Hart & Usagi #81: Solitaire Fame

Episode 81 of the Hart & Usagi Podcast is here! We welcome back Steve to the show and chat about a variety of topics like the Nintendo Switch controller issues, an April Fools joke that might be real, more Hall of Fame worthy games, and more.

Enjoy and remember to subscribe via RSS or iTunes and follow the Hart & Usagi Podcast on Twitter!

NEWS/TOPICS:
* Persona 5 streamers asked to adhere to Atlus’ guidelines or be hit with a content ID claim or worse
* April Fools Day 2017 Video Game Joke Roundup
* Nioh is the most successful game Koei Tecmo has ever published in the west
* These 12 Games Could Go Into A Video Game Hall Of Fame
* Nintendo’s Switch Joy-Con Problem a Result of “Manufacturing Variation”
* PlayStation 3 Production Ending Soon In Japan
* PlayStation 3 memories

Listen or Download (1:50:21)

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Hart & Usagi Podcast at the Internet Archive

Matt: @HartKnight | HartKnight’s Archive

Mike: @usagi704 | Domain of Usagi704

Steve: @ebbderelict

@HartandUsagi

Hart & Usagi #70: Feel The Electricity

It’s time for another scintillating Hart & Usagi Podcast episode. We talk about Edge’s top 100 video games list, Nintendo against Fair Use, and the greatness of the original PlayStation among other topics.

Enjoy and remember to subscribe via RSS or iTunes and follow the Hart & Usagi Podcast on Twitter!

NEWS/TOPICS:
* Mortal Kombat X for Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 Canceled
* Mega Man Movie is in Development at Fox
* 20 Brilliant Things About PlayStation
* Wow, Umihara Kawase games coming to PC
* Nintendo’s cracking down on speedrunning and ROM hacking videos
* 3 ways the original PlayStation changed gaming forever
* TGS 2015: Sony Reveals Fresh New PS4 Wireless Headset, Controllers, HDD Bay Covers
* Edge Special List: The 100 Greatest Video Games
* Former ESPN Host Criticizes Gaming Again
* Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 Day One Update Is Reportedly Bigger Than Game Itself
* Burnout Spiritual Successor Teased By Ex-Criterion Founders
* New Street Fighter V Character Laura Leaked
* What Are the Best Video Game Remakes?

Listen or Download (1:26:41)

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Hart & Usagi Podcast at the Internet Archive

Matt: @HartKnight | HartKnight’s Archive

Mike: @usagi704 | Domain of Usagi704

@HartandUsagi

Hart & Usagi #69: The Super SNES

It’s time for another scintillating Hart & Usagi Podcast episode. We talk about DigitalTrends.com’s Top 25 SNES games article, the cancelled Jak 4, and we get excited for announced titles such as Mafia 3, Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst, and Dark Souls III. All this and more!

Enjoy and remember to subscribe via RSS or iTunes and follow the Hart & Usagi Podcast on Twitter!

NEWS/TOPICS:
* Here Are The Top 25 Games That Made The SNES, Well, Super
* USgamer Community Question: Which is Best – Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis?
* Consumers complain to FCC about ‘data caps’
* Beautiful Concept Art from Naughty Dog’s Jak and Daxter 4 Canceled Game Surfaces
* Scathing Nikkei Report Hints At Shameful Treatment Of Staff By Dictatorial Konami Management
* PlayStation Game-Streaming Service Officially Hits PS Vita Tuesday
* Need for Speed Series Had Too Many Games, Too Quickly, Dev Says
* Why New Need for Speed for Xbox One/PS4/PC Is Always-Online
* Activision Blizzard CEO Donates $50,000 to Chris Christie Presidential Bid
* Reddit bans some of its most well-known racist communities
* Mafia 3 Tackles Racism and the Vietnam War in 1960s New Orleans
* Why Mirror’s Edge Catalyst is a Frontrunner for Gamescom’s Best Game
* Dark Souls III is Faster, Smoother, and More Fluid Than its Predecessors
* 90 Minutes with Dark Souls III Put My “Sequelitis” Fears to Rest
* Street Fighter 5 is a Bolder Reinvention Than Looks Suggest
* Crackdown 3 to Include “100 Percent Destructible Environments”
* Crackdown 3 Destruction Restricted to Multiplayer
* Sony’s New PS4 Projector Costs As Much As The Console
* Sony Explains Decision to Increase PlayStation Plus Three Month Subscription Price in Europe
* PS4 System Update 3.00 Adds Twitter Video, YouTube Broadcasts, and More
* Resident Evil 2 Remake Confirmed
* Wow, Spotify’s New Privacy Policy is Atrocious

Listen or Download (2:01:48)

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Hart & Usagi Podcast at the Internet Archive

Matt: @HartKnight | HartKnight’s Archive

Mike: @usagi704 | Domain of Usagi704

@HartandUsagi

Hart & Usagi Podcast #65: Bombshells

On this episode of the Hart & Usagi Podcast we chat mainly about the game announcements from E3 2015 among a few other things. Join us.

Enjoy and remember to subscribe via RSS or iTunes and follow the Hart & Usagi Podcast on Twitter!

NEWS/TOPICS:
* GameStop to acquire ThinkGeek parent company Geeknet
* The First Class of the World Video Game Hall of Fame
* Uncharted PS4 Collection Removes Multiplayer for Uncharted 2 and 3
* USgamer Community Question: What’s Your All-Time Favorite Arcade Game?
* The Jimquisition: Steam Refunds
* Arc System Works buys out Double Dragon, River City Ransom rights
* Bethesda E3 2015 Press Conference News Roundup
* Microsoft E3 2015 Press Conference News Roundup
* Electronic Arts E3 2015 Press Conference News Roundup
* Ubisoft E3 2015 Press Conference News Roundup
* Sony E3 2015 Press Conference News Roundup
* All of the Nintendo E3 2015 Release Dates
* Sony will support development of ‘Shenmue 3’
* Season Passes are Not Good for Gamers, says Hitman Dev
* How Far Can Drawn to Death’s Intriguing Aesthetic Take It?
* Shenmue 3 Creator Also Wants to do Shenmue 4

Listen or Download (1:59:01)

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Hart & Usagi Podcast at the Internet Archive

Matt: @HartKnight | HartKnight’s Archive

Mike: @usagi704 | Domain of Usagi704

@HartandUsagi

E3 2015: Times-a-Wastin’

The following are my comments on the blog post “The Year Ahead in Gaming” as written by @ebbderelict.

I’m interested in the newest Batman Arkham game as well. I haven’t yet played City, but I’m sure to get to it since I do own it. The main reason I had not cared for Origins was mainly because of the buggy mess I heard it was.

Star Wars: Battlefront is, well, Star Wars. That alone makes it uninteresting to me. But then again I don’t completely lack Star Wars games in my current collection. I own Episode III on GBA. I want to say WayForward developed it, but all I can find is information that Ubisoft did it.

Deus Ex on PS2 was fun, but since I’m not the biggest fan of those types of games, I don’t hope it up highly even though it was an enjoyable time. With that said I’ve had my fill of the series.

I’m still trying to get up to speed on all the E3 news and I didn’t realize Platinum was doing a Transformers game. I’m interested because they have a good pedigree. I’m less excited because Activision may rush them like they did with The Legend of Korra game. It’s a wait and see for sure.

I quite liked Mirror’s Edge. I was happy when it became known awhile back that a sequel was in the works. I have high hopes for Catalyst improving on what didn’t work so well last time.

Doom 4, as I’ll be calling it unofficially to avoid confusion with the PC classic, has the Doom 3 aesthetics with what looks like faster gameplay similar to the original two games. It really looks like this could be what fans of Doom have been waiting for since 2004.

I own the majority of the Ratchet & Clank series and I always have fun with them, but since they all feel about the same to me (says the guy who loves God of War games), I don’t see the need to get to them when picking an unplayed game to tackle next. Regardless I know I’ll pick up the first R&C outing on the PS4 to see how it turns out.

We’re simply old men who feel “times-a-wastin'” so the bird-dog needs to pick up the slack and get moving. The Last Guardian will probably be another title, along with this studio’s previous efforts, that I’ll buy with little interest in actually playing. You know, as in “I’ll get to it when I get to it.”

I’m in the opposite camp. I’m excited about Uncharted 4. I also liked the first game, but I was stoked for the second game and enjoyed it too. The third game, however, not so much though I do plan to get to it whenever that will be.

I’m always amused by the fact that Square Enix themselves said years ago that a remake of Final Fantasy VII would not happen, but despite this fans of the game just wouldn’t shut up about it. They went so far as in to actually expect the remake announcement at PSX last year. No doubt the remake actually happening is a shocker, but I still do not care in the slightest other than finally they can all collectively be quiet on this since they finally got what they wanted.

Shenmue III: see Final Fantasy VII remake from above.

Now Playing: March 2015

If you missed my blog post entitled “My Final Thoughts on Final Fantasy IX” then check it out. In it I discuss my time with the game, the characters I enjoyed the most, and where I ultimately ended in the game at.

For my next game I pondered the following five games on Twitter: Crysis 3, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Far Cry 3, Goldeneye: Reloaded, and Saints Row 3. I asked others to nudge me in a direction of one of those games with a reason or two. It wasn’t a straight popular vote. I received a couple for Enslaved and Saints Row 3, but it was Far Cry 3 which got most of the attention. That’s what I ended up going with.

My first hour of playing Far Cry 3 was a bit rough. Even though other games have done this before, I wasn’t used to the partial health recharging that’s in this game. By this I mean that the health bar is segmented and will only recharge segments that are somewhat drained. Health packs are needed for any segments which are completely empty. There’s also a skill upgrade which will allow for a segment to refill if no packs are available at the time they’re needed. It will just take a little longer.

Another gripe I have with Far Cry 3 is the driving. I can’t see where I am on the road very well and it only has driving in first-person. Because of this hindrance I tried to avoid an oncoming vehicle while in a supply truck on a narrow road with rocks on one side and a cliff on the other. Needless to say I failed spectacularly. I ended up driving over the rocks turning the truck, which doesn’t drive very good anyway, on it’s side. Then it slid off the road and over the cliff killing my character in an explosion (Hollywood oily rags included).

Hunting to craft things is easier than it initially feels like it’ll be. Some animals are difficult to find once on the land marked on the map. However, deer are super easy to find on their land. I had spotted 12 on my screen at one time.

I’m slowly getting into the game. I thought I could go into it acting more like Rambo than I actually am allowed. I can blame the demo for the standalone Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon for that. That game doesn’t allow for such tactics either, but the aesthetics gave me the feeling you could. So much for learning the easy way.

Thanks for reading and have a good one!

My Final Thoughts on Final Fantasy IX

For close to two months — about six days shy — I had been playing Final Fantasy IX. It was the final PS1 game suggested for me to play by Majadamus as part of my celebration of the original PlayStation’s 20th anniversary.

I really liked the storytelling within Square’s role-playing game. In particular the characters and specifically Zidane and Steiner. Their banter back and forth is humorous with Zidane calling Steiner “Rusty” every so often. Zidane’s character change from thief to doing the right and brave thing when it’s needed is believable given the crisis he accidentally found himself in. Steiner is overall funny in how he never trusts Zidane no matter how much good he does. At the same time he trusts Vivi without question to the point of calling him Master Vivi when addressing him.

I’m not embarrassed to admit I followed an FAQ to play through the game. This is because sometimes RPGs are obtuse in how you can continue on with the story whether it be a certain random person you have to talk to or what have you. I didn’t want to take the time looking around for what I needed to do. It’s a major problem I have with some games. Regardless, I had fun with what I played.

I say “with what I played” because I had to end the game prematurity. I had made a bad decision on the characters to take on my trek to Oeilvert. I couldn’t change them after I left the airship. As it turns out, in hindsight, Vivi, Steiner, and Eiko would’ve been much better choices to make over who I ended up taking (Freya, Amarant, and Quina). And those damn asshole Cactuars.

I’m still glad I played the game as far as I did. At least I got to disc 3. It was well worth the 27 hours I put into it.