Ziff Davis Says Goodbye to Another Staffer

You heard about Ziff, man? He's gettin' played! First, his boy Luke Smith leaves for the comfy community manager seat at Bungie Studios. Then, his mentor (one of the head kahunas!) John Davison parts ways to start up something regarding children, parents and videogames. Oh, and he got punked the worst when his main man Mark McDonald left to simply wander the earth (a lot like Kane in Kung-Fu.) I don't know if he's gonna make it through this time -- Editorial Director Dan "Shoe" Hsu is leaving!

We could go on with our personification of the Ziff Davis Media group as a single man (named Ziff Davis -- how clever!), however, it's running pretty thin. For the purposes of full disclosure, personally, I'm a big fan of Electronic Gaming Monthly. Even furthermore, I'm a big fan of the integrity Dan "Shoe" Hsu brought to my favorite gaming magazine for the past gaggle of years. (Some examples of why he deserves this respect can be found here and here, among other places.)

Though we're pretty sure this doesn't spell the end for Electronic Gaming Monthly, it certainly doesn't help with public perception, especially in the context of their recent Chapter 11 filings. Shoe tries his best to soothe public reaction by noting in his personal blog, "This is my own decision; I'm not being forced out or laid off or anything like that. And this is not related to the recent news about Games for Windows: The Official Magazine (and I hope I'm not stealing any thunder away from those guys -- that's not my intention here). It's just time for me to move on."

In the meantime, Sam Kennedy (formerly Site Director of 1UP.com) has taken the reigns as Editorial Director of the 1UP Network (meaning the website, the magazine, etc. -- the whole shebang.) While there's still plenty of talent floating around the Ziff Davis offices, we hope the future of EGM isn't currently in question by the men in suits with the money. Again, on a personal note, I've been reading the magazine since I was eight years old and it would be a sad sad day to see them go. We're holding fast hope for the future of the Ziff Davis Media group. Let's hope y'all out there on these giant interconnected tubes feel the same.

Week-End Podcast Roundup -- The Future is Now Edition

Well if it ain't been a busy week here on these giant interconnected tubes! Between the public stoning firing of Josh Larson and the veritable crucifixion of Games for Windows Magazine in the context of PC gaming journalism (we'll miss you GFW and furthermore, we'll keep reading you all on 1UP.com), our heads are spinning! Or maybe it's just the goddamn typhoon in the water from Phantom Hourglass that keeps picking up our hearty vessel and tossing her back into the cold, unforgiving waters. Either way, as Mr. Lee of 1UP Yours! is so inclined to remind us, weekend confirmed...

GFW Radio (feat. Jeff Green, Shawn Elliott, Sean Malloy, and Ryan Scott)
The GiantBombcast (feat. Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis)
Joystiq Podcast (feat. Chris Grant, Ludwig Kietzmann and Justic McElroy)
The CAGcast (feat Cheapy D and Wombat)
The 1UP Show and 1UP Yours Podcast (feat. Garnett Lee, Shane Bettenhausen, ???, and Shawn Elliott)

And you know what? To hell with it. Just because we're upset at what CNet did months ago doesn't mean we can't show love to a podcast we've been listening to forever and, regardless of it's losses over the past year, is still hilarious. Of course we're talking about...

The HotSpot (feat. Vinnie Caravella, Brian Ekberg, assorted GameSpotters)

Enjoy this bounty of listening goodness. Forget about that 'nice spring weather' people keep talking about. Don't you prefer the warm glow of this monitor anyway? Seeya on the weekend folks!

Week-End Podcast Roundup -- A Day Late, A Dollar Short Edition

And yes, it's Saturday. Officially the weekend but also roughly one day late on the podcast roundup train schedule. Sorry about that folks, things were a little hectic around QPHQ yesterday and thus the unexpected delay. Regardless of our tardiness, we come bearing promises of games reviews very shortly (No More Heroes and The Legend of the Zelda: Phantom Hourglass to name a few) as well as a full on site revamp in the coming days. Though a few new features will be added, the biggest update will be basic functionality. But enough about us, we're here to tell you about this week in podcasting, so let's get to it...

