Weekend Confirmed 78 - Gears of War 3, TGS '11

by Xav de Matos, Sep 16, 2011 12:00pm PDT

Related Topics – Weekend Confirmed

Weekend Confirmed and the 8-4 Podcast have merged into one during the Tokyo Game Show once again! Garnett Lee and the crew at 8-4, Ltd.--behind such games as Shadow of the Damned--discuss their experience in Japan during TGS 2011. Then, Jeff Cannata and Xav de Matos take over from sunny, southern California and talk about Gears of War 3, the nefarious pricing structure of Crimson Alliance, and a handful of other games before ending it all with a few Twitter questions. The US segment was so quick that the WC Crew didn't even have time for Finishing Moves!

Weekend Confirmed Ep. 78: 09/09/2011

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If you're viewing this in the GameFly application, you can play Weekend Confirmed Episode 78 directly.

Weekend Confirmed comes in four segments to make it easy to listen to in segments or all at once. Here's the timing for this week's episode:

Show Breakdown:

TGS - Live From Japan - Start: 00:00:08 End: 01:06:57

Whatcha' Been Playing - Start: 01:07:23 End: 01:34:59

The Warning - Start: 01:36:05 End: 02:07:48

Original music in the show by Del Rio. Get his latest Album, The Wait is Over on iTunes. Check out more, including the Super Mega Worm mix and other mash-ups on his ReverbNation page or Facebook page, and follow him on twitter delriomusic.

Jeff Cannata can also be seen on The Totally Rad Show. They've gone daily so there's a new segment to watch every day of the week!

Follow Jeff Cannata on Twitter @jeffcannata and Xav de Matos @xav.

Remember to join the Official Facebook Weekend Confirmed Page and add us to your Facebook routine. We'll be keeping you up with the latest on the show there as well.

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Comments

See All Comments | 22 Threads | 108 Comments

#28

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By: DevSword x Show Full Post

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I think Andrea made a really salient point last week when she said that as game franchises progress they become impenetrable to a general audience because of how much content there is to sift through. To take this a step further though, I think this is happening in a way with regular single player games to some degree. Looking at Assassin's Creed, the whole point of the franchise to some degree is to create this construct of "virtual reality" that allows the developers to funnel in tons of filler gameplay. So, instead of creating one strong arch and presenting it in one experience, developers create and arch, but deliver it piece meal across multiple titles. I think this design philosophy doesn't only make the medium less accessible, but it makes games as products less valuable and less gratifying to people who actually care about them. I mean would you really enjoy the latest Songs of Ice and Fire if it took you 20 hours to read each chapter?

Sep 17, 2011 12:43pm PDT

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I think Andrea made a really salient point last week when she said that as game franchises progress they ... : DevSword
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 21 replies.
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  What filler gameplay are you talking about in AC? The major criticism against the first game was that ... : MHSilver
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    My point is that the meta story of Assassin's Creed having to do with Animus etc, is never connected to t... : DevSword
    - AC being one of my favorite series, the whole Animus thing has always stood out a little to me as well. : ChaosNovaXZ
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      I don't really see the disconnect, to be honest. The events happening inside the animus are connected ... : MHSilver
      
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      As for meaningless game-systems serving as filler, I'll grant you that the feather collecting and Villa d... : MHSilver
      
      I mean I don't think its a huge problem but it speaks to a larger problem with the games. I prefer "opt... : DevSword
      
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      Also, I disagree that "all games have story line and filler" I think that's an ignorant blanket statemen... : DevSword
      
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      Actually, there is one mission about collecting feathers for a child. After that, collecting feathers ... : MHSilver
      
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      I really don't understand what kind of counter argument that is. Your way of dealing with all criticism ... : DevSword
      
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      I don't have a problem with the principle of your argument. I think the game you've chosen as an examp... : MHSilver
      
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      So, the poorly conceived feathers quests shouldn't be criticized because they're optional, and they there... : DevSword
      
      Meh, this argument is going nowhere. What you find to be contrivances, I find in the case of Assassin'... : MHSilver
      
      And no, obviously quality =/= popularity. But clearly, if you find the writing in the Metal Gear Solid... : MHSilver
      
      I'd assume a game where it'd would be considered a fault would be Wind Waker. The grueling fetch quest fo... : Mysssss
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    I also have a more basic point, connecting to what Andrea said about MMOs and "hardcore gaming," that you... : DevSword
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      But it's perfectly possible for you to have your shorter, tighter narrative experience, simply by by-pass... : MHSilver
      
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      Yeah I was literally going to mention Lost because I think it has the same fundamental problems, where th... : DevSword
      
      #69
      
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      By: MHSilver x Show Full Post
      
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      Ok, but the hieroglyphics on the lab walls were only wild and crazy if you stopped playing after the first AC.
      
      They were totally explained in AC2, through the incredibly well-done subject 16 subplot. It's ok to throw out curve-balls if you explain them, which Ubisoft has been doing.
      
      Only they've been adding new questions as they answer old ones. Which is just the key to serialized drama of any kind.
      
      Sep 19, 2011 2:27pm PDT
      
      Ok, but the hieroglyphics on the lab walls were only wild and crazy if you stopped playing after the firs... : MHSilver
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  I think bringing up Song of Fire Ice is a bad example for your point. I believe it is a series especially... : MissionaryMarr
  - To clarify my analogy there, I meant if it took you 20 hours to read a single chapter. It could probably... : DevSword

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