Game/Life Balance U.S.

By Cody Gough and Jonathan MartinLeisure Video Games

Game/Life Balance U.S. episodes

October 22, 2015 U.Gamers Podcast #122: IGN’s Top 100 Video Games Ever Made debate and discussion
Cody and Jon welcome video game enthusiast and broadcaster J.D. Fox to the podcast to praise and rage over IGN’s recently released list of the Top 100 Games Ever Made.
Photo credit: Axel Pfaender via Flickr
Show Notes:
Cody introduces video game enthusiast, veteran broadcaster and fellow Drake University alumnus J.D. Fox to the podcast. In groups of 10, Cody, J.D., and Jon review IGN’s list of the top 100 video games ever made, which follows:
100. The Walking Dead: Season One
99.   Advance Wars
98.   Perfect Dark
97.   Galaga
96.   The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
95.   Super Mario Galaxy 2
94.   Donkey Kong ‘94
93.   Ico
92.   Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
91.   Batman: Arkham Asylum
90.   System Shock 2
89.   The Oregon Trail
88.   Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
87.   SimCity 2000
86.   Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!
85.   X-COM: UFO Defense
84.   Contra
83.   Fallout 2
82.   Resident Evil 2
81.   The Secret of Monkey Island
80.   Final Fantasy VII
79.   Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2
78.   Fallout 3
77.   Zork I: The Great Underground Empire
76.   Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening
75.   EarthBound
74.   League of Legends
73.   Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
72.   Spelunky
71.   Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield
70.   Mega Man 2
69.   Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec
68.   Suikoden 2
67.   Final Fantasy Tactics
66.   GoldenEye 007
65.   Burnout 3
64.   The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
63.   Super Smash Bros. Melee
62.   Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge
61.   Grim Fandango
60.   Donkey Kong
59.   Persona 4: Golden
58.   Team Fortress 2
57.   MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat
56.   StarCraft
55.   Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
54.   Thief II: The Metal Age
53.   Ms. Pac-Man
52.   Pokemon Yellow
51.   Mass Effect 2
50.   Dota 2
49.   Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
48.   The Last of Us
47.   Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
46.   Metroid Prime
45.   Diablo 2
44.   Banjo-Kazooie
43.   Resident Evil 4
42.   Counter-Strike 1.6
41.   Metal Gear Solid
40.   Dark Souls
39.   Journey
38.   Mass Effect
37.   Silent Hill 2
36.   BioShock
35.   World of Warcraft
34.   Shadow of the Colossus
33.   Battlefield 1942
32.   Rock Band
31.   Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
30.   The Legend of Zelda
29.   Red Dead Redemption
28.   Final Fantasy VI
27.   Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
26.   Half-Life
25.   Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
24.   Sid Meier’s Civilization IV
23.   Star Wars: TIE Fighter
22.   Halo: Combat Evolved
21.   Super Mario Galaxy
20.   Street Fighter II
19.   Deus Ex
18.   Baldur’s Gate 2
17.   Portal
16.   Grand Theft Auto V
15.   Minecraft
14.   Super Mario World
13.   Chrono Trigger
12.   Sid Meier’s Pirates!
11.   Super Mario 64
10.   Tetris
09. Halo 2
08. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
07. Super Metroid
06. Half-Life 2
05. Portal 2
04. Super Mario Bros.
03. Doom
02. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
01. Super Mario Bros. 3
1 hr 52 min
October 22, 2015 U.Gamers Podcast #122: IGN’s Top 100 Video Games Ever Made debate and discussion
Cody and Jon welcome video game enthusiast and broadcaster J.D. Fox to the podcast to praise and rage over IGN’s recently released list of the Top 100 Games Ever Made. Photo credit: Axel Pfaender via...
1 hr 52 min
October 15, 2015 U.Gamers Podcast #121: Super Meat Boy, Broken Age, Until Dawn
Cody discusses his latest computer technology curses, including his first impressions of Windows 10. Then, Jon explains his video game bender and reviews Super Meat Boy, Broken Age, and Until Dawn. Plus: Cody describes his experience at Nintendo World in New York City, and Jon gives an update on his ongoing house-buying drama.
Photo credit: dronepicr via Flickr
1 hr 38 min
October 15, 2015 U.Gamers Podcast #121: Super Meat Boy, Broken Age, Until Dawn
Cody discusses his latest computer technology curses, including his first impressions of Windows 10. Then, Jon explains his video game bender and reviews Super Meat Boy, Broken Age, and Until Dawn. Plus: Cody describes his experience...
1 hr 38 min
October 01, 2015 U.Gamers Podcast #120: Lifestyle update with Final Fantasy: Type-0 HD and more
Catch up with Cody and Jon as they talk life milestones, Devil in the White City, Hearthstone, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and Final Fantasy: Type-0 HD.
Photo credit: Diavolomezzo via Flickr
Show Notes:

