Is this video game show good enough for Revision 3?

[yuzo]

It looks like R3 is kind of missing a video game show from their roster. What do you guys think, good enough quality?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvzIZoQT_8g

25 episodes so far, weekly -- so it's not flash in the pan..

[lupin]

It started out strong but they dwelled way to long on an indie XBLA game and they where way to hard on it. And this is your podcast isnt it? And they contradict themselves a lot. And wine from a box... wine from a box?! SNAKES ON A PLANE?!

[-mk-]

Yea, too many awkward moments in there for me...you can tell they're still relatively new at this because the "flow" isn't there, but perhaps it'll get better with time.

-10 Coolness for the box wine
-5 more for drinking red wine out of that glass

:D

[tokenuser]

Not all wine from a box is bad.

Try the Banrock Station Merlot or Shiraz. Chill it first (room temp for wine is 16C, NOT a heated living room).

[masherscf]

Yea, too many awkward moments in there for me...you can tell they're still relatively new at this because the "flow" isn't there, but perhaps it'll get better with time.

-10 Coolness for the box wine
-5 more for drinking red wine out of that glass

:D

Give 'em some slack. Kevin and Alex drink from a bottle. That's something true beer snobs NEVER do.

[tokenuser]

Give 'em some slack. Kevin and Alex drink from a bottle. That's something true beer snobs NEVER do.And just like wine snobs with red wine, white wine, brandy, etc., glasses, a true beer snob will have a selection of glasses as well.

I am far more the wine snob than a beer snob, and am more than happy to drink beer from a bottle (but hate drinking from a can).

[casework]

The name is really lame, in my opinion. Also, the headsets seem a bit janky, but they actually sound good so that's good. The camera shot seems in way too close, it almost makes me feel claustrophobic. They should at least move the laptops and cords out of the shot... it's just way too busy. Also, they don't really draw me in. I realize it's episode 25, but since it's the first one you're showing all of us, there should be something about them, what they do or what they talk about before they start the show that gets me interested in them, moreso than their show. If I like them, I will want to hear what they say. Also, maybe there is much more to the Live Arcade than I have discovered yet, but for the amount of time they spent talking about it, I don't think it should be about some random arcade game. People don't even talk this long about Gears of War or Halo. Also, I agree with Lupin, for talking about an indie arcade game, they are ripping the makers a new one. You'd think they're talking about Bungie, Square, or some big name company. Not a group of people who could be students working really hard to create the final product.

And let me be clear, I'm not trying to rip this podcast apart, but if you(a viewer or host, whatever you may be) would expect a show like this to be on a network like Revision 3 or appeal to a mass audience(non or casual gamers), I think it should be a little more organized and succinct.

Also(I left it playing as I typed this), when they started talking about the Wii, I was surprised because it was a really random and abrupt transition. I didn't think they had even gone over the content at the start of the show, but I went back to the beginning and saw that they did mention what all they were going to cover, but realized why I tuned it out was because it was filled with umm's, pauses, and random banter. Something like that should be scripted and made very clear... I had no idea they were going t talk about the Wii, but if I had, I may have stayed more tuned in because I would know that something they were covering interests me.

[masherscf]

And just like wine snobs with red wine, white wine, brandy, etc., glasses, a true beer snob will have a selection of glasses as well.

I am far more the wine snob than a beer snob, and am more than happy to drink beer from a bottle (but hate drinking from a can).

As long as it's not twist off or the wrong temperature. Bottles are fine.

[ryudo]

Wow that sucked.

Diggnation is the only show I can tolerate with alcohol really (father was alcohoic so i don't drink) but that is not why I hated it,it was everywhere and I pretty much got nothing at least Alex and Keven stop to get to a story then blab again.

What is with the uber bright light and lights and headsets?

I am up for Rev3 getting a gaming show but this is for sure NOT it.

[tokenuser]

As long as it's not twist off or the wrong temperature. Bottles are fine.I am an Aussie, and was a Scout. My keyring (actually its a mini carrabiner I used to use for clipping gear to my harness rock climbing) has a tooled aluminium bottle opener - gotta be prepared.

