View it here at UnitedWeGeek.com:

http://unitedwegeek.com/2013/01/uwg-episode-1-hello-world/

Just in time for Halloween!!

• F.E.A.R
  • so scary Chase pussied out
  • what made it scary
• Alan Wake
  • What made it scary?
  • What set it apart?
• Resident Evil
  • What made it scary?
  • What made it different from other games in the genre?
  • (De)Evolution of the series
  • Gave the genre its name

• Game of the year: Your mom!  (See post image)
• Diablo 3
  • On average players have created 3 characters each
  • - 80% of characters are between levels 1 and 30
  • - 1.9% of characters have unlocked Inferno difficulty
  • - 54% of Hardcore players chose a female character
  • - The majority of Hardcore deaths (35%) occur in Act I Normal
  • - The most common level 60 build in the game is only used by 0.7% of level 60 characters of that class (not including Passive diversity)
  • - The most used runes for each class at level 60 are Barbarian: Best Served Cold, Demon Hunter: Lingering Fog, Wizard: Mirror Skin, Monk: Peaceful Repose, Witch Doctor: Numbing Dart
• Walter: Borderlands 2 Fucks your face off with content… in a good way.
  • Didn’t rest on its laurels-
    • Two Player Couch co-op blended with online co-op
    • Voice Acting
    • Funny!
    • Free and paid DLC
    • Soundtrack rocks

• Tim: Angry Birds Space – BITCHES
  • Advertised IN SPACE with an ASTRONAUT
    • NASA astronaut Don Pettit on board the International Space Station
  • Amazing physics
  • Popular sequel, hard to do
  • Over 10 million downloads

• Silent Hill
  • Creepy Theories
  • What made it scary
  • What made it different from other games in the genre
  • (De)Evolution of the series – transition to American Studio from Team Silent
  • Music – Akira Yamaoka
• Left 4 Dead
  • popularized coop multiplayer in the genre
  • What made it scary
    • Walter: Tense and afraid of fucking up and ruining it for partners
    • Tim: Those fuckin witches!!!!!!
    • Chase:Hordes of Zombies!

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News:

• “Notch” refuses to “certify” Minecraft for closed Windows 8 platform
  • http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/27/notch-refuses-to-certify-minecraft-for-closed-windows-8-platfo/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Fjoystiq+%28Joystiq%29
• New PS3 Model doesn’t mean a price drop for the old model, Sony Explains why this doesn’t make them greedy dick wolves.

9-18
Borderlands 2
Torchlight 2

9-25
WoW: Mists of Panderia
Fifa 2013
Angry Birds Trilogy
Disney Princesses: My Fairy Tale
Dead or alive 5
Little Big Planet Vita

10-2
Resident Evil 6
NBA 2k13

• If you were a Football Player would you go on the cover?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1135567-the-madden-curse-examining-the-last-10-players-to-make-the-cover

1. 2003 Cover: St. Louis Rams RB Marshall Faulk -Cursed
2. 2004 Cover: Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick -Cursed
3. 2005 Cover: Baltimore Ravens LB Ray Lewis
4. 2006 Cover: Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan Mcnabb -Cursed
5. 2007 Cover: Seattle Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander -Cursed
6. 2008 Cover: Tennessee Titans QB Vince Young -Cursed
7. 2009 Cover: Packers/Jets QB Brett Favre -Cursed
8. 2010 Cover: WR Larry Fitzgerald/ Safety Troy Polamalu
9. 2011 Cover: New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees -Cursed
10. 2012 Cover: Cleveland Browns RB Peyton Hillis  -Cursed
11. 2013 Cover: Lions Calvin Johnson

• What’s the main differences between Madden 12 and 13?
• infinity engine connected careers
• http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/06/madden-nfl-13-sells-1-65-million-copies-in-first-week/

• Is football the best sport for gaming? (what about basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey?)
• Did Wii and what has followed with Kinect energize the sports presence in gaming?
• What’s the future of sports in gaming? Anything that could revolutionize or improve the genre?

