Upcoming podcast and a realisation

Hello there you handful of readers,
Announcement time!
Coming soon, a new games focused podcast featuring myself and my brother Owain. We’ve sat down and made a pilot for a series of opinion pieces regarding our take on gaming, the companies, culture and progress of the medium. We’re highly critical but unlike a majority of loud mouthed gamers we justify our stances and take time to explain so hopefully we’re offering something unique that will provoke discussion.
The topic at hand for the first episode is the decline of Square-Enix over the last ten years, right up to the most recent news that with the combined hit of Final Fantasy 14 failing and the Japanese earthquake the company is in dire straits. Why did we like them? What went wrong? Can the company survive a 10 billion projected loss this year? All of this and more will be on there, watch this space!

And my realisation is that there was already someone under the title Jaded Geek around before me so I really need to rename this blog. On that note, suggestions people? This is likely to become something of a defacto home for the new podcast so perhaps a joint name for the podcast andblog would be a good idea? Hit me up if you're feeling inspired.

A word on some more recent gaming news

Welcome back to the pit of pissy company bashing that this blog appears to have become. Given my habits this ought to come as no surprise to those who know me personally. So, what's been going on in the world of gaming this week?

First up, the successor to the Wii has been announced. It's due to be shown at this years E3 in June and obviously at this point further details are scarce. There's a lot of rumor and suggestions flying around about it being more visually capable than even the PS3 or that it will feature touch screen technology (already officially called into doubt) but my only question is will there be anything released that I'm all that fussed about. Allegedly the likes of Rockstar are on board to develop so with any luck there will be enough games to get me interested. Alas the Wii sits in its corner, neglected bar the occasional bout of Smash Bros. Nintendo's going to have to come up with something special to get me to gamble on them again.

Soul Calibur 5 has been announced and that's good news to me. I'm a big fan of the series so knowing that the next entry is on the horizon is exciting. I'm expecting even more lush graphics and the return of the entire cast plus a few new faces. Now if they just throw in a Soul Blade quest mode I might have some sort of fan pandering related breakdown.

Sony wont take responsibility for their lax security. Those of you who own PS3s will know well enough by now what's going on with the PSN being down and that your personal details have been stolen. Well, Sony has gone some way to respond to claims that credit card details might be at risk with the following Q&A on the subject so it seems there's not so much of a reason to worry provided they're being honest.
As I don't own a PS3 I'm left to look on from the sidelines but all I can think about off the back of this situation is that we all need to think more about who has our personal info and how much their claims of high security can be trusted, especially given Sony refuses to take responsibility for the details you give them. I suspect other such major multinational companies would do the same given a similar circumstance and it's down to us as consumers to make sure we're all fighting for our rights through offical chanels and well directed complaints.

And in other news, there's some piss poor Dragon Age dlc out this week featuring two packs of weapons and armor at 400ms. Hmm, weapons and armor that add nothing to the game but visual flair or a 400ms fully featured arcade game, let me take a moment to think about that choice. In fact, I wont, that's crap DLC from Bioware on a par with the game breaking Feast Day gifts doled out for cash for the original Dragon Age. Missions and characters for that kind of money, not textures, models and stats thanks!

Thoughts on recent gaming news

Hello there you handful of wonderful people you. It's been a while since I posted that big wall of text rambling on about not having time to write this blog as I want to but lo and behold today I have a free hour or so and there are some news storys I feel like commenting (aka ranting) about.

As I've been so focused on it previously, I have to make mention of the recently announced Sonic Generations, releasing this year to mark Sonics 20th anniversary. A gameplay trailer has just been released that highlights what fans ought to be fussed about - classic Sonic is back.
I'll admit, watching the Sonic I grew up with in fully realised 3d did get a momentary blip of excitement out of me but then I kept in mind the track record for the series and immediately put that anticipation to rest. There's not much footage to go on, but once more it's clear that the way Sonic handles isn't true to the older games. The writer of the article I linked argues that different doesn't mean bad but when I want to play a Sonic game I want to play a Sonic game, not a platformer featuring Sonic. The same writer also linked to this far more interesting fan remake preview -

I see staggering work like this put next to what Sega puts out, the dedicated time and effort of two or three people over shadowing an entire company, and it makes me wonder what is causing such a dearth of creative output at Sega. The easy and obvious answer is interference from the bunsiness side of things using demographics and other assorted tools to deminish whatever might make a game unique so that it appeal to the lowest common denominator. Guess it's a good thing I'll be sticking to fan made projects when it comes to Sonic for the foreseeable future.


