Fallout: New Vegas Documentary Part 04

With classes finally over and a little bit of free time, I've managed to finish editing part four of my much belated in-depth look of Fallout: New Vegas.  Hopefully I'll be able to do a few more parts over the holidays, but no promises.  Make sure to like and subscribe, maybe leave a few comments to the youtube channel.  Every bit of support helps!

On the battlefield, you can't rely on just your eyes.

Greetings Kiddies!

Before I get going, I'd like to throw in another gg for Blood Bath and Beyond for their stellar performance Tuesday night. 

Anyway in case you couldn't tell I wanted to discuss League and some of the changes that will be coming up in the pre-season. Probably the most discussed issue as of late has been the topic of wards. As many of you know wards play an intricate part of securing your teams victory by making sure as much of the map is revealed as possible to track the enemy team. This allows for counter play and denials of dragon and baron buff. However, the support players are generally tasked with shouldering this responsibility and since they make the least amount of income of everyone else on the team, it basically forces the support to get nothing but wards. Never fear, the trinket system is here! Trinkets are a free upgrade in their own seperate item slot to ensure that each player is given 1 of 3 abilities. A free ward, the clairvoyance spell and a spell to detect and disable wards and traps. All three trinkets will level up when you hit level 9 and can be upgraded again for a prince to increase the effectiveness. All the details about the new warding system, trinket system, masteries and support items can be found here. 

http://www.newsoflegends.com/index.php/massive-pbe-update-supports-reworked-new-items-trinkets-changes-to-wards-old-items-the-jungle-summoner-spells-and-game-flow-preview-of-runes-and-masteries-in-s4-and-the-latest-sale-13775/

You can also check out Pawnce's youtube channel. He has a PBE account and is usually on top of reporting new changes on the PBE asap. Here's his trinket preview. 

Best Stuff on the Net: The Press, The Players, The Publishers and The Games

I always look forward to Giant Bomb's "Worth Reading" column posted by Patrick Klepek (or 'Scoops' if your feeling fancy), partly for showing me around parts of the net that I miss during the week, partly because his summarizing of articles saves me some time.  This week he's managed to link a really cool video that deals with a general history of the gaming press, and some of the problems that still continue today with games writing.  It's a long video, essentially a classroom lecture, but I highly recommended it to anybody who has aspirations of becoming a game's journalist.

The video itself has a lot of interesting points put forth that I couldn't help but think about:

-It's fascinating to think that the gaming press at large is partially responsible for holding back the medium itself as being taken seriously as art.  If writing were to reflect less on a product review and more on what experiences it invokes, how would gaming and the press look today?

-It's quite daunting to think about what a vicious cycle the modern day gaming press currently resides in: tens of thousands amateur writers (such as myself and this site for example) ready to replace the old guard from magazines and websites.  At the same time, this kind of enthusiasm has paved the way for many novel independent content creators all over the net.

-It may be a false dichotomy, but in my mind, fanboy-ish and narrow optimism such as Nintendo Power and cynical snark such as Seanbaby exist on a spectrum.  Each have their advantages and flaws.  While in the end I do believe that being informative trumps most other goals when it comes to journalism, where does the balance lie between the two?  Should journalist continue to be hopeful and optimistic of unreleased products or should we be critical of everything around us for the sake of humor or even improvement in the industry as a whole?

I find it an interesting issue even today with some games.  Take a look here at polygon's recent interview with Eidos Montreal for their new Thief game.  Apparently Chris Plante was originally scheduled to do the interview but was flat-out denied by Eidos due to a negative profile he compiled from an earlier look at the game.  Brian Crecente instead conducted the interview, albeit without the questions being changed.  To me this stands as an incredible example of the relation between game manufacturers as the press, being born much out of press that was perhaps to speculative and favorable in the past (and still continuing into today.  Colonial Marines anybody?)

Make sure to check out Giant Bomb's Worth Reading column every Friday

VGR 2.06 - You can (not) have Half-Life 3

Whew! All caught up. So this week we go over Steam's 3rd big announcement, Tom Clancy's passing, more Mighty No. 9, some League stuff and early impressions and problems with Grand Theft Auto Online. Click the link below to download or use the player in the post.

-=Download VGR 2.06=-

VGR 2.05 - You can (not) have Organic Tacos

Even if it's a corporate shill, it has an awesome song.  More GTA and vidja game news here.

-=Download VGR 2.05=-

VGR 2.04 - You can (not) have games from Tokyo

We got super-hype about TGS before this cast, but it turns out there actually wasn't that much there.  Oh well, early impressions of GTA, so that's always fun.

-=Download VGR 2.04=-

The Master of the Military Genre: Tom Clancy dead at 66

I was sitting in one of the local coffee shops in Greensboro on Tate street Wednesday morning, having just gotten done with one of my classes, and was grabbing a bite to eat before heading home to play a few games and do some homework. This has become a bit of a tradition for myself the past few weeks, and it has allowed me time to catch up on the news, as they usually have it on the television. Normally I don't much care to see what is on the news, a lot of it just tends to be political petty bickering, or shock stories that I couldn't care less about. This day had started off no differently, as they were talking about the current government shut down, though I'll admit I was mildly entertained watching both the republicans and democrats whining about how the other side wasn't willing to compromise. However, another news article came on that really caught my attention, talking about an individual who I really held in high regard. Tom Clancy, author of books such as Patriot Games, and The Hunt for Red October, had died on Tuesday, October 1^st 2013.


He was born Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. on April 12^th, 1947 in Rosedale Maryland. Over the course of his 66 years. Over the course of his career as a writer he wrote a plethora of military thrillers, and also non-fiction books about the different branches of the military, with another book slated to come out in December of this year. Many of these novels have inspired movies, television shows, and even video games. Some of the novels associated with him however, were actually penned by other authors who wanted to expand on his universe, such as the Ghost Recon series written by David Michaels and Peter Telep.


Clancy's work has been adapted into video games since 1987 with The Hunt for Red October, a submarine simulation for computers of the time, which was quite loosely based on the novel. In 1996, Clancy co-founded developer Red Storm Entertainment, which was later bought by publisher Ubisoft Entertainment. While Clancy's actual involvement with the creation and development of the games is unknown, one can't deny the great influence these games had on the industry as a whole. Having created such series as Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell, Clancy's intellectual properties helped to define what a military game should be like. I personally remember playing Rainbow Six: Vegas for hours on end back when I was still in the Navy. I also remember trying to play Splinter Cell, and failing miserably for a long time until I started to understand the stealth tactics of the game.


