The Rhinovirus Episode

[fishbang]

It's Friday, October 3rd and your new episode is here (http://www.ingamechat.net/audio/IGC100308.mp3).

Scott has a cold and he's talking more than he really should. Normally we wouldn't much care, but he's promised his honeyed voice in addition to his skills as some kind of mail-order preacher to our co-host Jeremy for his nuptials this weekend, and we'd rather he not sound like evil Ash (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_of_Darkness) while officiating the ceremony.

Based solely on its press release, Nintendo's DSi hasn't won any friends among the cast. We're no doubt in similar company with people who like longer battery life, legacy cartridge ports, and who don't relish spending money on a third iteration of DS hardware. Big money says we'll buy it anyway.

We make sad faces about the cuts to Fable 2's CE bonus content, War World's 45-second demo content, and the complete annihilation of C&C Tiberium's game content. But we rally the positive vibe thanks to CoD 5's co-op videos, which lead directly to some helpful suggestions for the gentlepersons at Gamefly.

And in the inaugural effort of what we've planned as a regular Friday segment, we dive into the mailbag to offer our thanks for listener support and to give long answers to short questions. This is seriously something we never get tired of, so keep the email flowing.

Thanks for listening and enjoy the show.

[Grifter]

Thanks, my new favorite pass time is listening to IGC while playing Kings Bounty.

Downloading now.

[Rogue_hunter]

Psst, it's still Thursday. Unfortunately can't listen to this tonight, but I'll be listening to it tomorrow at a harvest festival.

[phoenyx]

Already pending for my morning commute, thank you iTunes.

I agree totally on the DSi. When I started to hear rumors of the next DS, I was a little worried. But given the announcement, I'm more then happy to stay with my "outdated" lite.

[danielOut]

Psst, it's still Thursday. Unfortunately can't listen to this tonight, but I'll be listening to it tomorrow at a harvest festival.

It is thursday in alabama. Remember, we live in your future.

[pseudopseudo]

You guys have "extremely powerful pull". I LOL'd at the innuendo.

[Rogue_hunter]

It is thursday in alabama. Remember, we live in your future.

Look at what you said...so, yes, I would have agreed with you an hour and a half ago, when it was still Thursday.

EDIT: oooh, you posted 2 minutes before it was Friday PST, creepy.

[Raen]

Yay for kept podcast promises. You guys need a logo on the podcast stream. It'd make my iPod happy.

[danielOut]

Yay for kept podcast promises. You guys need a logo on the podcast stream. It'd make my iPod happy.

Working on it... iTunes is being weird on me.

[kropotkin]

Another great show, even if Mr Benton was busy doing an excellent impression of the leprocy ridden folk from Assasin's Creed. All he needed was a bell around his neck and him mumbling 'unclean' every 10 seconds and he'd be spot on.

Anyway thanks for the shout out for the Superhappyfuntimeshow (http://shfts.allgames.com), it was most appreciated.

[anakin876]

Woo hoo! something to listen to while I torture the small welsh chapel of my body in an attempt to reshape it into something a little less like the blob that ate my wedding!
Thank you for continuing this fine service - and for introducing more than one podcast per week!

[Raen]

Working on it... iTunes is being weird on me.

We still love you, even if iTunes doesn't.

[Psykoboy2]

and we'd rather he not sound like evil Ash (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_of_Darkness) while officiating the ceremony.

If you could only hear my voice today. It's horrible and has no trace of anything like what it sounded when we recorded this.

I might want to change my costume tomorrow and be monk riddled with leprosy (thank you Kropotkin).

[phoenyx]

Are you one of those people who get the very deep, raspy kinda voice? Like a dying Darth Vader?

I will say there are lots of avenues for vocal trickery and other fun... other then that whole "I feel like crap warmed over and just want to die" thing.

[UWCrash]

I wasn't able to catch all of Monday's show, but what format are you going with for the live segment? Is there going to be the webcast "after show" weekly, or will it just be the hour long "on air" portion?

Thank god this was there to break up an otherwise dull Friday at work. Keep up the great work, and get well soon Scott.

[KingGorilla]

Guys, your RSS feed needs a lot of work. The pic is still EvAv radio, the artist is still the same.

Other than that, I will be listening to it at the gym tomorrow

[Psykoboy2]

Guys, your RSS feed needs a lot of work. The pic is still EvAv radio, the artist is still the same.

Other than that, I will be listening to it at the gym tomorrow

The RSS feed is being worked on from what I know. The pic...shouldn't be there. I don't upload it in on the tags with iTunes anymore. Haven't since "The First Episode".

