Escapist Podcast: 087: The Death of LucasArts (But Not Friendship!)

StriderShinryu

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Dec 8, 2009
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Thank goodness for people actually being realistic about Lucasarts. Nothing against the indivuduals that worked there, and I hope they find further employment in the nearest of futures, but it's extremely true that there wasn't much value in the studio as it was. It had been a long time before they put out anything particularly good, and even some of the good stuff they did put out wasn't exactly huge in terms of market value. In short, just because they put out Star Wars games you liked 10 or more years ago doesn't mean all that much.

Edit: Heard the bit about Janelle. Hope she is able to beat whatever she's dealing with and come back twice as strong. Don't really know her of course, but it's kind of hard to picture someone with her sort of vivacious personality being brought down at all.
 

CrazyCajun777

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Apr 2, 2013
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Once again in this Podcat an office DnD game was mentioned. You fellows should really think about turning that ,or something similar, into a "podcast" of its own. I know I would gleefully tune in every week for that.
 

The Hero Killer

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Aug 9, 2010
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I'm so glad they finally talked about JRPG's yet like everybody else in the gaming world they forgot about the Tales series, which has been going strong with 2 soon to be 3 titles this gen. Plus Kingdom Hearts should have been the first non turn based JRPG that came to mind especially after talking about Disney.
 

Muspelheim

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Apr 7, 2011
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While not really as impressive, I've had a similar hand injury once. I managed to shove my hand down on the tip of a -very- sharpened pencil sticking up from my pocket, and the tip broke of and got stuck. It's never really bothered me, but I do have this black dot right at the bottom of my palm. The fun thing is, it got lodged right where my lifeline ends, from what I know about palm reading, at least. My idle interpretation is that I'll be around fairly long, but I'll make a flaming exit.

Furthermore... I'm very disappointed now that I know what cathouse really means... I pictured myself this house filled with cuddly cats meandering about you could visit if you've had a bad day. Suppose it's similar in concept, but still.
 

Henriot

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Dec 15, 2011
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My hand injury; in primary school, my friends and I loved taking apart ballpoint pens and using it like a dart shooter, using rubber bands and such. At one point had the middle of a pen go through the back of my palm, between the bones, not break through the skin on the other side but the skin was tented by the point.

Also, Samurai Jack; best role model.

caballitomalo said:
Hello there, question for the Podcast: are you guys making another Game of Thrones extra cast? I loved those the last time around, it was fun listening to it while playing defense grid XD.

Great show.
I'd give them time to air one or two more episodes so they have a bit more to talk about. But yeah, Thronescast!
(Also, I played Defense Grid last time they did them too!)



Muspelheim said:
Furthermore... I'm very disappointed now that I know what cathouse really means... I pictured myself this house filled with cuddly cats meandering about you could visit if you've had a bad day. Suppose it's similar in concept, but still.
I have to say, my mind immediately went to like a cat farm or something. Just like a house, filled with bowls of food and water, with cats covering every surface.
... I suppose you could still go to the cathouse to stroke some... no, must resist the pun!
 

Phlakes

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Mar 25, 2010
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Coming soon to a package near you (if you live in/near Durham NC)-


I'm not really a card person. And I figure there are worse ways to spend a weekend than doing something for a podcast regular(ish) who needs some support.

EDIT: And it's not supposed to look like an actual physical thing, to clarify. All Photoshop. Although if I could print an actual comic book I would be on that shit so hard.
 

Eric the Orange

Gone Gonzo
Apr 29, 2008
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I like how the first 30 mins was , let's gross Susan out with our grievous wound stories.

And as I don't have one o' them e-mails(I know, I don't have a cell phone either how do I exist), let me wish my fondest well wishes to Janelle.
 

VladG

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Aug 24, 2010
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This is getting really odd, but I keep having problems with the Podcast, and ONLY with he podcasts. Last week it would skip about 25 minutes of the video like an old vinyl, this week it just crashes Chrome's Flash outright.
 

Tisiphone1

Doing Science
Dec 27, 2011
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The reactions in the video are great. I think I'm going to have to switch to full-out watching or at least having the video up in a side window. The Escapist claims yet another victory over my (mostly theoretical) productivity!
 

Telperion

Storyteller
Apr 17, 2008
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Listening / watching to the podcast is fun, but then the break music video comes in I'm jarred out of a pleasant experience. I'm wistfully looking at LotR -scenes, and thinking...ah...what a wonderful experience. Then I remember what a horrible mess the books become after books one and two. How the tv-series is a watered down and ever-so-slightly revised version of that horrible mess. And I'm jarred back into reality.

I'm also noticing that this podcast is not the way I remember it from before. It's much more of a free flowing conversation amongst friends and colleagues. I like it, although some of the "intro" stuff made me blink a few times.
 

