The Out-Cast: A Japanese Gaming Podcast

Now Working for Kotaku (and Writing for gamesTM)!

2012-02-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

The Out-Cast: Episode 22 - Game Of The Year 2011

2012-02-01T06:51:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, it's that time of the year again. Once again Kyle, Gwyn, and myself sit down and talk about the best games of year for nearly 3 hours. Hope you all enjoy listening!

*Note: We lost our file hosting (which had been donate so graciously) and are in the process of finding a new host. If you have any recommendations for cheep/free hosting, please comment.

Download: Mediafire, iTunes (down)
Streaming: (down)

In this edition:

Late to the Party (Best non-2011 game we played)

Guilty Pleasure

Biggest Suprise

Most Anticipated 2012 Game

Worst Game/Biggest Disappointment

Best Portable Game

Top 3 Games of 2011

Big in Japan - Final Fantasy XIII-2

2012-01-25T00:37:00.001-08:00

Final Fantasy XIII-2: Different Verse or Same as the First?

2012-01-19T22:49:00.000-08:00

This is a review piece I wrote as part of a job application so I can't sell it, but I figure I should post it while it's still relevant. So if you're waiting for the video review on Final Fantasy XIII-2, maybe this will tide you over.

The Out-Cast: Episode 21 - Final Fantasy Type 0 and Uncharted 3

2011-12-05T20:03:00.000-08:00

This Out-Cast was sceduled to have a very special 4th chair guest but instead of that, we found our selves down by 2! So what you get is an Out-Cast unlike any other. Me, Gwyn, and a complete lack of time limits. This cast clocks in at three-and-a-half hours, so I hope you all enjoy!

Download: Mediafire, iTunes (processing)
Streaming:

0:00:00 Introduction
0:03:47 What's the Happs?

Richard
--Arkham City
--Jurassic Park the Game
--Vita Launch

Gwyn
--New job
--Modern Warfare 3
--iPhone + iPad2
--Infinity Blade
--Macross Frontier the Wings of Goodbye
--Animax Musix

0:56:59 Final Fantasy Type-0

2:06:41 Uncharted 3 (Spoiler Free)

2:41:39 Uncharted 3 (Spoilerific)

Music used in this episode:
Light My Fire - KOTOKO
Final Fantasy Type 0 - Main Theme
Uncharted 3 - Drake's Theme
Magia - Kalifina

Can't Get Enough Amano Artwork?

2011-11-09T18:19:00.000-08:00

Click here for the 20 pictures cut from my article on @GamePro covering Final Fantasy and Vampire Hunter D artist Amano Yoshitaka's 2011 exhibition that I have uploaded to facebook for you all to see.

Of course, my editor and friend of the podcast, Kat Bailey, chose all the best pictures for the article itself so be sure to check out those aditional 10 pictures here.

The Out-Cast: Episode 20 - Tokyo Game Show 2011

2011-10-04T23:23:00.000-07:00

Well, TGS 2011 has come and gone, but we're still here... well, most of us anyway. A scant few days after returning to Japan Gwyn is off again hopping across the world. He had this to say:

Hey there Out-Cast listeners! The podcast you are about to listen to was
edited on a plane. Unfortunately, as a result, we don’t have any music, but . . .
on A PLANE!

Feel free to take a moment to dwell upon just how awesome that
is. A plane. That’s possibly even more awesome than editing something on a boat.
And speaking of boats, there’s quite a bit of boat discussion to be had this
episode, along with some chat about a tiny little event that seems to have
almost slipped by us unnoticed . . . TGS 2011.

So here it is at long last. The Out-Cast’s TGS 2011 Special. Enjoy it
however you can. Preferably on a boat.

Or even A PLANE!

So kick back and listen . Oh and this time we have added ambiance as my local community celebrates a festival right outside my front door. So if you liked the sounds of the bar last time, get ready to rock out to some serious taiko drumming!

Download: Mediafire, iTunes
Streaming:

00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:55 What's the Happs?
00:01:06 Kyle
00:19:40 Richard
00:38:55 Gwyn
00:58:33 Pre-TGS Pressers & HD Remakes
01:38:22 Tokyo Game Show 2011
03:04:32 Outtro

The Out-Cast: Episode 19 - What's the Happs Special... WTF?!?

2011-08-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

With Gwyn out of the country and a myriad of technical difficulties I was supprised when what showed up in my inbox but a new Out-Cast ready to go. Gwyn had this to say about it:

Hey there everyone! Gwyn here, posting this from an undisclosed secret location.
We have had a list of technical issues with this episode of the podcast
thats extreme even for us. But despite these, and despite being literally an
ocean apart, the Crew has managed to get some new content together, so please
bear with us through the technical hiccups because I think you'll enjoy what
we've scavanged up. You'll thrill to Kyle's description of his theatrical-sized
'chainsaw', gasp at special guest Daniel feits longest use of expletives ever
recorded, be shocked at Richards Skype connection, and slowly back away from
Gwyn's attempts to record at 11pm on his way home from birthday drinks while
consuming....more birthday drinks.

Next stop - TGS!

So long story short we lost an entire Mailbag but luckily, friend of the Out-Cast Dan Feit was on hand to pick up the slack on a short stop-over in Tokyo. Enjoy!

Download: Mediafire, iTunes (Processing)
Streaming: Blip.tv

00:00:00 Introduction
What's the Happs
00:01:52 Pre-E3 - Gwyn, Richard, and Kyle
01:16:38 Post E3 - Gwyn and Dan

Song List
Atarashii bumneikaika - Tokyo Jihen
How Crazy Are You? - Meja
Pearl Blue Soul - R

Kept you waiting huh?

2011-08-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

The next podcast will be up very soon everyone. I am out of the country for work and have been somehow locked out of this account from the main computer I'm using, hence the delay.

But mere 10hr flights, 14hr work days and thousands of miles shall not deter the Out-cast Podcast! Keep an eye out for something new soon.

On a different note, those who follow me on twitter will no doubt already be aware that Maaya got married last week - to none other than Kenichi Suzumura. How is this related to gaming? Well, as Squarenix fans have probably already realised, this means that in real life Zack ended up with Aerith after all :-)

The Out-Cast: Episode 18 - E3 2011 Report

2011-07-06T04:33:00.000-07:00

Life is busy for us here in Japan, but we already have two episodes in the can for the coming weeks. First up is this, our reactions to E3 2011. Enjoy!

Download: Mediafire, iTunes (fixed)

Streaming: Blip.tv

00:00:00 Introduction

The Press Conferences

00:03:38 Microsoft

00:21:12 Sony

01:07:23 Nintendo

01:49:50 Other Developers

02:02:26 Winner of E3

03:32:18 Most Anticipated Top 3

The Out-Cast: Episode 17 - Quakes, the Happs, PSN, and the Wii 2

2011-05-07T03:47:00.000-07:00

Its been nearly 2 months full of games, earthquakes, and moving since out last episode. But fear not, we are back with over three hours of podcast for your listening enjoyment.

Download: Mediafire, iTunes

Streaming: Blip.tv

00:01:03 The Quake / Tsunami / Blackouts / Radiation

What's the Happs?

00:38:50 Kyle

3DS
Pilotwings
Sword & Sorcery
Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection
Star Ocean: The Last Hope

00:56:06 Richard

Suda51 Games
Fatal Frame IV
Blood+ One Night Kiss
Super Robot Wars Z2
Mass Effect 2: The Arrival

01:32:36 Gwyn

Macross Frontier: The Wings of Goodbye
X-men Anime
Wolverine: X-Men Orgins
Mortal Kombat
Red Dead Redemption
Yakuza of the End

02:16:17 Death of the PlayStation Network

02:27:47 The Wii 2

Music in this edition:

Moshimo kimi ga negau no nara - May'n

Mortal Kombat - Techno Syndrome 12 mix

Shooting - May'n & Megumi Nakajima (featuring Gwyn in the crowd of chanting fans at the beginning!)

