CAGcast #123: All You Can Eat

I accidentally(Freudian slip?) said painful instead of pleasant when I described my last trade-in experience. I rectified this by giving them a nice plug. ;)
 
[quote name='lordwow']Cheapy, you gotta make a youtube video out of that Earthquake story :lol:[/quote]

shhh, it's already in the works! :whistle2:#
 
One of the best episodes in a long time. I dont know exactly why. To be honest i'm listening to it now for the second time.. yeah. I have no life.
 
I wanted to enter the Gamestop gift card contest, but I honestly couldn't think of one thing to say for a message.

A good trade-in experience? You normally trade in some games and get money, that's it.
 
I do not really mind the GameStop ad, but it is kind of silly to hear CheapyD and Wombat speak so glowingly of it when a lot of CAGs do not make use of their trading services. I seem to remember something about them trying to do better, such as allowing the stacking of coupons again, so maybe they will continue in this trend and not be seen as such an evil empire. I am willing to give them a chance, if only due to their support of CAG.

EDIT: As I state in a later post, I should have said that not all CAGs have been completely satisfied, not that only a few CAGs actually do it. Also, my negative impression is probably from the vocal minority of dissatisfied customers, so with this in mind, and the recent actions by GameStop, they are moving up my list of places to shop for games in the future.
 
[quote name='HotShotX']I don't think it'll actually happen, but here's to hoping that this new advertiser doesn't lead CAG down the path of the GameSpot/Kane & Lynch fiasco.[/quote]

One big difference between the two is that you know Cheapy, have a relatively open line of communication, and that this is a site where the fans actually matter and contribute. Unlike the faceless, nameless corporate masters of Gamespot, where there is no direct communication between the userbase and the powers above.

Gamespot's pageviews, by contrast, are arbitrary. Most people stop by on their way somewhere else to skim review scores, release dates, or rant about how much they hate newbs, or whatever it is that idiots rant about.

Cheap Ass Gamer is a community, though, that depends on us, our support and our information. It's integrity is our own integrity. Go down the path of selling out? Any path we go down, we'll go down together!



(Thanks for the twenty bucks, Cheapy .. )
 
I had actually first noticed the iPhone version of the CAG forums a week or two ago. I had meant to make mention of it in the CAG bag but figured that it was something that I had missed in a previous CAGcast.

Thanks for hooking us up with an iPhone version of the site. It makes it easier to read the site while taking a dump at work. Other forums I am a part of still have not adopted an "iPhone version view" yet, so thanks for being so progressive!
 
I wanted to give my two cents to the Vigilante 8 discussion.
I agree, that no good can come from announcing DLC for a game that hasn't been released yet. No argument there. I just wanted to point out that many of us are aware of the long certification process that XBLA games have to go through. A lot of developers have been outspoken about the lengthy process of getting their game released on XBLA. So in their defense, it's possible that the developers finished the core game a while back and have been working on the DLC since then. Just a thought.
 
its nice that CAG can get some bucks from GS. you should be happy for your friends making good.

also, i got distracted - whats the 411 on the GS contest??
 
jesus fucking christ way to totally sell out to gamestop!!! Now what was that telephone number again? I love me the gamestop to buy the halo.
 
[quote name='dubbfoolio']jesus fucking christ way to totally sell out to gamestop!!! Now what was that telephone number again? I love me the gamestop to buy the halo.[/quote]
I don't see what the big deal is. They're giving gift cards to the CAG community. I don't think the way Cheapy handled mentioning the sponsorship was a problem.
 
[quote name='shafnitz']I don't see what the big deal is. They're giving gift cards to the CAG community. I don't think the way Cheapy handled mentioning the sponsorship was a problem.[/quote]

Not a problem at all. They mentioned the gamestop sponsorship in a very nice and humorous way.

Wombat's "i usually put them in the baseme.. i mean TRADE them in at gamestop" followed by "which is what i actually do" - Funny and also fair.
 
