Polygamerous Podcast

Episode 149 – Spoiler, Bioshock Infinite is a mind {redacted}!

MikeH — Fri, 03 May 2013 22:07:39 +0000

On this episode we talk about Bioshock Infinite and some other stuff. Really all you need to know is that we talk about the story of Bioshock Infinite.

This Week in Gaming

(ign) No Nintendo E3 – http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/04/25/no-nintendo-press-conference-at-e3-2013?abthid=51789e3d4382074829000024
(joystiq) http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/25/ea-layoffs-april-25/
(polygon) http://www.polygon.com/2013/4/23/4256084/skullgirls-paypal-account-temporarily-frozen-due-to-chargeback-fears

Rumor Mill

Nintendo isn’t doing so well.

Episode 147 – Pink Slime is Made of People

MikeH — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:29:10 +0000

On this episode we talk about about EA being terrible people, Arkham Origins, and a river of pink slime

This Week in Gaming

Rumor Mill

So Doom 4… yeah that’s not so much happening now…

WTF ‘merica?

Pink Slime http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_slime

Episode 145 – WTF Surströmming

MikeH — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:30:36 +0000

On this weeks episode Jack reviews Bioshock Infinite and we talk about fish.

This Week in Gaming

Rumor Mill

Final Fantasy Versus XIII will actually be Final Fantasy XV

WTF Japan Sweden?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surstr%C3%B6mming

Episode 144 – Seriously EA…

MikeH — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:06:43 +0000

On this episode we talk about EA and so creepy Japanese androids. This and more on the latest Polygamerous!

This Week in Gaming

Rumor Mill

Microsoft is considering removing all always online DRM from all new Xbox games as a result of the Sim City issues.

WTF Japan

(Actroid) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actroid

Episode 143 – BASHATHON

MikeH — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 19:10:56 +0000

On this episode we take about EA and their super smart business decisions. That’s all we got to say about that.

This Week In Gaming

Rumor Mill

The Last Guardian is shaping up to be a PS4 launch title

WTF Japan

Senran Karuga is a series of side scrolling 3DS games developed and published by Marvelous Entertainment. It was released in 2011 in Japan, and rumors of a future North American release appear throughout the internet. In Senran Kagura you play the role of a group of five kunoichi in training in an alternate universe where ninjas still exist. In order to counter the activities of ninjas who seek to create havoc working for corporations and politicians, the Japanese government founded the Hanzo academy in order to train female ninjas to counter their efforts. It is up to Asuka, Ikaruga, Katsuragi, Yagyu and Hibari to succeed in their training and to rescue Japan from various nefarious schemes from evil ninjas.

The gameplay is seperated into three sections. The first section is composed of a novel styled manga that reveals information of the back story of the characters, as well as covering the major plot points of the story. The second section of the gameplay is the adventure mode, where the characters interact with each other through the HUB world, as well as giving more information about the story before the start of each mission. The third section of the gamplay consists of the action sequences where you control your character to fight through story and side missions. As characters are leveled up, new moves and special abilities are unlocked, as well as collectable materials such as music, costumes, and art work.

What stands out in the series is the fan service. Fan service is deeply rooted in Senran Karuga. In face the game’s producer Kenichiro Takaki came up with the concept of the series revolving around fan service when he realized that one of the main things people wanted to see most in 3D were breasts. Hence the 3D features are used to “improve” the visuals of the game with 3D cleavage and other body parts. Fan service is also involved in the action gameplay sequences. As your character takes damage, it is signified by the amount of clothing that your character loses. Needless to say, losing all of your clothes is a bad thing (though probably not a bad thing to the male focused audience).

Despite (or perhaps because) the one note nature of the series, it managed to spawn multiple sequels, and it’s own anime series released this year (which is not viewable in 3D). If you are interested gameplay and story that are “well rounded” then this game is for you. Otherwise, those looking for more in their fighting games to give this a pass.

Episode 142 – The Lost Episode?

MikeH — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 21:11:23 +0000

In this weeks episode we talk about the PS4, condom ice cream, and Jack gives his review of the new Tomb Raider!

This Week in Gaming

Rumor Mill

Bioshock Infinite will offer several endings depending on natural gameplay.

