CAGcast #57: Varieties

[CheapyD]

The last show of the year features CheapyD's and Wombat's favorites in 2006, Armored Core 4 (PS3) impressions, the $1,000 Play-Asia winner announcement, industry news, your questions from the CAGbag (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71382) and much more!

Don't forget to: http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/disturbed/misc/80x15-digg-badge-2.gif (http://www.digg.com/podcasts/CAGcast)
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Download (http://media.libsyn.com/media/cheapyd/cagcast57.mp3) - 72 minutes, 33MB
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Past CAGcasts (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/../archives/cat_cagcast.php)

http://media.libsyn.com/media/cheapyd/cagcast57.mp3


Show Linkage/Notes:
Intro music: Kid Niki, Radical Ninja (SNES)

CONTEST: CAGcast Flash Video (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116670)
Child's Play Raffle (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2413271#post2413271)
Digg the CAGcast (http://www.digg.com/podcasts/CAGcast)
MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/cagcast)

What changes to CAG would you like to see in 2007? (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=121463)

Gamebrink Review of AC 4 – 69/100 (http://www.gamebrink.com/playstation-3/1924-Armored_Core_4-reviews-1.html)

Microsoft extends Xbox 360 warranty (http://www.gamespot.com/6163599)
GameFly Year End Sale (12/22 – 1/5) Free Shipping & Great Deals! (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=121293)
Target / CC / BB Video Games Prices: 12/24 - 12/30 (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=120411) (speedy1961)
Some New TRU Clearance starting Dec 26 -updated 12/24- (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=121200) (benboxer)
GameCrazy after-Christmas sale (starts 12/26) (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=121295) (scorch)
PC World calls PS3 a top tech mistake of 2006 (http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=90928)
Madden 07, Biggest in 2006 (http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/ea/madden-07-tops-five-million-ea-crows-224314.php)
Yankee player forms baseball gaming league with fans (http://feeds.joystiq.com/%7Er/weblogsinc/joystiq/%7E3/66737660/)
Smaller processors on Xbox 360 delayed (http://feeds.joystiq.com/%7Er/weblogsinc/joystiq/%7E3/66618741/)

CAGbag (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71382)

Outro: Activision Sports (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKbj-ta0ZuA) (Atari 2600)


Bonus picture!

Wii MSRP - 25,000
PS3 60GB MSRP - 62,980
PS3 20GB MSRP - 49,980
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/ymij/ps3wii.jpg

[gunm]

Tagged for listening, comments--Happy Pre-New Year!

Hey--I don't remember seeing the "emails have to match rule for the Raffle". Not that I regret donating, 'cause it's a good cause, but still...

edit: yeah, never mind about the email raffle thing.

I agree w/360 being console of the year--everything came together for MS in 06, particularly with Gears in the latter half, but there are a good number of A level titles now, XBL/XBLA, HD-DVD, and more. The only thing the 360 doesn't have is the lowest price point and a web browser. I only see good things from Xbox, if things continue as they have been this past year. A $100 price drop could put Sony out of the running with PS3.

Good comments on the Wii VC--Nintendo needs to offer some freebies once in a while to get more of the casual people to download stuff.

I've also sort of changed my stance on the whole Front Page issue--I really don't want to see too many deals highlighted for the reason that it kind of does cannibalize goodness from registered CAGs. Just knowing there's an awesome clearance @ TRU or whereever may be too much info, but maybe not. oh well...

[mrx1]

Who won the rest of the stuff?Are you PMing the winners?Damn didnt win anything.Really want Xbox 360.Oh well,dont care,it was all for a good cause.Now feel the wrath of Mr.Resetti.

[CheapyD]

Who won the rest of the stuff?Are you PMing the winners?

I will have to email the winners (tonight, before I go to sleep) as their paypal email addreses didn't match up with their CAG accounts.

[MassiveDuck]

I haven't listend yet, would I know if I won already regardless?

[AshesofWake]

Tagged for listening, comments--Happy Pre-New Year!

