Nicolo, Tom, Tony, Kaz, and Justin get down to the nitty-gritty of having too many games to play. Justin drops a motherload of a tray after being off the air for weeks. Impressions of Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix, Resistance 2, and Gears 2. Nicolo talks about his HD woes, while the rest of the crew counsels him. Then, we start our month-long celebration of great 2008 titles.
The Rumble Pack Posts
Nicolo, Tom, Tony, and Kaz gather around a feast of doughnuts to celebrate the grand American tradition of stuffing themselves silly. In our own way of giving thanks, we rave about the games that have been bringing us entertainment and joy. We give a list of things gamers should be thankful for this year in gaming, which will stand in stark contrast to the bloodbath that will occur when we inevitably try to determine which title was “number one” in 2008. But for now, we can all agree on one thing – it’s a great year to be a gamer.
A very special episode sees Nicolo return to the Hurtin’ for a Squirtin’ Municipal Studio. Tom, Justin, Kaz and Tony accompany him along with special guest Matty! On the docket: More Left 4 Dead loving, Mirror’s Edge impressions and Gears or War 2 talk and more. Second half: are companies punished for doing good deeds? And, is Activision Blizzard the new EA?
Tony, Nicolo, Tom and Kaz delve into the games that have become fixtures in their trays. Another in a series of episodes that break our normal format to let the games take center stage sees Tom and Tony talking up the satisfaction of Dead Space’s ending. Tony and Kaz try and coerce Tom into buying Gears of War 2, horde mode? Nicolo gripes about the EYE OF JUDGEMENT; a side purchase to enhance Little Planet Planet. And Kaz delves into just how awesome the 30min demo of Left 4 Dead has been, and it’s only 2 out of 20 possible stages. Come in, sirs (and madams) and know us better!
Our wallets continue to gently weep, even in the midst of the momentous election coverage. Justin flails his arms to the beat of Wii Music, Nick continues to search Dracula’s latest castle, and Kaz leads a decisive demo discussion. And if you’re somehow not satiated by the current flood of games, Tom and Tony announce the release date for the pre-alpha design documents of their groundbreaking LBP level.
Budding level designers, your time to shine has arrived. LittleBigPlanet is out (even if its servers aren’t quite ready), but the Rumble Pack isn’t sure whether the mainstream media knows how to cover the seedier side of the game’s user-generated content. Also, Kaz delivers the scoop on the latest batch of plastic instruments shipping alongside the new Guitar Hero, while Tony seeks out the internet’s most pretentious games (with a few gems in between)
 This week, the ‘Pack ventures into Dead Space to hunt down tentacled babies and other cranky aliens. There are no monster-closets on this spaceship, but does EA’s survival horror debut deliver the chills? Justin “proverbially” poop-socks the English translation of Mother 3 – we’re not sure what proverb that’s derived from – while Kaz finds the Carcassonne crowd still welcoming. De Blob and Age of Booty are also discussed.
After the break, we discuss the implications of “LittleBig-Gate.” Was Sony right to delay arguably their biggest game of the year? Not everyone is in agreement here, but we try to keep it classy.
Unfortunately, most of our Tokyo Game Show coverage was lost due to technical difficulties, but we still have plenty to keep us busy here in the states. Nicolo delivers the full scoop on the “interactive-art” download Linger in the Shadows for the PS3, while Tony finally explores Cave Story. Afterwards, Kaz’s Kar Talk leads into a discussion of contextual learning, and Justin brings back details from his trip to Volition, Inc.
Earthbound fans, the moment you probably forgot you were waiting for is finally here! The fine folks at Starmen.net have finally completed an English patch for the import-only Mother 3.
But herein lies the problem: in order to take advantage of this translation, I need to infinge upon Nintendo’s copywrights. Now, longtime listeners know that I do not support gaming piracy and the vast majority of emulation out there, but just this one time, I’m officially breaking my own moral code. I’m sorry, Nintendo. I’d much prefer to see an official Treehouse localization, but by expressing zero interest in bringing the sequel to one of my all-time favorites to our shores, you have forced my hand. You’ve teased me too much with the “Porky” cameos in the last Smash Bros. for me to back down. I need this ROM.
*Fellow fans, do you think I’m wrong? Should I sit tight and keeping praying for a miraculous domestic release of “Earthbound 2,” or is this a worthy exception?