Nintendo Buys Rights to Fatal Frame Franchise + Fatal Frame 4 Announced

Finally!  A reason for me to be excited about owning a Wii.  Today, it was announced that Nintendo has purchased the rights to the Fatal Frame franchise which would make the next entries to the series wii exclusives.  Along with this announcement, Nintendo confirmed the existence of Fatal Frame 4 which will be sub-titled "Mask of the Lunar Eclipse" (roughly translated).  Whats even more surprising is that Suda 51 of "Killer 7" and "No More Heroes" fame will be co-director on the project.  This is some of the best Wii news i've heard in awhile.

First and foremost, Fatal Frame has always been a very dark and disturbing game to play so this franchise will hopefully prove that there is room for more mature content on the platform. For those who have never played the games, Fatal Frame is a horror game that is developed in Japan that puts the player in the shoes of various girls as they explore haunted locales with their enchanted camera as their only defense against the angry spirits.  Some of the games locales are based off of real locations in Japan that are said to be haunted which really does add to the creepiness factor.  The first 3 entries on the PS2 pushed the power of the PS2 enough to produce some of the best looking graphics on the console.  It is pretty safe to say that as long as they stay on track with previous entries, this will be one of the prettiest games on the Wii.  It is kind of hard to say though, they may mix it up a bit with Suda on the dev team but so far the screen shots look pretty standard for the series.  The look and the feel of this franchise is something that has always sent chills down my spine and I can't wait to see how it makes the transfer to the Wii.

With the premise of the game being that you take pictures of ghosts with your mystical camera, there is obvious room for added wii controls.  Luckily, it is a premise that I think has potential in the wii control department.  This also begs the question as to what other Wii controller functions could find their way into the game.  Last week, we talked briefly about the speaker in the controller and some of the interesting possibilities that it opens up for developers.  I would be willing to bet money that some "creepy shit" (for lack of a better term) will be coming from that speaker in this game.  

There have been no offical announcements as to story, controls, or release date but I will be sure to keep everyone posted in the coming months for sure.  You may also have heard me say that I never beat the third Fatal Frame which means that now I definitely have a reason to go back and do that sometime soon.... anyone care to join me?  I won't be doing that alone for sure!

-Nick

Holy Crap

Nancy




-Brad

Exclusive Smash Bros Footage!!!

This video was linked to more than anything it seemed the other night on the Smash boards. *sigh*

Still pretty cool.



-Brad

Fox Parody! + Another New DS Color? When Will it End?!

3 things...

1.) Congratulations me for being the 50th post of 2008.

2.)  This parody of the fox/mass effect controversy is pretty funny... sad thing is that this is not far from how it really happened.

3.) When will Nintendo stop releasing cool new colors of the DS lite!? I started with a white DS and sold it to buy a sleek looking, manly black one but now all I want to do is pick up the new Cobalt Blue / Black DS that is releasing on February 10! When will it end..... Anyone wanna buy a black DS?

-Nick

New Bourne Conspiracy Trailer

I'm sure you all know that I am really excited about the video game adaptation of the Bourne franchise set to release in June titled "The Bourne Conspiracy".  Today, IGN released a new trailer for the game that includes some voiced cinematics mixed with some great looking gameplay.  There are several moments in the trailer that borrow heavily from the movies that made me giddy so look out for those.  Anyways, the game looks good so far, hope it stays on track.  

-Nick

Adam Sessler Has His Say...

This is why I really like Adam Sessler.  Keep it up! 

-Nick

Wii-eel News

So I've heard Space Channel 5 Rumors for the Wii. While it's a nostalgic title, unless they game something from the simon-esque game play, I won't think it's interesting.

I remember a few months back hearing that NanaOn-Sha (Developer for Parappa/UmJammer Lammy/Vib-Ribbon) is working on a music game for the Wii. I also believe iNiS (Ouendan/Gitaroo/Elite Beat) is working on something for the Wii as well. For someone like me, it's music to my ears.

Namco's Tri-Crecendo is working on a Wii title called Fragile. Looks to be some sort of RPG/Horror. Maybe it'll interest Nick. [Trailer]

I'll just let this video speak for itself[Oneechanbara Revolution]

David

PS - Couple things real quick. There's a Wii game using the Wii Fit Board called Family Ski that looks kind of interesting. If you're really into Skiing or Wii stuff I'll let you look it up, otherwise I'll probably just get flak for posting the link.

Secondly, I can't believe I made a Wii post and didn't mention Smash Brawl. Here's a rumored character selection screen shot. Who knows if it's real or not. There are some funny characters on there, I'm a little surprised Tails wasn't put on this and even more surprised about a few of the additions. I'd comment, but I'll just let you look over the RUMOR.

Podcast # 47: The "No More Demos" Show

This week we have 4 players for the first half and then round out the show with only 3 after Travis has to leave. We talk about the games we've been playing such as Burnout Paradise, No More Heroes, and Endless Ocean and then move into a rather heated debate about game demos. We also discuss the annoying Mass Effect/Fox controversy and the unfortunate news of Heath Ledgers untimely death. Overall, pretty eventful show. We'll be back next week!

For Now, this show is only available in the new archive we are working on.  You can check it out here:

New Podcast Archive

-Nick

Star Wars Force Unleashed Webisode

Hey guys, i've been a big Star Wars nerd since I was about 5 years old and I have always craved a Star Wars game that lived up to the epic nature of the movie and allows the player to really feel the "power trip" experience of being a jedi. KoToR was great but it focused more on RPG elements and turn based fighting rather than straight forward fighting. Star Wars the Force Unleashed looks to be the game i've been waiting for. What I do find fascinating about this game however is the technology the developers are using. This is the first time i've seen a developer incorporate 3 unique physics engines into a game had them interact with each other to create a totally unique experience. They have managed to incorporate Havok, Euphoria, and DMM (Digital Molecular Mass) engines into one game and have them work together with a mind blowing result. Below, you can watch a developer webisode where they go into detail as to how their 3 engines work:



Nick

Video game music on drums?

Saw this on Destructiod. Thought I'd post it here. Pretty awesome.




-Brad

EA Fights Back

Hey just wanted to post in regards to David's post about Fox bashing Mass Effect which we will also discuss on tomorrow's show. It looks like EA is fighting back and demanding that Fox correct themselves on all counts. I won't discuss the details here but if you want to read it click here or listen to tomorrow nights show in which I will discuss EA's comments.

