Well then, get ready to shell over FORTY BUCKS to Wal Mart. Seems that Harmonix has teamed up with everyone’s favorite neighborhood superstore to bring us 18 songs from the Australian rock legends in a standalone disc format. The game booklet will include an export code that will allow you to download the tracks to your console for use in Rock Band / Rock Band 2.
Two of our guests this week are from the Gamer Husbands Podcast:
Topics Include:
1. EA and Take-Two decide not to join forces, could this be a problem for Take-Two?
2. Former EGM writer talks about the state of gaming journalism, is what he is saying true, see what we think?
3. New Xbox coming along, or did B4 find a dull topic to discuss?
4. New Bungie Game announcement to be made next week. Please dear god no more halo, we have had enough.
5. Fracture and Mercenaries 2 demos out this week, let the mountain making begin!
6. Amazon.com discounts 12-month live subscription to under $40 dollars. Could this be a sign of a possible price drop of this service in the near future?
7. Marriage talk, don’t do it keman, don’t do it, just kidding!
Yay or Nay (Games coming out soon) featuring:
1. Pure
2. Lego Batman
3. Duke Nukem 3D
4. Mega Man 9
5. Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway
All this and more!
Thanks for listening, Please leave us a comment on the show or send us an e-mail at: xblradio@platformnation.com
Topics Include: Raptr interview with Dennis Fong! MK vs. DC character list revealed! Guitar Hero World Tour set list has been released! Burnout Update! DLC codenamed “Davis” launches this week! Ensemble Studios closing! Videos of Gamestop screwing us! Make A Wish auction for a Xbox 360 that has custom Halo 3 artwork and signatures from the Dev team! Plus a special XBLRadio announcement! All this and more! Thanks for listening, Please leave us a comment on the show or send us an e-mail at: xblradio@platformnation.com
Also, the new XBLRadio Myspace page is live. So feel free to check us out and add us as your friend.
Hey what is up everybody at PN and XBLRadio, Mr B4 here giving you the latest news as to what is going on in the gaming community. Today I have an announcement for you about the upcoming release of a game that everyone who is a gamer, whether they like sports or not, should know what it is. What am I talking about, I am talking about Madden NFL 09. I will be picking up both the 360 and Wii versions of this game tonight when I go to the midnight sale at my local Gamestop.
You might be asking yourself, well, it is just another Madden game with updated rosters and barely any new features at all. Why should I pick it up again? First of all the release of this game marks the 20 year anniversary of the franchise and you should also buy it because of some of the other great features that this game has to provide.
Here are some of the features that this latest installment is going to have, for both the Wii and 360/PS3:
As many of you know, on July 29, Soulcaliber IV was released on the current generation consoles. This game has been anticipated by many fighting game enthusiasts not only because of its weapon-based fighting, but also for its significant quality that was done in past Soulcaliber games. This marks the fifth title in the series (Soulcaliber Legends was a spinoff) to be released after it made its debut on the Dreamcast nine years ago. With the cast of characters, the unique fighting style, and the stunning graphics, it is not a bad game to pick up, despite the few problems the game may have. Read the rest of this entry »
Hey everybody, what’s up? This is something new we’re trying that helps us let you know what’s new and exciting that concerns gaming or the community. You won’t hear any news ’cause, well that’s covered on the .0 and the .5 shows. What you will hear is Marketplace content, any PSN content, games that maybe coming out in the weeks ahead that need to be mentioned, and community news. So, if you like what you hear and would like us to keep it, let us know, we’re interested in what you think and we want to provide you, the gamers with the most information we can possibly give you. Oh, and if you have any ideas for names, let us know, we just might use it…if it’s okay with you of course.
Mixed in are Contests, Contests, & more Contests (see below also)! All this and more!
What is up XBLRadio listeners, it is Mr B4 here to tell you about an awesome giveaway that is going right now, right here, at XBLRadio!. What are we giving away you ask, well, we will be giving away a free 1-year subscription to Xbox Live to one of our loyal listeners/ blog posters.
So what do you need to do in order to win, well relax, and I will tell you. All you need to do is send us at XBL Radio your thoughts on how E3 was this year, good or bad. Make sure your description is around 300 words or less, and send it to us at either xblradio@platformnation.com, or in the comments section of this show post!
The winner of this contest will receive a subscription code for a free year of Xbox Live sent to their gamertag. The runner up will receive a 3-month Xbox live Subscription code.
Entries are due by August 5th, 2008 at 12:01 PM ET/ 9:01 AM PT, I will announce the winners a few days after in another announcement blog post, so be on the lookout for it.
