Podcast 113 Up

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113 - One Week Before E3 [download]

Thanks,

David

You have stumbled onto my secret. Now you will die!

You are not supposed to be looking at this.

Brad

New Location

Hey guys, we haven't really moved but we changed to a different blogspot account because this one still reflects our old title. So from now on, our posts will be at www.4playerpodcast.blogspot.com. Keep in mind that this only applies to people who still search for us at our eastvswest blogspot account. You can still type in www.4playerpodcast.com to go to our current Blog. LINK IS BELOW.

THIS IS OLD BLOG, NEW BLOG CAN BE FOUND HERE

Thanks guys,
Nick

1:20 FTW

Saw this on Kotaku btw.

Brad

Well moron... good for Happy GilmoOH MY GOD!!

Taki can not be "contained"

But seriously? Does the game look slower to anyone else? I hope this is just an early build...


Brad

This was a Triumph

Wayback Wednesday was a huge success.
For the first time in about 3 months I beat a game first of all.
Second of all, it was Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Got a couple of problems with this damn Hedgehog though. One, Don't ever freeze on me like that again. Two, learn to walk up hills. 3, slap your dumbass friend in the face for me. He gets annoying real fast. When he isn't busy falling behind, he is either getting in my face or dieing.

So what i think about Sonic 2 sixteen years after its launch?
Typical. I don't remember much about the game (Especially not level select) But never before did i realize how simple the game actual is once you get the patterns down for the bosses. The last boss, which took me a frustrating hour full of screaming, was easy as pie ONCE you new what to do.
This causes a couple of problems for me.
one, it is basically impossible to go into a boss without dieing your first time because the boss is not based on skill. its based on jumping hysterically trying to figure out what the boss is doing.
It's two or three... or fifty times into it that you begin to understand its pattern, and then take advantage of it. Now i know why i could never beat it as a kid, and i know why its aimed at kids. You can't beat that as a kid, you just run in every time and hope for the best, not knowing the "complexities" that lay hidden.
but as a big boy now, i can and will take advantage of robotnik.


Had a great time, glad all 140 some odd people showed up.
Next week, Golden Axe and Star fox

P.S. Sorry I shrunk the list down to two. But i want to make significant damage into each game. when i am with yall i have a lot more motivation to beat a game than normal. so i will get much farther. God knows i would of put down sonic fast if it wasnt for the fans. So because i am shortening these games, i will be getting pretty damn far in them.

P.S.S. I think i need a partner for Golden Axe. anyone?

-Travis

More Fan Art!!

Hey guys, this is really awesome. So aside from the fact that some of you have already flocked to our new Forum, some of you have been nice enough to draw up some fan art and send it to us. It really is great to see what you guys come up with and we obviously appreciate this extra effort on your part. So without further delay, check out this awesome piece of fan art from "Sax"!



If you haven't already, head over to our forum and register so you can chat with us and other viewers about Video Games, our Podcast, our JTV exploits, or anything else you feel like!

Thanks again!

-Nick

It starts

Wayback is starting as we speak. Change of plans.
We have Sonic the Hedgehog two, Vagrant Story, and Battletoads.

Come on in and enjoy reminiscing in lost childhood memories.... or adolescent memories.

-Travis

Join Our Forum

So we finally have a forum up that I think we are going to stick with. You can register anytime and start new threads about video game or entertainment related topics or reply to other discussions that have been started. We also have a section for you to comment on our podcast and offer suggestions for ways to improve and so forth. You will also notice that I made a thread in "Podcast Discussion" that will allow you to leave your video game related questions and discussion topics that you want to hear us discuss on the show. I have toyed around with different ways of doing this and would like to see if this works. If it does work out, I will make a new thread for every new podcast where you can leave questions and such. Anyways, thanks to everyone who has already joined and I look forward to seeing where it goes from here. You can find the forum and register by clicking on "Forum" in the menu to the right.

-Nick

Brad's Pick of the Week #1

This new feature is basically me highlighting games in my collection that I feel have been underrated by critics or underplayed by the players. Though most of these games are of past console generations, pretty much all are still worth playing if you happened to miss them.

Urban Chaos: Riot Response

I've been playing this game over the past week and probably got more "What game is this??" than anything else I have ever shown live. This game is a very brutal shooter infused with pure America. The heroes in this game are police officers, ambulance drivers, and firemen, but the star of the game is Nick(Brad) Mason of T-Zero. The villains are of course bloody masked activists... aka enemies of America. Nick Masons job is to grab his riot shield and bust some hippy heads in.

