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Episode 302: The Pack-In Police

by James Jones, Jonathan Metts, and Guillaume Veillette - August 19, 2012, 4:35 pm EDT
Total comments: 50

The RFN crew talks about hopes and expectations for the Wii U launch details.

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Jon is out this week due to a late work day, and we pushed off RetroActive again (it's definitely happening on 303 now). But there's still plenty to talk about on this show, as we return to a typical length packed with New Business, Listener Mail, and a sizable feature discussion.

James kicks it off with a string of game demo impressions. He enjoys Hybrid on XBLA (a shooter from the guys who made... Scribblenauts?), hates the net code in Heroes of Ruin, disses the tutorial-heavy demo for Dust: An Elysian Tale, and urges you to discover Miyamoto's forgotten gem, Mole Mania, now on 3DS Virtual Console. Guillaume brings a 2D platforming duo with the impressive homebrew level pack called Another New Super Mario Bros. Wii and the far less notable TOSE joint, The Legendary Starfy. Jonny continues that theme with his own take on Sound Shapes (PSN), a game Nintendo should have made themselves, and the WiiWare sequel/reboot Excitebike World Rally, which Nintendo probably should have left in pieces under the tea table.

We intended this to be just a quick preview, but our mini-feature discussion on the Wii U launch went much deeper than expected, and that's a good thing. We go through the date, price, pack-ins, software, retail supply, and media attention with expert predictions at every turn. Nintendo should be announcing the real details very soon, so listen now and see how close we called it! Finally, we tackled a bit of Listener Mail this week, with questions on which WiiWare games should follow ThruSpace and Fluidity on the path to eShop, plus our recommendations for a Nintendo gamer who just picked up a PlayStation 3 and PSP. Please send in your own questions and ideas so we can address them on a future show!

Next week, we'll FINALLY be talking about Wario Land 4 in the oft-delayed RetroActive #23 feature. Listener comments on the game will be pulled from this official forum thread, so drop off your thoughts and maybe they'll be read on the podcast! Also, we hope you'll check out the second episode of Nintendo Free Radio, made by some of our favorite community members. You can also hear what Jonny, Karl, Obi, and Stan have been seeing at the movies over on Box Office Poison.

This podcast was edited by Guillaume Veillette.

Music for this episode of Radio Free Nintendo is used with permission from Jason Ricci & New Blood. You can purchase their newest album, Done with the Devil, directly from the record label, Amazon (CD) (MP3), or iTunes, or call your local record store and ask for it!

Additional music for this episode of Radio Free Nintendo is copyrighted to Nintendo and Konami, and is included under fair use protection.

Talkback

SonofMrPeanutAugust 19, 2012

The timing of this title is perfect, actually.  I'm moving to Cambridge, MA this Thursday, and I have to stuff as much into as few boxes as possible. XD

geoAugust 20, 2012

In regards to the pricing of games, it's more than just the price (where lower = more sales and higher = less sales).  I worked at a gamestop for a long time, and there is a customer perception where if a game releases at less than 60, it's not worth buying.  That's why you get mediocre games releasing at 60, and then quickly dropping later.  There is a stigma with games that release for 'less' than full price.  If you have assassin's creed 3 on all 3 systems, but the wii U one is 50, the customers will automatically assume it is an inferior product without knowing anything about it.  To compete with ps3 and 360 it needs to price match them, even if that means they need to raise the price of their games.  It's a total customer perception thing. 

I had this point in the back of my mind but I failed to make it. Thanks man.

broodwarsAugust 20, 2012

I really disagree with James on Dust: An Elysian Tail, and I've probably played about the amount of time at the beginning of the game that comprises the demo.  I picked up the game last week, but only had a chance to play the first 30-45 minutes or so before I loaned my 360 out to my best friend (so I could get my Wii back for The Last Story).  I found the game really charming (the characters remind me a lot of 1980s-era Don Bluth designs and the overall tone reminds me of Secret of Nimh, which makes sense considering the game's developer has a 2D animation background), and the combat easy-to-comprehend and engaging.  I also thought the dialogue was quite amusing, very much in the same style as something like the original Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.

