Meanwhile, on a very special seventieth episode of “Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast”, the Rainbow Suspenders of Justice Friends meet at the Hall of Justice to take down Lex Luthor and his cohorts in the Hall of Doom. Will their fashion sense be enough to save the world?

In our “Games We Played This Week” segment, Jonah and Jesse tell tales of an actual LAN party (using computers and everything!) with Rainbow Six Vegas 2. Jonah has been trying his best to finish Saints Row 2 before the show (but failed), has put a little more time into Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow and it’s finally starting to click. He also spent time with DJ Hero thanks to the recent price drops and sales.

Jesse has been playing Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, which may just be the best PSP game he has played. He also picked up Mega Man Zero: Collection, despite owning all the games on GBA. Wesley has been spending all his time on with Assassin’s Creed 2 and it’s DLC missions.

In the news, we nerd out about Telltale’s announcement of a Back to the Future game. There is a lot of talk about what we would like to see in DJ Hero 2 and which Dreamcast games we’d like to see hit XBLA and PSN.

Finally, we are contractually obligated to make our E3 predictions. All this and more on the latest episode of the Barrel Roll Showcast.

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Outro Music – “Fortuna (Star Fox)” by The OneUps

Telltale Announces Partnership with Universal

Kindom Hearts Re-Coded

Dreamcast Games Coming to XBLA & PSN

Necromachina

The new Fire Emblem

On a very special forty-eight episode of “Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast”, Jesse, Dave and Jonah discuss their top ten picks for game of the year.

It was a good discussion of our likes and dislikes and why we picked what we picked. We even give out a few honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the list at the end of the show.

I don’t want to give it away here, so hit up after the break to download the episode and hear for yourself.

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Music during the break – “The Robot Band Tune” by Tomas Dvorak (Machinarium Soundtrack)

Outro Music – “Fortuna (Star Fox)” by The OneUps

"Archive Footage"

2009 was a busy year for me. I had just started a new job, I launched WingDamage with my bro and suckered a few friends into writing for us. A ton of amazing games came out. Here I present to you my personal favorites. This is my top ten, and it doesn’t quite line up with the majority of other people’s that I have found online. That’s just fine with me.

Some releases, while I liked what I played, I just didn’t have enough time to get a good enough impressions to rank them one way or the other. That said, I give you my top ten games of the year.

#10 Borderlands (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)

While I do enjoy the occasional FPS, it is not always my genre of choice. A good co-op mode is usually required to really get me interested. Borderlands does a great job of mixing fun FPS gameplay with RPG elements and looting to create a very addictive experience. Better yet, it’s meant to be played with up to three of your friends.

#9 Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS)

Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story is a great way to kill time on your DS. The plot is super goofy and the dialogue is hilarious. Timing is everything for both the attacks and for your defense. This keeps the battles fresh throughout the entire experience. It is any easy recommendation for all ages. Best of all, it’s an RPG that actually works well in short bursts.

#8 inFamous (PS3) [Full Review]

Most open world games have a bad habit of making me lose interest after a few hours. inFamous does several things very well. The free roaming works really well and is always fun. There is just enough of an assist to your climbing that it never feels like they are taking the controls away from you, but you also don’t get frustrated from being a pixel off from any given jump. That combined with the ever increasing lightning powers and a fun, though simple, good/evil mechanic really sucked me in to the game’s world.

#7 DJ Hero (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2) [Full Review]

When I first saw footage of DJ Hero, I had no idea what was going on. The concepts involved in scratching and mixing songs live are way above my level of musical understanding. Much to my surprise, they were able to boil it all down into a game that is fun and engaging with a soundtrack that has made its way into my regular rotation. The price is a sticking point for some people. but since the game hasn’t had the huge commercial success of it’s guitar based counterparts, I recommend picking this one up at a sale near you.

#6 Torchlight (PC)

The combination of a fun art style that mixes fantasy and steampunk with addictive hack-and-slash gameplay was all it took to get me hooked on Torchlight. People who have been waiting for something in the Diablo style that makes some improvements on the genre need look no further. Inventory management has been streamlined. Your pet’s ability to run back to town and sell all your unneeded junk keeps you in the action. The fact that they opened Torchlight up to the modding community almost immediately also speaks to the games longevity. Not only do you get a great self-contained experience, but thanks to other fans, you get one that is ever expanding.

