Paul returns to the show to drown his sorrows in the discontinuation of a game series he loved, and the podcast ran so long it has to be split into two parts.
The first half of this podcast includes the following news items:
Stay tuned for Part 2.
Episode 425: Paul’s Return Part 1
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Episode 504: Very Very LateEpisode 504: Very Very Late
This week’s episode is very late thanks to Jonah having to prep for E3, which much of the podcast focuses on. There’s even a massive argument between Jonah and TJ about which film was better: Tron or Tron: Legacy, while Tron 2.0 gets its love as well. This week’s Gaming Flashback is Microsoft’s most popular JRPG, Blue Dragon.
The news items include:
- Capcom registers Devil May Cry 5 site, fueling E3 2018 rumors
- Ubisoft confirms E3 reveal of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Rumor: Microsoft to reveal three Gears of War games at E3
- Rumor: Rocksteady to announce a Superman game at E3
What do you expect from E3? Let us know.
Exclusive Artist Deals In Rhythm Games Not Good?Exclusive Artist Deals In Rhythm Games Not Good?
Rhythm games are the new FPS for a lot of gamers, a broader audience of gamers, and the market is thriving and demanding new titles. Harmonix and Activision are at the front of the battle with Konami following a bit behind but still contending (we think) very soon.
Each company plans to up each other with cooler instruments, tighter controls and new in-game options and multi-player fancies. It’s a business and each competitor tries to gain a lead by whatever means needed to win… or do they?
Harmonix stops short when it comes to purchasing exclusive rights to music artists, for now at least. Harmonix’s Eric Brosious went on blogger record saying, “We prefer not to sign exclusive deals with artists because while it seems like the competitive “business” thing to do, in the long run, it’s really not good for anyone. We think we should be working to get more music out to more people.” (kotaku)
As Marky Mark once said, we need “Music for the people” not for in-game exclusives making us choose between Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles. We’ve seen what EA has done to the football franchise by taking control of the NFL roster, money talks and the best game doesn’t always win.
If Activision decides to buy up a ton of great exclusive content and you’re a rock band gamer, you’ll lose out in a ton of great content. For some gamers, that might mean losing out in some artists you’ve never heard before which also means the artist loses out in new fans. We’ve seen younger gamers fall in love with the sounds of Boston and The Police, bands famous way before the birth of many of the Rock Band fan base.
You can tell Harmonix is a development group with roots in music while Activision is a development group with their roots in business. While exclusive access brings you an advantage, in terms of broadening the culture of music, it does very little. Harmonix may be in the right but will that matter in the end when business deals hit the table?
p.s. sorry about the Marky Mark reference, but it had to be done. Bringing out a bit of my own childhood there…
Episode 365: Pre-NYCCEpisode 365: Pre-NYCC
This podcast has been delayed a little thanks to New York Comic Con, but that’s a discussion for next week’s podcast. While there’s no Gaming Flashback or Gaming History, there’s a lot to discuss.
This week’s news:
- DICE: Battlefield 4 “absolutely” damaged player trust
- GamerGate pressures Intel into pulling ads over editorial
- Capcom: 2 million sales may be required for sequels
- Super Smash Bros. hints that Mario’s extra lives are clones.
There are three Questions of the Week this week, so listen in and figure out which one(s) you want to answer!