CAGcast #65: Making a Difference

[CheapyD]

This week, CheapyD interviews Jesse Labrocca (aka Defender), NYC independent game retail legend. In addition, we cover the latest industry and game shopping news, your questions from the CAGbag (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71382), and so much more, your head might explode!

Listen for details on new contests, sponsored by GameBrink.com (http://www.gamebrink.com/) and Crackdown (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/c/crackdown/default.htm?WText.camp=HR1-Crackdown&WText.campSrc=Home) (360).

To enter the latest contest, please post in the new contest thread (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129436).

Don't forget to: http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/disturbed/misc/80x15-digg-badge-2.gif (http://www.digg.com/podcasts/CAGcast)
Not a Digger? Register (http://www.digg.com/register)(it helps the CAGcast and is fast, easy, and free)
Add CheapyD (http://digg.com/users/CheapyD)& Wombat (http://digg.com/users/wombat5277) as your Digg friends!

(http://media.libsyn.com/media/cheapyd/cagcast65.mp3) Download (http://media.libsyn.com/media/cheapyd/cagcast65.mp3) - 91 minutes, 42MB
http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif (https://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZFinance.woa/wa/subscribePodcast?id=78311760) (Review us (https://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZFinance.woa/wa/addUserReview?type=Podcast&id=78311760))
RSS feed (http://feeds.feedburner.com/cagcast) - Add to Google (http://fusion.google.com/add?feedurl=http://feeds.feedburner.com/cagcast)- Add to My Yahoo (http://add.my.yahoo.com/rss?url=http://feeds.feedburner.com/cagcast) - MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/cagcast)
Past CAGcasts (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/../archives/cat_cagcast.php)

http://media.libsyn.com/media/cheapyd/cagcast65.mp3


Show Linkage/Notes:

Intro music: Leisure Suit Larry, For Your Thighs Only (http://queststudios.com/quest/lsl1.html) (PC)

Contest winners: Wageslave (PW2), cgarb84 (Crackdown), wolfpup (killzone), Ashes of Wake (WOW 2 months)

NeoGAF Podcast Thread (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=137602)
Japanese Transformers Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVhE7DVUFvA)
CheapyD Karaoke on SingShot (http://www.singshot.com/playPerformance.html?performanceId=213787&play=Y)
CAG Foreplay: New Releases (2/27/07) (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/../archives/cag-foreplay-new-releases-22707.php)

New Backward Compatability issues for Europe
Phil Harrison: We Are Under No Pressure to Drop PS3's Price
(http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=15342)Sony: Rumble is a 'Last Generation Feature' (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3157501)
Sony: PS3 Price Cut Not Likely For Two Years (http://kotaku.com/gaming/ps3/sony-ps3-price-cut-not-likely-for-two-years-239816.php)
Virtua Fighter 5 #1 in Japan (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=158515)

EBGameStop exclusive games. (http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2007/2/25/7213)

GDC Predictions Analyzed (http://gamepro.com/gamepro/domestic/games/features/100968.shtml)

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

Digg the CAGcast (http://www.digg.com/podcasts/CAGcast)
MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/cagcast)
CheapyD's Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/cheapyd) (Subscribe (http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=CheapyD))

Outro: Atari 7800 (http://gameads.gamepressure.com/tv_game_commercial.asp?ID=5175)

Bonus Videos/Pictures!

Click the picture for a complete photo gallery (http://www.talkvideogames.com/showthread.php?t=36754)
http://www.talkvideogames.com/images/store_pics/store_8.jpg (http://www.talkvideogames.com/showthread.php?t=36754)

[whoknows]

I was about to go to bed but didn't and then I saw this. Must be fate or something. Downloading now. :)

[FriskyTanuki]

Great interview. It was interesting, enjoyable and both you and Defender did a good job in it. Great job at cutting the interview into the show. Was it hard to give the generic bookend comments and splice Defender's interview between them? Either way, it'd be nice to have more interviews like this if you can get them.

I don't really see the similarity between Bullet Witch and Gungrave. I'd predict 5-6 scores for it.

More hysterical ranting from Wombat, please. :lol: Whenever Cheapy greenlights the Wombat's Burough, it should be good. You guys should go for an epic three hour CAGcast like the 1up Yours guys did last week, then you'd have no excuse to skip stuff that's important to Wombat.

Shut down again on the CAGbag front. :-( :lol:

[Temporaryscars]

Holy shit! Now, let me say that I laugh during every CAGCast, but this episode takes the cake. When Wombat started playing Cheapy singing "Ring of Fire," in the background, followed by Cheapy begging for it to stop, I laughed so hard that I dropped my laptop and it ripped the headphones off of my head, nearly ripping my ears off.

Great work guys.

[InvaderZim]

'''' The store was very famous and I was interviewed by news all around the world. Also in local NYC papers like the NY Times and Village Voice. I can do a whole thing about my store and what I did one day. We were on MTV and Spin magazine did a spread with NERD in my store too. Basically my store was the focal point for gaming and gamers from all walks of life. We had a TON of famous customers that are too many to list them all but some would be Meg Ryan, Vincent D'Onofrio, Just Blaze, and Ric Ocasek..''''

It's good that he does not take himself seriously...

[outlawz42]

'''' The store was very famous and I was interviewed by news all around the world. Also in local NYC papers like the NY Times and Village Voice. I can do a whole thing about my store and what I did one day. We were on MTV and Spin magazine did a spread with NERD in my store too. Basically my store was the focal point for gaming and gamers from all walks of life. We had a TON of famous customers that are too many to list them all but some would be Meg Ryan, Vincent D'Onofrio, Just Blaze, and Ric Ocasek..''''

It's good that he does not take himself seriously...

