Jake and Mike Videogame Show

A few years ago EA was looked at the same way that a lot of us view Activision these days. A giant heartless corporation. A company that just shills out the same trash over and over. Development that doesn’t seem like its aimed to really show true quality in anything but a small handful of AAA titles.

Back in 2007, though, EA and its heads put themselves at the mercy of the public and pleaded for a second chance. They begged for the permission to re-invent themselves as something other then just another giant Activision, and improve the quality, mindset and development of their approach on the video game community.

Now here we are three years later and EA is definitely a completely different company than they were back when they asked for our approval. Is that for the better or the worse though, because it appears from where I’m standing, that they have made one hell of a turn around in my eyes.

Back in the day EA seemed content with putting their name on anything and everything. They had turned into a sequel assembly line that seemed over saturated with sports game after sports game. A parade of garbage based on licensed movies and childrens shows. A few long lasting series had been run into the ground, no longer holding the clout they used to.

Fast forward to the EA od 2009/2010 and you’d never know they were even the same people. They have a strong line up of new IP’s and well received sequels. They’ve distanced themselves from the type of garbage licensed things they put out in the past, instead focusing more on a few small and well known licenses.

Most importantly, they’ve dropped the assembly line style development style and surrounded themselves with quality game makers like Bioware, Criterion, Dice, and Visceral. Those three devs alone could speak miles about the types of games EA is putting out, but also give you a good example of how the companies take on DLC has made one of the biggest changes.

2 years ago when Mass Effect and Bad Company came out, EA was the a giant culprit of some of the worst DLC practices in the industry, but now they have created standards and practices that create games like Rock Band 2 and Burnout Paradise that have some of the most exceptional DLC in the industry.

I’m not really sure where I was going with this, but it’s just nice to see a huge video game giant like EA ask everyone if they can have a second chance to make themselves the type of company that doesn’t always seem like theyre up to something, or bleeding you dry. To be less like Activision, and be more like Valve, and if you ask me, they have succeeded and alot of the video game world could learn alot from the moves and changed EA has held themselves to over the last 3 years.

-(MS)Mike out.

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

People, People, People!!! We are BACK this week with another one of the sexiest podcast’s that will ever tickle your ears with it’s sweet vocal honey, THATS RIGHT! The Jake and Mike Videogame show, Episode 24, is in the house!

This week we have more games than you can shake a stick at to talk about, and that must be a shit load of games because shaking a stick is very easy, am I right?! But somehow, we managed to pack the podcast with even more than that, so you can thank us later. We talk about my thoughts on the new game Dante’s Inferno as well as 3rd person action games in general, but thats not all, we also talk about demonic nipples! How can you pass that up?!

We also go into our thoughts on Aliens Vs Predator and Bioshock 2 and why we either dislike them or like them, and then we use words ro express those points and facts and opinions to back them up. Yuuuuup, some really cutting edge stuff we’re trying here at the Jake and mike VGS, so give it a listen and if you like what you hear, takes your clothes off and check us out on Itunes and pop-Droid.com

-(MS)Mike out.

Some interesting news from the latest US game sales charts, Bioshock 2 and Dante’s Inferno came out for both the PS3 and 360 and the numbers are in. I bet most of you are saying “Jake, who cares about game sales numbers? I own all the systems and play the games that are best for each platform.” Well you are a great person, I think more people need to be like you and in being more like you they will be more like me, which is fantastic. I know that game sales numbers are really only for fanboys to jerk off too but I think there is some interesting things happening out there in the gaming world and you should be informed. Don’t fall asleep on the job here people.

Alright, anyway, lets start with Bioshock 2, a first person shooter that had it’s predecessor come out exclusively for the 360, then about a year later saw a release on the PS3. I think it’s pretty logical how the sales for this game look, the 360 version has sold more then double the copies of the PS3 version, and why wouldn’t it? It is a game that we loved here in the US (where the 360 has almost double the consoles sold compared to the PS3), it is a first person shooter, and it had a long exclusive run on the 360. Almost all first person shooters do better on the 360, I don’t have the info in front of me but I would be willing to guess that a 360 FPS sells more then it’s PS3 version almost every time. So no big surprise there, but the Dante’s Inferno sales are a little more interesting.