With all of these accomplishments, and many more that I have not mentioned here, I had to write at least a small article on this man who has had such a strong influence on military novels, and video games over the course of my life. Two games are still slated to come out later, with Tom Clancy's EndWar 2 (TBA), and Tom Clancy's The Division in 2014. Mr. Clancy is survived by his wife Alexandra, their daughter Alexis; and four children from a previous marriage; Christine Blocksidge, Kathleen Clancy Ph.D., and Thomas Clancy III. Those of us here at Pixel Loadout would like to thank Tom Clancy for his contributions to the world of literature, and the world of video games.

VGR 2.03 You can (not) have a second episode

Get it? Because the second episode is missing?

HaHa!

But seriously, we had trouble recording it, so alas, it is missing.

-=Download VGR 2.03=-

Today in E-Sports: League of Legends Season 3 World Championship Finals

Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you probably know of a little game named League of Legends. This game has become insanely popular across not only the United States but has become the single most played Video Game in the world beating the likes of the big bad online monolith World of Warcraft.

Today will be the the ultimate game in a tournament series that has lasted the majority of the year. The Season 3 World Championship will have Korea's SKTelecom Vs. China's Royal Club facing off in a best 3 out of 5 Series to determine who will be this Season's Champion.

The First Place team will be awarded with several prizes; a $1,000,000 which consists of Half of the award for all of the teams that participated, the Title of World Champions and lastly their team's name being etched into the splendid goblet that represents the League of Legends Championship Series.

The last two prizes mileage may vary as there is no guarantee that League of Legends will retain its popularity for years to come, but that million bucks is certainly nothing to laugh it.

Finals will begin at 11:00 P.M. EST/ 8:00 PM PST and can be viewed on Twitch.tv/riotgames , youtube.com/LolChampSeries and also on azubu.tv.

For more information, visit lolesports.com

VGR 2.01 - You can (not) have a second season

It's the premiere of our second season for VGR!  In the studio this week was me, DJ, Trey and Ren at our new 9 to 11 time slot.  We talk about the newly revealed 2DS, upcoming consoles, and Gamescom, as well as review some new games.  Click below to listen or right click to save and listen later.

-=Download VGR 2.01=-

VGR Season 2 begins this week

We've just got ourselves scheduled:  VGR is back for another season this fall.  This time, we'll be shifting to a weekly show, from 9pm to 11pm on Thursdays.  Along with lots of video game music, there will be reviews, gaming news, give aways and special guests, so make sure you tune in.

Click the link below to visit WUAG's website, where you can stream the show live:

WUAG.net

Make sure to check our site too for recordings of older episodes with lots of great music.  Just use the search bar and put in "VGR"

GameDocs: Silent Hill HD Collection Review

Near the end of this console generation, gamers have been lucky to be receiving a lot HD ports and collections of games from last generation, including things like Metal Gear, Team ICO games, and God of War.  On the other side of the spectrum is the infamous hack-job that is the Silent Hill HD collection.  Twin Perfect has put together the most in-depth and detail oriented reviews of the HD collection and it's myriad of problems.  If you've got the time, it's a fascinating look into what goes into re-releasing a game, as well as other politics and business practices involved.

Twin Perfect's youtube channel

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Today IGN got an exclusive look at some footage from Techland's new game Dying Light. Techland is famous for game franchises such as Chrome, Call of Juarez and Dead Island. The game itself looks like an interesting mix of Mirrors Edge and survival horror. The trailer shows the main character using the environment to his advantage by leaping off of buildings, railings and telephone poles to escape the horde. Put the one aspect of this game that intrigues me the most is how radically the game changes from day to night. During the day it appears that the zombies are tame, slow and generally easy to get away from provided you don't get surrounded a la Walking Dead/ Left 4 Dead. However, come nightfall something changes and the slow shuffling zombies become the 28 Days Later/ I am Legend zombies. This presents some interesting dynamics that can take place in the game setup. People that have been itching for a survival horror game will get to experience it along with some free running action. This will also be one of the first zombie games that I can think of that will give the player free roam capabilities and to use the environment to actually escape the zombie hoard and not just for picking up gas cans and setting zombies on fire. At another point in the trailer, the character seems to be wielding some sort of shock blade. While this isn't confirmed I hope this means there will be a scavenging and crafting system present in the game. This wouldn't be surprising since this is the same company that developed Dead Island. Dying Light is expected to release in 2014 for current and next gen.

Quick Look: Clash in the Clouds

So at 8 am today, we finally got some details for the much belated Bioshock: Infinite DLC as promised by the day 1 season pass.  Turns out it's pretty cool.  To start with, we get a wave attack mode called Clash in the Clouds, featuring interesting challenges and extra unlockable goodies like concept art and models.

Later, at some unspecified date, we'll be dipping our toes back into the water with a return to Rapture.  The 2nd and 3rd DLC packs will be a 2-part story called "Burial at Sea" featuring alternate takes on both Booker and Elizabeth, with Liz actually being playable in the 2nd pack.

For today however, DJ and I take a first look at Clash in the Clouds and judge it it's worth your $5.

Check out the trailers for both DLC's here:

-Clash in the Clouds trailer
-Burial at Sea trailer

GameDocs: Tetris - A Perfect Game?

One thing that I love thats taken popularity of late is various sort of documentary looks of current and older video games, whether they be nostalgic looks back or historical deconstructions of franchises.  Today we have a short (but insightful) look at the classic Tetris and a closer look at what makes it work.  Matthewmatosis has a lot of other long looks at some franchises that are also worth checking out, including Metal Gear Solid and The Legend of Zelda.

Matthewmatosis Youtube Channel

A Tale of Three Thieves

Fans of GTA finally get to see one of the most hyped features for the up and coming fifth installment of the franchise.  The much talked about real-time character swapping system gets featured heavily in this new trailer, along with a great deal of other details about the city, side activities, and main mission structure, paradoxically presented by a calm, almost soothing voice.  GTA titles usually end up being crazy ambitious ventures, and this one looks to be no exception.

Lookin' Good - Champs: Battleground

MOBA's have become the new MMO for a lot of dev's when it comes to looking at what might be popular in the future.  Both DOTA and League of Legends have shown that this genre of game is not only popular but also wildly profitable as well.  Not surprisingly, a lot of devs also want to try to breakout the MOBA genre onto mobile and tablet platforms with games such as Solstice Arena and Arena of Heroes, with varying degrees of success.  For my money right now though, adding a dash of of Final Fantasy Tactics to the mix is making Champs: Battleground look like something worth getting in to.  Check out this build demo from IGN.

