Due to scheduling conflicts, the boys have only had a couple of days since Episode 102 was recorded, so game talk is light this week.  That’s okay, though, because we’re bringing back the headlines!

What little gaming did we do?  Alex tried to force himself through the Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood finally, and fails to make it past Hitman: Blood Money‘s tutorial.  Jonathan picked up and started playing Space Marine, and found that the atmosphere is fantastic, but the difficult spikes are irritating.  Sam, meanwhile, busts out a Skyrim dragon story, and talks up ODST with Brad and William Pall.

In the headlines this week, we’ve got protests, lawsuits, delays, leaks, and hacks.

• ESA Drops Support for PIPA, SOPA
• EA Invokes First Amendment Protection for Video Games in Trademark Dispute with Helicopter Maker
• XCOM FPA Pushed to 2013, Firaxis Strategy Reboot Still Set for 2012
• Max Payne 3 Pushed Back to May
• Windows Live Login Suggested as Xbox Live Security Flaw
• BioShock Infinite 1999 Mode for System Shock Fans
• Resident Evil 6 Logo, Release Date Leaked

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Headlines this week!  Of course, first, we talk about games.

Jonathan’s simply given up on intense RPGs (because of his classwork), and he’s picked up Minecraft again (despite his classwork).  He and Alex also argue about Full House Poker.

Alex talks about how he wishes Dynasty Warriors 7 was some other game.  He also gripes about AssBro asses, and gloats over his pre-release access to Portal 2.

Sam’s been re-exploring Mass Effect 1, and has similar gripes to Alex about Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2.

Headlines:

• Vote manipulation in the XBL Indie marketplace.
• DARPA rolls out an online game that lets players try to catch elusive, quiet enemy submarines.
• Anonymous launches DDoS attack against Sony in revenge for PS3 hacking lawsuits.
• Minecraft To Officially Launch 11/11/11
• Bethesda bumps Brink up a week, now coming May 10
• The Sun conducts flawed 3DS experiment. Pocket Gamer conducts flawed The Sun experiment.

Finally, Alex closes out season 2 of Name That Game.  We’re not entirely sure who won this one.  Perhaps no one.

Next week, we have a special guest, as Alex cancelled on us because he “had to work.”

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This week, we talk about game features we want to see more of.  (If Churchill can end his sentences in prepositions, so can I!)

Alex’s banter is quick this week.  He’s picked up Blur (Bizarre Creations, you will be missed), and has established a rotation.  He’s also out of wall space for all his gaming decorations.

Sam’s also quick, with a discussion of the Da Vinci’s Disappearance DLC for AssBro, and isn’t sure he’ll finish another playthrough of Dragon Age II or Mass Effect.  He’s also been playing Halo 3 co-op with a listener.

Jonathan tries to be quick, but Alex decides to pick a fight over Tiger Woods ’12.  He’s also finally hooked up his OnLive console, and approves, mostly.

Then we move into our topic of the week: Features every game should have, but doesn’t.  We talk about camera controls, loading screen distractions, skippable cutscenes, and more.  We also spontaneously decide to run a contest based on the topic.  Head over to the forums to see what’s up.

Finally, Sam brings us a kinder, gentler Name That Game.  Somehow Alex and Jonathan still only manage to score a point a piece.

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This week, we delve into the games we’ve been playing.

Alex claims lack of time, and talks pretty exclusively about the new Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood DLC, the Da Vinci Disappearance.  The new modes are hit or miss, but Alex’s addiction means he’s still quite happy with the purchase.  He’s also given up on Operation: Flashpoint because it’s too hardcore.

Jonathan gives a final rating on Stacking.  He judges it Rental (Demo), but only because it’s kind of a niche game.  He also talks about a couple of portable titles that have no boob physics, What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord!? 2 (PSP) and Cartoon Wars (iOS).  What Did I Do proves interesting, but baffling (in a good way).  Cartoon Wars proves boring and baffling (in a bad way), and earns a Skip It judgement.  Finally, he dug into Backbreaker a bit.  It’s an interesting twist on the typical football game, but has some issues that keep it from being a keeper.

Sam’s continuing to mainline Dragon Age: Origins and its expansions.  Awakening is a twenty-hour plus expansion that Sam enjoyed and recommends.  Witch Hunt is an hour worth of content and not worth the money.  He’s also about ten hours into Dragon Age 2 and has praise and shame to heap upon it.  Sam’s also in the Rage stage of grief over the delay of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and has chucked a bunch of games back into the used-game economy.

Before we get into an old-school themed Name That Game, Alex throws out a question: Why don’t Pokemon players battle each other anymore?  We’d love you hear your thoughts in our forum.  Also, send us an email, or leave a comment on the forum if you’d like a chance to pick an item from our prize pile.

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Hey!  It’s an episode!  A swarming pile of potential controversy!  Enjoy!

We talk about games and lousy news this week, and a sick Alex hopped up on Nyquil gets surly, hence the explicit tag.

