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Giant Bomb #15 | Just a Clip-On Tie

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B

BUNTING1243

Banned
You know, I'd be really alright with Giant Bomb absorbing Gamespot. Mary and Danny on live-shows, a bunch of really talented producers joining Drew and Jason, Jeff getting way more resources to do the crazy shit he always hints at wanting to do.

Probably won't happen because Gamespot's still way bigger than Giant Bomb, but with the way things are going, I guess it's possible in a few years.
 
N

NumberThree

Member
Megasoum said:
If he's not going to Ubisoft then his big tattoo will get awkward quick.
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He says where he's going in the post, he'll be a writer for Trion Worlds.
Soon, I will be joining MMOG developer/publisher Trion Worlds as a writer. I'll still be available to write elsewhere for the time being (if you need an author, keep me in mind!), but day in and day out, instead of writing about games for a living, I will be writing for them.
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A

Aaron

Member
I have to know that when young Vinny ran out of his house screaming, "MOTHRA!!" Did his father sadly shake his head, and say, "The boy ain't right." ?
 
P

Patryn

Member
BUNTING1243 said:
You know, I'd be really alright with Giant Bomb absorbing Gamespot. Mary and Danny on live-shows, a bunch of really talented producers joining Drew and Jason, Jeff getting way more resources to do the crazy shit he always hints at wanting to do.

Probably won't happen because Gamespot's still way bigger than Giant Bomb, but with the way things are going, I guess it's possible in a few years.
Click to expand...

Isn't Mary actually a producer who has followed the Drew path, where's she being pulled in front of the camera due to a lack of warm bodies?

I can honestly see a future where Jeff is EIC of both Giant Bomb and Gamespot.
 
L

Lunar FC

Member
BUNTING1243 said:
You know, I'd be really alright with Giant Bomb absorbing Gamespot. Mary and Danny on live-shows, a bunch of really talented producers joining Drew and Jason, Jeff getting way more resources to do the crazy shit he always hints at wanting to do.

Probably won't happen because Gamespot's still way bigger than Giant Bomb, but with the way things are going, I guess it's possible in a few years.
Click to expand...

Not in a million years will this happen, nor do I want it to.
 
B

BUNTING1243

Banned
Patryn said:
Isn't Mary actually a producer who has followed the Drew path, where's she being pulled in front of the camera due to a lack of warm bodies?

I can honestly see a future where Jeff is EIC of both Giant Bomb and Gamespot.
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I'm not sure, but since she's technically a video producer, I think you're right. They're the future of games journalists!

And yeah, I wouldn't be shocked if Jeff eventually took that role John Davison had when GB first got bought and just oversees the whole Games group. He's got a really good eye for that sorta thing.

Lunar FC said:
Not in a million years will this happen, nor do I want it to.
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Maybe you're right! I dunno. Giant Bomb seems to be growing while Gamespot's shrinking.
 
Z

Zaph

Member
It's selfish and would never happen, but a streamlined Gamespot with just Danny, Mary, UK Lucy, Peter, maybe one other dude (and their video producers ofc) all making GB style content would be a near-perfect third GB studio IMO
 
B

BUNTING1243

Banned
Zaph said:
It's selfish and would never happen, but a streamlined Gamespot with just Danny, Mary, UK Lucy, Peter, maybe one other dude (and their video producers ofc) all making GB style content would be a near-perfect third GB studio IMO
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That's where they seem to be headed in all ways except being an actual Giant Bomb studio. They've been adopting the GB style (slightly more produced and formal though) pretty hard over the past year.

Freedom = $1.05 said:
Why doesn't Gamespot have a podcast?
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They used too up until the layoffs last year. I think they said it would come back at some point, but it was Kevin's thing, so definitely not now. I think Danny's said on Tumblr that they don't think their audience would be really interested in a long audio show, for whatever reason.
 
L

LurkerPrime

Member
Fattony12000 said:
giantbomb.com/contradiction-spot-the-liar/3030-50336/forums/i-visited-the-town-from-contradiction-and-i-took-p-1776616/
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GB's community never ceases to amaze me.
BUNTING1243 said:
You know, I'd be really alright with Giant Bomb absorbing Gamespot. Mary and Danny on live-shows, a bunch of really talented producers joining Drew and Jason, Jeff getting way more resources to do the crazy shit he always hints at wanting to do.

Probably won't happen because Gamespot's still way bigger than Giant Bomb, but with the way things are going, I guess it's possible in a few years.
Click to expand...

I don't really think Gamespot's and Giant Bomb's audiences are compatible. The comments on videos and views on livestreams are evidence enough of that.

Besides, doesn't Gamespot have a way larger audience that GB? If anything, the reverse would happen and Gamespot Presents: Giant Bomb would be a thing.
 
