The Giant Beastcast - Episode 0 (2015/05/22)

That first episode was dead on. Vinny has been much missed of late as I have pretty much stopped consuming the sites video content.

Even this first episode was such a sharp contradistinction to the current bombcast, with its current line up, being as it was full of tangential discussion and free flowing ideas. The current bombcast seems to be jeff and brad talking with Drew shouting two words every 15 minutes and dan speaking up only on the subject of dan.

I've been listening since the early hotspot days and always listened to their podcasts the day they dropped, but I can barely slog through the regular bombcast throughout the week now.

If this one maintains it's current trajectory I'll be there every Friday, rum and coke in hand.
 
Smiles and Cries said:
GAF
FYBuV6j.gif


why do we have to split them up and say this one is best and that one is shit?
Click to expand...
Freudian slip?

Where did you get the idea from that people here think the Bombcast is shit? :D
 
Bakalar is really funny works well with Vinny and Alex.

Alex was so energetic in this podcast, such a contrast to the Bombing the AM podcasts.

But Vinny stole the show, was laughing my ass off during the Harry Potter GTA bit.

Love that it is on Friday as well.
 
I found the Psychonauts part interesting. The market research was to get information on how people saw the game and they, the general public, I assume, took to the game. They pan the results and laugh at it, but the game wasn't a good seller. It isn't like they sold a ton, made a lot of money, and are now wallowing in money because it sold SO well. To me, the market research might have been right.
 
I hope it continues to be around 2 hours long.

Also, finally a good friday podcast. Been missing one since Weekend Confirmed died.
 
Netrunner2k2 said:
I found the Psychonauts part interesting. The market research was to get information on how people saw the game and they, the general public, I assume, took to the game. They pan the results and laugh at it, but the game wasn't a good seller. It isn't like they sold a ton, made a lot of money, and are now wallowing in money because it sold SO well. To me, the market research might have been right.
Click to expand...

But at what cost? It wouldn't have been psychonauts anymore.
 
Netrunner2k2 said:
It might have still been if they honed things better, we'd never know. I believe you can always find a good balance. However, at what cost was it not to change anything? Jobs?
Click to expand...

They wanted to make it not about summer camp and a comedy second not first. It's like watching twin peaks and demanding it become an Adam Sandler movie about Santa because that's what sells.

It's not always a case of "there's a perfect middle ground". Sometimes some opinions are plain idiotic if you want a thing to remain the same thing.
 
Jintor said:
They wanted to make it not about summer camp and a comedy second not first. It's like watching twin peaks and demanding it become an Adam Sandler movie about Santa because that's what sells.

It's not always a case of "there's a perfect middle ground". Sometimes some opinions are plain idiotic if you want a thing to remain the same thing.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying they needed to follow exactly what the research said and I'm not saying they needed to change the genre like you're saying. I am saying, to me, it sounded like guys who were too proud to make any changes and laughed at other's opinions when, in the end, the game was financially not successful and cost a company a lot of money.

There are companies who create something the public doesn't know they want until they have their hands on it. It isn't about giving them the same thing all the time, but giving them something they didn't know they did want. They got insight to the public mind and laughed at it.
 
grandjedi6 said:
Good so far but I really hope they change up the name and differient it more from the Bombcast. Bombin the AM had the right idea with trying to stake out its own ground rather than just being a variant of the main podcast. As much as I love Vinny and Alex, we don't need two Bombcasts.

I have high hopes they'll find their own niche eventually.
Click to expand...

Agreed.

Anybody else having problems with the XML feed for the podcast? For some reason opening the XML feed for the beastcast will give me the bombcasts XML feed. Also trying to connect to the premium feed for the beastcast will just give me an error.

Obviously I can just download the episodes from the site but I'm lazy and want my handy podcast app to do it
 
Joeshabadoo said:
Lengthy (maybe too lengthy) reply to Hoo-Doo which is almost completely off topic in spoiler tags below. (Splatoon stuff)
Click to expand...