The combat has a nice kinetic feel to it and whether you blast someone with your shotgun or slam an enemy with your riot shield... it just feels right. The missions are standard fare but the game keeps from getting stale with its hostage situations, rescue events, and gang leader arrests. Being able to direct a pure American fireman around a backdraft filled environment is just cool. Also the game has some of the best graphics I have ever seen in a video game in the cutscenes before each mission. The news reporter just looks so realistic.

Anyways, here are some clips of me in action:





This game costs like nothing. Get it now. For AMERICA!

-Brad

Dark Sector Multiplayer + Review

So I have officially working on my full review of Dark Sector but need to play around with the multiplayer component before I can five my full opinion. So I will be playing some online multiplayer live on thursday evening around 6 pm. I will be playing the PS3 version of the game and would love to play with any viewers who happen to own the game as well. If you wish to play with me, go ahead and leave a comment here and let me know. I will be posting my PSN ID before thursday.

Hope to see you there!

-Nick

WayBack Wednesday April 2

Join me for certain, not sure who else we will be there.

We will be playing Conkers Bad Fur Day and Sonic the Hedgehog 2

And one surprise guest....
ooohhhhhh.


By the way, i succumbed to World of Warcraft... SOrry god.



-Travis.

Tonight on Justin.tv

Fatal Frame



That is all.

Weirdest Day in My Life

So I'd been up all night finishing Metal Gear Solid. I went to school on no sleep. Went to swim. Took a monster energy drink. Went to work. Weirdest thing happened. Angelina Jolie and Brad "F'ing" Pitt walk in with their adopted Asian boy and buy freaking Jaws Unleashed. I'm not even going to try to explain or understand it.

No Foolies,
David

Related Article

This is kind of Hot.... I Think

So this picture ended up on Kotaku today and I wanted to spread the pic around. This a pic of someone who cos-played at Anime Expo 2007 as Midna from "The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess". The pic is awesome and kind of hot....




-Nick

Condemned 2: Bloodshot Review

Background: Survival horror is a genre that has seen very few innovations over the years. The original Resident Evil paved the way for countless other horror games with its fixed, cinematic camera, third person perspective, and limited ammunition. Since then, horror games have been taken into the first person perspective (FEAR) and reinvented the third person perspective (Resident Evil 4) but very few have really revolutionized the concept with any success. The original Condemned was released when the Xbox 360 hit store shelves, making it one of the first examples of the power a “next generation” console. Monolith did a respectable job of bringing something new to the horror genre by emphasizing first person melee fighting rather than gunplay. While the original game contained one of the scariest environments in game to date, it did have its problems including repetitive combat, lack of variety, shallow forensic tools and a strange, misguided story. I’m happy to say that Monolith has taken these complaints to heart with the development of their long awaited follow-up.

Story: (70 out of 100): The original Condemned placed you in the shoes of Ethan Thomas, a crime scene investigator that is framed for the murder of two police officers. The game was full of shocking moments and creepy environments as Ethan was forced to use his environment as a weapon against seemingly crazed homeless people. What was driving them mad? The game eventually contorted into a supernatural cult tale that left a lot of questions unanswered. The sequel picks up about 8 months after the original ended where we find that Ethan Thomas has left the bureau given in to the bottle. All of this seemingly happened as a result of the incredibly disturbing events of the original. The game leads you through a variety of dark, dank, disturbing environments and pits you against every form of societal filth imaginable. The story manages to answer a few unanswered questions from the original but still leaves a few new ones unanswered. While the presentation of the story is top notch and provides some excellent action sequences, the story ultimately falls into the “what the hell” category by the end. I won’t say that the story is bad but it is definitely not what you might expect. During the final minutes of the game, you will most likely be thinking that the final antagonist and even the final level of the game just don’t fit. Ultimately though the story satisfies and will definitely leave you wanting more.

Presentation (90 out of 100): The presentation is one of the biggest areas of improvements in Condemned 2. The original title was a good-looking game but still suffered from a variety of technical issues that were common among first generation Xbox 360 titles. Some of the animations were particularly odd and annoying, particularly the kick animation. Of course, many of these problems were simply the result of being one of the early next gen titles. Bloodshot has significantly improved on all of these issues. All of the environments are impressively detailed and full of things to interact with and use as weapons. The character models are infinitely more detailed and the character movements are a lot more believable this time around. Cutscenes are impressive and provide almost perfect introductions to each one of the games chapters. The environments are also much more diverse by offering unique environments, each with their own theme and feel. One level even seems to be directly influenced by Bioshock. The game offers players a unique, cinematic experience with improved, detailed visuals that live up to the standards set by some of today’s most beautiful games.

