• Miserable Podcast of Secrets 8



        "There's No Reason To Do That"

        Part two of our discussion on bad UI in games, with a lot of touch screen talk thrown in. Mzo is the best and worst thing about this week's show. Bad/good job!
        • The maddening life bars in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
        • The litmus test of a good user interface
        • Does Skyrim have a terrible UI? Not as bad as Mass Effect's!
        • How damage should be represented in games
        • MMO snobbery rears its head
        • Mzo cheats on Monster Hunter with Tidy Plates (listen longer for his "O" sounds)
        • How will touch screens affect console gaming?
        • Is Bastion longer than one of our podcasts?
        • The downside of Portal 2
        • The prescience of Wario Ware
        • Pix'n Love Rush is an iOS game worth playing
        • Committing to choices in Dark Souls
        • To the Moon, a fantastic "visual novel" with some faults
        • Why Dragon Nest is not your standard free-to-play MMO
        • The best way to solo a multiplayer game
        • Monster Hunter as mental illness
        • In-game icon epiphanies, African-American icon epiphanies
        • Tiny Tower will betray you
        • Trine 2 will delight you
        • Antisocial hijinks in Saints Row: The Third
        • Sonic CD running on Retro Engine

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        Comments 37 Comments
        1. Some Stupid Japanese Name's Avatar
          Some Stupid Japanese Name -
          Mzo: Since no one answered you: Torneko, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Shiren, Izuna, and Final Fantasy Chocobo Dungeon are all roguelikes.
        1. MechDeus's Avatar
          MechDeus -
          Quote Originally Posted by Darmonde View Post
          Disclaimer: I've never played Mass Effect, and I have a vested interest in the topic.
          I'm interested in the difference between Mass Effect on 360 and PC. When Mass Effect came up I thought it was going to be in a good way, but Chris you said that both versions were terrible for inv. I guess the conversation had moved past the 'port' part of the conversation by then?
          I've heard/read that the PC port was very well done, basically what you would want from a redone console->PC port. I know Mzo just played it on 360, maybe I'll make him try the PC one and see what he thinks.
          It's been a long time, but from what I recall: They redid the controls to better support keyboard/mouse control, including making a hotkey bar for abilities. On the 360 you have a "command" button that lets you issue orders and select abilities, and while that's still in the PC version there's a greater range of control options for a much better flow and less pausing. The inventory in the PC version is better (you can see more stuff at once) but it's still shitty.

          I've never played too far in the PC version because my main save file is on 360, so I only buy the PC versions when they're $5 on Steam as a way of future-proofing myself when I want to play this series again in a few years. Granted, since the Cerberus Network will probably be taken down by then and there's pre-order and early adopter bonuses that I won't have (not to mention that the DLC I've already purchased won't transfer over), I'll probably end up pirating the versions that I actually play anyway. Gotta love stealing things I already own.

          If you're going to start now and you don't own any of the versions then get the PC ones. They're $20 each on Steam right now but they drop to $5 for every single holiday Steam sale. On top of all that you can also get some good mods like this high-res texture pack for both ME1&2.
        1. Thief Silver's Avatar
          Thief Silver -
          Quote Originally Posted by Some Stupid Japanese Name View Post
          Mzo: Since no one answered you: Torneko, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Shiren, Izuna, and Final Fantasy Chocobo Dungeon are all roguelikes.
          He got upset when I told him to play Chocobo Dungeon.
        1. Some Stupid Japanese Name's Avatar
          Some Stupid Japanese Name -
          Too manly for him?
        1. Thief Silver's Avatar
          Thief Silver -
          I think so!
        1. Some Stupid Japanese Name's Avatar
          Some Stupid Japanese Name -
          I made it to the end. WHAT DO I WIN? I support the movement to not support sleeve. I'm curious, is there a way to tell if anyone other than TNL people listen to these? There are a lot of inside jokes (which of course I like). Keep up the great work, especially Producer Cat!
        1. Nick's Avatar
          Nick -
          It's definitely reaching outside the core forum group. This episode, which has not been put up on iTunes, has seen about 800 downloads so far.
        1. Thief Silver's Avatar
          Thief Silver -
          Awesome. Sorry to say though they're all me.
        1. Darmonde's Avatar
          Darmonde -
          Quote Originally Posted by MechDeus View Post
          It's been a long time, but from what I recall:

          blah blah blah
          Cool, thanks Chris. Mzo lent ME1 to me on 360 but I might still do the Steam thing eventually. Right after posting that last question I found the new podcast and listened to that, in which ME gets talked about a lot again, sorry for bringing this back from the dead.
        1. dave is ok's Avatar
          dave is ok -
          I just listened to the first 40 minutes of last weeks while driving. I think I'm going to make an audio compilation of 'Eric Manch jokes that bomb'

          Also, Chuck - put your fucking baby to sleep and talk more. 90% of the talking is Sleeve, Nick and Mzo. You too Chris
        1. Nick's Avatar
          Nick -
          Chris definitely talks more in the one that's going up this week.
        1. Josh's Avatar
          Josh -
          Quote Originally Posted by dave is ok View Post
          I think I'm going to make an audio compilation of 'Eric Manch jokes that bomb'
          somebody beat you to it. It is called Miserable Podcast of Secrets.
        1. MechDeus's Avatar
          MechDeus -
          If the next one is the Bioware podcast you'll probably be begging me to shut up by the end.Or at least when I state my views on the Dragon Age games.
        1. Razor Ramon's Avatar
          Razor Ramon -
          The reason for the UI in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 was due to the PS Vita. At least that's what was said by Capcom. Get your facts straight, boys.
        1. Some Stupid Japanese Name's Avatar
          Some Stupid Japanese Name -
          Facts arent entertaining.
        1. sleeve's Avatar
          sleeve -
          The title of this episode should have been "An Ouroboros of Jerking Off".
        1. Razor Ramon's Avatar
          Razor Ramon -
          Air Hyper Viper Bullshit
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