to GWJ, but with more of a focus on older games. I like it and have put it into my rotation, for now.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=329938
http://playerone.libsyn.com/

MSUSteve

08-12-2008, 01:06 PM

I'm fairly well into 1upYours from last week and I didn't even realize how much I missed Mark MacDonald until I heard him back. He really tries to keep the podcast going, though this met with mixed results a couple of times when Garnett got the thing way off track. Still, MacDonald has a great mix of enthusiasm and snarkiness that no one else that's ever been on the show has replicated. He's the perfect balance between the "Oh garsh!" enthusiasm of Garnett and the "I hate everything," attitude that Luke Smith so often had.

malkav11

08-12-2008, 09:50 PM

I keep wanting to respond directly to things people are saying on the 1UP podcasts and then going a) these people are not actually in the room with me and b) even if I were to seek them out online (which I expect I would mostly have to do on 1UP itself, though I know a few 1UPers post here from time to time, and I don't need another set of forums to keep track of.), I'm behind on almost all of the ones I listen to. GfW is the only one I'm finally more or less caught up on. It'd be a little weird to be like "uh, dude, you were wrong 4 months ago".

Kryten

08-12-2008, 10:55 PM

Thanks to the GAF podcast thread (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=249389) I gave Giant Bombcast (http://www.giantbomb.com/podcast/) a go this week and really enjoyed it - Brad Shoemaker has one hell of a sexy voice.

It's another show where they're all in the same room, which helps immensely. That said, both PlayerOne and GWJ do a damn good job of dealing with everyone being in different locations.

Ezdaar

08-13-2008, 12:18 AM

Kryten

08-13-2008, 01:51 AM

Concur. I really wish some of the other podcasts would take lessons from the GWJ producer.

Double concur - this is actually the reason I can't make myself listen to Game Theory anymore, the audio quality is pretty horrible :(

Gary Whitta

08-13-2008, 02:01 AM

Double concur - this is actually the reason I can't make myself listen to Game Theory anymore, the audio quality is pretty horrible :(
We've been working on that. Just listened to a bit of this week's, it sounds pretty good to me?

Problematique

08-13-2008, 02:12 AM

I don't know if this counts as a podcast, but the funniest gameshow I have ever watched was Epileptic Gaming. I didn't even watch it for news, just for the endless rants. Too bad it was cancelled.

Kryten

08-13-2008, 04:15 AM

We've been working on that. Just listened to a bit of this week's, it sounds pretty good to me?

Definitely better Gary - will give it a decent go tomorrow on the way to work. :)

MSUSteve

08-13-2008, 08:53 AM

I'm almost done with last week's 1upYours, but I just had to comment on Mark MacDonald calling Shane out on his "pendulum swinging" comments with regard to Final Fantasy XIII and the inclusion of a demo of the game in the Japanese Blu-ray release of Advent Children. That's just the sort of thing MacDonald was always best at. That wry, chiding sort of call-out that isn't overtly mean, but subtly digs in and really exposes the bullshit comments that Shane sometimes makes.

Also, I thought it was a little weird that John Davison started whining about wanting to wrap up the podcast during the news segment.

zengonzo

08-13-2008, 09:09 AM

That pendulum thing, and subsequent justification, was insane.

MSUSteve

08-14-2008, 10:37 AM

I'm about halfway through this week's GFW Radio and I'm loving the Braid discussion. I haven't finished the game yet, but the theories Shawn Elliott has talked about are very interesting indeed. I'm also stoked to hear that Rod Humble will be making another appearance on the show. He was a great guest last time.

interman

08-14-2008, 01:33 PM

There's also a pretty interesting interview with the Braid guy on the latest ep of the Evil Avatar podcast.

MSUSteve

08-14-2008, 01:47 PM

I will definitely check that out. I'm curious to hear Jonathan Blow speak about Braid. I saw him on the 1upShow recently and in the past. He's interesting, but I have to admit that he drives me a little nuts with the Cliffy B-esque "right?" at the end of pretty much every sentence. I always want to say, " I don't know if it's right man, you said it!" But that's just me being a dick about a pet peeve, I'm sure.

zengonzo

08-14-2008, 02:08 PM

"Y'know" is the one that gets me. Particularly when bracketing every other phrase.

"I don't know - it's just ... y'know?" hits the peevish trifecta for me.

MSUSteve

08-14-2008, 02:33 PM

"Y'know" is the one that gets me. Particularly when bracketing every other phrase.

"I don't know - it's just ... y'know?" hits the peevish trifecta for me.
"I don't know - it's just ... y'know, right?" would cause my universe to melt.

zengonzo

08-14-2008, 02:47 PM

There's a podcast with a fella who's nice enough but tends to ramble and inserts quite a number of 'yknow's when searching for words.

It'd be advantageous for any speaker to make a habit of replacing 'yknow's, 'um's and the like with silence. It's pretty difficult to root out all instances, but the effort to reduce them can make a considerable improvement.

MSUSteve

08-18-2008, 07:43 AM

The most recent (last week's) 1upFM's Backlog segment was a bit abbreviated. It's my favorite part of the show, but they seemed to cut it short this week. Ah well.

I just started 1upYours from 8/15 and the show is flowing pretty well without Garnett. I like that Skip is able to get a word in edgewise too. He's so quiet usually. That's not to say the show is better without Garnett, but so far, I'm enjoying the show. I like how they asked Nick "A+" Suttner to sort of defend his score of Braid and he kind of threw it back at them and asked if Edge and various other publications had to defend their high scores. I admit that I get a little annoyed with Suttner give huge scores to smaller/simpler/artier games and then appearing on the 1upShow to bag on Dead Space without any apparent justification, but I also like that Suttner is willing to give a game he feels passionately about an A+ without reservation.

zengonzo

08-18-2008, 08:05 AM

Considering there are so many us-too games out there clogging up well-tread genres, I can understand why a reviewer might have a predilection towards independent efforts.

A fresh perspective can often outshine quality production.

MSUSteve

08-18-2008, 08:10 AM

No doubt zen. I just thought his criticism of Dead Space on this week's 1upShow was a little heavy handed and frankly, misplaced. That game looks great and it really seems to have some fresh ideas, including the tactical dismemberment and the use of "mining tools" as weapons. I think that game really isn't one that deserves to be called out for being derivative or for lacking some identifiable "gimmick". I really couldn't understand what Suttner was getting at, to be honest. Maybe Kollar and Leone set Suttner up as a sacrificial lamb-like counterpoint to their enthusiasm, which at least would explain why Suttner's misgivings made little to no sense.

jwtheiv

08-18-2008, 08:14 AM

I've managed to shorten my commute a bit and found myself accruing too large a backlog of podcasts, so just recently went on a bit of an unsubscription spree. GFW can meander a bit, but I tend to enjoy both the game and non-game related discussion enough to keep it.

Gamers with Jobs - After a few months, I had to drop this. The production quality is indeed top notch, but I found it wander into pedantic territory too often for my tastes.

zengonzo

08-18-2008, 08:20 AM

I just thought his criticism of Dead Space on this week's 1upShow was a little heavy handed and frankly, misplaced.

Probably so. I was speaking in a more general sense - though I heard some of the Dead Space episode I didn't actually catch that specific part, so I have no idea about it.

For me, Dead Space exists in that awkward subjective zone where I can't tell why I specifically don't like it. It might solely have to do with the style (I've never been one for fighting oozie flesh-moebas), but there are a few things which catch me about the game. It certainly was cool to hear from the developer. That helped define the vision a bit more from what otherwise seemed to me like another alone-in-the-compound monster shooter. I can't say that I'm eager for it now, but I'd be willing to give it a fair shot.

