Insomniac Putting Resistance to Bed

We were big fans of Resistance 3 here at Lost Level. While the first two games were decent and got the job done, the third installment really blew us away and exceeded our expectations. With that, it seems as though developers are ending the series on a high note. The Insomniac CEO Ted Price said, ”We won’t be making any more Resistances.” There’s really not a lot o wiggle room for interpretation in that statement.

While it is sad that we be won’t be seeing anymore of the series after Insomniac has finally nailed the formula down, it also bring s a sense of comfort. We won’t have to see them announce a new iteration of the game and worry about them messing up what they so finely polished. Furthermore, it’s rare that we see the end of a series these days. Companies find their cash cow and ride it until the thing passes out in the middle of the street and holds up traffic, creating an annoyance to the public. Okay, that metaphor may have gotten away from me. Read More

The Lost Level: Episode 25 – Rage Quit

The Lost Level is back with episode 25! The guys return to the weekly grind after the long holiday. They are excited to start covering the news again. Come listen as they discuss what they have been up to, the latest game and movie news, and find out what makes Chris so upset he rage quits at the end of the episode! Now that’s some serious rage!

G is back for his first episode of the new year. He has the opportunity to catch us up on Japanese gaming! There is some interesting news from the CEO of Sony, George Lucas, and lots of Resident Evil news. Also, the fellas make plans for Valentine’s Day, it might involve some scented candles…. You can’t miss it!

As always we thank you for listening, we hope you enjoy the episode!  Fans of Adam, need not fear, he will be back next week!

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter. Don’t forget to spread the word, and tell a friend.

Special thanks to The Fold for supplying our intro/outro music. Purchase “Neverender” on iTunes.

The Fold have been busy, check out their latest video for the Lego Ninjago Theme song! 

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REVIEW: Underworld: Awakening

 

Kate Beckensale is back as Selene in the fourth installment to the Underworld franchise. Underworld: Awakening begins six months after the events of Underworld: Evolution. Humans have discovered the existence of Vampires and Lycans (Werewolves). They begin a war against both races, trying to eradicate the species. In an attempt to escape, Selene and Michael are on the run, but are captured. We flash forward 12 years to Selene waking up from a cryogenic slumber. From the opening scene this does not feel like an Underworld movie. Everything feels off. Underworld has always had an interesting premise, and I liked the universe they created. Underworld: Awakening does its best to completely ignore the grittiness, and tone it has established in previous films.

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BioShock Infinite’s 1999 Mode. Let’s Do This!

Needless to say, games have changed a lot since 1999. They look better. The stories they tell are (generally) deeper and better, with characters you care about. And even though the action has been ramped up, games have somehow become easier. Back in the day, beating a game felt like an accomplishment. You wore it like a badge of honor. Now, it’s almost expected of you to beat the games you play. Granted, this makes sense because the designers want you to witness the whole experience they have slaved over for you, and they don’t want you to just give up because it’s gotten too hard for you pansies. So we’re given things like regenerating health and more ammo than one person can feasibly carry. Sure, Resistance 3 had an “old school” feel because it brought back the health pack, but the classic challenge still wasn’t there.

Ken Levine, who has worked on Thief, System Shock 2, and the original BioShock, is currently working on BioShock Infinite for its release this year, and he longs for the days when a game really challenged him. That’s why he is including “1999 Mode” in BioShock Infinite. “1999 Mode” is said to be a more demanding playthrough of the game. You’ll have to really learn how to manage all your resources and build your character in a way that compliments your play style. Your aim will have to be exceptional and you can’t walk around like bullet sponge. As for game saves, Mr. Levine said, “there are game saves, and you’re gonna f***ing need them.” It’s things like that quote that makes him one of my heroes. Levine goes on to say the following: Read More

Q.U.B.E. Makes Investment Money Back in 4 Days

It always warms my heart to see an indie game become successful. We’ve seen it happen with such classics like Braid and World of Goo. It seems that the next indie game to join the rosters is Q.U.B.E., a game that I didn’t even hear about until very recently (Listen, I’ve been busy). Within four days of its release, the game has already sold 12 thousand copies and has earned back the money that was invested into it from the Indie Fund. There has even been talk about moving the game to platforms other than the PC. So we may be seeing it on the PSN, Xbox Live Market place, and/or OS X sometime soon.

