Podcast 02

Another Podcast is complete, and this one is on a new mixer. Tim, Steve and I discuss things like Bioshock 2, Red Dead Redemption, Japanese perversion and E3 dreams. Oh and this one is a little more explicit than the previous one....

You can download Episode 2 here or listen below.

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Video Recommendations are live!

Video has come to Two.Can Play thanks to YouTube and you should be able to start watching some of it now.

Sure it isn't production quality, but hey with the budget of about the cost of a Subway sandwich and my trusty Flip cam, it is as good as it can be for now. As for my "on camera" demeanor, it will improve with practice.

The YouTube username is TwoCanPlayBlog, but you can also go to the video page on http://www.twocanplayblog.com/ to find all the videos currently uploaded.

And since you are already here, click the jump for my VR of Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Blog Report

Red Dead Redemption night. ALL NIGHT! But you can take a break for some news, right?

Bionic Commando, Dark Void Last Straws For Capcom [Capcom]
Rumor: 'Premium' Version Of PlayStation Network Unveiled At E3 [PS3]
PlayCast Announces HD Upgrade To Cloud Gaming Service
Too Big and Too Hard [Republished]
A Look Inside The Arcade Scene Of Kuwait [The World]
Privates, The First Twin Stick Shooter Set In A Vagina [Xbox 360]
Brink: No Girls Allowed [Republished]
First Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Details Slip From The Shadows [Ubisoft]
GameStop Employee Loses His Job Over Rape Game? [Update] [Sex And Violence]
The World United As I Played Mass Effect 2 [Photos]
EA's Fight Against Used Game Sales Passes To Tiger Woods [EA Sports]
BlazBlue, The Art Exhibition [Art]
Pokemon World Championships Coming To A Metropolis Near You [Pokemon]
LittleBigPlanet 2 for PS3 Officially Announced for Winter 2010!
America, You Spend A LOT Of Money On Video Games [Research]
Marvel vs Capcom 3: Four New Challengers Enter [Capcom]
Kotaku 'Shop Contest: Merit Badge Edition Winners [Photoshop]
Why APB Uses Your Phone's Pricing Plan Instead of World of Warcraft's [PC]
Final Fantasy IX Coming Soon To North American PSN [Playstation Network]

Red Dead Redemption Posse

Some of you guys might be picking up a copy of Red Dead Redemption today and are interested in joining a posse. Well you might be in luck, as this ol’ four-flusher is looking for recruits. There is a problem though, we don’t have a name.

Boy, we’re gonna need a name, because if any yellow livered blowhard doesn’t pay through the nose when the come across us vandals, they at least better spread the word. So quit beatin’ the devil around a stump and help decide already, by posting in the comments. Then you can worry about putting on your best bib and tucker, before we set out to lay claim to our corner of the Wild West.

You can find examples of registered posses in the wiki below. Oh, and PS3 only for this posse.

http://reddead.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Posses

New Domain Names

For everyone out there who has had trouble with the Blogger web address, there is good news.

We here at Two.Can Play have bought up a few domain names to make it easier to find us.

Next time you get online to head to Two.Can Play, try typing: http://www.twocanplayblog.com/ or http://www.twocanplayblog.info/. Then, Bam! You will be redirected right here to the homepage.

These domains were registered through http://www.godaddy.com/ and if you listen to the Cheap Ass Gamer's Cagcast, you can get some discounts for your next web domain through Go Daddy. Just like me.

*note: all images courtesy of Google image search

Bitmob: Guides

Guides, walkthroughs, and FAQs are all tools which have helped gamers across generations of consoles overcome obstacles in their gaming experience. These can be applied to almost any type of game for any purpose, but their intent is to provide the reader complete transparency into a games’ world. Normally, I will try to avoid the use of these tools, because in some ways, I feel it can ruin my experience. For every rule there is an exception; however, and Bethesda Games Studios (makers of the Elder Scrolls series and Fallout 3) have become that exception.

Podcast is Live!

Thats right. We have a Podcast! Join myself, Steve Borga, and Tim Hinz for a riveting discussion of video games. You can download it here. Or you can just listen right here in your browser. Show notes after the jump. Enjoy!

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Bitmob: Gamer Tourism

When people reference Texas’ video game industry, Austin is typically touted as the ‘toast of the town’. Rarely do you hear publishers touting the importance of Dallas, or hear them refer to it as being a “Mecca” for gaming culture. They might be right when you compare it to LA or the Bay Area, but I feel Dallas is becoming more “gamer friendly” everyday. Below is a list of why Dallas is great for people who love to design games and those who love to play them.

New E-mail for the Site

Two.Can Play has a new e-mail address, so please send all your requests to twocanplay.blogspot@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Halo Reach Beta Stats after Week 1

Week one of the Halo Reach Beta has ended and here are my stats so far. Expect to get some impressions on the overall experience from me, after the Beta has closed. Stats after the jump!

