Mon, 30 April 2007
Ken Kutaragi. He wasn't just the CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, he was also the father of the PlayStation. Without him, Sony never would've gotten into the gaming business to begin with. So it seems a bit odd that on the eve of what should be their triumph, he's retiring. While it's debatable as to whether he should've ascended to the heights he did within Sony (and his rambling, eccentric speeches at various press conferences point directly at this), it does seem like his stepping down is in response to the PSP's lackluster performance and the PS3's rocky launch. Join us as we talk a little bit about this and Sony's future steps.
Naturally, that's not all we talk about in this episode. There's lots of Pokemon talk (so be prepared), as well as discussions about the use of webcams in console gaming, the anniversary of the Wii name, the analyst that thinks Wii/DS success is bad for the industry, and much much more. Join us, won't you? Thanks for listening! Leave us a voicemail comment by calling 713-893-8069. Or you can e-mail us, vote for us on Digg, leave a comment on the iTunes Music Store, leave a comment on the blog page or join our forums! Thanks for listening, and we'll be back next week. This week's links: Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Guitar Hero II Pinball FX Eets Chowdown Ninja Gaiden Sigma Planet Earth Blu-Ray Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Wonder Boy in Monster World Oblivion Pac-Man (1982 cartoon) YouTube: Pac-Man intro NextGen.biz: Kutaragi to Retire in June GameDaily: Analysts Weigh in on Kutaragi's Departure 1UP.com: Celebrate the Past with Ken Kutaragi's Greatest Hits! Joystiq: Wii name celebrates first anniversary Next-Gen.biz: Analyst: Wii, DS Success a Bad Thing Kotaku: PS3 EyeToy Dated For US (Too) Pikachu: "Bitches Love Me" Seaman 2 |
Mon, 23 April 2007
To mark the glorious occasion of the release of a brand-new Pokemon game, we take a look back on the series as a whole -- the ups, the downs, the seizure-inducing TV show, all of it. Is it wrong that grown adults love the Pokemon games too? Certainly not -- after all, they're just plain ol' RPGs with 400 cute characters to capture. At the end of the segment we issue a challenge to any Pokerapping listeners we might have out there. Any takers?
Before all that we talk about what we've been playing and briefly go over the March NPD sales numbers. Not so hot of a month for Sony, strange since Motorstorm was considered a potential system-seller and Casino Royale hit Blu-Ray, figuring that it would've helped sell a few systems too. Thanks for listening! Leave us a voicemail comment by calling 713-893-8069. Or you can e-mail us, vote for us on Digg, leave a comment on the iTunes Music Store, leave a comment on the blog page or join our forums! Thanks for listening, and we'll be back next week. This week's links: Lego Star Wars II Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Guitar Hero II 3D Ultra Minigolf Gyruss Viva Pinata Punch-Out!!! Jetpac Refuelled Halo 2 (new maps) Xbox 360 backward compatibility update Joystiq: NPD: March belongs to DS, PS2 PS3 System Update Pokemon: Legend of Dratini (banned episode) Pokemon: James' Boobs (banned episode) Pokemon: Porygon clip (seizure episode) Pokerap (not the real one) Pokemon theme song live |
Sun, 15 April 2007
Warning: Depending on your stance on game spoilers, you'll either love or hate this episode of the Player One Podcast. Because Gamestop locations are running a video in-store that shows the ending of Zelda: Twilight Princess, we thought it would be the perfect time to talk about spoilers. What is and is not a game spoiler? Is watching the first 10 minutes of a highly anticipated game via a webcast spoiling the experience? When is the statute of limitations up, making it OK to spoil? After all, Twilight Princess has been out for a few months -- but is it still too early? Join us as we discuss these questions and more. (But if you care about spoilers for Metal Gear Solid 2, Halo 2 and Super Paper Mario you may want to skip it to keep yourself pure.)
