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Podcast 102 - Don't Shit Your Pants [download]

Description: Brad tries not to Shit His Pants.

Thanks,
David

Little Big Planet still being awesome.

People's creativity in this game is scary. Gonna try this and more out later this week.


Brad

A Story From Halo Wars Day

Today a gentleman came into the video game retailer that I work at. He asked about Halo Wars which came out and then asked to purchase a copy of the newly released RTS. He collected his keys, belongings and was ready to leave when he turned and asked.

"When does Street Fighter IV come out?"

To which I replied, "It's already out. It came out a couple weeks ago."

I could see the wheels turning. He was thinking about something. Maybe he was having second thoughts about the purchase already made. Maybe he wanted to return his strategy experience for a rematch with nostalgia. 

He seemed undecisive so I offered to let him look at the box. He glanced over it and with a determined look on his face offered up...

"I'll take this too."

I smiled. "It's a lot to spend in one day, huh?"

"Yeah, but my wife loves Street Fighter. Let me get the guide for her also."

I wrote about this not because I was surprised about a woman liking street fighter or that the game was not for him. I thought this relevant because there's still hope for a guy like me.

Someone who is awkward with presents and feelings. I feel like a phoney buying flowers for anyone except my mother. It's a weird feeling that I'm still trying to get over. But if there's a chance that I could buy a copy of Street Fighter and have it mean the same thing. 

Thank You God,

David

DSi, I Guess I'm Getting One

I'm apparently getting a DSi, according to Brad. 

Our conversation yesterday went something like this.

Brad: Hey, when you get your DSi, are you planning on selling your DS?

David: I thought you were getting one?

Brad: Either you're getting one or we're both getting one.

David: What do you mean?

Brad: You know you're going to buy one.

David: Nah, I talked myself out of it, it looks stupid.

Brad: Whatever you Nintendo fan boy. When you get your hands on one you'll cave.

David: Nah. There's no GBA slot.

Brad: Yeah, but what was the last GBA game you played?

David: Astro Boy.

Brad: When? When you were traveling? (I was traveling in October)

David: The cameras are useless. 

Brad: The screens are bigger and watch them release a 2-D Metroid for DSi Ware.

David: Damn.

Brad: Plus I know you'd get the Gay Blue one cause no one has it and you want to be different.

David: Shit.

Brad: So are you going to sell me your DS Lite or are you going to keep it with your DSi?

David: Fuck.

