Eurogamer.net Podcast #18

By Tom Bramwell Published 11 May, 2010

Alan Wake! LBP2! Independent developers!

In scenes which can only be described as amazing, this week the Eurogamer.net Podcast is infiltrated by three special guests, who join host Tom Champion and irremovable mood-hoover Tom Bramwell to discuss the issues of the week and all sorts of other jazz.

But who are these trailed-on-Twitter interlopers? They are indie developer Honeyslug, the studio behind PSP minis title Kahoots, and their representatives are Ricky Haggett, Nat Marco and Mark Inman.

Stream the Eurogamer.net Podcast:

Between the five of us we discuss other recent visitors to the Eurogamer.net office and last week's big story - reviews of Remedy's long-awaited Alan Wake. Brammers talks about his experience with the run-around-the-woods Stephen-King-'em-up, with discussion soon moving on to yesterday's announcement of LittleBigPlanet 2, a game Sony's positioning as a "platform for games" after the Media Molecule's first platform-game creation kit.

We also discuss Polyphony Digital's ongoing inability to stop developing Gran Turismo 5; Konami's seemingly interesting new approach to PES 2011 (i.e. "not making the exact same thing again"); and of course the Honeyslug guys' work.

As independent developers producing content for PSP, iPhone, DS and other formats, they're well placed to give us an insight into the weird world of making games, and so it proves. Working for Sony is as easy as sending an email, and making DS games is a bit harder. Who knew?

Background reading!

Join us next week for a very special Eurogamer.net Podcast without host Tom Champion. Nobody has any idea what will happen.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (33) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • kosigan #1 2 years ago

    No Tom next week? Bring back Ellie!
    Edited by 1 at 11/05/10 @ 15:29

  • caesar_ #2 2 years ago

    Ellie reviewed Alan Wake but shes not on the cast? Whut

  • Venatio Verified Expo Community & Gaming Manager, Eurogamer Network #3 2 years ago

    I'm not a journo!

  • psychokitten #4 2 years ago

    I demand the word testicles makes a return every week. Hurrah!

  • UsernamePending #5 2 years ago

    Great idea recording the podcast through antique telephones onto wax cylinders this week. Any chance of proper sound resuming again soon?

  • 1Dgaf #6 2 years ago

    Holy shit. I thought people were just being mean about the sound quality. But, now I listen to it, it really is a bit wonky. Cor. It's like it was recorded on microphones meant for mosquitoes.

    Man, this is almost as bad as the time my show went out sounding like the chipmunks.

  • KayJay #7 2 years ago

    Yeah sort the sound out. Ive got the volume maxed through my headphones and im still struggling to hear any of you...

    Arggghh.

  • Venatio Verified Expo Community & Gaming Manager, Eurogamer Network #8 2 years ago

    Oh dear. Sorry about that. Thought it was ok when I was listening back to it earlier.

  • 1Dgaf #9 2 years ago

    It's got to be an encoding issue. Too low a bitrate, perhaps.

  • roquey Verified Lead Quality Assurance Tester and Compliance Specialist, Universally Speaking #10 2 years ago

    Works for me fine :D Spiky wellingtons and stomping on pidgeons; Olympics 2012 anyone?

  • Cataferal #11 2 years ago

    Sorry guys, but I can't hear anything.

    The intro jingle is fine, but even if I turn my volume to the max, I can only make out a low bit-rate garble once the actual episode starts. It's unlistenable.

  • Nephirion #12 2 years ago

    You really should stop recording the podcast in public toilets ... also the music reminds me of 80's O'Level videos ...
    Edited by 2 at 11/05/10 @ 18:44

  • Syrok #13 2 years ago

    Volume is fine if you download it from iTunes, in my opinion, but there is still a constant hum.

    Also,
    Seagulls \o/

  • nullh #14 2 years ago

    Looks like the direct download mp3 is very very quiet with an odd garbled sound (from compression?) Tried getting it straight from the site after the one on the rss feed was barely audible, but had the same problem.

  • rodpad #15 2 years ago

    Sounds like a garbled underwater low bitrate mp3 on iTunes, nothing to do with a source recording problem. Can't make out any voices at all :/

  • rodpad #16 2 years ago

    Same thing with the download from the website.