Peace!

-Nick

Nick's Industry Spotlight # 1 (1/24/2008)

Hey everyone, this is the first of something I call Industry spotlight. Whenever, there is a big day in the entertainment industry, I will highlight and bring the big news together under this one headline. Today seems to be one of those days when the news is coming at me faster than I can handle. I will focus mainly on the Gaming Industry obviously but some Film highlights might make the cut as well. Anywho, lets get this underway.

1.) Square-Enix claims that gamers may get their hands on a playable demo of Final Fantasy XIII late this year. It may not be as good as the actual game being released but it definitely is awesome to know that they are making progress on the PS3's most anticipated title. Famitsu also went into some detail concerning the story of this new FF which I find to be surprisingly one of my favorite premises yet. The game surrounds two civilizations, cocoon and pulse. Cocoon is a floating metropolis that is protected by crystals while Pulse is the world below it. The magazine shed some light on two new races, Farsi, supernatural beings who built cocoon, and Lasi, human like characters that were created to follow orders given by the Farsi. It is also suggested that Summons will play a large role in the games story and may even transform into vehicles. We got our first glimpse of this in the trailer shown at the Jump Fiesta Event last year in which Shiva transformed into a motorcycle and came to the aid of unnamed character. The magazine showed off two other summons, Ifrit and Carbuncle. The game is looking better and better and hopefully the floodgates will open late this year.

2.) Today, Team Ico posted a notice saying that they are looking for talented individuals who are interested in helping them develop their new PS3 project. For those who don't know, Team Ico developed "Ico" and Shadow of the Colossus" for the PS2, both of which grace my top 20 best games of all time. What was even better is that they included a single screenshot of the project. The shot is simple and seems to be in the same category as their previous titles which means that this may very well be the next Ico game.

Check it out here: Team Ico Project

3.) We have all heard about the delays of GTA4 and most of us know that it has been slated for sometime in April. Today, Rockstar announced that the game is street dated for April 29th which means that hopefully this is the final date. After yesterday's detailed description of the new engine designed for the game, dubbed the "Natural Motions Engine", I am already salivating at the prospect of playing this title.

4.) In Film news, the follow up to the Best Bond film in years, Casino Royale, has finally recieved an official title. The new film is titled "Quantum of Solace" and gets its title from a short story based on the Bond universe by Albert R. Broccoli.

Thats it for now. Keep your eyes peeled for my next spotlight.

Peace!

-Nick

Some Brad Catsup (edited version)

- I've been playing some Advance Wars DS. Not far enough in single player to give my opinions yet but I do have some general thoughts. Some things are shit and some thing are great. I've done about 10 missions and feel like I haven't even started the game yet. It has been easy as fuck and the game has no hard mode but i'll post deeper impressions when I play the online multiplayer player. Intelligent Systems claims that a lot of the changes made were to benefit multiplayer. So we shall see.

- Here is a game that could be pretty cool. It's a DS strat/rpg from Atlus and developed by Success. They develop a ton of games each year ranging from shit to pretty good. But the trailer has me curious at least... even if it does looks like a Fire Emblem rip off. She had me at "Customizable Skills."



- I love how Capcom's Hiroyuki Kobayashi has my back when it comes to downloadable content. I have always used the Devil May Cry or Resident Evil series when giving examples of how games used to do bonus content... through hard work and multiple play-throughs. Kobayashi has stated recently that there are no plans for downloadable content for Devil May Cry 4. Why? Because there is already a shit load of secret content to unlock on the disc. Fuck paying money... Earn that shit the hard way bitches.

- I laughed so hard when I saw this. Link What the hell are they doing? LOL I think Valve should actually sue their asses. I respect DICE and all... but this is ridiculous. I haven't seen a theft this bad since... well I guess Heavenly Sword.

- Download Undertow while you still can. Hopefully Nick, Travis, and David also get it so we can try it out online sometime. It actually got some pretty awesome scores, especially for a download game. Link

- I feel like this Burnout demo feature ended up like the 'Candy Lineup' from that episode of Seinfeld. Everyone was in there eating the Twix before it even got started. Yeah, I hated the single player demo too. There is a reason I wanted everyone to play online together. Online demos are awesome and they help show what playing the full version online could be like with friends. That and Criterion seems to be doing some truly revolutionary things with online play with this Burnout. Now everyone seems down on the game.

- David posted about how demos often manage to convince him not to buy a game and it made me think. Is that a bad thing? David has a lot of games that he probably never would have bought if he had tried them out first. Yet he seems to be against demos. If every game had a demo then yeah... there will be the demo that makes you not buy a game. But there will also be those demos that make you buy a game you were never expecting to like in the first place. And I love when that happens.

- Oh and this link is for David. This version of this game really is limited... so get on it if you are interested. Here Edit: Crap David... you better hurry. I tried to wake you up, hope you don't miss out. Oh my: "Up to 7 major characters that you can interact with and simulate a high school campus life. Depending on how you interact with these characters, the outcome of the game will change."




-Brad

Watch This

We will be discussing this on the show this weekend.




-Brad

Random Post with some Ketchup

1.) First off, Congratulations to Nick for joining the Red Ring Club.

2.) I'm excited that Patapon will be out for 19.99. Now only if I could get enough for the PSP.

3.) No More Heroes comes out tomorrow and getting alright reviews. GameSpot gave it a 9.0 which is promising, but so did Assassin's Creed which is another Ubisoft published game.
GameSpot's credibility sure is shaky.

4.) I'm off to play some Endless Ocean before I go to sleep.


Yep,
David

One more thing to Nick and Travis. Brad will be posting a link of a recent Fox News story regarding Mass Effect. Please watch it so we can talk about it on the show this weekend.

My Xbox is Dying...

So it has finally happened. After 2 years of wondering what it is like to lose something close to you... my xbox has finally given out. While attempting to start a game of Jade Empire, the game was suffering from some serious slow down and freezing issues. After trying a 360 title on it and having it freeze after 3 minutes of play time, I knew it was coming. Before I knew it, there were three red lights on the front of my console. I have expected this for over a year and i'm relieved that it has finally happened. But why did it have to happen a week before Turok! I'm still debating but I may opt to pick up the PS3 version instead. I'll tell you what Microsoft, you better get your shit together fast, this problem is beyond widespread. Pretty soon, my xbox 360 collection will grow about as fast as my Wii collection and my PS3 will swoop in to pick up the slack. Hopefully "No More Heroes" will be able keep me busy until my Xbox returns. That's all for now.