Its funny too because I went to that store a few times, and while he did have some good stuff there were way more negatives than postives. Prices were much higher and the guys working there were not the most helpful people for the most part. The "Legend" you speak of was rude to many a customer (Not me but i've witnessed a few times) when ever he was actually at the store. I stopped shopping there not too soon after first discovering the store because it just wasnt worth paying an extra 5 or 10 dollars (for a new game). If you were searching for an older game it was a decent spot to go to I guess.

[guyver2077]

wow...

havent heard about defender's store in years..

[Monsta Mack]

Damn Cheapy your CAGcasts are getting longer, or is it just me ? ;) Either way I'm listening right before I head off to work. Nice to hear from defender.

[jho]

Defender is the man. I don't post often but I remember when he was more involved and he was a great contributor. I especially remember when he hooked up a lot of CAG with the reprint of puzzle fighter (a fantastic game). Great to hear from him.

[hufferstl]

This is the best CAGcast ever, due to the use of the phrase "stabbed me with your love knife".

[nadsofed]

For those who are interested you can see a live webcam of Hawaiian Tropic at www.earthcam.com

[shipwreck]

"I played this game so much I didn't masterbate for a week."

Obviously a box quote for the second printing of Crackdown.

[moonknight25]

I played Crackdown a lot also, and Wombat is right. After you finish it you are like wtf?

[lokizz]

man ill say it once and ill say it again the wii is a gimmick and now its showing just how limited it is with all these lame games it keeps cranking out where the wiimote doesnt work well. from her eon in only nintendo brand games will be able to use the wiimote properly. and as far as laice goes flo was cool but vera was freakin hott. a little scary in an odd im kind of mentally retarted but im a functioning retard kind of way but still hott.

and if i remember correctly the person who played flo also played the old woman who got shot through a window in gremlins.

simpsons quote.
Troy McClure: Don't kid yourself, Jimmy. If a cow ever got the chance, he'd eat you and everyone you care about!


crackdown

[beeporama]

I really enjoyed the interview.

[trip1eX]

Great Interview. Good insight. Awesome.

[InvaderZim]

I don't think it's a gimmick. However, I do believe that a bunch of big developers are trying to cash in on it by releasing rushed/crappy games...

If developers start to think 'outside of the box' I believe we will start to get some really decent software for it. If they continue to try and port older games to it they are going to fail.



man ill say it once and ill say it again the wii is a gimmick and now its showing just how limited it is with all these lame games it keeps cranking out where the wiimote doesnt work well. from her eon in only nintendo brand games will be able to use the wiimote properly. and as far as laice goes flo was cool but vera was freakin hott. a little scary in an odd im kind of mentally retarted but im a functioning retard kind of way but still hott.

simpsons quote.
Troy McClure: Don't kid yourself, Jimmy. If a cow ever got the chance, he'd eat you and everyone you care about!


crackdown

[CAG 79]

To Wombat I say that bigger is not always better. I find the size of land in Crackdown to be just about right. Since it's not as big as GTA SA, I now have a better idea where things are at. I definitely disagree with the statement about the game not being finished. What did you want a 50hr. RPG? Besides, they are promising downloadable content so that should give it some more replay value.

[msuna]

is this store still around?? Anyone know where it is located if it is. i am definetly look for some older stuff and I work in NYC.

[Aberforth]

:roll:http://www.singshot.com/user.html?userId=68668:roll:

I think Bumble Bee is now a mustang... wtf?

[spidey]

Good show and very interesting interview. Having been to Multimedia 1.0 and never met defender, he sounds calm and collected rather than his "attitude problem" reputation would have others believe. I guess it helps that he is out of the retail video game business.

Listening to you guys remind my of the talk radio I used to listen to on WNEW 102.7 FM when they used to air Don and Mike, and Ron and Fez. Highly entertaining. Thanks for the continued effort on the CAGcast. I can't wait for the next episode.

[defender]

'''' The store was very famous and I was interviewed by news all around the world. Also in local NYC papers like the NY Times and Village Voice. I can do a whole thing about my store and what I did one day. We were on MTV and Spin magazine did a spread with NERD in my store too. Basically my store was the focal point for gaming and gamers from all walks of life. We had a TON of famous customers that are too many to list them all but some would be Meg Ryan, Vincent D'Onofrio, Just Blaze, and Ric Ocasek..''''

It's good that he does not take himself seriously...

FYI- I didn't really want to post that kind of stuff bit CheapyD actually requested that I did. I really don't take myself too seriously. I am actually very relaxed now that I am semi-retired in Las Vegas. I am even on Prozac to help with some ADD and anxiety and it's changed my life tremendously.

As for the store and my rudeness or attitude. I want you take a moment and think about this. Imagine yourself a moderator here at CAG. Imagine you are paid but not really that much. CheapyD expects you to be on the forums for about 10-12 hours a day 6 days a week. And your basic job is to answer every question asked on the thread no matter how trivial, stupid, or annoying. You find yourself just repeating the same phrases over and over...after a year you realize the questions are the same questions again and again. Now do that for 10 years and if you can do it with a smile and no attitude then you are a better man that me. I sincerely apologize to anyone that personally experienced rudeness or attitude at Multimedia 1.0. It was to say the least a very difficult personal journey. Add on top the stress of 9/11, 4 kids, and a wife. I burned out...I knew it in 2002 and it took me 2 years to get out. I was in a jail of sorts. I owned the store...it was not something I could just close. It wasn't a job I could just quit. It was the income for my family and worst of all...I hated just about every damn second I was there which was constant. It's hard to explain the amount of resentment I felt at the time.

