Jake and Mike Videogame Show

I haven’t posted here in a minute so I figured I would throw down a bad ass blog post. I have been playing games, mainly more Battlefield Bad Company 2, Final Fantasy 13, Pokemon Soul Silver, and Just Cause 2. I haven’t had much on my mind lately about gaming, except for how Project Natal and Sony’s Move will not end up getting supported and fizzle out. We already knew that though didn’t we? I feel like this has all happened before… Oh well.

Anywho (I know it’s an annoying way to say anyway) I guess I just wanted to post to say nothing, but something. I don’t know what that something is but I’m sure you reading this will figure it out. I am pretty excited for Skate 3 and Lost Planet 2 coming out soon. Should be some good CO-OP action going down in May, until then I guess I will just have to cry while I play games alone.

Jake

PS I don’t really cry, I’m hella manly and shit.

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.

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

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

Love

jake and mike

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

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

“you must be touched in the head nino!

posted by burnred (, ) Oct 13, 2009

Member since Jan 0001

For a bit of comedic nostalgia, we bestow upon you this gamefly game review for Dead Space: Extraction, a game we didnt play. (As always, you can click for a larger version)

-Jake and Mike

I have noticed an interesting trend in video game reviews these days. I guess it isn’t only in reviews but also in many peoples perception of some games that have come out this year. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 has received a “decent” reception from gamers and game reviewers alike, and it has been compared (logically) to the original title. A lot of people are saying that it doesn’t live up to the original Marvel Ultimate Alliance, but I think people are not remembering this game correctly. Marvel Ultimate Alliance (gonna start calling it MUA) was a great game, but it had some major issues. MUA2 is a great game, and it has some issues as well, but they have fixed many of the issues from the original MUA. MUA2 is almost better in every way, yet people are saying it doesn’t live up to the original, I think I know why.

The same thing happened with Resident Evil 5 being compared to Resident Evil 4. I think people are only remembering the great parts of these games and not remembering any of the games flaws. I played MUA a LOT before MUA2 came out, and I think because of that I can see all the improvements made in MUA2. I know it would be time consuming for a game reviewer to play the original once again before they reviewed the games sequel, but I think this would be a pretty eye opening experience for them. Also, some comparisons are not really fair. A complaint for MUA2 is that there are not as many costumes for the heroes to unlock, that is true, but doesn’t it matter more that all of the games heroes are useful and fun to play as? In the original MUA many of the playable heroes did not measure up to the few good heroes in the game. In MUA2 every single hero I have played with seems useful and has potential. There is also the complaint that many of the new Fusion powers that were added go by a few basic formulas, again this is true, and however in the original game everyone had one special and besides a few heroes is was pretty much the same for everyone.

Anyway, my point is that people are only remembering the good things about these games. Some of these game reviewers and gamers really could use a dose of reality. It just so happens I sell reality. Please email me if you would like to buy some.

BUYREALITYNOW@ISELLTHINGSTHATAREINTANGIBLE.COM

PS It is really expensive.

-Jake

Is pretty kick ass. Figured I would put this up on the site.

Yeah, you are welcome.

-jake

I sent back Phantom Brave: We Meet Again and Real Heroes: Firefighter yesterday. I was not hooked by Phantom Brave for the few hours I played it and I didn’t even put Real Heroes into my Wii. I used to feel bad about doing this and by this I mean not giving games a fair chance. This has been something I used to think was pretty important, giving every game a fair shot and a good amount of time to really see if it is something I enjoy. I don’t really think that anymore. If a game can’t hook me in the first 3 hours or so I don’t want to keep playing. I don’t see a reason anymore, every week there is the next “big” game that comes out, not that Phantom Brave or Real Heroes were considered “big” games, but I think you get the point. There are so many games that come out now that I don’t really care if a mediocre game slips through the cracks. If a game does not hook me, forget it.

So I won’t have anything more to say about Real Heroes or Phantom Brave then what I said on the podcast this week. I just started playing a little Wolfestein… we will see how that works out. I will talk about it on the next podcast.

-jake

There is a small posting of the new Madden 10 DLC and it is great! You can buy things that are pretty similar to cheat codes, but they are not cheat codes, they are premium cheat codes!!! Now I know what you are thinking “Jake, of course I want to pay $60 every year for a roster update and small gameplay and graphics tweaks, but I really want to pay more then that.” Well you are in luck friend, with Madden 10 you will be able to buy the $60 roster update in stores tomorrow AND you will be able to pay for a ton of other great things. How does a more robust multiplayer mode sound? With Madden 10 you will not only be able to play multiplayer but for only $5.00 more you can play the full version of the multiplayer. How great is that? Now I’m sure you are thinking “That sounds great and all but I’m sure it will be months before any of this stuff will be ready for me to pay for.” Not so friend! All of this extra content that you can pay for is ready to be downloaded on day one! You see the fine folks over at EA knew that you wanted to pay more than the retail price for this game, so all of this content has already been taken out of the game! Now you don’t have to worry about having the full version of the game when you buy it.

Madden 10 will blow you away when it hits store shelves tomorrow, and the extra stuff that you will pay for will make you feel like you have the full version of the game. See you online!!! That is, of course, if you pay for the elite multiplayer mode, if not, I may not see you in the exclusive vip lobbies.

-Jake

I have been playing a lot of Fat Princess lately and the game is really great (you will hear more on the podcast this Friday). There have been some major issues with the game so far, like any online only game, it was not ready for people to “play it”, go figure. Anyway, the people over at Titan Studios have made an announcement in their developer blog about some of the games problems. Here is their entire post so you don’t have to check their twitter.

