The Rumble Pack Posts

Hey kids, Happy Valentine’s Day!

Since I already celebrated with the lady last weekend, I’m free tonight to finish up my podcast blog! Here we go!

So now that I’ve covered the 1up podcasts I listen to, let’s talk a little bit about the IGN ones. Most of these casts are sorted into platform, which coincides with ign.com and their separate platform channels. What I really like about these podcasts though, is that everyone that appears on them is very non-biased towards other systems, and pretty much tell it like it is, despite what you might think. Greg Miller from the Playstation channel didn’t buy a system till a few weeks ago, because he didn’t think it was worth it. Hillary Goldstein from the 360 channel talked for about 20 minutes two weeks ago about why he thought the 360 was in pretty hot water, from an industry standpoint. And Matt Cassamasina has been on record talking about how he was very interested in joining the 360 channel during the first few days of the Wii. Overall, the podcasts are pretty good and everyone on here has a pretty great sense of humor. Let’s go into a little more depth:

Another saddening Justin-less week transpires. Meanwhile in Cleveland: Nick, Tom, Tony and Kaz form a strike force of hilarity and contemplate the goings on of the gaming industry. In an unprecedented change Kaz goes first in talking about his tray, which crashed the recording studio computer. Luckily, the second recording works and the group makes it past a grueling discourse on PC snobbery about Sins of a Solar Empire. Nick delves into the games he has to catch up on, this week focusing on some handheld love. Tony, Nick and Kaz wax poetic about the ins and outs of Devil May Cry 4. And bringing it all home: Tom talks about his impressions of a copy of the Japanese version of Smash Brothers Brawl.

After the break the business side of the pack kicks in. The crew discusses the state of Nintendo and the market of the Wii. Including the implications of an expanding casual demographic and what it means for gamers. Will the Wii ever stop being successful? Tune in to find out. Then tell us what you think at our message board.

Special Note: The mid-show break contains the hard work of 3 whole minutes of audio stitchcraft. It’s a little treat/joke for those waiting for us to get around to making a theme song. It’s in no way permanent, you know, unless everyone likes it…

Hey kids! It’s Thursday night again, and you know what that means…

No no no, not that. Pull your pants back up.

That’s right, it’s blog time! This week’s topic: My Other favorite podcasts

So a lot more goes into the Rumble Pack than it seems sometimes. Ask anyone on the cast and they’ll recount to you many a story of crappy audio equipment, recording scheduling conflicts, website troubles, editing woes, etc.

And oooooh man, the time commitment. Between recording every Monday, all of us here update our blogs every week, constant check and post on the boards and write reviews, try to come up with new content (we need a intro theme desperately) and somehow find time to play games, be social, work full-time jobs and catch up with as much industry news as we possibly can. It’s a busy schedule!

For me, one of the most important things about the show is having an intelligent conversation about some aspect of the industry, and usually that involves some kind of news piece or issue that’s happened throughout the week. So to keep up with the news on my end and get some fresh perspectives about what’s been going on, I listen to a loooooot of gaming podcasts.

Welcome to another episode of the child men anonymous club! At this week’s meeting Tony, Nick, Kaz and Tom report on what keeps them from becoming true men. Including: No More Heroes, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, The Club, Zack and Wiki, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Mass Effect, Rez HD and Pixeljunk Monsters.

Part two begins a series of epic debates, starting with the state of Smash Bros Brawl. Tony and Kaz air some concerns they have about how the game is shaping up. Nick vehemently defends the honor of the stalwart game we put too much time into.

Then the crew slaps on their money hats and gets their fanboy on in a discussion of the state of gaming, the console wars and where 2008 will lead us. Things get tense at times, but rest assured, even though we use the “f” word at each other (fanboy), we still love each other. And cooler heads prevail, unlike on message boards.

Suit up, strap in, pick your side and prepare to enter the console wars? Oh yeah, it’s a long one.

It’s been a while since I’ve had a lot of fun with a hack and slash. It’s also been a while since I’ve had fun with Devil May Cry (let’s face it, 3 was just ok, not good, ok). Now, DMC is back, but with a new protagonist. That’s right, Old Man Dante has taken a step aside to let in a new generation of Devil Hunter; one that looks almost exactly like him. However, while Nero may be a visual twin, the difference between handling these two is the difference between handling an SUV and a Lamborghini.

