So when Volition and Deep Silver finally posted their PAX East presentation of the game online a couple of weeks ago, I was pumped. The footage was simultaneously predictable and exciting. It was exactly the sort of insanity I had expected to see and, at the same time, it was incredibly fun to watch all of the crazy new weapons in action. Saints Row IV will, almost assuredly, be a day one purchase for me and this is what I want from the newest game in the series.

Steelport with a Twist

We already know that Saints Row IV will return to a virtual reality simulation version of the town of Steelport, first introduced in Saints Row: The Third. While I understand that many people would like to see a new city be the setting for the next game, I’m actually content with returning to Steelport. I played enough in Steelport that I had memorized a number of locations and could easily get around the town.

That said, I would love to see some changes to the city. We know that there will be alien ships scattered throughout the town but I’d like to see some new areas of the town. In the previous game, you could buy property and use it as your base of operations and it would be nice to see some new buildings to purchase.

More Choices

One major addition that Saints Row: The Third added to the franchise was moral choices that shaped the way you played. For instance, you could choose to blow up a building and earn a respect bonus or not blow it up and earn a cash bonus. This played out in a major way near the games conclusion when you were forced to choose to seek revenge on one of the major villains or choose to rescue one of your friends. The game had two totally different final missions depending on what choice you made.

In Saints Row IV, it would be nice to see more of these major choices, leading to completely different missions depending on how you play. I would also love it if, once you finished the game, if there was some way to earn the rewards that you didn’t choose. For instance, one choice in The Third gave you either a special attack, known as the Apocafist, or a mask that lit people on fire. Both were really cool but because there was no way to earn them both, you could never play with them together. In Saints Row IV, there should be some way to earn all possible rewards.

Deckers.Die.2.0

The mission Deckers.Die was, perhaps, the best example of the sort of insanity Volition put into Saints Row: The Third. The level has a text adventure segment, portions where you and enemies have lag attached to your actions, a point when you basically play a new version of the Atari game, Tank, and a large section where you play as a toilet, wielding the mega-buster from Mega Man. It showcased everything that was unique about Saints Row: The Third.

Saints Row IV needs something like this to show that Volition still has that special touch. It doesn’t need to be a direct sequel in mission form, but something that is totally crazy and unlike anything you’ve ever played. Maybe this time you have to play a point and click adventure, while you’ve been turned into a sofa.

Better DLC

Odds are that Saints Row IV will likely have a similar DLC strategy to the one that Saints Row: The Third had. There were a ton of costumes to buy, as well four DLC mission packs. Each of the mission packs, though, was more disappointing than the last, leaving a sour taste in even the most die hard fans mouth. If Saints Row IV must have DLC, hopefully it will end up better than what was released the last time around.

Saints Row IV is still one of my most anticipated games of 2013 and looking back on Saints Row: The Third, it’s clear why. Saints Row: The Third was unique and special to me and I enjoyed every second of it. Hopefully, Saints Row IV captures that same spark.

First focusing on Didi and Dawn, Whitney shares some fascinating details about how the design of the characters were informed by the roles they played. A peek at that process:

Dawn was an extremely challenging character to design. We knew she had to be (1) imaginary, (2) from the 20s, and (3) athletic. She had to be magical without looking too nutty, and be able to run and jump and be crazy nimble, which was not something 1920s women did in their flapper dresses and pencil skirts. We also wanted her to be super cool to both men and women, without being overtly sexual.

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She also shared pictures of progression from initial to final design:

Until we see these kinds of breakdowns as to why specific small details are or are not made, added, or changed, it’s difficult for us to appreciate the peculiarities of a game. The art is often a ton of work, and I really appreciate this kind of perspicuity. I finished the article about Dawn and Didi and wanted more. Thankfully, a subsequent post was all about the world that was built for the game. Again, the team at Compulsion shares with us some of the art progression:

As if you couldn’t tell, I was completely entranced by this game at PAX East this year. These glimpses into the development process are interesting at any level, and for a game like this with such a strong art style and such a focus on the game art, it is absolutely fascinating.

Come with me, buy your ticket, prepare for the show.

