Digital Cowboys: Episode 123
Posted on : 26-09-2009 | By : Alex Shaw | In : Podcasts
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We’re joined this week by Sinan Kubba and Joe DeLia of Big Red Potion a particularly distinguished and intelligent gaming podcast associated with The Game Reviews and The Unified Gamers Network. We discuss with them genres that we have extreme difficulty getting into and which games might help us get into them, why AAA titles with fantastic review scores often leave us feeling annoyed at their minor shortcomings and how ridiculous that is. We also launch a streamlined quickfire version of our eight questions, now down to just five.
We have some great news about expanding and maintaining our community, and it’s something you can all take part in. We also announce the results of our part in the grand Platform Nation MAG beta code giveaway contest. Who will the ten lucky PSN ID’s be? All that plus details of how you could win a big old bag of our PAX swag; including T-Shirts, codes, rare promotional items and full games, plus for the next week we’re giving away even more shinies every day. We ask you, what other podcast treats you so well?
Finally we devote 45 minutes to a thorough review of Beatles Rock Band. Find out if we feel it’s worth the wait, the money and the hype.
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Another good show this week. I did however a couple of gripes that need airing.
First off the genre bashing segment was entertaining but fell foul of the ‘what is an RTS’ syndrome. Many may argue I’m about to split hairs at this point, but Advanced Wars, as well as its clones (eg Field Commander on the PSP) is not, I repeat not an ‘RTS’. It is in fact a TBS or Turn Based Strategy game. These are utterly different to RTS games as they demand a very different set of skills to master.
To this end, I would advise anyone who wants to get into RTS games would be to try out Dawn of War then World in Conflict. Granted both PC games, but that is the platform of choice when it comes to RTS titles. I’d then try Warcraft III as well, for that is a wonderfully put together title. On reflection I felt the whole discussion was the blind leading the blind, as none of the participants appeared to be familiar with PC gaming. This resulted in the mess described above!
Then comes the The Beatles: Rock Band review. Much gushing by both Alex and Tony with Alex having the temerity to describe it as ‘game of the year’. In September. This had me blurt out an obscenity at my iPod touch, something I rarely do. Come on, there is a crap tonne of games to appear this year and to declare the competition over before the end of November is a little off in my view. Uncharted 2 is heading our way, as is Forza 3 and Dragon Age. Not to mention FIFA 10 and Brutal Legend. So let’s hold off on the ‘game of the year’ declarations shall we gentlemen?
Other than that, great show, 7/10
Hey Chris – glad you enjoyed the show!
I’m not huge on my PC gaming, but I’ve played my fair-share of RTS games. I would find it hard to recommend most to someone who’s looking for a way in to the genre – having said that, I haven’t played DoW or WoC, so I can’t comment on those. WarCraft III is a great shout though, totally worth going back to.
And yes, you’re absolutely right about Advance Wars being a TBS and not a RTS – I tend to just think of both under an umbrella of “strategy games”, so my bad on that. I still think there’s still some value to Advance Wars as an entry way to RTS games. Games like Advance Wars and Final Fantasy Tactics get you to focus on the strategy, and remove the stress of time. But, they still incorporate that basic rock-paper-scissors mentality that makes up strategy games.
Also, here’s where genre gets a bit confusing and frustrating: what about Pikmin and Little King’s Story? Are they RTS games, even though they feel very different from your Command and Conquers and your StarCrafts?
Like I said on the show, I’m not a fan of categorizing of video games. Take C&C: RA3 – an RTS, yes, but its single-player is full of unusual missions that have more in common with other genres – like stealth and commando-type games. Is Wii Sports a sports game or a party game? It’s all a bit muddy for my liking.
As for Beatles: Rock Band: http://www.crispygamer.com/features/2009-09-10/those-games-mean-nothing-to-me.aspx
Lastly, while I’m here, thanks once again to Tony and Alex for having us on – we had a blast!
Hey there Krop
When I say something is my game of the year, it usually ends up being so. It’s just a gut feeling. Last year is was Rock Band 2, the year before that, Guitar Hero III. Odds are this year Music Rhythm (much as you yourself deride it) will win out once more.
Yes Uncharted 2 looks awesome and I’m dying to play it, but will it open up a whole new world of music for me? Probably not. I rate BRB so highly because of what the game does on many different levels. Now GH5… that’s a different matter. Just inserting it into my 360 now.
@ Alex Your game of the year was rhythm actions games over the past 2 years and will continue to be this year? That’s an interesting stand to take.
For myself I remember GTA4 being the game of the year for 2008. It was so progressive beyond anything put out in that year, I couldn’t see any other game touching it.
The year before that was Mass Effect, for it was an excellent RPG that not only had a great combat system but also a well paced out storyline that put many other games to shame. I believe Portal was a very, very close second!
For this year I really have no idea. It could be anything from Chrono Trigger (valid as it only arrived in Europe for the first time this year) to I MAED A GAM3 W1TH ZOMBIES 1N IT!!!1. It’s all still up in the air for me. Anyway, better discuss this in your forums eh?
The RTS debate of course had me itching to speak
As it happens i never picked up on the TBS/RTS bit for which I hang my head in shame! DoW is a game I find myself going back to time and time again, however I think it is more as the point at which RTS really found it’s place, so I’m not sure if it’s a great game to introduce people into the genre, or restricted to those of use who have been playing since Dune.
Even though is a bit of a strech to call it a true RTS I think Dawn of War II might be a good introduction as it removes the base building and lets you concentrate of the strategy, or at least the tactics. I can imagine people finding quite a bit of fun that way, which might then lead them into the heaver RTS titles mentioned.
As stated RTS is a really hard genre to pull off when you have to control it on a console controller. It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot of late and I am in the process of writing about it. It’s also an area where NATAL could really open up the field for RTS, but more about that at a later date
Tony, I think for someone who dislikes the basic setup of the majority of RTS games, the cure is Company of Heroes–at least it was for me. It maintains the core of what makes an RTS an RTS, but dispenses with much of the tedium and micromanaging you despise. The bonus is that it looks and sounds like no other RTS as well. Really terrific stuff.
Also enjoyed your Beatles Rock Band review very much. It will certainly be in the discussion for my game of the year. The thing has only been out for two weeks and I’ve already sunk in excess of 30 hours into the game with my kids. Having them fall in love with the music earns the game loads of bonus points for me.
I think the genre bashing stuff is kind of a dead end. If you don’t like a genre then you probably never will, and that’s nobody’s fault. I also, for instance, don’t like sports games or many racing games. Likewise with movies, don’t talk to me about horror films because you’d just be wasting your breath on someone who doesn’t really get them; a discussion about their merits would go nowhere with me because they’re not my taste. This is, essentially, how I feel about this segment.
If you did want to keep it, though, I have an idea: get your comrade in arms to play a game that they wouldn’t ordinarily play for a week. Then you can do a segment on whether they’ve been won over or if it didn’t work. Sometimes it is interesting to hear the opinions of those not familar with a genre as they often see things more clearly. I think it would give the segment more focus, tbh.
[...] I were guests on Big Red Potion. Hosts Sinan Kubba and Joe Delea have been on our show before for Episode #123 when we talked about game genres and reviews for AAA [...]
[...] I were guests on Big Red Potion. Hosts Sinan Kubba and Joe Delea have been on our show before for Episode #123 when we talked about game genres and reviews for AAA [...]