Artist is the same as well. I've been tagging it as "In-Game Chat", not sure why it still shows as EvAv for you.

[KingGorilla]

It could just be that iTunes is slow to change. It can take awhile to see changes take place.

[Raen]

Guys, your RSS feed needs a lot of work. The pic is still EvAv radio, the artist is still the same.

Other than that, I will be listening to it at the gym tomorrow

I've had it changed since 'The First Episode' on iTunes. In fact I've had the title change from In Game Chat to In-Game Chat since then. I just clicked update podcast on Tuesday or Wednesday and it all came up neatly.

[KingGorilla]

Just got back from the Gym. In reaction to what James said about pre-orders. We have already seen another industry get very crippled and become insulated by catering to pre-orders and little else, comics. More importantly we have already seen the retail side of games mirror comics. More often than not after the first week you are shit out of luck to find a copy of a game at retail. There is still Amazon, Go Gamer, etc, but less and less are you able to just stroll into a store to buy what you want.

Most other industries thrive on more impulsive purchases, and catering to the walk in shopper in particular.

If the console side can catch up to the PC in regard to digital distribution of titles, none of this matters. But as long as they are so tied to, and cling to, retail as the main means of distribution, the existing problems for the consumers will get worse.

That is completely disregarding the fact that more niche titles just get squeezed out due to lack of pre-orders. You get more and more safe titles, fewer and fewer risky ones. Titles that, while on a shelf rather than in the ether as a pre-order, has the capacity to just get picked up and purchased, rather than needing to reserve an item in advance.

[Commissar Rob]

Great show...keep the cold going and we may have a new Barry White.

I can certainly understand where you're coming from, KG, but I think digital distribution will help niche titles succeed at a greatly increasing rate. For example, I don't think I ever would've picked up Castle Crashers or Pain at retail...there's just too much noise on the shelves...but in a digital environment where I can try before I buy I gave each a chance. Happily so, Castle Crashers is a blast!

I use preorders as a way of organizing what I'm going to buy and when. Keeps me from making too many impulse purchases and helps me keep my gaming budget somewhat in check. Plus every now and again I get some cool doodad or another that makes for a happy materialist.

[pseudopseudo]

Just got back from the Gym. In reaction to what James said about pre-orders. We have already seen another industry get very crippled and become insulated by catering to pre-orders and little else, comics. More importantly we have already seen the retail side of games mirror comics. More often than not after the first week you are shit out of luck to find a copy of a game at retail. There is still Amazon, Go Gamer, etc, but less and less are you able to just stroll into a store to buy what you want.

Most other industries thrive on more impulsive purchases, and catering to the walk in shopper in particular.

If the console side can catch up to the PC in regard to digital distribution of titles, none of this matters. But as long as they are so tied to, and cling to, retail as the main means of distribution, the existing problems for the consumers will get worse.

That is completely disregarding the fact that more niche titles just get squeezed out due to lack of pre-orders. You get more and more safe titles, fewer and fewer risky ones. Titles that, while on a shelf rather than in the ether as a pre-order, has the capacity to just get picked up and purchased, rather than needing to reserve an item in advance.

Big box places like Walmart, Target and Best Buy don't take preorders; you can stop into almost any one of those on day one of a game's release and pick your game up with NO problem. The only stores that have the problem you're describing are the game-specific stores.

Unless for some weird reason you're morally above going to a big box store to buy a game - your point's kind of moot.

[KingGorilla]

Big Box stores almost never have the niche titles though. That is what I was getting at, the fringe titles are really just getting completely squeezed out of that retail space.

Also, after another listen.

I do not mean to pick on Jeremy, or sound overly trollish.

I want the whole crew to go back and watch Alien and Aliens, and try to say that any ships were ripped off FROM Halo into anything else. That Halo rip-off BS killed Advent rising, when the thematic thievery was completely the other way around.

[Straximus]

I do not mean to pick on Jeremy, or sound overly trollish.


I hope not. I wasn't even in that episode!

I want the whole crew to go back and watch Alien and Aliens, and try to say that any ships were ripped off FROM Halo into anything else. That Halo rip-off BS killed Advent rising, when the thematic thievery was completely the other way around.

See? I have no idea what this Halo 'rip-off' business is all about. Whatever it is, I'll just declare myself on your side.

[KingGorilla]

I get confused sometimes. Fishbang, I meant Fishbang. The nasally voiced cast, not Scott with his deep and soothing man-voice that just makes you wish you could bury your head in his chest and live there because it feels so safe and warm...AHEM! But some of the voices sound rather similar, especially if you guys get a decent drawl going.