This post is not for any sympathy. I am great now...excellent as a matter of fact. However it's still painful for me to bring up the store and discuss it. I can talk about games and such but to talk about the "glory days" doesn't exactly make my day. While MM1 was pure hell for the last 4 years..it was a golden achievement for the first 6. I am now 36 and I quickly realized that my biggest success most likely has come and passed. It was success...and in the end it was failure. I live with it...and past it now. It's not a pleasant thing for me to think about as it requires a lot of self-reflection some of which makes me very uncomfortable. As I type this I am semi-shaking.


I guess it boils down to this. I do admit I was an asshole. Even then I knew. I was out of control in some sense because...I had no control. My life was being led for me and I hated it. I felt imprisoned by the very thing I created and once loved.

I am a not an asshole anymore. As a matter of fact...I feel great now as a person. I don't get mad, I get along really with my wife and kids. The prozac has straightened me out along with my lifestyle change. Not working sort-of rules.

Thank you all for listening and commenting. The CAGcast was really fun to be a part of.

-Jesse

[defender]

is this store still around?? Anyone know where it is located if it is. i am definetly look for some older stuff and I work in NYC.


Sorry to double post but just to address this question. I sold my store (for peanuts really...inventory wasn't even paid for) to a friend who ran it for a year before having issues with the landlord and forced to move down to 6th street between 2nd and 3rd avenue. He has the same phone number still so you can call to make sure because it might be 5th street.

212-539-1039

The new owner has run the store very similarly to my style with inventory. He concentrates tremendously now on imports and still has an impressive classic selection. He doesn't currently have a website for mail order but if you are NYer you can surely visit. I know he scored some awesome collectables like one of these.

http://archive.gamespy.com/top10/december02/grails/1.jpg

[MysteryMan2333]

Loved the interview this episode. I think it's a good idea to throw one of those in every now and then. Major Nelson has nothing but interviews, so that tends to get boring rather quickly (it did for me at least as I no longer listen). However, having one every 5 shows or so seems like a pretty good idea if you can get someone relevant on. The SoE story was pretty amusing, although if I was in the business and that kind of situation happened all the time I'm sure be extremely aggrivated as well. With the internet now, and reviews appearing pretty readily before a game comes out, I'm sure it's a little bit easier to guage how much a game will be in demand.

Also, Cheapy, I don't think it's ever been mentioned, but shouldn't people be restricted to post only once in the contest thread? I have no idea if people are posting multiple times (this is a fairly reliable community), but it's definitely possible. If I post 50 times spread out over the 20 pages, my chances would be pretty damn good if you're picking three winners each week just using a random number generator to obtain a post number. When someone wins do you check to see if they've posted more than once and disqualify them if they did? Or are there no rules against that for the time being and I should abuse it?

[shipwreck]

Also, Cheapy, I don't think it's ever been mentioned, but shouldn't people be restricted to post only once in the contest thread? I have no idea if people are posting multiple times (this is a fairly reliable community), but it's definitely possible. If I post 50 times spread out over the 20 pages, my chances would be pretty damn good if you're picking three winners each week just using a random number generator to obtain a post number. When someone wins do you check to see if they've posted more than once and disqualify them if they did? Or are there no rules against that for the time being and I should abuse it?

It doesn't matter how many times you post. You can pull up a list of unique posters in a thread and that's what Cheapy uses to randomly pick winners from.

[lokizz]

FYI- I didn't really want to post that kind of stuff bit CheapyD actually requested that I did. I really don't take myself too seriously. I am actually very relaxed now that I am semi-retired in Las Vegas. I am even on Prozac to help with some ADD and anxiety and it's changed my life tremendously.

As for the store and my rudeness or attitude. I want you take a moment and think about this. Imagine yourself a moderator here at CAG. Imagine you are paid but not really that much. CheapyD expects you to be on the forums for about 10-12 hours a day 6 days a week. And your basic job is to answer every question asked on the thread no matter how trivial, stupid, or annoying. You find yourself just repeating the same phrases over and over...after a year you realize the questions are the same questions again and again. Now do that for 10 years and if you can do it with a smile and no attitude then you are a better man that me. I sincerely apologize to anyone that personally experienced rudeness or attitude at Multimedia 1.0. It was to say the least a very difficult personal journey. Add on top the stress of 9/11, 4 kids, and a wife. I burned out...I knew it in 2002 and it took me 2 years to get out. I was in a jail of sorts. I owned the store...it was not something I could just close. It wasn't a job I could just quit. It was the income for my family and worst of all...I hated just about every damn second I was there which was constant. It's hard to explain the amount of resentment I felt at the time.

This post is not for any sympathy. I am great now...excellent as a matter of fact. However it's still painful for me to bring up the store and discuss it. I can talk about games and such but to talk about the "glory days" doesn't exactly make my day. While MM1 was pure hell for the last 4 years..it was a golden achievement for the first 6. I am now 36 and I quickly realized that my biggest success most likely has come and passed. It was success...and in the end it was failure. I live with it...and past it now. It's not a pleasant thing for me to think about as it requires a lot of self-reflection some of which makes me very uncomfortable. As I type this I am semi-shaking.


I guess it boils down to this. I do admit I was an asshole. Even then I knew. I was out of control in some sense because...I had no control. My life was being led for me and I hated it. I felt imprisoned by the very thing I created and once loved.

I am a not an asshole anymore. As a matter of fact...I feel great now as a person. I don't get mad, I get along really with my wife and kids. The prozac has straightened me out along with my lifestyle change. Not working sort-of rules.

Thank you all for listening and commenting. The CAGcast was really fun to be a part of.

