Episode 129 -We're BACK Baby!

We've RETURNED!!!!  The BCP gang is back and they're ever so ready to pump your ear holes full of goodness....are you ready?!?  You better be.

BEHOLD, the snacks from this week's "Just Eat It"

Check out this episode!

Episode 109 - Epic Speedrun

The cast of Beaucoup Pop is back, bringing you everything you need to know about whats going on in the pop culture world...and maybe some things that you didn't need to know, BUT WE GIVE IT TO YOU ANYWAY!!!





On this week's episode we're joined by creator of 'Zack Cooper's Epic Speedrun', Matt Gaither!!! Strap yourself with your Duck Hunt guns and get the code for "God Mode" because you're about to storm the castle!

 

To watch the full version of ZACH COOPER'S EPIC SPEEDRUN, check the show notes below!!

Check out the episode here:

or download directly from Libsyn!





Show Notes & Links:

Episode 85 - 2012 in Pop

The cast of Beaucoup Pop is back, bringing you everything you need to know about whats going on in the pop culture world...and maybe some things that you didn't need to know, BUT WE GIVE IT TO YOU ANYWAY!!!

We're reviewing the year 2012 in pop culture on this weeks episode Poppers!  Our favorite movies, albums, comics, and TV shows are just a few things on our list.  Be sure to let us know some of your picks on our blog and Facebook group page. Thank you to all you Poppers, who have been listening to us this year. You're awesome. Here's to 2013!

Back by Popular Demand, Episode 23 with Pascal Langdale

We're taking a step back in time this week folks! We figured since we've got the week off that we'd post an episde that's no longer available on iTunes...well that is until now. Back by popular demand, it's part one of our episode on Innovations in Gaming where we interview Pascal Langdale!Check out the original blog post HERE!

You may be familar with Pascal from Quantic Dream's PlayStation 3 exclusive game, Heavy Rain, where he played the role of Ethan Mars. We had the pleasure of talking with Ethan about a few upcoming projects.  Part two of this episode will be posted on Friday, so keep a look out!

 

Episode 65 - Back In The Groove

The cast of Beaucoup Pop is back, bringing you everything you need to know about whats going on in the pop culture world...and maybe some things that you didn't need to know, BUT WE GIVE IT TO YOU ANYWAY!!!

Rob hard at work!

So, last week we were unable to record due to a power outage at the Beaucoup Pop studio, but fear not, the BCP gang is finally back (from a much needed break) and boy do we have an action packed episode for you guys!!!  Let the summer sounds of the Cicadas put you into the mood as we welcome our Artist of the Month, Rob Duenas, for a quick chat about his glorious artistic talents and his podcast, Sketch Craft!  The crew also does a quick rundown of some highlights from SDCC news, and we get around to answering some fan voicemail....or 'Poppermail' if you will.

Mass Effect - A World Beyond

I pride myself in being quite the avid gamer.  My first gaming system was the Super Nintendo, and as a little girl I would sit in front of the TV playing games like Tetris, Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Mario World, and Final Fantasy Mystic Quest.  These stories, these adventures, were some of my first loves. As I got older, my library expanded.  I tried other games, other genres, and continued to find stories that sucked me in and had me fall in love with their characters.

A few years ago, if you and I were to sit down and chat about our favorite games and gaming companies, my answer would be along these lines: Square Enix and Final Fantasy.  Capcom and Resident Evil.  Final Fantasy VII was specifically what opened me up to a world beyond my Super Nintendo and GameBoy color, showing me more and more brilliance in the world of gaming.  I was a die hard Square girl.  And I still am, don't get me wrong.  But in late 2008, everything changed.

My husband, who back then was just my boyfriend, and a mutual friend of ours, were all hanging out one evening, when they put in a game called Mass Effect by Bioware.  I'd seen the company's name before from my past playings of Jade Empire and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.  I enjoyed both, so I was no stranger to Bioware.  I was, however, unprepared for the way this game series would end up effecting me.  Call me over dramatic or theatrical, but for you Poppers out there who have played these games, you understand why I talk this way.  Bioware didn't just create a story.  They created a universe, a world beyond our own, with characters the fanbase could not help but fall in love with so deeply that they cared for them, regardless that they were nothing more than fictional.