-Nick

What's the Point of a Demo?

So I recently tried out the Burnout Paradise Demo. After reading Granger's comments, I have to say that I too am a little disappointed in the new Burnout game. Keep in mind I've never been the biggest Burnout fan. I've only spent a few hours with the second and third games. I've spent much more time playing F-Zero, Ridge Racer, and the overly rated Mario Kart.

First off let's start off with some good things. I like the fact that they're trying something new. The open world mechanic seems like it'll have some problems, but I always love a developer for doing something new. The online play, the way it was explained to me sounds very streamlined and seems to be the next step in how online games should be organized, but then again, I'm not a game player who's main focus is playing online. When I do hop online, it's with friends and rarely am I just going to hope online and play a stranger.

A big problem I have with the Burnout series is with the look. Before people start screaming RED RUM, let me say the game looks fantastic. It's amazingly detailed. When you drive one way, the suns glares in your eyes but when you turn around, it's the opposite. The detail is amazing as well as the things you can do to your vehicle (ie crash it up). The cars and environments shine with the best of them. But I can't stand it. It's like it's too shiny. Everything is kind of the same shade and it's really hard to tell what's coming or going. I end up realizing too late and it's like knowing your horrible future and then having to sit through it all while not be able to do anything about it. I cannot stand the map system in this new Burnout. The map should always rotate with you in the direction you are traveling ala GTA. It's unnecessary to have to try to figure out which direction the next left is on the map while driving at high speeds. I was going to say extremely high speeds but then I feel like this game isn't as fast as some of the previous Burnouts. I do like the street sign system which not only tells you what street your approaching but helps you time the turn as well. But I'm very confused about the drive thru points. Having to find them and then use them in races to fix damage and gain boost seems like an extremely frustrating and bothersome mechanic.

So in the end, what have we come to? Nothing. This is a demo version of the game. A lot of the answers and complaints of mine would surely be answered in the full game. All I do know is that I'm probably not going to be purchasing Burnout Paradise anymore. I was somewhat curious previously but after playing the demo, I'm perfectly comfortable passing on it. This isn't the first time something like this has happened. The same thing happened with Blue Dragon, Eternal Sonata, Ninety Nine Nights, Dead Rising, Ratchet & Clank Future, and to some extent Lost Planet. I feel sometimes that with demos, you're dropped into a game with no knowledge of story or gameplay and it's a very shallow experience. I'd prefer if a demo was the actual first 15 minutes of the game. They'd let you play and then save your data so that when/if you bought the full version, you could continue right where you left off.

Some will argue that these demos saved me time and money from playing crap games. And while it's a valid argument. But what is the point of a demo anyways? Isn't it to get people to buy the game? I can tell you that the majority of the demos I've tried, persuaded me out of the game. This, I find, is a little ironic as well as regrettable. I wonder how things would be if I had actually played the game from the beginning. It's possible that I would be head over heels for the game and things would be completely different, if not for the demo.


There's an ad for CompUSA in the Burnout Paradise, it's hilarious.
David

uh... well.

So I was excited about the new Burnout.... But new events have risen...
Such as discovering Guitar Hero 3.
So while I will pick up No More Heroes and Burnout, I am pretty sure that they will lack my full attention.
It is going to be hard enough playing the new Burnout the way it is anyway. Don't get me wrong, it will be a fun game in all aspects. But whatever made them decide that changing it to open world from what they had (where you chose your course and all that jazz) creates a big obstacle for me to overcome. Not because this makes it difficult, but because it makes it... tedious. I am not excited to lose a race (of course) and then have to drive all the way back to the starting point to try again. Nor am I excited about attempting to find all the hidden tracks to make the fastest time, or trying to find the fastest track in general.
It will be a fun game, but I still have number three and would rather play that by a long shot.

or just play guitar hero, the game I see when i close my eyes.
Haven't had that happen since I first started playing DDR


-Travis- Good grammar or not.

On a Tragic Note...

This is not necessarily video game related but I felt it would be worth sharing. Yesterday, Heath Ledger, the film star who just finished his role as the Joker in the new Batman film, was found dead in his apartment building in NYC. He was 28 years old. If you listen to the show, you know i've been very excited about the upcoming batman movie and was rather shocked to read this news. Although, I was not a huge fan of his previous work, he is well respected and I am very sad to see this happen.

RIP.

-Nick

Surprise Surprise

Hey everyone, I just decided something that shocks even myself... I'm going to pick up No More Heroes for the Wii. Despite its dismal sales in Japan and lack of hype in America, the game is doing surprisingly well. The game launches tomorrow and has been reviewed by several game magazines and reputable sites and has so far, sustained a solid 89% on gamerankings. Thats not to say that the score wont drop a little bit but every opinion i've read so far seems to be praising the game. It may not be the best game ever but I think it is something that every Wii owner should atleast check out. I won't be picking it up tomorrow like David but will instead probably pick it up on Friday so i'm sure David and I will have a lot to talk about on the next podcast.

Peace,
Nick

Cover Art Comparision #064 - No More Heroes

I know it's been a while since I posted one of these, but I assure you, I have been working on them. I'm currently in the process of acquiring all of the pictures and sorting all of them and posting the rest. I am going to get back on track to making this a weekly feature and to start it off, I've uploaded the covers for a game I'm very excited about for this year.

No More Heroes

Two thing I'd like to say about the game before it's release this week. I loved the Killer7 soundtrack and from what I've heard of the No More Heroes one, it's turning out great. I haven't seen the credits for NMH but the Music Director for Killer7 was Masafumi Takada. I think the music in both games will be overlooked.

Secondly I expressed concerns about the move up on the date concerning me, I think more, we're just going to see less extras and details. I believe the voice were in English already so I don't see too many dubbing issues. I remember with the release of War Tech, Ubisoft had very little to do with anything. I think they changed the menus and subtitled the dialogue and that was it. There was no English Dub option or anything, and I'm just fine with that. But again I really hope they didn't screw it up.