Gaming is social now. It's ridiculous that splatoon doesn't have party chat. No one wants to talk to the other team but I want to talk to MY friends who I'm playing with. Playing online with them in the game with no voice reminds me of gaming before the original xbox. It's kind of ridiculous how backwards Nintendo is when it comes to social features. Afraid of harassment? Only allow party chat with friends on your friends list. Problem solved. Someone on your friends list acting crazy? Remove them and they are gone.

An online game with no party chat really turns me off even though I think Splatoon is a cool concept.
 
Netrunner2k2 said:
I'm not saying they needed to follow exactly what the research said and I'm not saying they needed to change the genre like you're saying. I am saying, to me, it sounded like guys who were too proud to make any changes and laughed at other's opinions when, in the end, the game was financially not successful and cost a company a lot of money.

There are companies who create something the public doesn't know they want until they have their hands on it. It isn't about giving them the same thing all the time, but giving them something they didn't know they did want. They got insight to the public mind and laughed at it.
Click to expand...

I felt the same way. It was weird that they laughed about it, knowing how things turned out sales-wise.
 
maybe it's some dumb artist thing. I don't know. Compromising psychonauts in any way would have felt to me like a betrayal of what that team wanted for that game. maybe it would have sold better. how much better? worth it to not make the thing you wanted to make? how much better can sell be if you only change a little? how much better can it change to sell while remaining the same thing? while remaining the game you want to make? is it a product? is it a dream? a statement, or a story, or a sku? i didn't know I loved psychonauts until i had it. if they'd changed it, maybe it'd have have performed worse. maybe it'd have performed better but have been forgotten entirely. who knows. but it wouldn't have been psychonauts anymore.
 
Netrunner2k2 said:
I'm not saying they needed to follow exactly what the research said and I'm not saying they needed to change the genre like you're saying. I am saying, to me, it sounded like guys who were too proud to make any changes and laughed at other's opinions when, in the end, the game was financially not successful and cost a company a lot of money.

There are companies who create something the public doesn't know they want until they have their hands on it. It isn't about giving them the same thing all the time, but giving them something they didn't know they did want. They got insight to the public mind and laughed at it.
Click to expand...

But we're talking about pretty fundamental changes. This isn't "fix the graphics on level 3" stuff here. And it's not as if everyone hated Psychonauts, because the very things market research suggested they change are the reasons the game is beloved now, even if not by a mass audience. Would you rather be that, or would you rather be Homefront, which sold millions but is widely considered a failure partially because it's so by-the-numbers?
 
Hoo-doo said:
Could you point out the hidden depth in Splatoon compared to the plethora of already existing multiplayer-based shooters that people know and love?
Click to expand...

The huge traversal and stealth options are the immediate jump out to me. I think the closest game in terms of instant, constantly-occuring mindgames to splatoon is probably AC2 multiplayer. In terms of traversal - height traversal especially - I don't know if there's a immediate equivalent. Combine it with ink control. Combine it with the plethora of weapons, with ink management, subweapons, supers. The completely different goal of splatoon to normal shooters. it's astounding. I haven't felt this enthused about the tactical complexity of a tps in years. I can't give a full analysis, obviously, because it's not out yet; but even a casual but questioning glance should show that it's absolutely full of depth that, to my knowledge, has no existing equivalents in any multiplayer game to date.

I concede however that with one hand Nintendo giveth and with the other it taketh away. Everything surrounding Splatoon's immaculate game design is extremely counter to developing a competitive scene. I will be very surprised if a successful scene develops.
 
Jintor gets me, for realz

Never implying that Splatoon's viability as some crazy serious tournament game needs to be respected, but just hoping that Nintendo's efforts, in general, not originate from a place of 'novelty fun distraction' in the minds of those whose opinions on games are reaching the masses. It does deserve better. Anyway, whatever, people should check out a demo where they can (Nintendo's done a decent job of getting those out there). Always speaks louder than any games media can.

