Comments on: Podtoid 53: The Blogocube http://www.podtoid.com/podtoid-53-the-blogocube/ The official podcast site of Destructoid: Video game news and community Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:47:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: Scorpy2643 http://www.podtoid.com/podtoid-53-the-blogocube/#comment-29242 Sat, 31 May 2008 02:18:03 +0000 http://www.podtoid.com/podtoid-53-the-blogocube/#comment-29242 I know I'm a couple weeks late to the party, but I really took issue with something said in the podcast this week. It occurred during the discussion of "the gayer gamer". I totally agree with most of the rant about how sexuality doesn't matter any more in this day and age. gay? fine, have a good time. straight? cool, whatever makes you feel good. In 2008, it just doesn't matter anymore. There's no reason for people to even give two shits what your preference is. However... it really pissed me off that during something that you were so right on for you to make a comment about "in a non Fox News..." blah blah blah. It undercut your entire statement. It made you look exactly like the kind of broad generalizing douchebag that makes it hard for this guy to have his gamertag be Gayer Gamer. It's people making broad generalizations that make the environment tough for people to leave thier bias and hate behind. As a conservative and a republican, I get DAMN tired of liberals making foolish, close minded statements like this. If I wanted your fucking political agenda bullshit, I'd listen to a political show, not a gaming podcast. I just discovered your show, and if close minded bullshit like this is the norm, I may not want to listen for much longer. Your comment undercut your entire argument, and made you look exactly like the kind of douche your were railing against. You think you are some open minded bastion of acceptence? Try again, you just hate a different group of people. I know I’m a couple weeks late to the party, but I really took issue with something said in the podcast this week. It occurred during the discussion of “the gayer gamer”. I totally agree with most of the rant about how sexuality doesn’t matter any more in this day and age. gay? fine, have a good time. straight? cool, whatever makes you feel good. In 2008, it just doesn’t matter anymore. There’s no reason for people to even give two shits what your preference is. However…
it really pissed me off that during something that you were so right on for you to make a comment about “in a non Fox News…” blah blah blah. It undercut your entire statement. It made you look exactly like the kind of broad generalizing douchebag that makes it hard for this guy to have his gamertag be Gayer Gamer. It’s people making broad generalizations that make the environment tough for people to leave thier bias and hate behind. As a conservative and a republican, I get DAMN tired of liberals making foolish, close minded statements like this. If I wanted your fucking political agenda bullshit, I’d listen to a political show, not a gaming podcast. I just discovered your show, and if close minded bullshit like this is the norm, I may not want to listen for much longer.

Your comment undercut your entire argument, and made you look exactly like the kind of douche your were railing against. You think you are some open minded bastion of acceptence? Try again, you just hate a different group of people.

]]> by: Zac http://www.podtoid.com/podtoid-53-the-blogocube/#comment-27191 Mon, 19 May 2008 00:49:39 +0000 http://www.podtoid.com/podtoid-53-the-blogocube/#comment-27191 When I hear people talk about "Oh, I love going to to the store and buying my preorder, and the anticipation of driving home with it and stuff", I can't help but think that this sounds like the same hipster douchebags who talk about "the warmth of vinyl" and the "delightful crackling and pops" as opposed to CDs. http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080413/ENT02/804130419 It's like someone who lived in the thirties saying "In my day, cars didn't have automatic starters. You had to crank start it, and it was so much more 'real'." Digital distribution is better because it's there right away. None of your nostalgia for the old days of waiting, or looking at some crappy box art is relevant. Get with the times. That said, am I fully behind digital distribution? No. Like others, I'm afraid of losing the games I've downloaded because of unforeseen issues. The reason is that companies cannot be trusted. If they think they can get away with making you buy a second copy of the game, they'll do it. The music industry is already trying to do that. The RIAA claims copying music from a CD to your computer is theft. http://www.p2pnet.net/story/14480 If you want to play a song in your car and in your house and at your work, and you're too lazy to carry that CD around with you, the RIAA says you must buy a second or third copy. Obviously they're insane. Want another example? Users could download baseball games from MLB.com. At some point, they switched from one DRM method to another. The old DRM server was turned off, and the games you've paid for are now useless. But customers can just redownload them under the new system, right? Nuh-uh. MLB customer support said that "purchases are all one-time sales and thus there are no refunds". http://www.boingboing.net/2007/11/07/mlb-rips-off-fans-wh.html This is the kind of shit I'm worried about from game companies who have already decided to make money off of micropayments of game content that should have been included in the first place. When I hear people talk about “Oh, I love going to to the store and buying my preorder, and the anticipation of driving home with it and stuff”, I can’t help but think that this sounds like the same hipster douchebags who talk about “the warmth of vinyl” and the “delightful crackling and pops” as opposed to CDs.
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080413/ENT02/804130419
It’s like someone who lived in the thirties saying “In my day, cars didn’t have automatic starters. You had to crank start it, and it was so much more ‘real’.”
Digital distribution is better because it’s there right away. None of your nostalgia for the old days of waiting, or looking at some crappy box art is relevant. Get with the times.
That said, am I fully behind digital distribution? No. Like others, I’m afraid of losing the games I’ve downloaded because of unforeseen issues. The reason is that companies cannot be trusted. If they think they can get away with making you buy a second copy of the game, they’ll do it. The music industry is already trying to do that. The RIAA claims copying music from a CD to your computer is theft.
http://www.p2pnet.net/story/14480
If you want to play a song in your car and in your house and at your work, and you’re too lazy to carry that CD around with you, the RIAA says you must buy a second or third copy. Obviously they’re insane.