See you next week,
David

Podcast #046 - Intro Geekery

Howdy,

We've got a good show this week. Nick, Brad, and I meet up to do our usual thing. We go over what we're playing, The New Year for the Wii, The Jade Raymond Syndrome, Memorable Video Game Purchases, and Games Coming in a Few Weeks. Some of the discussions get pretty heated so please, use caution.

[Podcast Archive]


Thanks Again,
David

New Podcast Archive Under Construction

Hey guys, we've been discussing ways to change up our podcast archive because currently, we can only have 2 or 3 up at a time. Luckily however, I have stumbled upon a free method of hosting our podcasts so most of our shows should be up and ready for download really soon. I've uploaded 2 shows so far from back in mid 2007 but should have the rest up in the next few days. I also have to run this by David and Brad before I commence with this. So you guys let me know what you think, its free and it has unlimited space. If this works out, I will be running our new archive and should have the link officially changed in the menu in a couple days. If you want to check it out, click the link below:

New Podcast Archive [Under Construction]

Peace!

-Nick

P.s.- Yes Brad.... we can now be subscribed to on itunes... and google..... and yahoo

3 links for 3 fellow players

Nick - a little bit worried about the camera

David - seriously David, this dude is really really good

Travis - bookmark?


- Brad

Blah

(insert post here)

Surpirse, Surprise

Well guess what, it happened.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl got pushed back.
March 9th I believe?
nevertheless, big let down, especially when its 3 weeks away. How can they decide so late that they need to push a game back. What is wrong with doing it two years ago knowing you gave yourself enough time to finish your game and also give it the attention it deserves.
oh well, Just need to replan some parties.

Roster Mania

Real quick, I wanted to touch on something I don't normally think about.... Fighting games. In our last show, I showed some interest in Street Fighter IV but this is a "maybe" at most. It got me thinking, what is it that make people so excited when a new Fighting Game is in development. Then I thought about Brawl and it hit me. Fighting games get something that most games don't, the ability to gradually increase hype due to their rosters. Think about it, Soul Caliber IV apparently has 32 characters in it, two of which were just revealed to be Darth Vader and Yoda. Super Smash Bros. has been building the hype machine for over a year and half now and are still adding new characters a month prior to its launch! These games get people excited because they can release the names and designs of its characters one at a time and can stretch them out over a period of several months! I think its really cool and now it kind of has me excited to see what they reveal next in Street Fighter IV. Anywho, that was my random thought for the day.

Peace!
Nick

Bourne Forum Post

Hey guys, this post is actually going to be a copy of a response I left on the Sierra Forums concerning the upcoming Bourne adaptation that i've mentioned a lot recently. If you listen to the show, you know i'm really excited about the game and worried about it at the same time. I was paroozing the forums today and found a thread that asked for peoples suggestions for the game. I suppose whoever started the thread intends to forward these suggestions to High Moon Studios once enough posts are made. There were a lot of great suggestions but of course I had to offer my 2 cents. I figured I would go ahead and post my response here as well. So here it is:

I'm a huge fan of the movie and the books and am incredibly excited about playing the new game(s). I agree largely with several of your suggestions and am glad to see that other people want this game to be a hit as much as I do.

-1st thing, Bourne doesnt look like Matt Damon because they didn't acquire the rights to his likeness and he has already suggested that he probably wont reprise his role as Bourne in any upcoming sequels. What is most important is that the CHARACTER is accurate, not whether or not he looks like Matt Damon. I personally like the character they designed, he looks like an everyday guy but at the same time, he has the same physique as Damon and looks the part just like Damon. It would have been cool but who knows, perhaps they will acquire the rights and get Damon's Blessing before they start the sequel.

-The character of Jason Bourne (David Webb) is what made the books and the movie so successful, not just the actor who portrayed him. High Moon studios needs to focus on making sure that this interpretation is on par with the original character. By this I mean, Bourne must not only be a lethal killing machine but also incredibly smart and resourceful. I cant stress this enough, the story should be approached with care. Not all of Bourne's abilities can be translated into gameplay so we should also be able to see him react to the situations via cutscenes.

- I know much of the game will take place prior to losing his memory but hopefully there will be a good amount of time spent playing as Bourne after because that is part of what makes the character so unique and interesting.

- If High Moon Studios can do it well, they should definitely incorporate a love interest. In the movies, this helped to add a real sense of humanity to Bourne that would otherwise be nonexistent.

Well those are my suggestions for now. I hope many of you out there agree with me. Luckily I think the game is in fairly good hands and I can't wait to see the final product. Hopefully this will be one of the rare exceptions to the rule that licensed games are bad. If you are excited like me and haven't already reserved the game, show your support and reserve a copy.

Laterz
Nick

Podcast #045 - The Distracted Show

For the second show of the new year we kind of got distracted by something on Nick's computer. We go over what we're playing (such as Tomb Raider/Tekken/Heavenly Sword), discuss the future of downloadable media, the power of money, and some more predictions for the year. Also, did I mention that we get distracted?

[Podcast Archive]

David

Pics of Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (...think Bioware)

JeuxFrance has posted scans of the new Nintendo Power. This site has been on top of NDS shit like no other as of late. Check these out. Not bad.

link

-Brad

Turok Comes Early?

I was working yesterday and as I was checking a release date for a customer, I noticed that Turok for PS3 and XBox360 has been pushed forward a few days. It was originally scheduled for a simultaneous release date on February 5th (Ship date) but is now scheduled to ship on the 29th of January. As of right now, I haven't seen any official news posted by Propaganda Games or anyone else affiliated with the game but it seems like they may be ahead of schedule. Some people might argue that when a game is pushed forward, it usually is the precursor to bad things for a game but I doubt that one week early means anything major. Having recently played through the retail demo, I feel that this game is probably going to be light years ahead of its "crappy" predecessor, Turok Evolution. The game engine is beautiful and seems to have little or problem running at a constant frame rate. I seem to remember reading that they had entered the de-bugging stage and that they had been a little bit ahead of schedule recently so I wouldn't be surprised if this new launch day sticks. This new Turok Franchise seems to be on the right track but I guess we will all find out when it hits store shelves. Expect my full impressions once I have the game in my hands.

