Who: Everyone
What: Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer
Where: Xbox Live (PS3 listeners can get on our Skype line.)
When: Thursday, March 29th at 9:00 p.m. EST
Why: Because we had so much time blasting Reapers the first time!
Our Xbox Live info can be found here: http://
This week’s episode hits harder than a car battery to the noggin! The guys have almost rid the galaxy of the reapers in Mass Effect 3, but they’re able to keep spoilers to a minimum for one more week. Afterwards, Tom dodges some very pretty bullets in Sine Mora, Justin gets nickeled and dimed by Flight Control Rocket and Kaz skids on the runway of Microsoft Flight. Plus, the game.com emulator nobody wants, the wrath of the Tempura Wizard, train simulation fantasies, flipping burgers in Order Up!, huddling for warmth at PAX East, Sonic Triple Trouble Trouble and a Big Rigs cameo.
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Dear All,
It’s no secret that Japan no longer dominates the video game market, but according to luminaries like Hideo Kojima and Keiji Inafune, the Japanese development community is mostly oblivious of Western tastes and doomed to fail in its current state. Most of the critics mean well, but they paint a picture of a sinking ship, with only a handful smart enough to get on the last few lifeboats. It’s a grim outlook for a nation that I typically associate with optimistic ragtag groups saving the world and colorful curiosities that emphasize harmony over violence. But is the situation really that dire? It’s a question we’ve been asking ourselves on The Rumble Pack for a couple weeks after GDC 2012, and I think we’ve realized that maybe it isn’t a problem that needs fixing. Maybe we’re looking at the new status quo.
Last year, you would be forgiven for forgetting some of the modest industry successes in the midst of blockbusters like Modern Warfare 3 and Skyrim. Though the payoff can be huge, development costs and advertising budgets for these games are staggering, to the point where many talented individuals are leaving the “AAA” world for indie pet projects and iOS tidbits. But there is some territory in between, and the folks at Atlus and From Software seem to appreciate that. With Catherine and Dark Souls, respectively, they took two seemingly niche concepts and turned them into hits. Neither game is compromising; Catherine is a bizarre psycho-sexual thriller puzzle game, while Dark Souls has made its fortunes by making players cry in frustration. And yet somehow, with reasonable expectations and budgets, these developers were able to find Western audiences.
You bring the pogs, and we’ll bring the slammers! This week’s packed show starts off with a voicemail about game industry dream jobs. After that (and lots of mid-90s toy-talk), Mass Effect 3 takes the stage. The guys discuss the major choices made, “Chobot,” Chimichanga and combat preferences in the first of many massy updates to come. Justin rolls through the deserts of Dillon’s Rolling Western, Tom celebrates Dys4ia‘s thoughtful storytelling and Kaz wonders how he can get better at DoDonPachi Maximum. Plus, Scarriet Tubman, the origami killer, tripping on goofballs, GDC observations, Draw Something and stagnating genres.
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Quantum Dream’s “Kara” Demonstration
There’s a lot I like about Windows 8, especially as a potential tablet OS. I need to get that out of the way now, because most of what follows will sound negative if you don’t have that knowledge. In fact, I plan on purchasing some sort of tablet or touch-enabled convertible laptop when I get the opportunity this fall(ish) when Windows 8 is rumored to release. Click here to read the reviews, news, SEO agency hiring, etc.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that I’m dead set on a Windows 8 tablet of some sort. The OS is clearly designed to work well on a touch interface and — even though Microsoft won’t admit it — its design conceits were shoehorned to fit a keyboard and mouse. Something about the interface feels constricted when you compare it to past Windows releases and other personal computer OSs (OSX, Linux), like drinking a bucket of tea with a coffee stirrer. The scope of how you interact with the OS feels anemic compared to what you’re familiar with.
With over 40 characters, an arguably revolutionary customizable gem feature and an incredible rivalry at the core of its fighting system, you might think that Street Fighter X Tekken fans wouldn’t have much to complain about. By all accounts, the game has a lot to offer and has been crafted with care. At the same time, if you’ve followed fan reactions on Twitter or community forums, there is an outspoken majority claiming that this is another in a long series of Capcom’s cash-grabs designed to take advantage of those who desperately want to see a bear dressed as R. Mika. But perhaps there’s nothing wrong with that, and with ballooning budgets and cutthroat console competition, I wonder if Capcom even has a choice. It just makes me sad that the era of overstuffed fighting games is seemingly over.
Capcom may have taken many sprite-recycling shortcuts to get there, but I remember being blown away by Marvel vs. Capcom 2‘s 56 character roster. It was a product of the time; those unlockable character colors would have certainly been a couple extra bucks if it debuted on Xbox Live or Playstation Network. The Powerstone games were incredible in this regard; stuffed with mini-games, bonus modes, extra stages and over a hundred weapon (in the sequel), it was basically the antithesis of Capcom’s modern fighters. It’s true that these games suffered from the same dearth of single player content, but on the whole, these games were designed to stuff as much as they could onto each disc.
Who: Everyone
What: Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer
Where: Xbox Live (PS3 listeners can get on our Skype line.)
When: Tuesday, March 15th at 9:00 p.m. EST
Why: Because who wants to play as Sheppard when you can control a Krogan?
Our Xbox Live info can be found here: http://
Episode 230: ReBoot Reboot
Brace yourself for the Reaper invasion. This week, Kaz and Justin are shoring up their Krogans in Mass Effect 3. There’s still much to do before they can take back Earth, but there’s plenty to dissect in the opening hours. Meanwhile, Tom calls in long enough to fall on some trophies, while Tony catches up on The Witcher 2 and DOTA 2. Plus, a cavalcade of Vita stars, a brokenhearted Seal, Phil Fish making an ass of himself, a reboot bonanza, bales of hay, PAX East plans, Journey‘s shimmering sands and the iPad 3.
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