The Rumble Pack

All hands, brace for impact! Sound the alarm! The full cast of the Rumble Pack has assembled for a mission of great importance. Nicolo updates everyone on the massive amount of titles he’s been playing (and keeps one secret), Justin tries to talk about important edutainment, while Kaz, Tony and Tom laugh about the fun they had revisiting old XBLA titles.

In the second half of the show we bring back one of our newer segments in the form of Retrospective: Metal Gear Solid 4, and we guarantee that the analysis here on The Rumble Pack won’t be found anywhere else (for better or for worse). Then we take a Side Quest to visit the recent movie theater phenom The Dark Knight.

All that and a Watchmen update in this week’s episode.

**Sunday Night Community Match: Soul Calibur IV (PS3 only, folks! Give yourself to the Dark Side!)

 

 Episode 55: All About Elephunk [99:24m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

It is time to make amends. When you listen to episode 55 this week, you will unfortunately hear my co-hosts ridiculing me for purchasing Elefunk, Sony’s pachyderm-infused civil engineering crash course (selling for a paltry five bucks). Unfortunately, I was only a few stages into the game, and thus unprepared to counter their baseless ridicule. That, and the game is really frustrating for the first hour or so. However, now that I’ve warmed up to this PSN sleeper, I thought I’d help provide the tutorial that the developers mysteriously forgot to include. Hopefully these quick (admittedly common sense) tips will make up for the outright dismissal of Elefunk on this week’s podcast.

1. Pay attention to your happy accidents - Some of the principles you discover early on will be used frequently throughout the later stages. Be sure to keep track of what works and what doesn’t.

2. Put the bulk of the weight against the walls of the chasm - Watching your bridges collapse in on themselves can be maddening, but you can alleviate some of the burden by taking the weight out from under the center and moving it to the ends. Triangular pieces work wonders here (think arches).

Nothing a history major can’t handle!

3. You’re not supposed to use all of the pieces! - Each utilized piece will deduct points from your final score, but you’ll have bigger problems if you use everything at your disposal. Remember, heavy bridges can barely support themselves, let alone three hulking elephants.

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The Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network may have rekindled interest in dusty coin-operated classics like Pac-Man and Galaga, but at their worst, they’ve also served as reminders of why arcades died in the first place. For every Everyday Shooter or Geometry Wars, there are dozens of me-too shooters that serve only to congest the online catalogs. There seem to be two ideologies currently battling for virtual shelf space: nostalgic celebrations of gaming roots and experimental indie pet-projects. 1942: Joint Strike is a solid example of why the latter is winning.

Revisionist history

Backbone Entertainment’s revival of Capcom’s 194X series does many things well. Decent graphics (much truer to the original inspiration than their Commando retread), responsive controls, and smooth online play are always welcome, while the slower pacing makes the second-player wingman easier to keep track of than in your typical “Bullet Hell.” However, even though this 30 minute tour through the Pacific Theater will keep your trigger fingers busy, your mind will wander elsewhere – perhaps to the lush jungles and crumbling cityscapes of Assault Heroes or the monochromatic skies of Ikaruga. Joint Strike just cannot compete in terms of clever level design and enemy variety (TWO boss palette-swaps?!).

1942: Joint Strike is a decent time waster, but the game’s value hinges almost entirely on nostalgia. And as much as I revere 1944 (and the Strikers 1945 homage), this remake does nothing to evolve the series. Don’t let the name brand lure you away from games more deserving of your 800 space bucks. ESPECIALLY during this August!

And we have no idea what to expect! It seems ironic that a show about ad men has had almost no advertising. Sure, we’ve seen commercials, and maybe even a trailer somewhere along the way, but all of these spots have been comprised of entirely season 1 clips. All we know is that the premiere will be set two years later (1962), and that Matthew Weiner didn’t even want us to find out that much. This is a stark change from the last show he was involved with, The Sopranos. When the mafioso soap opera was still on the air, we were teased each week with fist fights, gun fire, and promises of betrayal and murder. David Chase had a gift for winding up his audience, and while I came to appreciate the frequently anti-climatic nature of his show, I much prefer Weiner’s “less is more” approach. It’s nice to be surprised every now and then. I absolutely have no idea what to expect tonight (I’m especially curious to see what Peggy does about her “weight problem”), but I look forward to finding out.

Make sure you tune in tonight at 10 PM Eastern!

Three of the guys hold a “Late to the Party” party and talk about the games they’ve been playing even if they aren’t the latest and greatest. Tom finally steps into the sneaky shoes of Solid Snake, Kaz reenlists in the Guild Wars, and Tony brags about his fancy new iPhone apps.

Then all attention is turned to E3 as we sum up our thoughts on the proceedings. Does Nintendo hate us? (Ed.’s note: yes!) Can anybody “win” E3? Does it even matter if they did?

**Sunday Night Community Match: XBLA Free-for-All (Achievement Whoring: Together is Better!)

 

 Episode 54: E3? [68:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This week’s episode is delayed due to technical difficulties. Check back on Thursday night.

We appreciate your patience and clicks.

-The Management

Clown pants, a new interface, and a Final Fantasy bombshell all made Microsoft’s E3 press conference memorable, but did the Rumble Pack like what it saw? Tony, Justin, and Kaz chime in. If you can tear yourself away from all of those gripping E3 headlines (sarcasm), be sure to also tune in for some Too Human demo impressions, more Halo 3 war stories, a shout out to Persona 3 FES, and the fecal follies* of Blue Dragon.

*sorry!

 

 Episode 53: E3 Becomes Us Part 1 [66:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes is a conceptual nightmare, no doubt about it. A traditional strategy RPG on the button-deficient iPod? Doesn’t exactly sell itself. However, many folks are paying close attention to this particular iTunes release because of its Square-Enix pedigree. The Japanese giant has made a mint releasing spinoffs and sequels to some of its most cherished franchises*, and it seems within reason that it could work the same magic on our shores. If this first showing is any indication though, Square’s more interested in cashing in on its namesake than it is in offering worthwhile software.

Then again, Square isn’t ripping anyone off. The 129 MB download features an extensive campaign, a fully localized story, 50 different troops, and enough other bullet points to entice even the most skeptical fan. Rather than cashing in on the Final Fantasy name, the developer sought to create a new IP, a fantasy take on “The Matrix” with a pervasive music theme (seems like the starting point for a bad rock opera). The “mechanical assimilation” angle may not be entirely original, but the world is fully realized and the dialogue is competently written. Song Summoner follows a standard SRPG rule set, with the familiar grid layout and five distinct classes. Fans of Final Fantasy Tactics will know exactly what to expect.

This sprite may look cool now, but wait ’til you see her other frame of animation! Read more

We may be in the midst of a summer “drought,” but the guys are too busy with their Nintendo DS’s to care. This week, Tony embarks on the second Etrian Odyssey while Tom tells Justin why he shouldn’t be so judgmental towards Final Fantasy Tactics A2. Meanwhile Kaz returns to Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword before confronting its elder, meaner brother. Also, we talk openly* about Yakuza and Mass Effect.

After the break, Kaz springs a surprise, Dyack-centric discussion on the rest of the pack, followed by an apprehensive take on Criterion’s new aerial ambitions. And you thought Burnout motorcycles were wild?! Plus, Chrono Trigger DS celebration, Tom’s PS3 shaped timebomb, and another installment of Bang for your Buck in this week’s Rumble Pack!

*Read: Spoilers

**Sunday Night Community Match:
Halo 3, 8 PM Eastern (Happy Bungie Day!)

 

 Episode 52: Dennis the Menace [76:45m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download