posted by Chris on July 14, 2008 6:45 PM in Podcast
With all of our jaded jackassery, we at The Weekly Geek do actually acknowledge the positive things in the geek realm, and what better time to express the joys of gaming than E3? This week's episode has Chris, Jinny and Qais disseminating the massive amount of information released at the Microsoft pre-E3 conference, from Avatars to Netflix integration, Party Mode, dashboard updates and more. The Rock Band 2 set lists and drum kits have also been detailed, and Jinny and Chris talk about their current favorite iPhone apps and why you should download them now. But first, won't you download a podcast? I am sure you will enjoy it.
Sadly, unlike my cohorts, I was unable to attend last year's E3. As such, I only experienced what was arguably the best example of fixing something that isn't broken through the various tales of horror related to me. Journos across the board were shuffled hither and thither in a strange pantomime of the Keystone Cops, often arriving late for, or missing entirely, interviews and panels which I am sure they'd rather have attended.
It appears that next year E3 returns to its old home in the Los Angeles Convention Center for 2008. The ESA was quick to note that the return of E3 to it's ancestral spawning grounds did not indicate a return to the epic trade show style convention of old with, "press events and small meetings" being the order of the day and the likely possibility of Kentia hall being turned into the freeplay hangar.
E3 will take place July 15-17, yet sadly, most of us will have to make do with E for All, lacking the sweet, sweet journalistic credentials (however seemingly apocryphal and overblown) to be considered for such an event. A chosen few from the 'Geek will make a daring journey to the streets of Los Angeles, armed with badges and cameras, to paw creepily at barely clothed booth girls and incite volleys of snide remarks wherever necessary.
posted by Colette on September 18, 2007 8:48 PM in Games
The only thing that could excite me after the holy sacrament of scrumptiousness that was BioShock was a good solid RPG. I was expecting something a little more utilitarian as RPGs have not broken the mold much lately, so it was a great surprise to play Eternal Sonata at E3 and find not only an exquisitely beautiful title, but one that seemed to have a truly unique storyline as well. I raced to the store today and snatched up the last copy, eager to dive headfirst into the game.
As shallow as it is, I have to say it: For a dying guy, Chopin is SMOKIN HAWT. I think it's his voice actor making it so, as I want to melt his voice into sweet cream butter and rub it all over my nubile flesh. Now that we've gotten my kinky bits out of the way, I don't have to keep making unintelligible references throughout this article. Eternal Sonata is ten times as beautiful in actual play as it is in screenshots and clips -- for some reason, they can't seem to do justice to this title. Playing the first few minutes literally feels as if you've submerged into a completely different universe, which is something RPGs have been failing at a lot lately. Of course, atmosphere can only go so far.
The first half hour of play is as story heavy as you might expect. While the demo may lead you to believe the game will be very simplistic, there is a rich story concept at the heart here. I expected nothing left from a game that is about the dreams of a dying composer, but it's nice to see the story unfolding well even at this early stage. Players annoyed by cut scenes may be bothered and want to get to the gameplay, but luckily these scenes can be skipped if you like. They add a lot to the story though, so be warned you may miss some great details if you do.
So far the fighting is good, but I wouldn't go as far as to call it great. I like the free range movement and the way the attacks feel while landing, but the initial few areas have you meet the same creature through the level over and over, and the battles get a bit repetitive. I'm hoping as music becomes more involved, it will help with this. Turn based fighting can kill a game in the modern player's eyes, so it needs something to keep it interesting (demonstrated beautifully in the old PS1 title The Legend of Dragoon.)
Bottom line: If you love RPGs, pick it up. It's beautiful, the story is interesting and so far the play is comfortable. I'm fascinated with the use of music and can't wait to learn how to use it. Frankly, regardless of whatever the games' weaknesses may be (listed here or not), it beats the hell out of fighting poop monsters in Blue Dragon. Whose idea was an enemy made of poop, anyway?
To anyone who was there, or really anyone who heard about it at all, PAX was pretty friggin' rad. There's pretty much no denying it. Even Chris, who once told Robert Khoo that he thought PAX wasn't "for him," had fun there. Nearly everything was top notch and done with class and style. Good panels, great music, classic movies, entertaining guests, fun exhibits, and enjoyable events abounded. But can they hold on to the magic forever? PAX broke the mold for conventions, but will they eventually settle down back into it?