Mark Cerny and The Road to PS4

I'm always fascinated about looking at video games from a historical perspective and the kind of decisions that have lead to what we play today.  Mark Cerny is a hugely important person in the gaming world when it comes to the success of the Playstation brand.  This sort of all-inclusive history as told by him gives us some fascinating insight to a console's creation process (as well as admitting some failings of such work as well).  While this kind of presentation isn't for everyone, if you have a vested interest into various topics such as the growth of game development teams or the choice to use the Cell processer in the PS3, you might like this.

Last day to fund "Armikrog"

Doug TenNapel, of Earthworm Jim and Neverhood fame, has partnered with Pencil Test studios, and for the last month, have been shopping around a classic-style adventure game done in claymation on Kickstarter.  Today is the last day to help fund this project, and thr group is (as this time of writing) 93% towards their Kickstarter goal.  Armikrog’s art style is something seldom seen in any medium in this day and age, and it’s always cool to see artists take on this unique and very time-consuming art style.  Their video pitch is worth a watch just to see some of the animation, so take a gander.

Scares Return?

  

Many fans of traditional horror games have recently seemed to have made their voices heard. Many fans of survival horror classics would brand games like Resident evil 6 or Silent hill Downpour to be too focused on the action and not have enough emphasis on the scares. Probably the biggest offender in this mix is the addition of cooperative modes into horror settings. Things just aren't as scary when your frat bro on the couch talks about, "Dude! Did you just see that? I just blew that thing's head off!" It takes someone out of the experience and gives them a distraction from the tension. However, new ips that have made waves in recent years such as Amnesia the Dark Descent or Slenderman have shown the gaming market that survival horror games can still make a profit while delivering the nightmares that masochists crave. At E3 we got to see even more scares heading our way with Outlast and The Evil Within. In true survival horror fashion they focused on the fact that you, the player, are alone with no backup and only an asylum full of crazies for company. Personally I love survival horror and action games but I'm glad to see that survival horror is making a comeback. I believe that with the right goals in mind, developers have the chance to show how popular traditional survival horror games can become.

 Anyway I wanted to talk a̵̼̝͕̘͙͔͎̲͛̾̚b̧̜̞̝̱̈̊ͬ͛ͪ̀ǫ̴͖͙̤͚̞̋ͤͅṵ̸̢͇̇̋̔̏̾t̡̺̫̯͎̮͚̓ͦ̏ ̞̜̍̆́̏̎͘t̏ͪ͋̊̍ͧ͌҉̛̝̳̫ĥ̶̭̑̂ͥ̆̅̈́ͩ̏ê͍̓ͬ̈́͟.̯̘͈̞̖͓̻̺̎́̓ͣ̄͐ͫ̚.̶͍̎̉̑.̷͎̳̂̿̐̆̉̚.̤̖̠̐̓̾̄́̇o̹̙ͬh̟̗̘̞̣̰̟̱͂ͩ̎ͣͮ̍ͧ́͡ ̴͍̣͔̱̊̐͂̀̀ͅg̖̹͌̈͋ͪ̎͢͞ó̤ͥ́̕ͅd̸̶̡̯͗̏̓.̢̔ͮ̇ͬ͏̦͇̙̰̭.̗̗͈̯͕͚̟̙̈̈́͒͆ͨ̍͝.̧͎̬̻ͭ̈́͂̇̉̅̃ͩ̀̀͢.ͥͩͮ̃͛͏̳͕̞̜̝͇̺̣̀ş̶̶̹̹͇͈̠̘̙̞̄o͕̬̼͕͕̖̜͍̥ͧ̄m̑͐̕҉͈̹̠̙̯e̵̠͗͝o̵̗͚̭̠̬̤͋́̎́́́n̷̠̹ͤ̔̊̿̊̌ͭ͞ę͕͖̙̤̒̀̓̏̉ͩ̊͐̚ ̷̩̳̮̈͆̅͋̃͗̏h̡̭̱̓̾ͮ̓͞e̡͉͓̹͙͈̦̼̞ͩͩ͐ͅl͙̫̪̟̳͈̄p̤͎̺͙̮͇̹͓ͦ͞ ̹͙̹ͣ̈́ͯ̉͡m̜͇̤͓̱̰̯͉̈̇͋ͣ̚e̴̳̼̯ͧ!̸̠͎͈͕̞̟͔̳̒̈̏̆ͨͅ ̛̯̮̪̫̠̫̩͈̜ͭ͒͛̈́͒͒̿͟Á̜̇̎͆́͝H̠̘̫̰͕̯̟͒̊͒ͯ̅̃̎ͥH̷̡͓̞͙͆̽͊ͯ̎͞H̔͊͗̍̇̄̊̓̓͢͏̥̻̦͖͎̝a̎̉ͤ͢҉̜͇̼̪s͕͕ͩ̌͒̉ͩ̊ͩ̌.̴͈̞͓̬̦͑̄̋̃q̸̡̫͈̘̞̼̺̰̠̾̒̑ͮ̉q̺͉̹͈̤̫͎͔͂̆͘ẉ̢̼̣̟̞ͦ̋ͩ̍d̛̰̥̈́ͬ̈́͆͐̽͌ͫ̅͘m̴̛̟͖͔ͧͬ̅̈́̚q̸̻͙̽̾̈̊͝w͉̳̫͍̮͉͎ͤ͒̽ͤ́ͯͨ͢ḑ̛͕̯ͤ̌̈͊̃̿i̛̦̳ͭ̾̂̇̄͌́q̰̲ͪ̇͐̀͟o̪͚̹͚̙͙͚͌͌ķ̨̳̎̒͆͟w̵͔ͣ̍ͫ̃ͯ͘͢s̛̭͓̻͊ͫͩ̀ͣ̾ͅj̸̜̲ͤ̍̀n̝̱̗̞̮̘̺ͮ̑̅̚ͅ

Microsoft backsteps on DRM & Always Online

Coming as a shock to some, and expected to others,  Microsoft is switching their stance on some major policies and decisions regarding their new console due out this November.  Microsoft's president of interactive entertainment Don Mattrick shared this on Xbox's news site:

---

Last week at E3, the excitement, creativity and future of our industry was on display for a global audience.

For us, the future comes in the form of Xbox One, a system designed to be the best place to play games this year and for many years to come. As is our heritage with Xbox, we designed a system that could take full advantage of advances in technology in order to deliver a breakthrough in game play and entertainment. We imagined a new set of benefits such as easier roaming, family sharing, and new ways to try and buy games. We believe in the benefits of a connected, digital future. 

