Monday 25 April 2016

LGR 2016: Episode 12 - Lapsed News IX


Hello all and welcome to the latest episode of Lapsed Gamer Radio. This week Mark, Andy and Stuart manage to keep the dream alive of picking up the controller more often.

We kick-off with a few quick listener questions covering THE DIVISION: INCURSIONS update and what games we want to complete before the end of the year.

Our main section is of course, our opportunity to catch-up on the news of what we’ve been playing recently - featuring discussion of L.A. NOIRE, BURN IT DOWN, LOST REAVERS Beta, THE DIVISION, DESTINY, DARK SOULS III, SPLATOON, MARIO KART 8, THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: THE WIND WAKER, GOD OF WAR: ASCENSION and MIDDLE EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR.

We then proceed to have our customary brief natter about any gaming news stories that have caught the team’s interest.

News Links:
  • World of Warcraft: Legion launches August 30 [via Destructoid]
  • Play Fallout: New Vegas as a YouTube Choose-Your-Own-Adventure [via Eurogamer]
  • Guile is the next Street Fighter 5 DLC character [via Eurogamer]
  • Batman Arkham HD Collection revealed via leak [via Eurogamer]


This episode was created by the Lapsed Gamer Radio Team. Edited by Mark Hamer, with music selections by all the hosts.

Music and Audio sampled in this episode:

Original LGR themes, FX and music cues created and composed by Cevin Moore.

Other music used in this episode are from:
Supergrass - Coffee In The Pot [from the album Road to Rouen]

Hero Quest - Title Music [composer unknown]

Mass Effect - Main Theme [composed by Jack Wall and Sam Hulick]

65daysofstatic - Supermoon [from the No Man’s Sky OST]

LA Noire - Torched Song [composed by Andrew & Simon Hale]

LA Noire - Main Theme [composed by Andrew & Simon Hale]

Burn It Down - Gameplay noise

Lost Reavers (Beta) - Gameplay noise

God of War: Ascension - Blood on the Canyon Walls [composed by Tyler Bates]

God of War: Ascension - Prison of the Damned [composed by Tyler Bates]

LOTR: The Return of the King - The Land of Shadow [composed by Howard Shore]

LOTR: The Return of the King - The Mouth of Sauron [composed by Howard Shore]

Dark Souls III - Lord of Cinder [composed by Yuka Kitamura and Motoi Sakuraba]

The Division - Take Back New York [composed by Ola Strandh]

Destiny: The Taken King - Last Stand [composed by Michael Salvatori, C Paul Johnson, and Skye Lewin]

Splatoon - Shellfie [composed by Toru Minegishi and Shiho Fujii]

Mario Kart 8 - Excitebike Arena [composed by Atsuko Asahi, Shiho Fujii, Ryo Nagamatsu, Kenta Nagata, and Yasuaki Iwata]

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Title Theme [composed by Kenta Nagata, Hajime Wakai, Toru Minegishi, and Koji Kondo]

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Outset Island [composed by Kenta Nagata, Hajime Wakai, Toru Minegishi, and Koji Kondo]

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Windfall Island [composed by Kenta Nagata, Hajime Wakai, Toru Minegishi, and Koji Kondo]

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - The Great Sea [composed by Kenta Nagata, Hajime Wakai, Toru Minegishi, and Koji Kondo]

Clash Royale - Battle [composer unknown]

Clash Royale - Training Arena [composer unknown]

Clash Royale - Tutorial Arena [composer unknown]

World of Warcraft - Shimmering Flats [composed by Jason Hayes, Tracy W. Bush, Derek Duke, and Glenn Stafford]

Fallout New Vegas - Main Theme [composed by Inon Zur]

Street Fighter V - Main Theme [composed by Masahiro Aoki, Hideyuki Fukasawa, Keiki Kobayashi, Takatsugu Wakabayashi, and Zac Zinger]

Batman: Arkham Asylum - Main Theme [composed by Nick Arundel and Ron Fish]

The Division - Precinct Siege [composed by Ola Strandh]

Ray Parker Jr. - Ghostbusters [from the Ghostbusters OST]

Legacy of Kain: Defiance - Ozar Midrashim [composed by Jim Hedges]

Legacy of Kain: Defiance - Kain vs Raziel [composed by Jim Hedges]

Splatoon - Split and Splat [composed by Toru Minegishi and Shiho Fujii]

You can stream or directly download our episodes via our Podbean homepage: http://lapsedgamerradio.podbean.com/

If you’re enjoying our content, please subscribe to Lapsed Gamer Radio on iTunes. All reviews are most welcome and appreciated in order to allow our little community to thrive.

