Stash a race-card up your sleeve, its EpicBattleCry! In this week’s audio-only outing, we go back and forth on Borderlands 2, the ongoing problems with The Last Guardian, and whether Nintendo is moving to reclaim the hardcore market with the Wii U!
Comment on the show? Battle Cry for consideration? Just got something epic to share? Hit us back in the comments!
Show Notes:
The Next Medal of Honor Deploys This October, Runs on Frostbite 2.0
Borderlands 2 Launching September 18
Sony Working On “New Console” with AMD Graphics, Says Report
The Last Guardian Getting Assist From Cadre of Sony Assets
Gearbox President on Aliens: Colonial Marines for ‘Intriguing’ Wii U
Report: Nintendo Exploring Expansive Content Streaming for Wii U
FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (first time I’ve ever done that, sorry, had to, will make real comments soon!)
Borderlands trailer:
The music!? THE MUSIC!? DK that was some of the worst music ever conceived.
You know what I’m more excited for though? The Borderlands 2 delay-date trailer. You know it’s going to happen
Hope they can make the game a little less tedious/repetitive with more unique/interesting quests, maybe more of a story, better co-op play interface, better over all interface really.
God damn it, team ICO, what is going on with TLG!? This game is entering “depressing joke” territory soon. Don’t let this become DNF! I have little doubt in my mind that we would have seen TLG release by now if team ICO had not had to work on the HD Ico/SotC bundle instead as their priority. By the time they were done with that, two major ICO players had left Sony which would obviously put a bug in the ointment of TLG’s development, even though Udea is technically staying onboard the project as a contractor. As far as I’m concerned, if TLG doesn’t see a release, the blame is squarely on Sony and their desire to turn a quick buck by pushing these HD bundles out.
Kind of agree with Brent on the WiiU. I feel like all the “casual” people who went out and bought a Wii probably had an N64 or something as their last console. WiiU isn’t going to pull in all those people again. Here’s one of my problems with WiiU though: they are already behind the times in technology by virtue of only trying to marginally top the current gen of hardware. The next Xbox and PS will blow the WiiU out of the water in that regard, which makes it all the more foolish since they are only a year off. Therefore, Nintendo is never going to win over the “hardcore” hardware-driven crowd.
Good battle cry selection!
very well-written
Because “beema” got picked once on EBC now he/she feels that he/she can post any random opinion. I feel we will see a large attempt of a wise comparison of what he “feels” compared to what they say. Let’s get this clear you will never go against the grain ever because you have no “beema” which is South American/African for agree with everything.
this is why I miss the thumbs down feature
Me too
. I hate WordPress sites, mostly.
nooooooooooooo, why no video? first no axe factor and now this…
=(
:its something
Three is my lucky number
Also for a battlecry, i’ve got to ask: am i the only gamer around who just cannot see nintendo as hardcore anymore? While i understand that their games have a major nostalgia factor and a huge customer base, none of their IPs really lend themselves to hardcore…That as well as the fact that the wii u controllers looks VERY inconvenient to use, it’s like trying to play a game while carrying a laptop.
The WiiU just like the NGC, and the Wii is teaming up with AMD.
Uhhh, the Wii has AMD architecture (GPU, at least), so they’ve been with AMD.
Brent, my suggestion for the “Magic of Borderlands” is playing it with people! It was not appealing to be at all until my 3 friends and I start roaming through the dessert
What was up with the racist jokes ? Did someone get rich off of the whole “chinck in the armor deal” ? My opinion is Its not so racist as it was stupid on the editorial teams end. Using a Double entendre to grab attention ultimately bit them on the ass, and cost someone a job. Chinck in the armor isn’t so bad a phrase. Its just the fact they used it in regards to someone of Asian Ethnicity.
Its sounds cute in private company, but it just lacks common sense. I dont think the guy should have lost his job, but i still think it was an odd headline….definitely not flattering.