Unicorn McGriddle

08-18-2008, 08:21 AM

Like a lot of things, doing a podcast is difficult because of scheduling problems. I started recording stuff, but circumstances have conspired to keep me from having anything I can release, and my fledgeling project is dead. Podcasting still interests me, and it's something I might try again if circumstances permit... but probably not.

zengonzo

08-18-2008, 08:22 AM

I've managed to shorten my commute a bit and found myself accruing too large a backlog of podcasts

I have that same problem, but I find that it's useful for when a given show becomes unbearable I can always switch to another, and just don't bother coming back later to finish up.

MSUSteve

08-18-2008, 08:28 AM

I have that same problem, but I find that it's useful for when a given show becomes unbearable I can always switch to another, and just don't bother coming back later to finish up.
I've only done that a couple of times. I remember specifically listening to a Major Nelson podcast quite a while ago and they were bringing Trixie on. I immediately turned it off and stopped downloading Major Nelson on a weekly basis. Speaking of which, that show used to be great when it was just Larry Hyrb doing it sort of under the radar back when the 360 launched. Now with "e" on there and the God-awfully annoying Trixie making guest appearances, I just can't stomach it. Sadly, Major Nelson still gets some good interviews, but almost always sounds like he's not paying attention and just rushing through the questions. "That'sinsterestingsowhatelsecanyoutellme?"

Another time I had to just stop listening was during the MGS4 gush-a-thon that Podcast Beyond was right after MGS4 came out. That is an embarrassing piece of trash and all those involved should be ashamed of the squealing ridiculosity (eat that Don King!) that particular show devolved into.

zengonzo

08-18-2008, 08:42 AM

I'm not sure I'd be able to distinguish an individual squealing ridiculosity from that show.

MSUSteve

08-18-2008, 08:51 AM

I'm not sure I'd be able to distinguish an individual squealing ridiculosity from that show.
Well played sir. All I can say is that it was worse than usual. I will also say that I only listen to Podcast Beyond as an absolute last resort, which I haven't resorted to in months.

ColonelT

08-18-2008, 08:57 AM

I've managed to shorten my commute a bit and found myself accruing too large a backlog of podcastsThat's a good problem to have -- I'm the exact opposite. My commute is now 30 minutes longer and I'm running out of material. I spend 20 hours a week in transit, so I need someone to start a new podcast. (Translation: Tom Chick, start a podcast).

Regarding this week's 1up Yours, I think it marked the first time John D. has annoyed me (if only slightly). His explanation of the Henry Hatsworth mechanics was so meandering that I cried a sigh of relief when Shane finally asked bluntly: "So what happens on the top screen when you're playing the bottom screen?"

zengonzo

08-18-2008, 09:01 AM

There was definitely a lack of focus that's evident in Garnett's absence. As spazzy as the guy impresses me, it's amazing how well he tends to drive the show.

Rod Humble

08-18-2008, 10:54 AM

For boardwargames I have been enjoying Point 2 Point a lot recently.

http://point2pointsource.com/xoops/modules/news/

Brakara

08-18-2008, 11:24 AM

I will definitely check that out. I'm curious to hear Jonathan Blow speak about Braid.

There's also a 45-minute interview with him on the Savy Gamer podcast:

http://savygamer.co.uk/2008/08/savygamer-podcast-episode-1.html

tylertoo

08-21-2008, 09:06 AM

The latest (8/20) GFW Radio has a curious conversation about a 1up staffer, Anthony Gallegos, who had appeared on the show before but refuses to now, because the regulars dissed Yaddle (female Yoda?).

Its strangely fascinating, like eavesdropping on co-workers gossiping over lunch, as they slam the guy, calling him a douche and worse.

madkevin

08-21-2008, 09:07 AM

It's a joke.

Bahimiron

08-21-2008, 09:09 AM

Clearly tylertoo has yet to listen to the entire podcast.

One assumes he's one of the many people who ran to Digg with the hot new rumor that Mark McDonald was going to Bioware to work on the Halo RPG.

tylertoo

08-21-2008, 09:13 AM

Clearly tylertoo has yet to listen to the entire podcast.

You're right, my bad. That's for my train ride home. Nevermind.

They did have me convinced, though. Jeff seemed pretty perturbed.

Brakara

08-21-2008, 09:41 AM

I have to admit I've been enjoying the The Bionic Commando podcasts I've heard so far.

http://bioniccommando.com/us/podcasts/

Fans of Rearmed should listen to Top Secret File 007, but they all seem to have a pretty high standard (for a corporate podcast), and dwell into a lot of other topics than Bionic Commando.

Jeff Green

08-21-2008, 02:04 PM

You're right, my bad. That's for my train ride home. Nevermind.

They did have me convinced, though. Jeff seemed pretty perturbed.

I was ACTING, son. ACTING!! I'm like the Laurence Olivier of gaming podcasts.

Troy S Goodfellow

08-21-2008, 02:28 PM

I was ACTING, son. ACTING!! I'm like the Laurence Olivier of gaming podcasts.

I almost believed you hated Space Siege.

Troy

Jeff Green

08-21-2008, 02:33 PM

I almost believed you hated Space Siege.

Troy

ACTING I tell you! I gave that game a C!

Ezdaar

08-21-2008, 03:00 PM

The most recent GFW Radio nearly made me crash my bike. I was in tears during the jelly bean segment while riding home.

Gabe Lewis

08-21-2008, 06:41 PM

I just wonder who goes through the trouble of synthesizing the taste of vomit.

Kryten

08-21-2008, 06:53 PM

I don't know what Blizzard have got Sean Malloy working on now that they've stolen him from the Brodeo <sniff>, but they really need to pay him more money to take over on Blizzcast. The latest one had some great stuff in it (especially Russell Brower's piece on music) but overall it's just to, umm, stifled?

mono

08-21-2008, 07:34 PM

I just wonder who goes through the trouble of synthesizing the taste of vomit.

Who said it was synthetic?

Lake

08-22-2008, 10:41 AM

I just wonder who goes through the trouble of synthesizing the taste of vomit.

It made me sick just listening to them eat those jelly beans.

zengonzo

08-22-2008, 04:49 PM

I was ACTING, son. ACTING!! I'm like the Laurence Olivier of gaming podcasts.

A bit late to the party, but 'THE GAME SUCKED!!' struck me as the funniest thing I've heard on a podcast in a while.

It was a great show altogether.

Gabe Lewis

08-22-2008, 06:52 PM

I always find Jeff's pretend angry yell hilarious, but the someone on the podcast always complains. Probably is really loud in the headphones.

zengonzo

08-23-2008, 01:47 AM

Well, fuck 'em.

THE GAME SUCKED!

zengonzo

08-24-2008, 06:06 AM

On the most recent 1Up Yours they start out complaining that Braid is too hard to figure out, and the game doesn't give you any tutorial.

Evaluations of the whole game aside, it struck me as a really sad and feeble complaint from enthusiasts who have grown complacent in a world of hand-holding games. I know these guys are from the time before in-game tutorials. Figuring out Braid isn't that difficult - you can't even die!

Shane, to his credit, was the sole voice suggesting that you simply experiment.

And I'm not a challenge freak - I normally just like goofing around in sandboxes. But, geez fellas, Braid's methods weren't very difficult to figure out. It seems to be the game's full intention that you to experiment. You can rewind at any time!

Bahimiron

08-24-2008, 09:28 AM

Considering the intelligent discussion of Braid that they had on GFW two weeks ago (from Yaddle milk to Braid, god bless GFW) I found it too hard to work up much ire for the gang at 1up Yours. If the 1up podcasts are a big family dinner and 1up FM are the kids' table, then GFW is the grown up table and 1up Yours are the cousins that always have beer in the trunk of their car and are sitting outside while everyone eats, getting trashed and playing horse at the driveway's basketball hoop, 'cept they've all been on H for the last hour and a half cos none of 'em can see straight enough to make a basket.

zengonzo

08-24-2008, 10:58 AM

For me, this is less about Braid specifically than about hand-holding in games ..

