We have news this week!  Within the course of a couple of weeks, streaming game company OnLive was rumored to have laid off everyone, but really they only laid off half of everyone, then they confirmed that Steve Perlman would continue as CEO, only to then boot him out.  Also booted out: the first- and second-place winners of League of Legends Summer Championship after being accused of collusion.  Olympians got nothing on gamers.

In the meat of the episode today, we pretty much just talk about games the whole time.  And by “we,” I actually pretty much just mean Jonathan.

First, though, Alex shares his initial thoughts on Madden, which are surprisingly positive considered past years.  He also gives us another book recommendation, Prince of Thorns, which is all about the bad guy.

Sam brings a couple more games to the table than Alex, one new and one old.  The old one, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, ended up causing a bit of obsessiveness in Sam, while the new one. Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, has Sam’s opinions mixed.

Jonathan has played through Journey again, and found even more reasons to love it than before.  He’s also signed up for Playstation Plus, which ought to keep his game appetite sated for a while.

The game, though, that dominates the podcast is one Alex was curious about last week, Papo & Yo.  Jonathan has some personal experience with the subject matter which inspired Papo & Yo, and he’s got a bit of a different perspective on how effective the game truly is at conveying its message.  Ultimately, he finds the game fundamentally flawed, but worth playing by anyone looking for a counterargument to Cristoph Hartmann’s idiocy, or who are simply interested in seeing games expand as an art form.

We will no doubt revisit this topic in the future.

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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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I need to get the episode up and out there.  I’ll have honest show notes soon.  Promise!

Alex: Since Jonathan’s busy, I’ll fill out the show notes for this one. Sam and I start off by discussing why I’ve decided to dump Resident Evil 5 before completion. Jonathan mentions Minecraft again, and I’m beginning to see how shows were when all I could do was gush about Solium Infernum. Jonathan also mentions Dismount for the iPad/iPod. There’s just something about a game dealing with ragdoll physics, broken bones and sadism that brings a couple together…

Then we hurtle headlong into the brouhaha over Medal of Honor. They ditched the Taliban (or at least the name “Taliban”) from multiplayer, the game still isn’t being sold in AAFES stores, and the reviews… well, they’re not exactly stellar. Jonathan and I talk about videogame hype, wasted opportunities, and how I’m not a hypocrite. Sam patiently waits for us to stop talking about it.

We also talked a bit about OnLive ditching their monthly fee and how a guy who tried to trademark the word “Edge” has been slapped down.

And our grande finale: Jonathan quizzes me and Sam in his version of Name That Game. “Welcome to ‘blank!’”

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(Reposting due to broken link to podcast)

We’ve got a headline show this week!  But first, banter.

We put off talking about games ’til next week, because we’ve got a ton of stuff, and the Steam Sale was still going on, so who knows what all may have been purchased between recording and releasing.  We do talk, though, about preparations for a topic show in Episode 33, which we want your participation in.  Also, OnLive appears to have a plan to make money.  (Shocking!)

Headlines!

• id Software’s Rage Leads Game Critics’ E3 Noms
• Junction Point taking the (mean) Mickey out of Epic Mickey
• Reggie confirms 2011 launch for 3DS on Fallon
• Alleged Kinect hardware specs claim two active player limit
• Retailer says Kinect pre-orders are “very low,” blames guessed-at price point
• Market Research Firm: Kinect (and Move) will have “negligible impact” on market
• Microsoft: Kinect Not For Core Gamers
• Introducing Hulu Plus: More wherever. More whenever. Than ever.
• Redbox Dabbles in Game Rentals

Bonus feature after the credits: Alex has an interview with American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks. The interview has nothing to do with gaming, it was just a “something interesting happened this week” event.

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It’s finally time for our Best of 2009 Show!  Woo!

Before we get into that, Alex talks about some of his recent micro-purchases, including a table for Pinball FX and a couple of games in the XBLA Game Room.

Jonathan has received his invite to the OnLive Service, and after a few days playing with it, he has some thoughts.

Once we’re done with that, we get into our lists, and we’ve got contributions from around the web, as well: Tim White from Return to Northmoor, Tony Mast from the Back Seat Producers, David Pinilla from the Podge Cast, Chris Engler from Wapcaplets, RiB from Down Under Gamers, Mike from Bear Swarm, and Jim Brown from the Internet!  We’ve got some surprises, and we’ve got some really obvious choices, but all in all, I don’t think you can really complain about any of the games on anyone’s list.  They’re all awesome.

Enjoy!

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Happy half-year anniversary, folks!  We’ll just ignore the technicalities of time and space, and just use this as an excuse to celebrate!

We talk about games this week, because that’s what we’re all about!

Our early discussions are prompted by listeners.  Jonathan has been tasked with talking more about the PS3, but he’s having a hard time saying anything nice about the user experience.  Consoles are all about the games, and the games are worthwhile, but that’s about it.  Meanwhile, Alex gripes a bit about the genre change Front Mission: Evolved is going through, tying it to Shadowrun.

In other news, Jonathan picked up GameFly and doesn’t reference Alex in the process, costing him twenty bucks.  Jonathan’s also getting in on OnLive with an offer he couldn’t refuse.  Here’s hoping it’s not crap.

Games Discussed:

• Demon’s Souls
• Red Dead Redemption
• Star Wars: Empire at War
• Solium Infernum (of course)
• Borderlands

Finally, Alex is excited about the upcoming launch of Crazy Taxi, Sonic Adventure, and (possibly) Hulu on Xbox Live.

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A mix of news and reviews this week, because the Assassin’s Creed 2 Mega-Two-Way put a bit of a bump in our usual recording schedule.  First up, big announcements!

Portal 2 has been announced!
Steam is coming to the Mac!
OnLive is scheduled to launch June 17! (And they’re taking pre-registration requests!)
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes is coming to XBLA and PSN!

On the game front, Jonathan’s been playing  a ton of indie games, Alex revisits an oldie but (maybe?) goodie, and we’re both psyched about our upcoming Greed Corp. two-way.

Links!

• Osmos
• Auditorium
• Eufloria
• Machinarium
• Section 8
• Greed Corp.

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