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Archives: June 2009

June 15, 2009

WAR’s PTS, LotD, and Other Acronyms

by Frank — Categories: Gaming, Warhammer Online — 1 Comment
Warhammer Online: PQ Night (2)
Image by Evan Sims via Flickr

So the WAR Herald tells us today that the public test server testing has finally concluded for the latest patch, which will include the new content for Land of the Dead, their first free live expansion. Over the past few weeks, many intrepid expeditioners have signed on to the PTS, bashing the heck out of the code and the mechanics in WAR’s Egyptian-themed dungeon and area so it can go out as bug-free as possible.

If you’re a WAR player and you didn’t sign onto the PTS, you really missed out. There was a good amount of focused RvR going on, as resources necessary to gain access to Land of the Dead dropped off of dead players. Aside from that, I discovered people engaging in duels and practiced fights to test mechanics. Surprisingly, no one interfered with these little tests, which was great. While on the battlefield real RvR is dynamic and spontaneous, the fact that there were players testing changes to stats and careers (though they’ve since been pushed back) can only be a good thing, as such attention to detail is needed to make things feel right.

There was also a lot of testing of the Land of the Dead mechanics from top to bottom, from the fight over zone control via resources to the PQ’s and public area of the new zone, to the 6 man dungeon. If I had to typify players’ experiences with the content, I’d have to say a lot of people needed a little bit of a handle to get it right. The first few nights were filled with players wandering around, wondering what to do and how to do things. Over time, this changed, but I can’t help but think the confusion was a bad thing, not a good thing. The fact that the learning curve may have been a bit higher than Mythic thought allowed them to adjust the way they not only approached PTS but also the upcoming content.

As a result of the testing, the combat and careers changes were pushed back to allow for more granular work, and the amount of resources needed to gather for access to Land of the Dead was reduced. There’s also been a noticeable effort to educate players, either through viral marketing or interviews. I’m thankful that some of the PTS testing was useful and helpful.

To be honest, though, there just weren’t enough players – which is sad, because in an area where there are no consequences in terms of player choice, testing becomes great fun as you try to “break” content to make it better. We need more PTS testers for the next cycle, especially with tons of changes to careers coming, so be sure to fire up that test client and give the new stuff a spin at the wheel. It’ll only help you and your fellow players for a better WAR experience.

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June 15, 2009

“Case of the Mondays” Cure – Guitarists, Star Trek, and More

by Frank — Categories: Gaming, Social Geekery — Tags: — 1 Comment
GRG
Image by macie3k via Flickr

That’s right, here we are with another cure for your Monday doldrums. It’s the beginning of the week, it seems like the weekend is so far away, but don’t despair – by the end of the week you’ll either be paid, or if it’s not a paycheck week, you’ll be well on the way to getting paid. Either way, you win!

Let’s see what we can dig up today:

-Star Trek movie passes $225 million dollar mark (via Yahoo Movies): People thought that this movie would perhaps be the greatest overhype of all time or take its place in sci-fi moviedom as one of “the best evar”. Looks like if the box office estimates are right, that it’ll be the latter. Sci-fi geeks rejoice – J.J. Abrams has made your franchise cool again.

-Guitarists break record for largest gathering of jammers (via Destructoid): Destructoid reports that even though Brutal Legend is mired in legal troubles and may never come out, that people shouldn’t despair – in the UK, people broke the record for largest gathering of guitarists in one place. The masses played Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” and generally had a good time. Now, it might not be a direct win for geekdom, but think about this – it’s only a matter of time before someone picks up their toy guitar and tries to put together a Guitar Hero or Rock Band gathering. Who cares if the only music you’d here is the clickety-click of those colored buttons? 5 stars, indeed.

-Dungeons and Dragons becomes F2P (via IGN): Turbine’s finally caught on that most D&D players actually do play for free after the cost of materials, and they’ve made Dungeons and Dragons Online the same way. The somewhat-maligned MMO is now re-launching as a free-to-play alternative with microtransactions to support its operating costs. So if you don’t particularly like d20′s all over the place, check out D&D Online again.

…and finally, in the realm of randomness:

-Man Finds Ecstasy in GTA Used Game Box (via The Escapist): You know, sometimes you might think of getting a used game, and you can count yourself lucky if you get an instruction book with it. Well, someone got more than they bargained for when they found a bit of something that probably belonged in Grand Theft Auto IV than it did inside the game box. At least it was “in character” – although it’s worth noting the man who bought the game was getting it for his son…who’s 12.

