Joystiq Podcast 029 - Heroic edition

by Justin McElroy on Dec 14th 2007 2:27PM

We don't actually talk about the Heroic Map Pack all that much this week, but it's too good a name to pass up. What we do have is discussion of Call of Duty 4 and the VGAs, a Brush, your emails and a special birthday wish. Oh, and for reasons we don't even try to explain, a visit from Who Wants to be a Superhero's Feedback who finds his steed. Go figure.

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Hosts: Chris Grant, Ludwig Kietzmann and Justin McElroy

Music: "Get Ready for Love" by Nick Cave, "Red Eye" by Ben Kweller.

See all of this week's links after the jump.

New Halo 3 maps
Red vs. Blue vs. the Halo 3 'Heroic Map Pack'
Is new Halo 3 DLC worth the coin?

Harmonix: Blame Activision for PS3 Rock Band guitar issues

Assassin's Creed kills with 2.5 million sold; Ubi ups fiscal forecast

Joystiq's GOTY process

Big three:
3. Liveblogging the 2007 Video Game Awards
2. Rumor: Call of Duty 5 to be set during World War II
1. BioShock drowns competition at 2007 VGAs
(Related) Gamecock sorry about crashing Ken Levine's VGA speech

Tags: joystiq-podcast, joystiqpodcast, podcasts

Reader Comments (48)

Soooo...when're you guys plannin' on posting thatstory about Miyamoto's response to Insomniac and Ratchet & Clank?
I'm in the mood for a good flame war!

Slightly more to the point – I will download this now.
...the internet seems just dead today, though.

hehe, im coming late and its fun to see you got your wish

We are listening, give us time.

Sam, The intanet catched a little cold. hehehehe. Cough-cough. Romping around in the buck in December is prone to such effects.

I have a questions for the next podcast:

Do you think that game reviews would benefit from specifying the reviewer's perspective? Such as "new to gaming" or "played all the previous iterations of this title" or "hardcore gamer" etc.

I see that some sites have multiple reviewers, but without clear differences between reviews' perspectives. Some do metareviews, but I think they suffer from the same problem.

Maybe it would be too expensive, maybe too subjective ... maybe you have a better suggestion ... maybe I just want a B-bb-b-b--brushhhh with faaaamememememeee!

I think that no matter how much a reviewer tries to outline his position at the start of the review there are always going to be hidden biases and nuances of their personal preferences which can't be communicated.

The only real way to get a decent idea of that kind of thing is to read their reviews regularly.

I think the only way to get a sense of the kind of game a reviewer is reviewing IS to read the frickin review. Even if they hate the game and spent time talking about what they hate in gameplay dynamics, you'd still come away with an idea on whether YOU like it or not.

Quick example? Critics hate Dynasty Warrior like games. However, some friends and I love them. So if they talk about the features (such as capturing fields on Gundam Musuo), I can still find out if I'll like the game even if they score it a 2. Review scores absolutely blow. A number tells you nothing.

Wow, Justin makes Fernando his steed... I LOL'd.

I LOL'd also... but we all love Fernando, don't lie to yourself:D

I'm happy... very happy...

I love you all guys =)

PIRATES WEAR EYEPATCHES FOR NIGHT VISION!

Also, I was the poor sap who asked about the holiday slowdown because every other podcast I listen to is slowing down or going dark for Christmas.

And I had a good line borrowed from one of the Penny Arcade guys: "Most of you will be going to visit friends and family for the holidays. Most of you will also be bringing a game system to help dull the pain."

You may have beat my post but your name wasn't mentioned. I take this as a tie Mr. not Brushed With Fame. (insert winking emoticon ;))

Dude. Fluffernutter is a sandwich. You can't dip another sandwich in it.

Just fluff. That's what you wanted.

Great show, as always.

Hey guys, I just rode in on my trusty steed after a long day of shoot outs and cattle drives. Texas is so awesome.

Don't mess with Texas.....

... they've been cleaning the state for years and it's still dirty.

We have a lot of ground to cover.

We also have a lot of assholes.

.....I wish I had a Joystiq T-Shirt.....

You guys should sell them... or give me one...

