Rebel FM — Episode 5 — 02/04/09: Dawn of War II Beta, RE5, and Afro Samurai + MORE!

That HL2/shooter argument seemed very pointless. Even if he thinks it isn't within the shooting genre, who the heck cares? And this quote made me confused: "And the shooting not being as good as other games is the reason why I have it a 9.5 and not a 10." So instead of giving it a very very very very very very very good score you "only" gave it a very very very very very very good score? M'kay.

I personally agree that the basic shooting mechanics in most Valve games are rather mediocre, I hate how just about all the guns are so inaccurate, even at the first shot. And L4D just feels like you're shooting paper, enemies fall down so quickly but you still don't feel any actual impact to the shooting. They should have been arguing that instead of what genre HL2 is in :P

The short RE5 talk was nice. I love the RE5 demo, and if the full game is even better and it has some of the typical exploration/puzzle solving from RE4, then that's great.
 
Im gonna give Rebel FM one more chance. Just tell Arthur not to be a douche. Anthony should participate in the discussion much more. Let Arthur serve drinks, pet the cat and talk as much as Anthony did on this weeks podcast. This week the constant interruptions and smugness of Arthur almost made me unsubscribe.
I know we need to have a counter point on podcasts to make it interesting but Arthur takes it way too far acting like a childish prick.
 
Sectus said:
That HL2/shooter argument seemed very pointless. Even if he thinks it isn't within the shooting genre, who the heck cares? And this quote made me confused: "And the shooting not being as good as other games is the reason why I have it a 9.5 and not a 10." So instead of giving it a very very very very very very very good score you "only" gave it a very very very very very very good score? M'kay.

It just proves once again why scores should never be attached to a review. In the case of this podcast, the review score seemed to only be used to defend the like of the game. Scores are pointless to me.

I am so picky these days just tell me if its pure fucking shit, or good.
 
Anthony's heart doesn't seem to be in it...and well... he seems frustrated about losing the job still so maybe they limit him. The last couple of times i heard him talk he seemed about to go off the edge..
 
The S-Word said:
Anthony's heart doesn't seem to be in it...and well... he seems frustrated about losing the job still so maybe they limit him. The last couple of times i heard him talk he seemed about to go off the edge..

I would like to think its the current format the show is doing. He seems to be a very chilled guy. That or he could be like me, and anytime someone is at my house I just get into tense mode.
 
Did Anthony ever find out what Chuf means in the UK?

Chuf = wank, as in, "He was having a chuf"

I think when you know, it makes "Chuf Love" and "Chuf it out" that bit more funny.
 
bcn-ron said:
Arthur wasn't talking over people, people were talking over Arthur.

Right, like when Arthur kept making insightful and hilarious gay jokes about Ryan and Nick and they just jumped all over that pointless, uninteresting, and inane discussion by discussing Pixeljunk at half the volume as him? Those bastards should have just shut up and let the man talk! I listen to the podcast to hear some guy I don't know make sophomoric and easy jokes, not for in-depth and intelligent games discussion from journalists I respect!

bcn-ron said:
I do think there's something very simplistic about Half Life, but it's not the guns. The guns are fine. It's the basic movement that is jarring. Gordon Freeman moves and jumps as if he has no knees, no feet and no pelvis. There's no sway, no downward jolt to build up a jump, nothing. He's more of a unicycle than a human body. 1up people used to call it "camera on a stick" phenomenon whenever it appears in games they don't respect as much.

That seems to be what Arthur was trying to get at (otherwise his opinion is wrong), but if he can't get that simple point across in like 30 minutes, he has no use on the show other than to suckitize it.
 
GDJustin said:
HL2 controls like shit on consoles compared to PC... So does TF2.

which makes the idea of having one cache-all score across the platforms seem slightly incredulous.
 
So my mp3 player of my choice had Rebel FM and two episodes of the Bombcast. Started listening to this for 15 minutes and I was bored as fuck.

It doesn't help that this show is introduced by Phil Koller. So......it's called 'Rebel FM' and the person introducing it sounds like a mummy's boy and like he's never rebelled against anything in his life, or even drinks or takes drugs. That isn't the point.....the point is that it doesn't make sense to announce 'and here's Rebel FM' with an almost square introduction.

And Anthony, where's all that GFW (and to a lesser extent 1UP FM) energy gone? You used to be damn entertaining on there, but from this I get the impression you have no passion to even be doing this anymore......and in a way some of the others.

