leaving early... need some energy drink for tonite... wasn't prepared to go in tonite!!!!!

see you come morning!

have a goodnight at work LL

hiya Lion! how are you? may i have some pie after it is done?

Hi Kate! Well, you could certainly have some if it wasn't already going to go to service with me tomorrow night.

Lion is stuttering now!

hehehe this is really cool!

One of our friends is working on a movie right now with Viggo Mortensen!!! our friend said he is a very nice guy, that he is nice to all the extras and doesn't act like he is better than everyone else

the title of the movie is the name of a type of horse that is yellowish in color, i can't spell it though where is Paints? she would know what kind of horse i mean

KateisLost wrote:

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hehehe this is really cool!

One of our friends is working on a movie right now with Viggo Mortensen!!! our friend said he is a very nice guy, that he is nice to all the extras and doesn't act like he is better than everyone else

the title of the movie is the name of a type of horse that is yellowish in color, i can't spell it though where is Paints? she would know what kind of horse i mean

---

Palomino?

 

Hey peeps
Well it's done.. my first interview is complete, and I have to say it turned out better than I had thought it might. :

Paul Charchian is the host of the weekly video game radio show Video Games Weekly on KFAN radio & is also the guy behind one of the best fantasy sites on the web with his site fanball.com

First Id like to start by thanking you Paul for being the first of what I hope will be a regular interview section for the BAR website. With this Im looking to continue working at getting more interviews with people from all areas of the gaming industry.



1. Xboxbar Paul as a gamer and fan of your radio show Id like to know what its like to be one of the first (if not the first) people to be doing a video game specific program on broadcast radio?



Paul C. Im tremendously fortunate to be in this position. Most sports talk stations dont have a program director like KFANs Chad Abbott, who was willing to take a chance on niche programming that falls outside of the stations comfort zone. Im also blessed to be working with Andy McNamara from Game Informer. Hes as much of an insider as anyone in the industry, and hes very good on the air.



When Abbott gave us the green light to start the show, we had to decide if we wanted a show that was going to skew toward the stations usual listeners interest in sports games (Madden, Tiger, etc), or if we would talk about everything happening in the video game world. We decided upon the latter, believing that our listeners were serious enough gamers to want to hear about everything happening in the industry.



The show has been on the air since May, and weve already tweaked the formula for the show significantly. Weve added some reoccurring topics, and dropped a few others that werent resonating. My favorite addition is the 30 second review feature, in which callers have exactly 30 seconds to give a review of a recently release. Its very fun, and our listeners are getting very good at cramming a lot of thoughtful opinion into 30 seconds.



I really enjoy the show, because Andy and I can cover anything that we feel is important to our listeners. We are unconstrained . We can rejoice in greatness (Bioshock) and deride mediocrity (Lair).



I should also give a tip of the hat to Activision, which had the foresight to sponsor our show, even before we were on the air.



2. Xboxbar How long have you been connected with the gaming industry? Has it only been since the inception of the radio program?



Paul C. Formally, this show is my only sorta-direct connection to the video games industry. Ive published some fantasy sports-related PC titles, and Ive put a lot of fantasy games into the marketplace. Andy threatens to let me write a review some time, but it hasnt happened yet. I suppose when the next Barbies Horse Adventure comes out, hell come knocking.



3. Xboxbar Knowing that you have some Connections with the cool folks at the Game Informer magazine/website and other places Im sure. Have you been privileged enough to get your hands on any games that we have not seen on the store shelves yet? If you have been that lucky can you give us an idea what some of these games coming down the pipeline that you have been Hands on are? *side note* if yes you want to hook me up?



Paul C. The guys at the GI office are tremendously cool and friendly with me. Even though Im not there often, I feel like part of the family, or at least a second cousin. I try not to overstep my bounds with them, and only on rare occasion will I try to look over someones shoulder to get a sneak preview. For the most part, on the show, Andy plays the role of the insider, and I play the role of the everyday gaming geek.



4. Xboxbar Ive been seeing more and more hype and talk on the various sites I read and Ive seen many people thinking that this coming holiday season is going to be the start of the Sony comeback. Do you think that they can overtake the 360 by the new year, and do you think that Microsoft will counter this by finally giving the consumer a real price drop?



Paul C. Sonys arrogance and hubris led them to make a variety of poor choices for the PS3 that continue to hamstring the console today. That said, getting to $399 was critical for the system, and will significantly help sales. But, the PS3 will never be cheaper than the 360 or Wii. Microsoft and Nintendo can always undercut Sony on price. So, Sony remains stuck in the same situation that theyre in now: theyve managed to couple the most expensive console with the least appealing lineup of games. And, that doesnt appear to be changing.