Gameplay: (85 out of 100): The original Condemned put a new spin on the classic first person formula by taking the emphasis off of gunplay and instead relying upon melee combat for a more visceral experience. Condemned 2 very much expands upon this idea and adds some welcome changes to the somewhat repetitive gameplay of the original. The first game allowed you to pull things off of the environment and use them as weapons, which was a cool idea but still, somewhat limited. After knocking the enemies to their knees, you were allowed to do one of four finishing moves. In the sequel, the environmental weapons are definitely more diverse. Just about anything that looks like a weapon can be used. For instance, you can pick up crowbars, pipes, saw blades, dolls, toilet seats, and even the butt of your own gun. Also, environmental kills have been added which allows you to slam enemies heads through TV’s, toilets, and glass windows (among other things). The actual melee combat has also been expanded by designating each trigger button as its respective arm meaning you can create different combos by pulling the triggers in different orders. The forensics investigations have also been improved in almost every way possible. Forget about the shallow, boring forensics of the original. This time around, Ethan must investigate crime scenes and then pick from a list of different scenarios to determine what occurred. At the end of each investigation, you are graded over how many you guessed right. This mechanic is surprisingly deep and one of the most intriguing aspects of the game. My only complaint with the gameplay would have to be the stronger emphasis on shooting near the end of the game. The lodge level makes more sense with weapons but after finishing that level, the emphasis should have returned to melee combat. It is also worth mentioning that when a group of enemies attack you at once, it is easy to be overwhelmed. When this happens, combat mechanics usually go right out the window. Overall, the gameplay is a drastic improvement over the original with only a few small flooks. Trust me when I say this, Condemned 2 Bloodshot is some of the most entertaining gameplay in the survival horror genre.

Sound: (95 out of 100) Monolith did a wonderful job of creating some great atmosphere in this game and a lot of that can be credited to the sound. There is not much music in the game, which makes the ambient noise and enemy movement all the more noticeable. The sound effects implemented into the combat system are brutal and fitting. The voice acting is fairly impressive and makes the cinematics a real joy to watch. Nothing truly revolutionary in the sound department but an overall impressive attention to detail. Did I mention the games features unbelievable bucket sound effects?

Content: (75 out of 100) Most survival horror suffer in the content department because they usually lack any multiplayer components and tend to feature a short single player mode. Condemned 2 actually clocked in at approximately 10 hours, a relatively long time for the genre. Monolith also added some multiplayer features including Bum Rush, which pits two agents against a group of player controller bums that re-spawn. One of the more interesting modes would be the “crime scene”, a mode in which bums race to hide a box with a severed head in it while agents try to find the box and identify the head using their forensic tools. The downfall is that even if the agents kill off all of the opposing team before finding the head, the agents remain on the map until they find the head. This is unnecessary and essentially hurts this original mode. The online multiplayer is a nice feature to the game but ultimately feels tacked on. Deeper multiplayer and maybe even co-op gameplay would have made nice additions to an overall intriguing package.

Closing Thoughts and Recommendation- Condemned 2: Bloodshot is great game. It takes a good idea that was born at the beginning of the next generation life cycle and improves on it in almost every way possible. The game is not perfect of course but is enough of an improvement over the original to warrant a purchase.


Pros: (+)
-High production values
-Great atmosphere
-Deep, melee combat mechanics
-Surprisingly deep and fun forensics investigations
-Brutal environmental finishers
-The Bear

Cons: (-)
- Good story that almost falls apart by the end
- Combat becomes frustrating with multiple enemies
- Could have been a few hours longer (minor complaint)
- Potentially broken multiplayer

0-10 = F
11-20 = D
21-30 = C
31-40 = B
41-50 = A

Final Letter Grade: 83 Out of 100 (B-)

Do Work Son!