Even if it means you all taking next week off and not doing a podcast, so you can then all come back the week after fresh and with some changes, then surely it'll be worth it in the long run.

Yes, some harsh critique, but it's needed right now......as you're slowly loosing your audience round here.
 
Please stop talking over each other and tone down the anger. Also, passing around microphones is annoying and there are too many people on the show at once. I think a little more organization would help that a lot.
 
I never know around these parts what people like and dont like but....

What do you guys think of Three Red Lights?
 
ColR100 said:
It doesn't help that this show is introduced by Phil Koller. So......it's called 'Rebel FM' and the person introducing it sounds like a mummy's boy and like he's never rebelled against anything in his life, or even drinks or takes drugs. That isn't the point.....the point is that it doesn't make sense to announce 'and here's Rebel FM' with an almost square introduction.

Oh. My. God.

How did you post that while screwing two chicks on the Harley Davidson that you're riding while eating a taco and drinking scotch and punching black belts in the face with your platinum-plated fist of awesome while the rain pours down and you're catwalking it down the freeway?
 
jmdajr said:
What do you guys think of Three Red Lights?

IMO, the IGN podcasts are all fine, but in a very bland and "safe" way. You can tell that IGN is very concerned with their relationship with developers and sponsors, and as a result, their discussions are usually devoid of deep or substantive discussion, or anything remotely controversial. There is nothing wrong with this, but it lends itself to a very generic and PR friendly image. Probably very good for running a profitable business, but not very good for spawning anything beyond surface layer discussions.
 
hiryu said:
Please stop talking over each other and tone down the anger. Also, passing around microphones is annoying and there are too many people on the show at once. I think a little more organization would help that a lot.

My question is why is this still happening? I thought you guys were getting these hot headsets from the money that was donated so that you didn't need to pass shit around.

Less talking over one another and more Anthony on the mic please.
 
lawblob said:
IMO, the IGN podcasts are all fine, but in a very bland and "safe" way. You can tell that IGN is very concerned with their relationship with developers and sponsors, and as a result, their discussions are usually devoid of deep or substantive discussion, or anything remotely controversial. There is nothing wrong with this, but it lends itself to a very generic and PR friendly image. Probably very good for running a profitable business, but not very good for spawning anything beyond surface layer discussions.

Hmmm, I dont know. Those guys seem to poke fun of Microsoft constantly it seems. Thats sort of what I find interesting about it. It's an xbox podcast but they are far from being fanboys. I think more time is spent complaining than anything else. Plus, it's like they laugh the whole f n' show. I often find it amusing, especially things like the jeff bell. I guess its more comedy than anything else.

Giant Bombcast and ListenUp are far more into the love of the game and serious topics. I agree with that. Good shows from what i have listened to so far.
 
Arthur and Nick calling counter-strike the most popular SHOOTER not a shooter? What the hell!

Only Anthony pointed this out but was totally ignored and he never really pushed on with that. If it were not for Ryan this episode would have been really poor with already missing Matt who was missed.
 
jmdajr said:
Hmmm, I dont know. Those guys seem to poke fun of Microsoft constantly it seems. Thats sort of what I find interesting about it. It's an xbox podcast but they are far from being fanboys about it. I think more time is spent complaining about it then anything else. Plus, it's like they laugh the whole f n' show. I often find it amusing, especially things like the jeff bell.

They do poke fun at Microsoft, and yeah, they do give games low scores, etc., but I still think the general tone and atmosphere of their show, and IGN overall, is geared to curry favor with developers and publishers, and to generally not cause any problems with sponsors. Nothing wrong with that; but its like a summer blockbuster movie, shiny and fun, but not very deep or thought-provoking.
 
lawblob said:
They do poke fun at Microsoft, and yeah, they do give games low scores, etc., but I still think the general tone and atmosphere of their show, and IGN overall, is geared to curry favor with developers and publishers, and to generally not cause any problems with sponsors. Nothing wrong with that; but its like a summer blockbuster movie, shiny and fun, but not very deep or thought-provoking.

Yeah, I can agree with that. It serves its purpose when I'm up for that.
 
I listen to IGN's TRL Podcast purely for the hilarity. Hilary and co. are funny and don't seem to care who's listening...especially when they start talking about TV episodes and movies instead.

As for Rebel.FM, sorry doods. i predicted this was going to happen. you don't have the resources available to keep ppl entertained. new games...previews...etc....you're all out of the loop. You're best chance is to use all the networking that you all built while at 1up and have other ppl come in to talk (besides 1uppers) to get a different insight. Also, get rid of the tension...its not pleasant to listen to it.
 
