The Codec Call

We mentioned in the last podcast that there was an unused recording from December which we might pull some bits out of.  Well, in true Plain Lazy fashion, we’ve ripped big chunks and cobbled it together as if it was a brand new episode!  To at least give you some hope that we’re not fleecing your time with old, out of date rubbish, we got Stuart Cullen to come back and talk to us about Scotch Corner’s latest content.  Hit up the link to your favourite podcast provider or just go old skool and download it from here to find out what else we’re covering this time.      Listen to this episode of the Codec Call to hear: * Matt’s thoughts on PlayStation VR * A Glaswegian waxing lyrical about I Am Bread, eSports and Sniper Elite 4 * How Andy’s discovered the world of Skyrim * Whether we’re seeking legal counsel over #CodecMomentum * and some bad pretending that we’ve actually prepped for the recording (see the post closing theme reveal for what we nearly forgot to talk about) As usual, you can reach us on Twitter or Facebook or via contact-us@codecmoments.com, we love to hear your views and questions.  We’d also be especially happy if you could leave us a review on iTunes, ta!

It’s been 3 months since we last put out a podcast, mainly due to insane amounts of work, then lack of work, and then technically not having anywhere to live… but we’re back!  It’s now the traditional time for the Codec Moments team to wax lyrical about the games that surprised and disappointed them over the previous year, and we try so hard not to talk about No Man’s Sky.  That’s not all either.  Hit up the link to your favourite podcast provider or just go old skool and download it from here to find out what else we’re covering this time.      Listen to this episode of the Codec Call to hear: * What we’ve been playing with – yay for tech based Xmas presents! * Our biggest surprises and disappointments from 2016. * How we recorded a podcast in December and haven’t used any of the audio! * Special guest Stuart Cullen managing to tell us about his Scottish Sun column without saying Halo 1,000 times (check out our Christie Doran interview also mentioned during the segment). * Listener questions – they’re back! * Some info on Virtuos Games opening up a Paris studio. * And of course, our #CodecMomentum winners from the last few months. If you want to listen the HITMAN podcast we did with the Lapsed Gamer Radio team you can find it here, and Stuart’s games of the year (also from Lapsed Gamer Radio) part one can be found here and part 2 here. As usual, you can reach us on Twitter or Facebook or via contact-us@codecmoments.com, we love to hear your views and questions.  We’d also be especially happy if you could leave us a review on iTunes, pretty please!

Next month sees the 20th anniversary of the release of the Original Tomb Raider and to celebrate, Matt and Andy are giving away a copy of the recently released Rise of the Tomb Raider on PS4!  See below for details. Not only that, but they have also gone back through the Codec Call archive to 1996, to find what is believed to be the first episode of what was then called out net distributed audio programme.      Listen to this episode of the Codec Call to hear: * Crisp, clean audio from 2016 topping and tailing the feature presentation * Slightly dirty tape recordings from 20 years ago, definitely not modern audio with added noise and compression! * Hear us talk about games from 1996, contemporaneously * Two decades old gaming and technology news! * Listener questions, some of which were anachronistic at the time, but seem prescient now! * Tomb Raider If you want a chance to win Rise of the Tomb Raider for PlayStation 4 (EU code), simply share this podcast on Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #Moments96.  We’d also be especially happy if you could leave us a review on iTunes! Competition closes at midnight (UK time) on Tuesday 25th Oct.  Our usual terms and conditions apply.  The competition is now closed.

In September we headed to sunny Birmingham to take in the sights and sounds of the NEC… well, EGX 2016 at least.  Currently the premier games expo in the UK, EGX showcases some of the biggest upcoming games, new tech and indie publishers to anyone who buys a ticket and heads in.  It’s rather good.  Being vaguely prepared, we took mics and recording equipment so that we could capture our thoughts and feelings during the day, as well as grab some interviews with any interesting people we bumped into – there were a fair few there!      Listen to this episode of the Codec Call to hear: * Strange time-travelling editing techniques that make it sound like we actually did things in a sensible order * Most of the Lapsed Gamer crew on their thoughts from the day * An interview with the developer of Wizdish ROVR – a walking frame for VR tech that made Andy fall over * An interview with the creator of MVR Ascend – VR for any game, on any console * GT Sport racing pods * PSVR and how Andy threw cups at his driver in The London Heist * Hitman (because we just can’t stop talking about Hitman) * Dishonored 2 Remember, if you like what you hear, hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, or even leave us a comment below.  We especially love reviews on iTunes!

