The Molecular Laser Episode

[fishbang]

Keep an eye out for green beams at the following link (http://ingamechat.net/audio/IGC20090728.mp3).

It’s not unusual for us to swap war stories of all kinds in the studio; stories that will always include a detailed account of how deft we are with some variety of deadly weapon, skill, or super-power. It’s quite another thing to pass actual deadly weapons from host to host while the mics are hot. While the details of the assault rifle in question are accurate down to the finest details as rendered in any modern war game you care to mention, it may as well have been a plate of lutefisk for all we knew what to do with it. Except for Scott, that is. He can turn on the layzer!

Now that there are no more games coming out this fall, we can talk about PC stuff. (And machine guns) Jeremy’s need to tinker with hardware has never really waned, but he’s kept himself limited to Millennium Falcon-esque multimedia living-room rigs for years, and has denied himself the pleasure of doing God’s real work of putting together a game machine. He has corrected this now to some degree, and there’s a real chance further change may come in the future. Now, Scott, Arjay....what’s the state of your hardware again?

Also, ‘splode ‘splode ‘splode. ‘Splode! ‘Splode, ‘splode.

[Wayward_Son]

Thinking about the difficulty of games, and developers making games that are overwhelming to many, my mind went back to the 80's. The original Super Mario Bros. 2 was deemed too difficult for American gamers, and so we got the retarded veggie-basher. However, it was included in the SNES port collection, and while I agree that it was much harder and would have, at the time, drove me nuts, a lot of guys I know love to brag about how they have beat it.

So that tells me they're the type to play the hard stuff for the accomplishment; for me, I get accomplishment from completion, in terms of (for example) 100% completion on the GTA series, or finding all the stuff in a good RPG. I can appreciate though that there are games that cater to each type of person in that respect.

Unfortunately, once that fulfillment is reached, you won't get it again from that game, which sucks. I still think fondly of when I'd play an iteration of Metal Gear for the first time, and felt everything that one feels when they first try something epic.

Nostalgia, it's depressing.

[Doogie2K]

I think I'm also more the completion type than the challenge type, because I'm starting to get a little pissed off at 'Splosion Man, though in fairness, it's probably more my fault for being bad at games than the game's fault for proving it.

[lucklesswonder]

So that tells me they're the type to play the hard stuff for the accomplishment.

Funny that you guys are talking about this. I had a long, infuriating conversation last night with a friend about just this. He insists that games aren't worth playing unless they are insanely hard and almost impossible to beat. He referenced Twilight Princess and the fishing mini-games. A series of nigh-impossible challenges merely to get a lure, which can only be used in that area. It was geared directly toward him. He asked me if I knew what he was talking about. I said, "I'll look at mini-games for a minute, but if it doesn't really help the game progress, I move on."

Only click on this next part if you want a rant.
It was a stalemate, and over something I never even knew there was an argument for. I insist that games should be fun. Challenge is cool, but if the game isn't fun, why the hell would I play it? I enjoy a sense of accomplishment from beating a tough boss, and if a particular situation is pissing me off, my own stubbornness will make me keep at it until I beat it. But only if the game has been fun as a whole. If I am constantly having to concentrate on not screwing up and dying, I'll get sick of the game.

As a way of trying to find common ground and end the argument, I started talking about Penny Arcade Adventures. I commented about the battle system, and how, even though it's turn-based, it still kept me completely involved. My friend despises turn-based combat: "You do this, then this, then this. You're going through the motions. It's like watching someone play solitaire." I try to talk about the specials. Specials are absolutely necessary for getting through even the basic encounters. They require good timing and reflexes. But no--turn-based combat just isn't innovative.

Then I tried bringing up Puzzle Quest Galactrix. It's still turn-based, but the battle-field is basically Bejeweled. You get to kill enemy spacecraft with Bejeweled! That's innovative AND challenging. More importantly, it's fun. The response? Meh.

My final tactic: "You hate fun. That's all it is. You hate things that are fun." He hung up after that, but not without a parting quip: "Bejewled isn't a puzzle."

I didn't really mean for that to be a rant, but when it's story-time, grandpa gets a little carried away. Maybe there's something in that somone can use.

[Wraith]

Just hit the middle of the podcast. That "after these messages" jingle, were you thinking of this?:

5i_E-FxAGD8

If so, I remember that from the late 80s/early 90s (whenever it was) and still get it stuck in my head every once in a while. We had some cartoons taped that had those bumpers, so I probably watched them a number of times after they were no longer airing. I also remember a Blow-Pop (from Charms) commercial from the same tapes.

OCM0_E9xizk


If not, pardon my reminiscing, carry on...

[Vigil80]

I so rarely get the opportunity to be "that guy," so I think I'll take it. :p

Scott, a container which holds cartridges and feeds them into the gun is a magazine, which is what I suspect you were talking about. A clip is literally just a simple metal clip that holds a number of cartridges together, often for speedy loading.
Wish I could have seen the new goody, I'm jealous.