There is huge potential for PAX to become another mindless con whose only purpose is to get your money. And there is the danger of PAX becoming overrun by those who would twist it to their own ends. As much as the PA crew try to deny it, PAX is the new E3. E3 always tried to say that it was an "industry" event for media and business, but that was a sham and we all know it. They made it sound like it was super exclusive in order to tempt the average gamer into "sneaking in" one way or another. In reality, there was pretty much no standard on who was allowed into the show. And they charged an arm and a leg for anyone who wasn't media. If E3 was really just for industry professionals, there would have been no call for extravagant displays, loads of swag, and booth babes. It was there for consumers and anyone who tells you differently is a liar.
posted by Chris on July 23, 2007 11:32 AM in Games
... but not at E3? Sure you could play Harmonix's Guitar Hero-and-every-other-game-ever-killer behind closed doors at this year's E3, if you set up a meeting or were invited to the super exclusive Rock Band event. But it wasn't on the show floor. This just furthers my frustration with companies at this year's E3. They saved some of the best games for their other non-media events, while we are left in the dust. Gabe from Penny Arcade outlined more PAX events today:
A bunch of other awesome shit
- Sponsored parties from Vivendi, Gametrailers, ArenaNet, and Sega
- Public-playable premiers of dozens of games
- Hundreds of freeplay computers provided by Intel
- All of Wizards of the Coast's "Gencon" RPGA games and content--everything they're introducing there, they're also introducing here
- Rock Band, playable on a stage in Harmonix's 20x30 booth
I had a great time at E3 but it certainly wasn't because of the ESA or the majority of the game companies. I look forward to wading through the crowds of unwashed horrible people to try your game, Harmonix. Thanks.
posted by Chris on July 20, 2007 11:22 AM in Games
The bastardized, watered-down version of E3 has come and gone, and journalists have started comprising their lists of how next year's E3 can be improved. But do we even need an E3? This year wasn't packed with megaton announcements, instead focusing on games only being released this year. It was focused on the media being able to play a few games that have already been announced, only two or three months before their release. To what end? How does this benefit companies? Was it them just throwing us a bone because we expect E3 to wow us? Us, of course, referring to the gamer community. We are a demanding sort, picking through every announcement, every press release, trying to find tidbits of information about games that aren't even released yet. It's a culture of impatience, and I believe that the game companies just plain don't need E3 any longer.
Sure, I could talk about how the show could be improved for my own comfort level. But at that point, aren't we just going through the motions? Almost every PR rep I talked to at the show mentioned big announcements being held for Leipzig, or Tokyo Game Show, all of them holding back those precious gems of information we all desire.
It's a big party. It's a great party, filled with free booze and food, schmoozing and networking. It certainly benefits the careers of games journalists, but for the most part the companies represented at E3 could most likely do without the fanfare. E3 is dead, obsolete, and most likely won't return. E for All, coming in October, will reinforce this. Just imagine big game companies holding out their huge announcements for E for All, a show that is essentially a huge arcade - the very reason the original E3 was shut down. Imagine the outrage!
We are all going to look back at 2007 as a very interesting year for gaming indeed.
Tucked away in the middle of a cluster of gaming stations in the Barker Hangar was one solitary DS Lite. On that DS Lite? Contra 4. That was one of the more remarkable things about the Barker Hangar this year, the best games could just be sitting there, waiting for someone to play them, no lines. All my previous worries about Contra 4 were laid to rest after actually getting to experience it - this is certainly the Contra we all know and love. It's still SUPER hard, I could hardly get past the first level (by hardly I mean I didn't). The addition of a grappling hook feels natural to the series, though it's a bit frustrating it can only shoot straight up and not at an angle a la Bionic Commando. The controls are surprisingly tight for a small third party developer continuing this series, it really just feels natural. The music, the sound effects, everything is meant to harken back to the Contra days of yore. This is going to be an exciting rest of 2007, I tell you what.
