While Episode IV is off getting shitfaced Kupka & Batch handle things on this weeks GameCast. Listen in as they bring you their thoughts on Batman Arkham Knight thus far, what looks good in the Xbox Ultimate Games sal,e and give some info on how they want to get more interactive with you the listeners. As promised Kupka could not figure out how to put a poll on this thing so if you have any suggestions or ideas or preferences as to getting to game, with you the listeners please e-mail us or leave us a message below!
When Kupka decides television and the outdoors are more important than the warm glow of his monitor Batch and MovieFreak are there to pick up the slack. This week we get into some Witcher talk, bring up some God of War memories and get deep into the Assassin’s Creed world, which one of us calls “The Scientology of Video Games.” You’re going to have to listen to find out who it is. Stay tuned next time as our 10th epsiode (WOOHOO we made it to 10!) will be our commentary for a little flick called Street Fighter.
Kupka, Batch & Moviefreak are back with another installment of the Binge GameCast. In addition to the usual game assignments, what’s new, and what have you, Batch gives a detailed review of his overnight experience with Mortal Kombat X, we give our thoughts on the “New” Guitar Hero game, and the question of the week. This week’s question is: “Who are your favorite/least favorite Mortal Kombat characters and why?
This week Kupka and Batch are joined by Moviefreak as they talk about the games they’ve been playing, some new hot deals in the Xbox and Playstation stores, and they even pick the first movie commentary they are going to do. Don’t be silly, you’re going to have to listen to find out what it is. This show was also broadcast live as will most of our shows in the future. Let us know below if/when you’d want to tune in.
I’ve been a gamer for as long as I can remember with my earliest consoles being the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo. I remember sinking countless hours into games like VR Troopers (which was a Mortal Kombat knockoff before I knew what Mortal Kombat was), Super Mario World and Donkey Kong Country, beating the SHIT out of my brothers in anything that was multiplayer (they may still be butthurt) and enjoying every minute of it. I’ve always been the kid that hated going outside. To me, the worst thing you could do to me as a kid was tell me to “go play outside” the day after I got a new game. It’s not that I wasn’t sociable, I just didn’t see the value in running around in the sun playing sports that I never had any inclination to get good at. Throughout my gaming career, there have been ups, downs and some glaring omissions. I went the Sony route as a young kid and never really dove into N64, have never touched a single Zelda game and missed the Dreamcast. However, if you mention Crash Bandicoot or Spyro waves of nostalgia start kicking in and I’m reminded of the good old days when I was first being introduced to this world.
Games like Heart of Darkness, Wild 9 and the fantastic (and newly remastered) Oddworld: Abe’s Odyssey all started moving me into a new world of gaming, but honestly as I got older games became less and less of a focus. I think there comes a time in gaming for every gamer worth his/her salt where things get stale. It’s happened to me in every iteration of console I’ve had and I’m sure it will continue to happen, but throughout the years there has always been one franchise that keeps on bringing me back. I don’t know if it’s the perspective, the humor or the chaos (probably a bit of all three), but every time I need to get a new console, it’s because of Grand Theft Auto.
My most fond gaming memories absolutely start and end with GTA. From the mundane, like reaching top speeds on Grove Street in San Andreas and whipping around the neighborhood trying to hit as many pedestrians as possible, to getting a tank to fly via the proper cheats and skill in Vice City to the very first time you pick up a hooker in III, this franchise, to me, is what gaming is all about. GTA presents the ultimate escape from everything, transporting you to a world you could never be a part of and giving you free license to do whatever you want.
GTA IV upped the ante with the incorporation of a truly impressive style of cinematography previously only hinted at in the GTA series, telling the story of Nico Bellic and his experience coming up in America as an immigrant in Liberty City, but truly each incarnation of the series has innovated in its own way. For instance, the brilliant property ownership and side-quests of building up your criminal empire in Vice City gave the game a more grounded RPG feel which to this day stands as the one feature that I hope comes back in future incarnations. In San Andreas, the fantastic gang-warfare and territory aspect keeps the area fresh and seemingly “alive” throughout your playthrough, and enough can not be said about the amazing jet pack in San Andreas (fingers crossed it comes back soon, the GTA world needs it).
It comes as no surprise to me that, yet again, Rockstar did something totally unique in GTA V. Granted the triple-lead character angle is stunning when used on the heist missions, but I’m actually referring to the genius current-gen first-person mode. I’ve played the story mode of this game twice through already and am already salivating at first-person mode, experiencing the iconic moments I’ve already experienced with a completely different perspective. In an odd way it actually makes the action more real which is both good and bad. I have read reviews from different gaming sites like IGN and Gamespot stating that the first-person mode actually makes them re-think their choices as to who they murder in broad daylight. That’s pretty impressive for a game that employs BJ Smoove as a self-help guru.
