**Breaking News**

For those of you who have been using the blogspot address...

Check - www.4playerpodcast.com

Thank you,
David

Top 5 Games of 2009, So Far

This week's Top 5 was uploaded.

038 - Top Five Games of 2009, So Far [download]

Also the show was uploaded to iTunes. We have two accounts right now and are in the process of moving away from MyPodcast.com. This will eliminate future problems with MyPodcast being down and also remove the advertisement in the beginning. The old one is the one with the dash (4-Player) and the new one is just 4Player if you want to update your iTunes subscriptions. The link should be updated on the page to the right.

Thanks,
David

Pictures on Facebook

For a while now, we've been taking pictures while doing what we do but until recently, I had no idea where to put them. Of course being an idiot, I never thought of putting them on facebook, so here we are.

Our official Facebook Page

You can always look here for pictures and events. Currently there are ones from E3 and PortCon.

Thanks,
David

Teshima Aoi - Hikari

I'm really excited about this game. At E3 during my meeting with XSeed, I got a closer look and found out that they were publishing it. It was a nice surprise. Above is the title song, if you like it go to the youtube page and there is a link to the download.

Here was the trailer for the Japanese release.


Here's the original Trailer I posted [Fragile]
David

Obsidian Impregnated but Killed Before Alien Could Burst from Chest

Alien is one of those IP's that has had a grip on me since I first saw the original film back in the mid 90's. The combination of the H.R. Giger's chilling alien design coupled with the sense of claustrophobia and dread that the movie inspired was unforgettable. While I haven't watched any of the films in several years, the franchise has been sitting in the back of my mind as an IP that I felt was waiting for technology to catch up before another game was made. 2008 seemed like the magic year with the announcement of Gearbox's "Aliens: Colonial Marines" and Rebellion's "Alien vs. Predator" but the project that had me the most intrigued was being quietly worked on by Obsidian entertainment. A game that will no longer see the light of day. A game that was tentatively titled “Alien Crucible” but simply referred to as Obsidian’s “Alien RPG”.

Don’t get me wrong, the projects being worked on by Gearbox and Rebellion both look impressive and entertaining but there is something about Obsidian Entertainment that I have always found interesting. They are considered the team that develops “B” grade sequels to established hits like KOTOR and Neverwinter Nights. The team is currently working on Alpha Protocol and the follow-up to Bethesda’s Fallout 3, titled “Fallout: New Vegas” which should release sometime in 2010. The strange thing is that, all of these titles are critically received as inferior games but with their own merit in terms of design and playability. As far as the Alien games in production, this game sounded like the only game that was taking a chance with its concept. Both of the other titles mentioned before, stick closely to first person action games where you either take control of the Alien or the marines. The idea of taking the franchise into the RPG realm seems like a strange but welcome fit for the franchise. As of June 2009, the game has been officially cancelled after months of speculation. The question remains however, what could this game have had in store for us?



Newly Revealed Concept Art
With nothing left of this game but some concept art, the only thing left for us to do is speculate about what this game could have been. We know it was an RPG but there is still plenty of room for speculation. Was this going to be a turn based RPG comprised of human characters that are scouring the galaxy trying to eliminate the Alien threat? Could you in-fact be playing as various members of an Alien hive? The art that was released today depicts two very different Alien designs, something that I think the series has lacked. I remember as a child, collecting the Alien action figures which included a number of different Alien designs that were never introduced in the films or video games. Obsidian looked like they were ready to tackle the Alien IP and introduce some new content. No information revealed thus far has hinted at a story or setting but the nature of RPG’s suggests that of the three titles being released, this game could have had the most to offer in regards to scenery and storytelling. I can imagine the game taking place aboard marine spacecrafts, the alien home world, earth, and countless other settings that the franchise could go. The reasons for the games cancellation are yet to be revealed but one could imagine that the game was too much of a risk for the team to take financially, perhaps the game wasn’t coming along as planned, or maybe the team was dispersed to work on other Obsidian projects. Whatever the reason, I hope that the other two Alien projects are able to satisfy my desire for a new interactive Alien experience.

-Nick

New Show Uploaded

The new show has been uploaded.

121: Nick's Hazy Birthday Show [download]

This week a full show. Brad talks about Ghostbusters, Point Lookout, and Hitman. Travis talks about Sims 3. David talks about Henry Hatsworth and Legendary Starfy. We go over some news topics. Then we talk about PortCon and the community while answering some viewer questions. And of course end the show with the 4Player Minute.

Also the show was uploaded to iTunes. We have two accounts right now and are in the process of moving away from MyPodcast.com. This will eliminate future problems with MyPodcast being down and also remove the advertisement in the beginning. The old one is the one with the dash (4-Player) and the new one is just 4Player if you want to update your iTunes subscriptions.

