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POP Ep.27: Kutaragi is Leaving the Building (Voicemail line 713-893-8069) Apr 30, 2007

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Ken Kutaragi. He wasn't just the CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, he was also the father of the PlayStation. Without him, Sony never would've gotten into the gaming business to begin with. So it seems a bit odd that on the eve of what should be their triumph, he's retiring. While it's debatable as to whether he should've ascended to the heights he did within Sony (and his rambling, eccentric speeches at various press conferences point directly at this), it does seem like his stepping down is in response to the PSP's lackluster performance and the PS3's rocky launch. Join us as we talk a little bit about this and Sony's future steps.Naturally, that's not all we talk about in this episode. There's lots of Pokemon talk (so be prepared), as well as discussions about the use of webcams in console gaming, the anniversary of the Wii name, the analyst that thinks Wii/DS success is bad for the industry, and much much more. Join us, won't you?Thanks for listening! Leave us a voicemail comment by calling 713-893-8069. Or you can e-mail us, vote for us on Digg, leave a comment on the iTunes Music Store, leave a comment on the blog page or join our forums! Thanks for listening, and we'll be back next week.This week's links:Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Guitar Hero II Pinball FX Eets Chowdown Ninja Gaiden Sigma Planet Earth Blu-Ray Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Wonder Boy in Monster World Oblivion Pac-Man (1982 cartoon)YouTube: Pac-Man intro NextGen.biz: Kutaragi to Retire in June GameDaily: Analysts Weigh in on Kutaragi's Departure 1UP.com: Celebrate the Past with Ken Kutaragi's Greatest Hits!Joystiq: Wii name celebrates first anniversary Next-Gen.biz: Analyst: Wii, DS Success a Bad Thing Kotaku: PS3 EyeToy Dated For US (Too)Pikachu: "Bitches Love Me"Seaman 2 digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/podcasts/Player_One_Podcast'; digg_bgcolor = '#FFCC99'; digg_skin = 'compact';

POP Ep.26: Our Pokemans, we will talk about them (Voicemail line 713-893-8069) Apr 23, 2007

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To mark the glorious occasion of the release of a brand-new Pokemon game, we take a look back on the series as a whole -- the ups, the downs, the seizure-inducing TV show, all of it. Is it wrong that grown adults love the Pokemon games too? Certainly not -- after all, they're just plain ol' RPGs with 400 cute characters to capture. At the end of the segment we issue a challenge to any Pokerapping listeners we might have out there. Any takers?Before all that we talk about what we've been playing and briefly go over the March NPD sales numbers. Not so hot of a month for Sony, strange since Motorstorm was considered a potential system-seller and Casino Royale hit Blu-Ray, figuring that it would've helped sell a few systems too.Thanks for listening! Leave us a voicemail comment by calling 713-893-8069. Or you can e-mail us, vote for us on Digg, leave a comment on the iTunes Music Store, leave a comment on the blog page or join our forums! Thanks for listening, and we'll be back next week.This week's links:Lego Star Wars II Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Guitar Hero II 3D Ultra Minigolf Gyruss Viva Pinata Punch-Out!!!Jetpac Refuelled Halo 2 (new maps)Xbox 360 backward compatibility update Joystiq: NPD: March belongs to DS, PS2 PS3 System Update Pokemon: Legend of Dratini (banned episode)Pokemon: James' Boobs (banned episode)Pokemon: Porygon clip (seizure episode)Pokerap (not the real one)Pokemon theme song live digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/podcasts/Player_One_Podcast'; digg_bgcolor = '#FFCC99'; digg_skin = 'compact';

POP Ep.25: To the Losers Go the Spoilers (Voicemail line 713-893-8069) Apr 16, 2007

