Good To Be A Gamer Podcast, Episode 122 – Week of 04/09/2012

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Category : Featured, Good To Be A Gamer

Recorded 04/16/2012

Good To Be A Gamer is Available on iTunes!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/good-to-be-a-gamer/id476489256
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Good To Be A Gamer – At the Con: PAX East 2012
http://www.goodtobeageek.com/?p=3358
Geek Moms Podcast #19 – PAX East & Plague Town Author Dana Fredsti [Geek Mom]
http://www.geekmom.com/2012/04/the-geekmoms-podcast-19-pax-east-and-plague-town-author-dana-fredsti/

Good To Be A Gamer on EVO TV!
Dave & Jessa are proud to announce the Good To Be A Gamer podcast is available on the EVO TV Network! EVO TV is the content network for the EVO 2 line of Android consoles.
http://envizionsinc.com

Guild Wars 2 Beta Keys
We have a number of Beta keys for Guild Wars 2 up for grabs. For your chance to win, Like Good To Be A Geek on Facebook & tell us what the first promo of every show supports.
https://www.facebook.com/goodtobeageek

 

NEWS
BioWare Delivers Intense PvP Action with New Free-to-Play Online Game Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes [EA]
http://investor.ea.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=663025

Dark Souls PC to Use Games for Windows Live [Inquisitr]
http://www.inquisitr.com/218757/dark-souls-pc-to-use-games-for-windows-live/

Game of Thrones Delayed, but Here’s a New Trailer to Tide You Over [QuickJump]
http://www.qj.net/ps3/news/game-of-thrones-delayed-but-heres-a-new-trailer-to-tide-you-over.html

US Government Looking to Track Suspects via Game Consoles [Gamasutra]
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GamasutraNews/~3/_oHwxi_tWLE/US_government_looking_to_track_suspects_via_game_consoles.php

Halo 4 Gameplay: “Master Chief can Parkour with the Best of Them [Official Xbox Magazine]
http://www.oxm.co.uk/40577/halo-4-gameplay-master-chief-can-parkour-with-the-best-of-them/?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=OXM-General-RSS

Hitman: Absolution Joins the List of Games Screwing You Over With Pre-order Weapons [Kotaku]
http://kotaku.com/5901162/hitman-absolution-pre+orders-now-featuring-retailer+specific-bonuses

Sony to Cut TV Production by 40%, 10,000 Jobs to Go [TechRadar]
http://www.techradar.com/news/television/sony-to-cut-tv-production-by-40-10000-jobs-to-go-1075686

 

ITEMS OF INTEREST
Eidos: New IP Isn’t Crucial as Games Get Sophisticated [Destructoid]
http://www.destructoid.com/eidos-new-ip-isn-t-crucial-as-games-get-sophisticated-225567.phtml

Interview: GoG Speak Their Brains on All Things “G” [Rock Paper Shotgun]
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/04/11/interview-gog-speak-their-brains-on-all-things-g/

 

EVENTS
Boston Comic Con
Hynes Convention Center – Boston, MA
April 21-22, 2012
http://bostoncomiccon.com/

 

CONTACT
Questions? Comments? We want to hear from you! Feel free to post a comment on the podcast entry at http://www.goodtobeageek.com, or email us at gamer@goodtobeageek.com. You can also email David at dlucier[at]goodtobeageek.com, email Jessa at jphillips[at]goodtobeageek.com.

Special thanks to Sterling for the use of his music in the podcast. Be sure to check out his Magnatune profile page to learn more about him and discover more of his music.

Good To Be A Gamer is sponsored by Good To Be A Geek – let your geek run wild! Opinions expressed on Good To Be A Gamer are those of the hosts and/or guests and do not necessarily represent those of Good To Be A Geek. Good To Be A Geek is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

The First (and Most Important) Day of E3 is Over!