Sanjay said:
Arthur and Nick calling counter-strike the most popular SHOOTER not a shooter? What the hell!

Only Anthony pointed this out but was totally ignored and he never really pushed on with that. If it were not for Ryan this episode would have been really poor with already missing Matt who was missed.

I only listened to Rebel when it first started because of Anthony. He is the PC voice that needs to be heard. I am so sick of the bickering. Its obvious they are going to use this thread as some form of "boost" they needs.

If the next episode isn't good, I'll only be listening to them for the backlog. You are 5 episodes in and are complaining about structure? You all aren't working (not an insult) so take some time out to get structure.

Oh, and if we all need to give you more money to hear Anthony talk, we fucking will
 
Flavius said:
Oh. My. God.

How did you post that while screwing two chicks on the Harley Davidson that you're riding while eating a taco and drinking scotch and punching black belts in the face with your platinum-plated fist of awesome while the rain pours down and you're catwalking it down the freeway?
You have no idea man........this life is pretty taxing sometimes. :lol

It really wasn't a dig at him, that wasn't my intention.........it's just with a name like Rebel FM they all need to be a bit more energetic, wacky, don't give a damn about authority.........and just loose control a bit more in an entertaining way.
 
iDoubleSpy said:
Oh, and if we all need to give you more money to hear Anthony talk, we fucking will

What? NO!! If they can't get Anthony to talk with $11k, it's not going to happen.

I still have no idea why Anthony isn't on GeekBox since he and Ryan were the ones that brought the comics talk to GFW. Maybe there's some beef between the two? I feel like Anthony is reluctantly on RebelFM solely because they're taping it at his apartment for whatever reason.
 
ColR100 said:
You have no idea man........this life is pretty taxing sometimes. :lol

It really wasn't a dig at him, that wasn't my intention.........it's just with a name like Rebel FM they all need to be a bit more energetic, wacky, don't give a damn about authority.........and just loose control a bit more in an entertaining way.

I mildly agree. They need something catchy to open and close the show with.

Gamers with Jobs does it.
Drunken Gamers does it.
1UP Yours did it.

The list could go on. I don't mind this obscure music, but find some rhythm guys!

SnowWolf said:
What? NO!! If they can't get Anthony to talk with $11k, it's not going to happen.

I still have no idea why Anthony isn't on GeekBox since he and Ryan were the ones that brought the comics talk to GFW. Maybe there's some beef between the two? I feel like Anthony is reluctantly on RebelFM solely because they're taping it at his apartment for whatever reason.

It was more a joke then anything :D

$11K is more then enough. Shit, buy a fucking $20 headset if you guys somehow blew all the money.
 
How much more money do we have to give before we're allowed to eject Arthur?
Not to mention buy more mics or headsets...and do something substantial with the site?

So far everything out of ESG I could've done for free, and probably faster. I know you guys are doing freelance work and are trying to find jobs, but if it wasn't going to be a priority, then that should've been made clear before you took our donations.
 
Punchy said:
How much more money do we have to give before we're allowed to eject Arthur?
Not to mention buy more mics or headsets...and do something substantial with the site?

I hope Arthur is making forums, or some way to interact with these guys daily. Especially when backlog starts. I love hearing from the other players.
 
jmdajr said:
Yeah, I can agree with that. It serves its purpose when I'm up for that.

Yeah, I would rather listen to a somewhat bland IGN podcast than a show with a bunch of people trying to lazily play the role of gaming philosopher.

If there is one thing I can't stand, it is when podcasts try to hide their lack of preparation with a general "bullshit" session that has no real insight. IMO, thats what happened to GFW after Shawn and Jeff left, and its also where I see Rebel FM headed.

For an example of how to do it right, look at Gamers With Jobs. They don't seem to have access to far-off previews, their discussions are about games already released. But the reason GWJ is a quality show is because they always come across as having put in legitimate preparation and forethought into their discussions.
 
Holy god on high almighty in the heavens above for the sake of christ the redeemer of all that is good and holy for which we stand united against all odds for better or for worse ask not what you can do for your country but what you can do for yourself




If you were in Anthony's spot on this most recent podcast would you bother saying anything?

That's the problem when someone is attempting to forcefully direct the conversation in one direction.

That's being a bit too dialectical, being a gaming podcast, no one should be seeking the Truth as described by Plato.

