The File-N-Forget Podcast returns this week as we ramp up for our upcoming E3 coverage. With Metal Gear Solid 4 now established in the market and fans going gaga over it, Ron and Shawn give their quick impressions of it along with Battlefield: Bad Company and Alone in the Dark.

Bigger questions loom however as we discuss the state of E3 and what we think might happen in years to come.

There are also Rants & Raves to make the fanboys happy.

This weeks show is available by direct download here.

As always, you can get past episodes from our podcast page at http://podcast.filefront.com, and you can send your comments, questions, suggestions, or snarky comments to podcast@filefront.com.

File-N-Forget is also available on the iTunes Music Store.

Marketing did a fine job with Battlefield: Bad Company, and moving forward they’ve got their work cut out for them with Battlefield Heroes. DICE executive producer Ben Cousins gave some insight into the market they’ll be targeting with Heroes, which they call the “frustrated restricteds.”

“So who is Battlefield Heroes for? The marketing guys love to come up with snappy titles for market segments. The market segment they came up with for us was ‘frustrated restricteds’ – people who really want to play full games, and aspire to be gamers,” Cousins said during his keynote at GDC Paris, reports GI.biz.

“But they’re restricted in some way, and this makes them frustrated. Maybe they’re restricted by money, time or skill?

“For example, a 15 year-old boy who can’t afford a PS3 – he’s desperate to play Call of Duty, but can’t afford the console. Maybe a 30-35 year-old guy who is a new dad, who used to play games, but is restricted by time. Or maybe a new gamer who loves the idea of playing games but heard that all people who play multiplayer games are really skilled.”

I hardly fit into any of those categories, and I’m still interested in playing Heroes. And I’m hardly the only one who fits that bill, so won’t all of us self-proclaimed hardcore gamers throw off the curve for the people Cousins is referring to? It’ll be interesting to see how DICE handles that aspect of the matchmaking process.

Great lineup of games for this week’s 1UP Show, with three big name games fighting for your attention. You can expect Dan Hsu to get the answers to your questions about Gears 2 directly from the face of the franchise, Cliff Bleszinski.

If that’s not your thing, then perhaps a little Battlefield: Bad Company talk will interest you? I think the general consensus is that the game’s trailers have been hilarious — who doesn’t like poking fun at Metal Gear Solid, Rainbow Six and Gears of War, after all? — but that won’t count for much if the game doesn’t live up to the franchise’s name. David Ellis and Shawn Elliott will discuss.

And finally, the newest addition to the lineup of 1UP podcasts, 1UP FM, gets a major plug during the segment featuring Atari’s Alone in the Dark.

Now make with the downloading and check out this week’s 1UP Show in the format of your choice:

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There’s simultaneous a lot and not very much on the PlayStation Store this week. There’s a new character for PAIN, the painful “I am Murloc” World of Warcraft single for Guitar Hero III, two demos, and all sorts of other stuff. And yet it doesn’t feel particularly substantial, but perhaps I’ve simply become spoiled in a world of multiple downloadable game releases on Xbox Live Arcade, Virtual Console and WiiWare every week. (Of course, you could make the argument that there’s more garbage released on those platforms, but that’s besides the point.)

Rock Band gets a crapton of Weezer and Pixies songs, including a full album from the latter group. As usual, the music is very hit-or-miss, as you like their music or you don’t. Likewise, if you don’t like sports, you probably won’t care for the pair of demos — Hot Shots Golf and Top Spin 3.

Hit the break for a look at the full list of content.

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The console-exclusive Battlefield: Bad Company was released this week, and PC owners are waiting for the free-to-play Battlefield Heroes as I write this. As if that weren’t enough, DICE executive producer Ben Cousins confirmed at GDC Paris yesterday that there are five Battlefield games in development — although you won’t be seeing them all released worldwide.

The first, of course, is Battlefield Heroes, but you already know all about that. One of the remaining Battlefield titles is a collaboration with Neowiz which will be targeting the market in Korea. Electronic Arts holds a 19% stake in Neowiz, which is the company that operates FIFA Online in Korea.

“Since the start of this year I’ve been working as executive producer for the entire Battlefield franchise – we’ve got five titles in development at the moment, which is probably more than you expect,” Cousins said at the conference.