Relax guys…racism and stupidity usually come together. I can laugh at a smart and funny joke about ethnicity, but i just think it was desperate attempt at headlines in this case. You guys are much smarter, and better then that.
I don’t know, I thought it was pretty funny. And I’m as typical Vietnamese Asian guy as you can get.
Ya i get it too. They didn’t think the guy should have got fired.
But the amount of sarcasm…sigh…they where just beating me over the head about it. I actually miss the regular pun action LOL.
That, and the fact that i wanted a gaming podcast, not a political one.
I had to just turn it off after a certain amount of time.(Something i have never done, since i started in 2009)
BTW: I got alot of Vietnamese friends, they tend to shake things off as well. I think its great that you found humor in it
The cover-switching-thing is actually quite common here in germany. It’s mostly done so you can hide the nasty age-ratings once you’ve bought the game, though.
I bet Borderlands 2 doubles its install-base. At a minimum. You heard it hear first.
I am extremely excited for the game. I loved the original.
@Brent, did you try the COOP with friends? Not the same with strangers. I know some people who did not care for the game playing alone, but loved it during COOP play. Personally, I played through alone before playing through it with friends.
The Last Guardian? I have given up hope to be honest.
ME Space Copies? Nice PR stunt and giving back is always good. It’s just too bad those copies will end up on Ebay for a ridiculous price.
Every retail website I use are out of ME3 Collector’s Editions for the 360. EA should fix that!
Isn’t a collectors Edition ment to be limited?
Since when?
great show as always ^^
Epic show!
Did I miss something regarding Linsanity racism?
OKAY! So why no video? I am a really big fan of Epicbattleaxe.com even though I may not post comments very often because I am usually very busy in my daily life but one thing I enjoy the most out of all gaming news is the Epic Battle Cry Video Podcast! Why oh why have you gave us audio only?! I was hoping you would make the Epic Battle Cry Video Podcast in high definition sometime soon and not go in reverse with audio only. How can we, FOR THE LOVE OF GAMING, convince you to get us more video podcasts?! Come on guys give us the news and your opinion in the Epic Glory only you know how to give! I humbly bow to the Nordic overlords that grant us the ability to worship the all mighty Gods Of The Axe. I will forever remember the gift you have blessed us mortals with in the short time I could prevent from blinking. The darkness must have been an eternity to go back to the Ages of Old with audio only. Please give us back the Great Epic Battle Cry Video Podcast your fans love!
Peace
(until in the game!)
That may be the greatest comment I have ever read! Blessings of the Axe upon you
If you were such a great fan, you would have known why there was not a video one XD
“a chink in the armor….”
AMD cards have poor drivers and usually have big cooling issues.. ive had AMD/ATI graphics in the past years and ive gone back to Nvidia because they are just better at this point..eventhough some issue might not be a big deal on a console, i still find this a bad move on Sony’s part.
and what about PhysX? it adds A LOT to the game and its another thing they will be missing going with AMD..
also, Borderlands2 F**K YEAH!!! 268 hours on record for Borderlands1.. looking forward to it.
At least the drivers shouldn’t be an issue with a consol, should they?
The ONLY thing Nintendo can do to win me back is to draw me in with brilliant first party titles. Super Metroid is a contender for my-most-favourite-game-ever. Metroid Prime was the reason I had a Gamecube years before I bought a PS2. That said, I do not own a Wii. In the beginning I had all intentions to buy one, I just wanted to wait a bit until enough must-have-titles were available. That moment never happend, and with “The Other M” and the destruction of Samus Aran as the coolest video game character ever I have little hope left. Then there is Zelda, a remake of a remake of a remake. I’ve played Occarina, I’ve played Windwaker, I’ve played Twilight Princess, I never bought Skyward Sword, but I feel I have already played that game as well. And every iteration I got less interested.
