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Mobcast

Mobcast 90: Dead Space 2 and other scary games

by Alex Martin in Games369 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 89: You don’t know Mobcast edition

by Alex Martin in Games, Misc381 days ago

Tom “Cookie Masterson” Gottlieb introduces an atypical Mobcast. It’s a trivia-themed episode, starting with the question of why games trivia is so rare in quiz shows and, indeed, trivia games. In a pre-recorded segment, a handful of Jellyvision employees (developers of You Don’t Know Jack) get to add their insight. The hosts and developers also talk about their favorite trivia events and games, including their experiences with bar quizzes, The Guy Game, Jeopardy, and Pictionary Man. Their final topic is the difference between...

Mobcast

Mobcast 88: Cheering at press events, lesser-known 2011 titles, video-game word association, and more

by Alex Martin in Games387 days ago

GamePro’s AJ Glasser returns to the Mobcast, along with regulars Shoe, Brett, and Aaron. First off, Brett asks which unsung games of 2011 the crew are looking forward to. They talk about downloadable games such as Stacking, Ilomilo, and Raskulls; The Sims: Medeval; PilotWings for the 3DS; Child of Eden, which could make interesting use of motion-control and music; the design tools in Little Big Planet 2; and obscure Japanese role-playing game Trinity: Souls of Zill O’ll. Shoe, perhaps prompted by a recent profile on Bitmob as much as...

Mobcast

Mobcast 87: 3DS, 2010 trends, 2011 predictions, embarrassing moments, and more

by Alex Martin in Games395 days ago

Peter Galvin (who writes about games for a local San Francisco paper)  joins Shoe, Demian, and Brett this week for a mixed bag of topics. The 3DS is back in the news, and Shoe asks if they’re looking forward to it. The technology is really something you have to see to understand, and it looks like a lot of remakes and sequels are coming for it, so it’s hard to get excited about. Demian wonders if it might be the last dedicated console for handheld games; Sony look to be readying a PlayStation phone, and smartphone games are hugely popular. Peter...

Mobcast

Mobcast 86: EGM memories, New Year’s gaming resolutions, and more

by Alex Martin in Games401 days ago

It’s an EGM reunion on this week’s Mobcast. Michael Donahoe (now at developer Bigpoint) and Greg Ford (who’s currently at business school) join Bitmob’s Shoe and Demian. This is the first Mobcast of 2011, so Demian asks for their resolutions. Most involve playing through their backlog of uncompleted games, but Demian’s is to play World of Warcraft instead of Lord of Ultima, which he calls one of the worst games of all time. Next, they share what they missed about EGM. None of them have access to such a large library...

Mobcast

Mobcast 84: Games of the year, kids these days, U.S. vs. U.K. gaming, and more

by Alex Martin in Games416 days ago

The Mobcast gets 200% classier this week, with English gentlemen John Davison of GameSpot and Metacritic, and brother Pete of The Squadron of Shame and The Big Pixels. They’re hosted by Bitmob’s Shoe and Brett. Shoe starts with a games-of-2010 discussion. They don’t pick a best game, but talk about surprises and under-the-radar games. (Spoiler alert: John spoils the ending for Mass Effect 2 from 15:45 to 16:20.) A listener asks how far along the scale between dry consumer-advice, and emotive criticism games reviews should fall. Market research...

Mobcast

Mobcast 83: Halo vs. Call of Duty, Minorities, Great Stories in Bad Games, and More

by Alex Martin in Games423 days ago

Two community members, Michael Pangelina and Larry LeBron, join Shoe and Demian this week. Shoe follows last week’s Modern Warfare vs. Black Ops discussion by inviting them to compare the Halo and Call of Duty franchises. Halo has quirky multiplayer modes, but Call of Duty has tighter campaigns. Next, they talk about games whose genres don’t fit their settings. BioShock, for instance, was about exploration, but only allowed players to do that with their guns. Michael asks why so many game heroes are white. Perhaps it’s reflective...

Mobcast

Mobcast 82: MW2 vs. Black Ops, the State of AI, Zombies, and More

by Alex Martin in Games, Tech430 days ago

One of the more interesting Mobcasts comes largely thanks to guest Sid Shuman — PlayStation’s Senior Social Media Specialist. Demian starts by asking the crew to compare Call of Duties Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops. They come down on the latter’s side, thanks to its less-ridiculous campaign. Absurdities like Nazi zombies and exploding remote-control cars are fun multiplayer additions though. Shoe asks a question tech podcasts have been discussing recently: with video-streaming on consoles, can you cut the cable yet? Netlix, Vudu,...

Mobcast

Mobcast 81: Under-the-Radar Games, Kinect Reactions, Griefing, and More

by Alex Martin in Games437 days ago

Christian Nutt of Gamasutra is Shoe, Demian, and Brett’s guest for this episode of the Mobcast, recorded during the week of Thanksgiving. Appropriately, they start with the gaming developments they’re thankful for. They talk about frequent checkpoints and wireless controllers (which make gaming more convenient), touch-screen and graphics technology (which give developers more possibilities), and the internet (which has allowed indies to distribute games, and casual audiences to consume them). Demian asks for their favorite games that...

Mobcast

Mobcast 80: Streaming Games, Harry Potter, the Consoleless Future, and More

by Alex Martin in Games444 days ago

Bitmob’s Aaron, Brett, and Omri are joined by freelancer Ben PerLee for this week’s Mobcast. They start by discussing OnLive’s Microconsole. The box streams video and audio rendered on a server, and allows gamers to rent games their PC might be incapable of running. They share their impressions of it so far, and discuss whether it (and similar services) could be the future of games. Another new way to distribute games would be to offer them à la carte. Would offering games on a pay-per-level plan be a good idea, or should gamers...

Mobcast

Mobcast 79: Improving PR, Vacation Games, Manuals vs. Tutorials, and More

by Alex Martin in Games451 days ago

Former 1UP podcaster Ray Barnholt, and Karen Chu of Gamepro and Geekbox are Aaron and Demian’s guests on this week’s Mobcast. They start by suggesting games for Demian to take on his next vacation. Their handheld discussion leads into Karen’s topic of iPhone games. But even though she’s currently glued to Pocket Frogs, she still hasn’t found an iPhone game that lasts her more than a week. The community topic this week is public relations. They talk about some of the best and worst (mostly worst) practices of the games...

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Mobcast 78: Double Fine’s Tim Schafer and Tasha Harris

by Alex Martin in Games458 days ago

This week, Shoe and Brett host Tim Schafer and Tasha Harris of Double Fine. Tasha was the Lead Designer on recent downloadable RPG Costume Quest, and Tim is President of the studio that developed that, Brütal Legend, and Psychonauts. As they have two comedians in, Shoe asks if comedic developers should ever make serious games. It’s a false dichotomy, though — plenty of “serious” games have jokes, and Psychonauts explored some dark themes. Tasha demonstrates that point by pointing to Limbo as the last game that made her laugh....

Mobcast

Mobcast 77: Kinect Special

by Alex Martin in Games465 days ago

It’s a Kinect special this week on the Mobcast. Shoe’s interview with Kinect Creative Director Kudo Tsunoda is spliced into Shoe’s, Demian’s, and Brett’s conversation. Uninterested by launch lineup, Brett is wondering if the traditional controller will survive. Shoe sees it as a casual vs. hardcore distincion — if it’s cheaper to develop a simple motion controlled game for a mainstream audience, why compete with Gears of War? Kudo tries to reassure them that it’ll only add choice and expand the audience. Even...

Mobcast

Mobcast 76: FPS Overload, Misleading Games, Silent Protagonists and More

by Alex Martin in Games472 days ago

Two fresh voices from the Bitmob community — writers Juan Letona and Karli Winata — join Shoe and Brett this week. First off, they talk about the difficult NES-era games they might be able to play now they’re more-skilled and older than the targeted age-group. As an old man, Shoe’s reactions have slowed, but he might now have the patience for long RPGs like Final Fantasy 3. Next, they talk about misleading first-impressions. Shoe had to change EGM policy after previewers gave THQ the impression that Pride FC might get a good...

Mobcast

Mobcast 75: Glitches, Gamer Representations, Defining “Indie,” and a Quiz!

by Alex Martin in Games, Movies, TV478 days ago

Area 5′s Matt Chandronait and Press Pause’s Carlos Rodela join Bitmob’s Aaron Thomas and Brett Bates. Before getting into the meat of the podcast, Matt talks about Area 5′s pricing experiment for CO-OP. The first topic is female avatars. It’s not just about looking at something pretty for these guys, as they’re tired of male action-heroes, and want to explore other roles. Aaron usually picks a man, though, whenever there’s a gameplay difference. Carlos talks about some of the fun bugs he’s experienced...

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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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