While the PS3 is still way too expensive for me, there were a couple of compelling titles at E3 that made me stop and think if I could actually afford it. One of those games was Folklore, an absolutely gorgeous game in the vein of Okami, Zelda, and surprisingly Pokemon. You adventure through a Labyrinth/Dark Crystal style world, fighting a variety of monsters and capturing their souls. Soul capturing actually uses the PS3 controller in an interesting and non-gimmicky fashion: you yank back the SIXXAXIS to rip it out of the monsters. It's very satisfying. Once you have a mob's soul you can then map it to one of your four face buttons, using them as an attack. For instance a goblin might be able to punch, and repeatedly pressing the button you assigned the goblin to will punch as if you were punching all real-time action game style. Each monster's attack is useful for different things, and they are upgradeable as you progress.
I'll be watching this game quite closely. Hopefully it will end up sucking so I don't have to sell any organs to buy a PS3.
Tucked away in the corner of the EA booth, with very little fanfare, was the Orange Box. Well, most of the Orange Box. They had a demo reel of Team Fortress 2 (one of the many non-playable games on the show floor, the bastards) and Portal running on the PS3. While playing something like Portal on the PS3 with a controller isn't the most preferable thing in the world... it's fucking PORTAL. I've been anticipating this awesome puzzle game for quite some time, and I have to say it lives up to the hype. It will be interesting to see what the actual writing in the game is like, I was just able to play through a couple of puzzles. It seems like the final version is going to be ridiculously difficult as you progress. I just hope it's not too short, because from what I have played Portal is a game you are going to want to play a LOT this coming holiday. The Orange Box is one of the best gaming deals to come around in years, hands down.
I got into God Of War a bit late in the game, I was turned off by the media blitz Spike TV had for the first in the series, as Spike TV sucks. Why should I trust their opinion? Turns out I was wrong (Never! Gasp!) and God of War is pretty freaking brilliant. God of War for the PSP follows the tradition of excellence with a game that feels almost exactly like it is on the PS2. The graphics, sound, gameplay, everything is on par with the PS2 titles, running at a solid frame rate, never slowing down, and always keeping that visceral ass-kicking feeling through the levels. Damn it, it's more God of War and that's always good. The PSP is a viable system now? What the hell!
Final Fantasy 12 was definitely one of the best Final Fantasy games ever created, and Square Enix knows this. They know it so well that they are releasing about a million spinoffs in the same world as ff12, and surprisingly they all look pretty great. One of these spinoffs is a strange little tactics game for the DS called Revenant Wings. I got to play a bit of it on the show floor and I must say I was impressed. First off, Final Fantasy 12 on a portable system? Yes, please. Throw in some gorgeous fmv cutscenes, fantastic localization (Balthier's lines in the demo were priceless) and a new crisp almost chibi art style and you have a winner on your hands. My only issue with the demo was that the combat and gameplay was very slow paced, being a tactics game. You have to select the character you want to move with the stylus, then you have to select where you want them to walk or who you want them to attack, and then they sloooooooowly walk over and start auto attacking. The demo was pretty short and it didn't give a feel for the grand scope of the battle system, but from what I played I am certainly optimistic.
This is frikkin' hilarious. A man by the name of Jhidekim goes to E3 and interviews people about how to interview people. His subtle, awkward delivery is equal parts precious and brilliant.
posted by Chris on July 16, 2007 7:01 PM in Podcast
(note: Chris' mic cuts out around 21 minutes, and will be quiet for the rest of the program. Buy him some more RAM). On this week's podcast, Chris, The Geek, Colette and special guest Aaron Linde from Destructoid talk about the glorious week that was E3. Well, not so glorious for big game announcements, but certainly glorious for exclusive parties, free drinks, good food and friends. They discuss how the Wii zapper sucks, they ask if RPGs need to be innovative, and then Rock Band is pitted against Guitar Hero. Also Bill and Ted are discussed in length. Download the podcast now or subscribe on iTunes!
