Bitmob.com

Former EGMers Shane Bettenhausen and Mark MacDonald join Gaijin Games' Alex Neuse and Bitmob's Dan Hsu on this week's episode of the Mobcast.

In this episode the guys relive past arguments, debate the state of Japanese game development, predict the success of the PlayStation Move, share mediocre game recommendations, and wonder why so many current games feel the same. 

You'll understand this more after you listen to the podcast, but Mark would like to present this link to refute Shane's claim that he gave Steel Battalion a 10/10. Why do I get the feeling that I'll be updating this post again with a comment from Shane?

Since this episode is an old-school reunion of sorts, I decided to start things off with the 8-bit Mobcast theme from P4KO. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Have a question you want answered? Want to share some important insight with the world? E-mail the crew at letters@bitmob.com.

Click here to find out how you can get in on the "3 Great Prizes, 3 Ways to Win" giveaway.

31

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

Growing up with the original NBA Jam on the SNES set me up for a lifetime of disappointment -- no matter how many consecutive shots I made in real life, the ball would never catch on fire.

Video Blips:

• Finally, basketball fans will get to play as today's superstars in this remake of NBA Jam. I can only pray that my favorite legends from the first game -- Bill Clinton and the big-headed wolfman -- will be unlockable characters. [GameTrailers]

Continue after the break for some war-torn Medal of Honor footage, the debut trailer for Puzzle Quest 2, and a Dead or Alive: Paradise video, which at this point should be synonymous with being NSFW.

2

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

The community-submitted tunes just keep on coming! It seems like every week the Jukebox's playlist becomes more and more eclectic, and I'm definitely a fan of this trend. Also, I want to take a second to thank everyone who takes the time to suggest a song each week. I'm grateful for your continued support.

For this edition, I've taken it upon myself to disprove the theory that newer video game music sucks -- every song I chose is a title I have played in the last two months.

The community section of this week's selections is a bit different: Its tunes are from all over the map. Pixel Revolt co-host Jeff Grubb throws in only the second song in Jukebox history from the Atari 2600 (hint: It's from a David Crane game that isn't Pitfall!). Bitmobber Jimmy Flores takes us back to the days when Metroid Prime was getting rave reviews, and Alex R. Cronk-Young keeps it current with a nostalgic track from Mega Man 10. Last -- and most certainly least -- some British guy named Alex Martin who follows me on Twitter donated a stinker from Amped 3. Thanks a lot, Alex -- and don't worry, we still love you!

Want to find out what the hell a Bitmob Community Jukebox is? All you have to do is hit the jump.

11

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

Editor's note: We each have our own preparations for playing video games, and Toby is interested to know exactly how you ready yourself whenever you've got the itch. But I'd like to know which one of you has the most elaborate ritual. Well? -Rob

I always wonder how other people play video games. Where do they plop down? Do they eat or drink? How do they sit when playing Call of Duty online?

I have my own little process down pat, which includes several variations depending on the time of day or what game I'm playing.

32

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

It's the middle of the month, and you know what that means -- nothing at all!

That's right, today is just another indistinct, unimportant day in your life. You'll brush your teeth, watch some television, then hit the sack. With any luck, however, you'll find time for the Bitmob Reviews Spotlight. And with even more luck, you'll enjoy reading it!

So cheer up, because it's time to spotlight reviews and chew bubble gum...and we're all out of gum.

Spencer Grande is the first to step toward the podium, and he makes a pretty convincing case for Duke Nukem 3D -- a game which is just as offensive today as it was in 1996.

Dante's Inferno is potentially as offensive as Duke's 3D adventure, but that doesn't stop Moeez Siddiqui from the world's longest review of the game. It's seriously, like, 2000 words or something.

Andrew Galbraith and Suriel Vasquez call a moratorium on controversy with their reviews of Toy Soldiers and Ace Attorney Investigations -- two games which are as non-threatening and appreciative of their respective subjects as possible (sort of).

But wait! Controversy returns with yet another review of Dante's Inferno, this time by Ryan Finley. But, before someone complains in the comments section, Steven Schmidt defuses the situation with a curt, to-the-point review of Resident Evil 5's first downloadable content pack.

Daniel Feit winds down this undistinguished day with his impressions of a rather distinguished action game -- God of War.

The Old School Charms of Duke Nukem 3D
By Spencer Grande
After 3D Realms permanently closed their doors last year, the desperate hope that Duke Nukem Forever would one day be released was quelled. Anxious and cotton-mouthed, avid fans of the series were given few alternatives beyond revisiting past entries in the franchise. Luckily, one such avid fan calls Bitmob home -- Spencer Grande. After returning to the Duke's misogynistic, tongue-in-cheek world, does this reviewer sense a tangible pain or is he filled with glee and nostalgia?

1

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

You're a nerd -- don't bother denying it.

But what kind of nerd are you? Do you only play video games or do your interests expand beyond the glossy surfaces of compact discs?

Needless to say, the historical diversity of nerds is jarring in its scope: Computer geeks dominated the turn of the century, fans of science fiction television serials typified the '80s, and the post-war era belonged to Dungeons & Dragons nerds and roleplayers.

But, I say we start before all that -- with comic books

As long as pretty graphics or controller inputs aren't the only appealing aspects of gaming to you, comic books will probably prove of interest. If you consider yourself a gamer, I'm confident that you'll take pleasure in reading the following comic books. With any luck, they may even enhance your appreciation for video games in general!