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News:

EA confirms FIFA 13 for Wii U launch. Also available:

Madden NFL 13

Featuring “beautiful HD graphics, the newest depth and career modes, and all-new touchscreen features,” Madden NFL 13 for Wii U will include something called the ‘Connected Careers’ mode which lets you live out a career in the game as a player or a coach to “build your own legacy,” or you can “relive the glory of an all-time legend.”

Mass Effect 3
____________________

EA also at iPhone 5 launch to show off gaming on the new processor/memory/larger screen

Until Dawn trailer :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOiSosEiNyE

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News:

• Video Games are good for you: So shut the fuck up, mom!
  • http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/09/10/5-reasons-video-games-are-actually-good-for-you
  • Improve Motor Skills
  • Can Relieve Pain
  • Can Improve Eyesight
  • Leads to Faster Decision Making
  • Can Tackle Mental Illness

• Sony
  • Sony All-stars Battle Royale
    • Lack of cohesive aesthetic makes it feel thrown together
    • No edge grabs, odd controls
  • God of War
    • Multiplayer seemed wonky and added in under pressure, but less crappy than I imagined it would be. You fight as Spartans in God of War environments that feature special additions to the gameplay, like beasties in the background that occasionally reach out to smack you around some and near the end of the match the Gods will throw down a spear that is imbued with the power to defeat that background baddie and give you a large point boost.
• Nintendo

• Pikmin 3
• Zombie U
• New Super Mario Bros WiiU
• WiiU Party
• Sonic All-Star Racing

• Capcom

• Devil May Cry: Reboot
• After heavy skepticism, i think i’m willing to give this game a chance. The boss they were showing off was fucking gross and i loved it.
• Resident Evil 6
  there are three different storylines to play through, which are all meant to represent a different type of fear: Leon’s story was the fear of the unknown, it was the jump out on the dark kind of horror experience that heralds back to their earlier games. Chris Ham-Arms Redfield represented the fear of being overwhelmed and operates more militaristically- fighting off large swarms of zombies. And Jake Muller represents the fear of daddy issues, as the spawn of WESKER his blood holds the cure for the main disease that haunts this game.
  Each of the three storylines is 80% as long as Resident Evil 5, and if you complete those three intersecting storylines you gain access to the Ada Wong storyline that adds another several hours of gameplay as an epilogue

• Konami

• Metal Gear: Revengeance
  • Kojima rolled out the new “Fox Engine”, might be used to power Silent Hill

• SquareEnix
  • Tomb Raider
  • Hitman
  • A Realm Reborn
• Indies (Double Fine, Behemoth, etc)

• Tim Schafer
• Battleblock Theater
• Minecraft Museum

• WB Games

• Injustice
• Catwoman revealed as playable character
• Environmental Attacks
• Guardians of Middle Earth

• Etc
  • Soul Calibur Tournament
  • Far Cry 3 Head shaving thing

• Borderlands 2
• Torchlight 2
  • Release date is closer than you think (9/20 for PC)
• Aliens: Colonial Marines
• Assassin’s Creed 3
  • Lots of awesome stuff: Stabbing somebody with a bayonet and then shooting the guy behind him before removing the gun from menstrual coat #1
  • The climbing mechanics seem amazing. you aren’t limited to climbing on horizontally flat objects- lots of Y shaped tree climbing and climbing through the ropes of masts in ships.
  • Naval battles were mostly horse shit though- for a game that is so well known for being grounded in reality, ramming your ship into your enemy and firing cannonballs from turrets on rotatable turrets at rapidfire intervals stuck out as being complete bull shit.

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News:

• Call of Duty announces Special Edition packages: The FUCK YES version comes with a Drone Helicopter
  • Trent Reznor Soundtrack?

