Since Microsoft has apparently decided to “Fix ALL the consoles!” it seemed like a good time to re-release the audio intro from episode 13 of our podcast. It’s a movie trailer parody called “Lord of the Rings of Light” where a group of heroes have to return a broken Xbox 360 “from whence it came”.
Remastered in high-quality MP3 format, enjoy and have a swell remainder of a holiday weekend! Lord of the Rings of Light.
If the photo didn’t give it away, for one of today’s topics we’re touching on double standards in the electronics market, or at least the way products are covered in the press and by fanboys. We’re also doing a revisit on Windows Vista as well as discussing PC versus Console gaming. As an added bonus we’ve tacked on a review for Michael Bay’s latest explosion-fest Transformers, which, like a lot of current movies, would be twice as good at half the length.
Topic 1 of this episode is “How Many Times Can Gaming Go Mainstream?” While a person might think this would only happen once, according to the media it occurs every 10 years or so. We think this is rubbish and pull out a lot of numbers to support our theory – with the basic premise being Nintendo did it, but 20 years ago, not last fall. Also touched on are things like the N64 being considered a failure, yet selling more than either Xbox or the Gamecube.
Continuing our examination of sloppy journalism and misplaced labels, Topic 2 involves Hardcore VS Casual gamers, and when did there magically become a difference? 10 years ago a hardcore gamer might have been some dude playing Quake 8 hours a day on his PC, but now, to understand gaming press it appears to be anyone who owned a console before or other than the Wii? Granted, our journalism is just as sloppy, we just take it from another angle and look back through the history of gaming to form our opinions, rather than the last 2-3 years. Also a person often hears that hardcore gamers – despite the fact they buy the most games and systems – “don’t matter”. We take that to task as well.
Finally Topic 3 asks the question “Could another gaming crash happen?”. Our opinion on what could cause one shouldn’t surprise longtime listeners, but we felt this topic tied in well with the other 2. Enjoy and feel free to N-gage in healthy debate.
This Friday, June 15th I shall appear on the latest episode of Spike TV’s Game Head show. This was filmed last month right here in Verona, WI and the interview takes place in my amazing basement/workshop. Here’s a preview:
This is where the “magic” happens.
Should be more in-depth than the MTV Gametrailers segment. (You may even get to see footage of my not-terribly-clean living room, depending on how they edit it) We discuss some of the same things as the MTV spot, but here we also play the Xbox 360 Laptop 2 and talk briefly with Jason Jones about our podcast. Check www.spiketv.com for times and schedules, and we’ll see you on the ‘tube!
Here it is, only a day late this time, Benheck.com Podcast Episode 21! Topic 1 involves televisions ads, why people pay for things and still have to sit through ads, spam and annoying marketing in general. Topic 2 touches on “Games made from movies”, inspired by the news that for some reason a company is making a “Dirty Dancing” game (clearly they were inspired by our Wii video). Jones and I think of some cool movies that they should make games of. We also talk about the Xbox 360 Elite that Jones picked up, along with his HD-DVD drive add-on.
As for the intro, it’s the thrilling conclusion to our “Video Pirates of the Caribbean” series, so enjoy.
Regarding the Midwest Gaming Classic, I shall be speaking at 5:00 PM Saturday. See you all there.
Usually we shy away from anything vaguely political on this site, but with gas prices now at nothing-other-than-absurd levels Jones and I felt we should chime in about something.
In topic 1 of this podcast we ponder why certain habits, indulgences and sins are regulated, taxed and banned in this country (or rather by state and city levels) yet there is no apparent limit to how many gas-guzzling single-occupant SUV’s there can be on the road. We don’t advocate the banning of either, but discuss why governments allow one and not the other, when both adversely affect people other than the offenders. We also touch on the “giant trucks used to haul air” problem…
Topic 2, on a “let’s fix this” note we discuss alternative fuels of the future and their effect on the price of tacos and french fries. See, there’s some technology talk in this episode. Finally we have a segment in which we interview that “average American game-buying dude” we keep mentioning, Joe Six Pack! Enjoy and discuss below, but please keep it civil.
Again, sorry for the delay. One of these weeks I’ll get back releasing podcasts on a Wednesday! The fates have simply been against it lately.
In this episode we talk about society’s love affair and dependence on cell phones, gaming news items, Spider-Man 3 and then do a listener mailbag, with slightly better answers than usual. We also plan a Vista re-visist, probably in the next podcast. Enjoy…
Disclaimer: This episode contains more profanity than usual, both during the main content and intro. Not recommended for younger listeners.
Benheckpodcast.com – official site
Direct download link to Episode 19
(You’re the new Minesweeper!)