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.