CAGcast #224: Favorites of 2010

[CheapyD]

15060[/IMG-L]As you might guess from the title, we talk about our favorite (and not so favorite) games of 2010.

133
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Show Linkage/Notes (click the button below to expand):
Intro - Flash Gordon Battle Theme

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Outro: Telstar Ad (http://gameads.gamepressure.com/tv_game_commercial.asp?ID=12252)

[reddjoey]

I was was about to go back to bed, guess I'll give this one a listen and report back

[bobthecat23]

About time damn u guys have been slacking

[Pastlife]

I missed you guys. I just have a question, did any of you get to play Raskulls? That game was released on the 29th there for its still under 2010, but many websites ignored it because it was during their holiday break. I have to say that is by far my favorite game of the year. I played it with my little brother and Girlfriend and they loved it, the story is very adorable, funny and age appropriate, something you guys as parents should check out. Also Mass effect 2 was awesome.

[kortex]

Hey Wombat,

You know what happened to those kids in Limbo? You killed em! Remember the section with with the three rammers on the ceiling? You lured the kids into those, running away from them.

greetings

[bardockkun]

Cheapy, in answer to your Rock Band 3 question when you go to All Instruments Mode the vocals are at the setting you last had them at. So if you played a song beforehand on Hard with half the game vocals and the vocalist, that's where it'll be. If you go directly to All Instruments Mode, then it'll use the default game settings, which is majority game vocals and a little bit of the person with the microphone and I believe on medium difficulty.

[200STM]

Just Listened to the CAGcast awesome show guys! I enjoyed listening to find out your favorite games and least favorite games of 2010. Shipwreck I have claimed the code for Qlione 2 and 1 thanks for giving out the code very appreciate it.

[CheapyD]

Cheapy, in answer to your Rock Band 3 question when you go to All Instruments Mode the vocals are at the setting you last had them at. So if you played a song beforehand on Hard with half the game vocals and the vocalist, that's where it'll be. If you go directly to All Instruments Mode, then it'll use the default game settings, which is majority game vocals and a little bit of the person with the microphone and I believe on medium difficulty.

I had a feeling that was the case. Unfortunately, I figured it out long after New Year's Eve. Stupid drinking clouded my judgment.

[NegativeZero]

Hey Cheapy, I thought you said this new podcast was 2 hours, It'w only 1:56:11 according to iTunes so that means that after the intro and outro , It's about 1:50 or so , WTF?
Thanks though!

[repete]

cant wait for this one it was a great year.

[CheapyD]

Hey Cheapy, I thought you said this new podcast was 2 hours, It'w only 1:56:11 according to iTunes so that means that after the intro and outro , It's about 1:50 or so , WTF?
Thanks though!

The intro & outro are approximately 1 minute combined. Also, I had to edit out 5 minutes of a Wombat racist tirade.

[meager]

I'm still disappointed you guys didn't give ComicJumper a chance. Sure, the game was basically a simple twin stick shooter... but you guys didn't write off Metro 2033 for its gameplay deficiencies. Comic Jumper is all about the comedy. Star's constant hassassment of Captain Smiley... a supervillain named Brad... doing a dance to send a unicorn to heaven (in fact, the whole "what the hell is going on here" aspect of the manga level is great.... just really wish those levels were in color.)... the theme songs: even the stats screen has its own hilarious song. It's a really enjoyable game. Plus all the unlockable stuff... I wore that silly Captain Smiley head on my avatar for months. I found it to be a much better value than Limbo. I hope they come out with more episodes for the game.


Wow, I really sucked up to that game right there.

Well, anyway, good show.

[LiK]

Shippy's love for DOA Paradise always surprises me!

[Curufinwe]

Shippy's love for DOA Paradise always surprises me!

It surprises everyone. :)

[shipwreck]

Comic Jumper is one of the 2010 games I haven't gotten around to yet. I think I picked it up when it was on sale for $10.

I'm still disappointed you guys didn't give ComicJumper a chance. Sure, the game was basically a simple twin stick shooter... but you guys didn't write off Metro 2033 for its gameplay deficiencies. Comic Jumper is all about the comedy. Star's constant hassassment of Captain Smiley... a supervillain named Brad... doing a dance to send a unicorn to heaven (in fact, the whole "what the hell is going on here" aspect of the manga level is great.... just really wish those levels were in color.)... the theme songs: even the stats screen has its own hilarious song. It's a really enjoyable game. Plus all the unlockable stuff... I wore that silly Captain Smiley head on my avatar for months. I found it to be a much better value than Limbo. I hope they come out with more episodes for the game.


Wow, I really sucked up to that game right there.

Well, anyway, good show.

[nateeasy29]

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b389/DavidFricke/nerds.png

Was watching Simpsons yesterday and noticed the nerd character reminds me of Wombat.

[Clarke]

What have I been playing all this time on my computer if Mass Effect 2, Splinter Cell Conviction, and Metro 2033 are Xbox 360 exclusives?

Naw I'm just messin' with ya.

[RichMeisterMan]

You guys should definitely axe the console specific favorite games. The only person that seems to give real love to all the consoles is Shipwreck so there's really no point. Also, with so many great games being multiplatform there is no real reason to be console specific. Perhaps if anything you can have a top 3 console exclusives next year? Where you don't have don't necessarily have to name one for each console, they just have to be exclusive to one console.