Since unveiling our plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly from many of you, read your comments and listened to your feedback. I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One. 

You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world.

So, today I am announcing the following changes to Xbox One and how you can play, share, lend, and resell your games exactly as you do today on Xbox 360. Here is what that means:

• An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One games– After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again. There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360.
  

• Trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do today – There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360.
  

In addition to buying a disc from a retailer, you can also download games from Xbox Live on day of release. If you choose to download your games, you will be able to play them offline just like you do today. Xbox One games will be playable on any Xbox One console -- there will be no regional restrictions.

These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously announced for Xbox One. The sharing of games will work as it does today, you will simply share the disc. Downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold. Also, similar to today, playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray.

We appreciate your passion, support and willingness to challenge the assumptions of digital licensing and connectivity. While we believe that the majority of people will play games online and access the cloud for both games and entertainment, we will give consumers the choice of both physical and digital content. We have listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds.

Thank you again for your candid feedback. Our team remains committed to listening, taking feedback and delivering a great product for you later this year.

---

Widely regarded as the most caustic features of the console, the loss of a 24 hour check-in window and the ability to trade-in and share disc based games is a huge boon to consumers.  This does come with some caveats though: discs will once again be required to be in the tray in order to play disc based games again.  This also cuts out some of the functionality of always having access to those games based just on gamer profiles.  Also, this functionality is going to require a day 1 patch before it can be used offline.  On another plus side however, the loss of an always online connection is said to also remove region locking for the console, which I'm sure CDProjekt Red appreciates.

There are a lot of facets to this announcement worth considering.  First off, this speaks volumes of exactly what kind of beating Sony served to Microsoft last week at E3.  Most sites have been comparing it to some kind of boxing or MMA match with Sony delivering a TKO.  Indeed, everybody involved at the blog was amazed at what a direct attack Sony sent out to their main competitor.  In some ways, it takes a lot of guts for a company to go back on what before they believed to be major selling points of their new box.  In another,  it's extremely reactionary and makes you wonder who's bright idea it was in the first place.

In the end, this is straight benefit to the consumer.  Old-school capitalism.  Making the Xbone more competitive to the PS4 means we should be seeing better deals vying for the public eye this holiday season.  The PS4 still holds a lot of cards with it's $100 cheaper price point and it's seemingly total devotion to indie developers.  Still, the gulf isn't nearly as wide as last week.

All of this while 4.45 firmware for the PS3 seems to be bricking consoles.  Good week for Microsoft it seems.

It is your Destiny

Bungie finally showed game play for their open world action title Destiny during Sony's E3 press conference yesterday. The video above is the entire game play demo for the conference. Overall I enjoyed what they showed. There was definitely a heavy Borderlands vibe coming from the game play and teamwork playing off the different classes. Unlike Borderlands however, at least during that point in the game or for demo purposes, it appears that the player will only be able to use 2 weapons along with having infinite ammo in reserve. Again this could possibly be a build specifically for the conference. Another interesting thing to note was that loot drops would come in the form of an all in one package. This could be used for allowing players to sort loot among themselves in a more organized fashion or that each player receives their own unique loot drop based on level and class. Guns will also appear to be a bit more unique in this universe as they can all individually be leveled up. We saw that  the Thunderlord has it's own set of skills, the final one being the ability to, "burn through enemies with thunderous rounds that will penetrate and detonate." Finally we also got to see a public event in action as a couple of squads take down a boss called the "Devil walker." I thought this was a great demonstration to show how alive this world can be and what you and your friends could do to fight back against the alien forces was awesome. It has yet to be shown how often or where events like this will take place in Destiny but the game has me excited none the less.

Destiny is set to release on the 360, Xbone, PS4, PS3 and PC sometime next year.

...seriously?

I can't tell if I should hang my head in shame or if this is the best announcement from E3 yet.

...

Oh, there was Megaman too, y'know, cause he's cool.  Not quite Wii Fit Trainer cool, but still cool.

Can't wait for some good Smash Remixes of Megaman tunes

Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III in development

During the Sony E3 Keynote this year there was a brief segment where Square-Enix were allowed to strut their stuff. In this, it was finally confirmed that Final Fantasy Versus-XIII  had been re-branded as Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3 has finally popped out it's head.

That's all we basically know. The Final Fantasy XV footage looked to be pseudo in-game rendering with some CGI spliced in between. There was some magic sword wielding and gun shots galore but the game we have virtually only been able to see through pre-rendered scenes finally seems to be coming along quite nicely. 

I have recently had some sort of crisis in how Square-Enix has been handling the Final Fantasy IP. As games have been coming out they have felt less and less "Final Fantasy" and more Sci-Fi Fantasy with high end cut scenes and esoteric story lines that struggle to sprinkle in series icons and fanservice.

Final Fantasy XV seems to be teetering on this as well with it's mind-boggling combination of Modern Existence, Advanced Technology and High Fantasy. But if you didn't notice what that huge serpent thing was it was none other than Leviathan, a classic Summoned Creature from the series. I was glad to see such an impressive rendering of the series' legacy but felt conflicted as what seemed to be in-game footage looked like a hi-res version of Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus. 

It's too soon to actually form an opinion but I hope that Square-Enix gets its stuff together and not make another relative dud like Final Fantasy XIII. 

Finally there is Kingdom Hearts III, for the last 5 or so years there have been hopes that this game would in some form debut its existence at E3 but we were constantly fed spin off titles on non-console systems. The tidbit we were showed from a pre-rendered Kingdom Hearts III should be enough to satiate the hordes of fans that have been near demanding this game be made. Now we can rest knowing that the game is finally "in production" and knowing Square-Enix, it may be years before we even see more.

A Closer Look: Metal Gear Solid V - The Phantom Pain

Probably one of my favorite trailer's I've had the pleasure of viewing so far out of E3 was the one that started off Microsoft's Press conference, MGS5 (or MGSV, however we're going to shorten this).  If your big into the Metal Gear lore, then there's a ton of info here to sate your appetite.  Let's break it down:

0:14 - "It's not just them..." - presumably we're talking about either XOF or Cipher, or both or whatever name our enemies are going by this time.  Judging by this bit of dialogue, it's looking like Big Boss and co. are being framed for some international incident, perhaps having something to do with their own private Metal Gear.

Also, we've got our first audio clip of Ocelot, who's sounding a bit Troy Baker-ish to me today.  Later in the trailer, we'll hear more of the classic Zimmermen inflections that really sell the Ocelot presentation.