Hey--I don't remember seeing the "emails have to match rule for the Raffle". Not that I regret donating, 'cause it's a good cause, but still...


he means he didn't want to say the personal emails on the Cagcast. you're still entered in the raffle, just won't be announced publicly.


good cagcast so far =D

[majormauser]

Cheapy again you miss the point on MotorStorm. I have been playing the stinking demo for over 4-5 hours and still having fun. I think you may have to re-think the way you are talking about the PS3.... its like you have a stick up you-know where.. MS is a great racing game as it is. ANNNND there is no reason to think that it will be even more awesome when multiplayer comes out. I understand it does not have all the modes a like PGR3 or Burnout... but the main thing with MS is the wide open sandbox like terrain ... there is so much to do. Now onto co-op that should be in there but its still a great game worth the price of admition.. Whos to say that they won;t patch it on the asian version in the future as an upgrade, you know they will... try to be a little more positive it almost sounds like you are being funded by the big MS and I detect a little Fanboi in your talk about all that is PS3. Stuff for the PS3 that is good about the PS3 does not deserve your wrath. Spend your time on why they did not include rumble in the controller or why the On-line store is so slow for USA users. Just so you know I own a 360 and a PS3.

Oh on more thing I signed up to Play Asia ordered MS - no thanks to you for the review. God instead of returning it so soon you could have sold it to a CAG user cheap!

[CheapyD]

I understand it does not have all the modes a like PGR3 or Burnout... but the main thing with MS is the wide open sandbox like terrain ... there is so much to do. Forget about having all the modes, it doesn't have any modes besides a single player race!
Also, racing around in a circle over and over doesn't satisfy my definition of "so much to do".

I'll be positive about the PS3 when I have a reason to be positive about it. Right now, to me, it is a disappointment.
If you are impressed with it, I'm glad you feel you got your money's worth.

I'm a grown fucking man and could care less about which company "wins" the console wars.
All I care about is playing good games and cashing that fat check I get from Microsoft every month.

On a completely unrelated note, I've decided I need to upgrade to a less shitty microphone.

[KaneRobot]

I detect a little Fanboi in your talk about all that is PS3.

Stop. Just stop typing.

GAMING FACT: 99 times out of 100, when someone uses the word "fanboy" while trying to make a point, it's because their own fanboy feelings have been hurt.

100 out of 100 if the spell it "fanboi."

[terpkristin]

Why can't I seem to get this episode? iTunes isn't downloading it and trying to do the direct download from here isn't working, either. :(

/tk

[guyver2077]

Why can't I seem to get this episode? iTunes isn't downloading it and trying to do the direct download from here isn't working, either. :(

/tk

not working for me either

i guess this also means if you have not gotten an email yet then you didnt win

[pop311]

not working for me.

[youruglyclone]

you know what would be nice for the 360

to be able to eject the tray when a disk is in it. and the choice to not autoload games once they put it in.

still it gave us dead rising...

also for DS games...has either of you guys tried trauma center?

Chromehounds vs. Armored Core

both are developed by the same developer From Software...also the people who gave us Metal Wolf Chaos.

[terpkristin]

Yay! I tried again and this time it worked (iTunes feed). :D

Now to go listen... ;)

/tk

[Grave_Addiction]

I'd have to say my favorite moment on the CAGcast was on 53 or 54 when Wombat was telling Cheapy about his rat problems and Cheapy started to gag, nearly throwing up.

Hilarious shit!

[C16]

I can't download the new episode. :(

[Chris in Cali]

I can't download the new one either.

[SpreadTheWord]

Works now. Downloading @ 850kbs - WOW!

[furyk]

The download link does work.

[pop311]

works for me after a while

[HuBu]

Oh on more thing I signed up to Play Asia ordered MS - no thanks to you for the review. God instead of returning it so soon you could have sold it to a CAG user cheap!

selling it to a CAG member wouldnt be that practical. whatever price he sells it for minus the cost of shipping from Japan to the US would bring the price back down to whatever he would have gotten from the stores over there.

[lordwow]

Good show guys, although I do find it a bit bizzare how similar both of your interests are in everything (your picks "of the year" for example).

I think you guys are off the mark on Virtual Console games. If you check out the thread in the Wii thread about the VC Games, tons of of us have purchased games. I don't think anyone will argue that the $5 NES games are way too much money, but for $8, some of these Genesis and SNES, and $10 for N64 games are worth it. I had never played Gunstar Heroes before, and it was well worth the $8. The convienence of just turning on your Wii and having a slew of games there to play at the click of a button is almost worth paying a few bucks more than they are worth. My Dad and brother wanted to play some classic games when I came home for the holidays, and they are eagerly awaiting being able to play Mario Kart 64 again. Ya, I could buy a N64 on Ebay, but it's also just instant satisfaction to download the game in a minute and be able to play rather than bid on stuff and wait for it to be shipped and hope it works. But I do agree that games like "Baseball" and "Mario Bros." are not worth $5, especially when Animal Crossing for Gamecube has most of them plus the main game for $20.