-Jesse

dude i dont blame you for getting pissed at customers. i used to work in a conveinence store and i got all sorts of stupid ass questiond and requests. like having to pull out 10 40 oz beers just so i can get somone the one way the fuck in the back because they think its the coolest.

or kids coming into the store with no money asking for free stuff or the ones who come in with money grab a bunch of stuff and dont realize they dont have enough. so not only do you have to take tude from them being upset they dont have enough money ( since they apparently cant add or subtract) but then you have to help them figure out what they want and deal with them taking up your time when you should be taking out the trash or sweeping to wait for them to see which combo of stuff they want.

and dont get me started on penny candy or ciggaretts. and no i didnt work at a nice neat store near a well to do part of town i worked in a store smack dab in the middle of a housing project so yeah people suck because they come in themost times not knowing what they want, not having the money to pay for it and yeah even in a conveinence store you get people coming in just to look around or hang out which im sure has to happen a hell of alot more at a videogame store.......damn just thinkign about it pisses me off even more.

[MysteryMan2333]

It doesn't matter how many times you post. You can pull up a list of unique posters in a thread and that's what Cheapy uses to randomly pick winners from.

Ah, okay. Thanks for the info.

[defender]

People would get mad at me because I wouldn't let them play our demo system. You can see in the pics we had a big TV (specially for back then) and we always had a game running as demo and customers felt they should be able to come into my store and play games. Often times people said they wouldn't buy unless they could first play it. I understand that but imho that's what game reviews are for. For practical reasons if I allowed everyone to "demo" games there would be a line of people all day asking me to change games for them to try out. That would basically require me to get another employee because my first priority in the store was security. We had a lot of theft and theft attempts. Customer service sadly was second but it was important...if you added "gaming demos" to the equation something else would suffer.

Anyways...most people that at one point worked retail understand it's not a fun job.

[MORT A POTTY]

good show guys, wombat, i like the ranting :D

[thorbahn3]

This is the best Cagcast I've listened to since the famous Mrs. episode . Yeah, it was that good and you should have Defender back in a few months.

[defender]

Thanks and I would be honored to be back.

[MSUHitman]

The Marvel Trading Card Game release is actually something the VS. System community has been looking forward to for a while. It's a rule-by-rule simulation of the VS System CCG from Upper Deck, just without the DC license (Konami has been unable to get it.)

The retail release of the game will let you use VS cards from the first 5 Marvel sets for VS. System: Marvel Origins, Web of Spiderman, Marvel Knights, Avengers, and The X-Men. No word yet on Heralds of Galactus (released in Sept.) and Marvel Team Up (Spiderman, Sinister Syndicate, Underworld reboot plus Marvel Defenders) which comes out in the next week or so but patches are likely on PSP/PC versions.

The retail PC version is supposed to come out with the DS version (now slated for May.) There is a free download for the PC if you want to try it out at http://www.marveltcgonline.com/

The PC free download features access to online play against PSP and other PC owners (you have to buy the cards details on the site) and a limited single player version. You have a choice of a Spiderman/F4 deck or a Sinister Syndicate/Doom deck playing against Chameleon (running SS/Crime Lords) Kristoff Von Doom (running a Doom Army deck) and Loreli (running a Brotherhood deck.) You also get a 3-step tutorial explaining the basic rules of VS System.

If you have any interest at all with either the Marvel Universe or CCG's in general I highly recommend at least trying the PC download. There's a reason VS System was Inquest's Magazine's CCG of the Year last year. If you have any questions, I'm technically a pro at the game (played in 3 of the 11 Pro Circuits so far) and can answer any general questions about VS System.

Wombat- You may want to consider the PC version since you don't have a PSP because the DS version only allows play between DS to DS, and it's not known whether the 5th Marvel set (XMen) will be in the game. The PSP/PC retail/PC demo versions are all compatible with each other (online play with people on those versions.)

[Richlough]

This is the best Cagcast in a while , I'll be re-listening to this one alot .

I like the idea of having an interview once in a while . I'm sure it's better and less confusing than having a 3rd person on Skype .

Just remember , pre-recorded interviews are not a crime . Major Nelson's shows usually have several .

You should have Defender back in a few months.
Seconded !!

[bobthecat23]

great show guys made my day feel much better iwas sick:( hey hceapy how about sending me a free copy of the railfan train simulater

[Reality's Fringe]

Good stuff. Sorry to hear about State of emergency.

REAL sorry.

[defender]

Oh it's nothing to be sorry about now. It's old news. It was just a great story and basically my worst experience with a single game over 10 years. I have lots of stories though. :)

[Kaijufan]

I didn't know a Marvel TCG was coming out for the DS. I've never played VS, but I've heard of it. I've been hoping for a Magic or a Pokemon TCG for the DS since those were the games I played back in the day, but I'm looking forward to trying the VS TCG.

[glass joe]

Oh it's nothing to be sorry about now. It's old news. It was just a great story and basically my worst experience with a single game over 10 years. I have lots of stories though. :)

Great interview, really slick. Awesome tale about State of Emergency, that really puts it in perspective. Man, I'd be terrified to ever stock anything again after getting stuck with 6K in S of E.

I'd love to hear more tales of game industry torment some time, there should be a follow up cast!

[CaseyRyback]

Oh it's nothing to be sorry about now. It's old news. It was just a great story and basically my worst experience with a single game over 10 years. I have lots of stories though. :)

I would love to hear more stories. I bet some of them are really good.

Great interview BTW.

[Cursor]

I'm in for Crackdown. I'm about 15 minutes in and enjoying it as usual.

[liongames]

FYI- I didn't really want to post that kind of stuff bit CheapyD actually requested that I did. I really don't take myself too seriously. I am actually very relaxed now that I am semi-retired in Las Vegas. I am even on Prozac to help with some ADD and anxiety and it's changed my life tremendously.