Haven't they at times complained about how games of late have become a bit too coddling in an effort to be more accessible? A concept with which I reservedly agree. So this struck me as surprisingly wimpy.

malkav11

08-24-2008, 02:38 PM

Frankly, I've found that I agree. The game just doesn't click for me, and even though the one or two things I *have* figured out were decently cool, I don't see any way I'd ever be able to get, say, the other puzzle pieces in World 2, where there's no funky time fiddling going on. And it was annoying the hell out of me that I couldn't do so. I don't think I'd want to spend my limited supply of points on annoying myself.

zengonzo

08-24-2008, 07:25 PM

Not enjoying the game is fine - I can dig that - no evaluation made there.

malkav11

08-24-2008, 08:40 PM

Well, the thing is, I have this feeling I would enjoy the game if I had any idea what I was doing. I like puzzle games, DROD especially. But DROD makes very sure I know how to use each and every piece of my toolset and how each element of the world works. There are some nuances you might miss at first glance - quite a few, actually - that can be turned into really brilliant puzzles, but I have a foundation for getting there with experimentation. I haven't found that to be true of Braid. It may be the case in the full version, of course.

zengonzo

08-25-2008, 03:00 AM

MSUSteve

08-25-2008, 07:31 AM

I'm way behind on podcasts now after being gone all weekend camping. I'm just getting to the latest GFW. I was hoping Anthony would provide a little more of a defense for Space Siege, but I think Dr. Max Chill provided the proper evaluation when he pointed out that it was a classic case of two people disagreeing about whether or a not mediocre game was either good or bad without disagreeing that it's mediocre. I found Bobito's assessment both hilarious and spot on and realized that I find myself embroiled in similar discussions all the time because of my confirmed propensity to enjoy games that I admit are objectively mediocre.

I also loved how they ripped on Anthony for awhile in the beginning and then said, "So what do you think about this Anthony?" It really completed the gag when I realized that Anthony had sat through the entire thing.

zengonzo

08-25-2008, 07:39 AM

They played that pretty surreal.

It was confusing for me because there's a few voices I'm not completely familiar with. The 'midget cosplay sex' thing pretty much tipped it over the edge, but I still wasn't sure that they weren't paying reference to an actual event.

I've had those nerd moments where you are pretty sure everyone is in on the joke and they're playing up a ridiculous position for humor - and then actually snaps like you'd jumped their mother. And then how do you properly apologize for something so absurdly stupid?

malkav11

08-25-2008, 05:09 PM

If you mean figure it out about the controls, there aren't very many combinations, and when it introduces new things (the ring) it tells you what button to press.

If you aren't interested enough in it to bother, then that's perfectly understandable. But most of the game, to me, seems to be puzzling how to apply the toolset you have in new and different ways. The actual abilities are relatively few - it's only the effects that seem to change. If you started to guide people through that, I think it would diminish the game considerably for those who do find it interesting.

Maybe I just play games very differently from others and didn't realize it. I tend to explore control schemes on my own initially, then reference the help later if I'm feeling slowed down. So the lack of explicit instructions here simply fit into that.

The thing is, all I know about right now are a) I can jump, b) I can rewind time. Jumping alone is far from sufficient to solve most of the puzzles on World 2, or at least I can see no way to parlay it into solving them, and rewinding time only appears to be useful in correcting myself if I made a mistake. That being the case, I can't see any way to solve well over half the puzzles in the trial. In something like DROD, I also have a very limited toolset (I have a very large sword that I can rotate, and sometimes there are environmental objects I can interact with), but it is immediately clear to me how that interacts with the situation I'm being presented with. It can take me a lot of trial and error to actually cobble together a sequence that allows me to accomplish my goals, but I'm rarely if ever confused as to what my goals are.

AndrewPf

08-25-2008, 05:51 PM

MSUSteve

08-27-2008, 07:34 AM

I'm mostly through last week's 1upYours. I was a little irritated with the lengthy Soul Calibur IV discussion that quickly devolved into a lot of inscrutable minutiae (to me anyway) about the game. I wouldn't normally complain about that, except that I want to point out how shitty it is when Shane complains about Madden or CivRev discussion, effectively ending it before it starts because he's not interested in those games, but when it comes to a game he likes (SC IV) the discussion can go on quite a while and become quite arcane and no one else stifles a yawn into his mic. Just doesn't seem very equitable.

I was fairly unconvinced by Giancarlo's "defense" of his Too Human review, but that might just be because he wasn't able to articulate his criticisms clearly. I got again that he thinks there is too much loot, which I find to be a bizarre criticism in and of itself, but also untrue through more than five hours of play. I also think he gives short shrift to the skill trees and various combat options available in the game. But I don't think what he said is invalid. It just seems to me his and my opinion on most of the game's qualities are different. That's fine.

Bahimiron

08-27-2008, 07:58 AM

The 1up FM discussion with Tim Schaffer was sublime. I'm not usually big on interviews, but since this was more a post mortem on a game I had recently played, I really enjoyed hearing his thoughts on it. Add in that he was pretty hilarious and you've got an ideal interview situation.

MSUSteve

08-27-2008, 08:01 AM

1upFM is next on my list and I frankly can't wait to hear Schafer talk about Psychonauts.

ColonelT

08-27-2008, 08:05 AM

Yes, that was a major coup for the Kids' Table. I normally skip Backlog but having a developer in to do a post-mortem, particularly one as affable and forthcoming as Schafer, was a great idea.

Bahimiron

08-27-2008, 12:40 PM

Congratulations, btw, to ColonelT for being the only person in the last three posts to correctly spell Tim Schafer's name.

MSUSteve

08-27-2008, 12:42 PM

Congratulations, btw, to ColonelT for being the only person in the last three posts to correctly spell Tim Schafer's name.
Lies!

DoomMunky

08-27-2008, 01:40 PM

I loved the Tim Shaefear (close?) interview, too.

GOD what a difference having a human being on makes! First Rod Humble on GFW, now this? We'll be spoiled on marketing robots forever!

The only way Rod's name could be any more appropriate was if it was Rob Awesome Humble. What a great, down-to-earth guy.

Also: now I want to play Psychonauts again, but don't have my 360 controller with me...damn!

Bahimiron

08-27-2008, 06:22 PM

What're the chances of GFW Radio hitting iTunes anytime soon?

Edit: NM. I'll do it the old fashioned way. Just gotta DL the MP3 of the podcast rather than the MP3 of the redirect, which 1up's shit site makes harder than it should be. Fortunately, I can just cheat (http://download.gamevideos.com/Podcasts/CGW/GFWR082708.mp3).

Edit edit: Ugh. As soon as I saw there was comic book discussion, I shoulda neverminded and just listened to last week's again. Shawn Elliot's snotty comic book guy imitation is just a little too dead on.

MSUSteve

08-27-2008, 08:56 PM

Shawn Elliott is a bit of a snob when it comes to comics. He pisses all over anything he doesn't like and seems to imply that anyone that does like whatever he doesn't is somehow stupid. At least that's how it sounds to me. That said, I took his Preacher recommendation and have loved it. I PMed him a looong time ago on the 1up boards suggesting that he post a quick list of comics he recommends or mention some more on the podcast, but he didn't reply.

madkevin

08-27-2008, 11:02 PM

Man I loved that Garth Ennis Marvel Knights run. But, c'mon, shitting over Booster Gold? Does the Justice League International mean nothing anymore?

jabroni

08-27-2008, 11:39 PM

Shawn Elliott seems like he's a bit of a snob about a lot of things. Still, I like him, and I think he's a big part of the reason that the GFW(?) podcast is so good.

