Red Steel is simply poor. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
As it's posted on Trigames.NET:
http://trigames.net/reviews.php?content_id=696&console=0
As it's posted on Gamespot:
Don't forget to cheer yourself up with Episode 50 of the podcast, in case reading about Red Steel makes you cry.
Ethan returns from his Stupid People Camp to join the three intellectuals for the 50th episode of the Trigames.NET Podcast. The franchise - bane or boon for gaming? We discuss. In the news we also talk about the AMA's potential c1assfication of 'game addiction' as a mental disorder, Sega's Scott Steinberg and his 'creativity concerns' regarding Wii, and whether or not the rumored death of Project H.A.M.M.E.R. is a sign of developers eschewing 'traditional' games for 'expanded audience' games.
Get ready for some chicken squawking (literally - well, almost), inane rambling and all the other nonsensical things that Ethan's pale nose brings back to the table in this 50th episode. And stick around for a little more Spam reporting. We read the Spam so you won't have to... but probably will anyway like so many other people who don't know how to take care of their PC's! Dammit!
Note: Apologies for the quality of the sound file. Something went wrong during the recording forcing us to use a lower quality sound file.
--Break It Down--
0:00:00 - We squawk like chickens
0:01:24 - What We're Playing
0:08:48 - Der News
- EA Games on the Mac
- Rumor - Project H.A.M.M.E.R. canceled, team moved onto 'expanded audience' project?
- Sir Howard Stringer - "refining the PS3 price"
- The AMA ponders: videogame and internet addiction a mental disorder?
- Scott Steinberg worries that creativity on Wii will die early... then circles back
- May NPD Sales
- Jack Tretton (Sony) - "We have to bring games to the market."
- Capcom puts (its crappy) PC ports on Steam
0:49:00 - The Bag of ****
0:59:45 - Main Discussion: The Videogame Franchise. Do we like 'em or are we sick of 'em?
1:23:28 - The Mailbag
Please - digg us, review us on iTunes, and tell your friends to listen and enter our Pirates versus Ninjas contest (hell, there will be no prize if we don't get enough people listening). Your support keeps us motivated. And don't forget - hit the mailbag with your questions!
Download here.
Run time: 1:35:54
File size: 46 MB
Disclaimer 1: This is about sports, specifically the NBA Finals.
Disclaimer 2: Don't forget about sending in your podcast questions! mailbag AT trigames DOT net
Henry Abbott said: "I just watched a whole bunch of video and they can't do much with LeBron."
For someone who writes a blog for ESPN, you'd think he'd know a thing or two about how basketball works.
Thank god we have someone like Bill Simmons - who also writes for ESPN - to basically take Abbott's words and smack the poor blogger with them:
"Myth No. 2: It means something that Cleveland beat San Antonio twice this season.
For the first half of the season, San Antonio was a nonthreat compared to Dallas and Phoenix and I stopped monitoring the Spurs almost completely. ...I found myself blindsided by John Hollinger's blog on Feb. 25 that suddenly ranked the Spurs as the best team in basketball.
... Hollinger was right. The Spurs looked like a totally different team. Ginobili's move to the bench on Jan. 28 eventually energized both him and Finley (more comfortable as a starter), and for whatever reason, Duncan raised his defense to another level (I can't remember him ever defending as well). In a two-month stretch from Feb. 13 to April 13, they kicked it into fifth gear by going 25-3 (including a 13-game winning streak), shifted into neutral for the last three games (all losses) with a No. 3 seed locked up, then kicked it back up into fifth by going 12-4 against Denver, Phoenix and Utah in the playoffs."
Of course, Bill Simmons embarrassingly picked the Nets to beat the Spurs in the 2003 NBA Finals - but at least he actually had some decent basketball reasoning behind it. Oh, and as for LeBron in Game 1? A player the Spurs can't do much with? 14 points on 4-of-16 shooting. Yuck. (Maybe the Spurs didn't HAVE to do much with him. First-time jitters? Maybe. But Jordan went off for 36 points in his first Finals game. Then again, he was in his late 20's with more than four years of experience. Then again... whatever - 4-of-16 is abysmal.)
Here's a tip, Mr. Abbott, on how championship Spurs teams and basketball have worked for a long time:
San Antonio has been historically a slow-starting team, and Tim Duncan an equally slow-starting player. Not because they're lazy, mind you, but because they're so consistent, disciplined and focused on the big picture that they don't necessarily want to expend such a large amount of energy early on when the early part of the season should be about learning the league, experimenting with and then finalizing rotations, and then perfecting execution within those rotations to finish the season with a bang. And hey - a slow-starting team that still plays like they do is a pretty damn good slow-starting team. Which is to say: the Spurs aren't so horrifically slow to start - they simply slow-start relative to how they finish out their seasons. I mean, remember how the Cleveland Cavaliers in like, the 2000-2001 season I think, was the darling of the Eastern Conference because they were getting an unexpectedly high number of wins with Clarence Weatherspoon (who never received a compliment higher than "He's a poor man's Charles Barkley" in the prime of his career) as their cornerstone? I mean... really? Fast forward to late season and they're not even in the playoff race by the end of it all. (God I wish I had a record of this - if I'm wrong it'll be really embarrasing, but I swear Cleveland - who was actually decently above .500 early that season leading up to the All-Star Break- ended up with like 30-something wins. *checks the internets* Well, they ended 30-52. Dunno about their All-Star break record)
More importantly, the Playoffs are simply a different beast when the dominant teams decide to take the slow-down-grind-it-out defensive approach, sprinkled with fast break and flash every now and again. I'm still not convinced that Phoenix would have ever taken down San Antonio even with Amare Stoudemire and friends not being suspended. Competitive? That they were. Defensive-minded enough to win? Pffft. Don't make me laugh. Playoffs and the road to a ring - execution, poise, defense, discipline, and yeah - a little bit of luck every now and again. See the Utah Jazz dismantling the coming-off-a-high-and-full-of-forward-momentum Golden State Warriors (something I hated to see from a franchise standpoint since I can't stand the Jazz but was glad to see from a "good basketball" standpoint). See the Miami Heat beating the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals last season, when the Mavs were supposed to be the rising stars of the league (what a crock - how's that MVP trophy looking, Dirk? How did you receive it - on your front porch in the late morning after a night of drinking?). See the Spurs against pretty much the entire Western Conference this Playoffs. See how Detroit zoomed through the East to face LeBron... and then lose that key - that "poise" - to fall to the up-and-comer.
Ah yes, Cleveland is indeed a healthy defensive team. Hell, from a territorial standpoint, I almost want to root for them since I'm an East-coaster. And, yeah, I really like LeBron. But they're young. They've got - and need - time to ripen. They'll get there eventually, and I think it's amazing that they've gotten this far at all (or maybe not - Washington was severely crippled, the Nets were... well... the Nets, and Detroit was on the verge of implosion). But San Antonio has too much experience and discipline - combined with a little bit of that dirty Bruce Bowen play for extra sugary goodness - to even consider Cleveland a major threat. A pesky bug that will make many of the Spurs' wins close (never you mind Game 1, which ended with a nine point spread and the Cavs down by 15 points going into the fourth quarter) and that may even win a game or two, but not a major threat. It's not time. It will come.
The point of all this, really, is to tell Abbott: watch all the early-season tape you want. This is the Playoffs, baby. This is June. This ain't November, this ain't January, and this definitely ain't a young, inexperienced team's time to shine. LeBron will be back, and he will win. But for now, the "boring" Spurs will do it in the manner they know best: efficiently and effectively.
With that said, let's see what happens in Game 2. The Spurs will win their 4th ring, but I'm eager to see how LeBron grows as a player and as a man in this series.
Addendum: It is simultaneously astounding and understandable to me that people complain about the Spurs being "boring." I grasp the concept of people liking fancy passes, tricky fast breaks and crazy three point shooting and scoring streaks and blah blah blah blah. Well, despite the fact that that stuff is indeed fun, you know what's ultimately entertaining to me? Basketball execution that wins games. And dammit, if that means that slow, plodding defense and shot-clock draining plays are what wins games and dominates the opposition, I'd rather watch that. Hell - I hate the Jazz with all my heart. And I still admire, coo and appreciate the crisp, textbook execution of Jerry Sloan and his players.
Yip ho ho. Learning from mistake during Episode 47, I'm telling y'all right now that we're recording on Saturday, June 9th, at Noon. So if ya gots thems questions, sends thems ins!
We've gotten two more entries for our Pirates versus Ninjas contest, as we mentioned in Episode 48. So, if you haven't entered in yet, enter. We know you like $50. We know you like T-shirts. Give it a shot. Rules are here. Remember that reviewing us on iTunes increases your chances, and Digging us on top of that increases them even more.
If we've got the full crew, we're going to be talking about the one videogame that we feel had the greatest impact on us as fans of videogames - for whatever reason. So, if you want to send in a question or comment about that, fire away.
In under an hour, the most awesomest podcasters in the universe give you - aside from their inherent superb and undisputable awesomitude - talk about the crap new bill against sales of violent games, GTA IV's rumored delay, why Who Framed Roger Rabbit for the NES sucked, and quite a few topics from the mailbag and you - our lovely (but not as awesome as us) listeners. Download! Listen! Review! Spread the Werd, Nerd!
Download here.
File Size: 26.3MB
Run Time: 0:54:49
Disclaimer: If you didn't beat Gears of War single-player and don't wish for the last battle to be spoiled, please avert thee eyes!
A little over twelve days ago, I finally completed Gears of War's single-player campaign for the first time (Hardcore difficulty). Though I could see little blips with Dom's AI here and there, and while some combat situations were incredibly frustrating, the gory cover-fest ended up being a very fun experience for me.
One thing, however, perturbed me a little: the final battle of the game, which is against General RAAM.
For those of you who completed the game, you know what the setup is: a long, narrow platform with pieces of stone cover set horizontally and riding up the middle. At the end is a Jupiter-sized chaingun, and around each piece of cover are four bright lights. General RAAM himself is surrounded by Kryll that disperse when he walks over one of these lights.
The first time I run into him, I think I'm all slick and try to pepper him with torque bow shots. I hadn't thought about the Kryll "shield" he had around him, and was subsequently flabbergasted when the torque bow didn't even make the jerk flinch. Dom = die! Me = die!
It took maybe two tries to realize what the lights were there for, so I decided to play the "patient" game and only pelt him when the Kryll left his side. Yet, he still advanced enough for me to - out of fear - leave my cover and run across the platform lengthwise to get to another piece of cover. Continuing this pattern, the same result came about: Dom = die! Me = die!
After another few tries, I decided to try and go for that mammoth chaingun. But, as my ninja reflexes resemble those of a tortoise more than they do a ninja, I ended up waiting too long at the chaingun - firing shots at him - as the Kryll came screeching at me, tearing my limbs from my torso. Dom = die! Me = die!
Frustrated - and this, I think, was like my eleventh or twelfth try - I went back to the "wait til the Kryll leave him and fire torque bow shots at him" strategy. Only this time, when Dom = die! and RAAM reached my end of the platform (I hadn't moved from that spot at all this time 'round), I didn't move. Frustrated, tired and contemplating just getting back to work (yep - 'twas working from home that day), I just sat there without pressing any buttons, Marcus Fenix crouching patiently behind the piece of cover, waiting for RAAM to gib me with his gargantuan armament.
To my surprise, nothing happened. All he did was roar a bit. Then he walked to the edge of my cover, roared again, and fired his gun - missing me totally. He then walked to the other edge of my cover, roared again, and fired his gun... missing me totally.
Blargh?
It seemed almost as if RAAM was too big to actually get around the piece of cover I was hiding behind. It also seemed as if he lacked any capacity to bend at the waist and fire down upon my head with his Ominous Gun of Die Humans (TM). All of his shots breezed harmlessly over my head as I kept my character hiding behind the cover.
At that point, with the fury of seven hyenas high on taurine, I decided to blind fire at him with my lancer.
10 seconds.
20 seconds.
30 seconds.
RAAM = die!
Buh? Was this right?
Anyway, I'd just like to ask the Gears vets out there if this is the way you're actually supposed to beat him. I feel like I've stumbled across a glitch instead of an actual strategy.
There is a 50-50 chance that the Trigames.NET Podcast will be postponed until next week. Tony and Al may be able to record one, but Ethan and I are going away for the weekend. Hencethus, enjoy some of our finest wines!
This '41 Bottle of Thompson is quite spicy.
I also like this '43 Bottle of Slunks - it's mellow yet good with cheese.
Up for something a little more aged? The '33 Bottle of Mailbag Explosion will do quite nicely.
Or you can dip into our not-so-aged-but-very-strong bottles from recent memory:
'47 Bottle of Navarro from Napa Valley
Don't forget that there's also the Gamer's Lounge and Gameslaves Radio. Happy Memorial Day. I hope I don't fall off this raft...
NOTE: All those who sent in questions after Saturday, 3PM EST, you missed it :( Sorry! I forgot to note that we were recording Saturday and not Sunday. So for that I apologize. You'll be read on episode 48, no doubt.
It's ALEX NAVARRO time. Watch him swallow flames and juggle 7 knives!
Hey Hey, kids. We talk about journalism in games today, and what better way to do it than to have a bona fide gaming journalist and critic with us? Joining us in the virtual Internets studio is Alex Navarro from Gamespot. Also in this episode: pie, ninjas, and vikings. Nintendo Power possibly giving up the ghost, Peter Moore talking schmack about Sony, and Al messes his pants over Starcraft II. Better watch out for the Nords. Oh, and Solitaire games that suddenly go multiplayer.
Buh???
Download here.
Run time: 1:25:19
File size: 40.9 MB
Breaking Stuffs Down.