[Falion]

Maybe a fellow CAG can help me out here...

Raptor - the game tracking website/app/whatever was brought up quite a bit during the podcast, but I can find absolutely nothing about it on the web. Is it Mac only or something? Can anyone provide a link? I love the idea of a site that can track the amount of time I play specific games.

[Wombat]

Maybe a fellow CAG can help me out here...

Raptor - the game tracking website/app/whatever was brought up quite a bit during the podcast, but I can find absolutely nothing about it on the web. Is it Mac only or something? Can anyone provide a link? I love the idea of a site that can track the amount of time I play specific games.

raptr.com , enjoy!

[Falion]

raptr.com , enjoy!
The "o" made all the difference. :D

Thanks so much!

[RanchLizard]

Just as you might want to play Fable 3 before Fable 2, or play Fallout New Vegas before Fallout 3, I should have listened to this CAGcast before the other GOTY podcasts.

Because shipwreck is the only one that really plays enough games, the exhaustive list of various categories is too much. It'd be too much for me, too. I play enough games to pick my 10 favorites, but that's about it. All the subcategories don't really work.

Cheapy and wombat are great to listen to as regular gamers. But regular gamers can't realistically have such specific favorites; they just don't play enough to justify any decisions.

I think a more general discussion of favorite games would be more meaningful than the small little categories that are discussed here. It doesn't make sense for Cheapy to have a favorite DS or Wii game, so I'm glad he didn't really try. And if Wombat has to think that hard on the PSP category, it's probably not needed, either.

All in all, it just seems a little forced to have all the detailed categories when, instead, just top 5 or 10 favorites and ensuing discussion would have sufficed.

[Walt Jay]

Cheapy,

Tron is in Tron Legacy.

Tron is Rinzler

[Gamehead]

Props to Cheapy for recognizing Daredevil: The Director's Cut as a good movie. It really is much better than the theatrical cut. If you like comic book movies you should really give Daredevil another chance and check it out. It is pretty cheap.

@Wombat- Kingpin has always been a large man, however he isn't really fat, and is no where near Jabba the hut's level. With opinion's of the movie aside Michael Clarke Duncan completely fit the role of the Kingpin IMO.

[Wombat]

Props to Cheapy for recognizing Daredevil: The Director's Cut as a good movie. It really is much better than the theatrical cut. If you like comic book movies you should really give Daredevil another chance and check it out. It is pretty cheap.

@Wombat- Kingpin has always been a large man, however he isn't really fat, and is no where near Jabba the hut's level. With opinion's of the movie aside Michael Clarke Duncan completely fit the role of the Kingpin IMO.

At least three times as wide as MCD, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingpin_(comics). I know it's not actually "fat" but no one wants me to over talk the Kingpin on the show.

[Gamehead]

At least three times as wide as MCD, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingpin_(comics). I know it's not actually "fat" but no one wants me to over talk the Kingpin on the show.

True True, but I don't think it would be possible to have the Kingpin any larger and not have him look ridiculous like the Blob in the Wolverine Movie.

[LiK]

Yup, DD Director's Cut is great. WAY better than the theatrical. They even changed some story bits which I won't spoil that made the movie better. Check it out Ship.

[Javery]

I need to try Metroid: Other M again. I didn't like what I played of it although I gave up after about 2 hours. I've actually had a lot of fun on the Wii this year: Super Mario Galaxy 2, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Donkey Kong Country Returns and a couple of others - and I hate my Wii.

[The Great BM]

I see you guys have kind of struggling with putting games into categories when doing the show. What if next year you do your regular platform favorites (Wii, PS3, 360, Multi, etc), and then just throw whatever wasn't mentioned into a list of "Honorable Mentions"? Sort of how like Joystiq does it.

[apathylad]

Some of the 360 games mentioned weren't exclusives because they had PC releases. Of course, that would make the award categories even more complicated. I beat Limbo recently when it was onsale for $10, and I'm going to have to agree with Wombat and Shipwreck. Limbo felt more like an interactive art project.

[Gamer SDP]

another show to use as background noise while internet browsing.

you guys should also make an actual list so we can recall what games your you 2010 picks. I'm surprised there were no Monday Night Combat or Epic Mickey talks.

[cthomer5000]

Found myself agreeing with a lot of cheapy's sentiments during this show.

Definitely liked Limbo a lot, but felt it was overrated. Though I'll defend it quite a bit more than a lot of other people.

Liked RDR a lot, but also grew tired of the annoying interactions with characters in cut scenes. While it was one of the better games of the year, i was pretty relieved to beat the game so i was done playing it. I also had the exact same feeling with the Undead Nightmare extra, which i got as a standalone recently.

Felt the DLC for Alan Wake added nothing to, and possibly detracted from, my overall enjoyment of the game.

[Javery]

another show to use as background noise while internet browsing.

you guys should also make an actual list so we can recall what games your you 2010 picks. I'm surprised there were no Monday Night Combat or Epic Mickey talks.

I can't speak for MNC but Epic Mickey was not good, IMO.

[thorbahn3]

You should watch Angry Joe's top 32 reasons Fable 3 sucks: http://angryjoeshow.com/2011/01/top-reasons-fable-iii/#more-8845

[kvadair]

You guys still have a problem with your download picks: super meat boy is not XBLA exclusive as it is also available for windows and mac. The bigger problem is that it's hard to define a download platform exclusive since many of the games are released cross platform, but not at the same time. Just group all downloads together and specify the version you played when making your pick.

