Episode 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?”

0 thoughts on “Episode 359: Longtime Listener”

  1. Did someone say Yoga? I have returned from my deep educational derangement, securing my graduation and unemployment. Now that I am a professional vagabond with a smexy new Xbox One, I will dedicate more time to gaming and ultimately this podcast. Don’t go Paul. Here is some love. Manly comrad-like non-platonic love.

    @Non-tangible gaming

    I purchased the Xbox One Titanfall bundle and had to endure a 4 hour download of the game. I fully understand why console gaming is still disk based. On the other hand, my Steam library has 170 titles which I can download at high speed at a moments notice. Until my Xbox can pull off that kind of performance at Steam like prices, I don’t think I will download that many console games. I have loads of digital PS3 titles for that very reason.

    @Gaming conventions

    Never been to one purely dedicated to a single game. Never really been that dedicated to just one game. Here in UK it’s rare to find a gaming convention at all. Even major events tend to skip out a year or two. I know there are some dedicated communities in London but it’s easier to buy weaponised uranium then to find one. However, if I could ever go to one, it would most likely be about Elder Scrolls or Halo.

    PS: City of Heroes was made in the dark days of gaming when homophobia was supreme and untraditional sexual orientation was frowned upon. Allowing a city full of adolescent boys running around in coloured briefs would be marketing suicide. It’s quite amusing. Since then homosexuality went mainstream and even became a marketing selling point for some games. It’s only a matter of time until you can create a transgender 5th generation foxkin character in an RPG.

  2. Another good episode guys and I’m glad you enjoyed the Princess Bride reference.

    @Console Digital gaming: I’m all for this as I really do enjoy not having to worry about where disks are. I have quite a few in digital format on my PS3.

    @Sims4: I agree with Jonah, it’s one thing to re-write the mechanic on how something works in a game like with Civ V’s Espionage and Religion being vastly different to how it worked in previous games. To just stripping out features that you know will be repackaged into a expansion pack not looking much different or better for it’s delay. All the things that have been left out has had us feel like we’re going back to Sims 1.

    @Youtube offline: Hey if they want to give me free music who am I to complain? heh

    @QotW: I almost went to a Minecon in Orlando since that’s near to where I live. However it was really hard to get tickets. They sold them in groupings of 3k and they all went in seconds. Freaking jackals.

  3. heyaaaaa xD after 2 years lol downloading an episode here feels like a trip to memory lane haha not sure if u remember me xD

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Post

TD Gaming Podcast 92: Apples to RaisinsTD Gaming Podcast 92: Apples to Raisins

This weeks gaming podcast covers some fun hot news topics and a gaming flashback of ClayFighter. We also cover a bit of the history on Vicarious Visions some game news, including:

We’re also asking the question, is the Sony decision to NOT drop the price of the PlayStation 3 for the holiday a big mistake?

New Australian R18+ Proposal DraftedNew Australian R18+ Proposal Drafted

A new draft of the R18+ classification has been released by home minister Brendan O’Connor through the Australian Federal Government. The new guidelines closely match those in place for Australia’s film industry. The new R18+ rating removes restrictions on bad language, drug use and nudity; in contrast, the current guidelines forbade the classification of any adult-themed games.

O’Connor’s draft claims that the R18+ rating will allow “virtually no restrictions on the treatment of themes”, and violence in games “except where it offends against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that it should not be classified.” As far as sex, the draft says, “Sexual activity may be realistically simulated. The general rule is ‘simulation, yes – the real thing, no'”.

Of course, “standards of morality, decency and propriety” is still troublesomely subjective, while “simulation, yes, the real thing, no” is comicly inept for videogames, where everything is simulation. You may be able to tell when live actors are actually performing sexual acts, but when can you tell a videogame character is actually having sex?

O’Connor stated:

“The Gillard government wants to provide better guidance for parents and remove unsuitable material from children and teenagers. The introduction of an R18+ classification will help achieve that and will also bring Australia into line with comparable nations. This issue has been on the table for many years, without the necessary progress to make a change. We’ve recently seen several states publicly express their support for an adult only rating for games and I’m keen to reach a unanimous decision at the July meeting.”

Rather than banning games, why not punish stores for selling mature games to underage children? Or put the onus of raising children on the parents?

Episode 253: Future GenerationEpisode 253: Future Generation

This week, Paul is still not available, which is unfortunate, since the Gaming Flashback is the classic DuckTales for the NES. There’s also a bunch of scintillating news items including:

  • Pachter: Nintendo “Blew It” With Wii U, “In Disarray”
  • Bethesda hiring talent for Xbox 720, PlayStation 4 game
  • EA reveals Mass Effect 3 preorders well ahead of Mass Effect 2‘s
  • Pachter: Next generation Sony and Microsoft consoles will have 4GB SKU
  • Sony filed patent For Kinect-like motion device
  • PSN Minis not working on Vita

We also reveal the winner of the Pixie Diamonds contest.