IchibanCast Episode 2: Happy Black Friday!

This episode features Brad, Rachael and special guest Brenton talking about Killzone, .hack//INFECTION, Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows and Spyro: a New Beginning.

[Listen Now]

The Coolest Game You're Not Playing: Borderlands

This mainly applies to my friends in town but I don't think there is an excuse. They all have 360s and PS3s so why aren't they playing Borderlands? I just don't get it. Maybe when this gets linked to Facebook they will actually click this and check it out. Watch this review!

- Brad

What I Played This Week

No podcast again. This is getting kind of sad. So this is a notice. I am postponing all podcasts until the last Sunday of the year. On that day me and Rachael will be talking about what we've played since episode 1 and also what games we liked for the year. We may even pick a game of the year.

Aside from that I have been played Killzone. I didn't get to finish it sadly but I have a pretty fleshed out idea on what I think about the game. I also played some Rock Band this weekend. I play drums on expert but haven't in a while so my leg kind of hurts today. Only a little though. I played some Wolfenstein on the 360 tonight also. It was pretty fun. More fun that Killzone.

- Brad

PSN Update: Hark! Portable Zombies!

Lots of cool stuff on the PSN this week. Check it out!

Apps
adhocParty (free)

Games & Demos for PlayStation 3
Peggle ($9.99)
PSone Classics - Resident Evil 2 ($5.99)
PSone Classics - Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver ($5.99)
Smash Cars demo

Games & Demos for PSP
Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines ($39.99)
PSP minis - D-CUBE Planet ($3.99)
PSP minis - Echoes ($2.99)
PSP minis - Circles ($3.99)
PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe demo
LittleBigPlanet demo
Promethus demo

Expansions & Add-ons
Peggle Nights ($4.99)
PAIN: Flavor Flav character ($1.99)
High Velocity Bowling: Psychedelic 60's Ball Pack ($0.99)
High Velocity Bowling: Techno Modern Ball Pack ($0.99)
Way of the Samurai 3 Accessories (free)

Guitar Hero 5 tracks

* "Lick It Up" by KISS ($1.99)
* "Modern Day Delilah" by KISS ($1.99)
* "I Was Made For Lovin' You" by KISS ($1.99)
* "KISS Track Pack ($5.49) – "Modern Day Delilah", "Lick It Up ", "I Was Made For Lovin' You" by KISS

Rock Band tracks

* "Beautiful Thieves" by AFI ($1.99)
* "End Transmission" by AFI ($1.99)
* "Love Like Winter" by AFI ($1.99)
* "Medicate" by AFI ($1.99)
* "The Leaving Song, Pt 2" by AFI ($1.99)
* "AFI Pack 01 ($8.49) - "Beautiful Thieves," "End Transmission," "Love Like Winter," "Medicated" and "The Leaving Song, Pt 2″ by AFI
* "Walk Like An Egyptian" by The Bangles ($1.99)

The Beatles Rock Band tracks

* "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" by The Beatles ($1.99)
* "Within You Without You" by The Beatles ($1.99)
* "When I'm Sixty-Four" by The Beatles ($1.99)
* "She's Leaving Home" by The Beatles ($1.99)
* "Lovely Rita" by The Beatles ($1.99)
* "Fixing A Hole" by The Beatles ($1.99)
* "Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!" by The Beatles ($1.99)
* "A Day In The Life" by The Beatles ($1.99)
* "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Album) ($13.49) – "Fixing a Hole," "She's Leaving Home," "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!," "Within You Without You," "When I'm Sixty-Four," "Lovely Rita," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)," and "A Day in the Life" by The Beatles

Game Videos
Pulse 11/19 Edition
Pain: Flavor Flav Trailer
Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier Launch Trailer
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves 15 sec Accolade TV Spot
FIFA Soccer 10: Director's Cut Trailer
Madden NFL Arcade Trailer
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Flag Runner Trailer
NBA 2K10 TV Commercial
Assassin's Creed II Arsenal Trailer
Assassin's Creed II TGS Trailer
Assassin's Creed II Dev Diary 3
Assassin's Creed II GP Trailer
Critter Crunch "Feeding Time" Trailer
Army Of Two: 40th Day Extraction Trailer
Peggle Trailer

Themes & Wallpapers
Peggle theme (free)
Celtic Maidens 2 Premium Plus Theme ($1.99)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 wallpapers
Topatoi wallpaper
Peggle wallpaper

If only I had my Sony toys. Just a month and a half left.

- Brad

Finally, a Pre-Order Bonus That Doesn't Suck!

In a sea of pointless and terrible pre-order bonuses we now have something a bit more interesting. This isn't some crappy bonus weapon that will become useless in a couple of levels. This is something that can be enjoyed for a while. If you pre-order Lost Planet 2 at GameStop you will receive Albert Wesker as a skin. Also included is his handgun. Neat-O!

- Brad

Last-Gen Laundry List: Killzone

This week I will be completing a game for the PS2 that is on my laundry list. Expect this feature to be seen a lot in the next couple of months followed by the Current-Gen Laundry List. In my current situation I don't always have access to current-gen consoles so bear with me until the PS3 arrives in January.

My reasoning behind this entry is very simple. This weekend I had no material for a podcast. That's bad. In an attempt to have some impressions to talk about I am going to be completing some games that are in need of it. Once I get a PS3 I will be doing the same thing but with newer games. Hopefully this will become something interesting.

- Brad

Adhoc Party Coming to U.S.A.

Best news I've heard all day. Mike Fahey over at Kotaku writes:

"Sony is bringing PSP adhocParty to North America, allowing PSP titles like Monster Hunter Freedom Unite and Gran Turismo to be played online through your PlayStation 3. The PSP has two modes of internet play: Ad Hoc and Infrastructure. Infrastructure mode lets players connect through the internet, but Ad Hoc mode is local only, or at least it was. The PSP adhocParty, launched last year in Japan, allows select games that normally allow for only face-to-face multiplayer connect via the PlayStation Network, using the PlayStation 3 as a bridge. "The PlayStation brand is synonymous with creating exciting new gameplay experiences that connect and challenge people in ways they never thought possible," said Scott A. Steinberg, vice president, product marketing, SCEA. "AdhocParty for the PSP system creates an avenue for gamers to connect, strategize, and compete with each other – Gran Turismo is a great example of this. Polyphony Digital developed robust Ad Hoc features within the game, which are now even more accessible through adhocParty. We saw this as a tremendous opportunity to enhance the PSP system's online gaming experience and bring the service to our North American consumers." While it would be nice if the PSP could perform this sort of function on its own instead of requiring a PlayStation 3, the service will definitely be a godsend, especially to those poor, lonely Monster Hunter Freedom Unite players. Look for the feature to go live later this month."

- PSP AdhocParty Coming To North America @ Kotaku

Left 4 Dead 2 Comes Out on the 17th!

Left 4 Dead 2 comes out next Tuesday. As far as I know I won't be getting a 360 until next year. I should have realized the release date for this title but I wasn't even hyped for it until after I played the first game last week. So how am I going to be playing this game? I don't know.

I have a few options. The most likely choice for me will be trying to get Blockbuster to hold a copy for me but there is no guarantee that they will. The other route would be to just buy it in anticipation for the console purchase. Either way I'll have a tough time actually getting to play it. There is no way of knowing if my friends will want to play it with me and I don't want to piss off my future in-laws by spending the weekend on their TV although they will probably be out of town anyway. Oh well, I guess I will just wait until I buy the box in Spring. Unless I have more extra money than I thought.

- Brad

What's on the Fancast This Week?

This week has been a busy one and not much playtime has become available. However, I will be trying my best to complete .hack//INFECTION on the fancast this Saturday. If I get done with that early I will be playing Viewtiful Joe. I've also decided that the fancast will be solving my "What to play" problems. I'll use this time to play the games I need to catch up on.

I'm almost finished with //INFECTION but I still have a little bit of overleveling I want to do. With the great things next year holds I probably will not be getting to //MUTATION or any of the other volumes but who cares? I really just got this to tide me over until January. What will I do when that's over?

- Brad

What Would I Be Playing vs. What I Want To Play

I'm not currently an owner of a high def console. I don't even own a Wii right now. This embarrassment should only last a couple more months. Meanwhile, I would like to discuss an interesting topic.

While I have been broadcasting on Justin.tv for a while now I haven't been playing very many popular or even new games. I want this to change when I get the PS3 in January and hopefully the 360 next Spring. The problem is, I have a lot of games I want to catch up on. If I got a PS3 today would I be playing Modern Warfare 2 or Fallout 3? What about Little Big Planet and the tons of other games on my laundry list?

I'm sure I can get them finished in an orderly fashion though. I don't have enough fans to worry about losing them due to playing games nobody wants to watch anymore. Hopefully after I'm caught up on some games like Valkryia Chonricles I'll be up to speed with everybody else. I just hope the podcast doesn't suffer in the meantime.

- Brad

Some Time Around Midnight

Modern Warfare 2 comes out tonight. I hope everybody enjoys it even though some people have been for maybe a week now. I won't get to personally enjoy it from the comfort of my couch for another couple of months but one of my friends has it pre-ordered so I think I know what I'm doing this weekend. On a side note, I've almost convinced Rachael to play some Borderlands with me soon. I'm hoping for the best.

- Brad

IchibanCast Episode 1: Left 4 Dead, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2

Brad and Rachael discuss their impressions of Left 4 Dead and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. They also talk about the upcoming Left 4 Dead 2, Wiiwaa and more.

Download Now!

This week on 4PlayerFancast and other news

It's been a while but I am not just messing around. It's been busy at my day job all summer but things are finally slowing down. Some other things in my life are going a bit smoother as well so you should be seeing more in the coming months. There are lots of plans for the project and I cannot wait to see them through.

First of all, I'm finally getting a PS3 in January. With this addition to my entertainment center also comes a little more play time for yours truly. I've also been tweaking the broadcast settings so the quality on the feed should be a lot better, at least for the little computing power I've got. I've also been pretty busy working out the kinks in recording a podcast. Hopefully me and Rachael will be ready for our first official "Ichibancast" by mid January.

One other thing. If you've seen this blog then you're either a real-life friend of mine, from the 4PlayerPodcast community or an internet vagabond. Unless you're the latter you already know I've been volunteering every other Saturday morning to broadcast on the 4PlayerFancast. This Saturday is Halloween so I plan to play some good ol' Silent Hill. The second one mostly. Hope you stop by even though I broadcast pretty early. I'll probably be playing some more .hack//INFECTION after Rachael goes to work though. See you then!

- Brad

Where have you been?

In case you haven't noticed I've been away a bit. I'm sure you didn't. Anyways, I have been playing this game a lot and enjoying it somewhat. I'm still trying to figure out whether or not I like it. The concepts brought forth within the game are very nice. Kind of like playing a summoner in Final Fantasy XI. I will delay my judgement until the game has been completed.

In other news, I have begun broadcasting for the 4 Player Fancast every second saturday of the month. I'm looking forward to playing better games on it and on this channel as well. Keep an eye out.

- Brad

Crash into the Feed

So Rachael is gonna play some Crash Bandicoot tonight. Maybe even beat the game. Who knows? I will probably be playing Metal Gear Solid afterward. I'm trying to finish it on the feed before I get into Zone of the Enders 2. Yay.

- Brad

What Happened to the 2nd Runner?

So I know I posted early last week that I would be playing Zone of the Enders 2 but I guess I got caught up in 4PlayerPodcast's horror week. I decided to play Silent Hill 1 and 2 this weekend instead.

I have had to do a lot of tweaking with the broadcasting equipment and settings too. The microphone still buzzes a little and I still think the game volume is a bit too loud but it's getting better. I'm probably going to finish Silent Hill 2 before I move on considering how long it's been since I last beat the game. Feel free to stop in and watch!

- Brad

This Week on the Feed

It's been a while since I've updated the blog or even broadcasted for that matter. We're getting things rolling now though. I managed to get my hands on a Dazzle DVC 100 device to capture the video for the show and a couple of games to start. This week I'm going to be playing mostly Zone of the Enders: the 2nd Runner. I bought this game on it's very quiet launch date and wound up losing it but found it recently for a very good price.

I might play some of my other PS2 games I have lying around too. We'll just have to see how everything goes. Things are getting better though. Hope you enjoy it.

- Brad