I never played much of the original Final Fantasy Tactics. I remember everyone telling me how great it was, and when it finally came out as a greatest hits edition for the Playstation, I ran down to the store and snatched it up. Something about the load times and the fact that I would have to spend a LOT of time in game in order to get anywhere just made me depressed. I traded it in for something. I don't remember what. Probably something horrible. Then, when Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced came out, I thought I'd give the series another shot, this time on a portable system. Man, what a difference. I spent upwards of 300 hours in FFTA, and loved every minute of it. Now that the original Tactics is coming out for the PSP, I'm a bit excited to come back to the game in a new, shinier portable format. After playing it at E3, that's basically just what it is. There's a couple new features like new cutscenes, new jobs, and the addition of Balthier from FF12 (!), but for the most part it's just a redesign on a portable system. And that's ok by me.
posted by Chris on July 13, 2007 11:47 AM in Games
I can say without hyperbole that Eternal Sonata is the most beautiful game I have ever seen. It reminds me a bit of Secret of Mana for the SNES, something so lush and detailed for its generation that it blows your mind to look at it. Not only are the graphics impeccable, the depth of field stunning and the character design fantastic, but the music is incredible. Someone told me there's already a demo out on Xbox Live (update: THAT PERSON IS A LIAR. A DAMN FILTHY LIAR WHO MADE ME ALL EXCITED ABOUT GOING HOME AND DOWNLOADING THE DEMO OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GAME EVER MADE BUT THEN CRUSHING MY SPIRITS LIKE A CLOWN POOPING ON ICE CREAM AND SERVING IT TO HOBO CHILDREN), but seeing it on the fancy HD tvs on the E3 floor was an experience all in itself. I believe the portion of the game I played was the same bit offered on Xbox Live. You play as a little girl walking through a town, fighting a couple baddies along the way. The battle system is pretty unique, merging real time action with turn based strategy. My only qualm is that the voice acting is a bit cheesy. But as long as that's the only thing wrong with this game, I see it taking up a ton of my time when it is finally released in a few months. If you haven't checked out the demo on live yet, DO IT. This is definitely going to be a classic.
I loves me some Ratchet and Clank, and I got to play the next part of the series at Sony's press conference yesterday. Called Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, it's a PS3 exclusive and is damn snazzy. Many people were upset by the previous game "Deadlocked", and its focus on the 3rd person shooter elements of the series, instead of the platforming elements we have all come to love. From the demo I played, it seems like Ratchet and Clank are back on track, with the classic mix of the two. The R+C series has always been one filled with lush graphics, so surprisingly the change between PS2 and PS3 isn't entirely marked. The trademark R+C humor is there, as well as the great camera work, and elaborate level designs. Playing it though, something was missing. The rumble! I completely miss the rumble. Without it the game just feels hollow somehow. As much as I completely love this series, this game alone doesn't justify the purchase of a PS3 for me. Maybe the combo of R+C, Heavenly Sword, Little Big Planet and Echochrome... naw. It's still too expensive. Maybe if they send one to me? SONY SEND ME A PS3 THANKS.
In summation: it's a next-gen Ratchet and Clank game, and includes everything you would expect from that.
Hooray! More Katamari! I demoed the Xbox 360 version of Beautiful Katamari, and it is indeed beautiful running in 1080p on these here E3 flat screens. The art style remains the same as previous iterations, it just looks a bit sharper. The play controls on the Xbox feel like they could get a little crampy after a while, with the two analog sticks slightly offset, unlike the Playstation dual analog, which is side by side. The soundtrack is supposed to be comprised of 80's-sounding J-Pop, which I found kind of disheartening. I loved the original Katamari soundtrack for its diversity, and the We <3 Katamari soundtrack kind of felt like it was trying too hard. The soundtrack is really important to the series, people! I was informed that there are online battle modes, but no online co-op, only offline. WHYYYYYY. Co-op in We <3 Katamari was OK, but online co-op would have been much better. Oh well. We will see what happens when it is finally released sometime in the near future.
Rock Band wasn't on the show floor, but I was able to get a couple of minutes with Guitar Hero 3, the bastard child of the music genre, sitting in the shadow of big daddy Rock Band. GHIII feels a bit like they completely reworked the game's icons and menus because they were afraid of being sued. It's just different enough that it makes you go "huh?". The gameplay is the same ol GH gameplay, the songs are pretty good, but something about it feels hollow. I'm sure it will be loads of fun, but from what I have tried here at E3, I feel like I'll be spending much much more time with Rock Band.