* Cody talks microphones, acoustics, and what kind of podcast you can expect to hear
* Jon chastises Cody for not making enough Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney jokes when he interviewed Sam Castree III, Ace Attorney on the podcast
* Cody rants about how Radiolab ripped off his story about the Cryptolocker virus; Jon tries to debunk his theory of being ripped off directly, but Cody uses the power of the lottery and math to thwart his efforts
* Jon tells an endless, boring, rambling story about why he hasn’t been on the podcast lately, and somehow manages to do so while clicking his mouse the entire time

* Congratulations to Mister Manager, since Jon thinks he’s a big deal now because he sold his house (hear how it happened!)
* If you’ve ever wanted to learn about listing a house, buying or selling a house, or any other miscellaneous real estate questions… then this is definitely not the podcast for you. But Jon talks in painstaking detail about those things anyway

* Fun fact about Walt Disney and his dad, which serves as a seamless transition into Cody talking about Devil in the White City, an excellent book

* Cody explains that reading Devil in the White City is infinitely more fun and rewarding than playing Hearthstone in literally every way
* Jon claims that the Arena is still “kind of” fun, but Cody insists that Hearthstone generally just really sucks and is not a game “for him”

* Cody gives an update on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, which he’s now played for a bit over 50 hours

* Cody describes the “buddy” system, including D-Horse, Diamond Dog, and Quiet, which is very cool
* Cody also discusses the prevalence of side missions and dispatch missions in the context of main story missions

* Jon discusses his first impressions of Final Fantasy: Type-0 HD, which Cody had also begun playing before he got MGSV

* Jon explains the premise and beginning of the game, and he and Cody discuss how the “tutorial” near the beginning nearly ruined the game for both of them
* Cody calls out the voice acting after Jon calls out some inconsistencies in what graphics had increased resolution and what graphics seem to have been forgotten
* They discuss pacing in games and how things like the tutorial in this game can really mess up a game

* Cody plugs the GonnaGeek Network, specifically All Things Good and Nerdy
* Reminder that you can subscribe to Unqualified Gamers on iTunes, and even leave reviews, which we would LOVE for you to do

1 hr 1 min
October 01, 2015 U.Gamers Podcast #120: Lifestyle update with Final Fantasy: Type-0 HD and more
Catch up with Cody and Jon as they talk life milestones, Devil in the White City, Hearthstone, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and Final Fantasy: Type-0 HD. Photo credit: Diavolomezzo via Flickr Show...
1 hr 1 min
September 24, 2015 Video game law 101 with Sam Castree III, Ace Attorney
Cody welcomes Sam Castree III, Ace Attorney, who discusses some fundamental legal needs of video game developers. Hear Sam walk Cody through the process of how a video game developer should select and leverage legal counsel from day one of development.
Show Notes:

* Sam Castree III, Ace Attorney, talks about how he got into practicing video game law, including an incident with a friend’s free-to-play game being ripped off and listed for sale by another company in Vietnam

* Sam briefly touches on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and how it applied to the situation
* For more information, you can check out Sam’s published paper, Cyber-Plagiarism for Sale!: The Growing Problem of Blatant Copyright Infringement in Online Digital Media Stores

* Sam reveals that he was sworn in on Halloween, and Cody reveals why that is perfectly appropriate for Sam, whose trademark for years has been the color orange
* Sam discusses word-of-mouth, networking, and other methods of growing a business
* Learn the importance of establishing “the basics” when beginning a video game development venture
* Background info on “one size fits all” lawyers and why to NOT use them when entering into an entertainment-specific business venture like video game development
* Cody asks Sam to walk him through the legal process from square one, beginning with the moment a potential video game developer picks up a dev kit