Roleplayers' Realm Episode 3: Kat, Richard and Super Robot Wars Z2

2011-05-07T03:41:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody, Richard (Radical Dreamer) here to add an an addendum to the Out-Cast episode 17. I mentioned Kat and I would talk about Super Robot Wars Z2 in-depth on her podcast, GamePro's Roleplayers' Realm. So check it out here!

Download Here (via GamePro)

Richard on the GamePro's "Roleplayers' Realm" Podcast

2011-04-07T19:24:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody, Richard (Radical Dreamer) here to do a bit of self-promotion. Friend of the Out-Cast, Kat Bailey, has recently moved from 1Up to GamePro. And with the move she has left behind "Active Time Babble" and taken the helm of GamePro's new "Roleplayers' Realm"Podcast. And thanks to gracious invitation from Kat, it features a 40-minute segment with your's truly covering The Last Story.

Download Here (via GamePro)

Bit of back-story on this whole thing. We have had no end of technical difficulties getting this whole thing recorded. With the blackouts in Japan, I found myself getting up at 4:30am to record --only to discover that to our mutual dismay, Kat was being recorded but not me. Luckily, the pod-casting guru's at GamePro were able to get everything good to go... but not until after we were forced to reschedule. Then after recording, we managed to lose the second half of our Last Story talk in a computer error. So what you're hearing is half take-one and half take-two. Despite all the troubles though, I'm very happy with it. And hey, all the problems are out of the way now. Anyway, this looks to be a reoccurring gig, so you'll probably be hearing me on "Roleplayers' Realm" when it hits every other week.

But don't worry! The Out-Cast will continue normally and won't be canceled or anything like that. The reason we don't have a new episode recorded yet is due to my moving to a new apartment more than anything else. In the coming weeks we do plan to have a new episode up and ready.

Again, big thanks to Kat for thinking of me for the spot on her show. Also one for Gwyn for Fed-Exing me the Pod-Cast mic so I sounded good on the cast.

Peace Out.

The Out-Cast: Episode 16 - AOU2011 and the NGP

2011-03-22T03:30:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, we're back for the Out-Cast Episode 16. We have a lot to talk about in this one. We give our thoughts on the AOU2011 Arcade Show along with Dan Feit once again in the 4th chair. Then each of us picks one game to talk about in depth before we move into our "heated" discussion of Sony's PSP2, the NGP.

Download: Mediafire, iTunes

Streaming: Blip.tv

04:38 AOU2011 Arcade Game Show

Sega
Konami
Bandai Namco
Taito

52:45 Ni no Kuni

1:04:57 The Last Story

1:23:45 Catherine

1:41:20 NGP/PSP2

Show Notes

Other Studio 4C Productions:

Memories

Spriggan

Mind Game

Tekkon Kinreet

Detroit Metal City

Genius Party Genius Party Beyond

Music:

Shinjitemiru - May'n

Catherine OST (Holst - Mars & Jupiter)

Catherine OST - OP

Simulacra - Yousei Teikoku

Kimi no sei - Maaya Sakamoto

The Out-Cast: Episode 15 - The 3rd Birthday Special

2011-02-18T20:05:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, this is the Out-Cast Episode 15 where we talk only about "The 3rd Birthday." Like past specials, we will keep the spoilers contained to what you find out at the first hour of play as we talk about the story and gameplay. However, unlike past specials, we have a large section after the credits where we dive into spoiler city and discuss the ending and everything else. But don't worry you'll be warned many times before it starts.

Download: Mediafire, iTunes
Streaming: Blip.tv

00:00:00 Introduction
00:03:34 Our History with the Parasite Eve series
00:13:14 Why a new Parasite Eve game?

00:16:07 The 3rd Birthday

Story
Gameplay
Graphics
Voice Acting/Music
Overall Quality

01:16:08 Spoiler Section
The Ending
The Characters
Music in this edition:
Happy Birthday - The Beatles
Theme from The 3rd Birthday

Catherine

2011-02-17T08:23:00.000-08:00

Did the above picture get your attention guys? Good.

Catherine came out today and after having played the first few hours, I've dusted off my old 1-up blog and thrown some impressions up. Its a little wordy, but you can read all about it HERE.

Valkyria Chronicles 3 on "Big in Japan - Live!" starts 2/11 at 8pm EST

2011-02-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Watch live video from Big in Japan - Live! on Justin.tv

Starting tonight I'll be doing Valkyria 3 on "Big in Japan - Live!" Feel free to tune in and ask any questions you have about it. Should go on most of this weekend as well, so drop by and say "hi."

Big in Japan - Live! starts 1/28 at 5am EST on Justin.tv

2011-01-27T22:47:00.000-08:00

Watch Big in Japan - Live! on Justin.tv

Hey guys. as you all no doubt know, for my work as a game journalist, I have to play through and review all the big name Japan first/Japan only games. So I figured if I’m going to be playing these games for work anyway, why not stream it to the net so everyone can watch. I don’t really plan on having any kind of running commentary while I play, nor do I feel like giving out a running translation, but I’ll be more than happy to answer any questions you type into the chat window.

First up is Final Fantasy I-VI creator Nironobu Sakaguchi's newest game "The Last Story." I'll be starting on 1/28 EST and should continue playing for the majority of the weekend. And if you get lucky, you might just catch a little bit of co-op play between me and fellow Out-Cast member Kyle McLain.

See you there!

The Out-Cast: Episode 14 - Game of the Year 2010 and Square-Enix Premiere Show

2011-01-25T22:18:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Out-Cast Episode 14! This time, the podcast is split cleanly into two parts. The first is our discussion on the Square-Enix First Production Department Premiere and what it means for Square-Enix in the coming year. For the second half of the podcast, we are once again joined by 1UP and Wired's Dan Feit where we talk all about the best and worst games of 2010. Feel free to post your own bests and worsts in the comments bellow. Enjoy!

Download: Mediafire, iTunes

Streaming: Blip.tv

00:00:00 Introduction

00:00:30 The Square-Enix First Production Department Premiere

Final Fantasy Versus XIII
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Final Fantasy Type 0 (Agito XIII)
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
Dissidia 012: Prologus

00:32:50 State of Square-Enix

00:38:05 Follow up 3DS News

00:48:12 2010's Games of the Year!

Late to the Party Award (Best Non-2010 Game)
Guilty Pleasure Award
Biggest Surprise Award
Worst Game of 2010
Top 3 Games of 2010
Most Anticipated of 2011

Music in this edition:

Koi wa dogfight - Megumi Nakajima

Sophitia's Theme - Soul Calibur OST

G-Blast Ver. - Tekken 6 OST

SQUARE ENIX 1st Production Department Premiere

2011-01-18T06:38:00.000-08:00

Final Fantasy Versus XIII Trailer

Final Fantasy XIII-2 Trailer

Final Fantasy Type Zero (Agito XIII) Trailer

Kingdom Hearts 3DS Trailer

Watch em now, before they are taken down.

The Out-Cast: Episode 13 - 3DS Hands-on at Nintendo World 2011

2011-01-11T21:43:00.000-08:00

On this episode of the Out-Cast we talk about our hands on time with the 3DS at last week's Nintendo World 2011 game show. We are also joined once again by Daniel Feit who has written for 1UP, Wired Game|Life, Bitmob and Gamepro magazine.