Other stuff: building the army again and saving Miller, starting to sound like Peace Walker all over again.  Also, we're in Afghanistan.  How is that for an info dump in just under a minute?

0:52 - Looking closely, we can see Snake still has a metal shard of... something... still embedded in his skull.  Still trying to figure this one out, might have to do something with the car wreck from an earlier trailer.

Binocular callback to MGS 1 and 3, used early in the game to explain the rules of the soldiers on the field.

1:06 - Revolver Ocelot's speech patterned perfectly

1:30 - Horse Stealth, don't mind me, just a random white stallion roaming the canyon

1:42 - Realtime Weather has a lot of interesting implications when it comes to stealth and combat.  Nothing like that clutch sandstorm limiting the sightlines allowing you in undetected.  Bonus points if Konami makes some post game items that let you manipulate the environment at will.

1:53 - I'm still not entirely sold on lots of different vehicles in a stealth game, but am willing to accept this as a conceit of getting around a supposed "open world."  Stealth Jeep gameplay ahoy!

2:00 - ...or better yet, Stealth Tank gameplay.

2:12 - It's here I wish we could see more UI elements.  Will we be able to mark and memorize targets that we've scouted out?  Keeping track of how many soldiers are roaming the battlefield could be quite the handful.

2:28 - Stealth Truck Gameplay!  Also, this is where "Sins of the Father" starts to kick in.  Donna Burke always does fantastic work when it comes to the MGS soundtracks and I can't wait for this single to get released.  Practically have this trailer on repeat for the song.

2:42 - Another semi-gimmicky feature at first glance that could have some cool implications if done correctly.

3:08 - Jumping across buildings - probably the most dynamic action given to players in the whole Metal Gear saga.  Don't know if this is context sensitive yet, but we can see the player do a similar dive out of the light later at 3:20

3:25 - Pretty awesome move, wonder if any of the CQC options will utilize the Zadornov hand

3:31 - Here's some of our first dialog of Snake as done by Sutherland.  I'll be the first to say that I'm going to miss Hayter's signature brusque delivery, but I'm willing to give this a shot.  It's strange to me though that Miller is still voiced by Robin Atkin Downes, same as in Peace Walker. Still, he does a great job of sounding like he got the stuffing beaten out of him, more on that later.  Great "kept you waiting" callback.

3:53 - This looks like some of our ally and rogues gallery as is typical to the MGS series.  Some old and new faces, so lets run them down:

-Kazuhira Miller - A Visonary robbed of his Future - The ally from Peacewalker that turned out to have closer ties to cipher than we would have liked.  Japanese born and former mercenary,  Kaz has always been full of random trivia and sad backstory.  Most players will also remember his quasi-appearance in MGS1.

-Quiet - A Sniper deprived of her Words - Getting very strong hints of Sniper Wolf here, but as with many of the next people, friend or foe?

-Eli - A Youth who Curses his Fate - Anybody else getting a Joffrey vibe from Game of Thrones?  Wouldn't be surprised if he was involved somehow with some of the child soldiers we'll being seeing in a bit...

-Skull Face - A Ghost without a Past -As best we can tell, this is our main antagonist for the game, yet we're still short on a lot of details.  He seems to lead the XOF (thats Fox backwards) and looks to be the person who imprisoned Chico (earlier trailer).  I'm about dead even on if this guy is brand new or a returning Metal Gear character.

-Emmerich - A Technocrat who Stands his Ground - This is our tech expert from Peace Walker and Father of Otacon. Prior to 5, Huey here was stuck in a wheel chair, now he seems to have a set of robo legs.  While he's typically an idealest, much like his son, he is looking somewhat megalomaniacal here

-Ocelot - A Rival living a Lie - Whoo boy, here's our common link among all the Solid series and by far the most complex  story.  Son of a super soldier whose allegiances seem ever shifting,  Ocelot may be an ally today only to be a rival tomorrow.  While not always clear, he always has an endgoal.  Seems to idolize Big Boss, so it'll be interesting to see his interactions with our supposedly fallen legend.

-Code Talker - A Wise Man denied his Homeland - I got nothing on this guy.  Shhhhh

-Those who "Don't Exist" - Seemingly nightmarish ghosts from the series history, fans have lots of interesting speculation on these threatening visages.  A gasmask laden child evokes imagery of Psycho Mantis.  A towering figure in a familier red suit seems to call back to Colonel Volgin.  Real enemies or PTSD trauma?  We'll have to wait and see...

4:40 - We've been told by Kojima that this game will be dealing with darker themes than any past MGS game, like race and revenge.  Here we have another touchy subject:  Child Soldiers.  Kojima is going to have to take great care with this subject in order to give it the reverence it deserves.  It's one thing to have a main character recall his past as one,  it's another thing entirely to possibly present it as a gameplay element.

4:49 - Some escort mission, I'd rather just carry you

4:58 - ...or drive you

5:05 - This scene is rather confusing.  At first glance, it looks like Big Boss might actually be killing Chico.  More probable is that he's applying pressure to some kind of wound (thats what I'm hoping anyway)

5:10 - Snake looking back at a shadowed figure.  I think this is Kaz, though the getup is not unlike some promotional material of Snake in Peace Walker.  We could be looking at some more clone action going on, wouldn't be too far a stretch for the series.

5:12 - Outer Heaven on fire.  And I put so many man hours to staffing my tech department too...

5:23 - Kaz has the sound of revenge in his voice, not so idealistic this time.

5:29 - Children and the Diamond trade, this is some heavy stuff

5:39 - Punished Snake - A Fallen Legend - It's interesting to note that we now almost have more appearances of Big Boss than Solid Snake in the MGS series.  Exactly what Big Boss is being punished for is still unclear.  Here's hoping will finally see that transition from legend to villain.

5:45 - Finally, we see the extend of Kaz's wounds.  Missing an arm and a leg, Kaz will most probably no longer be a soldier but more now an advisor.  It's interesting to note that this conflicts with promotional footage that we've seen of Master for later games (kind of).  Still, he seems like he's calling the shots, and a messed up hand isn't stopping Big Boss, so perhaps there's hope for him yet.

6:01 - "Cipher sent us to hell..." Kaz wants that revenge, and Snake just sounds exhausted, great way to end the trailer.


Great visuals with a great song really help to sell this trailer.  What do you guys think?  Leave a comment and let me know!

And...Boom goes the dynamite!