0:01:50 - What We're Playing
0:03:45 - Al makes a loud noise and somehow knocks his mic out of commission for a good few minutes
0:07:17 - Rumors, Talk, News
0:27:27 - The Bag of ****
0:41:24 - Main Discussion - Journalism, PR, Games, and Delicious Viking Treats (just kidding about that last part)
1:10:22 - Mailbag ... and Slunks' Grammars is the Plentiful of Good
1:23:49 - Housekeeping, Outro and a Post-conclusion Pirates versus Ninja spiel
Please - digg us, review us on iTunes, and tell your friends to listen and enter our Pirates versus Ninjas contest (hell, there will be no prize if we don't get enough people listening). Your support keeps us motivated. And don't forget - hit the mailbag with your questions!
For previous episodes, please visit our Podcast Homepage!
Bursts. Ya, BURST! But not how you think, you perv.
PODCAST BURSTS1) Remember! You can hear ShenlongBo on Episode 46 of our podcast. It was a really fun time.
2) Speaking of community members on our podcast, you can hear Slunks on Episodes 43 and 44 of our podcast. Also a really fun time.
3) More Gamespot on the podcast: Alex Navarro is joining us for Episode 47 . Be sure to send us questions: mailbag [at] trigames [dot] net. The topic is a somewhat serious one, one that I'm very interested in and even concerned about. Be sure to listen.
4) Finally, don't forget The Gamer's Lounge and the Gameslaves Radio podcasts.
BURST IMPRESSIONS
1) SSX Blur (Wii). This is a game that looks great; plays ... mostly well; and is just plain fun. It's also a game that I could never have owned and not missed anything. The simpler Uber-tricks will suddenly come to you as a nirvana, where once they were impossible to pull off (give it about 5 hours). The music is rad, and carving with the 'chuk feels smooth. Slaloms in this game are some of the worst experiences I've ever sat through in a videogame. Brings the whole experience down. Finally, Andrew Pfister's "My First SSX" descriptor is supremely way off. Don't have any SSX game and only own Wii? Buy it. Have an SSX game but want to just fiddle with the remote? Buy or rent it. Want a totally new experience that actually improves upon the regular gamepad, and own a previous SSX game? Don't even consider touching it, because it's not that experience.
2) Wade Hixton's Counter Punch. Mike Tyson's punch out with beautiful hand-drawn, goofy, Ren-and-Stimpy-esque drawings. You get to fight a pimp, for chrissakes. The mechanics? Crisp, responsive, quick. There's less pattern-based play, making the game seem a bit more random and perhaps a bit more natural than Punch Out!! - but it also means that each opponent you fight is only differentiated by special moves as opposed to tendencies. Great fun, though - and I found it at Circuit City for $8.96.
3) Halo 3's graphics (based off of my experience with videos - to clarify, I AM NOT IN THE BETA). I'm not a Halo fan, but I like dissecting them graffix. Let's just say that I think Halo 3 is very pretty - but not in that obvious, OMG $400 way. It's very subtle in its qualities, and I think it requires a hands-on try as opposed to looking at it through video. Still, when you can actually see the detail in the textures, they look great. I wish it hadn't understated its lighting so much, but that's ok - again, it still looks pretty, and if I did want to buy Halo, I'd definitely be satisfied (though not blown away) with the visuals. Plus, it's a beta, people. I'm sure they'll work on it.
I mean, ShenlongBo. Check out the episode description:
We invite Trigames.NET contributor ShenlongBingdong Shingdong Singsong Bo - better known to humans as Adrian - to wax poetic with us on this 46th episode of the Trigames.NET podcast. We discuss virtual rape in Second Life, Wii being inferior to the original Xbox in terms of visual capabilities, and answer a whole lotta useless mailbag mail
Oh yeah - and Al falls asleep.
Briggidy-Breakdown. Breakdown.
0:01:31 - What We've Been Playing
0:14:08 - (Not so) Quick News
0:25:21 - Technical Difficulties! LOLZOMG TEH INTARNETS BROK
0:40:10 - This week's Bag of ****
0:55:38 - Main Discussion: Robbie Bach says Wii is Graphically Inferior to the Original Xbox. Is it true, does this matter, and how? Meanwhile, Adrian and Tony battle over the definition of 'opulence' with help from the dictionary.
1:20:15 - Mailbag!
1:40:34 - Listen close and you can hear Al snoring during the mailbag.
1:43:39 - Ethan Enters Late. The useless sonuvabreach.
Download here.
File Size: 58.6 MB
Run time: 2:02:08
Please - digg us, review us on iTunes, and tell your friends to listen and enter our Pirates versus Ninjas contest (hell, there will be no prize if we don't get enough people listening). Your support keeps us motivated. And don't forget - hit the mailbag with your questions!
For previous episodes, please visit our Podcast Homepage!
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