The GiantBombcast (feat. Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis)
Joystiq Podcast (feat. Chris Grant, Ludwig Kietzmann and Justic McElroy)
The CAGcast (feat Cheapy D and Wombat)
The 1UP Show and 1UP Yours Podcast (feat. Garnett Lee, Shane Bettenhausen, ???, and Shawn Elliott)

The 1UP Show was especially good this week, just so you know, with a hilarious Lost Odyssey shoutout near the end -- that's all we're sayin'. In 1UP related news, we were cruising the most popular gaming stories on News4Gamers and stumbled upon this. Now, first of all, we know that NeoGAF is, "the preeminent video game industry discussion community." That's fantastic, and by those standards (I suppose?), they don't moderate when people post info straight out of print magazines (though they really should.) This seems kind of...embarrassing? Ridiculous? Fucking rude? This is the magazine journalism equivalent of going to a movie line and reading the script out loud. What a bunch of louts.

Anyways, the boys at the 'Stiq have clearly caught their stride, as their podcast has become better and better. Also, Vinnie Caravella and Brian Ekberg are jointly saving GameSpot's ailing Hotspot podcast, as the vast majority of talent at GameSpot has left for better other things, or, ya know, been sacked. Enjoy your weekend, we'll seeya Monday!

"Why People Don't Finish Games Anymore"

1UP.com has a neat little feature up about why gamers tend to abandon games before they finish them. As a long-time sufferer of what I refer to as "gamer's ADD", I can relate to the article completely, especially this little bit:

"In other words, compared to the '80s, not as many gamers need to scrounge up pocket money or beg Grandma for pennies to buy the latest hit. Games have moved beyond a once-a-year treat at Christmas or birthdays that are subsequently picked apart and scoured for every second of available fun. Now, once a game loses the slightest bit of momentum, it's not difficult for gamers to find themselves lured away by another title."

Back in the SNES days, I had very few games, and I played through all of them obsessively. I have a game file on my Donkey Kong Country cartridge that has more hours logged into it than any RPG I own. Now, games have less of a novelty factor, and we feel less compelled to scour a game for every last little thing (how many people actually wandered around and got all those goddamn flags in Assassin's Creed?)

However, as of late I've been getting better about beating games. I've beaten all of my 360 games, and all but two of my Wii games. DS and PSP games are much harder for me to pay attention to, for reasons I cannot identify. I'll beat New Super Mario Bros....eventually...

Week-End Podcast Roundup -- Exploding News Edition

Hello everyone out there in the middle of the tubes (yes, those large, interconnected ones) and welcome to our weekly podcast roundup, featuring some new faces this week. The industry side of things saw some interesting developments with Blu-ray while the arts side of things witnessed a very serious GiantBomb, though the explosion has yet to come (or so they say.)

The podcast roundup is fired up this week with newcomer Arrow Pointing Down, which is quickly becoming one of our favorites, often because of their off-the-cuff drink reviews (including an addendum to the most recent podcast in order to try Carl Jr's', "Cap'n' Crunch Milkshake" on the air) as well as Jeff Gerstmann/Ryan Davis' unique combination of banter -- see their new site here. And so, the list goes...

Arrow Pointing Down Podcast (feat. Jeff Gerstmann, Ryan Davis, and Alex Navarro)
Joystiq Podcast (feat. Chris Grant, Ludwig Kietzmann and Justic McElroy)
The CAGcast (feat. CheapyD and Wombat)
The 1UP Show and 1UP Yours Podcast (feat. Garnett Lee, Shane Bettenhausen, Bryan Intihar, and Shawn Elliott)

Unfortunately, though we had it on good information that one Phil Harrison would be guesting on the weekly Game Theory podcast this past Wednesday, as is often the case with life, things didn't work out. Oh well chaps, maybe next week. We'll see you bright and early Monday morning to bring you your weekly dose of casual enjoyment. Hasta entonces, jugadores...