Peace,
Nick

The Future of Downloadable Gaming

This is a topic that I have been meaning to talk about on our podcast for the past month or so but we always seem to run out of time for it. The talk surrounding the movie industry suggests that soon, rentals and retail copies of movies will be a thing of the past. This means that we will all be able to download our favorite movies directly onto a box that we can access via remote. This would obviously remove the DVD as a middleman, making it easier to watch our favorite movies. This doesn't concern me much but the possibility of Video games going down the same path is troubling. Many of us, including myself enjoy having a physical copy of the games we own. I for one am 100% opposed to the idea of eliminating the need for retail stores and physical ownership of games. I would love to have the option but for an industry to totally eliminate our ability to choose would be criminal in my opinion. I guess we will have to see where the industry goes in the next decade. What do ya'll think?

Peace,
Nick

The Countdown Begins

Mark your Calendars.
TGS 2008 October 9-12.
Makuhari Messe Convention Center
First two days closed to the public.

Be There or Be Square,
David

Pfft, who needs an MMO.

I was planning on starting Final Fantasy 11 this week, but because of some unfortunate circumstances I find my self playing a much better and much more addictive online game.

Guess what doesn't suck? Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection Online. I've seen David play and tried some myself in the past, and while that experience was a disappointment, I was surprised by just how smoothly it runs now.

I've been playing hours upon hours over the past week and it has been quite the awesome time sink. It sort of feels like my college days at the arcade all over again. There are some occasional lag hitches here and there, but when I'm able to play some of the best Tekken players in the country without leaving my apartment, the trade off is easily worth it (*cough* I beat the #43 ranked player in the world a few times). Though I do miss the feeling of beating someone senseless in person.

The fighting game genre is dying and I honestly don't believe online play will save it. At least this is the case for more serious fighting games. The genre thrives because of competition and casual fans just don't put in the effort to get the most out of the game... so they get bored and move on. The problem is serious fighting game fans are too niche to drive up sales. This is why only fighting games like Smash Bros actually sell...

...and why Yoda and Vader are going to now be in the once respected Soul Calibur series.


-Brad

God of War: Chains of Olympus Impressions

Hey everyone, I just had a chance to sit down and play through the God of War PSP demo that we got in at our store. I've always enjoyed God of War games even though they have never made my "best of" lists. The games have this look and feel to them that is different than any other game out there. Even though the gameplay may not be anything that fresh or new, it is definitely solid. I always feel like I am learning because of the games constant greek, mythological references so for me, these games are like an incredibly entertaining mythology class. The first two GoW iterations on the PS2 were epic in scale which led me to have my doubts about bringing the franchise onto a portable console. Surprisingly though, this game translates well to the PSP. Based on what I have seen in the demo, while not perfect, Chains of Olympus looks to be shaping up to be one of PSP's best action adventure titles yet. So here's exactly what I thought:

The first question on most peoples mind would be whether the games graphical standards were lowered during the transition to a smaller screen. Let me say this, I can see very little difference in this game and its PS2 predecessors. While there are some obvious differences such as simplified textures, none of these differences make the way this game looks any less impressive. The demo begins by dropping Kratos in the middle of a battle between Persia and the Greeks (sound familiar?). After getting the hang of the combat controls, which are virtually identical to the PS2 (minus one analog stick of course), Kratos drops down into a room where a giant Basilisk busts through the wall and another battle ensues. This gives you a chance to test out the quick time button events much like the sea basilisk in the first god of war. Once I completed that, Kratos moves on to a long battle against multiple enemies. The demo gives you a small taste of the brutal finishing moves used by Kratos by letting you use one..... yes, one finishing move! It got kind of old pressing circle and using the same finisher over and over again but hopefully the final version will include a lot more. The best part of the demo came in the form of a brutal boss battle against the king of persia. This scene demonstrated how well the power of PSP was going to handle the cinematics and I was blown away. After finishing off the Persian King, you recieve his magic ability which is an impressive power up and attack that hits multiple enemies. The demo ended with a final look at what will most likely be an epic battle against the basilisk. My only complaints were the slightly repetitive nature of the combat system and lack of original gameplay mechanics. Overall however, God of War: Chains of Olympus is the same old God of War that we know and love. The question is whether this is this a good thing or a bad thing? After this demo, I have faith in what "Ready at Dawn Studios" is trying to accomplish.

-Nick

Just Messin around

Hey everyone, I just made an Odeo account and am messin around with ways to list our podcast on the web. I stumbled across this nifty audio player so I just wanted to test it out and see how it worked. If it works out, I will post every show this week in the actual blog in addition to the actual podcast archive.



powered by ODEO

Also, if you wish to subscribe all you have to do is click this button: (still working on it so i'm not sure how this is going to work just yet but give it a try)



-Nick

First Bioshock Sequel Rumors Appear

According to "Next Generation's Blog", a Bioshock sequel is in the works... or should I say Bioshock prequel! According to Tom Ivan, the next BioShock game will actually be a prequel to last years hit. Apparently, the player will get to see what Rapture was like before it's downfall and then experience first hand how it became the forgotten utopia that we all know and love. According to the site, it will be developed at the 2K Marin Studio and will not involve Ken Levine at all. While this rumor already has me intrigued, if Ken Levine's lack of involvment actually plays out, I will become more skeptical than excited. I guess we just have to wait and see.

Later,

Nick

40 Stars Later

I remember bitching to David earlier last week when I was about 5 stars into the game. I complained about having spent more time running around outside of the levels just trying to get though the layers of crap before I was actually in a level. Though this complaint is still valid, my god.... is this game is awesome. I've spent hours now playing Mario Galaxy and every single new world I come to is new and fresh.

This game has some of the most inspired level design I've ever seen in a video game... ever. A personal favorite of mine so far was the cleverly treacherous mind-fucking 2d gravity stage right before a Bowser fight. I also like how the Wii tilt crap is used minimally in this game in terms of level design. I had to do that stupid surfing level once and hated it. Later I had to do this level where Mario was on a ball and I had to tilt to move around. Needless to say I skipped that crap. Outside of these two missions, everything else has been pure Mario platforming goodness.

The bosses have been somewhat lacking, but to be honest, most Mario games are not known for their excellent boss fights. I'll play Zelda if I want an epic boss fight; Mario is all about level set-ups. Another thing I noticed is that the stars in each world seem a lot more linear that previously. I haven't decided if this is a good or bad thing yet, but in Mario 64 I was able to stumble into other stars while on a mission to get a different one. In this game, different stars usually mean completely different parts of that world that open up during that star mission only.