C'mon, when you run into the mysterious, cloaked shopkeeper for the first time, the game drops two direct references in the dialogue to Resident Evil 4! How can you not love that?  :P:

Do_WhatAugust 20, 2012

I just started, but I agree with James about Dust. I found the game to be pretty unbearable. The furry aesthetic absolutely doesn't work for me. The music doesn't feel terribly distinctive either? Overall it's just another action platformer and there have definitely been better a lot of better titles in the past couple of years. The animation is nice, and the graphics are very crisp, but I just don't enjoy the art direction at all. If you don't like the art there really isn't a whole lot to enjoy in this game. The combat looks flashy, but where I am two hours into it you just spam one or two moves and watch the counter go up. It misses a lot of nuance to the combat. There are very specific action pacing issues that you don't encounter in stuff like viewtiful joe or the castlevania games. I just felt it was sort of weak.

Pixelated PixiesAugust 20, 2012

On the debate about whether or not NyxQuest would work on 3DS, I have to side with Gui that it would be pretty awkward. You could of course put all the action down on the bottom screen but then you would be neglecting the larger and prettier upper screen (not everyone has an XL).

If you were to put the action on the top screen and use the bottom touch screen to interact with items (with the position and movement of the stylus being indicated on the top screen by a reticule) then you would come across another issue.

In that game much of your time is spent holding up blocks for your character to stand on, or lifting obstacles out of the way to allow your character to move under them. If you were to move your character with the circle pad and use the stylus with your free hand (let's say your right hand), in terms of reachable buttons that only leaves the left bumper. With the touch screen being different from the screen on which the action is happenening I feel like you would need an action button for gripping and releasing (as you would not be directly touching the blocks themselves and moving them). Using the bumper to do this just seems awkward. My experience with Uprising also taught me that holding the system like that can be pretty painful.

I do love the Wiiware game though and would to see a sequel (preferrably on Wii U).

Disco StuAugust 20, 2012

Oh God, now that the 3DS XL/NSMB2 releases are past, I'm going to be expecting a Nintendo Direct announcement every single day until there is one.  If they hold out on this info into September, it is going to be painful.

Glad0sAugust 20, 2012

As far as the whole "PS3 for Nintendo Gamers" thing goes, a couple of games come to mind. First off, we have ModNation Racers, which is essentially a better version of Mario Kart with a whole mess of creation tools. Probably the best kart racer I've played. There's also the WipeOut series, which is....pretty much F-Zero. Also, there's Outland, which is an awesome combination of Ikaruga, classic 2D Mario, and Super Metroid....Greg needs to play that game.


In regards to the Wii U, I pretty much perfectly echo Jonny's opinion. 250 bucks, no Wiimote+, and some sort of eShop related pack-in. Bam. Also, there HAS to be some sort of GameCube related Virtual Console. Please.

Quote from: broodwars

C'mon, when you run into the mysterious, cloaked shopkeeper for the first time, the game drops two direct references in the dialogue to Resident Evil 4! How can you not love that?  :P: : :

Because it's not 2005. That's like asking why "The Cake is a Lie" jokes aren't funny anymore.





...or why anything Chuck Lorre ever made was never funny.

TJ SpykeAugust 20, 2012

The Big Bang Theory is one of the funniest shows on TV, and that is a Chuck Lorre show.

If Big Bang Theory is one of the funniest things on TV, I'm cancelling my cable since there's clearly nothing worth watching.

bhurakAugust 20, 2012

Quote from: geo

In regards to the pricing of games, it's more than just the price (where lower = more sales and higher = less sales).  I worked at a gamestop for a long time, and there is a customer perception where if a game releases at less than 60, it's not worth buying.  That's why you get mediocre games releasing at 60, and then quickly dropping later.  There is a stigma with games that release for 'less' than full price.  If you have assassin's creed 3 on all 3 systems, but the wii U one is 50, the customers will automatically assume it is an inferior product without knowing anything about it.  To compete with ps3 and 360 it needs to price match them, even if that means they need to raise the price of their games.  It's a total customer perception thing. 

Do you think there's a chance keeping the lower price could help avoid the downward price expectation? If it's perceived to come out at a slight discount could there be less "wait for the sale" attitude?

