Conference Call

GWJ Conference Call Episode 107

An Early Show!, Fallout 3, Fable 2, Guitar Hero World Tour, Far Cry 2, Your Emails and more!

This week we bust out the show a day early so you can have a spoiler-free taste of Fallout 3 as the game hits shelves. Don't get too comfortable, we'll be back to Wednesdays as usual next week. There are so many games to talk about, that's pretty much the whole show! Your wonderful emails too, of course.

To contact us, email [email protected]! Send us your thoughts on the show, pressing issues you want to talk about or whatever else is on your mind. You can even send a 30 second audio question or comment (MP3 format please) if you're so inclined.

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Show credits

Music credits: 

Intro/Outro Music - Ian Dorsch, Willowtree Audioworks

"Anxious Tedium" - Ouranos OST (Tom Quinn) - www.citadel-studios.com - 1:09:31

Comments

What a nice surprise. I'm off to pour a dram and listen.

With regards to Fable 2's morality system, how does it pan out when you're just playing down the middle? When I play an rpg of this kind I tend to always go the most profitable route, which I would normally assume makes me evil, but in practice often winds up making a pretty boring neutral character (especially in KOTOR), so I'm curious as to how rampant greed is treated in F2.

"This week we bust out the show a day early..."

Bust out? Really? That's the best you could come up with?

Anyway, I can't wait to listen to the show. I'm interested to hear about Fallout 3, though I'm not that interested in, as Oblivion (made by a similar company) was a piece of sh*t. I hope that when I eventually play Fallout 3 I end out enjoying it and it's the best game ever, but at the moment I'm doubtful that that will be the case.

Fable II's navigation is so totally broken that the breadcrumbs are a required aid. Even if the navigation did work to some degree, I really like the breadcrumbs because they allow me to go off the beaten path without worrying about losing my way.

I'm glad to hear that Fallout 3 isn't just Oblivion with guns, because that sounds even worse than Oblivion with swords, but I am happy to hear that Fable II is more like Oblivion than Fable because I think that with the right blend of the two it could be something that I quite like. Not anymore interested in Far Cry 2 than I was before, but I'll check it out.

Anyway, a great episode, I think you guys should maybe dedicate more time to the games you can play right now segment, because you guys can have some really helpful discussion, and sometimes it seems like it's been a little bit cut short.

Purple_Haze wrote:

"This week we bust out the show a day early..."

Bust out? Really? That's the best you could come up with?

I think we need a GWJ rap to go with that expression:

Come bust a move where the games are played
It's chill, it's fresh, it's Certis's Arcade

I'm stuck in the exact same place in LittleBigPlanet single player that Cory is stuck at. Same rotating thing, same deadly fire, really frustrating.

Purple_Haze wrote:

though I'm not that interested in, as Oblivion (made by a similar company) was a piece of sh*t.

**GASP!**

Quit missing with my head! I thought I slept through Tuesday!

Aaron D. wrote:
Purple_Haze wrote:

though I'm not that interested in, as Oblivion (made by a similar company) was a piece of sh*t.

**GASP!**

Piece of sh*t may be too strong, but I kind of agree as well. Oblivion (on the console at least) was flawed enough to not be fun for me. The first 3-4 hours were good, but beyond that I really lost interest. I wish they had spent less development time on all the sidequests and more time polishing the main quest so there wasn't so much trudging through near-identical Oblivion gates.

From the sound of it Fallout 3 has addressed most of my Oblivion issues, so it'll probably be my big-game purchase next month.

Rat Boy wrote:

Quit missing with my head! I thought I slept through Tuesday!

Same here, I started to take the garbage to the curb after seeing the podcast on my zune this morning.

pneuman wrote:
Purple_Haze wrote:

"This week we bust out the show a day early..."

Bust out? Really? That's the best you could come up with?

I think we need a GWJ rap to go with that expression:

Come bust a move where the games are played
It's chill, it's fresh, it's Certis's Arcade

I would award you 10 points for a Wayne's World reference if the apostrophe had been used correctly. You've made my internal style guide cry.

Only 5 points.

I'm loving the Podcast this morning. All the talk of Fable 2 and Fallout 3 is very engrossing - it's a great substitute for playing the games themselves, which I have so little time for.

Certis, however, is a machine. I'm starting to suspect that his sole social interaction is the podcast crew and his wife.

docbadwrench wrote:

I'm loving the Podcast this morning. All the talk of Fable 2 and Fallout 3 is very engrossing - it's a great substitute for playing the games themselves, which I have so little time for.

Certis, however, is a machine. I'm starting to suspect that his sole social interaction is the podcast crew and his wife.

That's a lie! Sometimes I talk to my Big Daddy figurine.

Certis wrote:
docbadwrench wrote:

I'm loving the Podcast this morning. All the talk of Fable 2 and Fallout 3 is very engrossing - it's a great substitute for playing the games themselves, which I have so little time for.

