Signed In #25: Shadow Complex / Batman Arkham Asylum / Wolfenstein / I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1

Signed In #25 (50.7 MB)

The guys start the show with a brief recap of the fantastic Community Playdate with Battlefield 1943! (And encourage anyone that played in the event to email Microsoft at xlmail@microsoft.com with the subject "Community Playdate – Signed In" and share their thoughts on the night!) Then it's on to game discussion with talk of a bunch of recent Marketplace demos, the awesome Indie game I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1, Wolfenstein, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and Shadow Complex. The show closes out with a quick discussion on Shadow Complex and what it's price point means to the future of the Xbox Live Arcade, and we want to know your thoughts on the subject! Get involved at the PseudoRadio message boards or send an email to signedinpodcast@gmail.com and let us know what you think!

Out of Continuity #8: Name Droppin'

Out of Continuity #8 (88.15 MB)

This month OoC gets an upgrade! Join us as we welcome Ian and the folks at The Soundhole recording studio who helped us create this episode in thrilling stereo! Marvel as it feels like you're sitting right at the table with Craig, Matt, Erin, Jeremy, and Sean! Feel your mind boggle as they chat about some of their all-time favorites in comics (and some of there one-time favorites too)! Gasp as everyone has their own mic!

Congrats to Barry Satterfield for winning last month's contest!

Email us at outofcontinuity@gmail.com.

Music: "Into the Galaxy" by Midnight Juggernauts

Recorded at The Soundhole recording studio (http://www.soundhole.org/)

Developing A Complex

I can’t remember a single point in my 25 year gaming history where I’ve ever thought to myself, “You know, this game should cost more.” That was until last week. In no uncertain terms, I believe Shadow Complex is underpriced. Let me explain.

When Chair Entertainment and Epic announced Shadow Complex at E3 earlier this year talk of cost was, not surprisingly, absent. At the time I couldn’t see anything less than $20, and honestly even harbored some thoughts that they may go for broke and put it out for $30. After all, the Epic stamp was on it, Cliff Bleszinski was on stage to promote it, Microsoft was publishing it, it was part of the Summer of Arcade...all the pieces were there for a high profile, and thus high dollar, release. Imagine my surprise when the price point was confirmed to be $15.

Make no mistake, I still recognize that $15 can be a hefty price tag for a downloadable game. This topic in particular has garnered quite a bit of heated discussion in the video game community over the past few months. $10-$15 is the new $5-$10, and a lot of people haven’t been happy with that change. That being said, if a game is providing the consumer with enough content and quality, an increased price point can certainly be justified. In the case of Shadow Complex, it is justified multiple times over.

“So what?!” you say.

“Why make a fuss about a good deal of a game?!” you ask.

“Hey idiot! Shut up before you give somebody the idea they should charge us even more for games!!” you scream.

All good points. My purpose for even putting these thoughts into words is because I’m actually concerned. Concerned about the long term affects that a game like Shadow Complex will have on the perception of future XBLA titles. We gamers tend to be a fickle lot. Quick to foster a sense of self-entitlement and set unfair expectations. When I see a game like Shadow Complex for $15, I get concerned that it will become a benchmark of expectation as to what a $15 downloadable game should be. I worry that it will become the “perceived value” scapegoat for any future XBLA title that is priced at the same level or, heaven forbid, higher. This would be an unfair and unfortunate reaction.

Chair and Epic have certainly raised the bar as to what can be accomplished in the downloadable game spectrum. However, I would hope their achievement wouldn’t be used as ammunition against other developers and publishers. (It’s also worth mentioning again the fact that Shadow Complex was published by Microsoft themselves. It’d be interesting to know if there was a possible plan of long term profit in the form of volume and publicity as opposed to maxing profit on each copy sold, but that is a whole other can of worms. Not to mention purely speculation on my part.) Regardless, while Shadow Complex is a sort of “call to arms” to other game makers as far as what’s possible, it’s unfair to think that everyone has the same resources available to them. Developers and publishers looking for the best ways to maximize their content is definitely a healthy by-product of the commercial success of a game like Shadow Complex, but ultimately each and every game should be judged on it’s own merits above all else.

In the end I hope people look at Shadow Complex for what it is, a fantastic game at a bargain price. In my opinion, the game is better than probably 75% of the full retail disc games I’ve played this year, and for 25% of the price. I know I’ll be keeping that fact in mind when I look at future XBLA offerings. Will you?

Share your comments below or contribute to the ongoing discussion on the PseudoRadio forums!