Arvandus

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Mar 5, 2008
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The phantom tollbooth is the book that turned me into the sci-fi/fantasy fan I am today. Its weird bizarre world opened me up to the possibility that not everything have to be the boring world we currently live in. Kinda explains why I am really into pen and paper role-playing and even proudly podcast my games.
 

PunkRex

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Feb 19, 2010
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jackdeesface said:
PunkRex said:
The idea of slacking off or 'killing time' really annoys me, something im sure you understand.
yet you play video games...

I'll be under my bridge ;)

In seriousness, thats something i can totally relate to. I hate feeling like I'm being unproductive. Don't get me wrong, i consider enjoying leisure time to be productive so its not like I'm work obsessed. However the way it manifests for me is that I despise watching TV all evening, or worse all day. Not that I mind sticking on a show I like, but just sitting there staring at the box watching somethign i don't even really enjoy genuinely makes me really depressed/freaked out that I'm wasting my life. I can't understand how people can do that, I remember saying to an ex "Ergh, I feel like my brain is melting, I've been watching telly for 8 hours now" and she was just like "thats what I do everyday" totally unrelatable. True story.
Dump dat zero and get ya'll self a hero!... oh you already did that... I have no problem with relaxing, I just tend to do other stuff while watching TV and listening to music like re-writing notes, drawing etc.
 

Susan Arendt

Nerd Queen
Jan 9, 2007
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jackdeesface said:
PunkRex said:
Garland said:
PunkRex said:
Okay Persona 4 fans, here is a question:

When do they stop talking?

I managed to find the original Persona 4 on PS2 and get one of my many old Playstations to play the bloody thing and not spit it out claiming it was a DVD but I got two hours in and it was so drawn out. I finally got to a dungeon but all my interest in the story and characters was spent, I was just so bored with them going on and on about what seemed like pointless shit and the pace was like trying to swim through jelly. I really want to like it (the characters really seem likable) but great fucking scott it made me wonder when I'd get to actually play the thing as opposed to listen to it.
The simple fact is that Persona 4 and all games in general are not for everyone and you are not alone for getting antsy in the introduction. I personally adored the set-up; the introduction of Persona 4 was an answer to the lack of agency the introduction of Persona 3 presented, which got you playing faster, but without context or motivation. This focus on player agency made me unable to put it down before I actually began playing the game in contrast to your experience.
I'll struggle through, the rest of the game does look really engaging, its just the it gets such un-real praise and it bugs me. Its got to the point that if someone critises it even slightly, they get destroyed, and NO ART is above critisism.
I can't help but think this ^

I'd actually never heard of persona at all until Kathleens constant ramblings about it in the LRR podcasts and it genuinely made me curious. But everyone ive heard who's into it is REALLY into it, I've heard hardly anyone say "Meh, its alright". and that always worries me that i;m going to go into it with unrealistically high expectations.... Not that I own a vita, so its a moot point anyway. Though i'm super curious about P4 the golden.

I DO own a Dsi and a 360, are there any persona games forthose consoles?
There are a bunch of Shin Megami Tensei games for the DS, though not Persona, per se. Not as story-heavy, but you do get the demon collecting/turn based fighting. Definitely still a good time.
 

Strazdas

Robots will replace your job
May 28, 2011
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Wait, doesnt everybody go though entire backlog of podcast and shows they start watching? i cant imagone a life where i woudl start listening/watching something from the middle and dont look at what was there before.
 

Eleima

Keeper of the GWJ Holocron
Feb 21, 2010
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I love that you guys mentioned "The Phantom Tollbooth"! I have so many great memories of that, my school even did the play version of it when I was a kid. I remember being so jealous of the girls who were cast as Princesses Pure Reason and Sweet Rhyme...

Was interesting to hear the discussion about LucasArts. As I recall, the publisher and the developer was called Lucasfilm Games until 1990 when it became part of LucasArts Entertainment Company (after being fused with Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound). This was a time when publisher and developer were often the same company. Not sure when the name was shorten to LucasArts, though. At least, I think that's how it all goes, I could be wrong.
I'm somewhat nostalgic of the golden age of LucasArts, the golden age of its beautiful adventure games: Maniac Mansion, Zak McKraken and the Alien Mindbenders, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Loom, The Secret of Monkey Island, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Sam & Max Hit the Road, Day of the Tentacle, The Curse of Monkey Island, Grim Fandango... All superb games which I still carry with me to this day.
But! But!... I'm lucid enough to recognize that that age has come and gone. While I'm sad for those out of a job, the LucasArts developer I came to know and love is no more.

I'm going to echo what's already been said a couple of comments above, I'd love to see another Game of Thrones podcast. I only recently went back and listened to them because I only recently watched the second season (I was waiting to finish the book). I'm gonna wait until I've finished book three (if I can withstand my enthusiastic husband's pleading), but I'd definitely love another special GoT podcat!