Also this week we discuss Activision's Guitar Hero II microtransaction buzzkill. We were all ready (as some of you probably were too) to buy tracks from Guitar Hero 1 to play on our 360s. What we weren't prepared for was the cost of the privilege. And because it wouldn't be a show without talking about Sony, we spend a segment talking about Sony officially killing off the 20GB PS3 in North America. Good idea, or bad idea? Thanks for listening! Leave us a voicemail comment by calling 713-893-8069. Or you can e-mail us, vote for us on Digg, leave a comment on the iTunes Music Store, leave a comment on the blog page or join our forums! Thanks for listening, and we'll be back next week. This week's links: Super Paper Mario Wii Boom Boom Rocket Xbox 360 MLB 2k7 Xbox 360 World of Warcraft PC Beyond the Red Line PC Singstar Pop PS2 Guitar Hero II Xbox 360 Pokemon Diamond and Pearl DS Oblivion Xbox 360 Joystiq: Major Nelson talks Guitar Hero II microtransactions Andrew Pfister 1UP blog: Guitar Hero sells out 1UP.com: Sony officially dropping 20GB PS3 in North America Joystiq: Gamestop spoils Twilight Princess ending in stores |
Mon, 9 April 2007
We kick off this episode on a bit of a sour note -- Phil's Xbox 360 was visited by the system-killing three red lights just two weeks after CJ's died. Clearly, Greg and Dan's systems are next. But we quickly move into greener topics, discussing Super Paper Mario (which CJ got to play a bunch of this week) and Guitar Hero II at length in our first segment.
We also discuss the recent PSP price drop. Is it enough? Can the PSP be saved by adding a second analog stick or getting rid of UMD? And finally, following the announcement of Rock Band -- EA/MTV/Harmonix's new all-encompassing music game -- we discuss the advancement of the genre, from PaRappa to Dance Dance Revolution to Taiko Drum Master and Guitar Hero. Thanks for listening! Leave us a voicemail comment by calling 713-893-8069. Or you can e-mail us, vote for us on Digg, leave a comment on the iTunes Music Store, leave a comment on the blog page or join our forums! Thanks for listening, and we'll be back next week. This week's links: Meet the Robinsons Guitar Hero II Xbox 360 Three Red Lights Xbox Domain: Towel Trick Episode 11: The Dead Pool Super Paper Mario Jetpac Refuelled Sony PSP hardware drops to $169.99 Variety.com: MTV, Harmonix Form Rock Band |
Sun, 1 April 2007
This week all four regulars are back, and just in time too for a rousing discussion of the pros and cons of the newly announced Xbox 360 Elite. With its 120GB hard drive, HDMI port (plus included cable--take that, Sony!) and sleek black curves, you'd think it'd be everything you'd ever want in a 360. Only, it's not. Let the complaining commence.
Our other big discussion in this episode is about Sega's NiGHTS sequel and the screenshots/info that were revealed via several European sources last week. Is it going to be a Sega fan's wet dream or do Sonic Team's recent weak efforts hint at it being utterly underwhelming? The majority consensus here is that Sega and Sonic Team have an uphill battle. Thanks for listening! Leave us a voicemail comment by calling 713-893-8069. Or you can e-mail us, vote for us on Digg, leave a comment on the iTunes Music Store, leave a comment on the blog page or join our forums! Thanks for listening, and we'll be back next week. This week's links: EGM April Fools Jokes Xbox 360 Three Red Lights Tetris Evolution Jetpac Refuelled Castlevania Symphony of the Night GameLife: Jobs: Run Nintendo's Virtual Console Policenauts.net Oblivion: Shivering Isles World of Warcraft Custom Robo Arena Burnout Dominator Puzzle Quest TMNT Gamevideos.com: Grand Theft Auto IV trailer Xbox 360 Elite Kotaku: Sony working on PS3 "Elite" model? GamesIndustry.biz: 360 Elite validates Sony's hi-def focus - analyst 360-Gamer: The Xbox 360 Hardware Failure Survey Joystiq: NiGHTS Wii screens, interview found in Portuguese game mag Sonic and Mario at the Olympics Hype: Mario and Sonic Come Together in the Spirit of Friendship for the 2008 Olympics |
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