TJ SpykeAugust 20, 2012

Quote from: Shaymin

If Big Bang Theory is one of the funniest things on TV, I'm cancelling my cable since there's clearly nothing worth watching.

BBT airs on network TV (NBC), so cancelling your cable will only stop you from seeing the reruns on TBS. BBT is a great show.

I will be talking about Dust either this week or next. Let's just say that James may have passed judgement prematurely on this one.


Although many of my friends are big fans, I cannot stand Big Bang Theory. It's not a show for smart people; it makes fun of smart people to appeal to everyone else. The scripts pepper in enough random references to make nerds think someone is talking to them, but it's all a ruse. You want a truly great, hilarious show made by, for, and about nerds? Try Community.

Another preview for 303: I got my new XL, and the digital license situation was resolved by Nintendo much more quickly and with greater satisfaction than I ever expected. This has been quite a Monday night over my WiFi network.

I went to a consignment store...take that for a 303 preview.

Hey Einstein!August 21, 2012

Quote from: Jonnyboy117

the digital license situation was resolved by Nintendo much more quickly and with greater satisfaction than I ever expected. This has been quite a Monday night over my WiFi network.

Here here on all the Big Bang hate. It is not funny. It is not clever. It has nothing to say to geek culture and I am right!!!


Jonny, out of interest did you get to keep your saves on your eshop and ambassador games? I did a system transfer for my XL and lost all my saves and can't find a way to recover them. Backed up my SD card first, all that.


As for PSP/PS3 games for Nintendo fans: my most played PSP games have all been minis. The Mediatonic games Monsters (Probably) Stole my Princess and Who's That Flying are both gems. You can get them together in a cheaper bundle now & they play on both systems. Who's that Flying was the best game I played last year (but avoid the touch controlled iOS version!). Also, if you don't have it on another system, Pacman CE is truley brilliant - not Nintedo-ish exactly but retro chic, completely addictive and pretty cheap.

Finally on this subject my heart sinks whenever I hear Team ICO games recommended for Zelda fans as on the podcast. This is the reason I played them both and I feel the same way about these games as Gui feels about Loco Roco!
They look nice...... and that is it. I hated Ico (despite playing it to completion, hoping I would change my mind). The controls suck, which makes the puzzles very frustrating. I spent hours trying to line up jumps with wind mill sails and the water mill wheel (the latter was cut for the US release - you guys got lucky!). The puzzles were plain bad. The story left me cold. The game rules suddenly change, most jarringly was when you go from having to defeat every shadow in a room to proceed and are then blocked by infinite re spawning shadows with no warning or explanation. I was hacking away for ages before I released what was happening. At least the games is short! I hated this game so much, I was truly surprised at myself.


And I stopped playing Shadow of the Colossus when I realized that it wasn't a game about fighting bosses but about watching concentric HUD circles filling up followed by button mashing. All these beautiful graphics were flying by and I was just looking at the stupid circles. (for those unfamiliar, you have to grip to the Colossi and the circles show how strong your grip is). I played half of the game and gave up, not one boss fight was a patch on a Zelda boss battle anyway and it all stank of trial and error game play.


So yeah, the Last Guardian can rot in vapourware hell as far as I am concerned.
Aren't I a ray of sunshine this morning!

Hey Einstein!August 21, 2012

That last post was too long. ::)

Pixelated PixiesAugust 21, 2012

Quote from: Hey

That last post was too long. ::)


I just burned through 5 books from A Song of Fire and Ice in the space of 3 months. Don't talk to me about long.

CericAugust 21, 2012

I will be tweeting as I listen to the episode with the Hashtag #RFN303 #Preview

I am proud of me.

Quote from: Glad0s

As far as the whole "PS3 for Nintendo Gamers" thing goes, a couple of games come to mind. First off, we have ModNation Racers, which is essentially a better version of Mario Kart with a whole mess of creation tools. Probably the best kart racer I've played. There's also the WipeOut series, which is....pretty much F-Zero. Also, there's Outland, which is an awesome combination of Ikaruga, classic 2D Mario, and Super Metroid....Greg needs to play that game.