Feedback, Fixes, FAQ and Strategies

We’ve received a flood of emails in the last 36 hours.  We’re humbled by the incredible outpouring of appreciation and support from the community, and by the number of fans who have invested staggering amounts of time and effort in writing thoughtfully about their experiences and offering suggestions.  Many of you are also actively contributing to forums all over the web.

Ninety-five out of a hundred emails are from gamers loving the game, even though some of them are experiencing varying degrees of networking  problems and other bugs.  Some of you have have serious troubles and are rightfully frustrated.  We’re frustrated too, and we’re on it.  Regardless, we thank you all.  Titan loves you back.

Patch in Testing

We have implemented fixes that should substantially improve critical connection and lag issues.  A patch has now entered testing.  No ETA yet.  When we have information to share, you’ll get it.

Known Issues, Bugs, Imbalances

The following bugs and imbalances have been well reported and documented.  In general, there is no need to send additional information.  If you come across something new – please send it on.

• Failed Game Connections
• Lag
• Hosting Problems
• AoE Scoring Exploits
• Stalemates
• Missing Princess (on certain levels)
• Dead Hat Machines
• Scoreboard Issues (only top 1000 scores shown)
• Ranking System Problems

Balancing, Feature Requests, Other Comments

We have also received hundreds of great suggestions, some of which will directly result in changes to the game at some point down the road.  Among those that have been well documented:

• Changes to Ranking System
• Changes to Scoring System
• Stalemate Breakers (e.g. – Finite Cake, Slim Fast Princess)
• Server Lists
• Clan Management
• Hosted Servers
• Class Balance
• More Classes
• More Class Upgrades
• More Maps
• More Modes
• More Sports
• Even Fatter Princesses
• Unbelievably Fat Gargantuan Princesses

Please note: we have so many emails coming in that though we’ll read it all, we will not be able to respond to everything.  We only have so many hours in the day, and I am sure you’ll all agree that work on the game takes priority.  Thanks for your understanding.

FAQ Coming

We’ll be working on a FAQ in the coming days.  The FAQ will address the game, technical problems, systems, etc.  Stay tuned.

Strategy / Tips

Titan Studios is also working on a Fat Princess strategies and tips page.  Some of them were by design, and some have emerged from live play.  Until then, play as a team, use voice chat, and know that a piece of virtual cake has 150 calories.

So like any good video game nowadays you should wait a few weeks before you buy it and if you already bought it, we just helped you play it better by forwarding the good will! Go go gadget robot arms!

-jake

I have spent a decent amount of time with The Conduit recently and I can say that it was a real waste. I think I was waiting for this game to do something interesting, but it never did. The only reason someone would want to play this game would be if they only owned the Wii and even then I couldn’t really recommend it to anyone. It is bland and generic in every way besides the games controls and the only reason they are different is because it is on the Wii. This is the kind of game only a fan boy would like, they seem to like a lot of things that are only on one console. I could go into more detail but I don’t have anything to say that wouldn’t be just me trashing this game for a few more paragraphs. In short the control is not great, the enemy AI is often very poor (except the fact that sometimes they are like trained snipers), The weapons are boring, the graphics are not terrible but are very bland, the voice acting is not great, and the story is lame. If you have the opportunity to play this game… pass.

-jake

The guys over at Pterodactyl Squad (a cool videogame themed netlabel) have put together a totally awesome 8 bit Weezer tribute album that you HAVE to hear. You can find it at HERE at ptesquad.com for the amazing price of absolutely free, so you have no excuse for not heading over there and snagging yourself a download.

Seriously though, this is the type of thing that really deserves to get some cool press and feedback because you can tell alot of work was put into it and the finished product couldn’t possibly have been any cooler.

Expect to hear some of the tracks as the intro’s for podcasts in the near future.

-Jake and Mike

I forgot to mention that I am working on a review for a new game that is coming out soon. It is called Daisy Fuentes Pilates. It is the spiritual successor to the Power Stone games I think. Look for that soon.

jake

PS Don’t ever read a PS. They are usually lame. If it was important it wouldn’t be a PS.

I know it is a super late pass on this but I spent my plane flight too and back from Hawaii playing Final Fantasy 3 for the DS. If you are unfamiliar with this, it is the one Final Fantasy that we never really got a remake of. It is NOT the Final Fantasy 3 for the SNES (that is actually FF6). Anyway I just have to say that I love it so far. It is super old school which is not surprising considering it was made a long time ago. It is perfect for someone who grew up playing tons of SNES and NES rpgs.

Anyway play the game.

Or don’t.

I don’t care what you do.

Look it’s not that I don’t care it is just that I don’t have time to think about what you are doing. I have stuff to do.

Okay well bye.

jake

So I have started playing Prototype and I have to say that it is not a bad video game. It is pretty good. I felt like starting that way for some reason. Anyway, I don’t want to spoil any of my talk on the podcast but I wanted to go over some of the games good parts.

I have really enjoyed the way the character scales buildings and makes his way through the city. I thought it would be in some way similar to Infamous but it really is very different. You run up the sides of buildings, bound off the roofs, and glide around the city. If you do it well, you really get moving fast and feel like you are flying when you glide. I am not that far into the game but I think this game is worth checking out. I don’t know if it is worth a purchase or not, it feels like a rental… So I will go into more in the podcast.

Jake

twitter.com/jakesprague