Nintendo was a giant in the NES and SNES era. That was 20 years ago. Nintendo should acknowledge the fact, that the kids, that loved their titles back then are fucking grownups in their 30s and 40s. Give us visceral gameplay, grownup stuff, make Zelde as awesome as Dark Souls. Give us back the Metroid feeling of lonelyness and dread while exploring an alien world. Dead Space might give you a clue on how it’s done today.
i havent had any interest in NIntendo since the NES/SNES days.. i loved Mario on the NES and StreetFighter on the SNES.. after that it went downhill.. well maybe Mario Kart and Zelda aswell.
i know its Nintendo’s trademark to make their games the way they look, but if they want a more hardcore gamer audience on their side, it has to change.. theres so much you could do with the Zelda franchise but they are just scared to change anything to drastic
Nintendo and change, that isn’t going to happen. They will cater to the 12 year olds caus what worked on the SNES should work forever, right?
By the way, my second post was suppost to be a general comment to the EBC, don’t know why it ended up as an answer to your comment. This after I was not able to comment at all for some time. This comment software hates me.
Both brands share the same issues. I have had dozens of each over the years. Currently I am running an nvidia card. Both companies make quality products. Many of the issues are exaggerated by disgruntle fanboys.
i cant talk for others but ive been building pc’s for years for myself, friends and family and ive had cards from both sides.. i personally always go with Asus cards, no matter if its ATI or Nvidia.. and so far all the ATI cards have had issues with games not running properly and cards malfunctioning/overheating. thats not fanboy-isme (not saying you were making me out to be one), its just life experiences. experiences differ per person.
if i had to choose a card to go in my console i would have gone with Nvidia.
like i said, many issues wouldnt be a problem on the consoles as the consoles get specifically made and tweaked till everything works perfectly together..
I will be buying a Wii U no matter what. It may not be at launch or it could be. That all depends on the games and the system.
There is no video today for EBC?
This was a laughter filled Skirmish! Lot of great cracks and jabs. Oh, and yeah, some good video game discussions too.
Where is the Lego video?
Also, I agree with Ronny, Borderlands is all about playing with friends. The gameplay might make you think of Call of Duty, but it’s more akin to Diablo, you’re going out in the world killing and grabbing lots of loot, looking for sets and rares, etc. Doom + Diablo = Borderlands.
I guess I am the only one that doesn’t mind audio only. I never watch the show anyways, I only listen to it, as I’m achievement farming on my xbox.
The Last Guardian is the new Duke Nukem Forever. Now, I don’t mean quality, I more or less mean production, and how first there is hope, then it is dashed away because of fallbacks.
Guys,
I have to say I’m still wondering what happen with the show today…
I mean, I’ve been listening EBC since the episodes 30s and ALL episodes have been sublime until…Today…
That racist joke going on forever wasn’t funny at all ; It was embarassing for the most part and really stupid sometimes.
Maybe you’re against the outcry caused by the EPSN article title and that’s your right. But spending most of the show laughing at what could be called Racism was clumsy at best, but more likely really out of touch.
Maybe some people overreacted with ESPN’s article, but racism should not be taken lightly and while I was listening the show had the impression it was the case… If ESPN article is maybe not a good example of racism, Mayweather tweet regarding Linsanity IS !
You know, like most of the folks here, I’m listening the show every week after a loooong week at work to relax and have a laugh, and today I did not enjoy it at all…
I guess that perfect run of Epic EBC episodes – that put Di Maggio record to shame – could not go on forever… But I still love you guys and you’re still my favourite outhere, but today was a letdown…
Yeah, I’m let down as well… In response to the other guy, I’m Vietnamese as well, but I still thought they were pushin’ it a bit much with the joke.
I get it. The magnitude of backlash Anthony Federico received might have been too much, but you can’t just criticize the people who were offended and let Federico off without calling him out on his ignorance as well (with or without contextual knowledge of the word “chink”). It’s too much of a one-sided/side-favoring criticism.
I don’t how I feel about the EBC crew mocking those who gave that kind of response to Federico, because I think it’s very valid for them to call him out on it. There’s nothing wrong with what they did and I don’t think we should laugh at them (to that extent) for doing so. I see nothing wrong with commenting and laughing on the ridiculousness of the situation, but to the point of mockery and condescension…that’s not really cool.