[Jeremy Meyer is co-host of PseudoRadio's bi-weekly Xbox 360 podcast, Signed In.]

The Pull List podcast #92: Chris Giarrusso interview / WEDNESDAY COMICS #7 / THE WEB #1

The Pull List podcast #92 (36.1 MB)

(1:00:36) This week Craig gives us an update with WEDNESDAY COMICS #7, 1940's style, Sean gets tangled in THE WEB #1 as he continues our tour 'round the Red Circle, and both guys have a blast chatting with Chris Giarrusso of G-MAN and MINI MARVELS fame! All that plus (a slightly slim) Stacks equal 100% fun for YOU!

Email us at thepulllist@gmail.com

Check out G-Man and tons of other fun at http://www.chrisGcomics.com!

You can find "Ring Capacity" and other awesome music at http://www.kirbykracklemusic.com

0:00:00 - Show ID
0:00:13 - Music: "Ring Capacity" by Kirby Krackle
0:01:08 - Introductions

0:02:55 - WEDNESDAY COMICS #7: DC's weekly anthology series is over halfway done, but far from losing its steam.
0:12:24 - THE WEB #1: The Web, rich-boy-turned-superhero learns the value of fighting for what's worth fighting for.

0:21:30 - The Stacks:
0:21:46 - POWER GIRL #4
0:22:52 - HELLBLAZER #258
0:23:48 - DAYS MISSING #1
0:24:53 - JACK OF FABLES #37
0:26:21 - FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: DANCE #4
0:27:42 - TINY TITANS #19
0:29:00 - EX MACHINA #44
0:29:51 - VIKING #3
0:30:59 - ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #18
0:31:53 - INVINCIBLE #65
0:33:13 - Top of The Stacks: Sean - INCVINCIBLE #65; Craig - HELLBLAZER #258

0:34:55 - Interview with Chris Giarrusso

0:57:50 - Wrap-up
0:59:17 - Music: "Ring Capacity" by Kirby Krackle
1:00:36 - End

Three Die Block (08.24.2009) - Dwarves & Balls

Three Die Block (08.24.2009) (41.6 MB)

They're short. They're bashy. They're the dwarves! And this week Pauly and Chance take a look at the pros and cons of the little guys' team and give some hypothetical builds. Later, the guys premiere their one-minute debate segment, Turn Eight Blitz. This episode their topic is spiked football vs. regular football! And of course, the guys give you the current standings of the HGC and CHG Blood Bowl Leagues as they kick off their 3rd and 8th season, respectively.

Also, the "Build a Team for Craig" contest has been extended. Find the offical entry rules here: contest rules

Email Three Die Block at threedieblock@gmail.com or follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/threedieblock

Music: "Boom (The Crystal Method remix)" by P.O.D.

Pauly's dwarf team:
Runner x 2, Blitzer x 2, Trollslayer, Blockers x 6, Rerolls x 3, 2 Fan Factor

Chance's dwarf team:
Runner, Blitzer x2, Trollslayer x2, Blockers x6, Rerolls x 3, 1 Fan Factor

Play Battlefield 1943 with Signed In!

Some of the members of the Signed In crew will be online Sunday, August 23, from 8:00 – 11:00 P.M. ET (5:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M. PT) playing Battlefield™ 1943. Look for these gamertags and send off a game invite:

Superfro33
prof dresser
Seanyxxx
Heath8316
Lunchbox700
Johneightu
The JAgamer
Craig A Tor

If you get a chance to play with Signed In, we want to hear all about it! We'll be posting recaps from gamers all across the country. Send us an email at xlmail@microsoft.com with the subject: "Community Playdate – Signed In." Be sure to include your Gamertag and home town!

Edit(08.24.2009): Thanks to everyone who came out to play with us last night. It was a bit crazy but a lot of fun. If we didn't get a chance to play with you or say hi, sorry hopefully we'll get an opportunity in the future... - Signed In cast

The Pull List podcast #91: G-MAN: CAPE CRISIS #1 / INFERNO #1 / POTTER'S FIELD

The Pull List podcast #91 (34.9 MB)

(0:55:11) This week Craig summons his inner child with G-MAN: CAPE CRISIS #1, Sean burns deeper into the Red Circle with INFERNO #1 and the guys take a look at the POTTER'S FIELD hardcover from BOOM! Studios in Trade Offs.