Blog Report

I am doing my best to keep my head low and work on this final paper. Then Bungie had to go a release the Halo Reach Beta... Anyway, here is the news.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta Announced for PSP!
Spider-Man, Jedi Thwart Real-Life Comic Book Villain [Update] [Comics]
This Could Be The Best Street Fighter Film Ever Created [Movies]
Free Comics Eveywhere!
Well, No Wonder Game Crazy Went Out of Business [Screengrab]
Sony Registers 'Infamous2TheGame.com' Whatever Could That Mean? [Infamous 2 The Game Dot Com]
Real Life Modern Warfare: Soldiers vs Pirates, With Helmet Cameras [Clips]
Fallout: New Vegas Adds Hardcore Mode, Weapon Mods & More [Obsidian Entertainment]
Rumor: Castlevania HD Whips Up Six Player Vampire Slaying [Konami]
BlazBlue Gets Its Own Tournament Edition Joysticks [Accessorizing]
New Treyarch Developed Call of Duty Hits Nov. 9 With Likely Modern Setting [Call Of Duty: Black Ops]
We Have A Hostage Situation [Screengrab]
Video Games and the Philosophy of Art [Guest Editorial]
Halo Developer Joins Forces With Activision [Breaking]
Miyamoto On Wii Star Controller Prototype: "No one liked that one." [Wii]
The Perils Of Localisation [Screengrab]
The Cub Scouts Get Video Game Badges [Scouts]
Red Faction's Made For TV Movie May Spawn A Series [Syfy]
The Kuril Islands dispute
This Guy Is A Fighting Game Superstar [Super Street Fighter IV]
Kotaku Japan Confronted by Famitsu and Konami [Top]

AOM - May

David Stonecipher over at The Examiner has some pretty hilarious art. Basically he took classic game characters and provided them with some stylin' beards. You can find more here.

Graduation Approaches

With graduation quickly approaching, I am going to have to take some time off from the Blog. But no worries, I should be back in a week or two. More content to come.

Bitmob - Red Faction: Guerilla Vs. Just Cause 2

Red Faction: Guerilla had to be the biggest surprise of 2009 for me. I had played previous incarnations on PC and while I remembered them, they don't come up in conversation too often. Guerilla, on the other hand, had quite the opposite impression on me. So much so, that when Christmas rolled around I bought a few copies for my friends! It was just one of those games that was full of "oh shit" moments and glorious explosions, that it’s memories have stayed with me to this day. So when I started to hear about Just Cause 2, I was really excited. It sounded a lot like Guerilla; where you are a stranger in a foreign land, leading its people to freedom from the hands of an oppressive military force. Furthermore, it has an open world environment with unique vehicles, weapons, and explosions. After putting about 10 hours into JC2 and beating Guerilla, I feel I can weigh in on their similarities and differences.

Play it NOW! - Battlefield: Bad Company 2

The boys of bad company are back, and they are ‘in it to win it’ in this high octane sequel from DICE. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 comes from a long line of first person shooters. Like its predecessor, it changes the Battlefield formula by creating a story with memorable characters. Having not played the first Battlefield (shame on me), I was not familiar with the returning cast members. Perhaps this was a good thing. Haggard, Sweetwater, Sergeant Redford, join you (Marlowe) on a crazy adventure around the world, trying to keep the impending Russian threat at bay. Many reviews promoted the impression that Bad Company’s latest incarnation lacked the same depth in the character development and story as its predecessor. I, on the other hand, enjoyed the story and down time between fights. The squad’s camaraderie led to conversations on topics ranging from the best scenes in the movie Predator, to names common in the continent of Africa. After a long stint of playing more serious FPS’ like Modern Warfare 2 and Bioshock 2, it was refreshing to see my squad having as much fun as I was.

Blog Report

As the world turns, I am getting slammed with homework trying to finish out the semester. Hopefully I can finish Battlefield Bad Company 2 and Dragon Age: Origins - Awakenings. In the mean time, NEWS!

Tony Hawk's Tony Hawk: Shred Outed By Tony Hawk [Activision]
Star Fox Dog Needs To Do A Barrel Roll [Screengrab]
Nolan Bushnell Rejoins the Atari Force [Atari]
The Best (Kotaku) WarioWare Games You'll Ever Play [Nintendo]
Do Video Games Shape Who We Are? [Well Played]
Call of Duty Series to "Broaden" Its Audience [Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2]
This Is A Nice, Nice Xbox 360 [Microsoft]
No Star Fox? Nintendo, You Have A Volunteer [Hideki Kamiya]
What Gets You Banned From Xbox Live Until The Year 9999? [Uno]
Why Is Japan So Behind? [Japan]
Splinter Cell Stunt Almost Gets Someone Shot [Ruh Roh]
Roger Ebert Asks a Good Question [Debate]
Brit Woman Needs Sex Constantly After Mishap on Balance Board [Oh Boy]
You Got Lost Planet 2 all over my city
FIFA Promotion Doesn't Get More Bizarre Than This [Japan]
Final Fantasy XIII PS3 'Nearly Doubles' Xbox 360 Version In U.S. Sales [Square Enix]
The Modern Warfare Fight: Your Guide to Activision Vs. Infinity Ward [Explainer]
Teenage Boy Charged With Killing His Father With Sledgehammer [PC]
Microsoft Supplier Factory Treats Workers Like "Prisoners" [China]
Game Changers: Sequels That Scared The True Fans [Genre Benders]
A Place To Drink Coffee With Gundam [Gundam]
Super Mario and Japan's National Pride [Japan]
The Winner Of The Tester Explains Why He Wanted To Win Work [Playstation Network]
Modern Warfare Developer Sees More Key Departures Today [Modern Warfare]
The Life of Game: Why I Live In Japan [Column]