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Warning: Depending on your stance on game spoilers, you'll either love or hate this episode of the Player One Podcast. Because Gamestop locations are running a video in-store that shows the ending of Zelda: Twilight Princess, we thought it would be the perfect time to talk about spoilers. What is and is not a game spoiler? Is watching the first 10 minutes of a highly anticipated game via a webcast spoiling the experience? When is the statute of limitations up, making it OK to spoil? After all, Twilight Princess has been out for a few months -- but is it still too early? Join us as we discuss these questions and more. (But if you care about spoilers for Metal Gear Solid 2, Halo 2 and Super Paper Mario you may want to skip it to keep yourself pure.)Also this week we discuss Activision's Guitar Hero II microtransaction buzzkill. We were all ready (as some of you probably were too) to buy tracks from Guitar Hero 1 to play on our 360s. What we weren't prepared for was the cost of the privilege. And because it wouldn't be a show without talking about Sony, we spend a segment talking about Sony officially killing off the 20GB PS3 in North America. Good idea, or bad idea?Thanks for listening! Leave us a voicemail comment by calling 713-893-8069. Or you can e-mail us, vote for us on Digg, leave a comment on the iTunes Music Store, leave a comment on the blog page or join our forums! Thanks for listening, and we'll be back next week.This week's links:Super Paper Mario WiiBoom Boom Rocket Xbox 360MLB 2k7 Xbox 360World of Warcraft PCBeyond the Red Line PCSingstar Pop PS2Guitar Hero II Xbox 360Pokemon Diamond and Pearl DSOblivion Xbox 360Joystiq: Major Nelson talks Guitar Hero II microtransactions Andrew Pfister 1UP blog: Guitar Hero sells out 1UP.com: Sony officially dropping 20GB PS3 in North America Joystiq: Gamestop spoils Twilight Princess ending in stores digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/podcasts/Player_One_Podcast'; digg_bgcolor = '#FFCC99'; digg_skin = 'compact';

POP Ep.24: Red Lights and Metal Might (Voicemail line 713-893-8069) Apr 09, 2007

Show notes

We kick off this episode on a bit of a sour note -- Phil's Xbox 360 was visited by the system-killing three red lights just two weeks after CJ's died. Clearly, Greg and Dan's systems are next. But we quickly move into greener topics, discussing Super Paper Mario (which CJ got to play a bunch of this week) and Guitar Hero II at length in our first segment.We also discuss the recent PSP price drop. Is it enough? Can the PSP be saved by adding a second analog stick or getting rid of UMD? And finally, following the announcement of Rock Band -- EA/MTV/Harmonix's new all-encompassing music game -- we discuss the advancement of the genre, from PaRappa to Dance Dance Revolution to Taiko Drum Master and Guitar Hero.Thanks for listening! Leave us a voicemail comment by calling 713-893-8069. Or you can e-mail us, vote for us on Digg, leave a comment on the iTunes Music Store, leave a comment on the blog page or join our forums! Thanks for listening, and we'll be back next week.This week's links:Meet the Robinsons Guitar Hero II Xbox 360 Three Red Lights Xbox Domain: Towel Trick Episode 11: The Dead Pool Super Paper Mario Jetpac Refuelled Sony PSP hardware drops to $169.99 Variety.com: MTV, Harmonix Form Rock Band digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/podcasts/Player_One_Podcast'; digg_bgcolor = '#FFCC99'; digg_skin = 'compact';

04/02/07 - Episode 23: Going Elite Apr 01, 2007

Show notes

This week all four regulars are back, and just in time too for a rousing discussion of the pros and cons of the newly announced Xbox 360 Elite. With its 120GB hard drive, HDMI port (plus included cable--take that, Sony!) and sleek black curves, you'd think it'd be everything you'd ever want in a 360. Only, it's not. Let the complaining commence.Our other big discussion in this episode is about Sega's NiGHTS sequel and the screenshots/info that were revealed via several European sources last week. Is it going to be a Sega fan's wet dream or do Sonic Team's recent weak efforts hint at it being utterly underwhelming? The majority consensus here is that Sega and Sonic Team have an uphill battle.Thanks for listening! Leave us a voicemail comment by calling 713-893-8069. Or you can e-mail us, vote for us on Digg, leave a comment on the iTunes Music Store, leave a comment on the blog page or join our forums! Thanks for listening, and we'll be back next week.This week's links:EGM April Fools Jokes Xbox 360 Three Red Lights Tetris Evolution Jetpac Refuelled Castlevania Symphony of the Night GameLife: Jobs: Run Nintendo's Virtual Console Policenauts.net Oblivion: Shivering Isles World of Warcraft Custom Robo Arena Burnout Dominator Puzzle Quest TMNT Gamevideos.com: Grand Theft Auto IV trailer Xbox 360 Elite Kotaku: Sony working on PS3 "Elite" model?GamesIndustry.biz: 360 Elite validates Sony's hi-def focus - analyst 360-Gamer: The Xbox 360 Hardware Failure Survey Joystiq: NiGHTS Wii screens, interview found in Portuguese game mag Sonic and Mario at the Olympics Hype: Mario and Sonic Come Together in the Spirit of Friendship for the 2008 Olympics digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/podcasts/Player_One_Podcast'; digg_bgcolor = '#FFCC99'; digg_skin = 'compact';

