Giant Bombcast 08/27/2013

At what point does Brad start being a professional game journalist again and play other games from this year? Possibly actual good and not-designed-for-fucking-esports-ones?

Get home from school, and bombcast is already here! YES!

So aat what point does Brad start being a professional game journalist again and play other games from this year? Possibly actual good and not-designed-for-fucking-esports ones?

Get home from school, and bombcast is already here! YES!

So angry.

Bombcast!!!

So here's a question. Does anyone else sometimes skip past parts where thru bomb crew talks about a certain game? For instance, this week it'll probably be Splinter Cell. I haven't heard this weeks podcast yet but I see it in the description. Nothing against the crew, but I'm enjoying playing that game right now quite a bit and I'd rather not have it ruined somehow. I've done this with several other games. It's weird. I'll hear them talk about and criticize/praise other games I haven't played and in most cases their talks make me want to ply the game.

I have that hand vacuum! It works great!

Love the not so subtle Salt-N-Pepa reference. Gen X represent!

As someone who has been paying attention to it, since the first launch (legacy member here). A lot of what he had to say made me cringe, you know?

I dunno, am not trying to get people to play the game. But I always feel like an idiot to rush out after listening to a cast only to shout

"NO, NO, NO, ITS NOT LIKE THAT. ITS LIKE THIS."

lol

The account system before was terrible with how you had to pay. Managed to be as dumb as PlayOnline w/11. Felt very old school.

I believed it was fine by now. But then I listen too Brad's process of how he figured out how log in, and what? My first thought is that I am pretty sure the buttons on the launcher lead you the account site and not the NA squenix site. The root of the problem I guess, was his confusion that it was a universal account. Which is understandable.

To be honest the biggest thing about A Realm Reborn to me is the development story. It's so unique, so crazy, and they seem to have pulled it off and shipped the game for PS3 as well. This story though just flies over most everyone's head. Their efforts should be applauded. Their treatment of the players and their transparency (especially for a Japanese team) has been phenomenal.

The GB guys really, really, REALLY need to watch Das Boot.

I'm a big fan of Brad's Breaking Bad reference that everyone refused to play along with.

@vinny I'm pretty sure the max windows experience score is like 7.9

For certain. You don't just come back from a failed MMO launch, but SE might have pulled off a miracle here. There's never been anything quite like this in the industry.

I felt burned by FFXIV 1.0, but I've been rooting for them to get this title back on track.

BBBBBBBBBBOMBCAST

Vinny: "It would be weird if they just let you control a drone"

What's funny is you do exactly that and control an unauthorized drone strike in Iran.

Jeff still trolling the idiot commenters by putting Dota in the description and getting them to rage. KEEP UP THE GOOD FIGHT @jeff.

There's always more DOTA.

(Not actually my profile)

Drew's nonchalant mention of going to a submarine just makes me realize how uninteresting my life is in comparison.

As if I wasn't freaked out enough by the fact that the America's Army game exists, the idea that the gameplay is getting away from realism and closer to Battlefield 3/4 is disturbing. I can accept that this exists as a recruiting tool, and from a purely logical standpoint I can understand targeting more the BF/CoD fan (as opposed to the hardcore sim fan) as being more likely to enroll in the army, but... I don't know... maybe make the game show you periodic images of soldiers recovering from traumatic head injuries or something.

Maybe I am not giving people who sign up to serve enough credit. I wonder if assuming that even a few of them would sign up to "play CoD only for REAL" is insultingly underestimating them. Anyone know of any articles where former or current servicemen/women give their opinions on this game?

EA making war seem "fun" = they are making a product, who gives a sh*t; US Army making war seem "fun"... ennnhhhhh.....

Hope Brad gives 14 more of a chance. Ive been able to play fine. No idea what hes talking about with the Username problem. My log in for the game is just like any other MMO or website. I have one username and a password.

Anyway, I've been having tons of fun in the game. But it isn't some groundbreaking new MMO design.

60 hours on FF13? How the hell?

Vinny was kind of down on the races in SR4, but I loved them. Wanted more of them, longer ones and with more verticality - most were just simple street level super sprinting and dodging. I wanted to be weaving up and around the buildings and having to glide in the air for some checkpoints, etc. Racing competitively in coop was a great fun, too. I wish there was an actual versus race mode, though.

The mouse makes controlling your super powered character so much better. I was shocked at how easy it was to stay in total control when nuts going all over the place. I figured I would stick with the gamepad like I did for most of SR3, but there was no going back after using the mouse when super sprinting. Loved it.

60? Lol, I had near 100 hours logged before I finally put it down.

One day there will be a bombcast where Drew talks about his trip to space during the weekend.

Vicki Vale.

Vicki Vale.

Dragoons got mad ups.

While Vinny was talking about the bathroom, I kept waiting for Ryan to jump in. Really miss him.

Their argument about numbered sequels never fails to amuse me in how pointless it is. Look at the sales of Final Fantasy around the world - does it really seem that having 8, 10, 13, 14 etc is hurting their sales? They may think its common sense to change it, but one of FF's great selling points is its long tradition, its enduring presence. A change like that is exactly the kind of seemingly benign and harmless common sense change that sets fans raging, and doesn't impact anyone else's perceptions of the series *at all* - so why risk it?