Scott Kevill

08-28-2008, 04:22 AM

Bahimiron

08-28-2008, 06:39 AM

I just grabbed it from the link I made.

Man I loved that Garth Ennis Marvel Knights run.

It was funny, but seriously, praising that while saying that his Max run is stupid? Punisher v5 is probably the best work Ennis has ever done. On the other hand, Walking Dead has really started to get very meta. There was a point where Kirkman insisted that the walking dead didn't refer to the zombies, but to the survivors! Intense! Artsy! No, Kirkman. At this point the walking dead refers to your meandering, sprawling book that, like the animated undead, seems to have no path or purpose other than to wander about and bite.

ColonelT

08-28-2008, 07:16 AM

My GFW Radio feed mysteriously disappeared from my iTunes library. I re-added it easily enough, but did this happen to anyone else?

MSUSteve

08-28-2008, 07:46 AM

I finished the last 1upYours yesterday and there was a gem from Garnett at the end of the show. He must've been fairly wasted by that point because he said that the pendant being offered for Final Fantasy XI looked "gay". He then corrected himself and said he did not mean it looked like a gay person would wear it, but that it looked "stupid". I thought it was pretty funny that he thought it was better to use the term "gay" interchangeably with "stupid" rather than say the pendant looked like something a gay person might like. I swear sometimes that guy's mouth moves waaay faster than his brain.

Just started this week's 1upFM, but I'm already looking forward to the star packed episode lined up for next week. I can't wait to hear the discussion with Jonathan Blow as well as Rod Humble. Should be awesome.

Bahimiron

08-28-2008, 08:12 AM

To be fair Jeff once said we should nuke Japan again.

I think that the 1up podcast chamber produces 'wtf did I just say?' rays.

MSUSteve

08-28-2008, 08:17 AM

To be fair Jeff once said we should nuke Japan again.

I think that the 1up podcast chamber produces 'wtf did I just say?' rays.
Ha ha! You're right. I seem to recall Shane asking recently about ovens being included in a game when a comparison was drawn to the Holocaust. So yeah, there are some brutal, off-the-cuff statements coming out of those podcasts, though I don't believe for a second there is any hate or animosity behind any of them.

Rob_Merritt

08-28-2008, 08:34 AM

My GFW Radio feed mysteriously disappeared from my iTunes library. I re-added it easily enough, but did this happen to anyone else?

When I subscribed, the GFW itunes feed was always screwed up. Besides always being late, they wouldn't automaticly download. Itunes, while easy, isn't the best podcast manager.

Brian Seiler

08-28-2008, 08:36 AM

I personally haven't had a problem yet receiving with Juice, other than the fact that sometimes the individual podcasts post late to the feed for some reason.

Jeff Green

08-28-2008, 08:43 AM

To be fair Jeff once said we should nuke Japan again.

I think that the 1up podcast chamber produces 'wtf did I just say?' rays.

Except, of course, that I was just making fun of those guys when I said it. :)

Bahimiron

08-28-2008, 08:44 AM

For the first half of the year I had to manually DL GFW and Legendary Thread podcasts. It just never showed them as the latest podcast for whatever reason. Now it will grab GFW podcasts for me, but I still need to look for Legendary Thread.

Toss in the fact that it will regularly DL a podcast and then lose it and you've got iTunes as an early contender for shittiest shit shit that ever shit a shit.

Except, of course, that I was just making fun of those guys when I said it.

I wasn't intending to suggest that you really wanted us to drop a bomb on Japan. Though if I recall correctly there was a sort of shocked silence after you said it.

Moggraider

08-28-2008, 09:19 AM

Yeah, iTunes is really getting worse with time, sucking up more and more resources. Plus, now if you drag a folder of mp3s onto your iPod, if you have a playlist file in that folder of those mp3s, iTunes will copy the mp3s onto the iPod twice! It didn't used to do this.

Also, if I've listened to a podcast on my iPod (but not on my PC via iTunes) for say, half an hour, then I connect the iPod back to my PC and hit "sync" on iTunes, iTunes has reset the play time on the podcast, sending me back to the beginning instead of shifting the copy of the 'cast on the PC to match the playtime of the copy on the iPod. Inexcusable.

Brakara

08-28-2008, 10:00 AM

I finished the last 1upYours yesterday and there was a gem from Garnett at the end of the show. He must've been fairly wasted by that point because he said that the pendant being offered for Final Fantasy XI looked "gay". He then corrected himself and said he did not mean it looked like a gay person would wear it, but that it looked "stupid". I thought it was pretty funny that he thought it was better to use the term "gay" interchangeably with "stupid" rather than say the pendant looked like something a gay person might like. I swear sometimes that guy's mouth moves waaay faster than his brain.

To be fair, he has apologized (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=12506185&postcount=94).

MSUSteve

08-28-2008, 10:32 AM

I wasn't trying to bust Garnett's nuts about it. Let me just say that it would be hypocritical for me to do so as I know I've committed the same error in the past. Fortunately for me, I've never done it on a popular (or any) podcast. Like I said, I know the guy had no ill will behind the comment, but it was funny to me that his explanation of his use of the word "gay" was worse than the initial connotation.

Also, I love that Garnett's icon over at GAF is a swatch of one of his casino carpet patterned shirts. That must be his thing.

zengonzo

08-28-2008, 10:36 AM

but it was funny to me that his explanation of his use of the word "gay" was worse than the initial connotation.

Yeah, explanations in those situations tend towards the destructive.

Best to just shrug it off and move on.

Vesper

08-28-2008, 10:53 AM

Ezdaar

08-28-2008, 11:29 AM

zengonzo

08-28-2008, 11:39 AM

That's strange - mine doesn't do that.

But it also doesn't keep track of having played properly - which it determines only by finishing. There ought to be separate flags for 'played' and 'finished'.

Meh.

ColonelT

08-28-2008, 12:07 PM

It's very likely I just deleted the GFW feed accidentally; normally I don't have any issues with iTunes at all.

Pentadact

08-28-2008, 01:34 PM

MSUSteve

08-28-2008, 01:42 PM

For the discerning gentleman who prefers his aural input quiet, British, polite and of managable length, our latest podcast just went up (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=196168). A few anecdotes from my time reviewing Spore, the current rankings on our risky Top 100 voting experiment, a bit about my GalCiv AAR, and a real paper letter from a real possibly very young reader.

It's really quite proper.

-
I'm not above admitting that listening to British men purr about games sounds like an awesome, nay BRILLIANT, proposition.

Jeff Green

08-28-2008, 06:20 PM

I know a bunch of you guys were worried about the feud between Anthony and I.
Well, we've patched things up now.

http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/21202

Skorin

08-28-2008, 06:27 PM

I love Billy Madison!

Also, I love how you can barely keep a straight face! Great video!

Kryten

08-28-2008, 06:35 PM

Now I really need to find out what's happened that's forced Anthony to have Ryan at #3.

Rob_Merritt

08-28-2008, 06:41 PM

I know a bunch of you guys were worried about the feud between Anthony and I.
Well, we've patched things up now.

http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/21202

+1 for ELO.

Bahimiron

08-28-2008, 07:11 PM

Now I really need to find out what's happened that's forced Anthony to have Ryan at #3.

He participated in the disrespect of Yaddle.

I feel sorry for Intern Chris. That poor little guy wasn't even on that episode!

MSUSteve

08-28-2008, 07:31 PM

Nice! Also: O'doyle RULES!

Hugin

08-28-2008, 07:49 PM

For the discerning gentleman who prefers his aural input quiet, British, polite and of managable length, our latest podcast just went up (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=196168). A few anecdotes from my time reviewing Spore, the current rankings on our risky Top 100 voting experiment, a bit about my GalCiv AAR, and a real paper letter from a real possibly very young reader.