Toxic Games, the developers of Q.U.B.E., are no doubt happy about this. The game, which was originally budgeted for $42,000, eventually cost $90,000 in investment money, so all the parties involved in the game being made must be breathing a sigh of relief to see that it was all worth it. I know I’m going to be making the investment worthwhile once I get around to buying the game. There has been a lot of good buzz surrounding it, and the trailer really grabbed my attention. However, that ‘s mainly because it reminded me (and probably many others) of Portal, which you all know I’m a sucker for. Either way, it’s definitely getting put down on the long list of “Games Alex Has To Play.” I’m accepting donations.

REVIEW: Contraband

Contraband is the latest in a long line of paint by number action/thrillers. Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg) is an ex-smuggler that got out of the game for love. His love interest is his wife Kate (Kate Beckinsale). The limited screen time together, and chemistry makes their relationship non believable. Chris’s relationship with his best friend Sebastian Abney (Ben Foster) is better established, and has some genuine feeling during the time in the film they are trying to assemble a crew to go on another smuggling run because Chris’s brother-in-law, Andy (Caleb Landry Jones) gets in over his head, and it’s up to Chris to bail him out. There are a couple tense scenes, but they are too few and far between to make this movie and better than your typical movie going fare.

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Mass Effect 3 Not Launching on Steam

Without a doubt, Mass Effect 3 is one of the most anticipated games coming out this year. It’s true because Spike TV’s VGAs said so, and we all know how credible that is (SPOILERS: It’s not). This is a title that many gamers are going to want the day it comes out. So, if you wan to play it for the PC, Steam may not be your best option… or an option at all. BioWare’s community manager, Chris Priestly, hit the forums last weeks saying that Mass Effect 3 will not “initially” launch on the popular digital download service. Whether or not these means they have plans to launch the game for Steam on a later date is unclear.

Of course, this is so that EA, Mass Effect 3‘s publisher, can pimp their digital download service, Origin. In fact, any PC version of the game will require Origin to launch it, like they did with Battlefield 3. Because, god forbid playing a PC game would be as simple as installing and launching the product. Noooooo. That would be far too easy. Instead, you have to download and install Origin as well. Then you have to authenticate your copy of the game through the service. Requiring Origin to play the game may not sound like much, but it’s just a minor headache that doesn’t have to be there. EA shouldn’t make their customers have to jump through hoops just to play their products.

EA cites that the decision to not launch Mass Effect 3 on Steam stems from the distributor’s restrictive terms of services. You can choose to believe that if you want. However, I’ll go on believing that it’s because Steam the largest of the digital distributors, and EA is trying to topple this Goliath. Sure, in the end all EA wants to do is make money and not launching Mass Effect 3 on Steam ensures more money goes to them, but in the end it still makes them look like a whiny little brat that will keep stamping its feet until it gets its way. You can almost hear EA shouting, “No! It’s our game! You can only play it through us!” You don’t know how glad I am that I’ll be picking up Mass Effect 3 for the Xbox 360, and won’t have to put up with Origin.

The Lost Level: Episode 24 – The Best of 2011

We did it! The guys finally sat down and pounded out our top games and movies lists for 2011. Chris was even tinkering with his list up until the moment we recorded. Say what you will, but 2011 was a terrific year for gaming, this was the first year in recent memory that there wasn’t a clear cut winner for GOTY.

Listen as we heap praise upon what we loved in 2011. Chris, Adam, and Alex give their top 5′s, some honorable mentions, as well as some disappointments too! After hearing the choices, I have to say I was surprised by some of the picks. I know you will be as well.

You think we are wrong with our choices? We want to know what your picks were. Leave us a comment with your favorite games and movies from 2011.

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter. Don’t forget to spread the word, and tell a friend.

Please note that the lists we created are based on our personal enjoyment of the games and movies, and not based on technical achievements, or artist merit. Also note that Adam and Alex often find Chris’s opinion very wrong.

Special thanks to The Fold for supplying our intro/outro music. Purchase “Neverender” on iTunes.

The Fold have been busy, check out their latest video for the Lego Ninjago Theme song! 


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Episode 24 News… Adam’s Car Sucks

 

Sometimes life happens… Like the one time you meant to mow the lawn, but the football game was on. Or the one time you were on your way to pay back your gambling debts, but on the way you met Champagne, the stripper with a heart of gold. It’s happened to all of us a thousand times. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to record our podcast on time this week. I know, I know. I want to tell you guys a lavish story, full of adventure, and danger. I want to tell you that on the way to recording Adam fought a bear with his bare hands, and now the bear walks with a limp. That would make a great blog, but the fact of the matter is Adam has a hooptie. It likes to break down on days that we are recording one of the most important casts we have ever done… So feel free to give Adam grief for the delay in our cast.

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