Wargame: Airland Battle trailer details dynamic campaign
Halo 'Bootcamp' confirmed by Microsoft
Weekend PC download deals: Tomb Raider for $14
Game Dev Tycoon studio outlines future plans
Baldur's Gate 2 Enhanced already has 350,000 words of new content
Weekend Confirmed 112 - Tera, The Walking Dead, Assassin's Creed 3
by Garnett Lee, May 11, 2012 11:00am PDTTera has been stealing sleep from Jeff, and is trying to lure Garnett into its clutches as well. They discuss the new MMORPG's action combat that arguably favors a controller over keyboard with "Indie" Jeff and Christian. Like the zombies in the game, The Walking Dead comes back for another week, and not to be outdone, there are more zombie good times with Brainsss. The new Assassin's Creed 3 trailer's in-game action left everyone stoked for the prospects of being in the thick of the American Revolution. And there's time for a few more things before Finishing Moves wraps it all up.
Weekend Confirmed Ep. 112: 05/11/2012
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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:
Round 1 00:00:28 – 00:27:56
Whatcha Been Playing Part 1 00:28:40– 00:57:17
Whatcha Been Playing Part 2 00:58:13 – 01:24:54
Listener Feedback/Front Page News 01:25:48 – 01:58:19
Get a Sneak Peak of AMPED
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Technology makes them superhuman. But mere mortals want them kept in their place. New York Times best-selling author of Robopocalypse creates a stunning, near-future world where technology and humanity clash in surprising ways. The result? The perfect summer listen!
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!
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Comments
Horrible name aside, it sounds very similar to what you were talking about in your MMO discussion this week. The idea that you have a pesistent character that you take through cooperative missions is not entirely new, but I'm very interested in the episodic nature of Spartan Ops.
For those who haven't heard of it, Spartan Ops is a co-op campaign included with Halo 4 (this is in addition to the main story-campaign which can still be played 4-play co-op). What makes Spartan Ops unique is that it will be released in weekly "episodes". Every week a new batch of 5 missions will be released. These missions will come complete with cinematic cut scenes to help tell the story. The story itself will act as a kind of side-story to the main campaign.
I'm very interested to see how this plays out. Fans of the fiction will have more story to dig in to, but more than that I think the episodic nature will provide a unique opportunity for the dev team to itterate on their mission design and encounter structure. They might be able to react to the community as the weeks go by, taking feedback about which missions worked, which didn't, etc.
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This at the time they finishing up work on the game that would, at the the time, be the biggest launch in the history of the industry and put a ton of money in Kotick's ungrateful pockets.
My question is, what kind of sucker would a developer have to be to sign on with Activision now? Who would see a company that actively tried to evict the braintrust behind their most powerful brand and say 'Yeah, that's the kind of company I would trust to look out for my interests and the interests of the game(s) I'm pouring my soul into,"
I imagine Bungie is relatively safe, since they're basically wholly independent of Activision... the only interaction they seem to have is cashing Activision's cheques. But what about others? What about Radical, Beenox, Raven, Sledgehammer... are all these guys really so naive to think that THEY are indispensible and valued when Kotick and company were more than willing to flush the minds that gave them a billion dollar property down the toilet?
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So true. Just watching the preshow video was frustrating me because of how frustrated Jeff was getting about four idiots out of thousands and thousands who wanted to freak out about something that wasn't an issue at all.
I hope you guys have as much fun making the show as so many of your fans do listening!
Love,
piratethingy.
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When did gamers become so fucking selfish and moronic?
Especially when it comes to anything popular that they're not into? I was in the Call of Duty thread on the front page earlier, and there was just a torrent of hate for anyone who enjoyed that franchise for any reason.
I mean, look, I know there's an army of dude bros with nothing but air between their ears that buy that game every year, but I tried to defend the point that some people (like me!) kind of enjoy the multi-player tweaks and additions every year, and since Activision won't release a large DLC pack, I kind of...have to buy the game if I want to continue playing the newest content for an activity enjoy sometimes (as well as buying plenty of other games, and getting into deep single-player experiences as well). Of course that was met with myriad insults.
Did people really get it in their head growing up that they were special just because their moms and dads said so? Are they really so fucking dumb that they think someone having a different gaming preference than them means that that person is intellectually inferior? Given that they have that mentality, are gamers all third graders?
I also see this when it comes to people around the internet yelling that "this or that franchise should die!". Most times, they don't even play the damn game in question, which begs the question of why they're opening their mouths to speak on it in the first place. It equates to nothing but "I don't personally enjoy this, so no one should! Stop making it!" How can anyone be that daft? It's not as if anyone is being forced to play something they don't want to.
Never would I say something negative toward a person just because they like a video game something I don't. People have different tastes in different areas, and it really has nothing to do with anything. I guess kids in basements just like starting shit on the internet because they can't in real life without getting destroyed.