Yes, you heard me right, you get to play as both characters, but unlike driving an SUV (and kinda like handling a Lambo) experiencing both characters is a blast. Dante is as familiar as ever…and apparently following DMC and before DMC2 (remember: DMC3 = prequel) he has become a GOD. When you first handle him, it will be like a reunion with an old friend. But, as with all things, Dante has changed with time. Seriously, this man is beefed up and ready to destroy anything or anyone in his path. Yes, you can switch weapons on the fly still. But they added something even better; now you can switch fighting styles on the fly as well. While that may not seem like a big deal, as you begin to get accustomed to how it works, switching styles and weapons end up becoming incredibly fun. You also get some Devil Arms as Dante, the two coolest being Pandora and Lucifer. Pandora is a box with 666 different forms; in game you use about 7 of them, all of them being ridiculously powerful. Lucifer is a melee weapon that sticks exploding spikes into your opponent; it also provides Dante with the opportunity to make jokes about his male member. Either way, playing with Dante has become even better and more badass. However, the star of this show is Nero; and let me tell you, this star shines bright.

So I when I was thinking about what I should write this evening, I was considering doing another general update in which I’d talk about all the things I’ve gotten recently.

But then I thought, “eh…I’d kind of like to write something a little more meaningful.” So here’s what I’ve been thinking about this past week: My role.

We all have one. At our jobs, with our friends, in our families. Regardless of whether or not there’s a purpose to us being there, we all take on some kind of role within the groups and environments we encounter. It’s human nature.

Sound the trumpets! It’s the triumphant return of the full cast of The Rumble Pack…in the second half of the show…

Due to time constraints of a busy life in China, Justin doesn’t appear in the episode until the second half.

Until that point Tony, Nick Tom and Kaz bust out three in depth conversations. Concerning Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Advanced Wars: Days of Ruin and Burnout Paradise. With some more discussion sprinkled in throughout for your listening pleasure. No Tony singing this week, we promise.

When Justin joins in the conversation turn to admonishing NiGHTS again and discussing the latest fad in gaming, microtransactions. Specifically, how microtransactions relate to Battlefield: Heroes and what it means for PC gaming in general. More news follows, discussed in detail.

Last weekend, the movie Cloverfield was released in theaters. After hearing about J. J. Abram’s involvement with the film, the Lost/monster movie fan inside me drove me to check it out with some friends. I didn’t see any threads about it on the message board, so I thought I might post a few of my thoughts here since this seems like one of those “you’ll probably end up talking about it with your friends and co-workers” kind of movies.

*Note: Although there isn’t too much to really “spoil”, I will refrain from going into detail about any plot or character details that would be considered such.

As the Good Sir Tony will agree with me, the experience was not a bad one. In case you are unfamiliar with the concept of Cloverfield, I’ve included this handy and highly scientific equation for your benefit. Excuse the large size and my poor skill with image editing…

I’d say this accurately sums up the concept. Godzilla (giant monster currrently destroying city) plus The Blair Witch Project (film presented as “real” amateur footage) minus Godzuki (I wanted to put a pile of crap as the picture here to symbolize the overall awfulness of The Blair Witch Project, but Godzuki seemed so much more poignant) equals Cloverfield.

Hey everyone! It’s Thursday, so you know what that means….blooooog time!

It’s been a really busy week or two, so I thought today I’d just share a few cool things I’ve encountered in the past little while and hope that some of you care.

First of all, I was up until about 3:00 AM last night, for the first time in a long time, playing a game that I just couldn’t put down; Half Life 2: Episode 2. That’s right ladies and gents, my time with the Orange Box has officially come to an end, but let me just say that it couldn’t have been any more spectacular. If you haven’t played Episode 2 yet, (let alone the rest of the HL series) , you need to stop what you’re doing and go pick up the Orange Box. Seriously, just leave and go play it – this entry will still be here when you get back.

I don’t blame you. Go!