Conference Call

GWJ Conference Call Episode 270

Not Playing Skyrim, Skyward Sword,Back to WoW, Infinity Blade II, iPad Boardgames, Better VGAs, What to Do With Franchises From Dead Studios, Your Emails and more!

This week Shawn, Julian, Elysium and Cory tackle your Twitter questions and emails!

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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Good Old Games

Rocksmith
Zelda: Skyward Sword
The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
Skyrim Mod Thread
Infinity Blade 2
Scribblenauts
iPad Boardgames

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Show credits

Music credits: 

Intro/Outtro Music - Ian Dorsch, Willowtree Audioworks

Final Wave Theme - Dungeon Defenders - http://dungeondefenders.com/ - 22:27

Spike in a Rail - Bastion - http://store.supergiantgames.com/col... - 44:27

Comments

and your time codes...

00.01.05 Games we've been playing
00.01.44 All Elysium did was play World of Warcraft, aka put on his fat pants.
00.04.11 Cory is still (Sky)rimmin' it, with a dash of Dungeon Defendin'
00.07.49 ∞ Blade 2
00.11.05 Certis plays an embarrassing amount of Peggle
00.11.41 Rabbit does iPad boardgames: Ascension expansion, Ticket to Ride, Forbidden Island, Titan, and Zen Pinball (not a boardgame)
00.17.46 Certis is also playing a not embarrassing amount of Scribblenauts Remix
00.18.39 Certis enjoys Skyward Sword, but it also makes him sad--listen to find out why!
00.23.20 Twitter topics
00.29.49 - 00.32.08 VGA winner spoilers, if anyone actually cares
00.44.54 your emails

I'm at the same point as Certis was on the CC, but not really feeling the nag. Then again, I've gotten here across 4 play sessions due to the little one keeping my play times down. Also, Fi's input seems to be a lot of, hey, this is all really new to you, type things so far. For those that finished the game, does the amount she tries to chime in drop?

I'm loving the multiple save spots in the dungeons, though. I don't think many people touch on this or many of the other small changes like this that really improve the game's overall experience over previous games in the series. IIRC, Playing a dungeon in Twilight Princess was an all or nothing experience.

I'm conversing with my mom about games now. She's more interested in the social aspect than the man vs. machine, so I think Mario is right out. In terms of what equipment is currently available, there's a PC and a 360 in the house (my sister lives there, still). She's also not a fan of violence (in life, games, or other media), so anything gory is verboten as well.

I think, based on available gear and interest, she might actually get a kick out of Portal 2 co-op. If not, maybe something simpler, like board games played over an OS.

I'm REALLY surprised that pop-cap games like Bejeweled and Peggle weren't mentioned as gateway games. Likewise with Angry Birds - yeah, they're not all that deep, but a new gamer doesn't need depth, they need accessibility.

Tanglebones wrote:

I'm conversing with my mom about games now. She's more interested in the social aspect than the man vs. machine, so I think Mario is right out. In terms of what equipment is currently available, there's a PC and a 360 in the house (my sister lives there, still). She's also not a fan of violence (in life, games, or other media), so anything gory is verboten as well.

I think, based on available gear and interest, she might actually get a kick out of Portal 2 co-op. If not, maybe something simpler, like board games played over an OS.

World of Goo or something along those lines might not be a bad intro...

Two words on the dead studio/IP continuation discussion:
Fallout 3

Edit: Thanks for reading my email. My wife has to continue to restrain me from "testing" the Skylanders to make sure it didn't, you know, get damaged in shipping.

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who missed the gibberish voice acting in Infinity Blade II. Lots of good improvements over the original, but English voices and the partial retcon about the first game are so far the main disappointments to me.

EDIT (Because I'm listening at work):

Can we just get rid of the VGAs and broadcast the Developer's Choice Awards on the broadcast networks? I don't care if it's a terrible time slot like Friday night, but it'd be a step-up from the VGAs, which are basically just a giant marketing event like the Superbowl at this point.

Still listening to the show, but I had to put this out there, being the troll that I am... First, Cory, The Man Show was on Comedy Central, not Spike TV.

Secondly, and more importantly, as I understand the VGAs, the production company usually invites delegates from "The Major Gaming Media Outlets" (though, I've never seen a real list of who that is...). I know that Giant Bomb usually sends a delegate, Shacknews sends someone, Joystiq sends someone...so yeah, the awards are typically picked by people that know which games are deserving.

There is pass-and-play on Ticket to Ride for the iPad.

