Sadly, I have no go-to games. The closest thing I can think of would be Breath of Fire 3 and Breath of Fire 4, two games that are definitive modern classic RPGs.

I USED to be a Counter Strike kid. That was the game I turned to whenever I wanted some brief reprieve from reality. These days ... I dunno, man. I'm gettin' old and readin' more. I somewhat miss having something like CS/S to turn to.

He WILL, but I DO. Don't make me take a picture of the collection of coke zero cans littering my desk right now as a result of the Flyer's game.

FYI: If there's coke cans, with me, it means there's rum.

Unfortunately, this one is still very nearly 2 hours. I think in rum-induced silliness I confused "1:50:00" time stamp as 1.5 hours. I especially feel bad since I kept two of the contributors up later than they wanted to be. Oh well! Let us know wha'chu think of the show.

Actually, something we're going to try to do more of in between the formal NGR episodes are "Pluscasts," which are bite-sized one-off projects. Things like that essay bit Calin did a while back. Whenever we want to do something informal, more casual, we're going to keep it to 30-45 minutes and consider it a Pluscast.

Additionally, I've lined up actual recording equipment -- mixer, mics, etc. that I plan on setting up in the apartment to record shows more traditionally when. Calin and Troy are both local enough to swing by once a month or so. And when events like Comic Con and PAX go down and we can meet up with Dan, we'll have the equipment to do something in a hotel or wherever.

New Game Radio will be returning the first week of June on a biweekly basis. I apologize for the absence of content on the website. Took a brief hiatus that turned into an extended hiatus, but during the interim period began to reflect on the website and what we should and should not be doing. Decided that the podcast marketplace is absolutely choked with 4-man, 2+ hour long podcasts dropping every week. So much so that I rarely finish all the gaming podcasts I listen to by the time the next wave comes out.

Since we realize the go-to podcasts for most listeners are going to be the Joystiqs and Kotakus and 1UPs and IGNs and Rebel FMs of the world, we thought we'd be doing not only them, but ourselves a solid by scaling back NGR to twice a month. Length will remain 1-1.5 hours. With more time to edit the files and more time to flesh out our topics in advance, we expect NGR to become a vastly improved product when it starts back up.

Look for Episode 40 on or about the 6th.

I agree that, using the first person perspective as a narrative device to tell this "out of your hands" story moment is great. But as with most things, execution is key, and No Russian was poorly executed. For starters, it was, what, the third level in the game? So there wasn't enough build up. It should've been the closer to Act I. The rest of Act I should've left you in the shoes of that one soldier as he went on various missions to prove his sincerity to the Russian terrorist dude. Go on a bank heist, etc. I don't care. But I wasn't invested in the character at all, so the scene had no impact for me.

It certainly doesn't help that everyone at that Russian airport was wearing one of the 3 same shirt and pants combinations. At some point you walk past a pile of dead civvies and see they're all dressed alike. That pulls me right out of the experience.

"I agree. I do think the argument could be made of just about any game, which is why so few feature relatable characters. I disagree that Drake is relatable or feels human, the least of all in my capacity to control him. I can watch him be relatable, but I can't participate in that feeling.

I touched on this a little bit when I wrote that article for you guys: playing Uncharted 2 is very much like being an actor, one with little creative latitude. It's a route of game design that's popular, but not one that really takes advantage of the interactive element of game design. In other words, the parameters of the design don't support any deeper narrative than the culmination of a conflict: they are limited playgrounds in which you're allowed to destroy the opposition since there is no other ostensible option. I have no problem with playing the role of the actor in a game, but I dislike being handed a role where I feel senseless, then watching myself act out something much more human or relatable. Why do those two feelings have to be separated by gameplay and cutscene? "

--Parker

Not by me... @_@ But it is missing. I did see you replied, I got the email notification when you did, and was just half-asleep at the time. Weird. I'll check with the other contribs, but I doubt any of them did. Perhaps it was just an IntenseDebate fluke.

Ugh, that's a fuzzy argument. That could be made of, oh, just about any game, very nearly. As much as it pains me to quote CliffyB, bullets really are the most efficient way to "touch" the virtual world, in video games today. Any action-based game puts you in control of a sociopath. The only exceptions are when fighting robots, and even those tend to be ~sentient~ so...

I am more interested in feeling like I have stepped into Drake's shoes, unrestricted, without any limit. The evolution of choice, decision, and influence in video games is to come at a later date. However, Uncharted 2 is not Fallout 3. We are not the character, the character is the character and we are given the opportunity to assume that role's shoes. It's like acting. You cannot alter the role of Hamlet to suit your own moral stances, etc. You accept that a character is written for a purpose -- whether that is to be liked or disliked, and you roll with it.

I mean, if you wanted to REALLY get into it, we could talk about how Drake perpetuates the whole conquering white presence in (several) non-white populations. Basically, everything wrong with colonialism is celebrated in the Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, and Uncharted games.

3 years for an "Episode" is just unacceptable. Unfortunately, I don't think Valve cares. Considering Left4Dead's success, I'm sure they're rolling in the green stuff. Plus, no matter how long it takes for their products to ship people still gobble it up, so why fret?

As for me, I will actively pirate HL2-3 just to passively stick it to 'em. They don't need my support, clearly, and I don't want to GIVE them my support. I am going to call Valve up later today, to follow up on the rumor for Kombo. I expect to be told "no comment."