Parental Guidance

Well Howdy Y'all! This is a college paper I wrote. The argument is my choice, obviously, and it might be a little biased. But I doubt I am wrong in any sense of the word.  And here is my edition of Parental Guidance.   All forms of entertainment, at one point or another, are questioned in some shape or form. Books were once banned profusely for what they held and movies were held in distaste on how they displayed certain acts. It is only natural that the newest form of entertainment, video games, would be questioned as well. These questions include whether or not video games desensitize children, if they influence kids to acts of violence, or even if video games could be considered an art. With such questions raised, it is easy to understand the worry behind the video game industry and their effects on children. Video games are not harmful to children, nor are they harmful to adults. The lack on knowledge about video games, thanks to the media and various others, contribute to the opposite belief.            In the state of Illinois, there was a court case between multiple software and retail associations and the state of Illinois in the year 2001. The software and retail associations sued several state and local officials seeking to enjoin the enforcement of Illinois’s Violent Video Games Law and Sexually Explicit Video Games Law (Kennely 1). This law would of restricted the sale of violent video games to minors. The standard as of today is only set by that of the company selling products, not that of the federal or state government. In this case, the state proceeded to gather various tests on video games and their users which investigated whether or not video games caused aggressive behavior in children. Through the various tests, no conclusive evidence was found to cause aggressive results. [The research by Dr. Anderson] included no data whatsoever that was critical of research finding a causal link between violent video game play and aggression (Kennely 16). Said research states “Short-term exposure increases the likelihood of physically and verbally aggressive behavior.”(Anderson 1). The flaw in Dr. Andersons research laid in the procedures he followed, such as the failure to test for lasting aggression of any form (Kennely 15). This court case has been held up by multiple different accounts to defend video games, such as MIT Professor Henry Jenkins who states, “…no research has found that video games are a primary factor or that violent video game play could turn an otherwise normal person into a killer.” (Jenkins 2). Professor Jenkins also explains many other common misconceptions about video games, taking time to discuss the desensitizing of American youth, or there lack of, antisocial behavior developed by children, and how girls often do not play video games. It is very easy to see that this professor has no difficult time explaining common misconceptions that wary parents have received from the media.                   It is not uncommon to hear things on the news such as Jack Thompson’s statement on the Virginia Tech shooting which says, “These are real lives. These are real people that are in the ground now because of [Counter Strike]. I have no doubt about it.” (Bendetti 1). When completely unfounded ideas are said on television such as this, especially at times of sorrow or when said by a “Professional”, it is understandable as to where the ideas of video game violence come from. Bill France explains many of his worries that video games produce, one of which being, “ These Video games are not spectator activities…. They use simulation techniques that are used to teach people to fly a plane, drive a car or fight wars.” (France 1). While this is obviously an overstatement, being that very, very few games actually have the controls of an actual plane, the stick shift of a car, or the tutorial on how to reload a real gun, these words are still written down for other worried adults to find. Statements such as this one, and various others created by Jack Thompson have given many parents motivation to fight against this evil enemy.            It is the duty of a parent to protect their children, to seek only the best for them, to not only shield them, but to teach them. Video games are too strong of a force in every day lives to just force a child to ignore them. Children will eventually befriend another child, and this child will most likely have some sort of electronic entertainment in their household. We can not hide something as prominent as the twenty billion dollars industry that are video games. What we can do is introduce this harmless item to our child and attempt to understand it with them. It is so very easy to ignore, or completely disregard, research and articles defending videogames. It is also very easy to become a well informed parent who will look into what our children might one day be interested in. By doing so we not only know what to expect from video games, but are able to still make knowledgeable choices on what our children look at and play. While there are no negative effects from video games, there are still ideas and different types of statements expressed by video games. These statements, which the Indianapolis Federal Court agreed to their existence, are frequently listed by a system of rating not unlike that of movie ratings (Jenkins 6). These movie ratings are made for parents, giving parents the opportunity to understand more of what their child is looking into rather than being completely oblivious.            There does lie the argument of whether or not video games actually hold any merit in the form of education. Other than the obvious games created as teaching tools, it is easy to throw aside video games as a legitimate source of education or development. Other than the recently discovered effect of improving ones eyesight via video games, and perhaps fixing amblyopic (commonly known as lazy eye), there is no real evidence of any educational or developmental effect from video games (Motluk 1). This does not take away the argument for it though. See as how the title of Art is debatable, this can only mean that video games being an art is also debatable. If this is true though, video games being an art, it is to be accepted that video games are an educational source. If we rely solely on the story being told, it should be easy to decide that video games can be considered an art form, as Aaron Smuts explains, “Current video games have highly integrated narratives that are often far more complex than the most sophisticated noir plots.” (Smuts 1). If this medium of art is being outdone by a video game, it is only safe to assume the video game has entered the realm of art, therefore entering into the realm of education.            We have encouraged our kids for generations to get involved with reading, visual art, music and sports. We consider all of these things educational to a degree. If we are able to understand the educational qualities of all these different mediums, we can begin to see their translation over to video games. Reading is involved in almost all video games, some games involving book size and longer text. Many games are worked on for years at a time to produce visually appealing graphics and colors. Music is done by orchestras and by men in computer labs in the creation of video games, and some games even involve music creation or playing in themselves. And while the physical action of sports may not take place in a video game, the idea of it does, this undoubtedly plays some part in how a child views sports. With all these different types of artistic and accepted ideas, how could we deny the educational existence in video games? Since we can not, since we can only acknowledge it and accept it, we must also accept that the education presented in video games produces a harmless atmosphere for children to play in.            It is simple to control our children, more simple to let them run a muck. As parents it is our duty to assume control over what our children are exposed to. It is also our duty to understand what we do with our control and how informed our usage is. We can not rely on the media to tell us what is not safe, and we can not rely on a college student to tell us what is. What we must rely on is our own ability to think for ourselves and truly understand what we are against. If we understand that, it is safe to assume we can come to understand that video games are in nature not harmful. And as this non harmful form of media is considered a form of art, it is safe to assume that the ideas some of the video games posses might not be suitable for children. This is where the real decision lies, but this is for the parent to decide.  Video games, in the end, are bought by the parents. Parents are the only ones who know what is right for their child. For them to blame their own failure on video games is nothing but a cop out. A parent must accept their responsibility. Video games are not the problem, the problem is loss of contact between the child and the parent. When the parent is a part of the child’s life, then video games could never be harmful, for the ideas that the parent understands the child is ready for will be allowed to be played, while the others will not. A parent must choose. Not a child.   -Travis