M

Mushroomer25

Member
I think Gamespot is always going to have a consistent revenue stream in 'mainstream' games coverage. They're one of two names that the general public might know in terms of coverage for video games. If your average joe wants to know what's up with Madden, Call of Duty, Halo, etc - it's likely they're familiar with Gamespot or IGN. All Gamespot really needs to survive is that large scale audience hitting the site around each major game release. Giant Bomb works for enthusiasts, because they're willing to do the deep dives on fascinating stuff (Contradiction, old demo discs) and turn a blind eye to what doesn't really interest them (sports games, annualized AAA franchises). Gamespot works because they do the exact opposite - plenty of coverage on the games that the mainstream public cares about, occasionally ignoring the smaller stuff that isn't going to be highly trafficked on Google.
 
M

MassiveNights

Banned
Jenks posted on GB

http://www.giantbomb.com/contradict...s-response-1775948/?page=3#js-message-7995446

Hey everyone!

Just thought I'd pop in to say thanks so much for all the kind words about "Contradiction". We had a hell of a lot of fun making it (as you might have gathered) and the fact that so many of you are really getting it is just amazing! Personally, I've been howling with delighted laughter at loads of the comments on here (not to mention staring in astonishment at the GIFs) so...yeah, basically just thanks!

I must point out that despite what the esteemed Mr Follin says, I'm not 100% Jenks. But he IS 100% Contradiction.
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F

Freedom = $1.05

Banned
hopefully, this Contradiction coverage results in more sales. Right now, seems like they've sold maybe a bit more than a thousand copies but there's a huge +- there so it might be much less. I personally hope they spread contradiction up so as to help the game sell a bit and not do the whole thing in a week and stop the curious from jumping in.

SlowRevolution said:
On one of his recent streams Danny mentioned possibly doing one when they move floors, but then he said he probably wouldn't be involved in it since he already does Alt+F1 and Danswers and I turned off the video
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Well, we don't need those extra podcasts so i'll let you guys decide which one(s) should get shut down.

With Kevin, they could've had a cast with Danny, Peter Brown, and whomever else and i just imagine it would've being pretty solid.
 
M

Myggen

Member
Mushroomer25 said:
I think Gamespot is always going to have a consistent revenue stream in 'mainstream' games coverage. They're one of two names that the general public might know in terms of coverage for video games. If your average joe wants to know what's up with Madden, Call of Duty, Halo, etc - it's likely they're familiar with Gamespot or IGN. All Gamespot really needs to survive is that large scale audience hitting the site around each major game release. Giant Bomb works for enthusiasts, because they're willing to do the deep dives on fascinating stuff (Contradiction, old demo discs) and turn a blind eye to what doesn't really interest them (sports games, annualized AAA franchises). Gamespot works because they do the exact opposite - plenty of coverage on the games that the mainstream public cares about, occasionally ignoring the smaller stuff that isn't going to be highly trafficked on Google.
Click to expand...

This is correct, and probably what Jeff is talking about when he's mentioned the two site's different approaches to coverage.

Anyways, great article by Austin and cool that Jenks responded on the forum!
 
C

Chance Hale

Member
Hearing Alex compare that terrible game to EDF made me sad, franchise gets hate from them for little reason. Ton of depth and variety to the series, weapons and equipment you bring make such a difference.
 
S

Sleeping Lesson

Member
MassiveNights said:
Yeah it went on for a while, the guy hosting it (Tom Magrino?) got laid off and they canned it.
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I had no idea. The Hotspot was the first podcast I ever listened to and I swear I have not missed an episode of it or the Giant Bombcast, ever. I missed the post-Jeff Hotspots, obviously... you know that I mean.
 
M

Myggen

Member
tumblr_nrqpxilJB51qmtbr4o2_r1_1280.jpg
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Kelas said:
Anyone remember if jeff ever played the ocarina remake?
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Highly doubt it, Jeff recently talked about how he was afraid to go back to Ocarina because he feared it didn't hold up to his memories of the game, so I doubt he's gone back to it.

edit: Interesting comment under Austin's article:

So, I was a tester on Superman Returns. I specifically scrolled down through the article to see if you gave it a mention because to me the way Arkham treats civilians feels almost like a reaction to Superman Returns' failure to execute on its concept.

I saw the design documents. It was an interesting concept. I honestly can't remember the difference between the mechanics in some of the early versions I tested and what actually got released to the public, so my post is going to be a little nebulous and might not reflect the game as released.

The idea was that Superman is basically invincible. So instead of giving him a health bar, the city would have a health bar. And this wasn't just about physical damage dealt to the city, but about the city's faith and trust in Superman as its protector. So you could actually interact with civilians as Superman and affect the meter. You could punch civilians, and the meter would go down. You could wreck cars and street lights and newspaper stands, and the meter would go down. You could pick civilians up and drop them from the top of a building, and the meter would go down. But you could also save civilians. I forget how the mechanics were supposed to work, but if you saw someone on the ground injured, you could pick them up and move them somewhere else and it would save them, or something. I think there were ambulances you could drop them near. This would make the meter go back up.

