PC Gamer podcast, 360 article

Brother None said:
I think that screen was in OXM too, though we provided no scans of it.

Any new information in it?
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Ah.

No, there is no genuinely new information I can see. They mention that the PIP-Boy "will also be a useful tool for keeping track of bandits", which I don't think I've seen mentioned. There is more speculation on an Enclave radio station, though Todd Howard "politely declined" to talk about it. There is also a small piece on Marcus, and how his intention was to "turn east... to follow the example of the Chosen One, and attempt to discover the fate of the other survivors of the Master's army who had fled over the hills". They wonder if given his extended life and direction of his travel he could possibly appear in the game.

The article is interesting in having a greal deal of background information from the series, a lot of which seems ripped straight from Chris Avellone's Bibles. There is a timeline, a two page spread showing a map of the world with descriptions of all the previous locations in the games (excluding Tactics and FOBOS of course) in a jumbled, non-chronological fashion, and side panels summarising all the groups and factions at work in the universe, including Vipers, Hubologists and... Deathclaws. The Deathclaws "are not necessarily your enemies". Finally, there is a small piece further stressing the importance of Cormac McCarthy's The Road in influencing the development team.

It is kind of nice they have tried to shed some light on the background of the series and draw attention to the earlier games, rather than just taking their cues from Bethesda.
 
Sure. Sounds like an ok article. Timing's a bit weird, as is announcing it as a steaming hot exclusive. That kind of background digging would've been more fitting earlier, looks like they just used it for filler now.

But still, why not?
 
I'm proud to say i've never listened to a single podcast in my life and i plan on keeping that habit. There's just nothing some random freaks can record thats somehow in any aspect better than a written article. Podcasts are for people too lazy to read (like these stupid audio books...). The whole idea of just having to listen to someone instead of doing some reading on your own is pretty stupid.



...why has everyone to be so damn stupid? Fuck this world.
 
requiem_for_a_starfury said:
Section8 said:
Is the 200+ endings bit really that hard to get your head around?
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It seems it is.
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1. Dull art.
2. Gamer/hardware comic.
3. Writer can't spell the name of his own comic.

= FAIL



... Oh, and the endings thing too.
 
star said:
I'm proud to say i've never listened to a single podcast in my life and i plan on keeping that habit. There's just nothing some random freaks can record thats somehow in any aspect better than a written article. Podcasts are for people too lazy to read (like these stupid audio books...). The whole idea of just having to listen to someone instead of doing some reading on your own is pretty stupid.



...why has everyone to be so damn stupid? Fuck this world.
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You sure have a sunny outlook on the world. Kidding aside, it is a different way of interfacing with people to talk about games. The ones that do it right take the content and descriptions well beyond that of written articles. I would rather listen to a guy describe a battle in CoH for a couple minutes than to read a 10 page transcription of what happened. You don't see that kind of stuff in print and I'm guessing no one would read it anyway. However, I would agree with you, if the guys were just retreading written articles from a website or magazine.
 
ChiSoxMcgee said:
I would rather listen to a guy describe a battle in CoH for a couple minutes than to read a 10 page transcription of what happened.
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Thats a strange analogy. Theres no way that describing something in 'a couple minutes' could be as informative/comprehensive as a 10 page long article. In fact, the opposite is true. You can gather the same information way quicker if you're reading them. Listening to someone takes considerably more time and doesn't give you any additional benefit. It's just a slower and 'easier' way of getting information.
 
star said:
I'm proud to say i've never listened to a single podcast in my life and i plan on keeping that habit. There's just nothing some random freaks can record thats somehow in any aspect better than a written article. Podcasts are for people too lazy to read (like these stupid audio books...). The whole idea of just having to listen to someone instead of doing some reading on your own is pretty stupid.



...why has everyone to be so damn stupid? Fuck this world.
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Indeed.
 
