audio by year 2008

This episode we reflect on this past years releases of MMORPGs and then moved on to discuss what is in store for 2008. Alot of special guests on the show also who came just to hang out and drink with us.

Heres a preview of what to expect on todays show:
- Al, Mike, and Steve introduce themselves in the first official episode of the ESCape, discussing their favorite game genres, and a little bit of background on themselves. It's not as boring as you think... or is it?
- Realizing the fact that our DJ's are "DJ Noobs", Steve brings a book "DJ'ing For Dummies" to the show, and the guys discuss what they should improve on, including the conception of a "Main Topic". Mike also unveils what really makes him mad the most - Civ 4. But why??

The Best of The ESCape continues this week with part 2!
-DJ's Mike and Steve fly as a duo, as Al is out sick. They discuss movies, as well as the "movie star" that Steve modeled his life after. "Stay Puffed" For that one!

This episode we had two special guests on the air, Anon Dev and Hades of LotD, with us to discuss probably the most emotional subject today in the community. We began by defining what exactly hardcore and casual were then moved into breaking down the issue itself. This was one of our deeper issues, but one that I have been anticipating to do for some time.

- DJ's Al and Mike fly as a duo, as Steve is MIA... with his chicken wings?
And why is it so damn windy in the studio?!?
- The guys review RockBand, and how hearing Steve sing "Roxanne" on the game changed their lives... The "lazy bastards" also discuss what they did during their holiday time off.
- The Retro Review returns this week with a game released in 1986 on the Sega Master System. It's a "miracle" the guys reviewed this game!
- Blu Ray VS HD DVD... What side are you on? What side should you be on?

We brought together Traldan of VGtact.com and Faelor of ForrestStalker.com to give you a great debate on the function, progression, and digression of these forms of media. Axem and I touched up on the basics of creating these sites and moved into an in-depth discussion of what has gone well and bad for them. Also CES was covered too this episode!!!

The ESCape is back... and this time, its all 3 of them!
Heres a preview of what to expect on The ESCapes 10th Show Extravaganza!
- DJ Steve comes back from his "Chicken Wing" hiatus, and tells all about what hes been up to, and clarification on his "interesting" food order at the bar last week.
- The guys review Call of Duty 4 - how do the controls fare from the console versions to the PC versions? Well we all pretty much know the answer to that question, but we put it to the test when we put PC FPS specialist Steve on the XBOX 360 version. Tune in for the complete review!

The ESCape is back, and stuffed after a "staff meeting" at a local restaurant...
Heres a preview of what to expect on this Wednesday's show!
- Al and Mike discuss their screening of the new JJ Abrams movie "Cloverfield", released in theaters over the weekend. The movie grossed over $40,000,000 over the weekend but is it enough to convince you to see this movie?
- The guys review Guitar Hero 3, available on all next gen consoles and PC. Yes, this is a console game even Steve has played.

On the most recent VirginWorlds Podcast, Brent celebrated his 100th episode of MMO podcasting by bringing in a group of his friends to talk about podcasting in general. Here I have edited a discussion they had which was made up of Brent and about 5 other bloggers who also podcast. This is what they had to say about what they think the future is for Podcasting.

Join us as we try hard to do a show without Artagus (and fail) topics include: McDonalds blames video games for kid obesity, WoW for consoles?, NCSoft cancels its deal with Spacetime Studios and their space MMO Blackstar, Ban kids from games until they're seven?, Universal leaves HD-DVD exclusivity. Is HDDVD dead and Blu Ray the way to go?, The Obvious: Curt Schilling says that after baseball hes gonna be making games, Age of Conan Collectors Edition Details announced, and Gamespot reviewer leaves.

While we are short Artagus, we pick up Harmack's roommate Zedd for a real good time. Topics include: NCSoft Dropping Blackstar, Blackstar continuing, P2 (formerly Perpetual Entertainment) out as Star Trek Online Developer, Cryptic to take over STO?, and Money in Online Games.

