About Me:
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I think my story is somewhat average. I'm pretty much a born gamer: Ever since I can remember, I was playing video games on the NES. Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, and Galaga were probably the first, with a few others in the mix. From there, I remember playing Super Mario Bros. 3 two-player, with a sister, where we would never get out of the third world, and only wanted to use the flutes to get to the fourth one. From that point on, I only grew to enjoy playing video games more and more.
I have to say I'm a Nintendo fan, through and through. I've found their games have rarely disappointed me, and have nearly always been worth both the financial and time investments involved. Ever since I rented a copy of Final Fantasy III on the SNES, I've also had a little bit of a thing for RPGs, though more often than not, I find that my nostalgia for games on the SNES hasn't carried over to newer, flashier RPGs, for whatever reason. I don't typically play FPSs, despite being competitive, but I like to play some of the RTS, fighting, and even a bit of the head-to-head puzzle game genres. I Have a secret love-affair with Shmups that stems from Galaga and arcade games, like 1945. (Shhhh)
Beyond that, I like games that are just different. Katamari Damacy has been a big hit for me, partly because it's so far out there. No More Heroes is absolutely a brilliant thing, despite its many flaws.
My biggest pet peeve, though, has to be games that coddle the gamer, and don't let him or her opt out. Games that force long tutorials on the player, or show the same flashback twice in a conversation fall into this category. I believe all games should have a "How To Play," but I think such things should be optional, and readily available whenever you need them.
Favorite Games:
There's almost too many favorite games to count them all. I love platformers, RPGs like Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, and Final Fantasy VI. I believe Ikaruga was a fantastic experience. Katamari Damacy was a breath of fresh air. 2D Mega Man has almost always been fun. Currently, I have a love affair with both Smash Bros. Brawl and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom.
Favorite Music:
I'm not a big "music" person. I find a song I enjoy, and typically, I latch on to it for a while, and forget about it later. The rare occaisions this hasn't been true involve Frank Sinatra, instrumental brass music, and Aerosmith, which, together, might just be the strangest trio I think I've seen in the music world.
Latest Posts
The Xbox One is touted as an "All-in-One" entertainment console. Will things work out that way?
This week's PB & Jason is split into two parts. Why? There's just too much to talk about. The Xbox One alone takes up more than an entire issue! That means today, you'll get some perspective on the entire Xbox One reveal press conference. PB & Jason covers the entire stage reveal: The TV parts, the all-in-one parts, Kinect, the gameplay footage that lacked gameplay, and the cross-generation and multiplatform games shown. The verdict? Things aren't looking so good. Tune into tomorrow for the second part, featuring discussion about the news revealed after the press conference on the Xbox One, Denis Dyack, the most recent Nintendo Direct, and those game ideas I've been promising for a little while now!
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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.
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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.
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Jason Ross