[yuzo]

For what it's worth, more than 50% of the wine sold in Australia is now sold in a box. A lot of good premium wines are starting to appear in boxes.

http://www.sunset.com/sunset/food/wine/article/0,20633,1176913,00.html

The name is really lame, in my opinion. Also, the headsets seem a bit janky, but they actually sound good so that's good. The camera shot seems in way too close, it almost makes me feel claustrophobic. They should at least move the laptops and cords out of the shot... it's just way too busy.

Wow, that's some really good feedback. We're not really sure how close to get the camera yet but our _very_ first video had it way too far out (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y__pQtc5_5M) so we dialed it back in to try and get more facial expressions -- probably need to dial it back out a bit more. At some point it'd be great to get real lapel mic's (similar to what diggnation uses) but our budget doesn't quite allow for it yet, but it's definitely the direction we're heading. And good call on the clutter, hopefully will clean it up a bit for next ep.

Also, maybe there is much more to the Live Arcade than I have discovered yet, but for the amount of time they spent talking about it, I don't think it should be about some random arcade game. People don't even talk this long about Gears of War or Halo.

Alas, it's unfortunate that an xbox live arcade game is "featured", but that's sort of the nature of the beast right after the xmas season. There's no huge games coming out so as far as reviews go, you have to scrape the bottom of the barrel. Fortunately, next week has Lost Planet which will be more appropriate as a feature.

And let me be clear, I'm not trying to rip this podcast apart, but if you(a viewer or host, whatever you may be) would expect a show like this to be on a network like Revision 3 or appeal to a mass audience(non or casual gamers), I think it should be a little more organized and succinct.

This is exactly the sort of constructive criticism we were looking for, so it's much appreciated. I'm not sure if the show will ever really appeal to a mass audience or casual gamers -- the content relies far too much prior knowledge of gaming canon. One non gamer gave a comment that listening to the show is like watching Sportscenter without having a clue about sports. :) But hopefully that should be ok since the gaming audience is still rather large and a bit underserved for this sort of content.

but I went back to the beginning and saw that they did mention what all they were going to cover, but realized why I tuned it out was because it was filled with umm's, pauses, and random banter. Something like that should be scripted and made very clear... I had no idea they were going t talk about the Wii, but if I had, I may have stayed more tuned in because I would know that something they were covering interests me.

Good points. The intro is entirely scripted every episode, and when the show was just audio I think it was more solid and like how you're wanting. But with the move to video we sort of have to look away from the laptop more and have it memorized, both of which are still skills that need some work, as you can see. The differences between doing an audio podcast and a vidcast are substantial.

[samureye]

You get good points for the post above and not just trying to spam us. Kudos.

[casework]

You get good points for the post above and not just trying to spam us. Kudos.

Agreed. Not saying I give awesome advice or anything, but it's nice to know that there are people who actually take the criticism they ask for and work with it. A post like that from Yuzo makes me 10x more likely to give the show another shot and/or watch the next episode.

If you have anything else you'd like to talk about, feel free to send me a PM. I have some experience in the field and love giving my input on stuff if my opinion helps people.

[magunwarrior]

Alright thats good, at least you're accepting criticism to potential benefit your show. I'll give another episode a watch later down the line.

[yuzo]

You get good points for the post above and not just trying to spam us. Kudos.

Oh yeah, seeing how R3 has shows that hit the same sort of audience we have, this sort of feedback is invaluable for us to improve our show. We've received feedback from other sources that try to compare us to something G4 or a gaming magazine would produce, and frankly it's not really a fair comparison -- it'd be like comparing diggnation to CNN :).

The interesting thing is trying to figure out if it's a question of changing the show, or educating people that what they're watching isn't like what they're used to. For people that watch R3 content, you generally are more forgiving of production values and less than polished presentation -- appreciate it even.

For the next episode I think we'll rehearse the intro a bit more and not divert from the script too much so it's got the energy and punch to keep people interested. Overview of the whole ep seems pretty important in the beginning so keeping it succinct should help the show a lot.

Thanks again for all the comments!

[samureye]

And mention samureye and them revision 3 boys, ratings will go up I tells ya!