That's right folks, it's as easy as that! Sony has unveiled that there will be NO always online DRM with the Playstation 4. They also announced that used games will not be blocked and can be traded in whenever the purchaser wants. The console was also shown and priced at $399, which is cheaper than the xbone I might add by $100. 

I don't know about you but this pretty much is hook, line and sinker for me. At this point I fully support the Playstation 4 and look forward to being a Sony consumer. Also, this is my face when all this wonderful news was announced. 

Microsoft Presentation Afterthoughts

"It's all about the games."
                  -Phil Spencer

I'm hard-pressed to remember another E3 press conference that was so densely packed with games.  Microsoft's conference was back-to-back game announcements, exclusives and indies all over.  Better yet, these were focused for core gamers, no sports games, no dancing games, just one racing game.  Starting out strong with Metal Gear Solid 5, Microsoft jumped to current 360 owners, rewarding gold members with free games up to the release on the One.  Next came lots of great shows of the One's processing prowess with Ryse and Forza.  Better yet was the revival of Rare's classic arcade fighter, Killer Instinct.  Plenty of new stuff was shown as well like Sunset Overdrive, Project Spark, and a better look at Quantum Break.  Classic franchises also got some screentime, like Dead Rising 3 and Witcher 3.  Finally, hell of a send-of with Respawn's Titanfall with a stellar gameplay showing.

Was it all good news though? Not quite, a few bits of info kept the Xbox One from being redeemed.  First off, $499 on launch in November, higher than I and a lot of gamers feel willing to pay.

Second was the redesign on the 360.  4 gig models for $199 (useless), a 250 gig model for $299, and a 4 gig with Kinect for $299 (once again, useless).  Essentially

Finally, no clarification at all from the terrible press drop last friday.

In the end, Microsoft has sort of clamored back onto the saddle, but it still seems like Sony could knock this out the park, we'll see tonight.

Madness? This is Spartan Assault!

Recently Microsoft has announced that Halo would be making its way to windows 8 via windows tablet. The name of the new game is called Halo: Spartan Assault. Halo:SA is a top down, twin stick shooter set between Halo 3 and 4 and is currently being developed by 343 industries and Vanguard games. It is hard to tell how much of the game is being developed by either company but my guess is that it is mainly in the hands of Vanguard games while 343 is providing oversight and story direction. The game's story follows Sarah Palmer who had a small part to play in Halo 4's story but did however have a large part in Halo 4's spartan ops mode. Over the course of 25 missions in the games campaign the player will reenact famous battles fought by the U.N.S.C. via the war games room on the star ship Infinity. The game will be available in July for around $7 on Microsoft tablets, phones and the PC.

Such as the new trend calls for in gaming, this title will feature micro-transaction unlockables to encourage players to spend extra cash. While I am not necessarily against the idea of micro-transactions, I can't say that I enjoy the idea of micro-transactions being the only way to access locked content. It seems like a cheap way for Microsoft to dig into your pocket after you have already purchased a $7 game. I do however like the idea of something new coming from Halo. I wasn't that impressed by Halo 4 so a new type of game could give the series a boost. A twin stick shooter wasn't my first choice but what bothers me is that, for the time being, this game will not be available for the Xbox 360 arcade. People have criticized Microsoft saying that this is just a ploy to try and get people to buy a Microsoft tablet or to push Windows 8 to the forefront. Tell us what you think!

Pre-3

We've started to get a lot of early trailers this week as we look forward to the Electronic Entertainment Expo, so we've gathered some of the best here along with our opinions:

I'm pretty sure Zombies + Parkour is a subgenre of zombie games that we haven't touched yet (heck, parkour games in general are hard enough to find as it is).  I'm always down for any trailer that uses Woodkid for music, but as is Techland's track record, no actual gameplay footage.  I'm hoping this is closer to the actual game than the Dead Island trailer was, but we'll just have to wait and see.

A rather big update for Metal Gear with Keifer Sutherland taking the reigns of Snake over David Hayter (who doesn't seem to be taking this all too well).  Sometimes different can be good, but I wouldn't be surprised if this was another long con by Kojima.  Hopefully we'll get some more details soon

The new Castlevania series seems to have the best music around for trailers.  The timeline for how this game works is a bit of a mess, so I'm interested to see how they sort it out.

This one comes with a bit of a pushback of the release date to early next year (big surprise).  The lastest feature for Lightning's return thats being show off is a sort of class and visual swap system, not unlike the Dressphere system from X-2.  Cool to see some returning characters from the series, don't think Snow will ever catch a break.

Mobile platforms are becoming increasingly appealing to developers it seems, so now we've got a new Deus Ex game for the iPad, much in the same vein as Human Revolution.  Looks pretty slick, but I feel like it's going to be a nightmare to control

More to come soon, so stay tuned!

Who wants some Wang?

Greetings everyone! As you may or may not have heard the 3D Realms game Shadow Warrior is getting a remake by Flying Wild Hog, the developer behind Hard Reset. FWH as a gesture of good will had decided to release Shadow Warrior on steam for free for a limited time but they have since changed their minds and keep it permanently free! Shadow Warrior was originally released in 1997 and while it suffered scrutiny for being a racially insensitive title, it was a very fun and excited action game that is sure to please any old school Duke Nukem fan. So head on over to steam and download that sucker. Banzai

Double Fine's 2nd Kickstarter project: Massive Chalice

So Double Fine is at it again with Kickstarter.  This time around, it looks like they want to make Fire Emblem it seems, so that's awesome.  Schafer and company still have the best Kickstarter pitch videos, so make sure to check it out.  Check here for the Kickstarter page.

Humble Indie Bundle 8

Check it out here at: https://www.humblebundle.com/

Humble sales are always a great way to get a ton of games and help support charity.

This bundle includes: 

-Little Inferno

-Awesomenauts + exclusive chicken skin

-Capsized

-Thomas Was Alone

-Dear Esther

if you pay more than the average customer (at time of writing $5.68) you also get:

-Hotline Miami

-Proteus

All the games come with steam keys, and most come with the soundtrack (no Hotline Miami though)

This sale goes till June 11th, so grab it while you can!

Review: Resident Evil: Revelations

It’s pretty rare this day and age to get upscaled ports from portable systems to consoles. While prettier graphics and refined controls are to be expected, it can be hard to say if this creates a definitively better experience. Case in point, Revelations certainly makes the jump for the most part on a technical level, but conceptual details for how a game is built for a portable console make playing it an odd experience.