Mass Effect 2 is available on PC as well, and thus not an Xbox exclusive. Just because you guys don't play PC games doesn't mean they don't exist.

... and to those saying comic jumper was the best download game last year you are correct.

[Smallville123]

You guys still have a problem with your download picks: super meat boy is not XBLA exclusive as it is also available for windows and mac. The bigger problem is that it's hard to define a download platform exclusive since many of the games are released cross platform, but not at the same time. Just group all downloads together and specify the version you played when making your pick.

Mass Effect 2 is available on PC as well, and thus not an Xbox exclusive. Just because you guys don't play PC games doesn't mean they don't exist.

... and to those saying comic jumper was the best download game last year you are correct.

This.....other than that great show

[Wombat]

We meant say console exclusive, also get over it.

[aerotive]

I also liked A Single Man, great performances and a movie that really captured its era.

Also, like CheapyD, No Homo. :)

[LiK]

We meant say console exclusive, also get over it.

The 2011 Wombat ain't taking shit.

[usickenme]

I see you guys have kind of struggling with putting games into categories when doing the show. What if next year you do your regular platform favorites (Wii, PS3, 360, Multi, etc), and then just throw whatever wasn't mentioned into a list of "Honorable Mentions"? Sort of how like Joystiq does it.

agree. The categories were a mess and incoherent. I wouldn't even bother with any platforms as you mostly only play one. (Aside, Cheapy's Wii jokes are beyond old).

I don't really even care about "winners" either. It is far more interesting to hear what you liked and why.

[Fuzi0n]

I was just at Disneyland over the holidays and they did in fact bring back Captain EO.

[reddjoey]

Glad to hear the CAGCast.

I enjoyed the off-topic movie talk. It was a nice breakaway from the games talk. I have the DD Director's Cut and felt the pacing was a bit off. It was definitely a better DD movie, but just too long and a bit more violent than targeted audiences wanted (at that time all these movies were PG-13 and 90 mins). I'd recommend it over the regular version if you have never seen either.

Also, it seems they added Captain EO back to Epcot at DisneyWorld. Guess I should go back and check it out

[Hiei69]

I think it would be best to just pick 6-8 of your favorite games of the year regardless of the system or format. The show turned into struggling to choose games that met the convoluted categories and took away from the explanations of why each game was chosen. Just pick YOUR favorite games and explain why you enjoyed them so much. Who needs categories, this is CAG.

[gollum80]

What have I been playing all this time on my computer if Mass Effect 2, Splinter Cell Conviction, and Metro 2033 are Xbox 360 exclusives?

Naw I'm just messin' with ya.

lol i was thinking the same thing, having played over 100 hours of ME2 on my PC. its too bad they don't have a computer gamer on the cast in some form to bring light to the PC games that came out.

but overall a great show and I'm glad it finally came out :P

[Velo214]

so who used the qlione code?

[ShockandAww]

I thought Heavy Rain was a good game for one play through. PS3 didn't really have crap for exclusives last year though besides that and GOW3. GOW3 was the same old thing, which isn't bad really but I thought Heavy Rain should at least get some props for doing something different.



Oh here's the awards for next year I'll save everyone the trouble:

Favorite Multiplatform game: Mass Effect 3
Runner Up: Batman Arkham City
...err 2nd Runner Up: L.A. Noire

Favorite Xbox Exclusive: Gears 3
Runner Up: Hopefully something besides Forza

Favorite PS3 Exclusive: Uncharted 3
Runner Up: Killzone 3 (though it should have been The Last Guardian if that releases, or Infamous 2).

So there you have it.

[RichMeisterMan]

Totally agree with cheapy about Tron...

It fucking sucked. The use of Tron the character was total garbage, the special effects were nothing to write home about, and in the end I felt like nothing had been resolved; just that... homeboy now had a fine ass artificial ISO girlfriend.

[Fjordson]

Great to have the CAGcast back. Surprisingly, I found myself agreeing with a lot of your picks. Cool to hear you talk about Metro 2033 and Singularity, Cheapy. I played through Metro 2033 on PC and it was really an amazing experience. The PC version's incredible visuals really bring the atmosphere and setting to life. Singularity is on my Gamefly list, looking forward to checking that out.

Still can't agree with Cheapy's thoughts on Red Dead's story and characters, though. I think Rockstar is far and away the best in the business as far as narrative and dialogue. The way they were able to, in addition to moving you through a central plot, also get in lots of subtle satire and a multitude of themes regarding the modernization of the wild west and America in general is astounding to me. Not to mention the great ending. It's so rare to see a game have such a final and satisfying conclusion. A lot better than the incredibly lame giant terminator (?) at the end of Mass Effect 2. Easily my game of the year (in case you couldn't tell :lol:).

Still a great episode, though. Cheers to a new year for the 'cast :applause:

[Wolfpup]

Mass Effect 2 is multiplatform. It was so bizarre hitting the Xbox exclusive section, and then having Mass Effect 2 in there. Would have been nice having Xbox exclusives talked about in the Xbox exclusive category...