That does it for this edition of your “Case of the Mondays” cure!

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June 14, 2009

Saved By The Bell – Class Back in Session?

by Frank — Categories: TV and Movies — Tags: , , — 1 Comment

Saved-by-the-Bell-CastThose of you who hopefully are children of the 80′s might remember a little show called “Saved by the Bell“, which was a sitcom that was a standout on Saturday morning TV. It featured the adventures of high school students at fictional Bayside High as well as their principal, Mr. Belding.

I don’t know about you guys, but after a morning filled with sugary cereal that wasn’t good for me and cheesy cartoon goodness, Saved by the Bell is what rescued me from the boring other “live action” stuff that didn’t feature turtles, robots, and pirates. It was a late 80′s – early 90′s show that I’m sure many a person has a fond memory of. The reason why it was so memorable is probably the same reason that I wrote earlier that I like Star Wars – the characters are iconic, stereotypes which we have no problem identifying with. Whether you liked Zack for his Ferris Bueller-like trickster attitude, Slater for his athletic, tough guy portrayal, Screech for his geekiness, Kelly for her All-American goodness, Jessie for her whipsmart talk or Lisa for her enduring optimism, Saved by the Bell had something for everyone. In a time when lots of people are extremely jaded about their television, Saved by the Bell is a slice of beautiful nostalgia.

Well, Jimmy Fallon, being the closet geek that I know he is, is looking to bring together the Saved by the Bell cast on his show. On Late Night With Jimmy Fallon he’s put up a Saved by the Bell board to track progress on which cast members have agreed to come on board. As of this writing, only Tiffany Thiessen and Dustin Diamond are left to agree, and tons of people have signed the Saved by the Bell petition on the Late Night site. I know I have. So be sure to check out the petition on the Late Night site and sign up! Your inner youth cries out for it.

But if you don’t believe me, maybe you’ll believe Zack Morris:

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June 14, 2009

The Solo Smuggler and Star Wars Archetypes

by Frank — Categories: Gaming, Star Wars: The Old Republic — Tags: , — 1 Comment

Falcon

Falcon

So a couple days ago in the Star Wars: The Old Republic newswire, we finally got the official reveal of the next class in the game – the crafty and tricksy Smuggler. The class is going to use guile and smarts to get through a variety of situations, and in a combat situation, relies on a blend of Rogue-like stealth and surprise and use of terrain and cover. Smugglers, perhaps more than any other class, will probably face being in the morally grey area more often than not, and the developers say they’ll have a struggle of sorts trying to choose how to make their way in Bioware‘s MMO universe.

The way the Smuggler was introduced as well as looking at the design of the class itself really typifies why Bioware is going a good, if not consistent, direction with their reveals and descriptions. It’s good for a primary reason I’ll be getting into below, but it’s consistent because they really seem to be marrying their design to the basic element of story that they want to make apparent in their entry into the MMO-verse. The way this class is described, much like the way that the others were, can be simply boiled down to “Do you want to be Han Solo? Then play this class”.

I’ve opined before about the positive impact that the Star Wars IP has in terms of “selling” a game like SW:TOR, but I don’t think I’ve really gotten into why I think that even the naysayers who say “MOAR DETAILS PLZ” won’t be able to help but take notice. The reason for that is, simply, iconic archetypes in the Star Wars universe.

At its core, Star Wars is a story of good vs. evil, light vs. dark, and heroes vs. villains. The mythology of such an arrangement is so pervasive that whole museum exhibits have been dedicated simply to examining why Star Wars has icons and myths and legends that resonate with many people. This kind of simplicity bleeds over into the character classes we’ve been seeing so far. Boba Fett is a Bounty Hunter – out for personal benefit, and a hired gun. Stormtroopers and the Trooper class they personify are foot soldiers and grunts. Han Solo is a Smuggler, living on the edge of the law, making his own way however he can.

While there are morally grey areas and some deviation, there are certain core things you expect out of the characters in Star Wars. Boba Fett is always going to be looking for a buck. Stormtroopers are always going to be dedicated and following orders. Han Solo is always going to be a smartass. Even though MMO players have sometimes complex ideas about how they want to craft their character and how they are to be perceived, when you boil it down to it, they really want simple things. They want to be a good guy, or a bad guy. They want to be an anti-hero. They want to be a dedicated, hard-working soldier. These are very simple, iconic things, and Bioware is getting ahead of it by nurturing that simplistic role.