WTF Japan

Condom Ice-cream http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=952_1361184127

Episode 141 – Veiny Boobs

MikeH — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 02:45:24 +0000

On this episode we discuss how Jack could have owned THQ, Kelly’s turn-offs, and just how much Aliens: Colonial Marines sucks. All this and more on this episode of Polygamerous

This Week In Gaming

Rumor Mill

Everyone loves mandatory built-in Kinect right?… right…

WTF Japan

http://www.toxel.com/tech/2009/06/08/14-cool-vending-machines-from-japan/

Episode 140 – WTF America

MikeH — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 20:22:10 +0000

On this weeks episode we talk about North Korea, have a review for 10,000,000, and get distracted by youtube. All this and more on this episode of Polygamerous.

This Week in Gaming

Rumor Mill

February 20th is going to be a big day for Sony. How big? Well don’t get your hopes up

WTF Japan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzC4hFK5P3g

Episode 139 – Cookie Monster Cow-Knight

MikeH — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 04:28:21 +0000

On this weeks Polygamerous we have a listener review of Path of Exile, Jack reviews Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, and Andy is back! All this and more on this episode of Polygamerous.

This Week in Gaming

Rumor Mill

The Citadel, technically it’s a space station. Yet it is so much more than that. The size of a moon, billions of inhabitants from all races of the galaxy live there. I wonder what the Reapers must think knowing that all of us lesser creatures call their intergalactic hub home. A friend of mine just lost their home. Sheppard would tell it another way, but that’s the truth. Earth is lost and we’re raising this army to take back a rock. No it’s more than that. It’s memories. Home… It’s funny thing. And of all the places I’ve lived, the Citadel is the only one I’d call my “home.” My name is Garrus Vakarian and I will fight for my home.

WTF Japan

government issued warning signs http://www.iruntheinternet.com/02210

Reviews

Path of Exile Mini-Review

Mark Nelson

http://www.pathofexile.com/

This browser-based action roleplaying gaming is set in the top-down perspective of classic
rpg’s such as Diablo, but with detailed 3d graphics. You dispatch your foes with the tried and
true point and click method. Attack skills can be set to your three buttons on the mouse and
the QWERTY keys on the keyboard.
As you level up, a huge celestial skill map becomes available to you to assign skill points too.
There are hundreds of active and passive skills to choose from and these can be modified by
gems which drop from monsters or being bought in the store shop. Inside the shop there is a
message board which list the current group of characters in your area. You just click on the
entry you’re interested in and you auto-join the group.
For a game just coming out in open beta, The gameplay feels very smooth and polished. The
spell particles effects are dazzling, and the sounds of your weapons crashing into your foes is
very satisfying. Boss creatures are varied and have different strengths and immunities. It takes
skill and coordination to down them and they drop the best loot. If Grinding Gears can steadily
produce new content, I think Path of Exile will retain the title of best action rpg on the market.

Episode 138 – Jack is White…

MikeH — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 15:07:23 +0000

On this weeks episode we discover that Jack is as white a miracle whip.

This Week in Gaming

Rumor Mill

Rosemary Clooney, Boston and Supermutants… What more could you ask for?

WTF Japan

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=0fa_1358690739

Episode 137 – Vore (Don’t Google it…)

MikeH — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 21:40:34 +0000

This Week in Gaming

Rumor Mill

Ubisoft is looking at picking up several THQ properties including Saint’s Row and Darksiders.

WTF Japan

The constant competition between Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have taken on the status of “wars”, where one brand seeks to dominate over the others for video game supremacy. Hardly the stuff of riveting storytelling, where one would expect stories based around quarter term profits rather than hot blooded heroes. However, one developer takes the opportunity to make a game based on solely taking revenge on the Big Three and set feminism back a few decades by publishing it’s own tale of the console wars, Hyperdimension Neptunia.

Hyperdimension Neptunia was Idea Factory, published by Compile Heart, and distributed by Sega. It was released within Japan in 2010, and released worldwide in 2011. In Hyperdimension Neptunia you play the role as Purple Heart, one of the four goddesses of Gamindustri, who was engaged in a battle against the other three goddesses for supremacy (each representing the Big Three). In order for the war to end quickly, the three goddesses White Heart, Green Heart, and Black Heart decided to team up on Purple Heart in order to destroy her once and for all. However, in standard JRPG fashion, Purple Heart loses her memory and finds herself under the care of Compy, a nurse in training who wishes to help others in need (if you can guess where her name comes from, congratulations, you win no points). While she has no memory, Purple Heart, who has now taken the name of Neptunia, is guided by a quest by a mysterious voice named Histy to travel the four continents and to find the keys to free it from imprisonment. It is up to the play to guide Neptunia through the four continents and collect the keys in order to save Gamindustri.