Just finished Giant Bomb's awards, and Mass Effect 2 won both best multi-platform game and game of the year, which I probably agree with (technically there are still a lot of games I have to get to, so there COULD be something I like better, but...)

Why not include COD BlOPS in your Playstation exclusive game of the year segment too? :lol:

And for that matter, where was the talk about the PSP and DS? Hardly anything was mentioned. You guys didn't even bring up MGS5 or Kingdom Hearts...

[Wolfpup]

Hmm...regarding movies, I think Scott Pilgrim was my favorite this year, but I liked all the super hero movies that were mentioned. Daredevil (and Electra), Wolverine, etc.

Are they perfect? No, but at least they're interesting in their own rights, and aren't embarrassing. You guys seriously need to rewatch those 90's Batman films if you want to see an actual bad film. They're much, much worse than you even remember. Or the Superman films for that matter...

I didn't realize that much had been changed in Daredevil...is it worth rewatching? I wouldn't mind if I can see it on Blu Ray or whatever and it's significantly different.

[Wombat]

How many people need to comment on the PC thing, I thought one was enough. Just pretend when you listen to the show that you live a in world where PC games don't exist. If you have no imagination, find a new podcast.

[KingBroly]

Pinball FX 2 is free on XBLA, but it has a TON of paid DLC. So you technically can't buy it, Wombat. Also, my 130+ hours of Monster Hunter Tri holds its' chin high to your 66 hours of Mass Effect 2.

[RichMeisterMan]

How many people need to comment on the PC thing, I thought one was enough. Just pretend when you listen to the show that you live a in world where PC games don't exist. If you have no imagination, find a new podcast.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uuCqsyqQObY/S9ZnAWtStEI/AAAAAAAABEw/oYglN3d4YR8/s400/obamam-lol-y-u-mad-tho.jpg'
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.urlesque.com/media/2010/11/you-jelly.jpg

[usickenme]

How many people need to comment on the PC thing, I thought one was enough. Just pretend when you listen to the show that you live a in world where PC games don't exist. If you have no imagination, find a new podcast.

or you could grow a thicker skin.

Look, I don't listen for accuracy or knowledge. I listen because you all seem like decent dudes. But you when you act like defensive babies, you ruin that impression.

[bsesb2003]

So I rented the Daredevil Director's Cut, and it is much better than the original. The scenes added in make the film darker, reduce the importance of Elektra, and add more in of the origin and Foggy relationship, which in turn fleshes out the ultimate showdown with Kingpin. My guess is a lot of that was taken out so the focus remained on Jennifer Gardner, and why not, but the story wasn't fleshed out. Karen actually plays a someone important part in the story. This is darker, more true to the comics, and a better film. Too bad this isn't the one that was released -- I suppose they went for as large an audience as possible, and couldn't do that with an R rating, which is what we get with the added scenes.

[cthomer5000]

Still can't agree with Cheapy's thoughts on Red Dead's story and characters, though. I think Rockstar is far and away the best in the business as far as narrative and dialogue. The way they were able to, in addition to moving you through a central plot, also get in lots of subtle satire and a multitude of themes regarding the modernization of the wild west and America in general is astounding to me.

Please point me towards any example of subtlety in the writing of that game.

[Curufinwe]

There is none, and the various awards and accolades given to Red Dead for its story by gaming magazines and websites are a indictment on the low standards of the industry when it comes to storytelling.

[RichMeisterMan]

Red Dead was sprinkled with some story in the beginning and some story at the end. The middle 80% was nothing but John Marston getting the run around making no real head way in the story just doing favors for information and promises that were never made good on.

The production values were really good, and the story was good when it was actually making progress and I absolutely loved the end. Unfortunately though the subplots that filled a large chunk of the game were not very good.

[Fjordson]

There is none, and the various awards and accolades given to Red Dead for its story by gaming magazines and websites are a indictment on the low standards of the industry when it comes to storytelling.

Unfortunately though the subplots that filled a large chunk of the game were not very good.
http://imagemacros.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/your_opinion.jpg

[joyce_181502]

Wasn't there a graphic or table in past years indicating the breakdown of the categories and each person's pick?

It would be nice to see a non-audio breakdown (there was talk about the fabled Excel spreadsheet / Google Doc)

[Mahoney07]

I liked Mass Effect 1 more than Mass Effect 2. Story was cooler.

[Davestation]

The way you guys talked up Just Cause 2, I figured it would get one of your favorites in a category and not just an honorable mention. You guys where talking it up allot, I got this on your recomendation and me and my son just hit 90 hours on it. It is my favorite of the year and I am shocked that I liked a game you guys recomended.

[bickle]

Mass Effect 2 is multiplatform.

Really? What other console is it on? SNES? The PS3 version isn't out yet, so for 2010 it was a 360 exclusive.

Could you guys post a link to the spreadsheet? In previous years it was fun to also fill it out.

Great show, keep it up.

[ianoid]

Pc games shmeeshee games.

It's called Italian beef in Chicago and two of the more noteworthy places to get it are Johnny's on North Ave in Elmwood Park and Jay's. I'm not that into it myself, but then again I don't like deep dish pizza either. NY pizza is sooo much better.

And Shipwreck, next time you visit Chicago, if you are in the West burbs, check out Videogames ETC on Harlem Ave. Awesome selection of classics. And the owner has red hair. Oh and Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield has more than 200 arcade games.

