http://www.odeo.com/channels/2120085-threevue fatching no video games, movies, music, food and stuff video games, movies, music, food and stuff Threevue.com Threecast! en 40 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:08:21 -0800 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:08:21 -0800 Movies, music, video, Games, com, threevue Video Games Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25419489-Record-Review-Ben-Barnett-%E2%80%93-Songs-About-Zombies-And-Trust-Issues release date: sometime in 2009 Songs About Zombies And Trust Issues is a CD-R album that was sold at Ben Barnett shows during this past year. Mr. Barnett was the brainchild of Kind of Like Spitting, one of my favorite bands. I’ve always been drawn to KOLS because Barnett sounds like he’s teetering on the edge of a breakdown during every song; it’s like the sound of his own voice is enough to push him over the edge. And for making music in a DIY-fashion most of the time (there was one “major” release on Barsuk in 2002), this fugly crazyman from Portland has always created diverse and expansive music, with only a couple crappy albums in a long line of releases. And he’s a motherfucker on the guitar, man. The past two full-length KOLS releases were a bit disappointing, in that they felt too much like compilations of songs written and recorded all over the country to even be thought of as albums. Funny thing is Songs About Zombies And Trust Issues sou... release date: sometime in 2009 Songs About Zombies And Trust Issues is a CD-R album that was sold at Ben Barnett shows during this past year. Mr. Barnett was the brainchild of Kind of Like Spitting, one of my favorite bands. I’ve always been drawn to KOLS because Barnett sounds like he’s teetering on the edge of a breakdown during every song; it’s like the sound of his own voice is enough to push him over the edge. And for making music in a DIY-fashion most of the time (there was one “major” release on Barsuk in 2002), this fugly crazyman from Portland has always created diverse and expansive music, with only a couple crappy albums in a long line of releases. And he’s a motherfucker on the guitar, man. The past two full-length KOLS releases were a bit disappointing, in that they felt too much like compilations of songs written and recorded all over the country to even be thought of as albums. Funny thing is Songs About Zombies And Trust Issues sounds just like that, too, but much better. I think it has to do with the fact that these are much better songs. There’s a song with a Harry Potter reference (“Leave My Friends Alone”) and one of his better cover songs (Lennon’s “Jealous Guy”), although he’s made some great covers (you can get them for free here under “media”), and the fuzzy 4-track sound really fits with these songs. Truth be told, this may be the best introductory album for someone looking to get into Kind of Like Spitting. You can find this album pretty easily on the web if you use this thing called Google. Apparently, Mr. Barnett is leading a new band, called Blunt Mechanic, who is releasing an album on Barsuk early next year. Considering how good Songs About Zombies And Trust Issues is, I can’t wait. release date: sometime in 2009 Songs About Zombies And Trust Issues is a CD-R album that was sold at Ben Barnett shows during this past year. Mr. Barnett was the brainchild of Kind of Like Spitting, one of my favorite bands. I’ve always been drawn to KOLS because Barnett sounds like he’s teetering on the edge of a breakdown during every song; it’s like the sound of his own voice is enough to push him over the edge. And for making music in a DIY-fashion most of the time (there was one “major” release on Barsuk in 2002), this fugly crazyman from Portland has always created diverse and expansive music, with only a couple crappy albums in a long line of releases. And he’s a motherfucker on the guitar, man. The past two full-length KOLS releases were a bit disappointing, in that they felt too much like compilations of songs written and recorded all over the country to even be thought of as albums. Funny thing is Songs About Zombies And Trust Issues sounds just like that, too, but much better. I think it has to do with the fact that these are much better songs. There’s a song with a Harry Potter reference (“Leave My Friends Alone”) and one of his better cover songs (Lennon’s “Jealous Guy”), although he’s made some great covers (you can get them for free here under “media”), and the fuzzy 4-track sound really fits with these songs. Truth be told, this may be the best introductory album for someone looking to get into Kind of Like Spitting. You can find this album pretty easily on the web if you use this thing called Google. Apparently, Mr. Barnett is leading a new band, called Blunt Mechanic, who is releasing an album on Barsuk early next year. Considering how good Songs About Zombies And Trust Issues is, I can’t wait. tag:odeo.com,2009-11-07,25419489 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:08:21 -0800 no threevue music, Reviews, ben barnett, kind of like spitting Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25418590-Cheapskate-100-Xbox-360-Arcade-Two-Hours-Only There’s a sale going on NOW where if you buy a $200 Xbox 360 Arcade, it comes with a $100 Amazon gift card. Considering the fact that you’re going to spend $100 on gifts this year from Amazon anyway, this is quite the deal if you don’t have an Xbox 360 yet (and you’re willing to piecemeal the rest of your Xbox 360 together later). The sale is going on for the next two hours, so jump on it. There’s a sale going on NOW where if you buy a $200 Xbox 360 Arcade, it comes with a $100 Amazon gift card. Considering the fact that you’re going to spend $100 on gifts this year from Amazon anyway, this is quite the deal if you don’t have an Xbox 360 yet (and you’re willing to piecemeal the rest of your Xbox 360 together later). The sale is going on for the next two hours, so jump on it. There’s a sale going on NOW where if you buy a $200 Xbox 360 Arcade, it comes with a $100 Amazon gift card. Considering the fact that you’re going to spend $100 on gifts this year from Amazon anyway, this is quite the deal if you don’t have an Xbox 360 yet (and you’re willing to piecemeal the rest of your Xbox 360 together later). The sale is going on for the next two hours, so jump on it. tag:odeo.com,2009-11-07,25418590 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:12:31 -0800 no threevue xbox 360, Amazon, Games, Cheapskate Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25418591-I-Still-Want-You-Modern-Warfare-2-But-Just-A-Little-Less-Now Is that an Eminem song I hear? Really? Way to tarnish the history of high-quality Call of Duty commercials and trailers with the most un-creative of music selections. This is one metal riff away from being that lame Section 8 commercial, or any other game that is trying to portray how hardcore it is by squeezing in some MTV music. Remember that Gears of War ad with the song Mad World? It was slow, intense, and emotional. That’s how you make a commercial. Someone needs to consult me next time. Is that an Eminem song I hear? Really? Way to tarnish the history of high-quality Call of Duty commercials and trailers with the most un-creative of music selections. This is one metal riff away from being that lame Section 8 commercial, or any other game that is trying to portray how hardcore it is by squeezing in some MTV music. Remember that Gears of War ad with the song Mad World? It was slow, intense, and emotional. That’s how you make a commercial. Someone needs to consult me next time. Is that an Eminem song I hear? Really? Way to tarnish the history of high-quality Call of Duty commercials and trailers with the most un-creative of music selections. This is one metal riff away from being that lame Section 8 commercial, or any other game that is trying to portray how hardcore it is by squeezing in some MTV music. Remember that Gears of War ad with the song Mad World? It was slow, intense, and emotional. That’s how you make a commercial. Someone needs to consult me next time. tag:odeo.com,2009-11-07,25418591 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:08:35 -0800 no threevue Television, Games, editorials, Modern Warfare 2 Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25409794-Film-Review-G-I-Joe-%E2%80%93-Rise-of-the-Cobra Imagine, if you will, that there are these magical people in Hollywood that can perform real magic. Now imagine that these magicians (I like to call them magickers) were able to take some beloved G.I. Joe figurines from the 1980s and transform them into real people (not being able to give them brains, mind you). Now (stay with me here), imagine that these life-sized figurines were given a budget of $175 million and told to make a live action film about themselves. And that’s how we came upon G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra. I’m not joking here, folks. I tend to rag on “refresh” films like Transformers which seem to only be after money, but this here film is certifiably, filthily bad. This film is so bad that it took me three days to watch it, because I kept turning it off in disgust. But alas, I gave it a college try if only for the slight chance it would redeem itself. Didn’t happen. It’s not even true to the series, which I vaguely remember from my ... Imagine, if you will, that there are these magical people in Hollywood that can perform real magic. Now imagine that these magicians (I like to call them magickers) were able to take some beloved G.I. Joe figurines from the 1980s and transform them into real people (not being able to give them brains, mind you). Now (stay with me here), imagine that these life-sized figurines were given a budget of $175 million and told to make a live action film about themselves. And that’s how we came upon G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra. I’m not joking here, folks. I tend to rag on “refresh” films like Transformers which seem to only be after money, but this here film is certifiably, filthily bad. This film is so bad that it took me three days to watch it, because I kept turning it off in disgust. But alas, I gave it a college try if only for the slight chance it would redeem itself. Didn’t happen. It’s not even true to the series, which I vaguely remember from my childhood. Although I do remember that Cobra Commander wasn’t played by Shigeru Miyamoto. The only thing I can give G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra credit for are the following three revelations: 1. This film probably made 30-year old rednecks say “wow” every five minutes 2. This is the best film to feature a Wayan brother in ten years 3. This film has already made $300 million, so apparently I am a fucking idiot anyway Imagine, if you will, that there are these magical people in Hollywood that can perform real magic. Now imagine that these magicians (I like to call them magickers) were able to take some beloved G.I. Joe figurines from the 1980s and transform them into real people (not being able to give them brains, mind you). Now (stay with me here), imagine that these life-sized figurines were given a budget of $175 million and told to make a live action film about themselves. And that’s how we came upon G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra. I’m not joking here, folks. I tend to rag on “refresh” films like Transformers which seem to only be after money, but this here film is certifiably, filthily bad. This film is so bad that it took me three days to watch it, because I kept turning it off in disgust. But alas, I gave it a college try if only for the slight chance it would redeem itself. Didn’t happen. It’s not even true to the series, which I vaguely remember from my childhood. Although I do remember that Cobra Commander wasn’t played by Shigeru Miyamoto. The only thing I can give G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra credit for are the following three revelations: 1. This film probably made 30-year old rednecks say “wow” every five minutes 2. This is the best film to feature a Wayan brother in ten years 3. This film has already made $300 million, so apparently I am a fucking idiot anyway tag:odeo.com,2009-11-05,25409794 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:16:40 -0800 no threevue Movies, Reviews, gi joe Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25409795-Demotopia-Marvel-Ultimate-Alliance-2 I realize that this game has been out for a while already, but the demo dropped today onto the Xbox Live Marketplace so I decided to give it a whirl. I didn’t play much of the first Marvel Ultimate Alliance, mostly because it reminded me too much of an underwhelming X-men: Legends game I played on the PSP waaaay back in 2004. I like that they tried to expand the scope of the game a bit by including bright, outdoor levels. It makes the always-dungeony isometric view a little more palatable and wide. The graphics look prettier, and there seems to be more combat going on at once than before. Unfortunately, the same thing that mires down all games like this is exacerbated in MUA2’s new scheme – I had the damnedest time figuring out which character I was controlling and who was a good/bad guy. The demo only lasted about 5-10 minutes (that’s including the fact that half the demo is cutscenes), which wasn’t a fair enough assessment of how repetitive the combat... I realize that this game has been out for a while already, but the demo dropped today onto the Xbox Live Marketplace so I decided to give it a whirl. I didn’t play much of the first Marvel Ultimate Alliance, mostly because it reminded me too much of an underwhelming X-men: Legends game I played on the PSP waaaay back in 2004. I like that they tried to expand the scope of the game a bit by including bright, outdoor levels. It makes the always-dungeony isometric view a little more palatable and wide. The graphics look prettier, and there seems to be more combat going on at once than before. Unfortunately, the same thing that mires down all games like this is exacerbated in MUA2’s new scheme – I had the damnedest time figuring out which character I was controlling and who was a good/bad guy. The demo only lasted about 5-10 minutes (that’s including the fact that half the demo is cutscenes), which wasn’t a fair enough assessment of how repetitive the combat will be. I’m assuming it’ll be the same story as the previous game, which means that if you’re into this kind of game you’ll like it. Otherwise, if you were thinking that this was the iteration of the series you were going to jump into, you might want to wait for a better sequel. I realize that this game has been out for a while already, but the demo dropped today onto the Xbox Live Marketplace so I decided to give it a whirl. I didn’t play much of the first Marvel Ultimate Alliance, mostly because it reminded me too much of an underwhelming X-men: Legends game I played on the PSP waaaay back in 2004. I like that they tried to expand the scope of the game a bit by including bright, outdoor levels. It makes the always-dungeony isometric view a little more palatable and wide. The graphics look prettier, and there seems to be more combat going on at once than before. Unfortunately, the same thing that mires down all games like this is exacerbated in MUA2’s new scheme – I had the damnedest time figuring out which character I was controlling and who was a good/bad guy. The demo only lasted about 5-10 minutes (that’s including the fact that half the demo is cutscenes), which wasn’t a fair enough assessment of how repetitive the combat will be. I’m assuming it’ll be the same story as the previous game, which means that if you’re into this kind of game you’ll like it. Otherwise, if you were thinking that this was the iteration of the series you were going to jump into, you might want to wait for a better sequel. tag:odeo.com,2009-11-05,25409795 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:51:19 -0800 no threevue Games, marvel ultimate alliance 2, Demotopia! Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25408399-Film-Review-Up Up is the latest Pixar film, and I saw the 2D version. If you have a soul you probably already like Pixar films, and have either seen this or plan on seeing it. If that’s you, you’ll like this film. There’s not much to not like, honestly. Pixar monopolized the family-centric computer animated film industry several movies ago, and now they’re just rubbing it in our faces; but I’m okay with that, since these films are still really good. Up follows the life of one man, who does what we all yearn to do some days: attach a bunch of helium balloons to a house and fly to South America. The film builds several relationships and addresses issues that are a little darker than your typical Pixar fare (death, mainly) with delicate and unsurprising tact. And though it’s a good film, it’s not the best Pixar product (I still side with Ratatouille) but still better than any film made by the other studios. In summary, Ratatouille>Up>Dreamworks. Up is the latest Pixar film, and I saw the 2D version. If you have a soul you probably already like Pixar films, and have either seen this or plan on seeing it. If that’s you, you’ll like this film. There’s not much to not like, honestly. Pixar monopolized the family-centric computer animated film industry several movies ago, and now they’re just rubbing it in our faces; but I’m okay with that, since these films are still really good. Up follows the life of one man, who does what we all yearn to do some days: attach a bunch of helium balloons to a house and fly to South America. The film builds several relationships and addresses issues that are a little darker than your typical Pixar fare (death, mainly) with delicate and unsurprising tact. And though it’s a good film, it’s not the best Pixar product (I still side with Ratatouille) but still better than any film made by the other studios. In summary, Ratatouille>Up>Dreamworks. Up is the latest Pixar film, and I saw the 2D version. If you have a soul you probably already like Pixar films, and have either seen this or plan on seeing it. If that’s you, you’ll like this film. There’s not much to not like, honestly. Pixar monopolized the family-centric computer animated film industry several movies ago, and now they’re just rubbing it in our faces; but I’m okay with that, since these films are still really good. Up follows the life of one man, who does what we all yearn to do some days: attach a bunch of helium balloons to a house and fly to South America. The film builds several relationships and addresses issues that are a little darker than your typical Pixar fare (death, mainly) with delicate and unsurprising tact. And though it’s a good film, it’s not the best Pixar product (I still side with Ratatouille) but still better than any film made by the other studios. In summary, Ratatouille>Up>Dreamworks. tag:odeo.com,2009-11-05,25408399 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:45:39 -0800 no threevue Movies, Reviews Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25397501-Demotopia-Left-4-Dead-2 In playing L4D2 I was reminded exactly what it was that attracted everyone to playing the original: it was the not knowing. The first time playing through No Mercy in L4D you had no idea where to go or what was around the corner. At no point could you determine how far through the level you were or when you were about to reach the next set piece/horde attack point. You were just running and shooting. You wanted to get to the safe house, and when you did you ran in the door, turned around, saw a mob of zombies running full-tilt towards you and you slammed the door. Then you said, “fuuuuuuck…” And you’re going to do it again with Left 4 Dead 2. The original was immediately thrilling to play with friends but it had no real legs to speak of. Even I admit that Blood Harvest becomes a little stale after the 15th playthrough. It was suffered from the repetition of 4 chapters, 5 boss infected, 7 guns and that’s it. L4D2 now has 5 chapters, at least 7 special in... In playing L4D2 I was reminded exactly what it was that attracted everyone to playing the original: it was the not knowing. The first time playing through No Mercy in L4D you had no idea where to go or what was around the corner. At no point could you determine how far through the level you were or when you were about to reach the next set piece/horde attack point. You were just running and shooting. You wanted to get to the safe house, and when you did you ran in the door, turned around, saw a mob of zombies running full-tilt towards you and you slammed the door. Then you said, “fuuuuuuck…” And you’re going to do it again with Left 4 Dead 2. The original was immediately thrilling to play with friends but it had no real legs to speak of. Even I admit that Blood Harvest becomes a little stale after the 15th playthrough. It was suffered from the repetition of 4 chapters, 5 boss infected, 7 guns and that’s it. L4D2 now has 5 chapters, at least 7 special infected, 23 weapons and only more to come with DLC. The few things I didn’t like about the game that I picked up from the demo is the fact that you still cannot customize the controller. I know, it’s my go-to bitching point, but why Valve? I can do it all your other games. I need those precious milliseconds in the game. My thumbs will, for the rest of my life, think reload is “X” and not “B”. Also, I didn’t know that melee weapons take the place of sidearms. With that prospect I don’t see myself picking up a police baton over a second, unlimited-ammo pistol any time soon. Though, at more than one point I stared down a lone zombie as he sprinted towards me down a long alley only to switch to my machete a second before he got to me and loped his head off like a samurai. Final verdict: The demo is out on XBLA, go get it. In playing L4D2 I was reminded exactly what it was that attracted everyone to playing the original: it was the not knowing. The first time playing through No Mercy in L4D you had no idea where to go or what was around the corner. At no point could you determine how far through the level you were or when you were about to reach the next set piece/horde attack point. You were just running and shooting. You wanted to get to the safe house, and when