It’s the fabulous 250th Episode milestone, and this particular podcast features a major surprise for longtime listeners. Not only is this one of the funniest podcasts in a long while, but there’s plenty of show to go around, too. First, the Gaming Flashback checks out the classic shooter No One Lives Forever, while the Gaming History examines the infamous Gizmondo handheld gaming console.

As for the news:

• Hirai: Sony could be facing “serious trouble“
• Take Two CEO states “strong become stronger” with next-gen transitions
• Developer Starbreeze fears Syndicate may be “too hard“
• Oklahoma state rep wants 1% violent videogame tax
• Ubisoft cuts off legit players With DRM server migration

There’s no Question of the Week, but we’re definitely sure there will be plenty of comments for the podcast hosts.

For those of you good at math, you might notice that the TD Gaming Podcast is one episode away from a special number. While we have a surprise in store for loyal listeners, there’s still this week’s news to discuss. For starters, the classic Silent Hill 2 is the subject of the Gaming Flashback, even though none of the podcasters have gotten a chance to actually play it.

There’s also some interesting news to discuss, including:

• Christian group accuses The Old Republic of “warping kids” with pro-gay message
• Rumor: Next Harmonix project being released on XBLA, PSN, and Facebook
• EA Sports: SSX will bring extreme sports videogames back to prominence
• Xbox 720 rumors springing up like wildfire
• PS Vita continues to struggle in Japan
• SNK brings Neo*Geo back as a handheld

There’s plenty of Reader Feedback, but there’s no Question of the Week, because there’s a special episode coming up. Ooooh, what could it possibly be?

As the podcast approaches the magic 250th episode, Paul, Jordan and Jonah check out some of the big news that hit this week in the land of videogames, and in the Gaming Flashback, looked back at an all-time worst game, Superman 64.

This week’s news includes:

• ESA drops SOPA support (via Herr Alien)
• R18+ bill to be voted on by Australian Parliament on 7th February
• Vita sales continue to freefall in Japan
• Guild Wars 2 open beta this Spring, launching in 2012
• Starbreeze states they don’t look at games from a genre perspective anymore

All this and Reader Feedback, as well as the Question of the Week, “What do you look for in a sequel?”

Despite having multiple technical difficulties that were edited out of the podcast, Episode 247 is full of gaming discussion goodness, despite Paul’s constant declaration that companies are full of bullbleep.

This week’s gaming news includes:

• Bioware confirms Mass Effect 3 is Origin-only
• Electronic Arts passed $1B in digital sales in 2011
• The Lund Report for the December 2011 NPD
• Gaikai: Sony or Microsoft won’t have next-gen console
• Thief 4 rumored to have multiplayer
• Videogame industry companies shutting down to protest SOPA

This plus two reader mails and the Question of the Week, “What was the first multiplayer gaming you ever enjoyed?”

CES 2012 is going strong, as Jonah and Jordan do tonight’s podcast without Paul, who is packing for a trip. This week’s Gaming Flashback is the notorious Custer’s Revenge, and a punch of intriguing news and rumors comprise this week’s topics:

• Fallout MMO rights belong to Bethesda as Interplay settles
• Pachter sez there’s “zero chance” of PS4 at E3 2012
• Rumor: Next Xbox tablet-based?
• Rumor: Kaz Hirai to return as president of Sony
• Diablo III release held due to South Korea (from GameFront)

Plenty of Reader Feedback this week, which is good because we forgot to include a Question of the Week this time.

This week is double-stuffed full of goodness, with over two hours of podcast, as Jonah, Paul and Jordan cover not only the news of the last week, but also recap 2011, talking about games that pleased and disappointed them.

Aside from the biggest news of 2011, the current news items the gang listed to include:

• Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony all pull support from SOPA – sort of
• Wii U launch price expected to be $399
• Guitar Hero may return in 2012
• Judge ruling deals Silicon Knights a serious blow in suit against Epic Games
• FlatOut 3 dev calls Modern Warfare 3 a “beta“
• Bioware defends The Old Republic subscription model, teases free-to-play for older IPs

The podcast also received a ton of new Reader Feedback, while the Question of the Week is “Which would you rather game on – a handheld console or a mobile device?”