The new Codec Momentum points system and league table have been a success, but we’re on the fence as to whether you can say the same about No Man’s Sky.  In this, the 25th episode of the Codec Call podcast, Matt, Andy and Graham talk about this and much more!      In this episode we discuss: * What games we’ve been playing * Metal Gear Survive announcement * PS4 Slim leaked * Battlefield 1 open beta * No Man’s Sky (or No Man, Why? if you’ve not got the pun yet…) * Inconceivably large number ‘Play Your Cards Right’ is the Codec Call Quiz! * Listener questions * Oh, and Codec Momentum As usual, if you’ve got comments, questions or things you want us to discuss, hit us up on Facebook, Twitter or through contact-us@codecmomentum.com; we’re waiting to hear from you!  If you’ve Got Momentum, and have had it all year, we’ll be in touch to send you your personalised avatars and banners very soon.

We’ve finally done it, we’ve gotten round to updating Codec Momentum with a points system, league table, ranks and personalised banners and avatars for Facebook and Twitter.  Our latest podcast gives you all the details you need, at length, and in great detail too… so don’t skip the 20 mins we spend explaining a very, very simple concept!  We also lost track of time and Matt ran out of recording space whilst we were talking about which games we want to see in VR, listen out for him sounding like he’s phoning it in… literally.      In Got Momentum? we talk about: * July’s Codec Momentum winner * The lack of games we’ve been playing * The new ranks for Codec Momentum * Why are people still using VHS tapes? * Which accolades we’re adding to the new Codec Momentum banners * More Pokemon Go news * Who’s topping our new Codec Momentum league table * Andy’s progress with #RouteMaster * Oh, and something about Codec Momentum. As usual, if you’ve got comments, questions or things you want us to discuss, hit us up on Facebook, Twitter or through contact-us@codecmomentum.com; we’re waiting to hear from you!  If you’ve Got Momentum, and have had it all year, we’ll be in touch to send you your personalised avatars and banners very soon.

It’s time for another Codec Call, and in episode XXIII Andy and Matt are dealing with the aftermath of the world wide phenomenon that is Pokemon Go.  One is excited for if, the other really not interested, and they both deal with your questions about the mobile monster chasing game.  Might be worth following this link on server stability too if you want some details on why switching them on might not be as easy as it sounds.      Pokemon Go isn’t the only topic though (even if it is in every news story going at the moment); check out: * What games have they been playing? * Andy’s horrific vault of death (see image below) * Will anyone be surprised that Carmageddon isn’t as good as people had hoped? * Southern Rail Tycoon allows you to become a train cancelling overlord! * June’s #CodecMomentum winner and changes to the monthly completion badges. * A special ice cream interval (if it’s not been edited out…) * And what we think of digital vs physical prices. As usual, if you’ve got any comments or want to hear our thoughts on a particular subject, drop us a message on Twitter or Facebook, send us an email, or even send us a morse code message (seriously, we love them!).  No Pokemon Go monster pictures though… there’s too many of them already.

We’re not sad about E3 2016 ending, but a few weeks ago we made some predictions about E3 and what would be revealed and talked about – it’s now time for us to see if we managed to get anything right.  Were our wild speculations about Kojima, Star Wars and Sam Fisher correct?  Did we predict the reveal of Skyrim being remastered?  Did no one guess the bat-sh!t crazy intro to the Ubisoft conference.  Listen in to find out.  Oh, we talk about what games we’ve been playing too… and this isn’t a short Codec Call either, so make sure you’re comfortable and have plenty of refreshments.      Did you send us a Morse Code message?  We’ve had two since the last podcast!  First up, @MikeTackFilms: Hi guys, I think PS4 Neo is for future VR games.  Will I buy one?  Depends on price as I do not care about 4K, Am more interested in PS VR No Man’s Sky and Nintendo NX.   Great show, enjoy Hannah Montanna! And just when we thought that would be it, @Solm67 sent us one too: When is Prof and Brian going to have their own show back again? If you agree with anything we talk about on this Codec Call, or absolutely think we’ve got it wrong, hit us up on Twitter or Facebook.  If you want to get really ranty about our inaccuracies, then you can reach us at contact-us@codecmoments.com, or send us some Morse Code or a lovely picture of a dinosaur.  We’d appreciate either.