That is all from me this time gamers, take care, and good luck in the contest
Take Care,
Mr B4
Thanks for listening, Please leave us a comment on the show or send us an e-mail at: xblradio@platformnation.com
Hey everybody, it is X3R0 9 here giving you another review and hopefully better than the last one. This is the second one I have done, so bear with me if it is a little rough. The more of these I do, the better they should get. Just to let you all know I will be attending a journalism class to help myself out with some techniques so that I can share quality news and reviews with all of you. Enough of the chit-chat, how about we get to the good stuff, shall we?
As some of you gamers know, the PS3 world experienced a huge release a week and a half ago. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots released last Thursday (June 12, 2008). Of course, I was there to pick it up when the store opened. Some find this an awesome game, but to others it is completely unplayable. I am writing this review after I have completed the game so that you, the gamers, can understand why there is so much controversy and why it is considered a blockbuster hit. Without further adieu, let us get right into the review.
To me, this is almost the best Metal Gear Solid game in the series, just behind the first Metal Gear Solid (MGS). Hideo Kojima does it again as he brings two decades of Metal Gear history together while enthralling the audience in this epic and mysterious tale. Not only does he bring twenty years of Metal Gear into this game, but he also throws in a touch of his other works that Metal Gear fans have seen in past games. Many characters make repeat appearances, although some are only in flashback form.
Story (A-): Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots tells the story of Old Snake. Snake, the protagonist, is a covert agent that is prematurely aging and terminally ill from a virus he was injected with prior to the first MGS. Snake’s ultimate goal is to hunt down his twin brother and nemesis, Liquid Snake. Liquid’s goal is to destroy the ruling faction known as the Patriots and bring the world into chaos. Well that’s what we were told upfront.
The opening two acts are almost identical with a little bit of scenery change. In the first act you are in a war-torn Middle Eastern city that is being occupied by Liquid’s personal guards and bio-mechs. The second act…well, it’s pretty much the same except you are in South America. In addition to the Liquid’s army, you’re also a part of battle-zones with several factions waring with each other; which adds a terrific atmosphere to the Metal Gear experience. You have the choice to either help the rebels or be an enemy to both sides. There is a real shock at the end of act one, but act two also has a great twist to it.
MGS4 is basically your typical good versus evil stealth game, but that is only part of the plot. Any MGS fan will know that there is so much more to it than that. The subplots and locations add a lot to this game and they also add to Snake’s problem, disillusionment. Throughout the story Snake’s mind gets twisted and contorted and by the time you complete this game, you are left wondering “what just happened?” Which adds to the replay value, but I will get to that later.
The reason I gave it the score I did is because there is just so much information to gather in, they don’t give you the time to digest it. You are told so much through the lengthy cut scenes and codec calls you will need to pause it just to figure out what you were told. Roughly 90% of the story is told through the cut scenes that almost total up to eight hours long, if not longer.
Sound (A): As in any stealth game, sound plays a huge factor, not only for you but for the enemy. All the sound-effects sounded excellent. Everything almost sounds like it would in the real world. The major downfall that I noticed while playing the game was the sound variance on the cut scenes. I could play this game on a normal audio level for the playable parts, but when the cut scenes came on I had to crank up the volume just to hear what was being said. The downfall to cranking up the volume was when the action scenes came on, the explosions and gunfire would almost blow out the speakers. As far as the music score; it was great! The score adds just the right amount of excitement and drama to the situations that make them just that much more intense or emotional. Harry Gregson Williams did an excellent job with the soundtrack. His work is probably the best I’ve heard yet.
Graphics (A-): Metal Gear Solid 4 is hands down the best looking game yet on the PS3! The superb art quality and attention to detail makes this game awe-inspiring. The characters are excellent looking and move flawlessly. Anytime Snake gets a cut or burn, it stays with him throughout the game…and the burn looks like a burn with the melting of the flesh visible; not only in the cut scenes, but also in the game play. As stated before, this attention to detail makes the environment that much better. In act one, you feel you are in a Middle Eastern city. In act two, you feel like you are in a South American vista that has secret passage ways.
The cut scenes will take your breath away! The CGI makes you think you are watching an animated movie like Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. You can see the time spent developing the scenes from a technical aspect because of the sheer quality of work. There are some rough edges, but for the most part, everything is crisp and clean.
Replay Value (C): If you just play this game for the story, then there is no real reason to replay the game. But if you are a gamer that likes to get all the secret badges, extra camo or just likes to take pictures during the game, then the replay value is there. During my first run through, I only got a few items and badges that were story related. There are a total of 40 badges in MGS4 to unlock. Granted the badges don’t do anything for you, but I look at them like achievements for the Xbox 360.