I only worked out to the game twice during the week and posted my scores one time. I am not sure why it didn’t take off but I am not going to let it get me down. In fact, I am going to let it fuel me even more to prove that working out to this game can actually work and get some calories burned, in a fun way, and help in losing weight. I know for myself that there are a couple of other factors playing into me not getting in the workout that I want and seeing the weight go down.

First of all, I am realizing that I am not drinking as much water as it is recommended that you do. It has been said, for quite some time now, that a person should drink at least eight, eight ounce glasses of water a day. This shouldn’t be too hard but, honestly, at times I just forget that I need to drink water and find myself extremely thirsty. I need to up the intake of water in my life. I think, for myself, that I need to be drinking at least 10 to 12 glasses of water a day. Water really helps to flush out your system, keep you hydrated, and curbs the appetite as well.

The second thing that I need to keep an eye on is the amount of sodium that I am consuming. Often times, when stressed, I will reach for something salty to eat. While it is fine to have some sodium in your diet every day, it is not good to have it in excess. In fact, this does the opposite of what the water consumption will do, in that it will dehydrate you and actually cause you to hold on to water weight rather than just letting it go.

I think that if I do these two things, along with a new set of songs for Dance Central, I will see greater success this coming week. Maybe posting your scores is not your cup of tea, but this week we are only going to have 15 songs to choose from so it may make it easier to post those scores. What you need to do is dance at least 10 songs, in a row, and then post your top two scores. The dancing should be done on medium or hard, as this is where you will get the most benefit from doing the workout.

Without further ado here is this week’s challenge:

• Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg (DC3)
• Da’ Butt (DC3)
• Disco Inferno (DC3)
• Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) (DC3)
• Ice Ice Baby (DC3)
• Now That We Found Love (DC3)
• The Hustle (DC3)
• Baby Got Back (Mix Mix) (DC3)
• Brick House (DC)
• Bust a Move (DC)
• Funkytown (DC)
• Jungle Boogie (DC)
• Rump Shaker (DC)
• The Humpty Dance (DC2)
• This is How We Do It (DC2)

I hope that you enjoy your week of dancing and make sure that you are keeping an eye out on the water that you are drinking. With the weather getting warmer, it is more important that you would think. And no, that cup of coffee does not count as water even though it took water to make it. These glasses of water need to be nothing but water in them.

As I mentioned in a previous article, Nook is no longer selling random items at the town store, he is now head of the real estate office. It is called Nook Homes and this is where you are going to be coming in order to get expansions on your house built and to also settle your mortgage. With Nook no longer selling items in the town store, two alpacas named Reese and Cyrus have stepped up to the job and have opened up their own shop named Re-Tail.

In actuality, Reese (the pink alpaca) is the one that you will have to make all the deals with. For some reason Cyrus (the blue alpaca) can always be found sleeping. It is understandable that working in a retail shop is hard work, but only Cyrus appears to need to do all the sleeping. All of this changes when you have spent enough time in the town, seven days, and the upholstery side of the store opens up. Suddenly Cyrus has plenty to do, keeping up with all the orders that will come through the door.

When you are out on the town so much, it is important to keep your appearance up. This is why the Able sisters, Sable and Mabel, have their shop open from the day that you become mayor of your city. After you have spent 8,000 bells at their store, you will find that Kicks (the shoe shiner) will open up his own store allowing you to purchase shiny new shoes.

Gardening has always played a very important role in all the Animal Crossing games and that still holds true in this game. The one difference is that there is actually a gardening shop, The Gardening Store, run by Leif (a sloth). This store is not immediately available for use but will become so when you have upgraded the Nookling Junction. The fact that you are now able to get the different items that are needed in order to keep the town looking good, rather than based upon fate, should make everything move much more smoothly.

As you can tell the town of the newest Animal Crossing games is bustling with new business and is sure to keep your days full of entertainment. You want to make sure that you have exchanged your 3DS friend’s code with whoever may be getting game as there is a fun interactivity that goes with that as well. Being able to head to the Dream Suite and then visit your friend’s towns will be an exciting addition to the game. June 9th cannot come soon enough in regards to this game.