It's been out for a while, but Cloud was shown at E3 as part of the independent games showcase. It was the first time I have played the game, even though it's freely available online, but playing it at the show with the creators right there showing me how it all works was awesome. The game is gorgeous. You play as a boy flying through the clouds, picking up more and more clouds Katamari style, sucking in the vapors, and blowing them out to draw certain shapes. It's relaxing, casual, and absolutely gorgeous. For a student game, it's highly polished, but I would LOVE to see it picked up by a publisher and distributed on Xbox Live Arcade or something.
posted by Chris on July 12, 2007 12:10 PM in Games
Early impressions of Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles by other reviewers have been quite poor. The on-rails shooter that chronicles the events of the Raccoon City disaster across the majority of RE games has been maligned for poor controls and incredibly boring gameplay. I got a chance to sit down (stand up) with it yesterday, fully equipped with the new Wii Zapper. Let's talk about the Zapper first. It's a plastic housing for the existing Wii remote and nunchuk. The ii remote points forward and the nunchuk fits on the back, and you hold it a bit like an assault rifle. It feels nice and solid, but when you finally get to playing a game with it, it feels horrible. When it comes down to it, pointing with the Wii remote in first person shooters is shaky at best. Literally shaky. Umbrella Chronicles has some great gameplay, and I love arcade style on-rails shooters. Trying to aim with the Wii Zapper just plain sucks. I kept wanting to shoot the zombies in the knees to take them down, and nothing was happening. I tried headshots, but not only was it hard to get the pointer to stay in the right place, but all I got for my efforts was an angrier zombie. Reloading in the game requires you to shake the Zapper, which is frustrating because you lose track of your pointer. It takes you a good couple seconds to get re-oriented, and by that time a zombie is probably eating you. Not good!
I hope they find a way to make the Wii Zapper tolerable, because as it stands it's just another crappy Wii peripheral, implemented only in uselessly un-fun Wii games. I'd rather play with an analog stick, thanks. This is not immersion! This is just annoying! Quit it, Nintendo. Thanks.
posted by Chris on July 12, 2007 10:57 AM in Games
Of course, I am a huge Zelda fan. I was pretty disappointed with Twilight Princess, and when I heard that Phantom Hourglass for the DS used stylus controls ONLY I got kind of angry. Why must Nintendo force us to use the stylus for almost every game, just because it is there? Why can't I just use the control pad? After actually playing the first area of Phantom Hourglass, I am definitely sold. You use the stylus to lead Link around, you touch enemies you want to attach, you touch pots when you want to walk over and pick them up, you make little slashing gestures when you want to slash grass... it's surprisingly natural and smooth. The graphics are based on the Wind Waker style, which looks remarkably nice on the DS. It's that kind of lame 2.5d polygonal kind of game, and I would have preferred something beautifully hand drawn, but the graphics are definitely done well. This game has been getting GREAT reviews over in Japan, and I cannot wait for it to come to the US now that I have played it.
posted by Chris on July 12, 2007 10:46 AM in Games
The very first thing I did when I walked into the Barker Hangar was spot the Mario Galaxy booth. I rushed over quickly, and found it open! No lines! Was this a dream? Was this some sort of sleep-deprived delusion? No, it was true. I got to play, and what I played was wonderful. I've been completely annoyed with the Wii recently, very annoyed at Nintendo insistence in making me waggle my Wii remote to do anything in a game. Super Mario Galaxy really does feel like the true successor to Super Mario 64, just like they are saying. The level I played plops you down on a very Little Prince style planet, where you can run around the sphere, essentially turning upside down. It seems like this play mechanic would be disorienting, but you get used to it very quickly. The controls are tight but trying to jump on a goomba is a bit sketchy. It's hard to aim where you are jumping when you are running around upside down, but I can see getting fairly good at it. The only waggle I had to suffer through in the demo was used to perform a spin attack. The demo had me zipping from planet to planet trying to find stars (in true Mario fashion). The feeling of gravity, and zooming through space was very satisfying. So far I am pretty happy with the game, I am going to return to the hangar today to check out the bee suit level. That's right, MARIO HAS A BEE SUIT. Super Mario Galaxy is coming out in November, and from what I have played it's definitely a must-buy.
posted by Chris on July 12, 2007 10:17 AM in Games
Wow, this year's E3 is completely different from past years. The low key, toned down atmosphere makes it so much easier to cover all the games you want to play, at the expense of the over the top glitz and free swag. That's right, no swag! NO FREE STUFF! WTF! Well, that's not entirely true. I got a hat. So far, I have had an incredible time. I could have left yesterday and been completely satisfied. Just being able to meet so many industry people that I admire has been great. That's one thing this new E3 is supposed to foster as well: networking, meeting people and making those connections. The guys from Destructoid are pretty darn great, I must say, and they are super kind for putting me up and carting my lame ass around.