It's really quite proper.

-

Where is the actual podcast? Your link doesn't seem to lead to any discernible audio file.

ETA: Ah, I see it now. Should have read the blurb more closely. Although maybe a more contrasty link color or an underline could help?

Scott Kevill

08-28-2008, 07:53 PM

Also, if I've listened to a podcast on my iPod (but not on my PC via iTunes) for say, half an hour, then I connect the iPod back to my PC and hit "sync" on iTunes, iTunes has reset the play time on the podcast, sending me back to the beginning instead of shifting the copy of the 'cast on the PC to match the playtime of the copy on the iPod. Inexcusable.

This annoys the shit out of me. It also resets it on the actual iPod for me so when I go to resume listening after syncing I have to find the spot where I left off.

But it also doesn't keep track of having played properly - which it determines only by finishing. There ought to be separate flags for 'played' and 'finished'.

If this is happening, select all your podcasts (or even normal songs) in iTunes, and Get Info. Click the Options tab, and you'll see a cleverly hidden checkbox [x] Remember playback position. This option will be synched to the iPod.

Yes, this bugged the hell out of me, especially with an iPod Shuffle that was a royal pain to seek with.

As for my own issues, iTunes always seems to synch the shuffle in reverse-chronological order no matter how I order those podcasts, so to catch up, I have to listen to them in the reverse order. (Which means skipping back twice after finishing one, and hoping it hasn't gone too far into the next one before I do so, which means I need to skip back three times.. ugh).

Oh yeah, and since Jeff always gets the date wrong, it makes it harder to figure out if I'm on the right podcast. ;)

MSUSteve

08-29-2008, 06:15 AM

Whoops! I posted something here I meant to post in the Bargain Thread. Edited!

zengonzo

08-29-2008, 06:36 AM

If this is happening, select all your podcasts (or even normal songs) in iTunes, and Get Info. Click the Options tab, and you'll see a cleverly hidden checkbox [x] Remember playback position. This option will be synched to the iPod.

I've never had a problem with the playback thing, that works fine for me.

But rather the flags that are set for when a podcast has been considered listened to, or not. I have a Smart Playlist set up for those, but unless I completely finish a podcast, it doesn't take it off the brand new list, and I couldn't find a property tied to the 'New' attribute.

There are workarounds, but I'd sure like to have access to that 'New' flag in Smarts.

Lake

08-29-2008, 07:03 AM

I lost it when Anthony crossed Jeff's name off his list.

MSUSteve

08-29-2008, 07:07 AM

Man I'm glad I called that guy!

Fersis

08-29-2008, 08:06 AM

I like a lot the Kojima Productions Report.
The In-Game integral podcast was an awesome idea. (Sadly Ryan Payton cant continue doing it).
And the Insomniac games podcast is also very nice. (It needs more Ted Price tough)

Scott Kevill

08-29-2008, 08:37 PM

I've never had a problem with the playback thing, that works fine for me.

But rather the flags that are set for when a podcast has been considered listened to, or not. I have a Smart Playlist set up for those, but unless I completely finish a podcast, it doesn't take it off the brand new list, and I couldn't find a property tied to the 'New' attribute.

There are workarounds, but I'd sure like to have access to that 'New' flag in Smarts.

Ahh okay, I get what you mean now, and yeah, that makes sense and would be very useful.

Shadari

08-29-2008, 08:49 PM

Man I'm glad I called that guy!
Did you have the nerve to ask him out?

Quaro

08-29-2008, 09:41 PM

I've never had a problem with the playback thing, that works fine for me.

But rather the flags that are set for when a podcast has been considered listened to, or not. I have a Smart Playlist set up for those, but unless I completely finish a podcast, it doesn't take it off the brand new list, and I couldn't find a property tied to the 'New' attribute.

There are workarounds, but I'd sure like to have access to that 'New' flag in Smarts.

I have a lot of podcasts, more than I could possibly listen to, and this drives me nuts. I think about it in reverse though, the iPod desperately needs a way to mark the current file as 'listened' or 'to delete'.

RickH

08-30-2008, 07:16 AM

I know a bunch of you guys were worried about the feud between Anthony and I.

That was the most amused I got during the month of August.

Dean

08-30-2008, 09:13 AM

I know a bunch of you guys were worried about the feud between Anthony and I.
Well, we've patched things up now.

http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/21202

That was really gay. And I don't mean that as "stupid" or as "something a gay person would like" I mean it just reeks of man-love.

I liked it.

What kind of lipstick does Anthony wear?

Bahimiron

08-30-2008, 10:08 AM

Who should I be getting annoyed at?

It took two days for iTunes to show a new GFW Radio. It's been four days and iTunes still isn't showing a new SModcast. It never shows a new Legendary Thread, but I can force it.

Is iTunes sucking or are the people at 1up and QuickStop just not doing their job?

JetLagger

08-30-2008, 11:35 AM

Who should I be getting annoyed at?
Is iTunes sucking or are the people at 1up and QuickStop just not doing their job?

Yea I'm just getting around to listening to last week's (Aug 24th) Smodcast today from the website. The Aug 24 show still isn't showing in iTunes for me either. Not sure what is up with the lack of iTunes listing.

-Tim

Thierry Nguyen

08-30-2008, 11:43 AM

Skip has told GAF (it's the weekend, and he's at PAX, so I can't just ask him down the hall today) that he has done everything he can to get the shows up, and this particular bizarre run of lateness on iTunes is an iTunes problem and not a 1up problem.

Yay for something that's not completely our fault!

Kryten

08-30-2008, 01:37 PM

I've had occasional problems with the podcast specific feeds from 1Up, if you're using that for your download it might be worth flicking to the all encompassing 1Up Radio feed (or vice versa).

And no personal offence to anyone here, but 1Up's RSS feeds have (until recently, I must say) seemed kinda wacky, especially items being doubled up.

JZigish

08-30-2008, 03:32 PM

Hey, speaking of 1up Yours... so they did the live one at PAX. Is that going to be up for listening at some point? It sounded pretty awesome from Sean's twitter description.

Perco

08-31-2008, 03:29 AM

The PAX live show (http://download.gamevideos.com/Podcasts/1uy083008.mp3) is up but the audio quality is horrible.

madkevin

08-31-2008, 06:08 AM

Yeah, the PAX live show is totally unlistenable. Too bad, because it sounded funny from the minute or so I listened to.

Moggraider

08-31-2008, 09:15 AM

I struggled through it. It's not as funny as last year's.

JZigish

08-31-2008, 02:40 PM

Some of the fan questions were good, while some of them were just kind of shitty and took too long. Overall it felt rushed. As for the quality, I suspect Skip about had a heart attack trying to deal with that audio setup :)

Falcon554

08-31-2008, 05:24 PM

The PAX live show (http://download.gamevideos.com/Podcasts/1uy083008.mp3) is up but the audio quality is horrible.

Yea the sound was horrible. Just have to wait for next week for the real podcast :)

interman

09-02-2008, 11:09 AM

You can make it sound ok if you run it through adobe audition.

Anyway, the new 1up fm episode was pretty cool, if a bit long.

ColonelT

09-02-2008, 11:29 AM

The PAX audio is bad, but not so bad that you can't hear everything. I was able to distinguish all the voices and make out what everyone was saying. I was a little surprised at the numerous Shane attacks -- seemed a little inappropriate given the all-around "free love" atmosphere of PAX.

I'd like to see Sessler come back for a "normal" show.

AndrewPf

09-02-2008, 04:06 PM

We have video of the show up now on GV, part I:

http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/21253

Part II coming later tonight or early tomorrow, depending on schedules. We're also going to try to take the audio from that and re-release the MP3 over the feeds.