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D is still about Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong getting their bananas back from the animals on DK Island. What else could it be about? Only in this one the animals were hypnotized by evil Tikis called the Tiki Tak Tribe. This is the same story as the Wii version, but with eight added stages and a New Mode that utilizes the ease of the 3Ds controls. It also has Original Mode which will give you the same challenge as the Wii version. There is plenty of game time packed in this little gem with over 70 levels to ground pound through. It even has local multiplayer, which was one of my favorite ways to play Donkey Kong when I was a younger. Now to find someone close by that will also be playing.

You can start your quest to save DK Island from the Tikis and retrieve your bananas on May 24, 2013 when Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D hits shelves. So you better dust off that 3Ds, charge the battery and get ready for a little mine cart madness.

Transistor looks to follow the same pattern, looking just as beautiful, yet in a more futuristic and dark setting. And if the music in the reveal trailer is any indicator of the game’s soundtrack, then we are in for a real treat. This action RPG revolves around Red, a young woman and famous singer who manages to escape some attackers that are trying to kill her. During her escape she gets a very powerful sword-like weapon and must now fight her way through the robot infested city while learning about the scheme that has silenced many other voices. Mystery, fighting, beautiful graphics, moving music and a fabulous female with a sword? Count me in.

There isn’t much else being given to us about Transistor at this time, which only adds to the anticipation, but we can expect it to release in early 2014. Supergiant Games has not disclosed the platforms Transistor will be coming to either, though I am sure it will have the same success as Bastion did no matter what platforms it hits. Until more information becomes available, you can watch the reveal trailer below or maybe you can go back and play more Bastion.

After the excitement dies down, Jason and Wally talk Iron Man 3, indie comics, and all of the normal stuff they generally discuss. So nothing important.

So if you ever wanted to work in comics, you can’t afford to miss this week’s Broke Nerdcast!

Of course you do! Like us on Facebook to see our (sometimes) weekly toon!

It’s a reasonable question. I’ve worked in the video game industry since 1995, and if you’ve ever heard of me it’s because of my eight year stint as Trixie360, community manager, website editor, and video hostess at Xbox.

Eighteen years in the games business, eh? You must be a hardcore gamer!

Nope. I’ve never really considered myself a gamer. I’ve made a career of writing and talking about video games, but I’ve always been more interested in gamers than games. As for playing them? Meh, I can take it or leave it. The last game I played was Panda Jam on Facebook, and I haven’t turned on my Xbox 360 in about 18 months.

As for my youngest child? My nearly-four-year-old, Allison? Is she a gamer? I had to stop and think about it.

She started playing games on my iPad when she was eleven months old. She’ll play on her DS XL until it runs out of battery and then move on to my DS Lite. There’s always a DS charging in this house. Around Christmas time we dusted off the Wii and set it up for her. One Dora Saves the Snow Princess game later she had her first ragequit. Then, about two weeks ago, she was so busy playing Diego’s Dinosaur Rescue that she peed her pants.

I had to admit it. The kid’s a gamer.

In this column I’ll write about what Allison is playing, games and game-related products she enjoys, and my adventures in attempting to raise a gamer that plays fair, stays dry, and doesn’t throw the Wiimote.

The other 99% of podcasters fall into various degrees of money-making. There are those that don’t care one iota for making money, they just want to get their voice heard. There are others who have their eyes on the prize and want to someday make their podcast a significant part of their income. Regardless of where you fall, most indie podcasters can agree that they love podcasting. I do too. I’m pretty sure that there’s a podcast on just about any subject. Go Bing a subject and add “podcast” at the end. I bet you’ll find some show that has something to say about it.

I love the diversity of podcasting. My wife and I have run The Married Gamers podcast for the better part of six years now. There are hundreds of video game podcasts, and somewhere out there is a video game podcast that you’ll love. Hopefully, it may even be The Married Gamers podcast.

The beauty of podcasting is that while starting one for the first time can be intimidating; once understanding the basics, it can be very easy and cheap to do. Podcasting is very much in that same spirit of Punk and Rap. It’s very DIY (Do It Yourself) and provides a platform to elevate your voice. I’m always encouraging listeners, friends, community members to try it out. I think we all have something to say, and I always love finding some new-to-me podcast that makes me envious and also a fan of. If that’s you…let me give a few non-technical tips.