Thanks,
David

Tonight On The Feed...

Hey guys,

It's David from the 4Player Podcast. You haven't seen me on the broadcast all that much lately as I've been in and out of town for all sorts of things. I recently ran across some good fortune as my friend from Hooked Gamers Chris Davis got a review copy of the Conduit from Sega. It's mine to keep but only if I can finish it and review it by Monday. The only problem, I'm leaving out of town on Thursday for Screw Attack in Dallas this weekend and I probably won't be back until Sunday night.

So if you're interested, I'll start my adventure to beat the Conduit tonight. Probably starting around 10 PM Central time.

See you tonight.
David

Oh yeah, the guy on the cover, his name is Michael Ford. Chotch.

Brad's Laundry List - "New Found Love" Edition

I have discovered what is now one of my new favorite video game franchises. I had always thought the premise of Hitman was creative, but I never could get over the steep learning curve of the mechanics. Well my friends, that cliff has been conquered, and I am now a "silent assassin" for life. Fiendishly clever assassination scenarios and brilliant level design easily outweigh the iffy control mechanics and flaky AI. Add in a heavy dose of dark humor, and you can see how the series manages to stand up with the best of the genre (I'm looking at you Sam and Snake). A new Hitman is coming out in 2010 and I could not be more excited. Anyway, here is everything else I'm working on.

Completed:
Hitman: Blood Money
Fallout 3: Point Lookout


Working On:
Overlord - (33%?)
Assassins Creed - (5%)
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin - (8%)
Crackdown - (65%?)
Klonoa Wii - (30%)
skate - (istillsuck%)


Temporarily Done With:
Prototype - (25%)
Ghostbusters - (60%)


Handhelds:
Mario vs DK: Minis March Again - (70%)
Monster Hunter: Freedom Unite - (0%)

Brad

Feeling Adventurous?

If you are and live in the Austin Area, Juan and I will be conducting a Austin Community get together. It was very last minute and spur of the moment, but here are the details.

Time: Officially from 8:00-10:00 PM (I will be there starting 7:30)
Location: Applebee's (Near Sam's and Best Buy)
5010 West Highway 290
Austin, TX 78735

We will be playing games and developing an Austin Community for socializing and game playing. If you're interested in meeting new people and playing games, feel free to come out. Most people will be personal friends of mine or Juan's but as the 4Player Podcast Community is also a big part of what we do, we'd love to add to it.

Hope to see you tonight,
David

This Week on the Feed: 6/28 - 7/4

Brad

Incoming Sleeper - 'Demon's Souls'

Below are a few videos explaining pretty much everything you need to know about Demon's Souls. This PS3 exclusive, developed by From Software and published by Atlus, is said to be a cross between Zelda, Oblivion, and Shadow of the Colossus. Oh, and it has online co-op. It hits this Fall and there are not many games announced that I am looking forward to more than this one. A word of warning though; I hear the game is fuck hard.

The Asian version of Demon's Souls is 100% fully translated into English, but I think I'm going to wait until the NA release (they will probably clean up the translation). People who are playing this version have been raving about it over on GAF, and Eurogamer reviewed the import and gave it a 9/10. Whatever, just watch these video features on the game:

Watch the video below in HD here.








Brad

My Triumphant Return

You may have noticed my absence in the past 2 months. My life took a hard turn and I have been doing my best to make the best of it. Unfortunately, that has made it very difficult for me to keep focused on the site and to stay enthusiastic about gaming. As with all life lessons, I must push forward and return to my former glory. David and Brad have been doing a fantastic job of holding down the fort and keeping the site going but there has been a lot of contributions that I have not made and I hope to rectify that in the coming weeks.

E3 was an exciting experience and I have a lot of stuff I still want to share my thoughts on. The coming months are going to be incredible for gaming and my life will be undergoing to some major changes that have me very excited. To start, I have now joined Twitter, and I hope to make the best of it so if you want to know what is going on in my life, feel free to follow me, if you are familiar with Twitter, everything you need can be found below:



As always, I thank the fans for all of your continued support and I can't wait to feel 100% again soon.

-Nick (That guy that played SAW at E3)

Why I'm worried about Platinum Games.

From IGN.com

(CLICK)

Brad

Help Out?

I was going through some of the PortCon pictures, this was one of my favorites. I was thinking about making it into a Motivational Poster, but I needed some help with the tagline.

Travis said he liked - "It's not gay unless you look them in the eye."

But I would like something more like "Drama, Work it out."

Any suggestions?
David

Pass Or Play?

I've got a decision to make today.

The Conduit.