Can't wait for the fall "what will you be playing next" days. Otherwise, not much I'm compelled to comment on, just all around entertaining games journalism. :D

[lucklesswonder]

In regards to the PC games suggestions, I gotta thank James for mentioning Steam. I had already been thinking about it, but that gave me added incentive. I just started looking at demos and picking out what looked good. I'd been looking at Trine for a little while, so I downloaded the demo. I was very impressed. The level design is gorgeous, and the controls are wonderful. I'm very clumsy when it comes to WASD controls, and it still let me do graceful maneuvers like swinging up and jumping on top of the structure I just grapple-hooked. I think it'll be worth the thirty bucks.

[Vigil80]

Steam is a good way to pick up some AAA titles, and recently some older classics, but also don't miss out on some hidden gems like Hinterland: Orc Lords, Mount & Blade, and UFO:Afterlight. :cool:

There's some neat games that I never would have known existed without Steam.

[lucklesswonder]

I'll keep that in mind. I just tried out the Bioshock demo. Damn, it looks good on PC. And I'm starting to see what they mean about FPS-type games controlling better with mouse and keyboard. That was pretty precise.

[Dostoyevsky]

Man that’s so messed. I’m sitting here at work with my burned out ATI card in my bag researching which sub $100 card to pick up on the way home and I was tuning in and out of your discussion and then I almost had an out of body experience starting to wonder if the discussion was going on in my head or on the podcast because I was reading Amazon quotes the same time you were discussing video cards. So bizarre.

Excellent podcast again guys!

[Iron Past]

Scott, a container which holds cartridges and feeds them into the gun is a magazine, which I what I suspect you were talking about. A clip is literally just a simple metal clip that holds a number of cartridges together, often for speedy loading.
Wish I could have seen the new goody, I'm jealous.

Thanks you, cause I didn't want to be that guy either. :)

I had that drilled into my head so much I grit my teeth whenever I hear "clip."

[Psykoboy2]

We addressed the clip/mag issue during last night's show.

Also...I fuck up a lot.

[Doogie2K]

If lucklesswonder is into strategy games, there's also the recent C&C entries (Tiberium Wars, Kane's Wrath, RA3, Uprising), Supreme Commander (not my thing, but the explosions are Grade-A), and Dawn of War II (which was half-off on Steam until a couple of days ago), just off the top of my head. I don't know what Demigod is, precisely, having never gotten my hands on it, but apparently people like that, too. Aside from that, Trine, which you did get, sounds awesome, but I'm not paying $30 on Steam for something that's $20 on PSN; I'll wait for the price drop, thanks.

Me, I'm currently having the same dilemma James is, regarding games to buy on 360 vs. PC. Mass Effect 2 is definitely a 360 game, because I'm not of a mind to buy and completely replay #1 on the PC, never mind pick up the second game twice. I'm still waffling on Wolfenstein (the $1,000 SP bonus from the XBLA game is kind of nudging me, but I want to know how much difference it makes first) and Borderlands (co-op, yeah, but man, that's got PC written in ten-foot letters all over it -- FPS + Diablo = PC win). Fallout 3 is without a question a PC purchase once the GotY version comes out, though. Now that I have a decent system, the only real selling point of 360 would've been maybe Achievements, and since that's on the PC version, too (and since I'm starting to care less about that, as a game feature, now that the novelty's worn off some), the prettier graphics and nigh-infinite moddability make it a no-brainer.

[lucklesswonder]

I'm not much of a co-op player, so Borderlands will probably be a PC buy for me, too. And I've been wanting to grab Fallout 3 for PC for awhile. Seeing how much of the DLC is on the GotY edition, I'll hold out for that. I was going to get Mass Effect from Steam (I want to play through a third time), but after trying out the Bioshock demo, I might get that instead. I never really played Bioshock, and I really like how it handled on my system. I couldn't get the hang of it on the 360, as I was always trying to play it like a regular shooter (oddly enough, it was the Riddick games that taught me not all first-person games are shooters).

[Doogie2K]

Yeah, I'm not typically a co-op sort, but the idea of playing Borderlands co-op is kind of like playing Diablo co-op, or WoW "co-op," to me, and that's very appealing. Of course, nothing says I can't do that on the PC, just that there seem to be more co-op-oriented people on the 360. I think PC is where I'll ultimately go with Borderlands, but it's something that sticks in the back of my mind.

I played BioShock on my old P4 with an X1300 (the bare minimum reqs), and it was like playing PowerPoint, so at some point I want to go back through it again and play it proper-like, see if I enjoy it more.

[MDPaul]

Another interesting show, I enjoyed the greater-than-usual PC discussion, being primarily a PC gamer myself.

Just of curiosity, James, what was the name of the Diablo II mod you were using to up the resolution? I didn't hear you mention the name on the show and I tried searching for one and found a billion different types. Exactly a billion :P

[Iron Past]

Another interesting show, I enjoyed the greater-than-usual PC discussion, being primarily a PC gamer myself.