[quote name='shafnitz']I don't see what the big deal is. They're giving gift cards to the CAG community. I don't think the way Cheapy handled mentioning the sponsorship was a problem.[/quote]

I was joking. If I win a giftcard you'll all get to hear me do my best job selling out on the next cagcast, and I was pointing to that irony. I'm all for these guys getting paid for their hardwork... especially when they score giftcards for the rest of CAG. We can sell out as a community!
 
[quote name='Quintessence']I do not really mind the GameStop ad, but it is kind of silly to hear CheapyD and Wombat speak so glowingly of it when a lot of CAGs do not make use of their trading services. I seem to remember something about them trying to do better, such as allowing the stacking of coupons again, so maybe they will continue in this trend and not be seen as such an evil empire. I am willing to give them a chance, if only due to their support of CAG.[/quote]
The most recent GameStop trade-in thread has over 33,000 views and almost 700 replies, so clearly many CAGs are making use of their trade-in program. Both Wombat and myself have done so in the past and (due to geographic constratiants, at least Wombat) will continue to do so in the future.

Also, one of the GameStop.com executives recently started posting here, helping out CAGs with their issues, and taking feedback and suggestions from our members.

Personally, I am very happy to have this Fortune 500 company as a sponsor, especially one who recently started taking a more active role in dealing with the CAG community. However, I can certainly understand if not everyone shares my enthusiasm.
 
Ok, seriously, this show is the best podcast ever. I love downloading this and listening to chunks while im going to bed because you guys just crack me up.

Loved the Grenade Keychain talk.
 
[quote name='CheapyD']The most recent GameStop trade-in thread has over 33,000 views and almost 700 replies, so clearly many CAGs are making use of their trade-in program. Both Wombat and myself have done so in the past and (due to geographic constratiants, at least Wombat) will continue to do so in the future.

Also, one of the GameStop.com executives recently started posting here, helping out CAGs with their issues, and taking feedback and suggestions from our members.

Personally, I am very happy to have this Fortune 500 company as a sponsor, especially one who recently started taking a more active role in dealing with the CAG community. However, I can certainly understand if not everyone shares my enthusiasm.[/quote]

in other words, it's just business. calm down CAGs. :)
 
[quote name='CheapyD']
Personally, I am very happy to have this Fortune 500 company as a sponsor, especially one who recently started taking a more active role in dealing with the CAG community. However, I can certainly understand if not everyone shares my enthusiasm.[/quote]

It's nice to see podcasts in general gaining sponsorship. Especially the cagcast. It's a great way for me to pass time in the lab, and it's a media I don't want to see go away. I listen to more podcasts than I watch TV shows considering it's something I can do in the background of my daily routine and it doesn't cut into gaming time. Not to mention there's a podcast for just about every niche you could imagine.

It's also interesting to see companies trolling message boards. They're obviously trying to figure out how they're going to cash in on this whole web 2.0 thing anyway they can. Hell even a millionaire like Cheapy is cashing in with CAG 2.0 ;).
 
[quote name='Quintessence']I do not really mind the GameStop ad, but it is kind of silly to hear CheapyD and Wombat speak so glowingly of it when a lot of CAGs do not make use of their trading services. I seem to remember something about them trying to do better, such as allowing the stacking of coupons again, so maybe they will continue in this trend and not be seen as such an evil empire. I am willing to give them a chance, if only due to their support of CAG.[/QUOTE]

You must have missed this thread (d'oh! Cheapy beat me to it -'tis what I get for not reading the whole thread - in any case he didn't provide the link, so here you go):

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=185797

Yeah, they aren't great for everyday trading, but they do have some nice deals occasionally as this thread attests.
 
You guys had me crying laughing this show.. Especially the part where you guys were doing the Gamestop commercial.. "So let me ask you WOMBAT! What do you do with your used games.. Wombats going all off script.. "yeah I put my games down in the base.. err" and Cheapy's like PSSSS, PSSSS, you're fucking up our Gamestop money! omg, that's some classic CAGcasting right there! Good show!
 
[quote name='CheapyD']The most recent GameStop trade-in thread has over 33,000 views and almost 700 replies, so clearly many CAGs are making use of their trade-in program. Both Wombat and myself have done so in the past and (due to geographic constratiants, at least Wombat) will continue to do so in the future.

