Jake and Mike Videogame Show

 

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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

 

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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.

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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.

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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.

 

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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

 

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There are times when I think to myself, “Mike, you need to cast aside your charisma, throw away your good nature, and just abandon your fans!”, luckily those times are few and far between and the raw and the pure energy that you receive when listen to the Jake and Mike VGS podcast, will always help chase them troubled thoughts away.
You know what else helps? Hearing us talk about Dragon Age: Origins, Resident Evil Darkside Chronicles, and New Super Mario Brothers Wii!! Hell, even a bit of discussion about the Bayonetta demo can put a bit of a hop in your step.
So if you’re feelin blue and you need a little lovin, remember that Jake and Mike Brand VGS podcast’s will always strengthen your immune system and help fight deep nasal congestion!
ALSO, video games are the best and so are we!
-(MS)Mike out.

So I guess, I was wrong when I assumed most of you had seen these hacked Mario World to Music video’s 1000x before because I’ve already received like 6 messages from people saying they’d never seen anything like it, so here is the best one i’ve ever seen. It isnt 4 parts working together like the last one, but its easily the most impressive I’ve seen. Anyone who likes these kinds of things has undoubtedly seen this one before and for good reason. It’s simply the best.

Enjoy!

-(MS)Mike out.

I think I set a record for saying “like” more times than anyone wanted to hear.

-(MS)Mike out.

I’m sure at some point in time, everybody has seen one of these homebrew SNES “what he’s doing sounds like the song” type video’s on youtube, but this one is by far the most elaborate, complicated, and successfully entertaining to date. Enjoy

-(MS)Mike out.

 

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You think you’re sooooo cool don’t you? Well, just because you listen to The Jake and Mike VGS podcast, the worlds best video game podcast, that doesn’t mean you’re better then everyone else.

I mean yes, their opinions trump those of any and all reputable sources in the video game industry. And, yes, They are not only handsome, but they have their fingers constantly on the pulse of the community at large and are always here to report the greatness.

Hell, this week they even talk about Gyromancer, Assassins Creed 2, Left 4 Dead 2 and Zombie Shooter 2, but still, that isn’t enough to make a listener of this podcast better then everyone else.

So just get over it, and quit trying to tell everyone how great Jake and Mike are…. Everybody else already knows they’re great. Get over it.

-Mike Out

Due to my complete lack of any math skills, even the most basic of 2nd grade addition, the podcast that is normally recorded Thursday and posted Friday wasn’t recorded at all. Normally we do one every other week, and being the dummy I am, I thought it had only been 1 week, so we didn’t record anything.

Normally when we’ve missed updates we try and record two weeks in a row to make up for it, or record two podcasts to even things out, which is what the plan will be this time as well. If I had to make my best guess, I would assume you should expect something possibly Wednesday, and uploaded Thursday. Since we’ve played so many games in the last 2 weeks, your safest bet will be that were gonna record one long podcast and put it up as two halves, but don’t hold me to that just yet.

And finally, my apologies to those of you that check all this stuff out. Jake and I do our best to make the update schedules as concrete as we can, so mess ups like this really bug us.

Be on the look out for an update about how and when were gonna record on the Twitter most likely… And until then everyone out there in Jake and Mike VGS land, remember that Assassins Creed sucks, and Raising Canes is the best restaurant ever.

Thank you and Good Night!

-(MS)Mike out.

I’ve found myself in a strange crossroads as far as the endless war on DLC is concerned as of late. Anyone who has ever read this website or listened the podcast, know that Jake and I can endlessly clamor on and on about the endless annoyances, exceptions, and subtlety that combine themselves and become our complicated opinions on downloadable digital content.

Recently we were talking about how Borderlands and Dragon Age: Origins have both done a pretty good job of offering up what WE both consider “worth while” DLC for their respective new releases. Yet, as we discussed our interest in both of the games offerings, it occurred to us quite rapidly that things we were saying were very biased and hypocritical. But not the bad kind.

Wait…there is a GOOD kind of bias and hypocrisy?!

As we talked about how games and their increasing connection to the Internet and an ever-updating format after release, we realized that gamers were going to have to change along with the hobby we all love so much. The more companies play around with how far they’re allowed to go with these digital additions and storefronts, the more us as Gamers are going to have to compile a system of Yes’s and No’s that tell us what we think is and isn’t okay when it comes to things we’ll buy and things we’ll accept. So without any of us knowing it, the process has already been going on for the last year or two and we’ve all sort have been figuring out what were down to buy and what offends us as a consumer, but the further this system is refined, the more complicated the process will become.

Yes, I know this is complicated, lemme give you an example.

Exhibit A: I love Borderlands. Borderlands is coming out with DLC for the game that is going to be released under 2 months from its original release date. I am excited to buy said DLC because I like borderlands, I like Gearbox, and I feel i got my money’s worth out of the initial purchase of Borderlands.

Exhibit B: I didn’t like Street Fighter 4. Street Fighter 4 is coming out with a new “version” in the next few months, roughly a year after the original title. I am annoyed with the idea of this game coming out because I didn’t like Street Fighter 4, I’m annoyed with Capcom lately, and I have been opposed to alot of the DLC choices Capcom has made in the last year or two.

In any other point in time this might be considering being unfairly biased, or showing an unwanted amount of favoritism, but I think that now aday, its an important piece of decision making that you should have at these times, or else you’re gonna be running around wasting money and annoying yourself and your values.

So there you have it, I still think fanboys are annoying, but I feel like the direction gaming has moved has made a level of bias and hypocrisy almost required to survive this never ending war for your money that our hobby has become.

-(MS)Mike out.