MSUSteve

09-03-2008, 07:25 AM

I powered through the PAX 1upYours and really enjoyed it despite the poor audio. I especially enjoyed Sessler's contributions. It was nice to hear him being honest and more relaxed. So often on X-Play he seems uncomfortable and frankly, like a shill when it comes to talking to devs during previews. That made his comments on journalistic integrity and PR reps trying to buy good preview coverage all the more interesting. I'm a fairly new X-Play viewer as I only recently switched to TV provider that has G4, but in all of the episodes I've seen both Sessler and Webb gush over every game that they have demoed in studio. It really is a James Mielke-like "Your game is so awesome! So how awesome is your game?" I understand that they don't want to antagonize a guest, but it seems to me like they stick very close to the PR sheet during those previews and rarely, if ever, ask any real meaty questions. I guess I'm trying to say that Sessler's conduct on X-Play stands in fairly stark contrast to his comments at PAX.

Rob_Merritt

09-03-2008, 07:32 AM

Man I hate the audio on the pax shows. I can't hear anything on 1up or Bombcast. :(

zengonzo

09-03-2008, 07:36 AM

I can listen if I try, but for me podcasts are a way to listen while doing something else. If I have to struggle, or if it's hard on the ears, it's killing the purpose for me. So I haven't been able to get beyond the first few minutes.

Which is a shame, because there isn't much else out right now while things get back up to speed.

Rob_Merritt

09-03-2008, 07:38 AM

My hearing is kind of wacked. I test fine as far as range but I'm not able to pull out sounds from background noise too well.

zengonzo

09-03-2008, 07:54 AM

I might have that a bit.

Jazar

09-03-2008, 08:52 AM

Man I hate the audio on the pax shows. I can't hear anything on 1up or Bombcast. :(

Bombcast improves quite a bit further in.

fuzzyslug

09-03-2008, 11:35 AM

The audio on the PAX 1up Yours video sounds much better, btw.

MSUSteve

09-04-2008, 01:17 PM

I'm most of the way through the latest 1upFM with Rod Humble and Jonathan Blow. It's very interesting, but I'm really not digging the pretentious hiding of the ball that Blow goes through while he completely avoids commenting in any way on what he envisions his game to be about. I'm all for leaving things open to interpretation, but I just can't understand why he can't, even in a general way, comment on what his message is with Braid. Isn't part of having a message actually communicating it? It seems pointless and needlessly opaque to me and I just, I really don't get it. I mean, are there buries secrets in the game that most mortal beings can't be trusted with and that's why Blow has to, at all costs seemingly, completely avoid any comment whatsoever on the theme of Braid?

Moggraider

09-04-2008, 01:23 PM

DoomMunky

09-04-2008, 01:30 PM

But his whole point is that the message is contained in the story AND the gameplay. And that they're inextricable. His overall point seems to be, "Play the game and get from it what you will."

On a wholly different note, I've been listening to Gamers With Jobs for many months now, and find it really annoying half the time. They're good when they're talking about concrete things, like how they felt about a certain game and using examples to back up their statements, but GOD do they annoy me when they get into larger discussions of concepts, industry trends, or egghead issues.

They seem unable to do deeper analysis than their initial thoughts, and though I like the way their personalities interact, they don't tend to challenge each other beyond the point of disagreeing, stating their points, then reiterating them for 10 minutes. Discussions tend to stall at pretty surface levels, then go on for far too long. I don't need 17 minutes of why it annoyed you that GTA wasn't totally open and real. Make the point and move on.

I guess my issue is that they stay on a certain topic for too long without illuminating it further; longer discussions tend to circle and stall. The episode from last week (98 I think) is a perfect example of how to go on for a long time while making the same old points over and over.

That said, the most recent episode on PAX has some good info and impressions in it; Rock Band 2 sounds pretty damn amazing.

zengonzo

09-04-2008, 01:33 PM

I don't think messages or concepts are always clearly uttered, and sometimes attempting to do so only clouds them all the more.

And I know this sounds cheesy and pretentious, but I think with Braid it is less about a point and more about an experience. Not a particularly complicated or deep experience, but one that you'd just have to do rather than describe. Like actually standing on top of a mountain, or enjoying Big Trouble in Little China.

I think he might've been better off not shuffling it around, however, and just saying, in as many words, it's just not something he will hard-define.

However, I do think he has a talent for inspiring ire. And less so for stating something subjectively reasonable than for stating it in the most brash manner available. Maybe he'll chime in with some dancing and bush-beating. Sounds like a party to me.

MSUSteve

09-04-2008, 01:49 PM

I agree completely. It was even more infuriating for those of us who haven't played the game. I haven't, and the interview didn't encourage me to buy the game one bit. I just ended up fast-forwarding past him eventually. A segment like that should just have a spoiler disclaimer and then do it for serious instead of beating around the bush, dancing around the issue, etc.
The thing is, it wasn't about not spoiling the game for those that have yet to finish it. At least, that's not how it was presented. Blow seemed to simply refuse to discuss the theme or message of the game on any level whatsoever. On the other hand, he stated that he does have a clear understanding of what he wants the game to convey, and complained a few times that it was frustrating to him to see people misinterpreting it or completely missing the point. I mean, you can't have it both ways, can you? Can you really be upset that people "don't get it" and at the same time absolutely refuse to provide any sort of personal interpretation on your own work? I think Rod Humble handled the discussion of his games far far better than did Blow. Humble definitely left it to people to find what they would about his games, but he commented generally on them and the sort of messages he thought were implicit in them. I just found myself really frustrated by Blow's lack of comment on his own game. It came off to me as pretentious hiding of the ball while at the same time somewhat talking down to those in the audience that have failed to "get it". Why was he even there?

Moggraider

09-04-2008, 01:53 PM

On a wholly different note, I've been listening to Gamers With Jobs for many months now, and find it really annoying half the time. They're good when they're talking about concrete things, like how they felt about a certain game and using examples to back up their statements, but GOD do they annoy me when they get into larger discussions of concepts, industry trends, or egghead issues.

They seem unable to do deeper analysis than their initial thoughts, and though I like the way their personalities interact, they don't tend to challenge each other beyond the point of disagreeing, stating their points, then reiterating them for 10 minutes. Discussions tend to stall at pretty surface levels, then go on for far too long. I don't need 17 minutes of why it annoyed you that GTA wasn't totally open and real. Make the point and move on.

I think all videogame podcasts have this problem to a point. I agree that GWJ definitely does suffer from it too, though. This problem has made me unsubscribe from podcasts in the past, like GWJ, Game Theory, and others. I guess with the packed schedules of most casters, and frankly, the intelligence and dedication level (the actual time they spend with any one game, and their excitement about it) we're foolish to expect too much.

zengonzo

09-04-2008, 02:06 PM

On the other hand, he stated that he does have a clear understanding of what he wants the game to convey, and complained a few times that it was frustrating to him to see people misinterpreting it or completely missing the point. I mean, you can't have it both ways, can you?

That's a good point. He did seem to have that conflicting perspective.

MSUSteve

09-04-2008, 02:11 PM

I really don't mean to come off as tearing the guy down for aspiring to more and for trying to convey an artistic message with Braid. I just don't understand why being artistic necessarily means he has to be so opaque about everything to do with the game itself. I'd love to hear him discuss, even in general terms, the themes he wanted to express with Braid. I don't understand why he thinks he has to be so mysterious about it. I think this sort of thing is what brings people to call the guy, and the discussion, pretentious. I find it ironic that Rod Humble apologized for being pretentious on the podcast in another thread on this board when he was not at all prententious. He was very enthusiastic and didn't play hide the ball in an effort to be profound.

Rock8man

09-04-2008, 02:17 PM

That's a good point. He did seem to have that conflicting perspective.

