BASH

If you have ever read these words:

“…in a world of thoughtful and passionate gaming CEOs, Bobby Kotick stands alone. He doesn’t play video games, but he sure knows how to make money off people who do….Kotick doesn’t play his games, and it shows.”

…or these in regards to MW2’s SP:

“Am I glad I played the game? Yes. Can I see myself replaying it? Maybe not. It’s satisfying to step into the shoes of people who are so uncompromising, and the game is brilliant at creating the feeling of moral vacuum, but it’s not exactly a feeling that’s comfortable, or even fun. During many scenes, I found myself simply emptying clips into houses, knowing there could be innocents inside. Why not? I was trying to survive”.

How about these with respect to MW2’s multiplayer:

“Call of Duty came from the PC gaming scene, and it was there that it was popularized. ….it’s sad to see a game that has such a rich history on our favorite platform feel so neglected in its newest incarnation. The port of the single-player campaign is strong; the game looks, plays, and feels incredible on a capable gaming PC. The Special Ops missions are perfect if you’re in the mood for a teeny-tiny LAN party but the multiplayer offerings feel like Infinity Ward is trying to cram a round peg into a square hole.

It’s not what we’re used to, it’s not what we want, and the changes made to the online matchmaking set-up and lack of dedicated servers negatively change the online experience. It’s just that simple.”

…you probably know that they come from one of the best gaming writers around: Ben “Stasis7″ Kuchera from ArsTechnica.com (Opposable thumbs). Ben is the gaming editor at Ars Technica and is on with us to talk about Modern Warfare 2 and its impact on the PC landscape.

Also with us to talk about MW2 are: ibleedv20 from omnilinkit.com, Andy (the impaler) coons  from Loaded at goloaded.com, rudedog from fpsadmin.com and garetjax from codtv.tv. As well, our resident console expert mattks is here from weplaycod.net, @weplaycod.

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Today we depart from our usual format to present a BASH special edition. On BASH to talk to us about himself and his esports organization is the president of Team Pandemic: Chris Lemley.

We have had many current and former Team Pandemic superstars on this program, people such as Nabore, Rob-wiz, and Prank`, but we have never had the brain behind the winning teams. We set that wrong right on this cast.

Chris and I talk on a range of subjects in this interview. We cover some of the history of Pandemic, the rise and fall of CoD competitive gaming, MW2 and we even find time to talk a little bit about the new Korean micro-transaction shooter AVA.

We end our discussion talking about the new direction he wants to take his organization.

Chris is a good pragmatic businessman, a really entertaining speaker and a great advocate of esports and I cannot wait to have him back on this program.

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On today’s podcast we analyze the impact DICE producer Gordon Van Dyke’s words had on all of us PC gamers currently wandering the FPS desert looking for a game to play or mod. GvD gave a great accounting of himself and his new project: Battlefield BAD COMPANY 2 on BASH 126.

When we make the segue from BFBC2 to MW2, you can feel the mood around the round-table change. You can barely hear us from all the teeth gnashing and finger nail clawing.

This was yet another week of watching IW’s release of MW2 stumble towards the finish line.  And if you were a PC player it was yet a continuation of depressing stories.

Of course we take on the big MW2 news of the week, which was of course the Best Buy chat with the game’s devs.

We finish the cast with a positive. CoD:WW’s patch v1.7 is moving along and PC support seems to continue apace with the development of CoDTV.

On the podcast we have ibleedv20 from omnilinkit.com, josh peckler from planetmedalofhonor.com and planetcallofduty.com, rudedog from fpsadmin.com, garetjax from codtv as well as console expert mattks from weplaycod.net, @weplaycod and finally pst*joker  from mycallofduty.com.

The opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect those of BASHandSlash.com. And now let the rancor and recriminations begin…wa waaaaa.

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BASH is pleased to present Battlefield Bad Company 2’s producer, coming to us all the way from the home office of Digital Illusions CE (DICE) in Stockholm Sweden, it is none other than the legendary Gordon Van Dyke.

Gordon is on BASH to talk to us about all the awesome tech going into his new baby, BFBC2.