I bet many of the reviewers responsible for the low Assassins Creed scores and the "too repetitive" comments were also playing Mario Galaxy at the time. Before I even get a chance in Galaxy to want to replay an awesome stage, I'm already doing something even crazier.

I shit you not.... I had a hard time sleeping last night because I kept trying to shake my hand to do Mario's spin attack. Has this happened to anyone else?

-Brad

Bourne Conspiracy Trailer

Being that I just posted the Assassin's Creed video, I figured I would go ahead and post the Bourne Conspiracy trailer that I mentioned during our last podcast. If you listened to the show, you should know that my #2 on our list of 2008 games we are excited about was the Bourne Conspiracy. I also am aware that this is a game that may not get the press it needs to become a hit so I figured I would help in every way possible. So here is the trailer from last year's E3 for the Bourne Conspiracy which will be hitting PS3 and Xbox 360 this June:



Laterz,

Nick

I Love Assassins Creed....

Hey everyone, I would like to thank Kotaku.com for posting this ridiculous video from Assassins Creed. It basically demonstrates one of the annoying bugs that plague Assassin's Creed but thankfully, it is funny as hell so its easy to forgive. As you watch, you may ask yourself, what the hell is that guard doing... wait a lil longer....... a little bit longer.... aww there it is, the guard stops to check and see if anyone is watching! Sit back and enjoy and of course be sure to check out kotaku.com. Anywho, here it is:



Peace!

-Nick

My "Korean" Roots

As everyone knows I'm deeply in love with Japan and it's culture. From the music and video games to the food to the people/girls, I'm completely fascinated. But at one time there was a different country dear to my heart. I recently started to go back and revisit the music and culture that I had so cherished back in the beginning of my college days. After going through tons of songs and kpop gayo (artists), I remember something that inspired me when I first started playing DDR.

A Korean DDR group called the A-Team was the first I saw freestyling DDR. Now I've had a few arguments with people on who were the original innovators, but I believe the A-Team were the first to breakout on the internet to where people could recognize them and they started the whole copy cats following. The time I saw them and even now, I think they're the most creative and original DDR freestyle group. They time their moves, use they're bodies and arms, and make a lot of extra steps so that they don't look like they're just stepping on buttons which in my opinion is what too many freestylers do. Much of the choreography and trick moves done by them you'll find in so many people's routines these days. Plus one thing I love about the videos is the music isn't recorded directly from them playing. They went back added the audio tracks so it wouldn't sound like crap. So I've picked a few choice videos for you....

A-Team - Luv 2 Me
This is one is apparently at some televised competition. Koreans love their games and aren't afraid to put it on TV. I love the choreography and watch for the bar flare when he crosses over. These two I think were the main two guys, you'll see them again later.

A Team - Afronova (Doubles)
I saw this video at a time when I was just trying to learn how to play singles. And here the guy is playing on both pads. Imagine my shock when another person on the team plays the song on, at that time, the hardest difficulty [Afronova Doubles Hard]

A-Team - B2U Remix
The first freestyling video I ever saw and I was blown away. I'll just let it speak for itself. There's another version of this song where they do a Matrix Walk.

There's a few more videos out there which are still good but these are the best in my opinion. A lot of times performers start off with some crazy move but then fizzle out and get boring the rest of the performance. Some try to be funny and it works but it's not really impressive. I've see a lot of videos, some of them alright, some of them absolutely horrendous. I consider the A-Team the best because they were at least one of if not the first and also you look at the routines they're still creative by today's standards. They're always doing something in their videos and man do they have style. You can mimic the moves if you want, but if you don't have the style to sell it, then they're just movements. Watch out online because some of them say A-Team, but you can tell they're not just by the quality of the dancing and the quality of the videos.

Thinking about starting a Team K,
David

The First Step

Hey guys, being that yesterday was our first official podcast of 2008 and our first podcast under the new name "4-Player Podcast" I have taken one of the first steps necessary for getting our site out there. Hopefully, our site will soon be listed on a blog directory that I stumbled across yesterday. I will keep everyone posted but in the mean time, here is a link to that directory so check it out:




In other NICK news, I just started Folklore the PS3 and am about to start FEAR as well. I will also be trying out the demo for God of War: Chains of Olympus for the PSP and posting my impressions in the next couple days. Anywho, I am still gitty about the coming year in gaming as a result of our last podcast and am looking forward to the next show so check back later.

Peace!

-Nick

Any Objections?

I finally got around to finishing the second Phoenix Wright. I'll be completely honest and say that I had to look up one thing real quick. It was right before the ending and then the final choices were extremely easy. My real only complaint is that in their need to have a dramatic different ending to conclude the second game, they dragged out the last case far too long just like they did with the tacked on DS case in the first one. It's too bad the last case was tacked on or the first game would have been a lot higher on my list of best games. It's just a shame that they always try to make a dramatic turn of evens and then flash to everyone's reaction as if we didn't already know that someone was going to throw in an objection at the very last second.

**START SPOILER ALERT**
If you've beaten either of the first two Phoenix Wrights, I love how they kind of making the ending have a choice as well. I've gotten them all wrong and probably messed up on the best endings but I think it's a neat thing to throw in and can only be done in a game like this. Again my only problem is that sometimes the choices are way to vague and hence my crappiness at selecting the right ending.
**END SPOILER ALERT**

I love the Phoenix Wright characters. As annoying as they are at some times, I absolutely love them. They've grown to be a part of me and every time I play the game it makes me reflect on my life and the person I want to be. It's hard to say that about games. Many times video game characters are made out to be bad asses or heroes that have special powers or are larger than life. Some times they are villains but again they have something that makes them unique or something above normal humans. What I love about the Phoenix Wright series is that it's just having to do a lot with people. Much of the game has to do with relationships you make with people and also reflecting on the choices that you and others make. There's this kind of underlying moral lesson in all of the hoopla and it really hits home with me. I told myself a couple weeks ago that it'd be a while before I picked up another Phoenix Wright game, but I might just have to rethink that statement tonight. They've left a lot of things open after the second one. You're left wondering about the future of certain characters, future plots, and even future romances.