But probably the biggest thing to keep in mind that we are cheapasses. I purchased Mario 64 at launch and tried out the online purchasing system with credit card, but since I've used deals like Buy.com/Google Checkout to get the Points cards much cheaper than $20/2000points. We're cheapasses, and if nintendo isn't going to make the games cheaper, we'll find a way to get the points cheaper.

[thorbahn3]

Good show guys, although I do find it a bit bizzare how similar both of your interests are in everything (your picks "of the year" for example).

I think you guys are off the mark on Virtual Console games. If you check out the thread in the Wii thread about the VC Games, tons of of us have purchased games. I don't think anyone will argue that the $5 NES games are way too much money, but for $8, some of these Genesis and SNES, and $10 for N64 games are worth it. I had never played Gunstar Heroes before, and it was well worth the $8. The convienence of just turning on your Wii and having a slew of games there to play at the click of a button is almost worth paying a few bucks more than they are worth. My Dad and brother wanted to play some classic games when I came home for the holidays, and they are eagerly awaiting being able to play Mario Kart 64 again. Ya, I could buy a N64 on Ebay, but it's also just instant satisfaction to download the game in a minute and be able to play rather than bid on stuff and wait for it to be shipped and hope it works. But I do agree that games like "Baseball" and "Mario Bros." are not worth $5, especially when Animal Crossing for Gamecube has most of them plus the main game for $20.

But probably the biggest thing to keep in mind that we are cheapasses. I purchased Mario 64 at launch and tried out the online purchasing system with credit card, but since I've used deals like Buy.com/Google Checkout to get the Points cards much cheaper than $20/2000points. We're cheapasses, and if nintendo isn't going to make the games cheaper, we'll find a way to get the points cheaper.

Here here!!!

By the way, the web browser was something that was free on the store site so people did see what it was like using the VC store. They also shouldn't offer free games because it would just eat up the console memory that could of been used for purchased games.

[Cursor]

Thanks for taking my question about Motorstorm, guys. I really like the allusion that David made to the coziness of big media companies and the marketing machine of game publishers. I'm a big fan of the 1up Show, but I don't listen to it for the unvarnished truth. The CAGcast is a better source for that.

There is a set of unspoken rules that it seems the media companies play by: If a game is shit before it's released, they won't say that it is. If they don't play by these rules, then they get scooped by another media outlet next time there is a big exclusive announcement. In exchange for inside access, so-called game journalists agree to play ball. That isn't really journalism. As an arm of Ziff-Davis, 1up is definitely one small part of a big media corporation.

By the way, I'd like to chime in on the usage of the term fanboy. This word is pretty much worthless. It has no place in a mature discussion of the merits of one platform over another. Majormauser and everyone else should remove it from their vocabulary. When you have a difference of opinion, state that difference, constructively argue your point, and move on. It's not especially thoughtful to call Cheapy and/or Wombat 'fanboys' because the body of their podcasts is direct evidence that they are not thoughtless drones buying into some marketing machine.

[RelentlessRolento]

I'll just say my opinion wont count. I don't even know what I mean by that.

[zewone]

you know what would be nice for the 360

to be able to eject the tray when a disk is in it.
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/5008/xqmhyuut0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[thespamofpower]

HOLY Fuck!!

i didn't expect that, but thats a great (late) christmas present! Thanks Cheapy!

[nesfan8222]

HOLY Fuck!!

i didn't expect that, but thats a great (late) christmas present! Thanks Cheapy!
congrats, care to share what you might buy?

[thespamofpower]

congrats, care to share what you might buy?
I haven't really figured it out yet. maybe 360 games maybe a ps3 when their price comes down to retail or they get the US version with some good games (thinking like march-may). I really gotta look around the site. $1000 is alot of money to spend on games.

[RelentlessRolento]

I haven't really figured it out yet. maybe 360 games maybe a ps3 when their price comes down to retail or they get the US version with some good games (thinking like march-may). I really gotta look around the site. $1000 is alot of money to spend on games.


I say go console... by then you'll have more choices of ways to game.

[nym123]

i don' t understand why people are complaining about the CAGcast...of course it isn't perfect or anything, its just simply entertaining

[spooie_redux]

This ISN'T a complaint, but I did want to point it out, so that maybe it could be addressed in the next Podcast.

