Justin Archive

If you want to play Pokémon with the big boys, sign up for our official Facebook group!

Let’s get down to business. Pokémon Black and White launch on Sunday (or Saturday if you’re in New York), and we as a Rumble Nation need to coordinate our attack strategies. There are over 163 new monsters to catch — one of which is almost literally a pile of garbage with googly eyes — and we’re going to need each other. I’m not just talking about the standard version-exclusive Pokémon. Obviously, we can hunt those down pretty quickly with a little help from the online trading station and one reliable buddy. But there’s so much more to this than that.

I’m talking about feeding each other legendaries that we wouldn’t be able to access otherwise. I’m talking about putting our poor Dittos to work to mass produce a herd of valuable starters. I’m eventually even talking about Rumble Pack tournaments that may or may not have an attached prize. (I need to look through my drawers of crap to find something Poké-flavored.) This series was originally envisioned as a very social experience, and we intend to get the most out of it.

And yes, I’m well aware that I take my Pokémon a little too seriously. I’m indeed the guy who forced himself to write a 60 page senior thesis over a weekend because I had been too busy rounding up Ludicolos in the weeks prior. But I’m confident that we’re in this together. Oh, and you’ve got about one week until PAX, so do have your critters in order as soon as possible.

P.S. I swear that I’m not crazy! I’m taking this the game only about 40% as seriously as this post would suggest.

My closest ally or my worst enemy?

Now that the Kinect has been released and is presumably sitting in at least a few of your living rooms, I’m glad to hear gamers are starting to take notice of user interfaces and menus for once. Whether we’re talking control-free or not, a well-implemented front end can make all of the difference between a good game and a great one. Rock Band 3 definitely has a great one. We talked a bit about the amazing career goals on the podcast, but I’ve since come to further appreciate the refinements that the third game makes over its immediate predecessor. The leap between RB2 and RB3 should serve as a textbook example of menu design done right, and I only wish that Harmonix had read its own manual while making Dance Central.

Now that rockband.com’s account linking is ready, you can create new playlists wherever you go. You can set up your post-work jams and share with like-minded bandmates.

From the very moment I booted up the game, Rock Band 3 told me that it’s all about the band. While RB2‘s tentacles and familiar tiger had a certain charm, none of those trappings ever screamed rock to me. RB3‘s start-up screen, on the other hand, features my custom band — The Earnest Hemenways* — strutting down the street, itching to play at their next gig. I was able to create decent stand-ins for my girlfriend and I, which instantly creates a sense of ownership missing from RB2. I could do without the repetitive loading screens, but it’s great to see my virtual Angry J flipping through his record collection or visiting the drive-thru. The pre-made, too-hip performers in Dance Central couldn’t hope to match my character’s charm.

Read the rest of this entry »

By now, you’ve probably heard enough about this stupid Youtube video I posted earlier in the week. Even so, we’re going to plug it one more time on our own site for posterity’s sake. Enjoy the awkwardness below.

As the (hopefully) last heatwave dies down and the ice pop supply in my freezer begins to dwindle, I look back at the past few months of funemployment as a time of discovery. Because it was my first full summer in New York, I was able to check out the Bronx Zoo, Rockaway Beach, the Cloisters and so many other opportunities that make me overjoyed to live in the city. But it was also a time of discovery on the gaming front, thanks to the addictive magic of Dragon Quest IX. I spent a lot of time out-and-about, sure, but whenever I boarded a subway, my eyes would immediately become glued to the DSi. We’ve talked about this gem at length on the show, but it wasn’t until the waning days of summer that I began to fully explore its grottoes and dungeons.

“AngryJ,” fully decked out after 90+ hours of play

And when I say explore, I don’t mean consulting GameFAQs or a serebii.net equivalent to learn how to get the best armor or where to find a high level map. I certainly could have, but I gradually learned that the beauty of DQIX is that it’s so much more fun when you let it take you in a million different directions at once. This may not be apparent in the 40 to 50 hours it takes to beat the main quest, and may even seem counter-intuitive to completionists. Though the story is nonlinear at points and tons of side stuff is available – alchemy, classes, quests – the teleport spell and little ship still don’t offer complete freedom. However, once you get the DQIX‘s airship-train, the entire world is at your fingertips. Suddenly, the game goes from a familiar-but-solid Japanese grinder to a Bethesda RPG in your pocket. Just incredible.

Read the rest of this entry »