I've never been all that excited about this title. First off, it's an FPS which in all honesty just isn't my genre of choice. Insert a generic Alien Race invades Earth storyline coupled with a chotchy name like Michael Ford for the main character and I basically passed the game on the spot.

I did have some time with the game at E3. Again, I wasn't too impressed. At E3 however, it was only a multiplayer demo so I credit that to it's lackluster experience and it's early playstation visuals. I can say though that I wasn't blown away by the controls, but they were competent, which I still haven't seen since First Person Shooters came out on the Wii. So in that respect, I've got some sort of hope.

So what is the debate here? The reviews have been mostly meh. Nothing fantasic. I was never interested in the game to begin with. It should be a pretty clear cut decision.

The reason's I'm thinking about picking this title up.

A.) It's a Wii title, you take what you can get.

B.) I don't really pay attention to reviews, Bionic Commando (Loved)

C.) This is the type of game you want to support.

I'm not saying everyone go out and buy this game. It's unproven, but we need to take chances sometimes, both in development and in purchases. Through working on the podcast, I've learned that if I had access to all the game I wanted to play, I'd play a shit load more games. Sometimes however, that isn't possible and it ends up hurting my game playing experiences.

Maybe I'll start doing GameFly. Anyone with impressions about The Conduit?

Thanks,
David

Itagaki on "Bayonetta"

1UP: What do you think of Bayonetta's character design? She's covered in hair.

TI: Covered in hair, is she? I dunno, Mr. Kamiya must have a lot going through his head. Well, in any case, I would first recommend laser eye surgery. I'm sure he's not that strapped for cash, right?

Source

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Brad

This Week on the Feed

They say it can't be done. They say Brad will never finish Hitman. They say Brad has no patience. It can be done. It will be done. I'm loving this game.

I try to stay current with the games I play on the feed. So I rented this. I dunno, it's mildly entertaining so far. I will be finishing the game this week for sure.

In an attempt to determine if I want to buy Overlord 2, well... I suppose I should see if I enjoy the much cheaper first game. This will be interesting because Overlord is very similar to Pikmin, and I notoriously dislike (albeit respect) that game. Well I played the demo for Overlord 2 and enjoyed it -- the control over units is much more hands off as opposed to the, almost RTS like, babysitting of little plant dudes in Pikmin.

Fallout 3: Point Lookout.... As much as I love killing mutant hillbillies, I still don't know if I am going to buy this or not. I do love Fallout 3, but I'm running out of hardrive space. Fucking Microsoft! If it is as good as it looks though, I will cave for sure.

This beautifully crafted PS1 platformer has been beautifully remade. I love the original game, and this is the first Wii game I have ever purchased(I don't own the Wii). There are people who have played this game for an hour or two and wonder about the games simplicity. I could go on to explain how simplicity is a good thing, but I'd rather convince these people to finish the game.
Phantomillian > English.

Brad's Coffin Flip will be refined and mastered!

The things I do for Castlevania....

Brad

Seriously, WTF? Moving On

There's two things I'd like to point out about this picture. One, I hate ads. Even "tastefully" done ads by Google Ads (which is who does the one on the side there). Secondly, that ad creeps me the hell out.

So instead of focusing the creepiness, I think I'll talk about Ads and 4PlayerPodcast. We've been told multiple times, you guys should put up some ads. Start making some money. As much as it is a dream for us to quit our day jobs and do just this, I don't think it's going to happen by just putting up some ads on our blog. It's going to take a lot of work and sacrifices. To create something special and different we're going to have to do something special and different. We can't just be any old website and follow the normal procedures.

From spending time with the community at PortCon, I know we're on the right track. We have a great community. I've been told multiple times from JTV that our chat room is polite and helpful. I'm not sure if we ever officially thanked everyone for contributing to the E3 fund. But THANK YOU!

There is something different about our community. We are not the internet stereotype. We're not a drag on the internet society. More than anything, that it what is most important.

Thank you Stephanie, Jerry, Alex, Caroline, Trey, Joe, Ricky, Oswaldo, Nick and Joseph.

I will promise you, if there is a way to make a website without using blog/forum ads, I will find it.

David

Brad's Laundry List - "The things I do for Castlevania" Edition

It's been awhile since my last Laundry List, but I have a lot of games to add, so I better do it now. I seriously need to do these every week...

Completed:
inFamous
Red Faction: Guerrilla
Siren: Blood Curse
Bionic Commando
House of the Dead: Overkill
Fallout 3: Broken Steel
Parasite Eve 2
Jade Empire
Hotel 626
Ys Book 1
Portal [Round 3]

Working On:
Jericho - (UGGH%) [Developed by MercurySteam]
Scrapland - (10%?) [Developed by MercurySteam]
Klonoa Wii - (25%?)
Overlord - (0%) NICK
Skate - (0%) NICK
Comet Crash - (75%)
Viewtiful Joe - [Round 2](50%?)