you did you ran in the door, turned around, saw a mob of zombies running full-tilt towards you and you slammed the door. Then you said, “fuuuuuuck…” And you’re going to do it again with Left 4 Dead 2. The original was immediately thrilling to play with friends but it had no real legs to speak of. Even I admit that Blood Harvest becomes a little stale after the 15th playthrough. It was suffered from the repetition of 4 chapters, 5 boss infected, 7 guns and that’s it. L4D2 now has 5 chapters, at least 7 special infected, 23 weapons and only more to come with DLC. The few things I didn’t like about the game that I picked up from the demo is the fact that you still cannot customize the controller. I know, it’s my go-to bitching point, but why Valve? I can do it all your other games. I need those precious milliseconds in the game. My thumbs will, for the rest of my life, think reload is “X” and not “B”. Also, I didn’t know that melee weapons take the place of sidearms. With that prospect I don’t see myself picking up a police baton over a second, unlimited-ammo pistol any time soon. Though, at more than one point I stared down a lone zombie as he sprinted towards me down a long alley only to switch to my machete a second before he got to me and loped his head off like a samurai. Final verdict: The demo is out on XBLA, go get it. tag:odeo.com,2009-11-03,25397501 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:04:16 -0800 no threevue Reviews, xbox 360, Games, Demotopia!, L4D2 Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25397502-Threecast-Episode-47 I know it’s, like, your #1 priority in life to listen to this podcast. However, if you gander at the clock and it happens to be 9:30 PM on November the 4th– Then you need to get your ass to Gyenari in Culver City, Ca. for some Rock Banding. This week is all about Quantum of Solace, Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction, Words with Friends, MKVs, Borderlands, and homework! Musical Guest: American Analog Set Subscribe via iTunes Download the .m4a file directly. (with pretty pictures) Download the .mp3 file directly. (just the audio) Listen streaming: I know it’s, like, your #1 priority in life to listen to this podcast. However, if you gander at the clock and it happens to be 9:30 PM on November the 4th– Then you need to get your ass to Gyenari in Culver City, Ca. for some Rock Banding. This week is all about Quantum of Solace, Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction, Words with Friends, MKVs, Borderlands, and homework! Musical Guest: American Analog Set Subscribe via iTunes Download the .m4a file directly. (with pretty pictures) Download the .mp3 file directly. (just the audio) Listen streaming: I know it’s, like, your #1 priority in life to listen to this podcast. However, if you gander at the clock and it happens to be 9:30 PM on November the 4th– Then you need to get your ass to Gyenari in Culver City, Ca. for some Rock Banding. This week is all about Quantum of Solace, Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction, Words with Friends, MKVs, Borderlands, and homework! Musical Guest: American Analog Set Subscribe via iTunes Download the .m4a file directly. (with pretty pictures) Download the .mp3 file directly. (just the audio) Listen streaming: tag:odeo.com,2009-11-03,25397502 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:50:13 -0800 no threevue Games, threecast Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25397503-Film-Review-Monsters-vs-Aliens Monsters vs Aliens is the latest in Dreamworks’ fantasy in which they hire all of Hollywood to voice one movie. I’m not kidding, look at this cast: Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, Paul Rudd, Julie White, Jeffrey Tambor, Amy Poehler, Ed Helms, Renée Zellweger, and John Krasinski. Yeah, you read right – Julie White. It’s a fair film, with its share of inside jokes and visual treatsies. One thing that struck me about the film is that the main character (Reese Witherspoon) deals with some heavy stuff, and has a bit of an existential crisis. Also, there are some real-deal gay issues somewhat subtly presented by John Krasinski. It’s pretty deep for a cartoon. Other than that, though, it’s mostly just quick and witty dialogue, punctuated by Rainn Wilson and Stephen Colbert (who plays an excellent POTUS). Chances are you know what you’re up against with a film like this, and ... Monsters vs Aliens is the latest in Dreamworks’ fantasy in which they hire all of Hollywood to voice one movie. I’m not kidding, look at this cast: Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, Paul Rudd, Julie White, Jeffrey Tambor, Amy Poehler, Ed Helms, Renée Zellweger, and John Krasinski. Yeah, you read right – Julie White. It’s a fair film, with its share of inside jokes and visual treatsies. One thing that struck me about the film is that the main character (Reese Witherspoon) deals with some heavy stuff, and has a bit of an existential crisis. Also, there are some real-deal gay issues somewhat subtly presented by John Krasinski. It’s pretty deep for a cartoon. Other than that, though, it’s mostly just quick and witty dialogue, punctuated by Rainn Wilson and Stephen Colbert (who plays an excellent POTUS). Chances are you know what you’re up against with a film like this, and it didn’t disappoint. Much better than the game demo I played, which was so bad I didn’t do a writeup about it. Monsters vs Aliens is the latest in Dreamworks’ fantasy in which they hire all of Hollywood to voice one movie. I’m not kidding, look at this cast: Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, Paul Rudd, Julie White, Jeffrey Tambor, Amy Poehler, Ed Helms, Renée Zellweger, and John Krasinski. Yeah, you read right – Julie White. It’s a fair film, with its share of inside jokes and visual treatsies. One thing that struck me about the film is that the main character (Reese Witherspoon) deals with some heavy stuff, and has a bit of an existential crisis. Also, there are some real-deal gay issues somewhat subtly presented by John Krasinski. It’s pretty deep for a cartoon. Other than that, though, it’s mostly just quick and witty dialogue, punctuated by Rainn Wilson and Stephen Colbert (who plays an excellent POTUS). Chances are you know what you’re up against with a film like this, and it didn’t disappoint. Much better than the game demo I played, which was so bad I didn’t do a writeup about it. tag:odeo.com,2009-11-03,25397503 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:40:33 -0800 no threevue Movies, Reviews, monsters vs aliens Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25397504-Cleaning-House-Threevue-Review-Gears-of-War-2 It’s busy times for us here at the Threevue HQ, so much so that we had to look for outside help for some of our write-’em-ups). So we are posting some of the old stuff that slipped through the cracks in the past for one reason or another (coughMarkcough). So enjoy some old school Threevue goodness. Russ: I didn’t buy an Xbox 360 until it had been out for a good 18 months, and when I did get it, I considered the original Gears of War to be my new console’s first must-have game. Its then-jaw-dropping graphics and cover system that actually worked sometimes were kind of a big deal for me, and felt like our first true next-gen game. It had its share of flaws, including everything from gameplay changeups that were thinly veiled as storyline elements to some ridiculously unfair difficulty spikes. But overall, it was a decent, shallow game with a multiplayer mode filled with devotees that wail on me instantly. And when Gears of War 2 came out last fall with screensh... It’s busy times for us here at the Threevue HQ, so much so that we had to look for outside help for some of our write-’em-ups). So we are posting some of the old stuff that slipped through the cracks in the past for one reason or another (coughMarkcough). So enjoy some old school Threevue goodness. Russ: I didn’t buy an Xbox 360 until it had been out for a good 18 months, and when I did get it, I considered the original Gears of War to be my new console’s first must-have game. Its then-jaw-dropping graphics and cover system that actually worked sometimes were kind of a big deal for me, and felt like our first true next-gen game. It had its share of flaws, including everything from gameplay changeups that were thinly veiled as storyline elements to some ridiculously unfair difficulty spikes. But overall, it was a decent, shallow game with a multiplayer mode filled with devotees that wail on me instantly. And when Gears of War 2 came out last fall with screenshots that looked a lot like its predecessor, I didn’t buy it. If I wanted to play something like it, I could just play the first game, right? After picking up the game used for cheap, I was happy I had waited. The single player campaign took me only a few nights to finish, and I’m just as intimidated to play the multiplayer as I was with the first title. And as you’ve read a million times before, this game does exactly what a sequel should do, by expanding everything and throwing in a few twists. It feels much more balanced, although I felt strung along during the last chapter with a few too many generic gun battles. The difficulty has been tweaked and smoothed out, and the easy setting is actually easy this time around. But the most marked improvements are in the graphics realm; in particular, there is one section where you open up an old building and there are dust particles floating in the air, reflecting against Jack’s floodlights. That moment has easily the most immersing graphics I’ve experienced in a game, and broke down some barriers that I didn’t think an action game could do. All in all, it was a great game that I’ll revisit sometime in the future, and I’m looking forward to Gears of War 3 more than I expected to. Who knows, I might even try the multiplayer some day, too. 91/100 Tyler: I don’t know what happened. Somewhere between 2007 and 2008 Epic turned Gears of War in to a fairly good game. I guess when you make one of the highest grossing titles in history it pays to heed the criticism more so than the adulation. Thankfully it seemed that Clifford Blezninsky and his fellows did just that. The game was no longer a blur of gray urban destruction. The story was progressed and even built to emotional climaxes at points and it seemed no longer like an 8-hour repetition of run/cover/shoot/reload/shoot/reload/repeat. Online was expanded and given many new features such as the Horde Mode. All in all, a vast improvement from the original. Still GOW2 had its problems. For all of its massive action and epic battles the game boils down the way most action shooters do. Unless you play it on the easiest setting you’ll be spending the majority of your time filling your enemies with round after round while they slowly amble towards cover. You’ll be pelted with ridiculous one liner after another until the emotional impact of the story wears off and you care only about getting through the level to the next big explosion. Huge improvement from the original though. 85/100 It’s busy times for us here at the Threevue HQ, so much so that we had to look for outside help for some of our write-’em-ups). So we are posting some of the old stuff that slipped through the cracks in the past for one reason or another (coughMarkcough). So enjoy some old school Threevue goodness. Russ: I didn’t buy an Xbox 360 until it had been out for a good 18 months, and when I did get it, I considered the original Gears of War to be my new console’s first must-have game. Its then-jaw-dropping graphics and cover system that actually worked sometimes were kind of a big deal for me, and felt like our first true next-gen game. It had its share of flaws, including everything from gameplay changeups that were thinly veiled as storyline elements to some ridiculously unfair difficulty spikes. But overall, it was a decent, shallow game with a multiplayer mode filled with devotees that wail on me instantly. And when Gears of War 2 came out last fall with screenshots that looked a lot like its predecessor, I didn’t buy it. If I wanted to play something like it, I could just play the first game, right? After picking up the game used for cheap, I was happy I had waited. The single player campaign took me only a few nights to finish, and I’m just as intimidated to play the multiplayer as I was with the first title. And as you’ve read a million times before, this game does exactly what a sequel should do, by expanding everything and throwing in a few twists. It feels much more balanced, although I felt strung along during the last chapter with a few too many generic gun battles. The difficulty has been tweaked and smoothed out, and the easy setting is actually easy this time around. But the most marked improvements are in the graphics realm; in particular, there is one section where you open up an old building and there are dust particles floating in the air, reflecting against Jack’s floodlights. That moment has easily the most immersing graphics I’ve experienced in a game, and broke down some barriers that I didn’t think an action game could do. All in all, it was a great game that I’ll revisit sometime in the future, and I’m looking forward to Gears of War 3 more than I expected to. Who knows, I might even try the multiplayer some day, too. 91/100 Tyler: I don’t know what happened. Somewhere between 2007 and 2008 Epic turned Gears of War in to a fairly good game. I guess when you make one of the highest grossing titles in history it pays to heed the criticism more so than the adulation. Thankfully it seemed that Clifford Blezninsky and his fellows did just that. The game was no longer a blur of gray urban destruction. The story was progressed and even built to emotional climaxes at points and it seemed no longer like an 8-hour repetition of run/cover/shoot/reload/shoot/reload/repeat. Online was expanded and given many new features such as the Horde Mode. All in all, a vast improvement from the original. Still GOW2 had its problems. For all of its massive action and epic battles the game boils down the way most action shooters do. Unless you play it on the easiest setting you’ll be spending the majority of your time filling your enemies with round after round while they slowly amble towards cover. You’ll be pelted with ridiculous one liner after another until the emotional impact of the story wears off and you care only about getting through the level to the next big explosion. Huge improvement from the original though. 85/100 tag:odeo.com,2009-11-02,25397504 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:45:44 -0800 no threevue Reviews, Games, gears of war 2 Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25397505-And-The-Award-For-%E2%80%9CMost-Unoriginal-Name-Goes-To%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D It’s a real cop-out when something is named “Pandora.” Oooh, Pandora’s Box, I get it, that’s really foreboding, oooh. Let me guess, a bunch of bad stuff happens there. Exhibits A and B: The planet in Borderlands is called Pandora, as is the planet in the movie Avatar. Real original guys, why don’t you just name them Planet Danger, or Negative Connotation World? Let’s try a little harder from now on, shall we? It’s a real cop-out when something is named “Pandora.” Oooh, Pandora’s Box, I get it, that’s really foreboding, oooh. Let me guess, a bunch of bad stuff happens there. Exhibits A and B: The planet in Borderlands is called Pandora, as is the planet in the movie Avatar. Real original guys, why don’t you just name them Planet Danger, or Negative Connotation World? Let’s try a little harder from now on, shall we? It’s a real cop-out when something is named “Pandora.” Oooh, Pandora’s Box, I get it, that’s really foreboding, oooh. Let me guess, a bunch of bad stuff happens there. Exhibits A and B: The planet in Borderlands is called Pandora, as is the planet in the movie Avatar. Real original guys, why don’t you just name them Planet Danger, or Negative Connotation World? Let’s try a little harder from now on, shall we? tag:odeo.com,2009-11-01,25397505 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:52:12 -0800 no threevue Movies, Games, editorials, borderlands, pandora. avatar Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25397506-Demon%E2%80%99s-Souls-is-my-most-tempting-game-of-the-year Citizen Game, our friendly neighbors to the North, have posted two blogs about the PS3-exclusive Demon’s Souls, and the posts alone are making me seriously consider buying this game. This is a big step for me, because I play every game on the easiest setting possible. I don’t have a ton of time to play games, and nothing frustrates me more than when I can’t get any further in a game because I’m wasting time dying over and over again. I mean, I’m not 8 years old any more, and I should be able to live my life the way I want, right? Games are for enjoying, not for work. Demon’s Souls is a Japanese RPG that’s created with the mysterious West in mind; it’s got castles, and demons, and souls, and they all hurt you. Every enemy is a boss, and there are enemies that take your levels away. That’s some serious stuff. There is no difficulty setting, and the game gets harder the more you die. So why would I want to play it? Two paragraphs fr... Citizen Game, our friendly neighbors to the North, have posted two blogs about the PS3-exclusive Demon’s Souls, and the posts alone are making me seriously consider buying this game. This is a big step for me, because I play every game on the easiest setting possible. I don’t have a ton of time to play games, and nothing frustrates me more than when I can’t get any further in a game because I’m wasting time dying over and over again. I mean, I’m not 8 years old any more, and I should be able to live my life the way I want, right? Games are for enjoying, not for work. Demon’s Souls is a Japanese RPG that’s created with the mysterious West in mind; it’s got castles, and demons, and souls, and they all hurt you. Every enemy is a boss, and there are enemies that take your levels away. That’s some serious stuff. There is no difficulty setting, and the game gets harder the more you die. So why would I want to play it? Two paragraphs from Nerfgun’s latest post are really, really tempting: Perhaps you have read about the fabled harshness of this game. It is no joke. It is no exaggeration when I tell you that many potential players will walk away from this game in total disgust – in fact, after a fairly short exposure – and I don’t blame them one bit. In trying to search for a metaphor or example of the difficulty curve, I realized that the game represents itself; by which I mean, the game presents to the player a series of dark, foreboding, overwhelming dungeons, filled with tons of enemies and traps and simple falls that can kill you. The game is trying to be as hard as that might actually be. If you were doing it. You. Not Kratos, not Link, not some fucking Chosen One. I mean if you personally showed up at a dungeon while schlepping flute armour and big heavy swords and all the rest – and sure, we’ll give you a spell – and tried to do your level best against demons the size of cottages. You’re just gonna die. Over and over. That’s what it represents: a huge, overwhelming challenge. Normally, or at least typically, the setup would include some nugget of plot to let you know why you might succeed where so many others have failed. A bunch of guys went in to The Bad Place and no one came out. But maybe… one will (camera pans meaningfully to our hero as he steels himself). I’m sorry to say, you, Dear Reader, will be personally supplying the army of bodies that makes the myth possible. I would love to play a game that makes me feel like it’s me that is actually in that world. I want to think things out as if I’m really there. Somebody, please, talk me out of buying this game. Citizen Game’s posts: one and two Citizen Game, our friendly neighbors to the North, have posted two blogs about the PS3-exclusive Demon’s Souls, and the posts alone are making me seriously consider buying this game. This is a big step for me, because I play every game on the easiest setting possible. I don’t have a ton of time to play games, and nothing frustrates me more than when I can’t get any further in a game because I’m wasting time dying over and over again. I mean, I’m not 8 years old any more, and I should be able to live my life the way I want, right? Games are for enjoying, not for work. Demon’s Souls is a Japanese RPG that’s created with the mysterious West in mind; it’s got castles, and demons, and souls, and they all hurt you. Every enemy is a boss, and there are enemies that take your levels away. That’s some serious stuff. There is no difficulty setting, and the game gets harder the more you die. So why would I want to play it? Two paragraphs from Nerfgun’s latest post are really, really tempting: Perhaps you have read about the fabled harshness of this game. It is no joke. It is no exaggeration when I tell you that many potential players will walk away from this game in total disgust – in fact, after a fairly short exposure – and I don’t blame them one bit. In trying to search for a metaphor or example of the difficulty curve, I realized that the game represents itself; by which I mean, the game presents to the player a series of dark, foreboding, overwhelming dungeons, filled with tons of enemies and traps and simple falls that can kill you. The game is trying to be as hard as that might actually be. If you were doing it. You. Not Kratos, not Link, not some fucking Chosen One. I mean if you personally showed up at a dungeon while schlepping flute armour and big heavy swords and all the rest – and sure, we’ll give you a spell – and tried to do your level best against demons the size of cottages. You’re just gonna die. Over and over. That’s what it represents: a huge, overwhelming challenge. Normally, or at least typically, the setup would include some nugget of plot to let you know why you might succeed where so many others have failed. A bunch of guys went in to The Bad Place and no one came out. But maybe… one will (camera pans meaningfully to our hero as he steels himself). I’m sorry to say, you, Dear Reader, will be personally supplying the army of bodies that makes the myth possible. I would love to play a game that makes me feel like it’s me that is actually in that world. I want to think things out as if I’m really there. Somebody, please, talk me out of buying this game. Citizen Game’s posts: one and two tag:odeo.com,2009-11-01,25397506 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:49:25 -0800 no threevue ps3, Games, editorials, demon's souls Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25397516-300-000-visits Shit man, it’s getting harder and harder to find currency with such high numbers. But that shouldn’t take away from how awesome it is that we’ve had 300,000 suckers visitors enjoy this site in the nearly two years we’ve been up and running. Feels like we just hit 200,000 hits (it was about six months ago, really). Thanks for stopping by. See you at 400k. Shit man, it’s getting harder and harder to find currency with such high numbers. But that shouldn’t take away from how awesome it is that we’ve had 300,000 suckers visitors enjoy this site in the nearly two years we’ve been up and running. Feels like we just hit 200,000 hits (it was about six months ago, really). Thanks for stopping by. See you at 400k. Shit man, it’s getting harder and harder to find currency with such high numbers. But that shouldn’t take away from how awesome it is that we’ve had 300,000 suckers visitors enjoy this site in the nearly two years we’ve been up and running. Feels like we just hit 200,000 hits (it was about six months ago, really). Thanks for stopping by. See you at 400k. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-31,25397516 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:10:06 -0700 no threevue editorials, threevue, we're famous! Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25397519-Cleaning-House-Threevue-Review-Fable-II Russ wrote some good stuff about Fable 2 a long time ago, but Tyler and I were too lazy to do the same. We don’t want him to suffer due to our extreme lethargy, so here is what he said. Russ: When it comes down to it, Fable II ultimately feels like Zelda trapped in Microsoft’s hulking, sweaty body. The adventure elements and overall gameplay are very similar, though a little more robust than Zelda. Not having to worry about things like ammo is nice, and I preferred Fable II’s story (although it should have been several hours longer, considering how long this game was in development). But when it comes to level design and overall fun, Zelda (Twilight Princess in particular) easily wins. It may be unfair to compare Fable II with one of the most enduring video game franchises in history, but I can’t help but feel that it’s exactly the audience they were targeting. In its own right, Fable II is a beautiful and engaging little title. It touts some serious ga... Russ wrote some good stuff about Fable 2 a long time ago, but Tyler and I were too lazy to do the same. We don’t want him to suffer due to our extreme lethargy, so here is what he said. Russ: When it comes down to it, Fable II ultimately feels like Zelda trapped in Microsoft’s hulking, sweaty body. The adventure elements and overall gameplay are very similar, though a little more robust than Zelda. Not having to worry about things like ammo is nice, and I preferred Fable II’s story (although it should have been several hours longer, considering how long this game was in development). But when it comes to level design and overall fun, Zelda (Twilight Princess in particular) easily wins. It may be unfair to compare Fable II with one of the most enduring video game franchises in history, but I can’t help but feel that it’s exactly the audience they were targeting. In its own right, Fable II is a beautiful and engaging little title. It touts some serious gameplay mechanics – an open-ended moral system, the promise of living an entire lifetime, and consequences – and it’s hard not to appreciate the developer’s ambition. But when push comes to shove, these features feel like little adventures to distract you from the fact that this feels like half of a game. The side-quests are far too easy, and never let you really feel any sense of accomplishment when you complete them. Fable II has a whole lot of concept with too little content contained within, and it proved to be a week of fun that I may never revisit. 81/100 Russ wrote some good stuff about Fable 2 a long time ago, but Tyler and I were too lazy to do the same. We don’t want him to suffer due to our extreme lethargy, so here is what he said. Russ: When it comes down to it, Fable II ultimately feels like Zelda trapped in Microsoft’s hulking, sweaty body. The adventure elements and overall gameplay are very similar, though a little more robust than Zelda. Not having to worry about things like ammo is nice, and I preferred Fable II’s story (although it should have been several hours longer, considering how long this game was in development). But when it comes to level design and overall fun, Zelda (Twilight Princess in particular) easily wins. It may be unfair to compare Fable II with one of the most enduring video game franchises in history, but I can’t help but feel that it’s exactly the audience they were targeting. In its own right, Fable II is a beautiful and engaging little title. It touts some serious gameplay mechanics – an open-ended moral system, the promise of living an entire lifetime, and consequences – and it’s hard not to appreciate the developer’s ambition. But when push comes to shove, these features feel like little adventures to distract you from the fact that this feels like half of a game. The side-quests are far too easy, and never let you really feel any sense of accomplishment when you complete them. Fable II has a whole lot of concept with too little content contained within, and it proved to be a week of fun that I may never revisit. 81/100 tag:odeo.com,2009-10-31,25397519 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:01:49 -0700 no threevue Reviews, Games, Fable 2, Fable II Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25397523-My-Faves-Scariest-Video-Games There are plenty of scary games out there, much more than what we’ve played; but these are the games that have scared us the most. Happy Halloween! Mark 4. Resident Evil 4 (Wii, 2007) Even though I played this game years after its original release, it was amazing how scary this game still was. The settings, the eerie quiet, and Los Illuminados all freaked me out every time I played it. It ended on a bit of a hokey note, but the all-around journey was great. “Morir Es Vivir” still makes me shiver every time I think about it. 3. Imagine Party Babyz (Wii, doesn’t matter) The birthing scene was unnecessarily bloody and violent. 2. Condemned: Criminal Origins (Xbox 360, 2005) Bums are scary enough when they’re not all whacked out and trying to kill you in some dark, run-down warehouse. 1. Dead Space (Xbox 360, 2008) Having not played a ton of scary games in my life, this was a short list, but no matter how long it is, Dead Space my definite number one. I spe... There are plenty of scary games out there, much more than what we’ve played; but these are the games that have scared us the most. Happy Halloween! Mark 4. Resident Evil 4 (Wii, 2007) Even though I played this game years after its original release, it was amazing how scary this game still was. The settings, the eerie quiet, and Los Illuminados all freaked me out every time I played it. It ended on a bit of a hokey note, but the all-around journey was great. “Morir Es Vivir” still makes me shiver every time I think about it. 3. Imagine Party Babyz (Wii, doesn’t matter) The birthing scene was unnecessarily bloody and violent. 2. Condemned: Criminal Origins (Xbox 360, 2005) Bums are scary enough when they’re not all whacked out and trying to kill you in some dark, run-down warehouse. 1. Dead Space (Xbox 360, 2008) Having not played a ton of scary games in my life, this was a short list, but no matter how long it is, Dead Space my definite number one. I spent the weeks leading up to the game watching the animated comics and reading the lore, so when I went in I had a full-world experience. I’ll never forget the first alien that chases you down the hall right when you get on Ishimura. So scary. — Russ: 6. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin (Xbox 360, 2009) This is a game that I recently bought but don’t have the guts to play yet. Even when I played the demo, I knew that I was going to have a hard time enduring it. I’m scared of ghosts, and girls, and this is a game about a ghost girl or something; therefore, I know that it deserves a spot on this list even before really getting into it. 5. Dead Space (Xbox 360, 2008) Dead Space was unique because it was scary but so good. It also left me feeling like nowhere in the game was I safe, even in the “safe” areas between levels. The fact that you could shoot and move at the same time really knocked down its scariness factor, but it was still an intense moment in gaming that I think everyone should play. 4. Aliens vs. Predator 2 (PC, 2001) Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, that this isn’t a scary game at all. Those two AvP movies were jokes, right? Well, you see that little needle thing on the bottom-left of the screen when you play as the Marine? That’s a motion detector, that starts beeping any time anything nearby starts moving. It will make you pee your pants, because the aliens in this game are so ridiculously fast and deadly. Hands down the scariest FPS I’ve ever played. 3. Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube, 2005) This was the first Resident Evil game I played, because I could actually stand its control scheme. It’s a long, unforgiving adventure, and I loved every 20+ hours it took me to play it. In fact, it was so intense that I only played it in 20 minutes increments, and it took me months to beat. There’s nothing I can say about this game that hasn’t been said before, except this: purple strawberry fingers. 2. Scary Maze (Flash, unk) Tyler Miller sucks. 1. Silent Hill 2 (PS2, 2001) A friend and I started playing this game on a bright, shiny Saturday afternoon in 2002. Two hours into it, we stopped playing and put the disc away forever. If it’s scary enough to force two grown manboys to stop playing it during the day, it deserves to be my scariest game of all time. There are plenty of scary games out there, much more than what we’ve played; but these are the games that have scared us the most. Happy Halloween! Mark 4. Resident Evil 4 (Wii, 2007) Even though I played this game years after its original release, it was amazing how scary this game still was. The settings, the eerie quiet, and Los Illuminados all freaked me out every time I played it. It ended on a bit of a hokey note, but the all-around journey was great. “Morir Es Vivir” still makes me shiver every time I think about it. 3. Imagine Party Babyz (Wii, doesn’t matter) The birthing scene was unnecessarily bloody and violent. 2. Condemned: Criminal Origins (Xbox 360, 2005) Bums are scary enough when they’re not all whacked out and trying to kill you in some dark, run-down warehouse. 1. Dead Space (Xbox 360, 2008) Having not played a ton of scary games in my life, this was a short list, but no matter how long it is, Dead Space my definite number one. I spent the weeks leading up to the game watching the animated comics and reading the lore, so when I went in I had a full-world experience. I’ll never forget the first alien that chases you down the hall right when you get on Ishimura. So scary. — Russ: 6. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin (Xbox 360, 2009) This is a game that I recently bought but don’t have the guts to play yet. Even when I played the demo, I knew that I was going to have a hard time enduring it. I’m scared of ghosts, and girls, and this is a game about a ghost girl or something; therefore, I know that it deserves a spot on this list even before really getting into it. 5. Dead Space (Xbox 360, 2008) Dead Space was unique because it was scary but so good. It also left me feeling like nowhere in the game was I safe, even in the “safe” areas between levels. The fact that you could shoot and move at the same time really knocked down its scariness factor, but it was still an intense moment in gaming that I think everyone should play. 4. Aliens vs. Predator 2 (PC, 2001) Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, that this isn’t a scary game at all. Those two AvP movies were jokes, right? Well, you see that little needle thing on the bottom-left of the screen when you play as the Marine? That’s a motion detector, that starts beeping any time anything nearby starts moving. It will make you pee your pants, because the aliens in this game are so ridiculously fast and deadly. Hands down the scariest FPS I’ve ever played. 3. Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube, 2005) This was the first Resident Evil game I played, because I could actually stand its control scheme. It’s a long, unforgiving adventure, and I loved every 20+ hours it took me to play it. In fact, it was so intense that I only played it in 20 minutes increments, and it took me months to beat. There’s nothing I can say about this game that hasn’t been said before, except this: purple strawberry fingers. 2. Scary Maze (Flash, unk) Tyler Miller sucks. 1. Silent Hill 2 (PS2, 2001) A friend and I started playing this game on a bright, shiny Saturday afternoon in 2002. Two hours into it, we stopped playing and put the disc away forever. If it’s scary enough to force two grown manboys to stop playing it during the day, it deserves to be my scariest game of all time. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-31,25397523 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:52:28 -0700 no threevue Games, My Faves, scariest games Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25397524-Cleaning-House-Threevue-Review-Call-of-Duty-3 It’s busy times for us here at the Threevue HQ, so much so that we had to look for outside help for some of our write-’em-ups). So we are posting some of the old stuff that slipped through the cracks in the past for one reason or another (coughMarkcough). So enjoy some old school Threevue goodness. Mark: Looking back, a lot of people were really down on COD3, and I disagree with every single one of them. Sure, Treyarch’s part 3 may not have been as good (whatever that means) as Infinity Ward’s part 2, but you know what? I had a lot more fun with this one than with that one. Personally, I feel that COD’s are mostly about the multiplayer modes, and the campaign is secondary, as opposed to the other way around of most games. Some of my fondest memories were of Tyler and I doing laps in a .50cal around Eder Dam, mowing down and frustrating the hell out of the other team. Treyarch made the multiplayer tight and fun, and created the maps to be just close enou... It’s busy times for us here at the Threevue HQ, so much so that we had to look for outside help for some of our write-’em-ups). So we are posting some of the old stuff that slipped through the cracks in the past for one reason or another (coughMarkcough). So enjoy some old school Threevue goodness. Mark: Looking back, a lot of people were really down on COD3, and I disagree with every single one of them. Sure, Treyarch’s part 3 may not have been as good (whatever that means) as Infinity Ward’s part 2, but you know what? I had a lot more fun with this one than with that one. Personally, I feel that COD’s are mostly about the multiplayer modes, and the campaign is secondary, as opposed to the other way around of most games. Some of my fondest memories were of Tyler and I doing laps in a .50cal around Eder Dam, mowing down and frustrating the hell out of the other team. Treyarch made the multiplayer tight and fun, and created the maps to be just close enough for a lot of fast and furious action, but still big enough to stage a good ol’ fashioned getaway. As a matter of fact, there was some forum somewhere that I declared COD3 multiplayer as my favorite game ever. I don’t regret it. The campaign was a little lame, though. 96/100 Russ: I bought an Xbox 360 after COD3 was already out. COD2 was one of the first games I bought (it was cheap) and I had a really good time with it. And immediately after finishing it, I stuck COD3 in. The differences in the two were so glaringly obvious to me and my situation that I couldn’t help but to compare it to its predecessor. And it didn’t quite hold up. It’s strange when a sequel doesn’t outperform its predecessor. I attribute a lot of this to the fact that COD2 and COD3 have different developers. I just ended up preferring the feel and control of COD2, in both single and multi-player campaigns. COD3 is still a strong game, it’s just mired by how awesome COD2 was. I have a hard time coming up with complaints about the game itself, other than the fact that the storyline was a little stupid. By the time I finished COD3, I was done with WWII FPS games for a while. But even today, if I have to choose between the two, I’ll take COD2 every time. 79/100 Tyler: Sometimes the fun you are having playing a game comes more from playing with good people as opposed to what is in the disc tray. You can have a ho-hum game on the screen and still get a kick out of the whole thing because you’re playing with friends that make up for it. That ’s the way it was for me with Halo 2 and 3. The difference here is that with COD3, the game was good too, so you know I loved it. COD3 got a lot of things right. Vehicles, splitscreen online multiplayer (which had fucking better become standard issue among FPSs), online classes (Medic FTW!) and a scaled upgrade in the graphics department. If I can criticize COD3 for one thing it’s that it got me all pumped for these new introductions only to have them stolen out from beneath my feet by COD4. But I can’t hold that against it. I always come to think that I’ve probably played more COD3 than any other game, online and campaign combined.   Bonus points for having lines of dialogue that I still say today. “MCGREGGOR!” 98/100 It’s busy times for us here at the Threevue HQ, so much so that we had to look for outside help for some of our write-’em-ups). So we are posting some of the old stuff that slipped through the cracks in the past for one reason or another (coughMarkcough). So enjoy some old school Threevue goodness. Mark: Looking back, a lot of people were really down on COD3, and I disagree with every single one of them. Sure, Treyarch’s part 3 may not have been as good (whatever that means) as Infinity Ward’s part 2, but you know what? I had a lot more fun with this one than with that one. Personally, I feel that COD’s are mostly about the multiplayer modes, and the campaign is secondary, as opposed to the other way around of most games. Some of my fondest memories were of Tyler and I doing laps in a .50cal around Eder Dam, mowing down and frustrating the hell out of the other team. Treyarch made the multiplayer tight and fun, and created the maps to be just close enough for a lot of fast and furious action, but still big enough to stage a good ol’ fashioned getaway. As a matter of fact, there was some forum somewhere that I declared COD3 multiplayer as my favorite game ever. I don’t regret it. The campaign was a little lame, though. 96/100 Russ: I bought an Xbox 360 after COD3 was already out. COD2 was one of the first games I bought (it was cheap) and I had a really good time with it. And immediately after finishing it, I stuck COD3 in. The differences in the two were so glaringly obvious to me and my situation that I couldn’t help but to compare it to its predecessor. And it didn’t quite hold up. It’s strange when a sequel doesn’t outperform its predecessor. I attribute a lot of this to the fact that COD2 and COD3 have different developers. I just ended up preferring the feel and control of COD2, in both single and multi-player campaigns. COD3 is still a strong game, it’s just mired by how awesome COD2 was. I have a hard time coming up with complaints about the game itself, other than the fact that the storyline was a little stupid. By the time I finished COD3, I was done with WWII FPS games for a while. But even today, if I have to choose between the two, I’ll take COD2 every time. 79/100 Tyler: Sometimes the fun you are having playing a game comes more from playing with good people as opposed to what is in the disc tray. You can have a ho-hum game on the screen and still get a kick out of the whole thing because you’re playing with friends that make up for it. That ’s the way it was for me with Halo 2 and 3. The difference here is that with COD3, the game was good too, so you know I loved it. COD3 got a lot of things right. Vehicles, splitscreen online multiplayer (which had fucking better become standard issue among FPSs), online classes (Medic FTW!) and a scaled upgrade in the graphics department. If I can criticize COD3 for one thing it’s that it got me all pumped for these new introductions only to have them stolen out from beneath my feet by COD4. But I can’t hold that against it. I always come to think that I’ve probably played more COD3 than any other game, online and campaign combined.   Bonus points for having lines of dialogue that I still say today. “MCGREGGOR!” 