This is the last podcast of 2023, as the gang just talks about the year that was and the upcoming 2024 in a long, unscripted episode.
Episode 707: Goodbye 2023
Categories:
Related Post
Episode 431: Pokemon NO!Episode 431: Pokemon NO!
The past week has been rife with news about Pokemon GO! and all of the chaos the mobile game has caused around the world with people hunting creatures in museums and police stations. The podcast mostly avoids the craze.
The news this week includes:
- Fake Pokemon Go! apps could contain malware and force your phone to click on porn links
- Fraudsters force RimWorld dev to stop giving out Steam keys
- Bethesda defends $60 price tag for Skyrim Remastered
- Xbox One S arrives August 2
We also announce the winner of the contest.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Episode 324: Next-Generation ShowdownEpisode 324: Next-Generation Showdown
This week’s podcast has no Listener Feedback, and is sort of short because of it. However, in addition to the news items that were on script, there was the surprise news of how much Grand Theft Auto V cost to produce.
This week’s news includes:
- Xbox One gets November 22 launch date
- Each Xbox One to be sold at a profit
- PS4 only supports 4 controllers
- PS4 and Xbox One won’t support external hard drives for now
- Sony refunds Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn PSN purchases
This week’s Question of the Week asks if you’ve ever gotten a new version of the console you already owned.
Bejeweled Twist Launched, Casualites RejoiceBejeweled Twist Launched, Casualites Rejoice
After four years of development, Popcap lit up Seattle Monday night with the launch of Bejeweled Twist sparing no expense to show off their new casual game. It took four years to complete but Popcap isn’t going to release a game until it’s perfect. You won’t play it until they believe it is a game their mom would love.
“Popcap builds games for people, not demographics,” says CEO David Roberts. At the launch the founders, John Vechey, Brian Fiete and Jason Kapalka talked about the casual game market while the “Gem Girls” walked around looking sexy and flashy. Roberts talked about the casual game industry and forecasts it growing to become an $8 billion market — not too shabby for USD $19.99 games.
Downloads of Bejeweled, of course, show no signs of stopping and Popcap explained that 40% of their revenue comes from the old concepts of “Diamond Mine.” Phil Spencer, Microsoft Game Studios’ General Manager, hopped on stage and explained how Microsoft saw Popcap’s vision in their Diamond Mine flash game and suggested a rename to Bejeweled, the founders hated the name but took the big companies suggestion on the change.
Since then, we’ve had many folks attempt to clone and replicate the success in Popcap’s flagship product. Complete with open bar, Gem Girls, camera flashes and glitter this game launch shows the growing casual games industry the great power and momentum of “simple” casual games.
Nothing about Bejeweled Twist is simple. The game play of Bejeweled Twist aggregates all the knowledge Popcap has acquired over the last seven years to design one blockbuster title. From classic Bejeweled to Chuzzle to Peggle, the game takes pieces of each successful title and combines the game play, sounds, graphics and modes into a product that will bring casual gaming to a new level. Bejeweled Twist is going to be the new bar to reach in the industry in terms of addictive game play and a unified casual vision.
Stay tuned for the full review as we get deep into the full features of Bejeweled Twist. Special thanks to Dale North from Destructoid for hanging out for some drinks during the after party.