Download: Mediafire, iTunes
Streaming: Blip.tv

On this episode we talk about the 3DS and the following games:

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Pilotwings Resort
Resident Evil: Revelations
Kid Icarus: Uprising
Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition
Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater
Kingdom Hearts 3DS
...and many more!

In a week or two expect our "Best of 2010" show and our special episode all about "The 3rd Birthday"

Music in this edition:

Destiny Girl - Minato

Help Me - Erin

The Out-Cast: Episode 12 - "What's the Happs?" Special

2010-12-19T01:45:00.000-08:00

As the year winds down we at the Out-Cast are back with a “What’s the Happs?” special. In this episode we take a brief look at the games we played and events that we’ve attended since TGS in late September. We even have a few stories of adventure in here so download and enjoy!

Download: Mediafire, iTunes

Streaming: Blip.tv

“What’s the Happs?” Special

00:03:09 Kyle

Red Dead Redemption
Parasite Eve 1 and 2
Sola to Robo
Golden Sun DS
Radiant Historia
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Thanksgiving Traditions

00:34:56 Gwyn

Final Fantasy VII
Halo Reach
Soul Calibur
Broken Destiny
Tekken 6
Gundam Concert
New X-Box 360
Macross Trial Frontier
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Distant Worlds Concert

01:35:28 Richard

Buying a new 360
Gundam vs Gundam
Pokemon White/Black
Kingdom Hearts Re:coded
Halo Reach/ODST
Rez
Malicious
Enslaved

Music in this edition:

サイレントでなんかいられない - May'n & Megumi Nakajima (Cosmic Cuune)

Samurai Soul - JAM Project

Panty & Stocking OP

彼のシフトはブンブンブン - James Shimoji (Redline OST)

Show notes:

Tekken 6 OST was actually composed by a large group of well known Namco artists, not largely by one person.

FF13 OST was composed by Masashi Hamauzu

The Out-Cast: Episode 11 - The JAMMA 48th Amusement Machine Show

2010-11-23T22:39:00.000-08:00

There's a long story behind this, our "lost episode" of the Out-Cast that we recorded way back in September before TGS. But I'll talk about that in the cast itself. We're joined again by friends of the Out-Cast Kat Bailey (1UP, G4, GamePro, EGM, and Active Time Babble) and Daniel Feit (Wired Game|Life and 1UP). So here it is, a long time coming, but very much worth the wait.

Download: Mediafire, iTunes

Streaming: Blip.tv

If you want to know more, check out my video articles on the show:

Top 10 Best Arcades

Top 10 Oddities

00:00:00 Introduction

00:04:27 What's the Happs

Dan

Castlevania: Harmony of Despiar
vvvvvv
Mass Effect

Kat

Back in Japan
Dragon Quest IX
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Super Robot Wars K

Gwyn

Press Start
Taiko no Tatsujin 14
Project Diva Arcade
Quantum
Vanquish

Kyle

Dragon Quest IX

Richard

Pre-TGS News

01:38:46 The JAMMA 48th Ammusement Machine Show

The arcades industry in Japan
Arcades we've played in Japan
Our first Japanese arcade experience

02:09:08 What we played at JAMMA

Darius Burst
Pac-Man Battle Royal
Border Break
Gundam Extreme Vs.

Music in this Edition:

Time's Scar - Chrono Cross OST

Far Away - Red Dead Redemption OST

I Want You - Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt OST

The Out-Cast: Episode 10b - Mailbag Special #2

2010-10-25T16:27:00.000-07:00

Well, our next podcast episode is fully complete, ready to upload, and locked in a room that none of us have the key to... So you guys get a mailbag special instead! This time it's just me and Kyle so get ready for the Out-Cast as you've never heard it before-- without Gwyn keeping us on track!

Download: Mediafire, iTunes
Streaming: Blip.tv

Mailbag Special #2!

Do you think that Matsuno's return to Square for Tactics Ogre will be permanent and will games like Vagrant Story 2 will be made?
How are the SD upscales on JP blu-rays?
Should small developers go portable only, and leave the big HD games for Square and Capcom? What in the hell is wrong with Japanese TV?
What do you guys think of the new Devil May Cry reboot?
Is it possible that Halo 4 is a handheld game?
Will Nintendo push the 3DS as their lead system?
Has the success of Monster Hunter in Japan had a bigger impact than it seems world wide ? What is this I hear about arcade games in Japan having member cards that track your wins/losses and unlockables? (And more arcade related questions!)
What did each of you think of Parasite Eve 1 and 2?
Did any of you manage to check out Tales of Graces f for the PS3?
At which price does the PSP2 need to enter the market to have the slightest chance of outselling the 3DS?
What do you know about the pet interaction system in the Last Guardian?
How often do you 3 meet outside the podcast and what are your main activities?
What was the mysterious game Richard played?
Why would a company allow people to play their game but not allow them to tell anyone about it?
Is Child of Eden really that good?
Is there a PS3 version of Child of Eden with the PSMOVE?
Richard, did you really buy a 360 without the Kinect bundle?
Is Japan a nice place to live in general?
What was the most striking difference between America and Japan?
Other than all the different types of writing is Japanese an incredibly hard language?
If you had to play ONE game for eternity, cant be before the PS1 and N64 days, what game would it be?

Music in this edition:

Carving the Rock - YMCK

Leo's Palace - Anamanaguchi

Totsugeki Love Heart - May'n and Yoshiki Fukuyama

Out-cast on Japanese TV

2010-10-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

In a recent Japanese news featurette on Fumito Ueda (Director of Ico , Shadow of the Colossus and the Last Guardian) you may see someone "Out-Casty"in the B-Roll at 2:14. Thanks to 1UP's Dan Feit for the heads up.

The Top 5 Ridiculously Awesome Games of TGS 2010

2010-09-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

Here's my first of two written articles about TGS2010 going up on GameZone. Its aptly titled "The Top 5 Ridiculously Awesome Games of TGS 2010." So go read it.

Pop-Quiz time!

1) Which game could easily be retitled "The Dirty Dozen Versus the Magical Steam-Punk Nazi-Romans?"

2) What game puts the "Awe" back in "Awesome?"

3) Is this the most awesome thing you've seen all day? Or the most puzzling?

4) Most shooters are all about aiming for the head, while Dead Space is all about aiming for the limbs. What new title demands that you aim for the squishy bits?

5) What game's DRM is over three times less portable than the game system itself?

All answers should be written with a number two pencil. Make sure all your marks are heavy and dark.

The Out-Cast: Episode 10 - Tokyo Game Show 2010 Special!

2010-09-27T03:17:00.000-07:00

Well, here's our long awaited TGS special. Not only do we do out best to cover everything that happened in TGS this year but we were also joined by some very special friends.

Our first guest on this all-star episode is Kat Bailey. She is a freelancer who writes for 1UP, G4, GamePro and EGM. She is also the host of the podcast Active Time Babble

Our second special guest is Daniel Feit. Dan lives in japan is a freelance writer for Wired Game|Life and 1UP. He also regularly contributes to Bitmob.com.

