Starting Bioshock

You may find it hard to believe, but last night I started Bioshock for the first time ever. This game has been on my list of games to play for quite awhile. I'm only about an hour into it, but I'm already impressed at how incredibly immersive this game is. I find myself searching each area thoroughly for new bits of information that will add to the story, and getting the pants scared off of me constantly. I'm looking forward to finishing it up and talking about it on the next show.

Will the Bioshock 2 teaser trailer make sense to me once I finish Bioshock?

Matt (MWG)

Midwest Gamer Podcast Episode 5 - "Middle of the Road"

Hope your all having a joyous week. Episode #5 is available to download! Don't forget to Subscribe to us on Itunes and join the forums! And now check out our live broadcasts on Justin.tv!

Show Notes

News - Dead Space Prequel, Square Enix buys Eidos, Little Big Planet for PSP, Lost Planet 2

Now Playing - Resident Evil: Remake, Groov, Dead Space, Weapon of Choice, Fable 2

Looking Forward To - Mass Effect 2, Borderlands

Matt (MWG)

Whos for the Resident Evil 5 Bundle?

Video posted at Kotaku

I don't know about all of you but here at MWG, we are all huge Resident Evil fans. As if the anticipation for the game couldn't get any greater, Microsoft's "Major Nelson" decided to tease us a little more by unboxing the RE5 bundle and showing us all of its amazing glory. While I'm not crazy about red, it's still not a bad choice for the 360 with what it comes with. The bundle also comes with a red controller and headset as well as a copy of RE5 and Super Street Fighter Turbo Remix.

Travis(MWG)

Mirrors Edge 2D!

I'm not even a huge fan of the console version of Mirror's Edge, but I have to say that this is probably one of the best flash games I've ever played. If you haven't played it yet, Check it out at MirrorsEdge2D.com


Matt (MWG)

Return of Matt Hazard Launch Trailer

What an awesome trailer, but to quote Richard Mitchell @ Joystiq,

"It's clear that the developers are attempting to create a parody of some of gaming's most tired stereotypes. That's a neat concept, and one we can get behind. The fear is that if the game doesn't have decent gameplay -- a likely possibility at this point -- all the humor in the world doesn't matter. Without fun gameplay, you see, all you're left with is a title full of gaming's most tired stereotypes."

I'm still very excited about this game because we know, for the most part, that the story and dialogue will be excellent. Is some decent gameplay too much to ask for? I'll try not to get my hopes up too high.

Matt (MWG)

Episode Five...

Hey you,

Episode 5 will be recorded this Thursday night and available for your listening pleasure on Friday! As always, we'd love to hear any comments/questions. Leave a comment here, send us an email at midwestgamer@gmail.com or post on the Episode 5 thread in the forums. In addition to the usual, we've got an exciting new MWG feature to discuss!

Here's a list of the games we'll be talking about:

Dead Space

Fable II

Weapon of Choice
Resident Evil: Remake

Matt (MWG)

My rant on Home….

Ok, so I booted up my PS3 the other day just to, you know…..play some games. During my time navigating the XMB I ran across the Home icon. Then I thought, wth, let's see what's new in the world of Home. After Home got done with all the downloading and loading, I appeared in my apartment. I ran around a couple minutes then ventured into the outside area to see what was going on with other PS3 users. It took me no more then 10 seconds to realize how much a waste of time Home is. Maybe it's just me, but it irritates me to think about the time I wasted getting Home up and running. I could have been playing something else. I understand that Home is supposed to be some kind of social networking hub where you can meet new people to get your game on with, but I would much rather just meet people online through an actual game. I could see myself liking Home if I was into chat rooms and such, but not as a gamer. Then again, these are just my thoughts about it. You very well could be a gamer, enjoy Home, and understand what the purpose is, but for some reason I cannot.

Another thing that gets me is just how much time and money Sony has put into getting Home up and running. I can't remember the initial amount but I know that when I heard about it, I thought, "Home must be something really groundbreaking if there willing to put that much effort into it." Everybody was talking about it and it was getting great recognition about how it was supposed to be the next great thing to come to gaming since Live. I'm not going to hide it either, I thought Home was going to be all sorts of awesome, but that feeling was short-lived after the open beta rolled out. It seems to me that it will always be an open beta too, because Sony is afraid to admit that Home is broken and doesn't work like they had hoped. It just makes you wish that Sony put the time and money into a new IP or actual try to put more support towards 3rd parties or something. I don't know, I just think that where Sony is standing right now financially, they could have put their resources somewhere else. Sony claims that they have made $1 million off of Home so far and that they have gotten a hold of all of these endorsements from different companies, but how far will it take them? I don't mean to sound so bitter about the matter, but Home could have been something we could have lived without, in my opinion.