He wasn’t particularly forthcoming with details on the other games, but hopefully one of them is a true Battlefield 3. 2142 was fun, but it certainly wasn’t a major advancement for the series.

via GamesIndustry.biz

The trailers for Bad Company have been hilarious, particularly the ones mocking games like Metal Gear Solid, Rainbow Six, and Gears of War. The launch trailer for the game is also pretty funny. Plus, it’s got a tank chasing a golf cart, and you really can’t go wrong with that. Throw in some sarcasm, and you’re guaranteed to have a solid game trailer. That’s a little free tip for anyone out there in PR land. Having a solid marketing campaign will help sell your game, even if it isn’t the greatest thing in the world. (Which I still don’t feel like Bad Company is.)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LnmR1X3G9I[/youtube]

Already having slapped Metal Gear Solid right upside its head in hilarious fashion, two new trailers for Battlefield: Bad Company have been released, each poking fun at another big name game. I’d recommend watching this Gears of War trailer before watching the trailer above as a refresher so that you know what’s being made fun of. As for the Rainbow Six one, it’s simply a matter of having played any R6 game or ever having seen SWAT-style hand gestures being made.

The Gears one was much funnier in my opinion, but they’re both quite good. As I remarked previously, hopefully the game’s humor lives up to this marketing campaign; I haven’t played enough of the game yet to tell if it has, but I’ll say this: I haven’t laughed out loud at anything in the game through the first level, so take that as you will.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK9wPfUB0ak[/youtube]

Loads of different titles are coming out starting tomorrow, and we have the full list for you right here. Looks like it is going to be an interesting week in gaming, so let us know what you plan on purchasing.

June 22

• Guitar Hero: On Tour (DS)
• Rock Band (Wii)
• Rock Band: Special Edition (Wii)

June 23

• American Girl Kit Mystery Challenge (DS)
• Battlefield: Bad Company (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Battlefield: Bad Company Gold Edition (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath (Xbox 360)
• Supreme Commander(Xbox 360)
• The SimCity Box (PC)
• The Sims 2: IKEA Home Stuff (PC)
• Top Spin 3 (DS, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii)

June 24

• 1 vs. 100 (DS)
• Alone in the Dark (PC, PS2, Xbox 360, Wii)
• Baseball Mogul 09 (PC)
• Big Beach Sports (Wii)
• Cake Mania 2 (DS)
• Elements (PC)
• Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift (DS)
• Gears of War: Refresh (Xbox 360)
• Gourmet Chef (DS)
• Hail to the Chimp (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Hellboy: The Science of Evil (PSP, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker X Ninja (DS)
• Mega Man Star Force 2: Zerker X Saurian (DS)
• Midnight Play Pack (DS)
• My Weight Loss Coach (DS)
• Naruto Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress (PSP)
• Operation Darkness (Xbox 360)
• Overlord: Raising Hell (PS3)
• Purr Pals (Wii)
• Wall-E    (DS, PC,PSP, PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360)

June 26

• Deadliest Catch: Alaskan  Storm (PC)

June 27

• In the Shadow of the Raven 2 (PC)
• Samurai Warriors 2 (PC)

All release dates are subject to availability, so some may be in stores on the day listed, the day before, or the day after so check with wherever you purchase your games because shipping times vary.

Ubisoft has unveiled a new trailer for the upcoming Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway. This video shows off once of the newest features in this latest installment in the series: destructible cover. Based off this video, the destructible environments already look better than even Battlefield: Bad Company, with certain objects disintegrating piece by piece. We’ll have to see if this one can keep the World War II genre slightly fresh when it comes out.

The new Battlefield: Bad Company trailers are pretty funny, especially the one you see above poking fun at a certain tactic employed by Solid Snake. Hopefully the game itself turns out to be as funny as the ads; otherwise, that’d be mighty disappointing to see a game’s humor get outclassed by some videos.

In addition to the ‘Eye Patch’ trailer, you can find the new ‘Run Wild’ trailer right here. It’s not quite as topical and doesn’t include any special military barrels, but it’s still got me very excited to get my hands on the actual game next Wednesday.

“Why would he do that? That’s as stupid as hidin’ in a cardboard box.”