This is a wide-ranging interview and we cover a lot of ground. With me to help cover that ground with Gordon (aka “Lex Luthor”) is BASH regular, Garetjax from codtv.tv.

Among the interesting personal facts that Gordon drops our way is that he was a former competitive player (hence the “Lex Luthor” tags), but get this…he was also a PC modder. And his mods are the reason he got to work at DICE. I’m sure his street cred with our community just shot straight up, huh?

Of course we asked about BFBC2 as well.

- We go into depth on the Frostbite gaming engine.

- We talk about the possibilities of modding the game.

- We talk about the potential for competitive BFBC2 play.

- We of course talk about the fact that BFBC2 will have dedicated servers.

- The PC beta is also discussed.

Thanks to all the folks who helped make this cast happen: Gordon at DICE, Matt Pruitt, Jino T. and Kelly E. at EA. Thanks guys.

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Though it should have been a runaway romp, the marketing of Modern Warfare 2, the sequel to the iconic CoD4, has been a muddy slog.

Activision, the game’s publisher and Infinity Ward, its developer have seen the game’s release troubled by an ever growing list of issues, many of their own making.

MW2’s ball-handlers have dropped their fair share of pig-skin in the last few months. Here are just the lowlights:

- Activision brass increase the price of MW2 during the deepest recession since the Great One, just because they can. This causes great resentment even amongst the game’s fanboys.

- The PC community forges a 170,000+ petition demanding the restitution of dedicated servers after it pieces together the dev’s plot to have their online experience replaced by a peer-to-peer system.

- PC pre-orders of the game drop, as does Activision stock, soon after the news of the lack of dedi servers hits the internet.

- IW devs single out hardcore CoD PC gamers as bad influences. They are effectively fired. Modders, competitive gamers and tuners go into anaphylactic shock.

- PC Modders revolt after they see that their creativity is harvested and used blatantly in some of MW2’s more appealing features, without so much as any recognition (never mind any monetary compensation).

- Console gamers get a hold of MW2 DVD’s and begin live-streaming SP missions over the internet. Hundred’s of spoiler alerts go unheeded as the game’s closely guarded secrets get spilled.

- Pirated MW2 console torrents are being seeded across the world, two weeks before the game is officially released. This finally dispels the myth that illegal PC downloads were the real problem.

- CNN ireporters call in to say that MW2 lets kids play terrorist characters. The alleged opening scenes of MW2 see the wholesale slaughter of civilians. Acid-tongued CNN readers suggest that the only terrorism is the cancellation of dedicated servers.

To discuss these and many other topics are:

Rudedog from fpsadmin.com

Garetjax from codtv.tv

Bleed from omnilinkit.com

and our guests:

Josh from planetmedalofhonor.com and planetcallofduty.com

console expert Mattks from weplaycod.blogspot.com

competitive player, Andy “The Impaler” Coons from Loaded (goloaded.com)

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BASH 123 detonated over the CoD community like an atomic blast.

It has been a week now and we have all had a chance to recover.

On this week’s BASH, we look forward into the future of Call of Duty. A future that might be missing the elements that brought us into this game in the first place.

Today’s webcast features a status update on Modern Warfare 2, with an emphasis on community reaction.

We also talk about the stinging rebuttal from MW2 developer, Infinity Ward.  Jason West’s reply was particularly strong and no doubt a stiff rebuke to the outcry from PC gamers.

We talk about the success of the online petition against IW and the wisdom of a server strike.

After what has happened, will you buy this game?

SERVER GIVEAWAY!

On to show PC community solidarity is, friend of the show, jimmycorps (jimmycorps.com) who will give away a dedicated 60-slot Linux server to a lucky BASH listener.

Trivia question: Besides PST*Joker, who’s the only other person to win on an episode of BASH’s quiz show “Kill or Be Killed”.

Kill or Be Killed Ep 2

Kill or Be Killed Ep 1

We have on PST*Joker, Bleed, Josh Peckler, Mattks and Ian Tannehill to talk things CoD.

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