So assuming that there are a little under 2x as many 360s as opposed to PS3s in the US you would think Dante’s Inferno would have a similar ratio of sales, but that is not the case. We have seen a trend recently of games that are not FPS’s selling very comparable on both consoles, not only that but in the case of games that have some sort of exclusive content (Batman Arkum Asylum anyone?) they are selling better on the PS3. Dante’s Inferno has some sort of exclusive content on the PS3, I don’t know what it is because I don’t really care about the game, but I can assure you there is something. I’m guessing a scythe, no that’s too easy… a big claw weapon. I bet people are clamoring over this big claw weapon as we speak, “Oh what do you think of the big claw?” they will say, “I got the 360 version, I didn’t get the big claw” their friend will reply, then everyone will laugh at them. Kids can be cruel. So back to the numbers, Dante’s Inferno is selling better on the PS3. That’s right, BETTER. Now I need to point out that I don’t really care which version sells better, I don’t own any stock in either company, but I think Sony is starting to compete with the 360 due to its price drop and exclusive content and that is something gamers need to realize. The PS3 is selling video games now, and some of them are better.

How long will this trend last? Is Sony finally taking some business from Microsoft? What’s up with the stuff? These are all great questions that I can’t answer but I hope I have given you something to think about and for you 360 fanboys, maybe it is time to buy a PS3. Oh, and for you PS3 fanboys, calm down.

jake

ps – haters wanna hate, get your shine on, I’m Gutta Gutta. Good night.

Hell, maybe you hate us but you really love anime and videogames! Well if that’s the case then we definitely have a place for you! You all need to check out http://pop-droid.com/ and get down with the magic over there. Its like if screw attack gave themselves an Anime, Manga, and Games make over and then mixed in all sorts of other user based style stuff. Were gonna be hosting our Podcast up there in the future so If you like us, then you gotta’ head over there and show them how awesome our listeners are and enjoy the community.

Plus I’ve got a profile over there and I’m awesome right? Don’t you like me? You like me right?! RIGHT?!?! Oh, dear god, please tell me you like me or i’m gonna have an anxiety attack. I basically live off the acceptance of others!!!! OH DEAR GOD I’m gonna break down! Oh wait, what’s that…? You DO think I’m awesome? Oh wow….. that was close.

OH and it gives me an excuse to talk about Anime as much as I’d truly like to. Huzzah!

-(MS)Mike out.

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Back in the saddle and I’m the sheriff! And Jake is also the sheriff! We’re both the sheriffs!! And you’re being thrown in the slammer, partner!

That was what I’d say if I was a cowboy that ran a podcast, but I’m not so here is the real stuff. POW WHAM BAM! We are back with another great podcast for your ear holes to fill themselves with. The fanbase seems to have grown a bit to welcome to all the new listeners! Have a seat, get comfy and settle in for a sexy little podcast journey!

We hungered for more Mass Effect 2 talk so you get a bunch for of that, as well as my review of No More Heroes 2, some info on the new DVD Halo Legends and our awesome experience with the Bad Company 2 demo.

Feel like that’s enough audio sex to bang your eardrums dry? Oh, you’ll feel it! and you’ll love it. So enjoy!!

-(MS)Mike out.

I have seen the first batch of Aliens vs. Predator reviews start to roll in and they have made me think about the way games are being reviewed these days. I’m sure most people who are “in the know” with gaming are aware of the 7-10 point review scale that most gaming publications and websites have been using for years.  Lately though,  I have noticed a few small anomalies with review scores. Dark Void, which Mike and I both thought was a decent game that had some issues with bugs and length, was given a fairly low score in most of its reviews (a 59 overall from Metacritic) however the game wasn’t complete trash. Based on the 7-10 review scale we have become accustomed to, this score means that the game is garbage, but it wasn’t! It just wasn’t anything fantastic and a 59/100 is actually a fair score for this game to get if we dont take into account what we know about the normal review scale. Which takes me to AVP.

As of me writing this, AVP is sitting with a 71 on Metacritic, so that means that this game is not that great right? Maybe not, if you read Gamestops 5.5/10 review for AVP it doesn’t sound like a terrible game, it simply sounds average, with some flaws. In the past that was a solid 7.5 from Gamespot but now it seems like reviewers MAY be (trust me I say may because this seems like a new trend that might not last) using the entire 1-10 review scale to score games. Scary isn’t it? So a game that used to get a 7.5 now gets a 5.5 and a game that used to get an 8.5 maybe falls in the 7 range. It is hard to tell if I am just alone in enjoying my time with Dark Void and AVP or if things are changing and the 7-10 review scale is going the way of the Buffalo. What ever the case may be I don’t think it will effect the 7-10 scale for “triple A” titles but I am interested in seeing where this takes us as far as games journalism goes.

I love you all and good night.

ps alright so we are not in love but we like each other, like more than friends right? Look I’m sorry I said I loved you, I know you are not ready to hear that because you just got out of a long relationship and are not looking for anything serious right now. I just… I don’t know… I care about you alright? That’s all I wanted to say.

jake

I was sort of disappointed when I first played the Aliens vs. Predator demo, and just to clarify I mean the new AVP that is coming out in a few days. I wasn’t feeling the game at first, it felt dated. Then I got to play some more of it with Mike and I am starting to really enjoy it. It does feel sort of dated but in a good way, it reminds me of Quake 2.

