Oh! That was quick!

Woo! Another podcast to listen too!

They just get longer and longer and its great!

"I only play late at night."
Sounds perfect for me (West coast), so save a spot until I get 400 dollars together.

hi steve didnt know where to send this but here is my attempt at a shirt

http://img458.imageshack.us/my.php?image=steveshirt2kh.jpg

thanks
hades son

Great podcast, but one comment.

You say MMO's can break a company like in SWG where they made one mistake and everyone just quit the game and tried to kill it.

Well, that's sortof true, but you'd have to look deeper into it. SWG was constantly developer dominated. By that i mean that they never ever listened to the community. Well, sure they did when thye changed the whole jedi idea, but that was just a stupid move, and ALOT of people warned them for that.

There was just so much problems with the game, and the developers kept breaking it down more (well, not literaly, they just ignored the problems and made new crap). The thing that made all the players leave was jsut the last drop that flooded the bucket.

The same thing kinda goes for Planetside. They never ever improved the game, or added new dimentions. They just kept adding new stupid stuff that noone wanted, and never added all the things they promissed to add. There have been so many great ideas for the game, but the devs never listened to any of them.
I have no idea how things are going in Planetside today (i got bored with it long ago), but i can immagine noone playing it, since it's still the same game it was 2 years ago.

Maybe a little video game crash would not be that bad - out with the junk in with some new life. Give indy developers a chance, and get congress off the industrys back

Great another podcast

listening to it right now

o yeah on yourself steve i just listened what happened when you tried to get a new tv controller (i think it was) omg what cheek that guy had. you were right to swear at him well done

Great Podcast; just one thing though, the game is called Darwinia, not Darwinian. There's no N at the end.

Love the spore pic! The way you talked about next week picture got me very excited. Great Job!

Steve,

Another great podcast (and I'm not even an hour in yet). Blasting that jerk in the store just made you my new hero.

It sounds like the retread crap that generated the '83 crash is not too much unlike the present situation. There are like 7 billion shooters and middle-age RTS games out there, and the newest consoles (except Revolution) are exuding largesse by cramming all the shiniest new stuff into their $400+ consoles. The industry could probably stand a "market correction" right about now.

On your Ebay charlatan story: Despite the fact you get what you pay for, you also have to consider the intent of the ebay ad. It was clearly obfuscating the actual product. If the item listing doesn't match the description, you can get most likely get your money back. Caveat Emptor really only applies to honest ads. However, the amount was so small, it isn't worth suing for.

I'm ashamed to say those electronics stores like the ones in NYC are in every city. But you've got to question several things:
1) Where did these products come from? (I always suspect some sort of fencing)
2) Are the prices less than a reputable retailer with an honest return policy?
3) Do the products pass the risk-benefit analysis?

By the time I get to #3, the first two questions are far to risky and the benefit is often more unknown than I'd be comfortable.

Great podcast steve:)

Something to keep in mind about these stores I mentioned is that they are NOT intended for native New Yorkers (or even most Americans). They are placed in areas with extremely high tourist traffic and they target people who don't speak English (or people who do speak English but are easily tricked). Unless you have been to New York and seen these stores in action it’s very hard to totally understand just how sneaky/slimy they are in their tactics. A few things to note:

1) Their windows are HUGE and filled with products and bright lights. Actually they often look quite nice from the outside. In fact, the window display alone is often bigger than the inside of the store (many of these stores are extremely tiny once you get inside).

2) Once you are inside the store there are NO products for you to see/touch. All you have is large glass counter and people sitting behind the counter. You need to tell them what you want and then they'll bring it to you. You can see/open it only AFTER you pay for it.

3) As for your questions:
a) I have no idea where these products come from but most of them are cheap knockoff brands and fake pirate products.
b) The prices are often double or triple the cost (or more) than a "reputable retailer" (i.e. there was a story in Joystiq about how these stores were caught recently selling PSP games for $199 EACH).
c) This shops are setup and designed for one reason and one reason only ... to rip you off. You can't see/touch the products until after you buy them, there is no return policy, and they are the master of bait and switch. These stores are designed specifically for tourists and people who are never going to come back to that store again.

4) Something else to keep in mind is that large stores line Best Buy and Circuit City are a VERY new addition to Manhattan. As little as five years ago I used to buy ALL of electronic products either through mail order or outside the city as there really wasn't anywhere to buy them. Since Best Buy opened up a few years ago it has been fantastic and these rip-off stores are actually starting to go out of business.

If a person will not let you touch or see the product before you pay for it that should send up some red flags.

Nice Podcast, though I have to disagree on the Dreamcast controller. It is very light, fits right into you hand and doesn't have buttons all over, so it's easy to use. If I was ever asked to pick a favourite controller, it would definitely be the Dreamcast one. The joystick is awesome and the shoulder buttons have a really nice feel, and then there's the cool little TV VMU memory card.

Excellent podcast Steve ! The organization of the show is top notch and professional. By the way Steve, continue the rants !!!

Have you played The Thousand Year Door?
I thought it was better than M&L...

Thanks for the clarification on those stores. The electronic stores down here display their merchandise. You brought up that they were probably cheap imitations. I avoid those stores like crazy down here, so I correctly avoided them the one time I was in Manhattan. One other thing the NYC stores has in their favor to cheat foreigners is that our coins have no numbers on them. That will glean them a few bucks with every transaction.

And more notes (because I'm not quite through the podcast yet):
I knew I remembered one pinball bigger than Hercules:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magnificent_Marble_Machine

It was a pinball/pachinko hybrid on a giant playfield.

I really love the way that all of the topics this week blended together!

Man, that was one meaty podcast. Really great one this time around, I really liked your encounter with the shady electronics shop. I can't believe those people sometimes. I also think a whole show of ranting would be awesome.

I have to REALLY disagree with your controller picks for the worst controller. I loved the dreamcast controller and even my wife liked it. I also liked the "Duke" Xbox controller. I liked it better than the S controller. And if you hear some of the professional gamers you will find out that most of them use the bigger controller also. In fact I heard a podcast recenty (I think it might have been Geek Speak Radio) where J Allard was talking to a small group of people and a girl from either the PMS Clan or FragDolls asked when they were going to make a Duke controller that was wireless for the 360 that they wanted them.

Also I love the longer shows!!!! I would say more bang for my buck but I ain't paying anything!

Thanks for the great podcasts.

Outstanding episode. I really wanna check out Super Mario Super-Star Saga now.

You should do a review of GUN tho... you're down with movies and probably know your westerns. I'd like to hear your take on this game.