Happy Podcast Day! -- Game Theory FTW Edition

Gadzooks! This has been a week full of crazy news (albeit, the week after GDC) and things are certainly looking up for our favorite, though still too expensive, console -- except for that whole Phil Harrison quitting thing. The folks over at Game Theory are hinting at the possibility of Mr. Harrison being a special guest on this week's podcast, which could certainly be...revealing. Anyways, big ups go to them for actually making an effort to practice journalism. The usuals are as follows...listen for a special announcement from Wombat on the CAGcast this week (though not gaming related.)

Joystiq Podcast (feat. Chris Grant, Ludwig Kietzmann and Justic McElroy)
The CAGcast (feat. CheapyD and Wombat)
The 1UP Show and 1UP Yours Podcast (feat. Garnett Lee, Shane Bettenhausen, Bryan Intihar, and Shawn Elliott)

Oh, and seriously, Jeff Gerstmann, Ryan Davis and Alex Navarro (all ex-GameSpot'ers) have started a podcast called, "Arrow Pointing Down" and you should be listening to it. Who says readers don't follow writers? And, again, Viva La Revolucion!

Happy Podcast Day! -- GDC Edition

It's been a busy week folks, we're not gonna lie. There's just a hell of a lot going on and not a lot of it is actual news, at least for our purposes. If you get into the whole big business, commerce vs. art, games journalism kinda thing (and believe you me, we really do), then you will probably appreciate the glut of recorded audio flowing through the large set of interconnected tubes this week.

The list is the usual, but the formats have changed for some. The CAGcast stays its regular, once-a-week format, while the folks at Joystiq and 1UP have eschewed tradition for daily GDC podcasts. We especially suggest the 1UP Yours! with Amy Hennig and Lorne Lanning -- wait for the amazing debate at the end, worth every second.

Joystiq Podcast (feat. Chris Grant, Ludwig Kietzmann and Justic McElroy)
The CAGcast (feat. CheapyD and Wombat)
The 1UP Show and 1UP Yours Podcast (feat. Garnett Lee, Shane Bettenhausen, Bryan Intihar, and Shawn Elliott)


With all this good stuff, we haven't even had time to check out this week's Bonus Round or Game Theory, assuredly both excellent as well. Any suggestions for the weekly podcast roundup can drop be left in the comments!

GDC: Mid-Week Fire Sale

Gadzooks! GDC is in full swing! Joystiq's own Ludwig Kietzmann is live bloggging the Microsoft Keynote, as we speak! Announcements abound, so beware, and hit refresh often. (They've been teasing Gears of War 2 all over that piece.)

Furthermore, the 1UP Yours crew are podcasting every single day, Tuesday thru Friday, with ridiculously impressive guests and always hilarious but intelligent banter. At least someone grants game development more creedence than toy development!

Oh, and there's a link to this press release for Gears of War 2 on the NeoGAF boards. While, like Microsoft, we're not inclined to comment on speculation or rumors, this press release reads like the horoscopes. That's all we're saying. Now, bask in the bedlam that is mid-week GDC coverage!

Mario Kart Wii -- Embargo Lifted

You have to wonder what happened when suddenly multiple gaming websites drop the same metric ton of information regarding Mario Kart Wii at exactly the same time. The answer we're betting on: the embargo suddenly disappeared. Though GameSpot and 1UP offer nearly identical coverage on the subject, we're more than likely to suggest 1UP's.

Writing aside (though we kind of think 1UP writers have the advantage here given the best writers from GameSpot have left or simply been sacked), what GameSpot owner's CNet did was basically inexcusable. But me, well, I hold grudges. Enjoy the glut of Mario Kart info! (And hey, you know, it's ok if you go to the GameSpot bump, we understand.)