Plus, if you would like to guest on a specific episode or join the regular LGR podcast team - please email us: lapsedgamerradio@gmail.com

We’d love to hear any feedback/ideas for new podcast sections you might have and we encourage you to send in any questions you would like us to discuss on the show.

Come chat with us on Twitter @LapsedGamer and like our Lapsed Gamer Radio Page on FaceBook. Search for ‘Lapsed Gamer Radio’ on FaceBook and add yourself to the growing community in our brand new LGR FB Group. If you are on Steam add yourself to the Lapsed Gamer group there as well. Please visit our blog at lapsedgamerradio.blogspot.co.uk for Adam’s Race to 100 articles and for more content, check-out the ‘Lapsed Gamer’ channel on YouTube. Thank you for listening and best of luck with your own efforts to pick up the controller and play!

Thursday 21 April 2016

My 16 in '16 Challenge

 
As you may have seen from other posts on the Lapsed Gamer Blog my colleague Adam Ducker has set himself a Race to 100 challenge in which he hopes to play and complete 100 games during 2016. I wish Adam the best of luck with his challenge, and from his February update he seems to be on target.
 
As I have recently finished the story and DLC cases in LA Noire I was trying to decide what to play next, but I haven't been able to settle on anything. By chance Darn Ragnar (@justin_knowles) contacted the show with his plan to make a shortlist of games to play to try and ease the struggle of choosing something when you have so much choice. He eventually settled on a list of 20 games spread across PC and consoles.
 
As the end of April is very nearly upon us that leaves 8 months until the end of the year and I decided to put together a list of 16 games to play and complete before the end of the year. Why 16? It was purely an arbitrary choice based on the year to create a "16 in '16 Challenge". It also nicely works with the 8 months to give a completion rate of 2 games per month.
 
To compile my list I used the Edge 100 Greatest Games list from 2015 and picked games that I already owned, but had never played/completed. I also added a couple of others that are well regarded, but didn't make the list (Doom II, Beneath a Steel Sky, Mass Effect).
 
My final list of 16 is (in no particular order)
 
Beneath A Steel Sky (GOG.com)
Bioshock (Steam)
Earthbound (SNES)
Her Story (Steam)
R-Type Final (PS2)
Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast (PS2)
Metroid Prime (GC)
The Stanley Parable (Steam)
Nidhogg (Steam)
Mass Effect (Origin)
Vanquish (PS3)
Shadow of the Colossus HD (PS3)
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64)
Super Metroid (SNES)
Advance Wars (GBA)
DOOM II (Steam)
 
I'm using Backloggery.net to keep track of my progress, and I'll post updates on the blog and talk about it on the podcast.
 
Let me know what you think of my challenge, the choice of games, or if you have set a similar challenge for yourself.
 
Stuart
@saintlystuart

Tuesday 19 April 2016

LGR 2016: Episode 11 - Lapsed News VIII



Hello all and welcome to the latest episode of Lapsed Gamer Radio. This week Mark, Cev and Lee are joined by long-time listener and LGR community member, the one and only, Master Chief Stuart Cullen.

As is now our custom, we kick-off with a few quick listener questions and chaos soon  ensues as an irresistible force meets an immovable object when sparks fly over sacred cows such as CALL OF DUTY, DESTINY and even our beloved Nintendo comes under attack! Andy Palmer we’re holding you responsible, ha! ha!

Once pleasantries resume we catch-up with news of what we’ve been playing featuring discussion of THE WOLF AMONG US, QUANTUM BREAK, THOMAS WAS ALONE: BENJAMIN’S FLIGHT, TROPICO 5, MORTAL KOMBAT X and the BATTLEBORN open beta.  

