Last week, Microsoft unveiled their next-generation gaming console, controller, and name. While the “XBONE” jokes are already flying, more is being made of what Microsoft didn’t say at this event than what they did say. (Or did. Or showed.) Which is kind of too bad, because even amongst the crazier ideas (e.g. cloud computing), there were some pretty cool concepts. Oh, and that whole pesky “used games” and “always online” messaging fiasco. Sean welcomes guests Zac Shipley (No Topic Required) and Justin Severson (Powet.TV) to talk about these missteps, try to focus at least a little bit on the positive aspects of the presentation, and speculate about Microsoft’s endgame in the console space, and if the Xbox One will really be “the one”, final console that Microsoft will ever make.

Leave your own voicemail at 608-492-1923, or just share your thoughts in the show notes at FamicomDojo.TV:
http://famicomdojo.tv/podcast/75

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The Poweteer so nice, they’ve asked him on twice, Justin Severson (@_js) shares his thoughts about the Xbox One with regular downLOADED host and Revision3 CEO Jim Louderback

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As with any great franchise, there is the potential for spinoffs. As with any spinoff, there is also a chance for it to get out of hand. This is one of those times it got out of hand.
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EA has thrown its stake in the ground, and determined that it does not need or care to support Nintendo on the Wii U. No Frosbite engine, no current development on Wii U, and a senior developer who openly tweeted that Nintendo’s console platform was “crap”. So much for that “unprecedented partnership”! Vinnk and Sean make the obvious comparisons to Dreamcast (which was the last console EA totally shut out), speculate on the future of proprietary, company-branded game console hardware, and try to determine if Nintendo even needs EA in this generation… or any other.

Leave your own voicemail at 608-492-1923, or just share your thoughts in the show notes at FamicomDojo.TV:
http://famicomdojo.tv/podcast/74

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Watching the Xbox One unveiling, one could be forgiven for thinking that Microsoft doesn’t seem to see itself as a games publisher, or the Xbox One as a gaming console. During the event, Microsoft made a big deal about how the company wanted to change the way gamers related to their TVs, but said nothing about wanting to change their relationship with game retailers as well.

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Before being outsourced to other developers and turned into a first person shooter, Metroid was one of Nintendo’s most celebrated franchises of both the 8 and 16-bit era. Come to think about it, it’s still one of Nintendo’s most celebrated franchises even after being outsourced to other developers. Its exploration heavy gameplay has made it a hit among gamers, and its heroine Samus Aran is one of the most recognizable female protagonists in gaming. Super Metroid represented the series at its best.
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This past weekend I was lucky enough to participate in the open beta for Gazillion Entertainment’s free-to-play MMORPG Marvel Heroes. I got an invite for the closed beta a few weeks back, but didn’t have the chance to play for very long. I took more time with the Beta this past weekend, and was impressed by it. Since progress in the beta won’t carry over to the game’s launch, I avoided making too much progress in the game. At the same time, I got a good sampling of what the game had to offer. Marvel Heroes will feature over 2 dozen playable characters (including Rocket Raccon and Squirrel Girl), each with their own upgradable skill tree, Unreal Engine 3 powered graphics, randomly generated environments, and a script by Brian Michael Bendis (Avengers, Uncanny X-Men, Ultimate Spider-man).
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There’s a pretty crazy fan theory going around about Robb Stark’s wife on Game of Thrones called “The Lannister Honeypot”. Since the HBO series is sufficiently different from the source material, the theory is plausible enough to be enticing.

But after watching an episode from the middle of this season’s How I Met Your Mother, I’m convinced “the Lannister Honeypot” is utterly bunk.

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