Brutal Legend legend starts off the game talk this week and it is characterized here in a way that seem extremely fitting after seeing the critical reception. The guys state the the gameplay is used as a story delivery system more than anything else. While it is fun, what really drives the game is the story and characterization. Uncharted 2 also commands a fair amount of time with a similar discussion revolving around the success of creating believable and entertaining characters through not just voice acting, but animation and character acting as well.

A couple of the guys met up with the Drunken Gamers Radio crew last week and they share some details about the zombie musical they are putting together, the Zomboozical. This leads into an interview segment which Julian conducted with GamePro’s John Davison. If you have been wanting some details about what happened with acquisition of What They Play by IGN, or what John has planned for GamePro, there are some morsels here.

The topic this week is related to characters and characterization in games. It is an extension of the earlier Uncharted 2 discussion and the guys make a point that games that write to specific actors’ strengths are almost always much more successful in their characterization. They cite Pixar as the first animation-based studio to take this approach with Toy Story. Emails finish out the show with topics including developer compensation and the merits of developers targeting specific system’s strengths.

Covered games and topics: Brutal Legend, Uncharted 2 and acting, Drunken Gamer’s Zomboozical, John Davison interview, roles for specific actors, developer compensation, specific console development, game design ideas

This week Julian sits down with John Davison to talk about moving on from What They Play and the future of GamePro magazine. The guys also dive into the hot(ish) new(ish) trend of real actors getting into video games.

Runtime – 1:27:01

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