A quick summary for those who are unfamiliar with the title.  The game focuses on the protagonist, Commander Shepard, and his/her quest to stop the rogue 'Spectre' (an elite group of agents selected from a number of different species entrusted with extraordinary authority, including the power of life or death over the inhabitants of the galaxy, in order to preserve galactic stability by whatever means necessary) Saren Arterius.  During the pursuit of Saren, Shepard learns of a far greater threat looming in the background.  This threat continues in different forms that span across all 3 games.  The games rely heavily on the choices you make, changing the outcome in different ways - an amazing aspect for replay value.  You can choose to make choices of a Paragon or Renegade nature, or a mixture of both.  You establish close relationships with your crew, some going even further into the form of a love interest.  These relationships were staggering, and I very quickly came to care for the characters just as much as my Shepard did.

Here she is.  My Shepard.  Spacer, War Hero, Inflitrator.

Mass Effect was a phenomenal game. Mass Effect 2 was even better.  They kept what we loved about the first one, and tweaked a few things that got on our nerves, improving the entire experience ten fold.  The characters we loved were back, and more were added to the docket to keep the list of adoration growing.  New romance options opened up, two of them quickly becoming the more popular options among fans, and the emotional attachment continued to deepen.  The story of your Shepard continued.  Bioware continued to blow me away with the amazing stories and options, and I fell deeper into this universe.

Mass Effect 3 was finally released a few months ago, in the beginning of March.  Take Earth back was the slogan.  The largest of wars was finally going to take place.  This game tapped on my shoulder from behind and really made me realize how much I cared for the characters I'd been interacting with for the past 4 years.  I've never been so invested in a series as I have been with Mass Effect.  The finale of the series made me cry harder than any game ever has made me cry.

Now that I have beaten Mass Effect 3, it allows me to sit back and really take everything in.  And here's my what my instinct tells me.  This series is one of the best I've ever played, and no one writes characters and relationships that mean so much to me as Bioware has.  This game has also infamously made its' way across the internet as having one of the shittiest endings in a long time.  Avoiding spoilers, here is my take (as unpopular as I have found it to be).  The ending did not bother me.  The way they went about it did not piss me off.  I do have many unanswered questions, but I have faith that Bioware will answer them with DLC.  So I remain patient.

What I found most interesting was the way my feelings and reactions changed from seeing my husband beat the game, to when I beat the game.  When he beat it, I felt rather indifferent.  I sat there, let it sink in, and found myself saying "Okay.", and went on my way.  When I beat it, though... I cried hard.  I surprised myself by how upset I was.  And I realized why.  I was watching the end of my Shepard's story.  Kerry Shepard, we had been through so much together, and here it was coming to close.  And even now, as I sit here typing this, I miss her so much.  Yeah, I know, I can go back and play through again.  This isn't the end of ends.  But it ended.  And that hit hard.

(and I realize how big of a nerd I am saying stuff like this)

Say what you will, but people cannot deny what a phenomenal job Bioware did with this universe.  Even those who HATED the end of Mass Effect 3 can't ignore that they had one of the best journeys of their lives.  And to those who have yet to pick the series up, please do so.  I swear that you will have the time of your life.

Come now, I couldn't go the whole post without a picture of my favorite pairing in the entire universe!
Garrus and Shepard forever <3

Thank you Poppers for allowing me to indulge myself a little bit.  Let me know how you guys feel about the series!  Do you adore it as much as I do?  Or do you think I sound ridiculous caring about a fictional universe this much?  But that's the effect this universe has had on its fanbase over the years, and I've loved every minute of it.

Kerry

I Think Amalur With You

I really like video games...especially RPGs. If I had my way, I would play every RPG I could get my hands on. I'm a sucker for a game that tells an awesome story. Admittedly, I don't get to play video games as often as I'd like. I miss the days of college, when I could come home from class at 4:00, kill 5 hours of Final Fantasy VIII and still have time for homework. :) Or the wonderful 3 month summer vacations where I once had a fling with Final Fantasy X. But as an adult with a full-time day job, I find that I either don't have time to log the hours needed make progress in an RPG, or the task seems daunting because I have SO MANY just sitting on my game shelf begging to be played.