    Seems my iPhone is part of the problem as it plays fine on the PC.

  • Ceelion #17 2 years ago

    The sound is very strange. With headphones in it sounds absolutely fine, but sans headphones it's quiet and very 'tinny'

  • carrotcake #18 2 years ago

    My speakers don't go loud enough to make out a single word. All I got from this is the intro music.

  • jstar #19 2 years ago

    I literally can't hear anything.

  • Venatio Verified Expo Community & Gaming Manager, Eurogamer Network #20 2 years ago

    Hmm, weird. Sorry about this. I'm working on fixing it. Will reupload this morning.

  • roquey Verified Lead Quality Assurance Tester and Compliance Specialist, Universally Speaking #21 2 years ago

    Hey, just a thought but maybe Tom could get Honeyslug to make that pigeon stomping into a PSP mini/flashgame? :D I'd play it!

  • Venatio Verified Expo Community & Gaming Manager, Eurogamer Network #22 2 years ago

    Right I've boosted the sound and uploaded the new version. Hopefully it's an improvement.

  • jonbwfc #23 2 years ago

    I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I find the industry talk a bit.... dull. It's a bit like.. I dunno, if I was a big golfist and there was a podcast about golfery, I'm not sure I'd be all that interested in a podcast interviewing the bloke who ran the machine that forged the heads of the golf clubs. I know he has to be there and I'm appreciative of his work but..

    I can go for it occasionally, variety and all that, but two in a row seems enough to me, unless they have something really interesting or unusual to talk about. I appreciate the listeners who might want to get into the games industry are interested in that kind of thing. I've got the whole job, mortgage, life thing already, so I don't.

    As I say, variety is the key. if the podcast ends up being 'developer interview of the week' I think we'll all get bored sooner or later.

  • superflyninja #24 2 years ago

    terrible sound yet again.but for the first time i didnt bother listening to the entire podcast.boring as hell.
    Edited by 1 at 12/05/10 @ 11:04

  • Venatio Verified Expo Community & Gaming Manager, Eurogamer Network #25 2 years ago

    I'll work on being super enthusiastic. I'll introduce a mandatory round of high fives as part of the intro.

  • Nuronv #26 2 years ago

    It was a tad quiet but I didn't have any major problems with it.
    Perhaps there is pigeon shit on the mic , oh and it was nice to hear the signature seagulls near the end.

  • Syrok #27 2 years ago

    "if the podcast ends up being 'developer interview of the week' I think we'll all get bored sooner or later."

    I honestly rather have an interview or at least (one or two) themes per podcast rather than 4 guys rambling about this and that game.

  • superflyninja #28 2 years ago

    well I always download the podcast from itunes and this week again the sound was woeful.

    In terms of the interviews....they aint great to be fair. Not hugely interesting. no fault of the guests. More jokes and more game talk please :D

  • Markitron #29 2 years ago

    Still not working as a mp3 from the site, itunes on the pc and Itunes on the iphone. Lame

  • Bremenacht #30 2 years ago

    God almighty - yet more people 'come out' about their bizarre ME2 mining fetish. What is wrong with you people? How people can eulogise about the horrid ME2 mining on the one hand, and yet dismiss Farmville as rubbish on the other, completely beats me.

    Please please please get Ellie to have an hour or two doing the ME2 mining. Hopefully, she'll love it, compare it to Farmville, and send a legion of ME2-loving comments-thread misogynists into a terrible quandry.

    Who wiped up the pigeon shit, btw?

  • wonton #31 2 years ago

    I listened to the stream and i agree the volume simply isn't loud enough. Sort it out asap.

  • carrotcake #32 2 years ago

    hm? nope still can't hear it clearly enough. volume needs boosting again another 900% if that is the issue. or could just forget about it this week and call it the missing podcast

  • FooAtari #33 2 years ago

    I like the laid back dismissive tone of the podcast. Exactly how I feel about the current generation...
    Also like the interviews.

    But yeah the sound quality and production values need a little work. Other than that I tend it to enjoy it most weeks.