#5 Punch-Out!! (Wii) [Full Review]

If you were to look at a list of my top games of all time, the original Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! would rank very high. I am very happy to say that Punch-Out!! on the Wii lived up to all of my expectations. Long time fans will have no problem blasting through the first part of the game, which plays almost exactly like the original. Fortunately, that is only the beginning. In Title Defense Mode, they have taken our favorite old school characters and completely switched up their move sets, while still staying faithful to the characters and the gameplay, making for a hugely challenging, arcade style experience.

#4 Machinarium (PC) [Full Review]

Some games have so much personality that you know you will remember and return to them years down the road. Machinarium is one of those games for me. The art style has such an interesting, sketchy, storybook feel to it and the characters really come to life. There is no dialogue in the game, yet through animations alone you get a full sense of the story. While some point and click adventure games will reach a point where you click around the screen in frustration, Machinarium did a great job of cluing you in to what you needed to do. If you ever get stuck, the games built-in hint system works amazingly well, telling you what needs to be done without giving everything away. For a small game that you can finish in around five hours, Machinarium‘s charm will stick with your long after you finish it.

#3 New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) [Full Review]

Somehow Nintendo was able to craft a game that is amazingly fun to play both in single player and with up to four players. The most impressive part about that is they are the same levels. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is the kind of game that you can bring out with your friends and family of any skill level and have a great time just goofing around in. The mechanics that require you to be cooperative, while at the same time allow you to be competative, go a long way towards the longevity of the title. If you have a Wii, you should have this game.

#2 Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

Another franchise that successfully managed to return to its roots and come back with a fantastic experience; Street Fighter IV delivered for both casual and hardcore fans. The character designs were taken one step further towards looking like a cartoon, which lends itself well to the way over the top fighting action of the franchise. The combination of new and classic moves really helped keep every character feeling fresh and unique. Gone are the days of pallet swapped characters. They even managed to make Dan a viable character. The addition of new move types even helped balance the game for newcomers just learning how to throw down on the mean streets of the World Tournament.

#1 Dragon Age: Origins (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

I originally was not following Dragon Age: Origins because I thought it looked a little too much like the film versions of Lord of the Rings. Boy was I wrong. This game has earned it’s place as my Game of the Year. Bioware brought their classic gameplay ideas from their old PC days and mixed them with the versatility of modern gameplay mechanics, a good story, and fun characters to bring an RPG masterpiece back to the PC. All complaints I have heard about the game seem to involve the console editions, so I highly recommend the PC version if you can run it. The way you move around in battles and control the action flows perfectly. I was also impressed with how the good/bad meter of other Bioware games was replaced with a party member specific meter of how well that character liked you. Your actions and conversation effect both those in your party and the world around you. With six distinct origin stories and the upcoming two years worth of DLC on an already expansive game universe, Dragon Age: Origins is a title I will be playing for a good long while.

"WingDamage writer by day, Little Mac by night."

The first full year of WingDamage is officially over. Though we all played a lot of games, we’re also enthusiasts with full-time jobs outside of the site. While there’s just not enough time in the day to play every game that comes out, we do our best. Below is a list of my personal picks of the games I felt where a cut above the rest. Expect to see the picks of our other writers soon after. And don’t worry, you’ll probably agree with their picks more than mine anyway.

#10 Retro Game Challenge (DS) [Full Review]

As you might have guessed after seeing our “Friday Old Games” article series, we like our retro games here on WingDamage. Retro Game Challenge was made specifically for people like me whose favorite genres still include 2D platformers and SHMUPs. The zany plot about Japanese comedian, Shinya Arino, transporting you back to the eighties and forcing you to play fake Famicom games is not only wonderfully absurd, but a great way to take advantage of my feelings of nostalgia.

While the achievement-style challenges you complete in each of the 8bit games are fun, my favorite part is that each game is unlockable for free play. Essentially, what I really bought is a bunch of never-before-released NES games; a fact I am more than satisfied with. It saddens me that the sequel will probably never make it out of Japan.

