This week, most of the guys are in Kaz’s Cleveland studio to talk games and post-apocalyptic basketball mascots. Kaz, Mike, Tom and Tony have all gotten their hands on the colorful, crude Sunset Overdrive and have much to say. Meanwhile, Justin takes a break from Smash and throws down in the original Bayonetta. Plus, Desert Golf, more Fantasia and a hint of Fantasy Life.
The Rumble Pack Posts
Team Thursday all the way! Or at least, Team Should’ve-Been-Uploaded-Thursday! On this bonus installment, Justin gets excited for 8-player Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, while Tony dives into the Abyss Odyssey and goes to battle in The Banner Saga.
This week on the podcast Neil, Tom and Kaz get together to dissect Shinji Mikami’s The Evil Within, the good, the bad and the letterboxed. Afterwards Neil tries to find meaning in his Destiny travails and updates the pack on what he’s been doing these past weeks (spoilers: mostly being sick). Then Kaz digs into the beginning of Fantasia: Music Evolved.
I like this game, I’m not going to bury the lead. There are some things that Forza Horizon 2 doesn’t do perfectly, but the breadth of what the game gets right is overwhelming. The feeling of joy is persistent throughout the various championships and side activities–collecting barn finds, finding XP boards, racing rivals and exploring,
Oh, and the game is aggressively pretty. From an art direction standpoint and from a pure graphical standpoint. The image quality is always great, some minor pop in stands out on some of the shadows and lighting, but the low framerate stayed locked in for almost all of my play time (some hiccups occurred during freeroam online (not sure if it was online related or game related). Normally a low framerate makes a racing game seem muddy but they make up for it with enough motion blur to fool the eye into perceiving the game as smooth.
There’s always more to do, and I went from activity to activity immersed in the beautiful visuals, mesmerized by the amazing soundtrack and with a big goofy grin from ear to ear. Every now and then a game that just makes you happy while you play it is all you want. Bonus points for getting me to shout “Xbox, Record That” more in the last three weeks than the previous 8 months combined.
Tom, Tony and Kaz unite to celebrate all things sophomoric in Justin’s absence. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on perspective) there are too many good games to talk about this week and Tom and Kaz wax poetic about the stylish downloadable Pix the Cat. Tony digs deep into the roguelike-like that is Abyss Odyssey and the early release Sunless Sea. Kaz meanwhile gets ornery over more internet kerfuffle and gets way too hyped for Fantasia: Music Evolved.
This week is all about Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS, and its breakout star, Duck Hunt! Plus, more Forza Horizon 2 and celebrating the release of PlayStation oddity Vib Ribbon!
Super Smash Bros. isn’t the only Nintendo crossover that has the Pack’s attention! This week, Tom and Justin make the case for Hyrule Warriors, the surprisingly great Zelda spinoff. Meanwhile, Tony falls in love with Crypt of Necrodancer, whether it’s finished or not, while Kaz drives the open roads in Forza 2 Horizon.
Things take a turn for the weird as Kaz, Tom and Justin tackle oddities like D4, Murasaki Baby and Dangan Ronpa. And while Final Fantasy is a known quantity, the fifteenth numbered sequel leaves an impression on the guys based on its TGS trailer. Plus, Smash Bros. controller debates, Theatrhythm double dipping and revisiting Mercenary Kings.
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, America’s favorite green soft drink (that wasn’t dnL) is back! While the guys gleefully awaits their first Surge shipment, they pass the time by talking about some of their favorite games of the moment. Kaz is burning rubber in the new Forza Horizon 2 demo, Justin is maining Mega Man in the new Super Smash Bros. for 3DS demo, Neil is collecting a bit of loot in Destiny and Tom is Lobo-ing around in Injustice: Gods Among Us. Plus, Dragon Quest V, DanganRonpas 1 and 2, The Walking Dead Season 2 finale and more.
Relevant Links: Norton Furniture
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