Podcast 8-6: Tickled Pink

This week DesertEagle, SeanNOLA, Samurage and BlueSwim offer impressions of Kirby Mass Attack, FIFA Soccer 12, Solatorobo: Red the Hunter, Gears of War 3, Burnout Crash, Rochard, as well as the amusingly named Grotesque Tactics 2: Dungeons and Donuts. Before dispensing their regular dose of gaming trivia and exploring the merits of game trailers, the quartet also unearths a curious DS title from the annals of obscurity.

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The Tech-Gaming Podcast

Show Notes
Last Line of Defense
One Man and His Dinosaur

About Robert Allen

Since being a toddler, Robert Allen has been immersed in video games, anime, and tokusatsu. Currently, his days are spent teaching at two southern California colleges. But his evenings and weekends are filled with STGs, RPGs, and action titles and well at writing for Tech-Gaming since 2007.

85 comments

  1. No list of music selection this week?

    Also, Deagle I think you’re off criticizing Gears of War 3. It’s a great all around game. You better be careful Cliffy B is going to unsubscribe to the podcast.

    • Yeah, Deagle you need to explain why you didn’t like Gears of War 3 more.

      • I would expect some old geezer who likes games with school panty shots to like something as kick ass as GoW3. The shit is one of the best 360 games around and will probably sell 10 times what Generic JRPG #561 will do.

        Maybe you need some new reviewers.

        • a bit harsh, but I’m a little surprised that someone who is named after a gun doesn’t like the game.

          • I bet I know where Deagle and NOLA are coming from. The game basically tells you everything you need to do. You never have to think, and like NOLA said the game occasionally plays itself.

            I think ever since CliffyB cried about reviewers giving the game an 8/10, everyone’s been afraid to say it’s nothing less than amazing.

            I’ll say it, it’s fun, but hardly worth dropping $60 on. Between the DLC pass and skins, wait for it to drop.

        • GoW3 definitely fills a niche of powerhouse third person shooter action game. And the original GoW was somewhat innovative in it’s style of cover and combat. However the third one no longer holds that sense of innovation. And while it does fill that niche of powerful third person shooters, there are other games which arguably do it better. We’ve always been about analyzing a wide breadth and depth of a game, and GoW3 misses the mark in several areas. Many mainstream games have become too easy or thoughtless, usually in an effort to cash in on a franchise guaranteed to make more money. These games also tend to pander to a crowd of gamers who want something simple. Which is fine, but arguably not an example of fine craftsmanship. Pretty colors and graphics do not a fine game make.
          And it’s fine for people to like GoW3, but part of our review style and MO is to look at games as examples, or non-examples, of really fine craftsmanship. This is something many of you, our listeners, know to be true.
          Lastly, I think it’s funny that those who choose to leave scathing or borderline nasty remarks, like to post as anonymous. To you I say–Grow a pair. Honestly, if you have an opinion, then share it with us. If you don’t know how to speak without being offensive, we’ll forgive that. But what I cannot forgive is people who are too cowardly to own up to their opinions. And in the name of the moon, I will punish you (that’s for all the sailor fans 🙂 )
          Cheers.

          • The problem is that many people (from what I can remember he didn’t actually say it) think that deagle’s complaining that Gow3 is just like 2 and 1, and then they think “well Disgaea 4 is just like 3,2, and 1” and he’s loving that.

            If you listen again he was complaining that enemies are still bullet sponges, and that the game tells you what to do. He did say it was a “technical marvel” though. Pretty fair and honest words about the game if you ask me.

          • The game does get better as you get along, but the first couple of hours I was a bit bored.

          • How much of Deagle’s comment was trolling just to get a reaction from people? Seems to me that a bit of that was the case.

          • When I think of craftmanship I think of the build quality of the engine. No doubt the Unreal engine kicks ass, but what they do with it is another story.

    • Music this week was from Kirby’s Dreamland for Gameboy – “Green Greens” and “Bubbly Clouds”

      I didn’t know DEagle’s opinions on Gears was going to be this controversial! I thought “Gears is a good game, if you’re a Bro” was pretty standard critic fair at this point.

      • Remember what you said a few weeks about the Madden fans?

        Gears fans are worse. Or Cliffy is trolling you guys 😉

  2. From the title, I’m a bit worried about the show’s subject.

  3. Hey NOLA as host. I love sir Bassy-pipes and all, but I really like variety. Perhaps Blue can get a shot at the lead mic?

  4. How in god’s green earth did I miss the first Grotesque Tactics?

    Castles and Crullers?

  5. HighPriestPepper

    I can just tell this episode going to be delicious….

  6. HighPriestPepper

    I can just tell this episode is going to be delicious….

  7. Sound quality seems a little muted this week. What happened?

    Gears is for the lowest common denominator, Deagle.

  8. Laughing at the reaction to Blue’s sound boarding. Good job screwing with ’em sir!

  9. NOLA, how old is your little brother? Does he listen to the show?

    I say it’s say something nice about SNOLA week.

    • He just turned 22. I know he HAS listened, but I’m not sure if he listens every week. It always freaks me out when people from the “real world” tell me they listen to the podcast.

      • Well, if you guys are ever in the NYC area, I’d love to have you for lunch. I might even be able to show you around our offices (which I won’t name right now). But trust me, you’d like the tour.