Email us at thepulllist@gmail.com

Our theme "Ring Capacity" and other awesome music can be found at www.kirbykracklemusic.com

0:00:00 - Show ID
0:00:12 - Music: "Ring Capacity" by Kirby Krackle
0:01:09 - Introductions

0:03:09 - G-MAN: CAPE CRISIS #1: G-Man tries to be a good friend by sharing his superpowers with all his friends. After all, they'll give 'em back, right? Right?
0:11:43 - INFERNO #1: The newest hero to the DCU is the biker-stache-sporting Inferno, a mysterious man of flames who seems to be fighting on the side of good.

0:19:08 - The Stacks
0:19:22 - FABLES #87
0:20:20 - RED ROBIN #3
0:21:18 - GREEN LANTERN CORPS #39
0:22:42 - ADVENTURE COMICS #1
0:23:27 - BLACKEST NIGHT #2
0:25:40 - LOCKJAW & THE PET AVENGERS #4
0:27:00 - BPRD: 1947 #2
0:27:47 - UNCANNY X-MEN #514
0:29:03 - FROM THE ASHES #3
0:30:12 - WEDNESDAY COMICS #6
0:32:49 - HELLBOY: THE WILD HUNT #5
0:34:13 - HERO COMICS
0:35:04 - JSA VS KOBRA #3
0:36:18 - THE UNWRITTEN #4
0:37:17 - THE WALKING DEAD #64
0:38:39 - Top of The Stacks: Sean - WALKING DEAD #64; Craig - FROM THE ASHES #3

0:39:24 - Trade Offs: POTTER'S FIELD HC from BOOM! Studios

0:49:43 - Contest winners
0:51:59 - Wrap-Up
0:53:43 - Music: "Ring Capacity" by Kirby Krackle
0:54:38 - ???
0:55:11 - End

Signed In #24: Gears of War 2 DLC / Madden 10 / GI Joe / Watchmen / Batman Arkham Asylum / 'Splosion Man Interview

Signed In #24 (89.2 MB)

The show kicks off with talk of the new 360 dashboard update. Then it's onto the games with a Summer of Arcade update, Craig talks about the recent Red Faction patch and got an opportunity to play Call of Juarez: Bound In Blood, Sean takes a look at Madden 10, Jeremy checked out the disc release of Watchmen: The End is Nigh, everybody gives their thoughts on the Batman Arkham Asylum demo, Jeremy and Sean both gave the new Gears 2 DLC a run through and tried to get back into the game, Craig and Jeremy give their thoughts on the "final" Fallout 3 DLC, and Jeremy and Sean attempted to become Real American Heroes with GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra.

Following the game talk, Jeremy and Craig sat down to talk with 3 of the geniuses behind the Summer of Arcade launch title 'Splosion Man! They're joined by Josh Bear (Twisted Pixel Games), Jay Allen (SLACKCiRCUS), and Matt "Chainsaw" Chaney (Gl33k) to discuss everything you ever wanted to know about 'Splosion Man and then some! (Including costume crotch stains!) Make sure to check out the following websites for more information on all these guys' great work!

http://splosionman.com

http://twistedpixelgames.com

http://slackcircus.com

http://Gl33k.com

The show closes out with the Monkey Island contest winner announcement and a reminder of the upcoming Signed In Xbox Community Playdate.

Signed In featured on the Zune Marketplace!

Kudos to the Signed In crew as they popped up as one of the featured podcasts on the Zune Marketplace. (And I suppose, kudos to our listeners for making us popular there!)

The Pull List podcast #90: DOOM PATROL #1 / THE HANGMAN #1 / Longbox

The Pull List podcast #90 (33.5 MB)

(0:52:56) This week Craig and Sean get reintroduced to some classic characters with DOOM PATROL #1 and THE HANGMAN #1 both from DC comics. And in honor of the new DOOM PATROL, Craig picks the classic DOOM PATROL #89 for this week's edition of The Longbox!

Email us at thepulllist@gmail.com

You can find "Ring Capacity" and other awesome music at www.kirbykracklemusic.com

0:00:00 - Show ID
0:00:11 - Music: "Ring Capacity" by Kirby Krackle
0:01:09 - Introductions

0:02:55 - DOOM PATROL #1: Oolong Island's offical task force, The Doom Patrol, investigate some bugs and experience some tragedy, and the Metal Men make some money and acclimate to suburban life
0:15:03 - THE HANGMAN #1: The Hangman is a supernatural force of justice from the Civil War era and Dr. Dickering must find balance between his daily life and his time as The Hangman