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Category : Conventions, E-vents, E3, Game On, Product Announcements, PS3, Xbox

E3 is my favorite time of year. I might like watching the press conferences from the three main platform holders more than I actually like playing video games. Today, as I toiled away at work, I missed the Microsoft press conference AND I missed Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference. I missed EA’s press conference. Then, I came home, ate dinner, and was forced to choose between watching my beloved Bruins destroy the dastardly Canucks or watching the Sony presser, and I chose the hockey. Really, I missed everything, and E3 is the one thing that, year in and year out, I miss nothing. Therefore, I think it’s reasonable to assume that I can’t be the only one who missed everything. You’re in luck, though, because I have parsed though everything after the fact and managed to pick out all of the highlights, and I am kind enough to present them to you here in a very manageable form. You’re welcome.

The Expected!

Kinect. Microsoft continues to push Kinect because a bunch of people bought it and nobody’s really sure why just yet. For example, in the upcoming sequel to breakout Kinect hit Dance Central, you’ll be able to dance-battle a second player, and dance battles are probably everybody’s favorite thing I guess. Also, lots of Kinect will be invading a new Fable title. Peter Molyneux wants you to wave at your television to cast spells. I wish Peter Molyneux wanted to do something that wasn’t making Fable games because I don’t and I never will like them.

Gears of War 3. Yeah, that’s a game we all knew about already, but this time they showed a single-player trailer and this got people all worked up. I can’t get into Gears of War, but people like it so I guess that’s a thing. It looked like Gears of War but better than the other ones.

Halo. We’re going to get a Halo 4, which should surprise nobody because Microsoft formed 343 studios for the express purpose of developing Halo titles. Halo 4 will be the first part of a new Halo trilogy, which I’m sure will be the second trilogy in a trilogy of trilogies. In addition to this, the rumors of an HD remake of the original Halo turned out to be true. So lots of Halo in Microsoft’s future, to be sure.

Xbox Dashboard. The dashboard is getting yet another pretty massive overhaul, including voice navigation, lots of IPTV stuff, and better support for Kinect. The new interface sort of looks like Sony’s Xross Media Bar made sex with Windows Phone 7. I’m sure they’ll still find a way to sell you Mntn Dew as soon as you turn on your XBox.

Mass Effect 3. It looks amazing, and why wouldn’t it?

Uncharted. It’s probably Sony’s marquee franchise right now, and they’re riding it about as hard as Microsoft is riding Halo. Each of the two games they showed (One for PS3, one for NGP) were previously announced, but it’s always nice to let us see them because they’re sort of a feast for the eyes.

NGP. Or, as it’s now officially known as, Playstation Vita. Vita is the official name of Sony’s new handheld system. This is something that everybody already knew, so there you go.

HD collections. Rereleasing SD games in HD for the PS3 is Sony’s big new thing, and they really really love doing it. The Sly Cooper collection and the Ico/Shadow of the Colossus collection should both be out in the fall, along with the PSP Remasters God of War collection.

Apologies. Sony’s giving ‘em out because we all deserve ‘em. They feel terrible about what happened with PSN and they want to make sure that we all know.

Resistance. That new one looks good. The second one looked good too though, and we all know how that turned out.

The Unexpected!

Minecraft. It’s coming exclusively to the XBox 360 and it will have Kinect support. I know that you have questions, but that’s okay because nobody has any answers for you.

Bioshock Infinite. Remember how Sony got Gabe Newell to come out and eat crow during their press conference last year? This year they kind of got Bioshock main superguy Ken Levine to do the same about the Move controller. Ken even went so far as to announce move compatibility for Bioshock Infinite. In fact, he loves the Move so much that there will be an exclusive Bioshock Infinite game for the Vita sometime in the future. I know, right? I can’t wait to see who they get to sell themselves on stage next year.

Vita. Arguably the best news of Day One of E3 never even came out in a press conference today. In a press release which came out during Sony’s press conference, they detailed release and pricing information for the Vita. We can pick one up this upcoming holiday season for the same price as a PSP-Go: $249. Well, that price is for the wifi only model. If you want 3g, it’ll cost an extra $50. Given the reaction to the PS3 price, Sony probably thought it wise not to make a big deal out of the price tag, but it was actually met pretty universally with pleasant surprise. Granted, $249 is not cheap, especially for a portable game system. Still, it doesn’t cost anymore than an 3DS does. You could even call this price “aggressive” if you wanted to. I don’t want to, but I don’t feel strongly enough to argue you with you if that’s what what you want to do. I like arguing too. Still, if you were like “This is an aggressive price point by Sony, blah blah blah poor 3DS sales blah blah they could win the portable war this generation” I’d be like “Yeah, you’re probably right” an then somebody else would be like “But smart phones herdy dur dur” and then I’d be like “People like buttons that doesn’t count bop bop bop” and then I’d be arguing, oh yeah.

Yes, more things happened today, I know. But I’m tired, and this is all the most important stuff. E3 wasn’t as exciting today as it maybe should have been, so we’ll have to wait until Nintendo blows our minds (rolls our eyes) for all the mind blowing (eye rolling) stuff.

Geek Gifting Winners!

Category : Geek Out

We are celebrating the holidays with you by giving away geek prizes. We asked you to visit the site and send us an email.

The time has come to announce the contest winners. Congratulations! We sincerely hope you enjoy your gifts!

We would like to thank everyone who visited the site and helped to make this a successful contest. Hopefully, you found something fun and entertaining. Please visit us again. There is more geeky goodness to come in the New Year.

We would also like to say a BIG THANK YOU to Natali of Uber Dork Cafe and Kylee of Luxury Lane Soap for agreeing to contribute their geektastic wares! Please visit their websites and support the geek community.

Noms from Uber Dork Cafe

Bryony Mackey of Arizona


Luxury Lane Soap

John Minus of New Jersey


Halo 3 Master Chief Action Figure

Bruce Keezer of Michigan


The Art of Joseph Michael Lisner

Jill Randazz0 of Massachusetts


Stargate: Continuum DVD

Bryony Mackey of Arizona


Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

Derik Irelan of Michigan

Geek Gifting from Good To Be A Geek

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Category : Uncategorized

Here at Good To Be A Geek, we believe everyday is a great day to celebrate being a Geek. What better time to celebrate than the holiday season? Whether you are a Caprican, Whedonite, Airbender or Zombie Killer of the Week, we want to encourage you to “let your geek run wild” and we are going to help you out.

We have teamed up with some of our favorite friends and procured some nerdy delights that we are gifting away . . . to you! All you have to do is send an email message. Continue reading for more information on how to enter, complete contest rules and a peak at the deliciously geeky goodness you could win.

Happy Holidays from Good To Be A Geek!

HOW TO ENTER: Submit an email message to contest@goodtobeageek.com with the Subject Heading “Geek Gifting.” Information required in the email message includes:

First & Last Name
Date of Birth
Mailing Address, City, State, Zip Code
Email Address (for notification)

All contest entries must also include the Good To Be A Geek tagline, “Let your geek run wild!” to be eligible.

*Limit one (1) entry per day.

********** GIFTS **********

Assorted Noms from Uber Dork Cafe

Uber Dork Cafe has created yummy snacks inspired by iconic geek experiences. Bacon & peanut butter combine to create incredibly popular Woookie Cookies, oatmeal and butterscotch in the Beam Me Up Scotchies will transport you and almond tea cakes are re-invented as Hoth Balls.

Our good friend, Natali, is the force behind the Uber Dork Cafe looking to provide a dork sanctuary for us all. Part cafe, gaming room and learning center, Uber Dork Cafe is a family friendly haven which will indulge the nerdery within by providing a place for geeks to hang out, learn and play. Stop in to try out a board game or spark up a video game console, read up on comics or talk science. Uber Dork Cafe seeks to engage and bring your inner kid out to play. For those of with children, Uber Dork Cafe welcomes kids and wants to include them too! They get their own space to hang out, art and science classes, as well as planned family activities to entertain children of all ages.

For more information and to check the progress of Uber Dork Cafe, visit the website at http://www.uberdorkcafe.com. Also, check out the Etsy store where you can buy your own geeky goodness and support a fantastic cause! To get more of Natali, follow her on Twitter @UberDorkGirlie and tune into The Power Geeks Podcast where she co-hosts every week!

Luxury Lane Soap

Kylee Lane of Luxury Lane Soap creates geek-inspired soaps. These soaps are guaranteed to bring out the kid in everyone. Each adorkable piece is individually handcrafted with love and sheer nerd passion. All of her products include such incredible detail, you almost will not believe it is soap!

Shown on the left are the NES Controllers and Hans Solo in Carbonite. Her fantastic products have been seen on G4tv’s Attack of the Show, Think Geek, The Wall Street Journal, SciFi Wire and many other media outlets.

Visit the Luxury Lane Soap website at http://www.luxurylanesoap.com to check out the full collection of products! Be sure to follow @KyleeLane on Twitter for updates and more geeky awesomeness!

Halo 3 Master Chief Spartan-117 Action Figure

“In humanity’s continuing war against the fanatical armies of the Convenant, one man stands as both a beacon of hope to his people and a symbol of ultimate destruction to his enemies. That man is John-117, the Master Chief. And, armed with the Sniper Rife System 99D-S2 AM, there is no place for the Covenant to hide.”

This 5″ tall action figure from McFARLANE TOYS is equipped with 26 moving parts and includes a Sniper Rifle and Spike Grenade, so you can relive those well-spent hours of gameplay.

The Art of Joseph Michael Lisner

This 9″ x 12″ 176-page paperback book brings together the gorgeous character art of Joseph Michael Lisner in full color. Best known for his iconic diva Dawn, this book includes an inside look into the creation of the cover for Dawn: Three Tiers #1, from sketches to fully painted art, as well as many other pinups and other characters. Each painting was selected by Lisner himself to best represent his body of work.

Stargate: Continuum DVD

While SG-1 attends the execution of Ba’al, the last of the goa’uld system lords, Teal’c and Vala inexplicably disappear into thin air.  Carter, Daniel and  Mitchell race back to Earth, only to emerge from the gate inside the hold of a derelict WWII ship lodged in the Artic ice.  They soon realize that Ba’al must have gone back in time and captured the ship that was to bring the Stargate to America, thereby erasing the Stargate program from history.

As they try to convince the authorities that they must find a way to set things right, a fleet of goa’uld motherships arrives in orbit, led by Ba’al, his queen, Katesh (Vala), and his first prime, Teal’c.  SG-1 must get to the Stargate and find a way to return the timeline back to normal, otherwise the world will be divided up among the goa’uld system lords, and enslaved forever.

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan DVD

The Cylons began as humanity’s robot servants. They rebelled and evolved and now they look like us. Their plan is simple: destroy the race that enslaved them. But when their devastating attack leaves human survivors, the Cylons have to improvise. Battlestar Galactica: The Plan tells the story of two powerful Cylon leaders, working separately, and their determination to finish the task.

Directed by Edward James Olmos

Check back often as more gifts are added!

********** CONTEST RULES **********

No purchase necessary. Contest is open to legal residents currently residing within one (1) of the contiguous forty-eight (48) United States or the District of Columbia (excluding Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and other United States territories). Contestants must be eighteen (18) years of age or older as of the start date of the contest.

The contest will begin at midnight (12:00am) Eastern Time on December 10,2010. All contest entries must be received by midnight (12:00am) Eastern Time on December 24, 2010. Limit one (1) entry per day. Entries which exceed the entry limits will be void. Any attempt to enter the contest, other than the method described herein will be void. Winners will be selected from a random drawing. Winners will be announced on the website December 27, 2010. Winners will also be notified via email message to the email address provided at the time of contest entry.

Prizes are not redeemable for cash and prizes must be accepted as awarded. Value of prizes vary. Good To Be A Geek reserves the right to substitute any prize, due to unavailability, with a prize of equal or similar value. Contestants acknowledge that Good To Be A Geek and its staff are not liable for prizes that may be lost or stolen during delivery. Contestants acknowledge their information may be shared with contest sponsors, strictly for the purpose of prize delivery.

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