Zedd returns again and helps Mhykol pick on Harmack the entire show. Topics include: Economic woes extend to Second Life; How would a Starcraft MMO work?; Happy Birthday, Vanguard; Perpetual, Kohnke Resolve Dispute, Dismiss Lawsuit; Fury Sends Out E-mails Calling You a Loser; Earthrise: Sci-Fi PvP MMO Announced; EVE On Steam; WoW surpasses 10 million subscribers, now half the size of Australia; First and Second Impressions: Warhammer Online; and Age of Conan Delayed Until May 20th 2008.

This week Axem and Nerion cover an issue which has been bothering our guild for some time, RP-FFA or FFA. Nerion is against going RP but Axem for some strange reason feels the need to let out his inner poet. Anyways, it is a fun debate. Also they covered a new AoC interview that has been released.

- The guys review the game "Skate" available now for the PS3 and XBOX 360. Along for the ride, the guys have on their first guest, the famous Uberguilds Radio Station Manager, Q For Q, to discuss the game. Did Mike retract his comments from the Top 50 Games Of 07 Show about Skate after this review?
- Steve and Mike discuss the new Rambo movie, also with another "special guest" via internet airwaves. Does this movie live up to the hype?
- Going along with this weeks Skate Show, we have the popular NES game Skate or Die! in the Retro Review this week. Is this oldie to Die! for?

This episode we covered the differences and difficulties of multi-tasked larged scale guilds compared to the normal smaller single tasked one. By multi-tasked I mean guilds so large they must split their forces into multiple delegations and actually be doing multiple objectives at the same time. Also when I say large I mean 100+ people. This is a great episode if you are thinking about running a guild in any of the upcoming PvP games.

Harmack Sings for PORN!, Zedd gets drunk, and Mhykol gets an M rating. Topics include: Age of Conan Not Censored in North America; Percentage of M-rated titles halved since 2005. What gives?; Rock Band on Wii confirmed! (finally); Darth Vader Playable in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed; Disney wants your child online: MMOs for tweens (and below); and Val Kilmer voices 'Knight Rider'. PLUS Zedd Rants.

Heya guys, this week's episode we covered the G15 keyboards effect on gaming with other various macro programs. Afterwards we brought some guests on the show and tried to find out what people have been doing while waiting for the next wave of MMORPGs coming out. Thanks again guys for listening in. It's exciting to see how long we've kept it going and we hope to go another 20 with all of you.

ConanCast, the first and only Age of Conan podcast, brings you news surrounding Hyboria each week.

Episode 1 of ConanCast for February 6, 2008.

In this episode, the following is covered:

*Our MMO backgrounds
*What we look forward to in AoC

To become an even bigger part of our community, visit the ConanCast forums at http://www.freeforum101.com/conancast/ or E-Mail us at conancast@gmail.com with questions, suggestions, or if you wanna be on the show!!

ConanCast, the first and only Age of Conan podcast, brings you news surrounding Hyboria each week.

Episode 2 of ConanCast for February 13, 2008.

In this episode, the following is covered:

*The State of the Game Address
*The Xbox 360 Port

On this episode a participant in the World Series of Gaming, at Sweden. He was a part of the WoW arena tourneys and we got all the info from him about the gig. For our deeper discussions, we talked about arena vs world pvp combat and the mindset of the best players in both fields. This really was an interesting discussion and if you don't listen to anything else at least hear out the part about what goes on in Axem's mind...

- The guys will review the brand new release Devil May Cry 4, for the PS3 and the XBOX 360. The graphics are so good, Steve DID Cry. Well, kinda.

- Steve and Mike are making up for lost time with not 1, but 2 movies in the Weekly Movie Review. On tap this week is The Kingdom and 3:10 to Yuma. Also the guys catch up on Lost, and is Steve done watching the Terminator show?

All I have to say is we talked about gaming addiction and EQWidows, don't miss this episode!!!

- The guys review all the major announcements made last week at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Al attempts to educate Steve and Mike on why Final Fantasy X-2 is not the sequel to Final Fantasy VI.