I don't really love any of those games. Granted, I've only played the demo of ModNation Racers, but the racing and physics felt better in MKW, to me.

I also very much disagree with the idea that "WipeOut is pretty much F-Zero". On the surface, they're both fast-paced futuristic hovercraft racers, sure, but the track design and the way the hovercrafts control are completely different. I don't like WipeOut all that much, but F-Zero GX was one of my favorite games of that gen...

Glad0sAugust 21, 2012

Quote from: Crimm


I went to a consignment store...take that for a 303 preview.

.....I'm scared.

Quote from: Pandareus

Quote from: Glad0s


As far as the whole "PS3 for Nintendo Gamers" thing goes, a couple of games come to mind. First off, we have ModNation Racers, which is essentially a better version of Mario Kart with a whole mess of creation tools. Probably the best kart racer I've played. There's also the WipeOut series, which is....pretty much F-Zero. Also, there's Outland, which is an awesome combination of Ikaruga, classic 2D Mario, and Super Metroid....Greg needs to play that game.



I don't really love any of those games. Granted, I've only played the demo of ModNation Racers, but the racing and physics felt better in MKW, to me.

I also very much disagree with the idea that "WipeOut is pretty much F-Zero". On the surface, they're both fast-paced futuristic hovercraft racers, sure, but the track design and the way the hovercrafts control are completely different. I don't like WipeOut all that much, but F-Zero GX was one of my favorite games of that gen...

I can see your point. WipeOut definitely controls pretty differently than F-Zero. Also, the physics in ModNation are a little different than Mario Kart as well, but to be honest...I prefer ModNation's. To each his own, I suppose.

Quote from: Hey

They look nice...... and that is it. I hated Ico (despite playing it to completion, hoping I would change my mind). The controls suck, which makes the puzzles very frustrating. I spent hours trying to line up jumps with wind mill sails and the water mill wheel (the latter was cut for the US release - you guys got lucky!). The puzzles were plain bad. The story left me cold. The game rules suddenly change, most jarringly was when you go from having to defeat every shadow in a room to proceed and are then blocked by infinite re spawning shadows with no warning or explanation. I was hacking away for ages before I released what was happening. At least the games is short! I hated this game so much, I was truly surprised at myself.

And I stopped playing Shadow of the Colossus when I realized that it wasn't a game about fighting bosses but about watching concentric HUD circles filling up followed by button mashing. All these beautiful graphics were flying by and I was just looking at the stupid circles. (for those unfamiliar, you have to grip to the Colossi and the circles show how strong your grip is). I played half of the game and gave up, not one boss fight was a patch on a Zelda boss battle anyway and it all stank of trial and error game play.

Hmmm....I agree with you on Ico. I played about two hours of it and put it away because the controls and awful combat were getting to me. If it was nothing but a puzzle game and there was significantly less combat, sorta like Portal, I'd be OK with it. But as it is....meh.


Now, as for Shadow of the Colossus, it's a different story. I LOVED that game. I really don't see it as being similar to Zelda in the slightest, and I feel that the story is WAAAAYYY overrated, but for what it is, I found it excellent....even if it does come down to nothing more than concentric circles and timed button presses. The level design, exploration, and awesome bosses more than made up for the slightly repetitive gameplay, to me.


And that's the end of my quote filled response. Hoo-ah.

ResettisCousinAugust 21, 2012

I've listened to all of the past 200 episodes and some of the first 100.

The 'whatcha playing' segments over the last year have been too long and with too little interaction between the crew. This is probably in part because of the Wii's release slowdown scattering playing time across other systems. With that said, I think a 2 game or 10 minute total per person 'watcha playing' limit would benefit the show.

Adding to the sterile feeling where each member nearly monologues his 'watcha playing' is the NWR trademark over-editing where nearly all cross talk is snipped out and the listener is left with something like a behind-the-scenes DVD extra of a cast's first table read.

And I meant to email in about Craig Harris's "some fansite" comment on the recent IGN Beyond episode. Seriously-- what's up with that? When he said he was 'sound bited' did he mean by NWR (aformentioned hyper-editing) or by someone like gonintnedo decontextualizing?