Cheapy and Wombat both said that their favorite handheld game of the year (1/2-way at least for Wombat) was Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.

A nice game indeed, but the only problem is that the game came out in 2005... not 2006. September 2005 in Japan, October 2005 in North America.

Therefore, would it be possible to find out what Cheapy's favorite NEW game of 2006 is?

:P

[CheapyD]

I did specifically say that we were picking our favorite games/systems played in 2006, not items that were released in 2006.

[Michaellvortega]

Getting REAL sick of CheapyD Wombat Drama, Hearing about it, joking about it, hinting at it whatever. Be professional, Everything else seems to be going over pretty good but some more preparation can bring your show to must DL status for more then just CAG users. 7 out of 10.

[spooie_redux]

I did specifically say that we were picking our favorite games/systems played in 2006, not items that were released in 2006.
Fair enough... but is there one that came out this year that you liked?

I ask, because your suggestion of the best game may be the single most significant event in the turning of the battle to defeat bad games.

If we rally behind you... we will... PREVAIL. But we can't follow the light... if all that we can see... is darkness.

Or something.... I dunno. I was just curious. :bouncy:

[Michaellvortega]

Also seemed like you repeated a few conversations you had already had in previous cagcast(markup of Wii used)

[gunm]

Getting REAL sick of CheapyD Wombat Drama, Hearing about it, joking about it, hinting at it whatever. Be professional, Everything else seems to be going over pretty good but some more preparation can bring your show to must DL status for more then just CAG users. 7 out of 10.

Meh, to me it's just part of the repartee between the two hosts. Whether it's real or staged, it doesn't matter much--and besides, they've only talked about it at any length for what, two episodes? For like 5-10 minutes tops? Anyway, it's not a big deal to me considering there's like 45-50 shows a year.

Still, overall, this episode was a bit understated to me. It didn't feel like the last episode of the year IMO, and the picks and pans of 2006 felt a bit rushed through, although I can see harping on what we already did in '06 can get a bit long in the tooth.

I think maybe a special guest or something could've set this show apart and given it the "let's go out with a bang" attitude. I guess in the end, they took a cue from their favorite console and did a "New Rally X" to /shrug in the New Year...

[Logg]

I was drunk but had to listen and got another beer.

Great show so far.

[doctorfaustus]

Hey guys, this was an okay show in my opinion.

What I really like about the cagcast in comparison to other video game podcasts is that the cagcast is not bombastic and pompous. The cagcast is two gamers on the outer, very far fringes of the game industry talking about cheap games, what they're playing, and other sundry topics that aren't overtly scripted or even well-thought out.

I've been listening to other video game podcasts recently and I've noticed that most of them spent too much time name-dropping and promoting their company's merch.

Major Nelson's podcast is like a bad infomercial. Most of the podcast is spent talking about industry insider bullcrap that is of very little interest to a gamer like myself. Moreover, Nelson comes off as a pretentious pseudo celebrity who loves to drop names. In the most recent episode, Nelson's bombastic statement " Major Nelson doesn't wait in lines" serves to remind the listenter that Major Nelson might be a gamer, but he is not a gamer like you or me. Major Nelson is a spokesman for Microsoft and as such he receives a salary, benefits, and freebies. The cagcast, however, remains independent and honest. Rarely do these two jokers pull any punches.

CheapyD and Wombat are spokesmen for the rest of us cheap, chunky, gas spewing, tiny-apartment-dwelling gamers that work hard for their gaming time and software. It is this appeal that draws me to the cagcast.

Happy Holidays!

[Bazz]

Hey , the show was good , but begining of the show had a lot of non-gaming complaining. Also the sound was a little weird for cheapy I kept hearing him ecco in the back.

[1modernboy]

Aside from one painfully long pause by Wombat and Cheapy’s bizarre echo I think this week’s episode went off without a hitch.

Personally, I’m very interested to see how the balance of responsibility shifts now that both of you are recording on your respective ends; it used to be that Cheapy took care of the content preparation and Wombat did the recording (not the most fair division of labor, but it suited), but, now that this duty has been wrested from Mr. Wombat, there will doubtlessly need to be some adjustments made to find renewed equilibrium within the CAGcast.

[mik]

Good show and a pleasant holiday surprise, for sure.

I was a little mystified by Cheapy commenting on how much better the Wii browser is than the PS3's. Granted, having the remote as a surrogate for a mouse is much more intuitive than the analog sticks, but the Wii browser is lacking a whole host of functionality that the PS3's browser has. Not to mention that, since you're restricted to standard definition, most web pages end up looking like a dog's breakfast.

