Joystiq Podcast 078 - Holiday Spectacular edition

by Justin McElroy { Dec 19th 2008 at 3:15PM }

"A spectacular? Really?" We understand your doubt, but a spectacular is exactly what you're getting. How's about a visit from exiting President George W. Bush? How about words of love and intimidation from one Nico Bellic? A Soulja Boy exclusive? How about holiday memories from the Joystiq family of listeners? Like we said ... spectacular.

Also ... Triple Quincy. All we're saying. Also, stay tuned to the very end to find out how you can help out a great cause. Thanks to the JPAG's Brian Weis for the image!

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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

For fans: Joystiq Podcast Facebook group

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

Special thanks to George W. Bush and Brendan Hogan

News
Four Konami games coming to iPhone, including Metal Gear, Silent Hill
Gears 2 slides further down Xbox Live activity chart
Soulja Boy beats Totilo

GAME-POCOLYPSE:

Free Radical closes shop [update]
Midway lays off 180 employees worldwide, Midway Austin closed
Turbine also laid people off
EA fires 1000 people

Big Three:

3.Team Fortress $10 on Steam
2.How to perform Quincying in Home
1.The VGA Awards Liveblog

Tags: joystiqpodcast

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

syrik zero @ Dec 19th 2008 3:21PM

I'm so excited! I hope there is a great song like there was for the real episode #50. I'm listening right after my lunch

syrik zero @ Dec 19th 2008 4:59PM

The intro was awesome! I also wanted to say the NXE party system is really awesome! I was playing some NCAA two nights ago and I was talking to three of my other friends that were all playing Left4Dead together. It was really fun, I'm throwing a touchdown and they're screaming about a witch attaching them. Great great times

syrik zero @ Dec 19th 2008 7:25PM

I'm going to have to give my *caster of the week* award to Chris this week. For being open minded and trying Egg Nog live on international radio! Also because I love eggnog and like it when others enjoy what I do.

Way to go Chris and good luck next week guys

James Lockwood @ Dec 19th 2008 3:27PM

Thanks to Brian Weis of the JPAG for the photoshop.

James Lockwood @ Dec 19th 2008 4:07PM

So people don't think I'm crazy - the 'shout-out' to Mr Weis wasn't there when I left the comment :)

RobLink (Alex Kidd incarnate) @ Dec 19th 2008 5:50PM

Also, no offence to Brian, but it should've been the pic of Justin's new NES. That thing is multiple kinds of awesome!

Maxskunk @ Dec 20th 2008 8:29AM

Thanks for the extra shout out! I didn't even realize they used my photo-shop until Saturday!

Maxskunk @ Dec 20th 2008 8:40AM

Also no-offence taken, that thing was great! I'll have to do the secret santa next year.

Marek Hryc @ Dec 19th 2008 3:33PM

I can finally listen at work! It's been a long couple of weeks!

Courtney @ Dec 19th 2008 3:35PM

Fabulous intro!

Shagittarius @ Dec 19th 2008 3:43PM

Any song that lets me sing about 'Mounting Mama' is gold.

nutman @ Dec 19th 2008 3:46PM

The best part is that Ludwig really carries around a blanket like that. He doesn't wash it either because the smell keeps the lions away.

Shagittarius @ Dec 19th 2008 4:07PM

Bioshock's story is all about learning about what has happened so you can deal with those effects in the culmination of those events.

It is a great story.

You can't say Farcry 2 has a great story can you? That would be like saying all World of Warcraft has a great story (the stories conveyed to you when you accept/complete quests). This is not how you use the medium to its fullest. Its really just making excuses for why your playing the mechanics of the game. Your really not guiding the player to an intended outcome, therefore your not really telling a story your making excuses for gameplay.

Bioshock's story and story telling methods are superior to that of Farcry2. It actually has character development. I'm not talking about stats or weapons either, I'm talking about an evolution of the character you play in a meaning full way, not just the fulfillment of the player characters desires.

I should also mention that perhaps I haven't played far enough into Farcry 2 if it does indeed offer more of a guided narrative and character evolution further in the game I will revisit this topic when I complete it.