Ultimately, gameplay can trump lore, and if the Smugglers handle like a clumsy version of a Gears of War cover system and bugs abound, it will be unfortuante, but the initial desire to play a certain class is independent of that, and Bioware’s doing the right thing with appealing to players in that way.

I, for one, have not found a class that typifies the beneficial supporter/advisor that I desire to play. In the Star Wars universe, I’d be a Wedge, a Lando Calrissian, or an Obi-Wan Kenobi, sans the Jedi mastery. But Bioware has five more classes to reveal. I’ll be waiting.

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June 13, 2009

The Left 4 Dead 2 Boycott – Let Them Eat Cake

by Frank — Categories: Gaming — Tags: , , — 1 Comment

cakeSo by now some of you may have read the Overly Positive Thoughts I had on Left 4 Dead 2. In my own way, I tried to cheer up those crazy, dedicated L4D2 boycotters, and since the numbers have just gotten larger, it seems I’ve got to whip out a little more optimism for them all.

Let’s try to picture this whole Left 4 Dead 2 situation like something most of these people enjoy: cake.

Say that there’s a city bakery in town. The bakery is perhaps different from other bakeries in that it tends to take its time releasing new kinds of cake for the people in town to enjoy. Sure, the time that it takes for the bakery to decide on a cake, design it, polish it, and give it to the ravenously hungry public is slower than a glacier melting, but despite complaints, people love this bakery’s cake.

One year, the bakery comes out with a brand new cake – zombie-flavored chocolate cake with sprinkles. Now, aside from the fact that it seems rather obvious that everyone should love a chocolate cake with sprinkles, the bakery takes their time, as usual, with the cake. When the cake is released to the adoring public, they eat it up – literally – and it’s so popular that countless hours are spent making more zombie cakes for people to eat. This is especially needed considering that the giant third layer of some other great tasting cake is taking longer than usual to make – and people are still hungry.

So because people are constantly hungry for their cake products, and because zombie-flavored chocolate cake with sprinkles is pretty easy to make from a basic perspective, the bakery announces that a brand new zombie-flavored chocolate cake will be showing up – and not only will it have sprinkles, but it’ll also have injected vanilla frosting, better eggs for baking, new flour formula, a dusting of Godiva fudge chips, and of course, strawberries. Happy and confident that the hungry people beating down their door every day will be satisfied, they place a giant placard in the front window proclaiming the new creation, with a single, fake-model slice for better visual detail. Surely with a new cake coming out so soon, the people would be nothing but ecstatic.

To the bakery’s surprise, the very next day, there are protesters outside. This is particularly confusing for several reasons. For one, the protesters are pointing to the fake-model and talking about how terrible it looks, which is odd considering it’s made out of plastic and covered in enamel – hardly edible. They’re also demanding more zombie-flavored chocolate cake with sprinkles, which is doubly odd because it’s clearly still on the menu for ordering. Some of them have started to demand that the new cake be free, and while the bakery has given out some nice little additions and cake toppers to their other cake orders in the past, a brand new cake hardly costs nothing. But the most puzzling part of it all, is that several protesters have taken a look on the bakery website, noted the live camera of the bakery where the ingredients for the cake are laid out and being mixed for testing, and have immediately begun saying the cake is going to suck, and suck hard.

The head baker, confused as he is, decides to clarify things, so a placard is placed in the window, next to the picture of the brand new zombie-flavored, vanilla-injected, chocolate-and-strawberry masterpiece, stating the obvious – that the new cake isn’t finished, that the old cake can still be bought and eaten, and that there might, just might, be a way to create new custom orders with both cakes. Shrugging his shoulders, he walks away, hoping that these people will understand, but knowing that there are more sensible and not-so-confused customers waiting in line for cakey goodness.

The moral of the story? Aside from making people terribly hungry for cake, you can hardly judge a creation when it hasn’t even been finished yet, let alone judge what whoever makes it will do with it. I think that while the Left 4 Dead 2 Boycott does continue, I do hope that they aren’t so miffed as to not check up on how things are several months from now, when the ingredients are being really shaped and the recipe details are being released. Until then, go have a slice of cake. It might just calm the nerves, just a tad.