Great question on the films/books/games that shaped you!! Got me to think on my own... The film that may not have shaped me per se but left a huge mark on me is "The Fifth Element". I was maybe 14 when I saw it and I was just utterly blown away. The rich worlds, the incredibly diverse alien races, the gorgeous costumes, the story... I think that to this day, I still know ever freakin' line of the movie by heart. Yes, including Leeloo's Divine Language lines. I even dressed up as Leeloo for Halloween (not, not those skimpy white stripes, the white shirt, brown pants, black boots, and weird orange strap outfit). And after that, I got into Star Trek, and it just blew me away. I try to live by some its precepts, keeping an open mind when meeting new people, trying to remember not all is as it seems; and just generally, like Picard says, "we try to better ourselves."
The book or rather the books that shaped me are the Frank Herbert's Dune chronicles. I'd seen Lynch's movie when I was younger, maybe 10'ish, and the Baron Harkonnen absolutely terrified me. A few years later, maybe end of middle school, I started reading the books. And the intricate plot threads, the subtle tackling of religion, fate, economics, ecology, loyalty, betrayal, love... It was all so very rich, it definitely honed my mind, opening it up to well, stuff I really hadn't thought about up until then.
And yeah, my mom also told me to stop reading that "crap". Even though I also read loads of "classics" (what can I say, I was bookworm, I even read during recess).
As for the games that left their mark upon me... "Think Quick" by the Learning Company certainly deserves props, it's the very first game I ever played, I must've been 4, maybe 5. But the King's Quest definitely deserve special mention, they taught me how to type pretty fast (I average around 60-70wpm, sometimes 80wpm, which isn't top notch by any means, but it definitely comes in handy). Mostly, the KQ games taught me how to type "open door" in a flash. Finally, the Zork games most certainly had a hand in shaping in me. The one that I'll always remember is "Zork Nemesis" for its incredible, darker story with an unexpected twist (won't spoil it, go play it!!). Heck, I even wrote an essay on it in English class (and why yes, I did get an A, thank you for asking).

Finally, last but most certainly not least, I'm sending loads of positive energy and happy thoughts to Janelle. It's hard to imagine anything bad happening to such a bubbly and exuberant person, and I hope that whatever's going on will be quickly resolved. Best of wishes, Janelle!

Love the podcat, you guys are always sparking new trains of thought and interesting insights! Happy Monday.
 

Susan Arendt

Nerd Queen
Jan 9, 2007
7,222
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jackdeesface said:
Susan Arendt said:
jackdeesface said:
PunkRex said:
Garland said:
PunkRex said:
Okay Persona 4 fans, here is a question:

When do they stop talking?

I managed to find the original Persona 4 on PS2 and get one of my many old Playstations to play the bloody thing and not spit it out claiming it was a DVD but I got two hours in and it was so drawn out. I finally got to a dungeon but all my interest in the story and characters was spent, I was just so bored with them going on and on about what seemed like pointless shit and the pace was like trying to swim through jelly. I really want to like it (the characters really seem likable) but great fucking scott it made me wonder when I'd get to actually play the thing as opposed to listen to it.
The simple fact is that Persona 4 and all games in general are not for everyone and you are not alone for getting antsy in the introduction. I personally adored the set-up; the introduction of Persona 4 was an answer to the lack of agency the introduction of Persona 3 presented, which got you playing faster, but without context or motivation. This focus on player agency made me unable to put it down before I actually began playing the game in contrast to your experience.
I'll struggle through, the rest of the game does look really engaging, its just the it gets such un-real praise and it bugs me. Its got to the point that if someone critises it even slightly, they get destroyed, and NO ART is above critisism.
I can't help but think this ^

I'd actually never heard of persona at all until Kathleens constant ramblings about it in the LRR podcasts and it genuinely made me curious. But everyone ive heard who's into it is REALLY into it, I've heard hardly anyone say "Meh, its alright". and that always worries me that i;m going to go into it with unrealistically high expectations.... Not that I own a vita, so its a moot point anyway. Though i'm super curious about P4 the golden.

I DO own a Dsi and a 360, are there any persona games forthose consoles?
There are a bunch of Shin Megami Tensei games for the DS, though not Persona, per se. Not as story-heavy, but you do get the demon collecting/turn based fighting. Definitely still a good time.
Thanks for the heads up, just did a quick amazon.co.uk search and they're OFFENSIVELY expensive for DS games, around the £60 mark new (around 90 dollars).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shin-Megami-Tensei-Devil-Survivor/dp/B001QTW2HS/ref=sr_1_4?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1365354115&sr=1-4&keywords=Shin+Megami+Tensei

I'm guessing its because they're out of print maybe? Will look into it properly later :)
Oh. Well, yeah, that's a distinct possibility. They are Atlus games, after all.
 

Formica Archonis

Anonymous Source
Nov 13, 2009
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Probably not the best place for this question, but.... If there's video for this now why are all the RSS feeds providing MP3s?