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Episode 378: Hilary 2015Episode 378: Hilary 2015

February 20, 2015| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 12:21 am

This week has a very special guest, former IGN editor and current Dog and Thimble podcast host Hilary Goldstein, as he teams up with Paul to razz Jonah incessantly, as well as add a certain amount of NSFW spice to this week’s proceedings.

The news items include:

Rock Band DLC hints at a comeback
Sony appears to have ‘abandoned’ its trademark for The Last Guardian
Final Fantasy 15: Episode Duscae demo detailed
Nvidia’s big March 3rd event – is it a gaming phone?
After raising $114,000 on Kickstarter, dev goes silent
BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk has come back from retirement

All this and Listener Feedback.

Episode 375: And We’re BackEpisode 375: And We’re Back

January 25, 2015| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 9:44 pm

After a problematic week, Episode 375 is now up, with tons of news. So much that there’s no room for a Gaming Flashback or a Gaming History.

The news includes:

Joystiq no longer scoring” reviews
New Harmonix survey points to Rock Band 4
Hatred gets an AO rating in US
Disney, Activision both claim landslide victory in toys-to-life category
Microsoft maintaining $349 price point on Xbox Ones
Windows 10 includes in-home game streaming from Xbox One

This week’s Question of the Week: “What, if any, was your favorite part of Rock Band?”

Episode 262: But Not a Dollar ShortEpisode 262: But Not a Dollar Short

May 9, 2012| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 1:11 am

Episode 262 may be a week late, but it’s definitely chock full ‘o podcast goodness, as the full crew rambles on and off subject about this and that. This week’s Gaming Flashback is the old coin-op arcade game Star Castle while begat Yars’ Revenge, with a twist ending to the classic game’s tale.

This week’s news items include:

EA deals with Rock Band iOS debacle
Microsoft “banned” in Germany
Analyst predicts 3.5M sales of Diablo III in first year of release
Report: Next Xbox already in production

All that, plus Reader Feedback and the Question of the Week, “What Kickstarter project have you backed or are most interested in buying?”

The Beatle’s Change Wii Price Point, Rock Band StyleThe Beatle’s Change Wii Price Point, Rock Band Style

March 8, 2009| schommer| 0 Comment| 10:18 am

By now everyone is used to paying more for Rock Band than meets the eye. The game disc is usually packed in several bundles for guitars, drums and, of course, stand alone. With The Beatles: Rock Band, MTV Games plans to release one product SKU, a game only disc. That game only disc, on the Wii is going to cost the same as other consoles: $59.99.

beatles You remember when Wii games were $49.99 and everyone made titles that hit this price point or lower? MTV isn’t going to stick to this standard, regardless of “last gen graphics” because you’ll buy it anyway, right? Rock Band is one of those games that has hit huge strides in the market over the last few years as people buy big plastic instruments to rock their house.

Now we’re going to see if those same people willing to pay $10.00 more than normal in order to play The Beatles songs. The Wii has a large audience of gamers but they’re the style of gamer that wants a good value for their product, after all, the Wii is cheaper than every other console and the games probably should match its differences compared to games for the other consoles.

This is an interesting decision, as the market plunges into despair MTV gouges games for $10.00 more because “The Beatles” happens to be in the title. Are you going to pay more for the Beatles? Not us.

(Thanks, 1up)

Rhythm Gaming Saturation Point?Rhythm Gaming Saturation Point?

November 18, 2008| schommer| 0 Comment| 11:50 am

Rhythm Gaming is all the rage, or is it? Turns out Guitar Hero: World Tour didn’t meet or exceed the figures they hit with Guitar Hero III. Where GH3 brought in $115 million in the first week, GHWT brought in $67 million in the same time frame.

Why?

There are plenty of factors that could cut down the sales units, considering those that can purchase Guitar Hero World Tour don’t have to purchase additional instruments to play the game like they played GH3.

Rock Band 2: This game arrived before Guitar Hero 3 and folks went for this game instead because it was first to launch. Some gamers have to make a choice on which to purchase because they can’t buy both.
Hot Games: Although Rhythm gaming can be fun, a lot of great games are arriving this season so gamers have to make some big decisions.
Economics: The economy isn’t exactly thriving right now and retail outlets are already predicting less than stellar numbers.
Saturation: Since the original Guitar Hero game, we’ve had a number of titles from Activision including their Aerosmith edition and Harmonix pulling out Rock Band and Rock Band 2. There is talk of a Hendrix version and a Metallic release – how much is too much?

We know people love charts, so here is another to toss at you via Kotaku:

Guitar Hero World Tour Sales, via Kotaku

The break down from Guitar Hero 3 to World Tour is obvious, also apparent is the shift in console when buying into the rhythm gaming franchises. The Wii has started taking more market share, odd considering the DLC isn’t there, and the PS3 is showing its lackluster sales of the console by growing in proportion but not excelling to grab huge share (PS3 fanboys attack!). Sony kicked ass by taking control of the share using their PlayStation 2 with Guitar Hero 3, but has lost that lead for the World Tour.

Will these lower sales figure change the future roadmap for Activision in their Guitar Hero franchise or are they satisfied taking home $67 million in the first week of the launch. That is still a lot of money and probably doesn’t even consider any money they could (or will) potentially make on the World Tour hardware.

Luckily, the rhythm gaming content doesn’t get old with age, it just gets more classic. No doubt Guitar Hero World Tour will be landing in homes over the holidays and into 2009.

Broken RockBand 2 Drum Pads, Best Buy RetardedBroken RockBand 2 Drum Pads, Best Buy Retarded

October 31, 2008| schommer| 0 Comment| 10:07 am

We purchased Rock Band 2 and the Drum Kit on the week of launch, having played on the drums for about a month we’ve already broke them. This time, however, it’s not the foot pedal, but the blue and yellow drum heads, now having smashed little holes in the center.