Hit the jump for my impressions of day one of this new wacky E3.
posted by Chris on July 9, 2007 6:52 PM in Podcast
The Geek, Chris and Colette are on location this week, preparing for E3! Subjects discussed include the Transformers movie, how we need an Alf movie, Rock Paper Scissors championships, crazy craigslist ads, and of course, E3 fun times. Download the podcast now or subscribe! DO IT!!!!! Alf commands you.
E3 hasn't even begun yet, but fun times have already been had. After I got off the plane this morning I met up with a bunch of people from Destructoid, including Colette (who is also technically from The Weekly Geek), Niero, Ron Workman, Chad Concelmo and William Haley. I just have to state right now how much I fucking Love (yes, with a capital L) the Destructoid guys. There's a reason they have such a great community: because they are all so damned amazing. We went to the beach, had some food, walked around Santa Monica for a bit, ran into Major Nelson at a toy store (!) and ended up at a super exclusive industry party, whos guests included Adam Sessler and N'Gai Croal, the latter of which actually expressed interest in being on the podcast sometime.
If the rest of the week ends up like tonight, it's going to be one hell of a show. Stay tuned to this space. I will also be uploading photos (probably daily) to this flickr set. Enjoy!
I am about to board a plane for California, for a week of excessive drinking, partying and video game playing. Oh, there will probably be some games journalism snuck in there, as well. That's right, I am headed to E3 in Santa Monica (min-E3, I guess as it is now called). As we aren't a gaming news blog, I won't be slamming you with the same announcements everyone else is going to be slamming you with. What I will give you, however, is an honest discussion about what I have seen, what I like and what I don't like. I will also take many many photos, and grab a bunch of swag for giveaways. I will also blog about my crazy fun times, and perhaps do excited/drunk podcasts from the hotel room with the people from Destructoid (who I am staying with).
Anything anyone is particularly curious about seeing at E3?
posted by Chris on March 12, 2007 6:03 AM in Podcast
This week, Frodo, The Geek and White Mage meet up in Frodo's secret underground lair to discuss 300, the Game Developer's conference and the sweet nuggets it dispensed, and E3. That's right, E3!
posted by Chris on March 9, 2007 11:38 AM in Games
If you thought E3 wasn't going to happen this year, you thought wrong. The re-branded media and business event is going down July 11-13 2007 in Santa Monica, and guess who's been invited? Yours truly.
It will be interesting to see how the event has changed from previous years. I attended 2004 and 2005's E3 and it was equal parts exciting and exhausting. The invite seems to allude that all of that has changed, however. It seems almost apologetic for previous years.
Hosted by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), this invitation-only event will provide you with the opportunity to engage in one-on-one meetings with leading game company executives in an intimate setting, as well as network, socialize, and test pilot major company offerings in an environment designed to ensure that you can get your business done efficiently and effectively.
Getting my business done efficiently and effectively... does that mean no parties? Hah! I kid. There will most definitely be parties, just this time around there won't be Circuit City and GameStop managers there to crap up the place! LOOK OUT E3 2007 HERE I COME.
Yes that's right kiddies, the Penny Arcade Expo 2007 has now opened its gates for pre-registration. If you're planning to go (and you should be), if you sign up for all 3 days before March 31, you'll get 10 bucks off the price. That's 1000 Wii points! I know I'll be there. Heck, I'm even considering shelling out the dough for a regular pass instead of just going as Media so I have a chance to be entered into the Omegathon.
Oh, in case you didn't know, the Penny Arcade Expo is the annual game-o-rama conference put on by the crew over at Penny Arcade. This year, they're moving from the Meydenbauer center in Bellevue, WA to the Washington State Convention and Trade Center right smack dab in the middle of downtown Seattle. As was apparent at PAX 06, the ol' MBC just wasn't big enough any more. Way too many nerds packed into that place made it a bit uncomfortable. So now they've got over 200,000 square feet to work with. And I'm pretty damn sure they're gonna fill every last square inch of it with gaming goodness. They'll need the space, as PA business guru Robert Khoo has predicted at least 30,000 of us spazzes showing up this year. (I took that picture of the dapper Mr. Khoo on that Wikipedia link.)