As for the store and my rudeness or attitude. I want you take a moment and think about this. Imagine yourself a moderator here at CAG. Imagine you are paid but not really that much. CheapyD expects you to be on the forums for about 10-12 hours a day 6 days a week. And your basic job is to answer every question asked on the thread no matter how trivial, stupid, or annoying. You find yourself just repeating the same phrases over and over...after a year you realize the questions are the same questions again and again. Now do that for 10 years and if you can do it with a smile and no attitude then you are a better man that me. I sincerely apologize to anyone that personally experienced rudeness or attitude at Multimedia 1.0. It was to say the least a very difficult personal journey. Add on top the stress of 9/11, 4 kids, and a wife. I burned out...I knew it in 2002 and it took me 2 years to get out. I was in a jail of sorts. I owned the store...it was not something I could just close. It wasn't a job I could just quit. It was the income for my family and worst of all...I hated just about every damn second I was there which was constant. It's hard to explain the amount of resentment I felt at the time.

This post is not for any sympathy. I am great now...excellent as a matter of fact. However it's still painful for me to bring up the store and discuss it. I can talk about games and such but to talk about the "glory days" doesn't exactly make my day. While MM1 was pure hell for the last 4 years..it was a golden achievement for the first 6. I am now 36 and I quickly realized that my biggest success most likely has come and passed. It was success...and in the end it was failure. I live with it...and past it now. It's not a pleasant thing for me to think about as it requires a lot of self-reflection some of which makes me very uncomfortable. As I type this I am semi-shaking.


I guess it boils down to this. I do admit I was an asshole. Even then I knew. I was out of control in some sense because...I had no control. My life was being led for me and I hated it. I felt imprisoned by the very thing I created and once loved.

I am a not an asshole anymore. As a matter of fact...I feel great now as a person. I don't get mad, I get along really with my wife and kids. The prozac has straightened me out along with my lifestyle change. Not working sort-of rules.

Thank you all for listening and commenting. The CAGcast was really fun to be a part of.

-Jesse

Hi Defender. I listened to the podcast today and I enjoyed it. From One small retailer to another, I really hope you could reflect on MM1 one day, and realize the word failure doen't belong in the same sentence. You took a shot in life, and built a pretty special store from what I can see. Times change, Business changes, things change. The store might of lost some of it luster to you near the end. It sounds like it even became a tough part of your life. If it were me, i would reflect on the good times, and the postive impact you made on people. It also sounds like maybe you didn't treat some customers good near the end, but there is a positive from this also. It appears to me that you have grown as a person since then. You have also bounced back from a tough time in your life, and you should be proud of that also. The bottom line is MM1 was a very important journy in your life that got you to where you are today. Your Golden Achievement might be the fact that you have grown from both a positive and negative situation. We never know what lies ahead for us. I do know if you worked MM1 for 10 years, you put your heart and soul into it , and you deserve nothing less then concentrating on the good times instead of the bad times. MM1 was just another important stepping stone in your life. Vegas is pretty cool for sure. I have to bowl in Reno at the end of April, and then I will fly down to Vegas to play some golf, before I come back home. Good luck to you!

Tony Liongames.com

[defender]

Hi Defender. I listened to the podcast today and I enjoyed it. From One small retailer to another, I really hope you could reflect on MM1 one day, and realize the word failure doen't belong in the same sentence. You took a shot in life, and built a pretty special store from what I can see. Times change, Business changes, things change. The store might of lost some of it luster to you near the end. It sounds like it even became a tough part of your life. If it were me, i would reflect on the good times, and the postive impact you made on people. It also sounds like maybe you didn't treat some customers good near the end, but there is a positive from this also. It appears to me that you have grown as a person since then. You have also bounced back from a tough time in your life, and you should be proud of that also. The bottom line is MM1 was a very important journy in your life that got you to where you are today. Your Golden Achievement might be the fact that you have grown from both a positive and negative situation. We never know what lies ahead for us. I do know if you worked MM1 for 10 years, you put your heart and soul into it , and you deserve nothing less then concentrating on the good times instead of the bad times. MM1 was just another important stepping stone in your life. Vegas is pretty cool for sure. I have to bowl in Reno at the end of April, and then I will fly down to Vegas to play some golf, before I come back home. Good luck to you!

Tony Liongames.com

Nice post but you really didn't say anything I already wasn't aware of. I often think about the good times of MM1. I still have many friends that I would never have if not for MM1 (CheapyD as a matter of fact). But the way it ended wasn't very good...and in some ways which I can't explain really it's still not ended. There are still lingering issues which I have to deal with from those last couple years. It may be 5+ years before I am "clear" of bad stuff from 2002-2004. I left my shop owing well over $200k...now that's debt.

Anyways thanks for your post.

[AshesofWake]

holy crap I won something O_O

great cagcast like always, had me laughing like always.

about Mario Kart being a drunk purchase, my friend bought it while completely wasted, we played it for like 10 minutes after he bought it. He regretted it totally the day after since he has 2 copies of it already. :rofl:

[bardiya27]

i don't see any problem with having wombat have his lil extra time. the longer the better!

[io]

Hey Cheapy (or anyone with a better memory than me), what were you referring when talking about the 75% chance (or whatever it was) of MS revealing the 120GB 360 at some upcoming show? Is there a link for this, because it doesn't seem to be on any of the gaming news sites. I'm asking what the show is (GDC?) and what the source of the various estimates was. Sorry - my attention kind of drifted there and then snapped back with the mention of the new 360 (which I am waiting on). I could go back through and listen again but I figured one of you younguns would remember it in an instant and save me the time ;).

[CheapyD]

A link is in the OP:
GDC Predictions Analyzed (http://gamepro.com/gamepro/domestic/games/features/100968.shtml)

[io]

A link is in the OP:
GDC Predictions Analyzed (http://gamepro.com/gamepro/domestic/games/features/100968.shtml)

D'oh! Thanks... In my defense the font is small and I'm old (relatively speaking) ;).