While GTA V is what I’m playing most these days, My PS4 is not even three weeks old, and I’ve been catching up on a lot of stuff. Here are some of my initial thoughts on the platform:
– The Last of Us has to be a contender for greatest game of all time
– Rayman Legends is the closest thing to Super Mario that I’ve played in years
– Helldivers > Destiny (but I’m still enjoying Destiny)
– Any game that lets you manipulate an elephant to do your killing for you is a-ok in my book (Far Cry 4)
– Dragon Age Inquisition re-iterates that if you want to complete a game 100% these days and it’s an RPG, get the guide lest you fuck something up
In movie/TV news, I’m rewatching Party Down and might do a recap of that this week, but I REALLY wanted to mention my brilliant hottie team this year. Quite simply, despite missing out on Star Wars and Avengers 2 points, I’m astounded that I got the picks that I did. I have to give props to Kupka, my brother in Binge, for reasoning out a few things for me, which was of course reciprocated throughout the process. I, like him, did have Angela Kerecz on my board last year, he just beat me to the punch on it (well played). Between Lizeth Hutchings, Lisa Ann Smith and Tamika Shanell Johnson, I don’t see how it will be easy for anyone in the BABADIIICK conference to touch me. I say this with confidence because I, much like my New England Patriots, know how to draft, and all y’all fucks are basking in my glorious benevolence at this point. Some afterthoughts:
– Pete MC, you chose correctly by taking Judy Greer first overall, I had her at #1 as well. Smart pick, I applaud you for it.
– Mike Scull, you will be my bitch this year XOXO.
– TM, I will take you down. So long as I beat you in the draft this year will have been a success.
That’s it everyone. Stay tuned for some sweet Better Call Saul commentary and, as always, Binge On!
Sorry we’re late people but sometimes shit happens. Not our best offering but much like sex, some offering is better than no offering at all. Am I right? This time around the campfire we talk about the usual shit but also want to know What is your favorite/least favorite video game movie? We also assign ourselves the assignments of completing Tales From The Borderlands Episode 2 and The 2nd DLC Pack for Bioshock Infinite. Yeah, I know, it’s been out awhile. Well enjoy and tune in next week when we pick what movie will be our first GameCast Commentary.
It’s rare that a sitcom is as consistent and polished as Parks and Recreation was. For most of the show’s runtime, with the only real exception being the first season and the beginning of the second one, Parks and Rec created a diverse cast of fantastic, relatable characters who were not only individually funny but played incredibly well off of one another. While on the surface level Parks and Rec absolutely began as an Office clone, it’s pretty clear that the showrunners here took that ball and ran with it as, to me anyways, Parks and Rec is far superior. The fact that they delivered a high-quality, satisfying finale comes as no surprise. I’ll definitely miss the show but I can absolutely see this cast getting together in the future on another project, maybe even a clever sequel/spinoff. You know the era of television is officially in its golden age when a side-character on a sitcom like this gets to star in a tentpole superhero film, and absolutely kill it. Sad to see it go but happy it ended well, for those of you that have yet to watch it you’re in for a real treat.
SPOILERS THROUGHOUT
As I write this, it has officially been 15 minutes since the finale of season 3 for House of Cards ended, and I have to say it was without question the most underwhelming. Where the intrigue and mystery of Frank Underwood was front and center throughout the first two seasons, it’s clear that the writers peaked and don’t have a solid focus on what the audience watches this show for. While there is very minimal political intrigue in this one, and probably the most brutal off-screen death I’ve seen in a television show, the fact remains that House of Cards probably should have ended at season 2. The character arc was just too perfect to try and take it anywhere else, and despite the craving of seeing what Frank Underwood would be like as POTUS, it turns out that makes him pretty underwhelming and unsatisfying. I straight up HATED the focus on Frank and Claire’s relationship for the season and felt like most of the time spent here was filler. There is a certain macabre fascination with this series that keeps me coming back for more me that sort of got thrown out the window somewhere around midseason. I will be back for next season, but I have to admit that this season, overall, was just average.
I know I sounded a bit negative about House of Cards but maybe that’s just because I have become engrossed with my new toy, a shiny new PS4. I know what you’re thinking, “Jack, why didn’t you get XBOX ONE?”. I thought about both systems for about three months, not knowing which direction to go in but I came to the logical conclusion: it doesn’t fucking matter. That’s right. Console loyalty is for the weak. Exclusives are a factor but not a major one. You know how I decided? When I was at the store the other day my PS4 was the better deal overall, and after months of delaying my decision and trying to reason with myself that one is the clear better choice I dove into the PS4. Do I regret it? No. HELL no, in fact. My main priority was that I needed a console to play the new Batman game on come this summer and I have succeeded. I am amazed by the voice commands for the system, and the new sharing apps that allow you to broadcast your gameplay to others around the world. I’ve even upgraded the internal memory to a solid 2TB, making for plenty of space in the machine itself. I grabbed Dragon Age Inquisition, which I’m working my way through now (loving every minute) and my system was bundled with The Last Of Us, which I will dive into next. My gamertag on there is moviefreak4702, so friend me and let’s game on!
That’s all ladies and germs. A slow movie week as finals are rolling in but I plan on catching up for it by this time next week. Have a good week and, as always, Binge On!
Here we are with another episode of the Binge Game Cast for your earholes. In addition to the usual we discuss our favorite/memorable Video Game Villians, discuss some listener feedback, and even dip into a little bit of Wrestling Talk. Want to give of some feedback of your own? Get to us via Twitter @BingeGameCast or e-mail bingegamecast@gmail.com
This week’s question is what non game related property would you like to see turned into a video game/what kind of game/ and why? Send us your answers and we’ll discuss them on the next show.
It’s time for another edition of the Binge GameCast. This week we discuss our game assignments, reminisce about fighting games, ponder the latest game sales and start a new segment called the Question of The Week. This week’s question is who are some of your favorite game villians? Let us know via Twitter @BingeGameCast or e-mail bingegamecast@gmail.com and we’ll discuss your answers on the next show. Also keep an eye on the main site’s Facebook page this weekend for some joinable game time.