Keep up the gay-ness to placate your female listeners, boys. Drake IS a stud.

Oh, and this is for the record: Texas sucks except for Austin.

Brett from Atlanta - Nice work on the new sound bit.

I have to be honest. Now that I've been Br-Br-Br-Br-Brushed With Fame, I clearly have less enthusiasm for my comments.

But good podcast, as always. You guys manage to have great chemistry despite broadcasting from an oil tanker in the middle of the Atlantic. All the footage I've seen leads me to assume that most oil tankers are pretty bland.

Well, you haven't seen OUR oil tanker. Remember Big Shell? It's like that ... but with trampolines. And less guys named Vamp.

LESS guys named Vamp? Well I certainly hope you upped the Raphael count to offer a nice balance.

FEWER guys named Vamp. Geez, Chris, lurn 2 speaks teh Englishz.

Didn't I just clean up a post of yours? Look Who's Talking ain't just the name of your favorite movie.

Hay guys can you keep it down on my comments thread? I get a new e-mail every time one of you guys bicker. Thanks.

What?

Sounds like a good reason for everyone to post replies right here.

Thanks Jack, I do what I can

Filling in Joystiq commenters' inboxes is new and exciting. Just ask Neebs.

Hey Jack, when you make a comment you can uncheck the box that causes these emails to be sent to you. Have a nice day.

I think I'm just replying to spite him now, but hey, woo.

You signed up for email alerts. ;D

Oh this reminds me. Even after making your comment you can turn off the email replies. Under your account go to the comment and there will be a box underneath it. Unselect to remove email replies.

Did someone say new and exciting... Replying to dead threads is very new and exciting. As for the # how bout 1888urmrgay

HI-larious podcast, guys. That mega64 clip is my all-time favorite, and I've even showed it to all of my non-gamer friends, so the Peruvian Beanie bit really had me rolling. Thanks for that! ^.^

Justin, the last few episodes you've really been cutting discussion short in the middle of interesting topics. What a drag!

If a topic is winding down and it's time for a BRILLIANT JOYSTIQ SEGUE(tm), fine, let Chris do his thing... but there's no need to prematurely move on or make announcements about how the show is going too long.

These interruptions are seriously damaging to the energy and entertainment value. Thanks for your consideration.

Hey, John. I really do appreciate the feedback. The problem is that even with me pushing the show forward, we're still running over an hour, which I tend to think peeps don't want.

Do you guys really care how long the show is?

I have no problem with how long the show is, and I listen to it in my free time at work.

The longer the better. Since you already have the basic format of your show set up, it probably won't ever reach 2 hours. I doubt your audience schedules time in their day to listen to the podcast. They're listening to it during down time. The brilliant thing about podcasts as opposed to regular radio is that the listener controls when the show is playing.

Let this be a place where the Joystiq Podcast flows like wine and where beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano!

Hey Justin - I have absolutely no qualms about the podcast running over an hour. This may sound sad, but I get all bummed out when I hear "Red Eye". I download and listen to the podcast at work, so I really look forward to it every week! It makes the always-good last day of the work week WAYYYYY BETTER FTW!!!one!!111!!!oneONe11!!

So... I for one don't care how long the show is. You all work really well together, so conversations don't ever tend to get boring.

Some time it might be interesting to do a two or three hour poscast.

Agreed with above comments. As longs as the energy is flowing and conversation is happening, I can listen to you guys for hours (yes, I have an absolutely interminable commute, five times a week, not just once a week, like your show), so go ahead, let it roll all out till the little tape tail slaps the bobbin guide.

Thanks for the birthday wish guys, I appreciate it. Today I look forward to celebrating, eating cake, and hopefully opening a box with that Peruvian beanie I've always wanted.

After listening to this podcast I finally realized what it was missing all this time.... more sniffing into the microphone!!! Bravo guys! Bravo!

Love the show, I wish it was 4 hours long, the more time it can soak up in my workday, the better!!!

Hi Guys,

Great show etc. I packed up my house into boxes yesterday and to dull the tedium i downloaded all of your extant pod casts (starting with TGS2) and played them while I worked. For 12 hours.

Some comments for you. Chris, I find your "ummm's" and "you know's" charming, but please dont say "ostensibly" any more - it's kind of creepy.