Of course, no one (myself included) really gives two hoots about a web browser on their console. But the discussion reinforced in my mind that sometimes the railing on Sony seems to come from a strange, almost prejudicial place.

[anomynous]

Good Show, and I agree that Gears of War is the best multiplayer experience, and the Xbox 360 is the best console.

[MugRulez]

Nice show. For me is always great to listen you two...game related or not it is always entertaining. Also I think it is nice that you two like good games, period. Nobody tries to defend this or that console as you sometimes see in some other podcasts.

Also let me remind you guys that you are not eligible for vacation. :)

[CheapyD]

I was a little mystified by Cheapy commenting on how much better the Wii browser is than the PS3's. Granted, having the remote as a surrogate for a mouse is much more intuitive than the analog sticks, but the Wii browser is lacking a whole host of functionality that the PS3's browser has. Not to mention that, since you're restricted to standard definition, most web pages end up looking like a dog's breakfast. I have found the Wii browser to much faster than the PS3 browser, and of course the Wiimote works better as you mentioned (for clicking and text-entry).

What host of functionality is the Wii browser missing? I was able to surf all my usual spots with no problems (youtube, CAG, google ig, etc...)


Aside from one painfully long pause by Wombat and Cheapy’s bizarre echo I think this week’s episode went off without a hitch.

Personally, I’m very interested to see how the balance of responsibility shifts now that both of you are recording on your respective ends; it used to be that Cheapy took care of the content preparation and Wombat did the recording (not the most fair division of labor, but it suited), but, now that this duty has been wrested from Mr. Wombat, there will doubtlessly need to be some adjustments made to find renewed equilibrium within the CAGcast. Man, we had all kinds of issues with Skype. Calls dropping, bad quality, etc... Piecing that show together afterwards was a bitch.

[Ikohn4ever]

funny, I was listening to you while I was pooping on the bus

[felixlighter]

Here's a suggestion for the best of CAGcast segment:

Make a compilation of all the CheapyD CAGCast belches. That could eat up a good 20 minutes right there. I'd give timestamps, but you're right it would be a helluva lot of work.

[mik]

What host of functionality is the Wii browser missing?
The standard def vs. high def is the biggest issue. But in terms of functionality, off the top of my head, the PS3 browser:

lets me have multiple pages open/loading simultaneously and I can cycle through them with a tap of the L2/R2
supports USB keyboards for text entry
has more functions mapped to the controller rather than occupying screen space (back, forward, tab, etc.)--and the Wii has next to no screen space to spare in 720x480
allows me to input a new URL without returning to the home page every time
and, most importantly, it lets me download the latest episode of the CAGcast to my hard drive and listen on the PS3. ;)
The Wii browser does seem to run faster for me too, though.

[Ma12kez]

Good show again guys! Can't wait to see the new website updates. Man Cheapy, when I heard that "Kid Niki" theme, I almost fell off my chair. I remember playing that game when I was younger. Do you think you can point me in the right direction to where you found the theme song? Keep up the good work, and thanks for making drives to work a whole lot better; even if it is once a week.

[Sarang01]

Cheapy fuck the person complaining about your correcting Grammar and Vocabulary. I'm SO sick of the people around who type and can't spell worth anything or the one's who deliberately mis-spell every word because they think it's cool.

[usickenme]

I pimped you guys in my podcast. However, mine has about 1/10th the listeners so lotta good it will do.

[mikeohara]

I found the latest episode to be a great way to end the year in gaming that was 2006.

[doctorfaustus]

I pimped you guys in my podcast. However, mine has about 1/10th the listeners so lotta good it will do.

What podcast is that? I'm looking for some more podcasts to keep me entertained while commuting.

[encendido5]

Finally going to get a chance to download this. Will post impressions later.

[F8X]

Hello everyone I just started listening to the CAGcast and I must approve. I found out about your "cast" from Kotaku and digg. I myself consider myself a very cheap person so its great to hear normal gamers like me. Anyway love the show.

I just got a 360 prem( yesturday) with two extra wireless controllers, a plug and play, Gears and Rainbow 6 for $460 so I can shop for some good deals :)

[mik]

I pimped you guys in my podcast. However, mine has about 1/10th the listeners so lotta good it will do.
I did a little review pimpage, myself--for both my blog readers:

http://thefanboys.com/2007/01/01/radio-killed-the-video-game-star/