Incoming Sleeper: Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure

I love puzzle league, I love 2d action adventure games, and I love robots. I hate that I don't have a DS right now. This game will be released on March 17th here in the States.

So the game works like sort of like this. When playing the action game on the top screen, the puzzle game on the bottom is slowly moving up. This happens in all puzzle league games (which is the core design for the puzzle game). If anything, this game is a brilliant fix for my biggest problem with Puzzle League; that is you have to wait for the blocks to rise up to the top of the screen to pull off amazing combos. Now you have a game to play while your waiting!

You might be worried that the game has too much going on, but fear not. When you are down on the puzzle screen making combos, the action on the top screen is paused. So you will occasionally pop down to the puzzle screen if you need power ups, health, or if the screen is getting too full. The puzzle is important to clear, because as you saw in the video, if the blocks hit the top of the screen, they come back as enemies.



Henry Hatsworth looks fantastic. My only worries are that it is a Western developed DS game which usually lacks that extra layer of care and polish a lot of handheld games that come from Japan often receive. After watching the interview though, it seems the developer really does care about this "side project" that became a full game. Looks promising to me.

Also, way to go EA on green-lighting this project and throwing it some support and money.

Brad

Wouldn't Hurt to Update.

Before we begin, I must give y'all this.


























Caution states: Travis writes however the hell he wants due to convenience and/or comfort. So back the fuck off.
Not only that, but it is all purposeful, I'm aware of
My
Constant
Use of the
Enter Button.


This message has been approved by me.

Anyways, I assume it only doing my part to post at least once this semester, so here it is.
Spring break starts in two weeks, and when I look back, I realize so far that video games have been a sad, sad distant to me. Don't get me wrong! I am not studying worth anything, I have better ways to ace tests, such as not caring and still kicking ass like I do. It is a gift really.

There are multiple reasons I have smiled this past February. Due to games, parties, class, hell! even women... Which is a surprise.
So I will share with you all two things that make my bollucks tingle.


Some of you might know Darknezz and Skyliner. Skyliner being a chat Mod, Darknezz being our neighborhood asshole. The three of us have taken it upon ourselves to dwell in a world seperate than this one.
...
We all know where this is going.

Remember that game.... thats online? Three expansions? Done by a certain type of wintery storm? Certain.... Elves that do flips?
We are playing World of Warcraft on a private server.
And I encourage all of you to join! We play daily, together or not. More infor can be found here! http://4playerpodcast.proboards52.com/index.cgi?board=gaming&action=display&thread=2468
We are creating a guild, a guild which will rule the world... of warcraft.
That may sound stupid, but its funny how close to the truth that might be. Get online to know more about that.


And on a less serious note, I found the new Freddie Mercury.
Well, y'all know him probably, I don't.



Oh and I bought a coldplay album and Alanis Morissette.
God help me, something is changing in me gur hur hur.
On a more manly note, before I forget...
April 25th is looking good.

-Travis

Women I Gave My Heart To - Alicia Melchiott

From first glance, I fell in love with Alicia. As soon as she showed up in a military uniform with a skirt, I knew it had all the makings to be perfect. She came off with a little bit of a chilly personality, but I think that was mostly due to her initial attraction and then her having her guard up against it.

I won't go into details about how our loved blossomed. It happened over the course of months through various events on and off the battlefield. You can't rush love. It's something that should start off like a warm glow. Little by little pieces are added to the fire that make it burn even more strongly until it consumes you from the inside. That's exactly what happened.

She had her walls up and I at first was rather oblivious to the situation. Being that she was second in command put us in situations to work closely with each other and led to many open-heart talks. There has to be something said about war and how it pulls and forces people together. I was glad that it was Alicia who was next to me when it happened.

The greatest compliment I ever received was when she told me that she felt safe with me and that somehow things would work out, no matter how dire the situation. As a man who just wanted to protect the things he loved, it meant the world that someone understood. So I did the only thing I could.

I loved her back. I loved her for the thing she was most ashamed and scared of. For all of her past that she carried with her, it didn't matter to me. I knew who she really was and nothing was going to change that. I took her insecurities and drank the poison down with out a second thought. I called her an idiot when she thought the best way to help me was to sacrifice herself. I pulled her close and I saw our future together. Her as a baker. Me as a teacher. A daughter who resembled her mother. It was almost within my grasp.

All of this went away as I woke up this morning.

I realized I was not Welkin Gunter, the man who helped to save Gallia.

I am David Liao the man still searching for the Woman He Gave His Heart To...

Why Online Petitions Don't/Won't Work.

Before I say anything, I love Japan. I love what Sega is doing. And I love you Brad.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, The Online Petition for Yakuza 3 won't work. As much as I am an optimist and like to believe and have Hope, this is a lost cause. Sega won't care how many people sign it. Actually, they will care, but we won't be able to get the numbers they would want. The problem is not that people don't care about the game. It's not that Sega wouldn't like to know that there are people excited about their game.

The reason why it won't work is because the numbers are skewed. By an online petition you cannot tell how many people are actually going to support the game by purchasing it, which is all that matters. First off, there can be tampering with. People can sign twice or even more. They can get friends, parents, relatives, family pets, whoever to help boost numbers. People will sign their name just because it's a good cause, not because they'll actually get their ass off the
couch to do something about it. It's the same reason why companies like GameStop require a 5 dollar deposit to reserve a game. It's enough of an investment that a person won't just reserve whatever it is unless they're actually interested in it or plan on picking it up. So instead of having a person add their name to a list because it's free and requires minimal effort, they actually have to put some sort of sacrifice.

So back to the petition, it's just a list of names. It might as well be a list of people who went to the grocery store last week. It's full of empty promises and faceless liars. Sega will take the time to translate the game, release it game here, and less than half of those people will actually buy it. Shame on you for lying to Sega. I bet two thirds of the people on that list don't even own a Playstation 3.

Then there is the other side. For all the people who signed the Petition and don't follow through, there are twice as many who haven't signed it because they don't know about it. Or worse, they won't think it will work. They've lost hope. Don't believe in the cause. Whatever, they don't believe. It looks bad guys. There is a big chance this game won't make it here. A lot of times it's easier and less disappointing to not try. Who wants to look like an idiot trying and then failing?

I'm an optimist. I'm not one to give up or one to say things won't work. I didn't write this post to discourage you. I want this game here. If not for me then for everyone else. I'll tell you how to get this game here. I can even guarantee that it will happen. Do you hear me? I can guarantee that we will get Yakuza 3 here translated for the PS3.

There are three ways Sega will release Yakuza 3 here.

A. Yakuza 2 sold extremely well or they can find a way to cheaply translate it and
cheaply distribute it, ie. PSN.

B. The Petition list goes way crazy and you get everyone in China to sign it. Those
are the kind of numbers it would need.

C. We do something different to make Sega see that their is actually a demand, not a want,
not a desire, but demand here for the game.