[Sgt Barone]

Great podcast guys!!!

[FriskyTanuki]

You guys should've involved the community with that list feature that this site has.

Joe Danger does have friends list integration, as it shows you how well you've done compared to your friends for that level. None of you played that far. Shipwreck got through five tours, Wombat got through four, and Cheapy might've gotten past the second tour, but he sucked enough that he doesn't show up in the top five of my friends leaderboards.

Giving a game a 5/5 or 10/10 is not saying the game is perfect, just that it's an amazing game with the highest recommendation that they can give. I'm not surprised that Wombat would jump to that conclusion as a reason to rip on Giant Bomb and any other review site out there.

Way too many categories. Got bored about halfway through when you should've just went from console exclusive awards to game of the year and called it a night.

[Z_meista]

No favorite CAGcast moment? Good show guys.

[Wombat]

You guys should've involved the community with that list feature that this site has.

Joe Danger does have friends list integration, as it shows you how well you've done compared to your friends for that level. None of you played that far. Shipwreck got through five tours, Wombat got through four, and Cheapy might've gotten past the second tour, but he sucked enough that he doesn't show up in the top five of my friends leaderboards.

Giving a game a 5/5 or 10/10 is not saying the game is perfect, just that it's an amazing game with the highest recommendation that they can give. I'm not surprised that Wombat would jump to that conclusion as a reason to rip on Giant Bomb and any other review site out there.

Way too many categories. Got bored about halfway through when you should've just went from console exclusive awards to game of the year and called it a night.

I said perfect score, not that the game was perfect.

[Wolfpup]

I liked Mass Effect 1 more than Mass Effect 2. Story was cooler.

I thought so too. Although I'm (I guess) in the minority, I liked the combat better too. I did like the addition of actions you could take during cut scenes/dialog though. That that was a nice (and natural) extension.

It's still my favorite 2010 game so far though, though there are a lot I'd like to play (like Bioshock 2, etc.)

Really? What other console is it on? SNES? The PS3 version isn't out yet, so for 2010 it was a 360 exclusive.

Windows. Even if it weren't, the very fact it's not only been announced, but a Playstation version is about to be released should keep it from that category.

It was really funny/jarring to hear that.

[eataburger]

Great podcast guys, the 2 hours flew by.

Three comments:

1 - Kudos to Wombat for the Indie game love. If you can sift through the crap there's a few real gems in there for a cheap ass gamer.

2 - My only complaint about Pinball FX 2 is one of your strengths - the length. I don't *want* to play a table for 30 minutes / game unless I'm on some crazy streak - I prefer the cheapness of real pinball tables where it takes a lot of skill to last more than a couple minutes. Since it's score based, it makes it seem more like a sprint than a slog.

3 - I think Alpha Protocol should have gotten some love for underrated game of the year.

[cgarb84]

I love ME 2 but it isn't my game of the year. The people saying the story in ME 1 is better than the story in ME 2 are correct. The story in ME 1 is way more epic than the story in 2, almost all of the story in 2 are basically fetch quests to get your party members together so you can save the galaxy in ME 3. In ME 1 I felt like I had a huge role in the outcome of the galaxy, in 2 you get very little of that feeling. And my game of the year can't in good conscience go to a game that has what may be worst end boss in any RPG I have ever played. I did still love it though even though it may not sound like it haha.

[Wolfpup]

So what was your game of the year?

Regarding the end boss...it was super lame for Mass Effect, though I'd actually say cool by normal standards.

ME2 somehow felt "smaller" to me...the galaxy, the story, etc. That COULD be a good thing, but here it's not.

And yeah, the writing in general is excellent, but the overall story is just a 'gather the troops' thing.

I do have to wonder if there's any truth to the idea that the structure and new characters were done because ME1 isn't on Playstation...

Still looking forward to playing Alpha Protocol among others!

[bcoakiot]

Best use of gore should have gone to 999. It made me queasy and they never even showed any of it. The descriptions were amazingly disturbing.

[shipwreck]

Best use of gore should have gone to 999. It made me queasy and they never even showed any of it. The descriptions were amazingly disturbing.

It was on my short list when I was working through my list.

[K_G]

I disagree with Wombat's advice to Shipwreck concerning Fallout New Vegas. While Fallout 3's overall storyline and plot progression is much, much better than New Vegas, I think the writing/dialogue is a bit sharper (and definitely more funny) in New Vegas, esp in regards to your companions who now can say more than 2 or 3 phrases.

While the player's motivation to explore the main quest in New Vegas can get frittered away fairly quickly with side quests, I think this has to do with the many different paths the player can take to the end. In Fallout 3, regardless of how you play, good, bad or indifferent, the story roughly progresses the same way...some characters may act differently towards you based on your karma score but that's about it. In New Vegas, you have to balance out various factions and your choices will ultimately make some of them friends and other enemies, and this will open some quests and shut off others. You'll end at the same story climax, but there are more ways to get there in New Vegas than in Fallout 3. And all of the factions has their flaws as well, so even when you think you are doing the "good" thing, it is tempered with the thought that you are probably screwing over someone else (something the game’s end monologue makes clear)

.

Personally, I would recommend doing Fallout 3 first and then new vegas. Once you have Fallout 3 experience, you'll have a better understanding of what works for you as player in regards to skills and perks, which will be helpful in New Vegas, where the game is much less generous with skill points (fewer skill books around) and the player has fewer perk slots available as well.