Timespike wrote:

I'm REALLY surprised that pop-cap games like Bejeweled and Peggle weren't mentioned as gateway games. Likewise with Angry Birds - yeah, they're not all that deep, but a new gamer doesn't need depth, they need accessibility.

Yeah, my first thought was Plants vs Zombies (which is available in Google Chrome NaCL).

And to clarify Julian's idea of NaCl, it's not just a packaging/install platform. If you run Chrome on Linux or Mac, a NaCl app will run on those as well.

Tanglebones wrote:

I'm conversing with my mom about games now. She's more interested in the social aspect than the man vs. machine, so I think Mario is right out. In terms of what equipment is currently available, there's a PC and a 360 in the house (my sister lives there, still). She's also not a fan of violence (in life, games, or other media), so anything gory is verboten as well.

I think, based on available gear and interest, she might actually get a kick out of Portal 2 co-op. If not, maybe something simpler, like board games played over an OS.

Advanced Wars or a similar type game. It has multi player, it's cartoony and not violent and is a very easy ramp in and ramp up.

ilduce620 wrote:

Still listening to the show, but I had to put this out there, being the troll that I am... First, Cory, The Man Show was on Comedy Central, not Spike TV.

But they ran it on Spike at some point, right? Right? Maybe? Maybe not?

Oh well.

So glad I rarely watch television anymore.
I only found out the Spike TV VGA's were this week because G4 played videos that were released there.
In the topic, it says "Better VGAs", is that like vomiting once is "better" than vomiting twice?
Or have they gotten really better?

There is a good games show: the IGF.

I've never watched the Video Game Awards, but I get the impression that we were better off when "VGA" meant 640x480.

Timespike wrote:

I'm REALLY surprised that pop-cap games like Bejeweled and Peggle weren't mentioned as gateway games. Likewise with Angry Birds - yeah, they're not all that deep, but a new gamer doesn't need depth, they need accessibility.

This. And, Plants vs. Zombies.

misplacedbravado wrote:

I've never watched the Video Game Awards, but I get the impression that we were better off when "VGA" meant 640x480.

+1

Thankfully, I've never watched the VGAs live, but I've seen enough video clips to know that it is a complete waste of time and resources.

Timespike wrote:

I'm REALLY surprised that pop-cap games like Bejeweled and Peggle weren't mentioned as gateway games. Likewise with Angry Birds - yeah, they're not all that deep, but a new gamer doesn't need depth, they need accessibility.

+1 to this as well.

I understand where Cory was coming from, as Mario is probably the most well-known video game character of all-time, but like Julian implied during the podcast, platforming requires a significant amount of fast-paced hand-eye coordination, which may not be the best way to introduce an old person to video games. The reason that games like Bejeweled, Peggle, and Angry Birds are a better choice is because you can take as much time as you want/need between actions.

Nevin73 wrote:

Two words on the dead studio/IP continuation discussion:
Fallout 3.

Damn straight.

RolandofGilead wrote:

So glad I rarely watch television anymore.
I only found out the Spike TV VGA's were this week because G4 played videos that were released there.
In the topic, it says "Better VGAs", is that like vomiting once is "better" than vomiting twice?
Or have they gotten really better?

No, no, no. Vomitting twice is better, like cows chewing the cud. It becomes refined and easier to digest every time.

Am I doing it right?

As a Gateway game, try any of the Lego games, you can't die, there are some puzzles and they are thematic (if they enjoy Indiana Jones or Harry Potter there is something in there familiar)

Also Pokemon games on the NDS. These worked with my father.

Demiurge wrote:
ilduce620 wrote:

Still listening to the show, but I had to put this out there, being the troll that I am... First, Cory, The Man Show was on Comedy Central, not Spike TV.

But they ran it on Spike at some point, right? Right? Maybe? Maybe not?

Oh well.

They probably did, in re-runs. If I recall, that show was only halfway decent for the first few seasons, until they switched hosts when it took a nosedive off a sharp cliff.

I should point out, Cory, that in principle, I also support your Mario stance. Heck, for my generation (and I'm almost 30), that was the gateway game. If it worked for millions of kids around the world, surely it can work for parents, as well. The added benefit in New Super Mario Bros, though, is that you can go through a level with them, as opposed to trading back-and-forth.

However, my parents wouldn't try it, thinking it would be too hard. My Mom really liked Wii Bowling, though. So yeah, ultimately, my vote is Wii Sports.

ilduce620 wrote:
Demiurge wrote:
ilduce620 wrote:

Still listening to the show, but I had to put this out there, being the troll that I am... First, Cory, The Man Show was on Comedy Central, not Spike TV.