* Sam starts with the importance of defining what type of company you have, e.g. sole proprietorship, limited liability corporation, corporation, partnership, etc.
* Sam talks about Lawyers for the Creative Arts (pro bono & low-cost legal help in the Chicago area), which he has worked with in the past
* Sam explains independent contractor agreements, why it’s important to have them when someone contributes to your game, and what happens to those agreements after 35 years

* On a related note, learn why Superman has been dealing with litigation for decades

* Also learn about how different contracts work under different court jurisdictions, and why it’s important to get local legal help
* In a rare moment, Cody contributes his expertise by mentioning one good piece of legal advice he’s ever heard: get everything in writing

* Sam backs him up and actually explains why this is important

* Sam goes into the details of different types of partnerships, such as general partnerships, and when and what kind of partnership may be a good idea
* Sam explains the legal benefits and privileges gained from filing for a copyright, including some of the policies surrounding how and when you can do it
* What do you do if you accidentally “rip someone off” when making a game? Sam explains!
* Why using someone else’s content in your game is definitely a no-no
* Cody and Sam talk about overseas litigation, and the reasons why it can be pretty ridiculously difficult to pursue
* Sam talks trademarks and how protectable they are

* He delves into King Digital’s attempt to trademark “saga” to protect their games like Candy Crush Saga, and why the trademark filing wasn’t quite as strange as everyone initially thought (although it was still pretty bad)
* Cody brings up the iDroid from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and asks Sam about the “i” prefix as a trademark

* Sam also talks about logo usage in games, and what can and can’t get you into trouble, including an interesting situation that is currently being “tested”
1 hr 9 min
September 24, 2015 Video game law 101 with Sam Castree III, Ace Attorney
Cody welcomes Sam Castree III, Ace Attorney, who discusses some fundamental legal needs of video game developers. Hear Sam walk Cody through the process of how a video game developer should select and leverage legal counsel from day one...
1 hr 9 min
September 17, 2015 U.Gamers Podcast #119: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain review (after 30 hours of gameplay)
Cody gives a Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain review based on his first 30 hours of gameplay. Check out the first episode featuring Jon’s brand-new microphone, and hear him follow Cody’s review with a chat about Diablo 3, Hearthstone, and Bojack Horseman.
Show Notes:

* Cody kicks off the review by discussing the storyline of the series, including how accessible this game is to Metal Gear newcomers
* Jon asks about the new open world format of Metal Gear Solid V, and Cody addresses how the change in structure affects the feel of the series
* Cody describes what “open world” means to the Metal Gear Solid series, including the new “episode” structure of the storyline
* Jon inquires about the actual game mechanics, so Cody explains the iDroid system, the sneaking and combat mechanics, and what “stealth game” precisely means in the context of the Metal Gear series
* Moby Dick references and symbolism! Hooray!
* Cody explains Mother Base and the private army you build throughout the game, and how those mechanics affect your progression through the game

* Upon further questioning from Jon, Cody explains the Fulton recovery system, also known as “the giant balloons you attach to things,” and Jon finds the idea utterly insane

* On a side note: fortunately for everyone, microtransactions seem to be all but missing from this game, which Cody and Jon are fine with
* Without giving away any spoilers, Cody describes the uncharacteristically hyper-violent opening to the game, which sets a somber tone that Hideo Kojima somehow masterfully maneuvers into a much different overall feel
* Jon talks about why he’s pretty much “done” with Diablo 3 (for now)
* Mandatory Hearthstone talk, since Jon downloaded it to his phone again, and Cody can’t quit it despite the amount of self-loathing that it entails
* After Cody plugs All Things Good and Nerdy on the Gonna Geek Network, Jon talks about the show Bojack Horseman, and how it is not at all the kind of show he expected it to be when he started watching it
* Following a final plug for Gallifrey Public Radio, Cody impresses everyone with his ability to roll the letter “r,” even in completely inappropriate situations

1 hr 18 min
September 17, 2015 U.Gamers Podcast #119: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain review (after 30 hours of gameplay)
Cody gives a Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain review based on his first 30 hours of gameplay. Check out the first episode featuring Jon’s brand-new microphone, and hear him follow Cody’s review with a...
1 hr 18 min

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How do you save the world from space aliens while learning how to change a diaper? Join childhood frienemies Cody Gough and Jonathan Martin as they try to answer that question — while…