PSU.com - PlayStation Unchained

Unchained Special: How to (and NOT to) review a game

Unchained takes a break from its usual episodes this week for another great special, and perhaps one of the most insightful podcast episodes PSU has released. PSU staff members Dane Smith, Glenn Gordon, Bryan King, and (eventually) Ernest Lin walk the world through their own processes, from start to finish for reviewing a video game. They disclose how games are scored, what reviewers look for, and the importance of reviewing games fairly. They even discuss how much Sony and/or Microsoft really pay reviewers for their reviews, in response to many Internet comments.

They also go into what's wrong with current Internet-based game reviews, and why certain sites (yes, they get specific) are less than trustworthy.

This is a must-listen for any gamer, and we hope you enjoy it. Tune in next week for episode 56 of PlayStation Unchained.

Racial Diversity Gaming Hour 34: Final Fantasy XV is mantastic

The most racially diverse gaming crew on the Internet is back with episode 34 of RDGH! Join Glenn Gordon, Ben Shillabeer-Hall, and Garri Bagdasarov this week as they discuss this very interesting past week in gaming.

Destiny was DDoSed for a little while by LizardSquad, the same group who attacked PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, and other online networks not long ago. Also, VGchartz has released some interesting sales figures for the big three consoles. What does it all mean?

Evolution has announced two Driveclub PS4 bundles for Europe (not for North America), and the crew thinks Evolution could have done better.

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were announced recently, along with an interesting claim from Apple that had some people declaring the end of consoles as we know it. The RDGH crew thinks that's a load of bull, and happily explains why.

Also, the world finally got another taste of Final Fantasy XV, and of course, it arrives with some form of controversy. The crew talks about the upcoming title and the controversy around it

This week's opening theme, "iPhone," is a parody of Maroon 5's "Payphone," which is available now on iTunes and other music stores. The parody is by YouTube's "RenderCrew." Hear the full song there, and subscribe to RenderCrew's channel for more great stuff! The ending theme is the famous chocobo fight song.

All this and more comprises the latest episode of RDGH. Follow us on Twitter @TheRDGH, and be sure to tweet us what you would like to hear us discuss or discuss with us on the air!

Enjoy, and don't be a racist.

PlayStation Unchained 55: Destiny, Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, and Destiny

Unchained is back with episode 55 and former PSU podcaster Don Oliveira! Join him, Ben Shillabeer-Hall, and host Mike Harradence for great news and discussions about the past week in PlayStation gaming.

This week, we talk about Lizard Squad's DDoS attack against Destiny, as well as the game's sales, its less-than-stellar reviews, and how it has been affecting PS4 sales. We also discuss Final Fantasy Type 0 HD, which is going to come to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One soon!

Props as well to the PlayStation 4 and those who made it for taking the title of Asia's fastest-selling console, beating even the PlayStation 2.

Enjoy, and tune in next week for another great episode of PlayStation Unchained! Remember, for the greatest news in PlayStation gaming, stick with PSU.com.

PlayStation Unchained 54: Batman: Arkham Knight to be PS4 Exclusive... In One Country

PlayStation fans rejoice; Unchained has returned with episode 54! Glenn Gordon, Garri Bagdasarov, and your host, Ben Shillabeer-Hall, are here to discuss this past week in PlayStation gaming.

PS4 has reached a special milestone in the UK, previously one of PlayStation's weaker territories, and Destiny is doing great for its first week, especially for the PS4. German luxury and performance automaker Mercedes-Benz has added something to upcoming racer Driveclub, and it'll be free for everyone.

Batman: Arkham Knight is going to be a PS4 exclusive. Don't go crazy though, because that's an incomplete thought and the vast majority of Xbox One gamers will be completely unaffected.

The Vita is getting some love at TGS (see RDGH this week) but Sony's line of Xperia mobile devices could be poised to kill the handheld's momentum.

There's plenty more than you see here, so follow us on Twitter @PSUnchained, find a comfortable spot, and click play. Tune in next Monday for another great episode.

Racial Diversity Gaming Hour 33: Early Destiny Reviews Aren't That Great; NPD Results

Happy Monday! Episode 33 of RDGH has arrived, and with Destiny live and kicking and August's NPD results in, there's plenty to talk about as usual. Join host Glenn Gordon, Ben Shillabeer-Hall, Garri Bagdasarov, and Fraser Miller for great video game news and discussions.

First, Sony Denmark decided to "troll" Microsoft, but the two entities seem rather friendly! Then, we take a look at how Xbox is doing in Japan, and how the mystifying and now infamous parity clause in ID@Xbox's contracts has chased away another game.

Sony has also released a list of all the games it will present at Tokyo Game Show 2014, and Microsoft is planning to buy Majong, the developer behind Minecraft--or at least it was at the time of recording, which was yesterday, the 14th of September. As of today, the purchase has been confirmed. Tune in next week for more on that.

Destiny's first reviews haven't met expectations, meanwhile--but those who play the game seem to love it. Is something wrong with reviews, and with reviewers? Speaking of which, Glenn has a beef with IGN.

Of course, we also discuss the latest NPD results. Spoiler alert: Sony's still ahead--but perhaps not by as much as it was before!

Our intro music, of course, is the infamous "Troll Song," as the Internet has renamed it, in honor of Sony's and Microsoft's charming antics. If you want to hear it, search either "Troll Song" or "Trololol" on YouTube. You'll find it. The ending this week is "Shadow World," the theme from Persona 4 Golden. You can buy the P4, P4 Arena, and P4G soundtracks on Amazon (P4, P4A), CDJapan.co.jp (P4G), and other reputable Internet stores, but they are mainly sold as physical CDs and imported from Japan.