[FriskyTanuki]

I said perfect score, not that the game was perfect.
You said both. You called them perfect scores and said that Limbo wasn't perfect despite the scores.

[usickenme]

I don't get* where people say "ME1 story" or "ME2 Story" blah, blah. To me it is all ONE damned story. Very intentionally Bioware set it up this way with the save import. And because of this, I am so looking forward to ME3 to finish the arc.




*okay I do "get" that it is a contrivance created by people to simply say they like ME1 better than ME2

[Wolfpup]

I don't get* where people say "ME1 story" or "ME2 Story" blah, blah. To me it is all ONE damned story. Very intentionally Bioware set it up this way with the save import. And because of this, I am so looking forward to ME3 to finish the arc.


*okay I do "get" that it is a contrivance created by people to simply say they like ME1 better than ME2

It's not a contrivance, I mean Mass Effect 1 to me has a better story (among other things). Sure it's telling an overall story, but that doesn't mean that the story in all the games is equally good, or for that matter that they even knew where it was going necessarily with ME1.

[usickenme]

maybe it is just semantics but to me, it's still one story. Although people may have preferred the events in ME1.

I believe it was planned as a trilogy.

[chiat]

shipwreck, thanks for accepting my friend request on Raptr.
I am just wondering how you get so much time to spend on playing video games. How many hours do you work per day and how many hours do you spend per week on playing video games, making spreadsheet for the games and writing game reviews? :shock:

[kingkiller33]

Seriously, I'm really tired of the cagcast taking a big dump on the PS3. The only props you could give it was God of War 3, and even then CheapyD had to complain that the game didn't blow him away.

Then Wombat totally trashes Heavy Rain calling it shit when this game received plenty of high reviews.

Finally, you guys completely overlooked other great PS3 exclusives like Yakuza 3 and Modnation racers. And like it or not, GT5 did receive lots of good reviews! I think the ONLY PS3 game that the podcast has given decent praise to is Uncharted 2. That's sad. You know, there are lots of happy PS3 owners out there!

2011 predictation - ya'll won't even bother playing Little Big Planet 2 or Killzone 3.

[guardian_owl]

Other than a couple of new scenes I thought were silly (Kingpin killing his own guy for no reason, and Bulls-eye acting like a jack ass at the airport screeners) and were better if they had been left out, the DC of Daredevil is MUCH better than the theatrical cut.

Maybe after I give it another view I'll appreciate it more but the Scott Pilgrim film I found to be nearly all flash with little substance.

[KingBroly]

Seriously, I'm really tired of the cagcast taking a big dump on the PS3. The only props you could give it was God of War 3, and even then CheapyD had to complain that the game didn't blow him away.

Then Wombat totally trashes Heavy Rain calling it shit when this game received plenty of high reviews.

Finally, you guys completely overlooked other great PS3 exclusives like Yakuza 3 and Modnation racers. And like it or not, GT5 did receive lots of good reviews! I think the ONLY PS3 game that the podcast has given decent praise to is Uncharted 2. That's sad. You know, there are lots of happy PS3 owners out there!

2011 predictation - ya'll won't even bother playing Little Big Planet 2 or Killzone 3.

They'll probably play Killzone. The last one had really good multiplayer. This one will have a party system, so that's a big improvement.

[shipwreck]

I was a really big fan of Killzone 2, so I'm definitely going to play Killzone 3. I hated LittleBigPlanet and have zero interest in playing the sequel. And I played all the way through LittleBigPlanet so I have no issues saying I did not like it.

[Big St3ph3n]

Shipwreck, would it be possible to get that list of all the games of 2010 for a project i am working on, i cant seem to find one online at all. If you can PM me, id appreciate it a bunch bro.

[Wolfpup]

I was a really big fan of Killzone 2, so I'm definitely going to play Killzone 3. I hated LittleBigPlanet and have zero interest in playing the sequel. And I played all the way through LittleBigPlanet so I have no issues saying I did not like it.

What did you dislike about LittleBitPlanet? For me, I found the controls/interaction with the world didn't feel right. I didn't like the level design. And I don't care about building my own levels (although I probably would have when I was growing up, and in principle I like the idea). I'm sure I got stuck way before the end though, but yeah, I have just about zero interest in playing the sequel.

I have slightly more interest in buying the PSP game at some point, as the demo for that seemed like it had better controls.

[kingkiller33]

I was a really big fan of Killzone 2, so I'm definitely going to play Killzone 3. I hated LittleBigPlanet and have zero interest in playing the sequel. And I played all the way through LittleBigPlanet so I have no issues saying I did not like it.


I really don't get how you could hate LBP, but gush love for Limbo. Both games appear very similar in gameplay to me. LBP2 sounds as amazing as you can create racing, puzzling and RPG type games.

[jkanownik]

Seriously, I'm really tired of the cagcast taking a big dump on the PS3. The only props you could give it was God of War 3, and even then CheapyD had to complain that the game didn't blow him away.

Then Wombat totally trashes Heavy Rain calling it shit when this game received plenty of high reviews.