We have a ton of new content on our stuff page including a bunch of photos on Flickr. We have photos from Video Armageddon, some pictures of us in stupid hats, E3, PAX and more. We also have some desktops you can download, if you feel so inclined!
Guys, now that E3 is gonna be pretty much exclusive to retailers and large media outlets, it looks like the Penny Arcade Expo is poised to be the next big gamer convention.
PAX 06 is coming up at the end of this month and registration ends this Thursday, August 3, so make sure you get in and register.
posted by Chris on July 31, 2006 6:26 AM in Podcast
#32 - E3 Has Forsaken Us
Running Time: 74:11
This week, guest geek Nathan Smart from The Game Rag joins The Geek and Frodo to discuss the end of E3, hobo names, candy scabs and massively multiplayer pedophilia.
posted by Chris on May 15, 2006 8:00 AM in Podcast
E3 happened and left, and Frodo, Nevery , The Geek and White Mage are left to pick up the pieces. Sony copied, Nintendo soared and Microsoft shrugged. Here are some show notes:
Hey everybody! Frodo here. I know you miss us. I knows you do. We are busy preparing for next week's super special E3 preview! Nevery is going to be covering the show, and we have a lot of stuff to talk about! Nintendo is going to be having their huge press conference talking about the Nintendo Wii, and they have one huge announcement left. SquareEnix is showing off a metric butt-ton of titles, and it will be interesting to see how Sony and Microsoft plan to compete at the show. Tune in next week for The Weekly Geek's super huge E3 extravaganzaaaaaaaaa!
posted by Chris on April 17, 2006 6:26 AM in Podcast
Wanna know how The Geek got his first Playstation 2? No? Well too bad! This week your favorite geeks discuss nostalgia and your normal round of gaming news. Here are some notes.
posted by Chris on January 29, 2006 8:07 PM in Podcast
Finland Finland Finland. Oh? Hello. I was pretending to not see you there. This week on The Weekly Geek, Frodo, The Geek and White Mage welcome Nevery to the cast. He, like all of us, will soon feel the cold hand of death as he ages into obscurity. This week we discuss more Pixar and Disney, the Nintendo DS lite, E3 restrictions for this coming year and old Tiger electronic lcd games. And a fun time was had by all. Here are some show notes.
posted by Chris on November 22, 2005 10:02 PM in Rant
So, the XBOX 360 has been released. Why should you care? I know I certainly don't. Here is a rant about that. Just for you!
As some of you know, I am what some people would call a "Nintendo Fanboy". At least, to an extent I am a fanboy, I do appreciate Nintendo for the games that they have created in the past and the games they continue to create, though I do not blindly fall for any game they release. I am not anti-Xbox, just generally the types of games that are on the system do not appeal to me, and never really have. That being said, there are other reasons that I am completely not excited about the 360 release.
Confused about podcasting? Well, you don't actually NEED an iPod to listen to the show, just download it from our links and listen to it in your favorite media player. If you happen to want to listen to it on your iPod, just subscribe to our RSS feed in your favorite podcasting program (we recommend iTunes). Here are the show notes for this Monday's show!
There is huge potential for PAX to become another mindless con whose only purpose is to get your money. And there is the danger of PAX becoming overrun by those who would twist it to their own ends. As much as the PA crew try to deny it, PAX is the new E3. E3 always tried to say that it was an "industry" event for media and business, but that was a sham and we all know it. They made it sound like it was super exclusive in order to tempt the average gamer into "sneaking in" one way or another. In reality, there was pretty much no standard on who was allowed into the show. And they charged an arm and a leg for anyone who wasn't media. If E3 was really just for industry professionals, there would have been no call for extravagant displays, loads of swag, and booth babes. It was there for consumers and anyone who tells you differently is a liar.