#9 DJ Hero (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii) [Full Review]

The first night I brought home DJ Hero, I played for over four hours straight, having not gotten home until the late hours of the evening, on a work-night. I did not do this intentionally, but as they say, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” The satisfaction I felt while playing DJ Hero is something I haven’t felt since I first played Dance Dance Revolution.

In a stagnant and saturated genre, DJ Hero felt fresh. The input requires much more than a series of colorful button presses (though it uses those, too) and the soundtrack is made entirely from never-before-heard mashups of popular music from various decades mixed by legendary DJs. While it might not sell as well as Rock Band or Guitar Hero, I think it’s exactly the breath of fresh air the rhythm genre needed.

#8 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Wii) [Full Review]

I’ve never been into sports, but I’ve been a fan of golf videogames since Golf on the NES and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, while using the Wii Motion+ attachment, is the best golf videogame I’ve ever played. This is the game that makes me eagerly anticipate future WM+ enabled titles. The three different control settings make it easy for people of all skill levels to play together and the advanced control scheme is incredibly satisfying once you’re ready to take it on. There’s a ridiculous number of courses to play and tons of customization. I can’t imagine the next iteration doing anything this game didn’t already do well enough.

#7 Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii) [Full Review]

Muramasa: The Demon Blade is absolutely stunning to look at. It’s not just a pretty face, either. The game manages to achieve an insane combat style that’s more “ninja-like” than anything I’ve ever seen on a 2D plane. On top of that, it featured a “Metroidvania Light” map structure, giant bosses, multiple playable characters, RPG elements, and a vast quantity of swords (each with their own stats and special attack) to collect. I can’t wait to see what Vanillaware cooks up next.

#6 Batman: Arkham Asylum (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) [Full Review]

Batman: Arkham Asylum, while not perfect, is a great game. Rocksteady did an excellent job of making you feel like you’re every bit as fear inspiring and every bit as vulnerable as Batman should be. You can take on huge unarmed groups, but once they have guns it’s time to be a stealthy predator. The pacing is great, there are tons of secrets to find, and the voice cast reprising their roles from Batman: The Animated Series is fantastic. It manages to not just be “good for a licensed game”, it’s one the best games of the year.

#5 Assassin’s Creed II (Xbox 360, PS3)

I’m not usually a fan of open-world games, but Assassin’s Creed II is a lot of fun. Each of the game’s cities are huge and climbing around all the buildings is so satisfying that I found I hardly used the “fast travel” system. The game is full of detail from the hustle and bustle of the cities lively inhabitants to the viewpoints, codex  pages, glyphs, feathers, and any number of other important things scattered throughout Italy for you to find.

#4 Punch-Out!! (Wii) [Full Review]

Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! is the very first videogame I ever remember playing. When I heard they were making a new one, I flipped out with excitement. This game did not disappoint me one bit. It is 100% pure, unrestrained fun. Nothing in this game gets in the way of that. It is simplicity at its best.

The cartoony art style is fantastic and fits the game like a glove. Every boxer is extremely expressive and full of life. The controls are tighter than ever and the new “Title Defense Mode” doubles the length of the otherwise short experience without feeling like cheap padding. It may be “old school”, but Punch-Out!! doesn’t feel any less relevant to me now than it did back then.

#3 Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360, PS3)

2009 was the “comeback” year for fighting games. A ton of great fighters came out, but Street Fighter IV trumps them all. With a huge cast of fan-favorites as well as new characters, I’ve been able to enjoy some pretty lengthy multiplayer sessions. Capcom struck the perfect balance between old and new with the move-sets. Focus attacks, specials, supers, and ultras allow for a very deep fighting experience while still managing to not feel too intimidating (a problem I had with the critically acclaimed BlazBlue). Street Fighter IV is my new favorite fighting game and I eagerly await the next iteration.

#2 New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) [Full Review]

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is so incredibly fun that I went back and forth numerous times on whether or not it was my number one game. Ultimately, it landed in my number two spot, and I hope it also lands in every Wii owner’s home. While the themed worlds may feel cliche, the actual level design is incredibly imaginative. Playing alone is as satisfying as Mario games of old and playing with friends is an entirely new, ridiculously enjoyable experience.

