Benheck.com Podcast Episode 74 – E3 Edition

In today’s timely episode, we’re not going to speculate on new products like we normally do. Nonsense! Rather, we’re going to report directly on what we’ve played right here at E3. Highlights include:

1) Xbox 360 Kinect, formerly known as Natal.

2) Jones taking a voyeuristic photo of Jessica Chobot.

3) PlayStation Move

…and, in a rare case of me liking something from modern Nintendo…

4) The Nintendo 3DS.

Also includes impressions of Rock Band 3, OnLive service, Nintendo booth’s resemblance to a strip club and much, much more.

Listen to Benheck.com Podcast Episode 74

www.benheckpodcast.com

11 thoughts on “Benheck.com Podcast Episode 74 – E3 Edition”

  1. You tip debate was amusing. I’m from Ohio and have never heard of the tipping thing either. However, I have been with people who told me not to leave any money laying around because housekeeping will steal it. Perhaps those housekeepers thought they were tips.

    Really enjoyed the no-bullshit approach to the E3 stuff. I hate how most game media basically become advertisers themselves and never give you their real opinions. So, much appreciated. I’ve been signed up to try OnLive for a few months now. I’m glad the first year is free. There’s going to be demos on the service, which is probably all I’m going to pay, just to see how well it works. Somehow I can’t see spending money buying a game on there. They’re going to be doing a “rental” option too, but I already have Gamefly which covers everything but PC games, so..eh. Then again, I don’t have a PS3, and if they get some of the PS3 exclusives on there, it might be interesting. I can’t see Sony allowing that though.

  2. “I hate how most game media basically become advertisers themselves and never give you their real opinions.”

    Absolutely true, Kyosho. That’s why I can’t stand E3 coverage. The last time I even watched was the 06 E3, where the talking heads on G4 were commenting about all the innovative things that the Wii was going to introduce and how standard controls now seems so “limited”. Four years and umpteen thousand minigame collections later, “waggle” is now mostly a derogatory term. Thanks, Nintendo!

    I’m downloading the show right now. I can’t wait to hear Ben and Jones (sounds like an ice cream company) with their counter-apologetics to all of the “Ninnovations”. Especially Miyamoto and the “wireless interference” that never affected live Wii play in past E3s.

    And even though the 3DS is the only thing this year that has remotely grabbed my interest this year, my view of the new 3D capability is, “I can’t wait to turn that feature off.”

  3. Actually Mr Neil, we ended up being most negative about the Kinect. The games are shameless Wii ripoffs and the device can be very laggy.

    3DS = amazing.

  4. No intro? And crappy mic quality? I guess I can forgive since you are in California.

    Check out RAGE by Bethesda. Its multi-platform but the screens for the 360 are very impressive. Looks like a it actually has some modern graphic quality! I can’t imagine what it will look like on the PC.

    Kinect is not going to take off for the medium to hardcore crowd. Its going to be soccer moms and kids that will buy it. The kinect will take to much processing power for any kind of graphic quality. The Kinect needs a coprocessor to do the grunt work before sending the data to the slowbox360. To do any kind of serious image processing power you need allot of raw CPU and GPU power. The PS3 should be able to do it. For Woman? You can’t really play a FPS. But Jones hit the head on RockBand. If RockBand could put a virtual you on the stage it would be even more interesting.

    Xbox 360 slim. I might be getting one soon. Just for tearing it apart and portablizing. Internal Wifi is finally happened. Even the Wii had built in Wifi. I think the hot air is probably due to the smaller internal volume.

    Sony Move. Even a worse name then Wii. Atleast Wii you could make jokes about. Sony adding 3D is more of an after thought imo. Only reason Sony is doing it is to sell more 3DTVs. So the ball is a clown nose? Makes sense. Time Crisis I think is one of the games for the Move which makes sense. I never likes LittleBigPlanet. I got bored really fast while playing it. I think Sony didn’t show any PSP stuff due to Nintendo 3DS announcement and Sony didn’t want to be laughed off stage.

    Rip offs? Imitation is the best form of compliments. Nintendo is probably not worried at all.

    3DS looks awesome. Can’t wait to try it myself. First day purchase for me. Starfox 64 3DS is the killer app for me. So like 100 Hot Ass Sisters? Sign me up. The fact that the 3DS works well is enough proof that 3D can work if done properly. The camera is only 640×480 which is fairly low but I think its a nice feature. See Jones? Talking to the boobs instead of playing and testing the 3DS. That is why you didn’t hear the warning.

    RockBand 3 sounds fun might have to try it out and or buy it. I actually don’t own any of them and it sounds like 3 will be the one to buy. I don’t know if I would buy the Super Expert mode crap tho. When I play RockBand I want to “pretend” to be awesome. If I want to be awesome for real then I will get my real guitar and blast some windows out.

    OnLIVE they had a demo for it? How laggy was it? Having any lag on the mouse is a killer for me. Maybe the beer is to make the lag effects less noticeable.

    “Have you done this more then once?” That’s what she said. “I’ve done it like 20 times!” haha.

    Sounds like I will have to make next years E3 but I really dislike LA. And Jones. Welcome to the PC camp! You shall never leave. Squad Awesome in Vietnam!

  5. That 3DS… you can just feel the momentum. Hopefully, this prompts Sony to update the five-year-old psp hardware.

    Rekarp: 3D is Sony’s afterthought? It’s the only thought they’ve had for a while, unfortunately. They’ve apparently put half of their hopes into this 3D stuff, trying to bring all their products together. Regardless, it’s clearly not an afterthought, though I wish they were focusing elsewhere. Killzone 2’s graphics were breathtaking at its time, but Killzone 3 is a few steps down from that, most likely because of the integration of 3D. It’s a shame…

    The Move isn’t nearly as bad as I would have expected, and the Kinect thing is better than the trash we first saw of it. The efforts both companies put into their controllers is obvious, but they still aren’t interesting or appealing enough for anyone to care. I can really only see playing Time Crisis with the Move, and the Kinect looks like a product for people who either can’t use a controller or just don’t play regular video games.

  6. Well Killzone 3 looks like it uses a slightly modified engine from Killzone 2.

    I am talking about Sony adding 3D to these games. Looks like the games where about done and Sony went. Oh snap we need 3D games!

  7. We have those accident investigation service pull-offs here in Milwaukee.

    With tips I usually leave them on the last day when I leave, most housekeeping folks leave money unless you’ve checked out.

    I usually only leave a tip if I’ve been particularly messy in the room.

    — Chris

  8. I tip the housekeepers every day I stay at a hotel – but I put the money on a note that says “Housekeeper”. They always take it then.

  9. any chance you can create an rss feed just for the podcast so i can subscribe through rhythmbox media player?

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