Want another example? Users could download baseball games from MLB.com. At some point, they switched from one DRM method to another. The old DRM server was turned off, and the games you’ve paid for are now useless. But customers can just redownload them under the new system, right? Nuh-uh.
MLB customer support said that “purchases are all one-time sales and thus there are no refunds”.
http://www.boingboing.net/2007/11/07/mlb-rips-off-fans-wh.html

This is the kind of shit I’m worried about from game companies who have already decided to make money off of micropayments of game content that should have been included in the first place.

]]> by: Redeuxx http://www.podtoid.com/podtoid-53-the-blogocube/#comment-27049 Sun, 18 May 2008 04:47:23 +0000 http://www.podtoid.com/podtoid-53-the-blogocube/#comment-27049 The disease you guys were talking about in WoW in this episode was actually a bug. The last boss in the dungeon Zul'Gurub, Hakkar, has an ability called "corrupted blood" that would cause direct damage as well as damage over time and spreading to other players. When the raid kills Hakkar, people who ported out to the big cities would still have the effect and while survivable, lower level players would die. People didn't live long enough to have any major effect, so I guess if it was a real virus, it would be a victim of it's effectiveness not allowing it to spread and keeping the infection local. The disease you guys were talking about in WoW in this episode was actually a bug. The last boss in the dungeon Zul’Gurub, Hakkar, has an ability called “corrupted blood” that would cause direct damage as well as damage over time and spreading to other players. When the raid kills Hakkar, people who ported out to the big cities would still have the effect and while survivable, lower level players would die. People didn’t live long enough to have any major effect, so I guess if it was a real virus, it would be a victim of it’s effectiveness not allowing it to spread and keeping the infection local.

]]> by: Thaedron http://www.podtoid.com/podtoid-53-the-blogocube/#comment-26873 Sat, 17 May 2008 03:06:27 +0000 http://www.podtoid.com/podtoid-53-the-blogocube/#comment-26873 I was playing WoW while listening to this... I was playing WoW while listening to this…

]]> by: Inso http://www.podtoid.com/podtoid-53-the-blogocube/#comment-26734 Fri, 16 May 2008 09:53:11 +0000 http://www.podtoid.com/podtoid-53-the-blogocube/#comment-26734 I sort of agree with the point about GTA IV, that the main character changes the tone, makes his actions a little more understandable, and the whole morality of the game being more subtle... BUT. The effect kind of wears off. At first, the way the game starts, I absolutely didn't want to do anything wrong. I didn't even deliberately run a red light for the first couple of missions. And then the game does a clever thing of gradually introducing the criminal element. You have to go crazy on the road to escape some loan sharks, then you're defending your cousin, then some ass has you by the balls so you have to do a few jobs for him and so on. But at some point Niko stops being the reluctant criminal and quite jarringly just gives up all pretence of only doing what he has to do and becomes the same gun for hire that you play in all the previous games - except at some moments when the game reminds you of his better side. In other words, the gradual baiting that the game does at the beginning, drawing you into doing more and more things you don't want Niko to have to do really works at the start ...and then by around 20 missions in just completely falls apart like so many boom blox. I think this is a facet of the multiple personality disorder that the game has in general. It wants to have subtle choices, but there's nothing subtle about some of the things you have to do in missions; it wants to be The Most Realistic GTA Yet, but also wants to be a cartoon parody of real life. (Oh yeah, and it wants me to have fun, but it keeps on making me do the same frickin' drive across the city whenever I fail this stupid mission. In some ways I think this is the most flawed game I have ever LOVED.) I sort of agree with the point about GTA IV, that the main character changes the tone, makes his actions a little more understandable, and the whole morality of the game being more subtle…

BUT.

The effect kind of wears off. At first, the way the game starts, I absolutely didn’t want to do anything wrong. I didn’t even deliberately run a red light for the first couple of missions. And then the game does a clever thing of gradually introducing the criminal element. You have to go crazy on the road to escape some loan sharks, then you’re defending your cousin, then some ass has you by the balls so you have to do a few jobs for him and so on. But at some point Niko stops being the reluctant criminal and quite jarringly just gives up all pretence of only doing what he has to do and becomes the same gun for hire that you play in all the previous games - except at some moments when the game reminds you of his better side.

In other words, the gradual baiting that the game does at the beginning, drawing you into doing more and more things you don’t want Niko to have to do really works at the start …and then by around 20 missions in just completely falls apart like so many boom blox.

I think this is a facet of the multiple personality disorder that the game has in general. It wants to have subtle choices, but there’s nothing subtle about some of the things you have to do in missions; it wants to be The Most Realistic GTA Yet, but also wants to be a cartoon parody of real life.

(Oh yeah, and it wants me to have fun, but it keeps on making me do the same frickin’ drive across the city whenever I fail this stupid mission. In some ways I think this is the most flawed game I have ever LOVED.)

]]> by: kyus http://www.podtoid.com/podtoid-53-the-blogocube/#comment-26660 Fri, 16 May 2008 01:30:43 +0000 http://www.podtoid.com/podtoid-53-the-blogocube/#comment-26660 I'LL SUCK YOUR DICK I’LL SUCK YOUR DICK

]]> by: Qwayfe (it's Mick HI JIM) http://www.podtoid.com/podtoid-53-the-blogocube/#comment-26654 Fri, 16 May 2008 00:20:32 +0000 http://www.podtoid.com/podtoid-53-the-blogocube/#comment-26654 Quite exciting, this computer magic. Quite exciting, this computer magic.

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