#1 aka GOTY… Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) [Full Review]

This game has already been called “Game of the Year” by a large number of media outlets. You know why? Because it’s incredible. Uncharted 2 is one of the most entertaining media experiences out there. It’s full of a cast of likable characters that are better acted and more believable than many you’ve seen on the big screen. The pacing is so good you’ll want to play it in one sitting (but you won’t because it actually takes a decent chunk of time to complete).

The single-player would have been more than enough to blow me away, but the multiplayer is the icing on the already delicious cake. Rather than feeling tacked on, it’s very fun in both versus and co-op and gives me more excuses to revisit the game. This is the kind of game you can feel comfortable recommending people buy the system for.

"A very subjective list."

Some really fantastic soundtracks came out this year. There’s no way I could write about all of them, so I’ve chosen my ten favorites to share. I’m only counting soundtracks of games that were released in North America in 2009 (sorry, Bayonetta). As music is very subjective, these are just my personal picks.

Is you favorite not in the list? Let us know in the comments!

#10 Tekken 6 (Xbox 360, PS3)

I’ve never been much of a Tekken guy, but the soundtrack to Tekken 6 kind of makes me wish I was. With some of the artists that brought us various Ridge Racer soundtracks (and Sega’s ’09 title, Let’s Tap), you can expect some high energy techno. “Fist Festival” is one of my new favorite Shinji Hosoe tracks. But the music doesn’t limit itself to one mood. Hitoshi Sakimoto (composer of my 2008 GOTY, Valkyria Chronicles) brings a few emotional, orchestral pieces to the table as well.

#9 Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360)

While the campaign of Halo 3: ODST completely failed to impress me, the music was another story. Though they have a big following, the soundtracks of the Halo series have never managed to grab me. ODST is an exception, and a great one at that. I absolutely hated the “hub” city that a majority of the game took place in, yet I always looked forward to going back there because that’s where the game’s best music plays. Those tracks set a very bleak tone that made me wish more FPS games would put more emphasis on music like this.

#8 Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360, PS3)

Just like it did from a gameplay standpoint, Street Fighter IV brought home the best of both worlds (old and new) in its soundtrack. As a burst of delightful nostalgia, you’ll hear classic tunes from Street Fighter II and the Alpha series as you battle your rival in story mode. What I ended up enjoying even more, though, were the new stage themes. The soundtrack is full of hard hitting, danceable tracks.

#7 BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (Xbox 360, PS3)

The Guilty Gear XX soundtrack is one of my favorite albums of all time. The music of BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is written by the same rock genius, Daisuke Ishiwatari. Unfortunately, BlazBlue just isn’t as good (especially in the drums department). But when you’re not as good as something ridiculously awesome, you can still be regular awesome, and that’s just what this soundtrack is. There is enough heavy rock here to get you pumped to beat down “player 2″ or do whatever else it is you do that requires the extra adrenaline.

#6 Let’s Tap (Wii)

If you are feeling sad and are in need of cheering up, you need to listen to the soundtrack to Let’s Tap. Much of the music in the game is cheerful to a ridiculous degree. Take the theme, “Tap de Papapaya“, for example. Not only is it incredibly upbeat, it features clever use of text-to-speech singing, “Future tapping game!” It puts a smile on my face every time. A variety of artists worked on Let’s Tap including established electronica veterans like Shinji Hosoe (mentioned earlier) and Ayako Saso (one of my personal favorites) as well as artists I have never heard of like Shoes. Yeah, you heard right… Shoes.

#5 Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (Wii)

While rail shooters often get a bad rap in the modern era for the lack of player control they provide, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles managed to combat this by throwing gobs of polish onto the game. Sparing no expense, the soundtrack received one of biggest helpings of this polish in the form of performances by the Tokyo Chamber Music Association with a chorus of thirty people. The music ranges from subdued, moody tunes that will creep you out as you wonder what’s around the next corner, to epic operatic pieces that add to the intensity of giant boss battles.

#4 Shatter (PSN)

The Shatter soundtrack has made its rotation in my car stereo and my work computer very often. The whole thing is put together by an artist named Module. It’s full of very laid back electronica, peppered with a bit of guitar here and there. While most songs clock in at around the six minute mark (with no looping), they never feel boring. Each song evolves over its duration in a slow and sweeping manner that puts my mind at ease while simultaneously giving me a strong beat to tap my foot to.