Handhelds:
Mario vs Donkey Kong 3 - (60%)
Henry Hatsworth - (60%)
Soma Bringer - (70%)

Brad

Happy Father's Day

I know this is something non-game related, but it's Father's Day. PSY is one of my favorite Korean artists and this song always meant a lot to me when I saw it.

Happy Father's Day,
David

You And Me And Cube

So real quick post, here's a gameplay trailer for Kimi to Boku to Ritai, a WiiWare game which hopefully will come out here soon. The basic premise it to attack the people on the side of the Cube so that it won't tip over and spill them all into oblivion. The game marks the return of Japanese Musician/Game Designer Kenji Eno, who is best known for his work on the D Series.

Looks interesting and can't wait,
David

Bayonetta is the most beautiful video game avatar I've ever seen.

I know, I know. I'm crazy, right? My guess is you have yet to watch the video below.


Quantifying my excitement for this game is not easy. I would say the last time I was this excited about a game was... maybe... Final Fantasy 7?

Who knows...

Brad

PortCon: Day 1

There was a lot of stuff from PortCon yesterday. Rabbesking was quick enough to get some of it up.


Uh, the next song video will be better. Right?


David

You can see pictures and stuff from the 4PP Facebook.

The three Level 5 games I wanted to hear about at E3 2009.

And still no new info. *sigh* TGS cannot come soon enough.

PSP:





NDS:



Japanese representation was so weak at E3 this year.


Brad

*Brad Whispers*

jar2061
evosanc123

Message me in the forums if you want your codes.

Brad

Funny or Not Funny?

You Be The Judge...

This was all made using the Spider-man Cartoon Maker.



I thought it was funny.
David

Uncharted 2 beta code winners. Come get your codes.

There following winners still need to send me a message on the forums. I will reply with the beta code.

heehaw212
nmee
team1reflex
jar2061
coolplayer026
evosanc123


Brad

Apparently...

I have a hard time believing anyone played this game. Anyone?

David

Do You See?

I noticed something interesting at work today. Can you tell the difference between the Wii games above?

The original Wii games featured disc with crappy two colored printing. The new games Let's Tap and Ghostbusters both have full color printing. Looks much better than the old style.

I wonder when/why they made this change.
David

Uncharted 2 Beta Code Winners

The contest had way more entries than I was expecting, and after some careful counting I realize I only have 10 codes to give away. Well I have picked the winners and they are as follows:


heehaw212

nmee
weflyhigher
team1reflex
racmaster00
jar2061
coolplayer026
evosanc123
thatenglishdude
viper358

Each of the winners need to send me a private message on the forums. I will then respond to that message with your beta code. You can get a link to my Forum Account on the Contest Thread -- it's in the first post. I'm doing it this way to make sure everyone who won is active, so I don't send the codes to anyone who won't see this. If after two days there are still some winners who have yet to send me a message, then I will pick others from the thread at random.

Brad

Community Blog (school) - Infamous Review

Find other reviews over in the Reviews Forum.

Infamous

by school

Sucker Punch Productions has a pedigree for making great, stylish and kid-friendly platforming games. This history is shown in their newest game, inFamous, which pins you as an electrically themed superhero. The platforming and style are still present but now there is a larger focus on combat and more mature themes. inFamous has what it takes to be another great game from Sucker Punch but isn't without it's small, niggling issues.

The story of inFamous revolves around Cole, a bike messenger with a knack for urban exploration, Trish, his now ex-girlfriend and Zeke, a longtime friend. At the start of the game Cole explains that he was delivering a package that exploded, destroying parts of Empire City and killing Trish's sister. He is soon thereafter labeled as a terrorist by the citizens for causing the blast. This label was not the only thing gained from the blast though, Cole also gains the ability to shoot bolts of electricity from his hand. A few more events occur that place Cole in the custody of an agent named Moya, who promises to get himself and friends out of the city if he restores power to it and finds her husband/co-worker, John.

While the main premise of the story is somewhat trite, it is presented in an interesting fashion. All major cut scenes are shown in the style of a comic book with voice over accompaniment by Cole. There is very little dialogue, inFamous instead ops for narration by Cole to tell the story, which is well delivered in a gravely tone that, while sometimes feels forced, fits with the darker themes. The game ends with a fairly clever twist although slightly unsatisfactorily, with what seems to be a set up for a sequel. The main issue with the story stem the moral choices. The moral choices are presented terribly and are very contrived. Nearly every choice, which the game calls Karma Moments, is spelled out in an insulting fashion that assumes the player wouldn't know which was evil and which was good. The choices made have very little affect on what happens in the story overall, even the seemingly major decisions have the same end result. For the most part, the only differences in the story is a small, post-credits cut scene at the end of the game.