Gaming Outdoors - Screw Attack Gaming Convention

That's right! ScrewAttack is hosting another convention here in Dallas, TX on July 4th weekend. So bring the pain and compete in the Iron Man Contest. Or come to the Uwe Boll panel and ask him how it feels to be a total douche bag! More details to come when the schedule is up, but for now you can register here. General Information after jump:

Bitmob: Anticipated Game of 2010

Every so often Bitmob.com issues a community topic and since I am taking a more active role in their site, here is my post. This months topic was over our most anticipated game of 2010.

Yeah Yeah, I am sure half you out there think I am nucking futz and the rest won't even read the article, but Puzzle Quest 2 has become my most anticipated game of 2010. It wasn't always like this, Mass Effect 2 easily held the reigns for sometime, but I desperately need more Puzzle Quest! Sure, there are a slew of games coming out in 2010 and I plan to play them all, but there is one that looks to scratch a personal itch. It is something I honestly never thought I would find myself saying with triple A titles like Fable 3, Red Dead Redemption and a new Halo only months away; but Puzzle Quest 2 will keep me busy for hours on end if it is anything like its predecessor. Sure, there have been various imitators and the less than stellar Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, but those are NOT Puzzle Quest. Hopefully the sequel will be an expansion of everything that was great about the first game. Leading me to grind level after level, through Bejeweled-esque combat. Some announced changes include a graphical upgrade of the over world map, new classes, mana gems, loot etc.

I am sure some readers would wonder why I did not simply just restart the original campaign with a new character, but it just wouldn’t be the same for me. I had played through the campaign in its entirety, and hit my level cap. To me, that means I put that game down and concentrate on something else. With a new installment in the franchise, I can easily justify spending another 40 hours of my life training mounts, laying siege to cities and becoming a overall bad ass. Also, since I played the first installment on iPhone and it is not being released (initially) on that platform, I will get to change up the Puzzle Quest experience for myself as well. Since many of you readers have probably played this on one of the other various platforms, I pose this question – Xbox Live or Nintendo DS?


Note: all pics are courtesy of D3

Blog Report

Games Games Games Games Games Games Games!

ModNation Racers Artist Spotlights: Ratchet & Clank Get Girlfriends!
Shooter Shooter Shooter Shooter
Rush’N Attack: Ex-Patriot Preview: The 80s Strikes Back [Preview]
Let's Round Up Gears of War 3 Stuff [Xbox 360]
There's A Ghost Recon Prize In Every Box Of Splinter Cell: Conviction [Ubisoft]
Well this iPhone game doesn’t in any way relate to the...
The Biggest Break Up In Video Game History [News]
A Japanese Game With Goddesses About...The Game Industry? [Japan]
Grand Theft Auto Used To Steer Children Away From Violence? That's New [Video Game Violence]
What's With The Nuns, Japan? [Religion Week]
Giant Bomb Has A Rat Problem
Rumor: Gears Of War 3 Adds Underwater Combat, Mech Suits & More [Xbox 360]
12-Year-Old Runs Up $1,300 FarmVille Debt [A Cautionary Tale]
They Grow Up So Fast: EA's Website, Circa 1997 [Internet]
Why We Call Him Dude Huge [Explainer]
Modern Warfare 2 Map Pack Pricing Doesn't Bother 2.5 Million Xbox 360 Owners [Xbox 360]
Good Advice From One Nintendo Creator To Another [Blockquote]
iPad Wizardry: Jim Lee Sketches Wonder Woman [Comics]
The Thoughts Behind Miranda's Behind in Mass Effect 2 [Republished]
White Stripes Guitarist's Recommendation: "Quit Video Games" [Music]
EA Forms Real-World Racing Team [Ea]
Metal Gear Solid? More Like Metal Gear Solid Advertising, Your Billboard Here [Konami]
Rumor: Grand Theft Auto Developers Pressure Magazine, Writer Sacked [Journalism]

Marketing 101: Giant Bomb Quests

I love all press in video games journalism, Bitmob.com especially. I read everything from everywhere and rarely go flaunting the content of one journalism outlet verse another, but Giant Bomb has done something that may have raised the bar for press outlets across the industry. Dare I say, all web sites across the Internet. The implementation of a Quest system for their users. See a synopsis of my most recent online addiction after the jump...