- Steve and Mike discuss two classic movies, Caddyshack and Tombstone. Also, Steve introduces his first ever "Restaurant Review", when he and Mike visit a local English Pub.

- Fighting February comes to a close with a "Killer Combo". Thats right Street Fighter 2 and Killer Instinct are up in this weeks Retro Review. You'll pull an "Ultra" when you hear this review.

We devote most of the show to bashing The ESCape, but manage to fit some news in as well. Topics include: GenCon Files for Chapter 11; Lucasfilm sues Gen Con; C64 games on the Wii; G.I.R.L. Got Game (SOE Scholarship for female game designers); WiiFit and WiiWare Dates announced; 15 Most Annoying Video Game Characters; Portal 2 Confirmed by Valve; Gears of War 2 Coming in November; Still Alive coming as Rock Band DLC;

Harmack becomes a hurricane, Zedd has microphone and connection problems, Mhykol completely loses control of the show, and Al from The ESCape makes a special appearance.

The ESCape is back and our show title can't even explain the mayhem that happens on this show. Get ready for the episode some have called "The Best ESCape Yet"...

- The guys review Lost Odyssey for the XBOX 360, by Mistwalker Studios. See why Steve's been "lost" on RPG's since Final Fantasy VI.

- The guys also address previous comments from fellow Uberguilds Radio Show, The OC. Even DJ Harmack thought this retaliation was funny... literally. Jak comments back in his 2 Cents on The OC's assumptions of Jak being a "robot".

Today we covered the purpose of beta's as we discussed also the technical betas in AoC. Also, Axem goes on a date with a NON-gamer. Can a non-gamer have a long term relationship with a person such as Axem? GO VOTE ON OUR FORUMS!

Gary Gygax, creator of D&D has passed away at age 69; Metal Gear Solid 4 confirmed for June 12, 2008!; Kojima: MGS4 too big for 50 GB Blu-ray disc; Ziff Davis (1UP/EGM/GFW) Files for Bankruptcy; It's Shocking, We're Pissed, Wii Fit Sorta Works; EA Tells Jack Thompson to Take a Flying Leap; 10 reasons PlayStation 3 is still relevant; In-Game Communication Coming to PS3 This Summer; 10/10 for Super Smash Bros. Brawl from GamerNode; IGN Brawl Review- 9.5; pwnage (TM)?; Activision May Be Considering An MMO Call of Duty; and Zedd rants about Huckabee playing Rock Band.

We've battled the worst blizzard in years, been snowed in for 2 days, nearly broken our backs shoveling 2 feet of snow and yes... The ESCape is back with an all new Episode!

- Fresh off the shelves on release day, the guys review Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii. Many websites have already said this could be game of the year, but what did the guys think?

- Mike and Steve fight it out in The ESCape's first ever "Movie Trivia Battle". They both claim they know movies best, but who took home the "Chicken Wing Gold"?

Alright guys, we covered the economies of MMO's from top to bottom this week. Everything about them from the currency to the outputs/inputs. If you are taking a college level economics class you might recognize some of the terms we use.

Topics Include: Mario Clouds and Bushes; Mario Kart Wii Dated For US; Nintendo Offers to Repair Broken Super Smash Bros Brawls; Microsoft Excel as a Revolutionary Game Engine?; Confirmed: Xbox 360 Price-Cut, Now Cheaper Than Wii; Microsoft says no Blu-ray for Xbox 360; Five Things Videogames Owe D&D; GiantBomb.com is Jeff Gerstmann's new video game website.; Gibson says Guitar Hero violates patents, Activision says no; PSA: Dreamcast.com turned into phishing scam; Bungie Unscrews Previously Screwed Gamer; Is Force-Feedback the Holy Grail for Gaming?; First Look at StarCraft II Zerg; BioShock 2

Episode 17 - Good Times!
- ... And no, were not talking about the 70's sitcom. But it is WTF Wednesday, and that means anything goes. It was a great night of comedy and entertainment, well until Harmack and Mhykol from the OC decided to join us. We celebrated Steve's birthday amidst the chaos, including a fan submitted "Birthday Present"...