#3 DJ Hero (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii)

Normally, licensed soundtracks wouldn’t count in a list like this. Otherwise, The Beatles: Rock Band would be a big contender. What makes DJ Hero an exception is that, while it does use licensed songs, each of the “mashups” are never before heard mixes that were made exclusively for the game. This is a soundtrack bursting with variety. Not only will you hear a lot of different genres, you’ll hear them mixed together by some of the world’s top DJs including DJ Shadow, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Daft Punk. I can’t count how many times I’ve listened to “Poison vs Intergalactic“.

#2 Flower (PSN)

This is a soundtrack that must be experienced in context to fully appreciate. Flower is more a living, breathing, interactive music experience than it is a game. The songs are very relaxing in the early sections, but as things become strange and frightening, the music takes a nervous turn mirroring my emotions as I played. Every flower that’s collected along your path adds its own musical seasoning to your ears. While it may sit in my number two spot overall due to the diminished appeal in out-of-game listening, the music of Flower in its intended context is a tough one to beat.

#1 Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (Wii)

Besides being one of the strangest games I played this year, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers had a very surprising soundtrack. When I initially heard that Kumi Tanioka wasn’t handling it (save for a couple tracks), I was shocked. She’s been responsible for the music in every Crystal Chronicles game before this one (including this year’s Echoes of Time) and she’s done a wonderful job. Thankfully, my fears where put to rest when I listened.

The Crystal Bearers is a soundtrack I see myself still listening to ten years from now. It is fantastic and easily my soundtrack of the year. The styles are extremely varied from track to track. You’ll hear old timey jazz, rockabilly, tango (an updated version of a Kumi classic), surf rock, waltz, and even slide guitar. Believe it or not, I didn’t even cover all the genres present within the seventy track OST. And the songs are as polished as they are varied; taking advantage of around eighteen different performers. Even if you don’t care about the game it was made for, this is a soundtrack you can’t afford to miss.

And the Rest…

Truth be told, I had a much bigger list than ten to start and it wasn’t easy to trim down. Them’s the breaks, though. So what was YOUR favorite soundtrack of 2009?

On a very special thirty-ninth episode of “Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast”, we use our imaginations to transport to new and exciting worlds with the cast of Metal Gear Solid. We all learned a valuable lesson, that if you just close your eyes and make believe, you can be anywhere!

This week we’ve been playing Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days & RE: Chain, Nostalgia, DJ Hero, Torchlight and the Valkyria CHronicles 2 Japanese Demo. For Friday Old Games, Jesse brings us up to speed on Bio-Miracle Bokutte Upa, a game most of us have never seen or heard of.

In the news, we talk about the new albums from Overclocked ReMix, the possibility of a 3G enabled DSi, the unofficial teaser for Alice 2, and much more.

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Outro Music – “Fortuna (Star Fox)” by The OneUps

Castlevania: Sonata of the Damned

Humans + Gears: Xenogears ReMixed

Jonah’s NaNoWriMo Profile

Motion Plus in Wii Zelda

"The real DJ Hero was inside you all along."

Rhythm games have really been saturating the market lately. It seems like every other month, there’s a new Guitar Hero or Rock Band game coming out. When DJ Hero was first announced (along with two other DJ games from competing companies), my initial reaction was a sigh of dismay at the thought of more peripherals strewn about homes. As more information trickled down, though, my interest was piqued. In a very short amount of time, my feelings of the then upcoming game turned from apathy to excitement.

One of the strongest points of DJ Hero is that its gameplay revolves around more than just glorified button presses. The controller is divided into two distinct sections, the mixer and turntable. These two sections can be arranged in a variety of ways to suit what is most comfortable to you.

The turntable itself is freely movable. It doesn’t lock into any positions and can spin endlessly. On it are three buttons: green, red, and blue. Though there are button presses similar to the guitar based rhythm games, this is only one aspect of the gameplay. Three “streams” come down toward the bottom of the screen corresponding with each button. The far sides represent two different songs that your are mixing together while the center stream represents a sampler as well as cued clips of the two songs (depending on the situation).