Once the update comes out allowing for 4 friends to join up with 4 other friends and select all match criteria, well then well see if a strong scene develops. At that point if the game is compelling enough and players are enthused enough and they really want team chat, theyll find a way. Its a bummer but it is what it is. I'm sure part of Splatoon's silky smooth online play has to do with not needing to support VOIP mid match
 
VINNY! So glad that this exists. I gave up listening to the Bombcast shortly after he left. First episode was great. Alex was totally fine and the guest was good too. Can't wait to hear more.
 
Almost finished this. Will listen to the rest on my way to work tomorrow.


Great podacst. Love that Vinny actual puts the basic level of research into the news until that other podcast on the worst coast.
 
I'm really digging this first episode. Just the amount of serious analysis and irreverent humor that I like in a cast. It really is a new flavor of Bombcast.
 
I can't find this in my podcast player thingy (Podkicker), is there a link I can subscribe to? The one in the OP didn't work.

Are there other better podcast apps?
 
The email section was fantastic. Good stories and some nice discussion on the longevity of those in the gaming press. I suppose I can understand why some find Alex annoying, but I really enjoy the moments when he and the rest of the crew take some time to discuss their profession in more detail.

It was tough to see Vinny leave the Bombcast last year, but I'm glad to see him hosting a weekly podcast of his own now. Looking forward to the next one.
 
I think it was around the time Patrick and Alex started doing their morning podcast was when I started to love Alex. Give him time guys, you'll fall in love with him~
 
If you guys liked Jeff Bakalar but don't already listen to the 404 show, I urge you to do so. They have guests every week and he plays off of everyone just as well. It isn't a gaming show, more of a general tech show. He'll sneak gaming bits into it from time to time.
 
Jeff B fit in very well, but Alex and Vinny, especially, seem easy to get along with. Still, he was a good fit, and I enjoyed them talking about the NY boroughs. Missed me some Vinny!!
 
This was a great Ep0. I really enjoyed the horrors of airline travel section. Vinny's
broken finger
story had me in tears.

As to why folks don't enjoy Alex, for me it's that he always seems down on stuff. Jeff Prime gives me the same vibe. It's like they lost the wonder in gaming having "seen it all". Alex has the energy Jeff Prime seems to have lost but both are generally pretty down on most things. Vinny's positivity is a nice counter to Alex but Jeff doesn't have that, instead we have...Dan (I love Dan but the man is a lunatic).
 
My issue with Alex turned out to be an issue that only arose when he was around Jeff. He tried so hard to keep up in a comedic way that he came off as not very genuine. He'd say what he thought was the funniest joke at the time and it didn't land and just floated in the air to stone silence.

He's gotten way better about it, but still sometimes falls into the old pattern when he's back in SF. He's just himself with Vinny, which is far more sincere and entertaining than when he's actually trying to be entertaining.
 
Episode 0 was a great warm up but I hope Episode 1 starts the podcast off with a bang. Vinny should give us what Jeff won't.

Games of the Generation podcast! 8 hours of Vinny, Alex and Jeff 2.0 nailing down the best last gen had to offer.
 
I really want to invest in this but I simply cannot stand Alex's voice :(. I enjoy his opinions on games more often than not but I would prefer to ingest them in written form.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Dying Light The Beast Releases August 22, 2025
News 
39
2K
Dazraell replied
Dan leaving Giant Bomb?
2
68
1K
MagnesD3 replied
Famitsu Sales: Week 19, 2025 (May 05 - May 11)
Sales-Age 
13
324
Woopah replied
Famitsu Sales: Week 22, 2025 (May 26 - Jun 01)
Sales-Age 
11
261
Hardensoul replied
Grubb no longer at Giant Bomb
2
54
1K
ChorizoPicozo replied
Top Bottom