If you were lucky enough to get to play Quake 2 in its hay-day you may know what I am talking about. The feeling that every kill doesn’t really matter that much, the feeling that you and your friends are just having fun, the feeling of laughing when you get killed and then saying “I’m coming after you next!” This game feels like that too me. I don’t know if maybe it feels like that because I miss that kind of game experience or if it’s because it is deliberately made like an old school PC FPS but I do know that I like it and I am getting pretty excited for AVP.

AVP has some really cool stuff going on in the demo, being a marine is frightening at times, hearing your radar start to go crazy as multiple aliens come at you from the ceiling is awesome. Being a predator and finding your plasma cannon for the first time is incredible, and yes, just like an old school shooter there are weapons on the ground for marines and predators (even health packs). Then there is the Alien moments where you hide in the shadows or on a wall watching a predator and marine fighting, just waiting for the perfect time to run in and eat the survivor. From what I have played so far this game has a lot going for it and feels pretty balanced for a game with three very different classes. I am counting the days until it gets released.

Okay well i’m not literally counting the days or anything but I am getting excited for it. Look, don’t get all high and mighty like you are really counting the days or something. No one counts days. Lets just leave it at that. Oh so now you really count days?!? Well good for you, count all the fucking days, see if I care!!

PS I’m sorry about saying fuck earlier. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m just going through a lot right now and I lost my cool. So again I’m sorry. Do you for give me? You do? Well that means a lot coming from you.

jake

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

So here we are, back and forth, back and forth, you sit and decide whether or not you like us or love us. Let me help you make the “love” choice really quick by sharing our brand new podcast with you!!!
We talk about Dark Void and our seemingly independent and lonely enjoyment of the game. Also talk up DSiware game Starship Defense, PC downloadable game Crayon Physics Deluxe and of course, the impossible to ignore X360 Mass Effect 2!
Would you like to have an orgasm without using your hands?! JUST USE YOUR EARS, by listening to this podcast! Enjoy!
-(MS)Mike out.

We just got done watching this new Mass Effect 2 video and wanted to share it with you all.

Love

jake and mike

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I have some bad news everyone…

Did any of you like that episode where we talked about FFCC: The Crystal Bearers, Bayonetta and her sweet ass, Darksiders and the new Army of Two sequel?? Well…We got lazy and this is just that podcast again.

I can already hear all of you now “How dare you repackage that podcast from the future and rehash it when all of those games actually come out.” And that is very valid, so I apologize.

And to the rest of you out there, the ones that think this is far too high a concept idea for what could have been a simple podcast description, I say to you, “Kudos. You are all very correct. But, go fuck yourself.”

Also we play a game and this podcast is longer than normal. That whole “concept as a description” was wearing thin and I’m not about to keep it going the whole way and you can’t make me.

-(MS)Mike out.

EDIT: Thanks to Sean Stryka for bringing this to my attention. It seems that the screen tearing issue is native only to the 360 version of Darksiders so those of you out there that want it on the PS3 have nothing to worry about!

Batman: Arkham Asylum, Gunstar Heroes, Mega Man X, Bayonetta, Devil May Cry, The Legend of Zelda. Under any other circumstance, You would probably assume I was listing off some of my favorite games of all time, and you might have been right. In this case though, I’m telling you some offenders of a dirty little secret that just won’t die.

No game is complete without boss battles. Whether it’s the final confrontation with the main villain you’ve been chasing the whole time, or a run in with that pesky minion that just won’t stop showing up at the last second to ruin your hard work. Over the years, whether it is a game released 20 years ago or a game that came out just last week (Bayonetta, I’m lookin at you!) it seems that developers cannot shake the need to make you face the same foe three, four and sometimes more times throughout the entire span of the game.

Now sometimes, this is done to further a plot line, or convince you to feel an emotional response when the same villain shows up several times to thwart your hard work time and again. Oddly enough, RPG’s commit this crime the most, but in the RIGHT way, and other games could learn a lot from the way they do it. Rather than throwing the same thing at you over and over and making it become derivative, they allow you to feel the same way about a returning enemy or villain and use it more or less as a template but with completely new talents and abilities (not EVERY rpg does this, some are just as guilty of the “same guy new color” problem I talk about here, so no need to mention that here). What I’m talking about is when a game feels the need to throw a boss you fought in the first 4th of the game at you in the final half but with a a few copies along side to mix things up. Perhaps take an enemy you’ve been fighting the whole time comes back as a boss but just a bit bigger and with more life, or if you’re Devil May Cry, a giant flaming spider feels the need to continually come back for more just one more time.