Just of curiosity, James, what was the name of the Diablo II mod you were using to up the resolution? I didn't hear you mention the name on the show and I tried searching for one and found a billion different types. Exactly a billion :P

I heard him say "multi-res mod" but I doubt that's the actual name. You know, this post wasn't very helpful, sorry. :p

[lucklesswonder]

Another interesting show, I enjoyed the greater-than-usual PC discussion, being primarily a PC gamer myself.

Just of curiosity, James, what was the name of the Diablo II mod you were using to up the resolution? I didn't hear you mention the name on the show and I tried searching for one and found a billion different types. Exactly a billion :P

This is where I got it from:

http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/downloads/D2MultiRes-v102.zip

Instructions for installing it are included in the little readme file. To change the resolution in game, you have to have the Lord of Destruction expansion, as well. Otherwise, it doesn't offer the option to change res in the menu. You can still use the mod if you don't have LoD, but you have to edit the registry.

[Dostoyevsky]

Oh yeah, and James maybe you were just thinking of Eli Vance from HL2? That also conjures up comparisons to the "Book of Eli" movie, which was written by game industry veteran Gary Whitta. Coincidence...doubtful. The question is whether its an awesome callback or just a lame ripoff of existing game franchise materials.

[Uno Ill Nino]

Dammit. Now I've got those songs from "After these messages we'll be right back" bumpers. Its funny because I totally remember seeing those during commercials when I was a kid. They're from the early 90's or so, right?

And god DAMMIT you guys need to be a little less cynical about shit. The pre-emptive eye-rolling over District 9 got to be a little much. I mean give the movie a shot, y'know? You paid to see Transformers 2 for crying out loud, so I'd say your right to bitch is forfeited. :) You did kind of put out a disclaimer acknowledging your cynicism though, so that helped.

Lastly, I forget who the new guy is, but he's not a real fighting game fan if he's not buying Marvel vs Capcom 2. Thriving arcade scene or not, the game is $15 and lets you play seamlessly online. How can you pass that up? That's right, YOU CAN'T!

Good times though, fellas. I look forward to hearing you talk about PAX as it gets closer. Maybe some stories from last year would be in order? Oh yeah, you gotta update the Roll Call thread too. I'm pretty sure there's more than 35 people coming now.

[fishbang]

And god DAMMIT you guys need to be a little less cynical about shit. The pre-emptive eye-rolling over District 9 got to be a little much. I mean give the movie a shot, y'know? You paid to see Transformers 2 for crying out loud, so I'd say your right to bitch is forfeited. :) You did kind of put out a disclaimer acknowledging your cynicism though, so that helped.


Transformers ain't in it, my friend - I paid genuine money for G.I. Joe this weekend, and there's almost nothing I wouldn't rather have dumped that twenty on in retrospect (yeah, twenty...snacks, y'know).

Also, I like to think my willingness to dive head-first and mouth open into giant shit piles like the above grants me license to complain pretty broadly about whatever I see on the screen - though we all know how fond I am of my own opinions. Especially the bad ones.

As for D9, well, there's no way I'd NOT see it. I try to support sci-fi in any way I can, despite how growly I may get about it in advance. And really, I just didn't appreciate the angle the trailer was taking. I've spent a lot of money - good and bad - on the assertion that trailers are excessively misleading and can't be trusted to any degree. This time won't be any different.

Still, it's good for you to call us on the cynicism - even if we're not quite sure how to avoid it. ;P

[Uno Ill Nino]

Well, I think a lot of us are guilty of being overly cynical nerds at some point. I know I certainly have my moments. :) And I see what you're saying about the trailer now. I didn't catch the political thing until I heard your take on it, but now I can't unsee it. :lol Either way, I'll definitely be there with money in hand and a hopeful spirit.

And I love the show, guys. I want to make it clear that just because I called out a bit of cynicism and I said that whatshisname isn't a real fighting game fan, (which was done mostly in jest) I still dig the show very much. I wonder what it is? My theory is that Scott's voice has some sort of hypnotism qualities. Its like a blowjob for my ears. :lol

[Psykoboy2]

My theory is that Scott's voice has some sort of hypnotism qualities. Its like a blowjob for my ears. :lol

That's it. I quit.

[Uno Ill Nino]

LOL! Thought you'd like that. :D

[lucklesswonder]

Well, I think a lot of us are guilty of being overly cynical nerds at some point. I know I certainly have my moments. :) And I see what you're saying about the trailer now. I didn't catch the political thing until I heard your take on it, but now I can't unsee it. :lol Either way, I'll definitely be there with money in hand and a hopeful spirit.

I agree. I never caught the allegory in the trailer. But then, I despise allegory, and I go to great lengths to pretend it isn't there. Originally, I just looked at it as a reverse on the typical alien invasion story. Instead of them oppressing us and enslaving us, we keep them confined. So long as I didn't dig any deeper, I thought it was pretty cool.

Also,

Its like a blowjob for my ears. :lol

What would the mechanics of that even be? No, no. Nevermind. I'd rather not know.