Gameplay takes place between the overworld and the dungeons. The overworld is laced with information about each of the four continents, and visual novel based cut scenes of the characters talking to each other. The dialogue is, in a word, mind-numbing, and players will no doubt engage with face palming from the game’s attempts to be humorous. Boob jokes, sexual innuendos, and blunt video game references are made all the more cringe worthy with the all female cast going all out treating the material with the respect it deserves (quite little). The core gameplay is a dungeon crawler that consists of killing the boss monster, collecting the certain number of one item, or finding the exit. Combat is turn-based with the play imputing button combinations which activate different abilities, and type changing to cause more damage to elemental enemies. It is more involving than just mashing A constantly to win battles, but it is nothing revolutionary.

Hyperdimension Neptunia was released to scathing reviews ranging from mixed to absolute terrible. Those curious about the console war being the background of the story were quickly turned away by its mind numbing, sexist, mediocre nature. Despite the poor reviews, the game has spawned two sequels, Hyperdimension Neptunia MkII which improved from its predecessor with more kinder reviews, and Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory being released this spring. It is highly recommended not to play this game as even watching footage of the game is enough to smash your face into the keyboard. However, if you’re curious on how bad this game can get, buy it at your peril.

Episode 136 – Taking a Cheeseburger and F*cking It

MikeH — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:35:52 +0000

On this weeks episode we talk about the best of 2012 and what we’re looking forward to for 2013. Kelly is also broadcasting live from the Deathstar.

Our favorite(best) Games of 2012

Mass Effect 3
Borderlands 2(J)
Assassin’s Creed 3
World of Warcraft Mists of Pandaria
Halo 4
Farcry 3
Dishonored
Journey
The Unfinished Swan
The Walking Dead
Pokemon Black/White 2
Radiant Historia
slender
SCP Containment Breach

Games To Look Forward to in 2013

Bioshock Infinite
Dead Space 3
The Last of Us
Tomb Raider
New Xbox
Star Wars 1313
GTA V
Pikmin 3
Beyond: Two Souls
Watchdogs
Pokemon X & Y
Deadpool: the Game
Ni No Kuni
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs
Slender 2

Episode 135 – Three Years and Two Extra Lives

MikeH — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 17:55:53 +0000

On this week’s episode we remember when we podcasted uphill both ways… and we liked it that way!

This Week in Gaming

Rumor Mill

Next year’s VGA’s won’t be pointless. Totally unconfirmed though

WTF Japan

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=871_1354974201

Episode 134 – Fus Ro D’OH!

MikeH — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:50:54 +0000

New Skyrim DLC, Mass Effect 3 Omega talk, big breasts, and Japanese white trash… just another day on Polygamerous.

This Week in Gaming

Rumor Mill

The new PS4 controller will have a move built into it.

WTF Japan

Yankii

Episode 133 – Telling You Everything You Didn’t Need to Know

MikeH — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 21:46:33 +0000

On this weeks show the crew revisits the past. You will find love, loss, and that Blink 182 CD that you could have sworn that you lost. All this and Andy on this episode of Polygamerous.

This Week in Gaming

(joystiq) http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/26/wii-u-sells-400-000-units-in-first-week/
(ign) http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/11/20/activision-pulls-nuketown-2025-from-black-ops-2
activision pulls the most popular map from the game

Rumor Mill

With the Disney acquisition of Star Wars, Vader’s secret apprentice is looking to get his own TV miniseries.

WTF Japan

crazy jap fragrances http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b80_1351951345

Episode 132 – Fawkes That

MikeH — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 20:17:12 +0000

Jack and Kelly talk Guy Fawkes day, Election day and they even talk about a few games including Jack’s review of Halo 4!

