Category: Microsoft

Episode 260: CivilizationsEpisode 260: Civilizations

This week is packed full of gaming goodness, as the winner of the Civilization V contest is revealed. If that weren’t enough, the news items for the week invoked a lot of conversation:

  • New Halo 4 multiplayer details revealed
  • EA dismisses “big layoffs” claim, always “growing and morphing”
  • Rumor: Microsoft finding new ways to “monetize” Xbox Live

The podcast also features some great, heartwarming Reader Feedback as well as a new contest to win a code for Magicka. The question of the week, “What books featuring magic do you like the best?”

Episode 257: The Golden BoysEpisode 257: The Golden Boys

This week’s episode has a lot of … personality. That is, a lot of mockery, cursing, sniping, and general chaos – making it one of the best podcasts ever. Jordan Lund wasn’t available due to commitments at work, so Dan Quick once again filled in, and as expected, got along with Paul S. Nowak famously, as they tagteamed Jonah Falcon. In the meantime, the Gaming Flashback this week was Civilization II.

This week’s news also made Paul explode. Twice:

  • Congressmen want warning labels on all games
  • Exec: Console version of Diablo III will be “full Blizzard experience”
  • Grand Theft Auto V details allegedly leaked
  • EVE Online FanFest Panel accused of “tasteless” behavior
  • Rumor: Microsoft to release ‘Xbox Lite’ before next-gen

The winners of The Darkness II contest were also announced. All this in an episode bursting full of good, old-fashioned bitchiness.

Episode 256: AAAA ExperienceEpisode 256: AAAA Experience

This week’s Gaming Podcast gets down and dirty, with plenty of AAAA goodness. The Darkness II contest is still going on this week, and winners will be announced next week.

In the meantime:

  • Analyst predicts 66M iPad sales in 2012
  • Diablo III gets May 15 release date
  • Epic: Next gen console launch titles will probably use Unreal Engine 3
  • Microsoft looking for executive producer to work on an “AAAA” Xbox title
  • Wasteland 2 aiming for October 2013 release date

All that, plus Reader Feedback.

Episode 255: The Darkness II ContestEpisode 255: The Darkness II Contest

Dan Quick returns again to cover for Paul Nowak, and this week, the Gaming Podcast is offering free copies of The Darkness II Limited Edition, which comes with the main game and some free DLC. The guys are giving away an Xbox 360 version and a PlayStation 3 version. To win, just listen to the podcast and post what your favorite scary movie is.

The game news this week includes:

  • Ex-SCEE senior VP Phil Harrison joins Microsoft’s European team
  • DOOM developer John Romero has “plans” for “old school” shooter
  • EA defends Mass Effect 3 From Ashes DLC data being on disc
  • Notch settles with Bethesda over “Scrolls” trademark
  • DICE: 2GB RAM won’t be enough for next gen consoles
  • Angry Birds theme park to open in Finland
  • GAME puts itself up for sale, GameStop interested
  • Diablo III release date announcement “in a few days“, no PvP in launch version

And yes, they know that the announcement was just made today – May 15th release date for Diablo III.

The contest to win either the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 version of The Darkness II will run this and next week, with the winners announced in Episode 257.

Episode 253: Future GenerationEpisode 253: Future Generation

This week, Paul is still not available, which is unfortunate, since the Gaming Flashback is the classic DuckTales for the NES. There’s also a bunch of scintillating news items including:

  • Pachter: Nintendo “Blew It” With Wii U, “In Disarray”
  • Bethesda hiring talent for Xbox 720, PlayStation 4 game
  • EA reveals Mass Effect 3 preorders well ahead of Mass Effect 2‘s
  • Pachter: Next generation Sony and Microsoft consoles will have 4GB SKU
  • Sony filed patent For Kinect-like motion device
  • PSN Minis not working on Vita

We also reveal the winner of the Pixie Diamonds contest.

Episode 252: DuckTalesEpisode 252: DuckTales

This week, Paul can’t make it, so we bring on a Paul substitute, Dan Quick of the PolyCast podcast – and the show doesn’t skip a beat thanks to Dan behaving like Paul without realizing it. This week’s Gaming Flashback explodes like a blood sausage with Wasteland.

This week’s news items include:

  • Dashboard update gives Indie Marketplace more visibility
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 outed by Amazon France
  • Skyrim DLC won’t follow same model as Fallout DLC
  • Electronic Arts terminates “free Battlefield 3 for preordering Mass Effect 3” deal early
  • Alan Wake on PC because Remedy “a nagging little kid” to Microsoft

In addition, we have Reader Feedback for Paul’s Pixie Diamonds contest – the winners will be determined next week. The contest’s Question of the Week remains the same: “Who is your favorite Disney Prince or Hero, and why?”

Episode 249: Milestone LoomingEpisode 249: Milestone Looming

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?

Episode 247: Paul Spews BullbleepEpisode 247: Paul Spews Bullbleep

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?”

Episode 246: Computer SpecsEpisode 246: Computer Specs

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.

Episode 245: Hello 2012Episode 245: Hello 2012

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?”