I'd assume what listeners want to hear from those speaking is an attempt, through discourse, to identify what they find to be quality in games. An opinion of quality is relative. The audience will tend to identify with different personalities, as evident in this forum discussion -- "I only like Nick" or "I totally agree with Ryan" or "I wish Anthony would speak up, I like his opinions". If you want to engage the audience it is important that a variety of opinions are expressed.

Go back to the successful discussions in previous GFW Radio (or other 1up branded) episodes or other popular podcasts in different genres completely. Harsh and crude responses are reserved for outlandish situations... not for when someone says "I'd like to play CoD2 for backlog". The kind of unwarranted responses used throughout this episode are what shutdown discussions and dissuade others from giving opinions. I like arguments, but not when they include single sided "I'm the better man" rhetoric.

I'm writing all this because I appreciate having something of quality to listen to while I'm working. There are some interesting personalities on this cast and I hope they're able to come to an understanding so that the droning arguments based only on vague feelings don't happen.

Give these guys more of a chance to develop.
 
jmdajr said:
I never know around these parts what people like and dont like but....

What do you guys think of Three Red Lights?
I listened for a while (and some of it was great; Don King), but it just became increasingly apparent they seemed terribly cynical of everything and often didn't want to be there podcasting in the first place. It reminded me of Giant Bomb Cast in that the painfully over-bearing Hillary Goldstein is essentially the Jeff Gerstmann except not as funny or knowledgeable, and that everybody nearly always agrees with each other. The fact that they never had anything much interesting to say, coupled with most of the podcast being off-topic, backpatting fratboy nonsense, just turned me off. It's a decent podcast to put on while you're doing something else, but there's so much else out there (Idle Thumbs).

voltron said:
No one is giving up. Some stupid peeps seem to think they can only listen to one or two podcasts and say things like "well its back to xyz podcast for me", but the majority are just complaining.

Its a sign people care about a product. Look at the endless 1upyours threads where people complained about personnel changes and topics of discussion. Its because people were passionate about the show, and people are complaining here because they want this to be as good a show as we know it can be.
This.
 
Not a huge fan of Arthur, he just seems to bring down the atmosphere.
Also I feel like 1upfm was more consistent because the segments kept it fresh all the time. I feel like this podcast isn't suited to the long 2-hour form.

I'm not saying it can't be two hours long, but that it should be broken up into smaller more focused segments.

tl;dr
Drop Arthur and be more like 1upfm.
 
I wish Arthur would give others a chance to finish their statements. He was cutting off everyone while they were still doing the introduction of the segments just to add things like "You're wrong" and that whole weird Ryan/Nick are gay for each other because of PixelJunk Eden... weird.

Also, can the entire video game podcast community chill with regaling us with tales of their "Organic" adventures. Ugh, organic is the new narrative. Playing with a controller doesn't make me wanna go rub topsoil on my loins and eat vegetables that were grown in only pure crap, no pesticides. Pressing buttons is pressing buttons. I think Arthur misinterpreted playing on a comfy couch and big screen opposed to a chair in front of a PC with controller vs. keyboard. Having a big screen with surround is obviously going to be more imersive/"organic"...

More Ryan, Jay Fresh and Matt though, the Area 5 guys are dope on podcasts. Someone for the love of Jeff Green please get Chuff a permanent mike. Perhaps Arthur and Anthony should switch, that way we hear more Chuff and Arthur can still chime in when he wants to...
 
great show guys. the really solid, consistent guests help things.

ryan o'donnell, you restored my faith in resident evil 5. fight the good fight, sir
 
Yeah, the Area 5 guys are good guests, glad they'll be part of backlog. Will reserve judgment on RE5, though will probably rent before buy.

And Pets > Games. Pets are like family members.
 
35 minutes in so and wow...Anthony sure sounds angry about something. He must not be taking the lay off to well. That's understandable though. Anyways the main problem with the show so far is too many people on it.
 
Guests are nice to have, but you guys have way too many people hopping in and out.

I think you need to go down to 4 people for a few episodes and get the flow figured out. This one just comes across as a bit chaotic.
 
Am I the only problem that doesn't have a problem skipping segments that I don't find interesting? That's one of the things I enjoyed about 1UP FM -- the fact that if I didn't particularly care about the discussion, all I had to do was skip ahead to the next music break and there would be something else to talk about. So after about five minutes of the shooter discussion when it became apparent that a) Arthur & Nick probably should have figured out what points they were going to break down in their argument and b) everyone else in the room could not wait to rip them a new one publicly (which is fine, but damn guys), I just skipped to the next segment. Is that, like, really difficult for everyone else? Were you born without hands?
 