Something choices make a large impact on is the open-world city, Empire City. If Cole is good, the city will start to look cleaner, NPCs will fight with him, and the sky will have a pleasant blue tone. But if Cole is evil, the city will look dirty, the NPCs will attack him, and the sky will have an ominous red tone. It is a fantastic design choice that makes it feel like the city is responding to the chosen play-style and creating the feel of a real city. Also, as an electric based character, you must draw from the city to restore your energy. While this continues the interesting dynamic between Cole and the city, it can sometimes be hard to quickly decipher what you can drain energy from.

Thankfully, the standard electric bolt ability does not use the any of the energy you can store. The other attacks, that vary from sticky electric grenades to summoning lightening storms, do use varying amount of energy depending on the amount of damage done. Gaining new powers come via returning power to a section of the city and each power can be upgraded by spending experience points. EXP is gained by taking down foes or finding collectibles. The game smartly rewards you with more EXP for using your powers in creative ways. For example, if you blast an enemy into the air with the shockwave ability and then kill him on the way down with the electric bolt you will get a bonus ten EXP on top of the standard amount for taking out that enemy. The collectibles are done very smartly by being shown on the mini-map and providing noticeable benefits such as increasing the amount of energy you can store. It removes any tediousness from finding things but doesn't tell you, hight-wise, exactly where it is, thus still promoting the fun of exploration.b

The exploration and finding collectibles wouldn't be as fun if it wasn't for the platforming and ease of navigation. As Cole was an urban explorer before the blast, he can easily climb buildings and navigate around the city. The platforming has a very lock-on feel. Cole will grab onto things if he is in the general area of them. The lock-on nature provides great flow to the platforming, making it fast and easy to navigate through the world but sometimes it can feel like it locks onto elements in the world too much, especially when trying to go down to street level. Also, when climbing up the camera will stay directly behind Cole's back, making it hard to see where you can jump up to next. It slows down the movement when you have to adjust the camera to see where you need to go.

Both the platforming elements and the electrical powers are heavily used in the missions. There are main story, side, and free form missions. The main story missions further the story along and are fairly varied. They mostly consist of going below ground into the sewers to restore the power. While this is a fairly linear experience with very little choice in tactics, there are some missions that are very dynamic in the ways you can handle them. For example, there is a mission where Cole must take out a group of enemies in a courtyard-like area. Blazing in with full force is a viable choice but the game allows a more tactical play-type by climbing up a building, surveying the area and then attacking. Being able to out maneuver and surprise the enemy makes the missions much more fun and rewarding. Furthermore, the ample checkpoints allow you to feel comfortable trying out new ways of playing. But there are some missions that don't do this such as any of the multitude of missions where you are given an electrical floor to stand on and waves of enemies are sent your way. This basically creates a turret sequence that becomes incredibly boring, with mindless shooting. Furthermore, in the last district there are a few enemies that are not only absurdly overpowered but also invisible. Luckily, their numbers are few. Also, at the end of each district there will be a boss fight, but the bosses are mediocre at best because of their very simplistic nature and short, repetitive attack patterns.

The side missions and free form missions are given by citizens in the area. The side missions clear a part of the city from the occupying gang, allowing you and the citizens to roam the area without fear of attack. Some of the side missions can get a repetitive by the end of the game but the ones that highlight the strength of the platforming stay fun throughout. The free form missions come in the form of citizens coming up to you and telling you they need help. This is not a clearly defined mission like the other two categories and feels much organic and freely formed. An example of this would be a citizen calling out Cole's name saying they had been robbed and pointing in a direction. If you go in that direction you will see the guilty party and can do whatever you wish. These free form missions add to the vibe of the city, again, making it feel more believable and real.

InFamous has fantastic platforming, combat, city design and presentation but isn't without its pitfalls. The story is somewhat trite, a select few missions get boring and tedious, the camera can be fussy at times, the choices have little meaning, and some enemies have questionable attributes. While inFamous might not be another great game from Sucker Punch, it is a solid and immensely fun game that makes you want to come back for more.

Keep up the good work.

Brad

Grin's "Terminator Salvation" sold more than their "Bionic Commando".

27k sold in May for Bionic Commando. Across both platforms too I believe.

What the hell is wrong with people?

I worry more and more about the sales of Bayonetta and the future of Platinum Games.

Brad

This is the Bayonetta trailer Sega doesn't want you to watch!

**This video was removed as politely requested by Sega**


This is the leaked trailer that Sega keeps taking off Youtube and gaming sites. Watch it while you still can.

Things I learned from this trailer.