We then proceed to have a brief natter about a few gaming news stories that have come to our attention and offer thanks for the community feedback we’ve received of late.

News Links:



This episode was created by the Lapsed Gamer Radio Team. Edited by Cevin Moore, with music selections by all the hosts.

Music and Audio sampled in this episode:

Original LGR themes, FX and music cues created and composed by Cevin Moore.

Other excerpts used in this episode are from:
QUANTUM LEAP (Mike Post),
“Breaking the Law” by Judas Priest,
THE WOLF AMONG US (Jared Emerson-Johnson),
THOMAS WAS ALONE (David Housden)
“My Tears Are Becoming A Sea” by M83.

You can stream or directly download our episodes via our Podbean homepage: http://lapsedgamerradio.podbean.com/

If you’re enjoying our content, please subscribe to Lapsed Gamer Radio on iTunes. All reviews are most welcome and appreciated in order to allow our little community to thrive.
Plus, if you would like to guest on a specific episode or join the regular LGR podcast team - please email us: lapsedgamerradio@gmail.com

We’d love to hear any feedback/ideas for new podcast sections you might have and we encourage you to send in any questions you would like us to discuss on the show.

Come chat with us on Twitter @LapsedGamer and like our Lapsed Gamer Radio Page on FaceBook. Search for ‘Lapsed Gamer Radio’ on FaceBook and add yourself to the growing community in our brand new LGR FB Group. If you are on Steam add yourself to the Lapsed Gamer group there as well. Please visit our blog at lapsedgamerradio.blogspot.co.uk for Adam’s Race to 100 articles and for more content, check-out the ‘Lapsed Gamer’ channel on YouTube. Thank you for listening and best of luck with your own efforts to pick up the controller and play!

Sunday 17 April 2016

Race to 100 Catch Up - February

So as I said last month I did not think my super fast pace would continue. I beat 12 games in total in January including a number of short titles but also Fallout 4. February has been a crazy month in so many aspects. Gaming wise we’ve seen the Xbox One release of the time sink that is Rocket League. I’ve spent a great deal of time on it and what a game it was worth the wait. I think I’m with a lot of people in that I’m not particularly good at it but I just cannot stop playing. That’s not to say I haven’t had some great moments.
The other slightly prohibitive factor has been the number of games I’ve been reviewing this month. It’s kind of knocked my momentum in some respects but I do still feel progress has certainly been made. I feel like I should touch on some of the game I didn’t finish but have been formative experiences in many ways. I actually previously touched on how I outright do not play RPGs I’ve spent a lot of time with Final Fantasy Type 0 this month. I picked it up for a bargain $14.99 and thought it would be worth it to at least try. This has been my first JRPG I have really stuck with and I think I may finish it! As a result of this I’ve also taken on Strangers of Sword City for review which appears to add another bewildering layer of depth I’ve not been exposed to. As a DRPG in this case it’s a very slow paced first person game where early on you seem to spend most of your time just staring at static character art telling you a million different mechanics work.. I’ve also been trying to get through Gears of War 2. Much like with the Halo series I never played Gears as I didn’t own  a 360 so I want to get through them before Gears 4 hits. I’m hoping March will have full write ups of all 3 of these as finished games.
Finally work has been hectic as hell, we’ve been going through some restructuring that seems to have largely been weighted towards me getting more work than the 3 people on our team. I’m hoping at some point I get a better grasp on this new stuff and feel a bit better about it and less like death when I get home every week.
Anyway enough with the excuses, here are the games that really matter the games I beat;



Thief
Of all the game I’ve made so far this year, this is one I the most indifferent to. It was neither great nor bad. I only actually wanted to play it so it was done as I have Dishonored sat unplayed as well and I’ve heard that Thief suffers by comparison (in fact I think on the Bombcast when talking about Warren Spector’s latest move Brad said something similar)

Lapsed Gamer Ready? It might be but it's not particularly interesting enough to warrant the attention. It was once a Games with Gold so if you have then sure why not try it.