The story for the game is par for the course when it comes to a Resident Evil game: evil terrorist organization has new virus and wants to do bad stuff, and you must stop them. There are a few minor (and very obvious) plot twists, but nothing franchise shattering. In fact, there aren’t any real large implications to the narrative as a whole when it relates to the series, making for a relatively self-contained experience. Most of the main game has you playing as series veteran Jill Valentine with newcomer partner Parker Luciani, while occasionally shifting to other characters during flashbacks and the like. Much of Resident Evil’s B-level writing heritage is prominently on display here with cringeworthy one-liners being uttered at alarming rates. Characters are utterly flat or downright annoying, as is the case with newcomer duo Keith and Quint.

Hope this not Chris Gun...

Gameplay feels somewhat like a cross between Resident Evil 4, 5 and 6, retaining the now series style of over-the-shoulder third person shooting action. The twin-stick setup of consoles is taken advantage of to a great degree, allowing for fluid movement while aiming, something the series has only really pulled off well in 6. The option is available to play with a style closer to RE 4 and 5, where you’re rooted to the spot whilst aiming, but will end up being a handicap in most cases. Combat moves at a somewhat decidedly slow pace, as shooting for weakpoints help to conserve ammo. Only in a few cases during the main campaign will you ever be swarmed by multiple enemies. In most cases you’ll have an AI partner present through most of the game, but this is barely noticeable as they’ll do no real damage, cause any threat, or even take damage at all. A dodge mechanic is present in the game as well, but is difficult to pull off reliably.

The main campaign spans over the course of 12 chapters, usually comprising of 2 to 3 parts per chapter.  A typical playthrough is somewhere between 8 to 12 hours, depending of difficulty. This is perhaps where the most notable portable feel is had, as the game makes constant breaks in the gameplay and narrative to checkpoint a chapter or switch points of view. If RE6 was guilty for having their gameplay segments go on for too long, Revelations ends up being on the other end of that spectrum. The game goes so far as to have small video viginettes proclaiming “Last time, on Resident Evil: Revelations,” as if I have the memory span of a goldfish. I know that they’re in there for the 3DS experience that was made for more bite-sized chunks of gaming, but on a console game they just feel disjointed and largely out of place.

Just in case you forgot what happened five minutes ago...

Graphics are also a bit of an odd spot when it comes to this transition. Character models for the most party look pretty good in most cases, but will suffer from some muddy textures time to time. Environments will also look pixelated or low-res in some cases as well. Sound design has made the jump well for the most part when it comes to SFX, although the music is largely forgettable. A few odd graphical glitches are present in the game, particularly elevator doors like to jump while being used. Loading screens and doors are also suspiciously rampant throughout the experience.

As for being a much-touted “return to form” for the RE franchise, it’s hard to say. Puzzles are practically non-existent. Resource management does feel like more of an issue than past games, but made so only because of mandatory caps on how many weapons you can carry and ammunition bag limits. Item boxes are back, allowing you to swap mid-mission what kind of loadout you use, and customization to weapons feels very solid, finding parts to make tailored guns. Combat for the large part feels solid, albeit somewhat desolate when compared to 5 or 6. Having much of the game take place on a deserted ship does more to introduce scares to Resident Evil than we’ve seen in a decade. There are a few other staples here too, such as bonus weapons being unlocked depending on clear conditions, and the presence of Raid Mode being a throwback to classic Mercenaries.

After beating the game, some players may elect to replay on a higher difficulty setting, or choose the New Game+ option to carry over equipment. Another option for people who enjoy the combat is Raid Mode. Unlike RE 4 5 and 6’s Mercenaries mode, Raid Mode has a more decidedly linear feel, as compared to the priors sprawling arena modes. Chapters from the main game are reformatted to create challenge runs to get to the end of the level, all while encounter more and tougher enemies. An overarching RPG system is present while in Raid Mode: Your profile will gain levels, you’ll unlock currency to buy more weapons and upgrades, and you’ll unlock more characters to play with, each with their own unique traits and abilities. Raid Mode also allows for online co-op play as well. This has probably the most substantial that a bonus mode has ever been in a Resident Evil game, and really helps to create some longevity for the title as a whole.

Raid Mode adds a lot of replay value and ups the combat by a considerable degree

At the end of the day, I’m sort of hard pressed to say if I recommend Revelations. The game feels better paced and and enjoyable than the mediocre 6, but doesn’t really innovate to make it better than 4 or 5. Plus, It still feels like a portable side-story than main numbered franchise. If you desperately need your Biohazard fix, it’s not a bad place to look, especially discounted at $50. Worth a rental at the least to see if this is your bag, but I wouldn’t hold it against anyone for skipping.

The Future of Used Games?

Hey everyone, I thought I would start off today by bringing up a topic that has gotten a lot of attention since the unveiling of the Xbox one, or as we've come to call it the Xbone. The topic I am talking about is of course the concern of the longevity that used games have. Buying used games has always been a nice alternative to people who own consoles to buy a game that they aren't sure about and play it at a discounted price. If the game isn't up to the gamer's particular standards they can trade it back in. It seems like a simple process however: the inclusion of online passes, retailer versus developer and publisher income, always online drm, day one dlc, pre-order bonuses etc. has made the process more tedious and more questionable as to what is and isn't acceptable from all ends of the business. Recently it was revealed that the Xbox one would, this rumor hasn't been confirmed or denied, put up a pay wall to actively block the ability to buy or rent used games. As a direct result many gamers have taken issue with Microsoft's new policy and currently there are petitions and tweets going toward Sony and it's employees from gamers pushing them to not go forward with their used game detection system on the PlayStation 4.

 I am against the banning and blocking of used game sales but two of my favorite game journalists have directly opposing views on the matter. Totalbiscuit has recently made two videos explaining and arguing his viewpoint that used games are something that hurts publishers, their developers and need to be done away with. On the other hand Jimquisition has also put out a video recently, although he has addressed this issue many times in the past, stating how killing the used game market would ultimately carry negative repercussions to game industry and how it is wrong to block used games. I was curious what people think about this situation. Both videos are right here, Biscuit first and Jim second.

Summercast - 5/28/13

The first in what will hopefully be a summer podcast series.  On the couch is myself, DJ and Trey, as we go to town on the Xbox One.  Music is "Days of Summer V2" from the Thieves of Fate OC Remix Album

-=Download Podcast=-

Angry Joe's Xbox One rant

One of the funnier opinions about the upcoming console the Xbox one. They don't call him Angry Joe for nothing.

Cast photos for VGR

 

 

Super late post, but here's a look at UNCG's Radio booth where VGR was done for the spring.