Tucked away in the middle of a cluster of gaming stations in the Barker Hangar was one solitary DS Lite. On that DS Lite? Contra 4. That was one of the more remarkable things about the Barker Hangar this year, the best games could just be sitting there, waiting for someone to play them, no lines. All my previous worries about Contra 4 were laid to rest after actually getting to experience it - this is certainly the Contra we all know and love. It's still SUPER hard, I could hardly get past the first level (by hardly I mean I didn't). The addition of a grappling hook feels natural to the series, though it's a bit frustrating it can only shoot straight up and not at an angle a la Bionic Commando. The controls are surprisingly tight for a small third party developer continuing this series, it really just feels natural. The music, the sound effects, everything is meant to harken back to the Contra days of yore. This is going to be an exciting rest of 2007, I tell you what. 
Rock Band wasn't on the show floor, but I was able to get a couple of minutes with Guitar Hero 3, the bastard child of the music genre, sitting in the shadow of big daddy Rock Band. GHIII feels a bit like they completely reworked the game's icons and menus because they were afraid of being sued. It's just different enough that it makes you go "huh?". The gameplay is the same ol GH gameplay, the songs are pretty good, but something about it feels hollow. I'm sure it will be loads of fun, but from what I have tried here at E3, I feel like I'll be spending much much more time with Rock Band. 
Early impressions of Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles by other reviewers have been quite poor. The on-rails shooter that chronicles the events of the Raccoon City disaster across the majority of RE games has been maligned for poor controls and incredibly boring gameplay. I got a chance to sit down (stand up) with it yesterday, fully equipped with the new Wii Zapper. Let's talk about the Zapper first. It's a plastic housing for the existing Wii remote and nunchuk. The ii remote points forward and the nunchuk fits on the back, and you hold it a bit like an assault rifle. It feels nice and solid, but when you finally get to playing a game with it, it feels horrible. When it comes down to it, pointing with the Wii remote in first person shooters is shaky at best. Literally shaky. Umbrella Chronicles has some great gameplay, and I love arcade style on-rails shooters. Trying to aim with the Wii Zapper just plain sucks. I kept wanting to shoot the zombies in the knees to take them down, and nothing was happening. I tried headshots, but not only was it hard to get the pointer to stay in the right place, but all I got for my efforts was an angrier zombie. Reloading in the game requires you to shake the Zapper, which is frustrating because you lose track of your pointer. It takes you a good couple seconds to get re-oriented, and by that time a zombie is probably eating you. Not good! 
Of course, I am a huge Zelda fan. I was pretty disappointed with Twilight Princess, and when I heard that Phantom Hourglass for the DS used stylus controls ONLY I got kind of angry. Why must Nintendo force us to use the stylus for almost every game, just because it is there? Why can't I just use the control pad? After actually playing the first area of Phantom Hourglass, I am definitely sold. You use the stylus to lead Link around, you touch enemies you want to attach, you touch pots when you want to walk over and pick them up, you make little slashing gestures when you want to slash grass... it's surprisingly natural and smooth. The graphics are based on the Wind Waker style, which looks remarkably nice on the DS. It's that kind of lame 2.5d polygonal kind of game, and I would have preferred something beautifully hand drawn, but the graphics are definitely done well. This game has been getting GREAT reviews over in Japan, and I cannot wait for it to come to the US now that I have played it. 
Wow, this year's E3 is completely different from past years. The low key, toned down atmosphere makes it so much easier to cover all the games you want to play, at the expense of the over the top glitz and free swag. That's right, no swag! NO FREE STUFF! WTF! Well, that's not entirely true. I got a hat. So far, I have had an incredible time. I could have left yesterday and been completely satisfied. Just being able to meet so many industry people that I admire has been great. That's one thing this new E3 is supposed to foster as well: networking, meeting people and making those connections. The guys from Destructoid are pretty darn great, I must say, and they are super kind for putting me up and carting my lame ass around. 
E3 hasn't even begun yet, but fun times have already been had. After I got off the plane this morning I met up with a bunch of people from 
I am about to board a plane for California, for a week of excessive drinking, partying and video game playing. Oh, there will probably be some games journalism snuck in there, as well. That's right, I am headed to E3 in Santa Monica (min-E3, I guess as it is now called). As we aren't a gaming news blog, I won't be slamming you with the same announcements everyone else is going to be slamming you with. What I will give you, however, is an honest discussion about what I have seen, what I like and what I don't like. I will also take many many photos, and grab a bunch of swag for giveaways. I will also blog about my crazy fun times, and perhaps do excited/drunk podcasts from the hotel room with the people from 
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