OK, read all the stuff at Gamepro. They don't really know anything that we don't already know. As much as I desperately want it to happen, I don't agree with their 90% assessment. We'll see soon enough I guess. I'd really like this to be true as I'm swimming in 360 games at the moment thanks to the Fred Meyer, Best Buy, and now Gamerush clearances. I've never bought so many games before owning a console before.

[jkam]

Great episode! I feel as if the past 3 or 4 shows have been top notch and among the best overall (Listening since the beginning). I enjoyed hearing from Defender and I thought it was a nice addition to an already great podcast. It reminded me of those awesome early CAG days. Videogamedeals.com was great to us...thanks.

[pete5883]

I think every episode should be accompanied by a new karaoke song. Next week is Wombat's turn.

[benjamouth]

Great CAGcast, very entertaining and an excellent interview with Defender. There should definitely be some more interviews with him as he is an entertaining and informed interviewee. Plus it's nice to hear some stories of CAG in the past, when newbs like me weren't around.

Much better than interviewing some boring PR bloke who spews "info" straight off the back of the box, I'm looking at you Nelson !!

Great job as ever guys !!

[MGoBlue]

Cheapy, you mentioned that when you bought Flow that you had to put $10 into your Sony wallet and that you were charged tax. When I bought it, I was able to put just $7.99 into my Sony wallet and I didn't get charged tax. Maybe it is different in Japan.

[dubbfoolio]

I love that you guys are bitter about the listeners are bitter about you guys being bitter. good episode guys. cagcast seems to be getting better and better lately.

Put me down for a shot at Crackdown if there's any left. I don't remember hearing which prizes are left anymore.

Simpsons quote and Wombat Karaoke song suggestion for the next CAGcast:

Can I borrow a feeling?
Could you send me a jar of love?
Hurtin' hearts need some healin',
Take my hand with your glove of love

[MaxDense]

I'm with you Cheapy, I've been playing Crackdown for a week. I enjoy playing a sandbox game as the good guy for a change. But as far as your karaoke goes...don't give up your day job.

http://card.mygamercard.net/MaxDense.png (http://profile.mygamercard.net/MaxDense)

[sinewav]

Sorry Cheapy but I must protest your handling of Wombat burrow this week. You've grilled Wombat in the past over not contributing to the show and then pull his segment at the last minute while at the same time keep most if not all of your content intact? While I don't think it was your intent to shaft Wombat this week and by no means does this detract my opinion of the show overall I feel if you are serious about Wombat taking a more active role on the show this is not the way to do it.

[tbogard99]

Homer: That horoscope was baloney. Nothing happened
except the pickaxe in my head, the rattlesnake
bite, and the testicle thing. What's for
desert?
Marge: No desert until you eat your broccoli. [Homer
takes some broccoli, chokes on it and dies]
[cut to a shot of Dr. Hibbert examining
Homer's body]
Hibbert: Mm. Another broccoli-related death.
Marge: I thought broccoli was ...
Hibbert: Oh, yes. one of the deadliest plants on earth.
Why, it tries to warn you itself with its
terrible taste.


Crackdown!! :-D

[Safero]

Wombat I had the same problem on my 360 with the tray refusing to close. I ended up gently jiggling the tray up, down, left, and right and it usually remedies the problem, once in a while I have to move it about, but for the most part my tray opens and closes like it should.

[franz ferdinand]

Great show this week guys. Personally I think Wombat has reason to be pissed off... Cheapy seems to have no problem paying $60 or more for unfinished beta-quality games, or $20+ for XBox marketplace reshashes of PSP launch titles; it's good to see that Wombat still represents the workin' cheapass man.

And Defener, wow! I had no idea that he was the owner of Multimedia 1.0! That store was awesome... I know I bought a bunch of Dreamcast, Saturn, and NES games there back when I was a student at NYU. Very cool to hear from the man himself. My only wish is that Wombat should've been a part of the interview, even if he was totally drunk and/or hung over at the time. In fact, that might just make it better.

Anyway, more interviews!

[defender]

And Defener, wow! I had no idea that he was the owner of Multimedia 1.0! That store was awesome... I know I bought a bunch of Dreamcast, Saturn, and NES games there back when I was a student at NYU. Very cool to hear from the man himself. My only wish is that Wombat should've been a part of the interview, even if he was totally drunk and/or hung over at the time. In fact, that might just make it better.

Anyway, more interviews!

lol...see it wasn't all bad. I did treat SOME customers good. :)

btw...Jesus and Mary Chain rock...nice avatar

[ch3zyp00fs]

Great Show!!! CAGcast 65 was the best episode since the wives were on the fakeair. I thought Defender was amazing in his interview and I hope he could be back in the future. Keep up the good work.

[Blackout]

Great show guys!! They just keep getting better and better.

Cheapy and Wombat you guys NEED to see the Prestige. I saw it in the theaters and I thought it was pretty amazing. Great film. Plus Scarlett Johansson is in it so you can't go wrong.

The Defender interview was really interesting. I've never been to NYC so I never been to his shop, but by the pictures and the way people talk about it sounds like a really cool place for games. Just a question though. You mentioned you took a pretty big hit on State of Emergency after the initial 700 bucks. What about a game like GTA 3, that remained popular and a hot seller? Would you continue to make that kind of money or would it fizzle out after a couple weeks?

Can't wait for next week's show!!

[Longshot099]

I loved the interview and the idea of setting a lower price starting price for games and holding it there is definitely something I have heard before. I actually think one of the leaders of Nintendo said something similar.