• Final Fantasy turns 25
  • Fourteen numbered entries, Thirteen (prequel, sequel) additional games

• A look back at the series?
  • Early Days: NES era
    • FFI release in December 1987
    • Rumors about it’s namesake — Uematsu’s answer in Wired
  • SNES: 2D Golden Age
    • English/Japanese numerical discrepancies
    • Final Fantasy 4(2) and 7 ushering in new consoles
  • 7-10 & Tactics: Mythril Age
    • Tactics – Job system perfection
    • 8 – Final Fantasy Puberty?
    • PC re-release of VII
      • Based on code from Goof Troop — not really 3D, like Resident Evil 1
      • Aerith = Sakaguchi’s Mom
  • 11-Present: Growing Pains
    • Announce another FF13 sequel
    • Anniversary Box Set
    • Lost touch with its fan base?
    • Theatrhythm
• Personal Favs?
  • Rob – 6
  • Jeff – 9

Mists of Pandaria coming out Sept. 25. Patch 5.0.4 released on servers with many changes prior to the expansion.

Tonight’s Topics:

• Kevin Smith is Making a Game?
  
• Microsoft Unveils new logo for the first time in 25 Years.
• Nintendo Power to end 24 Year Run 
• Sony Patents a method of turning advertisements into mini-games 
• Digital Distribution Gets Bigger Every Year, But a Third of the US Still Doesn’t Have Broadband Internets
• Election 2012 coverage comes XBOX live August 27th 

Dearly beloved. we are listening to the awesomest gaming podcast the world has ever heard in order to say goodbye to THQ. I’m glad that everyone could come today. People from all over have enjoyed and been dismayed at THQ releases. Like them or love them it’s hard to see anyone who had a passion for delivering gaming ride off into the digital sunset.

Okay seriously, fuck you THQ. You mostly just pissed off your fan base with one use online codes, bullcrap DRM practices that made trying to play the game miserable (Company of Heroes anyone?) and crappy service. Your WWE titles just pissed people off. Big established companies and titles can weather the storm of a customer smack down…but THQ couldn’t and they are paying the price. They tried so hard to fight used games and piracy that the customer experience suffered. Fans stop being fans, people stopped playing and customers stopped buying. What’s that all mean? A year by year decline to stay alive. Selling off their licenses, closing down their ventures across the globe and rushing titles to release to try and make a buck.

THQ is dead…to me…

• What Games does THQ make?
  • Darksiders
  • WWE Wrestling Franchise
  • Metro 2033
  • Saint’s Row
  • UFC (Until the hawked it to EA)
  • Homefront
  • South Park The Stick of Truth
  • MX vs ATV
  • A butt ton of Nickelodeon Games
  • Marvel Superhero Squad
  • UDraw
  • You Don’t Know Jack
• Scrapped
  • Nearly all casual games, including the UDraw. Details on others not released.
  • UFC (Sold to EA, and patches seem to be forgotten)
  • Saint’s Row DLC
  • Guillermo Del Toro’s project inSANE
• Is there hope for THQ?
  • Future success could be heavily hinged on Darksiders 2 success
  • 4 Unannounced projects talked about on 8-7: being developed by Turtle Rock Studios, Collision, Crytek and Patrice Désilets (creator of Assassin’s Creed)
  • Currently announced projects: South Park: The Stick of Truth, Metro: Last Light and Homefront 2

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News:

Oculus Rift VR headset on kickstarter:

Gabe Newell (Valve Devs) featured in their kickstart vid among others

Touts quick reaction to movement, 110 degree panoramic view

over 1 mill with almost a month to go

for $300 you get the dev kit, Doom 3 BFG (rift ready) and a lot more – Nov delivery

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1523379957/oculus-rift-step-into-the-game

Cooking mama Breaking Bad Edtion http://flavourmachine.com/breaking/

Activision brought in 1.08 Billion in Q2, versus a projection of $950 mil. Thanks go to Diablo, Skylanders and Call of Duty Elite memberships.