Finally, you guys completely overlooked other great PS3 exclusives like Yakuza 3 and Modnation racers. And like it or not, GT5 did receive lots of good reviews! I think the ONLY PS3 game that the podcast has given decent praise to is Uncharted 2. That's sad. You know, there are lots of happy PS3 owners out there!

2011 predictation - ya'll won't even bother playing Little Big Planet 2 or Killzone 3.

They're not alone. As you get older you start to place a higher value on things like convenience, which is the main issue with the PS3. Mandatory installs/downloads, the inability to drop rechargeable batteries into the controller and the controller layout (FU QTE's that use the X button!!) are all things that lead many people to prefer the Xbox 360. You'll find that many of those people are working professionals that got used to playing the Xbox 360 because it came out first.

And if you played every major release in 2010 you wouldn't give those other games you mentioned a second thought. There are also plenty of other people that like what Heavy Rain tried to do, but absolutely hate the implementation of it.

The only PS3 games I know I'll play for certain in 2011 are the Ico/SotC Collection, Last Guardian and Uncharted 3. LBP, Killzone, Infamous and Resistance are all sequels to games that I didn't finish, so I'd have to read reviews saying they did something really different or executed much better than their predecessors in order for me to care about them.

[kingkiller33]

They're not alone. As you get older you start to place a higher value on things like convenience, which is the main issue with the PS3. Mandatory installs/downloads, the inability to drop rechargeable batteries into the controller and the controller layout (FU QTE's that use the X button!!) are all things that lead many people to prefer the Xbox 360. You'll find that many of those people are working professionals that got used to playing the Xbox 360 because it came out first.

And if you played every major release in 2010 you wouldn't give those other games you mentioned a second thought. There are also plenty of other people that like what Heavy Rain tried to do, but absolutely hate the implementation of it.

The only PS3 games I know I'll play for certain in 2011 are the Ico/SotC Collection, Last Guardian and Uncharted 3. LBP, Killzone, Infamous and Resistance are all sequels to games that I didn't finish, so I'd have to read reviews saying they did something really different or executed much better than their predecessors in order for me to care about them.

Every console has pros and cons. Personally I find it a PITA on Xbox to have to deal with license transfers, and going to Zune marketplace to watch my videos that I downloaded. And you certainly get a lot more for $50 bucks with Playstation Plus than Xbox live.

My point is that the Cagcast just seems to never say anything good about PS3. Hell, Wombat has already trashed the first exclusive this year, DC Universe Online.

[Wombat]

Every console has pros and cons. Personally I find it a PITA on Xbox to have to deal with license transfers, and going to Zune marketplace to watch my videos that I downloaded. And you certainly get a lot more for $50 bucks with Playstation Plus than Xbox live.

My point is that the Cagcast just seems to never say anything good about PS3. Hell, Wombat has already trashed the first exclusive this year, DC Universe Online.

Games that are on the PC also are not exclusive. It has been brought up a few times, I think.

[Moozh]

Wow, Shipwreck played 130+ games in 2010! How many games were released in 2010? Just curious what your ratio is of played games to released games.

[shipwreck]

Wow, Shipwreck played 130+ games in 2010! How many games were released in 2010? Just curious what your ratio is of played games to released games.

Those stats were for games released in 2010. I'll have to do the number crunching to see what percentage of total releases that was.

[Davestation]

I was a really big fan of Killzone 2, so I'm definitely going to play Killzone 3. I hated LittleBigPlanet and have zero interest in playing the sequel. And I played all the way through LittleBigPlanet so I have no issues saying I did not like it.

Last CAGcast you "referred" to Resistance as being horrible and even said "Why would you want to play with such old weapons?" but you are a Killzone fan. Just would like your thoughts on the Resistance franchise...

[GOTA]

So when do Iphone/Ipad games get their own favorite games category? Given the enormous amount of people already playing these it probably should have happened already. Angry Birds is one of the few games that actually got it's own article in the Wall Street Journal in 2010.

Apple is estimating they will sell 37 million Ipads in 2011 up from 7.6 million in 2010. The Iphone is also breaking out of it's AT&T prison. When we look back at 2011 many of the games that will talked about are going to be for these platforms. Once publishers see significant revenues from Iphone/Ipad games there will be more resources devoted to those games and less to the consoles.

[shipwreck]

Last CAGcast you "referred" to Resistance as being horrible and even said "Why would you want to play with such old weapons?" but you are a Killzone fan. Just would like your thoughts on the Resistance franchise...

Hmm... what was my exact wording on calling it horrible? I don't find the art style, weapons, gameplay, or setting appealing in Resistance. I'm surprised if I called it a horrible game though. Maybe I did? That would be a bit extreme. But, I'm fairly certain I don't like the series. Let me check again, yup, I don't like it.

[Davestation]

Hmm... what was my exact wording on calling it horrible? I don't find the art style, weapons, gameplay, or setting appealing in Resistance. I'm surprised if I called it a horrible game though. Maybe I did? That would be a bit extreme. But, I'm fairly certain I don't like the series. Let me check again, yup, I don't like it.


You did not say it was horrible, only the way you spoke of it thats why referred was in quotation marks in my question. How far did you get in the series? I can understand art style being annoying but the weapons are like any other FPS game, setting is an alternate universe in the World War II era (wich World War II has been done over and over again but this is not the typical kind) and the gameplay is just like any other FPS game except it runs at 60 frames per second. Though if you have played the series enough I would like to know what game has more innovative weapons than the Chimera weapons in a FPS? In my opinion Killzone is all graphics and boring story of shooting Hellghast in the head 18 times before they die. You do have to play into Resistance to get better Chimera weapons to appreciate their value.

