The Rumble Pack Posts

Oh hai, listener! Nick and Kaz shared some of their PAX impressions earlier this week, but there’s still plenty to talk about from last weekend’s big show. (Games discussed include Hydrophobia, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Retro City Rampage, Dance Central, Super Meat Boy, Duke Nukem Forever and plenty more.) Before that, Tom and Justin “praise” the Flash game adaptation of Tommy Wiseau’s seminal film “The Room,” while the others turn away in disgust. The guys also speed dash through the divisive Metroid: Other M. Plus, the Jeremy Parish drinking game, Team Rocket cosplay and a “Tripple Tommy” debate.

Relevant Links:

Jeremy (Take a Shot) Parish’s “This is Not a Review of Metroid: Other M”

The Room: The Game

The Creepily Realistic Jesse and James

Come one, come all and gather ’round to hear the tall tales of PAX Prime from Kaz and Nick as they brave the Seattle wilderness to bring you their post-show report. Games discussed include Dance Central, Fable 3, Hydrophobia, Comic Jumper, Super Meat Boy, NBA Jam, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Mortal Kombat, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, LittleBigPlanet 2, Portal 2, Duke Nukem Forever and many more.

Nicolo and I are in Seattle for PAX Prime 2010.

We’ll be uploading some audio discussion of everything at PAX, and we’ll be uploading some of our photos to this post. Please remember to check back frequently to see everything we’re checking out.

There’s lots more to see at PAX Prime than there was in Boston for PAX East. There are so many more game companies and new games to get our hands on. We’ve been hanging out with the crew from Platform*Nation for a lot of our appointments, so many thanks to Steve and crew for helping us get more access.

It’s gonna be fun.

Price hikes, price drops and used game cheaters – so much for all the fun. Luckily, the Pack has a copy of “Coupons: The Magazine” to help them sort it all out. After the business stuff, Justin grumbles about a Shank in his side, Tom stocks up on Zombrex in Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, Nick rocks his swag bag for Ys Seven and Kaz splits up Lara Croft and Totec for some co-op fun. Plus, Other M hesitation, Fido Dido, And Yet It Moves and even a hint of time travel.

Relevant Links:

Fido Dido (Remember him?)

Coupon: The Movie

Target Demographic Podcast

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.

We all chose top 5 lists on the podcast as you may recall.

The most frustrating part is compiling a list of contenders among all the games that come out in a year. In an effort to help myself in January 2011, I’m trying to write down all of the games from January to June that I played and feel deserve my consideration or that others feel merit playing before I decide my top 5.

Here it goes:

Bayonetta (Release: January 5th) – I’ve tried to play through this game. After playing God of War more recently, I’ve come to appreciate how much better a game this is than other character action games. Nonetheless, I couldn’t get through the insipid dialog to force myself to the end. Unless something goes terribly wrong for the remaining titles this year, I don’t foresee this game being much of a contender.

Mass Effect 2 (Release: January 26th) – The first game this year that I couldn’t stop once I started. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun comparing storylines. Barring an unbelievably good times with a lot of titles this fall, Mass Effect 2 is in a good position to be a top contender. (Note to self: play through this game again before the end of the year.)

Bioshock 2 (February 9th) – The return trip to the underwater world of Rapture didn’t seem to click with me as much as the first. I tried to power through but I’m not going to force myself to play a game when there’s so much else that doesn’t require force feeding it to myself. Others may consider it Top 5 material, however, so I’ll keep it here as a reminder.

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom (Release: February 17th) – I’ve got this game sitting on my hard drive untouched since the Steam summer sale. I don’t think it has a chance of hitting my top 5, but it’s a bit of 2010 required reading anyway.

Heavy Rain (February 23rd) – Not sure how I’m feeling about this one, I might need to play through again with Move support when it comes out to make a final decision on how this game shakes out on my Top 5. It’s an important game, no doubt, but it wasn’t a particularly good game.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (March 2nd) – What started out as a sophomoric series became something magical in its second outing. I still come back to the multiplayer frequently and the single player story, while juvenile again, knew better than to try as hard as Modern Warfare 2. A roller coaster from start to finish.

Toy Soldiers (March 3rd) – The first downloadable game that gripped me from the beginning, the setting and unique take on tower defense made for an engaging title that seemed bigger than its file size and price indicated.

Final Fantasy XIII (March 9th) – I didn’t play it and it has some polarizing reviews, but there are some out there who had a good time with this game. I absolutely adored Final Fantasy X, making part of me wish I could enjoy this adventure, but that long playtime is certainly a barrier to entry for me.

Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver (March 14th) – It’s Pokémon – not much more needs to be said. I’m glad I had it for PAX East, but not much has happened in my Johto since then.

Metro 2033 (March 16th) – The first game that I love despite itself in the year. I love the unique take on the Half Life 2 linear formula. Some gripping and honest scripted scenes play out in a magical way. I just wish it didn’t have so many intimidating PC game characteristics, so that I could trick people into playing it.

God of War 3 (March 16th) – Slowly working my way through this beast of a game, but after powering through GoW2, the formula is wearing thin on me. Maybe if I had more time between the two, I’d appreciate this game more.

Splinter Cell: Conviction (April 27th) – Justin seemed to like this and despite the outcry at the demo, I had fun with it. Maybe I’ll play through this sometime.

Super Street Fighter IV (April 27th) – The only 2D fighter I’ll play. Now that we’re a part of the Platform*Nation podcast family, maybe I’ll get to getting beaten down Friday nights with fellow hosts.

Picross 3D (May 3rd) – An entire trip to D.C. and back to see Nicolo devoted to playing through as many levels as possible. It’s just as addicting as the first DS title, but is that enough to break the Top 5?

Skate 3 (May 11th) – Probably not a contender but it came out right before some big titles so I didn’t get to give this game a proper playthrough. Maybe I’ll get back to it on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Bit.Trip Runner (May 17th) – A game good enough to make me dust off my Wii. I just wish there was a place for small games like this in a big Top 5 list.

Red Dead Redemption (May 18th) –  The glitches in the Wild West were awesome. Mexico is a drag and I don’t know if I’ll get back to it. Ten minutes in, this was a GotY shoe-in, but the game overstayed its welcome. I need to see the ending apparently; maybe that’ll sway me.

Alan Wake (May 18th) – Better than people give it credit for, Alan Wake manages to provide a type of game that isn’t out there right now. It’s the direct middle ground between Resident Evil and Gears of War. Engaging and action-packed and atmospheric all at the same time. If only the story wasn’t so confusing. We’ll see if the DLC helps clear the story and a space for Alan Wake in my Top 5.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 (May 23rd) – Obscenely high reviews and recommendation from friends necessitate I play this at some point. But I don’t wanna…

Let me know if I missed any titles. I’ll add them to the list.

Good news, everyone! From this point forward, The Rumble Pack will officially be part of Platform Nation. We’ll be joining several other great podcasts, including fellow newbies PSNerds, in bringing you the latest/greatest conversations in gaming. We’re incredibly excited for this opportunity to reach out to a new audience and introduce our current fans to the Nation’s other fine shows.

For our current listeners, your regularly scheduled programming won’t change much initially, but you can expect a few promotional clips from our partners to break up the Nickelodeon references and “drink” tasting. If you’re just joining us, all that you need to know is that we’re five college friends that have been gaming together for years, and that we want the rest of you to be our honorary Smash Brothers, too. Though we occasionally talk about major announcements, we usually let other shows handle the news. Rather, we’re all about digging into games and seeing what makes them tick. We’re not always timely, but we don’t shy away from hot button issues and controversial opinions. Anyway, you’ll definitely get a feel for our idiosyncrasies in the weeks ahead. For now, crank up the volume and know us better, man.

Hi, everybody! This week, the guys introduce themselves to their new Platform Nation audience, delving into gaming tastes and embarrassing controller purchases. After the hugs and handshakes, Justin, Kaz and Tom explore the labyrinthine temples of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, while Tony brushes up his hemoglobin flash cards. They also talk Monday Night Combat strategies and look back the this month’s bountiful downloadable gems. Later, Kaz gets excited for WinPhone 7’s Xbox Live achievements, but the other guys wonder about other smart phone options. Plus, Donkey Kong fashion shows, G.G. Series Ninja Karakuri Den and a malpractice suit waiting to happen. (We kid!)

Relevant Links:

Doctors with Guns

Skyward ho! Though BioShock Infinite won’t be ready until 2012, Justin, Tom and Kaz are eager to talk about the early glimpse of Irrational’s dirigible dystopia. Is this the sequel/prequel they’ve been looking for? After a look to the distant future, Justin and Tom win Romona’s heart in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, while Kaz wins big money and big prizes in Monday Night Combat. Plus, an apology to Deathsmiles, accidental ODST, dogs in wheelchairs and the value/time ratio analyzed.

Relevant Links

What is Icarus? (BioShock Infinite Official Site)

Mecha Fetus (more NSFW than Justin remembered)

Jeremy Parish Talks Price Points