It’s the final podcast of 2011, as Jonah, Jordan and Paul will not be podcasting next week. However, there’s plenty of news, reader feedback and a Gaming Flashback of the terrible PlayStation One game, Irritating Stick.

The news for this week includes:

• EA selling virtual car for $100 in NFS World
• Modern Warfare 3 beats Avatar
• Naughty Dog: Move to next-gen is “terrifying“
• Star Wars: The Old Republic sales could already be 1.5M
• Man sues Sony for ToS update forbidding suing
• Nintendo only showing E3 Wii U demos at CES 2012

The question of the week is “What game are you most interested in for 2012?” Let us know what you think, and see you in 2012.

The latest episode, which is on the short side after having a really long one two weeks ago, sees Paul returning from the flu with somewhat of a shady attitude this week. Meanwhile, the Gaming Flashback is the 1976 coin-op arcade game Blockade.

The news for this week includes:

• Gabe Newell teases something for E3 2012 with a “3” in it
• Richard Garriott working on Ultima successor
• Microsoft includes “do not class action sue us” clause for Xbox Live
• Bizarre circumstances surround GSC Game World

All that plus Reader Feedback and the Question of the Week, “What was your favorite handheld game?”

Since Paul is not in this week’s episode, Jonah and Jordan do the podcast completely nude, to help boost ratings. While being naked, rather than a Gaming Flashback, this week is a Gaming Preview, and Jonah and Jordan discuss the recently announced South Park: The Game, developed by Obsidian.

The other news covered includes:

• Electronic Arts responds to expiring Online Pass issues
• Bethesda: Divided memory pool causes lag for Skyrim PS3
• Sony claims Uncharted series has 13M sales lifetime
• Skyrim Creation Kit landing in January
• Sony: PlayStation Network now has as high a “world-leading security system” there is

There’s also some Reader Feedback and the Question of the Week is “Have you ever taken a console with you on vacation (not handheld)?”

This week features a long podcast, as there’s a ton of news to report. Jonah tries air quotes on a pure audio podcast, while Paul refuses to believe The Legend of Zelda: Skyword Sword failed to hit the top 10 in software sales.

In addition, the Gaming Flashback checks out the JRPG Ys.

This week’s news includes:

• Ubisoft polling gamers for next Assassin’s Creed setting
• Electronic Arts bans a user for saying “badass”
• Newell: Piracy is “almost always a service problem” and not price, DRM agitates
• Christwire makes mock petition asking Pres. Obama ban Skyrim
• Holiday shopping madness sees woman pepper spraying for 360
• Microsoft refunds victims of Marketplace phishing scam

All this, and a bunch of reader feedback, as well as the Question of the Week: “Did you buy videogames as holiday gifts for friends and family?” Let us know.

It’s the episode just before Thanksgiving, and both Jordan and Paul have new jobs, as the latter settles into his new Los Angeles home. This week’s Gaming Flashback is the Atari 2600 game Kaboom!

The guys also discuss the following news items:

• EA targeted for class action suit over Battlefield 3 PS3 bait and switch
• Modern Warfare 3 makes $775M in 5 days
• Square-Enix officially opens Montreal studio
• Blockbuster has “ramped up the rental” of games, getting an “awful lot of support”
• Rockstar eager to return to Bully IP

The question of the week: “How do you buy games most often these days: retail, online retailer, or digital distributor?”

This week, Paul is too busy unpacking in his new home in California, so it’s just Jonah and Jordan, as the news mainly deals with DRM. The Gaming Flashback this week is the Activision racer The Great American Cross-Country Road Race, while this week’s Gaming History doesn’t focus on a video game company or developer, but a fictional character instead, Mario’s favorite mount, Yoshi.