Alex is trying to overcome Fat Gamer Syndrome by playing The Biggest Loser on the Kinect.  Will he be booted off the game he paid for?  He’s also been disappointed by Deadly Pemonitions, a B-game that ended up providing an F-experience.

Jonathan’s only had time to get in some more time on Kirby’s Epic Yarn.  The co-op multiplayer isn’t as compelling or entertaining as New Super Mario Bros. Wii, but it’s still fun, and the game is still challenging.  Jonathan gives it a verdict of Purchase.

Sam talks about finishing up Dead Space 2, starting up Dragon Age Origins… again, and some thoughts he has on the differences between Assassin’s Creed 2 vs. Brotherhood.  He’s also picked up a chunky hard drive for his 360, and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, much to Alex’s chagrin.

Following the game talk, the guys realize they’ve got more time to fill, and so talk about the death of Guitar Hero, and the death of satire.  Alex gets even more surly.

Finally, we discover that it’s a terrible idea to play Name That Game when the host of the game is high on Nyquil.  It gets painful.

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I got caught up in homework.  Sorry about that, folks.

Proper show notes will be coming later.  For now, know that this is our 2010 Recap and Awards show, and we’ve got contributions from Meg at the Brilliant Gameologists, and Calvin The Canadian!

Thanks to all our contributors, and I’ll post spoilerrific show notes soon.

Alex the Producer: Well, I don’t know how spoilerrific this will be, but I’ll get some notes up here.

Jonathan hosts, and we bemoan our lack of preparation, despite all the vast powers of the Internet.

We start off with our favorite things of 2010 that weren’t videogames. Then it’s off to disappointment-ville with the “Yep, It’s Bad Award.” Jonathan & Sam agree on the “Keep It On The Download Award,” even though they don’t share Alex’s enthusiasm for the award’s title. No accounting for taste, I tell you.

Longtime fans should have no problem divining what the Holmberg’s most disappointing game of 2010 will be. There are some disputes over the interpretation of “The Big One That Got Away Award” and the ephemeral “Most Ambitious Game Award.”

Then Alex, Sam & Jonathan reveal their top games of 2010. As usual, the desire to have one definite “winner” of the award devolves into the three hosts standing their ground, not willing to capitulate.

The same thing goes for our contest. Congratulations to the winner! Obviously, Lady Luck has good taste.

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We start off the new year with a guest!  Brandon, one of Sam’s buddies from his hometown, joins us to discuss games, and share his Top Ten.

First off, though, Jonathan tries to justify his WoW addiction, shares his Christmas good fortune, and defends Donkey Kong Country Returns.

Alex talks about how bad he is at AssBro, and how bad Tron Evolution: The Video Game is.

Brandon’s been playing Super Meat Boy, Super Street Fighter 4, and The Void.  He’s a man who enjoys self-inflicted pain.

Sam’s been plowing through Red Dead Redemption despite his complaints, ditto Nier, and he’s disappointed he didn’t try Dead Space sooner.

Brandon’s Top Ten continues his masochistic themes with some classics, and some classically hardcore games.

Finally, we announce the first Way of the Contest!  Send us in your ideas for a game based on the events of 2010.  The one we like best will receive a copy of Forbidden Island, a cooperative board game from Matt Leacock of Pandemic fame.  There are more details on our forums.

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Sam brings the disturbing in the opening of the show.  He brings nothing else but a wrong opinion of Red Dead Redemption.  (Here’s the right opinion.)

Alex is depressed and boring.  He’s got Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising but hasn’t opened it, and he’s played a lot more Marvel Pinball, but we already know his opinion on that one.  Also, Battle Dex.

Jonathan wonders why it takes so long to get to the “Brotherhood” portion of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.  You’d think the title feature would show up sooner.  Gran Turismo 5 is mentioned briefly.  Really!  Also, Infinity Blade: the best-looking iPhone game ever.

In this episode’s topic, we talk about a news story that was cut from Episode 49, thanks to lack of time.  A survey reveals why gamers buy games new when they choose to buy new.  So, the question becomes, which mode do each of the hosts prefer?  New or used?  Why?  What if it’s a gift?  The answers may surprise you.  Or not.

We wrap up with Name That Game 3.2, wherein Jonathan attempts to make Alex pay for his Genesis inclusions in NTG 3.1.

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It’s 2 A.M.  The episode is taking forever to upload. These notes will be short.

Sam’s has issues with Red Dead, and is enjoying Braid.

Jonathan has issues with Gran Turismo 5, and is enjoying World of Warcraft.

Alex has issues with Tropico 3, and is enjoying his new Kinect.

All three have issues with Webkinz.

Matthew Crippen has issues with the government, and is enjoying his new-found freedom from prosecution.

In Name That Game, Sam and Jonathan have issues with identifying Genesis games, and Alex is enjoying tormenting his co-hosts with games they’ve never heard of.

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