Episode 23 - Prequels of War and Heart of the Swarm

The Joy of Gaming Podcast, Episode 23:

Prequels of War and Heart of the Swarm

On this episode of The Joy of Gaming Podcast, we (Rich, Tim and Jordan) talk about March’s biggest games releases, God of War: Ascension, Gears of War: Judgment, and Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm. It’s been a huge month for blockbuster prequels and sequels, and we weigh in on the latest adventures of Kratos, Baird and Kerrigan.

But first, we talk about the (other) games we’ve been playing, including Tomb Raider, Fire Emblem: Awakening, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate, The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, and more.

Then it’s on to gaming news, including the announcement of Saint’s Row 4, the future of Playstation trophies, Beyond: Two Souls, Battle Block Theater, and…wait for it…Ducktales news!?! Yeah.

And in our main segment, we talk about the new prequels just released in the Gears of War and God of War series. For Gears of War: Judgment, Epic handed the reins over to (Bulletstorm developer) People Can Fly, and although the combat is almost identical to previous entries in the series, the overall storytelling and mission structure has been changed dramatically. God of War: Ascension, on the other hand, kept development team Sony Santa Monica at the helm, but certain key aspects of the combat (like weapons and magic, for instance) have been overhauled. We discuss whether these changes are welcome, and discuss our overall thoughts on these two prequels, and on prequels in general.

We also discuss the biggest PC release of the season, Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm, and the many challenges Blizzard faced moving forward with a series so beloved by fans. Topics include: multiplayer balance, character customization, the evolution of the Zerg, the story in general, and much more.

It’s a great time to be a gamer, and this…is The Joy of Gaming!