Fiendlord_TimmayAugust 22, 2012

Quote:

I really don't see it as being similar to Zelda in the slightest, and I feel that the story is WAAAAYYY overrated, but for what it is, I found it excellent.

Came here to post this. SotC is not really anything like Zelda. It's basically a boss rush in which each boss is a platforming puzzle. People say it's like Zelda because LOL U HAZ A HOERS AND A SWOERD AND A BOW ITS JUST LIEK ZELDA OMG!11!1 !

It reminds me a lot of Braid (or vice versa, I suppose). While I couldn't care less about the artistic aspects of either game, they both have really solid and rewarding puzzle platforming underneath their pretentious skin. Neither game is fun if you spoil yourself on the solution. Why? Because they're puzzle games.

SotC is as much like LoZ as Braid is like Mario.

Thanks for the feedback, Resetti. I won't ever argue against a charge that we're long-winded -- it's an inevitable syndrome of doing the podcast for so long. Greg had a good ear for trimming us all down a bit, and Guillaume is probably more forgiving right now. Give him time. This is a subtle art, and because he was a fan before joining the show, he may be naturally inclined to just let us ramble for longer than is ideal. This also comes back to me as a host, because it's my job to keep things moving. I've learned to rarely intervene because I'd become so accustomed to Greg helping to pace the episodes in post-production. So this is an area where I've tried to be more proactive since our new editor came onboard, but I could do better and will keep trying.


As for the monologue effect, I think you're correct in thinking this is caused by the Wii's death spiral. We rarely play the same games at the same time anymore, outside of planned features like RetroActive. I always try to interject with questions and comments, and I think there is more back-and-forth than you're giving us credit for. The over-editing theory is off the mark. Spacing out cross-talk doesn't diminish interaction between people on the show; it just makes that interaction more intelligible to the listener. It's not like Guillaume hears us arguing/joking/etc. and just cuts out that part because it's hard to hear. He carefully spreads out the tracks so you can hear what each person is saying. It's a very time-intensive process, but the results are totally worthwhile. It's the best substitute for natural body/vocal clues that you can only get from an in-person roundtable with zero latency. Having mixed and edited quite a bit of Skype audio myself, I can assure you that untampered cross-talk is very confusing and hard to follow, especially if we're having a legitimate discussion and not just goofing around or laughing over each other. Guillaume does a stellar job with this and deserves a lot of credit, especially for this part of the job. It's a pain in the ass when editing DMP, and that's only two tracks -- with four, there is much more cross-talk, and it's more difficult to clean up.

Pixelated PixiesAugust 22, 2012

Quote from: Jonnyboy117

The over-editing theory is off the mark. Spacing out cross-talk doesn't diminish interaction between people on the show; it just makes that interaction more intelligible to the listener. It's not like Guillaume hears us arguing/joking/etc. and just cuts out that part because it's hard to hear. He carefully spreads out the tracks so you can hear what each person is saying. It's a very time-intensive process, but the results are totally worthwhile. It's the best substitute for natural body/vocal clues that you can only get from an in-person roundtable with zero latency.


Hear, hear. That's the one things about RFN that continues to amaze me; that the discussions and debates sound so natural. When I first started listening to RFN I thought you guys were all in the same room. It was only months and months later (due to some comment made by someone on the podcast) that I realised you were all in different places, lol.

Personally, I think the way that RFN is put together also has it's benefits. I like the fact that members of the podcast are able to talk about a game or subject at length without being interrupted every 2 seconds. It really allows the listener to relax and get carried along. Some other podcasts that I have listened to, like Rebel FM and Weekend Confirmed, are always a little awkward to listen to for me because people are constantly jumping in to correct other people's statements or disagree with this point or that point. On RFN the members of the podcast will disagree and debate but (at least on the listener's end) they're not always interrupting or speaking over each other in order to do it. Much of that I'm sure is down to the RFN crew being a polite group of guys, but I'm sure it also has something to do with Greg and Gui's editing.

ResettisCousinAugust 22, 2012

Thanks for the reply, Mr Metts. Subjectively, I find the NWR-sound sterile but yes, it _is_ highly intelligible. Maybe I'm comparing to podcasts with only two or three (versus four) members where the cross talk issue is smaller.