Also, one of the GameStop.com executives recently started posting here, helping out CAGs with their issues, and taking feedback and suggestions from our members.

Personally, I am very happy to have this Fortune 500 company as a sponsor, especially one who recently started taking a more active role in dealing with the CAG community. However, I can certainly understand if not everyone shares my enthusiasm.[/QUOTE]

Honesly, I'm not a big Gamestop fan, but I think that this CAG Gamestop relationship can be good for both CAG and GS. CAG (yourself) gets paid, and GS if they're smart can learn alot about the consumer and what kind of deals we want and if they GS does just a little homework, they might can become a better retailer. Hell, the fact that they're doing business with CAG in the first place shows that perhaps they've done some homework.


oh well.. I guess we can't vote GS "worse online retailer" anymore... oh well.
 
As expected, CheapyD didn't enjoy MGS4. It sounds like you're forcing yourself to play this game, even though you're not enjoying it very much. I appreciate your willingness to try out new releases for your podcast, but from what you said about the MGS series in last weeks podcast, I'm honestly not sure what you were expecting. Obviously the MGS games are centered around story, so my suggestion would be to play through the other ones before you jump into MGS4. I remember you and wombat talking about how Final Fantasy and MGS games have overly complicated plots in last weeks podcast. Come on, seriously? MGS I can understand...the plot can get convoluted at times, but Final Fantasy? What exactly can't you comprehend about the story? I've always seen the plots of all Final Fantasy games to be pretty straight forward (needless to say, I enjoy the FF games).
 
Cheapy - sounds to me like you wasted $60. Metal Gear Solid 4 is not going to be for everyone... and that goes doubly for anyone who hasn't been following the story since the first. As the fourth and final game in the series it's wrapping up a lot of story, tying up 3 convoluted games worth of loose ends, and offering more than an occasional nod to longtime fans... in fact, there's a section that's almost entirely nostalgia for the first game.

As an aside, I can't understand the people who've never played or never finished the MGS series buying this game and complaining about cutscene length, not understanding the story, etc. It's a Metal Gear Solid game. It's the end of the series. Of course the cutscenes are fucking long. You don't jump into the last game in an FPS series and bitch about the body count, and you don't play the newest game in, say, the DDR series and complain that there's too much music.
 
Cheapy, a format suggestion if you don't mind. How about switching the order of the console news from week to week. It seems more emphasis is put on the first one and towards the end you just want to get through it the segment to the CAGbag. Alternate the lead between Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo randomly or with ever one has the strongest news for the week.
 
Re: Celebrities that could sell games. I think you're forgetting your favorite. If Howard Stern made a game, his fans would make its launch an event. And politicans would come out of the woodword to condem it before it even came out. Too bad Howard himself is not a gamer.
 
I tried to call on skype, but right after it gives me the voicemail message it runs for 1 second then says "voicemail failed"

Is this my problem or is there something wrong on your end?
 
[quote name='chasemurata']Yes! Iron Fist! God bless you, Wombat, and your fellow comic book nerdery.

And Venom is indeed overrated as a character. Much in the same regard as Carnage, Superman, and Gambit, Gambit, Gambit.[/quote]
The problem is that Marvel: Ultimate Alliance did such a good job of including all the characters we really want to play that all that's left is the C-list scrubs.

If Marvel: Civil War or whatever they're calling it has new campaigns and improved online co-op play, then I'm a happy fanboy.
 
[quote name='CheapyD']The most recent GameStop trade-in thread has over 33,000 views and almost 700 replies, so clearly many CAGs are making use of their trade-in program. Both Wombat and myself have done so in the past and (due to geographic constratiants, at least Wombat) will continue to do so in the future.

Also, one of the GameStop.com executives recently started posting here, helping out CAGs with their issues, and taking feedback and suggestions from our members.

