Topic: Episode 364: Bland Boiled Chicken

[Pandareus]

Here's the cure for your holiday hangover -- RFN is back in 2014!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/36310

Shorter episode this week, as Jon was too busy to join us, and Gui was too tired for a big show. No problem, we packed it a little tighter to make up the difference! First up in New Business is Guild02: Attack of the Friday Monsters, which all three of the present crew have now played. After a quick word on EDGE, Jonny passes the baton to James, who has been exercising the PS2 backwards-compatibility feature of his recently acquired PS3. He went for an ultra-Japanese theme with Persona 3 FES and Ace Combat 4 and Ace Combat 5. Gui puts us back in Nintendo territory with his return to a childhood favorite (and notable Virtual Console absentee), Final Fantasy Adventure for the original Game Boy. With the segment's remaining time, Jonny swings back in for a few thoughts on Tearaway, a good game that will certainly not save the Vita.

We pushed off Top 5 lists until Jon can be present, so this week has us catching up on more Listener Mail. We get meta in discussing our podcast's musical themes and which video game music we'd like to hear played by someone like Jason Ricci (look below this article for links to his last album). We get a much-needed lesson on brand marketing from a listener who actually does that for a living. Finally, we discuss what a shorter console cycle might mean for Nintendo fans who want to play their current games on future systems.

Hear your own email discussed on a future episode by emailing the podcast! Also, please remember to play F-Zero X and/or GX -- now with a special RetroActive forum thread to work out your thoughts before the upcoming live show! (Date is still TBA.) And don't forget... HAPPY NEW YEAR! We are delighted to bring you more of this show in 2014 and thank you for listening!

[lolmonade]

Bluesy cover of Green Hill Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog, please.

[KDR_11k]

AFAIK it's fairly easy to replace the HDD in a PS3 so you don't need to stick to the 60GB one just because you wanted PS2 BC.

I have no idea why games aimed at children like Tearaway (which is 30€ retail here, 25€ on the PSN store) are so easy, kids don't need coddling like that. As kids we couldn't afford a new game every week, we had to make do with them for months at a time so an easy game that you finish quickly is a terrible proposition. These days the mentality is that if you didn't beat a game you didn't really play it but back then getting part ways in, dying and being forced to start again was normal. You don't beat a game like Ghosts and Goblins or R-Type, you just keep trying. Hell, as kids we didn't even beat Super Mario Land or Sonic 1 (Master System) but that just meant there was more for us to experience there. Ad the games that did have saves to let us beat them had HUGE piles of content, games like Super Mario World or Donkey Kong. It's all 4 hour "tightly crafted" campaigns these days, not large world maps with literally a hundred levels. Yeah, they reused assets a lot, the same blocks appear in most Mario levels but there were still a hundred hand crafted levels in there that (most importantly) played differently.

[lolmonade]

AFAIK it's fairly easy to replace the HDD in a PS3 so you don't need to stick to the 60GB one just because you wanted PS2 BC.

I have no idea why games aimed at children like Tearaway (which is 30€ retail here, 25€ on the PSN store) are so easy, kids don't need coddling like that. As kids we couldn't afford a new game every week, we had to make do with them for months at a time so an easy game that you finish quickly is a terrible proposition. These days the mentality is that if you didn't beat a game you didn't really play it but back then getting part ways in, dying and being forced to start again was normal. You don't beat a game like Ghosts and Goblins or R-Type, you just keep trying. Hell, as kids we didn't even beat Super Mario Land or Sonic 1 (Master System) but that just meant there was more for us to experience there. Ad the games that did have saves to let us beat them had HUGE piles of content, games like Super Mario World or Donkey Kong. It's all 4 hour "tightly crafted" campaigns these days, not large world maps with literally a hundred levels. Yeah, they reused assets a lot, the same blocks appear in most Mario levels but there were still a hundred hand crafted levels in there that (most importantly) played differently.

Kids today are a product of their time - even if your parents don't let you own a console or dedicated handheld device, you have access to thousands of games if you or your parent has a mobile phone or tablet.
 
My nephew is a good example of this.  His mother got him a cheap HP tablet, and he does nothing but play mobile games.  The games that appeal to him either are ones that let him compete against others, which will match him with similarly skilled players, or ones that have little ramp-up in difficulty over time. 
 
I'll always bring over my PS3 or Wii games to his place, and he couldn't play any of the NES/SNES Mario games more than an hour without getting frustrated/bored.  BUT, with my PS+ copy of Battlefield 3, even if he was playing several people better than him, he had a ton of fun messing around on the vehicles & riding around on the back of buggies shooting from the turrets.
 
I have trouble empathising with those who say current games are "too easy", because the difficult/challenging experiences are out there & plentiful.  There's nothing wrong with having additional choices so the market can encompass a larger potential userbase.

[Django]

Nice Episode!

Beside the marketing- and sales-talk again. 

Nintendo has to keep it up with the gamepad, its a huge improvement. (ZombiU, Deus Ex, Zelda, Fallout)

The jingle is cool and catchy, i would not touch it.

Have a nice year everybody. 

[ClexYoshi]

Just for that, I'm calling you guys the Bland Chicken Brigade from now on.

I think what I meant to type there in my sleep-addled mind was that it's a much needed accent and spice that sets the atmosphere for the kind of discussion you folks have.

I didn't realize Jason had disbanded, but yeah... I think something that'd work well is maybe Grit's theme from Advance Wars? again, no legal grounds there, but that'd be interesting ot hear Jason Ricci kinda realize that beyond what the GBA/DS synth could do it.

I do have a request though; if you are going to be changing up what you guys use for Now playing, I REALLY love this Folk-y arrangement of Magma Man's theme from the Rockman 9 Arrange Soundtrack. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFcgay0pFrE Regardless, I trust Dr. Ro-beat-Metts to find suitable soundtrack to punctuate the show in the coming weeks, given his previous hosting status for Live Radio Trivia and more importantly, Discover Music Project.

Thank you for reading my E-mail, although I have to wonder if you'd have read my playful poke at Jon if he'd had been here?

[Jonnyboy117]

Yes

[ClexYoshi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9IkpUYlOx8

Also, merry christmas, Gui.

[Traveller]

I was surprised to hear that Jason's band is no more. But, for awhile now I have been hoping that you guys would change up the music on the show, freshen it up a bit.

[ClexYoshi]

One more post in this thread, but I believe I have a pretty fascinating bit of music you could potentially chop up if you're willing to roll with something a bit more Sega themed musically.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2OWC5Hosv8 happens to be a recently uncovered track of the Jetzons, a band out of Arizona in the 80's. What does this have to do with video games, you may ask?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYxlqTpZ-24


Send licencing inqueries to Jeff.Freundlich@gmail.com if you'd like to perhaps work out a deal with the song's current owners for use with the podcast? Just a suggestion, Johnny, but if you don't want to use more Jason Ricci, this is certainly not a bad idea, methinks!

[Gato]

Love the podcast guys, keep up the great work!

Here's my nomination for your opening theme:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J0H5ah1G7A



p.s. Greag Leahy needs to make more frequent appearances. At least once a month, he is greatly missed.

[K-S-O]

I wouldn't say that the 3DS is better for the Persona franchise than the Vita.  The Vita still has Persona 4 Golden as well backwards compatibility with the first 3.  Although, the idea of a Persona game made by the Etrian Odyssey team is really appealing to me.