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Power Button Presents Kombo Breaker - Episode 19: Glenn Gamble of Terminal Reality and Ghostbusters

If you listened to Episode 75 of Power Button (and, really, you should have), then you heard Brad Hilderbrand mention that he'd been to a THQ press event several years ago.  As luck would have it, he talked about that experience on a classic episode of Kombo Breaker, so it seemed only proper to bring back Episode 19 which originally aired on March 13, 2009 so you can hear Brad talk about his experience with the Legends of Wrestlemania event.  That's just the prelude to the main topic for this episode, however.  When Ghostbusters: The Video Game was in development at Terminal Reality, we used our mighty Kombo clout to bring the company's Glenn Gamble on to the show several times to answer all of our burning questions about the then-upcoming game.  This is Glenn's first appearance with us and, naturally, I had a lot of geeky Ghostbusters questions for him.  You'll hear all about what Dan Aykroyd thinks of the upgraded design of the iconic proton pack, which quips Bill Murray brought to reprising the role of Peter Venkman, why the librarian ghost from the opening scenes of the original film returned, and much more.  Mixed in there is some discussion about Tomb Raider: Underworld, Call of Duty: World at War, and Halo Wars.  It's a busy episode!  We had fun recording it back in the old days.  We hope that you enjoy listening to it now just as much.  Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, or subscribe via iTunes, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach all three of us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow all of us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons, @aubradley84, and @JoeyDavidson or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton.

Power Button Presents Kombo Breaker - Episode 19: Glenn Gamble of Terminal Reality and Ghostbusters

Power Button Presents Kombo Breaker - Episode 45: Heavy Rain Interview

Power Button has to unexpectedly take the week off which means that in its place we have a classic episode of Kombo Breaker for you to enjoy.  This installment features an interview with Petro Piaseckyj of Sony Consumer Entertainment in which we discuss Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain for the Sony PlayStation 3.  The game had yet to hit stores at the time, so we pepper Piaseckyj with questions about how the story unfolds and just how intrigued and/or uncomfortable the game is meant to make players feel (in terms of both narrative and the uncanny valley effect).  It originally debuted on September 18, 2009, but it's just as interesting to listen to now as it was then.  Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, or subscribe via iTunes, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach all three of us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow all of us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons, @aubradley84, and @JoeyDavidson or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. Next Week: We're still planning to discuss Saints Row: The Third sooner or later.  Call the hotline and tell us what you think of the game!

Power Button Presents Kombo Breaker - Episode 45: Heavy Rain Interview

Power Button Presents Kombo Breaker - Episode 52: NSMB Wii and CheapyD (Yeah, It Rhymes)

We're taking an unexpectedly sudden week off on Power Button this week due to family illness, so instead we have an episode of classic Kombo Breaker for you.  This installment is Episode 52 which originally aired back on November 26, 2009.  We invited CheapyD of Cheap Ass Gamer to join us and clue everyone in about where to find the best gaming shopping deals for today, tomorrow, and through the 2009 holiday shopping season. We recommend games that you shouldn't have missed and advise you on which games you should have skipped if you don't want to turn a friend into an enemy. Before all that happens, however, Joey Davidson and I discuss Nintendo's then-new New Super Mario Bros. Wii and basically go on and on about what a fantastic game it is. Naysayers can relax though, as we also go over some of the little things that could have been improved.  By the way, the Kombo Breaker theme is a bit loud on this one, so watch your ears when it kicks in.  Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, or subscribe via iTunes, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach all three of us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow all of us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons, @aubradley84, and @JoeyDavidson or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. Next Week: We're going to let our sociopathic tendencies shine as we discuss Saints Row: The Third.  Call the hotline and tell us what you think of the game!

Power Button Presents Kombo Breaker - Episode 52: NSMB Wii and CheapyD (Yeah, It Rhymes)

Power Button - Episode 58: Kombo Reunion

It was nearly one year ago that the senior staff at Kombo parted ways as the site imploded into a shell of its former self.  We've always been a bit cryptic and reserved about exactly what happened to cause us all to leave such fantastic jobs working with amazingly talented people, but on this week's episode of Power Button, the truth will come out.  Brad Hilderbrand, Joey Davidson, and I got the band back together for an afternoon to talk about the rise and fall of Kombo and dish the industry dirt learned during our many years with the company.  We've Skyped them in from across the country — Sean O'Neill, Ryan Olsen, Eric Fredericksen, and Keri Honea — to sit down with us and tell the stories of fun old times.  For the next ninety minutes, you can be a fly on the wall.  Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, or subscribe via iTunes, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach all three of us via  and you can even follow all of us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons, @aubradley84, and @JoeyDavidson or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton.

Power Button - Episode 58: Kombo Reunion

Aero The Acro-Bat: A Rough Draft Video Game Concept

Originally published at Kombo.com, this look back at Aero the Acro-Bat is now presented here at Press The Buttons with additional material cut from the original version.

Video games do not spring from development studios fully formed and ready to go. Your favorite games began as a rough concept document outlining the title's storyline, characters, offensive attacks, defensive moves, level outline, and other basic building blocks. Previously we revisited Sunsoft's Aero The Acro-Bat franchise and explored the development process with Aero's creator, David Siller. Now Press The Buttons offers this original Aero The Acro-Bat rough draft concept document from 1992 and some period promotional artwork from Sunsoft's presence at the Consumer Electronics Show in 1993 as a look at how an average game was developed and promoted during the 16-bit years. After all, some of Press The Buttons's readership had not yet been born during Aero's heyday. Enjoy this rare peek behind the curtain at the dawn of the acrobatic bat.