I don't think it's that conflicting. Yes, he would like it if people got the messages he was trying to convey through the game. But he'd like them to get it through playing the game, not by reading or listening to him talking about the game. In fact, if he did talk about it, it would kind of pollute the experience. If you go into the game with the knowledge of what the author intended, that can color your experience. It's much easier to make something and then tell people 'this is what I want you to see'.

As someone who has played through the game, I not only enjoyed the game itself, but also the discussion and speculation around the interpretations of the game in this blog post (http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2008/08/11/hair-pulling-and-braid-weaving/) for one, and also the discussion here at Qt3 in the Braid Spoilers (http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=46268) thread. I personally hope Jonathan doesn't reveal what exactly he had in mind, because his game is out there now and it speaks for itself. If you play it and get nothing out of it except a series of puzzles, that's fine. If you play it and get something out of it that isn't discussed in either of those links, then I hope you come share it in the Braid spoiler thread with the rest of us. But if Jonathan were to just tell us what he was trying to say, ...... there'd be nothing wrong with that either, but I think I prefer it this way.

zengonzo

09-04-2008, 02:17 PM

Well, I'm a little conflicted on those points. I sometimes prefer it when an artist doesn't explicitly state meanings. The want to understand is often what drives artistic interest and interpretation. So I'd say I generally prefer broad themes in my art.

However, if you're going to play it coy and loose there's no room for frustration if a specific message isn't conceived, or is conceived when it shouldn't be.

zengonzo

09-04-2008, 02:19 PM

I don't think it's that conflicting. Yes, he would like it if people got the messages he was trying to convey through the game. But he'd like them to get it through playing the game, not by reading or listening to him talking about the game.

I agree with that angle - but I'd also gotten the impression that he was annoyed with some of the floating interpretations even independent of his input.

MSUSteve

09-04-2008, 02:35 PM

But if Jonathan were to just tell us what he was trying to say, ...... there'd be nothing wrong with that either, but I think I prefer it this way.
I certainly am not suggesting that he lay out a point by point list of what each puzzle, painting, and creature in the game means. But I think there is room to speak generally about the themes of the game and provide some insight into the game without "ruining" it for the player.

Rock8man

09-04-2008, 02:52 PM

I certainly am not suggesting that he lay out a point by point list of what each puzzle, painting, and creature in the game means. But I think there is room to speak generally about the themes of the game and provide some insight into the game without "ruining" it for the player.

After playing the game, I'd disagree with that. The point by point list doesn't really matter as much. It's the big general picture that people are having a discussion about. The themes and interpretations of the game as a whole. That's the whole point of the discussion in that blog post I linked to above. In fact, I'd say the opposite. I'd say it's okay for him to point out interpretations of specific puzzles, paintings, creatures as long as it doesn't give away the overall theme and big picture.

Jonathan Blow

09-04-2008, 11:27 PM

On the other hand, he... complained a few times that it was frustrating to him to see people misinterpreting it or completely missing the point.

I have heard a few people say this, but it's untrue. In fact I often go out of my way to say things to the opposite, and did so during this interview. I am not somehow sitting in a back room judging people on what percentage of the game they "got right" or anything silly like that.

I was talking about the actual mechanisms that people are using to interpret the game, not the interpretations themselves. If you want to think the game is an allegory for Rosie O'Donnell's career, then great. I just hope you don't come to that conclusion by reading a few pieces of the story, ignoring all the visuals and gameplay, and then bending the rest of the story to fit the few paragraphs that you cherry-picked. That is what we were talking about.

ColonelT

09-05-2008, 09:43 AM

So with Rod Humble and Jeff Green working under the same roof, may I suggest they start their own podcast? For no charge I offer the following name: "The Rodcast starring Jeff Green." Discuss.

Kid Socrates

09-05-2008, 09:44 AM

That wouldn't work.

"Hello And Welcome To The Podcast Starring Jeff Green!"

There you go.

In all seriousness, a Sims-themed podcast with Jeff on would be great.

ColonelT

09-05-2008, 12:22 PM

You wouldn't listen to something called The Rodcast? Man, I'd buy a new iPod just for it.

And what would I name that iPod? Yes, that's right: The RodPod.

MSUSteve

09-10-2008, 12:27 PM

I recently finished last week's 1upYours. I thought it was a nice touch to have Jeff Green on. I especially liked his response to the question about who would "win" the holiday between MS and Sony. He said, "I don't give a fuck." Awesome.

I didn't appreciate David Ellis' take on Mercs 2 very much. I mean, what kind of criticism is it to complain about not taking damage to your character while driving a vehicle? I get that he just doesn't dig the game, but he didn't articulate his reasons very well.

The best part of that discussion was Garnett Lee's question about game reviews. He essentially asked, "Who are we writing reviews for?" after saying he was glad he wasn't reviewing Mercs 2. His point was, if he had to review the game he would have to pick at the problems the game has, which to him, didn't affect the fun of the game at all. He loved the game and was glad he could just play it without critiquing it. That led to his, in my opinion very insightful question as to who reviews are for. If they're for the consumer, then wouldn't a review that talks about how much damn fun a game is (assuming that's true) be better and more appropriate than a review that takes a more "art/movie criticism" approach? Of course problems arise in that "fun" is completely subjective and the usual review criteria tend to be at least somewhat more objective, but I thought the idea that some reviews might be written more to impress other reviewers than to help end-users was interesting.

Rock8man

09-10-2008, 12:31 PM

This week's Gamers With Jobs was worth listening to because it features Ken Levine as the guest. Since I'd just seen the video of Ken's excellent speech at PAX, I had to listen to the podcast as well last night. It's good for the first half, and then they start going into "the best GWJ podcast moments" which was completely boring to me, so I had to tune out. Hopefully I didn't miss anything good.

Rob_Merritt

09-10-2008, 12:43 PM

I think my fantasy podcast would be one that includes Jeff Green (Former GFW), Gary Whitta (PC Gamer), John Davison (semi former 1up Yours), and Loyd Case (Extreme Tech).

Yeah I think its distrubing as well.

zengonzo

09-10-2008, 12:50 PM

I didn't appreciate David Ellis' take on Mercs 2 very much. I mean, what kind of criticism is it to complain about not taking damage to your character while driving a vehicle? I get that he just doesn't dig the game, but he didn't articulate his reasons very well.

That part was pretty strange. It was obvious he didn't enjoy the game, but then he seemed to take issue with it being even conceivably enjoyable.

The best part of that discussion was Garnett Lee's question about game reviews. He essentially asked, "Who are we writing reviews for?" after saying he was glad he wasn't reviewing Mercs 2.

And it's a shame that everyone seemed to bag on him for it. Seemed like an observation that should immediately ring true, but instead it was Mr. Square finally seeing Spaceland and the Triangles lock him up for it.

Bahimiron

09-10-2008, 01:27 PM

1up has had a mocking attitude toward 'fun factor' being any part of reviews for a while now.

MSUSteve

09-10-2008, 01:35 PM

1up has had a mocking attitude toward 'fun factor' being any part of reviews for a while now.
I like that 1up takes its journalistic duty seriously, but sometimes I think they go so far with their criticism that they miss if a game is fun or not.

Troy S Goodfellow

09-10-2008, 01:36 PM

If you can't critique a game without losing sight of whether or not you enjoy playing it, you are doing it wrong.

Troy

wigglestick

09-10-2008, 01:39 PM

"Stop having fun, guys!"

Fox only. No items. Final Destination.

Mordrak

09-10-2008, 02:00 PM

So with Rod Humble and Jeff Green working under the same roof, may I suggest they start their own podcast? For no charge I offer the following name: "The Rodcast starring Jeff Green." Discuss.

The Rodcast goes behind the Green door.

roguefrog

09-10-2008, 02:12 PM

Fox only. No items. Final Destination.

