In-Game Chat

We’re trying to cushion the blow at the following link.

Which blow, we’re not exactly sure.  Maybe it’s the awful truth about Catherine, though it might be the awful truth about beer.  It might also be the inevitable, annual dread of the fourth-quarter.  Maybe it’s Origin.  Whatever it is, we won’t be held responsible for any misunderstandings, mispronunciations, overdrafts or backlashes.  We’ve got guilt enough as it is.

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It’s a knock-down, drag-out at the following link.

We’re offering a sleepy recollection of the Steam sale this week, and a more animated guess at just what kind of bug is up EA’s back end.  EA’s public spat with Steam is entirely one-sided, but that doesn’t prevent us all knowing the likely truths.  Obvious as those truths may be, they aren’t officially obvious just yet, so we’re bound by duty and tradition to suggest outrageous alternatives.

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We’ve got an ointment for that at the following link.

There’s a lot less content in this episode than what we started with, so you’re not imagining any clumsy edits, abrupt changes of topic or a punchline that never seems to materialize.  We left it all on the live stream, apparently.  You won’t mind, of course, since those conversations only dealt with our hatred of children, freedom, hard work, clean living, the American south, tower defense, the rest of America, and movies.

We stick to what we know. As you can see, this episode is quite short.

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We’re off the deep end at the following link.

There’s no reason to believe our predictions for subscription-based expos will come to pass, or that our pleas for even-footing in games journalism and transparency from games publishers won’t fall on deaf ears.  Which is all just fine, so long as a top-shelf developer is somewhere toiling away at the SilverHawks property.

We spent more time talking about comics than we really should have.  Not that they aren’t a fine subject, and there’s certainly a lot of crossover, but only one or two of us know what the hell we’re talking about, and the rest of us are either completely ignorant, talk too much, or both.

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We’re in for a pound at the following link.

All we’ve managed this weekend is a survey of our E3 predictions and our hearts deepest desires.  We know better, but can’t help burning our share of prayer paper in the hopes of seeing some proper, cheer-worthy games.  We know that suffering through adverts for Kinect integration or social networking is our due, but would it kill the industry to slake our lust for news and announcements in a more traditional way?  Likely it would.

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Time flies at the following link.

Yes, it’s been a minute or two since we’ve posted an episode, and there’s no doubt that’s my fault.  It’s also true that this episode isn’t entirely the one we’d like to have delivered.  There was no hope of retrieving or recreating the four hours of talkabout we’d laid down already, so a backward glance is all you’re going to get.  In an effort to move forward, however, we’ve provided a confusion of format changes, a new venue, and dubious audio quality.

We imagine that recording directly from Scott’s home studio will result in several casual changes, not the least of which is his ability to lounge in pyjamas.  But we aim to make improvements overall; to bring some of our toys into the process with us, and to draw you into the room as well.  And post more shows.  That, too.

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Violence solves everything at the following link.

We have an exceptionally long episode on offer today, but it’s one we think well worth our efforts.  The conversation is a little out-of-date, there being a lot of “I wonder blah blah blah about Portal 2” sorts of talk which makes little sense in a “What did you think about Portal 2?” kind of world.  There’s no griping about ARGs or countdowns to countdowns, either.  Much of last week’s kerfuffle was yet unknown.  We’ll approach it all in time, though.  Mere hours, in fact.  I hope I can remember how angry I was supposed to have been.

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Which seat can we take at the following link?

Jeremy’s elsewhere tonight, but Matt’s come back again, and we’ve welcomed him in the fashion to which he’s become accustomed.  In the moments we aren’t giving him unearned shit, we make our way through the last three weeks of happenings.  Games having been played, there’s a lot we feel the need to share.  We’re probably wrong about some of it.

I’d also like to save you the time wondering by telling you straight away there’s no April Fool’s goings-on.  We aren’t the sort who plan that far ahead.

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Tips are appreciated at the following link.

In lieu of having played much of anything, we’ve chosen to act like shits about a few of the trailers making the rounds.  We can’t abide anyone being happy about something that makes so little sense to us, and there’s not much room for hope in a world that doesn’t trust us to open our own doors, so things are a little downbeat until the drinks break.  If you look just to the left of our pointless negativity, though, you can make out some faint praise for an actual game or two, which could well be in the company of some weak optimism.

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Watch for the changeover at the following link.

The hosts are just now developing a sense of the new year. A new year of games, anyhow. Our perception of the holiday season seems to bleed farther and farther across the line each go-round. So far that our list of what we expect to be playing in 2011 hasn’t been considered until now.  Our prognostication is weak, I can tell you that now, but it’s good for men like us to make even a faulty list of what we’re interested in doing with our time.

I hope for once we’ll remember our promise to revisit a past episode so we can judge our predictions, and that we’ll remember something of what we’ve done along the way.

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We’ve got polyester curtains and a redwood deck at the following link.

The thing I tend to enjoy more than digging into a new game  is the exquisite pre-release trailer that makes me ache for that new game.  Any combination of actual gameplay and post-effects bullshit is acceptable, so long as it’s in the spirit of the thing.  I can wave off the purchase at any time or hold out for a trusted review, so I’m hardly committed on the basis of  marketing.  Like most of you, I’ve learned to adjust my expectations to compensate for hype.  This is why I’m able to enjoy the hype when it’s good, but it somehow doesn’t prevent me being a terrible audience member when it isn’t.

Deus Ex – which doesn’t need much beyond a release date to earn my attention – is the sort of thing I’d expect to fall in love with on its way to market.  This material very nearly sells itself, and I worry for anyone who manages to cock it up.  As it is, I’m not sure I’ll bother checking back before it ships.

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We’re aiming for the head at the following link.

After what seems to me to have been an awfully long break from the show,  I’ve come round to participate in the conversation once again.  The hosts may have kept the faith, if not the schedule, but things will only be right when we’re restored to full strength, and Jeremy has made sure that won’t happen for at least another week.

As for content, you can expect a fair amount of Matt bashing and the banging of some familiar drums as I try to rediscover my role and my friends begin to regret my return. Otherwise, it’s business as usual.  Here’s hoping we meet expectations.

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To find out Matt’s definition of an MMO, four of you should click here.

We hope you’re enjoying the more frequent output of episodes. We’re kind of on a direction to keep these coming at a consistent pace. We’ll see how well that turns out.

This is one of our shorter episodes, but we still cover quite a bit, directed, as usual of course, by your correspondence. You guys can come up with some interesting questions and comments, but no matter, we still address them – some of us better than others.

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