Huge respect to the podcast for being regular and having stellar (relatively-speaking, and not counting Zach M on other podcasts, though his content more than makes up for his fidelity) audio quality and levels.

Do_WhatAugust 22, 2012

I think RFN is maybe the best put together podcast I've listened to. I appreciate how much work goes into it. I've done it before, there are many easier ways to edit a show, but the results usually aren't as good.
I agree with the idea that each person talking about their own games has big benefits. I like getting one person's idea on a game without constant interruption. It's nice to hear almost complete thoughts on a game. Makes it feels a lot less like 4 dicks in a jar.

I think I'm doing an alright job for an amateur, especially given the limited amount of time and energy I can afford to put into this. I mean, I started out by watching tutorials on youtube showing how to cut and paste in Audacity... A little bit of training from Greg helped me reach the next level, but I'm still an amateur, doing this in my free time. And freeing my time to do this.

Thanks for the feedback, however. I value it, it is important if I want to keep improving.

PlugabugzAugust 22, 2012

Quote from: Pandareus

I think I'm doing an alright job for an amateur, especially given the limited amount of time and energy I can afford to put into this. I mean, I started out by watching tutorials on youtube showing how to cut and paste in Audacity... A little bit of training from Greg helped me reach the next level, but I'm still an amateur, doing this in my free time. And freeing my time to do this.

Thanks for the feedback, however. I value it, it is important if I want to keep improving.

Greg is the Celine Dion of podcasting. Yes i said it.

Given you learned FROM HIM i have no concerns at all. Greg prefers to take the axe down a little sooner, but thats preference. I'm happy with things.

CericAugust 22, 2012

Rumor has it though that all those Connectivity and RFN Editors are vicious :P

FjurbanskiAugust 22, 2012

If Nintendoland isn't packed in, I'm not going to buy it. Unless something within me drastically changes between now and November, I'll probably never end up even playing the game, let alone purchasing it. From what I've seen the game's value sits in a really weird place. I wouldn't buy it, maybe $5-10 (maybe not), but if it were free... I can easily imagine myself spending plenty of time with it and enjoying myself.


Personally I think it was unwise for Nintendo to even make it in the first place. I get it. It's the new Wii Sports, a proof of concept for the Wii U. But wouldn't it be smarter to put those ideas into something that people actually want to buy? Or into a more high-profile game?


Think about the Wii. While it had plenty of good games, the only game that makes me say, "This is why Nintendo made this controller, and I'm glad they did." Is Skyward Sword. The real "ah-ha" moment for motion controls came too late for most people to care anymore.


I don't think Nintendo should focus on making the Wii U's version of Wii Sports. They should at least attempt to make the Wii U's version of Skyward Sword (and no, I don't mean that it has to be a Zelda game. I mean it should be a AAA, high-profile game, rather than a collection of mini-games).


I'm going to get a Wii U. Every Nintendo console has been worth buying, and I can definitely see the potential of an optional touchscreen (and with games like ZombiU, it's clear that certain developers can see the potential as well). However, by not packing in Nintendoland, I think Nintendo is missing a big opportunity.

Glad0sAugust 22, 2012

Quote from: Pandareus

I think I'm doing an alright job for an amateur, especially given the limited amount of time and energy I can afford to put into this. I mean, I started out by watching tutorials on youtube showing how to cut and paste in Audacity... A little bit of training from Greg helped me reach the next level, but I'm still an amateur, doing this in my free time. And freeing my time to do this.

Thanks for the feedback, however. I value it, it is important if I want to keep improving.

If you ask me, you're doing fine. I detect no difference between your and Greg's editing. Seriously.

TJ SpykeAugust 22, 2012

I miss the "outtakes" at the end of the episode. Greg would usually be like a minute of extra audio on at the end of the episode featuring someone messing up while recording the show. Otherwise, great job so far.

Pixelated PixiesAugust 22, 2012

Quote from: Fjurbanski

Think about the Wii. While it had plenty of good games, the only game that makes me say, "This is why Nintendo made this controller, and I'm glad they did." Is Skyward Sword. The real "ah-ha" moment for motion controls came too late for most people to care anymore.