With this years major media expo about gaming that’s not GDC, Gamescom or TGS about to start (sorry, we have to remind the world that there are other events outside E3); we’ve had a think about what the key messages and themes from the major hardware and software producers will be.  Taking a pinch of what we have heard rumours about, adding a dollop of intelligent interpolation, and chucking in some totally ridiculous mental leaps, we’ve come up with what we think some of the stories of the conference will be.  Oh, and we shout out our #CodecMomentum winner and finishers from May too.      Andy and Matt talk about: * Microsoft * Sony * Nintendo (and are quite ill informed) * 2K * Take Two * Ubisoft (at length…) * EA * Deep Silver (and you can see the Agents of Mayhem trailer here) * and many others. By no means have we covered everything that’s going to come up at E3 2016… post recording we collectively slapped our foreheads and exclaimed “How did we manage to forget about Horizon Zero Dawn!!“, so if we’ve missed anything you think we should have talked about, drop us a note in the comments below, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook (just search for Codec Moments).  We’ll pick up whether we got anything right or not in our next full Codec Call.

What is going on with the Codec Call schedule?!  It’s only been a week since we posted the horrendously delayed “lost episode” and here comes episode XXI of the Codec Call podcast.  Have a listen and be sure to join our Facebook group.      In episode XXI: * We’ve been playing DIRT Rally, Ratchet & Clank, Hitman Sapienza, the Mirror’s Edge Catalyst beta, Motorsport Manager (check out Prof & Brian’s review) and Hungry Shark Evolution * We discuss Playstation Neo, our shiny new web hosting, Call of Duty Infinite and the remastered Modern Warfare Trilogy and an unnecessary tribute to Andy’s daughter * We update #CodecMomentum for April, including choosing who won the PSN/XBL/Steam voucher this month.  Make sure you submit your entry for May here! * Andy updates us on his #RouteMaster challenge * An update on the Hannah Montana vs Rainbow 6 Siege ultimatum that Matt gave to Andy in episode XX * There’s a video game movie themed quiz you can play along with. The winner of Andy’s copy of Shadowfall and the Metal Gear Rising t-shirt was Rory Roberts by the way.  Well done to you sir! Please leave us a comment below if you enjoyed the podcast (and if you didn’t, we’re pretty thick skinned) and please leave us a review on iTunes, or the podcasting platform of your choice.  You can also get in touch with Matt and Andy on Twitter and don’t forget the Codec Moments Facebook group.

Some of you thought this day wouldn’t come, and quite frankly, neither did we at times – but here it is, the much delayed Codec Call Episode XX.  Because of the very slow nature of this podcast arriving, it’s a bumper episode recorded and edited over several weeks, with most of the discussion out of date and totally irrelevant now… don’t let that stop you from listening though, there’s tonnes to get mildly entertained by.      We talk at length in episode XX about: * An awesome Rocket League dev interview between Stuart Cullen (The Scottish Sun) and Jeremy Dunham (VP Marketing and Communications at Psyonix) * Microsoft’s UWP * The Division * #Finishergate * #CodecMomentum’s March winner and a big shoutout to all participants * Hitman – do we like the new game now it’s finally here? * VR price announcements and release info * #RouteMaster * The Codec Moments quiz (by Matt this month) * A competition to win a Metal Gear Rising T-Shirt and Andy’s copy of Killzone Shadow Fall (‘cos he’s never going to finish it) * All the usual games conversation that we’re using to fill 2 hours (yes, it’s really that long, get yourself a cuppa and comfy chair before starting) If you want to enter our giveaway for the below prizes, keep an eye on Twitter and Facebook where we’ll post details (@CodecMoments and facebook.com/CodecMoments), and please leave us a comment below, review on iTunes or podcasting platform of your choice, or holla us on those darn social media spaces – we promise we’ll try to respond faster than the time it took to get this podcast out. Standard Codec Moments competition terms and conditions apply.