June 12, 2009

iPhone Love Incoming

by Frank — Categories: Computers — Tags: , — Leave a comment
iPhone 3GS MMS
Image by ArabCrunch via Flickr

So, despite the angst of many a recent iPhone purchaser, the iPhone 3Gs is coming out just after mid-June this year. Now sure, some of you who are feeling the current handcuffing of your 2 year contracts with AT&T might be a bit stiffed, but not to worry – I’m sure they might have some kind of consolation by roping you in with cool visual apps and trendy touch-screen goodness.

Anyway, the new hotness was revealed today at Apple‘s annual WWDC. and here are the highlights:

-Price drop for the iPhone 3G: With the new iPhone coming out, obviously not many people may be looking to be getting “old and busted” iPhone goodness. So that being said, Apple’s dropping the price of their current iPhone to $99 bucks. With the 3Gs at $199 and $299, it was only fair, right?

-Hardware Goodies: The iPhone’s new video download and camera capability is sure to be appealing to many a media lover. The iPhone already possesses a toolbox of applications and digitally-based practicality to users, and these will only enhance the iPhone’s already massive library of functionality.

-Multimedia Messaging: The one illogical thing that seemed to be missing from a peripheral that seemed to deliver everything from the digital age was the ability to send and receive multimedia. For a long time, iPhone users were puzzled and sometimes even ridiculed for not being able to do what a phone half the memory and price could do easily, but now, they can eat their words, because MMS is coming.

I’m not actually an iPhone user – I use a Blackberry, but I suppose I can be bothered to have confidence in my product enough to wish the iPhone well. Not to worry – I’m sure upgrades to allow the iPhone to make phone calls without dropping every second call due to bad cell towers are coming soon! Stay positive!

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June 11, 2009

Overly Positive Thoughts: Milo Marketing

by Frank — Categories: Gaming — Tags: , , , , — Leave a comment
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 01: President, Lionhea...
Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Those of you who’ve been keeping up with the E3 news know that one of the highlights of Microsoft‘s Project Natal motion control was a demonstration by Peter Molyneux, now the director of Microsoft’s EU studios. In this demo, we got to meet Milo, a representation of a digital AI which could interpret facial expressions and answer questions. Milo, in the form of a young boy, apparently hates doing homework, likes fishing, and thinks you need a pair of goggles to make sure your eyes don’t get wet while staring into a lake.

Now, as much as there has been buzz about this new and exciting development in not only motion control but also in game interaction, there’ve been a lot of people that have been cynical. This is partly due to the fact that the immediate thought behind many a gamer’s “between the ages of 17  and 34″ brain is how to ultimately make him into the most mentally deranged digital child on XBox Live. On this front, Molyneux has given us reassurances that when Milo is released , he will have limitations put into place to stop you from living out deep-seeded, id-motivated evil scenarios.

That’s too bad, Peter. Surely this is contradictory to your Fable series, where you could screw with villagers, your significant other(s), and just about anything else. Denying gamers the ability to transform Milo into a twisted little hellion is denying them an outlet for the unbridled rage that they must feel for being made fun of for having pictures of FFVII‘s Aeris all over their locker. The emotional scarring of repeated dunking into a toilet or of being brutally rejected by countless objects of their affection would have nowhere to go, resulting in the decline of civilization ™. I hope Molyneux comes to his senses in time to prevent the downfall of man by limiting it to only destroying Milos all over the world. Choice is a good thing!

Really though, most of the negativity comes from Milo’s relevance in the game world. Lots of naysayers have the audacity to say that Milo won’t have a place in the gaming world and that the whole exercise is a waste of time. Poppycock I say! Clearly a company like Microsoft wouldn’t spend millions and millions on a product that was either not ready to ship or would ultimately cause more harm than good in the world. 

Besides, there are tons of relevant ways in which this little Milo kid could be put to good use:

-Milo Security System: ADT better watch out, because alarms with simply annoying audio are so 1990′s. With Milo projected on screens and shrieking in an 8 year old English boy’s voice for their mummy, no thief will come close to robbing your house. And with default alert set to “I’m being molested!!!!”, you’ll have multiple authorities descending to your place of residence to stop the threat.

