Due to half our cast going missing tomorrow night, we're prematurely recording this week's edition of Podtoid.
The upside? You get an episode of Podtoid a day early.The downside? You may be caught off-guard by this sudden lurching in our schedule, becoming so confused that as you try to come up with interesting questions or clever sonnets, you tumble into a sort of manic-depressive state from which you will never, ever escape.
This week's sonnet theme is "Jim versus a giraffe" -- you don't actually have to use that phrase, but ideally, whatever you create should be related to Jim Sterling competing against a giraffe.
In terms of actual episode content, we'll just be talking about random news stories with a potentially heavy emphasis on reader questions: not all that much happened this past week, so I will be subliminally relying on you, faithful listener, to provide us with great conversation fodder.
So, yeah -- we need questions and sonnets for tonight. Ask the greatest question, get $25, make the greatest sonnet, get it read aloud with sexy music backing by Naia the Gamer. Hit that jump and go to work.
Contest:
4:07 PM on 05.20.2008
| 
Who wins and why?
As for video game related stuff... I've been playing a lot of skate. lately, and I don't know if you guys have played any of it, but you certainly know that it trounced the last Tony Hawk game at retail, and it's largely attributed to the fact that it is much more realistic. However, if you play online, you face up against a few people who have learned exactly what is needed to be done to achieve scores ten times that which is normally achieved--they basically took the great skateboarding sim and turned it into an arcade experience.
It's not just that I'm frequently losing, but that they are doing things in the game that would just not be done in real life under any circumstances. For instance, stuff like doing a 360 inward heelflip to manual down a huge launch ramp just in order to increase their multiplier for the actual jump that they are trying to get points for. Anybody... ANYBODY who would try that in real life would fall, break some bones, and be laughed at for doing something really stupid.
Do I have a right to be upset over this?
To give a better discussion question: what do you see happening to the music game market now that Guitar Hero is matching Rock Band's musical selection and upping the ante with user-created content? And is there any chance for Konami's Rock Revolution (which has no vocals) to make a noticeable dent in the genre that they personally pioneered with their Bemani series of games?
Hmmm, on second thought...
For anyone that is interested in labeling me as an attention whore, here's some fodder: I made some cards for the Potoid crew here. Hope you guys like them!
Question!
On a previous episode a couple of you mentioned that you'd like to eventually get into game design. What facet of development do you think that you're likely to get into and if it's different, what would be your dream position on a development team?
Not-so-cereal question: Tazar dressed as Bridget. Best idea, or GREATEST idea ever? Come to PAX and see for yourself ;)
*most people
**not whine about
Will the industry turn into something that will have an award show, like the oscars? (Not something like the stupid Spike TV awards, but something that millions of people watch).
And will the petty trivial fanboyish debates stop as the game's industry moves forward into the future.
What will happen? (Besides Konami and Capcom making spin-off based on this idea alone.)
Interestingly enough this leads on to my second question.
Sega has more or less become far more publisher than developer with most of it's good games coming from semi-independent studios such as Creative Assembly (Rome:Total war).
Do you think Sega's in-house studios will ever regain their former quality.
Jimothy Sterling mounts his velociraptor and rides into the sunset,
Watching out for fanboys and the occasional cunt along the way,
With a bat in his right arm, and a caps lock key in his left,
He's ready and willing to fuck up his prey
As the sunset falls to dusk, the fanboys come out to attack
Armed with maladroit puns and egos full of hot air
Sterling, erudite in his ways, runs at them head on
Smashing heads and blinding evildoers with his monocle's glare
While the fanboys retreat, they leave their fallacies behind
And Sterling laughs with uproarious thunder
Until out comes the head of a huge fucking giraffe
With an apple in his mouth, and a neck like oily chunder
Jim promptly retreats, cowardly as could be
But it wasn't a giraffe, it was just crazy Jack T.
Fin.
What is that boss for each of the Podtoid crew? That one bastard that is nigh unbeatable, the one that you end up tearing your hair out in little clumps because it seems to run on the pure hatred you have for it, the one that takes half your health away by meerly looking at you and the rest by raping you with it's impossible attack partern.
That boss, what is it, who is it, when, where and how is it?
The DRM on Spore and Mass Effect for the PC was changed due to the negative backlash of the greater gaming community. Do you think we can harness this power for nefarious deeds?
Once this platform has been reached, will we still get games such as Okami, Pokemon, Killer 7 all with colorful or distinct art or will all the games be realistic looking. Or would that create a situation where the realistic games will cause unrealistic ones be thrown out the window?
The doors seem to be wide open for a certain plumber to come in and waggle all over the corpse...
Either way, we can already see some influences. I think its a good thing.
Jim Sterling relaxes in a tub, with a glass of Chardonnay
Adjusting his monocle to its proper fitting
When who comes crashing through the door but a huge giraffe
But Ol' Sterling just keeps on sitting.
The giraffe eats his food, and even breaks his computer,
He smashes up his Xbox and downloads porn to his Wii
The giraffe rips up his games, and replaces them with Two Worlds
But Jim just sits and sits, drinking quietly.
The giraffe burns down his home, but Jim keeps on relaxing
Jim won't get angry, the giraffe's had enough
He removes his costume, and turns out to be Jack T.
And he queries "Why the hell aren't you mad about your stuff?"
Jim calmly replies, "Its not even my house, but I do suggest you return to the zoo,
For when Workman returns and sees what you've done, well, he's just going to fucking end you."
Fin.
Safari Follies
On the savanna stood a tall giraffe
Oblivious to what fate had in store.
A man crept up behind her with a laugh,
Naked besides the gas mask which he wore.
He held a fishing rod which he did cast.
The hook hit the giraffe in its left knee.
