Gaming Podcast 117: Grinding My Neighbors Pug?

This week we’re taking a stroll down memory lane of Deus Ex, hitting up some information about Warren Spector and crashing through some good game news including:

  • podcast-200x200New Guitar Hero Game a “best of” compilation.
  • Latest DLC for Fallout 3, not working so well.
  • New Linux based gaming console.
  • PS3 Outsells Nintendo Wii in Japan.
  • Sony Gets Snippy about DSi.
  • Rumor: Mortal Kombat Devs Leaving Midway.

Of course, we forgot our Question of the Week, so let’s ask it now: How many bad/buggy patches and content updates would you accept before you give up on the developer? Ton’s of great comments this week, hopefully you’ll remember to answer the question we forgot to ask in the show.

Also, check out the show if you’ve got a PS2 and want two volumes of Popcap’s casual games, as we’re looking to give them away.

0 thoughts on “Gaming Podcast 117: Grinding My Neighbors Pug?”

  1. The most attractive aspect of Deus Ex was the dialogue and philosophy. It featured such dialogue like: “The human being created civilization not because of willingness but of a need to be assimilated into higher orders of structure and meaning.” and “When government surveillance and intimidation is called ‘freedom from terrorism’ or ‘liberation from crime’, freedom and liberty have become words without meanings.” Keep in mind this was pre-9/11, and part of the plot revolved around the bombing of the Statue of Liberty.

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Episode 359: Longtime ListenerEpisode 359: Longtime Listener

The podcast is back, albeit on a Saturday instead of the usual Friday. No Gaming Flashback or Gaming History, but a good chunk of news, though some of it only tenuously connected to videogaming.

The news this week includes:

  • T-Mobile now offers app that unlocks your smartphone
  • Analyst: Downloadable titles make up 92% of PC games market
  • Driveclub was delayed due to a ‘huge technical issue,’ says Yoshida
  • NHL 15 will be missing some features on Xbox One and PS4
  • YouTube subscription plan leaks: Offline play, no ads, 20 million songs

This week’s Question of the Week is based on the Minecraft convention scam from last week, which the podcast discusses, “Have you even attended a convention devoted to a game?”

Kids with ADHD Are Benefiting from Casual GamesKids with ADHD Are Benefiting from Casual Games

Popcap does some pretty interesting surveys and their latest one is no different. Their finding kids with ADHD are benefiting from playing casual games. The idea makes a bit of sense if you watch your children playing video games.

While TV viewing is very non-interactive video games light your brain on fire with thought. Besides the obvious “brain games” Nintendo releases, casual games in general, seems to build some great skills for those with ADHD and, more than likely, everyone who games. Aside from games, products like CBD UK can be great when it comes to mood enhancements.

Seattle, Washington – July 16, 2008 – The very first account of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) was written in 1845 by Dr. Heinrich Hoffman, author of numerous books on medicine, psychiatry and children’s poetry. Though the disorder wasn’t “discovered” until 1902, Hoffman’s “The Story of Fidgety Philip” is universally accepted as the first illustrated description of ADHD. The good news is, the disorder has been around a long long time, and though difficult, the challenges of raising an ADHD child are not insurmountable. The better news is that according to a first-of-its-kind survey conducted by Information Solutions Group on behalf of PopCap Games, certain types of video games appear to have a therapeutic affect on the disorder, lessening symptoms and helping kids focus. And the best news? Kids love this form of therapy!

The games in question are family-friendly word and puzzle games known as “casual” video games that can be played on computers, video game consoles and mobile devices. Joe P. of Athens, Georgia, father of a child diagnosed with ADHD, writes in response to the survey, “He seems more relaxed and calm. We have also noticed after playing games, he can concentrate on school materials such as math, in which he has the biggest struggle, and not get frustrated with problems he doesn’t understand.” And Joanna G. of Oakland CA, a mother of four whose youngest daughter suffers with ADHD and SID (Sensory Integration Disorder), claims that all her kids enjoy the games and are calmer because they have control over something. She believes this is because “they are able to extend the time they can be focused and productive without problems and putdowns and feeling badly about themselves or being made fun of.”

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Gaming Flashback: MystGaming Flashback: Myst

Myst was published by Brøderbund Software, developed by Cyan Worlds and created by two brothers that did the design and directed the game (it was, much like a movie).

The original game was released on the Macintosh (in 1993) and then later ported to Microsoft Windows and Sega Saturn, PlayStation, Jaguar CD, AmigaOS, CD-i, 3DO, PlayStation Portable, and Nintendo DS.

Myst puts the player in the role of the Stranger, who uses an enchanted book to travel to the island of Myst. There, the player uses other special books written by an artisan and explorer named Atrus to travel to several worlds known as “Ages”. Clues found in each of these Ages help reveal the back-story of the game’s characters. The game has several endings, depending on the course of action the player takes.” (wikipedia)

The game was a success, no doubt, and was considered the best selling PC game of all time until TheSims dethroned it. Besides mind blowing graphics, at the time, Myst helped move the game and PC industry along by selling CDROM’s. The game required a CDROM, which was rare at the time, and I recall them bundling Myst with some CDROMS or hyping it as “you need a CDROM so you can play Myst.” On more than one occasion when a person game to me asking what they should get to show off their new (costly) CDROM I would say “you need to try Myst.”

The gameplay of Myst consists of a first-person journey through an interactive world. The player moves the character by clicking on locations shown in the main display; the scene then crossfades into another frame, and the player can continue to explore. Players can interact with specific objects on some screens by clicking or dragging them(wikipedia)

Franchise sales: 12-million copies (first Myst game alone in the franchise, 6-million), pretty impressive eh?

You don’t have to be a huge Myst fan to know how it changed the industry, grew the medium of CD-based games and entertained millions. A real gamers thinking game!

To hear our full impression of Myst, checkout the TD Gaming Podcast Episode 77.