Apple is trying to keep the Rebel FM down, and has caused computing difficulties again. The second half — or, as I like to call it, the best half — of the show is missing, making for an hour-long podcast.
Perhaps Steve Jobs’ disdain is due to Arthur’s alleged love of Microsoft. The Xbot — as trolls like to call him — has given a bad review to a PlayStation exclusive. The downloadable Top Gun game does sound bad though. He appreciates ideas in Kane and Lynch 2 more, but poor action lets it down. He has similar...
In the world of Rebel FM, the best part of two hours is considered a short episode. 40 minutes of that is letters, though.
To begin, Anthony is 25 hours into Arc Rise Fantasia, begging it to stop its droning grind. He tried going back to the original StarCraft too, but can’t deal with the inferior presentation.
Matt picked up Civilization Revolution when it was free on the iPhone and has already figured a strategy to win at any difficulty. He’s also tried The Incident on iPhone, which is about avoiding falling debris.
Tyler has briefly...
StarCraft 2 is still the hot topic this week. The crew share their multiplayer stories and impressions of the campaign, including a hidden mission.
In other real-time strategy news, Anthony has played the Company of Heroes Online beta. It’s a free version of the original PC strategy game, with added leveling and purchasable units. He’s also got his hands on Arc Rise Fantasia — a clichéd but charming Japanese role-playing game for the Wii.
Arthur’s been playing PSP Mini, Arctic Adventures — a puzzle game about sliding...
StarCraft 2 commands the first segment, with Ryan O’Donnell (Area 5) joining the regular crew. Everyone except Tyler has played and enjoyed it and they have little but praise for the Mass Effect-like breaks between missions, the accessibility, and the ambient occlusion.
After a break, they talk about the other games they’ve been playing recently. Ryan’s played a handful of iPad and iPod games — Osmos HD, Monkey Island 2, Helsing’s Fire, Aqua Moto Racing, and Archetype — all of which sound like they’re worth...
Jim Reilly (IGN) joins Anthony, Arthur, Matt, and Tyler on the podcast too classy to for its 69th episode to be a source of amusement.
Anthony kicks it off with Darkstar One. It’s a space combat sim with some trading and a lot of boring grinding. He’s enjoying grinding in DeathSpank though. Gravity Crash is a brightly colored, 2D space shooter he’s playing on the PSP. He has the low-down on Darkspore too — it’s a Diabolo clone with less customizability than the original Spore.
Jim, a quiet guy, brings sounds down on...
This episode sounds a bit more lo-fi but has no cats, dogs, or sirens in the background. That’s because it’s recorded at the IGN offices where Anthony and Arthur’s boss David Clayman has joined them and Matt.
David’s been preparing for Child of Eden by playing designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s previous work, which varies in quality.
Matt is surprised to be enjoying Transformers: War for Cybertron, despite Arthur’s repeated endorsements. He’s also been playing as a goblin, drinking “idea soda”, and...
Civil unrest can slow Rebel FM down but can’t keep it off the air. Ignoring politics, Matt starts with one 99 cent iPhone game, and two free PC games: Bit Pilot, Moonbase Alpha, and Red Remover. He’s also enjoyed prolonging his time with Dragon Age with the Leliana’s Song DLC.
Matt, Anthony, and Arthur sound like they had fun with Crackdown 2, but they have a long list of problems with it. At least it works well on-line, because it’s a lot more fun with friends.
Tyler’s been playing another four-player co-op game —...
Rebel FM is a polarizing podcast, and this week is a perfect example of that. Robert Ashley (A Life Well Wasted), Scott Bromley, and Brian Altano (both IGN) join Anthony and Arthur for a two-hour runaway train of tangents, crude jokes, and relationship advice.
They maintain focus initially to talk about the games they’ve been playing, including Transformers: War for Cybertron. It had a few glitches and unhelpful AI, but Arthur still rated it higher than many other reviewers.
Anthony’s been playing submarine simulator Naval Assault: the...
Rebel FM returns from its two-week hiatus with one of the most game-heavy episodes of recent times. There are no long tangential forays and no emails in this E3 wrap-up show with guest Jim Reilly (IGN).
After a quick discussion of Mass Effect 2, they talk about more recent games. Toy Story 3 and Transformers: War For Cybertron are two toy-based titles that have no right to be good, but Anthony and Arthur strongly recommend them.
Meanwhile, Matt’s tried Puzzle Quest 2 on the DS and iPhone. The DS’s stylus gives its touch-screen controls...
Rebel that he is, Anthony has only just got around to playing Mass Effect 2. Matt and Arthur have read both Mass Effect novels, so they geek out over the series’ story. Anthony also gave Deadly Premonition a chance, but doesn’t agree that it’s so bad it’s good — it’s just bad.
Add-ons for Splinter Cell: Conviction, the Sims 3, and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 all get detailed and Arthur’s played more Transformers at an event. Perhaps surprisingly, he sounds genuinely enthusiastic about it. The multiplayer...
It’s a four man, and one man’s best friend podcast this week — Anthony, Arthur, Matt, Tyler, and Arthur’s puppy come together to talk about games and scare cats.
Tyler and Matt have tried Red Dead Redemption’s multiplayer, which they have mixed feelings on. Matt doesn’t think there’s a lot to do in free room, but Tyler appreciates the way auto-aim feels. Arthur didn’t like Red Dead Redemption for the same reasons he’s not a fan of Grand Theft Auto — the controls are clumsy and the story...
Arthur’s away for this week’s broadcast but Antony, Tyler, and Matt bring the usual Rebel FM mix of games and relationship advice.
They start with the games they’ve been playing and Read Ded Redemption heads that list. The group compares it favorably to GTA IV and share stories of their wildlife encounters and beautiful sunsets.
Another recent game set in the great American outdoors is Alan Wake and everybody except Tyler has finished it this week. They hold back discussion of the ending until Tyler can finish it, but they agree...
After the worst podcast introduction ever Anthony, Arthur, Tyler and semi-regular Matt get into the games they’ve been playing.
Anthony and Matt start by comparing Bullet Storm to Pain Killer and Burnout. The combo system sounds more like an extreme sports game though.
Arthur loved the choice of song for the Alan Wake end credits but raised an eyebrow at the strange ending. He also continues the Lost Planet 2 hate but enjoyed some Split Second. A lot of the staff at Black Rock used to work for Criterion, so it’s got a distinctly Burnout...
The Cat Fancier Podcast starts with another dubious cat-fact before hosts Anthony, Arthur, Tyler, and Matt steer it back towards more familiar territory.
Alan Wake review codes have gone out this week, and the crew talk in detail about its game-design, which sounds as solid as its atmosphere. The Halo: Reach beta also sounds like fun, although Arthur and Anthony had to squint to see any graphical improvement over Halo 3. Arthur doesn’t sound impressed with Lost Planet 2 or Prince of Persia: the Forgotten Sands on Wii. Matt has been playing...