Overall (B+): This game was a blast to play, but the cut scenes will drive some away. The actual game play is short, so if you are looking to play a full game with little cut scenes this is not it. The Metal Gear series is based on story and not much on game play. The frame rate is a little low, but with all that is going on, you will have a hard time noticing it.
If you are looking for a great story, extras that are at times funny and an interactive movie, then Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will fill your craving. If you are a fan of the Metal Gear Solid series, then you need to pick this up. If you are new to the series, then this is a rental to see if you like this type of game.
I bid you farewell, Solid Snake.
Please leave comment here or submit feedback to xblradio@platformnation.com
Until next time, this is X3R0 9 signing off, and I will see you on Live or PSN.
For your viewing pleasures, here is the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots trailer:
What I’m going to talk about here today has nothing to do with EA attempting to buy out Take Two. With that said lets get into the meat and potatoes of today’s topic. Why is Grand Theft Auto IV the make or break game of the series?
I’ll start by stating it may suffer from the Halo 2 problem. The Halo 2 problem is when the IP does not meet the fan expectation for the game, or the competition raised the bar higher than anticipated. With more and more developers entering the ever-expanding sandbox genre, more quality titles are being released each year. Games like Crackdown changed the way we want to play these games, by adding free roaming co-op. Prototype, the upcoming Free Radical title gives you the powers from Crackdown with the atmosphere of GTA 3. The point being the bar has been set higher than ever before, and is still climbing.
Marketing cannot purchase the hearts and minds of the gaming community. Halo 3 suffered from the negative perception left by Halo 2. The weak story combined with better shooters (i.e. Call of Duty 4) is what pulled Halo 3 from the top spot on Xbox Live. The last 3 console releases of GTA were all based on the GTA 3 engine. While the improvements were seen from game to game, they always suffered from the same problems. Pop in, aiming, etc. For GTA IV to truly excel it has to exceed all expectations, it has to innovate gameplay and change how we play. I’m afraid if GTA IV does not revolutionize the genre, then the Grand Theft Auto name, Rockstar, and Take Two will be left broken and unemployed.
As gamers we expect the best no matter when “your” game was first conceived. We always want the shiniest feature in all games at all times. Halo 3 has its faults but we can agree saved films are needed in all multiplayer games now. A feature that would take months to create and implement must be used to the fullest potential on a game releasing the very next week. GTA IV needs to see the implementation of multiplayer built into the single player campaign. It needs to fix the faults of the previous games, and it must absolutely keep sacred what made the games so addictive to begin with.
If it feels rushed, or a rehash of GTA 3; it will mark the beginning of the end. While it will take 1-2 more games to put the final nail in the coffin, we “hard-core” players will leave it on the shelf next to our copies of Sonic, Mortal Kombat, and the newest addition, Tony Hawk.
Hey what is up fellow members of Platform Nation and XBL Radio, this is Mr B4 here to give you the latest news from the gaming community. Yes, once again folks, I have yet another story coming from the world of Sony.
If any of you have been following the updates from members of Platform Nation on Twitter, you might have noticed something that Chiahippo(Host of PSH Radio) posted about Phil Harrison resigning from Sony today. From what I have found out, Harrison was the head of the company’s worldwide studios and has been instrumental in Playstation’s development for over 15 years. He also led SCE’s first party game development operations and aggressively pursued the development of new online entertainment experiences.
Kazuo Hirai, president and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, had this to say about Harrison’s Departure:
“As one of the founding members of SCE, Phil played a key role in the development and growth of the PlayStation business and our industry,”said Hirai. “It is sad to see him departing from SCE, but I wish to express my gratitude for his many invaluable contributions and also wish Phil the very best of luck in his future endeavors.”
And here is what Mr. Harrison himself had to say about his recent decision:
“The past 15 years at Sony Computer Entertainment has been the defining journey of my life so far,” said Harrison. “I am grateful to all the PlayStation family for their incredible support, guidance and friendship. It has been a privilege to serve as part of the team and be inspired by them on a daily basis. I am so proud of everything PlayStation has achieved and will continue to support its future in every way I can.”
Now, for those of you who do not know, there has been a rumor circling around that Harrison will now be joining Atari. Well, according to GamesIndustry.biz, this was the reason that Harrison left Sony. Apparently he was frustrated with Sony Japan’s lack of foresight on the casual games front, and will now be joining David Gardner and spearhead Atari’s push into the casual space.
Now to be honest with you, I am confused about this announcement for certain reasons. The main reason I am confused about this was that I remember there being a news story about Atari’s CEO leaving te company because they are going bankrupt. If this is true, however, do you think that Harrison will be able to help Gardner keep Atari in buisness, or is this company doomed to fail no matter what help they get?
Raptr interview with Dennis Fong!
