Rarely does a licenced game starring a major motion picture star like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson gets made without any studio supervision, but in this case a rag tag crew of 13 developers from Midway pulled it off.
“Oh my tooths”
Game Under Podcast Episode 118
Tom and Phil go over Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2019, Call of Duty WWII and Call of Duty Advanced Warfare, and if you don’t like Call of Duty, listen anyway as we go deep on various gaming topics and writing themes while examining the topic. We also discuss briefly the new Xbox. Thanks for listening.
Check out that mud…
Phil Fogg Reviews Judgment
I honestly did not know what to expect when SEGA announced their new twist on their classic and popular Yakuza series, but still yet I was surprised.
Please check out the review.
Phil Fogg
Tom Towers' Guide to Building a PC
As regular listeners to the show would recall, Tom Towers challenged the audience to undergo the fulfilling experience of building a PC. But he understands that to the uninitiated this might seem like a dangerous adventure, which is why he wrote this handy strategy guide to help out any PC building noobs!
Bonus Tip: You also needn’t spend so much money as he did. You can end up with a beast of a budget gaming PC with as little as $750, and solid little budget battler for anywhere between $250-$500 depending on whether you’re willing to buy used and refurbished parts!
P.S. While the PC is now built, it’s not quite finished. The hard drive needs to submit to its bondage, and the GPU can’t lean on its best friend, the GPU bracket, until Tom has washed some washers so it clears the soundcard.
Please enjoy Tom Tower’s PC having an epileptic fit to a Brother Ali song!
Game Under Podcast Episode 117
In this week’s episode Tom gives his final impressions of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2019, and we also touch on the action film Demolition Man, and one of the first MOBAs Future Cop LAPD for the original Playstation. We also talk about our preferred keyboard selections for PC.
Thanks for listening, and be sure to subscribe in your podcast app of choice.
Game Under Podcast Episode 116
Tom and Phil take a break from the usual games talk and go deep into the writings of Ayn Rand and in part how they influenced the Bioshock series, after a brief round of Trademark banter.
Spoilers and profanity abound in Episode 116 of the Game Under Podcast.
Zenimax Forced to Refund Fallout 76 Customers
The Australian government has accepted a court-enforceable undertaking from Zenimax after they acknowledged they were likely to have misled consumers about their consumer guarantee rights in relation to the online action game Fallout 76.
ZeniMax was unavailable for comment at the time of publishing.
ZeniMax Media Inc, accepted that their actions were likely to have contravened the Australian Consumer Law.
ZeniMax representatives told customers that they were not entitled to a refund after they had experienced faults with the Fallout 76 game.
“ZeniMax has acknowledged that they are likely to have misled certain Australian consumers about their rights to a refund when they experienced faults with their Fallout 76 game,” Commissioner Sarah Court said.
ZeniMax will offer to provide refunds to consumers who contacted them between 24 November 2018 and 1 June 2019 to request a refund and have not already received one. Consumers who accept a refund will no longer be entitled to access and play the game.
“When a consumer buys a product it comes with automatic consumer guarantees, and retailers must ensure their refunds and returns policies do not misrepresent what the Australian Consumer Law provides,” Ms Court said.
“When a consumer has purchased a product that has a fault which amounts to a major failure, the Australian Consumer Law provides them with the right to ask for their choice of either a repair, replacement or refund.”
Game Under Podcast Episode 115
In episode 115 of the Game Under Podcast we once again threaten to talk about Bioshock and how it relates to Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged (but then never get to it).
We do however talk about the newly released Call of Duty Modern Warfare, the Epic Games Store, Microsoft Gamerpass, Neo Cab for Switch and get the final installment on Tom’s amazing new PC build.
Please enjoy episode 115 of the Game Under Podcast.
Top Ten Games for Hardcore Gamers - Part 4
As we close out our list of the Top Ten Games for Hardcore Gamers, let’s re-visit the selection of the Gameunder.net editorial board:
10. Yourself!Fitness (Physically demanding)
9. Marc Ecko Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure (Controversial as hell!, and Fashion)
8. SimEarth (Mentally draining)
7. WWE Smackdown! vs. RAW 2006 (Patience testing)
6. Gran Turismo 2 (Demanding of time, concentration, commitment)
5. Dota 2 (It’s Dota 2)
4. Richard Burns Rally (Unrelentingly hard simulation of Rally Sport)
3. Sneak King (Painful)
2. Microsoft Flight Simulator (Beat this game and you are on your way to being a pilot)
1.
Dance Dance Revolution - 1998 Arcade and Many Others
Konami, through its Bemami series, had been offering up fun accessory based rhythm games for years, and while overshadowed by Guitar Hero and Rockband, they predated both games and provided very direct inspiration. The one stand-out for Konami in this category, is Dance Dance Revolution (DDR).
In both the arcade and home versions the player stands on a mat that has the directional and face buttons placed much like a tic-tac-toe board, and uses their feet to press the buttons in co-ordination with the prompts on the screen that appear in time with the music. (Ever tried explaining something everyone already knows about using words? That’s hardcore!).
Speaking of hardcore, this game tops our list as it requires dedication, training, repetition, co-ordination, talent and a sense of humour. But uniquely DDR also requires the player to overcome humility and fear in the name of fun. Gamers who are usually secure behind their monitors and on their couches must get up, look silly, feel cool and dance to succeed in the game.
A critical success that stands the test of over two decades, DDR is still fun today, and requires as much grit as ever, which is why it tops our list of the Top Ten Games for Hardcore Gamers.
Top Ten Games for Hardcore Gamers - Part 3
As we round out out Top Ten Games for Hardcore Gamers, we come to games that require not only dedication and commitment, but also actually teach you skills that are applicable outside of gaming. If you are so hardcore as to apply yourself to these games you will soon be capable of something that is actually useful.
4.
Richard Burns Rally - 2004, PS2, Xbox, PC, Gizmodo
Codemasters’ Colin McRae Rally series, is widely considered to be the benchmark for rally sports racing games, but a lesser known game from Warthog Games usurped the legendary racer in 2004, Richard Burns Rally.
For business reasons, (and the death of Richard Burns) a sequel was never made for the game, but a fervent fanbase developed mods and the game continues to bring new features, such as an online competition. Known for its dedication to the sport and its high difficulty if you master this game, you’ll be more likely to be able to handle a rental car on a dirt road at high speeds in the middle of Australia… (should that come up).
3.
Sneak King - 2006, Xbox, Xbox 360
Acquiring this game required that you go into a Burger King in 2006 and order some kind of combo meal (I recall buying the meal and specifically asking not for it to be served, only wanting the game). Had the fast food employees had done their homework and actually played Sneak King, they could have put their stealth food delivery services to the test and pleasantly surprised me with a Whopper.
The game puts you in the role of the Burger King, who sneaks around stalking people, looking into their homes, turning up at their workplace (this was before Facebook had taken hold) and basically being a creep. He then waits for when his subject is most tired and springs a fast food delivery on them. How is this hardcore? Well, beyond giving you tangible life skills, the amount of suspension of disbelief required to get through the game is far beyond that which a mere casual gamer could manage.
2.
Microsoft Flight Simulator – 1982 PC
Falcon 4 and other Microprose games advanced flight simulators to new levels, and, often with large instruction manuals, many would-be pilots picked up the minutiae of how to get a plane off the ground and back again in one piece. (Anyone who has played a flight sim knows that the take off and landing is what it is all about).
Microsoft’s Flight Simulator, which first released in 1982, is certainly the most comprehensive of simulators that can get you a long way to understanding how to fly hundreds of different planes, all around the world.
Sadly, after it was discovered that flight simulators had been used by several terrorists as a training tool, Microsoft had to defend the game. They stated that Flight Simulator, “could only help hone the skills of an already trained pilot” rather than be the sole source of preparation.
This is as hardcore of a simulation as you can get, at least no other simulator matches its depth and duration.