Download: Mediafire, iTunes

Streaming: Blip.tv

Well, this episode we dive in with little preamble so here's what we cover:

Square-Enix

3rd Birthday

Dissidia 012

Lord of Arcana

Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded

Sony

Tokyo Jungle

Last Guardian/Shadow/ICO

Killzone 3

Resident Evil 5 on Move

New PSP

Microsoft

Idol Master

Dreamclub

Gal Gun

Kinect

Capcom

Marvel versus Capcom 3

Megaman Universe

Monster Hunter 3rd

Bionic commando 2

Gyakuten Keiji 2

DMC

Asura's Wrath

Zombies

Sega

Yakuza of the End

Valkyria 3

Vanquised

Konami

Dance Evolution

Castlevania

Zack and Ombra and the Amusmentpark of Illusion

Bandai Namco

Gundam Muso 3

Level 5

Ni no Kuni

Ignition

El Shaddai

Top 3 Games of the Show/Top Disappointment

Music in this edition:

Maya Sakamoto - DOWN TOWN
Yoko Shimomura (Parasite Eve Remixes) - A.Y.A (Primary Mix)

While you are waiting ....

2010-09-24T17:50:00.000-07:00

... for the monstrous podcast that IS the Out-cast crew's TGS impressions, there's been a lot of robot-related news coming out of Japan in the wake of both TGS and the JAMMA Amusement Show.

First up, it looks like Linkin Park has inked a deal with Bandai to do the opening of the latest update to the popular Gundam VS series - Gundam Extreme Versus:

Secondly, a new set of Super Robot Wars L movies have hit the net. This was at TGS and, while it's unfortunate that the series is still hampered by the technical capabilities of the DS, I must admit that it still looks pretty sweet regardless:

Pretty epic music too, eh?

Finally, the new trailer for episode 2 of Gundam Unicorn is out! This episode just keeps looking better and better - can't wait for the bluray to drop!

As for TGS, the podcast should be up very shortly - possibly today even! So hang in there just a little bit longer guys!

Radical Dreamer at Tokyo Game Show 2010

2010-09-20T18:32:00.000-07:00

I produced a metric ton of content in the week around TGS. I thought I'd leave a post here to help everyone to catch up.

JAMMA 48th Amusement Machine Show

Top 10 Best Arcades

Top 10 Oddities

TGS

EA Tokyo Showcase Report (Shadows of the Damned, PS3 Dead Space: Extraction, Alice Return to Madness)

TGS Day 1 *NEW* (3rd Birthday, Kingdom Hearts: ReCoded, Dissidia 012, Valkyria Chronicles 3)

TGS Day 2 (Ni no Kuni, Castlevania Lords of Shadow)

TGS Day 3 (Dance Evolution, Assassins Creed: Brotherhood, Mind Jack)

TGS Day 4 Gal Gun Special

The Out-Cast: Episode 09 - Tokyo Game Show 2010 Predictions

2010-09-01T16:51:00.001-07:00

We're back with our last show before TGS 2010. This is really crunch time for all of us, so this episode we attempt the podcast for the first time over Skype and cover our predictions for Japan's biggest video game expo. And while the mail bag may not return till after TGS, please don't let that stop you from leaving any comments or questions in the section bellow.

Download: Mediafire, iTunes
Streaming: Blip.tv

00:00:00 What's the Happs?

Concerts and Conventions
Akira in the Opera House
Scott Pilgrim vs the World
Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game
Hyperdimension Game Neptune
Fuji-Q Highland Evangelion
Another Century's Episode R
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance
New TV
Mirrors Edge

01:19:05 Tokyo Game Show 2010 Predictions

PSP 2
3DS
Move
Metal Gear Solid Arcade
Kinect
Cathrine
The 3rd Birthday
Final Fantasy Agito XIII
Final Fantasy Versus XIII
Final Fantasy XIV
Monster Hunter 3rd
Macross Games
Idol Master 2
God Eater Burst
The Last Guardian
Shadow of the Colossus/ICO HD

Vanquish
Quantum
Capcom fighting games
Gran Turismo 5
Ni no Kuni
Yakuza the end
Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded
Kingdom Hearts 3DS
Metal Gear Solid: Rising

Music in this Edition:
Maria & Joker - Nana Mizuki

Let me be with you - Anime House Project, Oshare Selection Vol. 1

Shackles of Night (Vocaloid ver.)

Fly me to the moon - Anime House Project, Oshare Selection Vol. 1

The Out-Cast: Episode 08b - Mailbag Special

2010-08-15T00:24:00.000-07:00

Well, this is our first try splitting up the podcast. In this way, we are giving you a podcast of a more manageable length and at the same time giving you content more frequently. If you like the idea and think it works or think its a bad idea, please tell us so in the comments section.

Download: Mediafire, iTunes
Streaming: Blip.tv

Mailbag Special!

What are the taboo topics in games in Japan?
What are your thoughts on Infamous 2?
What do you think of the 2010 summer anime season?
How should I go about learning Japanese?
Don't you think you're being a bit to hard on the Japanese?
Why is High School life so romanticized?
What should I buy to support the anime industry?
Why is Dragon Quest more popular than Final Fantasy in Japan?
What do you think of the Final Fantasy Versus XIII pictures?
What Japanese music do you recommend?
Will the Out-Cast Team be at TGS?
Is there anyway to watch TGS?
What is Akihabara like?
What are Hikikomori and Neets?
How was Peace Walker for Kyle?
Will we do dedicated special podcasts on big name titles?
Do we get paid for making the Out-Cast?
What kind of mic are you using?
Can the Out-Cast become bi-weekly?
What's with the secrecy on our jobs?
What is the deal with working in Japan?
How can I get a job in the games industry in Japan?

Big In Japan - Macross Ultimate Frontier

2010-08-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

The Out-Cast: Episode 08 - Japan Only Games

2010-08-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

This is the eighth episode of the Out-Cast. In this episode, we talk about the "Japan only" games we have played. We report on not only if the games were good or bad, but our experiences, how they hold up over time, and if those with no Japanese ability can play them. Please leave any comments or questions in the section bellow.

Download: Mediafire, iTunes
Streaming: Blip.tv

00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:51 What's the Happs?
Kyle

Used DS XL
Michael Jackson Memorial Party
Peace Walker
Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

Richard

GameZone
Split/Second
Bayonetta
Ouendan I/II
Dragon Age

Gwyn

Castle Crashers
Fallout 3
Surgery
Nakajima Megumi
Kano Yoko Fan Event
Yamato Event

00:55:15 News

Giant Eva
Idol Master 2
Karigurashi no Arietti (The Borrower Arrietty)
Tactics Ogre
Gundam Unicorn

01:17:32 Japan Only Games

16-Bit Era

Super Dimensional Fortress Macross: Scrambled
Ranma ½: Bakuretsu Rantōhen (Released in the US as Ranma ½: Hard Battle)
Umihara Kawase

32/64-Bit Era

Tobal 2
Vib Ribbon
Evangelion 64
Soukaigi
X-Men vs Street Fighter (Sega Saturn)
Ore no Shikabane Koete Yuke (Walk Over My Dead Corpse)
Sampugita
Gunparade March
Ace Combat 3
Remote Control Dandy
Tokimeki Memorial 2
Macross: Do You Remember Love? (Sega Saturn)
Robbit Mon Dieu
Evangelion: Girlfriend of Steel (Windows 95)
Gepi X
Radiant Silvergun

PS2/GC/XboX

Berserk: Millennium Falcon Hen Seima Senki no Sho
Blood+: One Night Kiss
Metal Wolf Chaos
Gundam Seed: O.M.N.I. vs Z.A.F.T. I/II
Sonic Gems Collection
Rhythm Heaven (GBA)
Another Century's Episode I/II/III
Super Dimensional Fortress Macross (PS2)
Namco X Capcom
Sakura Wars III/IV

PS3/360/Wii/DS/PSP

Shikitei
Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland
Macross Ace Frontier/Macross Ultimate Frontier
Princess Crown

Music in this edition:
Phantom Minds - Nana Mizuki
Plenty of Grit - Megumi Hayashibara
Tobal 2 OP - Checkered Career (original album version)
dear FLOWER -Chie Kajiura

Big in Japan - Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 1 & 2

2010-07-26T19:05:00.000-07:00

Big in Japan - Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

2010-07-13T18:55:00.000-07:00

The Out-Cast: Episode 07 - E3 2010 Report

2010-07-04T17:17:00.000-07:00

This is the sixth episode of the Out-Cast. In this episode, we talk about E3 2010. This episode was recorded right after E3 and we had hoped to have it up right away. However, in the middle of editing, Gwyn's appendix burst and he spent a week in the hospital after it went a bit septic. So here we are, better late than never. Please leave any comments or questions in the section bellow.