What is everybody else's take on Home? It almost seems like it doesn't get brought up anymore. To tell you the truth I almost forgot about it until I just happen to stumble across it the other day. I don't know, maybe Home will turn out to be something great, but right now, in my opinion, it's a complete waste of time. Maybe someone that uses it often can take me on a tour and show me what is so great about it or something and maybe I will change my mind. Until then though, I'm sorry to say it, my thoughts are down on Home.

////End rant////

Travis (MWG)

Dead Space 100%

So i just finished my complete play through on dead space. I had been debating on trading the game in for a while, but with three achivements left, I felt the need to go all the way. After all is said and done, I love this game, I have literally played through six times, and the game still was able to make me feel worried. The last 2 achievements I had were, the impossible playthrough, and the one gun playthrough. Now unfortunately I decided to do these at the same time.....bad idea. This REALLY kicked up the dificulty of the game, but at the same time it took out the "oh crap no ammo" part of the game. It seemed to me that 95% percent of the ammo found in the game is based on the guns you have in your inventory. Not sure if thats a solid fact but there was never a point that I was "low". Now, with the stress of ammo off of my mind, I thought that the game would be a breeze especially with the dlc 'elite' suit. Literally, the first room I walked into I was dead in 45 seconds. On the impossible setting more 'elite' enimes pop up, and the lurkers that would jump on you if you got too close, now seem to become the clingy babies they once were and will run at you for a nasty hug. After I finished the final boss and the achivement notification popped up, I really felt a sense of acomplishment, and I then realized dead space didnt have alot of stupid achivements. Stupid achivements seem to be in every game nowadays, (ex.Fable 2 dress like a goth for 5 points), so it was nice to have a game that actually rewarded you for a difficult task. Anyway if anyone hasn't checked out Dead Space yet, DO IT! and crank it up to the hard difficulty if you really want to get the blood pumping.

I finally picked up fable 2 and im about halfway through the main quest so I should have my thoughts on that for the next show.

Also I would like to publicly welcome travis to the team, and thank him for the awesome posts he's done.

Bud (MWG)

My appreciation for Flower

Ever since I took the time to admire the first screenshots of Flower, I’ve been anxiously waiting for the games release. Well Flower is finally here and I would have to admit that visually, Flower is one of the best looking games I have played in a long time. I’ve always been one to admire an artistic take on graphics rather than the heavy hitting type such as Gears of War or Killzone. While I’m a sucker for those types of game, it’s always nice to just play through a game that fleshes out simple gameplay design for a much appreciated experience.

As a player, you guide a flower petal through vast open fields. At first the maps yield a plain look to them but then open up to a much colorful landscape to admire. Flowers are littered throughout the maps and usually take you from one area to the other. As you fly through these flowers, you open them up and give life to the area around them and usually open up new paths to follow. The way the controls work in Flower are purely worked around the Sixaxis. You basically tilt the controller the way you want to go and hit any other button on the controller to move forward. I usually hate using the Sixaxis controls but they work really well for Flower. I know it must sound boring but really the game is extremely satisfying. When you finish a level and see it in all of its glory, you cant help but get this extreme sense of accomplishment.

I’ve only touched the surface of the game so I can’t speak for everything but the first level itself is very satisfying. Who would have ever thought that guiding a flower pedal through the air would be that much fun? I’ve only made it to the 4^th stage and things are starting to really be picking up. The game starts to take a deeper path and the environments are starting to show a much darker side to the game. I’m really curious as to what else Flower has to bring. Things are really starting to get interesting and I cannot wait to play through some more of the game. If you have a PS3 then everybody should definitely give this a shot.

Travis(MWG)

New RE5 Trailer

New RE5 trailer from joystiq! sorry, my fanboy is showing. Enjoy.

Matt (MWG)

Gametrailer's Resident Evil Retrospective Episode 3

The third installment of Gametrailer's Resident Evil Retrospective just came out today. Check it out!