I agree. I’ve been a longtime listener and it’s very unfortunate that such a cavalier attitude was taken with a legitimately serious issue such as racism. You guys crack wise about gaming, and I appreciate that portion of your show, but I more appreciate the thought out commentary on games and the industry that is at a premium right now. This racism stuff was a tangible disconnect from that. It’s really absurd to strawman all claims of racism in the way that you did from the beginning of the show.
This is, as others have said, likely a response to the ESPN story. There’s been a lot of BS around Lin and his sudden rocket to stardom. If I recall Floyd Mayweather spouted some idiocy that Lin would receive no press at all if he was African-American. That’s asinine on it’s face if you run the tangible numbers and see that Lin has outperformed most every rookie that’s attempted the same. The “Chink in the Armor” thing is different. It’s most likely that it was an honest mistake, but again, the degree to which you guys seem to outright dismiss the issue is revealing about how otherwise intelligent people can think that racist terminology is not a big deal. “Chink” is not just a nasty, insulting term, it’s not the same as “Cracker” or “Redneck.” It’s a word that means people of Asian descent are less than human. That they are slant-eyed savages that rape women and kill children. This is an ugly pejorative that came from the “Yellow Peril” period in America where, specifically, the Chinese were culturally relegated to sub-human in order to pass legislation to keep the so-called marauders out of America. This was William Randolph Hearst at his worst.
Even if it was a totally innocent accident, it should not have happened. ESPN is not a Busch League local newspaper, it’s a major media outlet that pays its employees to work on the national scale. Those kind of employees have Media Training. Regardless of the intent, it should not have happened.
It’s easy to joke about racism, and it’s terrible that so many people exploit irrational claims of racism for fame and fortune. That said, is it really fair to judge a thing by its worst examples? Are we gamers not so judged all the time? Consider the terrible news about the school shooting in Ohio that is still evolving. If it is found that the shooter was a CoD fan or loved Gears of War, certainly the gaming community will be scapegoated as we always have been. Let’s take the high road and be better than that.
I am very excited about Medal of Honour: Warfighter. I really enjoyed the rebooted entry to the franchise. While frostbite 2.0 is a good thing for this game, its all about the Beards!!!!!
Unfortunately I am no longer able to write for EBA. I will continue to contribute to the site.
I have a had short but rewarding experience. It really is one of best video game sites with a great community.
AXEHEAD 4EVA!!!!
everyone that is bitching about no video this week, i guess you didn’t pay any attention to last weeks show when they said there wasn’t going to be any video this week. Anyways, nice show guys i could careless if you ever use video again. I still enjoyed it all the same!
HA! EA launching Mass Effect 3 into space? First of all, launching implies some sort of thrust which a fucking weather balloon does not provide. But fine, it’s going up. Except it’s not going into space. It is PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE to ‘launch’ something into space using buoyancy alone. They’re sending it up in an air balloon. It doesn’t matter how high the altitude is. Once the it gets high enough, buoyancy and gravity will equilibrate, meaning the balloon will still be in the atmosphere, not in space. Sure ‘launching into space’ sounds cool enough. And people are definitely stupid enough to not think twice about it. But this publicity stunt is fucking retarded.
…I AM PIZTOV!
The Borderlands Doomsday vid EPIC!!!! i LOVE IT, love the music, love the game!!!!! CANT WAIT!!!!!
The Borderlands Doomsday vid EPIC!!!! i LOVE IT, love the music, love the game!!!!! CANT WAIT!!!!!
OH AND BEEMA your a RACIST!!!
Dear EBA,
The video is half the magic. Remember that.
Okay, so let me get this straight.
Politicians who have no experience with videogames remarking *on* videogames in a dismissive and close minded way is stupid and not cool.
Three white guy who have no experience with racism remarking *on* racism in a dismissive and close minded way is totally fine.