One thing to think about is that both Atsushi Inaba and Shinji Mikami had their hands in this as producer and director. It really shows that they're both big names in development and should get due credit.

Finally, Maggie Byrd, I confess my love to you.
David

Podcast #044 - The 2008 New Years Show

This week on the show we start off by talking about each one of us is playing. Nick's finished off his RPG he's been working on. Brad talks about a independent game he's been playing and I started a new Japanese RPG. We also go over out top 5 anticipated games of the future (hopefully 2008) and then go over some honorable mentions. Tune in the find out more.

[Podcast Archive]

Hope we didn't miss anything,
David

Thoughts and Such

So I've been able to post Nick's Top 5 Duos. Check it out in the Top Five Section.

Brad posted about the PSP and we got to talking about the DS and Nintendo. He kind of "dared" me to do the same thing for the Wii. So here goes. I won't mention Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess cause its a GameCube game. So I'll just basically say Super Mario Galaxy and Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition. Those are the two games that I enjoyed this year on the Wii. Now I don't think that the Wii is the best system and I don't think its horrible either.

But this did get me thinking however. For those who don't know, I work in video game retail. From watching sales for the Wii during the holidays, I'm extremely worried. Not so much for the future of the Wii. Sure, there's tons of crap coming out for the system. And while I'm not terribly happy with the current releases for the system, it's not exactly any worse than the GameCube days. What I am more worried about is the current state of the Nintendo franchise Metroid. The future is looking extremely bleak for the franchise as I think it has run into a dead end. Sure the last couple games have garnered average to above average reviews. But where to now? Samus has long made the jump into 3d. They've added Wii controls to spice things up. So what is possible for the next game? The whole collect X number of artifacts and regain lost power ups is getting pretty dried out. Brad pointed out to me that this would be the next gen factor would come in. Imagine the new Metroid with the graphical capabilities of the 360 or PS3. My brain pauses to let my imagination catch up with the thought. But it's not possible on the Wii, is it? We discussed the possibility of going for a more artistic graphic design. Or of Metroid possibly going back to 2-d. I don't really see Metroid playing a vital role in Nintendo's future. I mean for goodness sakes, I sold more copies of Godzilla Unleashed than I did Prime 3 during the holiday rush. We still have double digit copies of the game sitting in our cabinets and that's just pathetic. I've got faith that Nintendo won't just let one of their big three die out. But I think it'll be a while before we see Samus in a full blown Metroid game. She completely skipped out on the N64 so it may just require some time before she can recapture all of her status again.

My final thought within a year's time Zelda, Metroid, and Mario all made their Wii debuts. All of which I think I've grown a little tired of. Nintendo has shown most of their hand already. What do we have in store for the future? Mario Kart and Smash Bros. That's great, but done before. Where is Disaster Day of Crisis? Cancelled? Where are the Animal Crossing's and the Pikmin's that surprised me on the GameCube? Is Wii Fit the answer for the future? I guess we'll find out this year.

Thanks for listening,
David

Nick's Top 5 Video Game Duos

Hey everyone, my Top 5 Game Duos should be posted by the end of the day and hopefully so will Brad's. We should be back on track with our top 5's next week if all goes according to plan. On a small side note, I would like to make a small adjustment in regards to my top 5 video game crushes being that several new ones have developed recently. Ill just settle for these being "honorable mentions" rather than rearranging my entire list. Here they are:

-Judy Nails (Guitar Hero III)
- Alex Vance (Half Life 2)
- Ashley Williams (Mass Effect)

Thats all for now! Peace!

-Nick

PSP's Crappy Game Library

The DS has a great library of games. No one ever argues against that.... but there are still people out there cracking jokes about the PSP's lack of games.

This is not a list of all PSP games. This is a list of games probably worth owning provided you like the given genres. All games have been well received and/or I can personally attest to their quality.

Racing – Ridge Racer, Wipeout Pure, Burnout Legends/Dominator, Outrun 2006.

Fighting – Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max, Tekken 5 DR, Guilty Gear Judgement, Naruto Ultimate Ninja, Powerstone Collection, Darkstalkers, Bleach: Heat the Soul 4.

Shooters – Killzone: Liberation, Syphon Filter series, Socom Fireteam Bravo series, Star Wars Battlefront, Infected.

Action/Adventure – Dracula X Chronicles, GTA games, Monster Hunter Freedom series, Metal Gear Portable Ops/Ops+, Gurumin, The Warriors, Ace Combat X, Dead Head Fred, Tomb Raider Anniversary, Tomb Raider Legend, Silent Hill Orgins, Twisted Metal: Head On, Pursuit Force.

RPG – None... LOL, Click HERE.

Strat/RPG – Final Fantasy Tactics, Jeanne D'Arc, Disgaea, Metal Gear Acid series.

Strategy – Field Commander, Socom: Tactical Strike, Worms Open Warfare 2, Lemmings.

Puzzle – Lumines series, Puzzle Quest: CotW, Exit, PQ series, Gunpey, Mercury series, Burnout series.

Collections – Metal Slug Anthology, Sega Genesis Collection, Gradius Collection, Capcom Classics Collection.

Platformers – Mega Man Powered Up, Mega Man Maverick Hunter X, Daxter, Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters, Ultimate Ghosts and Goblins, MediEvil: Resurrection, Ape Escape: On the Loose, Tokobot.

Sports – Virtua Tennis, Hot Shots series, yadda yadda, soccer and baseball games, SSX, Tony Hawk, yadda yadda.

Misc Games – Loco Roco, Patapon, Crush, Sid Meir's Pirates!, Every Extend Extra, Me and My Katamari, Princess Crown, Metal Gear Solid Digital Graphic Novels.

Music – DJ Portable Max series, Gitaroo Man Lives!, PaRappa the Rapper, Traxxpad, Beats.

Ps1 Download Classics – Twist Metal 2, Spyro the Dragon, Warhawk, Crash Bandicoot, Wild Arms, Jumping Flash, Wipeout, Tekken 2, Castlevania: SotN.

To Come in 2008: Echochrome, Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core, Patapon, God of War: Chains of Olympus, Wild Arms XF, Wipeout Pulse, Blokus Portable: Steambot Championship, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Gran Turismo, Secret Agent Clank, Xyanide Resurrection, Final Fantasy: Dissidia.