Nintendo seemingly does this with their GBA/DS games. Prices on those games take forever to drop and its much harder to find great deals for a CAGer like myself. Profit on those is probably lower, but at least the price protection seems a bit more secure?

[Gshocker]

Great show as usual. I liked the interview and it was nice to see the industry from the small retailer point of view as opposed to what gamestop or best buy think.

To Wombat - I have a few other crazy friends who want to play Railfan since they have seen it so the plague is spreading.

Gave you guys a shout on my podcast since I am now a big fan of the show.. Keep up the great work.

[tcv]

Just finished listening to it myself and I will add to the "great show" chorus. I definitely think that interviews are good and I would love to see Cheapy get an interview with Japanese gamers. I think that would be an interesting slant.

[usickenme]

Great show...finally. 63 and 64 IMO, weren't good and I was beginning to lose faith. The interview was a nice bonus.

although I still don't care about customer retention in the game industry.

[pete5883]

I loved the interview and the idea of setting a lower price starting price for games and holding it there is definitely something I have heard before. I actually think one of the leaders of Nintendo said something similar.
If you're thinking of the same interview I am, he said that game prices should be based on their length, so a long game could be like $100, and a short game would be less. What I got out of it was that he wanted to raise game prices, not lower them.

[Hired.Geek]

Cheapy & The Bitterest Whiny Gamer ever, great show as always though.

It just baffles me that Wombat believes that this game is not finished. I am about half way through, and think this one of the best open world games ever. I have to once again disagree with Wombat. He states that there is very little map compared to something like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which I completely disagree with. I will use an analogy of spilled milk. If you spill milk all over the floor one gallon of milk will cover quite a bit of floor space, which is similar to GTA:SA. In GTA:SA most everything you do is at ground level. Almost none of the game happens inside the buildings or on top of the buildings. If you keep that milk in the container, it does not cover nearly the same amount of area, but still resides in the same amount of physical space. Which I think is more like Crackdown, things happen on top of buildings as well as at ground level. I never completely finished GTA:SA, but I think that Crackdown probably has about the same amount of playable space as GTA:SA, you just have to go up as well as around. CheapyD, send me an address and I will send cork to plug up all this whine’ing lately from Wombat about games. Maybe CheapyD needs to add a third member to CAGCast like Shipwreck or some other contributor to help get a third opinion on things.

Really enjoyed the interview, I was expecting to hear him just complain about the screw job that these little guys get. But I was really impressed by Defender basically saying that DVD Empire and all the other little guys can make money as long as they use their heads. I am guessing that allot of his wisdom comes from years of experience.

Oh my god when I heard Cheapy say he was so busy playing Crackdown he did not have time to "rough up the suspect" so to speak, I was taking a drink and had pop drip out of my nose!

[whoknows]

If you spill milk all over the floor one gallon of milk will cover quite a bit of floor space
Are you indirectly telling Wombat to smell milk you spilled on the floor?

[encendido5]

Great show guys. I thought Wombat was missing the point about the drunk purchases since he was talking about games that were great while drunk. Though it makes sense since when you're drunk you want to play those games and will just spend the money without thinking.

How can I get one of those "You Lose!" buttons? You guys should put it up as a prize like those figures from before :)

Great interview with Defender, though I don't think I agree with "price increase" policy.

I'm looking forward to next week's Wombat karaoke.

[Wombat]

Cheapy & The Bitterest Whiny Gamer ever, great show as always though.

It just baffles me that Wombat believes that this game is not finished. I am about half way through, and think this one of the best open world games ever. I have to once again disagree with Wombat. He states that there is very little map compared to something like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which I completely disagree with. I will use an analogy of spilled milk. If you spill milk all over the floor one gallon of milk will cover quite a bit of floor space, which is similar to GTA:SA. In GTA:SA most everything you do is at ground level. Almost none of the game happens inside the buildings or on top of the buildings. If you keep that milk in the container, it does not cover nearly the same amount of area, but still resides in the same amount of physical space. Which I think is more like Crackdown, things happen on top of buildings as well as at ground level. I never completely finished GTA:SA, but I think that Crackdown probably has about the same amount of playable space as GTA:SA, you just have to go up as well as around. CheapyD, send me an address and I will send cork to plug up all this whine’ing lately from Wombat about games. Maybe CheapyD needs to add a third member to CAGCast like Shipwreck or some other contributor to help get a third opinion on things.

Really enjoyed the interview, I was expecting to hear him just complain about the screw job that these little guys get. But I was really impressed by Defender basically saying that DVD Empire and all the other little guys can make money as long as they use their heads. I am guessing that allot of his wisdom comes from years of experience.

Oh my god when I heard Cheapy say he was so busy playing Crackdown he did not have time to "rough up the suspect" so to speak, I was taking a drink and had pop drip out of my nose!



Even if you take land mass out of the equation, the time it takes to complete the story is way too short for an open ended game, at least for me.
I just expect more from a first party next gen game that costs 60 dollars retail, bare bones character customization, 3 cities and an 8 (at most) hour story doesn't cut the mustard for a purchase in this market

[wageslave]

The interview with Defender was great because it seemed (and probably was) unscripted. He's a likeable guy and I hope he returns to the show occasionaly.

[MSUHitman]

Cheapy,
How about talking about the CAGHL league in the next podcast? Curious to get your takes on it and I think it would make a good segment.

Wombat,
Did you try the free PC download for the Marvel Trading Card game? If you have any rules questions, or want to know what decks are best from the real TCG, just PM me.

[Bazz]

I love the Movie Walk The Line and loved the Karoke bit , awesome nice work with the show.

[Wombat]

Cheapy,
How about talking about the CAGHL league in the next podcast? Curious to get your takes on it and I think it would make a good segment.