This Week in Gaming

(imdb) Halo Forward Unto Dawn http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2262308/
(roosterteeth) Red vs Blue season 10 finale http://roosterteeth.com/home.php
(joystiq) http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/01/halo-4-gets-tough-on-sexist-players/

Rumor Mill

Microsoft is looking at a new deal with Netflix that will give all xbox live gold members access to all the Netflix library on their console.
The next gen xbox plans on hitting store shelves fall 2013.

WTF Japan

The doodoo sandwich http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ddf_1351463514
-from Bill

Episode 131 – The Tell-Tale Podcast

MikeH — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 19:16:36 +0000

It’s our Halloween special! Hope you haven’t had enough trick or treating because you just can’t miss the awesome start of this weeks show.

This Week in Gaming

Episode 130 – Leak This

MikeH — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 18:28:21 +0000

Jack and Mike start out the show but Kelly soon joins. We talk about Halo leaks, Wii price cuts and Chibi-Robo is our WTF Japan of the week.

This Week in Gaming

(Escapist) halo 4 leaked http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/120105-Halo-4-Leaked
(Shacknews) Wii price cut to $130 in new black bundle

Rumor Mill

A new version of the PS3 will be coming out that is significantly cheaper than the current $300 price tag.
Fable 3 part 2 is currently in development. Think of it like an expansion.
Your three favorite dwarves from the Dragon Age Series will be returning for Dragon Age 3. That’s Varric, Ogren, and Sandal. Why who were you thinking of?

WTF Japan

Robots are awesome, there is no denying that. Whether it’s watching Terminators blowing stuff up, Gundams blowing stuff up, or sentient Daleks exterminating, there is no shortage of entertainment to be had witnessing robots at work. But where is the fun to be had interacting and witnessing smaller robots, or robots who’s only duty is to clean up around the house? That’s the question that is presented to this week’s WTF Japan Game, Chibi-Robo!

Chibi-Robo! is a Gamecube title that was released in 2005 in Japan, and 2006 in the US and Europe. It was developed by Skip Ltd. in collaboration with Nintendo. Players take the role of “Chibi-Robo”, a tiny miniature robot who is bought by an unemployed father and taken in to his dysfunctional family. Within the family as well is a wife overstressed by how much money her deadbeat husband spends, and a socially withdrawn daughter who Chibi-Robo was the present for. The role for each Chibi-Robo is to create happiness for their respective families, which allow them access to more abilities such as flight with a propeller head, and a radar to find hidden objects. But our Chibi-Robo will find that it will be difficult to become the top Chibi-Robo in the world. Not only bring happiness to the fractured family, but also to solve the problems that the various toys are facing, prevent a tiny alien invasion from threatening the home. all the while doing chores such as cleaning the house and cooking food. Will our miniature hero manage to both save the household and prevent a divorce?

Chibi-Robo!’s gameplay involves controlling the tiny protagonist all around the house, starting off at the ground floor. Players maneuver through the large world of the home, finding spare change in crevices and defeating tiny aliens, while creating happiness from doing the various chores around the house and assisting the family and the toys with drama. The key reason for going the extra mile during the game is to expand the amount of time you can remain unplugged from a wall socket. Chibi-Robo uses a lot of energy to go about doing its duties, so it is essential for it to obtain more powerful batteries to be unplugged longer. When finding the AWOL members of the Free Rangers toy egg soldiers, or experiencing the drama between a dancing flower and a Lego T-Rex, you will need all the extra energy you can get. As the game progresses and you help everyone in the household become happy, you’ll be able to access the entire household from the attic to the basement. The overall objective of Chibi-Robo is to help everyone become happy (while also preventing a miniature alien invasion, no pressure.)

Chibi-Robo! was favourably received by critics upon initial release. Despite complaints about the mediocre quality of the graphics and repetitive game play elements, they were charmed by the presentation of a light happy world with a dark edge in its story and characters, as well as impressed by the unique premise. The game was not a blockbuster, but it did sell a good number of copies in Japan and in North America, sparking two DS sequels. Chibi-Robo!: Park Control was released both in Japan and North America, while Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Ōsōji! was a Japan only release. As one who has bought and played Chibi-Robo back when it was first released, I enjoyed the charm of controlling a 4 inch servant in a Toy Story styled environment, while witnessing the presentation of a family whose problems are relevant in modern times (considering a good portion of video game families are either not presented or end up being killed). If you still have a Nintendo Gamecube and manage to find a copy of Chibi-Robo, I would recommend that you “Plug into Adventure!”