Fox only is bullshit. No Items/Final Destination is where it is at!

Kryten

09-10-2008, 02:14 PM

I know there's a couple of GWJ lurkers here, so I just want to pass on my congratulations for making it to 100 episodes and then topping it off with an excellent show to celebrate :)

Long may it continue.

Aleck

09-10-2008, 06:45 PM

Skorin

09-10-2008, 09:57 PM

Jeff Green's final GFW Radio is up, on both iTunes and here: http://download.gamevideos.com/Podcasts/CGW/GFWR091008.mp3

Rod Humble

09-11-2008, 12:01 AM

Shawn busts out an in context Erich Hartmann reference early on. Well played sir.

edit: Each genders masturbation expertise as gameplay advantage had me lolling.

Moggraider

09-11-2008, 04:34 AM

I think you bastards killed the Giant Bomb drink testing.

MSUSteve

09-11-2008, 06:09 AM

I just started listening to Jeff Green's final Brodeo and I was really glad he did an extra loud, "Hello and welcome!" to open it up. I also thought it was interesting that Shawn Elliott chose to respond to the few people who have said the Brodeo will devolve into fart jokes without Jeff Green without recognizing that many many more people (at least here) have said nothing of the sort. It always seems to me that Shawn can only be bothered to respond to negative things and doesn't really recognize that the vast majority of people really like him.

Shawn_Elliott

09-11-2008, 01:58 PM

No way. I totally responded to all the love at PAX, for example. I'll make up for it next week.

MSUSteve

09-11-2008, 02:22 PM

No way. I totally responded to all the love at PAX, for example. I'll make up for it next week.
I just don't like to see it seem to get to you man. The cranks are always louder than the fans for some reason. I haven't always agreed with you, but I've always appreciated your contribution to the Brodeo, as I know the vast majority of people do.

Kid Socrates

09-11-2008, 02:49 PM

I will keep listening to GFW Radio as long as one of you remaining four guys are on it. I'll miss Jeff, just like I miss Sean, but Shawn, Ryan, Robert, and Anthony will make a very good podcast as well, and easily the best 1up podcast.

MSUSteve

09-11-2008, 03:54 PM

It's interesting to me that Darren Gladstone never gets mentioned as being missed. He was a nice guy, but if I recall, he didn't add much and often simply repeated whatever either Jeff or Shawn would say. Maybe he just didn't have the time to come into his own on the podcast before leaving, but people never seem to remember him ever being there for some reason.

Gabe Lewis

09-11-2008, 05:07 PM

Well Gladestone left at the point where i still couldn't quite tell who was who, and he was only on intermittently at that point.
So there may be only one more show? Fuck. If it makes any difference, please keep doing the show, it'll still be good.
Maybe you can drop the name GFW at this point as it's a superfluous title, but the cast should stick together.

That is all.

fuzzyslug

09-11-2008, 06:26 PM

The cast sure hesitated when discussing the future of the Brodeo. Shawn, please don't kick the Brodeo to the curb. It's one of the best podcast out there, with or without Jeff.

Falcon554

09-11-2008, 06:30 PM

Shawn your great. Abit over my head at times lol but still fantastic!

MSUSteve

09-11-2008, 06:43 PM

I haven't finished the whole episode, but I'm bummed to hear they're not sure if they're going to continue doing the show.

Bahimiron

09-11-2008, 07:13 PM

I miss Sean Molloy, but was sort of glad when Darren left. Darren seemed like the kind of guy who would make a joke that was a less subtle version of the joke Shawn, Jeff or Sean had just made, then laugh at it.

Zerot

09-12-2008, 05:51 AM

I didn't take their discussion as them not knowing whether they will continue to do the podcast after the next episode, but rather whether they will continue to do a podcast as GFW Radio.

While I would hate to see it go, as long as the gang is doing some kind of podcast will make me happy.

Rob_Merritt

09-12-2008, 06:40 AM

I missed Sean and Darren. They were both more interested in talking about PC games than even Jeff. They sort of gave the show balance. However their voices weren't very distinct. With Jeff gone, it feels the last reason to listen is gone. It seems more significant. Oh and I don't want to slight on Ryan, great writer, but he speaks so infrequently I forget he was on the podcasts.

MSUSteve

09-12-2008, 07:22 AM

I absolutely miss Sean Malloy. People have been erroneously saying that Jeff acted as somewhat of a counter point to Shawn Elliott's views, but if anyone ever actually did, it was Sean Malloy. He was more the solo player, even when it came to MMOs. He wasn't into adversarial play, but more co-op and didn't get into griefing or anything like that. I always felt like Sean Malloy was sort of my voice on GFW Radio. That's not to say I don't enjoy and appreciate Shawn's takes, I just liked that Sean Malloy would quietly insert what I felt I would say in response.

ColonelT

09-12-2008, 07:24 AM

This week's Brodeo was a fantastic finish to the Jeff Green-era, the perfect mix of game talk and goofiness. And major thanks to whomever orchestrated the last 60 seconds, which was exactly what I wanted to hear in those last 60 seconds.

Looking forward to next week.

Kid Socrates

09-12-2008, 08:26 AM

It's even better if you go to Gamevideos.com and watch the podcast -- they filmed all two hours of it and posted it in three videos. I watched bits and pieces of it, and it was really cool to see the faces that go with the voices in my head.

Bahimiron

09-12-2008, 08:27 AM

I haven't finished this week's GFW Radio, but if the last 60 seconds aren't clips of Jeff Green's finest played over Kool & the Gang's Cherish, then it ain't what I'm hoping for.

MSUSteve

09-15-2008, 07:04 AM

I finally finished the last Jeff Green Brodeo this morning. I absolutely loved that Shawn got him to reprise part of the rap from the old GFW Radio "promos". Hilarious! I was pretty bummed at how discouraged Shawn sounded about continuing with GFW Radio in Jeff's absence. He cited people that would complain that it wouldn't be as good with Jeff gone or whatever. I don't know what that has to do with continuing on, but for myself, I can say that GFW Radio is as much Shawn Elliott, Anthony Gallegos, Robert Ashley, and Ryan Scott as it was Jeff Green. I never saw it as "Jeff's" show and it would be a shame not to continue simply because he won't be there.

Bahimiron

09-15-2008, 07:15 AM

Halfway through this week's 1up Yours.

I'm glad John Davison and David Ellis were there with good counterpoints to Garnet's Devil's Advocate-ing over how Comcast should get a cut of digital distribution. When Shane just responded with 'information wants to be free!' I really wanted to crack him over the back of the head with something. Yeah, Ac!dburn, information wants to be free. Which is why it's okay to upload scans of every issue of EGM to mygazines.com and distribute pirated games over the internet. Cos Henry-Rollins-in-Johnny-Mnemonic over there says it's okay.

DoomMunky

09-15-2008, 10:01 AM

I gotta say, 1up Yours with John Davidson is a 1up Yours worth listening to. He brings a hell of a lot to the table, and I LOVE it when he shouts at someone to let someone else talk (looking at you, Garnett!).

zengonzo

09-15-2008, 10:30 AM

No doubt, Davidson is a Voice of Reason. Great to listen to.

And Shane, dammit .. Every time he says something extremely informed he absolutely kills it by being a total ass before the end of the episode. He was so close this time - like twenty minutes to go!

Jazar

09-15-2008, 06:20 PM

And Shane, dammit .. Every time he says something extremely informed he absolutely kills it by being a total ass before the end of the episode. He was so close this time - like twenty minutes to go!

Shane really hit one out of the park today I almost crashed my car I was laughing so hard.

John D on Spore: It's very easy to go aggressive. In my village there were fireworks and cheering and everyone had nuclear bombs on their mind.

Shane: So... you made republicans?