Certis, however, is a machine. I'm starting to suspect that his sole social interaction is the podcast crew and his wife.

That's a lie! Sometimes I talk to my Big Daddy figurine.

IMAGE(http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/1696/littlecertiszv5.jpg)

"Mr. Bubbles?!"

Great podcast as usual, guys. Some reactions:

1) Far Cry 2 - Certis, I hope you keep playing it, because I'd love to hear more impressions about it. I'm almost 10 hours into it, and while I'm certainly enjoying it, it has one of my biggest pet peeves, which I haven't heard mentioned in the couple of reviews I've perused: enemies respawn. So even if you've cleared out a guard outpost, if you drive past it a few hours of game time later, the enemies are back. And since going from quest to quest involves passing through quite a few outposts, you might have to fight 3 or 4 outposts worth of enemies just to get to a quest. It's a bit frustrating when you're just trying to complete a quest before going to bed. I'd have nothing against an occasional random patrol running into you, but having the outposts' occupants respawn negates any sense of accomplishment you get from clearing it the first time. Does this bother anyone else as much as it bothers me? (Maybe this should go in the Far Cry 2 catch-all, but I wanted to specifically address Certis with this comment/question.)

2) Fallout 3 metro ads - I actually live in the DC area, so I've seen the DC metro ads in person. As a fan of the franchise (which is weird to say, because I've never played 1 or 2, but the concept is so fantastic and, according to everyone who's played, the execution is phenomenal), I have no problems with the ads. But today, I did see an article about someone who complained to the Washington Post: http://www.gamepolitics.com/2008/10/.... Clearly, they have no idea that the ads have nothing to do with invoking terrorism, but I can certainly understand being slightly alarmed by the ads if you don't know their context. But their First Amendment argument, as the article mentions, is completely bogus. Plus, it's not like the ads are trying to threaten you into buying the game (i.e. this will happen to DC if you don't purchase our game!). I think they're rather thought-provoking, detailed, and artistic in nature. But as I said, I'm biased.

3) Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO class - Personally, I'd be all over the rancor keeper. And honestly, that could have a cool dynamic: you're just playing second-fiddle to your rancor, which does all the combat stuff while you give it orders and maybe give it buffs. Plus, having your rancor swallow your enemies whole wouldn't get old for some time.

Another great show as always guys. I'm heading out the door now to pick up Fallout 3. I just wanted to add a little point to your discussion about what to do with all the plastic instruments that could end up in the garbage. Most major cities in North America now have companies that recycle old computers and electronics. We have one in Ottawa called Computer Recyclers Inc. and they'll take anything electronic and they actually do true end of life recycling. They either tear it apart and resell the raw materials or in the case of printed circuit boards, they grind them up and turn them into this sort of industrial powder that can be used as a strengthening additive with other materials. It doesn't cost anything in most cases and none of the stuff ends up in landfills. If you have old guitars or whatnot that you don't think you can use, check your Yellow Pages. Putting electronics in landfills is awful because the stuff doesn't break down and often leeches out toxic chemicals. A lot of it also gets shipped out to third world countries.

Rabbit, I love Time Control too but you forgot to mention the coolest part. Sometimes while you're using it you'll hear one of the enemies say something like, "Something's not right here." In slow-motion, of course.

One thing about the co-op in Fable 2. I played as a henchman in my sister's game and she turned off the safety. Then we started shooting the villagers and it was hilarious! I also ended up killing a couple of her husbands and would have killed her kids if they weren't invulnerable. I was able to fart on them and flip them off so it worked out just fine.

Anyway, she didn't save, but she did get the achievement for being all the way on the evil side.

Good times.

Parallax Abstraction wrote:

Most major cities in North America now have companies that recycle old computers and electronics. ... If you have old guitars or whatnot that you don't think you can use, check your Yellow Pages. Putting electronics in landfills is awful because the stuff doesn't break down and often leeches out toxic chemicals. A lot of it also gets shipped out to third world countries.

Many town recycling centers have a bin for computer equipment (monitors, printers, computers), but they don't pick those things up at the curb for you like they may do for bottles, cans, paper, plastic, and cardboard recyclables. Visit your recycling center to find it or give your town department of public works a call (that's what they call them in the USA anyway, sorry international readers).

Minor correction from about 1h20m in: the PS3 is no longer sold in any variety that has any PS2 compatibility whatsoever.

The last model that was sold with software backwards compatibility with the PS2 was the first 80GB special edition Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle.

The only models that were sold with hardware compatibility were the 20GB, which was quickly discontinued and is the only model ever sold without integrated WiFi, and the 60GB. The 20GB also didn't have a flash memory card reader.

The 40GB PS3 became the new base for all PS3 models from there with 2 USB ports instead of 4, no flash memory card reader, and no PS2 compatibility. The current 80GB model and 160GB Uncharted bundle coming in November are based on this design with the only difference being more hard drive space.

