Idle F***in' Thumbs Podcast

I don't really listen to Idle Thumbs for up to the minute gaming news and structured discussions. I have GWJ for that. Idle Thumbs is more like gamer comedy mixed with game and business analysis, and that's what I enjoy.

I was actually thinking that this past episode needed more editing. I really like that stuff as it sets apart from other podcasts I listen to, but there have certainly been times that some clips have been used too much.

I'm currently going through all the episodes I didn't listen to back in the day and am up to episode 25. Catching up on all of the in-jokes definitely makes this a better 'cast.

So after the Thumbs crew discusses how video games really only draw from the same pool of movies for their cultural influences, and ongoing discussion/lamentation of Mass Effect 2, today we get this:

Greg Zeschuk[/url]]"If you recall, Empire Strikes Back was the darker chapter and that is how we designed the ME2 story and experience: to try and make the player reflect on the challenges of the character." Continuing, he tells IGN, "If you put ME2 next to the original it is definitely a darker, harder game."

Which is also a sad fulfillment of what Michael Abbot wrote before:

The Brainy Gamer[/url]]This got me thinking about depictions of video game heroes and the seemingly inevitable trajectory towards darker, grittier renditions when they reappear in sequels.

But back to the main point:

Yay. Empire Strikes Back. Way to push those storytelling boundaries, BioWare. Just introduce your Sgt. Apone character and you can call it a day.

Wow, Nick was _not_ a fan of Borderlands. Also, he had a hell of a time using his words to make this point. Seemed really hesitant to be critical.

Eh, Nick does not seem to be a fan of a lot of things.

And I don't mean that in some smarmy "Jaded critics don't like fun" kind of way. Just an observation that he seems way more underwhelmed with the majority of games he talks about on the podcast, and I'm the most picky gamer I know.

demonbox wrote:

Wow, Nick was _not_ a fan of Borderlands. Also, he had a hell of a time using his words to make this point. Seemed really hesitant to be critical.

I think it was because he had a lot of negative things to say about it but didn't want to make it sound all that bad. Note at the end, he wasn't willing to give it a direct yay or nay.

kuddles wrote:

Eh, Nick does not seem to be a fan of a lot of things.

And I don't mean that in some smarmy "Jaded critics don't like fun" kind of way. Just an observation that he seems way more underwhelmed with the majority of games he talks about on the podcast, and I'm the most picky gamer I know.

At least he plays video games, unlike that other guy; Jake "videogames" Rodkin.

LobsterMobster wrote:
demonbox wrote:

Wow, Nick was _not_ a fan of Borderlands. Also, he had a hell of a time using his words to make this point. Seemed really hesitant to be critical.

I think it was because he had a lot of negative things to say about it but didn't want to make it sound all that bad. Note at the end, he wasn't willing to give it a direct yay or nay.

I took that, along with his review of sorts, to be a resounding nay-- just one that he didn't want to give. I'm interested in Borderlands in that I'm very curious to hear feedback once it launches, I won't pick it up anytime soon tho (I'm cheap).

skeletonframes wrote:

At least he plays video games, unlike that other guy; Jake "videogames" Rodkin. ;)

Yeah, he should stop working so hard on building games and just play them.

demonbox wrote:
LobsterMobster wrote:
demonbox wrote:

Wow, Nick was _not_ a fan of Borderlands. Also, he had a hell of a time using his words to make this point. Seemed really hesitant to be critical.

I think it was because he had a lot of negative things to say about it but didn't want to make it sound all that bad. Note at the end, he wasn't willing to give it a direct yay or nay.

I took that, along with his review of sorts, to be a resounding nay-- just one that he didn't want to give. I'm interested in Borderlands in that I'm very curious to hear feedback once it launches, I won't pick it up anytime soon tho (I'm cheap).

I've been so down on Borderlands that its stalwart fans have told me repeatedly to shut up (even though I pre-ordered too! ) so I don't think I'm prone to seeing a silver lining where there is none. I just think that if they wanted to give it a resounding nay, they'd have done that.

i have 5 episodes left and I will have listened to everyone.

LobsterMobster wrote:
demonbox wrote:
LobsterMobster wrote:
demonbox wrote:

Wow, Nick was _not_ a fan of Borderlands. Also, he had a hell of a time using his words to make this point. Seemed really hesitant to be critical.

I think it was because he had a lot of negative things to say about it but didn't want to make it sound all that bad. Note at the end, he wasn't willing to give it a direct yay or nay.

I took that, along with his review of sorts, to be a resounding nay-- just one that he didn't want to give. I'm interested in Borderlands in that I'm very curious to hear feedback once it launches, I won't pick it up anytime soon tho (I'm cheap).

