Episode 410: Shady Nintendo

This week’s episode features Paul guest-hosting, joining Jonah and Scott. The only real drama comes when Paul defends Nintendo’s shady policy of deleting levels without any warning.

This week’s news items include:

  • Nintendo is deleting people’s Mario Maker stages without telling them why
  • Vivendi’s takeover of Ubisoft looms
  • Square Enix announces upcoming Hitman game will be going fully episodic
  • Former game developer accused of being a spy released from Iranian prison

Question of the Week: “What is your favorite mobile/social game?”

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Episode 274: ShrinkydinksEpisode 274: Shrinkydinks

This week’s episode features the crew heavily reminiscing about videogames that first got them excited about the hobby, while Jordan Lund surprisingly takes a contrary opinion that shocks the other podcasters. In addition to videogame news, the Gaming History takes a look at the Nintendo 64DD.

This week’s news includes:

  • Star Wars: The Old Republic going free-to-play in Fall
  • Report: Next Xbox console will support Windows 8
  • Paul Dini no longer penning Rocksteady Batman games
  • 2K exec thinks photorealism is necessary for emotional games
  • Borderlands 2 worldwide release will be “uncut

This week’s Question of the Week, “When was the first time that you really got into video games?”

Analyst Draws Connection To Netflix Growth and 360 GoldAnalyst Draws Connection To Netflix Growth and 360 Gold

netflixThe famous Michael Pachter, industry analyst has been drawing some strong connections between Xbox 360 gamers and the Netflix subscriber base since 360 launched their Netflix addition. Our family has seen the same thing, we signed up for Netflix a few days after it arrived on the Xbox 360 firmware launch.

Oddly enough, we’ve not used the Netflix addition to the Xbox 360 much after subscribing for Netflix. We’ve utilized the DVD shipment feature and we’re using the Tivo version of Netflix for the living room. Although we’ve found the Xbox 360 Netflix version is much more user friendly and fast.

“Pachter estimates that roughly one million Xbox Live Gold members are also Netflix subscribers, and that 200,000 or so of them signed up for Netflix after the debut of the New Xbox Experience in late November, 2008.” (joystiq)

Prachter believes 35% of all new Xbox 360 purchasers will sign up for an Xbox Live Gold account. He expects “as many as 1 million [XBL Gold members] join as Netflix members in the next year.” We’re fairly certain the Netflix and Microsoft Xbox 360 partnership was a well thought out plan to expand their domination in the industry.

Of course, as we’ve seen, Netflix didn’t just stop at Xbox 360, their Tivo solution is another great way to leverage your downloadable video content. Now, we just have to hope we don’t blow through the 250GB cap Comcast supposedly contains.

Episode 286: Free Indie GamesEpisode 286: Free Indie Games

This week, Gaming Podcast is giving away free indie games: Dungeon Defenders and the Zeboyd 2-Pack including Cthulhu Saves the World and Breath of Death VIII. The Gaming Flashback includes the original Splinter Cell from 2002.

There’s also plenty of news items including:

  • Blizzard facing class action lawsuit over Battle.net security
  • Former Square boss calls merger “a complete failure” between Square and Enix
  • Nintendo details Wii U network ID system
  • Molyneux skeptical about tablet/TV gaming
  • Halo 4 makes $220M in first day, Forward Unto Reach garners 46M viewers
  • Analyst: Grand Theft Auto V will sell 25M units

No Question of the Week – just let us know if you’d like to win either Dungeon Defenders or Cthulhu Saves the World/Breath Of Death VIII.

In addition, this is the final week of Kickstarter funding. Help the TD Gaming Podcast with its Kickstarter fundraising.