Dawnguard still not out for PS3. Released for PC… what do you guys think of these staggered DLC releases?

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• What is everyone playing currently?
• Summer drought is nothing new, holiday season drives sales
• Steam Summer Sale! Cheap way to get some game time you wouldn’t have otherwise bought
• E3 was a good indicator of the lack of upcoming games

1) Audible color: A visual instrument created by Hideaki Matsui and Momo Miyazaki that turns color into music. Red, Green, and Blue drops on a white board are caught by a camera and register as different repeating tones, and mixed drops create new notes. Seems like it would be difficult to create an intentional melody- but the results are cool nonetheless.

2) Zynga is being investigated by multiple law firms for stock trade shenanigans. Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe is investigating whether Zynga’s insiders, including CEO Mark Pincus, were privy to insider knowledge when they sold their shares in April. Levi & Korsinsky is investigating “concerns that Zynga misrepresented and/or failed to disclose materially adverse facts about its business and financial condition,” according to their press release.

1. Blizzard and Valve two of the largest video game companies in the world think that Windows 8 is a horrible idea.

2. Gamestop looking in to selling used digital downloads…. Kinda

• Walter’s Theory on Music in Video Games: 10%, 80%, 10%
• What games have music that adds to their appeal? Detracts?
• What the fuck happened to Guitar Hero/Rock Band?

2011 Video Game Awards (Spike TV) best song in a game.  Chris chimes in on why Bastion won, and thoughts on other songs from 2011.

Bastion Soundtrack – Build That Wall (Zia’s Theme) by Darren Korb Bastion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8cELTdtw6U

Other Nominees: 

“Exile Vilify” by The National Portal 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUwkGFw226U

“I’m Not Calling You a Liar” by Florence + the Machine Dragon Age II https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4iseF_FBn8

“Setting Sail, Coming Home (End Theme)” by Darren Korb Bastion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDflVhOpS4E

“Want You Gone” by Jonathan Coulton Portal 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVVZaZ8yO6o

Walter:
1.God of War won’t beat his women so much in God of War “Ascension”

2.Tekken Tag Tournament 2 will have Nintendo-Modes where players can eat mushrooms and get big. This goes along with their “hooks” business model, like using Snoop Dogg to draw fans from more Urban demographics and the inclusion of “swimsuits” for pedophiles

Vlad:
1. Crysis 3 has bows and arrows.
2. Halo 4: Prediction, Master Chief will probably end the fight.

Tim
1. Executive Producer of EA’s SWTOR leaves as game loses over 400k players in a few months. What’s the future? How long can the game last? It’s natural for games to change staff after going live, but too soon?

2. 18 year old Taiwan kid dies after 40 hour Diablo binge.  He started playing the popular game Diablo III. Two days later Chuang was found asleep on a table in the same room. Shortly after he was awoken by the attendant who discovered him, he reportedly stood up, took a few steps, and then collapsed, according to The Australian. The attendant then called an ambulance, which rushed him to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

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Interview with a real life teenage gamer shut in
100% authentic teenager
Not an actor

- Is there anything that would draw your attention away from a game and make you leave the garage?
-  What’s the shizzy with the young adults these days?
- – Global Warming, fact or fiction?
- Tips for parents on engaging their teen video game addicts?
- What do you think of the 2012 presidential race?
- What game(s) are you playing now?

News:

• Capcom under Fire: With a barrage of bad press on their heels, Ono speaks out after his heart attack and an anonymous “Capcom Employee” depicts a harrowing vision of what a hostile work environment Capcom has become
• Seth Killian resigned at Capcom, and will be missed. Walter recounts his encounter with Seth and bids him well in future endeavors.
•  Steam Summer Sale Going on!
• The first Fortnite Details. 2013 release date and Unreal Engine 4 game. Looks like game play is going to be Minecraft and zombies survival mode. Sounds like a blast!

How was EVO?

How was it different from previous years?

Were there any games that we’re owning the show space?