In addition to being pressed, you will often need to hold down the green or blue button and move the record back and forth to simulate scratching. On the medium difficulty (and below), scratching sections only require a very lenient back and forth motion for the duration of the on-screen prompt. But, as you play the hard and expert modes, things will get much more complicated; requiring specific directions and timing with your scratches.

The most important aspect of the mixer is the crossfader. This has three positions. Move it to the left or right and only one song will play while the middle position enables both songs to play over the top of each other. On the harder difficulties, you will occasionally need to perform “crossfader spikes”. This involves quickly flicking the crossfader back and forth to cut out tiny sections of the song. I found crossfader spikes to be one of the most difficult aspects of the game.

Certain sections of the song glow. Performing every command successfully in these sections fills a bar that can be used to turn on “Euphoria”. This temporarily controls your crossfader automatically as well as increasing your score multiplier. Get enough consecutive hits and you will be awarded a “rewind”.

Giving the record a good 360 degree (or more) spin will initiate your rewind (no button presses necessary!). Rewinding increases your multiplier while allowing you to get additional points for the notes you already hit. It can also be handy for fixing mistakes in glowing sections. Performing a rewind feels great on the controller, but unfortunately it ruins the flow of the music more often then not since you are, in fact, rewinding the song.

There are a couple ways DJ Hero lets you add your own touches to the song. Occasionally, there are sections that allow you to turn the effects dial on the mixer. Aside from racking up score, you can perform some nifty cutoff effects that actually fit the song really well if you know what you’re doing. There are also “freestyle” sections where you can hit the red sampler button as much as you want for a short time.

You might have noticed that most of these gameplay mechanics involve two songs. The entire soundtrack (save for a few songs) consists of  “mashups“. Before you cringe, you should know that these mixes were all made by legendary DJs including DJ Shadow, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Daft Punk.

The game features over 100 licensed songs mixed into 93 unique, never before heard mixes. Almost all of these mixes are excellent. Several of them managed to take two songs I didn’t even like and mix them into a mashup that I can’t get enough of. Each time I played DJ Hero, everybody in the room moved their bodies to the music in one way or another. The music is easily one of the game’s strongest aspects and, in the rhythm genre, that is a very important thing to get right.

There are a select few “DJ vs. Guitar” songs. You can play these with one player on the DJ Hero controller and another on a guitar controller. It’s a novel idea, but unfortunately those few mixes feel much less interesting than the rest of the game.

"While playing as DJ Jazzy Jeff, I was always on the lookout for Uncle Phil."

While there is no character creator, there is a good variety of both real and fictitious DJs to play with (including the three mentioned above). Most have a few costumes to choose from as well as headphones. You can also choose from a wide variety of decks, each with lots of additional design variations.

Once you’ve got your character all set, you can choose a sampler pack for the freestyle sections. Unfortunately, most of these packs were difficult to use in the song without sounding out of place, but there were at least three packs that I was able to have fit with most songs. There are also a variety of unlockable stages, but like the characters, this is purely aesthetic.

The better you perform on songs, the more stars you’ll earn. Rather than using them as currency, it’s your total star count that will determine what is unlocked. I really enjoyed the absence of a store. Unlocking things automatically allowed me to spend more time enjoying playing songs instead of deciding what to buy. The whole experience feels very streamlined and well thought out.

DJ Hero is a very fun and competent rhythm game that manages to feel completely different than the sea of other game’s currently releasing in the genre. Unlike the band based rhythm games, you won’t be able to jump in with a group of four people. DJ Hero does not have the party game appeal of Guitar Hero and Rock Band. The maximum number of players for both local and online multiplayer is two, and with the $120 price tag only coming with one controller, DJ Hero seems to be geared more toward a singleplayer experience.

There’s also a problem with familiarity to the average player. While everybody knows the basics of how a guitar works, DJ equipment is more of a mystery to many people, and as a result, DJ Hero‘s learning curve is a bit steeper.

DJ Hero is definitely not for everyone. If you have any interest in it from seeing the game in action and hearing its music, you will probably fall in love with it. The quality of the game is undeniable. But if don’t like the concept of playing an arcade simulation of DJing in the first place, playing it probably won’t change your mind.

"This party's over!"