Hello and welcome to the Player One Podcast web site Mar 26, 2007

Show notes

The thought occurred to me that a few of you stopping by might never've been here before. So first, let me encourage you to hit this link and subscribe to our 'cast via iTunes. Next, allow me to tell you what the heck you've signed up for:It was mid-October and Greg Sewart and I (Chris Johnston) were chatting over Xbox Live while playing some rounds of UNO or somesuch. We were discussing some big gaming news that'd happened that week or something when Greg said, "we should be recording this. We're interesting, right?" Though neither of us knew a damn thing about podcasting at the time outside of listening to a bunch of them, after some research, some brainstorming, and some money spent on equipment, the podcast and the page you've arrived at was born. Yes we're still working out the kinks some 22 weeks later, but the important part is it's amazing we've continued doing a show a week so far without stopping (even for holidays).Three of the four regular hosts of the podcast are ex-game magazine editors, which probably gives us at least some sort of unique perspective on the headlines that come out of the industry these days. Greg was EGM's previews editor for a number of years and still freelances for various game magazines and web sites. I worked at EGM for around 10 years (though not consecutively) and was the magazine's news editor for...well, a long time. And Phil worked at EGM back in the day and later worked on Expert Gamer before he became GameNow's reviews editor. Along for the ride as well is Dan Dormer, freelancer for 1UP and other sites and also the keeper of the Video Game Media Watch site.As of this writing we've done 22 shows and 1 "commentary" track. You may want to sample some of our past wares to get an idea of what we do here. You could go back and download/listen to all of them, but in case 24+ hours of podcast is too much for you to think about, here are five in particular that are nicely representative:Lost in translation (Episode 16, 2/12/07) - Our interview with Ted Woolsey, translator for many of Square's 16-bit RPGs including Final Fantasy VI.Home invasion (Episode 20, 3/12/07) - We did a little post GDC talking about Sony's PS3 Home service the week after it was announced at GDC '07 and chatted about Little Big Planet.Shame in our game (Episode 08, 12/18/06) - The main topic in this episode was to reveal our greatest gaming shames. The first step to healing was admitting we have a problem...Tackling difficulty (Episode 12, 1/15/07) - We talked about the fun of playing hard games as a game reviewer where you don't have the luxury of "taking your time." Festivus for the rest of us (Episode 09, 12/25/06) - Our Festivus episode is a big wrap-up of the big headlines from 2006.May I also encourage you to join our discussion forums. And if you have a comment you want to share with us or want to pose a question to the group, you can give our voicemail a call at 713-893-8069 or drop us an e-mail at playeronepodcast@gmail.com. Take care, and enjoy your stay...hope you enjoy the show. Thanks for dropping by!- CJ digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/podcasts/Player_One_Podcast'; digg_bgcolor = '#FFCC99'; digg_skin = 'compact';

03/26/07 - Episode 22: Welco Metot Henex Tlevel Mar 26, 2007

Show notes

CJ's away in San Francisco, which means Phil and Greg are taking over this week and spending way too much time talking about one of their favorite systems--the Sega CD. Thrill to stories of the Sega CD launch; the greatest pack-in software bundle of all time; the synergy of Hollywood and Silicon Valley; and an in-depth review of the greatest Sega CD game you've never played. Dan even says two or three words during the segment!Of course, we begin things this week with Whatcha-been playin'? Here we talk about everything from God of War II and sucking less than CJ to Tetris Evolution on 360 and everything in between. Oh, there's some Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Earth Defense Force 2017 in there as well. And in the following segment we tackle Jack Thompson's latest frivolous lawsuit, 2K Games' tendency to stick their heads in the sand, and Dan gets really angry about the European PS3 launch. Plus, is the third-party exclusive dead? You'll have to listen to find out.Leave us a voicemail comment by calling 713-893-8069. Or you can e-mail us, vote for us on Digg, leave a comment on the iTunes Music Store, leave a comment on the blog page or join our forums! Thanks for listening, and we'll be back next week.Tetris Evolution 360God of War 2 PS2Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 360Castlevania Symphony of the Night 360Earth Defense Force 2017 360World of Warcraft Call of Duty PSP1UP.com: Devil May Cry 4 heads to 360, PC Gamespot: Thompson countersues Take-Two Jeremy Parish 1UP blog: Why there won't be a System Shock Retronauts EngadgetHD: London's crime-free PS3 launch results in free HDTVs / cab rides Wikipedia: Sega CD LunarNET (Lunar series fansite)YouTube: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Sega CD Snatcher Good Deal Games (new or recovered Sega CD games)YouTube: Penn & Teller: Smoke & Mirrors digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/podcasts/Player_One_Podcast'; digg_bgcolor = '#FFCC99'; digg_skin = 'compact';

Fan Commentary 01: Captain N The Game Master (Enhanced) Mar 22, 2007

Show notes

Welcome to a very special edition of the Player One Podcast. This is not a regular episode. It's a fan commentary for Episode 1 of Captain N: The Game Master (available now on DVD from Shout Factory). Note: You must have a copy of the set for most of the audio in this podcast to make any sense whatsoever. Here's how it works: Load up Disc 1, and go into the Episode Selection menu. Start listening to this episode, and when you hear the Mario "pipe" sound effect press enter on your DVD remote to start playing Episode 1 "Kevin in Videoland." Or, if your iPod/iTunes/media player plays enhanced podcasts and you downloaded the AAC version of this podcast, you can skip to the second chapter marker just after the three-minute mark and begin playing from there.We hope you enjoy this, our first fan commentary track. Go to www.playeronepodcast.com, tell us what you thought, and let us know if you have an idea for a show we should do another commentary on. Or call us on our voice mail line at 713-893-8069. Thank you for listening!Show Links:Shout Factory Shout Factory: Captain N The Game Master Amazon.com: Captain N The Game Master digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/podcasts/Player_One_Podcast'; digg_bgcolor = '#FFCC99'; digg_skin = 'compact';

Fan Commentary 01: Captain N The Game Master Mar 22, 2007

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03/19/07 - Episode 21: The Race Ain't Over Yet Mar 19, 2007

Show notes

The February NPD numbers are out, and we take the opportunity to talk about each company's strategy or lack thereof for the upcoming months. Is Nintendo's continued success with the Wii going to peter out at some point soon as PS3 gets its sea legs? What does Sony need to do to emerge from its sales pit? When Game Boy Advance is outselling you, there's a problem.Next up, we tackle an issue that recently bubbled back to the surface when Silicon Knights' Denis Dyack appeared on EGM Live: How review-y should previews be? Is there a line at which it stops being a preview and starts being a judgement on a game that may be a year-plus away from release? In today's blog/podcast/multimedia culture anyone with a keyboard and an internet connection can share their opinion on a game, and the PR departments of many big publishers will continue struggling to control the message.Keep leaving us comments (via e-mail, comments on our web site, the forum thread for this episode, reviews on iTunes, giving us Diggs, Skype us at playeronepodcast) or leave us a voice mail by calling 713-893-8069, long distance charges apply. Thanks for listening, tell your friends, and we'll be back next week. Don't forget to join our forums!Big Bumpin' (Xbox 360)Burnout Revenge (Xbox 360)God of War II (PS2)Crackdown (Xbox 360)Worms (XBLA)Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1989 Arcade (XBLA)World of Warcraft (PC)Motorstorm (PS3)Virtua Fighter 5 (PS3)Def Jam Icon (PS3)Next-gen.biz: NPD: February Software Sales Up 28%Kotaku: February NPD Madness EGM Live: Denis Dyack interview TooHuman.net: Why Denis Dyack is Right (And Why Shane Bettenhausen Isn't Wrong)Gamevideos.com: E3: Too Human Hands-On digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/podcasts/Player_One_Podcast'; digg_bgcolor = '#FFCC99'; digg_skin = 'compact';

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