But if you do not like it than you do not like it, Insomniac is one of the better western developers in the industry. There has not been any real game innovation in the FPS series in a long time. Hopefully Bulletstorm will live up to expectations?

[evil_twin]

Cheapy, How are you using Raptr, if it doesn't support the mac any more?

[shipwreck]

Cheapy, How are you using Raptr, if it doesn't support the mac any more?

Raptr pulls Xbox 360 data without a need for a client application, so Mac users can track 360 stuff. You just can't track PS3 stats on a Mac.

[shajek]

Of all the "End of the Year" shows, the CAGCast is the best. Because you present your favorites and not try to arbitrarily rank games based on random criteria, your show isn't pretentious, and is acually helpful in deciding what to play.

Several games I've played because of your recommendations (that's all three of you, I'm not playing favorites). I sought out Singularity because of Cheapy's earlier discussion. And, I did enjoy it and looked forward to playing it through completion.

Speaking of Singularity, which was your favorite ending? Left, Right or Both? (That's about as non-spoilery as I can get)

Keep up the great work! A week without a CAGCast is like a week without.... well, it's just boring.

[LimpDaddy]

I love you guys, but the spreadsheet and strict adherence to the categories took away from the show last week. I felt like it kept the show from flowing properly because you'd spend a minute or 2 talking about the technicalities of whether or not that should be. I'm sure that xls file is impressive, but games are 100x more interesting then the most dynamic xls.

[kingkiller33]

You did not say it was horrible, only the way you spoke of it thats why referred was in quotation marks in my question. How far did you get in the series? I can understand art style being annoying but the weapons are like any other FPS game, setting is an alternate universe in the World War II era (wich World War II has been done over and over again but this is not the typical kind) and the gameplay is just like any other FPS game except it runs at 60 frames per second. Though if you have played the series enough I would like to know what game has more innovative weapons than the Chimera weapons in a FPS? In my opinion Killzone is all graphics and boring story of shooting Hellghast in the head 18 times before they die. You do have to play into Resistance to get better Chimera weapons to appreciate their value.

But if you do not like it than you do not like it, Insomniac is one of the better western developers in the industry. There has not been any real game innovation in the FPS series in a long time. Hopefully Bulletstorm will live up to expectations?


I seem to recall Ship also not liking Red Dead Redemption, one of the biggest games of the year. That's why you can't go by one person's opinion. I loved Resistance, but absolutely hate puzzle games like Limbo and Braid.

[jkanownik]

I love you guys, but the spreadsheet and strict adherence to the categories took away from the show last week. I felt like it kept the show from flowing properly because you'd spend a minute or 2 talking about the technicalities of whether or not that should be. I'm sure that xls file is impressive, but games are 100x more interesting then the most dynamic xls.

I would like to introduce you to an Excel file I created in which you can play matching memory. I created all of the pictures in mspaint myself.

http://www.2shared.com/file/J2JoIHsy/Match.html

It is 100x more interesting than your post.

[LimpDaddy]

Very impressive, I'm sure Ship will like it. I just thought all the spreadsheet talk kept them from talking more about the games.

[jkanownik]

Very impressive, I'm sure Ship will like it. I just thought all the spreadsheet talk kept them from talking more about the games.

There were definitely issues with the talk, but I like the spreadsheet because it creates a frame of reference for what they played, which is lacking from other goty lists.

There's no avoiding discussing technicalities because of how complex games have become. He just needs to refine the spreadsheet rather than ditch it altogether. It needs to be idiot proof. Add a column for each category and just put a Y/N in there if the game qualifies or not. Then you could quickly filter on each category for games played that qualify.

[bickle]

Then Wombat totally trashes Heavy Rain calling it shit when this game received plenty of high reviews.

2011 predictation - ya'll won't even bother playing Little Big Planet 2 or Killzone 3.

So are you suggesting that Wombat put aside his impressions of a game and instead just say what others are saying? (BTW, I read a few intensely negative reviews of Heavy Rain).

Regarding your 2011 prediction - if you listed to the Cagcast regularly you'd know how wrong you are going to be.

[bickle]

Windows. Even if it weren't, the very fact it's not only been announced, but a Playstation version is about to be released should keep it from that categoryt.

What *console*? Windows is not a console.

[CaptNink]

Cheapy,

Tron is in Tron Legacy.

Tron is Rinzler

I watched Tron Legacy last night. I don't think CheapyD saw the same movie we did.

[Javery]

I agree with everything you guys say about the PS3. I have one and I want to like it but for some reason I don't. I did love Uncharted, Uncharted 2, God of War 3 and a few others but I use it mostly as my blu-ray player.

[sh10151]

Shipwreck mentioned (on twitter) that he was going to post his 2010 spreadsheet. Did I miss that anywhere that anyone else saw? I was interested in the spreadsheet.

[shipwreck]

Shipwreck mentioned (on twitter) that he was going to post his 2010 spreadsheet. Did I miss that anywhere that anyone else saw? I was interested in the spreadsheet.

I'll try and get to it today.

[sh10151]

I'll try and get to it today.

Thanks!:applause: