castmedium
Join us at our new home: Game Thing Daily and Tech Thing Daily!
iTunes
RSS
Twitter

Blog Archives

Mobcast

Mobcast 90: Dead Space 2 and other scary games

by Alex Martin in Games370 days ago

Jay Frechette (Visceral Games) and Matt Chandronait (Area 5 and Rebel FM) are the guests for this horror-themed Mobcast. They’re joined by Bitmob’s Brett Bates and Rus McLaughlin. First off, they talk about the successes and failures of horror games. Players need to be immersed in a game to be scared by it, which is why Visceral minimized the heads-up display in Dead Space, and implied that their menu screens were actually in Isaac’s world. On the other hand, Alan Wake’s collectibles were a constant reminder that the game...

Mobcast

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

by Alex Martin in Games613 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,...

coop--0319

CO-OP Live 303: Sooo Indie!

by Derek Lavigne in Games716 days ago

Another live show and the Area5 team keeps on improving week after week. First on the docket on this (mostly) indie game episode is the recently released The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom on XBLA. Like most of the game industry, CO-OP has nothing but praise for this game and Ryan plays some of it live for the viewers instead of relying on timing pre-recorded clips like the previous weeks. Overall opinions seem to be that it is a must buy for fans of puzzle games. A recorded segment is throw in next with Jason and Cesar discussing Skate 3, which...

coop--0318--x10

CO-OP Live: Bioshock 2 and X10 Previews

by Derek Lavigne in Games723 days ago

Week 2 of the live show brings a few changes as Area5 settles in to their new format. The packed couch is gone, replaced with individual chairs which still doesn’t feel quite right. Jay and Matt are up first to discuss Bioshock 2 while Ryan sifts through twitter questions to be asked at the latter part of the segment instead of lumping them at the tail end of of the show. As a whole, they don’t seem to have much negative to say about the game, citing improved sound, combat, and a changed environment. Matt does mention he wished the underwater...

coop--0317--live1--small.thumb

CO-OP Live: Testing 1,2…

by Derek Lavigne in Games728 days ago

It’s the very first episode of CO-OP Live and seeing the guys on a set every week is going to take some getting used to. To ease in, they structure this episode much like previous CO-OP episodes but with pre-recorded video and a script to match it up with. Mass Effect 2 is the topic of conversation for this week and with each of the guys playing a different class in the game, it makes for interesting conversation with several different points of view. After a quick stop on some of the ways the previous game influences this one, combat and...

Rebel FM

Rebel FM Episode 49 – 01/29/10

by Ross Adams in Games741 days ago

Assassins Creed 2′s first bit of DLC was released this week, guest Ryan O’Donnell and Arthur have both been playing it. While they agree it’s disappointing they both recommend picking it up because the low price for more Assassins Creed 2 content seems like a no-brainer. Arthur briefly touches on Dante’s Inferno, he is not sure of his feelings on it yet but hopes to talk about it more next week. Arthur played some of the 360 demo for Battlefield Bad Company 2, he says there is a definite learning curve when it comes to the...

coop--0315--09reflections02--small.thumb

CO-OP — Episode 315: Reflections 2009 Part 2

by Derek Lavigne in Games746 days ago

This week picks up right where last week left off, with more discussion on favorite games of 2009. For those who didn’t tune in last week, the CO-OP guys have assembled a group of some of their more regular guests for this discussion. Downloadable titles are first focus of conversation, with David Ellis mentioning that Flower had what he felt were the best Sixaxis controls of any PS3 game. A quick stop on the quirky Noby Noby Boy leads to Dan Hsu talking about his love/hate relationship with one of my favorite games of last year, ‘Splosion...

coop--0314--09reflections01--small.thumb

CO-OP — Episode 314: Reflections 2009 Part 1

by Derek Lavigne in Games753 days ago

It may be well into the new year, but the guys at Area5 haven’t forgotten about 2009 just yet. This week they lapse from their normal formula and head back to the format of the very first episode of CO-OP, a bunch of friends sitting around talking about their favorite games of the year. After a quick stop on games with twitter integration, open world games become the first focus of conversation. David Ellis of 1up cites Infamous as one of his favorites, while Kat Bailey recounts her first experience with Red Faction: Guerrilla.  Two heavy...