The man, though large, was able to move fast.
He circled ‘round the beast, skipping with glee.
Giraffe just like an AT-AT walker fell.
The man knelt down beside her where she lie,
Held down her head and, I regret to tell,
He wanked and arced a load into her eye
Then cut her free and left her there, I fear,
To wash her eyes with extra salty tears.
Two stallions, each one of equal force.
One an exotic creature and strange pet,
The other, pretty much a long-necked horse.
The giraffe fearsomely stamped a hind-leg,
Its presence was swiftly felt to Sterling.
Emotions igniting like powder kegs,
The portly critic lashed out with a limb.
Jim’s wild kick found its mark as he had meant,
Stung by the blow, the giraffe roared with pain.
Leaning towards its foe with cruel intent,
Opening its mouth it bit at Jim’s vein.
Bleeding Jim spoke, his dying breath he drew:
“I ride a bicycle better than you.”
Question 2: There are a slew of new fighters coming out. Which one grabs your attention the most?
Question 3: In the wake of the Haze announcement, does true 720p matter?
Question 4: Do you think MS expanding their size limitations on XBLA is because of Capcom directly? Will this change the quality of games in the arcade?
Have the big 3 shot themselves in the foot in regards to storage? Because right now their proposed solutions (erase games, re-download if you want to play them again, or grab a bigger HDD) is not exactly consumer-friendly.
It also kills the spontaneity of playing a game that hasn't been played in a while; oops, gotta re-download/reinstall.
Whaddaya think?
As Wardrox pointed out in his comment, the basic conclusion was that the manufacturers used some potentially harmful chemicals that could have been replaced with something else.
Is this a case of finger-pointing bandwagoning, or is it a useful study?
I propose it is both.
Like a foolish fool of foolishness who would be so foolish as to post so many foolish questions.
So, you've won guy. Here, take my battered and bruised spirit and enthusiasm. It's right here in this Tic Tac container, along with my ego, my masculinity, and my copy of Bomberman Act Zero for the 360.
Im kidding.....I didn't buy Bomberman.
So no Drollroll this week, I swear it.
This is a jaded question, but how do you deal with the legions of gaming idiots?
Whenever I feeling paticulerly masochistic, I'll go onto message boards about the review of a controversial title, and I can slowly feel the life being drained out of my fingertips.
I've been looking at early forum posts commenting on the lousy reviews of Haze, and seeing desperate men trying to justify their wasted 60 dollars, seeing console fanboys calling the game a victory or defeat for one "team" or the other.... It makes me wonder if the so called "hardcore" are just going to drown in their own bile and spite.
As members of the gaming media, how are you able to reconcile the madness of the message boards, and do you have any tips to help the rest of us?
Also, It's not really my place to call anyone out, but JIM! What the hell were you thinking sending your article on the good aspects of GTA to that jerk lawyer? That guy feeds off of noteriety and attention! The only way to keep that jerk from having any kind of influence is by ignoring him all together! Don't send him articles, don't invite him to be on podcasts, don't even give him the time of day! JT has been romanticized by gamers into being this giant idiot dedicated to destroying an industry he doesn't really understand, but even THAT gives the jerk too much credit and too much prominence in the industry. Surely the best way to deal with him is to not even dignify his ass-ness with a response! Ignore him and he'll find another medium to moralize! Right?
Also, does the delay highlight the fact that Nintendo really doesn't have a strong line-up on the Wii right now? On the 360, this might be a mere annoyance and a footnote, but on the Wii, it takes away one of their biggest titles... at least among what they've announced so far.
Arcades games
Can they walk at all,
Or if they moves will they fall?
"are they alive or dead?"
are my thoughts within my head.
We'll just pass them there,
Why should we even care?
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/black+sabbath/iron+man_20019426.html
Also if you put Justin Bailey in the Metal Gear Name Generator it come out as Gigantic Giraffe.
http://www.metalgearnamegenerator.com/
Foolishly Foolish Pheonix Fool Wright reference FT-Fooling-W
@Podtoid Crew
Is it possible to make a good movie-based game without years of nostalgia and fan loyalty to the actual movie (Read: The Warriors was good, why can't other movie based games be good?)
Take Castlevania and, more specifically, its 'Metroidvania' execution. With the exception of the sub-par 3D Castlevania's, this has been the standard for the last 7 or 8 iterations. After the release of 'Order of Ecclesia', how much longer can Konami expect to keep to the same formula without it becoming repetitive? How many other ways can Castlevania be presented other than an RPG-lite adventure? The same goes for Mario, Metroid, Zelda, basically any long running series.
Essentially, can these games possibly provide a new kind of experience or do you think we're gonna be stuck doing the same basic things with these franchises?
I thought of this question while playing Dark Sector:
Would you prefer a game to try something new or polish up and improve old game mechanics? And don't worry I'm not planning anything devious with this question.
Or am I?
That's just it, you won't know until it's too late and your pathetic little lives are destroyed. I failed to tear you apart last week, but I will triumph some day. And once Podtoid is destroyed, I will move from podcast to podcast like a cancer until the blogocube is mine! HAHAHAHAHA!!!
just failing today
Also, if Aaron hates all video games because of the n64, why do you continue to have him on podtoid??
Violets are blue
Jim versus a giraffe
Please answer these questions seriously, as these are serious questions.
Jim Sterling IS Giraffestalker. He just hangs out up there until unsuspecting giraffes happen by.. it's no contest, really. Giraffes are weak to brick.
Unfortunately, I'm moving out next week, so you might not get a drawin' then.. but we'll see.
I know there have been these "Gamer Days" in their place but I can imagine it must be more of a pain in the ass for journalists since they are in different times and locations. Do you guys find them more convenient or more annoying?