The Best Invention Ever - MP3 Player

I'm not sure if you guys have ever heard of this new invention. It's called the MP3 Player. Instead of me having to carry around all my cds I can just rip all of them into an audio file called an MP3. I can then put a bunch of these onto the MP3 "player." All my music is sorted and easily available to me. It's absolutely amazing and if you haven't tried one yet, I suggest you all immediately go to the nearest electronics store and check it out.

My personal favorite is the Zune 30. The new Zune's are alright, but I don't like the navigation button and the size and placement of the play and back buttons. I liked the Zune 30 so much that I bought two more this holiday season after a price drop. I now have a total of three Zune 30s for a total of 90 GB.

Now why did I do this? Some may call me a little eccentric. I like to keep my music separate. I have all my Japanese Music on my first Zune. All my American music on my second one. And I'm not 100% sure what I'll end up doing with my last one. I have plenty of ideas and I'll let you know when I've figured it out.

So I'm back into American music again. I've been frantically trying to get my hands on all sorts of CDs. Buying. Borrowing. Downloading. I've been thinking about writing about music on the blog. Brad and I had discussed talking about movies too. Anyone interested?

Thanks,
David

PS - I also think that MP3 player pictured is an actual one you can buy. The Saint B Cross MP3 player.

Brad's Laundry List - 2009. Here We Go.

• Complete - Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts
• Complete - Hero Klungo SSSavess Teh World
  
• Complete - Valkyria Chronicles
• Complete - CarneyVale: Showtime

• 70%? - Fatal Frame 3
• 10% - Fable 2
• 98% - Xenosaga Episode 3
• 50% - Tales of Vesperia
• 20%? - Lost Odyssey
• 90% - Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
• 30% - The World Ends with You
• 80% - Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core
• 10%? - Persona 4
• 20% - Patapon

I'm working on way too many RPGs really. The goal is to finish up any 2008 game that I started and was enjoying last year. Just so happens quite a few of those games were RPGs.

Brad

Moving and Creating.

This coming Tuesday, I am out of here. See ya, goodbye. I'll be back for the occasional Podcast when possible.
So to make up for me leaving, I have done the unthinkable.
Justin.tv/visimicus

I will broadcast on 4playerpodcast if it is at all possible, But sharing will be an issue.
In this new channel, Hopefully you will see plenty of me, plenty of Matt, and plenty of my Roommate Sean. As the trio of the beaten path we will continue to fight for whats right, showing you guys games which you might have not seen before. Games that might peak your interest. Reviews, and hopefully some previews, for games you have only tickled your thoughts. And of course so make you giggle like the school girls you all are.

Now here is the mission I present to you.
Make a theme song for this channel.
As a reward it will be played [Almost] every time we begin to broadcast.
This song must be only classical/instrumental. It must be epic.
It must make me cry as I punch a baby.
I don't cry.
So make this. I have created a thread in the help wanted section.
Lets do this.

Also, we need art. For the banner, for the little user picture. We need this as well.
It needs to connect us to 4pp.
It needs our personalities.
It needs the power which will make this channel holy.
So do something with your lives... and do something for me real quick.

The Trio of Gaming, 1 player, 1 frat boy, 1 roommate.
This Trio is the brother of 4pp.
We are one.
David don't touch me there.



Hopefully we can have the broadcast running around Wednesday next week.
First game will be a surprise. But it is going to be worth it, I assure you.

Brad's Game of the Year list revised.

So last weekend I named World of Goo my Game of the Year for 2008. This game was followed closely by Metal Gear Solid 4 and Fallout 3, which are also pretty fucking amazing games. Valkyria Chronicles was number 4 on my list. I think 2008 was a great year for games, and while number 4 is a great spot, there has been a change. I announced on the podcast that I had yet to beat Valkyria. Well I solved the game, and it is now my Game of the Year. I had been fairly close to finishing the game, and nothing groundbreaking really happened between then and the credits, but I didn't feel comfortable awarding the winner to a game I had not beaten. With that said, here are a couple of reasons why I love this underplayed gem so much.

The strategy was fresh, yet simple. And while simplicity in core design could lead to repetition in other games, Valkyria manages to have amazing variety in each combat scenario. Throughout the game, I never felt like I was doing the same thing twice. A stealthy night mission with an injured character or an all out battle versus a fortress on wheels (treads?) -- the range of gameplay was remarkable. And while a game like Advance Wars can impress solely on its strategy, Valkyria Chronicles manages to have an satisfying story to back up the great gameplay.

Compared to much of the 2008 competition, the story of Valkyria Chronicles felt small -- a good kind of small. Like a Suikoden or Matsuno game, you have control over key players in a conflict that doesn't feel like it is spanning the entire world/universe. And while, like in those games, Valkyria Chronicles does contain elements of fantastical lore, because the story is dialed back from the cliche "young boy saving the world from all powerful evil", the game feels much more realistic. The characters and themes are much more identifiable and adult, while still maintaining some quirky Japanese anime humor. The conclusion to the game was satisfying in a way very rare for Japanese RPGs, as most games in the genre become messy clusterfucks by the end of a long story.

The Japanese strategy/rpg genre has finally arrived this generation. Valkyria Chronicles is proof that the genre does not have to look and play like 16 bit games. Quit letting the industry push these games to handhelds, and go buy Valkyria Chronicles.

So here is the updated list:

10. N+
9. Castlevania Order of Ecclessia
8. Left 4 Dead
7. Tomb Raider: Underworld
6. Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts
5. Braid
4. Fallout 3
3. Metal Gear Solid 4
2. World of Goo
1. Valkyria Chronicles

Just missed the list: Yakuza 2, Little Big Planet, Professor Layton, Mirror's Edge, Devil May Cry 4, and No More Heroes.