But they ran it on Spike at some point, right? Right? Maybe? Maybe not?

Oh well.

They probably did, in re-runs. If I recall, that show was only halfway decent for the first few seasons, until they switched hosts when it took a nosedive off a sharp cliff.

I should point out, Cory, that in principle, I also support your Mario stance. Heck, for my generation (and I'm almost 30), that was the gateway game. If it worked for millions of kids around the world, surely it can work for parents, as well. The added benefit in New Super Mario Bros, though, is that you can go through a level with them, as opposed to trading back-and-forth.

However, my parents wouldn't try it, thinking it would be too hard. My Mom really liked Wii Bowling, though. So yeah, ultimately, my vote is Wii Sports.

Again, the fly in the ointment is that I don't have a Wii to lend the folks. I also think Mario would have just about 0 draw with my (60 year old) mom.

I don't think you can make any blanket statements about whether or not games should be continued by different developers after the original creators of the game have gone out of business. There are certainly a lot of examples of it going either way. With S.T.A.L.K.E.R. specifically though I'd rather they let it be, because it's such a product of where and by whom it was developed. They didn't make a game set in some fantasy land, they made a game about an event that had a huge impact on all their lives. It doesn't make sense for anyone else to contiue that, other developer should make games based on their own experiences instead.

Nevin73 wrote:

Two words on the dead studio/IP continuation discussion:
Fallout 3

I was amazed no one mentioned Looking Glass Studios and the revival of Thief.

So yeah, the native client thing turns out to be WAY cooler than I was giving it credit for. Instant cross compatibility.

Tanglebones:

See, the problem is that you don't have a Wii.

You could have her do social games on Facebook. Big Fish and Playfish games also tend to be popular with the older set.

You mentioned Titan is coming to iPad, but there's a great java implementation of it on sourceforge, called Colossus.

Check it out. It takes 15 minutes instead of 9 hours to play, and is proof positive why the well-designed but monstrously taxing boardgames of yesteryear may find new life in the digital realm:

http://colossus.sourceforge.net

I used to be excited about The Old Republic, but then I took an arrow in the knee.

I hope you get Michael Zenke on to talk about it though. If I remember correctly, It was him who predicted that "there will be juice, so much juice".

kabutor wrote:

As a Gateway game, try any of the Lego games, you can't die, there are some puzzles and they are thematic (if they enjoy Indiana Jones or Harry Potter there is something in there familiar)

Also Pokemon games on the NDS. These worked with my father.

Three words: Kirby's Epic Yarn.

Done. Settled.

UPDATE:

And I just read that a Wii is not an option (filthy skimmer, that's me), so I'll just add +1 to anyone who mentioned anything by Popcap.

If you want to get someone interested in games by stealth, there are a wealth of flash game compilation sites out there that require no special hardware at all. Might I heartily recommend www.orisinal.com? Pretty much everything on there is simple and amazing.

Regarding Bastion and running native client applications in Chrome.

It is true that in some ways this code is similar to the Steam code but there are fundamental differences as well.

The biggest difference is that with Steam your downloaded application is executing on your PC as a normal program. It's the same as if you had downloaded it from the web or installed from a CD. This allows the program to make any system call you want it to do, so it can start accessing files on your computer as well as use DirectX/OpenGL/whatever to draw on the screen.

With the Chrome NaCl system the application can only access the system through the Pepper API which is implemented by the browser. This means your application has the same restrictions as the browser it is running inside and has no way to directly access your operating system.

The biggest upside of this is that your code becomes OS independent (it will run on anything which runs Chrome on X86) and secure (since it's locked down by the Pepper APIs).

Personally I think (and hope) that this could make for a big upswing for indie devs since they can target multiple platforms at once and make it very easy and fast to try a game. It's basically the same as running a flash game, but it's native.

IIRC there are upcoming proposals which will make it possible to use game controllers and stuff like that with these games as well.

EDIT: Just noticed I had missed other people commenting on this issue.

One thing I'll add (which I'd like to hear you discuss on future episodes): Can this be the new LAN party? Being a gamer with a job I have a laptop at work. And there are other gamers here at work. And plenty of people have laptops at home as well. So I'm thinking systems like Native Client could the lunch-break, late night at the office or even bring your laptop to a coffee shop an impromptu LAN party. I see a big potential for small, fast, games which are fun to play together for a short time and don't require a lot of computer power. Doom multiplayer in the browser anyone?