Personally, I am very happy to have this Fortune 500 company as a sponsor, especially one who recently started taking a more active role in dealing with the CAG community. However, I can certainly understand if not everyone shares my enthusiasm.[/quote]

Well, I guess I should not have stated that "most CAGs" do not use them for their trading services. The better way to put it is that not all CAGs have been completely satisfied with the process. However, it seems that my idea of GameSpot may be outdated; thank you for bringing this to my attention. I suppose that I was under the previous impression because people with negative experiences are usually more vocal than people with positive ones. Sometimes the minority outdoes the majority. Personally, I usually just keep my games because I only buy the ones I really want and/or at a discounted price, so my experience with GameStop has been quite limited, although, the few that I have had have been nice. (Perhaps I will enter that contest!)

Anyway, I am glad to hear of those other steps GameStop is taking to be more accessible to gamers, in particular the CAG community as you have proclaimed.

By the way, I know this has nothing to do with trading or anything, but I did pre-order Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath for the Xbox 360 from GameStop. I purchased that a few months ago, and it should be coming in a few days! It is set to be released on June 23rd. I am quite looking forward to it. Luckily for me they had a nice deal on it. Free overnight shipping and a Kane bobblehead as a bonus. I just wanted to show that I do not hate GameStop by any stretch of the imagination; I was just misinformed. :D
 
[quote name='io']You must have missed this thread (d'oh! Cheapy beat me to it -'tis what I get for not reading the whole thread - in any case he didn't provide the link, so here you go):

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=185797

Yeah, they aren't great for everyday trading, but they do have some nice deals occasionally as this thread attests.[/quote]

Thanks. I never really took the time to see how big that thread was. As I stated in my last post (see above), my impression of GameStop was probably manufactured from the vocal minority of people with negative experiences. It is nice to see GameStop advancing toward a better image for themselves along with actually assisting the gamers they serve.
 
[quote name='Thomas96']
oh well.. I guess we can't vote GS "worse online retailer" anymore... oh well.[/quote]

I think I voted for K-Mart or some store like that, so this will not affect my vote in that. Perhaps these new steps will help it to do a turn-around and win best online and/or brick-and-mortar store.
 
That picture is disgusting.

I was wondering, as an L.A. Cag, if there were any plans to have a CAG get-together in L.A. when Cheapy is out here for E3. It would be nice to spend some time with Cheapy and Shipwreck. Someone bring the weed!
 
I am not a PR person at all and even I now the reason that games are released in November not Summer, its because in November people are inside more and will be looking for entertainment unlike in Summer when everyone is out alot.
Eijits!
 
[quote name='FriskyTanuki']If Alone in the Dark is Atari's only hope, then what is Dragon Ball Z Burst Limit?[/quote]
The first ring of "For Whom the Bell Toll." It toll for thee, Atari.
 
[quote name='orko60']
I was wondering, as an L.A. Cag, if there were any plans to have a CAG get-together in L.A. when Cheapy is out here for E3. It would be nice to spend some time with Cheapy and Shipwreck. Someone bring the weed![/quote]

That certainly is an interesting idea. Hopefully CheapyD and/or Shipwreck can set something up if they can find time in their almost certainly busy schedule. Perhaps they can do it before or after E3. It would be nice to have a CAG get-together in the L.A. area!
 
[quote name='CheapyD']
Also, one of the GameStop.com executives recently started posting here, helping out CAGs with their issues, and taking feedback and suggestions from our members.
[/quote]

Seeing that makes me feel better about the sponsorship. I'll admit, like others, I was a little wary of the way Gamestop was being advertised, especially with the contest. My experience with Gamestop has been neutral, but I remember the CAG award it had "won", and how you mentioned in one show that it used to have better deals before the merger, so it did seem odd. I think if you mention this statemet in the next CAGcast, that would put any doubts at ease.
 
[quote name='EmeraldCrown']I am not a PR person at all and even I now the reason that games are released in November not Summer, its because in November people are inside more and will be looking for entertainment unlike in Summer when everyone is out alot.
Eijits![/quote]

Counterpoint to that though is most 6-25 year olds are not in school/college during the summer so they have more free time to game than they do in the fall/winter.

I for one am glad there's decent stuff coming out at a steady pace. NG2 and MGS 4 this month, SC IV next month, Too Human in August, then the usual deluge.
 
