Episode 74 – Changes

The M-Team discusses an NFL player who wants his jersey to say WARCRAFT, an EVE Online record, and much more.

00:00:00    Introduction
00:03:52    What We’re Playing
00:23:53    Mail Bag
00:33:25    A Note to Our Listeners (from Jason)
00:45:25    The Week in Gaming
01:33:43    Conclusion

TWiG

Vikings Punter Considers Changing His Name to “World of Warcraft”

  • Because punters are not athletes…they’re geeks.

EvE Online Reports 45186 Concurrent Users

Ryzom going back to Pay to Play
COH comes to the Mac
RMT PWNER v 1.337 will r0x0r Gold Sellers b0x0rs
A Look Into China’s Internet Addiction Rehab program
RMT isn’t coming to LOTRO, AC, or DDO
EGM Dead.  1up.com acquired by UGO
WAR Never Changes…sorta – Changes to T4 Sieges

Musical Interludes:
01 – Zorn – Intro
02 – Zilo – Fahrenheit 451
03 – Yngwie Malmsteen – Presto Vivace
04 – Yes – Changes
05 – XPQ – In Your Eyes
06 – Wolf Mother – Pyramid
07 – Wicked Wisdom – Yesterday Don’t Mean Sh*t
08 – White Zombie – Black Sunshine
09 – Wall of Voodoo – Big City
10 – Voivod – Astronomy Domine
11 – Violent Fems – Blister in the Sun
12 – Varsang – Epilogue

14 Comments to Episode 74 – Changes

  1. January 15, 2009 at 9:25 pm | Permalink

    Mark’s evil reverse alphabetizing of the musical numbers can only mean one thing…

    Play our podcast backwards for a special message from our dark lord.

    Muahahahahah!

  2. Julien's Gravatar Julien
    January 16, 2009 at 5:26 am | Permalink

    We also have the Crysis series as a PC only game :) Definitely not casual.

    I think I intended my arguments against console MMOs to be a lot milder than you put them, as I’m not entirely opposed to a console MMO. I just find it hard to put my PC away, not to mention I spend at least 10 dollars less per game than hardcore console gamers do. But after watching some videos/ reading some articles on console MMOs I can definitely say my interest has peaked.

    As for PC gaming being dead, I definitely wouldn’t say so. Sure PC gamers don’t get many exclusive titles anymore, but we aren’t excluded half as much as the PS3. Shelf space you ask? Well I don’t know about Gamestop, but my local EB Games’s whole back area is dedicated to PC games (roughly the same amount of space as for Wii games). And as for RTS games (nothing you can say will change my mind on this one), those will always be best suited for PC. The day Blizzard stops releasing PC games is the day I give up on mine, until then long live PC!

  3. Julien's Gravatar Julien
    January 16, 2009 at 5:51 am | Permalink

    by the way Jason’s Asian voice is a two thumbs up :) I haven’t laughed that hard in a while…

  4. January 16, 2009 at 10:03 am | Permalink

    Yeah, he took my tone a bit out of context as well … I sent my reply via email so I can get lambasted on the show again. ;p

    I agree with you on the PC gaming thing Julien … I don’t understand the whole “PC Gaming is Dead” thing, it just doesn’t make sense. It’s been said a number of times that it’s not currently possible to calculate the amount of money PC gaming is making right now because not all of the companies release their sales numbers. Sales from Steam and other online retail purchases don’t get counted, and they also don’t take into account subscription fees. Console games purchase a game for $50-60, play it, then trade it in. MMO players pay $50 then $15 a month for how ever long they want. Then they can’t trade the game in. So the publishers are making more money from new sales instead of lossing money on people buying used games. Yes, software piracy is a problem for offline style games, but if we’re talking about MMO’s then it’s not a problem.

    I just can’t get into console games … I need my mouse and keyboard. I also enjoy a lot of the free / cheap titles available on the PC. I can also use my PC for a number of other things that I can’t do on a console.

  5. January 16, 2009 at 10:09 am | Permalink

    Oh, something else that I thought of. They already have MMORPG’s on consoles. EverQuest: Online Adventures and Final Fantasy whatever. Not exactly setting the world on fire with those two titles …

  6. Sentack's Gravatar Sentack
    January 16, 2009 at 2:24 pm | Permalink

    PC Gaming isn’t dead, but other then MMO’s, what’s the point? Small independent gaming has a place there, but I think almost all the best games come out on consoles if they have a PC release, with a few notable exceptions. (Not counting MMO’s).