The Dark Wayne @ Dec 19th 2008 11:34PM

how can bioshocks character development be meaningful when all the character says is " uhh, arggh, hugh"? I know in most cases it's supposed to be like you're the character but that only flies in RPGS or whatever where you create your own story, not something like Bioshock where your name is set, your actions aside from the little sisters are set, and the story is set.

Lord Negatron @ Dec 19th 2008 4:18PM

Whats is zis? Many people on PSN do not use headsets?
Old news hence why the PS3 was given away. Blu ray? Movies? Netflix? Between work, MMO of choice and console games. I do not even watch TV.

If any raging fan would like to slug it out with my sibling, his PSn is RayfulEd. Go and send mssgs back and forth about how im going to miss out on the future of gaming as the Ps3 gets better. Since its release i've been waiting and 1 monkey(MGS4) doesn't make a show.

fantastic dan @ Dec 19th 2008 4:23PM

i got farcry 2 when it was $40 a couple of weeks ago, but haven't played it yet because of my my pending grad school application deadlines. every time i hear ludwig talking about it, i get the desire to blow off my work and go burn down part of africa. 2 weeks...

syrik zero @ Dec 19th 2008 5:22PM

It's being shipped to me via GameFly now. I'm getting this based 110% based off of Kietzmann's recommendation. So it better be good =P

Strategy_Panda (The Sandwich Poisoning Crew) @ Dec 19th 2008 4:42PM

Opinions on Far Cry 2 are only valid after you have finished 50% of the game.

Markez (Anti-Panda Death Murder Squadron) @ Dec 19th 2008 10:51PM

Oh yeah? Well I'll go Far Cry 2 all over 50% of your face, jerk.

?

F1 @ Dec 19th 2008 5:34PM

Good Grief...

Quattro @ Dec 19th 2008 5:43PM

Man Eggnog is so good.

fffunfarm06 @ Dec 19th 2008 5:50PM

not enough comments run through here on the podcast posts. i wish the posts ran up to 100 + comments but eh whatever. the important people are on the facebook group anyways. great podcast. everyone should have a listen.
this is Lee from the JPAG.

Vic @ Dec 19th 2008 6:02PM

I can't seem to find the podcast on iTunes... anyone else having this problem???

Courtney @ Dec 19th 2008 6:12PM

Chris, I really do think you should give LBP another shot. It's not GOTY, but I think it deserves consideration in some top 5 lists. Forget online, get some people over and play it locally, especially if you know some cool kids. I've had a blast playing it with adults, but when my friend's 6- and 10-year-olds have been over, it becomes a laugh riot.

glutmeister @ Dec 19th 2008 6:58PM

LUDWIG KITZMAN

this crap about LBP levels being mostly trophy whoring levels NEEDS TO STOP. it is completely untrue to the point of being slander. if you don't like the game, great, let us know about it between talking about laser combs and cereal which is all you guys do on your podcast(see what i did there?). I am saying this not as a ps3 fanboy with nerdrage, but a member of the community which you are treating like a $20 prostitute at a bachelor party.

to contrast, if i was a ps3 fanboy with nerdrage, i'd be pointing out to Chris Grant that the same draconian restrictions XBL impliments for things like ingame invites and voice chat across all their games is exactly what keeps a game like LBP from even existing on 360.

fantastic dan @ Dec 19th 2008 9:29PM

...but you can do both of those things on live

Markez (Anti-Panda Death Murder Squadron) @ Dec 19th 2008 10:53PM

Nope, no... Yeah, I've heard that before.

Definitely nerd rage.

Courtney @ Dec 24th 2008 3:51AM

For the record, the MGS pack that was just released for LBP features a story where Snake is trying to stop Liquid from flooding the LBP servers with trophy whoring levels.

F1 @ Dec 19th 2008 7:16PM

Itunes link is broken.

syrik zero @ Dec 19th 2008 7:23PM

I got the show hours ago through iTunes. Just finished listening to the whole show not long ago

Markez (Anti-Panda Death Murder Squadron) @ Dec 19th 2008 10:48PM

Admittedly fellas, I'm listening for the first time. I know how to pronounce McElroy now, so that's a positive :P

Happy holidays, Joystiq rules!

The Dark Wayne @ Dec 20th 2008 12:39AM

you're a damn filthy liar!

paul pippin @ Dec 21st 2008 12:07PM

we wish you a merry joystiq, we wish you a merry joystiq and a chris didn't like gears...