-Milo Parental Training: Once in a blue moon, geeks and gamers reproduce. If you have no idea what it means to be a parent, look no further than Milo, who you can raise and interact with from birth! Women can simulate breast feeding on the screen, men can be shown how not to be clueless when changing diapers, and as Milo grows, he becomes more and more petulant about getting his way, giving you the opportunity to mete out simulated discipline with the requisite save points. That way if you meant to choose a menu item and instead happen to accidentally backhand poor little misbehaving Milo, you can go back and try again. And they say the Sims are immersive. Ha!

-Milo Friend Simulator - For the lonely gamer or the programmer who locks themselves into their room to develop the next big thing, Milo is there to rescue you from your minimalist social needs. Milo will try to pat you on the back, console you when you weep endlessly about how no one will read your Kirk and Spock slash fanfiction, and administer “tough love” with a modified infrared-based electric shock peripheral. If you ever craved the company of people without the hugely inconvenient tasks of “phone calls”, “having tact”, and “direct eye contact”, then you have a friend in Milo.

So you see, all the negative people need to just get another perspective. Milo’s just another step in the inevitable march towards everything we’ve ever hoped and wanted for, and that smart people have already realized, and that is a real life Skynet. I’ve always wanted to live out a post-apocalyptic sci-fi future with a contrived story!

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June 10, 2009

WAR’s Viral Infection

by Frank — Categories: Gaming, Warhammer Online — Tags: — 5 Comments
Virus logo.
Image via Wikipedia

So for those of you who don’t know, Mythic and GOA have been hyping up WAR’s upcoming Land of the Dead. Certainly the traditional buzzworthy articles, tease interviews, and testing has been done, and there are a lot of folks talking about it. But what you may not know yet is that there’s a viral marketing campaign consisting of mailed cartouches, skulls, and bones being sent to various folks in the blogosphere. Together, all of these can be combined and interpreted into rewards and in-game items. If you’re curious, there is a consolidation thread on the Land of the Dead puzzle on Warhammer Alliance about it.

Sending skulls and bones, and strange things in the mail might seem like a waste of time to some, but to be honest, viral marketing in and of itself has taken hold pretty well. This isn’t the first time WAR has sent out promotional items. Back before Valentine’s Day there were a bunch of bloodied valentines sent out to hype WAR’s Night of Murder event. Before Land of the Dead came mysterious packages of red hair dye and DVD’s with timestamps, a way to hype the insertion of new classes into the game. And now, bloggers and fansites find themselves in an Indiana Jones-like Egyptian puzzle (whip and fedora not included).

If not for the digital age, viral marketing wouldn’t have been as worthwhile. But in a time when you can find out about anything instantaneously, the fact that Mythic is doing this has created a lot of interest and curiosity that normally would not be there. Sites like Kotaku, who normally wouldn’t carry a WAR article unless it was a major news piece, are now publishing pictures of their packages and nodding approvingly at something to break up their mundane routines. Small sites and blogs who are dedicated to WAR benefit from a boost and a recognition by the developers that they’re reading them and that they matter in the game’s overall voice. I know that being recognized by a company for what you are essentially writing and promoting for them is always more motivation to write more.

Non-traditional marketing for MMOs can really take hold in the next couple years as the various online games out there jockey for position. What if you saw some feathery wings sent to blogs by Aion’s NCSoft, or perhaps an audio-recorded message of assistance sought by a Republic senator for Star Wars: The Old Republic (“help me Obi-Wan Kenobi…”). These are the kinds of things that while short term, will be memorialized and remembered for being innovative, fun, and interesting.

Whether or not WAR’s Land of the Dead will succeed remains to be seen. But Mythic is certainly doing the right things by getting the word out in unique, viral ways. Certainly, if you’ve thought about WAR, and skulls with sunglasses made you smile, then you’ve been summarily “infected”. As far as MMO publicity goes, that’s not a bad thing.

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June 10, 2009

SW:TOR – Opening “Later” Is Good

by Frank — Categories: Gaming, Star Wars: The Old Republic — Tags: , — 6 Comments
FAIRFAX, CA - JULY 24: A sign advertising an ...
Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Moon over Endor has a few scoured tidbits from E3 on the Internet on Star Wars: The Old Republic, and opines a little bit on the various information teases the Bioware crew has been giving us. Of one particular interest is the SW:TOR interview from Gophn.com, where the folks from Bioware note that the game is “close to beta”. Ayane writes that she’s optimistic about a spring 2010 release.