Uh oh... Cheapy has sold his soul with the gamestop ads. I think their tagline should read "Up to 150 games worth $15, which we then re-sell for $60 or more". Lets just hope with them as a sponsor Cheapy wont get rid of all the threads used to take advantage of GS, like he did with the Amazon prime thread.

Good show as always. Really ironic hearing Cheapy go from shit jokes to talking about how he didnt like the cutscenes where Akiba was shitting himself in MGS4. You'd think that would have been right up Cheapy's alley.
 
Let's see some Goozex sponsorship so we can hear Cheapy say, "This podcast is brought to you by Gamestop and Goozex!" Then you can compare how much more your get for your games through Goozex.
 
[quote name='Quintessence']That certainly is an interesting idea. Hopefully CheapyD and/or Shipwreck can set something up if they can find time in their almost certainly busy schedule. Perhaps they can do it before or after E3. It would be nice to have a CAG get-together in the L.A. area![/QUOTE]

Here's one a few west-coast CAG's will be attending, although Cheapy and Ship will be long-gone.

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=184877
 
I've had the "no talking online" problem with most of the games I've played on the PS3. When I played Resistance no one talked. Unreal Tournament was dead silent. Even after they patched the game no one talked. Warhawk is often quiet even though a lot of times talking is essential for those team games. It also doesn't make much sense considering the disc version of the game came with a headset. I am having the same problem with MGO. No one talks. Everyone just runs around and does their own thing which makes playing team based games annoying as hell. The only games I've played that had people talk were COD4 and Rainbow Six Vegas 2. I think Sony should just throw in a bluetooth with the system and get it over with already.

Cheapy, I think MGS4 is one of the games where you need to have enjoyed the previous games. If your not really feeling the story at all then there is no real payoff. The game is also more enjoyable if you have that emotional connection to it. I've been a huge fan since MGS1 came out, so it's nice to see things "wrapped up" (at least until the next Metal Gear game comes out). The game looks beautiful and the movies are really nice, but if your iffy on the series already I wouldn't suggest playing through the game. There are some pretty badass scenes but you have to stay awake for them. :D

I think Resistance 1 is slowly dying off. I used to play it hardcore and could easily hop into a game. When I played it recently it was hard to find a game and I was constantly running into the same players. I think the COD4/Rainbow Six/GTA 4 combo knocked Resistance back a bit. Resistance 2 should kick all kinds of ass though. Wombat's probably right that people pick it up with the system, but with Call of Duty still going strong and now with MGS4 out I don't think Resistance will be hanging around much longer.

I'm still waiting for the Resistance map packs to be free. Those have been out forever and they are still charging full price for them (although I think they bundled them together).

Stranglehold was decent but I was the exact opposite. I knew when I started playing it I wouldn't finish it. I think I got halfway through the game then just stopped playing. And holy fuck was the online terrible. It was one of those games I didn't have a problem paying $30 for, but I think $60 would have been really pushing it.

The DLC that I'm really looking forward to is for Ratchet & Clank. It's been rumored for a while. The DLC would give the game a boost of energy and bring a lot of players back to the game.
 
I used to not give a fuck about Cag 2.0 but after hyping it so much I am excited and prepared for the inevitable let down.
 
That Tony Roma's picture is AWESOME. I finally got around to listening to this week's episode today while driving around looking for a house to buy. I quite enjoyed it, as usual. I've never gotten into the MGS series, so I find it kind of fun to listen to Cheapy's thoughts, as he is another of the "uninitiated" as it were.

It was kind of mean of Cheapy to read a question for Wombat (about DLC) and then ask Wombat what he thought and before Wombat could answer, gave his own answer. Oh well, I guess that's sort of status-quo, for better or worse..

/tk
 
Keep up the great work guys. You have slowly become my favorite podcast, of which I don't think any other podcast will ever be able to top. At first, Wombat was unbearable to listen too, I dunno something about his voice irritated me... But after a couple listens, I have to admit he is both highly entertaining and the perfect co-host for the show because of his truly honest opinion and (dare i say it?) charming sense of humor. Just the way he will call Cheapy out on certain topics he disagrees on when he could easily take the easy way out and simply agree. Anyways, enough with the rant, I hope you guys can continue doing these for years and years to come.
 
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