Welcome to another edition of Nerds Without Pants! No, this show isn't about an epic wrestling match between Antonio Inoki and Great Baba.This time, we revisit a topic that we talked about when we were still the Tri-Force crew on PixlTalk: Japanese games. Instead of rehashing material we take advantage of the fact that we’re nearing the end of the console cycle and grade major Japanese developers on their performance. Before that, we talk about what games we’ve been playing.
Hello and welcome to PB & Jason! If you're a first-time listener, you'll be in for a treat. In the first part of the issue, I talk a bit about myself and my history with video games. For the second half, I literally just rely a bit too heavily on blogs. Why would I come up with compelling content if I can just take others', after all? PB & Jason is recorded in front of a live studio audience every Wednesday, weather permitting. Click through for listening and download links!
It all starts with a box. It’s shiny, and it’s white, and it’s metal. It’s also empty, but it won’t always be this way.
While history always remembers the games with the perfect reviews and the record sales, sometimes the best examples of the industry’s work have neither and become forgotten to all but the few who recognized them for being something special.
They boys are back this week, and they mean business. Jesse ruffles some feathers early by declaring Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch overhyped (but still good), before professing his undying love for all things Fire Emblem. Then things get a bit ugly, as the boys prognosticate on the future of gaming, which may lead to some small amount of rage and depression.
It’s been a while, but you knew this feature couldn’t stay away forever. That’s right, it’s about time that we had ourselves another installment of Missing in Action!
If there’s one thing the Etrian Odyssey series requires, it’s time. Even though the games eschew the game clocks we’ve become accustomed to, most people who play through to the end (and beyond) estimate that they spend more than a hundred hours exploring the unforgiving dungeons. If you plow into a game of this scope with only the most basic of parties and expect to stay engaged for that amount of time, you’ll likely give up and walk away. Creating a party with unique tactics and strategies is pivotal to be successful and to have fun with these games since the story is minimal to the point of being a secondary concern.
I am humbled. It’s impossible to feel any other way at this particular moment in time. Well, maybe just a wee bit overwhelmed. I feel that too. After three and a half years of running the site, we’ve never seen a response quite like this. I too mourn the loss of 1up, but I couldn’t possibly feel more proud and honored to have all of you refugees claim this site as your new home on the Internet.
On February 20th, Sony unleashed the opening volley in what could very well be the next generation of the fabled Console Wars with the introduction of the PlayStation 4. The message was clear: “We messed up with the PS3 and let our ego get the better of us. But we’re learning from our mistakes, and we’re taking the fight to our competitors.” From the opening song “Monster Hospital” by Metric to the strategic use of classic PlayStation cues for speakers at the conference, it seems like Sony is embracing the now storied history of the PlayStation brand and is ready for a hell of a battle with Microsoft and Nintendo.
Hello there. I’m Julian, and I’m ostensibly the previews guy around PixlBit, but lately I’ve been doing a lot of reviews, podcasts, and features, so that’s kind of a less than truthful title. I’m writing this piece, and it’s a bittersweet thing to do. On one hand, we’re seeing an influx of new members to PixlBit, and I couldn’t be happier to see that. So, welcome, one and all! I just wish that influx wasn’t the result of 1up getting shuttered. With that being said, I’d like to explain a little about our roots in 1up, and take you new readers and contributors on the grand tour. Please, join me.
It’s been nearly a year since Mass Effect 3 was released, and with it the conclusion of a trilogy that most players had waited 5 long years to see. To say that the ending was controversial would be the understatement of this generation; so incensed were fans at the final moments of Mass Effect 3 that BioWare had to go back to redo the ending, which still did little to please the audience. PixlBit is home to a large number of passionate Mass Effect fans. We’ve said our piece on the trilogy’s end through blogs, articles, and podcasts. Working at a video game website, we keep ourselves plugged in to the gaming community and are well aware of the grievances of the day. But what about the more casual player? I was curious to talk to someone that enjoyed Mass Effect but was completely divorced from the hype train that had been building around this franchise since 2007. How would such a person view the series, the ending, and the fan reaction?
The key phrase at the PlayStation 4 announcement event was "...in real time." A point this PB & Jason tries to make is that real-time, scripted footage produces visuals that are often of higher quality than actual gameplay footage, and unfortunately, developers and publishers take advantage of that fact. Regardless, this week's PB & Jason covers last week's Nintendo Direct in brief, and then tackles the announcements of the PlayStation2013 event. Impressions of the reveals are mixed: Most of the actual features included in the PS4, like trying games instantly and streaming your game feed from the console, sound very interesting. The game announcements and trailers, however, seemed disappointing at the same time. PB & Jason is recorded in front of a live studio audience every Wednesday, weather permitting. Click through for listening and download links!
Great news! Well, for me anyway - I’m on vacation. What this means is we won’t be talking about Darksiders this week. Instead, I’ve decided to solo this podcast and talk about one of my favorite things about modern gaming: the music.
Hey folks, Julian here. I hope you had a great Valentine's Day (or Single Awareness Day if you're like the Pantsless Ones). I wanted to do something special for this episode, but my original idea was love stories in video games. Yawn. Instead, I asked Patrick to come up with an off the wall and eclectic idea, in the way that Patrick does. He did not disappoint, and it's a shame that Rob wasn't able to join us because of BLIZZARD 2013!!!