All of this and more comprises the latest epsiode of RDGH. Tweet us @TheRDGH if you have something to say--we'll read it on the air. Enjoy, and don't be a racist.

Unchained Special: Tokyo Game Show is Coming!

As part of our move to Mondays, we're skipping a normal episode (though we released episode 53 this past Friday). That doesn't stop our very own Dane Smith from taking the microphone alongside Ben Shillabeer-Hall and Bryan King to lead a discussion about the upcoming Tokyo Game Show! Sony has already impressed with conferences outside of the show, and intends to have one more the day before TGS begins, just for the Asian market. What's going to happen? We don't know, but we're all excited amidst the amazing surprises developers have already thrown our way.

If you're as excited for Tokyo Game show as we are, comment below or tweet us @PSUdotcom.

Racial Diversity Gaming Hour 32: Happy Destiny Week! :D

It's Destiny week! One of the most anticipated games of the year launches this week, and the most racially diverse gaming crew on the Internet has plenty Destiny-related tidbits to share about it! Join Glenn Gordon (who came to host even though he has been sick), Ben Shillabeer-Hall, and Garri Bagdasarov as they discuss what has been an interesting week for both Sony and Microsoft in the gaming world.

Lizard Squad, the cybercrime group that performed DDoS attacks on multiple Internet-based companies including PlayStation Network and Xbox Live, has announced that it is disbanding after what appears to be the arrests of some of its key members. Is Lizard Squad gone for good?

Sony is planning to invest in PlayStation Network. Watch through the rest of the fiscal year with us as we keep an eye on its plans.

Xbox One finally launched in Japan this past week. How successful do you think Microsoft will be in a market where its reputation exists about as much as the Destiny fragrance it tried to advertise?

That Destiny ad was a big no-no, and though it's now gone, the crew thinks it hurt Microsoft much more than it helped.

A huge shoutout and thank-you to @SZLoc for allowing us to use "The Identity Song!" We promise to "use the hell out of it" when we can! The intro song is one we've used before. It's from the soundtrack for Ubisoft's Speed Busters racing game.

All of this and more comprises this latest episode of RDGH! If you have something to add, we'd love to hear it! Send us a tweet @TheRDGH!

PlayStation Unchained 53: PS3 Gamers Love Porn

Unchained is back, and your host, Mike Harradence, brings some interesting topics to the table, as well as Ben Shillabeer-Hall and Dane Smith!

Dragon Age's multiplayer mode has been announced, Assassin's Creed Unity has been delayed, Grand Theft Auto V may NOT be releasing on November 1 after all, and PlayStation gamers find some pretty interesting things to do with their consoles. Stick around as well for reviews.

Check back on Monday for a special Tokyo Game Show podcast hosted by Dane, as well as a new episode of the Racial Diversity Gaming Hour, and follow us on Twitter @PSUnchained. For the greatest news in PlayStation gaming, keep it at PSU.com.

Racial Diversity Gaming Hour 31: Destiny is Gold, Captain America's Black...

Gamers rejoice; RDGH 31 has arrived! This week, the most racially diverse gaming crew on the Internet comprises host Glenn Gordon, Ben Shillabeer-Hall, Garri Bagdasarov, and our favorite injured shapeshifter, Fraser Miller, and as always, they have some interesting things to talk about!

A fellow gamer from N4G had an interesting comment about the whole Tomb Raider thing. Does the infamous "Internet Gaming Community" hurt or help games? Also, Destiny, one of the most anticipated games of 2014 so far, has finally gone gold! September 9 can't come soon enough!

Not only that, but there's some news in Marvel's universe that makes even the RDGH crew look away from gaming for a moment.

Our intro music this week is called "Hack That," a parody of "Smack That" by Akon. It was made by ItsAllMinecraft on YouTube (that's right, it's not actually about computer hacking). We love the song and we think you will too, so prove us right by buying it on iTunes and checking out the rest of his great Minecraft-related music on his YouTube channel!

Our ending music is "The Identity Song" by SZ Loc and Digs on YouTube. He has some great music there as well, so be sure to subscribe and support him, and follow him on Twitter @SZLoc.

If you know of any other musicians with music worth promoting, tweet us @TheRDGH! Brownie points if it's gaming-related!

All of this and more makes the latest episode of RDGH. Be sure to follow that Twitter of ours, and tweet us if you have something to say or something you'd like us to discuss. Leave us a review somewhere and tweet us a link to it. We'll read your tweets and reviews on the air!

Stay tuned next Monday (September 1, 2014) for episode 32, and whatever you do, don't be a racist.

PlayStation Unchained 52: Destiny is Gold, Its Servers are Green...

PSU's stellar crew is back with episode 52 of PlayStation Unchained! This episode marks a full year of PlayStation Unchained content, not counting the special episodes! Thanks for listening, and we hope you continue to do so!

This week, Ben takes the reigns along with Dane Smith and Paul Kelly to discuss the latest news and reviews in the world of PlayStation. The zombie movement continues (perhaps a little too far) with GTA 5: Zombie Outbreak. There's discussion of Silent Hills, and the game that Sony promises to be pee-your-pants scary, PT. In addition, shortly after the announcement that Destiny has gone gold (i.e. is being prepared for shipping), PSU has learned that Bungie is activating Destiny's servers ahead of the game's scheduled September 9 launch. Are you excited? We're excited.

In addition, there are plenty of reviews and good-natured banter to enjoy, so be sure to tune in and tell your friends!

Also, follow us @PSUnchained, and tune in next week and beyond for plenty more. Remember, for the greatest news in PlayStation gaming, stick to PSU.com.