Game Buoy Podcast Episode 46 – D.I.C.E. 2014

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Ahoy, mateys, and welcome to the Game Buoy podcast – your twice monthly port of call for gaming news and views that maybe aren’t on your radar, but most definitely should be! On this episode, recorded Sunday, February 9, 2014, Captain Spike and First Mate Slagkick discuss the D.I.C.E 2014 summit.

FOLLOW-UPS

– Ikaruga’s PC release will feature new game modes, such as a side scrolling mode.

– Nintendo is committed to continue bring third party releases West.

– Capcom plans on releasing Monster Hunter Frontier G “outside of Japan.”

– Strider hits PSN, XBL, and Steam next week.

– An update to Xbox One includes quality of life “additions” such as the battery meter and data storage information.

– A Lara Croft DLC pack is coming to Lightning Returns.

– Drakengard 3 is coming to North America on May 20, and Square Enix has a three-tier timed preorder promotion for it.

– The second, and concluding, episode of BioShock Infinite’s “Burial at Sea” DLC is coming on March 25.

– Theathrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call is getting a limited edition 3DS XL package in Japan.

– The original Famicom release of Final Fantasy II is available on Virtual Console for Japanese 3DS owners.

– Kenshiro and Raoh from Fist of the North Star have joined the J-Stars Victory Vs. lineup.

– Sega has launched a new multimedia franchise called Sonic Boom consisting of a CG cartoon, new toys, and games for 3DS and Wii U.

– Skullgirls Encore will be back on PSN starting Tuesday, February 11.

– Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney will be getting free DLC mini-episodes.

– Pillars of Eternity is delayed because it made TOO much money on Kickstarter.

– Titanfall’s 360 release has been pushed back a week to March 25.

– Hideo Kojima has defended Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes being a “two hour game” selling (in its current-gen retail configuration) for $49.

– Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain may not launch until the end of 2015, depending on development.

– Child of Light, an Ubisoft game inspired by watercolor paintings and JRPGs, launches on PSN, XBL, Wii U, and Steam on April 30.

– Mother Brain will be an assist trophy in Super Smash Bros.!

OMG NEWS

– A World of Keflings is coming to Wii U in the next few months.

– Arcadecraft, the arcade management sim, is finally coming to PC!

– Retro City Rampage DX is now available for 3DS and has been modified to provide an overall better gameplay experience.

– Assassin’s Creed 4: Freedom Cry will receive a standalone release for PS3 and PS4.

– Famed video game compuster Mamoru Samuragoch, known as “Japan’s Beethoven,” has admitted to using a ghostwriter for some of his most famous works.

– Flappy Bird has been removed from the App Store on iOS and Google Play on Android.

– Pretty much every Capcom game except Lost Planet 3 met or exceeded sales targets!

– Xseed is restocking copies of Rune Factory 4 for North America!

– Rust, the popular and bizarre zombie game, is having the zombies taken out of it.

– Aeternoblade, a side scrolling action adventure game, hits the eShop on February 18.

– Double Helix has been acquired by Amazon.

– 1,001 Spikes will feature characters inspired by classic 8-bit heroes.

– Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition hits PS4 and Vita on March 25.

– Call of Duty is now on a three year, three studio development cycle to ensure yearly releases and allow more dev time for each title, with Sledgehammer Games (known for Modern Warfare 3) joining the roster.

– Xbox Live will be featuring exclusive streams for Bonnaroo, including the lineup announcement later this month.

– Nevermind, a horror game on Kickstarter, aims to use biofeedback to make the game tougher the more scared you get.

– EVE Valkyrie will now be an Oculus Rift exclusive, co-published by the company themselves.

DISCUSSION TOPIC

It’s that D.I.C.E. time of year again, so Captain Spike and First Mate Slagkick take a look at the 2014 summit. The Podcast Pirates highlight some of the most notable presentations before focusing in on the D.I.C.E. 2014 Awards – usually an indicator of the cream of the crop when it comes to the previous year’s games. However, with this year’s awards dominated by a single game that is arguably undeserving of many of the awards it won, the Podcast Pirates call the D.I.C.E. Awards into question, and wonder: what is the criteria for these games, and is the arbitrary assignment of categories to games actually detrimental when it comes to discussing them through a critical lens?

RUMOUR HAS IT

– A 3DS XL bundle for Yoshi’s New Island is probably coming on March 14.

– Team Ninja is reportedly working on a PS4 game after the release of Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z.

– Star Wars and Marvel are said to be on their way to the Disney Infinity franchise.

SMASH OR TRASH

SMASH: Street Fighter II: An Oral History (Polygon)

This week, a Smash courtesy of Game Buoy listener @KeitaroE37 comes in the form of “Street Fighter II: An Oral History,” the latest in a line of visually striking and well-researched Polygon features.

SMASH: What Bravely Default Gets Right (USGamer)

Jeremy Parish takes a look at where Bravely Default succeeds, both looking at it in a historical context of Square Enix releases as well as a beacon of hope for the future of the JRPG.

WHAT’S UP

Captain Spike: Bravely Default (3DS)

First Mate Slagkick: Crimson Dragon (XB1), Sound Shapes (PSN), Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (PS4)

SOCIAL LINKS

Hidden Nudes

EXITLUDE

– Qoopa Klub, a Nintendo-centric LGBT podcast

– Orange Lounge Radio, where EVERY gamer has a voice

– Video Game Realness, serving up a weekly dose of gaming chit chat among friends

– Geek Charisma, a podcast that is everything geek

– Neshoba Talks With You About Video Games, a two hour weekly show with guests from around the world

– Game Over Take Over, your one-stop shop to “GO TO” for geekery galore

– Gayme Bar, the podcast that “fills your brain with hours of gay video game commentary”

– Nerdgasm Network, the wildest shock jock video game radio show on the internet

– Horde House, the show about all things online gaming but NEVER too seriously

– Girls Gone WoW, for a female perspective on the world’s most popular MMO

– Video Game Outsiders, a podcast for the “average gamer”

– The Gnerd Podcast, pop culture rants from a gay nerd perspective