Now don’t get me wrong, this simple problem rarely ruins a game and Batman: Arkham Asylum is a great example of this. The game was considered by many one of the best games of the year, even though it was one of the larger executors of this type of boss battle scheme, but not ruining a game doesn’t mean that it didn’t dilute some of the fun that could be had.Heck, the last boss and the first boss are almost identical, not somthing that ruined the game, but a missed opportunity in many ways.

Now to play devil’s advocate, I can’t say that I could make a better game than a lot of these very talented studios or even that being creative and coming up with unique experiences is something that is easily attainable. I understand the type of work that goes into these games and the sort of entertainment these people are selling us. I’m just saying that I think developers should pride themselves on the unique content they’re able to bring to the table with their video games and not fall into the trap of just reusing something from the beginning of there game and throwing it at you a few more times.

-(MS)Mike out.

(Having trouble reading this? Click for a larger version)

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Im not sure what else there is to say other than check this thing out for a nice amount of nostalgia, commentary and back and forth about Jake and I’s favorites, least favorites and honorable mentions from 2009. It’s a really good listen and prolly the most fun I’ve had recording one of these since we started! Enjoy!

-(MS)Mike out.

(Having a hard time reading it? Click for a larger image)

And that means were taking a little break here until the new year. SO expect the next update to most likely be the new Podcast and then the Vlog’s and post’s will continue as per normal updating schedule. Merry Christmas and enjoy all the Games you get this year for the holiday!

-(MS)Mike out.

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Jake and Mike VGS?!?! Oh yeah, it’s that time you ugly, blotchy skinned losers!

Why do I think I can get away with insulting you? I KNOW I can because that is how good this week’s episode is, and soon you’ll be on the same page as Jake and I, your heroes.

We spend some time talking about the new Pixeljunk game Shooter, The Saboteur, Zelda: Spirit Tracks and the Dante’s Inferno demo.

Do any of those things interest you? OF COURSE THEY DO! So get your listen on and thank us later.

-(MS)Mike out.

It’s hardly a secret that Jake and I are none-too-fond of the DSi store, then again, I hardly think that we’re alone in thinking this.

The weirdest thing is, it shouldn’t be this way at all. That thing has every reason to be good, and I’ve put together a List of a few things i think they could do that would flip it from bad to good really easily.

1)  Cheap and fun games the easy way: Enlist the internet.

The internet is chalk full of flash games. Some are good and some are bad, but some of the good ones can get so deep, engrossing and original, that it is insane that they’re free. Nintendo could get themselves in a real good situation by getting some of the games people play the shit out of on kongregate or armor games and make downloadable DSi versions for $2-5 that people can play on the go

2) DSi Virtual Console: It seems so obvious…doesn’t it?

This is an easy one. One of the bigger things I’ve enjoyed about the Wii is alot of the virtual console games they’ve thrown on there. The pricing structure isn’t always perfect and almost all those games can be found as roms, BUT how easily they work, the functionality of how you play them, and the fact that you have a real controller all make for a surprisingly enjoyable experience using games that already exist and are already popular. I know for a fact, that people are asking for a GB and GBA virtual console, so why doesn’t Nintendo just deliver???

3) Clocks, calculators and Calenders: A little good will goes a long way.

The whole thing with these is freakin mind baffling. If you can give away the web browser for free then there is NO excuse for that crap to cost a you dime.

The idea of putting these things out there for people to buy drives me crazy. Half because it’s horseshit, and half because the things must take like 5 minutes to make and if they were given away for free every once in a while, they’d suddenly have something that was pointless but free, which people love. Those retarded calculators and junk would probably be kinda awesome if they didn’t cost anything and if nothing else, people would go on to download them and prolly look through the stuff that DOES cost money while they’re there.

4) Make the classic Nintendo move: Make the shit out of a first party game that drives interest in your service

This is what Nintendo does, it’s their classic money maker. They take their incredibly well known 1st party properties and milk them for life. Not only do they milk them, they milk them without them getting stilted or boring. There is a reason why Mario and link are still around and no one gives a shit about Crash bandicoot or Lara Croft anymore. There is a reason that the Gamecube stayed a float for about a year and a half longer than it should have. They did what they do best and they held themselves up, when third party companies wouldn’t.

Nintendo needs to make the hell out of a few DSi titles and really show everyone whats up. Stirring things up and getting some interest made for the development of some DSi titles would be perfect and if you want something done, you should do it yourself.

So there ya go, 4 easy steps Nintendo can and SHOULD take to make that poor excuse for an online download service a little more worth the money you gotta pay when you get a DSi instead of a DS lite.

-(MS)Mike out

Take a look at this vlog. You are gonna be so freaking impressed, you will want to buy me things!

-jake

PS podcast should come out this Saturday

I have nothing to say about this video. -jake