Industry News -

Episode 266: Get That E3 KickEpisode 266: Get That E3 Kick

June 13, 2012| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 8:16 pm

Jonah Falcon and Paul S. Nowak return from the magical E3 2012 videogame convention and everyone has their own opinions on what they thought were the highlights and lowlights of E3. They also make their own predictions, as Dan Quick contemplates writing hate mail to Jonah for having access to SimCity and Need for Speed: Most Wanted.

The podcast also features some great news, including:

THQ closes their San Diego Studio, sells the UFC license
Ubisoft states annual Assassin’s Creed releases funded AC3
Vivendi may sell Activision-Blizzard

There’s also some Reader Feedback, as well as the new Question of the Week, “What did you take away from E3?”

Episode 264: This Podcast is DRM-FreeEpisode 264: This Podcast is DRM-Free

May 23, 2012| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 10:19 pm

This week is full of gaming goodness as E3 slowly creeps up like kudzu, but there’s still plenty to talk about this week. For one, the Gaming Flashback is the classic Infocom game Planetfall.

The news for the week:

DICE has Frostbite-powered titles for 2013 that “will require a 64-bit OS”
Actors confirm return to recording booth for Mass Effect 3
CD Projekt RED: The truth is DRM does not work
Potential $1 billion suit against EA by former student-athletes moves forward

All that and Reader Feedback. This week’s Question of the Week, “Have you ever wanted a game but didn’t buy it due to DRM?”

Episode 257: The Golden BoysEpisode 257: The Golden Boys

March 29, 2012| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 12:28 pm

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 254: Mass Effect TrioEpisode 254: Mass Effect Trio

March 6, 2012| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 4:21 pm

This week, the full man crew is back, and incredibly deep-voiced as they proclaim themselves the Protectors of Humanity™, as Mass Effect 3 launches today. The Gaming Flashback is a Gaming Preview of Assassin’s Creed 3.

This week’s news includes:

Microsoft: Xbox Live Arcade will be phased out eventually
Leaked images “nothing to do with” Doom 4, fans will “see awesome”
SimCity 5 coming in 2013
GAME drops 5% in shares after Mass Effect 3 no-show
Rumor: PlayStation 4 ditches Cell processor tech

This, and the most contentious Reader Feedback ever.

Episode 253: Future GenerationEpisode 253: Future Generation

February 29, 2012| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 6:20 pm

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

February 21, 2012| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 4:38 pm

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 250: Do the Time Warp AgainEpisode 250: Do the Time Warp Again

February 5, 2012| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 3:50 am

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.

Episode 246: Computer SpecsEpisode 246: Computer Specs

January 11, 2012| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 9:19 pm

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

January 4, 2012| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 3:47 pm

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?”

Episode 239: This Episode is DRM-freeEpisode 239: This Episode is DRM-free

November 16, 2011| Jonah Falcon| 0 Comment| 3:32 pm

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?”