0:24:12 - The Stacks:
0:24:25 - ASTRO CITY: THE DARK AGE BOOK 3 #4
0:25:06 - JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE #2
0:27:15 - DEAD RUN #3
0:27:59 - WAR OF KINGS #6
0:29:45 - ECHO #14
0:30:23 - CAPTAIN AMERICA: REBORN #2
0:31:04 - JERSEY GODS #6
0:32:20 - DESTROYER #5
0:33:24 - JONAH HEX #46
0:34:18 - WITCHFINDER #2
0:35:22 - SECRET SIX #12
0:36:27 - WEDNESDAY COMICS #5
0:38:27 - Top of The Stacks: Sean - DESTROYER #5; Craig - JONAH HEX #46

0:39:07 - The Longbox: DOOM PATROL #89 from DC comics

0:50:07 - Wrap-up
0:51:37 - Music: "Ring Capacity" by Kirby Krackle
0:52:56 - End

Three Die Block (08.10.2009) - Humans & Negative Skills

Three Die Block (08.10.2009) (43.8 MB)

This episode Chance and Pauly analyze possible builds for the surprisingly successful Humans team then premiere their new segment, Star, Push, or Skull. This time around the guys give the SPS treatment to negative skills such as Really Stupid or Always Hungry. Chance and Pauly also give a brief rundown of the HGC Blood Bowl, and what the next season is looking like for both the HGC and CHG leagues. Lastly, the guys announce a contest at the end of the show where you can win a copy of the Blood Bowl graphic novel!

Email Three Die Block at threedieblock@gmail.com

Music: "Boom (The Crystal Method remix)" by P.O.D.

Photos from Blood Bowl VII

Thrill to scenes right from the now historic CHG Blood Bowl VII, covered by Three Die Block!

If you want to see all 117 pics, go to the album.

The Pull List podcast #89: FANTASTIC FOUR #569 / JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #29 / Previews of Things to Come

The Pull List podcast #89 (41.5 MB)

(1:05:52) This week FANTASTIC FOUR #569 makes Craig teary-eyed, JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #29 gets Sean excited, and the October Previews catalog gets a good going over in this month's Previews of Things to Come.

Email us at thepulllist@gmail.com

Find "Ring Capacity" and other great tunes at www.kirbykracklemusic.com

0:00:00 - Show ID
0:00:14 - Music: "Ring Capacity" by Kirby Krackle
0:01:08 - Introductions

0:03:18 - FANTASTIC FOUR #569: Millar's final mega-sized issue has excitement, adventure and love, who could ask for anything more?
0:17:19 - JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #29: The new creative team takes off with the JSA embroiling them deeply in a new mystery and adventure!

0:26:10 - The Stacks:
0:26:25 - BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #7
0:27:28 - BLACKEST NIGHT: TALES OF THE CORPS #3'
0:28:52 - BATTLEFIELDS: THE TANKIES #3
0:29:57 - DARK X-MEN: UTOPIA: THE BEGINNING #2
0:31:35 - CITIZEN REX #1
0:32:35 - DETECTIVE COMICS #855
0:34:35 - FEAR AGENT #27
0:36:06 - RAPTURE #3
0:37:34 - MUPPET SHOW: THE TREASURE OF PEG LEG WILSON #1
0:38:39 - WEDENSDAY COMICS #4
0:39:40 - UNKNOWN SOLDIER #10
0:40:41 - Top of The Stacks: Sean - FANTASTIC FOUR #569; Craig - CITIZEN REX #1

0:42:27 - Previews of Things to Come: October 2009

1:02:10 - Wrap-up
1:04:16 - Music: "Ring Capacity" by Kirby Krackle
1:05:36 - ???
1:05:52 - End

Signed In #23: 'Splosion Man / Battlefield 1943 / Monkey Island SE / Call of Juarez: BiB / Marvel Vs Capcom 2 / Comic-Con

Signed In #23 (80.9 MB)

After an extra week off, the Signed In gang returns with some very exciting news to kick off the show! Then it's on to an XBLA-palooza with the guys talking about Battlefield 1943, 'Splosion Man, The Secret of Monkey Island SE, and Capcom Vs. Marvel 2. Craig finally got his hands on Ghostbusters and revisited a little Left 4 Dead, while Sean and Jeremy rustled up some Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood. Jeremy also talks about some of the upcoming games he got to play at the San Diego Comic-Con.

All this, and the show closes out with 2 contest announcements!

Out of Continuity #7: Tales From The Con

Out of Continuity #7 (53.7 MB)

Panelists: Craig, Jeremy, Matt, Erin, and Sean

Topic: San Diego Comic-Con 2009

Email us at outofcontinuity@gmail.com

Music: "Into The Galaxy" by Midnight Juggernauts