Because of this, my tastes in games has evolved. I usually stick with the 8-10 hour Action games or FPS like Tomb Raider, Uncharted, BioShock, Heavy Rain, God of War, etc. But recently, I've found myself locking the front door, putting my phone on vibrate and snuggling under a blanket to play the hell out of some RPGs. It started with Final Fantasy XIII (which, despite mixed reviews, revitalized my faith in Square-Enix's ability to make a playable RPG) and has picked up again with Final Fantasy XIII-2. But fear not...this is not an article where I, once again, express my love for the Final Fantasy XIII line. No, I'm here to express my love and admiration for a wonderful not so little game called Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning!!

Is Prequel the New Black?

Amid all the reimaginings and reboots that seem to be taking hold across movies, television, games, and comics these days, one particular type of work has been slowly, but surely rearing it's head more and more.  That of the prequel.  What is a prequel you may ask?  Well, basically a prequel is work that supplements a previously completed work set in an earlier time period before the already completed work.  Are they suddenly taking over and taking a bigger part of the media market than they deserve?  Maybe...maybe not.

With watching Star Wars: The Phantom Menace a few weeks ago with my kids, it got me thinking about all the current and near future prequels that are on the horizon.  With the release of the first Star Wars prequels, it really seemed to cement the idea of what they can be in the minds of both movie goers and movie executives and that movie and it's two follow-ups seemed the catalyst for such works as The Thing (2011), Fast and Furious, and X-Men: First Class as well as the upcoming Prometheus, Sex in the City prequel, Xerxes, Monster University, and The Hobbit.  Those God-awful, abominations set within the Star Wars universe seemed to really set something in motion that in all reality was already there, we just seem to have short memories for that sort of thing.  Godfather: Part 2 was a prequel to the original Godfather, Mallrats was a prequel to Clerks, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly was a prequel to A Fistful of Dollars, almost all of the Planet of the Apes movies have been prequels to the original Planet of the Apes; even good ole George Lucas himself made a prequel before the Star Wars prequels in the form of Temple of Doom being set before the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark.  The whole idea of prequels is not exclusive to movies.  Though not as prevalent on television,  we have gotten shows like Star Trek: Enterprise, Caprica, and Sparticus: Gods of the Arena.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 Extended Trailer

Get your pre-orders ready, cause next week is the release of Final Fantasy XIII-2! I loved FFXIII, despite all the critism from certain fans. I'm really excited about this sequel. I just hope it's better than FFX-2. Great music, but Gaah, that game sucked!

While you wait, check out this 7+ min trailer for the game. Squeee!! ^_^

Peace! ~Matt

Sexuality In Video Games

My friend Burley asked a question on Facebook the other day that got me thinking about sexuality in video games. He asked, "Aren’t we far enough along to have openly gay video game protagonists?" We as consumers constantly asking video game developers for better graphics, more control, deeper stories and more characters development. But what about sexuality? Is a video game character's sexuality important if it's not relevant to the story?

As to Burley's questions, I believe that, considering the large number of Gaymers out there, society SHOULD be progressive enough to have openly gay protagonists, However, I do believe it will be a WHILE before a game developer is brave enough to make a [serious] game with a main protagonist who is openly gay and is advertised as such. I believe the exception to this would be a Lesbian protagonist...let’s face it, that'll happen first. ;) Part of me feels that Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII could be a Lesbian and that Fang is DEFINITELY a Lesbian (with a love interest in Vanille), however, the latter could be because Fang was originally scripted to be male. These are only speculations because the subject never came up in the game. But that's why i asked the questions, is a video game character's sexuality important if it's not relevant to the story?

On the surface, most commercial video games are not about sex, or the exploration of sexuality, so having a main character be openly gay seems as relevant as the character's favorite color. In Halo, would it matter if Master Chief is gay? What if Luigi is gay? What about Samus? If sexuality isn't relevant to the overall gameplay, then should we know, or care about it?

In most games, you are playing a distinct character in their own world with their own story that you are experiencing with them, but with RPG style games (and a few other genes) there is a heavy emphasis on experiencing the game AS the character. Game designers have gone to great lengths to allow players to create their own in-game avatars so that they can truly have a personalized experience within the game. But in games like these where the focus is on character development, heroic journeys and role playing, can the player truly have a personalized experience when their character’s sexuality is not taken into consideration. In these games, there is usually a love interest driving the plot, be it kidnapped royalty, a murdered loved one or someone you meet during your journey, who the character now wants to protect. When that love interest is geared towards the opposite sex, it potentially disconnects gay gamers from the character they have personalized/customized.

