The Rumble Pack

PAX East wrapped up way too quickly! Luckily, the guys still found time to record in between the hands-on demos, panels and Pokéwalking. Listen up for impressions on Red Dead Redemption, Alpha Protocol, Comic Jumper, Split Second, A.P.B., Crackdown 2 multiplayer, Two Worlds II, Photo Dojo and more. Plus, favorite panels and moments (”Jason!”) from the convention.

Relevant Links:

The “Pack’s at PAX” Flickr album

 

 Episode 131: Boston's Scariest Ghost: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In the next installment of the podcast (going up today), you’ll hear all about the games we played and the panels we attended. But even though the convention was only three days long, we had far too many adventures and fond memories to cram into a single show. Below, you’ll find a little bit more of the randomness left on the cutting room floor.

It’s unfortunately a rare treat to have the five of us together in one room. If only we could have a couple more days.

If there was a running theme for our PAX East experience, it would probably have been Pokéwalker addiction. Many Elekids were captured this weekend - and none were shared with Justin.

Read more

PAX is heading to New England this year, and so are we! If you see us on the show floor - we look like this - be sure to say howdy. Check the board for our whereabouts and don’t be shy! Even if you couldn’t make it to this ultimate nerd party, we’ll be updating our new Flickr page and a photo blog post daily. You should probably expect Episode 131 to drop this weekend, too.

You may be looking at the site and wondering, “Hey! What happened to the logo?” Well, we’re moving to a new look for the site and thought we’d give people a sneak peak. You’ve probably seen the new logo on our Twitter feed and our Facebook page, but we’ll be using it everywhere else from this point forward.

-The Management

We’re back in the trenches! This week, Max Wagner, Co-Founder of Signal Studios, joins the guys to talk about Toy Soldiers. He discusses the team’s inspirations, multiplayer tips, Facebook cross-promotion and some vague battle plans for the future. After the interview, Kaz drools over Metro 2033, Tony catches ‘em all in his Pokéwalker, and Justin and Tom have Perfect Dark in their Farsights. Plus, a visit from Cowboy Curtis and former “Pokémon Master” J’s dark secret.

Visit the boards and/or call our Pack line for your chance to win a free download of Toy Soldiers. More details at the end of the episode!

 

 Episode 130: All Quiet on the Johto Front [116:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I can understand the appeal of wanting to return to Rapture. Well, maybe not an actual Rapture, but the Unreal-powered, respawn-friendly Rapture pressed to so many millions of discs. The original BioShock did a lot of amazing things, but one thing it didn’t do so well is offer a satisfying resolution. After the pivotal golf club to the head, the game had trouble maintaining momentum, and I could see why fans would want a second volume of dystopian horrors. In many ways, 2K Marin’s BioShock 2 is that worthy followup, especially in the running/gunning department. Even so,  much of what made the original special - the mystery of Rapture and Andrew Ryan - has been washed away here. I’m just hoping this isn’t the start of a trend for 2010’s other big sequels, including Metroid: Other M and Portal 2.

Again, BioShock 2’s stumbles are not for lack of trying. 2K Marin had the unenviable task of following up on Ken Levine’s monster hit, with its ambitious literary inspirations and macabre atmosphere. BioShock shouldn’t be put up on a pedestal as the perfect gaming narrative, but it did take great strides in interactive storytelling and world building. The sequel’s Lamb family drama doesn’t stack up, but I don’t think that’s the problem here. Rather, it’s the familiarity of Rapture that works against all of 2K Marin’s fine work. Read more

Nick’s back from San Francisco with his full report on the Game Developers Conference. Before the rundown, the guys shunt their way into the Blur beta, Tony offers some Toy Soldiers multiplayer Pro-Tips and Kaz zooms into the R.U.S.E. virtual tabletop. Later, our Rumble representative has the full GDC scoop on the Playstation Move, potential indie gems and a few choice panels from the event. Plus, summertime Quizno’s shenanigans and a “Hurt Locker”/Minesweeper dream pairing.

Relevant Links:

Minesweeper FAQs

Audio from Will Wright’s “Metaphysics in Gaming” GDC Presentation

 

 Episode 129: Hail Mary Hatorade [88:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The largest annual gathering of industry personalities is underway in San Francisco this week, and our very own Nicolo Accordino is in attendance. Our resident King of Fighters is checking out hot indie games, hobnobbing with other game journalists and attending panels until sundown tomorrow, so be sure to follow his Twitter feed for the latest.

Long before we became the discerning gamers of today, we were kids unwrapping video games and Nerf guns under our Christmas/Nondenominational trees. For me, there were some real holiday stinkers, like NES Ghostbusters 2 and Pictionary. But for all the licensed junk, there was usually a Mega Man cartridge nearby. I know that popular opinion dictates that I should dislike parts four through infinity, but they were always my video game comfort food. I guess it’s through this nostalgic lens that I can fully embrace Mega Man 10, a solid but not stellar entry in the series.

Of course, MM10 has the unfortunate distinction of following 2008’s Mega Man 9, one of the best games in the series and a wonderful digital throwback. MM9 was just the back-to-basics shot in the arm that the Blue Bomber needed. Almost all of the bloat was cut out, leaving gamers with a lean action-platformer that was actually fun to play, even when it was kicking their behinds. MM10 also leaves out the superfluous stuff - don’t bother trying to charge your Mega Buster here - but it doesn’t add much either. Read more

This week, the Pack chats with the legendary Max Schaefer, one of the minds behind the Diablo series and CEO of Torchlight developer Runic Games. Schaefer discusses the game’s development, ties to Blizzard, a forgotten Lynx classic and even a few tidbits on the studio’s upcoming MMO. Later, Justin, Tom and Tony dive into Toy Soldiers mint-condition battlefield, Nick hunts down Zeus in God of War II and Kaz suggests that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 might be the ultimate modern warrior. Plus, the Activision vs. Infinity Ward brouhaha and a return to the Aperture laboratory.

Editor’s Note: Late in the interview, some of the sound was distorted as we brought Skype to its knees with far more conference call participants than recommended.

 

 Episode 128: Mutating Monkeys [102:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download