Sony is further hurt because developers don't want to spend millions on a game with a low install base, which further perpetuates a low install base.




5. Xboxbar There are a good deal of fans of the Call of Duty series at BAR and Im wondering a couple things. First did you have the chance to spend time on the Beta, and if so what did you think of the game at that stage of development? Next what would be the one thing you would like to see changed or altered in the game?



Paul C. I really enjoyed the COD4 multiplayer Beta. The game feels tight. The controls work well, and the game responds the way that I want it to. The graphics are great, and the feel is gritty and immersive. Ive heard a rumor that one magazine (not GI) is going to give it a perfect score in the next issue.



6. Xboxbar Is there any one game coming out for the 360 that is maybe a bit of an unknown, but you think can be a sleeper hit that we all should keep our radar set on?



Paul C. For starters, the hyper-addictive Puzzle Quest just came out for XBLA. Its expensive by Live Arcade standards, but its much cheaper than its DS or PSP counterparts. Ive finished it on my PSP twice, and Im restarting it on my 360 now. Heres a promising title that has slipped waaaay under the radar: Culdcept Saga. Its a cross between Monopoly and a collectable card game, like Magic: The Gathering. You and your opponents move across a board, gaining controls of each space on the board. You leave behind monster cards to protect the spaces you control. When an opponent lands on your space, he has to either battle your creature for control of the space, or pay rent. The PS2 version was very fun, and the prospects of playing multiplayer over Live is exciting.



7. Xboxbar Im not sure if youre a parent, but many of us here at BAR are. Im wondering what your take on the ESRB pretty much forcing some games developers to pull content from the games to keep them all within the lower ratings? Do you think that we as adult gamers should have the right to choose if we want to play a game that is rated Mature/Adult Only?



Paul C. Im disappointed with ESRB and the movie rating system. The ratings systems currently in use are very simple, which is undeniably important, but they dont do enough to explain why a game or movie has received its rating. Did a game get an M rating because its an adventure game with a love story that shows a pair of boobs? Or did it get an M rating because the main character saws victims heads off and eats out of the brain pan? A parent with a 15-year-old should be really sensitive to a game that glorifies casual drug use. Consumers are given words like Violence in the rating section, but thats pretty vague. Id like to see consumers presented with more information about the reasons for ratings, so they can apply their parenting values to each game they allow their kids to play.



8. Xboxbar With the record setting debut of Halo 3 of over $300 million in the first week. Is this the sign that the world is finally taking the gaming Industry in a much more serious light? Or is this just an epidemic of fan boys running wild?



Paul C. There arent enough fanboys to account for 5,000,000 game sales in a week! Halos appeal shows that if you meld high production values with well-refined gameplay that appeals to a wide band of gamers, you can build a phenomenon. GTA did it on the PS2; Halo did it on the original Xbox. Rockstar and Microsoft will be challenged to find ways to evolve those franchises as gamers interests grow and change with time.



9. Xboxbar Finally Id like to ask the one overplayed question in just about any gamer to gamer interview. If you were stuck on a deserted island, and could only have one game with you to play what game would that be?



Paul C. The key gameplay element here is replayability without multiplayer. Civilization 4 is my winner. Because of its random maps, varied terrain, and plethora of leadership styles, its got unlimited replayability.


Thats all for now, and Id like to again give a very big thanks to Paul Charchian from KFAN radio and fanball.com for taking time out to answer these questions.

From the staff, members of BAR, and myself Id like to say Thank you again for taking the time to answer these questions.

Sir Snootch



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Video Games Weekly every Wednesday from 9-10:00pm on KFAN.
Fantasy Football Weekly every Saturday from 10-Noon on KFAN.
Or for those in areas outside of the KFAN listening area check out the podcasts, and streaming audio @ www.kfan.com

I didn't spell it right either Kate. LOL. It's Palamino.

KateisLost wrote:

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hehehe this is really cool!

One of our friends is working on a movie right now with Viggo Mortensen!!! our friend said he is a very nice guy, that he is nice to all the extras and doesn't act like he is better than everyone else

the title of the movie is the name of a type of horse that is yellowish in color, i can't spell it though where is Paints? she would know what kind of horse i mean

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awesome!!

hey everyone!

 

Hmm, gottacheck the pie and then get the other one ready to start.

KateisLost wrote:

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awesome job on the interview Snootch!!!!!

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Thanks It feels good to have gotten that one done. Now I know that I don't ask dumb questions or ask good questions but in the wrong way.

LionQueen wrote:

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England? Nice. Anyone here? I gotta go clean my kitchen and then make pumpkin pies. :)

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yum!