I hope those gents at PC Gamer are being paid well. Their insightful comments really engage me. I'm also glad they cleared that whole 200 endings thing up; I was really confused about that.
 
star said:
ChiSoxMcgee said:
I would rather listen to a guy describe a battle in CoH for a couple minutes than to read a 10 page transcription of what happened.
Click to expand...


Thats a strange analogy. Theres no way that describing something in 'a couple minutes' could be as informative/comprehensive as a 10 page long article. In fact, the opposite is true. You can gather the same information way quicker if you're reading them. Listening to someone takes considerably more time and doesn't give you any additional benefit. It's just a slower and 'easier' way of getting information.
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How is that a strange analogy? If I ask my friend how match in CoH, or any game for that matter, I wouldn't want to receive a 1500 word email saying, well first I did, then I did, then I did, etc. Thats the same kind of thing you get out of GFW sometimes, impressions and tips more elaborate than any crappy games preview or strat guide can give you. I'm not trying to convince you that this is what you should be listening to, but saying people are stupid just because they listen to them is pretty discriminatory, especially when there are plenty of stupid people that read articles as well.
 
I'm a bit confused there, ChiSoxMcGee

This isn't the difference between showing something in pictures or words, indeed then there's a significant difference.

But all a podcast does is put text into spoken words. It's still just words describing something. Now I - and most people - can read much faster than the average person can speak (add to this that people in podcasts don't tend to be very eloquent).

...Where's the advantage then? They can both describe the same thing in the same amount of words. There's no reason a podcast can describe something in less words, if that's what you're saying, but the advantage of written words is that you can think about what you want to say and put it down clearly, to prevent the kind of confusion Todd's ill-chosen words brought about.
 
Media As Message

Media As Message


Brother None:
... But all a podcast does is put text into spoken words. It's still just words describing something. Now I - and most people - can read much faster than the average person can speak (add to this that people in podcasts don't tend to be very eloquent). ...
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Podcasts are aural presentations and so are phone conversations.
Each format of the "spoken word" has a prime time and place.
Each has conventions and a presumed power of immediacy.

That immediate --> hear / here --> and --> now / now -->.

Podcasts can be well scripted and presented like professional radio, or 'wing it' like talk radio.
The talk radio format encourages a running commentary from call in listeners.
Much like these web forum text commentaries gravitate our discussions ...

[drama] ... nay ... our SOLILOQUIES in ''too - too'' tortured text ... [/drama]

The text messaging -- here -- can work better when the visual formating of narrative spacing - and punctuation - is employed, with a minimum of 'l33t' speak
and a whole lot of spell check.

When the podcast personae adapt a 'wing it' format and strut like shock jocks towing the obligatory posse, (as greek chorus, and 3 stooge comic relief),

these professional voices,

with all their wit and inflection, can still fail to communicate when too many " ahh-s ... and ...you know-s... '' creep into the audio.

So, (-- ahh --)

money saved from low production values, (-- ahh --) no script and little editing, (-- ahh --) is lost if the 'artists' can't talk well 'au natural' and fling out
the improvisational schtick.

All these plays and 'play-ah-s', their moments on their stages, emote their "sound and fury", signifying - *nada* --> cycling down the pipes of bandwidth -->
and --> lost out (-- ahhhhhhhhhhhh! --) into the aether -->

We might not 'know' what art is, but we tend to 'know' what we like, ...(-- ahh --) ... in podcasts.




4too
 
Brother None said:
I'm a bit confused there, ChiSoxMcGee

This isn't the difference between showing something in pictures or words, indeed then there's a significant difference.

But all a podcast does is put text into spoken words. It's still just words describing something. Now I - and most people - can read much faster than the average person can speak (add to this that people in podcasts don't tend to be very eloquent).

