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Mobcast

Mobcast 59: E3 2010 Wrap-Up

by Alex Martin in Games690 days ago

Although last week’s episode was released after E3, this Mobcast is the true E3 wrap-up with staff members Dan “Shoe” Hsu, Demian Linn, Brett Bates, and Omri Petitte. First, they ask each other about the games they missed. Omri tells the group about Portal 2′s wisecracking sidekick and new environments. Shoe didn’t think much of Rage but liked Vanquish — a Japanese shooter that speeds up the Gears of War formula. Demian also fields some questions about Deus Ex 3. Next, they name some games they saw but aren’t...

Mobcast

Mobcast 57: E3 Predictions, 2D Gaming, and the Importance of Online Communities

by Alex Martin in Games711 days ago

Jay Frechette (Community Manager at Visceral Games) guests on the show this week and gives a brief update of what he’s been doing since leaving Area 5 before he, Shoe, Demian, and Brett dive into their first topic. Demian starts by asking the table for their thoughts on microtransactions, which turn out to be mostly negative. Madden 11 charges for opponents statistics and Modern Warfare 2′s expensive maps segregate online players. Next, they talk about whether 2D games are viable at full price. Brett wants stylish, unique games and,...

Mobcast

Mobcast 55: Sympathetic Villains, Embarrassing Game Stories, and Memorable Marketing

by Alex Martin in Games725 days ago

Aaron takes the reins of the Mobcast this week with Bitmob editors Brett and Demian joining the bandwagon. Writer Omri Petitte also makes his debut. First, Aaron asks the table if there is a correct way to play a game. The consensus is that so long as you’re having fun then you’re doing it right, but Aaron’s problem of how to approach reviewing a game remains. Demian asks what franchises could benefit from a free-to-play model. A lot of the suggestions are of RPG franchises — as Demian says, there’s a tonne of potential...

Mobcast

Mobcast 54: CO-OP on Co-op

by Alex Martin in Games731 days ago

Ryan O’Donnell and Cesar Quintero of Area 5 media, producers of CO-OP, are hosted by Bitmobbers Demian and Brett. Appropriately, the theme for this episode is co-operative gaming and Demian starts with his topic — games the panel only plays co-operatively. Some games are just better when you have friends there with you, like Phantasy Star Online, which Ryan seems to think is the same offline as on, but is transformed when your friends are there to check out your loot. Ryan has a cool idea — more games should have two-part weapons...

Mobcast

Mobcast 52: The Mobcastiversary

by Alex Martin in Games746 days ago

The Mobcast is a year old, and with this anniversary comes a warning of the coming apocalypse. Wait, what? Apparently there is only one year — 52 more episodes of the Mobcast — until the end of the world. We don’t know the agent of our destruction, but we do know that aliens will reveal themselves and abduct select humans at this time. This week, regular hosts Shoe and Demian, along with former 1UP cohorts Crispin Boyer and Michael Donahoe plan for the end times. They have only one year to eliminate games from their piles of...

Mobcast

Mobcast 51: Ethics, Microtransactions, and Franchises Cut Short

by Alex Martin in Games753 days ago

Matt Chandronait makes his fifth Mobcast appearance, meaning he’s now tying with Raychul Moore for the favorite guest title. Regular hosts Shoe, Demian, and Brett join him for a quick hour-long podcast. The four start by answering a hypothetical question: which dead series would they like a new sequel for, and which living series would they erase from history for the privilege? They somehow manage to wish for Beyond Good & Evil and Splinter Cell sequels, both of which are still alive. But what would a Mobcast be without Shoe bringing...

Mobcast

Mobcast 50: Birthdays, Frustrating Experiences, and the Best Game Ever

by Alex Martin in Games760 days ago

It’s the 50th episode of the Mobcast and regular hosts Shoe, Demian, and Brett are joined by special guest Seanbaby (Cracked and formerly of 1UP and EGM). They talk about the games they expect to be playing 50 years in the future, the most frustrating, and the greatest moments in games. Next, the crew reminisces about gaming-related birthday memories. Brett had some cool parties in his childhood, Shoe talks about his most thoughtful gift, but poor Demian had to wait until graduating from college before he was given his first console. Seanbaby...

Mobcast

Mobcast Episode 48

by Jon Cole in Games774 days ago

Dan Hsu returns to the hosting seat this week, welcoming ex-Crispy Gamer Kyle Orland and ex-Blizzard “tastemaker” Keith Lee into the studio along with Bitmobber Demian Linn.  Being a huge Blizzard fan, Demian takes on the first topic, primarily asking Keith how Blizzard so often enjoys massive success.  Design and user experience lead the pack of strong attributes that rope in many more users than games that use far more complex interfaces on the surface. Rhythm games seem to have tired out hardcore gamers at this point, especially...

Mobcast

Mobcast Episode 44

by Jon Cole in Games799 days ago

Aaron Thomas made it out to Bizarre Creations to talk to Jeb Talbot and Garreth Wilson about some of the topics on this week’s podcast, leading to somewhat disjointed conversations where Shoe and crew are intermittently interrupted by prerecorded parts of the interview. Otherwise, a Bitmob-staff only cast talks about the recent release of Bad Company 2 and how it compares to Modern Warfare 2.  Shoe and Brett have played both, but Shoe has more experience with the Battlefield series as a whole and isn’t quite impressed with the minor...

Mobcast

Mobcast Episode 43

by Jon Cole in Games808 days ago

In a continuation of last week’s lineup of comedians to appear in the Cross Platform Comedy show, Sheila Bryson and Dave Karraker join Dan and Demian for this week’s Mobcast.  Fortunately, these two guests bring some more industry rep than the other half of their crew, both working for several gaming PR companies including Crystal Dynamics and Sony.  Shoe takes this fact and runs with it, asking each of the crew about their first experience in the gaming industry, which range from Skinemax-caliber PC games to 3DO platformers. After...

Mobcast

Mobcast Episode 41

by Jon Cole in Games822 days ago

The Mobcast is back to their typical format, bringing on Garnett Lee of Shacknews and Justin Fassino of Machinima.com.  Demian’s topic kicks things off, asking the importance, function, and marketing capabilities of beta trials of games.  Most everyone can agree that betas serve many masters, but ultimately provide important information concerning multiplayer gameplay, especially in terms of balancing and design. Next up is the subject of X10, which was the reason Garnett and Justin came to San Francisco in the first place.  Lost Planet’s...

Mobcast

Mobcast Episode 39

by Jon Cole in Games835 days ago

This week’s Mobcast is fairly low-key, with a mostly Bitmob crew joined by Raychul Moore.  Shoe’s topic is a slightly retooled version of a previous topic, asking the mobbers to think up one tiny thing they’d like to change about games with no strings attached.  Clearly Mass Effect 2 is on everyone’s minds, as many of the slight changes have to do with the original game, including the poor inventory management system and imperfect conversation skipping methods. Brett’s topic is the role of scripted events in the future...

Mobcast

Mobcast Episode 37

by Jon Cole in Games849 days ago

Shoe is back from the dead to relieve Aaron Thomas for a week, joined by mostly Bitmob staff and his girlfriend, Raychul Moore.  The topics for this week tread some very familiar ground, but it’s nice to get a short reprieve from the guest-heavy episodes for a more traditional Mobcast. The first and likely most interesting topic asks what video game series need to take a break.  One of the most ubiquitous answers is the Legend of Zelda franchise, for a handful of reasons.  Jason Wilson offers that the sense of exploration and adventure...

Mobcast

Mobcast Episode 35

by Jon Cole in Games865 days ago

Bitmob’s own Aaron Thomas and Demian Linn are joined by Matt Chandronait and Anthony Gallegos to usher in the new year, but carry along a little bundle of memories from the last.  With such being the case, the guys discuss their biggest surprises and disappointments of 2009, starting off with Aaron who was disappointed by Uncharted 2.  The game didn’t necessarily appall him, but the seemingly unanimous hype among the media built up his expectations to a point where the smallest blemishes appeared that much bigger. Matt brings a particularly...

Mobcast

Mobcast Episode 33

by Jon Cole in Games886 days ago

John Davison joins the Mobcast, hitting it off by lending some insight into Jason Wilson’s question of whether or not we’re actually having fun while playing games.  Modern Warfare 2 and Assassin’s Creed 2 have provoked some conversation about mature storylines, graphical fidelity, and other technical aspects, but the guys try to tackle why talk strays so often from the simple idea of fun. Game of the Year comes up next, with John pondering the validity of some choices due to an inherent concern for credibility. Aaron also brings up how...

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    Episode 092 - PTW ahoy!
    Games, tech, and the usual, for the last time. Hello Podcast Thing Weekly.

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