Download: Mediafire, iTunes
Streaming: Blip.tv

00:00:00 What's the Happs?
Gwyn

Splinter Cell Convition
Super Street Fight 4
Space Adventure Cobra
Nagabuchi

Richard

Red Dead Redemption
Mass Effect 2
Chrono Trigger

Kyle

Soccer and Summer
Fami-case Exhibition
Muteki Mario

36:44 E3

History of E3

40:02 Microsoft

Press Conference
Kinect
Gears of War III
Halo: Reech
Medal of Honor

1:04:38 Sony

Twisted Metal
3D
Move
Gran Turismo 5
Portal 2
The 3rd Birthday

01:32:23 Nintendo

Zelda
Kirby
Donkey Kong
3DS

02:09:47 Third Party

Metal Gear Rising
Child of Eden
Rayman
The Old Republic
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
Castlevania
Scott Pilgrim vs the World
El Shaddai
Enslaved

02:39:19 Dissapointments and No Shows

Milo
Mega Man Legends 3
The Last Guardian
SSX
Half Life 2: Episode 3
Dreamcast 2
Natural Selection 2
Dudebro: My Shit is Fucked Up So I Gotta Shoot/Slice You II: It's Strait Up Dog Time

02:50:49 Best Showing at E3

02:52:20 Mail Bag

Favorite things about living in Japan?
What do you miss from home?
Why did you move to Japan?
How safe is Japan?
Will iPhone rule western portable gaming?
Is there self-segrgation between western and Japanese gamers?
Which is more popular in Japan, Evangelion or Macross?
What are the differences between Eva 2.0 and 2.22
Do you prefer Japanese or Western Games?
What music do you play during the cast?
What are some awesome PS1 or PS2 titles?
Are games cosidered a lesser form of media?
What is "Moe"?
What is so popular about the Japanese High School setting?

Scott Pilgrim vs. the Wold Character Creator

2010-06-24T03:01:00.000-07:00

Make your own here!

Death or Divergent Evolution: A Socioeconomic Look at the Japanese Gaming Market

2010-06-16T05:02:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is. My first of several articles to be published on Metropolis, Japan's most popular English language magazine.

The Out-Cast: Episode 06 - The "Death" of the Japanese Gaming Industry

2010-06-08T19:22:00.000-07:00

This is the sixth episode of the Out-Cast. In this episode, we talk about the the supposed "death" of the Japanese gaming industry and the recent evolution of the Japanese gaming market here in Japan. Please leave any questions or suggestions in the comments section below.

Download: Mediafire, iTunes
Streaming: Blip.tv

What's the Happs?
Richard
00:42 Gundam Senki and Licensed Anime Games
12:05 No More Heroes Paradise

Kyle
19:54 Mario Galaxy 2
32:14 Final Fantasy IX
35:45 Evangelion 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance
44:30 Death of the Japanese Gaming Market?

Change to a Portable Market

49:41 How has the Market Changed?
52:55 Why Has the Market Changed?

Age of Gamers
Hobby Culture in Japan
Commuting Culture
Shift in how/where games are played
HD TV Adoption

83:40 Multiplayer Gaming
90:27 Companies Shifting to fit the new market
94:44 Where will Japanese Gaming Go From Here?

Music in this edition:
Miracle Upper WL - Masami Okui featuring May'n
Roundabout - Lumines OST
Theme of Sakura - SF4 OST

No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise Thoughts - Radical's Dreams

2010-06-04T08:16:00.000-07:00

The Out-Cast: Episode 05 - Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

2010-05-12T04:54:00.000-07:00

This is the fifth episode of the Out-Cast. This time we have one thing and one thing only on our minds: Metal Gear. So join us as we spend nearly three hours on Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Download below and please leave us any comments on how we can improve this podcast. Thanks for listening.

This time, in an attempt to make the Out-Cast more friendly to people who are only listening to hear about Metal Gear, we have two versions of the podcast. One version is only the Metal Gear stuff, the other is the full podcast with what we've been up to and the mailbag.

Metal Gear Only Version
Download: Mediafire, iTunes
Streaming: Blip.tv

Full Episode Version
Download: Mediafire, iTunes
Streaming: Blip.tv

Introduction
00:00 Introduction

What's the Happs?
01:56 Richard

* Mass Effect 2
* No More Heroes' Paradise
* Lost and the Damned/Ballad of Gay Tony
* Moving

11:40 Kyle

* Jamming on the Roads
* Muteki Mario
* Evangelion Convenience Store
* Relevance of Evangelion in Japan

31:43 Gywn

* PSP in Australia
* Misinformation in game stores
* Trigun: Badlands Rumble and King of Thorn
* Halo Reach Beta

56:06 History With Metal Gear

* What have we played?
* Our first Metal Gear Experiences
* The Hayter Hater and Otsuka Akio
* Themes in Metal Gear
* Past Hype for Metal Gear

01:39:49 Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

* Peace Walker Hype and the PSP
* Graphics
* Gameplay and Camera
* Getting your army and weapons
* Japanese Cast
* Co-Ops
* Story
* What you can do post game and the epilogue
* Extra Missions
* Final Thoughts

2:22:32 Let's E-Mailing!

* How fast to games price drop in Japan?
* Does Amazon.jp ship games to America?
* Is the PSN a world wide network?
* How much is an apartment in Toyko?
* What Japanese music do we like?
* Why didn't Fatal Frame 4 come out in the west?
* What is this Macross thing you keep talking about?
* How is the cell phone gaming market in Japan?

Metal Gear Solid Main theme
Zankokuna Tenshi no Teze - Evangelion
The best is yet to come - Metal Gear Solid end theme
Heaven's Divide - Donna Bourke (MGS: Peace Walker)
Snake Eater - Metal Gear Solid 3
Metal Gear Solid Control Mix

Eva Race Team Pic is property of the official Evangelion Website

http://www.evangelion.co.jp/

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Review - Radical's Dreams

2010-05-08T07:25:00.000-07:00

We're on iTunes!

2010-05-06T23:52:00.001-07:00

Well, it's taken a long time, and iTunes hasn't made it easy to get on their little store, but all you people out there who want the Out-Cast via iTunes have got your wish. A big thanks go out to "The Russian" and his pals in the "Sober Old Drunks" (a Battlefield Europe clan) for donating their extra server space to us.

Now, I've just submitted the XML feed to the store in the last five minutes, so we're not searchable quite yet. But who cares about that right? After all, I got a little link right here that'll plop the Out-Cast into iTunes whether we're in the store yet or not!

Click here to add the Out-Cast to iTunes!
(or copy and paste this into your browser: pcast://feeds.feedburner.com/OutCastPodcast)

In other news, we're recording a Metal Gear: Peace Walker special this Sunday and you can expect my video review the day before (the fates willing). So have a happy weekend and hope to see you back here real soon.