And here are the answers.

A. Pray to the heavens and hope for a miracle.

B. You've signed the Petition? You think you've done your part? Fuck you.
Get twenty more people to sign it and then sign it twenty more times yourself.
Then start to think that you might have begun to do your part.

C. We start a Sega Benefit Foundation. We start making the money to cover the costs of translating the game. Basically we pay Sega to bring the game here. I've divided it up into three different tier listings.

$1 Donations - There are just general donations. These will not be refunded and will be
sent to Sega strictly for covering costs to bring Yakuza 3 here. Anyone can
donate but that's it. Minimal risk, Minimal loss, but huge possibilities.

$5 Donations - Lottery. You're not sure that you want the game? Well 5 bucks can win you a copy. I haven't figured out exactly how many copies we'll give away. I think that more depends on how many people are in. The more people the more chances.

Full Paid - This is for people who will completely pay off Yakuza 3 here. You are basically giving Sega the money now for your copy of the game later. These will be fully refunded provided that somehow we aren't able to get Yakuza 3 here.

It seems like a big task. I don't know if any of you are up for it. But we need help if we're going to accomplish it, just as Yakuza needs help to get a translation. I'm looking for volunteers. Right now I need a webmaster to help make a site for the foundation. I'm thinking of calling it the BLES foundation. Named after Selvaria Bles from Valkyria Chronicles, who fought for love. Think of it as B.ring L.ove E.xcitement S.ega. I'm also open to suggestions and any other help you can offer. God knows we can't do this alone.

Not afraid to fail,
David - davidliao@4playerpodcast.com

Are Japanese RPGs actually worse these days?

I was considering picking up Star Ocean 4 at one point. I told myself, "If the game gets good scores, I will probably get it." Well guess what? It got the same scores as every other fucking RPG released on a current generation console since 200fucking5.

It seems that every single JRPG since then for 360, PS3, and Wii, score somewhere in the mid to high 70s and sometimes low 80s. Sure enough, Star Ocean 4 is sharing in the mediocre glory. Are the games actually worse? Does Japan need to step up and release "great" games instead of just "ok" games? Yeah Final Fantasy 13 is coming, but I have this feeling it will only be the exception and everything will go back to being "ok". Yes, there have been a few (very few) exceptions. I thought of Valkyria Chronicles and how amazing that game was. Sure enough the game sits around with low to mid 80s on Gamerankings... sadly pretty high for the genre these days. The only recent standout has been Persona 4 at around 93%, but that is a PS2 game.

So I started to wonder...

Are these games really worse than they used to be?

Are review outlets just harsher on the genre now that consoles are dominated by AAA western developed games?

If the same people were reviewing JRPGs back in the 90s in the current video game climate, would all of those games be getting "high 70s" at best?

Chrono Trigger - 82%?
Secret of Mana - 78%?
Final Fantasy 6 - 84%?
Suikoden 2 - 72%?
Breath of Fire 2 - 77%?
Xenogears - 76%?
Vagrant Story - 79%
Parasite Eve - 68%?

Would these be the scores of these games if they received scores from 50-100 outlets by today's reviewers?


NO, those would NOT be the scores.

JRPGs ARE actually worse these days.

SQUARE ENIX: GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR FUCKING ASS AND START MAKING "GREAT" GAMES AGAIN!!!

Namco: Stop making Tales cash-ins.

Konami: Make Suikoden 6, and don't make it shovelshit for the Wii.

Capcom: How about not killing your biggest RPG franchise?

Atlus: How about making games for consoles released this century.

Sega: How about releasing and actually MARKETING Yakuza in this country for once. Believe it or not... a lot of people live here.

Intelligent Systems: Still doing SNES graphics? Really?

To the rest of you: Grow some balls and start making your JRPGs for something besides handhelds.

To all japanese developers: WRITE. A. DECENT. FUCKING. STORY.

AND TO ALL OF JAPAN: If you keep buying the shit, they will keep making shit. (READ: DYNASTY WARRIORS)


Brad