Podcast for 07.28.08 | Intermission

posted by Chris on July 28, 2008 8:56 PM in Podcast

We'll, uhh... be back next week.

download now

Read More: Grateful Dead , podcast , the future , what?

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Welcome to the World of Tomorrow!

posted by Grant on July 25, 2007 5:34 PM in Rant

Have you ever stop to think about how we got where we are today? I mean, as in a gaming context. Seriously, it's really quite incredible to sit down and ponder on the evolution of video games. And I'm not just talking super pretty graphics, though they are definitely not to be excluded.

Think about it. No other entertainment medium has changed so much over such a short period of time. Music has a huge variety of sounds and styles to offer, but it's literally been around for thousands upon thousands of years in one form or another. The way it's played and how we are able to hear it have changed a bit, but it still pretty much just comes down to the performer and the listener. Books are still books. You read them. There are a variety of styles and genres, but you still read them. I could go on, but you get the picture.

However, in the scant few decades that video games have existed, massive sweeping changes have occurred over and over again. It's not just what they look like that has changed. It's how we play them, who we play them with, when and where we can enjoy them, what kind of games they are, and why we play them. Back when you were playing some PacMan at a bar or arcade, or when you were sitting on your living room floor, stomping on Goombas, did you really have any inkling at all at how much was possible for the future of video games? I'm sure some of you did, because you're making those games right now.

We may not have flying cars, but we're living in the friggin' future here, people.

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Read More: complicated , different , evolve , friends , how , learning , play , simple , thinking , unique , video games , what , when , where , who , why

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New Crystal Chronicles: I'm worried

posted by Grant on May 26, 2007 12:10 AM in Rant

So there's a new trailer for the new Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles game for the Wii that has been released to the internet.

Go ahead on over to the site and check it out. I'll wait here.

Ok, you back yet? Is it just me or is it just amazingly underwhelming? C'mon Squenix, what the hell? This looks absolutely nothing like the pure golden god that was the first Crystal Chronicles. That game was pretty, had a unique artistic approach, and was craptons of fun to play for you and your friends. This new incarnation of the series looks like it has completely lost the heart and soul of the original. The color scheme is all off with graphics that look pretty sterile and typical, there is way too much advanced technology, and it looks like it's only single player.

From the very beginning of the trailer, when it started playing the traditional FF prologue theme, I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. The previous CC game never featured that theme. This trailer's music has a full orchestra and not the sweet ancient instruments featured in the previous game.

The previous CC really shared little in common with the rest of the FF franchise other than spell names and moogles. If you're gonna go that direction with a series and the game is sucessful enough to warrant a sequel, why the hell would you take out everything that made it successful?

Jeez.

Read More: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles , Rick Astley , sequel , SquareEnix , what? , Wii

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Mario + Sonic in super lame sounding game

posted by Chris on March 28, 2007 9:02 AM in Games

I have no idea who came up with the brilliant (sarcasm) idea to tag Mario and Sonic onto some cheesy Olympics title, but they should get a pat on the back. Make it a really hard pat, so it bruises. SEGA and Nintendo have announced that Mario and Sonic are teaming up for a game called Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. What's that you say? Sounds incredibly lame? YEAH! I THOUGHT THAT TOO! We must be psychically connected, you and I. The premise is that Mario and Sonic are going to be competing in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The game is going to come out for the Wii and the DS and should hit sometime at the end of this year.

I can see the appeal in pitting Mario vs. Sonic in a game. But using it to promote the Olympics? That's just odd. This game will probably be given to some unknown second party publisher who will do a horrible job on it, making Mario and Sonic look like their long lost third-world cousins or something. Remember Mario is Missing?

Ugggh. Full release after the thing.

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Read More: DS , lame , Mario , no , Olympics , Sonic , what , Wii

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