Ludwig - you are totally like the super gaming bitch from hell. old skool and cool.

Justin - your frequent self-deprecating references to your weight problem are a bit sad but super funny. Try not to worry too much - it makes you jolly and anyway you sound thin on the internets. Maybe a goatee?

Keep it real.

your devoted friend

iain

Hey chaps,
just listening to your latest episode, i have to say i wholeheartedly disagree with your comments about Assassins Creed in comparison to Uncharted. Having played both games in the past fortnight, i find that neither successfully convey a feeling of skill or satisfaction when climbing/negotiating scenery. (i found it far too easy/automated in both games)

However, in Uncharted at least you're required to point vaguely in the direction of the ledge/rope/rock etc you need to scale to, in Assassins Creed it was easy to the point of insulting to negotiate a massive tower. (at one point i laughed aloud because i climbed a tower to the very top just by holding the same 3 buttons withot adjustment for a prolonged period.)

I think both of these games have been designed in a 'semi-casual' sense, and ultimately i just didn't find any of the exploration in either games rewarding for me.

Tomb Raider was difficult and frustrating in places, but at least i felt proud when i finally got to where i needed to be.

On the Full House Reference.

When Uncle Jesse's album came out, Danny tried to buy it but it was Jesse who bought the store's allotment.

...we all wish we could live our lives according to Full House.

HEY, THIS IS JAY!!!

Ludwig, you sound so darn cranky in this episode. get some sleep dude ;)

btw Chris, i sent a friend request to you on Live, add me soon!

About the Heroic map pack: I purchased it and now I regret it. I love Halo 3 and although I don't play as much as many of my friends do, I put in work, as the rappers say, at least 2-3 hours per week in MP. Anyhow, when the map pack was announced I looked at it as a good value simply because there aren't enough medium sized maps for slayer and I thought this would assuage my desire for some variance. Anyhow, the primary problem is that there aren't enough people with the new maps so the only way to play on the new maps is in the DLC playlist. Apparently the new maps are in the mix, but in order to play a game of ranked slayer on the new maps, for example, is if EVERYONE on both teams just happens to have all of the maps. I should have waited. With that said, I think all of the new maps are quite cool, especially the big radar map which is great for BR whores like me (I never remember the names of maps).

Joystiq Podcast 029 - Heroic edition

Reader Comments (48)

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 2:51PM samfish said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 7:03PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 3:27PM cobyrne said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 3:33PM Korova Pamplona said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 4:02PM cobyrne said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 4:22PM SheppyReturns said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 4:22PM SheppyReturns said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 5:27PM D3m0sthenes said

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Posted: Dec 14th 2007 4:36PM DonaldMick said

Posted: Dec 15th 2007 12:19AM hvnlysoldr said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 4:54PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 4:56PM Zertoss said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 5:38PM D3m0sthenes said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 5:50PM SheppyReturns said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 6:12PM Zertoss said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 5:36PM D3m0sthenes said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 5:45PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 5:56PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 5:57PM chrisgrant said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 6:20PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 6:25PM Ludwig Kietzmann said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 6:28PM chrisgrant said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 6:59PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 9:02PM chrisgrant said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 9:21PM Zertoss said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 10:41PM Brett from Atlanta said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 11:13PM hvnlysoldr said

Posted: Dec 15th 2007 12:34AM Ironhammer said

Posted: Dec 15th 2007 6:13PM Ignatius said

Posted: Dec 18th 2007 1:32PM hvnlysoldr said

Posted: Dec 19th 2007 8:39PM The Wicker Man said

Posted: Dec 14th 2007 6:19PM dustindeckard said

Posted: Dec 15th 2007 12:26AM Ironhammer said

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Posted: Dec 15th 2007 10:44AM Zertoss said

Posted: Dec 15th 2007 12:20PM Ironhammer said

Posted: Dec 15th 2007 12:34PM dustindeckard said

Posted: Dec 21st 2007 10:49AM Korova Pamplona said

Posted: Dec 15th 2007 1:52AM Brett from Atlanta said

Posted: Dec 15th 2007 1:54PM (Unverified) said

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