Topic: Episode 21 Posted

[Gaming Steve]

With the fall gaming season right around the corner things are starting to get busy in the world of gaming. So let's jump right into this week's show!

• Nintendo ringtones? Sweet!
• GameStop-EB merger almost complete.
• World of Warcraft expansion to debut at BlizzCon.
• Rockstar serving decaf in September.
• Age of Empires III demo sets sail.
• Myst V set for bittersweet farewell.
• News Corp. absorbs IGN.
• Key Blizzard departures appear at Red 5 Studios.
• Guild Wars: Sorrow's Furnace stoked.
• Girls of gaming strip down for Playboy (again).
• The first game-movie hybrid UMD to be released.
• Anarchy Online continues to be free.
• EverQuest & EverQuest II expanded.
• WOW patch adds oodles of new content.
• Sims 2 Nightlife ready to party!
• It's Sony turn to recall their AC adapters.
• Retailers react to California games bill.
• ESRB demands publisher audit for hidden game content.
• Michigan "violent gaming" bill signed into law.
• GameTalk: Welcome to the post-Hot Coffee world.
• SporeTalk: Spore, the "dark period".
• In-depth review of Rebelstar: Tactical Command for the GameBoy Advance.
• RetroReview: Chrono Cross for the PlayStation.
• “Name That Game!” contest winner from last week, a new clip, and a new prize!
• Plus some quick random thoughts on the iPod Nano, the length of the show, and the huge number of upcoming releases.

Get the podcast from this page (91 minutes): Gaming Steve Episode 21.

To enter the "Name that Game!" contest to write me an email with the name of the game and the platform at: game@gamingsteve.com

You can also subscribe to the weekly podcast.

[Danzik]

Waiting for it to download...

[Cobra]

Cool your call out to having people help out with reiviewing games reminded me of some old reviews me and some friends did for a site we had going but were to lazy ever update the site so not many were done. Anyway although we did them as stand written reviews a good friend of mine used some imagination and his newly aquired flash animator to do this real good one.

http://www.arsegaming.com/reviews_xbox/EEEEEEupFEEMkYLgPL.shtml

oh yeah also check out possibly the greatest preview of Halo ever created.

http://www.arsegaming.com/previews_xbox/EpyykZkkAFKafQyOGa.shtml

[mini.boss]

Good show GamingSteve. But two questions...

1) Do you really feel UMD's are taking off in the US because this market likes them or do you feel that its more because american consumers are so impulsive that they buy whatever is in front of them. And since there are no games... 

I feel that many people who were initially enticed by the PSP have found themselves really disappointed with the game library. Many people (kids or adults) set aside some money for gaming every week, but with such a slow summer then when you walk into best buy with $100 in your pocket and cant find one game worth $50 then suddenly $20 for Kill Bill on UMD sounds interesting. I've witnessed it a few times and was amazed. (I'll even go conspiracy theory on this and say that Sony is PUSHING this gaming drought and flooding premium shelf space with mediocre movies in order to get more UMD numbers out. )

I'm extremely unimpressed by UMD movies, but ive found myself at Best Buy staring at boxarts and considering a movie purchase just because there's nothing to play. So if a cheapo like me can get tempted then its easy to see how an over-allowanced kid can jump all over it.

2) Did you just say Chicago is in Michigan? You were talking about the video game bill in California and Michigan and went on to say how Los Angeles and Chicago are such huge cities. I'm sure i just misunderstood you. And as a Native chicagoan who made the mistake of moving to LA then i'm going to do my job in fighting this garbage.


Okay, great show. The only thing that bothers me is that you didnt wait one more day so you can cover the revolution controller. I cant wait to hear your opinion and im itching to find out what the big change is on your podcast.

[Gaming Steve]

Good show GamingSteve. But two questions...

1) Do you really feel UMD's are taking off in the US because this market likes them or do you feel that its more because american consumers are so impulsive that they buy whatever is in front of them. And since there are no games... 

I feel that many people who were initially enticed by the PSP have found themselves really disappointed with the game library. Many people (kids or adults) set aside some money for gaming every week, but with such a slow summer then when you walk into best buy with $100 in your pocket and cant find one game worth $50 then suddenly $20 for Kill Bill on UMD sounds interesting. I've witnessed it a few times and was amazed. (I'll even go conspiracy theory on this and say that Sony is PUSHING this gaming drought and flooding premium shelf space with mediocre movies in order to get more UMD numbers out. )

I'm extremely unimpressed by UMD movies, but ive found myself at Best Buy staring at boxarts and considering a movie purchase just because there's nothing to play. So if a cheapo like me can get tempted then its easy to see how an over-allowanced kid can jump all over it.