1) There will be a motorcycle driving sequence in the game. During "Verse 3" to be exact. This could be good or bad.
2) That motorcycle is started with a middle finger.
3) Hair centipede is summoned.
4) There appears to be a timed sequence with some QTE in it. ACK!
5) "Xbox Live" tag on the end of the trailer. Do all single player games have this?
6) It appears she can use "Witch Time"(slow-mo activated after a perfect dodge) to stop enemy projectiles and send them back at the enemy.
7) She seemed to get really series and have a "Super Saiyan" moment when her "daughter" was being attacked.
8) The trailers and Kamiya keep stressing the importance of the "balance" she is trying to keep between good and evil.
9) "Orphaned. Exiled. Imprisoned."
10) "A child of impure blood". She might be only a half witch or something.
11) Story seems VERY prominent in this game. There may be more story in just the trailers of Bayonetta than the entire first Devil May Cry. Also, Platinum Games seems to be very protective of it.

and of course...

12) You can add "in bed." to pretty much anything Bayonetta ever says and have great results.


Brad

Uncharted 2 Beta Contest: Watch or die!

Follow this link to the contest thread.


Brad

Live Recording Tonight - Show 118

We will be recording live Show 118. This is the first normal show since a few weeks due to E3.
Tune in tonight as we go over what we've been playing, new news, and talk about the community.

See you tonight,
David

Listen to Hideki Kamiya break down a 2 minutue trailer in 20 minutes.

Pretty hilarious.

Found this over at the Platinum Games blog. I'm impressed by just how much of the development process they are revealing over on their site. Especially for a Japanese company. Bookmark that sheeet!


Brad

This is Borderlands: You be the judge.

Nick and I both saw this game behind closed doors. I'm picking this up day one, and Nick thought the game looked pretty "meh". I've been frustrated because there has not been much footage released for this game lately, but that has changed. Watch these trailers and then read these facts:

1. 4 player online co-op.
2. Post apocalyptic open world environment.
3. Diablo style random loot system with rarity levels and unique items. A million guns w00t!
4. Unique monsters with fat loot drops.
5. Enemy/loot scaling when new players enter the world, Diablo 2 style.
6. Class based character set-up.
7. Skill tree ability/level up system.
8. Multi-person vehicles with Double Dash style driving/gunning swap while driving! WEEE!

I want to know what you think.

Brad

The truth about Castlevania: Lords of Shadow!

...and the real Castlevania game Konami failed to mention at E3 2009.

What the hell happened to THIS game?



This trailer was presented by Koji Igarashi last year at the Tokyo Game Show. The trailer shows us a few things.

1. Alucard, star of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, is apparently in the game.

2. The game is to be released Xbox360 and PS3. (This could mean XBLA/PSN)

3. This is a CG cinematic. No confirmation of whether this game is 3d or 2d can be confirmed.

4. This is NOT the same game as Lords of Shadow, the MercurySteam developed game shown at E3 this year.


No mention of this game was made at E3 2009. I foresee two possible scenarios why:

1. This game was a 3d Castlevania game that was canceled in favor of slapping the Castlevania name on the MecurySteam IP, Lords of Shadow. This could have been a decision made by Konami after terrible reception of the shitty Wii fighting game, Castlevania: Judgement.

2. This is a 2d Castlevania game still slated to be released for PS3/360 or possibly on the download services. If this is the case, then there is a chance it could simply be a remake of Symphony of the Night.


Lords of Shadow is NOT a real Castlevania game.

1. This was presented as a new IP developed by MercurySteam, the shitty devs behind Jericho, last year. Here is the trailer WITHOUT "Castlevania" or "Kojima Productions" attatched to it:



2. No mention of Koji Igarashi was made at the E3 2009 Konami press conference. The recent Lords of Shadow trailer absolutely did not contain the music of Michiru Yamane. And the art work in the trailer was most assuredly not that of Ayami Kojima. This has been the core team behind the Castlevania games since Symphony of the Night way back on the original Playstation. Team Igarashi is one of the most respected dev teams in the industry, and I seriously doubt Konami would have taken them off Castlevania completely.

What does this mean?

Best Scenario: They are still working on, and will eventually release, a full 2d HD sequel to Symphony of the Night on PS3 and Xbox 360. This will be a 60 dollar game that I, and many others, will happily fork over the cash for. This is what hardcore Castlevania fans want the most.

Another Awesome Scenario: A full HD remake of SotN for retail disc release. This is great too, but I would rather have a new game.

Less Awesome Scenario: Sequel or remake, the game is made for PSN/XBLA. This is the likely option, but the one that will definitely piss me off. I don't want Castlevania treated as some budget franchise that belongs on the download serviced just because the game is in 2d. If Muramasa: The Demon Blade can be released as a full retail game, there is no reason a 2d Castlevania shouldn't as well.