King’s Quest Chapter 1
I was a huge fan of point and click games back in the day namely the Lucasarts games along with the Simon the Sorcerer games. However Sierra’s games somehow passed me by. Telltale have slowly built up to where we are now with the likes of The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones etc…. Their Sam and Max games and Back to the Future brought that classic point and click adventure to the modern era but have since changed tact with their narrative driven take on the genre. King’s Quest seems to find a slightly better middle ground between the two competing takes. Christopher Lloyd is wonderfully cast as the old King retelling stories.

Lapsed Gamer Ready? Absolutely! Perfect pacing, puzzles that will get you thinking but not mean you come unstuck and have a fantastic adventure along the way.
Perfect Dark Zero
The Neverending Slog that is clearing the Rare Replay backlog continues….Perfect Dark Zero got a lot of rave reviews upon release….well time has not been kind to this. From its opening music cinematic you can tell they are trying really hard to impress. The one point I’d really like to focus in on is the games level design. Having recently played Banjo Kazooie as well I’m beginning to think as great as Rare are they actually are kind of bad at creating levels that have a flow and make sense to the point where you still feel like your exploring but make progress. So often in Perfect Dark it simply would not be clear where to go even when it slaps down arrows on the floor.

Lapsed Gamer Ready? It's hard to recommend it to be perfectly honest, there are so many better more accessible first person shooters out there that will leave a much more lasting impression.
Dying Light Enhanced Edition The Following
This was one game and I was not expecting to play as it landed on my digital Slack desk for review. It’s a pretty long game so it definitely detracted from my progress in other games. Not that I was particularly upset as it’s a fantastic game. I never finished Dead Island as it simply got so so boring, no amount of analogue combat could break up the tedium. Dying Light added parkour and a wonderful day night cycle that adds so much tension to the experience. Death truly has repercussions in the regards to leveling up and the first few hours can certainly be a rough ride. The Following DLC somewhat flips this on the head by getting rid of a lot of the verticality but adding an upgradable buggy. 

Lapsed Gamer Ready? Arguably not, it's hard going first few hours will leave gamers frustated perhaps one to come to once your back up and running gaming.



Layers of Fear
Another game I got for review that played through in pretty much one sitting. I’m still working on the review for it but here’s my conclusion;
Layers of Fear at first glance is nothing more than a generic horror game; with it’s abandoned house, doors ajar and uneasy audio cues. However playing past the opening ten minutes will open your eyes to a game that both celebrates art whilst showing the crippling mental effects the pursuit of perfection can have on a tormented artist. It’s this dichotomy/duality that runs throughout the game, the raw exploration of which leads to fascinating experience that will linger long after you’ve left it’s haunting corridors.
Yes that may go against the grain of what many reviewers feel but that’s the great thing about this industry especially these smaller experiences some can really resonate with you and leave a lasting impression.

Lapsed Gamer Ready? For sure its clever take on horror geometry will surprise. It's simple mechanics and relatively easy puzzles will make playing through in one sitting a breeze.


Unravel
A game I desperately wanted to love but I found it somewhat lacking. Let’s get it straight Yarny is super cute and also very much a character despite his relative lack of ways to display emotions. He cowers when he is scared, shivers when he is cold and in one level peeks over some bushes in a way that is genuinely mischievous way that made me grin from ear to ear. However I think the general story telling was somewhat lacking even though it was clear trying to tell a very heartfelt story. I also found that the game never really progressed past its blend of yarn management, swinging and physic based puzzles, it never becomes more challenging. It almost makes me feel like the game may have been better as a shorter “walking simulation” based experienced.

Lapsed Gamer Ready? Whilst I didn't enjoy it much as I expected to I think the story certainly resonates and makes for a interesting experience.
So pace continues fairly well, again some shorter experiences but also one tent pole larger game? I’d like to leave you with a question does Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae count as a game towards my total? Now I assumed not as it’s just a demo but now I’ve been lead to believe it’s a separate stand alone episode that won’t be the main game so perhaps it is something I’d add to the list when I beat it
Current Total: 18
Current Pace: 108 (slightly down)

Wednesday 13 April 2016

LGR 2016: Episode 10 - Lapsed News VII


Greetings and a warm welcome to the latest instalment of LGR. After some unforeseen and stubborn editing issues we’ve got this, slightly late, episode ready for release.