coop--0313--time--small.thumb

CO-OP — Episode 313: Time Capsule

by Derek Lavigne in Games760 days ago

After a couple of weeks off, CO-OP is back in regular form this week, albeit with only two games. First up is Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes, a strange puzzle/strategy RPG for the DS. Ryan, Jay, and Cesar all seem very high on the game, praising it for having a large amount of options and great multiplayer. Ryan praises the game for presenting a large amount of information simply, but to be honest even after watching the segment I’m still not quite sure exactly what this game is all about. For the second half of the show, Ryan and Cesar...

coop311

CO-OP – Episode 311: 10,000 Deaths by 1,000,000 Bullets

by Jonathan Downin in Games774 days ago

There are no new releases to be had until the new year begins, so the CO-OP guys take the opportunity to do a more topic-focused show this week. The topic centers around first person shooters and what keeps them coming back to certain titles in the genre. The usual suspects are represented here with Modern Warfare and Halo receiving a lot of nods, but the group does get into some of the finer points about different approaches developers take, and the importance of community. Valve gets a lot of appreciation here for how they have handles Team Fortress...

CO-OP

CO-OP – Episode 310: Android vs. iPhone. Fight!

by Jonathan Downin in Games780 days ago

Little Big Planet for PSP is up first this week with Ryan and Matt pouring the love on pretty thick. At the very least, it look like the PSP version compromises little to get the PS3 experience in your hand. The CO-OP team was also represented at the recent Mass Effect 2 preview event, and The Totally Rad Show’s Jeff Cannata is standing in to discuss what they saw. There are no real spoiler here, and with a focus on the art of the game, this segment provides a perspective on the game that you may not have seen before. Avatar: The Game is last...

CO-OP – Episode 309: Santa Cruzin’

by Jonathan Downin in Games787 days ago

The 1st game up this week is The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks and everyone is positive on it. Ryan felt like the train over-world section was monotonous, but the main dungeon that you constantly return to is ever-evolving and fun. PixelJunk Shooter is up next and despite its short length, it offers a fun, physics-filled experience. The 2 player gameplay adds another layer of complexity with the different weapons playing off of each other well. There is certainly some griefing potential here. A relatively unknown indie game, Super Meat Boy, is...

Mobcast

Mobcast Episode 28

by Jon Cole in Games823 days ago

The sweet sounds of a new opening theme song flow into your ear canals at the top of this week’s Mobcast, finally brought to a resolution after the whole submission flush fiasco.  The first topic for this week is 3D gaming, which seems to get unanimous praise amidst cautious optimism due to the high price point of entry. A conversation about gaming pet peeves brings up some real game design issues that seem to plague the industry for no good reason.  Guest Jay Frechette talks about lazy backtracking and monster closets, which are issues that...

Mobcast

Mobcast Episode 25

by Jonathan Downin in Games844 days ago

The Mobcast is on a roll and is getting stronger with every episode. Aaron Thomas seems to be taking over the main host role and he is great in the position. He is a perfect fit and gives a personality to the Mobcast that it has been a little light on until now. Multiplayer games and their appeal, or lack thereof, are covered in the first topic this week. Jason and Aaron are the members of the group who are not into multiplayer games and it’s nice to have this view represented. The next topic is things each person hates in a game they love....

Mobcast

Mobcast Episode 014

by Jonathan Downin in Games921 days ago

The new format of having 4 guys, 4 topics and one community topic seems to be doing well for the Mobcast.  5 topics felt like it didn’t afford each topic the amount of time it required, and 5 people seemed like it didn’t allow anyone to get a full thought across before someone else jumped in.  This is much better. Jay Frechette, from Area5, is on this week with Aaron Thomas back after his appearance last week.  The first topic up is in regards to the recent game delays that have left the holiday season somewhat sparse.  The general...

  • CastMedium Podcast

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

    Alternative content

    New episodes every Thursday!
    iTunes | Zune | rss

  • Recent Comments

  • Tweets