    Now, why more MMO’s haven’t gone console wise, is beyond me. FF11 is available on PS2, PC and Xbox360. EQ: Online Adventures is PS2 only. Other then that, I haven’t heard of any released games that have come out on consoles. And it’s a shame, people said you couldn’t do a FPS on a console, and now that’s the major platform they come out on.

    But in general, unless it’s Blizzard, most people will consider doomed and when it doesn’t get a million subscriptions in the first 6 months, they’ll call it a flop and people will shun away from them for another 4 years.

    Although, I’m actually going to go out on a limb here, and Predict that Blizzards next MMO project, will be a Starcraft game, that is console based. That’ll be interesting.

  7. January 16, 2009 at 2:39 pm | Permalink

    “PC Gaming isn’t dead, but other then MMO’s, what’s the point?”

    Exactamundo.

  8. January 16, 2009 at 3:52 pm | Permalink

    If all games went to console, isn’t that just going to pigeon hole all the developers into only building games for one set of hardware? What happens when they want to program with higher graphics? Do it anyways and wait for a new console that can support it? Make everyone run out and buy a new console everytime a new game is released?

    Developers are always wanting to one-up each other and come out with the latest and greatest thing. PC’s can upgrade components to deal with this. Is everyone supposed to just run out and buy a whole new console every year to keep up with this?

    Sorry guys, I just can’t support that opinion. There are just way too many flaws in that theory. The only good thing about gaming on a console is when you buy a game for that specific console you know it will work. God forbid someone have to actually read the specs on the side of the box.

  9. Julien's Gravatar Julien
    January 16, 2009 at 4:27 pm | Permalink

    Other than MMOs, what’s the point?
    FPS’s will and always have been easier with a mouse and keyboard (please don’t deny this, even console gamers tend to agree with this one).

    RTS’s are one of the most fun genres out there, and they tend to play almost exclusively on PC (starcraft/Dawn of War).

    RPGs almost (i said almost) all of the time come out on PC. They have recently also been on 360 and PS3 but PS3 rarely gets the DLCs and the PC hardly ever gets excluded. The Witcher was PC only, and I can tell you I thought it trumped Oblivion.

    As for Blizzard making a SC MMO, this isn’t likely as Blizzard reps have denied that possibility when it was suggested in several interviews. I think Starcraft will remain an RTS. I can definitely see Diablo becoming an MMO though, and that would be awesome. I don’t like WoW, but every other Blizzard product has blown me away so *fingers crossed*

  10. January 16, 2009 at 5:38 pm | Permalink

    I’m curious as to why consoles are so superior to PC’s when it comes to gaming? Julien and I have both made points as to why we feel like PC’s are better … What makes consoles so wonderful?

  11. Julien's Gravatar Julien
    January 16, 2009 at 9:39 pm | Permalink

    On a completely different topic, the Wheel of Time game creators are getting EA to distribute their products. I guess they cant be THAT bad, right? What’s the worse that could happen?

  12. Julien's Gravatar Julien
    January 16, 2009 at 9:40 pm | Permalink
  13. Julien's Gravatar Julien
    January 17, 2009 at 12:17 am | Permalink

    THIS JUST IN: Back to the topic of PC Gaming, Gamespy conveniently released an article today. The full article is here: http://au.pc.gamespy.com/articles/945/945849p1.html
    But here are some interesting quotes:
    “The NPD group is reporting that retail sales of PC games are plummeting (as seen on ShackNews). Sales at the retail level fell 14%, from $910.7 million in 2007 to $701 million in 2008. For comparison, retail software sales for consoles grew a stunning 26% (up to nearly $11 billion) in the same time period.”

    “But these numbers don’t reflect the reality of the PC market, which is rapidly shifting online. When you factor in online revenue, the PC gaming industry brings in over $10 billion. The audience is huge and diverse, representing everyone from casual players to hardcore MMO junkies.”

    “Consumers are less and less likely to buy their PC software from stores. ”

    So altogether, it’s estimated that PC gamers bring in as much (or just a little under) the combined console revenue. So tell me PC gaming is dead, with a straight face. /rant(s) off

  14. January 17, 2009 at 9:01 am | Permalink

    Yup … Console sales are going to be higher on the retail market because that’s the only place they can purchase games (for the most part). PC gamers can, and do, purchase a lot of their material online. I honestly can’t remember the last time I actually bought a PC title at the store and no online …

    So Jason’s argument about how watching the PC titles disappear from gaming stores in bunk.

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