Shitty Scenario: Igarashi disappears off the face of the planet like Yasumi Matsuno.

Boner Scenario: Team Igarashi has taken a temporary break from Castlevania to go work on the new Zone of the Enders game.


Discuss!


Brad

There She Goes! There She Goes Again!

I have a slight issue, as some of you may know. This involves my ability to buy more than 70 Xbox 360 games... And finish roughly 8 of them. This involves the trait of mine that refuses to let me ever reach the level cap in World of Warcraft. This certain trait is responsible for why the panel for PortCon won't be finished until the night before.
I am A procrastinator.
That is not what this is necessarily about though. More specifically, let us talk about why this pertains to video games as well, which are often a procrastinators distraction rather than something they also avoid.
I love to buy every single game that comes out on the market. When I HAD a job I was able to literally purchase every singe xbox 360 game that hit the shelves. I loved it, and still love my selection of games. I take pride in actually playing them all, and the impressive amount of space the collection takes up on my bookshelf. The people that see it are jealous I own so many.
And then they ask if I have beaten most of them....
"No, Barely any."
Gasps all around. "Travis how can you not? They are staring at you! They should be haunting your dreams! You bought them to play them!"
Blah Blah Blah.
I have always been aware of how I am quick to judge. Whether it be a person, fashion, item, tv show or video game. And most of the time my judgements are quite correct.
I know when a person is being egotistical, I know when a style should not be one, I know when an item is actually useless, a tv show retarded and scripted (cough cough wipeout), and when a video game lacks any real value.
When people ask me for a game suggestion, I normally always tell them one of the best games possible to buy. I know this game exists and deserves its title because I have beaten it. The games I have not beaten, excluding Valkyria Chronicles, have at one point or another been decided as poor games, repetitive games, too simple or too hard. There is a unique balance I look for in a game. I don't think Devil May Cry 4 is the best game in the world just becuase it is hard as shit. Blue Dragon is not a great game for the art design and story are too simple. Too Human or Stranglehold are not great games for they are far too repetitive. And Vampire Rain is just crap.
While some of these might be poor examples for poopy games, I am currently in Kansas and can not necessarily look at my game collection. But I am sure you see my point. A game doesn't only need to require my purchase to give me motivation to buy it. It needs to earn it through gameplay. I give all games a chance for greatness, I do not judge on covers, I don't read reviews, I buy the games that come out and I play them. Whether or not they end up being good games is completely up to the developer. I trust one day there will be a good sonic game, maybe on day they will make a final fantasy that is once again turn based, or maybe the next paper mario won't suck balls. Either or, all games have a chance to be something I want to finish. If I don't, the fault lies in them, not me.

And in response to my MMO addiction, and not being able to achieve level cap...
I spend days of my life trying to achieve level cap, that is a little different than playing a 20 hour RPG.
Doesn't matter anyways, I am going to be a 75 Pal/War in FFXI soon anyways.
Which reminds me, all of those who say they won't play FFXI now because XIV is coming out make me sad all day. Don't look for an excuse to not play an already solid MMO. If you don't want to play it don't, if you do, do! FFXIV isn't going to stop anything from happening in the following year.


Anyways, I love you all.
-Travis

P.S. I saw a black widow the other day, that was bad ass.

We are Back on iTunes and We Need Your Help!

You may have noticed that our last 5 or 6 shows have not made the jump to iTunes subscribers. Unfortunately, our host has been down for over a week and just recently went back up. We need your help to get us back in the lime light. If you have not yet done so, please go and download the shows that we just posted. Hell, while your at it, download an old revival, top 5, or dinner time if you could. Fuck it, go crazy and leave us a review if you haven't already! We know how awesome this community is and we extend our thanks!

-Nick

Live Recording Tonight - Top E3 Games

We'll be recording our Top 5 live tonight at around 10 PM Central. Nick, Brad, and I will go over our Top 5 Games of E3 and possibly some honorable and dishonorable mentions.

See You Tonight,
David

Brad, Don't Watch!!!

Back when we first started the feed, Mike let me borrow a movie for JapanCast. It was called Machine Girl. Here is a trailer for the movie.

Recently, a straight to DVD sequel was made. Or at least I think this is what it is.

I can't really tell. I just wanted you to watch it, that's all.

HAHAHAH,

David

Square Enix making brand new Front Mission for PS1 and N64. Here is the trailer.

Fuck you very much Square Enix.


Brad

This is why I'm playing Just Cause.

(TRUST ME, KEEP WATCHING)

Although "just cause" is the much funnier answer, I am actually playing this very flawed game because I was so impressed by what I saw in the video above. With that said, I am enjoying what I have played of the first game so far. It's way over the top and has some really clever mechanics; but I'm concerned the novelty will wear thin sooner rather than later.

