The Geekbox: Episode 18

[Rydog]

You can listen to our post-E3 podcast right here. Apologies for no podcast during E3... neither Rebel FM or I could get a break from work, so our joint podcast wound up not happening. Boo!

[IcarusII]

I didn't think I'd miss your free-form podcast style until a week went by without one. It's a refreshing after listening to a week of headache inducing ListenUp podcasts.

[Sokkratez]

The Old Republic trailer is a good representation of how awesome Star Wars is, but not much else. It has little to nothing to do with the game. It's a piece of brand marketing, not a piece of product marketing.

[Clint]

Wehey, more Geekbox!

It's so dumb that Up isn't coming out in the UK till October

[Logan Payne]

I liked Grave of the Fireflies. But I guess I missed the point because it just seemed there to make people feel bad.

[Lombaszko]

Me: "Geekbox podcast! Where did you come from?"

Podcast: "I was hiding under your porch because I love you."

Thanks for getting it out earlier too.

[Karen]

Me: "Geekbox podcast! Where did you come from?"

Podcast: "I was hiding under your porch because I love you."

[Mr_eX]

Awesome podcast as usual

[Logan Payne]

I liked the Escapists review of Up. At the end the only mention of doug was

And parents...a word of warning. Your kids new favorite character is Doug, and he is AWESOME

[GiantAsianMan]

I'm pretty sure that Sam no longer informs (or misinforms) on Michael to the FBI; they ended that sub-storyline in Season 2, I think. When they did drop the FBI storyline, they changed the opening voice-over to fit, saying "an old friend who used to inform on you to the FBI...", much like how it was just changed again (as Rydog pointed out) to "as long as you're burned, you're not going anywhere".

Great to have the podcast back (and for it to be up before the next episode of Burn Notice!).

[Callan]

This was one of many episodes where there should have been a video version. It would have been awesome to see Fitch leaving and attempting to open the door.

[Sokkratez]

Just got to listening to the second half. On Odin Sphere, I tried to play it last year some time when they had some reprints. Wish I'd kept it in the shrink wrap to sell it later. I love every Atlus game I've played, but there was just too much reliance on managing your inventory and cooking things to survive. And there were SO many steps to cooking. The actual game was pretty great, and of course the art style. But I thought it was weird that the item issues weren't talked about more... all I heard was good. Felt like something was wrong with me when I found that I just wasn't enjoying myself. Shelved it.

[DerBonk]

Awesome episode, turns out that the raw format is getting even awesomer!

Anyway, as I am from Germany, I wanted to chime in on the whole Nazi issue:
Yes, the Swastika (or to be more precise, the Hakenkreuz [ha-ken-kroi-ts]) is banned in Germany, but not in general. You may use it, if you present it in a historically "correct and appropriate" context, to illustrate teaching, reports, research and so on. So, unless you make a playable documentary, the Hakenkreuz is a big no-no. Actually all other Nazi insignia as well. Skate 2 is only available in a special German version here, because a brand it features has a symbol in its name, that resembles the SS symbol and they had to cut it. That basically killed Skate 2's multiplayer, as we can only play with other Germans.

I think the Indy adventure idea was axed, not nevessarily because of the Hakenkreuze (you could edit that out, they did that in Fate of Atlantis, I think), but because it just would not have sold as well and Germany was and is one of the, if not the biggest market for adventures. It is not, however, the biggest European market for games in general, that's still the UK, afaik. It is Europe's biggest country (measured by population) though. Roughly 80 million people live here.

Now I could go on about the whole killer games debate, we have going here, but I think that's enough German talk

[watkinzez]

Is the Up discussion in this spoilery? Unfortunate Australian here.

[G-Nitro]

Personally, Muramasa: The Demon Blade was my best of E3. While it was great to see Mass Effect 2 and APB, I didn't get any hands on with them. So I chose mine based off of what I could play on the show floor. Muramasa felt like a refreshing title to the Wii and is the first Wii title I've actually gone out of my way to preorder.

On the topic of Grave of the Fireflies, I have to completely agree that it is very sad. It was one of the toughest anime to watch towards the end. It was the one anime film that actually made me tear up.

BTW, you can get Burn Notice Season 1 on Amazon.com for $12.99 as well. Keep up the great show guys, I never miss it.

[Sokkratez]

Thanks for the tip on Burn Notice DVDs. Amazon must have done a price match. Grabbed Season One

[Rosered]

Great episode, as always guys!

I'll admit that I had never seen Burn Notice until recently. I'm not even sure if it airs in Canada. But I happened to be on vacation in Florida for a bit and caught a few episodes. I loved it so much I went out and got the season 1 dvds. So thanks for the recommendation on the show!

Also since I had been away, when I came back I had three episodes of Geekbox to catch up on! So I listened to them all in one sitting while I worked on an Admiral Ackbar custom clock. So thanks again for giving me something to listen to while I work. I'm always way more productive when I have a great podcast to listen to at my desk. Keeps me from getting up and screwing around on the internet instead of getting stuff done hahah!

[jensemann]

Hi Lads and the Lady,
Well as my fellow countryman DerBonk I am a German too. And so I wanted to give you guys an inside my point of view on the whole nazis in games thing.
I am just listening to the episode again because I was not able to type a proper sentence in the bus when I heard the episode the fist time.
Lets start with the point I remember. Do I feel offended when nazis are always the enemy?
Short, no I don't. For me the nazis as a party, as a government and as a movement were repressive, violent and inhuman. They planned, established and run a machinery of holocaust. Detached from any idea that the people they killed were actual humans. Do I believe that every German from that time is responsible? Yes, I do! Either they are guilty of participation or they are guilty of not interfering. That's why I do not feel insulted or the slightest bit offended If somebody is shooting a german in a video game.

Just a short anecdote to not become to serious here. At the time me and my friends fist experienced the pleasure of meeting in a empty house. Wiring our shiny, voodoo accelerated MMX monster machines with tens of yards (or meters [its almost the same anyway]) of coax cable. Then spending hours to find the cable termination cap in the cable and accessory box. And when you finally did spend even more time on configuring the network, so that you could finally start booting the game. But then the biggest problem arose (at leased for the bunch of lefty I grew up with) who has to play the nazi? Well, so much to my youth.

Back to the comment do I feel responsible for the mass murder that happened in my country almost 70 years ago? No, I do not. But I am responsible that such a tragedy will never occur again.
I think the best I can do is trying to not judge anybody, full stop. Not by his or her nationality,
race, religion, status or even education, just by there actions.(I am feeling like a preacher on a sunday morning.)
If you'll believe it or not that is one of the reasons why I left Germany. It always feels that your point of view is the right what, as long as you don't change perspective. And I have to say when I came to Scotland I feared subconsciously that I would experience hate towards a former enemy but nothing. And I think that is something that is even more important today with the fear that was seeded in all our mind that the world is full of terrorist that all what to kill us. Well, we will see where "this" is going.
I hope my speech was not to histrionic. But I really think that this is a topic that influence the way I am and I am sure that it was like this for the most Germans of my age.

And Yes C&C came out in Germany and I think I sunk hours in this (Well, that was before my girlfriend took over every possibility to save the world and forced me to watch her to slay every demon she can find, well, women.).

Nevertheless Guys, you do a great job keep on doing this Great podcast. And I promises I will write a shorter essay next time or put it In the rebelFM comments
Greetings from Edinburgh
Jensemann

[Michael Betts]

I'd rather read longer than not, Jensemann. It was cool to hear your perspective!

[Karen]

Definitely, German fellas. It's interesting to hear about it from you guys' perspective.