So around 1 am this morning I pop in Metal Gear Solid for what was supposed to be a quick play and refresher after not playing it for a few weeks. Fast forward 5 hours later I'm getting ready for school after not sleeping and finishing the game. Please don't misunderstand me, I didn't finish it because it was that good. The game is way too old to play now and the frustrations are almost too much to bear. Thank goodness for the viewers who stuck it out all night. If not for them I wouldn't have finished the last driving portion of the game. There were some pretty good memories for me so thanks to...

keyweez360, raidenMGS, pyrob, yagabaga, harble, bronation, mikey2d, jjray, yokoshima, and kickboxsinner. And I think statix, who harassed me all night but was there the whole time I think? Sorry if I left anyone off, you know how these things go.

Also, I'd like to announce our first official marathon. The 4playerpodcast hasn't officially done a marathon yet, but we've always wanted to. So here's the details

My Aunt who is visiting from Naha, Okinawa will be playing through Pikmin for the GameCube. She apparently is pretty good at it as she has beaten it in 15 days (in game time) with all 30 parts. So she'll be coming over on Friday to play though the entire game which will probably take 4-6 hours. I'll be sitting in on chat while she plays so you guys can ask questions and such. I've not seen her play before so I'm not at all sure what to expect but I am intrigued to see her skills as Pikmin is a fairly fast paced game with lots of micromanagement. So we'll see you some time early Friday evening, I'll post the official time on the JTV scheduler sometime in the next few days.

A reminder, both the shows have been posted for download.
#056 - Nick's G.D. Show
#003 - The Top 5 Handheld Games

There's a new poll up to the left so please vote because we really want your opinion.

Finally, Travis, proof-read you work. My goodness, I know you're in high school but seriously....

"In a nutshell, someone stole about 16500 dollars ingame, which completley follow all the game rules and everything."

Man, that's bad.

I'm now off to school,
David

Eve

So i have heard of Eve before, especially around that time that huge heist occurred. eve.klaki.net/heist/. In a nutshell, someone stole about 16500 dollars ingame, which completley follow all the game rules and everything.

To me that is pretty bad ass. But i knew about that and still never picked it up. Well that has changed my friends.

As I looked upon my friendly world of warcraft website, deciding if i should download the game or go out and buy it, a thought came to me. What if i just play something new instead of wasting hundreds and hundreds of hours on a game i have already wasted hundreds and hundreds of hours on. So i began the quest for the most interesting looking MMORPG on the net.

Well i stumbled across eve, again.

And let me tell you what drew me, and this is a direct quote.

"One could compare this to the difference between a playground, such as EVE, and a theme park, which would be the traditional MMOG. In a playground you have access to different kinds of toys and rides, and you are allowed to use your own imagination to figure out how to create games you enjoy. In a theme park all the rides have been created for you and are either good or bad by design. The playground clearly offers more freedom but it requires you to think and be an active participant, while the theme park has taken those responsibilities away from you and you can just go with the flow. As an interesting side-note, "theme park" style MMORPGs commonly develop lines, just like real world theme parks, as players wait for monster spawns, rare items, or quest requirements."

To me this is so true.
This game enables you to live in a seamless space environment with 500-1000 different Solar systems to explore. No load times except when you dock your ship.
There are always about 10,000 people on at all times, only because the amount of servers in this game is next to zero, literally.
The opportunities in this game are next to endless, enabling you to become a private miner, a freelancer, an inventor, industrialist, small trader, join corporations which have many different uses, hold shares, traffic contraband, become a pirate, and my favorite (and my aim) becoming a bounty hunter.

I am Spike Bitch.
Well my name is actually Ryane Sebi
But whatever, i am a cowboy.
See you in space

First Steps Towards Greatness + No Respect

Ah yes, for those who were here to witness ones triumph over the first stage of Last Hope, remember today, err yesterday, March 29th. For that was the day when one man, made a difference. Against incredible odds, he persevered. No one said it was possible. But when darkness covered the land and stole hope from the world, he reached in the belly of the beast and ripped out the last shining piece of emotion that the world would ever need. He had begun his transformation....from mortal man.....to Last Hope. Forever would that name be connected to his innermost soul.

To witness the epic-ness, click here

Watch live video from 4PlayerPodcast on Justin.tv


No Respect?
Ok, Brad, so yes the ladies of Soul Calibur IV look amazing. My only question is....Where in this post can I find Talim? What about us, who like our women a little bit younger and less bouncier? That, my friend, is a complete lack of respect. And as a respectable journalist, I expect you to cover all new stories equally and professionally. Your lack of attention to detail has made me lose confidence in your abilities. Please do not make a mistake like this again.

**^____^**

This is why I am excited about Soul Calibur IV

The ladies of Soul Calibur IV