Akihiko Yoshida Commercial

2010-04-26T06:41:00.000-07:00

This has been airing on Japanese cable channels this last week. This commercial is done by Akihiko Yoshida, the artist behind Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story. It's kind of cool to see it animated. Enjoy!

Does anyone really wanna poke his belly?

2010-04-09T09:16:00.000-07:00

In our latest podcast, Kyle talked about a man dressed as a DS asking people to poke his touch-screen-belly. Well, here he is strait from Megwin.

The Out-Cast: Episode 04 - Being a Gamer in Japan

2010-04-06T02:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our fourth regular episode of the outcast. This one runs for a bit over three hours and we look in-depth at being a gamer in Japan and the PSP's 5th Birthday.

Download below and please leave us any comments on how we can improve this podcast. Thanks for listening.

Download: Mediafire
Streaming: Blip.tv

Introduction
00:00 Introduction

What you been doing?
03:13 Gywn

Tokyo International Anime Fair
Maaya Sakamoto Concert
Monkeys/Nagano Trip
Golden Week Movies

22:41 Kyle

Bargains in Japan/360
Halo in Japan/Halo Legends
Lost Odyssey

37:37 Richard

Nier
Quantum Theory
Psychonauts
RE5: Lost in Nightmare/Desperate Escape
Scott Pilgrim vs the World
Nihonjin no Shiranai Nihongo (The Japanese Japanese People Don't Know)

1:07:43 News

Big Gundam is back!
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker J-Pop Music Video
God of War 3 without English
3DS

1:29:26 Happy 5th Bithday PSP!

Our personal PSP stories and favorite PSP titles
DS vs PSP
The Future of the PSP

1:56:57 Being an "International Gamer" in Japan
(Region Locking, Language Tracks, and Censorship)

Playstation 3
PSP
360
DS
Wii

2:36:37 Let's E-Mailing!

How is Silent Hill viewed in Japan?
Who is your most loved/hated Final Fantasy XIII character?
Does Square care more about FFXI's Japanese player-base?
Do Japanese gamers really have multiple DS systems?
Where should I study in Japan?
Why has there been a recent spike in Japanese PS3 sales?
How can I help out the Out-Cast?
What is the Out-Cast's release schedule?
What would Mario's voice sound like?

Song List

Everywhere - Maaya Sakamoto

Koi no yokushiryoku - Nana Mizuki

Under the apple tree - FF7 Crisis Core

Movin' in Circles - Ridge Racer 4

Silent Hill theme - Akira Yamaoka

Kiseki no Umi - Maaya Sakamoto

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth Review - Radical's Dreams

2010-03-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

Heavy Rainbow!

2010-03-22T08:42:00.001-07:00

Get it? Get it? Heavy Rain... RainBOW... Heavy Rainbow!

... ... ...

...my God I must be bored.

The Out-Cast: Episode 03

2010-03-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our third regular episode of the outcast. This one runs for a bit over two and a half hours and we look in-depth at Yakuza 3 and 4 as well as into other gaming news from around the world.

Download below and please leave us any comments on how we can improve this podcast. Thanks for listening.

Download: Mediafire
Streaming: Blip.tv

Introduction
0:00 Introduction

What you been doing?
01:37 Richard

Disappearance of Haruhi
Miles Edgeworth: Ace Attorney Investigations
Tomb Raider Underworld
Heavy Rain

18:40 Gywn

Fist of the North Star Dynasty Warriors
Shoko-Tan
Resident Evil 5: Desperate Escape
Gundam Unicorn
May'n Consent DVD

32:00 Kyle

X-Box Live
Bioshock
Banjo Kazooie
Fatal Frame 4
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
PS1 Archives: Metal Gear Solid/Grandia

47:45 News

Tomodachi Collection
Playstation Move
Hatsune Miku

1:03:05 Final Fantasy XIII Western Release/Response

Critics and complaints
Linearity
Cuts
Names

1:11:28 SPECIAL GUEST!

FFXIII and the process of making a game
More on Linearity!
The JRPG vs the Western RPG

1:26:30 Yakuza 3

Cuts, boycotts, and the history of the series
Is the west entitled to all Japanese games?
Name of the game

1:47:54 Yakuza 4

New features
New characters
Demo play-by-play
Real to life?

2:13:00 Let's E-Mailing!

How was XIII received in Japan?
Why EoE name change?
What's with the Asian peace sign?
How is P3 different from P3 - PSP?
How was FFXIII's Crystarium System?
How does Japan compare to the west?
What was the first song in Out-Cast ep02?
Do we listen to 1UP podcasts?
Have we played Dragon Quest IX?

Song list
Butterfly City - Zeebra
Don't Say Lazy - Shokotan (cover)
Encounter - Metal Gear Solid 2
Yakuza kicking yo' a$$!
Yakuza 4 tv cm
Miku Miku ni shite ageru - Hatsune Miku
God knows... - Shokotan (cover)

The Evil L-Word: A Look at Linearity in Gaming

2010-03-08T01:05:00.000-08:00

My fellow Gamers, as the moon turns and the long foretold coming the Thirteenth of the Fantasies Final draws nigh, one word has been spat like a curse across the Realm. It is spoken of as the black death upon Gaming's soul, festering away at all the good and leaving not but an untouchable rotted corpse. Like the word “witch,” the mere accusation spreads like wildfire and becomes as to truth amongst our community. And lo doth any hapless victim receive this title for they shall forever be burned within the flames and hatred of their once most faithful of supporters. Yet, I stand here today, in the Grand Hall of the Internet and surrounded by this most fickle of counsels, to defend this “greatest of sins:” Linearity.

At the birth of our Kingdom, we were but a simple people, content to bounce our square balls and gather food from ghost riddled caves. Yet with time came complexity and with complexity, the birth of legends. Who here can forget the tales of the great Fixer-of-Pipes and his battles with the Reptile King? What child does not know of the adventures of the Blue Rodent and his Twin-Tailed companion? Do not forget my fellows, that even in that golden time, linearity was there. For both the Fixer-of-Pipes and the Blue Rodent could not move but right; forever right to victory. Lo! I hear you cry, “but what of the Hero of Hyrule and the Masked Hunter of Men?” Indeed, their legends can be told in many different ways. Yet, even their epics must be told in a certain order, lest they have not obtained the items with which to conquer their trials.

It was only after the stories of Crime Lords of Liberty City that linearity turned as to a poison. The people cried out for more open stories. More tales to be told in a thousand different ways. And so it came to pass that our myths became as unto an open desert, devoid of life and full of not but sand. Yet, even as we hungered for more and more of this “freedom,” the oft cursed linearity continued on in the stories from the Islands of the East. These tales drew all who would listen into the stories. We truly became the Time Traveling Youth and the Lost Soldier with his Giant Sword. And for a while, linearity had a haven and was loved again.

But this too changed with time as all things do. Our people adopted the tellings of the east, combined it with our open stories and a new style was born. No longer were we forced to become as the character in the stories. Nay, we forced the characters in the stories to become as of us. We chose their hair and skin, even their very anatomy. They acted as we wished and the story was forced to change around our actions. And with the Twelfth of the Fantasies Final, even the scribes in the fabled lands of the rising sun began to emulate our styles. Truly there was no place left for linearity... Or so we like to believe.

Even today, as this very counsel condemns linearity, they shout the praises of the most linear of legends. The adventures of Nathan Drake and the tales of the Hair-Witch are applauded, yet simply ignored is the fact of their linearity. As many follow the call into imaginary wars across the world and to the very stars, they too ignore the welcoming embrace of linearity as it directs their beloved legends. “Tis not the same!” Some shall cry. Mayhap that may even be true.