It was a little bit like a primordial version of how you can grind good/bad karma in inFamous. Except as a DC licensed character tied to a major motion picture, they couldn't exactly have Superman go full renegade. Being a jerk meant an eventual game over.

The idea that the failure state was Metropolis no longer trusting Superman to be its protector has merit, and is something that has been explored in other stories about Superman, but isn't one I remember being covered much, if at all, in the Superman Returns movie specifically. From what I vaguely remember of the movie, the city already trusts him pretty implicitly. It feels like an idea that would have fit into a Man of Steel movie game.

It's also way too nebulous and imprecise of a concept in the Superman Returns game. It's like losing because Superman loses faith in himself. He only loses because he believes he has failed at a personal standard he has set for himself about how much of the city he can allow to be destroyed. The karma system in inFamous, for all the criticism its received for being too ham-fisted and black-and-white, communicates the gameplay idea of either helping or harming citizens and gaining or losing their trust a lot more effectively.

Unfortunately, they were making a movie licensed brawler masquerading as an open world game that was supposed to launch on the same day as the movie's release, on a relatively new console, and they were trying to make it back-portable to the previous console generation. Oh, and the studio had only ever made Madden and NASCAR for like the past 10 years. Basically, it was scoped way too big, was trying to be too many things at once, and was extremely limited by the license.

The 5 month delay it got was required just to make the game run, basically. A lot was cut that didn't make sense or was counter-productive to the core gameplay of "being Superman", which was mostly punching robots and scripted boss fights. When I played inFamous, I remember feeling a bit like "this is the game the Superman Returns devs wished they could have made."

So, the point being, when you have a licensed character that has to be a good guy all the time in your story, it just seems ridiculous (and potentially a violation of your license) to have him going around punching civilians, or putting them in harms way. Making invulnerable civilians (which is what Superman Returns did) is greatly immersion-breaking, and makes it seem like the citizens are actually more powerful than the hero (since the hero can be defeated but the civilians can't). The Arkham devs just didn't want to deal with it. So they come up with a reason to get the civilians out of the game. inFamous had a lot more freedom because it was an original character and story, and they leveraged the presence of the civilians as part of the game's mechanics and story.
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T

tuxfool

Banned
BUNTING1243 said:
They used too up until the layoffs last year. I think they said it would come back at some point, but it was Kevin's thing, so definitely not now. I think Danny's said on Tumblr that they don't think their audience would be really interested in a long audio show, for whatever reason.
Click to expand...

Go read the comments on GameSpot. Danny is correct, their audience wouldn't have an interest in that sort of thing.
 
J

jaina

Member
nckillthegrimace said:
What is their audience interested in?
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videos < 8 minutes + 90 seconds preroll.
Jokes aside, short news articles (with a comment section to fight in) and short videos are what their mainstream audience wants. And of course the hype machine before and reviews of big releases.
 
M

Mister Negative

Member
I played the Superman Returns demo on 360 a LOT. It was just really fun flying around.

Edit: All this Godzilla talk is reminding me of one of my favorite games of all time:

18145_front.jpg


I need someone to play this on UPF. Dan? Dan, you there?
 
C

Chance Hale

Member
Xater said:
I'm going to be over here silently judging you if that's ok?



Whatever marketing tells them to.
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Seeing those giant monsters fighting each other with huge lasers going off constantly was great, and that comeback had me cheering inside.

And gamespot's frontpage is a pretty good example of the weird, click bait habits most gaming sites go for. Close ups of women making faces with vague headlines begging you to click.
 
X

Xater

Member
Mister Negative said:
I played the Superman Returns demo on 360 a LOT. It was just really fun flying around.

Edit: All this Godzilla talk is reminding me of one of my favorite games of all time:

18145_front.jpg


I need someone to play this on UPF. Dan? Dan, you there?
Click to expand...

That game is genuinely great. Dan even mentioned it not too long ago, so maybe he will play it.

There also was at least one Godzilla game for the Gamecube that wasn't totally terrible.

ricochetguro said:
Seeing those giant monsters fighting each other with huge lasers going off constantly was great, and that comeback had me cheering inside.

And gamespot's frontpage is a pretty good example of the weird, click bait habits most gaming sites go for. Close ups of women making faces with vague headlines begging you to click.
Click to expand...

Also their top upcoming games list tells you a lot about their audience.
 
F

Freedom = $1.05

Banned
It was a shame that the Pacific Rim game blew balls. Maybe now that Del Toro has been in game development for a hundred years he'll get a decent game out of a studio for Pacific Rim 2.
 
T

TraBuch

Banned
The Super Best Friends seemed to like Godzilla well enough. Guess if you're a hardcore kaiju guy, you can overlook the gameplay deficiencies.
 
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