Jonah is in LA, TJ is at EVO, and who knows where Scott is.
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Episode 263: Play Alter EgoEpisode 263: Play Alter Ego
This week lacks Paul, but has plenty of good show, as Jordan refuses to believe in the magic of the old adventure game Alter Ego. This week’s game of the week is inspired by the Kickstarter reboot, as the gang discusses the classic Battle Chess.
As for the news:
- Aussie Diablo III preorders not getting refunded from GAME
- CliffyB praises Dark Souls multiplayer, urges Japanese devs to take notice
- Atari: Eden Studios not closed, Test Drive Unlimited 2 support still ongoing
- Bach: Sony’s mismanagement of PS3 led to Xbox successes
- Report: 38 Studios fighting to stay solvent
All this, plus Reader Feedback and the Question of the Week, “What is your favorite free-to-play game?”
Episode 475: Sterling ReviewsEpisode 475: Sterling Reviews
This week’s episode is 50% longer as the first 20 minutes or so are devoted to the reaction to Jim Sterling’s explosive review of Hellblade and his subsequent recanting later that day. This week has no Gaming Flashback or Gaming History, but there are six news items to make up for it.
The items include:
- EA talks about Nintendo Switch support
- Rainbow Six: Siege “Operation Blood Orchid” update launches August 29
- Myth-inspired RTS Deadhold charges into Early Access later this month
- No Man’s Sky “Atlas Rises” update adds story content and “limited” online co-op
- EA says Star Wars: Battlefront “lacked long-term goals”
- Moons of Madness is Lovecraftian horror on Mars
Let us know what you think.
2008: The Year of Sequels? Too Much Risk?2008: The Year of Sequels? Too Much Risk?
While compiling a list of games to respond to a user question on the TD Gaming Podcast, I’ve noticed something about this years gaming lineup: their mainly all sequels! Are there any new franchises taking a risk in the market or just more of the same? Some are not really “sequels” but spin-offs of the same franchise.
A few examples of some October time frame titles: Fable 2, Far Cry 2, Gears of War 2, Rock Band 2, C&C: Red Alert 3, Saints Row 2, Rayman Raving Rabbids 3, Tekken 6, Call of Duty 5, Guitar Hero World Tour, Tom Clancy End of War, Sing Star Vol 2 and others.
There are a few original titles: Afrika for the PlayStation 3, Little Big Planet (PS3) and Huxley (360 and PC). Most of the original franchise creations seem to be PlayStation 3 related, probably because the console needs some major hits to spur more sales.
Is the market so competitive and risky that new franchises are becoming a rare breed? Last year we saw Assassin’s Creed and before that Viva Pinata and Gears of War exclusive on the Xbox 360. Consider Viva Pinata a “slight” failure in terms of excitement and Gears of War a success, that’s 50/50 in terms of risk vs. reward.
