Joystiq is a fairly well-known gaming blog --the "motherblog" if you will of a whole bunch of other blogs like Xbox 360 Fanboy and Nintendo Wii Fanboy-- and with good reason, since it's one of the funniest and most frequently updated around. Not as many people may be familiar with the Joystiq Podcast however, and that's a shame, as it's truly excellent.
It has three regular hosts: Chris Grant, the boss, Ludwig Kietzmann, an unrepentant pun-maker and token South African, and Justin McElroy, the "silly one." Every episode follows an unbending structure, starting with what they've all been playing for the last week, then the news, then the Big Three (the three most popular Joystiq posts for the week), the Brush With Fame, and e-mails. It used to be the Brush With Fame was Justin randomly mentioning a commenter's name, but recently it evolved into an actual trivia contest with honest-to-goodness prizes.
A typical moment on the show started with a strange crackling sound. "Are you eating Chiclets?" Chris asked. Justin said "No!" defensively, then in a matter-of-fact tone "I'm opening a yo-yo." Because that's the kind of guy Justin is, he's not going to let producing a podcast stop him from doing other things like playing with a yo-yo, or eating Pretzel Flipz, or mysteriously leaving for 10 minutes without telling anyone where he went or why. Justin's also the progenitor of virtually all of Joystiq's memes, some of which involve firing him, wearing his skin as a suit, or having something carry something in something else -- alliteratively (i.e. a bear with a bird in his backpack).
That's not to discount the contributions of Chris or Ludwig. At any moment Chris may bust out his old prospector voice or complain about his feet falling asleep on the toilet while he's playing PSP. Ludwig mines much comedy from talking about life in a third world country where he often rides a lion to the marketplace to watch the puppet theater, and is as fanatically devoted to puns as any man is devoted to any thing on this Earth.
Check out the Joystiq Podcast homepage!
Monday, April 7, 2008
Joystiq - Podcast Profiles
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Top 10 Most Anticipated Games of 2008
2007 gets a lot of credit for having more amazing games come out than in any other calendar year in recent memory, and with great titles like Super Mario Galaxy, Call of Duty 4, Rock Band, God of War II, Portal, and on and on, it's absolutely true. But don't sell 2008 short! We've already seen some terrific games like Professor Layton, Burnout Paradise, and Super Smash Bros Brawl released this year, and in the next 9 months we're due for a ton more.
Here are the 10 games I'm most looking forward to this year.
10. Boom Blox (Wii)
Even if we forget about Steven Spielberg's involvement for a minute, and considering he's been responsible for some of the most wildly fun and enduring movies of the last century maybe we shouldn't, the videos we've seen so far stand on their own. I'm a big fan of unrestrained chaos in my games, and throwing blocks at other blocks to make them explode is my idea of a good time. As long as they don't put in too many artificial fun restraints (I'm looking at you Elebits) I think Boom Blox will be --sorry-- a blast!
9. A Vampyre Story (PC)
A bunch of the people who used to make adventure games for LucasArts (including Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis and The Curse of Monkey Island, both some of my all-time favorites) got together to start their own company called Autumn Moon Entertainment. I got my first computer at the tender age of twelve for the sole purpose of playing Sierra and LucasArts adventure games, and they left an indelible impression on me. If Vampyre is half as good as some of their past successes, it'll be well worth playing.
8. LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
I don't really know much about this game except for some of the videos I've seen, and the fact that a dozen journalists have come out of various press events declaring it the single game this year they're most excited to play. It looks simply beautiful, and we don't get nearly enough 2D platform games these days outside of handhelds and downloadable titles, so the idea of one being a AAA retail release with a big budget is enough to get my attention.
7. Lego Indiana Jones (Xbox 360)
I enjoyed the Lego Star Wars games well enough, but given I have a lukewarm impression at best of the Star Wars movies didn't win the titles any favors. On the other hand, I worship Indiana Jones, so if this game has similar gameplay and fan service to the Star Wars edition it'll be right up my alley.
6. Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One (XBLA)
Besides the title, which is almost cool enough to deserve a place on this list by itself, I'm a big fan of the guys at Penny Arcade. Their comics are consistently the best game-related humor on the Internet, and their podcasts (I've listened to every episode) reveal them to be even funnier than their comics, and incredibly smart. On a recent podcast posted on their new Greenhouse site, Jerry (the writer) talked about writing a unique textual description for each of the 14 crabs in one scene so players would have enough to click on. That's my kind of adventure game!
5. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
Is any explanation needed? It's Mario Kart we're talking about here. Sure, it spawned an entire genre of horrible knock-offs, yet somehow Nintendo still manages to make each iteration fresh and exciting. The last Kart game for the DS was wonderful, and with the motion controls for steering, this one could be even better. I'm one of the few people who really loved Excite Truck, so I've got high hopes for this title.
4. Brütal Legend (Xbox 360)
I know virtually nothing about this one, and I have no interest at all in heavy metal. But who cares? It's Tim Schafer. He made Grim Fandango and Psychonauts. The man is a genius and everything he touches turns to gold. He could make a game about underwater basket weaving and I'd buy it.
3. Fallout 3 (Xbox 360)
If I don't know much about Brütal Legend, I know even less about Fallout 3. All I need to know is five words: Same dudes who made Oblivion. I don't even like RPGs, but I spent more hours playing Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion than any other game I've ever played, and I experienced emotions I never thought a game could induce in a player. These guys have a free pass with me.
2. Bionic Commando Rearmed (XBLA)
A downloadable remake of an old NES game at #2? Yup! Back when it was first released, Bionic Commando took hold of my young mind in a way nothing else had ever done. I filled pages and pages of notebooks with sketches of bionic soldiers at war with Hitler's army (even at that age, I knew it was Hitler -- who did they think they were fooling?). I'll be getting this the day it comes out.
1. Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360)
I may have spent more hours playing Oblivion than any other single game, but even those hours pale in comparison to what I've invested in the GTAIII trilogy. And that's another thing, something that blew my mind when I first heard about GTAIV, if Vice City and San Andreas were only extensions of GTAIII, then how big a step forward does GTAIV have to be to earn that new number? GTA has always had the best story, the best action set pieces, the best gameplay, the best side quests, and the best unpredictable chaos of any game series around. Hell, even the talk radio is better written than virtually any other action game out there. I guess this is a predictable choice, but that's because GTA is one of the most beloved series ever made. They've earned this spot, for sure.
Did I miss anything? Let me know!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Giant Bombcast - Podcast Profiles
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
uWink - Restaurant of the Future?
Every table in uWink is set up with touch screen computers, which are the main focal point of the uWink experience. Once you've been seated, you're on your own. You browse through a pictorial menu, with food ranging from hamburgers and pizza to fish, pasta or steak. Each item can also be customized, e.g. hold the onions or extra mushrooms. You can even ask for more napkins, a to-go box, or a side of ranch. The only time you'll see a waiter or waitress is when the food actually comes out.
Buying a food item grants you credits (for instance, a hamburger and fries might be 10 credits). You can spend these credits on interactive games. Simple games are one credit, but any game you might actually want to play is probably two credits. The game quality is akin to the free flash games you'll find anywhere on the net--only without the depth. One "featured" game involved a monster throwing another monster down a street, with the distance determined by where you choose to stop two ever-cycling meters (one for strength, one for the angle)--sort of like a golf game. It was absolutely no fun. There are also ripoffs of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and Wheel of Fortune, basketball tossing, some puzzle games, and plenty more.
I didn't test all the games because between Melissa and I we only had 25 credits to spare. You can buy more without buying food, but you probably won't bother. I spent most of my credits on the trivia games. The best one I tried was called Expert, and gave the choice of several dozen trivia categories, with the game ending when you miss a question or after getting 25 correct, whichever comes first. Most games do track high scores, displaying both the highest of the week as well as of all time (I got 9th of all time in Expert, but when you give me categories like Super Heroes and the Simpsons, that'll happen).
Not that you actually win anything--at least not for spending some measly credits. There are a series of "prize puzzles" but they cost extra. Depending on how nice a prize you want to go for, it costs between 50 cents and $1.25 to play, but I confess I didn't try any myself. Due diligence notwithstanding, I didn't feel like dropping 50 cents on the possibility of winning a candy bar. I'm a grown man, and I can buy a candy bar whenever I like, thank you.
One thing they added since the last time I'd been there was a periodic invitation for a game the entire restaurant plays together. I joined one comparing two seemingly identical photos for differences. Alas, I'm terrible at those and came in second from the bottom. The real issue with these games is you're not competing against anyone directly, you're just comparing scores, and it's that lack of player-vs-player gameplay that's uWink's biggest shortcoming. Even at the same table, within the same party, there's no way to link up the screens to play with your friends. At its core, it's a pretty lonely experience.
Oddly enough, the night we were there the back of the restaurant was taken up by a crew of speed daters. Considering if you actually participate in the restaurant's conceit you won't end up speaking two words to each other, it's not a great place to get to know someone. Even if you're not playing a game, you're distracted by something. Melissa spent the first 15 minutes watching movie trailers. I spent 10 minutes or so reading "funny things people wrote on exams."
But what about the food? Yes, if you can pull yourself away from the computer, they do in fact serve food. My pepperoni pizza tasted like plastic that had been marinated in grease for two days then super-glued to some bread. I blame myself, ordering pizza from a restaurant owned by the founder of Chuck E. Cheese, but that doesn't absolve them entirely from screwing up God's favorite food so very badly. For what it's worth, Melissa claimed her cheeseburger was "very good" but she still only ate a third of it. We didn't stay for dessert.
If you like flash games and overpriced diner food, and you're going out with people you'd rather not have to talk to, I can't recommend uWink highly enough. However, for a great dinner-gaming experience with a date or friends, you're better off going to Cheesecake Factory then back to your place for Rock Band or Wii Sports.
Grade: C
Saturday, March 1, 2008
GameStache!! Features
Podcast Profiles
Updated April 7, 2008
Top 10 Most Anticipated Games of 2008
April 2, 2008
uWink - Restaurant of the Future?
March 11, 2008