All models continue to have full PS1 backwards compatibility, and I think the system will now let you play even disc-based (in addition to PS Store-bought digital download) PS1 games via Remote Play on a PSP if you so desire.

Parallax Abstraction wrote:

Most major cities in North America now have companies that recycle old computers and electronics. We have one in Ottawa called Computer Recyclers Inc. and they'll take anything electronic and they actually do true end of life recycling. They either tear it apart and resell the raw materials or in the case of printed circuit boards, they grind them up and turn them into this sort of industrial powder that can be used as a strengthening additive with other materials. It doesn't cost anything in most cases and none of the stuff ends up in landfills.

Another note about this. I very much support recycling as much computer equipment as possible. However, I called a number of companies in the area and found that they wanted to charge me by the pound, no less. After explaining the number of towers and monitors that I had, one outlet informed me that I'd have to pay around a hundred bucks to recycle my old junk. And I live in tech-heavy Seattle.

If any of you know more about these alleged free-recyclers, I'd love to know more. I am all in favor of advancing these fine green-business ideas, but I'm not spending that much to effectively throw something away.

docbadwrench wrote:
Parallax Abstraction wrote:

Most major cities in North America now have companies that recycle old computers and electronics. We have one in Ottawa called Computer Recyclers Inc. and they'll take anything electronic and they actually do true end of life recycling. They either tear it apart and resell the raw materials or in the case of printed circuit boards, they grind them up and turn them into this sort of industrial powder that can be used as a strengthening additive with other materials. It doesn't cost anything in most cases and none of the stuff ends up in landfills.

Another note about this. I very much support recycling as much computer equipment as possible. However, I called a number of companies in the area and found that they wanted to charge me by the pound, no less. After explaining the number of towers and monitors that I had, one outlet informed me that I'd have to pay around a hundred bucks to recycle my old junk. And I live in tech-heavy Seattle.

If any of you know more about these alleged free-recyclers, I'd love to know more. I am all in favor of advancing these fine green-business ideas, but I'm not spending that much to effectively throw something away. :)

Unfortunately, the only free technology recycling method in Seattle is Craigslist.

Dudes, I am really enjoying Fable II. I, like others, have found myself being afraid to look at the clock when I'm tired enough to put the controller down (which is usually when I'm blinking long enough that I mess up a mini-game.

And I, too, am playing a good male character and intend to replay as an evil female.

Zelos wrote:
Aaron D. wrote:
Purple_Haze wrote:

though I'm not that interested in, as Oblivion (made by a similar company) was a piece of sh*t.

**GASP!**

Piece of sh*t may be too strong, but I kind of agree as well. Oblivion (on the console at least) was flawed enough to not be fun for me.

Agreed. Purple Haze was unnecessarily invoking crass hyperbole, but Oblivion (on the 360) lost me as well.

Demiurge wrote:
pneuman wrote:

I think we need a GWJ rap to go with that expression:

Come bust a move where the games are played
It's chill, it's fresh, it's Certis's Arcade

I would award you 10 points for a Wayne's World reference if the apostrophe had been used correctly. You've made my internal style guide cry.

Only 5 points.

Not a common style choice, but it is a question of style and not of grammar, which makes this a subjective issue.

I may just be sticking up for him because I'm a big fan of the reference.

wordsmythe wrote:
Demiurge wrote:
pneuman wrote:

I think we need a GWJ rap to go with that expression:

Come bust a move where the games are played
It's chill, it's fresh, it's Certis's Arcade

I would award you 10 points for a Wayne's World reference if the apostrophe had been used correctly. You've made my internal style guide cry.

Only 5 points.

Not a common style choice, but it is a question of style and not of grammar, which makes this a subjective issue.

I may just be sticking up for him because I'm a big fan of the reference.

The Tube is on Wordsmythe's side:
IMAGE(http://broe.co.uk/images/apos.jpg)
(since the '50s, apparently)

The Tube doesn't count since we speak American over here.

Which means it should have been Certis's's.

Demiurge wrote:

The Tube doesn't count since we speak American over here.

Mike Myers speaks Canadian.

wordsmythe wrote:
Demiurge wrote:

The Tube doesn't count since we speak American over here.

Mike Myers speaks Canadian.

Poutine eatin' bastard.

IMAGE(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Poppinfresh2k5/poutine.jpg)

I just discovered that if I play the podcast, and set my soundcard to a Concert Hall sound stage. It sounds like you guys are doing a live taping somewhere, and no one is applauding. It's very sad.

Hang in there.

Poppinfresh wrote:

Poutine eatin' bastard.

IMAGE(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/Poppinfresh2k5/poutine.jpg)

IMAGE(http://www.roadsterdrift.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/homer-drool-702026.gif)