Matt (MWG)

Afro Samurai is......pretty awesome?

Is it weird that I actually enjoyed the Afro Samurai demo? I've heard so many negative things about the game, so I thought maybe the visuals and soundtrack were masking a horrible piece of garbage beneath. But, no, as surprising as it may sound, I really enjoyed both the dialogue and combat as well. The combat doesn't seem to incredibly deep, but I found that the focus option created quite a bit of variety, and slashing dudes in half in this game doesn't seem to get old. The camera is a bit of an issue, but if you leave it alone it's really not a problem at all. I haven't seen the Afro Samurai anime, but I love Samurai Champloo, which is kind of within the same vein as far as style and setting go. Afro Samurai is probably not something I will buy, but I'm looking forward to renting and playing through it on a free weekend.

What do you guys think of the demo/game?

Matt (MWG)

E3 getting its groove on again?

Here's a link for an interview from Gamasutra with the ESA about E3 that I thought was insightful. Growing up I always wanted to go to E3 and witness the gaming greatness of the show. When I heard that E3 was sizing down considerably, I was shocked because I knew then I would never be able to witness E3 the way it used to be. Now its great to hear that the E3, as we knew it, is back, but will it ever be the show it once was?

With all the recent layoffs happening, I can't really imagine companies spending a great deal of money or hassle attending the show this June. It couldn't of been cheap for game companies to make an appearance at the show, especially with all the advertising they had to do to compete with one another. It looks like things are looking up for the trade show according to the ESA, so will we get back the E3 we all know and love?

Travis (MWG)

First Hot Coffee, now full nudity?

With the highly anticipated Lost and Damned DLC coming out for GTA IV, you know Rockstar has to throw something out there that’s going to get the attention of the press and gamers alike. Apparently this time, its full frontal nudity and if you haven’t took a gander at the video already, I highly suggest that you keep it that way (I couldn’t resist…..). I just had to see how far Rockstar is really taking GTA IV. There really going with the mature theme of the game and bringing it even further with the dlc. Now it’s not all full fledged porn or anything but rather just some guy standing up showing his stuff, but is this something we want in our games? If Rockstar is doing this will other games follow? I know, like me, the press is throwing this out of proportion, but I was just wondering. What’s your take on this?

http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/23672 <----- Heres the link in case you want to see it.

Edit: As I was writing this I read that the dlc had been released.... So ummmm, ya.. Does anyone plan on getting it?

Travis (MWG)

Hello. My name is Travis and I am now a Midwest Gamer

Hello all. It’s great to be here! You don't know of me yet, but I just joined Matt and Bud's crew and I will be posting on the site from now on as part of MWG. Just thought I would take the time to introduce myself and tell you what I'm about. My name is Travis Fountain and I currently live in good ol’ Lansing, Michigan. I love reading and writing about games. I spend most of my time scourging through gaming websites and forums just hoping to find something great to write about. I've been playing games for as long as I was able to walk and I never get old of them. It’s so great to see how much the gaming industry has grown over the years and I can't wait to see what the future brings. I really feel honored that Matt and Bud has asked me to join their crew and I love what their doing with MWG. Like I said before, I really feel honored for being a part of MWG and I look forward to chatting/discussing the industry with you all.

Thanks for having me! :)

Travis (MWG)

What makes a great Wii game?

The majority of us who would consider ourselves "hardcore" gamers, have had an extremely hard time finding games for the Wii that are appealing and will hold our interest for more than ten minutes. Aside from the first party Nintendo hits like Zelda, Mario, etc., it's hard to figure out what's worth buying on the Wii. Cross-platform titles aren't worth buying because of lackluster graphics and lame excuses to integrate waggle-mechanics, and the majority of the quality games are more of a casual experience.

So what makes a great Wii game? Two of my favorite games on the Wii are World of Goo and the Trauma Center Series. It's taken me awhile to piece together what these games have in common that makes them so fun to play. The answer is simple, these games were meant to be played with the Wii controller. They feel right at home with it and remind my of why that crazy looking contraption was such a great idea. It seems that for so many games on the Wii, the control scheme was simply an afterthought, causing me to get way too much of use out of my old gamecube controller.

So even though appealing to hardcore gamers is apparently not on Nintendo's agenda anymore, maybe releasing titles that have great, well developed Wii-mote/nunchuk controls will encourage us to spend more time playing the Wii.

