Substance TV – Video game reviews with substance

The boys over at Pinekast have themselves some new fangled headset communication devices. This is their tenth podcast! And of course to commemorate this momentus occasion, the boys have chosen a topic so earth shattering that the very forces of the space time continuum may just tear in two. What was their subject?

Well, nothing really.

But that matters not. Just like an episode of Seinfeld, the fact that it’s about nothing is what makes it great. These fine young lads have no need for a subject. They talk about everything, and it’s pretty dog gone hilarious. Even speaking on the proper pronunciation of their respective names.

We here at Substance TV look forward to many more episodes in the future and the lame jokes we’ll make when episode 30 (XXX) comes out. Keep on rockin’ in the free world boys!

Pinekast 10

You may think you are, but are you sure. Thankfully the good folks at the Onion have good news for us. Due to the recent trend of violent video game, it seems we are indeed ready.

BTW: If the new expansion “The Pit” for Fallout is any indication of the post apocalyptic future, then we’re gonna be assaulted by more exclamation marks then Hideo Kojima can shake a stick at!

As I’ve grown up, most arcades around me have withered and died off. Now the only place to find an arcade machine is in a smoky pool hall or the random restaurant. Of course I don’t have to tell you that when I was growing up, arcades were everywhere.

When I was a kid, my folks and I would visit a local fast food restaurant in town called Spangles. The place had pretty good food, (though now they have some atrocious commercials). Anyway, past that they also had a decent little arcade inside with a few pinball machines, arcades cabs, and even a Neo Geo 2 slot. It was a good mash up of food and fun.

A week ago, me, my wife, and the wee one went to that exact resturant to grab a bite to eat. As I enter, I’m a bit excited. And not just because of the good food about to be in my belly, but I was curious as to the state of the arcade. Well, I got what I wished for. Here it is folks, the most awesome, coolest, and craziest arcade you’ve ever seen. Don’t you dare click on unless you’re prepared for some face melting action. I’ve warned you. Alright then, be my guest and click on.

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Well the boys at Pineconeattack are back in action…..yo! This week I’ve been patiently waiting for Pinekast 9, and it has finally hit the nets as they say. This episode the cover a few interesting topics including the Resident Evil series. Follow the link below for more goodness.

*WARNING – THERE BE RESIDENT EVIL 5 STORYLINE SPOILERS AHEAD YEE MATEYS!*

Pinekast 9

Rewind to the summer of 2006. At the time, I was jobless and looking for work. In between looking on every internet job site, the paper, and hitting the street, I’d get in a few moments of gaming in. Sometimes a lot of moments. Though I was in a bit of a bind as the only new games I really wanted to play were sixty bucks. Seeing as I was jobless, that wasn’t feasible. Nothing the wife likes to hear more then “Hey babe, while you were out working today, I spent the equivalent of five hours of your paid time to buy this game!”. So because I enjoy sleeping in a warm bed, I choose not to go down that road.

Luckily I had a few spare Xbox LIVE points burning a hole in my digital pocket. I perused around for a good Xbox LIVE arcade title. I had heard through the grapevine the boys over at Bizarre Creations, creators of Geometry Wars, had developed another game called “Boom Boom Rocket”. I tried the demo out, and it wasn’t too bad. It was decently cheap, plus I had a few friends who owned the game. So I thought it would be good competition to see who could get the highest score.

Boom Boom Rocket is basically DDR with a pad. Sounds weak, but it’s strangely addictive.

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You ever get one of those poorly put together dozen page booklets for your birthday? The ones that tell you a myriad of facts mixed in with articles about the year you were born? One of the topics they always cover, is how much stuff used to cost. When I was growing up, a new video game at a retail store was fifty bucks. From NES to even the Wii, that’s always been the way it was. With the advent of the Xbox 360 and PS3, games went up in price. In these tough economic times, I myself don’t purchase as many video games as I used to. I trade a lot and buy used when I can. Sixty bucks is a lot of money no matter what you’re talking about.

And to tell you the truth, it doesn’t really bother me all that much.

Of course you have a gallery of naysayers who whine and moan that games are now sixty dollars. But step back and think about it. In the over three decades home console video games have been produced, they have increased in price by just 20%. Sure, it sucks you have to pay more, but let’s put that into context. The national rate of inflation from 1980 until today is 157.5%. If videos games went up in price by the same rate, you’d be paying $128.75 a game! That’s the cost of Nintendo DS.

That’s not the half of it. In the 1980’s, a necessity like a loaf of bread would have cost you fifty cents (no not the rapper, the currency). Today, a loaf of bread costs around $2.50. Ergo, if video games went up by the same percentage, you’d have to pay $250 per game! Now you’re talking about a Nintendo Wii. That’s nearly a 400% increase over nearly three decades.

I could go on and on with the examples, but I think you get the point.

Some say this is only the beginning and that prices will only go higher. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. I don’t know to tell you the truth, but for the time being, it’s sixty bucks. So the next time you scoff at a price of a video game, keep this in the back of your head and be thankful it’s not more.

THEY SET US UP THE BOMB!

The servers for Pineconeattack got a nasty virus, from what I hear the server had been interfacing with some old virus ridden Apple II’s. But as their song remix so poetically and perfectly phrased, “WISE FROM YOUR GWAVE!”, they came back to life. I’m not sure how much work was involved in said recovery, but as a Wordpress user myself, it would not be any fun.

I have to say my work week was empty without a Pinekast podcast to get me through the day. STREET FIGHTER IV WOOOOOO! Glad to see them back in business.

Pineconeattack is back baby!