/rant
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You are correct in your points that Oliver North completely broke the law and violated congress's decision to stay out of the Nicaragua conflict by covertly and illegally using proceeds from arm sales to Iran to fund the Contras.
What you omit is the other side. While you pointed out that the Contras committed wartime atrocities, you neglected to point out that the Sandinistas absolutely did as well. The sandinistas siezed power through force, ruthlessly murdered political opposition, and comitted other wartime atrocities as well.
Also, there was a reasonable argument in favor of intervention. The Nicaragua conflict was very similar to similar violent communist vs. capitalist struggles in Korea, Vietnam, and Cuba. While many hold Vietnam as a prime example of a disaster resulting from US intervention, others hold Korea as a prime example of the success of US intervention against a violent Chinese/Soviet communist take over. If you notice the prosperity of South Korea vs. the poverty of North Korea and the civil rights differences, US military intervention seems to have been a complete success.
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I don't want a new retail version of Street Fighter every few years, with a fractured player base. I don't want new fighting games every 6 months, they're hard enough to master as it is. I just want a centralized place to play these games so I can get on with paying obscene amounts of money for E Honda outfits. That way I can slowly build up my skills without the worry that everyone is onto the next thing already.
Sell me character packs! Sell me skins! Have tournaments! Consolidate all your players in one ladder. Do it, do it, do it. The current disc-based retail thing doesn't work for multiplayer games.
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I do feel like there is a lot of griping about the games press. I think most of it is hooey, but there are issues worth talking about. Before anyone gripes, though, they should look at who they are complaining about. If there is a person/outlet you find especially egregious then QUIT READING THEIR STUFF! I follow a small number of writers, which actually covers a large scope of sites. I know these guys and gals. I know what they like and dislike. I know where we agree often and where we tend not to.
Now, there are some things that trouble me about the media at large. The growing detachment some have from the pricing of games troubles me. For example: the Giant Bomb crew and Adam Sessler this week talked about how it was rare for games like Fez to be $20 on Xbox Live. They said that only a few have released at that price point when it is quickly becoming the standard price. Now, I don't think that makes any of those guys corrupt or unable to do their job well, but it does show a general disconnect from an important issue in gaming, since it is a more expensive hobby than the relative cheapness of movies or music. I don't want gaming to be examined as just a dollar to hour proposition, but I also don't want them being judged by people disconnected from their pricing either.
I think the close ties between game developers, publishers, pr, and the press are worth examining as well. I don't think it creates widespread corruption, but I do think who you hang out with colors how you percieve things. It's worth keeping an eye on, but is easily solved by people being upfront with these connections and recusing themselves from certain coverage when appropriate.
I think there is a problem with tone and lack of respect for others opinions which is worth trying to address. Even on these boards, I have not been perfect and have gotten out the bazooka when things could have been handled with more class. Do we really need such flippancy, crassness, snarkiness, sarcasm, and hyperbole. These seem to be the standard state for everyone involved in gaming, from the press on up and down. Can't we be critical without being insulting? Can't we praise without being unduly effusive?
I think the things that make people in gaming combative are very worth addressing. Some so that we can move past them. Some so we can fix them and move on.
I love gaming, but there is a cloud over it right now. I think a large part of that is societal, but as gamers, we need to work to create our little society in the image we want, not just let it stand as it is because it's easiest. We might not always get along on this board, but I think we have done a better job than any other board I've been to. I don't expect us to fix everything, but maybe we can get the ball rolling!
PS- Because we are still talking Walking Dead, I have to link to my fanfic. I'm pretty proud of it, even if it's not high art. Check it out!
http://m.fanfiction.net/s/8005129/1/
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It's ok for some games to be made for kids. Even for "adult" platforms. And the kids love the Kinect motion games. I can't tear the nephews away from Star Wars Kinect to save my life, for example. There's plenty of core games to play, and it's ok if the Avengers (and let's face it, adults are smart enough to avoid movie tie-ins generally anyway) ends up being a kids' game. Some times I get tired of adult men crapping on games that aren't intended for them in any way as if they are failures when they are in fact fine average games for average kids.
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http://www.capcom-unity.com/ask_capcom/go/thread/view/7371/29118153/Question_about_on-disc_DLC
"We've been getting several questions, here and elsewhere about the future of on-disc DLC.
We would like to assure you that we have been listening to your comments and as such have begun the process of re-evaluating how such additional game content is delivered in the future. As this process has only just commenced in the past month or so, there will be some titles, where development began some time ago and that are scheduled for release in the coming months, for which we are unable to make changes to the way some of their post release content is delivered.