Final Fantasy only recently experimented with idea of direct sequels. The installments have largely nothing to do with one another. They have entirely new sets of characters, stories, locations, systems - the only reason that they are connected with the numbers, is because Final Fantasy is a successful brand name and by attaching them to that brand, they get infinitely more sales than they would, releasing them all as seperate entities (which is what they are).

The series will keep on going, because it isn't one idea, one set of characters or one world that they are running into the ground by stretching it out and out. Each new game is something wholly new, but labelled as part of the series for marketing purposes. Each new installment is not beholden to any one story, or lore, so every new game has as much chance of being a genuine hit as any other game. Because they are their own thing, with no continuity to worry about, it isn't expected to have the same system or characters. The only thing that is sure is high production values - that alone certainly doesn't guarantee credibility, but it sure doesn't hurt if you happen to get the right director/writer and they are inspired at the right time.

Vision and writing skill are what counts - the real problem that Final Fantasy has is that the creative team has stayed the same for a long time now. When Final Fantasy was in its heyday (in the West anyway), they changed up writers and directors every game to keep it fresh. That is what they need to address, not some nonsense about whether it looks right to put the number 14 or 15 on the box. Nobody cares about that - would you really not buy a game that everyone was raving about, just because of a number on the box?!

The games industry is 'awash' with sequels. This is not news. Wanting Final Fantasy (amongst others) to stop using numbers because it calls attention to an uncomfortable truth about the business side of the industry, is missing the point. Carping at Square for too many sequels, when this series changes basically everything in each new installment is particularly priceless.

@kittyvondoom said:

Didn't he spend like 20 minutes talking about how he played Saints Row IV? Wait, why am I arguing with you? You don't seem like a balanced person.

@modernmoriarty: I completely agree.

Why does everyone keep forgetting that Titanfall is coming to 360?

That's where most people are going to be playing it-- the install base will still be like, ten times bigger than XBO when that game ships!

...

You'd think it would get mentioned!!

Q-tips for cleaning??? Used toothbrushes are where it's at. The little travel ones you get at some hotels are perfect in conjunction with some alcohol (or water/vinegar if you roll like that). Pretty much the only way to clean out the dirt seams on controllers.

I hope the Dota 2 talk never ends just to troll all you fuckers out there. I don't even like the damn game and I find the anger it brings amusing.

On dealing with dust: a trick I've found to work pretty well is to put a small fan on the windowsill, pointing out the window. This is what I do in my living room/office during the warmer months. The fan will actually suck some of the dust out of the air. Doesn't eliminate all the dust, but it slows down how fast it accumulates. Vacuuming takes care of the rest.

I love Brad's "Waaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhehehehehehhh" stoner character. xXx_SmokeDawg420_xXx ?

lol

hehe

lmao

Listen to the Bombcast before you comment next time, dummies.

It'll get talked about when it's worth talking about. Respawn isn't making it, and the way they talk, they don't care about it in the slightest, so who knows. There seems to be a very good chance that version'll be totally fucked.

Though the brief nod from Brad that he recognizes his own curmudgeonly nature lately was appreciated, it doesn't really change the fact that he's kind of been an irritable old curmudgeon for awhile now. The outright hostility to the console launch games, the hoity toity PC Master Race-ism, the kicking and screaming he did a week or two ago about having to play GTA 5 on consoles, the dismissal of most major releases with the now-infamous Brothers debacle, the wet blanket attitude whenever there's new console news; while it's nice to recognize you're acting kind of snobby, you're still acting kind of snobby a lot.

I'm kind of dreading this year's GOTY podcasts, because I can't even imagine what they're going to be debating between, since at this rate, they'll barely be on the same page on any game at all with the likely exceptions of Bioshock, Saints Row, and GTA.

Oh, and despite the zombie-meme of "Sony's doing it too! Don't believe their lies!" that crops up in any comparison of console features and policies, Shu Yoshida has said on twitter multiple times and several different media outlets have reported that broadcasting functionality will not be put behind a paywall, and Twitch has said their streaming service for the Ps4 is free, unlike with the Xbox One. It takes 3 seconds to google this information.

And for the record, Giant Bomb commentariat: There's no Dota talk in this podcast. At least listen to the fucking thing before you complain.

SR2 was the break with Saints Row being derivative of the GTA franchise. After playing through it again after SR3, I think it might have been a more "complete" open world game, but what they cut from SR3 makes that a more distinct title. I think it was a good decision but there are facets I miss from SR2 in the later iterations.

Really looking forward to playing through SR4.

I really needed this, thanks duders!

I really needed this, thanks duders!

I wanted a batman animated series with Jeff as the VA

I think he's simultaneously insulting Dota 2. Fine by me.

Early bombcasts are the best bombcasts, just sayin'. :D

You're completely wrong there IS Dota 2 talk in this podcast ;p Please keep complaining before you listen.

There wasn't nearly enough DotA talk in this podcast, hope they fix that for next week. It's actually my favorite section.

@mrpandaman: wait really? I must have missed it.

@antihippy: I similarly must've either blacked out, or it was two seconds long.

Inject Dota directly into your bloodstream.

"It's a big, dumb, referential sandbox." ~Brad Shoemaker

Back-of-the-box quote.