I've been so down on Borderlands that its stalwart fans have told me repeatedly to shut up (even though I pre-ordered too! ) so I don't think I'm prone to seeing a silver lining where there is none. I just think that if they wanted to give it a resounding nay, they'd have done that.

It sounded to me like he didn't want to upset his friend, who liked the game, and was trying to soften the blow. The problems quoted seemed to be game breakers to me. In the end he appeared to be saying, 'If you don't have particularly high standards in terms of game play and haven't played any of the decent games that this game suffers in comparison to then you might get some fun out of it.' I wouldn't call that a whole hearted recommendation.

I will say I am ok with spoilers for old games but an unwarned spoiler for the end battle of a game that isn’t released yet is a dick move.

WiredAsylum wrote:

I will say I am ok with spoilers for old games but an unwarned spoiler for the end battle of a game that isn’t released yet is a dick move.

While I'm not saying you're wrong, did the sparse detail given really ruin that for you? I guess it'd be more fair to ask after you've actually played through it yourself.

LobsterMobster wrote:
WiredAsylum wrote:

I will say I am ok with spoilers for old games but an unwarned spoiler for the end battle of a game that isn’t released yet is a dick move.

While I'm not saying you're wrong, did the sparse detail given really ruin that for you? I guess it'd be more fair to ask after you've actually played through it yourself.

It may just that today is RAGE!!!! thursday declared by datin and that is effecting my mood.

WiredAsylum wrote:

i have 5 episodes left and I will have listened to everyone.

Just finished doing the same. I'm now well versed in the vocabulary of the Thumbs.

YOU'RE NOT THE LORD OF THE DONKS!

TURBO!

Oh hell yeah. They made a frigging video for this song! Sweet!

And I'll add:

garion, that's the best thing ever. The VERY BEST.

Something would have to be done with the chorus, but otherwise that "Video Games" song could make for a great a thrash cover. Someone with the stompbox and double bass pedal, please make it happen!

Gravey wrote:

Something would have to be done with the chorus, but otherwise that "Video Games" song could make for a great a thrash cover. Someone with the stompbox and double bass pedal, please make it happen!

I'm on it! Oh... wait... I don't have a stomp box or a double base pedal or a guitar or any descernable musical ability.... I'm not on it.

I tend to tune out all the "f*cking" nonsense. That's what I don't really understand about human communication - you invent a word to refer to procreation, and then take offense whenever it's used. I don't get it. Why invent something just so you can be offended by it? I confess that I found it kind of ludicrous.

The thing I don't like about the "f*cking" term is the same thing I don't like about words like "awesome" and "compelling" - they tend to reflect a lack of expressive power on the part of the speaker or writer. As in, "I don't know how to express my superlative enthusiasm or condemnation of this (whatever) so I'm just going to use an offensive or cliched word as a catch-all term."

Pretty soon, anything and everything is "f*cking awesome," and it loses whatever little expressive power it had to begin with.

These days, listening to a bunch of people prone to swearing is a little like reading a bunch of adverts for a movie - you have such a lot of trouble trying to separate meaning from meaningless jargon that it's often more trouble than it's worth.

I wish the word 'awesome' could only be used on those very rare occasions where its traditional meaning actually applies. If something doesn't actually fill you with awe and wonderment, it shouldn't be called awesome. So many words could be much more expressive and hold much more impact if only they were used appropriately.

I just wish all you punk kids would stop misusing "crepuscular." Seriously, that would be a totally useful word if people would just quit throwing it around to refer to anything after 3:00.

Switchbreak wrote:

I just wish all you punk kids would stop misusing "crepuscular." Seriously, that would be a totally useful word if people would just quit throwing it around to refer to anything after 3:00.

Wow, I had no idea that word was used in that way. I've only ever seen / used it in a biological sense.

Rexneron wrote:
WiredAsylum wrote:

i have 5 episodes left and I will have listened to everyone.

Just finished doing the same. I'm now well versed in the vocabulary of the Thumbs.

I started from the beginning after Listen Up ended. It's quite a ride. What I wanted to say though is that I'm up to Episode XI-2, and they already have eleven domains.* GWJ only seems to have the one—I checked first and foremost the obvious, and both weinerbomb.com and certisisawesome.com have nothing. Will GWJ let this domain aggression stand?

[size=8]*For the curious: idlethumbs.net, idlethumbs.com, strategychocolate.biz, explode-mode.com, videogamesvideogamesvideogames.com, vigivigivigi.com, goty.cx, eightbitcock.com, wonderboner.info, goodseg.com, riprollickingride.com. There may be more. I'm not there yet.[/size]

Best song ever this week.

WiredAsylum wrote:

Best song ever this week.

QFT. And I don't even have RF:G

The new sh*t is a warm blanket. Oh yes.

NOOOOOOoooooooo.......