One such title is Dragon’s Dogma, where the decision to include some additional (but not all planned additional) game content for the game on disc was made at the beginning of the game’s development cycle as at the time this was determined to be the most efficient way of ensuring certain content was made available"
Right.
We've been planning on-disc DLC all along! We swear! It's not something we just decided to try to gouge consumers more!
Give me a break. At least be honest about trying to screw consumers Crapcom. That's just disgusting.
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And I don't even need movie-based games. The movies are based on the comics, so instead of living and dying by the release of a movie to sell your games, how about mining these fantastic universes for new stories, and creating games on your own timeline to make something special?
See: Batman: AA and Batman: AC. Neither relied on the release of a movie to sell. The both undoubtedly benefited from the release of The Dark Knight ahead of time, because that movie made more Batman fans.
So now you have an Avengers movie that has made new fans of that brand and possibly all the characters involved. But instead of ensuring the build on that new fandom with another great product, the publisher is more concerned with capitalizing on the short-term memory of children walking out of the theatre.
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Maybe the games ARE developed with a specific control scheme in mind, but I simply prefer a pad over anything else. I don't like clicking mouse buttons to shoot a gun, I like pulling a trigger. And I don't like looking down on my party from an isometric perspective and using a hotbar to issue commands, I like using the radial menu and face buttons with a traditional third-person camera.
It's not that I am in any way against these other methods of playing the game(s), I just can't stand this notion that there are "correct" ways to play them. Granted, Garnett never used that word in reference to Skullgirls, but it still triggered that same bit of annoyance in my head.
Anyway, Congratulations Christian!
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So stoked. A Rockstar send-up of Tony Scott and Michael Mann? Yes please. Give it to me. :D
1) Please stop talking about IOS games. They're not real games and the only sort of attention they deserve is scorn and ridicule.
2) Please stop advocating business models that fuck over consumers.
Free to play, episodic content etc. These are just ways to chop up content and gouge consumers. Give me a disc with a beginning, middle and end and no content locked away behind a pay wall. Anything else is unacceptable.
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Jefft, you are 100% dead wrong.
Horror movies and games are completely different things.
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if you looking for a fighting game with story I think Persona 4 Arena (coming out in August) might be something you like. It's the #1 fighting game right now in Japan and made by Arc. Check out this video from a tournament last week http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb2VSmQTGTM
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In the case of preordering for example Borderlands 2 (used in the show as an example), there probably will be a demo before I am charged by Amazon, Gamestop, or whoever. I can see what kind of product that I am actually buying. At that time I can choose to cancel my preorder. This is not the case with Kickstarter. They are two different animals.
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Before you explode in a rage of understandable logic, let me explain. Let's face it, if they make a controller based Avengers brawler do you think it's gonna be an awesome, fun experience full of tight, thrilling gameplay? Nope. I don't want to be an instant cynic, but if was placing bets I'd predict it would be an under-polished disappointment with sub par gameplay.
At least with a Kinect game I could stand there with my kids (my youngest is obsessed with The Hulk) and flail and punch and have much more of a good time than I would with a crappy movie tie in.
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Stop fucking shoehorning MP into games just to sell DLC Map Packs.
It's shady and shows you have a cynical view of your audience.
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This is technically untrue, there's a kill screen at level 256, at which point the game is considered beaten, and in 1999, Billy Mitchell of King of Kong fame was the first to play what was considered a perfect game, getting the highest possible score prior to reaching the kill screen.
themoreyouknow.jpg
For what it's worth, though, I do think there's merit to Jeff's point. There's still something to be said for pure score chasing.
Second, I don't like this focus that games journalists have been having lately with Kickstarters by their friends. Seems like an abuse of their positions. Where is the focus on other Kickstarters? Or, heck, focus on games actually being close to being made. Not just pipe dreams.
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But based on the betas, GW2 offers a much fresher look at the genre imo. The moment to moment gameplay was far more addictive to me. Also, for as much as he goes on about the graphics of Tera, GW2 looks much more beautiful to me. Although, that may have something to do with the different art styles... the art in Tera just doesn't do it for me. Also, the action combat is cool... but there is a lot less spectacle to attacks. Part of the thing I like about rpg's in general is the spectacle and visual effects involved in attacks... which was somewhat lacking in Tera for me.
Tera is probably the most interesting MMO out at the moment. But I pulled my pre-order just b/c I couldn't see myself playing it 6 mths from now... and I already made that flub with SWTOR lol.
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1. Alcohol, this sounds silly, but i enjoyed listening to you guys break out a couple brewskis and just chatting amongst each other.
2. More guests, i want to hear from more people around the industry, not that i don't love everything you guys say but i'd like to hear more from other people
3. more spoiler based discussion, i know some people are bothered about spoilers, SO maybe you guys could have a spoiler filled segment right at the end. after the "NPR-esque whats making you happy this week" aka finishing move, just let people know you're going to talk spoilers now, so if they really give a shit then they'll stop listening at that point, go finish the game in question and listen to your opinions afterwards.
also, special mention to N'gai Croal. love to hear his perspective on things.