When I played Skyward Sword I also had revelatory experience, but I drew very different conclusions. For the longest time I thought that all the Wii needed was for someone to take motion controls and implement them intelligently in a triple A game made for core gamers. What I realised when I played Skyward Sword was that the motion controls are fun for games like Wii Sports, but regardless of the fidelity I just don't need or want them in my traditional action/adventure games.

I guess you could say Skyward Sword made me think 'This is why Nintendo made this controller, and it finally works!...But no thanks'.

Pixelated PixiesAugust 22, 2012

Quote from: TJ

I miss the "outtakes" at the end of the episode. Greg would usually be like a minute of extra audio on at the end of the episode featuring someone messing up while recording the show. Otherwise, great job so far.


There was one either last week or the week before that was friggin' hilarious. I really felt the frustration, lol.

FjurbanskiAugust 22, 2012

Quote from: Pixelated

When I played Skyward Sword I also had revelatory experience, but I drew very different conclusions. For the longest time I thought that all the Wii needed was for someone to take motion controls and implement them intelligently in a triple A game made for core gamers. What I realised when I played Skyward Sword was that the motion controls are fun for games like Wii Sports, but regardless of the fidelity I just don't need or want them in my traditional action/adventure games.

I guess you could say Skyward Sword made me think 'This is why Nintendo made this controller, and it finally works!...But no thanks'.

Makes sense. Even the best implementation of motion controls won't necessarily legitimize them for everyone.


I just hope Nintendo brings the best implementations of the Wii U gamepad early in the consoles life, rather than late. I've got no proof, obviously, but I think that will simply encourage more developers to support and bring interesting games to the Wii U at a steady rate. Something that I don't think Nintendoland can do.

Quote from: TJ

I miss the "outtakes" at the end of the episode. Greg would usually be like a minute of extra audio on at the end of the episode featuring someone messing up while recording the show. Otherwise, great job so far.

I put outtakes for, like the last three shows before this one.

llafferAugust 22, 2012

I've only listened to the first part of the show up through James' games for the week.  I found it funny regarding his comments towards Dust, especially the part of the "squeeky flying squirrel thing".  The voice of Fidget is a friend of mine (also did the voice of Ms. Fortune in Skullgirls).

Someone posted this video snipit of Dust and Fidget talking to a merchant in the game.  May be minor spoilers, but I found it pretty funny.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdJ-puzmxbc

To be honest, we've had less takes to out. At least, less nuclear ones.

Out problems have been more based around a lack of audio to edit.

Hey Einstein!August 23, 2012


Hey Pixie, how ever did you get past the first half of A Game of Thrones? Makes Dune seem like a page turner.

geoAugust 23, 2012

Quote from: Hey

Hey Pixie, how ever did you get past the first half of A Game of Thrones? Makes Dune seem like a page turner.

I just finished all of them myself, but over books on tape during my commute.  I don't know how I would have done it otherwise.  Seriously long winded, but excellent story and character development.  You absolutely feel like all of these are real people.

Pixelated PixiesAugust 23, 2012

Quote from: Hey

Hey Pixie, how ever did you get past the first half of A Game of Thrones? Makes Dune seem like a page turner.

Quote from: geo

I just finished all of them myself, but over books on tape during my commute.  I don't know how I would have done it otherwise.  Seriously long winded, but excellent story and character development.  You absolutely feel like all of these are real people.


As long winded and repetitive as the series becomes I actually found the first three books to be excellent page turners. I have a tendency to really burn through stuff that I'm enjoying (don't even ask me about my Deadwood or The Wire marathons). By the time I got to 'A Feast for Crows' though even I was beginning to find the series a little tiresome. However, by that point I was in too deep and needed to see it through to the end. 'A Dance with Dragons' was a definite improvement over 'Feast', reintroducing my favourite characters helped, but it was still a little slow to get moving. The characters and story are totally worth it though for those who can deal with the slow pacing.

StannAugust 23, 2012

Quote from: Pixelated

Quote from: Hey

Hey Pixie, how ever did you get past the first half of A Game of Thrones? Makes Dune seem like a page turner.