Brad

In Game Advertising

We all know that advertising is a huge part of how this world financially works. Anywhere you go you'll be surrounded by some sort of advertising letting you know of a product that you can purchase. There's nothing wrong with advertising. Our society thrives because people buy products to make their lives better, easier, or more enjoyable. It only becomes a problem because everyone is fighting for your attention.

So where do we drawn the line? Take for example you're walking down the street. You have all the advertisers lined up holding up their signs. I think it's when one of those decides they want to jump out of the line and try to make themselves more noticeable. Because of this others will start to follow suit in order not to be left behind and then you have chaos. But then again their will be those who argue that it's not necessarily that instance. They could stay in line and get bigger signs trying to garner more attention and that is already crossing over. There will also be those who say that because of this line of advertisers, they can't see the grass or scenery covered up behind them.

What does this have to do with video games? I was having lunch with a friend who works in advertising. We discussed how the industry was changing for both video games and advertising. She specifically talked about a game like Dead Rising which advertising could greatly change the game experience. Instead of just having Bob's discount CD's, it'd be cool to actually have a shop that resembled what it would be like to walk into a mall. She felt that they missed out on an opportunity and that if a sequel were made, that would be the next step to take it.

I thought that was a great point, but I worried about the amount of time it would take and secure these licenses. Also the companies would want a say in how their "virtual" store looked and felt, slowing down the development process. I do think it's an amazing idea though. Just in Yakuza 3 I've already seen the depth and detail of this concept. There are stores in Yakuza 3 that I've been to in real life Japan, realistic down to the jingle they play when you walk into the store. It was an awesome feeling to be reminded of something with that small of a detail. I could see how it would add to game play but I really thinkg it's a slippery slope that could turn into a real pain in the ass.

Thanks,
David

Don Quijote is a all in one store. They sell all sorts of random items. Everything from costumes to lunchboxes. It's only one of the example that I can pick out but..

At around 40 seconds, it'll show an ingame Don Quijote, listen for the theme music, it goes. Don-don-don, Don-Quijote. Also don't forget to stick around until 51 seconds for the best part of the trailer.


Now here's a recording of the theme done by someone visiting Japan.


It's a pretty cool thing to see video games get that immersive.

Podcast 97 - 2008 Awards Show

This week's show is a two part. We couldn't talk about everything in 2 hours so we needed to break up the show into two parts.

097 - 2008 Awards Show (Part I) [download]
097 - 2008 Awards Show (Part II) [download]

Thanks,
David

This one is for David - Trace Memory R

I know he was a huge fan of the original point-and-click adventure game for the DS. This is the sequel for the Wii.





Official Site


Brad

2008 Laundry List Wrap-Up

This channel has helped me get through so many games this past year. I want to thank everyone who helped me out. Here is the list of all games I finished in 2008. My new 2009 Laundry List has begun will be updated soon.

PS2:
Yakuza 1
Yakuza 2
Beyond Good and Evil
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
Tomb Raider: Anniversary
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Fatal Frame 1
God of War 2
Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 3
Silent Hill 4

GC:
Killer 7
Resident Evil: REmake

Xbox:
Fatal Frame 2
Oddworld: Stranger Wrath
Urban Chaos: Riot Response

DS:
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Ninja Gaiden DS
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
Phoenix Wright 1
Castlevania: Order of Eclessia
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance

PC:
The House
Knytt Stories

64:
Ocarina of Time

Wii:
Mario Galaxy
No More Heroes
World of Goo
Boom Blox

360:
Left 4 Dead
Prince of Persia 2008
Fallout 3
Tomb Raider: Underworld
F.E.A.R.
F.E.A.R Extraction Point
F.E.A.R Perseus Mandate
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
Grand Theft Auto 4
Ninja Gaiden 2
Beautiful Katamari
Dead Space
Tomb Raider: Legend
Rez HD
Braid
N+

PS3:
Devil May Cry 4
Mirror's Edge
Little Big Planet
Resistance 2
Silent Hill 5
Heavenly Sword
Uncharted: Drakes Fortune
Metal Gear Solid 4


Let me know if I'm leaving anything off. It's easy to forget something.


Brad

Could FFXIII Really Make it Out This Year?

Throughout 2008, one of the lasting questions was whether or not we would see Final Fantasy XIII hit US shores before 2010. It is now 2009 and the question still stands but one thing has changed; we are now being bombarded with constant news, details, and updates about the game. 2008 Saw almost no new information and the only major announcement was that the game would indeed be multi-platform. In the past 2 weeks though, Kotaku, Famitsu, Joystiq, and many other major gaming sites have been flooded with coverage. Take for instance, todays reveal of a new playable character, Sazh Kalroy, the first black character since Barrett Wallace!

Yes folks, he has an afro. Kotaku editor did point out that the characters design does make him seem like more of a lover than a fighter. If the past is any indication, this character should prove to be one of the more interesting characters in the game. (Original Kotaku Story)

In recent weeks, we have also been bombarded with new screens, FFXIII and FF Versus XIII have both opened their official websites, the battle system has been revealed (Kotaku: Battle System Revealed) and we were hit with the vague but optimistic release date of "2009". So what do our readers think? Will U.S. gamers be playing FFXIII by years end or will we have to wait until Q1 or Q2 of 2010 to get our greedy little hands on it?

-Nick

New Yakuza 3 Special Moves - Watch these or I'll eat your family.

Brad