Taking Down The Clown: A Look Back At Aero The Acro-Bat

Originally published at Kombo.com, this look back at Aero the Acro-Bat is now presented here at Press The Buttons with additional material cut from the original version.

It seems as if every console generation produces a single break-out character that other developers and publishers chase with me-too clones. The Nintendo Entertainment System years produced one of gaming's biggest stars — Super Mario himself — that led to a glut of friendly, happy mascot-based action platformers. Sega's take on the format for the Sega Genesis, Sonic the Hedgehog, added radical attitude traits to the formula, and suddenly every publisher had to have a mascot cartoon character with attitude. The 16-bit years gave us plenty of forgotten and also-ran characters in that style such as Bubsy the Bobcat, Awesome Possum, and Rocky Rodent, but the one character who stood out from the pack — and, strangely enough, one character who was never intended to run with that pack in the first place — was Sunsoft's Aero the Acro-Bat. Aero's journey brought him some success across multiple platforms and eventual re-releases with sequels and spin-off adventures. When stacked against the competition chasing Sonic's speedy shoes, Aero managed to creatively succeed in an otherwise overcrowded marketplace.

Power Button - Episode 36: AJ LoCascio Takes Us Back To The Future! (Plus A Discussion On Time Travel Games)

This week's episode of Power Button is heavy, Doc.  The voice behind Marty McFly from the new Back To the Future: The Game from Telltale Games, AJ LoCascio, joins Brad Hilderbrand and me - Matthew Green - to talk about the exciting world of, yes, Back to the Future.  We cover AJ's background, how he landed the McFly role, the process behind recording his dialog, and much more (and, of course, AJ drops the McFly voice on us a few times).  We even get him to answer some questions sent in by the audience and tease what happens in the episodic game's next installment.  Near the end of the conversation the topic turns to Mystery Science Theater 3000 after AJ pays me the ultimate compliment.  After a break, AJ departs as Joey Davidson joins us to discuss effective uses of time travel in video games.  All of your favorites are covered including The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Chrono Trigger, Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time, EarthBound, and, er, the abysmal Back To The Future Parts II and III from the Nintendo Entertainment System era.  It's approximately 88 minutes of discussion that will flux your capacitor!  Great Scott!  Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, or subscribe via iTunes, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach all three of us via  and you can even follow all of us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons,@aubradley84, and @JoeyDavidson or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. Next Week: We shatter the space-time continuum to bring you Episode 35 in which we discuss the deepest, most interesting characterizations in video gaming. Join us, won't you?

Power Button - Episode 36: AJ LoCascio Takes Us Back To The Future! (Plus A Discussion On Time Travel Games)

A Few Words With Ian Milham About Dead Space

The new survival horror action adventure engineer-in-space thriller Dead Space from Electronic Arts for the Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, and Windows PC has turned a lot of heads in the run up to its release.  As you may recall, Dead Space centers on space engineer Issac Clarke and his encounters with the Necromorphs, a race of hostile aliens that depend on necrotic flesh.  I first saw the game in action back at E3 in July and came away from the brief demo impressed, so I was especially glad to have the chance to ask Dead Space Art Director Ian Milham about topics such as bucking conventional game design stalwarts, launching Dead Space as an instant franchise, exploring the hero's role in the adventure from an engineering perspective, concerns about too much violence in our Helen Lovejoy-centric society, and the inevitable Dead Space tie-in candy.

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MattG: Dead Space lacks a traditional in-game heads-up display.  It's an interesting stylistic choice that brings an added cinematic flair to the experience.  When was the decision made to follow that path?  What prompted it?

Ian: The no-HUD decision actually was one of several decisions that serve one of our big ideas:  immersion.  We wanted to make a scary game, and to do that, we wanted to keep people totally immersed in that feeling.  One of the first things we identified that pulled us out of games and reminded us “it’s only a game” was the HUD.  So we decided to integrate the information the player needs into the world itself and get rid of the traditional HUD.  This way, the player still gets that key info, but isn’t pulled out of the game to get it.  We’re really proud of how it turned out.

MattG: Dead Space's hero is an engineer.  Will players need to think like an engineer to succeed instead of the more common solider or superhero figure who rushes into a fight with guns blazing?  Will there be any repairing of equipment or building new weapons from spare parts?

A Few Words With Ben Moy About Buku Sudoku

How much time does it take to design a full-featured Sudoku game for Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade?  If you're lead designer Ben Moy, then the answer is about two and a half years.  Number puzzle fanatics are cheering this week with the release of the only Sudoku game to grace the service this generation: Merscom's Buku Sudoku, a does-what-it-says-on-the-metaphorical-box Sudoku experience that features a variety of challenges at various difficulty levels, local & online multiplayer, and even support for the Big Button Pad controller.  I recently had the opportunity to ask Ben a few questions about Buku Sudoku in which we covered topics ranging from the game itself to Microsoft's controversial plan to delist underperforming games from XBLA, and even a little about his future plans for XBLA and WiiWare.

Final Thoughts From 1080up

Remember way back when the Nintendo Wii was still called by it's Revolution codename?  And remember how ardent high definition televisions fans reacted when it was announced that the new console would not support HD visuals and would instead top out at 480p?  And remember how a group of those fans organized the 1080up movement to persuade Nintendo to change course?  Obviously the group did not succeed in their efforts.  As an epilogue to the whole movement I recently caught up with 1080up's Jeff Rivera for some final thoughts on the group's efforts and the quality of the Wii's visuals nearly one year out of the box.