-Brad

The Mass Effect

So I've been putting some real time into Mass Effect. I love the story mechanic and hopefully this week on the show we'll be able to talk about the differences in how we handled certain situations in the game. This is really the first western RPG that I've really given a chance to so I've been really overwhelmed (in a good way) with the amount of things you can do. The amount of side missions is completely negligible for someone like me.

My only problems however spawn from the lack of polish. It's a great package but the pop in and the lack of instructions in everything from the Mako controls to the ability system is just disappointing. It's a huge game with loads of things to do but you're just dropped into the world to fend for yourself. If I wasn't able to ask Brad about questions I had about the game, I'd still be ass-backwards lost in the Citadel. Even some of the puzzles you're pr ivied to come without really any understanding. Another thing I'm having a problem with is the choices in dialogue. Sometimes I'm a little confused with the answers that come out of the choices you're able to make. The choices will show one thing but the answer that comes out of Shepard's mouth, completely different. It makes it real frustrating when you expect to say something polite and understanding and end up making an ass of yourself.

I'm sure there's plenty more things to discover and talk about as I'm only about six hours in. I'm finding it really hard because I've had to do a couple parts over again because of crappy save spots.

We'll see how this all turns up,
David

The Return of Lara in 2008

While I was paroozing some gaming magazines yesterday, I stumbled across the new issue of PLAY magazine and was surprisingly intrigued by the cover story. Apparently, Crystal Dynamics is developing the first true next generation Tomb Raider game which is currently referred to as Tomb Raider 8. The last Tomb Raider game was also developed by Crystal Dynamics and was heralded as the first good Tomb Raider sequel and this new one seems to be on track to be another success. One shamefu secret I have yet to mention on the podcast is that I have never really played through any Tomb Raider game. This is not because I dislike the franchise but because I had typically heard very negative things about all of the sequels. Reading this article actually has me quite pumped to see it in action. It is being developed by two teams that specialize on either PS3 or XB360 so that each version will use their system to its full potential. Its kind of funny that Brad made the comment last week that the "wet effect" from Uncharted would look even better on Lara because this game seems to be really taking that to heart. This new game looks to be bringing Lara back to her roots and seems to have a lot more in common with the original than any of its later, disappointing sequels. I hope Crystal Dynamics can pull it off.

I have been interested in giving this franchise a fair chance for awhile now but I think I finally have a plan. Since the original game and Legends are said to be the only games worthy of their title, I will be picking up and playing Tomb Raider Anniversary and Tomb Raider Legends this year before I pick up Tomb Raider 8 for the PS3 later this year. Now the question is which versions will I play. I have the option of playing Anniversary on either PS2, Wii, or PSP and I will most likely play Legends on Xbox 360. As for Anniversary, I will reveal my decision on one of the upcoming shows.

Thats it for now, Later!

-Nick

Nick's New Year's (Cont.)

Hey Nick,
I love you but how about in 2008 you learn to spell DEFINITELY, or at least start using spell checker.

Yours truly,
David

Nick's New Years Resolution 2008!

Hey guys, I will take this free time I have to go ahead and list off my new years Resolutions for 2008. One thing that I am sad to say is that there are a lot of games that I have owned for a long time and not yet beat so the first section of my new years resolution is a list of games that I intend to beat in the next 365 days. From there I will list of some more basic goals for the year. As the year goes on, I will keep everyone posted on my progress. Here goes:

1.) Games to finish in 2008:
- Fear
- Folklore
- Jade Empire
- Eternal Sonata
- Portal
- Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth
- Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions
- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
- Condemned

2.) This year I intend to broaden my horizons a little by playing more quirky games like Pheonix Wright and Apollo Justice. One game I definately am referring to is Little Big Planet which is getting a lot of press and seems like it may be the next Pikmin.

3.) Most importantly I intend to get better at playing games all the way through rather than getting half way and then moving onto other things. This happens a lot for me with RPG's so I will hopefully get better at this throughout the year.

Well those are my hopes for the coming year and I will keep you posted as I finish each one of those games I listed above.

Later Guys!

-Nick

Nick's Forgotten Nominations

Happy New Year Everyone! I'm personally really excited about 2008 and the oppurtunity to expand the site and perfect our podcast with the guys. But most of all, it is going to be a great year for games. Like Brad, there are a few games that I forgot to mention during our awards show and will use this oppurtunity to give them some credit.

Best Artistic Design: While I stand by my decision to give the award to Bioshock, one game that definately deserves a mention is Folklore for the PS3. The game had a really unique artistic style that more closely resembles games such as Odin Sphere than anything else. While the graphics are not the most technically impressive, the way in which the developers combined an interactive comic book animation style with traditional polygonal graphics is impressive. The game really looks and feels like a dark fairy tale which is reason enough to nominate it for this category.

Best Multiplayer Experience: This is a category that we kind of ran out of time for on the show so I will go ahead and talk about my winner for 2007. This is a really tough choice because I feel the need to give the award to two totally different styles of game. On one hand, Rock Band deserves the award because it is the only game of its kind that really creates a completely unique multiplayer experience. It is unique because every person playing is playing in a different way because of the different instruments. This creates a sense of being in a real band which is an awesome feeling. On the other hand, Call of Duty 4 is probably the best multiplayer shooter game in years. I simply cant put it down and that is saying a lot. The amazing maps and the revolutionary perks system puts a whole new spin on a classic style of gameplay that simply can't be beat. I will be amazed if any game in 2008 is able to create a better multiplayer experience than COD4. So I will have to pick COD 4 and give Rock a close 2nd place. Honorable Mentions: Halo 3, Team Fortress 2

So thats all for now. 2008 is officially underway and I can't wait to see what the year will bring for us. Catch, ya'll later!

- Nick

P.S.- Get to your local gamestop and reserve Metal Gear Solid 4 for PS3! (June 17th)

Happy New Year

So Happy New Year everybody. I'm heading off to work right now but I just wanted to say I'm looking forward to the new year working with the guys to making a great show and website.

I'll be looking to get better at Smash and Tekken with Brad and possibly even Virtua Fighter.

With Nick we'll need to finish Condemned and the Bourne movies.

And with Granger I'll probably be playing some Dead or Alive and possibly Final Fantasy XI.

We'll see you soon,
David

First Post!
PS - Metal Gear Solid 4 Reservable