Quote from: geo

I just finished all of them myself, but over books on tape during my commute.  I don't know how I would have done it otherwise.  Seriously long winded, but excellent story and character development.  You absolutely feel like all of these are real people.


As long winded and repetitive as the series becomes I actually found the first three books to be excellent page turners. I have a tendency to really burn through stuff that I'm enjoying (don't even ask me about my Deadwood or The Wire marathons). By the time I got to 'A Feast for Crows' though even I was beginning to find the series a little tiresome. However, by that point I was in too deep and needed to see it through to the end. 'A Dance with Dragons' was a definite improvement over 'Feast', reintroducing my favourite characters helped, but it was still a little slow to get moving. The characters and story are totally worth it though for those who can deal with the slow pacing.

Second this for true facts.

Except I didn't bother finishing Dance, lol. The whole series just started to drag, and I couldn't take it anymore. Then again, I read all of the Wheel of Time so I dunno, apparently that book series was slow paced as well.

Hey Einstein!August 24, 2012

Well looky here, we've gone off on a Fire and Ice tangent. That's nice.


I just finished A Game of Thrones and by the final 3rd third I was swept up in the whole thing. But I'm not sure the slog getting through the first half was worth it. The end had me far more invested in reading the next book than I had expected to be but I'm not sure it's for me as a series. Also, there were times when I was very uncomfortable with what I felt was quite a sexist overtone. I'm not talking about the role of woman in the cultures of the fictional universe, but the descriptions and characterization as a whole. There are some fantastically strong women but they felt very objectified to me. Do I get my cookie now? ;)


ANYHOO..... as much as I support the concept of freedom of speech and listener feedback, I think ResettisCousin posts are plain rude and I hope the RFN team don't take them to heart. RFN is the best video game podcast I have heard. Most professional gaming podcasts I've endured could do with a darn good edit and sound amateurish by comparison. New Business is my favourite section and could be the whole show and I would still be happy. By contrast I find the speculative nature of listener mail a bit pointless some times, but hats off to the RFN lot because they can be very insightful. I prefer it when the questions stick to asking for comment on news items or insight into gaming habits over straight out predicting the future. But I guess it is up to us to send in decent questions.


Keep up the good work boys!

CericAugust 24, 2012

Quote from: Stann

Quote from: Pixelated

Quote from: Hey

Hey Pixie, how ever did you get past the first half of A Game of Thrones? Makes Dune seem like a page turner.

Quote from: geo

I just finished all of them myself, but over books on tape during my commute.  I don't know how I would have done it otherwise.  Seriously long winded, but excellent story and character development.  You absolutely feel like all of these are real people.


As long winded and repetitive as the series becomes I actually found the first three books to be excellent page turners. I have a tendency to really burn through stuff that I'm enjoying (don't even ask me about my Deadwood or The Wire marathons). By the time I got to 'A Feast for Crows' though even I was beginning to find the series a little tiresome. However, by that point I was in too deep and needed to see it through to the end. 'A Dance with Dragons' was a definite improvement over 'Feast', reintroducing my favourite characters helped, but it was still a little slow to get moving. The characters and story are totally worth it though for those who can deal with the slow pacing.

Second this for true facts.

Except I didn't bother finishing Dance, lol. The whole series just started to drag, and I couldn't take it anymore. Then again, I read all of the Wheel of Time so I dunno, apparently that book series was slow paced as well.

Wheel of time started good then whne the it got winded, Original Author dies, new one picks it up and takes the tone and pacing back to the original and the series picks up again.  Which remind me I need to read the last book if its out.

Fatty The HuttAugust 24, 2012

PS3 (PSN) games for Nintendo fans?
Joe Danger - its basically a platformer in many ways. Plus whimsical, good music, tight controls. Highly recommended.
Costume Quest-a breezy, whimsical RPG. I adore this game, wish it was longer.

StannAugust 24, 2012

As far as the job that Guillaume does for the show, I think he does a bang up job. I just started listening to the podcast recently, and over the past month I've listened to all of 200-300. I can't tell a difference between the editing quality.

I think some people are just upset that Greg is gone. I can feel that. He was my favourite co-host.

Do_WhatAugust 24, 2012

Costume Quest on PC comes with the expansion pack and it's kind of awesome.

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