Next up it's my old friends over at Capcom. They've finally admitted that Super Street Fighter 4, the game they said was the definitive edition, will now be updated through a large DLC bundle. The package, titled Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition, will be released with four new characters complete with animated intros and endings, character balancing and changes to the replay channel allowing a player to view matches between high level players. There will also be a stand alone retail version of the game released at full price a couple of weeks later than the DLC.
My first issue is with the idea of charging for improvements that ought to be given for free. Character balancing seems like a very poor choice to be doled out as DLC as I have to wonder what will happen to those who dont download it but then play online against someone who has. Will they not be able to connect? Will the changes be given out freely behind our backs without a fuss in an effort to enhance the supposed value of the package?
The second thing on my mind is the cost. It's being released as DLC at £14.99, the same cost as half of the original costume packs. Certainly this is a step in the right direction but then I think about Marvel vs Capcom 3 and how one character costs a third of that price. I can only hope that this is a sign of Capcom realising that they're over charging on useless content, I somewhat doubt it though because...

Capcom are charging for the shadow battle mode for Marvel vs Capcom 3! It's nice to be vindicted and all, having already seen this coming, but it's a real shame to see content like this sold given it's limited use.
One last word on Marvel vs Capcom 3, Capcom have gone on record saying there's no more DLC planned for it. Ever. No more characters, or costumes (even if they are terrible), nothing. My prediction, expect Super Marvel vs Capcom 3 sometime early next year.

PODCAST ROUND 2 - FIGHT!

Podcast crisis averted!
I and the guys have sat down and figured out what needed to be done to keep us going so The Mighty Beards Podcast lives! Timing was getting to be a big problem for the others so we've made a change to the way we're recording from here on out.

From now on we'll be recording one podcast per month featuring the three of us. We're going to be aiming to make this our flagship episode given the amount of extra time we'll have to work on the content. The next triple trouble podcast is going to be about Quantum Leap so expect some serious geekery!
The other three weeks out of the month will be dedicated to the new concept, two-man podcasts. What we've got in mind right now is rotating the setup so each week it'll be a different pair putting something out. We're not setting subjects so we expect to be a little loose and unfocused to start with until we find out particular niches. It's looking like we might be doing everything from current affairs through to more focused movie news and reviews, but who knows. If you've got a suggestion give me a shout.

The projects I've previously mentioned are still ongoing so there will be more news from me soon enough. Till then, spread the word about the podcast and help us build an audience. I want to get to the point where we can get a forum going!

GAME OVER - PRESS START TO CONTINUE

Well it's looking more and more like the podcast I've been working on is about to implode this weekend so I'm left wondering how to move on, take what I've learned and use it to progress further.

Right now, what I've got in mind is to start up another podcast with my brother focused more around computer games. I've already got plans for a look at Mass Effect 1 & 2 in the lead up to part three as well as a discussion about Square Enix but beyond that I'm not quite sure where to focus.
I mean, there are a hell of a lot of game related podcasts from people with direct connections to the industry so what would be the hook to get people interested? I've considered putting focus on the notion that the presents of the show will be brothers but to make something of it I'd really have to be drawing attention to the most famous gaming brotherhood, the Mario Bros. I like Mario and all, my brother less so, but to tell the truth I wouldn't want the idea that we're in any way Nintendo focused or massive Mario fans to mislead potential listeners.
Another idea would be to make it very British centric but that again limits the audience greatly. Sure, it'll get some international attention from the types of people who like to look outside their own culture but will it be helpful in the long run?

Another notion I've played with, and a very different one from the typical game centric stuff, would be getting the news papers in the morning after work and doing a five or ten minute breakdown. I'm kind of known for my vitriol and reading the papers really brings that out of me. Whether I can be funny by myself on a daily basis doing that remains to be seen so it'd be a gamble.
Another similar alternative would be to get other people in on a weekly basis for a chat about the week. My problem here is that the number of people I know who pay attention to current affairs is small. The number who are willing to chat, publicly about it is smaller. And the ones left who can make that kind of thing entertaining smaller still.

It's a dilemma for sure. Try to carry a show by myself or try to find some reliable people who want to practice their banter and debate skills? I don't know right now.

Putting too much on my plate, time for a change of pace

I always did have eyes bigger than my belly and in the case of this blog and the Let's Multiplay plans I think I might have given myself just a bit too much to do and I need to scale back until I can get some willing help with editing and other time consuming jobs. Right now it feels like I need to focus on getting the podcast out into the world more and getting it up to a more consistently high standard so things are falling by the wayside.

Instead of just ditching the idea of working on games focused stuff  I'm intending on a change of direction instead. I don't relish writing all that much because the process takes far too long when put next to the relative speed of recording a podcast. Certainly it allows for greater focus but in that is the strong possiblity of dry, exhaustive analysis in the form of walls of text. In fact that's very hard to avoid, especially for the article ideas I have like a Mass Effect mission by mission breakdown and a discussion of Square Enix's fall from grace.

So what am I going to do instead? Well given how much I enjoy recording podcasts coupled with a good number of people I know who are into games I'm thinking a second weekly podcast might be the right move for me. For a start I'm intending to get my brother to join me for the Mass Effect and Square podcasts as we've discussed it a lot and can likely talk for hours at a time but after that I'll be throwing the doors open for others to volunteer for future podcasts.

So what will the focus be and what should you keep in mind if you want to join me for a recording?

• You have to be willing to talk freely and clearly. You might say it's obvious but it's an odd feeling forcing a conversation about a specific subject knowing that what you're saying is going out into the world where anyone can hear.
• Shyness is not an option and if you get in front of the mic and go quiet I'll attempt to jump start you but if it's not working I'll stop the recording and we'll discuss it. You've got to be ready to hear someone being critical and make an effort to change.
• If you've not listened to any podcasts and jump at this then tell me that I'll chew you out. You wouldn't try to make a movie without having at least seen one would you? I'd suggest checking out Kevin Smiths output along with some game related stuff like the IGN or Gamesradar podcasts so you get a taste of the way podcasting works.
• Keeping in mind that being informative is paramount whilst also attempting to be entertaining. If we're sat exchanging facts that's all well and good but if that's it then the result will be dry and harder to listen to unless it's genuinely fascinating new information. With the internet being the font of knowledge for most it's almost impossible to come up with a fact people wont have heard before so keep that in mind.
• Games media is pretty saturated so we will need to be entertaining in some way shape or form and finding your niche is part of that. Starting out I'm not going to be expecting much but if we decide to record on a regular basis you'll need to pay attention to what you bring to the table in terms of adding to comedy or providing interesting opinion and work on it.
• We will need to be able to talk naturally to each other. There are some people I can chat to for hours and other I struggle to keep things going with. Obviously the former option isn't going to work for a podcast so if we sit and try to record and I feel that there's no decent to and fro then I'll stop it and say.
• If your opinions only extend to "I don't like it because I don't like it" and you don't make a joke or justify yourself afterward you're taking all the steam out of the conversation so you'll need to be sharp and roll with the punches. It takes practice getting to the point where this happens naturally so I'm not going to be getting on peoples backs, but it's something to try and keep in the back of your mind if you want to get involved. Much as it can seem easy, the art of driving a podcast is something that takes effort.
• If you've listened to my current podcast then you know that if we disagree then debate will ensue. I don't mince my words or take prisoners intellectually so if you're not confident about a bit of proper debate and are likely to stumble or take offence at being told outright that you are wrong then you'll be no help. Just know that as serious as I might sound it's just passion and my debate style so you don't need to take offence and you'll be fine. Again, I'll call you out with no hesitation if you look all hurt when I tell you a game you like is crap and why.
• Keep the audience in mind. Try to remember that there are a lot of opinions and that if they're not being represented then listeners who share them might turn off. If two out of three of the group are agreeing then that's the time to throw a contrary view into the mix, provided of course it drives things forward. You've got to be ready to fight for a side you don't agree with but remember that we can and will make it clear when we're doing that.
• I am willing to research subjects I'm not all that interested in and you should be as well. If you're completely disinterested and don't think you'll be able to contribute say ahead of time. Again, if we sit down to record and you've failed to prepare I'll make sure the listners know that it's you that's derailing the podcast.
• You'll need to be willing and able to help spread the word. I am but one man and I'm often busy editing or writing so building an audience is not easy for me to do. As such you'll need to impress upon the people you know that they should listen and put the word out online through a variety of places such as Facebook and forums.
• Don't take offence if I say no to recording with you, if anything ask why and I'll be honest. Know that anything I say is not an attack, I'm just trying to make this an engaging podcast and as the guy with the equipment, experience and website what I say goes.

Still reading? Think you jib is cut in a way I'll like? Then you'll want to know what I have in mind for the show itself.

• As far as weekly subject matter goes it's very much down to the individuals involved. Ideally I'd like to get two or three people together weekly to discuss topics they're all equally passionate about. If that's not possible we'll discuss ahead of time and bring our own topics to the table on the day. This will require email/Facebook/phone communication ahead of recordings.
• Subject suggestions are open as are the people involved. If you have a subject you want to focus on and someone in particular you want to do it with then let me know and we can work toward it.
• Subjects need to be varied and wide reaching. I don't want to do week after week of the same old Final Fantasy chat or end up focusing on one console or another so think outside the box. i.e. is there a classic unsung game series you want to champion or a genre you want to discuss in broad terms? I have a few subjects in mind but I can't be the only creative force at work all the time.
• Having part of the show dedicated to a quick news breakdown is something I've got in mind. It'll be quick and snappy headline type stuff delivered by one person followed by some time for the group to give opinion before moving on to the subject of the week.
• I want to make the occasional one off podcast focusing closely on a given subject. The Mass Effect and Square Enix podcasts I have in mind should give a flavor of what I mean so once I've got a sense of the flow of recording such a thing I'll begin thinking about others and taking suggestions.

Congratulations if you've read all that, you're clearly interested in getting involved and I'm interested in hearing from you. Right now I'm in the planning stages and I intend to record the first session with my brother within the next month with a view to get others involved soon after. It's first come first serve to an extent so if you want to get involved let me know sooner rather than later.

DLC - Bioware and EA show how it's done

I've pissed and moaned about Capcoms downloadable content shenanigans a lot recently and with good reason but I've done little to say how I think DLC can be done right. This is an attempt to outline what I consider makes quality content and why Capcom is failing at every turn with their policy.

Firstly, I'm going to need an example of a company that is managing its DLC output well and seeing as they're one of my all time favorite game makers I'm focusing my attention on Bioware, and by association EA. Breaking it down further, I'm going to use Dragon Age 2 as the specific game to focus on seeing as it's current and I'm actually in the process of unlocking a huge amount of free content for the game through a variety of sources.

As I've mentioned previously in my most anticipated games of the year list, Dragon Age 2 was offering a lot in terms of free content long before it was released. EA seem rather savvy when it comes to incentivising their pre-orders of late and the selection of offers put out ahead of the games release was impressive, not least of all the free upgrade to the signature edition of the game.
The signature edition includes an entire extra team member plus the related missions for him under the title The Exiled Prince. On top of that the package contains the soundtrack as well as five unique in game items.

Even if one were to have missed this initial pre-order incentive, as I did, there was more to come in the form of two more items exclusive to pre-orders as well as another piece of content seemingly similar to Mass Effect 2s Cerberus Network called The Black Emporium and an extra in game ability allowing the summoning of a trusty war dog to lend a helping paw. That's a hell of a lot of free content.

Noticed anything missing from this equasion so far? Prices perhaps? Contrary to Capcoms insistance at consumers forking out cash for minor changes to their games EA and Bioware have sought to reward those who show faith in the company and make pre-orders well ahead of a games release.
Comparratively, the only pre-order bonuses I've heard of Capcom offering have been a variety of Marvel Vs Capcom 3 t-shirts available from a number of different retailers and whilst that's nice and all it's not quite the same as extending the playability of the game you've bought. And let's face it, most people don't want a t-shirt that basically screams "I am an uber geek" either.

So, what if I decided to buy the vanilla version of Dragon Age 2 but wanted some of that content. Well, for a start that Black Emporium stuff is in the case when you pick the game up brand new, a nice little pat on the back from EA for not having bought it second hand and jipped them out of money.
Sure it could be argued that the content was made and ought to be on the disc but given the money lost on second hand sales for publishers and developers it's fair that they lock some of it away to ensure consumers are buying the game in a way they benefit from. Offering the content at a price is simply a way of recovering the lost income from the lost sale, not a money grabbing opportunity.
Next up is the Exiled Prince content, priced at a mere 560ms points (£4.80). Given the content was meant to be an incentive for spending more on the signature edition that costs around £7-8 more than the basic game this price is incredibly reasonable, hours of gameplay added for very little cost. This seems all the more reasonable, especially considering what Capcom offers for a near equivalent price.

And what does Capcom offer? A quick look back at my previous posts about Capcoms DLC releases will answer that question for you but for the sake of the lazy I'll repeat myself - costumes and characters. The costumes are running at 400ms for five costumes and the characters are 400ms each. I've done my griping about these but let's just take a moment to look at what one of these price points equates to.
Taking into account that there are 36 characters in the game (or 38 if you buy the other two) that's a total cost for future costume packs coming to more than 2800ms. That's £24 for costumes that add no gameplay at all. Full retail games mere months after their release cost £25. Hell, I bought GTAIV for £15 and that's a huge game with a lot of content. The mind boggles that Capcom thinks it's offering anything of value and more so at those who are willing to buy it. The difference in quality DLC offers between these two companies is huge, the relative worth of Capcoms offers being near negligable in comparison.

We're in a new age as far as the business of the games industry goes and DLC is a part of it whether we as consumers like it or not. However, this being business, it's profit that drives companies to offer less than stellar products for less than descerning customers and it's up to us as gamers to put our collective feet down and not buy into deals like the ones Capcom offers for the sake of our own futures lest we end up with companies locking even more content away for the sake of spinning a little more cash.