98/100 tag:odeo.com,2009-10-31,25397524 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:27:48 -0700 no threevue Reviews, xbox 360, Games, call of duty 3 Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25381284-Film-Review-Visioneers Visioneers is a futuristic-ish film in which everyone lives mundane lives, but then they start exploding. America’s new funnyman Zach Gandalwhatsit Galifianakis plays the main character, George Washington Winsterhammerman, who starts showing some early signs of explosion. From there, we get an existential crisis film that’s dark and pretty amusing. The film does a great job of not explaining much at all. It’s set either in the near future or in an alternate reality. George Washington Winsterhammerman has a famous family heritage which is never explained. All of this comes together in a thoughtful, simple tale that works pretty well. It’s a bit slow (wife is passed out next to me from it), but its pace is justifiably conveying George Washington Winsterhammerman’s life. I like writing that. George Washington Winsterhammerman. I still haven’t seen The Hangover but I’m pretty sure that this film is a far cry from that one. Either way, this one&#... Visioneers is a futuristic-ish film in which everyone lives mundane lives, but then they start exploding. America’s new funnyman Zach Gandalwhatsit Galifianakis plays the main character, George Washington Winsterhammerman, who starts showing some early signs of explosion. From there, we get an existential crisis film that’s dark and pretty amusing. The film does a great job of not explaining much at all. It’s set either in the near future or in an alternate reality. George Washington Winsterhammerman has a famous family heritage which is never explained. All of this comes together in a thoughtful, simple tale that works pretty well. It’s a bit slow (wife is passed out next to me from it), but its pace is justifiably conveying George Washington Winsterhammerman’s life. I like writing that. George Washington Winsterhammerman. I still haven’t seen The Hangover but I’m pretty sure that this film is a far cry from that one. Either way, this one’s worth watching. Visioneers is a futuristic-ish film in which everyone lives mundane lives, but then they start exploding. America’s new funnyman Zach Gandalwhatsit Galifianakis plays the main character, George Washington Winsterhammerman, who starts showing some early signs of explosion. From there, we get an existential crisis film that’s dark and pretty amusing. The film does a great job of not explaining much at all. It’s set either in the near future or in an alternate reality. George Washington Winsterhammerman has a famous family heritage which is never explained. All of this comes together in a thoughtful, simple tale that works pretty well. It’s a bit slow (wife is passed out next to me from it), but its pace is justifiably conveying George Washington Winsterhammerman’s life. I like writing that. George Washington Winsterhammerman. I still haven’t seen The Hangover but I’m pretty sure that this film is a far cry from that one. Either way, this one’s worth watching. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-26,25381284 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:30:33 -0700 no threevue Movies, Reviews, visioneers Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25381285-Netflix-on-the-PS3-Lets-Us-Watch-a-Movie-By-Putting-a-Disc-in-the-Tray%E2%80%A6Wait-What So, I’m sure you’ve all read the deets about Netflix’s arrival at Playstation International Airport in the coming months, and have already picked your side: For, Against, or Indiff. Even though I’ve already been using this service on the 360 for a long time now, I think this is great, but I’m really not down with having to get this Netflix disc, and leaving it in the tray to watch something. It just seems like yet another thing that the PS3 is making unnecessarily difficult (e.g. downloading demos, talking to friends online, sending/receiving messages, and so on…), and I can’t imagine that it will be easier to manufacture thousands of these discs to send out, rather than just making an integrated app. I’m sure that there are people in the know out there that will be able to explain and/or defend this disc business, but hey, I’m just Joe Everyday Consumer, and I just don’t get it. So, I’m sure you’ve all read the deets about Netflix’s arrival at Playstation International Airport in the coming months, and have already picked your side: For, Against, or Indiff. Even though I’ve already been using this service on the 360 for a long time now, I think this is great, but I’m really not down with having to get this Netflix disc, and leaving it in the tray to watch something. It just seems like yet another thing that the PS3 is making unnecessarily difficult (e.g. downloading demos, talking to friends online, sending/receiving messages, and so on…), and I can’t imagine that it will be easier to manufacture thousands of these discs to send out, rather than just making an integrated app. I’m sure that there are people in the know out there that will be able to explain and/or defend this disc business, but hey, I’m just Joe Everyday Consumer, and I just don’t get it. So, I’m sure you’ve all read the deets about Netflix’s arrival at Playstation International Airport in the coming months, and have already picked your side: For, Against, or Indiff. Even though I’ve already been using this service on the 360 for a long time now, I think this is great, but I’m really not down with having to get this Netflix disc, and leaving it in the tray to watch something. It just seems like yet another thing that the PS3 is making unnecessarily difficult (e.g. downloading demos, talking to friends online, sending/receiving messages, and so on…), and I can’t imagine that it will be easier to manufacture thousands of these discs to send out, rather than just making an integrated app. I’m sure that there are people in the know out there that will be able to explain and/or defend this disc business, but hey, I’m just Joe Everyday Consumer, and I just don’t get it. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-26,25381285 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:55:18 -0700 no threevue Movies, Television, News, Internet, xbox 360, netflix, ps2, editorials Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25373326-Cheapskate-I%E2%80%99ll-Take-You-You-aaaaaaand%E2%80%A6You Taking advantage of Best Buy’s “We-Need-The-Shelf-Space” buy two get one free deal today, I came home with a handful of fresh new games today. Borderlands (PS3), Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (PS3), and Dead Space: Extraction (Wii) were the lucky games. Operation Flashpoint may seem like a somewhat surprising pick, but after reading some of the press, it seems like a solid shooter that I can really get behind, and nice realistic counterpart to the over-the-top action that is sure to come out of MW2 next month. The best part is that the PS3 games are $60 each, and Dead Space: Extraction, being only $50, was the one I was expecting to get free. Instead, Operation Flashpoint rang up as zero, which was a nice ten dollar surprise. So: Consoles? Check. Games? Check. Ambition? Check. Time? Anti-check. Taking advantage of Best Buy’s “We-Need-The-Shelf-Space” buy two get one free deal today, I came home with a handful of fresh new games today. Borderlands (PS3), Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (PS3), and Dead Space: Extraction (Wii) were the lucky games. Operation Flashpoint may seem like a somewhat surprising pick, but after reading some of the press, it seems like a solid shooter that I can really get behind, and nice realistic counterpart to the over-the-top action that is sure to come out of MW2 next month. The best part is that the PS3 games are $60 each, and Dead Space: Extraction, being only $50, was the one I was expecting to get free. Instead, Operation Flashpoint rang up as zero, which was a nice ten dollar surprise. So: Consoles? Check. Games? Check. Ambition? Check. Time? Anti-check. Taking advantage of Best Buy’s “We-Need-The-Shelf-Space” buy two get one free deal today, I came home with a handful of fresh new games today. Borderlands (PS3), Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (PS3), and Dead Space: Extraction (Wii) were the lucky games. Operation Flashpoint may seem like a somewhat surprising pick, but after reading some of the press, it seems like a solid shooter that I can really get behind, and nice realistic counterpart to the over-the-top action that is sure to come out of MW2 next month. The best part is that the PS3 games are $60 each, and Dead Space: Extraction, being only $50, was the one I was expecting to get free. Instead, Operation Flashpoint rang up as zero, which was a nice ten dollar surprise. So: Consoles? Check. Games? Check. Ambition? Check. Time? Anti-check. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-25,25373326 Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:19:55 -0700 no threevue ps3, Games, Best Buy, editorials, Cheapskate, borderlands, operation flashpoint dragon rising, dead space extraction Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25370986-Impressions-Quantum-of-Solace With vomit-filled memories of TimeShift behind me, I took a chance with another unlauded laud-free FPS the other day: last year’s Quantum of Solace, which was on sale for $10. Considering that I’ve had beers that cost more than that (thanks a lot, Singapore), I figured it was worth a shot. Quantum of Solace has three things going for it: I tend to like Bond games (even the not-so-great ones), it’s built on the Call of Duty 4 engine, and it was developed by Treyarch, who can throw together a decent (if not life-changing) FPS from time to time. Quantum of Solace also uses a cover system which throws the camera into third person, and it actually works pretty well. The game itself feels much more linear than the already-linear Call of Duty 4, because the predetermined cover areas (seriously, someone should clean up all these wooden boxes everywhere) force you to head in certain directions for every firefight. That being said, there are some actually neat sequences, inc... With vomit-filled memories of TimeShift behind me, I took a chance with another unlauded laud-free FPS the other day: last year’s Quantum of Solace, which was on sale for $10. Considering that I’ve had beers that cost more than that (thanks a lot, Singapore), I figured it was worth a shot. Quantum of Solace has three things going for it: I tend to like Bond games (even the not-so-great ones), it’s built on the Call of Duty 4 engine, and it was developed by Treyarch, who can throw together a decent (if not life-changing) FPS from time to time. Quantum of Solace also uses a cover system which throws the camera into third person, and it actually works pretty well. The game itself feels much more linear than the already-linear Call of Duty 4, because the predetermined cover areas (seriously, someone should clean up all these wooden boxes everywhere) force you to head in certain directions for every firefight. That being said, there are some actually neat sequences, including chase scenes, “sneaking missions”, and sniping. When it comes down to it, I’m just happy to be playing a solid FPS on the Xbox 360 again, and earning achievements in a game that just feels good to play. I’m not looking to change my life here, I just wanted something to pump me up before Modern Warfare 2 arrives next month. And lawdy me, it’s working. With vomit-filled memories of TimeShift behind me, I took a chance with another unlauded laud-free FPS the other day: last year’s Quantum of Solace, which was on sale for $10. Considering that I’ve had beers that cost more than that (thanks a lot, Singapore), I figured it was worth a shot. Quantum of Solace has three things going for it: I tend to like Bond games (even the not-so-great ones), it’s built on the Call of Duty 4 engine, and it was developed by Treyarch, who can throw together a decent (if not life-changing) FPS from time to time. Quantum of Solace also uses a cover system which throws the camera into third person, and it actually works pretty well. The game itself feels much more linear than the already-linear Call of Duty 4, because the predetermined cover areas (seriously, someone should clean up all these wooden boxes everywhere) force you to head in certain directions for every firefight. That being said, there are some actually neat sequences, including chase scenes, “sneaking missions”, and sniping. When it comes down to it, I’m just happy to be playing a solid FPS on the Xbox 360 again, and earning achievements in a game that just feels good to play. I’m not looking to change my life here, I just wanted something to pump me up before Modern Warfare 2 arrives next month. And lawdy me, it’s working. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-25,25370986 Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:04:53 -0700 no threevue Games, impressions, quantum of solace Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25366975-Google-Chrome-Released-on-Mac New buzz browser Google Chrome was released on the Mac yesterday, and instead of writing anything about it, I decided to try out the new screen recording capability of Quicktime 10 (which comes free with Snow Leopard). You can download Google Chrome for the Mac here. New buzz browser Google Chrome was released on the Mac yesterday, and instead of writing anything about it, I decided to try out the new screen recording capability of Quicktime 10 (which comes free with Snow Leopard). You can download Google Chrome for the Mac here. New buzz browser Google Chrome was released on the Mac yesterday, and instead of writing anything about it, I decided to try out the new screen recording capability of Quicktime 10 (which comes free with Snow Leopard). You can download Google Chrome for the Mac here. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-24,25366975 Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:58:40 -0700 no threevue Internet, apple, Google Chrome, Gadgetronic Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25362699-Film-Review-Battlestar-Galactica-The-Plan I think I can speak for many Battlestar Galactica fans when I say that the series ended somewhat abruptly, leaving me wanting a bit more insight into those last few episodes. Thankfully, right after the last episode aired there was a preview for an upcoming DVD called The Plan which was supposed to highlight the cylons’ perspective on this whole mess. Instead, what we actually get is a recap of the entire series with a couple new scenes and one new character. Trust me, if you followed the show closely, this “film” is a waste of time. It’s basically the writers’ attempt at proving to us that they actually had this storyline planned the whole time (word to the wise, if you want to make people believe that, you shouldn’t have admitted that you made it up as it went in interviews). The film is mostly just snippets of scenes we’ve already seen, and it jumps around so much that anyone that hasn’t seen the series would be completely lost. Thi... I think I can speak for many Battlestar Galactica fans when I say that the series ended somewhat abruptly, leaving me wanting a bit more insight into those last few episodes. Thankfully, right after the last episode aired there was a preview for an upcoming DVD called The Plan which was supposed to highlight the cylons’ perspective on this whole mess. Instead, what we actually get is a recap of the entire series with a couple new scenes and one new character. Trust me, if you followed the show closely, this “film” is a waste of time. It’s basically the writers’ attempt at proving to us that they actually had this storyline planned the whole time (word to the wise, if you want to make people believe that, you shouldn’t have admitted that you made it up as it went in interviews). The film is mostly just snippets of scenes we’ve already seen, and it jumps around so much that anyone that hasn’t seen the series would be completely lost. This is a product that really has no audience, since it’s too vague for newcomers and it hardly has any new content for devotees. Chances are fans are going to watch it anyway, but be warned – there are no revelations in The Plan. Best line: “No more Mister Nice Gaius!” I think I can speak for many Battlestar Galactica fans when I say that the series ended somewhat abruptly, leaving me wanting a bit more insight into those last few episodes. Thankfully, right after the last episode aired there was a preview for an upcoming DVD called The Plan which was supposed to highlight the cylons’ perspective on this whole mess. Instead, what we actually get is a recap of the entire series with a couple new scenes and one new character. Trust me, if you followed the show closely, this “film” is a waste of time. It’s basically the writers’ attempt at proving to us that they actually had this storyline planned the whole time (word to the wise, if you want to make people believe that, you shouldn’t have admitted that you made it up as it went in interviews). The film is mostly just snippets of scenes we’ve already seen, and it jumps around so much that anyone that hasn’t seen the series would be completely lost. This is a product that really has no audience, since it’s too vague for newcomers and it hardly has any new content for devotees. Chances are fans are going to watch it anyway, but be warned – there are no revelations in The Plan. Best line: “No more Mister Nice Gaius!” tag:odeo.com,2009-10-23,25362699 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:05:51 -0700 no threevue Movies, Reviews, battlestar galactica Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25362700-Review-Brutal-Legend Echoing the sentiment of another review that I read before I played it, Brutal Legend is not the game that I thought it would be…and thank Jesus for that. The demo left me with the impression that BL wasn’t going to be much more than a run-around beat-em-up with some half-assed driving sprinkled in, but what it turned out to be was a large scale, fully realized and diverse spinning disc of entertainment. Right off the top, Brutal Legend is funny. And not just in cut scenes where on-screen events and dialogue are easily scripted for proper comedic timing, but even during gameplay, where it is easy to just insert repetitive one-liners that characters say over and over again making it the exact opposite of funny. All of the characters were so well developed that it was easy to have real feelings for them; I loved the good guys, and hated the bad guys, and got a real sense of community-based accomplishment when I actually completed the missions and progressed the story. As f... Echoing the sentiment of another review that I read before I played it, Brutal Legend is not the game that I thought it would be…and thank Jesus for that. The demo left me with the impression that BL wasn’t going to be much more than a run-around beat-em-up with some half-assed driving sprinkled in, but what it turned out to be was a large scale, fully realized and diverse spinning disc of entertainment. Right off the top, Brutal Legend is funny. And not just in cut scenes where on-screen events and dialogue are easily scripted for proper comedic timing, but even during gameplay, where it is easy to just insert repetitive one-liners that characters say over and over again making it the exact opposite of funny. All of the characters were so well developed that it was easy to have real feelings for them; I loved the good guys, and hated the bad guys, and got a real sense of community-based accomplishment when I actually completed the missions and progressed the story. As far as the gameplay, there is one main thing that the demo doesn’t tell you: that the boss battles, at there very core, are highly simplified RTS’s. I know just the term RTS may turn many people off, but don’t judge too early. Like I said, they are very simple, and don’t have nearly the amount of micro-managing required for a full-on RTS. In fact, most of the time spent in these parts will have you pounding ground with the rest of your troops, and the RTSing doesn’t involve many more commands than creating troops, and ordering everyone to follow you. The AI is smart enough to do the basic work on its own. The rest of the game outside of the RTS boss battles involve fun, yet somewhat repetitive, side missions, driving between points, upgrading your car and weapons, and generally just cruising around (that sounds overly simple, but believe me, there is a lot do). The voice acting is some of the best I’ve heard in a game yet, and there are some really great cameos sprinkled throughout the land. Not to mention the soundtrack, which is amazing. In the end, Brutal Legend is extremely entertaining. Players may get frustrated with some of the really gamey things, like having to replay a battle over and over again because you die for reasons completely unknown, but the all-around experience is something new and awesome, and I definitely recommend that you guys give it a shot. Echoing the sentiment of another review that I read before I played it, Brutal Legend is not the game that I thought it would be…and thank Jesus for that. The demo left me with the impression that BL wasn’t going to be much more than a run-around beat-em-up with some half-assed driving sprinkled in, but what it turned out to be was a large scale, fully realized and diverse spinning disc of entertainment. Right off the top, Brutal Legend is funny. And not just in cut scenes where on-screen events and dialogue are easily scripted for proper comedic timing, but even during gameplay, where it is easy to just insert repetitive one-liners that characters say over and over again making it the exact opposite of funny. All of the characters were so well developed that it was easy to have real feelings for them; I loved the good guys, and hated the bad guys, and got a real sense of community-based accomplishment when I actually completed the missions and progressed the story. As far as the gameplay, there is one main thing that the demo doesn’t tell you: that the boss battles, at there very core, are highly simplified RTS’s. I know just the term RTS may turn many people off, but don’t judge too early. Like I said, they are very simple, and don’t have nearly the amount of micro-managing required for a full-on RTS. In fact, most of the time spent in these parts will have you pounding ground with the rest of your troops, and the RTSing doesn’t involve many more commands than creating troops, and ordering everyone to follow you. The AI is smart enough to do the basic work on its own. The rest of the game outside of the RTS boss battles involve fun, yet somewhat repetitive, side missions, driving between points, upgrading your car and weapons, and generally just cruising around (that sounds overly simple, but believe me, there is a lot do). The voice acting is some of the best I’ve heard in a game yet, and there are some really great cameos sprinkled throughout the land. Not to mention the soundtrack, which is amazing. In the end, Brutal Legend is extremely entertaining. Players may get frustrated with some of the really gamey things, like having to replay a battle over and over again because you die for reasons completely unknown, but the all-around experience is something new and awesome, and I definitely recommend that you guys give it a shot. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-23,25362700 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:21:41 -0700 no threevue Reviews, xbox 360, ps3, Review, Games, editorials, brutal legend Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25334966-Wrangling-Google-Reader-Gruml-and-Byline RSS feeds are web feeds for frequently updated works (blogs) which can be consolidated into one program for easy access. They can then be viewed online (via readers like Google Reader), on a standalone program, and even on an iPhone. Basically, I use them to view lots of blogs without having to go to a million sites every day. I’ve been using RSS readers for years now – first with Apple Mail’s built-in RSS reader, and then NetNewsWire until this past week, when I buried the RSS apps of old and jumped into new territory. Gruml: It’s no secret that the best online RSS reader is Google Reader – their interface is smooth and easy to use. The only online reader that was almost comparable was NewsGator, which synced with standalone app NetNewsWire (which has a PC counterpart, FeedDemon, but I’ve never tried it) until they gave up and started syncing it with Google Reader. Problem is, NetNewsWire doesn’t work as well with Google Reader as it did wi... RSS feeds are web feeds for frequently updated works (blogs) which can be consolidated into one program for easy access. They can then be viewed online (via readers like Google Reader), on a standalone program, and even on an iPhone. Basically, I use them to view lots of blogs without having to go to a million sites every day. I’ve been using RSS readers for years now – first with Apple Mail’s built-in RSS reader, and then NetNewsWire until this past week, when I buried the RSS apps of old and jumped into new territory. Gruml: It’s no secret that the best online RSS reader is Google Reader – their interface is smooth and easy to use. The only online reader that was almost comparable was NewsGator, which synced with standalone app NetNewsWire (which has a PC counterpart, FeedDemon, but I’ve never tried it) until they gave up and started syncing it with Google Reader. Problem is, NetNewsWire doesn’t work as well with Google Reader as it did with NewsGator. This made me start looking for a replacement program, and I settled upon Gruml. Gruml (pictured above) syncs perfectly with Google Reader and has a few great features, too, like being able to send articles directly to your Twitter, complete with shortened URLs. It also shows your unread count in the menu bar (nice touch). It’s currently in beta so it’ll only get better in the future. Totally free. Byline: I’ve been using the NetNewsWire iPhone app since its initial release in August of ‘08, but I’ve never been that happy with it. It’s slow, clunky, and it just had a new update that actually made it less user-friendly. This “upgrade” drove me to look for other RSS iPhone apps, and I am currently loving the $4 app Byline, which runs amazingly fast, and is customizable well beyond any RSS app I’ve used. It even caches your feeds for offline viewing, should you be stuck somewhere without a signal (subway, doctor’s office, etc). So there you have it. For $4 I can wrangle all my nerdy Google Reader feeds in three different ways. RSS feeds are web feeds for frequently updated works (blogs) which can be consolidated into one program for easy access. They can then be viewed online (via readers like Google Reader), on a standalone program, and even on an iPhone. Basically, I use them to view lots of blogs without having to go to a million sites every day. I’ve been using RSS readers for years now – first with Apple Mail’s built-in RSS reader, and then NetNewsWire until this past week, when I buried the RSS apps of old and jumped into new territory. Gruml: It’s no secret that the best online RSS reader is Google Reader – their interface is smooth and easy to use. The only online reader that was almost comparable was NewsGator, which synced with standalone app NetNewsWire (which has a PC counterpart, FeedDemon, but I’ve never tried it) until they gave up and started syncing it with Google Reader. Problem is, NetNewsWire doesn’t work as well with Google Reader as it did with NewsGator. This made me start looking for a replacement program, and I settled upon Gruml. Gruml (pictured above) syncs perfectly with Google Reader and has a few great features, too, like being able to send articles directly to your Twitter, complete with shortened URLs. It also shows your unread count in the menu bar (nice touch). It’s currently in beta so it’ll only get better in the future. Totally free. Byline: I’ve been using the NetNewsWire iPhone app since its initial release in August of ‘08, but I’ve never been that happy with it. It’s slow, clunky, and it just had a new update that actually made it less user-friendly. This “upgrade” drove me to look for other RSS iPhone apps, and I am currently loving the $4 app Byline, which runs amazingly fast, and is customizable well beyond any RSS app I’ve used. It even caches your feeds for offline viewing, should you be stuck somewhere without a signal (subway, doctor’s office, etc). So there you have it. For $4 I can wrangle all my nerdy Google Reader feeds in three different ways. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-21,25334966 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:43:21 -0700 no threevue Internet, apple, Gadgetronic Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25334971-Cheapskate-Rock-Band-Special-Edition-RB2-for-79 MTV is currently selling a doozie of a package: Rock Band Special Edition (which includes the first game, a microphone, guitar and drum peripherals) and Rock Band 2, all for $79 with free shipping. The package is available for both Xbox 360 and the PS3. If you’ve never dipped into this series, now is the time to do it. Admittedly, the Rock Band guitar is kind of shitty, but you can find replacement guitars online for pretty cheap. MTV is currently selling a doozie of a package: Rock Band Special Edition (which includes the first game, a microphone, guitar and drum peripherals) and Rock Band 2, all for $79 with free shipping. The package is available for both Xbox 360 and the PS3. If you’ve never dipped into this series, now is the time to do it. Admittedly, the Rock Band guitar is kind of shitty, but you can find replacement guitars online for pretty cheap. MTV is currently selling a doozie of a package: Rock Band Special Edition (which includes the first game, a microphone, guitar and drum peripherals) and Rock Band 2, all for $79 with free shipping. The package is available for both Xbox 360 and the PS3. If you’ve never dipped into this series, now is the time to do it. Admittedly, the Rock Band guitar is kind of shitty, but you can find replacement guitars online for pretty cheap. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-21,25334971 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:02:02 -0700 no threevue music, Games, rock band, Rock Band 2, Cheapskate Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25320682-iPhone-Game-Rock-Band Again, I feel like an utter fool not knowing this was coming out until yesterday when it was already available on the app store (*aside, to self* I must be slipping in my old age!). Q: Is this as good as RB on a major console? A: NO, dummy. It’s still pretty good though. You have all the same instruments (don’t bother with singing. You don’t actually sing, it’s the same as guitar except you can only play one chord and the screen is flipped sideways). The songs are alright and the interface is almost identical to what you are used to. Q: Does it even, you know, work? A: For the most part. I have an almost two year old coughjailbrokencough iPhone with a shit-ton of games, music, apps and flotsam clanking around inside it. For me, playing the latter songs on HARD, it seemed like the synching was off and only half the notes were connecting. For people with a newer, faster 3GS, they probably won’t have any trouble at all. Most likely it was just the rapid su... Again, I feel like an utter fool not knowing this was coming out until yesterday when it was already available on the app store (*aside, to self* I must be slipping in my old age!). Q: Is this as good as RB on a major console? A: NO, dummy. It’s still pretty good though. You have all the same instruments (don’t bother with singing. You don’t actually sing, it’s the same as guitar except you can only play one chord and the screen is flipped sideways). The songs are alright and the interface is almost identical to what you are used to. Q: Does it even, you know, work? A: For the most part. I have an almost two year old coughjailbrokencough iPhone with a shit-ton of games, music, apps and flotsam clanking around inside it. For me, playing the latter songs on HARD, it seemed like the synching was off and only half the notes were connecting. For people with a newer, faster 3GS, they probably won’t have any trouble at all. Most likely it was just the rapid succession of frets flying my way, if you want to master the harder songs you’re going to have to practice just like in the other versions. Q: Okay, give us your overall. A: Overall I like it. I played through the whole game on Drums/Medium in about two hours and really enjoyed doing it. Other instruments are okay but ultimately don’t compare to the enjoyment I think most people get out of hitting the skins. Q: How much? A: Yeeeeah… about that. The biggest obstacle to purchase (and it’s a big one) is that the app is $9.99. Ouch. But I’ve been hankering for a new game to play, and the reviews over at Toucharcade.com are pretty favorable so, what the hell. Here’s the tracklist. Not including DLC: 30 Seconds To Mars – Attack AFI – Girl’s Not Grey All-American Rejects – Move Along Beastie Boys – Sabotage Blink-182 – All The Small Things Blondie – Hanging on the Telephone Foo Fighters – Learn To Fly Foo Fighters – Everlong George Thorogood & the Destroyers – Bad to The Bone Jethro Tull – Hymn 43 Joan Jett – Bad Reputation Lynyrd Skynyrd – Simple Man Motörhead – Ace of Spades ‘08 Pixies – Debaser Presidents of The United States of America – Ladybug Rise Against – Give It All Silversun Pickups – Lazy Eye Smashing Pumpkins – Cherub Rock Steve Miller Band – Take The Money and Run Go-Go’s – We Got The Beat Again, I feel like an utter fool not knowing this was coming out until yesterday when it was already available on the app store (*aside, to self* I must be slipping in my old age!). Q: Is this as good as RB on a major console? A: NO, dummy. It’s still pretty good though. You have all the same instruments (don’t bother with singing. You don’t actually sing, it’s the same as guitar except you can only play one chord and the screen is flipped sideways). The songs are alright and the interface is almost identical to what you are used to. Q: Does it even, you know, work? A: For the most part. I have an almost two year old coughjailbrokencough iPhone with a shit-ton of games, music, apps and flotsam clanking around inside it. For me, playing the latter songs on HARD, it seemed like the synching was off and only half the notes were connecting. For people with a newer, faster 3GS, they probably won’t have any trouble at all. Most likely it was just the rapid succession of frets flying my way, if you want to master the harder songs you’re going to have to practice just like in the other versions. Q: Okay, give us your overall. A: Overall I like it. I played through the whole game on Drums/Medium in about two hours and really enjoyed doing it. Other instruments are okay but ultimately don’t compare to the enjoyment I think most people get out of hitting the skins. Q: How much? A: Yeeeeah… about that. The biggest obstacle to purchase (and it’s a big one) is that the app is $9.99. Ouch. But I’ve been hankering for a new game to play, and the reviews over at Toucharcade.com are pretty favorable so, what the hell. Here’s the tracklist. Not including DLC: 30 Seconds To Mars – Attack AFI – Girl’s Not Grey All-American Rejects – Move Along Beastie Boys – Sabotage Blink-182 – All The Small Things Blondie – Hanging on the Telephone Foo Fighters – Learn To Fly Foo Fighters – Everlong George Thorogood & the Destroyers – Bad to The Bone Jethro Tull – Hymn 43 Joan Jett – Bad Reputation Lynyrd Skynyrd – Simple Man Motörhead – Ace of Spades ‘08 Pixies – Debaser Presidents of The United States of America – Ladybug Rise Against – Give It All Silversun Pickups – Lazy Eye Smashing Pumpkins – Cherub Rock Steve Miller Band – Take The Money and Run Go-Go’s – We Got The Beat tag:odeo.com,2009-10-20,25320682 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:15:29 -0700 no threevue music, apple, Gadgetronic Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25320683-Cheapskate-Gamefly-Deals Gamefly is having all sorts of deals on their online store right now. You don’t have to be a member to buy these games. Here are just a few that seem like great deals, many of them both on PS3/Xbox360: Bond 007: Quantum of Solace $9.99 (Xbox360 only) Lord of the Rings: Conquest $9.99 Mirror’s Edge $9.99 Tom Clancy’s End War $9.99 ($11.99 on PS3) H.A.W.X. $11.99 Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts $12.99 (Xbox360 only) F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin $12.99 (Xbox360 only) Infinite Undiscovery $12.99 (Xbox360 only) Tomb Raider Underworld $12.99 (Xbox360 only) Halo Wars $14.99 (Xbox360 only) Street Fighter IV $17.99 Gears of War 2 $19.99 (Xbox360 only) Resident Evil 5 $19.99 Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena $19.99 Left 4 Dead $19.99 (Xbox360 only) Resistance 2 $19.99 (PS3 only) I personally bought both Quantum of Solace and F.E.A.R. 2, even though I’m pretty sure that the latter will make me pee my pants. Hell, both of them might, for all I know. Full list o... Gamefly is having all sorts of deals on their online store right now. You don’t have to be a member to buy these games. Here are just a few that seem like great deals, many of them both on PS3/Xbox360: Bond 007: Quantum of Solace $9.99 (Xbox360 only) Lord of the Rings: Conquest $9.99 Mirror’s Edge $9.99 Tom Clancy’s End War $9.99 ($11.99 on PS3) H.A.W.X. $11.99 Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts $12.99 (Xbox360 only) F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin $12.99 (Xbox360 only) Infinite Undiscovery $12.99 (Xbox360 only) Tomb Raider Underworld $12.99 (Xbox360 only) Halo Wars $14.99 (Xbox360 only) Street Fighter IV $17.99 Gears of War 2 $19.99 (Xbox360 only) Resident Evil 5 $19.99 Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena $19.99 Left 4 Dead $19.99 (Xbox360 only) Resistance 2 $19.99 (PS3 only) I personally bought both Quantum of Solace and F.E.A.R. 2, even though I’m pretty sure that the latter will make me pee my pants. Hell, both of them might, for all I know. Full list of all $20 and under games after the break. Xbox 360: Race Pro $7.99 X Blades $7.99 Bond 007: Quantum of Solace $9.99 Lord of the Rings: Conquest $9.99 Mirror’s Edge $9.99 NPPL Championship Paintball 2009 $9.99 Tom Clancy’s End War $9.99 H.A.W.X. $11.99 Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts $12.99 F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin $12.99 Godfather 2 $12.99 Infinite Undiscovery $12.99 Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy $12.99 Tomb Raider Underworld $12.99 WWE: Legends of Wrestlemania $12.99 Halo Wars $14.99 WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 $14.99 Need for Speed Undercover $16.99 Silent Hill: Homecoming $17.99 Street Fighter IV $17.99 Gears of War 2 $19.99 Major League Baseball 2K9 $19.99 Resident Evil 5 $19.99 Battlestations: Pacific $19.99 Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena $19.99 GRID $19.99 Guitar Hero: Metallica $19.99 Left 4 Dead $19.99 Skate 2 $19.99 Virtua Tennis 2009 $19.99 PS3: MLB Front Office Manager $7.99 NPPL Championship Paintball 2009 $7.99 Lord of the Rings: Conquest $9.99 Mirror’s Edge $9.99 Fight Night: Round 3 $9.99 NBA 09 The Inside $9.99 NCAA Basketball 09 $9.99 X Blades $9.99 H.A.W.X. $11.99 Tom Clancy’s End War $11.99 Damnation $12.99 Godfather 2 $12.99 Shellshock 2: Blood Trails $12.99 Sonic Unleashed $12.99 Afro Samurai $14.99 WWE: Legends of Wrestlemania $14.99 Guitar Hero World Tour $14.99 Need for Speed Undercover $14.99 Overlord: Raising Hell $14.99 NASCAR 09 $17.99 Silent Hill: Homecoming $17.99 Guitar Hero: Metallica $19.99 Resident Evil 5 $19.99 Resistance 2 $19.99 Skate 2 $19.99 Street Fighter IV $19.99 Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena $19.99 Wii: Tenchu: Shadow Assassins $4.99 Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine $5.99 Six Flags Fun Park $7.99 Skate It $7.99 Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader $7.99 MySims Party $7.99 Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop $9.99 Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout $9.99 Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party $9.99 Sonic Unleashed $9.99 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 All-Play $9.99 Carnival Games $12.99 LEGO Indiana Jones $12.99 Major League Baseball 2K9 $12.99 Monsters vs. Aliens $12.99 Mushroom Men: Spore Wars $12.99 Wii Music $12.99 Klonoa $14.99 Mario Power Tennis $14.99 Mario Super Sluggers $14.99 My Fitness Coach $14.99 Pikmin $14.99 Boom Blox $17.99 Excitebots: Trick Racing $17.99 Animal Crossing: City Folk $19.99 NASCAR Kart Racing $17.99 Call of Duty: World at War $19.99 Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles $19.99 Hasbro Family Game Night $19.99 Gamefly is having all sorts of deals on their online store right now. You don’t have to be a member to buy these games. Here are just a few that seem like great deals, many of them both on PS3/Xbox360: Bond 007: Quantum of Solace $9.99 (Xbox360 only) Lord of the Rings: Conquest $9.99 Mirror’s Edge $9.99 Tom Clancy’s End War $9.99 ($11.99 on PS3) H.A.W.X. $11.99 Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts $12.99 (Xbox360 only) F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin $12.99 (Xbox360 only) Infinite Undiscovery $12.99 (Xbox360 only) Tomb Raider Underworld $12.99 (Xbox360 only) Halo Wars $14.99 (Xbox360 only) Street Fighter IV $17.99 Gears of War 2 $19.99 (Xbox360 only) Resident Evil 5 $19.99 Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena $19.99 Left 4 Dead $19.99 (Xbox360 only) Resistance 2 $19.99 (PS3 only) I personally bought both Quantum of Solace and F.E.A.R. 2, even though I’m pretty sure that the latter will make me pee my pants. Hell, both of them might, for all I know. Full list of all $20 and under games after the break. Xbox 360: Race Pro $7.99 X Blades $7.99 Bond 007: Quantum of Solace $9.99 Lord of the Rings: Conquest $9.99 Mirror’s Edge $9.99 NPPL Championship Paintball 2009 $9.99 Tom Clancy’s End War $9.99 H.A.W.X. $11.99 Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts $12.99 F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin $12.99 Godfather 2 $12.99 Infinite Undiscovery $12.99 Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy $12.99 Tomb Raider Underworld $12.99 WWE: Legends of Wrestlemania $12.99 Halo Wars $14.99 WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 $14.99 Need for Speed Undercover $16.99 Silent Hill: Homecoming $17.99 Street Fighter IV $17.99 Gears of War 2 $19.99 Major League Baseball 2K9 $19.99 Resident Evil 5 $19.99 Battlestations: Pacific $19.99 Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena $19.99 GRID $19.99 Guitar Hero: Metallica $19.99 Left 4 Dead $19.99 Skate 2 $19.99 Virtua Tennis 2009 $19.99 PS3: MLB Front Office Manager $7.99 NPPL Championship Paintball 2009 $7.99 Lord of the Rings: Conquest $9.99 Mirror’s Edge $9.99 Fight Night: Round 3 $9.99 NBA 09 The Inside $9.99 NCAA Basketball 09 $9.99 X Blades $9.99 H.A.W.X. $11.99 Tom Clancy’s End War $11.99 Damnation $12.99 Godfather 2 $12.99 Shellshock 2: Blood Trails $12.99 Sonic Unleashed $12.99 Afro Samurai $14.99 WWE: Legends of Wrestlemania $14.99 Guitar Hero World Tour $14.99 Need for Speed Undercover $14.99 Overlord: Raising Hell $14.99 NASCAR 09 $17.99 Silent Hill: Homecoming $17.99 Guitar Hero: Metallica $19.99 Resident Evil 5 $19.99 Resistance 2 $19.99 Skate 2 $19.99 Street Fighter IV $19.99 Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena $19.99 Wii: Tenchu: Shadow Assassins $4.99 Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine $5.99 Six Flags Fun Park $7.99 Skate It $7.99 Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader $7.99 MySims Party $7.99 Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop $9.99 Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout $9.99 Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party $9.99 Sonic Unleashed $9.99 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 All-Play $9.99 Carnival Games $12.99 LEGO Indiana Jones $12.99 Major League Baseball 2K9 $12.99 Monsters vs. Aliens $12.99 Mushroom Men: Spore Wars $12.99 Wii Music $12.99 Klonoa $14.99 Mario Power Tennis $14.99 Mario Super Sluggers $14.99 My Fitness Coach $14.99 Pikmin $14.99 Boom Blox $17.99 Excitebots: Trick Racing $17.99 Animal Crossing: City Folk $19.99 NASCAR Kart Racing $17.99 Call of Duty: World at War $19.99 Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles $19.99 Hasbro Family Game Night $19.99 tag:odeo.com,2009-10-20,25320683 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:30:16 -0700 no threevue Games, deal, Cheapskate, Gamefly Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25320684-New-Mobile-Site-Yay-or-Nay Those of you that are privileged enough to own a mobile phone that allows web surfing may have noticed that the most gracious host of threevue.com, WordPress, switched our site over to a condensed version without asking us. There aren’t any options for customizing it, so what you see is what we can offer. I actually like it, although you can no longer see all the fun stuff on the sidebar. You can always switch back to the regular version at the bottom of the page, if you’d like. So we’re leaving the decision up to you whether or not we should have it at all. Rock the vote! View This Poll