SourNotHardcore @ Dec 20th 2008 3:28AM

Just subscribed to podcast. Lol =)

onapartyrock @ Dec 20th 2008 10:28AM

This is the first Joystiq podcast I have ever listened to. Whats up with all the microphone noise? Yawning, heavy breathing and kind of poor sound quality at times... is this the norm?

Great content so I'll keep listening, but the technical quality was on the low side.

Justin McElroy @ Dec 20th 2008 1:23PM

That's all me, I've been using a shitty mic since my last one crapped out. It'll get better soon, I promise. Please keep listening!

Excelsior!

Donald @ Dec 20th 2008 10:41AM

Now I'm really curious as to what story got tossed out for flamebait. I'm guessing the PS3 "sinking ship" stuff?

Justin McElroy @ Dec 20th 2008 1:24PM

Tell him what he's won!

:)

syrik zero @ Dec 20th 2008 4:28PM

I just reali-zed that after getting shafted last episode KillJoy didn't sent anything in for this podcast.

ogvor @ Dec 20th 2008 5:41PM

Ridiculous lols from that intro. Fantastic Job Brendan.

The Dark Wayne @ Dec 20th 2008 7:57PM

best intro ever

The Dark Wayne @ Dec 20th 2008 9:02PM

You know Chris, I picked out my own gaming chair to get for Christmas and I thought about getting you one too. Unfortunately I just created my facebook profile once the secret santa thing ended, and frankly even besides that I have no idea what to do on facebook.

juliusdeane (Jarret) @ Dec 21st 2008 2:00AM

Great photochop.

I'm glad to hear the return of "Whatcha Eatin'," in its however hyphenated form.

MOT @ Dec 21st 2008 2:21AM

Love the intro. That is all.

MOT @ Dec 21st 2008 2:21AM

Love the intro. That's all.

Haggard @ Dec 21st 2008 3:45PM

I'm going to have to disagree once more on Far Cry 2. When I first started, I too thought that perhaps it was a completely open-ended, flowing game in which the story is literally generated as you go along.

This is not true. After the first few missions you realise just how rigidly the game sticks to a structure. Every mission in the game has the exact same set of events. Choose to go directly for the objective or do a side objective for a buddy. Then do the main objective, buddy-style. Then go save the buddy who is under attack.

It never changes. For the whole game, the same thing happens over and over again. Only the locations and poorly written and voice acted plot change each time. Did you notice that to unlock all the weapons in the game, you have to do the EXACT SAME mission, 10 times? I could perhaps tolerate that on a low-budget movie-tie in game from the 90's, but this is an overhyped AAA game in 2008!

Also, you don't choose whether to play the sides against each other. You work for both sides whether you like it or not, because the game doesn't progress unless you do. It's just like GTA, except less compelling. The story is made up for you - the only part which shifts is whether you choose to do pointless objective A or pointless objective B, and which one of your zero-personality sidekicks helps you do it.

Congrats to Clint Hocking on designing a game with excellent combat mechanics (except the constant, unending jeep patrols) and the well-optimised beautiful graphics. But if he thinks making Far Cry 2 has qualified him to analyse innovative narration and storytelling in gaming then he's about as qualified to perform open heart surgery as a kid who's just played a game of Trauma Center.

Brendan H @ Dec 22nd 2008 12:39AM

Thanks to the guys that commented on my intro by 'W'. I wanted to do something unique for the Holiday edition (didn't think I'd get the coveted top of the show spot)! I thought about doing another fake newsreel type deal like the intro I did for the News segment, but this seemed better.

LiK @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:33AM

Good lord, i'm listening to theshow and Justin is making so much noise during Chris' Far Cry 2 discussion, hehe.

Edog Lost @ Dec 22nd 2008 12:53PM

On the subject of Clint Hawking. His rant at GDC'08 is still one of the most inspiring speeches I have ever seen. I am glad that people like this are making my video games.

http://blip.tv/play/AaqueYbQdQ

It is going to be a long up hill road to earn a respectable name for ourselves in the entertainment world. I think people like Clint are helping us get there. Maybe one day we can have an award show about games and not about objectifying women.