On a very special episode of “Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast”, Mickey is here to kick ass and take names… and he’s all out of names! It’s up to the WingDamage crew to save the day once again.

There are a few technical difficulties this week as we tried a new technique for recording. As it turns out, one of us breathes REALLY loud (it’s up to you to guess which one) and Jesse is recording from another dimension (impressive!).

I am really sorry to not have time to write my usual description, but I am already behind on my book for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), so here is the quick and dirty breakdown of what is in this week’s show:

“What We’ve Been Playing” consists of Nostalgia, Torchlight, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, DJ Hero & Nick Chase: A Detective Story. We also talk about Paperboy in our “Friday Old Games” section.

Then there is the usual news of the week, where we talk about the DSi XL, Netflix on PS3 and much more!

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Outro Music – “Fortuna (Star Fox)” by The OneUps

Jonah’s NaNoWriMo Profile

Excite Bike World Rally

DSi XL

"This Sword On My Head Means I'm Invisible"

On a very special thirty-sixth episode of “Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast”, we get the crew together once again to discuss the games we have been playing, the latest news, a movie about LARPing, and announce the final in our series of PAX Pack giveaways.

The crew this week consists of Jesse, Jonah, Brittany, Luke and Nate. Jesse has finally finished up Batman: Arkham Asylum and has a thing or two to say about it (don’t worry, it’s spoiler free). Luke gives us the rundown on the metaltastic Brutal Legend while Brittany has been relaxing with Harvest Moon: The Tree of Tranquility. Nate finally got around to finishing Mass Effect and we all have a good laugh about space marines and their stupid haircuts.

Jesse has also spent some time with the often over looked Breath of Fire series in the form of the PS1 classic, Breath of Fire IV, and Jonah has spent some time playing the Diablo-clone, Titan Quest.

In “Let’s Play Together”, Jesse and Jonah retell their experiences playing the DJ Hero demo at their local game store. The busting of phat beats was involved, as was a display setup with almost no volume and a turntable at a 45 degree angle.

The news has fewer subjects, but a little more focus as we discuss Square’s announcement of their final PS2 product in Japan. The full track list for Lego Rock Band has been released and favorite picks are discussed. There is even a new entry in Jesse’s “Mega Man News Roundup”.

Then it is movie time, in which we have watched “Monster Camp”. If you are unfamiliar, it is a documentary about LARPers. It was filmed locally (Seattle area) and is now streamable on Netflix. We suggest you check out the hobby of some very interesting super nerds. And when I say super nerds, you know I mean that from the heart and am not just being a jackass. I leave that to Nate.

All this and more on episode #36 of Barrel Roll, “Ernest Goes to Monster Camp”.

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Outro Music – “Fortuna (Star Fox)” by The OneUps

Lego Rock Band Track List

Yesterday, Gamestop locations around the US had demo machines set up for Activision’s upcoming rhythm game, DJ Hero. The demo units were only on site for the day, so Jesse and I made the trek to the evil empire to give the game a spin (see what I did there?).

At first glance, what you see on the screen is very similar to the Guitar Hero interface. You hit colored buttons as they pass you on the screen. Then you will notice the lines cut to the left and right, have strange symbols on them, etc. and it all becomes a little confusing.

I’m happy to say that once you are actually playing, it all clicks. You tap your fingers when the bubbles hit the bottom of the screen, just like strumming the appropriate notes on Guitar Hero. If you are playing right handed, then your right hand is on the “record” portion of the controller with your fingers on the different colored buttons. Your left hand is on a slider (the crossfader) that has three positions; left, middle and right.

When the screen shows the lines move to the left or right, you have to have the slider in the appropriate position to be able to tap the correct notes. This simulates fading between the two tracks of the VS battle song going in background. When you are in the middle, both tracks play evenly.

You also have to scratch when the arrow symbols appear on the various buttons. Most of the time, any up-down combination will work. Sometimes, there are specific directions you need to scratch in order to successfully hit the notes.

What surprised me the most, and made me want to buy the game, is how easy it was to pick up and play. I was able to start on hard, and while I didn’t do great on the song, I understood exactly what I was supposed to be doing. I know little to nothing about real DJing, but this game makes you feel like a pro.