Indie Showcase

State of the Union: Turbo Fighting Games Remix Ultra HD Edition

Fighter nostalgia- what dominates the screen for you when it comes to fighting games?

What’s currently hot in the Fighting Fame World, and what’s not cutting it?

Which are the most anticipated fighters on the horizon?

New Releases:

Dyad PS3

Heroes of Ruin 3DS

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles PS3

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles PS3

News:

Chase

1) Valve release Meet the Pyro Video. Along with http://sourcefilmmaker.com/ this is the tool that they used to make all of these different videos. I am hoping that the fans get ahold of this and make some amazing videos. Also… Check out the BleedingEdgeGaming TF2 server, now online for a limited time. Check out the about BeG page at BleedingEdgeGaming.com

2) Minecraft 1.3 due out August 1st. new single player “We’ve kicked out single-player, and made it a shell on top of multi-player,” says Jens Bergensten on the official Mojang blog. This includes the ability to play single player with multiple people… Thats right single player maps can now be shared with other computers on the same lan.

Other updates include the new resource Emerald (which you can use as currency to buy items from villagers), books you can write in, tripwire for traps, a slew of new craftable items, and some new sub-biomes like Desert Hills (seen above) or Ice Mountains. For anyone who feels a bit overwhelmed by the relatively unwelcoming world of Minecraft, Mojang will be adding a “bonus chest,” which will help players get started in their worlds, presumably fill with tools and other resources.

Tim

1) EA Labels President Frank Gibeau said that his company will transition its operation entirely to digital in the not-so-distant future. “For us, the fastest growing segment of our business is clearly digital and clearly digital services and ultimately Electronic Arts, at some point in the future — much like your question about streaming and cloud — we’re going to be a 100 percent digital company, period,” Gibeau told the gaming publication. “It’s going to be there someday. It’s inevitable.”

2) FF 25 year anniversary. The game that has touched so many hearts is making a return. After a 15 year wait, Square Enix will be releasingFinal Fantasy VII back to the PC. While fans await the release of the game on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, I suppose the fact that it’s coming back to PC is some type of start, right? We can hope it is anyway.

the details on the trailer shares that the game will include (other than this details are very light):

Achievements — 36 brand new achievements, only available as digital download on PC!

No Steam download, buy online only Square Enix’s online store

Cloud Saves (buwahaha) — Continue and save your progress wherever you are. (Requires Internets)

Character Booster — Stuck? Boost your stats for that extra advantage.

Optimized for PC — Play FINAL FANTASY VII on the latest hardware.

Walter

1) Marvel vs Capcom Origins Announced. a DLC Package that mashes Marvel vs Capcom 1 and Marvel Super Heroes with gameplay enhancement, replays, spectator modes, online gameplay, in game unlockables, and unique challenges

2) New pre-order bonus announced for New super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS) US gets the Gold Mario pin from GameStop (online only?) and UK gets a blingy gold necklace which has a coin shaped pendant on it that can hold one 3DS game in it. Pre-Order bonuses: Do they have any influence on whether you buy a game or not? Or where you buy your game?

Tour the Site:

*Bleeding Edge Gaming Podcast

*CGP sketch comedy videos

*Diary of a Customer Servant by Badd Reynolds

*Music in video games by TenCircles

*Tons of content from the Koopas! Videos, music, concert calendar

*Travis vs World brings us Johnny’s Jampacked Reviews

New Releases:

Quantum Conundrum PS3

Ice Age: Continental Drift — Arctic Games Xbox 360 3DS

Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure 3DS

NCAA Football 13 PS3

Rainbow Moon PS3

Let’s Dance Wii

Discussion:

• Diablo III release day rumors, collection edition contents and our impressions.

• Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning and Mass Effect 3 cross promotion and demo

• SOPA and its ramifications plus the Jan. 18th blackout

• Chase’s Black Hole Project

• Indie Game the Movie

• CES 2012 and the gaming presence there

• Game Sales down 21% in December