polling Those of you that are privileged enough to own a mobile phone that allows web surfing may have noticed that the most gracious host of threevue.com, WordPress, switched our site over to a condensed version without asking us. There aren’t any options for customizing it, so what you see is what we can offer. I actually like it, although you can no longer see all the fun stuff on the sidebar. You can always switch back to the regular version at the bottom of the page, if you’d like. So we’re leaving the decision up to you whether or not we should have it at all. Rock the vote! View This Poll polling Those of you that are privileged enough to own a mobile phone that allows web surfing may have noticed that the most gracious host of threevue.com, WordPress, switched our site over to a condensed version without asking us. There aren’t any options for customizing it, so what you see is what we can offer. I actually like it, although you can no longer see all the fun stuff on the sidebar. You can always switch back to the regular version at the bottom of the page, if you’d like. So we’re leaving the decision up to you whether or not we should have it at all. Rock the vote! View This Poll polling tag:odeo.com,2009-10-20,25320684 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:04:41 -0700 no threevue Internet, Games Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25320685-Take-That I have one question for all of you jerks that decided to play Uncharted 2 this week instead of Brutal Legend*: When you were stuck on a certain level of the game, were you able to direct message the head of the studio that created it to ask him for advice, and did he instantly message you back with help? Didn’t think so. Well you know what? I did. Not only did I get some advice on the beating the last battle of Brutal Legend from Tim Schafer himself, but then we played an online match against each other where not only did he beat the shit out of me,  but I also go the “Six Degrees of Schafer” trophy by only using one degree! The coolest part was that he was using his headset, and even though I don’t have one for the PS3, he was talking me through the process of accepting his invite and playing online, and being super patient while I was texting him back. It made me feel like I was actually bros with Tim for a night. So there, Uncharted 2-ers, short of anythin... I have one question for all of you jerks that decided to play Uncharted 2 this week instead of Brutal Legend*: When you were stuck on a certain level of the game, were you able to direct message the head of the studio that created it to ask him for advice, and did he instantly message you back with help? Didn’t think so. Well you know what? I did. Not only did I get some advice on the beating the last battle of Brutal Legend from Tim Schafer himself, but then we played an online match against each other where not only did he beat the shit out of me,  but I also go the “Six Degrees of Schafer” trophy by only using one degree! The coolest part was that he was using his headset, and even though I don’t have one for the PS3, he was talking me through the process of accepting his invite and playing online, and being super patient while I was texting him back. It made me feel like I was actually bros with Tim for a night. So there, Uncharted 2-ers, short of anything but Nathan Drake himself busting into your house and giving you an HJ, I win. *I refuse to type the umlauts every time. My life moves far too fast for that. I have one question for all of you jerks that decided to play Uncharted 2 this week instead of Brutal Legend*: When you were stuck on a certain level of the game, were you able to direct message the head of the studio that created it to ask him for advice, and did he instantly message you back with help? Didn’t think so. Well you know what? I did. Not only did I get some advice on the beating the last battle of Brutal Legend from Tim Schafer himself, but then we played an online match against each other where not only did he beat the shit out of me,  but I also go the “Six Degrees of Schafer” trophy by only using one degree! The coolest part was that he was using his headset, and even though I don’t have one for the PS3, he was talking me through the process of accepting his invite and playing online, and being super patient while I was texting him back. It made me feel like I was actually bros with Tim for a night. So there, Uncharted 2-ers, short of anything but Nathan Drake himself busting into your house and giving you an HJ, I win. *I refuse to type the umlauts every time. My life moves far too fast for that. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-20,25320685 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:30:38 -0700 no threevue ps3, Games, editorials, brutal legend, Tim Schafer Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25317209-Threecast-Episode-45 What’s it like to design and create your own educational game on the world’s fastest-growing mobile platform? Just ask this week’s guest David Neely, creator of Mathogen, member of the band Linus, master of Deeniri.com and winner of the 2003 Honolulu Marathon with a record-shattering 52 minute run. This week’s show is all about Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Brütal Legend, Killzone 2, Scrabble, The Beatles: Rock Band, Mario Kart Wii, Link’s Crossbow Training, Zombie Apocalypse, Paranormal Activity, Monster Camp (Thank you, Dave) and gardening. Musical Guest: Tegan and Sara Subscribe via iTunes Download the .m4a file directly. (with pretty pictures) Download the .mp3 file directly. (just the audio) Listen streaming: What’s it like to design and create your own educational game on the world’s fastest-growing mobile platform? Just ask this week’s guest David Neely, creator of Mathogen, member of the band Linus, master of Deeniri.com and winner of the 2003 Honolulu Marathon with a record-shattering 52 minute run. This week’s show is all about Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Brütal Legend, Killzone 2, Scrabble, The Beatles: Rock Band, Mario Kart Wii, Link’s Crossbow Training, Zombie Apocalypse, Paranormal Activity, Monster Camp (Thank you, Dave) and gardening. Musical Guest: Tegan and Sara Subscribe via iTunes Download the .m4a file directly. (with pretty pictures) Download the .mp3 file directly. (just the audio) Listen streaming: What’s it like to design and create your own educational game on the world’s fastest-growing mobile platform? Just ask this week’s guest David Neely, creator of Mathogen, member of the band Linus, master of Deeniri.com and winner of the 2003 Honolulu Marathon with a record-shattering 52 minute run. This week’s show is all about Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Brütal Legend, Killzone 2, Scrabble, The Beatles: Rock Band, Mario Kart Wii, Link’s Crossbow Training, Zombie Apocalypse, Paranormal Activity, Monster Camp (Thank you, Dave) and gardening. Musical Guest: Tegan and Sara Subscribe via iTunes Download the .m4a file directly. (with pretty pictures) Download the .mp3 file directly. (just the audio) Listen streaming: tag:odeo.com,2009-10-20,25317209 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:29:53 -0700 no threevue Games, Threecasts Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25311782-Review-Uncharted-2-Among-Thieves I think all three(vue) of us are currently charting Uncharted 2 (or will be soon), but I finished it first, so I get to write the review. The other two can leave their opinions later. Russ: I’ve been looking forward to Uncharted 2 for a while, and I wasn’t disappointed. Everything I liked about the first game – diversity of gameplay, breathtaking landscapes, excellent voice acting – has returned and upped the ante for adventure games. Graphically, this game is incredible; I played the entire game with the lights off just to give it a more cinematic experience. And that’s what this game does best – it presents itself as an adventure movie more than a typical game, with an engrossing narrative and seamless cutscene-to-gameplay transitions. In fact, it plays out better than most recent big-screen adventure movies. The game takes place sometime after the events of the first Uncharted (which is not really mentioned, leaving new players to feel like the... I think all three(vue) of us are currently charting Uncharted 2 (or will be soon), but I finished it first, so I get to write the review. The other two can leave their opinions later. Russ: I’ve been looking forward to Uncharted 2 for a while, and I wasn’t disappointed. Everything I liked about the first game – diversity of gameplay, breathtaking landscapes, excellent voice acting – has returned and upped the ante for adventure games. Graphically, this game is incredible; I played the entire game with the lights off just to give it a more cinematic experience. And that’s what this game does best – it presents itself as an adventure movie more than a typical game, with an engrossing narrative and seamless cutscene-to-gameplay transitions. In fact, it plays out better than most recent big-screen adventure movies. The game takes place sometime after the events of the first Uncharted (which is not really mentioned, leaving new players to feel like they haven’t missed out on anything by jumping right into #2), with Nathan Drake on an initial get-rich-quick quest that turns into something much bigger. There are more good-guy characters and less bad-guy characters, which is an improvement over the first game, which felt bogged down by all its random baddies. The story itself seems much more polished, and the inclusion of time jumps really sets it apart from your typical cinematic video game. Uncharted 2 knows how to do a proper train chase scene. I felt like the first 4 chapters (out of 26) were too slowly paced, but that’s such a small fraction of the entire game that it doesn’t really matter. Throughout the experience, I was reminded of two recent games. It is similar to Resident Evil 5 in its ancient and creepy settings, and because the gameplay in the Resident Evil games are getting more action-y with each iteration. I was also reminded of Gears of War 2 because it’s a game that also improved upon itself in the sequel. But instead of making excuses for it like we all did with Gears of War 2 (”it’s a good game once you get past the…” etc), I’m proud to say that Uncharted 2 is an all-encompassing gaming experience that anyone can pick up and enjoy. Naughty Dog has been one of my favorite developers since the first Jak game, and Uncharted 2 solidifies their spot in gaming history. I think all three(vue) of us are currently charting Uncharted 2 (or will be soon), but I finished it first, so I get to write the review. The other two can leave their opinions later. Russ: I’ve been looking forward to Uncharted 2 for a while, and I wasn’t disappointed. Everything I liked about the first game – diversity of gameplay, breathtaking landscapes, excellent voice acting – has returned and upped the ante for adventure games. Graphically, this game is incredible; I played the entire game with the lights off just to give it a more cinematic experience. And that’s what this game does best – it presents itself as an adventure movie more than a typical game, with an engrossing narrative and seamless cutscene-to-gameplay transitions. In fact, it plays out better than most recent big-screen adventure movies. The game takes place sometime after the events of the first Uncharted (which is not really mentioned, leaving new players to feel like they haven’t missed out on anything by jumping right into #2), with Nathan Drake on an initial get-rich-quick quest that turns into something much bigger. There are more good-guy characters and less bad-guy characters, which is an improvement over the first game, which felt bogged down by all its random baddies. The story itself seems much more polished, and the inclusion of time jumps really sets it apart from your typical cinematic video game. Uncharted 2 knows how to do a proper train chase scene. I felt like the first 4 chapters (out of 26) were too slowly paced, but that’s such a small fraction of the entire game that it doesn’t really matter. Throughout the experience, I was reminded of two recent games. It is similar to Resident Evil 5 in its ancient and creepy settings, and because the gameplay in the Resident Evil games are getting more action-y with each iteration. I was also reminded of Gears of War 2 because it’s a game that also improved upon itself in the sequel. But instead of making excuses for it like we all did with Gears of War 2 (”it’s a good game once you get past the…” etc), I’m proud to say that Uncharted 2 is an all-encompassing gaming experience that anyone can pick up and enjoy. Naughty Dog has been one of my favorite developers since the first Jak game, and Uncharted 2 solidifies their spot in gaming history. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-19,25311782 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 05:00:00 -0700 no threevue Reviews, Games Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25305570-What%E2%80%99s-Next-Nazi-DLC Putting zombies in your game is getting so old that even talking about how it is getting old is getting old. Still, though, there is always room for more, and yet another game, Borderlands, is getting an undead injection via DLC later this year. The game comes out in about three days, and I haven’t really had much interest in it until about five minutes ago when I was checking out its web-based internet site. It sounds fun, but the line to get in my console this holiday season in growing quite large, and this will more than likely be pushed back to next year. Putting zombies in your game is getting so old that even talking about how it is getting old is getting old. Still, though, there is always room for more, and yet another game, Borderlands, is getting an undead injection via DLC later this year. The game comes out in about three days, and I haven’t really had much interest in it until about five minutes ago when I was checking out its web-based internet site. It sounds fun, but the line to get in my console this holiday season in growing quite large, and this will more than likely be pushed back to next year. Putting zombies in your game is getting so old that even talking about how it is getting old is getting old. Still, though, there is always room for more, and yet another game, Borderlands, is getting an undead injection via DLC later this year. The game comes out in about three days, and I haven’t really had much interest in it until about five minutes ago when I was checking out its web-based internet site. It sounds fun, but the line to get in my console this holiday season in growing quite large, and this will more than likely be pushed back to next year. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-17,25305570 Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:09:59 -0700 no threevue News, Games, editorials, borderlands Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25303361-Impressions-Uncharted-2 Spent an hour or two with this fall’s first big release. As far as I can tell, Uncharted 2 shouldn’t have a “2″ after it, because there hasn’t been any reference to the first game at all yet. I like that, because new players can jump right into it without missing a thing. The gameplay is nearly identical to the first game, but feels more polished. The storytelling is great, and feels much more epic. The enemies are much easier to take down (one of my biggest complaints about the original) but that may be because I’m playing it on the easiest setting. One quick observation is that I feel that the game is heading into a MGS4-esque territory: some of the larger moments in the game happen during cutscenes, leaving me to only control some super easy “puzzles” and shooting scenes. Hell, I’d rather have a quick-time event than just a bunch of cutscenes. Despite some slight annoyances (the opening train scene moved so slowly that I felt ... Spent an hour or two with this fall’s first big release. As far as I can tell, Uncharted 2 shouldn’t have a “2″ after it, because there hasn’t been any reference to the first game at all yet. I like that, because new players can jump right into it without missing a thing. The gameplay is nearly identical to the first game, but feels more polished. The storytelling is great, and feels much more epic. The enemies are much easier to take down (one of my biggest complaints about the original) but that may be because I’m playing it on the easiest setting. One quick observation is that I feel that the game is heading into a MGS4-esque territory: some of the larger moments in the game happen during cutscenes, leaving me to only control some super easy “puzzles” and shooting scenes. Hell, I’d rather have a quick-time event than just a bunch of cutscenes. Despite some slight annoyances (the opening train scene moved so slowly that I felt it took away from the pacing, and the unfair “stealth” scenes in Turkey) I’m looking forward to getting more into it. Spent an hour or two with this fall’s first big release. As far as I can tell, Uncharted 2 shouldn’t have a “2″ after it, because there hasn’t been any reference to the first game at all yet. I like that, because new players can jump right into it without missing a thing. The gameplay is nearly identical to the first game, but feels more polished. The storytelling is great, and feels much more epic. The enemies are much easier to take down (one of my biggest complaints about the original) but that may be because I’m playing it on the easiest setting. One quick observation is that I feel that the game is heading into a MGS4-esque territory: some of the larger moments in the game happen during cutscenes, leaving me to only control some super easy “puzzles” and shooting scenes. Hell, I’d rather have a quick-time event than just a bunch of cutscenes. Despite some slight annoyances (the opening train scene moved so slowly that I felt it took away from the pacing, and the unfair “stealth” scenes in Turkey) I’m looking forward to getting more into it. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-17,25303361 Sat, 17 Oct 2009 08:41:08 -0700 no threevue Games, uncharted 2 Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25303362-69-Free-Mac-Apps Mac|Life has posted a list of 69 free Snow Leopard compatible apps for Macs. Here are 10 of my favorites, in alphabetical order: 1. Audacity: Edit and master just about any audio file. Need to make a snippet of audio quickly? This works just fine. The GUI looks like crap but it works really well. 2. Boxee: Control all the media on your mac easily with this clean interface. I use this on our TV-connected Mac Mini, and I can browse my media as well as Hulu and YouTube with my TV remote. 3. Cyberduck: A simple FTP app. I have been using this for years to upload files (and more recently, our podcasts) to the internets. 4. Dropbox: Lets you share files/folders with other users and other computers of your own over the internet with a Finder-integrated interface. The fastest and easiest way to share files with friends, once everyone has it set up. 5. Flip4Mac: Play WMV files with Quicktime. 6. Growl: Lets your apps push little notification boxes into the corner of your screen when somethin... Mac|Life has posted a list of 69 free Snow Leopard compatible apps for Macs. Here are 10 of my favorites, in alphabetical order: 1. Audacity: Edit and master just about any audio file. Need to make a snippet of audio quickly? This works just fine. The GUI looks like crap but it works really well. 2. Boxee: Control all the media on your mac easily with this clean interface. I use this on our TV-connected Mac Mini, and I can browse my media as well as Hulu and YouTube with my TV remote. 3. Cyberduck: A simple FTP app. I have been using this for years to upload files (and more recently, our podcasts) to the internets. 4. Dropbox: Lets you share files/folders with other users and other computers of your own over the internet with a Finder-integrated interface. The fastest and easiest way to share files with friends, once everyone has it set up. 5. Flip4Mac: Play WMV files with Quicktime. 6. Growl: Lets your apps push little notification boxes into the corner of your screen when something happens (a download completes, a new song plays on iTunes, etc). 7. Neo Office: An open-source MS Office app, runs a bit slow, but hey, it’s phuree. 8. NetNewsWire: The best RSS reader out there, syncs with Google Reader and its free (but buggy) iPhone app. 9. Quicksilver: This “Finder extender” lets you open, close and mess around with stuff without having to click anything. Once you get it down, it can really speed up your computer experience. 10. SeaShore: A simple image-editing tool. I use this to create all of our pretty post images. Mac|Life has posted a list of 69 free Snow Leopard compatible apps for Macs. Here are 10 of my favorites, in alphabetical order: 1. Audacity: Edit and master just about any audio file. Need to make a snippet of audio quickly? This works just fine. The GUI looks like crap but it works really well. 2. Boxee: Control all the media on your mac easily with this clean interface. I use this on our TV-connected Mac Mini, and I can browse my media as well as Hulu and YouTube with my TV remote. 3. Cyberduck: A simple FTP app. I have been using this for years to upload files (and more recently, our podcasts) to the internets. 4. Dropbox: Lets you share files/folders with other users and other computers of your own over the internet with a Finder-integrated interface. The fastest and easiest way to share files with friends, once everyone has it set up. 5. Flip4Mac: Play WMV files with Quicktime. 6. Growl: Lets your apps push little notification boxes into the corner of your screen when something happens (a download completes, a new song plays on iTunes, etc). 7. Neo Office: An open-source MS Office app, runs a bit slow, but hey, it’s phuree. 8. NetNewsWire: The best RSS reader out there, syncs with Google Reader and its free (but buggy) iPhone app. 9. Quicksilver: This “Finder extender” lets you open, close and mess around with stuff without having to click anything. Once you get it down, it can really speed up your computer experience. 