I think it is combination of several things -- the lack of games for the PSP which is causing people to buy anything which will work on their PSP at this time. The crazy love of movies in this country and the huge number of DVD sales in general. The fact that Sony can, and has, been releasing their own movies onto the PSP. The fact that Best Buy and other major retailers are carrying UMD movies. Having a PSP is a simple and convenient way to carry around movies with you. And many other factors, but the simple fact is that people in America love movies and they love gadgets. I believe that UMD movie sales will always be good, but once better games come out for the PSP the games will drive the sales rather than the UMD movies.

2) Did you just say Chicago is in Michigan? You were talking about the video game bill in California and Michigan and went on to say how Los Angeles and Chicago are such huge cities. I'm sure i just misunderstood you. And as a Native chicagoan who made the mistake of moving to LA then i'm going to do my job in fighting this garbage.

Yeah, I did! Okay, I made a mistake. I would edit it out, but then I wouldn't get all those lovely emails from people pointing out my mistake!

Okay, great show. The only thing that bothers me is that you didnt wait one more day so you can cover the revolution controller. I cant wait to hear your opinion and im itching to find out what the big change is on your podcast.

Well, I wrote up a long piece on the main site for now. I'll cover it in my next show. And the "big change" ... don't worry. I think you'll all notice it in the first 5 seconds of the show!

[Mr.Heat]

Can't wait for it to download, it's the only thing that can calm me down after that WoW issues 





Heat

[GameManic]

Great podcast Steve. 

[762]

Just one little thing. You said that the only game that EA was going to release that isn't a sequel is Spore. I've been following Black for a while, a game that EA is planning to release that isn't Spore nor a sequel. I was just wondering where you got your information? I'd like to read what it said.

[Gaming Steve]

Just one little thing. You said that the only game that EA was going to release that isn't a sequel is Spore. I've been following Black for a while, a game that EA is planning to release that isn't Spore nor a sequel. I was just wondering where you got your information? I'd like to read what it said.

Yeah, I forgot about that one. And if you include ALL of EA's games (including PSP and Gameboy games) I'm sure there will be more games in there which aren't sequels. Also the article was actually referring to 2005 and not 2006, so that was my mistake as well. But the point is still the same, this year EA is releasing 26 games, and only 1 is not a sequel.

However, the article I was referring too was from the New York Times a few weeks ago, you can read it here. After this article came out there were a ton of follow-up articles throughout the media covering the same topic. But this is the article which started the whole debate. Here are a few of them:

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050809-5189.html
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2005/08/10/ea_in_relies_on_sequels_shocker.html
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=25270

[Toshipaine]

With regards GameTalk, I'm beginning to worry Hot Coffee will destroying the PC gaming segment. Hot coffee was initially discovered on the PC and then confirmed on PS2. Even Rockstar played up this fact claiming that the PC version has an active mod community. From an outsider’s viewpoint this looks like PC games can be comprised.

This leads me to retailers. EB used to have a prominent shelf reserved for PC titles and over the months and years I’ve seen that space become smaller. Until I've saw a scary thing the other day. I walked into my local EB and tried to find the PC titles. After 5 minutes I asked the staff. They moved their ENTIRE PC games library off the highly visual shelves and stacked them sideways into the "bargain bin" styled shelves in the center of the store! The staff’s response for the move (to paraphrase), "My boss told me to move them because head-quarters said to do it." When I asked, "Why? These are new PC titles." He replied, "I don’t know. Maybe they’re getting ready for the 360." At the time his response was understandable. Then it scared me when I heard your "GameStop-EB merger almost complete" news I put two and two together and thought could this be the end of PC games in the retail sector? Because Hot Coffee compromised the PCCD version of GTA, if EB-GameStop decides to drop PC games and Wal-Mart follows could this be the end of PC gaming? I am a die-hard PC gamer and love them much more than console titles. The more I think about this possibly happening the more I’m getting sick to my stomach.

Can you comment on this Steve? Even better if you could discuss this in next week’s podcast, that would be awesome!

Thanks!