Perhaps it is not linearity in and of itself that causes such scorn among us. Perhaps if linearity is disguised well enough we feel it can simply be ignored as opposed to hated. Yet, cloaked or not, linearity is linearity. I charge you all now to rethink your position on our loyal yet hated friend. You hate unjustly. You hate only to mollify the feelings of your peers. Linearity needs not be in every great legend nor need it be shunned from them all. Linearity is neither good nor evil but rather like unto a knife. It can be used to butter ones bread or slit ones throat. It is all in how it is wielded.

Heavy Rain Review - Radical's Dreams

2010-03-02T02:03:00.001-08:00

The Out-Cast: Episode 02

2010-02-23T04:44:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our second regular episode of the outcast. This one runs for 3 hours due to our special guest Daniel Feit. Dan also lives in japan is a freelance writer for Wired|GameLife and regularly contributes to Bitmob and his own web-page, Feitclub .com.

Download below and please leave us any comments on how we can improve this podcast. Thanks for listening.

Download: Mediafire
Streaming: Blip.tv

Introduction
2:48 Interests in Japan

What you been doing?
5:22 Borderlands and PJM Encore
13:49 Valkyria Chronicles 2
23:42 Heavy Rain
34:07 Gundam Senki
37:19 Fate Stay Night and Haruhi Movies
42:09 Battleship Yamato Expo and Pachinko
46:58 Resident Evil 5 DLC
49:51 100-Man Ton Barabara
54:41 Xenogears
56:51 Miyazaki Movies and Speed Racer

1:01:12 News in japan

Silent Hill Composer leaves Konami
God Eater Released
Final Fantasy XIII comparison screenshots
Director responds to FFXIII western scores
God of War III censorship is wanted!?
Evangelion 2.2 Blu Ray
Misinformation about Japanese interviews

1:30:26 AoU Arcade Show

Metal Gear Arcade
Booth Babes and Body Pillows
Vocaloid Attack!
Music GunGun and Gaia Attack 4

2:02:34 End Of Eternity - Part 2
2:13:57 Mailbag - We Reply to You!

Demon's Souls in Japan
White Knight in Japan
Final Fantasy Versus XIII Impressions
Playing Final Fantasy XI
Playing XIII in English
Getting Jobs in Japan
Cultural Differences
How is it in Japan?

Valkyria Chronicles 2 Review - Radical's Dreams

2010-02-23T04:43:00.000-08:00

Heavy Rain Impressions

2010-02-22T19:36:00.000-08:00

For some bizarre reason, Japan got Heavy Rain a whole 5 days before the rest of the world. I’d be very interested to find out the reasoning behind this, but haven’t heard anything as of yet. Despite having a pile of shame as tall as I am and still having the final few hours of FF13 left to polish off, I decided to make Heavy Rain a day 1 purchase. Why? Well, since it was a (purportedly) relatively short adventure game I figured that it would probably be difficult to avoid inadvertently running across spoilers online. Therefore the best course of action would be to get it and play it as quickly as possible. Well, on the first playthrough at least.

So, I placed my order with Amazon Japan (a handy little preorder discount meant that the game came to under $50 with free shipping as well). I admit to having had some doubts over which version of the game to get. For starters, the Japanese version has some...somewhat different cover art. But, looking beyond such superficial reasons, it’s been known for some time that developer Quantic Dream made certain…changes to the game in order to avoid it getting slapped with a Cero Z rating here in Japan. The problem is that no-one knows what these changes are yet. Several online forums have been in melt-down over supposed changes that have yet to be confirmed or denied.

For me though, the pros of the Japanese version outweighed the negatives - $20 cheaper than importing, getting to play it earlier and having the option to play it through in both Japanese and English outweighed the risk of having some breasts cut from the game. If I want breasts I’ll get them from places other than my video games thank you very much. Ahem.

I think I’m currently 5 hrs into the game. Probably. Unfortunately there’s no game clock so it’s difficult to tell. The game also sucks you in in such a way that its really easy to lose track of time. Much like watching a good movie, the hours fly by and the only thing I find myself wanting to do is find out what happens next.

I’ll avoid discussing the plot for fear of spoilers, but will go so far as to say that the events in Heavy Rain so far have had a real sense of emotional weight that is often missing from games. Aerith? Dom’s wife? The first few hours of Ethan’s life and the tragedy that befalls him are on par with both of these. No, no I’d say it surpasses them. There’s a gravitas to the tone of what happens to Ethan, a sense of real consequence and forboding that is reflected in the atmosphere of the game – in both its visual and audio design. I haven’t felt as invested in a character this quickly in quite a while.

The game achieves this (at least partially) by limiting the player. There is no nimble leaping around, no reflex-based action or satisfaction to be had here. As anyone who has tried the demo already knows, the player literally drives the character through the story. Holding down R2 keeps the player moving forward, much like a tank. While I can see the logic behind this control scheme – it allows the developer to lock their camera angles in and tightly control the experience – I don’t agree with it. Since the left stick is still used to change direction, I often find myself turning in directions I don’t need to, and navigating around a crowded room can be quite frustrating. Nothing breaks the illusion more than turning at 90 degree angles and walking repeatedly into desks or walls. The original Resident Evil controls felt more intuitive to me than this. The QTE element of the control scheme, on the other hand, works a lot better than I was expecting. Controller motions usually mimic to some degree the action on screen and feature a generous window of timing even on the normal difficulty setting. As someone who sucks at QTE (as a colleague from my office found out the hard way when we played RE 5 coop – a certain bike and chains scene comes to mind) this is a very welcome element of the control scheme.

Graphically the game is amazing if a little inconsistent at times. Character models are painstakingly detailed as are environments, for the most part. There are some objects in the game (anything with cloth – sheets and towels for example) that seem relatively crude and could have used a little more work, although its completely possible that they just stick out so much because everything else looks so darn good. Character animation can be a little jerky at times and I’ve had a couple of minor framerate stutters. Overall though, the game is a treat for the eyes. First Uncharted 2, then FF13, now Heavy Rain – each a graphical powerhouse yet in totally different ways. I pity the PS3 owner who isn’t gaming on a HD tv.

Audio-wise, music is implemented in some very subtle ways although the voice acting is a mixed bag. Those characters that are done well absolutely nailed it, while others sound like they were phoned in. All in all though there are some impressive performances here and I’m looking forward to sampling the Japanese track for a different take on the characters later on.

At this point though, the most driving element of Heavy Rain (apart from the controls! hehehe) is the story and characters. It feels more like a very interactive movie than a game in any traditional sense of the term. Personally I find that to be a refreshing change, but I wonder what the general Gamestop customer will think of it.

Oh and that cover art … based on what I’ve played so far I’ve changed my opinion of it somewhat. It’s actually quite fitting. But you’ll have to play it yourself to find out why.

Crumbs Under the Kotatsu

-There’s a device called the ARI SYSTEM in Heavy Rain which is utterly cool. I love the way it looks and works!

-I played through the first RE5 DLC ‘Lost in Nightmares’ and was completely blown away. While too short, it is basically RE5 director Jun Takeuchi’s reply to all the criticisms leveled at RE5 for being too much of an action game. Its dark and scary and proves that he can do survival horror in a more traditional manner. I wish they had more dlc planned than just the two that are coming out. I know I’d buy it!

-I spent Sunday with the crew recording the latest episode of the Out-Cast. Featuring an AoU Show report, more End of Eternity, Heavy Rain (no spoilers!) and even some Valkyria Chronicles 2, I hope to get it edited and up within the next day or so, so keep an eye out for it!