Wombat,
Did you try the free PC download for the Marvel Trading Card game? If you have any rules questions, or want to know what decks are best from the real TCG, just PM me.

File planet tells me I have to pay to dl the demo, so there goes my weekend plans.

[MSUHitman]

You don't have to pay. There's servers for free download, but you have to wait like 10 minutes or so for the download to start. Just look below the high speed servers.

[Wolfpup]

Great show (aside from missing Wombat's Borrow).

I *completely* agree with game prices. $50 is completely outrageous, $60 is insane. Literally insane.

Setting games at a more reasonable $20-30, and then never really dropping them would sell a heck of a lot more copies, and would sell more UP FRONT because they're cheaper to begin with and we'd know they wouldn't really drop. That would be more fair for gamers and retail.

My own library is proof of what game prices do...I own 20 PS1 games, 7 PS2 (plus a few in my backlog), probably 30-40 GBA and DS games...and exactly zero 360 or PS3 games. And I'm a hardcore gamer. A casual gamer isn't going to make an impulse purchase of a $50 or $60 item-not ever.

There are a handful of games actually worth that, but you can't know that unless you've actually played it.

If you're thinking of the same interview I am, he said that game prices should be based on their length, so a long game could be like $100, and a short game would be less. What I got out of it was that he wanted to raise game prices, not lower them.

He didn't say that at all. Nothing even close to that (unless they come back to the issue later in the interview-I'm not all the way through). Might want to re-listen to it.

[Conboy]

I agree with Hired Geek, the Crackdown world is vertical, not just horizontal, so there are a good amount of places to go and explore. I never felt the game was unfinished. I've played more than 8 hours at the medium difficulty, and don't see how Wombat only played 8 hours. How many orbs did you find? Did you completely level up your character? I spent an hour the other day just looking for hidden orbs in the Shei Gen area, which I had just unlocked. It's not perfect, but as you said Wombat, it is a lot of fun.

[Wombat]

I agree with Hired Geek, the Crackdown world is vertical, not just horizontal, so there are a good amount of places to go and explore. I never felt the game was unfinished. I've played more than 8 hours at the medium difficulty, and don't see how Wombat only played 8 hours. How many orbs did you find? Did you completely level up your character? I spent an hour the other day just looking for hidden orbs in the Shei Gen area, which I had just unlocked. It's not perfect, but as you said Wombat, it is a lot of fun.

I said I completed the story after 8 hours, and I do agree it is alot of fun. I just dont think that it warrents its price tag, there really isnt enough to do once you complete the story in my opinion.

[dadeisvenm]

I got my colecovison from Defenders store. I had a few bad experiances though, but c'est la vi.

[Hired.Geek]

Hmmmm, everyone is entitled to their thoughts and ideas. I would compare Crackdown to a big buket of LEGOs. With kids you just dump them out and even after they have built the stuff on the box, there is still tons of stuff to do with them if you just use your imagination. Even after the game is finished you could play around with stacking up big piles of junk in the middle of the street stop traffic all around it, and use some of the cars to add to the pile of junk. And with the Limpet mines there is no end to the amount of fun you can have with them. Not to mention the shear fun of collecting orbs. Even after the story mode of the game is finished you can look at changing the genre of the game from a open sand box game, to a platformer by trying to figure out where all the orbs are and how to get to them. And then from a platformer to a light RPG, by leveling up your character to get ready for the downloadable content. And lets face it, after a hard day at work and the boss complaining about whatever it is a great stress release to go in with the rocket launcher, and the grenade launcher and blow up a bunch of stuff.

My only complaint with the game is that you can only have one friend in game with you at a time. Now I know that this would make the game really easy, but imagine you and five or ten of your friends all agents turned loose on the city at once. That would just fun all the crazy stuff you could do together.

I guess, I am starting to see a trend in the 360 games. The stories are shorter and the developers expect that the multiplayer aspect of the game will keep you playing for allot longer. Gears of War, Lost Planet, Crackdown, Rainbow Six: Vegas all of these games the single player story mode was very short and could be completed in under 10-12 hours of play. Yet the multi player aspect of the game keeps you coming back playing them for a long time.

[Wolfpup]

Bad news for those of us who don't really care about multi-player.

[Baron O Hell]

The interview was pretty good. I hope you have the guy back or do more interviews like this.

[Hired.Geek]

Wolfpup, Well if you are not into the multi player I would maybe wait for a price drop, unless you have completely run out of games to play.

[Medium_Pimpin]

Best show in a while guys, I Dugg it!

Did CheapyD say he was appearing in an upcoming episode of the Joystiq podcast?
I assume(without making an "ass" out of "u" and "me") this will be posted on the front page of CAG when it goes live.

[CheapyD]

Best show in a while guys, I Dugg it!

Did CheapyD say he was appearing in an upcoming episode of the Joystiq podcast?
I assume(without making an "ass" out of "u" and "me") this will be posted on the front page of CAG when it goes live.

My guess is that its going to be posted on Joystiq today.

[robbyrob]

Yo - great cagcast as usual! In fact I think this one was better than usual, due to the extreme bitterness from Wombat XBC (Extremely Bitter Cag). You guys rock!
RR

[FRAUD_WHATS_THAT]

http://l.yimg.com/img.tv.yahoo.com/tv/us/img/site/80/47/0000038047_20070228075324.jpg?

[MadFlava]

Defender is the man. I don't post often but I remember when he was more involved and he was a great contributor. I especially remember when he hooked up a lot of CAG with the reprint of puzzle fighter (a fantastic game). Great to hear from him.

I miss defender's online store and the sweet rare games that would show up from time to time. I too got in on the reprint of puzzle fighter. It's great to hear from him again on CAG.