Personally the moment you start comparing the stories between mediums you have already gone too far, the mediums are different so the stories that are A+ in one medium will not be A+ in another. Added to that the fact that a Painting doesn't necessarily have a narrative, a sculpture or record the same thing.
However what Comics, Paintings, Sculpture, Books, Music, Movies, TV, Video Games all have that can be judged on an equal level is immersion and atmosphere. We have all played a video games to the point where we have become so engrossed that it is 6am and the time has vanished, likewise I have marathoned TV shows, or watched a ton of movies, listened to music the same way. People get lost in staring at paintings and sculptures. Art = Engrossment video games have been doing that since they have come along but the problem always stems from people bringing it back to narrative, which isn't something that is equatable.
My favorite 3 games of all time are Dark Souls, Monster Hunter(PS2) and Super Castlevania IV, and if you take the story of any of those games you would laugh, however if you looked at the visceral relation between the player and the game they are experiences that can not be beat. The terror of Dark Souls, the sense of team work / victory in Monster Hunter and the foreboding atmosphere of Castlevania all to me match the very best films and that is all that matters to me. Regulating art to narrative also regulates the number of different variations of narrative you can classify as art, and even if you are forging your own story through your action in the game that would work for people as a "story".
You guys are very entertaining and I have been listening to way to much of your show at work at night so I have had a lot of time to process all this.
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Like I'm pretty interested in the story of WoW, from having really enjoyed Warcraft 3's extended super CGI laden campaign, but I know I will never find out what it is, because I just don't have the patience to grind through all that crap. And at the same time I know Blizzard must have loads of canon written at this point that WoW die hards have played through numerous times, so it seems like re-purposing some of that content for lower level players could be a good way to hook in new people, rather than have them kill 20 winged giraffes, etc.
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The game doesn't only focus on combat, but survival as well, with players needing to collect food, water and power, and create or find shelter for safety. The interesting thing about Class3 is it will be a 'litmus test' of sorts for a follow-up MMO called Class4, with Undead Labs building on the fundamental gameplay mechanics and ideas from Class3 as well as incorporating feedback from the community.
I find it astonishing that for an ambitious project like this, Microsoft aren't publicising it more, given how much flak they take about a weakening first-party line-up.
Here's a short vid released 9 months ago showing the day/night cycle running in Cry Engine 3 (pre-alpha)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuOx2FjBNww
And for more info on the game, here's the dev's website:
http://undeadlabs.com/news/
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I'm no fighting expert but I remember really getting into Ikaruga which is a game that has an odd and mostly non-existent narrative and forced you to restart from the beginning, and yet without any number plus-ones or any significant weapon upgrades I really dug the game. Of course if SkullGirls doesn't have anything as awesome as Ikaruga's polarity system, than well so be it.
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I am angry a lot lately, for a lot of reasons, the least of which is Garnett being obnoxious – but Garnett being obnoxious was easy to take a shot at because I knew it would land (though thankfully he’s not so thin-skinned). I listen to podcasts in part to escape myself for a bit, but there are times when I can’t escape, and I bring the wrong things with me. Watching the preshow video helped me put this perspective. So did some of the other comments – the ones that weren’t just other a-holes being a-holes at this a-hole. I just wanted to lash out. I was looking to have an affect on something. Maybe this is also why other people get so wrapped up in debating the personalities and politics of strangers they listen to. Sometimes you just want to try and make a small bit the world feel as bad as you.
Sorry, Garnett. Sorry, community. Thank you preshow Jeff and the mod who did me the courtesy of deleting my second diatribe. I want to say I didn’t mean it, but I did, at the time – I meant to be shitty very much, but I realize it was wrong, and why. Hopefully that counts for something.
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I've played a few MMO's, rarely enough to see all their content/content patches. One that DOES come to mind (beyond the WoW example that they already talked about) is Star Trek Online and the way the Cryptic guys put together episodic content.
In STO, every once in a while a new "season" would be started that would start a new story arc. Weekly a new episode would be released which would offer new quests within the universe, usually on a planet that otherwise hadn't had a particular purpose other than to make travel less empty looking. They would chain five or six episodes together and weave a story though them to complete a storyline complete with epic loot at the end for finishing during the season it was posted.
The cryptic guys don't seemingly have enough money to push these forward very often so they run repeats of the existing episodes - but I thought it was well handled, and frankly was the only thing that brought me back to the game. Once they stopped, I stopped playing and uninstalled the game.
Any other MMO's do this well? Has anyone played STO to agree/disagree with me?
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