As promised, and in its full glory.
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We're all here to have fun, right? ...RIGHT?!
Hi there. We're all nerds and geeks here, right? We're passionate about our hobbies, but why does that passion so often turn to rage and complaining? Can't we all just have fun and enjoy each other's thoughts and company? Well, this week on Nerds Without Pants we're joined by a couple excellent guests to talk about just that. Enjoy the beautiful voices and even-handed opinions of Erika Szabo and John Gholson!
There’s definite magic at play in this concoction.
Does the world need another match-three puzzle game? Most definitely not! But, hey, Dungeon Hearts got made anyway, and it’s actually pretty cool. Conjoining a fast-paced action RPG with the heretofore played out match-three puzzle concept is a pretty slick way to innovate on two formulas we’ve had our fill of. Mixing the two together adds extra tension to the color matching bits and a real need for skill and practice in the combat. This well balanced combo makes for an addictive puzzler that I keep coming back to even though I am terrible at it.
EA didn't port FrostBite Engine 3 to the Wii U, so the 15 (and counting) games in development that use the engine won't make it to Nintendo's console.
That's right, this week's PB & Jason is mostly about people NOT developing things for the Wii U. It isn't a big surprise, since that seems to have taken up most of this week's headlines. It's also about hopes that EA's Star Wars exclusivity license is more limited than we believe it is. Interspersed throughout the discussion of games that aren't for the Wii U are a few thoughts about the trouble ahead for the PS4 and the next XBox, as well. Follow all of this with some discussion about the relationship between US gun violence and video games, and we've got ourselves a delicious PB & Jason.
First it giveth, then it taketh away.
Last June, EA Labels President Frank Gibeau said the publisher's objective for Dead Space 3 was to increase accessibility without upsetting established fans. To give credit where it's due, EA was half successful—the first half. But with its compromised and uninspired design, Dead Space 3 is streamlined almost beyond recognition. And I'm upset.
Kneel before Cyberpunk Odin!
In this age of long preview cycles and aggressive PR and marketing campaigns, it can be easy for the video game hype train to go so fast that it flies off the rails. The bigger the game, the bigger the hype, and few titles can ever hope to live up to it. Too Human was a game built on over ten years of increasing hyperbole, and when the game was finally released in 2008 the backlash from gamers and games writers far outpaced the merits of the actual finished product. I’d much rather evaluate games based on their actual strengths and weaknesses as opposed to what they were expected to do, and getting far enough removed from the initial hype allows for that. No, Too Human couldn’t live up to its lofty promises, but it’s also not the atrocity that some people painted it to be.
Now You're Playing With Fanboys!
Hey! Listen! We have a big show for you this week, and we kick things off by talking about how awesome Felicia Day is before Patrick gives us the lowdown on the c2e2 convention. Is that Jeff Green guesting on our show? Not quite, but Angelo sounds a little bit like him, and he drops by to talk about Nintendo and other fun things!
Let's make a deal, I'll sell you a Kinect for $500 and you can say you won it from me.
This week's PB & Jason was recorded in front of a live studio audience. Or it wasn't. I can say this: No one's ever lost money playing a carnival game to listen to PB & Jason. I'm not sure if I should be proud or saddened by that fact. To know what I'm talking about, you'll have to click through to listen to the podcast.
Ok, well it's not exactly part one...
So, funny story, I think Backloggers Anonymous is cursed when it comes to handling games designed by Irrational. The reason? Well, this is actually our second first recording for System Shock 2. The first one somehow disappeared from my computer after we recorded it, and the backup is gone too. I half expected SHODAN to email me something like I'VE DELETED YOUR PODCAST, INSECT, but that didn't happen, so I'm gonna chalk it up to the curse.
SELECT YOUR CHARACTER!
So, you’ve picked your game and are ready to jump in the ring, but you don’t know where to start. Thankfully, this problem can be solved with the simplest of concepts – favoritism. It’s something that we as people naturally do when it comes to anything we enjoy, and fighting games are no different. When it comes to selecting a game to play, the biggest draw is usually something that you personally find interesting. This also goes for the characters you select to play as. In most cases the character you elect to dedicate most of your time into directly ties into your overall enjoyment of the game. So naturally it’s best to go with what you like.
