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[Eel O'Brian]

http://cruncheons.podbean.com/mf/web/7sed4q/Cruncheons42.mp3

We're back, and all over the place this episode as we go from video card comparisons to online DRM to Dead or Alive to Atelier!


(3:09) Wii U roundup, more PS4 stuff
(22:23) AMD vs. Nvidia and next-gen consoles
(38:55) online DRM, and SimCity

GAMEz

(54:15) Assassin's Angst III
(1:06:10) Bioshock (the first one)
(1:15:00) Tomb Raider (the new one)
(1:30:00) Generation of Chaos: Pandora's Reflection
(1:34:00) 3DS...stuff
(1:39:00) Dead or Alive 5 Plus
(1:44:45) Atelier games
(1:56:00) Angel of Salvation and Puzzles & Dragons

Talk to you again soon!

 

[HamPster PamPster]

I wouldn't need the endorphin rush from buying a new game if I got a cruncheons rush more often

That copy of The Baconning I bought tuesday is all your fault

 

[Joe Molotov]

100% more urethra talk than the store-brand gaming podcast!

 

[Erudite]

Enjoyed Robert's talk about playing games on a higher difficulty and being challenged to optimize a game's systems.

I'm finding that Infinite's 1999 Mode really rewards that type of play style.

 

[Alex Connolly]

Which irascible gent played Generation of Chaos?

Cheers in advance, lads. Looking forward to a little Crunch over the weekend.

 

[Gattsu25]

Whoa, I wasn't expecting to have any good news today

 

[Fragamemnon]

Enjoyed Robert's talk about playing games on a higher difficulty and being challenged to optimize a game's systems.

I'm finding that Infinite's 1999 Mode really rewards that type of play style.

It's weird-I am doing my 2nd playthrough on 1999 and finding it to just be a little bit harder than the hard playthrough I started on. It's all about understanding the systems this time around, and knowning that salt, not shields, is really the way to get through the game. You'll always have salt, but not necessarily your favorite weapon. Also, I am having fun with some of the vigors and weapons I didn't use in my first playthrough. There's a lot of good reasons to replay the game outside of all the "OOOOHHHH SO THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS" moments scattered all over the game in the second playthough.

also suprised at no hate yet for the DRM segment. We weren't defending SimCity, but man of man the internet's dominant school of thought could not be worse when it comes to online games.

fun fact-I have been on a pretty darn strict diet for months now as a means of dealing with my annoying-ass IBS (pun intended), and the biggest temptation I have ever had in a store was a run in with a $160 3DS XL at Target earlier this week. It promptly ended when I saw games running on that screen. . I wound up buying MLB The Show 13 Vita and Atelier Totori Plus instead to satiate my gaming purchase desires.

 

[HamPster PamPster]

If you're the type to get mad about things said on a podcast I can't imagine you would stick with The Cruncheons very long. It would just be a constant assault on everything you hold dear!

I disagree about the 3DS XL. Ever since I saw one in Target I've found it hard to go back to my 3DS. The screen is so tiny

Also, I started listening to The Borecast since I missed it the first around. Some podcasts take awhile to get going but you guys were on the ball from the beginning (although I didn't like episode 1's format so I skipped it). I wouldn't mind if Outstanding Works of Genre Fiction made a comeback. I can always use more of drinky whispering in my ear the words of love making from the pen of the chubby nerd author ::blush::

 

[Drinky Crow]

hey, i'm unbanned! URETHRALICIOUS.

 

[JackDT]

I'm sure you guys are right that long term AMD is the way to go due to next gen console optimizations.

But the frame latency/stuttering is still a problem now after the new drivers:

http://techreport.com/review/24218/a-driver-update-to-reduce-radeon-frame-times

Though AMD says they are quite committed to fixing it: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6857/amd-stuttering-issues-driver-roadmap-fraps

I bet things look a lot better six months from now.

 

[Erudite]

It's weird-I am doing my 2nd playthrough on 1999 and finding it to just be a little bit harder than the hard playthrough I started on. It's all about understanding the systems this time around, and knowning that salt, not shields, is really the way to get through the game. You'll always have salt, but not necessarily your favorite weapon. Also, I am having fun with some of the vigors and weapons I didn't use in my first playthrough. There's a lot of good reasons to replay the game outside of all the "OOOOHHHH SO THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS" moments scattered all over the game in the second playthough.

I'm definitely looking forward to going through it again on a lower difficulty and getting a chance to try different options. I realized that an hour or two in that I couldn't continue through 1999 with a controller, so I had to move my rig out of the theater room and back to my desk.

I opted for 1999 Mode in my first play through, and I'm forced to focus my upgrades on particular weapons/vigors, which the masochistic side of me is really enjoying. On top of that, every shot counts, death is very penalizing, and scrounging for every last item in an area and discovering all the nooks and crannies hidden throughout the game feels even more rewarding on such a high difficulty.

I haven't even utilized carbine in a combat situation yet, let alone all the vigors I'll undoubtedly unlock moving forward, so there's definitely content for me to go back to a second time around.

 

[fizzelopeguss]

The online DRM thing. If you're reserved to accepting it then it seems you have to reserve yourself to the fact that all these games are all gonna shit the bed at launch in a pretty spectacular way. Unless you give every title a lengthy open beta cycle like the asian F2P market has so all the server guys can hammer out the kinks.

But that entire concept is fucking anathema to the whole Pre order incentive, no demo, review exclusivity and "3..2..1..launch!" hype/marketing trail these companies operate in.

In other words, wait a couple of weeks/months before you buy anything in the future.

 

[Alex]

Monster Hunter 3 Ult is pretty darn good offline. Series used to be a total chore solo, but they've fleshed it out in a lot of right ways. Honestly, even though I'm one of these dipshits that bought an entire console just for Monster Hunter at this juncture, I'm still playing it offline more than online. It's a great game though, combines the best of Freedom Unite (raw content and mechanics) and Tri (accessibility and polish) and slams them together in a neat little package. Makes up for Tri being a content devoid reboot for the sake of being a content devoid reboot.

I think you'd dig it, Frag, but you might wanna just wait until MH4 hits to try it as MH4 will have proper online. Plus by then you can probably pick up a cheaper unit and a bunch of the good dungeon crawlers that hit this year like EO4, Soul Hackers and SMT4 for cheaper.

I found Fire Emblem to be kind of disappointing though. Really iffy tuning, dislike that pair up system and even though Fire Emblem has never had anything special for it's narrative, they really tropes'd this one up in a pretty irritating way with it's social shit.

EO4 is godlike, though, that is my favorite game of the system. It gets it all right and has a very high level of polish for a dungeon crawler. Good leap for the series, slightly irritated to hear of the reboot of 1 to focus on narrative of all things.

3DS hardware IS rather shit, though. While the library builds up to a satisfying level it annoys me to think of how much better this machine be without 3D and with a 800x480 display