Realistically speaking, though, if that was the case, and beta started in, say, July, we are talking about a 8 month beta for a game with 8 classes, two sides, and a ton of content. I know I’m terribly optimistic, but Ayane, I think you might be shooting for the stars!

People who are highly anticipating a game might seem disappointed that realistically, SW: TOR is probably 2011-bound. But let’s be hopeful about this, folks – the longer a game takes to polish, work out bugs, and get to a state where release won’t be as bad as a melted chocolate bar in your pocket, the better. There are many, many games out there who have decided to release too early and have paid the price for it. With MMOs, these days you only have one chance to make a good impression, so that impression better be as good as it gets, right?

MMO players these days are finicky. Even worse than that, the greater the potential for the IP, the more likely it is that failure will be disastrous for a game just coming out. Star Wars, arguably one of the most iconic IPs out there, is one that you definitely don’t want to screw with. Let’s not also forget, my friends, that Star Wars Galaxies, which is already tried to build up some level of equity with its playerbase, has a legion of former players that are quite butthurt with its treatment.

If Bioware wants to take until 2011 to make the game good, polished, and fun, then I say, we should let them. Extended beta processes are really helpful because they assist developers in creating focused tests over a longer period of time that ultimately help the game be more solid. Marketing and buzz has time to increase and build during a longer release period, and the developer who hasn’t released a game has the luxury of examining the climate to ensure they’re coming out at the right time.

There’s already a great sense of anticipation for the game, as you can see from the related articles below. While we don’t have many details, Bioware may simply not have them ready for us to digest, or in fact, may need to provide its players with the best experience possible even when beta does eventually hit. Honestly, after many travels with many MMOs whose releases have been less than ideal due to coming out too early, I want Bioware to take their time. Not Duke Nukem Forever time, certainly, but the time it takes to present a product that looks and feels like Star Wars, and the glory days of the Jedi and Sith.

I think I can wait a couple years to wield a red lightsaber.

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June 9, 2009

Podcast Pingback: Sarcastic Gamer Radio

by Frank — Categories: Gaming, Internet — Tags: , — Leave a comment
Sarcastic Gamer
Image via Wikipedia

If some of you didn’t know, I’m a podcast addict. The reasons for this are many, but probably the most common thing is that I’m frequently in situations where I want to have something to listen to for ambience or entertainment. Whether I’m driving in my morning commute, running errands on the weekends, or simply doing a variety of things that are normally boring to do, I have a desire to listen to people talk about what I’m interested in. Fact is, while I have plenty on my musical list, I prefer talk radio and talk shows because of content. I mean, if I want to listen to that Britney Spears song over and over again, I have my iTunes list, right?

Anyway, questionable musical taste aside, Overly Positive is all about the cross promotion and thoughts regarding other interesting geek endeavors, so this is our feature for talking about podcasts I’m listening to, and reacting to their content.

Sarcastic Gamer Radio is one of those podcasts that I’ve always had a soft spot for. The reason being, is that there are plenty of podcasts out there that treat gaming discussion seriously, and I listen to those as much as I do Sarcastic Gamer. What Sarcastic Gamer gives me is an “aw shucks” kind of entertainment to gaming news and discussion topics, a kind of unabashed self-deprecating look at the gaming world.

The show itself trends towards a variety show highlighting various gaming topics and geek hobbies. Doc and Dave, the show’s hosts offer up their own brand of humor, from “serious business” game competitions (like who can hold their breath the longest), to faux gaming news pieces featuring a cheesy news announcer, to simply making fun of themselves and the gamer demographic for taking themselves so seriously. There’s a little substantive discussion about gaming, but the element is clearly in the entertainment category. The last episode broadcasted a completely uncut episode (which they referred to as “naked”) in which the normally professionally produced podcast was exposed in all its glory. Despite the flubs and bad pratfalls that are usually edited out, I liked the episode, and plan to keep coming back for more.

If you’re looking for a podcast that will entertain you as well as tell you a little bit about the major things that are going on in the gaming world, and like morning radio shows with their effects and segments and parodies, Sarcastic Gamer Radio is for you. Folks looking for more substantial discussion can probably look elsewhere. It’s worthwhile to note that the show recently went through a reboot wherein this new entertainment direction was forged. Some fans didn’t like that, but I’m more than happy to ride along and laugh at the various failings of gaming geekery, because there’s tons of podcasts that’ll give me the “just the facts, ma’am” type of episode.

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