The news this week includes:

• EA forum bans cause game bans
• Research film states piracy’s up 20% in past 5 years
• GOG sez customers hate DRM
• Steam user database cracked
• Uncharted 3 launches with 1.1M sold in first week

All that plus Reader Feedback and the Question of the Week, “What DRM would you tolerate?”

This week’s episode is also abbreviated, as Jordan is somewhere in Pennsylvania looking for a gingerbread house while Paul is still trying to pack his entire NES library into a single suitcase. Jonah and Paul still got in enough time to do a Gaming Flashback on Thief: The Dark Project, and the following news items:

• Steam forums hacked
• Xbox 360 failure rate down to 10%
• Sony revamps< PSN sharing policy
• BioWare and EA send cease-and-desist order to NeoGAF over Mass Effect 3 spoilers

All this and Reader Feedback, too, as well as a new Question of the Week, “If you have the opportunity to read or view a highly anticipated game’s story months before it was released, would you do it or would you deliberately turn it away to preserve yourself from spoilers?” Let us know!

This week’s episode is abbreviated due to Paul’s move to California, and various Halloween delays. That’s not to say there’s no great stuff in the show, as there are some big debates about privacy and bugs.

The news this week includes:

• Electronic Arts insists that Origin is not spyware
• Rumor: Grand Theft Auto V to be download only?
• Dev: Sword of the Stars II is a “turnip“

All that, and Paul feels older thanks to the Reader Feedback.

Question of the Week this time is non-videogame related: What’s your favorite vacation spot?

This week, Paul is not around, as Jonah Falcon and Jordan Lund discuss the latest news, which includes pandas. Lots and lots of pandas. That, and a Gaming History profile on David Crane.

The news this week includes:

• World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria announced
• Sony: April PSN outage has resulted in improved service
• Deep Silver: “There is a clear technology gap“
• Starcraft II DOTA mod will remain free but monetized
• “Literally, there’s three of us” on console Diablo III
• Minecraft dev wins interim injunction over Scrolls name

With that is Reader Mail and the Queston of the Week: What was your favorite Atari 2600 game?

This week features a spirited debate between Jonah Falcon and Paul S. Nowak on the Catwoman DLC story below. There is no Gaming Flashback, but there is the following news items:

• The Lund Report: September 2011 NPD
• Catwoman requires online pass to play in Arkham City
• DICE: Battlefield 3 is ‘mission accomplished’ despite beta concerns
• EA defends cop killing in Battlefield 3
• Legit Forza 4 users banned for “pirated” copies
• Xbox Live Accounts scammed for FIFA DLC

The Question of the Week is When was the last time you bought a game you knew nothing about?

A microphone issue during the podcast made Jonah’s voice thin and tinny. That, and Paul not in the podcast, flying to California to enjoy Disneyland, makes this an episode to forget. It’s unfortunately, since it’s one of the better podcasts in terms of content. The Gaming Flashback this week is Leisure Suit Larry in The Land of the Lounge Lizards.

The news this week includes:

• Netflix drops Qwikster
• Xbox 720 popping up on LinkedIn resumes
• 320GB hard drive announced for Xbox 360
• Rocksteady: Superman “bad fit” for videogame
• Bethesda: We were “forced” to sue Mojang

We also received some great Reader Feedback as well. Next week, we promise to have great sound – or at least not so tinny.

This week’s episode has bad audio quality, but excellent audio content as the podcast returns from a virus infected layoff. The Gaming Flashback this week looks to the 2001 GameCube launch title Luigi’s Mansion, while Paul and Jonah continue to snipe at each other while Jordan giggles.

This week’s news items include:

• Sony: Euro debt crisis will have “huge impact”
• EA adopts “no class action” clause in Terms of Service
• Bethesda denied Fallout MMO injunction
• Bioware considering Mass Effect MMO?
• Perman: Onlive will be last dedicated console platform

This week’s Question of the Week, “What was your favorite controller of all time, PC or console?” Keep tuning in!