So, without further ado, here are the top five comics (in no particular order) which are sure to convert any gamer into a regular customer at the local comic book store.

13

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

Welcome to the sleep-deprived edition of the Community Spotlight. Skillful editors take my tired ramblings and turn them into quality articles so that you can understand what I write on days when language fails me and take-home exams are bleeding me dry.

Michael Epstein starts with his look into the Infinity Ward scandal and its effects on the Modern Warfare franchise. Mark T. Whitney is next, giving you the lowdown on Nolan North’s career and what you might have seen/heard him in.

Michael Bellmore’s account of his life in various game-themed vignettes is original and captivating, but prepare yourself for a wave of nostalgia to hit as he describes early life in arcades. Nick Giunta follows with his take on why it’s great that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 doesn't allow players to go prone while on stakeouts.

We close the Spotlight with a reminder of the long-running Meet the Mob series. If you’re new to Bitmob, check out some of the introduction articles written by your fellow community members and write your own. You’re part of the Bitmob universe so we’d like to know who you are.

Rome is Burning: Will the Infinity Ward Scandal Ruin Modern Warfare?
By Michael Epstein
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last couple of weeks, you’re likely familiar with the scandal surrounding Infinity Ward and Activision. With legal actions proceeding the ousting of Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vince Zampella, what could happen to the Modern Warfare franchise?

4

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

Editor's note: Final Fantasy 13 has drawn a number of critics for straying from accepted role-playing-game dogma. Michael, however, is happy with these changes to the RPG formula, and he offers this defense of the game. How do you feel about Final Fantasy 13? -Jason

We’ve started off with a pretty decent first quarter of 2010: Mass Effect 2, Bayonetta, God of War 3, Heavy Rain, and Final Fantasy 13. All of them received fairly positive reviews, but this isn't necessarily the case for Final Fantasy 13.

Taking a quick glance at Metacritic, you can see that so far this is the poorest rated game in the mainline Final Fantasy series. It’s not to say that I think Final Fantasy 13 received bad scores; it’s just getting lower scores than it usually does. If you read some of my other articles, you’ll see I don’t care about scores, but when you look at the text of these reviews it’s just difficult to understand where the respective writers are coming up with some of these complaints. 

So why have people turned on Final Fantasy? Well, that’s up for debate.

24

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

Editor's Note: Richard flexes his creative muscles here and tackles the topic of linear games from the perspective of a Roman Senator. I'm glad that this inventive piece found a home at Bitmob, and I'm interested to read what he comes up with next. - Jay

My fellow gamers, as the moon turns and the long foretold coming of the Thirteenth of the Fantasies Final draws nigh, one word has been spat like a curse across the realm. It is spoken of as the black death upon gaming's soul, festering away at all the good and leaving not but an untouchable rotted corpse. Like the word “witch,” the mere accusation spreads like wildfire and becomes truth amongst our community. And lo doth any hapless victim receive this title for they shall forever be burned within the flames and hatred of their once most faithful of supporters. Yet, I stand here today, in the Grand Hall of the Internet and surrounded by this most fickle of counsels, to defend this greatest of sins: Linearity.

At the birth of our kingdom, we were but a simple people, content to bounce our square balls and gather food from ghost-riddled caves. Yet, with time came complexity and with complexity, the birth of legends. Who here can forget the tales of the great Fixer-of-Pipes and his battles with the Reptile King? What child does not know of the adventures of the Blue Rodent and his Twin-Tailed companion? Do not forget my fellows, that even in that golden time, linearity was there. For both the Fixer-of-Pipes and the Blue Rodent could not move but right; forever right to victory. Lo! I hear you cry, “but what of the Hero of Hyrule and the Masked Hunter of Men?” Indeed, their legends can be told in many different ways. Yet, even their epics must be told in a certain order, lest they have not obtained the items with which to conquer their trials.

11

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

Ahh...the Game Developers Choice Awards. They're kind of like the Oscars except nobody really cares which fashion designers the nominees are wearing. 

Uncharted 2 cleaned up at the GDC Awards last night with five trophies, including Game of the Year, Best Writing, Best Technology, Best Visual Arts, and Best Audio. Also during the ceremony, Will Wright (of The Sims fame) presented id Software's John Carmack (Doom, Wolfenstein 3D) with the Lifetime Achievement Award and did a presentation on "Why John Carmack Rocks." Boy, I'd hate to be the guy who has to tell James Cameron that Avatar: The Game didn't take home any awards. [GamePro]

2

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody:

Editor's note: Heated debate is always more interesting, especially when you've got a dog in the fight. Suriel makes the case that more video game podcasts should strive to spark that kind of exchange between participants. I'd only add that these programs also drop the non-gaming banter in the beginning and get right to the topic I tuned in to hear. -Rob

When I listen to a podcast, I usually imagine myself in the room with the participants. I converse with them in my head, take their viewpoints to compare them with my own, and arrive at my own conclusion -- not unlike that which you might do with real-life group of friends.

I don't agree with everyone's point of view, but that's only to be expected. I usually enjoy the discussion more when I debate someone else's points than when I agree with his arguments.

This metaphysical experience works best when the breadth of perspectives that a podcast provides creates genuine discussion on a topic and when those opinions are as varied as possible. What I've found is that an assortment of expressed thoughts on a podcast is the exception rather than the norm.

9

Tweet

Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell everybody: