BlizzCon Blowout: Idle Thumbs 40: Idle Thumbs 40,000 (Nobody Beats the Blizz)

[Jake]

All the Wizard that's fit to Blizzard

"Idle Thumbs 40,000"

(Nobody Beats the Blizz)

We're back from BlizzCon, abuzz with the latest biz from the Blizz. Also sampled: The Monk, The Wiz(ard).

Games Discussed: StarCraft II, Diablo 3, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, Battle.net, Mass Effect, Dragon Age: Origins, EVE Online, Trials HD, Trials 2: Second Edition, Action Supercross, WarCraft: Orcs and Humans, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Time Donkey

[Jim Profit]

good old Balasz is still selling the newer version of action supercross http://www.elastomania.com/

[Bury]

VIDEO GAMES?

I think I'm the guy who you guys mentioned from Blizzcon at 1:04:45 as the guy who introduced himself as "video games" and at 1:05:29 as "the one guy who kept pointing out our inadequecy in basically doing everything thumbs related"

I didn't realize I came off as that pedantic I just suggested all of those things (and plugged Idle Thumbs to everyone who walked by) because I believe in you guys! I've got nothing but love for Idle Thumbs and want to share the goodness with the world.

Anyways, I'll be around at PAX--may I suggest meeting up after the "Make a Scene with Telltale" panel ends on Sat at 5p? We can go for a drink at the Taphouse nearby or just meet up around the con. This will give me some time to catch the live Giantbomb podcast at 7p, and Nick Breckon can catch the 7:30p UI panel because I heard he is totally to blame for the awful Monkey Island 2 UI*.

Sincerely,

Your wannabe Podcast Manager

*Yes I know Jake is the one that works for Telltale, this is a reference to some stupid joke on a past Thumbs episode. But really Nick, why don't you just make a better podcast????

[elmuerte]

Holy crud... 95 minutes... this is a long one

[Sombre]

Dear Jake,

Dapper class confirmed?

[James]

I played so much of the Action Supercross demo. It was so similar that I looked it up and some website seemed to imply that they were actually made by the same people or something, but I don't know, and I can't be bothered to cause myself to know. I think Action Supercross used to be called something else or subsequently became called something else. I don't know. That game was crazy, and it makes me consider buying Trials HD, but it might kill me. Fucking computeogames.

I played more Warcraft 1 than any of the latter Warcraft games. My three main memories are seeing the then-fancy intro movie, seeing the then-fancy intro movie WITH SPEECH BECAUSE IT WAS THE CD VERSION HOLY SHIT, and playing hours and hours of multiplayer with my cousin over a null modem cable and later a parallel printer cable. We also played Doom (including deathmatch-in-co-op-while-looking-through-the-other-guy's-eyes: a second person shooter) and Linewars. Why Linewars? I don't know. In that game when you went up you went slightly diagonally. Again, I don't know why.

Edited August 26, 2009 by JamesM

[Noyb]

good old Balasz is still selling the newer version of action supercross http://www.elastomania.com/

Oh god yes. This game was my middle school study hall.

There's also a freeware fan-made clone called XMoto.

[WittyAndCleverName]

you guys should talk about Gears Of War (more like Awesome Of War [Am I right or am I right!?]) more.

[Chuckpebble]

Oh god yes. This game was my middle school study hall.

There's also a freeware fan-made clone called XMoto.

ESPN also has a version that you can play as either a guy on a motorcycle or a rally car. I played the rally car one, and I must say, that thing had some sweet boost!

ESPN Arcade: X Games Rally and SuperX

[syntheticgerbil]

You guys are awesome for making Biz Markie references.

Alternatively you could have called it, "The Blizz never Sleeps."

[Irishjohn]

Hey Bury, if you are who I think you might be, I was also there, and I'm pretty sure they were mocking you in a very friendly "laughing with him" way mate.

PAX meet-up should be cool, wish I could go!

[Chris]

VIDEO GAMES?

I think I'm the guy who you guys mentioned from Blizzcon at 1:04:45 as the guy who introduced himself as "video games" and at 1:05:29 as "the one guy who kept pointing out our inadequecy in basically doing everything thumbs related"

I didn't realize I came off as that pedantic I just suggested all of those things (and plugged Idle Thumbs to everyone who walked by) because I believe in you guys! I've got nothing but love for Idle Thumbs and want to share the goodness with the world.

Anyways, I'll be around at PAX--may I suggest meeting up after the "Make a Scene with Telltale" panel ends on Sat at 5p? We can go for a drink at the Taphouse nearby or just meet up around the con. This will give me some time to catch the live Giantbomb podcast at 7p, and Nick Breckon can catch the 7:30p UI panel because I heard he is totally to blame for the awful Monkey Island 2 UI*.

Sincerely,

Your wannabe Podcast Manager

*Yes I know Jake is the one that works for Telltale, this is a reference to some stupid joke on a past Thumbs episode. But really Nick, why don't you just make a better podcast????

No worries, we just thought it was funny because we never think of any good promotional ideas ourselves!

[freak-o-mator]

You can drag-select in Warcraft 1 when you hold down the Ctrl-Key.

Noob.

[toblix]

Ahem, I actually bought Elastomania back in the day. Also, I completed all th levels and made some sweet ones myself. I really don't get the similarity between that and Trials, though. I, too, thought they were the same back when that first Flash game (just Trials, I think it was called) made the rounds, but it appeared quite quickly that they are only similar in that they are games about riding a motorcycle, and that they are controlled mostly the same. Trials, and the parts of Trials HD I've played are a linear race from left to right, and is about judging jumps and more actual trial biking stuff. Across (and Elastomania) is not that at all. It's more of a puzzle game where you use those same controls to navigate around completely abstract, often non-linear levels, having to get all the apples before being able to complete by touching the exit.

[Freezerr]

I went back to Mass Effect this week as a result of last week's podcast. It is really fun - probably my favorite RPG qua RPG that I've played on a console so far.

I was also thinking to myself "Man, Remo is a baby; this game was super easy except for a few boss fights. I'll go to the ice planet first and show him." Of course, this time I tried to play a class besides a Soldier (Vanguard, maybe?) and holy crap, you were right! That security woman one-shot raped me 3 or 4 times in a row before I managed to figure out a way to clear the room.

Also, I enjoyed the different dialogue that you get with Harkin in the bar when you are a female Shepard.

[Psych]

Sigh, I want to meet the Thumbs, but I don't live on the West coast and can't afford to make the trip out there.

You guys need to go on tour, so the rest of your readers can get a chance to meet cha.

[DanJW]

Hmmm..... Thumbcon....

Make it so.

[blackboxme]

I just want to say that I strongly disagree with Remo's assessment of MGS4.

I do not think that there is a dissonance between Snake in cut-scenes vs. Snake in game-play. In fact, I think the two halves tie together thematically in a powerful way.

In fact, the two things Snake does most in cutscenes is convalesce and get the shit beat out of him in a horrible way. In MGS4, even the basic strain of going out on a mission wears him out, and all he can do between missions is lie down and stare at the ceiling.

I think that matches up quite nicely with how Snake has to hide from everybody.

Edited August 27, 2009 by blackboxme

[blackboxme]

I played so much of the Actioncross Superdemo.

Me too

[ZTac]

I played tons of Action Supercross years and years ago, and after the name was mentioned I immediately checked online to make sure it was the game I was thinking of.

The first screenshot came up, and in that instant I was running through that field of flowers, music swelling in the background. Group hug, everyone.

[Chris]

I just want to say that I strongly disagree with Remo's assessment of MGS4.

I do not think that there is a dissonance between Snake in cut-scenes vs. Snake in game-play. In fact, I think the two halves tie together thematically in a powerful way.

In fact, the two things Snake does most in cutscenes is convalesce and get the shit beat out of him in a horrible way. In MGS4, even the basic strain of going out on a mission wears him out, and all he can do between missions is lie down and stare at the ceiling.

I think that matches up quite nicely with how Snake has to hide from everybody.

The comment on disassociation was more with respect to the series as a whole than to MGS4 specifically. In MGS4 I really just felt the cutscenes were incredibly tedious and in many cases extremely dumb.

[blackboxme]

Also, aside from disagreeing with the Thumbs on MGS4, I just wanna say thanks for episode 39, it was really funny.

Also, thanks for all the Blizzard talk: I'm really in the mood for Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 these days. I can't believe how long its been. Blizzard is just now making its third game using the novel technology, "the polygon."

[blackboxme]

The comment on disassociation was more with respect to the series as a whole than to MGS4 specifically.

I'm going to go out on a limb here, and say that in every MGS game, aside from Twin Snakes, the most impressive scenes are always in gameplay, and MGS in particular really shows this because the game is kind of an all-purpose arcade game, with the way the bosses were handled.

In MGS4 I really just felt the cutscenes were incredibly tedious and in many cases extremely dumb.

I can definitely see that, but I looked at it differently.

I was like 13 when I played Metal Gear Solid, so it's like a "game of my childhood." As a result, I see the game as a story about growing up with Snake, and now I'm an adult and he's dying of old age. As a player, you have played the most significant chapters of this character's life, and now he's looking back on his life, and I was looking back on my childhood, when I spent so much time going on adventures in virtual worlds.

Edited August 27, 2009 by blackboxme

[Alex P]

THE MOON?! -C. Remo

This needs to be made a permanent sound clip.

[Jim Profit]

I played so much of the Action Supercross demo. It was so similar that I looked it up and some website seemed to imply that they were actually made by the same people or something, but I don't know, and I can't be bothered to cause myself to know.

Yeah, Trials HD guys are completely different to the guy that made Action Supercross/Elastomania-- redlynx is a small finnish team (they used to make terrible tv and mobile phone games), while Balasz Rozsa is.. a hungarian guy.