...Where's the advantage then? They can both describe the same thing in the same amount of words. There's no reason a podcast can describe something in less words, if that's what you're saying, but the advantage of written words is that you can think about what you want to say and put it down clearly, to prevent the kind of confusion Todd's ill-chosen words brought about.
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Let me be clear that I agree with you if it is just people reading or retreading news from their site and I don't listen to PC Gamer podcast, which that sounds like what was going on there. But I won't go as far as calling people idiots for liking that like the last poster I was responding to.

What I like in a podcast is the offering of different content of typical previews or impressions, because the editor isn't going to waste his time writing a travel log of a great match he had especially in a long game. Maybe he writes a blurb about it in a preview because he has a word count to follow, but the podcast gives him the floor to go into great detail of his experience. It is comparable to talk radio. When you listen to guys talk about sports, it tends to be more casual and descriptive than a guy who writes an editorial for a paper and only has so many words to say something. By your logic everything stated in a podcast must be written down somewhere, but that isn't always the case. You also don't take into account that there are bad writers who could possibly vocalize their thoughts, but, when written, it's a boring mess. Conversely, I'll agree that there are great writers who should stay the hell away from a microphone.

And I never said it would take less words, it would be time in my case, because I must be one of those below average readers unlike "most people".
 
star said:
I'm proud to say i've never listened to a single podcast in my life and i plan on keeping that habit. There's just nothing some random freaks can record thats somehow in any aspect better than a written article. Podcasts are for people too lazy to read (like these stupid audio books...). The whole idea of just having to listen to someone instead of doing some reading on your own is pretty stupid.



...why has everyone to be so damn stupid? Fuck this world.
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Yes, except you're totally missing the point. I like audio books when making my 40 minute drive into the office. And podcasts are a great alternative to radio when you are working, driving as well. Why do some people have to be so ignorant?
 
Xenophile said:
Yes, except you're totally missing the point. I like audio books when making my 40 minute drive into the office. And podcasts are a great alternative to radio when you are working, driving as well. Why do some people have to be so ignorant?
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Maybe because that concept is not as deeply buried in their lives as it might be in other people? How the hell should I hear a podcast while driving? Oh wait, I have my laptop, or my notebook, or my PDA. But maybe I don't have a PDA, or maybe I don't care enough to hear crap while driving that makes me even angrier than I already am because of the traffic and stuff... Radio is nice and stuff, but books are better. Period.

:EDIT:
And of course they serve different purposes.
 
Serifan said:
"From the makers of Oblivion... the greatest RPG ever made!"
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This line makes me sick, Oblivion has to be one of the worst RPG's I have played, average FPS but shitty RPG.

God, I rate Lionheart better than Oblivion and that was shit
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You mean I wasn't the only person to play Lionheart?
 
Morbus said:
Xenophile said:
Yes, except you're totally missing the point. I like audio books when making my 40 minute drive into the office. And podcasts are a great alternative to radio when you are working, driving as well. Why do some people have to be so ignorant?
Click to expand...
Maybe because that concept is not as deeply buried in their lives as it might be in other people? How the hell should I hear a podcast while driving? Oh wait, I have my laptop, or my notebook, or my PDA. But maybe I don't have a PDA, or maybe I don't care enough to hear crap while driving that makes me even angrier than I already am because of the traffic and stuff... Radio is nice and stuff, but books are better. Period.

:EDIT:
And of course they serve different purposes.
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Why do you guys want to argue against the guys who like podcasts with the argument "Reading is better", because it is completely different. Like the dude said you plug in your mp3 player on the ride to work and listen to something you want. No one is saying you should listen to it or like it, but I was just calling the guy out for saying anyone who listens to podcasts is lazy, an idiot and should go read the information instead. I read and I'm not stupid (when not drunk). I'm just explaining why I like GFW radio, not professing it's the greatest thing ever or trying to force you guys to listen (but if you do have an interest then try it, it can be funny and informative).

I've already said that I agree with you guys in bashing the dudes on PC gamer as they were just blabbing about a news point and it wasn't very informative or interesting, but calling people stupid just for listening is petty and not true.
 
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