Not yet though -- so expect more of Just Cause on the feed.

Brad

This Year's E3 Trend

I noticed a trend at this year's E3. The big three were all serious about interactivity. Nintendo already has a hold on the market with Sony and Microsoft working on their own iterations to try to steal a piece.

So what do we have. Wii Motion Plus, Project Natal, and the EyeToy Wand. The main focus was 1:1 Motion Capturing. I don't know if they actually believe that this is the technology that will become the future of video games, but I would just like to point out that Making progress in game development and Making progress in company earnings are two goals that don't necessarily go hand in hand. Just because they said it was important, doesn't mean it actually is.

Everyone has seen the videos on the three. We've made our jokes. Pointed out their faults. Now the important step is to try to make some good games that actually takes advantage of this "technology." Make a game, not mini-game, that will use the 1:1 for gameplay and use it to actually further the industry.

The problem is, we're a long way from anything worthwhile. I've played around with Motion Plus and it's nothing fantastic, so far. Who knows if it ever will be? We're at least a good year out before Sony or Microsoft's products will be on the table and when those do come out, it will only be a couple of first party titles. Xbox and Playstation are "gamers" brands. The audience motion control captures are minorities for Microsoft and Sony. The established group is not going to be intested. So why would third party developers start making games for unproven technology? Sure, they want to make money and waggle games are selling like hotcakes, but the reason we see so much support for the Wii is because there is a foundation built already.

Developers know going in that the Wii has people who are interested in those games. Nintendo had Wii Sports. Then Wii Fit. The resources are there just waiting to be tapped. It'll be a lot harder to convince people that you've got something on your console that is different enough to jump ship. We've already seen console exclusivity go the way of the dinosaur. Companies want to minimize loss. They don't care about the prestige that comes with exclusivity. They want to get the game in the hands of as many people as possible. So why would any company want to take a chance to create games for a console using specific technology that limits themselves to a specific consoles' sales?

If you ask me, Microsoft and Sony need to find a way that their technologies can be shared, which of course is impossible. If they could make it so that developers would have two consoles to sell across, I could see the possibility of some good games coming along. I didn't say good games, I said the possibility of some good games.

I'm not trying to be a hater but it's just Microsoft and Sony have huge mountains to climb if they're actually trying to take this Motion Shit seriously. If it's just a side project that they're not really banking on, then I guess no big deal. I don't want to finish this post off letting Nintendo get off the hook. As the company I look forward to hearing about the most, they've got problems too. Last year was an embarrassment and this year was only slightly better. None of the three are perfect and it's easy for me to sit here to point out problems after everything has been laid out on the table.

That's why they say hind sight is 20-20.
Or I guess in this case, it's 1:1.

David

One Final Announcement *Changed*

Well, since some people are confused. I will explain. This is our announcement from E3 this year. Since we are a video game blog and show and E3 is a video game show, it's only fitting that we announced something. These people were not at E3.

There.

David

More Pictures From E3

The Sin and Punishment 2 booth looked sexy.

Meeting Cafela.

Holy Shit, Ted Price.

Holy Balls, Greg Kasavin.

Bill Trinen, your Electroplankton Demo moved me.

With Kimura-san, Producer/Director of Little King's Story.

Brad meets Baroquesilver.

An Ad for Chicken Wings, interesting...

The Potato Gold Pizza Corvus and I shared.

The pizza contained Bacon, Potato Mousse, Corn, Cheese, Nacho Chips, and Sour Cream.

Everything is better when shared with Corvus,

David

E3 Recap

Brad found this yesterday. One of the "Best" Moments of E3.

Let's look back at another great E3 Moment.

And of course...

Peace,

David

Recognizing Developers - Hideki Kamiya

With the exception of Miyamoto and Kojima, most Japanese developers are unrecognizable to the average video game player. Very few of these Japanese developers have the kind of celebrity status to receive instant recognition. I especially had this problem at E3 as I was not able to identify some pretty awesome Japanese video game designers who I was apparently standing right next to at times.

Though there was one person I recognized instantly. He is one of my favorite developers ever, and although I was able to recognized him, would you have? You would have kicked yourself to find out you didn't notice this great video game mind.

Hideki Kamiya's games:

Resident Evil 2 - Director
Devil May Cry - Director
Viewtiful Joe - Director
Okami - Director, Writer
Bayonetta - Director


Other games he has worked on:

Resident Evil - System Planner/Camera Works
Resident Evil Zero - Original Game Deisgner
Viewtiful Joe 2 - Writer
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations - Voice of Godot


Here is a really great profile on him over on 1up.

A resume like this and people barely know his name or face...

Well, now you know.


Brad