First, plan ahead. Just turning on a microphone and speaking whatever comes to mind often results in meandering streams of nonsense. There are a handful of shows that do manage to make something out of it, but those podcasts are few and far between. Before you start recording, find a flow to your podcast. Even if you want a loose, free-flowing vibe to your podcast, you don’t want the audience to feel that there is a start, finish, and great stuff in between. Use show notes, bullet points, or something scribbled on a bar napkin if you must.

Second, be yourself. So many podcasters always say this as advice and it’s so very true. Even if you are playing a character, there needs to be some air of authenticity. It will help connect you to your co-hosts, guests, and your audience. This doesn’t mean you need to share your private life, just that when you say something it should be something that you feel.

Third, don’t be afraid of change. Sometimes you might have a guest on and the conversation takes a different turn, allow yourself to explore that avenue. The best material just might come when you start down that path. Also, there will be times when it’s just time to try something different. Perhaps a bit is just tired. Maybe your audience numbers are taking a dip. Do not be afraid to try something new.

Last, be a good neighbor. You will be amazed as to how many people want to help you become successful. If you are trying to figure out how to do something, ask for help. Networking with other podcasts and websites not only helps you become better but could also lead to opportunities that you never would have imagined. Likewise, be available to answer questions or help other podcasts. The help needs to go both ways, even if you don’t subscribe to their podcast or aren’t a fan.

Podcasting is still a relatively young medium. I’m excited to see it continue to grow and evolve. It’s been my privilege to record with my co-host for life, my wife Kelly. Even after six years and close to 300 episodes, our podcast is something we both love. It not only saved our marriage but led to some amazing events in our lives. If you’re thinking about starting a podcast, go for it! And then let me know of it!

I had a brief chance to interview Phil Fournier, Production Manager for Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, about the game, why they decided to make it a stand alone game and how “stupid” games can be incredibly fun.

Addam Kearney – Far Cry has always been a somewhat serious series. How did the idea for this crazy game come from?

Phil Fournier - The goal for Blood Dragon was to make the best action game, based on a fictional action movie. The result was a lot of late nights watching worn out VHS tapes of the best and worst action movies from the 80s. Most of the team grew up in that era and we had Terminator posters on every wall and awesome He-Man figurines to bring ourselves back in 1988 and imagine the future of 2007. We ended up with a future filled with lasers, neon colors, leather suited cyborgs and dragons.

AK – Why make this a full downloadable game instead of just a DLC pack for Far Cry 3?

PF- We wanted everyone to be able to play as Sergeant Rex Power Colt, a kickass cyber commando and experience the 80’s in all of its laserific cyber glory.

AK – Why did you make the choice to include the voice of Michael Biehn in this game?

PF – We had to have a 80s icon like Michael Biehn on the game. He played in the best action movies from the 80s such as Terminator and Aliens. When you think about it, playing a cyborg killing cyber-commando is a sweet revenge from his role as Kyle Reese in Terminator.

AK – How did you decide on having Power Glove do the music for Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon?

PF – Our creative director, Dean Evans, heard of them when watching Hobo With A Shotgun by Jason Eisener, through there he got in touch with the band. Power Glove is one of those bands that make you travel back in time when you first listen to their music. They completely nailed our nostalgia for the 80s with a unique score for each mission like the good old days. The soundtrack is also available on iTunes if you can’t have enough of that radical sound.

AK – Obviously, something being stupid doesn’t inherently make it bad. Personally, I consider Saint’s Row the Third an incredibly stupid game and I loved every minute of it. Did anyone ever look at Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon and say, “This is so incredibly stupid but it’s amazing as a result”?

PF – Our goal was to make Blood Dragon the best worst 80s action movie inspired game out there. If something didn’t make sense in our universe, we kept it because that’s how it was in the 80s. From the cheesy script and one-dimensional character to the amount of explosions and lasers, we wanted an over-the-top experience that would make people live or relive the good old days where VHS was king.

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is available on Xbox Live, the PlayStation Network and PC for $15. If you’re still unsure if you want to buy it, read our review here.