This week we’re flashing back to Zaxxon and into a bit of a reflective history on the NES Satellite accessory. We reflect upon how bad Don sucks at Mass Effect and get tips from the community. We’re also checking in on some news this week including:

• Microsoft Xbox 360 Outsells PS3 and Wii in Japan
• Nintendo DSi not competing with cell phones or iPods
• PlayStation 3 hard to develop for on purpose
• EA admits they need to try harder
• Killzone 2 sells 750k after launch
• Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li KO’ed at theaters
• Tabula Rasa MMO Shutting Down After 1.5 years
• Xbox Live Bans Gay Gamers

We’re also asking a few questions of the week, you can answer them all, one or none (but we’ll give you sad face)! What’s your favorite video game accessory since you started gaming, what actor can make a video game movie a success?

Read original blog post

Episode 53, got it. (Yeah, when I said I was caught up, I didn't mean totally caught up. ';D)

Favorite video game accessory? A small device that squirted blood at you. (Kidding.)

This is very retro, but my favorite accessory was for the Intellivision system, and it was a “speech pack”, I believe it was called Intellivoice, but apparently I'm too lazy to Google it and find out for sure. You plugged it into the cartridge slot, and then plugged the cartridge into the Intellivoice. If I remember correctly, it had its own little speaker, separate from the sounds coming out of the TV speakers.

I only ever played one game with it, “Bomb Squad,” and it wasn't that great a game. Basically you were given vocal instructions on how to defuse the bomb, and as long as you didn't screw up, it would… y'know what? You don't want to hear about the game, sorry about that.

Anyway, the voices weren't quite as clear as a cheap drive-through speaker. (At the end, I'm not sure whether the guy said “You're a hero!” or “Order gyros!”) In fact, the old Speak & Spell would give this a run for its money. But I still thought it was cool.

As for what actor can make a video game movie a blockbuster? It depends on if it's live action or CGI. I don't think it's possible to turn a video game into a live-action blockbuster. But I think CGI might be do-able. I'd like to see Blizzard make a Warcraft movie, using the CGI artists who do their pre-rendered cutscenes, and get voice talent like John Rhys-Davies, Patrick Stewart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and um… the Blizzard guy who did the orc voice from the game. Zug zug! (That guy's voice was you-bick-wit-us.)