What do we do to make sure we do a podcast this week, when RPS comrades cannot meet? We turn to Skype. So Kieron and Jim try and talk to each other via tiny microphones and, despite the fact we’re only across the country rather than across continents, it sounds somewhat worse than when we did it with Leigh (You said “Do it” – Ed). Anyway – you can download it direct here, it has an individual net-home and here’s the iTunes page, and you’ll find the running order of this short and sharp podcast beneath the cut. Woo!
0:00: Truncated Intro! Gaming in the countryside! Nonsense!
0:39: Tom Francis’ Alternative end to Bioshock. He’s very good at Screenshots.
1:43: A little about our forthcoming review of Zeno Clash. PROPER HYPE. And some opinions on the full game. No, really.
4:59: DemiGod! Or, rather, the whole issue around DemiGod right now. What should the reviews do? What should Stardock do? Kieron ill-advisedly recommends legal action. Jim is far more sensible.
9:58: Kieron has a go at Ocarina of Time, for no discernible reason.
10:35: Hurrah for us!
11:06: Borderlands and the politics of cell-shading. The move towards stylised graphics and what will stop it.
15:08: What game Kieron’s been thinking about. It’s D&D 4th edition! Kieron wonders about it translating back into D&D.
17:48: We both go “Hmm” back and forth at each other.
19:16: Jim thinks it’s going to be an interesting year for RPGs. We talk Dragon Age and Alpha Protocol. Mainly, Alpha Protocol.
22:01: The politics of “Our Big Game”. As in, all the things which have to go right.
23:27: We sign off talking about dinner.
24:18: “Miss you” “Miss you too” “Miss you most”.
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While I’m sure I’d enjoy the Electronic Wireless Show if I ever got around to downloading one, I think you also need to prod Alec with a stick until he does another Talkback-O-Tron.
Already listened to it thanks to your RSS feed. Short and sweet. I was confused in the beginning when you talked about the alternative BioShock ending, I thought you were talking about Tom Clancy for a moment.
Yeah, what have you bastards done with Alec?
i too had bread and cheese today, also lol at the whole lovers phone call ending >.<
Steam Engine = win. I can only hope Valve’s next engine is called that.
I still play Ocarina of Time…
:(
Just to let you know, the “individual net-home” for the podcast has a RSS feed, but for some reason it won’t let me subscribe to it with Google reader. Never had that issue with any other site :/
However I subscribe to the RPS main page with Google Reader anyway so it’s no big deal for me.
Occasionally it sounds like R2-D2 is in the background or something. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
I haven’t had a chance to listen to the podcast yet so you might address this, but…
Please please please can you post about Tom Francis’ AMAZING alternative ending for BioShock on the front page proper? I’d love to know what you all think about it… well, Alec and John as well as Kieron and Jim. I assume you guys mention it in the podcast.
I can still play Ocarina of Time to this day, and think that Twilight princess was good but not a patch on OoT. So I think your wrong on the front of what you were speaking about which I have forgotten…ahhh
Also I think reviews should put down the network problems, since 4 days to me says that the internet problems would be like that when it was released so you should critically lambaste it for it. But maybe if the internet games are good and the game is good you should just let it put down maybe one or two marks off the score since a reviewer is there to critique the game and the mechanics of the game So if the multiplayer is really brilliant does the bad net really count.
I got mentioned in an RPS podcast *swoon*
You should get an embedded player, RPS dudes. My laziness compels me to ignore the links. All work and no fun, etc.
Should they also shake for you at the urinal?
OK, now I feel silly. Listen before posting next time.
One sound quality: Kieron has been sadly trapped inside a saucepan, while Jim forgot to turn off the scrambler after he issued the ransom demands. Is this a running joke yet?
What exactly was Kieron’s witty comment about the Steam Engine that took Jim a beat to get? I couldn’t quite make it out.
Something about being perfect for games on rails.
KG
Ocarina of Time is still brilliant, and it is the Zelda I would choose to play now (including Okami, which is also excellent).
Link to the Past was better.
Kieron: some spying-based pen and paper RPGs include Spycraft 2.0 (of a more traditional bent, but with some interesting mechanics for resolving conflicts which aren’t about hitting the other guy until he dies – car chases, interrogations, etc.) and on the independent scene, Spione.
I heard you talk about Dogs In the Vineyard once, but I’m not sure how much else of the independent roleplaying scene you have seen. THere’s a lot of neat stuff out there that moves well outside the usual RPG tropes. I’m not sure how far it could all help inform computer game development, but perhaps there’s inspiration to be had there.