Classy!
i forgot how cool you guys are.
great episode
;D
Something about the way Brent says he’s sexually aroused, makes me believe that he really was.
I felt my perspective on your discussion of the strategy of Nintendo’s Wii U vs. Miscrosot and Sony was overlooked. Obviously, I believe Nintendo started with the Wii to bring more people into gaming. The Wii is undeniably the casual gamer’s console of choice. The Wii was absolutely successful in bringing casual gaming to the masses. They sold and sold and sold and brought new people into gaming that perhaps never would have jumped on a console. Their next step with the Wii U makes a lot of sense to me. They are now marketing to the hardcore audience. It’s an evolution of what they did with the Wii. You start with a console that introduces a new audience to gaming. Then you take that audience, that has matured and had your console for several years, and give them the next step -a more hardcore experience. If this is their strategy, they are doing exactly the right thing. They brought all this new blood into the world of gaming and now they are taking all these people to the next level of a more hardcore experience. It is genius really. I am more of a Microsoft and Sony gamer myself, but my opinion is they are copying Nintendo in the completely wrong order. They started with games for the hardcore and NOW they are trying to capture the casual gamer at the end of their console’s life cycle. Nintendo laid it out very neatly. They started with a casual system, brought in a ton of new gamers and the next system is for those that started out casual and want to move onto to a more hardcore experience.
I do think a lot of people that started out with a Wii and wanted a more hardcore experience already have probably bought a 360 or a PS3. Think about this, Skyrim, a very niche RPG game has been selling like crazy. Would this have been possible a few years ago without a console that introduced new gamers to gaming. In my opinion Nintendo brought all these new people to the world of gaming and games today like Skyrim are reaping the benefit. If you started out casual, enjoyed gaming, eventually you will want to move to a harder more challenging experience.
Just a thought.
I would like to see numbers on how many of those Wii-sport-first-time-consol-owners have been migrating to propper gaming. AFAIK the Wii has a horrible attache rate.
What up my marauders terror my and Juggernauts of mayhem. My battle cry goes out to wii and how it is a chick magnet. I start off my point by explaining how to play COD to your girlfriend and then try to explain to her hot to play new Super Mario Brothers Wii. I use these to examples because these are some of them most Identifiable franchises. I recently had female company over and wanted to play the PS3 and was like F(guitarsound). My roommate took the playstation move back to his house and we really didn’t have any casual games to play with the girls. The games we have were BF3, KZ3, Dirt 3 and GT 5. These weren’t easy to pick up games like some titles on wii, move and Kinect. So I remembered I had street fighter and they just mashed buttons against each other. The amount of time you have to take to set up your wii is quicker then setting up the Kinect and move. I did Kinect for Christmas and by the time we downloaded Micheal Jackson experience almost every one left the Christmas Party. I think Nintendo has easy to pick up titles because if you only played pokemon yellow you can play pokemon black and white with out that much problem
Initially I wanted to comment on the Nintendo topic, but I was supprised to find a lot of the comments were about ‘racism’. Now I don’t live in the states and I don’t know what racism is like over there. I understand racism is somewhat of a thing over there, but here in the Netherlands we have seemingly no racism at all anymore these days. Perhaps I should also mention that I am white myself.
That said, I feel there is an important distinction to be made here:
-Racism is when you actually have disdain for a race(/s) other than youre own, and make remarks and act on those retarded believes.
-Aknowledging people have different ethnicities and poking fun at that fact every now and then IS NOT RACISM!
Besides, Brent, DK and TG weren’t even making jokes about a race in particular, but jokes about racism itself.
In short, the world is ful of bitter people who get insulted and cry like babies at the drop of a hat. It would be much healthier if we all had a kind of Dave Chapel approach to race I think. So please try to take life not so seriously, and laugh along for fuck’s sake. (I mean seriously, you’re not muslims or something now are you
)
What GPU have to do with backward compatibility ? nothing … all it’s in the software. Just saying.