It’s not abuse when the object of the game is to hit the pads with sticks, right? Hopefully not, as we’re not the first to beat the pads to the breaking point using standard pressure and part-time play. In the full month we’ve had little time to really rock out with Rock Band 2 but we play when we can. It seems a bit early to already have blown out the pads.

The issue is simple: the blue and yellow pads have a dent/hole under the rubber surface, pressing down on the pad allows you to easily feel the plastic “button” which executes the hit. The middle of these two pads can be seen sunk in while the red pads center is popping up as if the rubber has let go from the surface and risen. Needless to say, the “bounce back” on the pads was gone.

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Rock Band 2 DLC For WiiRock Band 2 DLC For Wii

October 3, 2008| schommer| 0 Comment| 9:03 am

Although it’s cute to say, the truth of the matter is this: Rock Band 2 for the Wii has DLC. We’re talking full online downloadable content matching the behavior of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Why is this significant?

The Wii has been the bastard child of rhythm music playing since its inception. If you’ve got the Wii and one of the other consoles (sans PS2) you’re probably more likely to purchase for the 360 or PS3 because you can extend the game with great downloadable songs. Breathing new life into your console one dollar at a time can be a life saver if you don’t typically buy a lot of games; let’s face it, Wii gamers don’t buy a lot of games.

This news also brings on the announcement of real online play like the other consoles. The Wii will have online play matching that of the 360 and PS3; without the ability to talk to your fellow band mates we’re guessing. Is it fun to play in a band with a bunch of mutes? Better than nothing I guess.

This begs the question, how will it store all the DLC? As a Rock Band addict I must admit to having several hundred megabytes of downloadabe songs. Will this be all resident on the SD card? We also wonder, will this allow us to play Rock Band DLC on our DSi sometime in the future?

(Thanks, Kotaku)

Rock Band 2: Free DLCRock Band 2: Free DLC

October 1, 2008| schommer| 0 Comment| 12:57 pm

If you purchased Rock Band 2 you’ll find you can download 20 free songs if you register at rockband.com. Unfortunately, for now, you can only register to get an e-mail when the offer goes “live.” This is one step more than we could do last week if we purchased Rock Band 2 and went to their website to register.

How do you know if you can register? It’s on the back of the instruction book… what, you didn’t know to look there? Well, it’s okay because you still can’t get your 20 free downloads. In the future, if you register, you’ll get an e-mail (someday) with the codes you’ll need to be able to get 20 free song downloads.

We’re still not finished the song tracks that exist in the game, plus our old DLC and we still haven’t exported (or purchased the “patch) the Rock Band 1 song tracks. So, for a few of us, knowing we’ll get 20 downloadable songs in the future is great news.

For those that didn’t know about this – check the back of the booklet and then go and register your e-mail address!

(Thanks, GameStooge)

AC/DC Signs For Rock Band Track PackAC/DC Signs For Rock Band Track Pack

September 30, 2008| schommer| 0 Comment| 12:36 pm

This November console gamers will be able to purchase a new Track Pack for Rock Band and Rock Band 2. While Activision’s Guitar Hero: Aerosmith sells over 1-million copies, MTV and Harmonix look to prove they too can push big numbers on exclusive artist packs.

Unlike Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Rock Band and Rock Band 2 are the core game engine and the track packs extend out the game with a bunch of new songs, in this case, AC/DC. Gamers who opt not to purchase the latest Rock Band 2 game still have access to AC/DC’s new tracks if they go to the store and buy them.

The trick? This is a Wal-Mart (and Sams Club) exclusive deal; you won’t find this track pack at another retailer.

“If you want to be a physical band, you better make an alliance with a strong physical retailer,” Columbia Records chairman Steve Barnett told the Times. “It’s a great way to sell the new album, the catalog, the game, merchandise and DVDs.”(gamespot)

This Track Pack contains 99 minutes of songs, the tracks include:

“Thunderstruck” “Shoot to Thrill”
“Back in Black “Hell Ain’t a Band Place to Be.”
“Heatseeker”
“Fire Your Guns”
“Jailbreak”
“The Jack” “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
“Moneytalks”
“Hell’s Bells”
“Whole Lotta Rosie”
“You Shook Me All Night Long”
“T.N.T.”
“Let There Be Rock”
“Highway to Hell”
“For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”

Will AC/DC do as well as Aerosmith? I’ve never been a big AC/DC fan, but then again, I didn’t buy into the Aerosmith product either, however, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith doesn’t include drumming…

(Thanks, GameSpot)

First Impressions: Rock Band 2 Drum KitFirst Impressions: Rock Band 2 Drum Kit

September 22, 2008| schommer| 0 Comment| 2:03 pm

Many Rock Band fans are considering the new Rock Band 2 drum kit, but are on the fence as to making the buy on the product. Some people want to feel it out first, see if it holds up better than the last one and is worth the buy more than just for the lowered decibel ratings.

As a huge fan of Rock Band and the original drum kit, there is a few key elements that make this a must have product if you’ve got USD $90.00 to throw around. Besides the future extendability with the snares, this kit shows off a lot of “lessons learned” by Harmonix.

Have you played the Rock Band drums on a hardwood floor? A subtle update to this kit adds little rubber feet, which we didn’t find on the original kit, allowing the kit to stay stationary after a long hard beating rather than skipping across the floor with each kick. Much more professional and well thought out update.

Have you busted your kick pedal? They’ve re-enforced the pedals with this release with a plate, screwed down to the pedal and much more polished and professional than the wooden ones people (like us) were buying on eBay.

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