Episode 129 – Sounding and Bundling

MikeH — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 18:52:48 +0000

An interesting episode.. Really..

This Week in Gaming

Rumor Mill

Dust 514 could be hitting as soon as October.

WTF Japan

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/09/28/is-becoming-bagel-head-dangerous/

Episode 128 – Two Swallows

MikeH — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 20:54:49 +0000

It’s a bit longer than some of our recent shows, but Jack, Kelly and Mike make sure it’s well worth it!

This Week in Gaming

EA wants to purchase Valve http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/727776/ea-was-interested-in-purchasing-valve/
http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/14/joystiqs-wii-u-news-roundup/
Dragon Age 3 Announced http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/09/17/dragon-age-3-inquisition-announced
Baldur’s Gate Enhanced delayed until November 30

WTF Japan

The horror genre has it’s share of great games and terrible games. Though recently there has been a wave of great horror games that put the suspense back in the genre, there are others that fail to grasp the basic concept of horror. Today’s example is a game that tries so hard to be taken seriously, that it ends up having the reverse effect in being absolutely hilarious and shocking for the wrong reasons. That game is Michigan: Report From Hell.

Michigan: Report From Hell was a 2004 PlayStation 2 title developed by Grasshopper Manufacture, of Suda 51 fame. It was published by Spike within Japan, and by 505 Game Street outside of Japan. The game does not take place in the state of Michigan, but rather in the city of Chicago by Lake Michigan. You play the role as the recently hired cameraman of ZaKa TV, the most popular television station within Chicago. ZaKa TV charges you, your soundman Brisco, and a variety of reporters (all of them female) that you meet to cover the story of a strange fog that has recently been covering the city. Things take a turn for the worse when the first reporter that you work with, Pamela, gets devoured by a vagina monster (the game has plenty of vagina dentada references). Following this, you have to work with the other reporters (if you wish) in order to find out the secrets of the fog, and what is happening to the city.

Being a cameraman, you are not the stereotypical action hero that you would see in Resident Evil. Instead, you’re job is to capture images and footage that fall into three catergories, and filming the most in one of the catergories affect the ending of the game. Suspense footage is directly tied to the storyline of the game, and gathering it is essential to finding out the cause of the fog and the monsters. Immoral footage is caused by doing actions that lead to the harm of Brisco and the other reporters, a good deal of them involving the reporters being killed. Finally, Erotic footage is caused by filming provocative materials such as porn mags, or by filming the reporters in a unprofessional manner, so to speak. There are a variety of reporters that you will work with throughout the game, and if they die, another reporter fills that place an a level is skipped, resulting in finding out the true story being lost. Footage is captured by hovering over points of interest, then pressing a button to zoom in, allowing you to gain knowledge of what is going on. It acts less like a horror filled Pokemon Snap and more of a first person point and click adventure.

Despite the neat concept of being a weaponless witness to the horror rather than killing monsters, the game has extremely severe flaws. The voice acting for the game kills any suspense the game has, with lines sounding underacted, overacted, or just plain up poorly acted in general. It has to be heared to be believed. The gameplay itself is buddy, as you have to get your mark over a exact spot in order to film/examine an object. Those who wish to get the maximum points possible in one of the three categories have to have played the game numerous times to try to find all of the film points, and new players who stray too far from the reporter in an attempt to find objects risk putting the reporter in danger, where her death ends the level prematurely. Finally, it’s quite hard to get attached to the cameraman filming, as his only options in the game are to do his job, act like a asshole, or act like a perverted asshole. Not a person who you would trust to film a wedding or a birthday party.

The game was a commercial failure in Japan, selling only 31,000 copies at the end of December in 2004. Due to its poor sales, Grashopper Manufacture tried to acquire more sales of the game by shipping it overseas to Europe in 2005, without Suda 51′s knowledge or permission. Michigan: Report From Hell is now known as a hilarious piece of failed horror gaming, subject to bashings and riffs for it’s horrible voice acting and it’s failed attempts to keep the game seriously (as serious as a game featuring vagina monsters can allow). It should be noted though for it’s attempt to return horror at it’s roots, for attempting to put the player in a defenseless position in which the hero only has a camera and wits to help himself and the team survive the night.