- You've heard us discuss the show (as we will again do this week) but now we review the game - Lost: Via Domus for the XBOX 360, PS3 and the PC.

This week we brought up another controversial issue, griefing in MMO's. Now be as it may we are probably, Axem and myself, completely on the far side of this argument, we suceeded in bringing you an objective and interesting debate on the subject. We also began our new special section of the show where on Grenade we are now designing an MMO, from the ground up.

We once again prove that this show is better when you are drunk. Topics Include: How to Fix the ESRB Ratings System: An Insiders Perspective; In-game Rock Band Music Store revealed; Valve Wants Free DLC - How Say You Microsoft and Sony?; Jack Thompson wants you to molest children directly; Florida Supreme Court Sanctions Jack Thompson; Top 5 Games You're Better at Drunk; Wii Video Games Blamed For Rise In Effeminate Violence (just kidding); EA to Take Two: Prepare for Grand Theft Boardroom; GTA 4 Multiplayer Details Emerge. 15 Game Modes!;

Hey everyone, this round we tackled our new MMO development section head on. Axem and I began laying down the cornerstones of the world we are making on the air, but along the way a couple disputes broke out over gear progression!

Coming back from the insanity that was Episode 17, the ESCape is back, and with another LIVE show!

- The guys discuss the "sequel" to the once great racing series that was Cruis'N USA - our game for this week is simply "Cruis'n" for the Wii. The game has been highly criticized for its "N64 like graphics" and "clunky menu's" but should you believe every review you read on popular gaming sites?

Harmack "Disappears" at the start of the show and we go off to fish him out of the toilet. That was the highlight of the whole show.

Thats right, The ESCape is back with an all new episode. This week, Al and Mike fly as a duo, as Steve is out sick... or is he just avoiding any episode number with a 9 in it?

- This week we will be discussing the long-awaited PSP sequel Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, the latest to hit the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series. Keeping on topic with Final Fantasy, we take a look at the original 2001 theatrical release Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within movie, and find out why this once potential box office smash turned to being an official box office dud.

This episode on Grenade we tackled the religious aspect of MMORPGs. By focusing on deities in prior MMO's we came to some conclusions about the use of them in future character development. This show was a great listen as I, Nerion, played Devil's advocate to Axem's "religious zeal".

This is the full recording of the GuildCafe 2008 RAWR Cup. This includes live commentary of the RAWR Cup by Joe Hostile and Will, with special guest Izzy from Arena Net. Tune in for some exclusive Guild Wars developer interview questions from the audience to Izzy!

We cover some April Fools stories and teach you how to pee standing up using a special Wii controller and a game from Japan.

The ESCape is back with an all new show... and were going back... way back to the days of the Atari, 8 bit Nintendo, Master System, well you get the idea...

- Looking to pick up an Atari to add to your collection? The ESCape offers their recommendations as a buyers guide.

- The Retro Review is back with a double header. Due to the technical problems of last week, we are reviewing last weeks Listeners Choice selection of Mike Tyson's Punchout!! - this week we have a 3 way tie between Contra, Jackal, and Bubble Bobble. How will the guys decide the winner?

The ESCape is back... and with another live show. It started last week, it continues this week. The guys take a look at the Nintendo VS Sega war that took place from the late 80s to the early 90's. We take a look at both sides, the inception of Sonic, the "Blast Processing" scandal, how Nintendo could have been Playstation, why TG16 never took off in the USA, and we'll discuss the only system to have games that cost $200 a pop.

Zedd calls in from NC, Harmack stinks up the room, and Mhykol falls alseep during the show. Plus we talk about the new Ghostbusters game, Dan Hsu leaves 1up/EGM, and more!

April 24th the gaming community got the chance to interview Jason Stone, Lead Designer for Age of Conan. Sponsored by GamerDNA and GuildCafe, the AOC and GuildCafe community submitted questions that were asked and answered live on the air. Listen in for new information on guilds, classes, sieging, the status of the game and much more.