Xbox One: presentation afterthoughts

It’s been roughly two days since the unveiling of the Xbox One, just enough time to let the announcement be processed and consumed by most around the net.  Interpretations by most have not been favorable to say the least.  While some may claim it to be a typical case of the gaming media being in an echo chamber of negativity, it all keeps coming back around to a very simple truth of the press conference itself:

The announcement was not for gamers.

In some ways this isn’t surprising.  We’ve seen the Xbox 360 shift its intended usage from blade-swapping game machine to blocky ad-delivery Netflix box.  The Xbox One continues Microsoft’s grand plan to dominate and control every facet of media in the living room, hoping that one day all consumers will have open floor space for their cameras whilst you integrate your surface to whatever smartglass app happens to coincide with the program on the screen.  It’s an ambitious goal for sure.  But for hardcore gamers and even mild gamer aficionados alike, this isn’t what we want to hear.

Hard to think I’d quote John Riccitiello, but his recent article at Kotaku says it best:

“The first and most obvious of these pitfalls is if Sony or Microsoft forgets who brought them to the dance in the first place. Gamers.”

At this time, the only attractive features gamers have seen about this console is the console specs, which end up being largely in line with Sony’s PS4 and dwarfing the WiiU, all standard stuff like an 8 core cpu with a 64-bit architecture, 8 gigs of ram, an AMD gpu, 500 gigs of onboard storage, etc.  This and an actual look at the box and controller all are positives in the books for gamers, but thats about it when it comes to the presentation.  Everything else being shown off if you go back and look at the conference are exclusive deals for TV content and Kinect functionality.  

What’s been worse has been almost all the info being presented after the conference that Microsoft of course would not present up front.  Always Online isn’t as bad as was speculated, like kicking you out of a game if the connection drops, but the Xbox One does need to check in online, what’s being speculated at least once every 24 hours.  Used games are somewhere between a small licensing fee and having to rebuy the entire game every time.  Live accounts still have a premium feature, which does share over the One and 360, but will no doubt be required for online gaming and probably other online services like Netflix.  Kinect is bundled with every system and is required to use the console, and will always be on, even if the console isn’t in use.

All of these “features” just serve to fragment the consumer base for a new console.  Gamers would rather see software.  Software is what sells a system, and Forza, Call of Duty and Quantum Break aren’t nearly enough to sell this monolith on its own.  The onus is now on Microsoft to make a phenomenal presentation at E3 in terms.  Comparatively,  Sony is still riding a wave of goodwill of presenting first, as well as advertise the ease of publishing for third-party devs and indie publishers.  Rest assured,  E3 this year will be very interesting, as we haven’t seen a true presentation for a new console generation for years now.

If I had to make a choice now though, Sony is looking far more attractive than Microsoft.

Bioshock Infinite Retrospective

Here's a quick retrospective of Bioshock: Infinite that some of our VGR and Pixel Loadout people help me put together for school.  Spoilers ensue, so make sure you've played the game.

VGR - Season 1 Finale

Well, it's the end of our first season of shows, but we go out with a bang by having Trey, DJ, Miguel and Ren in the studio, as we play some of the best music from our theme shows, as well as some new tracks to boot.  We also roundtable Nintendo's decision to go on hiatus at E3.

I'd like to take this chance to thank everybody who's listened, supported, and guest hosted on the show this spring,  I couldn't have done this without all your help.  I'm hoping to be able to get a 2nd season going soon, but for now, we'll be taking a break for a while.  Make sure to check back soon for more details.

-=Download Season 1 Finale=-

VGR - Rise of the Talkshow

We try something a little different this week and put some talk show into your music show.  It's me, Trey and DJ, talking about always online, violence in video games and review Injustice.

-=Download Rise of the Talkshow=-

VGR - Fighting Show

Time to show me yo moves and get in some sonic booms as we check out the best music from fighting games, while we contemplate that eternal question:  is there anything that Guile's theme doesn't go with?

-=Download Fighting Show=-

VGR - Indie Show

Trey and I delve into the best tunes from our favorite indie games.  From the lowly chiptune to majestic orchestras, it truly is an exciting time for independent developers and consumers alike

-= Download Indie Show =-

VGR - Megaman

It's me and Trey this week, covering the best of Capcom's Blue Bomber: Megaman!  Lots of great remixes, as well as a modern day rock opera by the Protomen.

-=Download Megaman Show=-

Lookin' Good - Transistor

Fresh from PAX East 2013, Supergiant Games, makers of 2011's Bastion, bring back their influential stylings visual flair for game design.  This time around, Transistor tackles a Sci-fi setting with heavy RPG and tactic elements.  Looks super exciting.  Totalbiscut has a great extended look as to what this game is all about.  Check it out:

VGR - Zelda and Smash Bros Show

Double update this weekend (since I missed the last).  We finish up Nintendo Month with the best tunes from The Legend of Zelda and Smash Bros. (aka every other awesome Nintendo remix I can find)

-=Download Zelda Show=-


-=Download Smash Bros. Show=-

Best Stuff on the Net - Ken Levine BAFTA Q&A

For everybody excited about the upcoming BioShock Infinite, you won't want to miss this.  Over the course of nearly 2 hours, Levine details the process of how the team at Irrational Games came to realizing Elizabeth, as well as details of his own personal history.  Fascinating stuff.

VGR - Metroid Show

Nintendo month continues with music from Metroid.  All remixes this show, so special thanks to OCRemix.org and Stemage

-=Download Show=-

VGR - Mario Show

VGR kicks off Nintendo Month in March with the best music from the Mario Franchise.  Join me, Trey and Kunal as we take a huge nostalgia trip through some of Koji Kondo's most well known tunes

-=Download Mario Show=-

VGR triple show post (Suikoden, Fallout & Sci-fi)

Been a busy few weeks guys, so I've missed a few VGR posts on the blog, but now is your chance to catch 3 fantastic shows.  Trey spearheads a great look into the universe of Suikoden, we take an hour to chill to the sounds of the Fallout Universe, and wrap it up today with a bunch of other great sci-fi tunes:

-=Download Suikoden Show=-



-=Download Fallout Show=-



-=Download Sci-fi Show=-

Fallout: New Vegas Documentary

So currently, I'm working on a sort of close-up look at Fallout: New Vegas, one of my favorite games from 2010.  Currently, I'm up to part 3 of this sort of retrospective, and hope to be putting out new parts ever week or so.  Take a look and tell me what you think.  Click the link below to go to the playlist:

-=Fallout: New Vegas Documentary=-