Here is a scenarios to consider. A young lad, leaves his village, which has been destroyed by a band of goblins. When traveling to a neighboring kingdom, he discovers the Kings son has been kidnapped by an evil wizard and is being held ransom. The young lad is charged by the king (for WHATEVER reason) to liberate the young prince from his captor. The lad seeing a portrait of the handsome prince sets off on his quest. 5 hours of leveling and grinding later the lad finds the prince. After a tough fight with the wizard the lad rescues the prince. Instead of remaining at home, the prince decides to join the lad on his journey. Throughout the next several hours of cut scenes and in game conversations (or arguments) the two characters begin to fall in love with each other. Speed forward through disaster and an quest to save the world (we all know how these go) and the lad and the young prince live happily ever after…or not, if there’s a twist death right before the final boss fight.

We’ve all played this game…probably MANY games like it. Take the same situation and make the lad a lass and the prince a princess. It’s the same story, falling in love and saving the world from destruction. If the player change choose their face, hair, name, job class, fighting style…why not let them decide who their character falls in love with?

But times they are a changing. Sexuality options within modern RPG/Character building type games are starting to become more and more progressive. Some games now allow gay players to flirt and explore relationships with same sex partners. Games like Dragon Age, Fable, Mass Effect and The Sims have crossed that line and more games probably will in the future. Again, it goes back to whether sexuality is important to the game or not. I would like to see future developers approach sexuality like the approach a games difficulty level, let the play choose. "Is your character Male or Female?" "Are they Gay or Straight?" This way the player has the option make a character that best represents them. That’s not asking too much, is it?

Post a comment and give your perspective. Dialogue equals change!

This picture was too funny not to include. I mean, REALLY?

For a listing of current LGBT characters in video games check out this LINK.

This is just the world as I see it.

Episode 23 - Interview with Pascal Langdale: Innovations in Gaming Part 1

The cast of Beaucoup Pop is back, bringing you everything you need to know about whats going on in the pop culture world...and maybe some things that you didn't need to know, BUT WE GIVE IT TO YOU ANYWAY!!!

That's right listeners, our episode this week is too awesome to contain in one episode!!! We're diving into the subject of innovations in the world of gaming. First up is part one, where we had the pleasure of talking to Pascal Langdale, the actor who brought Ethan Mars to life in Heavy Rain. We discuss his experience working on the award winning game and get his perspective on the current direction of the video game industry.

We also discuss Motives in Movement, a consulting company founded by the Heavy Rain actor. The company works with capture based media, like video games, to help them find efficient ways to improve the dramatic content within their projects. Check out www.motivesinmovement.com for more information.

And of course, we've got your weekly dose of Kerry's Korner, Seckman's Selections and we just might have a brand new segment to wet your appetite.  So, sit down, strap in, and grab your gaming controller because BCP is gonna put you in the mood to get your game on!









Check out the episode here:
http://beaucouppop.libsyn.com/episode-23-part-one-innovations-in-gaming-with-pascal-langdale



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You can also subscribe to the podcast through iTunes or through our Libsyn page www.beaucouppop.libsyn.com. And you can find us on Sticher, using most smart phones and/or WiFi capable Mobile device!

Show Notes & Links:

DC's NEW 52 NUMBER 1's for 09/14/11:

• JUSTICE LEAGUE #1

SKETCH CARD PROMOTION

Hey Poppers! Collectibles Etc has 20 random trades (mentioned on an episode of B.P.) with special flyers in them. If you buy one of these trades, you'll win a free sketch card by either Justin Stewart or Tressa Bowling!!

The first annual Lexington Comic & Toy Convention is taking Lexington by storm March 24, 2012, with a huge selection of vendors and exhibitor. Comics - Vintage & New Toys - Magazines - Gaming - Horror - Anime - Film/Movies - Art - Music - Much Much More!! 

The convention is open from 10am-5pm and adult admission is to be announced - Kids under 10 are FREE!

Aside from vendors of almost any type of comics, toys, and games they plan to have artists, publishers, celebrities & media personalities, panels, door prizes and a $300 cash grand prize costume contest!

If you are interested in being a vendor, exhibitor or guest please click here!

www.LexingtonComicCon.com

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THIS EPISODE WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY 

The Games of E3 2011

Check Game Informer Magazine's list of the Games Of E3 2011. The list includes titles that will be released in 2011 and other "in development" titles that will be premiered. Start saving now! Enjoy. ^_^