(via 1UP)

Feliz Dia del Podcast! (Edicion Dos)

Hola and welcome to the second edition of HPD (Happy Podcast Day folks), celebrating the once a week release of not one, not two, but four excellent podcasts in one day. True enough, the CAGcast often comes through iTunes on Thursday night sometime, but that's perfectly ok. Half the show is in Japan anyway so it's really Friday -- we swear.

ANYWAYS, this week we also got dropped a little nugget of audio enjoyment from everybody's favorite "vagina clown" (his words, not mine), Microsoft's own Larry Hryb (AKA Major Nelson.) Though his regular podcast hits iTunes on Sunday nights, he had a little interview go up mid-week with their new Senior VP of the Interactive Entertainment division, Don Mattrick. Certainly worth checking out (though you should take what Mattrick says about GTA:4 with a massive grain of salt.) Without further adieu, I present to you our weekly choices (until podcasts in general get better, we will stand fast with these -- suggestions welcome folks.)

Joystiq Podcast (feat. Chris Grant, Ludwig Kietzmann and Justic McElroy)
The CAGcast (feat. CheapyD and Wombat)
The 1UP Show and 1UP Yours Podcast (feat. too many people to mention in this small space)

Still waitin' on that podcast N'gai.......

Designing the Presidential Candidates

Holy interesting facts, Batman! As if the 1UP Network wasn't already doing enough for you, what with their free EGM subscriptions and dare we say plethora of podcasts, they've gathered up info on all your favorite game developers (as well as publishers) and found out exactly who they're placing their financial backing behind in this upcoming election -- and the results might....disappoint the hell out of you.

Luckily, only $500 was spent in total towards Mike Huckabee, though clearly Huckabee has God on his side sooooo, I guess it's still anyone's race. But seriously, did anyone expect to see so much money go towards Republicans? Us here at QPHQ make no religious or political affiliations, but really, $2300 for Fred Thompson? Let's just hope you can write off that whole donation when you file your taxes, Ian Schmidt of Electronic Arts. That's all I'm sayin'.

Ziff Davis Plays Editorial Musical Chairs

Ziff Davis Media, owner of always controversial Electronic Gaming Monthly (in addition to the rest of the 1UP Network), announced in a press release yesterday morning an official changing of the guards. As we've known, current EIC Dan "Shoe" Hsu, is stepping down from his position in order to fill a new position as Editorial Director of the 1UP Network.

Until yesterday morning though, we were unaware who would be replacing him. And now, well, now we do. According to the press release, "All 1UP Network editors will now be under one main editorial umbrella, split into to three primary areas --- 'Videogames,' 'PC Games,' and 'Video.'" What that means, in the words of 1UP.com's now former EIC James Mielke, is, "....what it basically says is that I'm now the Editor-in-Chief of Electronic Gaming Monthly as well as the videogames portion...." Oh my!

Seriously though, we here at QPHQ will miss Dan Hsu's professionalism and the level of expertise he brought to one of (what we would consider to be) the hardest jobs in the industry - - as well as one of the most sought after. And to you Mr. Mielke, good luck sir. You may very well need it.

Happy Podcast Day!

Once a week, unfortunately all at once, the best gaming podcasts are released. Sure, we'll admit it, there are other excellent gaming podcasts out there (I'm looking at you, Game Theory), but this writer must be an advocate: the opinions expressed by Garnett Lee and the rest of the (sometimes rotating) 1UP Yours crew are gold. Anyways, the list for Friday is as follows:

Joystiq Podcast (feat. Chris Grant, Ludwig Kietzmann and Justic McElroy)
The CAGcast (feat. CheapyD and Wombat)
The 1UP Show and 1UP Yours Podcast (feat. too many people to mention in this small space)


Now the real question is this: When will N'Gai Croal (of Newsweek fame) and Stephen Totilo (of MTV fame) team up and create their own podcast?