The DoFuss Show – 29 out of 100.

It has been a long week, in no way helped by the fact that we had to record this show twice thanks to technical problems. Fortunately the dry run meant that even with my general exhaustion we were able to keep the show mostly on track, and when we didn’t it was at least funny.



We kick off as always with ‘Heaven and Hell’ (featuring the World Cup) before the ever-present ‘What Have You Been Playing?’ For a change this show Darren has been indulging in games that could technically be called current, though while Portal ‘Mac’ has technically just been released it might be pushing it to call it new. I on the other hand have been playing the very current Alan Wake, which I have been gushing about online for some time, so I take this opportunity to redress some of the balance.

After this it is on to news. E3 kicked off the day we recorded with the Microsoft Kinect event (yes, I call it the Kinetic during the show, but I am sure that was their plan) so we do touch on the show a little bit in news, as well as some other headlines that caught my eye.

Finally we rap up with a feature on in game collectables. A topic inspired by Alan Wake, a game that manages to undermine its own narrative by poor implementation of in game pick ups.

I hope you enjoy the show, leave any comments or feedback below or drop us a mail.

Get it here.

Cross Pollination (in 250 words).

Video games have always influenced each other. Growing from a few seeds the industry has evolved. Occasionally a single shoot is split, forming a new branch in the evolution. Some of these are dead ends, while others flourish. Even more rarely branches come together and make something new.

Not all previously divergent paths join with the same success. As I play more of these titles that attempt to blend separate evolutions together it is becoming clear that Japanese trees in this laboured metaphor are struggling to assimilate Western genetics.



Japanese developers soberness runs through all of their business structures. A rigid adherence to rules and bureaucracy that makes them slow to adapt. As a nation they have produced ingenious devices and innovations but as solutions to problems, rather than pure innovation.

Some realise this problem, with Capcom’s Jun Takeuchi acknowledging the issue of Japanese developer’s stagnation and the need for change if they are to survive. But even Capcom, one of the most internationally minded Japanese developers struggles working with Western teams and concepts, choosing poor properties or failing to understand the reasons behind gameplay mechanics, focusing on bullet points.

At a time when games need to reach an ever-widening audience to justify their development costs, it is an issue set to get worse. Though I hold a small fear that such shared ideals could lead to the homogenisation of games, I take heart in the fact the most unique elements of nature come from cross pollination and mutation.

Bayonetta (360, PS3) in 250 words.

I am not that familiar with the third person fighting genre. It may be my own fault, a lack of commitment to learn the complex mechanics. But even with that caveat Bayonetta depressed me; proving mashing buttons was enough to reach the finale, offering no incentive to hone my skills.

So it may be my fault that I didn’t enjoy Bayonetta, my own lack compulsion to submerge myself in the experience. It’s stylish environments and exuberant moves initially drew me in, but I quickly discovered that smashing my palm on the controller was enough to reveal everything the game had to offer.



Even the frantic gameplay and titillating lead character were not enough to hold my interest.
Unfortunately its appearance could only carry it so far, and with no discernable story, there was only the combat to hold my attention, which it rarely did. Even bosses, who proved spectacular on the first meeting, had their impact muted by multiple encounters.

Part of my ease of progress through the game came from the generous checkpoint system that allowed repeated failure. I was happy it was included but it left me able to brute force my way through the game only mastering the dodge ability. Not wanting to dismiss the game I tried again on ‘hard’, but ‘hard’ translated to ‘insurmountable’, so gave up disillusioned at my skills.

Everything about Bayonetta screams style. Yet despite the skilled execution it failed to hold my attention beyond the initial wow. Set pieces and boss fights were the clear highlights, but simply didn’t offer enough of a draw for me.

The DoFuss Show – Darren has gone AWOL.

Darren is missing again this show, but frankly I can’t wait for him any longer so Dan has kindly stepped in to cover.

It has been sometime since the last show, thanks to everyone’s hectic jobs and Darren’s trip to Japan we have been either too busy or to drunk to put out anything for nearly a month. We do have a video (kind of) in the works that should go up on the site soon, and the show should be getting back to its normal format and schedule soon.

Until then please enjoy Dan and I discussing some of the bigger news and releases of the last month as well as some prolonged discussion about just what ‘grinding’ is. We also talk about Disney's Ultimate Band a Wii game for wanking to, literally (see the image). Top this off with the proverbial cherry, better known as Darren’s Old Games and you have yourself a show.

Enjoy.

See Dan's show notes here.

Grab the show here or look us up on iTunes.

Tokyo Game Show '09

You can follow my coverage of the show at Playdevil.com and GoGamingGiant.com, or of course you could just check out my homepage at DoFuss.net.