Manguy said:
Am I the only problem that doesn't have a problem skipping segments that I don't find interesting? That's one of the things I enjoyed about 1UP FM -- the fact that if I didn't particularly care about the discussion, all I had to do was skip ahead to the next music break and there would be something else to talk about. So after about five minutes of the shooter discussion when it became apparent that a) Arthur & Nick probably should have figured out what points they were going to break down in their argument and b) everyone else in the room could not wait to rip them a new one publicly (which is fine, but damn guys), I just skipped to the next segment. Is that, like, really difficult for everyone else? Were you born without hands?

i usually listen to podcasts start to finish. usually just kick back on the train and i definitely wouldn't really feel like skipping around a podcast to find something good when there are no chapter divisions. even if specific discussion is mediocre i will keep listening as long as the podcast is quality. there are enough good podcasts out there gaming and otherwise that if it gets to the point where i can't stand to listen to a chunk of a podcast i will just unsubscribe.
 
these guys are a bunch of rebels. perhaps they are dangerous enough to take $10k in donations and not buy any recording gear.

you asked for rebels, you got them.

there's an old saying: "the only thing you need to make a podcast is a chip and a chair". shit, that might be poker. never mind.

but, seriously, it doesn't cost $10k to get a mic for everyone. I find it kind of funny that you guys gave them money and they're still posting episodes like this.
 
Someone said that it was kinda strange that the guys are still passing around mics after getting donations of 11k.

Cant say I disagree with one bit. For realz guys, go buy 2 more mics.
 
HorribleJames said:
these guys are a bunch of rebels. perhaps they are dangerous enough to take $10k in donations and not buy any recording gear.

you asked for rebels, you got them.

there's an old saying: "the only thing you need to make a podcast is a chip and a chair". shit, that might be poker. never mind.

but, seriously, it doesn't cost $10k to get a mic for everyone. I find it kind of funny that you guys gave them money and they're still posting episodes like this.
Ya know, a month ago I would have been OUTRAGED by this but now I see everyone who raised an eyebrow at the donations were totally on the err.... money. For 12 grand + this thing should sound like motherfucking Howard Stern.
 
daycru said:
Ya know, a month ago I would have been OUTRAGED by this but now I see everyone who raised an eyebrow at the donations were totally on the err.... money. For 12 grand + this thing should sound like motherfucking Howard Stern.

I don't know whether or not they're scumbags, but they should at least be savvy enough to know how bad it looks to beg for money, get $10k+ in donations from
suckers
, then keep posting episodes where they're tossing a cheap mic back and forth.

you can make a fantastic sounding, professional podcast for not even remotely close to $10k. it's not rocket science.

they're simultaneously rebels and a publically "financed" institution. aren't these things a bit at odds with eachother?
 
Everyone having a go at them for asking for donations in their first few episodes really need to step back and fine tune their basic comprehension skills.

Disgusting.
 
I'm a bit behind and just finished listening to Episode 4. When talking about narrative in games, they mentioned how they would like to try a shorter game that had a very widely weaved story. It reminded me of an indie game made by a friend of a friend of mine. That was its purpose: to explore an interweaved narrative where choice has significant impact on the story. It's a 5-20 minute game, depending on your choices.

Link:
http://chivalry.deirdrakiai.com/

"Chivalry is Not Dead" is a game. It is also a story. Not the kind that unfolds passively, but more like the bedtime stories you may have heard when you were younger, where you got to periodically interrupt and change the outcome.

I'm not sure she really wants me pimping her stuff, but it's very relevant to the conversation on story in games.
 
Damn fools are still outraged over the donations?

While it does seem strange that their podcasts still don't have professional sound quality, I really think the whole donation bitching needs to be put to bed. No one's getting their money back, so move the fuck on. No one forced anyone to donate. If they got took, they got took. But continuing to harp on it just makes you look jealous. Still.
 
Glad for the good review of 'fro Sam. When off on a limb and made a blind purchase of this one....

EDIT: Hmmm..... Now that I think about it I HAVE been looking for an avatar.......
 
Bog said:
Most podcasts manage to sound reasonably good without begging for money. Amazing.
This is off topic but I have a Tapezilla recommendation. At the beginning of the shows, PLEASE introduce yourselves. Bob (you) and Drac sound exactly the same and I'm always confused who is who. Also, throw Jefferson in front of a train.
 
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