  10. This week Samurage smoked Deagle on the amount of new game talk. BTW- hearing about new games is my favorite part of the show.

  11. No Easter egg this week, no remixes? Bring me the big bald head of DesertEagle!

  12. Downloading kind of slowly. Either slow servers or the show just came out…

  13. Damn, Samurage stepped it up this week. Great job, Hamburgler!

  14. Thanks for giving up some Nintendo info for a change! Too often you guys just talk about Sony and MS.

  15. One of my favorite of the smallish podcasts out there. I hope this show is as good as the last few.

  16. I noticed that Deagle tweeted about Kotaku posting Batman: Arkham City spoilers (thanks for the warning, but I got it too late)

    This weekend the site posted
    – A misleading article saying Rage was going to delayed (it’s not)
    – a PS3 kiosk with a Gears of War 3 ads on it.
    – an article I kid you not titled “An Advanced Class in How to be a Giant Dickbag in Halo: Reach”
    – a 3DS video showing the system running a pirated game.

    Next episode, I’d like your thoughts.

  17. I noticed that Deagle tweeted about Kotaku posting Batman: Arkham City spoilers (thanks for the warning, but I got it too late)

    This weekend the site posted
    – A misleading article saying Rage was going to delayed (it’s not)
    – a PS3 kiosk with a Gears of War 3 ads on it.
    – an article I kid you not titled “An Advanced Class in How to be a Giant Dickbag in Halo: Reach”
    – a 3DS video showing the system running a pirated game.

    Next episode, I’d like your thoughts.

    • I noticed Kotaku in 90% garbage this days. Even Stephen Totillo, who used to be a good writer, just churns out lazy fluff. Notice no one really mentions him anymore.

    • Wow!! I’ll give you some now: that’s just an appalling display of journalism/ video game magazine publication. Just awful. Ouch for them.

  18. I noticed D-Toid HATED Solatorobo, Sage. I’m glad you offered another more sensible opinion.

  19. I have to Sage was the star of this week’s show. It seemed like she spent extra time playing games and getting ready this week. Good work.

  20. No interview or contest this week? Whose to blame for this debacle?!?

  21. Thanks for the Burnout Crash impressions. Can we expect a full review Deagle?

  22. Deagle, the 7 second guideline got whittled down to 5 and then 2 was found not to be fair use in Bridgeport Music, Inc. et. al. vs. Dimension Films.

    Basically, everything has to be licensed now, if you are intended to make any kind of profit.

  23. I couldn’t grab the show earlier (too many downloads at the same time), but I’m getting it now.

  24. Youdontknowgames

    For christsakes, you think Gears or War 3 is linear? I bet you just loved Final Fantasy XIII, which was like one bigass long hallway.

  25. Right on for Deagle not liking Gears.

    It’s the same cover mechanic, same brown graphics, and same villain even. Epic didn’t even try to challenge themselves.

    And he’s right, the game tells you everything you should do, all the time. It’s a true girlfriend game alright, because it feels naggy.

    Yeah, the stories better and there’s zombie-like creatures. But in 2011, that’s not cutting it anymore.

  26. You tell ’em Deagle!

  27. Good show this week, people!

    But why no interview?

  28. Cuing for tomorrow’s commute!

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  30. I play most every shooter that comes along, and have never been a Gears of War fan. Run, run, find cover, shoot, shoot, repeat. That’s all she wrote.

  31. Twin Alien Penises

    Deagle didn’t seem like his usual self. He usually loves everything. This week, didn’t like Gears, didn’t like the humor in Grotesque Tactics, was ok with Burnout Crash. If it wasn’t for FIFA 12, I’d say he was having a bad week.

    Still, Sage brought the thunder this week. Great job.

  32. Good show this week, especially from Sage and Blue (but the other guys didn’t slack).

    I guess the bigger you get the more idiots you attract.

  33. I think ill be buying Kirby after hearing how good it is.

  34. I think ill be buying Kirby after hearing how good it is.

  35. Didn’t know about Rochard till you guys mentioned it. Thanks.

  36. Eyes like Knives

    Today I’m going to listen and get to the heart of this controversy.

  37. Great show this week. So glad I took the plunge on Kirby. Like Sage said it’s just a fun, great all-around game.

  38. Good show this week even if you were light on the jokes.

  39. slave to the stick

    Pretty good show this week. Light in humor but good game impressions.

  40. Just a request, but I’m really liking Rochard and wouldn’t mind hearing an interview with the creators of the game.

  41. Are you guys going to do a full Solatorobo review? I see some other sites seemed to dislike it.

    • I just contacted the PR firm handling Solatorobo and they explained they had a very small number of review copies. As such, we didn’t get one.

      • That’s a shame, I know you and/or NOLA would have done the game justice. Unlike sone other sites.

      • That’s strange. You think for every copy they send to a site like yours a bunch of people will read it. In the end its cheaper than advertising (if the review is good)

        (and why wouldn’t it be? You guys have been gushing about this one for a while now)

  42. I was loking for a review of El Shaddai but can’t find one. I was really suprised you didn’t review that game. Any reason why?

  43. No podcast this week? My Monday will not be the same!