The Nintendo 64 emerged in 1996 as one of the most powerful consoles of its time, producing 3-D visuals that not even the Playstation or Sega Saturn could produce. At a time when franchises were attempting (and often failing) to make the jump to 3-D, along came Super Mario to save the day yet again.
Before you lies a podcast of epic recordings and thoughts suspended by a lifetime gamer's knowledge and insight. When listeners hit the play button, one topic from the show will begin being discussed. This time, it's the disappointment found in Aliens: Colonial Marines. Once the listener has completed that segment of the show, expect to come face-to-face with the Legend of Rayman, himself, as well as his delay on the Wii U. By now, podcast fans should have obtained at least a piece of a pendant of life, and shall continue forth to hear virtually zero speculation about the Nintendo Direct happening tomorrow. Then, venture through the Shrine of the Sony Monkey to learn possibilities of the PlayStation 2013 event on February 20th. Once there, the listener must race back, to the Durango Xbox Rumored Gates. Or something. PB & Jason is recorded in front of a live studio audience every Wednesday, weather permitting. Click through for listening and download links!
It’s hard to talk about games like Resident Evil 6 and Dead Space 3 without having someone go off on a tangent on how the publishers “ruined” these series by trying to broaden the series fanbases – moving beloved franchises away from their horror roots and towards the more spectacle driven action genre. There is an idiom of truth to this complaint. Horror doesn’t generate Call of Duty sales volume. It’s a niche genre where only the exceptional few break into the mainstream. Action titles, counterparts of the money eating summer movie blockbusters, appeal to a much greater audience and are thus able to bring in much more cash. So yes, it makes sense that the “big bad” publishers would be responsible for the taming of your favorite horror franchise.
On this latest installment of Push Start to Continue, Mike and Jesse discuss Nintendo's latest Nintendo Direct, the ultimate fate of THQ and take a moment to unleash hell on Square-Enix. All that, plus Jesse reveals his recent addiction to Pokemon. It's an episode filled with equal parts joy and wrath, which is fun! Right?
Hello again! Julian here, joined as always by Patrick and Rob for another episode of Nerds Without Pants. No topic this time...we decided to just wing it with some random discussion. Yes, a hodge podge of talking points brought together to form a pleasant bouquet. Some potpourri, if you will. We can all enjoy a little P O T. And if you got that obscure Laugh In joke, congratulations! I love you.
Disney has shuttered Junction Point Studios. While it's good news for Disney's bottom line (and for people who don't enjoy games of low quality,) it makes one wonder who is at fault in a time like this. PB & Jason 113 explores that question a little bit, but in the end, the obvious conclusion, Warren Spector, is reached. Aside from that, issue 113 follows-up last week's Wired's Chris Kohler "Nintendo Direct Vaporware" article taking Kohler's follow-up article into consideration. PB & Jason also includes more Ni no Kuni, which admittedly, is shaping up not quite be the game expected, for better and for worse. All this and more in this week's PB & Jason! Click through for the listening and download links!
Angst! Rage! Epic House Cleaning! It's all on this week's Backloggers Anonymous!
Looking back over an entire year, it’s hard to tell which games are going to stand out through the years that follow. Which titles are people going to continue to talk about, get nostalgic over, and load up to replay next a decade from now? Maybe we had a few of those this year, but only time will tell. Perhaps we will look back on what we voted to be the very best of 2012 and our monocles will spin in amazement at our ageless judgment. Or maybe we’ll all laugh and wonder what we were thinking.
This week's PB & Jason focuses on two things: Ni no Kuni and Wednesday's Nintendo Direct. Expect to hear my evolving viewpoint on Level 5 and Studio Ghibli's hotly anticipated RPG in the next few weeks. Before I get ahead of myself, plan for an episode where I mostly rant about the media's editorials in response to yesterday's Nintendo Direct. Click through for the listening and download links!
It’s pretty tough to own every console out there these days. Luckily for the average consumer, there are a lot of the same games available on PS3, Xbox 360, and now even Wii U. Each of these pieces of hardware also has its own unique set of releases; some of them are exclusive and others just feel like they belong to one console more than the others. Then there are the portable systems that offer distinctive experiences from each other in almost every game available. So, whether you feel inclined to take sides in the “Console War” or are happy to just play great games on great systems, we’ve picked the best experiences from 2012 on each platform.
It was sure tough to follow the fantastic year of gaming we had in 2011, but 2012 did a bang up job of holding its own with plenty of amazing releases and some big industry changes to boot. As the current console generation appears to finally be wrapping up, we welcomed the Wii U on the scene as well as Sony’s newest flashy handheld. Game makers continued to stretch what’s possible from the Xbox 360 and PS3 while the PC seems to be roaring back into prominence thanks to Steam and other download services. Yet, despite some developers’ mastery of the current hardware, not every game released was worth spending your money or time on. The fact that there are plenty of sloppy and poorly made games being pumped out makes the ones that really wow us that much more noteworthy. And there were definitely tons of games to get excited about!