The best game music you'll never hear

2010-02-17T19:21:00.000-08:00

I’m one of that small percentage of gamers that actually enjoys listening to videogame soundtracks. While I listen to a fairly wide variety of music, there are few things I like as much as a well put together game soundtrack.

But you know what I like even more? LIVE videogame music. Once relegated to rare, out of print CDs from Japan’s Famicon glory days, videogame concerts have seen newfound popularity in the past few years, thanks to performances such as Play! and Video Games Live. Last year alone I managed to see VGL, Press Start, a Final Fantasy Tactics Symphony and Eminence.

Eminence? Being based out of Australia, Eminence Symphony Orchestra seems to get much less coverage in the international gaming press than its contemporaries do. And I often wonder why. More importantly, why aren’t you listening to Eminence? It’s some of the best live game music you’ll ever hear.

I was lucky enough to catch Eminence’s 'A Night in Fantasia 2009' while in Sydney on a business trip last year (fortuitous timing indeed!).
This was but one of a long series of game and anime related concerts they’ve held, the first of which was way back in 2003. Now, since I've been in Japan for the last decade, 2009 was the first chance I'd had to see Eminence - and the professionalism and quality of the performance utterly blew me away. While the concert was not perfect (what performance ever is?), in hindsight I think the quality of their work comes from how closely they often collaborate with the music’s original composers. This isn’t the fan-oriented tributes that Play! and VGL offer. Far from it, Eminence often seeks to rework the music into something new.

Take ‘Echoes of War: The Music of Blizzard Entertainment’ for example. Rather than just an orchestral take on the music from Starcraft, Warcraft and Diablo (which would have been enough of a feat in itself), Eminence collaborated with Ko Otani (composer of Shadow of the Colossus) to create something very unique. With Blizzards tendency to make any game they touch turn to gold, its absolutely astounding to me that this album isn’t much better known than it is.

In fact, Eminence has become SO good that they are now actively involved in the videogame and anime industries, having contributed to the soundtracks of Soul Calibur 4, Valkyria Chronicles and the new Haruhi Suzumiya movie.

The CD of last years concert is finally out, so if you want to hear more Eminence, you can purchase it here.

While there were many standout pieces, the show stealer for me was the performance of ‘Tonari ni’ from The Idol Master by Kotaku favourite Chiaki Takahashi. (yes, even more impressive than seeing Yasunori Mitsuda in person!) What a voice! While licensing rights have, unfortunately, kept the track off the CD, it’s available on the DVD that comes bundled with the limited edition. Never having player The Idol Master, I was really impressed by the song – it has never been performed this way, before or since, much to the chagrin of the series fanbase here in Japan (the look on a colleagues face when I showed him her autograph was absolutely priceless!).

So in short…Eminence…they’re good!… check ‘em out!

Crumbs Under the Kotatsu

-Japan is actually getting Heavy Rain a whole 5 days before the rest of the world! I know what I’m going to be doing this weekend!

-I’ve been seeing Fist of the North Star demos at a lot of shops in Akihabara as of late. Koei-Tecmo is pushing the game pretty heavily here. It looks like a lot of fun from what I saw.

-I dropped by the Yamato Expo ’10 last Sunday. Lot’s of model spaceships and terrific CG! I’ll be talking about it on the new episode of the Out-Cast which is due up this Sunday!

So God Eater is out

2010-02-09T19:52:00.000-08:00

And has completely sold out at my local games store. Being a bit of a Monster Hunter clone but with some quality added(such as a story, some voice acting, and a HUGE soundtrack by the IdolMasters Go Shiina), I was going to avoid it until the following exchange happened with a colleague at work:

Colleague: So, you're getting Got Eater, right?

Me: To hell with that! Damn Monster Hunter clones! *grumble*market decline, lack of HD games*grumble*

Colleague: Oh, check the cast. You ARE buying it.

Me: *Opens official home page* Hmmm... Atsuko Tanaka.....Maaya Sakamoto....
......
........*grumbles* damnit....*checks wallet.

For those not in the know, Atsuko Tanaka is best known as Major Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell. Maaya Sakamoto is Lightning in FF13, Aerith in FF7, Mari in Evangelion 2.0, Hitomi in Escaflowne, etc.

Bandai Namco (or Bamco, as I like to call 'em), even put a promotion anime out for the game which isnt included on the game UMD or anything. Pretty decent budget too!
(hint: the action kicks in just after the 4min mark)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkm5MKMrbhs

The Japanese website can be found here:
http://www.godeater.jp/

The Out-Cast: Episode 01

2010-02-04T04:23:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our first regular episode of the outcast. Download below and please leave us any comments on how we can approve this podcast. Thanks for listening

Download: Mediafire
Streaming: Blip.tv

00:00 Introduction
01:36 Context within the Japanese Gaming Industry
08:23 What's new in Japan

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep
Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva
Final Fantasy; 4 Warriors of Light
Recent Concerts
Battlefield Bad Company 2
M.A.G.

34:06 Gaming News in Japan

Borderlands censorship
Monster Hunter Frontier on the 360
Gears of War in my Lost Planet 2

42:15 Final Fantasy XIII Revisited

Open World
Liniarity
Responce to comments
Voice acting and localization

53:17 End of Eternity

Resonance of Fate
vs Dragon Quest VI
Will it sell?

01:04:20 Looking Back on 2009

Best of the Year
Favorite Game of the Year
Guilty Pleasure of the Year

01:28:57 Biggest Effect on the Industry Japan
01:45:25 Looking forward to 2010

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Review - Radical's Dreams

2010-01-26T04:40:00.000-08:00

The Out-Cast: Episode 0 - Final Fantasy XIII

2010-01-15T22:01:00.000-08:00

*There have been some downloading problems with Mediafire, so I'm adding a second mirror. Also, the cast should be up on iTunes in the next few days.

This is our first episode of our new Podcast, The Out-Cast, where we talk in depth about Final Fantasy XIII. It clocks in at 93 minutes. Download it below and please leave us your comments.

The Out-Cast: Episode 0 - Final Fantasy XIII
Download: Media Fire, Hotfile
Streaming: Blip.tv

00:00 Introduction
04:47 Personal History With Final Fantasy
11:26 Why is Final Fantasy XIII Important and the Japanese Market
17:49 Linearity and Comparisons to Other Final Fantasys
27:07 Game-play of Final Fantasy XIII
39:13 The Good Things and the Bad
47:11 Characters and Localization Issues
69:55 Voice Acting, Translation, and Music
83:41 Final Thoughts

Note: When talking about the "black stereotype" in Japan I was actually thinking of Bobby Olugun, not Bob Sapp, in that "son's question" television anecdote. Correction by Dan Feit.

Final Fantasy XIII Video Review - Radical's Dreams

2010-01-01T10:26:00.000-08:00

December to March Review Scedule - Radical's Dreams

2009-12-17T03:34:00.000-08:00

Yellow Light of Death Repair Review - Radical's Dreams

2009-12-14T03:31:00.000-08:00

Tokyo Game Show 2009 Hands On - Only in Japan

2009-10-02T03:54:00.000-07:00

Phoenix Wright Musical 2 Review - Only In Japan

2009-09-24T03:59:00.000-07:00

Muscle March Review - Radical's Dreams

2009-08-15T03:46:00.000-07:00

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days Review - Radical's Dreams

2009-07-02T03:40:00.000-07:00

Pole's Big Adventure Review - Radical's Dreams

2009-06-02T04:01:00.000-07:00