This week, there’s no Gaming Flashback or Gaming History, but there is a ton of news and Reader Feedback as Paul is finally present to react to some hate mail.

The news includes some huge items, like:

• No PSN unless you waive lawsuit
• Netflix adds game rentals to Qwikster
• DC Universe Online goes free-to-play
• Xbox Live officially a part of Windows 8
• Microsoft: Xbox TV this Fall
• Rogers Cable ordered to stop throttling gamers
• Nintendo and Valve say no to smartphone games

The Question of the Week: What was the very first home videogame you ever played?

Paul has some angry comments, Jonah has some angry comments, while Jordan just chuckles and makes a Freudian mistake. In between complaints, the Gaming Flashback looks at the Amiga classic Syndicate, and the following news items:

• The Lund Report: August 2011 NPD
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 PC controversy rages
• THQ: Next-gen consoles will be discless
• Quantic Dreams claims they lost 10M euro on used games
• 3DS sales jump 260% following price drop
• Syndicate reboot finally confirmed and unveiled by EA

Finally, the Question of the Week: What was the most disappointing remake or reboot of a game you’ve played? All that and Reader Feedback, too.

This week, Jonah Falcon rants about the bosses in Deus Ex: Human Revolution while Jordan Lund expresses a desire for cold, rainy weather. This week’s Gaming Flashback is The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, with the following news items:

• Lord British wants to make another Ultima, EA not so much
• Crytek rebukes “unlawful layoff” claims
• Gabe Newell wants Steam on Xbox Live Marketplace
• DICE addresses console “limitations” in Battlefield 3
• Black Ops map packs hit 18 million sold
• Sony targets teens with new PSP
• Angry Birds PS Mini problems

The guys also read more reader mail, and pose this week’s Question of the Week: What was the worst game mechanic you ever dealt with in a game you liked?

It’s another brief episode as frictions rise between New Yorkers Jonah Falcon and Paul S. Nowak, while Washington State native Jordan Lund looks on. This week’s gaming flashback in the Nintendo 64′s The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, as well as the following news items:

• GameStop pulls PC copies of Deus Ex: Human Revolution off the shelves
• Penny Arcade Adventures returns
• Epic Mickey 2 leaked
• Electronic Arts rewords controversial Origin EULA

This week’s Question of the Week: Are you interested in Epic Mickey 2?

This week is a shorter-than-usual show as Paul S. Nowak is away on a birthday vacation. Instead, Jonah and Jordan discuss the Sega Saturn game Burning Rangers, and the following news topics:

• Dragon Age III will be a ‘mix’ of the first two games
• GameStop developing console and PC game streaming
• Is the Xbox 720 chip set?
• Sony on when they’ll consider the PS4
• Developer sez industry is failing female gamers

There’s also reader feedback and the Question of the Week: What do you look for first in a game’s bullet-point features? Also, check out some of the outtakes after the show ends.

Paul is a sleepy boy this week, as Jordan finally erupts in disgust over criticism of the PlayStation Vita. Instead of a Gaming Flashback, the guys check out the upcoming indie adventure game To the Moon.

They also discuss the following news items:

• The Lund Report: July 2011 NPD
• Developer: “People don’t want PS Vita”
• Noel Gallagher blames video games for London riots
• Epic may ban people who spoil Gears of War 3 online
• Intel hiring sci-fi writers to drive technology

We also get some reader feedback, and this week’s Question: What games, if any, did you find yourself dreaming about playing that you already owned? Write in and tell us!

This week’s episode is light on news but heavy on features, as the Gaming Flashback checks in on the coin-op arcade classic I, Robot, while the Gaming History takes a look at the career of Danielle Bunten Berry.

As for the news, the gang comments on the following items:

• New Mass Effect 3 multiplayer rumors arise
• Duke Nukem Forever profitable for Take 2
• Bethesda says Xbox 720 three years away

This week’s Question of the Week: What board games, if any, do you love to play? Let us know!