We cover a couple of quick twitter queries at the start of this show, but we’d like more listener questions so do Email, Tweet or FB comment LGR and we’ll answer them on upcoming episodes.

There’s the latest updates from Mark, Cev, Andy and Stuart on what we’ve done with the gaming time we have mustered of late, an XBox news update from our very own Adam Ducker and we cover a selection of other recent news stories.

What we’ve been playing:

Andy
Assassins Creed Rogue
Hand of Fate
Doom Beta
HTC Vive

Adam
Banjo Nuts and Bolts [Xbox One]
Lords of the Fallen [Xbox One]
Assassins Creed Unity
Trackmania Turbo
Murdered: Soul Suspect
Miitomo [Mobile]

Stuart
The Walking Dead - No Man's Land [Android]
LA Noire [PC]
Super Arcade Football [PC]
Headhunter [Dreamcast]
Silent Scope [Dreamcast]
Miitomo [Android]

Cev
Hitman Go [PS4/Vita]

Mark
Desert Golfing [Android]
Trackmania Turbo [PS4]
Walking Dead Season 2 [PS4]
Doom closed beta [PS4]
Tropico 5 [PS4]
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag [PS4]


Lunch Hour Games of the Week
The Walking Dead - No Man's Land
Hearthstone
Rocket League
Splatoon
Mario Kart 8
Super Mario Maker
Hitman Go
Drive Club
Hand of Fate


News:
Microsoft Employee May Have Let Slip an “Xbox NeXt”

Xbox One Dev Kit Mode Available for Preview
http://www.purexbox.com/news/2016/03/xbox_one_dev_kit_mode_available_for_preview

Final Fantasy XV news blowout: release date, free spin-off, movie, anime, and more!

Report: Nintendo ending Wii U production later this year

Final Fantasy XI shuts down on PS2 and Xbox 360, PC version still up and running
Other news
Miitomo gets released on mobile devices
Dark Souls III releases in Japan
Quantum Break gets released on Xbox One and Windows 10
HTC Vive review embargo lifts


This episode was created by the Lapsed Gamer Radio Team. Edited by Cevin Moore, with music selections by all the hosts.

Music and Audio sampled in this episode:


Doom Beta Menu Music [composed by Mick Gordon]

Assassins Creed Black Flag: Pirates Beware [composed by Brian Tyler & Sarah Schachner]

Hand Of Fate: Deal Of The Millennium [composed by Jeff Van Dyck]

Doom: Main Title Theme [composed by Mick Gordon]

Mitch Murder - Breeze (from the Trackmania Turbo OST)

Silent Scope: Scorpion's Theme


Headhunter Soundtrack: Jack's Theme


Hitman Go: Theme 1


Tropico 5: Motika & Pan Con Queso


Underworld - Moaner (Relentless Legs Mix)


Breakbot - Shades Of Black


You can stream or directly download our episodes via our Podbean homepage: http://lapsedgamerradio.podbean.com/

If you’re enjoying our content, please subscribe to Lapsed Gamer Radio on iTunes. All reviews are most welcome and appreciated in order to allow our little community to thrive.
Plus, if you would like to guest on a specific episode or join the regular LGR podcast team - please email us: lapsedgamerradio@gmail.com

We’d love to hear any feedback/ideas for new podcast sections you might have and we encourage you to send in any questions you would like us to discuss on the show.

Come chat with us on Twitter @LapsedGamer and like our Lapsed Gamer Radio Page on FaceBook. Search for ‘Lapsed Gamer Radio’ on FaceBook and add yourself to the growing community in our brand new LGR FB Group. If you are on Steam add yourself to the Lapsed Gamer group there as well. Please visit our blog at lapsedgamerradio.blogspot.co.uk for Adam’s Race to 100 articles and for more content, check-out the ‘Lapsed Gamer’ channel on YouTube. Thank you for listening and best of luck with your own efforts to pick up the controller and play!