10. SeaShore: A simple image-editing tool. I use this to create all of our pretty post images. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-17,25303362 Sat, 17 Oct 2009 08:17:38 -0700 no threevue Internet, apple, Mac, editorials, free apps Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25294080-What%E2%80%99s-With-The-Raquetball-Glasses Since we are on the subject of stupid people broadcasting themselves over the internets, here is one I recently stumbled upon. He calls himself Trent Gamer, but I call him the Chris Crocker of video games. I hope you hate him as much as I do. Enjoy! If you are one of the 40,000 people that have already seen this, I’m sorry. Since we are on the subject of stupid people broadcasting themselves over the internets, here is one I recently stumbled upon. He calls himself Trent Gamer, but I call him the Chris Crocker of video games. I hope you hate him as much as I do. Enjoy! If you are one of the 40,000 people that have already seen this, I’m sorry. Since we are on the subject of stupid people broadcasting themselves over the internets, here is one I recently stumbled upon. He calls himself Trent Gamer, but I call him the Chris Crocker of video games. I hope you hate him as much as I do. Enjoy! If you are one of the 40,000 people that have already seen this, I’m sorry. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-15,25294080 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:05:55 -0700 no threevue Internet, Games, editorials, brutal legend, trent gamer Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25289193-Tyler%E2%80%99s-Heroes-%E2%80%93-Skoalrebel Ladies and Gentlemen, please meet Eric. He’s from Metcalfe County, Kentucky. And he might be the worst person I have ever seen in my life. Oh yeah, you’ll probably need some grief counseling after watching these videos. Skoalrebel got 14:59 of his 15 minutes of fame a few weeks ago when his video decrying Obama being against flavored dip made the rounds on Digg and Current TV’s Infomania and Shawn Elliott’s Tweets. The original video has been removed (I wonder why) but you can get the gist from it in this clip. The host is kind of annoying, sorry. Let me break down a normal video from this guy: Video Starts Skoalrebel slurs out “Hey guys, wussup?” and then answers himself. “Nothing much”. Skoalrebel emits a wet, gurgling cough and tries to clear his throat of all the mucous that his body is producing in order to give itself a protective layer from the lethal amounts of dip he’s putting in his mouth on a daily basis. Skoalrebel ta... Ladies and Gentlemen, please meet Eric. He’s from Metcalfe County, Kentucky. And he might be the worst person I have ever seen in my life. Oh yeah, you’ll probably need some grief counseling after watching these videos. Skoalrebel got 14:59 of his 15 minutes of fame a few weeks ago when his video decrying Obama being against flavored dip made the rounds on Digg and Current TV’s Infomania and Shawn Elliott’s Tweets. The original video has been removed (I wonder why) but you can get the gist from it in this clip. The host is kind of annoying, sorry. Let me break down a normal video from this guy: Video Starts Skoalrebel slurs out “Hey guys, wussup?” and then answers himself. “Nothing much”. Skoalrebel emits a wet, gurgling cough and tries to clear his throat of all the mucous that his body is producing in order to give itself a protective layer from the lethal amounts of dip he’s putting in his mouth on a daily basis. Skoalrebel talks about how much he likes FLAYVURD DIYUPS. Dead air as he places a fist-sized hunk of Cope Wintergreen Long-Cut in to his slack-jawed mouth. Complaining Coughing More dip End Video Wow! Handsome and a musician? In the end, what can sum Skoalrebel up better than the derision of his peers? Here’s a short list of some of the comments from his videos. Aeoncatharsis – Holy shit, nothing could have prepared me for how bad that was. You have absolutely no talent. ZuleSpaceman - SHRED!? Yes! Bombtrak – Even sucks at counting himself in. LokiXOwnsU – How can you fuck up the easiest song in the god damned world? JamMessiahJC – Yngwie Malmsteen? just got destroyed. TylerMiller808 – Your playing is so bad that you, like, gave me a mild stroke for a few second. You are the Sisteen Chapel of shitty guitar players. Ladies and Gentlemen, please meet Eric. He’s from Metcalfe County, Kentucky. And he might be the worst person I have ever seen in my life. Oh yeah, you’ll probably need some grief counseling after watching these videos. Skoalrebel got 14:59 of his 15 minutes of fame a few weeks ago when his video decrying Obama being against flavored dip made the rounds on Digg and Current TV’s Infomania and Shawn Elliott’s Tweets. The original video has been removed (I wonder why) but you can get the gist from it in this clip. The host is kind of annoying, sorry. Let me break down a normal video from this guy: Video Starts Skoalrebel slurs out “Hey guys, wussup?” and then answers himself. “Nothing much”. Skoalrebel emits a wet, gurgling cough and tries to clear his throat of all the mucous that his body is producing in order to give itself a protective layer from the lethal amounts of dip he’s putting in his mouth on a daily basis. Skoalrebel talks about how much he likes FLAYVURD DIYUPS. Dead air as he places a fist-sized hunk of Cope Wintergreen Long-Cut in to his slack-jawed mouth. Complaining Coughing More dip End Video Wow! Handsome and a musician? In the end, what can sum Skoalrebel up better than the derision of his peers? Here’s a short list of some of the comments from his videos. Aeoncatharsis – Holy shit, nothing could have prepared me for how bad that was. You have absolutely no talent. ZuleSpaceman - SHRED!? Yes! Bombtrak – Even sucks at counting himself in. LokiXOwnsU – How can you fuck up the easiest song in the god damned world? JamMessiahJC – Yngwie Malmsteen? just got destroyed. TylerMiller808 – Your playing is so bad that you, like, gave me a mild stroke for a few second. You are the Sisteen Chapel of shitty guitar players. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-15,25289193 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:09:12 -0700 no threevue Internet, editorials Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25286769-Writer-Gamer%E2%80%A6Gardener-Part-Two Hi, you may remember me from such posts as Writer, Gamer…Gardener?, when six months ago I built a retaining wall and cleaned up the front of my yard. This past week my parents were out visiting so we decided to tackle a much bigger project: building a backyard patio. I’m proud to say that we did all the work ourselves: hauling the concrete to the backyard from the cement truck, floating/stamping/coloring the concrete by hand, building a new handrail, and covering up the old cement entrance with brick, which had the lovely words “fuck you bitches” etched into it while drying. We live in a classy neighborhood, see. Hi, you may remember me from such posts as Writer, Gamer…Gardener?, when six months ago I built a retaining wall and cleaned up the front of my yard. This past week my parents were out visiting so we decided to tackle a much bigger project: building a backyard patio. I’m proud to say that we did all the work ourselves: hauling the concrete to the backyard from the cement truck, floating/stamping/coloring the concrete by hand, building a new handrail, and covering up the old cement entrance with brick, which had the lovely words “fuck you bitches” etched into it while drying. We live in a classy neighborhood, see. Hi, you may remember me from such posts as Writer, Gamer…Gardener?, when six months ago I built a retaining wall and cleaned up the front of my yard. This past week my parents were out visiting so we decided to tackle a much bigger project: building a backyard patio. I’m proud to say that we did all the work ourselves: hauling the concrete to the backyard from the cement truck, floating/stamping/coloring the concrete by hand, building a new handrail, and covering up the old cement entrance with brick, which had the lovely words “fuck you bitches” etched into it while drying. We live in a classy neighborhood, see. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-14,25286769 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:07:58 -0700 no threevue editorials, yard work, Life in general Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25283475-Sooooooo-what-do-you-think I haven’t had the chance to play it yet, but all news seems to be positive coming out of the Nathan Drake camp. How about you, real world? I know at least one of our friends is picking it up in Australia tomorrow (p.s. Nathan Drake + Aussie accent = yum). Is it as good as everyone says it is? On a side note, for every fifteen Uncharted posts/tweets/whatever I see, I only see one about Brutal Legend. Is there something to be said there? I haven’t had the chance to play it yet, but all news seems to be positive coming out of the Nathan Drake camp. How about you, real world? I know at least one of our friends is picking it up in Australia tomorrow (p.s. Nathan Drake + Aussie accent = yum). Is it as good as everyone says it is? On a side note, for every fifteen Uncharted posts/tweets/whatever I see, I only see one about Brutal Legend. Is there something to be said there? I haven’t had the chance to play it yet, but all news seems to be positive coming out of the Nathan Drake camp. How about you, real world? I know at least one of our friends is picking it up in Australia tomorrow (p.s. Nathan Drake + Aussie accent = yum). Is it as good as everyone says it is? On a side note, for every fifteen Uncharted posts/tweets/whatever I see, I only see one about Brutal Legend. Is there something to be said there? tag:odeo.com,2009-10-14,25283475 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:29:21 -0700 no threevue ps3, Games, editorials, uncharted 2 Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25282366-iPhone-Game-Words-With-Friends-%E2%80%93-Turn-Based-Iphone-Scrabble Question The First: Why did it take so long to come up with this game? What’s that? Its been out since July? Oh…. Question The Second: Why didn’t anyone tell me about this game? Words With Friends is Scrabble played on your iPhone with anyone else who has the game on their iPhone. The fancy term for it is Asynchronous Play, but I call it good old fashioned Voodoo. I know this app is a product of the dark arts because any game where one person makes a move and the other person can respond to that move at their leisure is a work that is bound to be influenced by Satan. There’s a free version with annoying ads, or you could pay $1.99 for the streamlined version.  Either way, you should check it out and add me as a friend: Tyler_Miller. As always – iPod touch users have to be in a Wifi hotspot. Question The First: Why did it take so long to come up with this game? What’s that? Its been out since July? Oh…. Question The Second: Why didn’t anyone tell me about this game? Words With Friends is Scrabble played on your iPhone with anyone else who has the game on their iPhone. The fancy term for it is Asynchronous Play, but I call it good old fashioned Voodoo. I know this app is a product of the dark arts because any game where one person makes a move and the other person can respond to that move at their leisure is a work that is bound to be influenced by Satan. There’s a free version with annoying ads, or you could pay $1.99 for the streamlined version.  Either way, you should check it out and add me as a friend: Tyler_Miller. As always – iPod touch users have to be in a Wifi hotspot. Question The First: Why did it take so long to come up with this game? What’s that? Its been out since July? Oh…. Question The Second: Why didn’t anyone tell me about this game? Words With Friends is Scrabble played on your iPhone with anyone else who has the game on their iPhone. The fancy term for it is Asynchronous Play, but I call it good old fashioned Voodoo. I know this app is a product of the dark arts because any game where one person makes a move and the other person can respond to that move at their leisure is a work that is bound to be influenced by Satan. There’s a free version with annoying ads, or you could pay $1.99 for the streamlined version.  Either way, you should check it out and add me as a friend: Tyler_Miller. As always – iPod touch users have to be in a Wifi hotspot. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-13,25282366 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:49:15 -0700 no threevue Games Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25281010-Podcast-Delayed-A-Week Hey guys, we thought we would honor all the great games being delayed until next year like BioShock 2 and that new Splinter Cell game by delaying our podcast by a week. It has nothing to do with conflicting schedules, relatives visiting, or one of us being out of town, promise! Seriously, I can’t believe they delayed Mass Effect 2. Hey guys, we thought we would honor all the great games being delayed until next year like BioShock 2 and that new Splinter Cell game by delaying our podcast by a week. It has nothing to do with conflicting schedules, relatives visiting, or one of us being out of town, promise! Seriously, I can’t believe they delayed Mass Effect 2. Hey guys, we thought we would honor all the great games being delayed until next year like BioShock 2 and that new Splinter Cell game by delaying our podcast by a week. It has nothing to do with conflicting schedules, relatives visiting, or one of us being out of town, promise! Seriously, I can’t believe they delayed Mass Effect 2. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-13,25281010 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:36:48 -0700 no threevue News, Threecasts Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25274097-Happy-Columbo-Day As you all know, today is the day that we Americans celebrate the day that Columbo discovered that he is in fact just a wimpier version of Charles Bronson (I mixed the two up as a child). Hope you’re enjoying it with your families and gaming consoles. As for me, I’ll be working on the back patio that’s consumed the past week of my life (pictures en route). As you all know, today is the day that we Americans celebrate the day that Columbo discovered that he is in fact just a wimpier version of Charles Bronson (I mixed the two up as a child). Hope you’re enjoying it with your families and gaming consoles. As for me, I’ll be working on the back patio that’s consumed the past week of my life (pictures en route). As you all know, today is the day that we Americans celebrate the day that Columbo discovered that he is in fact just a wimpier version of Charles Bronson (I mixed the two up as a child). Hope you’re enjoying it with your families and gaming consoles. As for me, I’ll be working on the back patio that’s consumed the past week of my life (pictures en route). tag:odeo.com,2009-10-12,25274097 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:59:10 -0700 no threevue editorials, columbo Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25274098-Cheapskate-I%E2%80%99m-Boycotting-Tweetie-2-And-So-Should-You Let’s get one thing straight – I use the original Tweetie every day. It lets me easily manage multiple accounts, and gives me more features than the Twitter site. I was excited to hear about its recently-released “sequel”, Tweetie 2, until I started reading up on it. Tweetie 2 is a re-written, upgraded version of the Tweetie app that I already paid $3 for eight months ago. And they’re charging $3 for it again. I feel that Tweetie 2 should be free for current Tweetie owners, or at the very least heavily discounted. I understand that the programmers spent some time on re-writing the code, but doesn’t that just mean they spent their time working on a new product instead of improving upon the one we all paid for already? Not only that, but they’ve pulled the original Tweetie app from the App Store, thereby guaranteeing that those of us that were hoping for improvements on our original app will be instead met with a smug little $3 twitter troll. ... Let’s get one thing straight – I use the original Tweetie every day. It lets me easily manage multiple accounts, and gives me more features than the Twitter site. I was excited to hear about its recently-released “sequel”, Tweetie 2, until I started reading up on it. Tweetie 2 is a re-written, upgraded version of the Tweetie app that I already paid $3 for eight months ago. And they’re charging $3 for it again. I feel that Tweetie 2 should be free for current Tweetie owners, or at the very least heavily discounted. I understand that the programmers spent some time on re-writing the code, but doesn’t that just mean they spent their time working on a new product instead of improving upon the one we all paid for already? Not only that, but they’ve pulled the original Tweetie app from the App Store, thereby guaranteeing that those of us that were hoping for improvements on our original app will be instead met with a smug little $3 twitter troll. The worst part is that many in the industry are watching Tweetie 2 to see how well it will sell (currently the #2 paid app in the store) so that they can charge for their upgrades “sequels”, too. Let’s get one thing straight – I use the original Tweetie every day. It lets me easily manage multiple accounts, and gives me more features than the Twitter site. I was excited to hear about its recently-released “sequel”, Tweetie 2, until I started reading up on it. Tweetie 2 is a re-written, upgraded version of the Tweetie app that I already paid $3 for eight months ago. And they’re charging $3 for it again. I feel that Tweetie 2 should be free for current Tweetie owners, or at the very least heavily discounted. I understand that the programmers spent some time on re-writing the code, but doesn’t that just mean they spent their time working on a new product instead of improving upon the one we all paid for already? Not only that, but they’ve pulled the original Tweetie app from the App Store, thereby guaranteeing that those of us that were hoping for improvements on our original app will be instead met with a smug little $3 twitter troll. The worst part is that many in the industry are watching Tweetie 2 to see how well it will sell (currently the #2 paid app in the store) so that they can charge for their upgrades “sequels”, too. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-12,25274098 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:53:14 -0700 no threevue iphone, apple, Cheapskate, tweetie Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25271322-It%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9CRefer-To-Yourself-In-The-Third-Person%E2%80%9D-Day Mark doesn’t want to play Bayonetta because he thinks it looks stupid and boring. Mark didn’t like it back when it was called Heavenly Sword, and he’s not going to like it now. Mark is rad! Mark doesn’t want to play Bayonetta because he thinks it looks stupid and boring. Mark didn’t like it back when it was called Heavenly Sword, and he’s not going to like it now. Mark is rad! Mark doesn’t want to play Bayonetta because he thinks it looks stupid and boring. Mark didn’t like it back when it was called Heavenly Sword, and he’s not going to like it now. Mark is rad! tag:odeo.com,2009-10-11,25271322 Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:11:57 -0700 no threevue Games, editorials, Bayonetta Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25269017-It%E2%80%99s-Not-You-It%E2%80%99s-Me Things may be changing in the coming months in the Hill household apartmenthold. I am going to start making the PS3 my main console for games that are multi-platform, and primarily single player. This mean games like Assassin’s Creed 2, Brutal Legend, Mass Effect 2 (if it comes out on PS3), etc…, will all be spinning in my PS3 when I play them. Nothing against the 360, and its multiplayer superiority will keep games like Modern Warfare 2 snuggled warmly within its drive, but I just feel I’ve got my money’s worth out of it, and now I want to put some miles on the PS3 before it’s too late. Things may be changing in the coming months in the Hill household apartmenthold. I am going to start making the PS3 my main console for games that are multi-platform, and primarily single player. This mean games like Assassin’s Creed 2, Brutal Legend, Mass Effect 2 (if it comes out on PS3), etc…, will all be spinning in my PS3 when I play them. Nothing against the 360, and its multiplayer superiority will keep games like Modern Warfare 2 snuggled warmly within its drive, but I just feel I’ve got my money’s worth out of it, and now I want to put some miles on the PS3 before it’s too late. Things may be changing in the coming months in the Hill household apartmenthold. I am going to start making the PS3 my main console for games that are multi-platform, and primarily single player. This mean games like Assassin’s Creed 2, Brutal Legend, Mass Effect 2 (if it comes out on PS3), etc…, will all be spinning in my PS3 when I play them. Nothing against the 360, and its multiplayer superiority will keep games like Modern Warfare 2 snuggled warmly within its drive, but I just feel I’ve got my money’s worth out of it, and now I want to put some miles on the PS3 before it’s too late. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-11,25269017 Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:22:23 -0700 no threevue xbox 360, ps3, Games, editorials Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25260105-The-Strangest-Thing-Just-Happened-To-Me Please forgive my absence over the last few days, but the weirdest thing happened, so I’m sure you will understand. First, I found this crusty old map, but because a distant relative of mine was a great explorer, I knew right off the bat that it was a treasure map. So being the curious dude that I am, I went looking for it, which brought me to this mysterious island full of danger. I spent a couple days traversing the beautiful tropical setting, along with some surprising locales, like underground bunkers, creepy old churches, and even a German U-boat! It was really great. The thing that I really didn’t like, and what made the game trip really annoying at points, was all these enemies I had to kill. Apparently, there was another guy after the same treasure, but somehow he was able to bring an entire army’s worth of people. Not only that, the guys were really hard to kill because they would do this stupid little bullet-dodging dance, and would take about six rounds ... Please forgive my absence over the last few days, but the weirdest thing happened, so I’m sure you will understand. First, I found this crusty old map, but because a distant relative of mine was a great explorer, I knew right off the bat that it was a treasure map. So being the curious dude that I am, I went looking for it, which brought me to this mysterious island full of danger. I spent a couple days traversing the beautiful tropical setting, along with some surprising locales, like underground bunkers, creepy old churches, and even a German U-boat! It was really great. The thing that I really didn’t like, and what made the game trip really annoying at points, was all these enemies I had to kill. Apparently, there was another guy after the same treasure, but somehow he was able to bring an entire army’s worth of people. Not only that, the guys were really hard to kill because they would do this stupid little bullet-dodging dance, and would take about six rounds to the chest before they went down. By the end, I had killed more Indonesians than Bird Flu. I’m really surprised that there wasn’t an international incident. So, I got home safe, along with this cute girl I met. I can’t wait for my next adventure, which should be in about a week. Bye! Please forgive my absence over the last few days, but the weirdest thing happened, so I’m sure you will understand. First, I found this crusty old map, but because a distant relative of mine was a great explorer, I knew right off the bat that it was a treasure map. So being the curious dude that I am, I went looking for it, which brought me to this mysterious island full of danger. I spent a couple days traversing the beautiful tropical setting, along with some surprising locales, like underground bunkers, creepy old churches, and even a German U-boat! It was really great. The thing that I really didn’t like, and what made the game trip really annoying at points, was all these enemies I had to kill. Apparently, there was another guy after the same treasure, but somehow he was able to bring an entire army’s worth of people. Not only that, the guys were really hard to kill because they would do this stupid little bullet-dodging dance, and would take about six rounds to the chest before they went down. By the end, I had killed more Indonesians than Bird Flu. I’m really surprised that there wasn’t an international incident. So, I got home safe, along with this cute girl I met. I can’t wait for my next adventure, which should be in about a week. Bye! tag:odeo.com,2009-10-09,25260105 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:38:32 -0700 no threevue Reviews, ps3, Games, uncharted, editorials Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25244681-Threecast-Episode-44 I’m just going to go ahead and say it; this week is all about how great Uncharted is. New players like Mark and I gush about how fun the 2 year old Drake’s Fortune is while all members of the show verbally fellate the multiplayer beta for Among Thieves. Anything else we talk about in this episode is pure GARBAGE! This week’s show is all about TimeShift, Mirror’s Edge, Sunny Day Real Estate and their asshole drummer, Resistance 2, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and GeoDefense. Musical Guest – Wilco Subscribe via iTunes Download the .m4a file directly. (with pretty pictures) Download the .mp3 file directly. (just the audio) Listen streaming: I’m just going to go ahead and say it; this week is all about how great Uncharted is. New players like Mark and I gush about how fun the 2 year old Drake’s Fortune is while all members of the show verbally fellate the multiplayer beta for Among Thieves. Anything else we talk about in this episode is pure GARBAGE! This week’s show is all about TimeShift, Mirror’s Edge, Sunny Day Real Estate and their asshole drummer, Resistance 2, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and GeoDefense. Musical Guest – Wilco Subscribe via iTunes Download the .m4a file directly. (with pretty pictures) Download the .mp3 file directly. (just the audio) Listen streaming: I’m just going to go ahead and say it; this week is all about how great Uncharted is. New players like Mark and I gush about how fun the 2 year old Drake’s Fortune is while all members of the show verbally fellate the multiplayer beta for Among Thieves. Anything else we talk about in this episode is pure GARBAGE! This week’s show is all about TimeShift, Mirror’s Edge, Sunny Day Real Estate and their asshole drummer, Resistance 2, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and GeoDefense. Musical Guest – Wilco Subscribe via iTunes Download the .m4a file directly. (with pretty pictures) Download the .mp3 file directly. (just the audio) Listen streaming: tag:odeo.com,2009-10-06,25244681 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:19:30 -0700 no threevue Games Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25240017-Review-TimeShift Sometimes, there’s nothing worse than a mediocre game. I mean, some games are so laughably bad that the experience of playing them isn’t wholly unpleasant. For example TMNT and Jumper: Griffin’s Story were both playable, and had one merit that TimeShift lacks: brevity. I spent seven months of my life playing this hunk of garbage (off and on, mind you), relentless in my stubborn need to finish this awful tale of mediocrity. You play as a nameless, faceless futuristic soldier (real ingenious, guys) who is actually a scientist but he can somehow wield weapons with ease. I’m pretty sure Gordon Freeman is the only scientist on the planet that can get away with that, by the way. You’re fitted in the second of two prototype suits that can alter time; the first was nabbed by some guy who went back in time and made a dystopian, blasé alternate reality where everyone has futuristic weapons and are as shallow as the mirror pool outside of the Lincoln Memorial. It ... Sometimes, there’s nothing worse than a mediocre game. I mean, some games are so laughably bad that the experience of playing them isn’t wholly unpleasant. For example TMNT and Jumper: Griffin’s Story were both playable, and had one merit that TimeShift lacks: brevity. I spent seven months of my life playing this hunk of garbage (off and on, mind you), relentless in my stubborn need to finish this awful tale of mediocrity. You play as a nameless, faceless futuristic soldier (real ingenious, guys) who is actually a scientist but he can somehow wield weapons with ease. I’m pretty sure Gordon Freeman is the only scientist on the planet that can get away with that, by the way. You’re fitted in the second of two prototype suits that can alter time; the first was nabbed by some guy who went back in time and made a dystopian, blasé alternate reality where everyone has futuristic weapons and are as shallow as the mirror pool outside of the Lincoln Memorial. It is your quest (and I say “quest” because this freaking game is about 10 hours longer than it should be) to go through all these stupid levels in order to face off against him. And by “him” I mean some big walking robot dog thing that he’s supposedly controlling that takes ten minutes to take down, not because it’s challenging, but because it’s unfair. Oh, spoilers. Sorry about that. What irks me the most about TimeShit (see that?) is that it just makes me realize how good of a game Half-Life 2 really is. This game came out three years after Half-Life 2 but doesn’t improve upon it, or match it, in any way. The only thing that sets it apart, the time traveling, is totally lame. You can only use it for a few seconds to slow down, freeze, or rewind time to give you an edge over the enemies. But instead of making the enemies worth fighting, they just made them tough to kill to balance out your time advantages. And even on the easiest difficulty, a couple shots from any enemy will kill you like you’re going out of style. It’s really frustrating. There’s multiplayer, but I didn’t touch it. I was so relieved to be done with this game that I didn’t even want to bother with the extras. This game has taught me one thing, though: I’m a busy guy, and I don’t have the time to waste on shitty games like this. From now on, I’m only going to play games that actually interest me a little bit. I have no problem playing a mediocre game if it’s something that I want to spend time with like Kane & Lynch or Blacksite: Area 51. No more trudging through crap like TimeShift for a lousy 160 achievement points. Sometimes, there’s nothing worse than a mediocre game. I mean, some games are so laughably bad that the experience of playing them isn’t wholly unpleasant. For example TMNT and Jumper: Griffin’s Story were both playable, and had one merit that TimeShift lacks: brevity. I spent seven months of my life playing this hunk of garbage (off and on, mind you), relentless in my stubborn need to finish this awful tale of mediocrity. You play as a nameless, faceless futuristic soldier (real ingenious, guys) who is actually a scientist but he can somehow wield weapons with ease. I’m pretty sure Gordon Freeman is the only scientist on the planet that can get away with that, by the way. You’re fitted in the second of two prototype suits that can alter time; the first was nabbed by some guy who went back in time and made a dystopian, blasé alternate reality where everyone has futuristic weapons and are as shallow as the mirror pool outside of the Lincoln Memorial. It is your quest (and I say “quest” because this freaking game is about 10 hours longer than it should be) to go through all these stupid levels in order to face off against him. And by “him” I mean some big walking robot dog thing that he’s supposedly controlling that takes ten minutes to take down, not because it’s challenging, but because it’s unfair. Oh, spoilers. Sorry about that. What irks me the most about TimeShit (see that?) is that it just makes me realize how good of a game Half-Life 2 really is. This game came out three years after Half-Life 2 but doesn’t improve upon it, or match it, in any way. The only thing that sets it apart, the time traveling, is totally lame. You can only use it for a few seconds to slow down, freeze, or rewind time to give you an edge over the enemies. But instead of making the enemies worth fighting, they just made them tough to kill to balance out your time advantages. And even on the easiest difficulty, a couple shots from any enemy will kill you like you’re going out of style. It’s really frustrating. There’s multiplayer, but I didn’t touch it. I was so relieved to be done with this game that I didn’t even want to bother with the extras. This game has taught me one thing, though: I’m a busy guy, and I don’t have the time to waste on shitty games like this. From now on, I’m only going to play games that actually interest me a little bit. I have no problem playing a mediocre game if it’s something that I want to spend time with like Kane & Lynch or Blacksite: Area 51. No more trudging through crap like TimeShift for a lousy 160 achievement points. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-06,25240017 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:01:45 -0700 no threevue Reviews, Games, timeshift Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25236585-Episodic-Content-of-Retail-Games-Superfantasticness Microsoft, I’m picking up what you’re dropping, and I like it. You released Fable II in five separate episodes, making the first one free. Gamers now can play the actual game (vice a pre-release build of only the best part of the game) and then decide if they want to shell out some real life moneys for it. And if/when you decide to buy the rest of the episodes (or the retail game), your savegame and stats from the first episode transfer into the full game, so you don’t have to replay anything and you won’t miss a beat. Nice. It’s a great idea, and something that every game could have: release the first 10% of the game as an “episode”, and then let the player decide if he wants to actually pay for it. This would go well with my future vision of all-digital media, as well as digital rentals. There are a couple things I’m not happy with, though. Fable II is released in five episodes, why? Who is going to say, “well, I’m only g... Microsoft, I’m picking up what you’re dropping, and I like it. You released Fable II in five separate episodes, making the first one free. Gamers now can play the actual game (vice a pre-release build of only the best part of the game) and then decide if they want to shell out some real life moneys for it. And if/when you decide to buy the rest of the episodes (or the retail game), your savegame and stats from the first episode transfer into the full game, so you don’t have to replay anything and you won’t miss a beat. Nice. It’s a great idea, and something that every game could have: release the first 10% of the game as an “episode”, and then let the player decide if he wants to actually pay for it. This would go well with my future vision of all-digital media, as well as digital rentals. There are a couple things I’m not happy with, though. Fable II is released in five episodes, why? Who is going to say, “well, I’m only going to play 3/5 of this game”, really? Fickle gamers? Secondly, you can’t find the price for the rest of the episodes anywhere, which looks sneaky. Either Microsoft is going to charge too much for it (btw, you can find it on half.com for a little over $20 right now, and it was $25 at Gamestop today), which sucks, or they haven’t figured it out yet, which also sucks. Either way, they should be upfront with the costs; how’s it going to feel when a 15-year-old kid with a limited budget really enjoys episode one, only to be slapped in the face by some obscene price for episode two that he didn’t know was coming? Microsoft, I’m picking up what you’re dropping, and I like it. You released Fable II in five separate episodes, making the first one free. Gamers now can play the actual game (vice a pre-release build of only the best part of the game) and then decide if they want to shell out some real life moneys for it. And if/when you decide to buy the rest of the episodes (or the retail game), your savegame and stats from the first episode transfer into the full game, so you don’t have to replay anything and you won’t miss a beat. Nice. It’s a great idea, and something that every game could have: release the first 10% of the game as an “episode”, and then let the player decide if he wants to actually pay for it. This would go well with my future vision of all-digital media, as well as digital rentals. There are a couple things I’m not happy with, though. Fable II is released in five episodes, why? Who is going to say, “well, I’m only going to play 3/5 of this game”, really? Fickle gamers? Secondly, you can’t find the price for the rest of the episodes anywhere, which looks sneaky. Either Microsoft is going to charge too much for it (btw, you can find it on half.com for a little over $20 right now, and it was $25 at Gamestop today), which sucks, or they haven’t figured it out yet, which also sucks. Either way, they should be upfront with the costs; how’s it going to feel when a 15-year-old kid with a limited budget really enjoys episode one, only to be slapped in the face by some obscene price for episode two that he didn’t know was coming? tag:odeo.com,2009-10-05,25236585 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:00:41 -0700 no threevue Games, editorials, Fable 2, Fable II Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25235001-New-Call-of-Duty-Modern-Warfare-2-Trailer tag:odeo.com,2009-10-05,25235001 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:47:01 -0700 no threevue Games, call of duty modern warfare 2 Movies music video Games com threevue http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25233882-Review-The-Beatles-Rock-Band The Beatles: Rock Band sounds like a match made in heaven; I’ve eaten everything that Rock Band has spewed up for two years now, and I’ve loved The Beatles since childhood. Along with the future Radiohead: Rock Band (yeah, I’m starting the rumor now), The Beatles are one of those few bands that actually warrant an entire music game (here’s looking at you, Aerosmith/Van Halen/Metallica). You’ve probably read a review on this game already. Hell, you probably saw something about this game on CNN, for all I know. You’ve also probably heard of Rock Band, so I’m not going to insult you and tell you much about this game’s content. I will say that you follow the band along their career, stopping at all the major events, with some pretty sweet cut scenes between each event. I’ll admit that any review of this game feels premature, even a month after its release, because we’re still waiting on the DLC to drop. Come on, Revolver! Likes... The Beatles: Rock Band sounds like a match made in heaven; I’ve eaten everything that Rock Band has spewed up for two years now, and I’ve loved The Beatles since childhood. Along with the future Radiohead: Rock Band (yeah, I’m starting the rumor now), The Beatles are one of those few bands that actually warrant an entire music game (here’s looking at you, Aerosmith/Van Halen/Metallica). You’ve probably read a review on this game already. Hell, you probably saw something about this game on CNN, for all I know. You’ve also probably heard of Rock Band, so I’m not going to insult you and tell you much about this game’s content. I will say that you follow the band along their career, stopping at all the major events, with some pretty sweet cut scenes between each event. I’ll admit that any review of this game feels premature, even a month after its release, because we’re still waiting on the DLC to drop. Come on, Revolver! Likes: a) the band members’ ages are reflective of the song/era, b) the game’s interface was tweaked to be more true to the band, c) each song has its own distinct appearance/setting, especially the studio sections, d) the unlockables show the band’s history and are actually interesting, e) the game reminds you how difficult the song is per instrument before starting up each track, f) the game grades you based on performance and NOT on what difficulty you are playing on, and g) they didn’t include other bands’ music. Dislikes: a) they brought back performace-based achievements (”five-star this song on expert guitar”, etc) in a game that is mostly focused on the overall “fun factor”, b) you can’t play your own fills on the drums, and c) it only comes with 45 songs (vs the 84 that came in Rock Band 2). The game does a great job of focusing less on shredding and more on just having fun. Truth be told, this is as far from the current iterations of the Guitar Hero franchise as you can get (in a rhythm game, at least). If there wasn’t already a war raging between the two franchises, The Beatles: Rock Band firmly draws a line and expects you to pick a side. If you’re not an idiot, you’re going to pick Rock Band. By its very nature, music isn’t usually a universally-acceptable medium; everyone has their own taste which can vary drastically. The Beatles broke down that barrier. This game succeeds because it captures the essence of the greatest rock band of all time, decades after their breakup, and made an experience that’s great for all ages. If you don’t at least rent this game, you have no soul. The Beatles: Rock Band sounds like a match made in heaven; I’ve eaten everything that Rock Band has spewed up for two years now, and I’ve loved The Beatles since childhood. Along with the future Radiohead: Rock Band (yeah, I’m starting the rumor now), The Beatles are one of those few bands that actually warrant an entire music game (here’s looking at you, Aerosmith/Van Halen/Metallica). You’ve probably read a review on this game already. Hell, you probably saw something about this game on CNN, for all I know. You’ve also probably heard of Rock Band, so I’m not going to insult you and tell you much about this game’s content. I will say that you follow the band along their career, stopping at all the major events, with some pretty sweet cut scenes between each event. I’ll admit that any review of this game feels premature, even a month after its release, because we’re still waiting on the DLC to drop. Come on, Revolver! Likes: a) the band members’ ages are reflective of the song/era, b) the game’s interface was tweaked to be more true to the band, c) each song has its own distinct appearance/setting, especially the studio sections, d) the unlockables show the band’s history and are actually interesting, e) the game reminds you how difficult the song is per instrument before starting up each track, f) the game grades you based on performance and NOT on what difficulty you are playing on, and g) they didn’t include other bands’ music. Dislikes: a) they brought back performace-based achievements (”five-star this song on expert guitar”, etc) in a game that is mostly focused on the overall “fun factor”, b) you can’t play your own fills on the drums, and c) it only comes with 45 songs (vs the 84 that came in Rock Band 2). The game does a great job of focusing less on shredding and more on just having fun. Truth be told, this is as far from the current iterations of the Guitar Hero franchise as you can get (in a rhythm game, at least). If there wasn’t already a war raging between the two franchises, The Beatles: Rock Band firmly draws a line and expects you to pick a side. If you’re not an idiot, you’re going to pick Rock Band. By its very nature, music isn’t usually a universally-acceptable medium; everyone has their own taste which can vary drastically. The Beatles broke down that barrier. This game succeeds because it captures the essence of the greatest rock band of all time, decades after their breakup, and made an experience that’s great for all ages. If you don’t at least rent this game, you have no soul. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-05,25233882 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:01:30 -0700 no threevue music, Reviews, Games, The Beatles Rock Band Movies music video Games com threevue