Matt (MWG)

50% discount on L4D for Vday weekend!

I'm so tempted to download L4D on steam, even though I have it for the 360. It's only $24.99 this weekend. check it out!

Matt (MWG)

Midwest Gamer Podcast Episode 4 - "The Quatro"

Hey all,

Thanks again for all your support, guys. Episode #4 is up! Don't forget to Subscribe to us on Itunes and join the forums! Enjoy!

Show Notes

News - Mass Effect DLC, Street Fighter IV Tournament, L4D DLC, RE5 Release Events and Controversy

Now Playing - MegaMan 3, Devil May Cry, Oblivion, Bionic Commando: Rearmed, Alien Hominid

Feedback - Losing friends to Wow, LAN parties, and Bud's Halo Frustrations


Matt (MWG)

Gametrailer's Resident Evil Retrospective

Anyone who's looking forward to RE5, is a long time RE fan, or just wants to catch up on the Resident Evil Story should check out Gametrailer's Resident Evil Retrospective. Here are the first two episodes in the series!

Matt (MWG)

The time has come....for episode 4.

Hey guys,

We'll be recording Episode 4 soon and any questions/comments you have are always welcome. Leave a comment here, send us an email at midwestgamer@gmail.com or post on the Episode 4 thread in the forums. Here's a list of the games we'll be talking about:

Megaman 3
World of Goo
Alien Hominid
Devil May Cry
Bionic Commando: Rearmed
Oblivion

Also, if you get a chance, check out the poll for most anticipated March release on the sidebar!

Matt (MWG)

Greenwall! Hit the lights!

Hey guys,

Here's another gameplay video, with commentary this time! This is a game called "Closure". Give it a try and let me know what you think. Check it out at newgrounds.com

Matt (MWG)

Knights of the Nine/Shivering Isles

So I recently got a hold of the game of the year edition of oblivion, which is a two disc set. Disc one being the game and disc two being the two expansions. On the last show I commented on how I tried to do the shivering isles but kept getting beat down when I tried to enter. My character was also too evil to do the knights of the nine quest, so I decided to create a new character to experience the quests and am pretty glad I did. I started off with Knights of the Nine and overall I enjoyed this one the most. The storyline was awesome, and I loved searching for all the crusader relics, it had a real indiana jones feel to it. After I completed that quest I moved on to the shivering isles which at first I hated, but slowly I was sucked into the quest and couldn't put it down. By the end of the quest line, when there was nothing left to do and I was at the entrance back to cyrodill, I felt like i was leaving wonderland. Like I didnt wanna go back to the boring "reality". I would recommend either DLC to anyone. If you had to pick one I would go with Knights of the nine. It was shorter, but better in my opinion.

Bud (MWG)

Gettin' My Goo On

You guys may have noticed that we added a videos link to the site sometime last week. I'm going to try to start recording myself playing/talking about games and possibly do some video reviews. The games will mostly be flash or mac games because I am PC-less at the moment. Future videos will have commentary but check out this video of me playing the World of Goo demo for Mac. I have since bought the game and highly recommend you play it on the Wii if you're interested.

Matt (MWG)

Thoughts on Resident Evil 5

So I've been hearing a lot of concerns and complaints about Resident Evil 5 lately. I swear, a few days after the demo was out, the RE5 Gamefaqs board was an effing warzone. There were gamers new to the series, complaining about the controls, RE fans defending the controls and attempting to define the genre, and other RE fans criticizing other RE fans for there ignorance. It was a mess.

Being a dedicated Resident Evil fan, I feel like I should address the situation. People seem to be under the impression that the controls are too archaic and that RE developers should get with the times and fall in line with every other third person shooter. In my opinion, switching to typical third person controls for the next RE game would be upsetting. The control restrictions are not an unwillingness to change on the developer's part, but a well-thought out, necessary aspect of the game. I was hesitant at first when the series moved from being a survival horror game to an action/survival horror game. But it was done well and didn't stray to far from it's roots. A switch to typical third person shooter controls would make the game less unique, and honestly, discourage me from buying. It would be just like all those other games. For ALL of the people new to the series who are complaining about the controls, there is an equal amount of dedicated RE fans rejoicing over the fact that Capcom didn't sellout for the sole purpose of appealing to a wider array of gamers.

Have you all played the demo? What do you guys think?

Matt (MWG)