The Sins are back!  This week, it’s Sloth.

First, though, all three hosts have gotten varying amounts of playtime in on Batman: Arkham City.  They all agree the world is huge, the fighting is solid, and the story is compelling (if a little confusing).  There is some disagreement about Batman’s new methods of transportation, though.

In non-Batman news, Jonathan’s played some Dark Souls, but thinks it’s a bit too capricious and difficult to earn his $60.  He’s also finished Bastion, a game that, for the first time ever, made him really stop and think about the moral choices he had to make.

Alex has put some time in on the new Ace Combat, and he’s confused about the choices they’ve made.

Sam, meanwhile, has continued to feed his Dead Island addiction and has been expanding his phone-based, block-removal prowess with Unblock Me.

In the topic for the show, we discuss Slothful aspects of the industry.  3DRealms, Brink, Shadowrun, and World of Warcraft all get targeted.

We wrap up the show with a game of Casting Call.  Sam and Jonathan present their picks for the roles of Tifa, Cloud, and Sephiroth in the silver screen adaptation of Final Fantasy 7.

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We are back!  As much fun as it was to record with David, it’s refreshing to return to our usual format.  We’ve got some game talk, a little revisit of the changes, and a topic for you this week.

Jonathan is accused of poop-socking Red Dead Redemption.  He denies it, but it’s kinda true.  Alex has been playing Aliens vs. Predators, and wishes there were others to play with him.  Solium Infernum comes up (shock shock), as does a brief mention of the upcoming third season of Table Saw Blood Bowl.

In the topic section, we discuss EA’s new multiplayer strategy, and explore whether it’s a good idea or not.  We also compare it to the decisions other companies are making with regards to DRM (we’re looking at you, Ubisoft), and even discuss the fashion industry for a moment.  (This is a pretty fascinating TED Talk.)

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Mike from the Bear Swarm! podcast joins us on the show this week.  He’s here as part of their Take a Couple of Months Off Grand Tour.  ;-)

We start with our usual discussion of what’s on our radar this week, which led to a discussion of the merits (or should that be demerits) of Final Fantasy XIII.  Blood Bowl, Magna Carta 2, and Turf Wars Online are all discussed, as well.

We also put Mike through the Top Ten wringer, harassing him about his decision to flaunt some of our rules, while also admitting that he makes some valid objections to those same rules.  The list won’t make a show-note appearance, so you’ll have to listen to hear Mike’s shocking (Shocking, I say!) pick for Number One.*

*Mike’s Number One pick may or may not be all that terribly shocking.

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What’s up, folks!  It’s episode 10!  That’s a podcasting milestone, right?

Jonathan has been swamped, and has absolutely no time to play games whatsoever.  As such, he bought Ghostbusters, The Saboteur, FarCry 2 and Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition.  Yeah, those’ll get played sometime soon.

Alex shares his thoughts on Assassin’s Creed 2, as he’s quite a ways through, and he wonders why the game’s so damn long.  Batman: Arkham Asylum, Darksiders, and MLB 2k10 are also on Alex’s to-be-played list.

We’ve got a topic this week inspired by a study via NewScientist: Do video games need more racial and ethnic diversity?

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