It’s that time of the month again… or rather it’s not because we’ve actually managed to record a mid-month podcast with the power of science!  Well, the power of phones, mini amps, mic, audio recorders and podcast editing patience.      In episode XIX (that’s 19 for those whose minds have blanked out the Roman numerals), Matt and Andy talk about: * What people said after the last podcast about VR * Morse code messages! * Games they’ve managed to spend some time with * Firewatch’s authentic 80’s snappy snaps! * A special guest sporting superstar! * Some dodgy stories they stumbled across – like the nefarious VTech hack and the Portable ZX Spectrum * Fallout’s DLC announcement, and what you all think is the best DLC from any game to date * A quick catch up on #CodecMomentum (including a special interjection from our legal counsel) * Our thoughts on the Hitman beta (and Hitman Go) given that we’ve been waiting for this for so long… If you’ve played the Hitman beta and want to let us know your thoughts before the main game comes out (or just have any comments or questions at all), hit us up using @CodecMoments on Twitter, the CodecMoments Facebook group, codec.moments on Skype, or email us using contact-us@codecmoments.com.  We’ll also accept Morse code messages because that last one was just awesome. Until next time…

This month’s podcast is shorter than the last (thankfully!), but still packed with content.  Andy and Matt discuss: * Your feedback – that’s right, people actually listen and let us know what they think * Games from the last month, including Alto’s Adventure, an addictive alpine alpaca chase that’s available on iOS and is coming to Android for free on February 11th.  Yay!  We also spend far too long talking about a free Star Trek mobile game. * A banana powered WiFi password generator * An interview with the up and coming Scottish racing driver Christie Doran * #CodecMomentum and our first monthly winner * The weakest quiz yet (you have been warned)      Enjoy, and if you want to join in remember you can send us an email, morse code or audio message to contact-us@codecmoments.com, find us on Twitter or Facebook under CodecMoments, or even leave us a Skype voicemail… especially if you want to give Andy grief about not finishing Killzone Shadow Fall.   Update: 6th Feb We mentioned in the podcast about sending us a morse code message, never believing anyone would so we wouldn’t have to translate them… how wrong were we?!  Within 5 hours of the podcast going live we had our first morse message, and to celebrate this achievement, it’s posted below.  We’ll add any others we get here too. @MikeTackFilms: “HI ANDY AND MATTHEW VR WILL NEED TO OFFER EXPERIENCES AS WELL AS GAMES SUCH AS VIRTUAL TOURIST OR IMAX TYPE OF EXPERIENCES TO BE MORE THAN A GADGET JUNKED WITHIN ITS YEAR OF RELEASE. CHEERS MIKE TACK”

Happy New Year!  We hope that 2015 was kind to you and that 2016 will be your best year yet.  Matt and Andy got together on New Year’s Eve to discuss the games that surprised and disappointed them in 2015 and to record the latest episode of the Codec Call podcast; it was a jam-packed, bumper-filled edition that went on almost twice as long as the usual ones, so we thought we’d be kind to your ears and split it into two episodes.  In part 2 we cover: * #CodecMomentum update, including the announcement of a new monthly prize draw! * Andy’s #RouteMaster challenge for 2016 – nothing to do with London buses. * We discuss the games of 2015 that surprised and disappointed us. * What we’re looking forward to in 2016!      E-mail or tweet us your thoughts on this episode to contact-us@codecmoments.com or @CodecMoments, especially your #CodecMomentum thoughts and progress, encoruagment for Andy’s #RouteMaster challenge (perhaps you want to join in?) and let us know what games surprised and disappointed you in 2015?  You can also now leave us a voicemail on Skype with your thoughts and ramblings; then you might just get a starring role in the next episode too!

Happy New Year!  We hope that 2015 was kind to you and that 2016 will be your best year yet.  Matt and Andy got together on New Year’s Eve for some couch co-op and to record the latest episode of the Codec Call podcast; it was a jam-packed, bumper-filled edition that went on almost twice as long as the usual ones, so we thought we’d be kind to your ears and split it into two episodes.  In part 1 we cover: * What’s happening with GAME after the recent profit warning? * Just Cause 3 * Batman: Arkham Knight – Season of Infamy DLC * The Sebastian Loeb Rally Evo demo * Fallout 4 * Star Trek: Trexels * Our listeners thoughts on local multiplayer and couch co-op * and we have a quiz based on family gaming!      E-mail or tweet us your thoughts on this episode to contact-us@codecmoments.com or @CodecMoments, especially anything you have to say about the state of GAME and your couch co-op experiences!  You can also now leave us a voicemail on Skype with your thoughts and ramblings; then you might just get a starring role in the next episode too!