This Week:

Seth “Chorazin” Dodson
Ryan “DigitalisticGmr” Schaefer
Mike “jdarksun” Berard
Cassadi “noajayne” Thomas

We have a packed house in this episode, all of us squeezed into the podcast box and powered out yet another EPIC episode of GO US!

We enjoyed a lot of stuff this week, such as Unify, Majesty 2, Aion, Final Fantasy III, Secret of Monkey Island SE, Scribblenauts, the Office, Glee, Fringe, and a lot more!

We also talk news about video games, mainly because Ben “TheFid” Fidler wasn’t here to talk about TV this week!

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The Basics
-Name: Elaine
-Age: 26
-Location: New Jersey
-Occupation: Electrical Engineer
-Favorite Movie: Boondock Saints
-Favorite Drink: Vodka Sour

Gaming Specific

-What’s your first gaming memory?  When I got my GameBoy for Christmas.  I tried to talk my mom into getting out of church so I could play Tetris for ever.

-And, of course, your favorite gaming genre?  Fighting Why?  I’ll play anything with a six button control scheme. And a question from the peanut gallery.  Why haven’t you fought Seth (Chorazin) in Street Fighter IV since launch?  Does his might make you quake with absolute fear, the fear only certain doom can bring?  That bitch! I don’t like you’re face, Seth.  The real reason is Persona 3.

-If you were to have a crush on any video game character who would it be and why?  Mitsuru, Persona 3, because she’s book smart with no common sense.  She can cast crazy ice magic.

-If you could be any video game peripheral which would you choose and why? Joystick/fight stick.  I don’t really know why.  Maybe because it’s associated with fighting games.  And a little because it’s naughty. It has six buttons to push.  -lots of giggling-

-Given the option to play a male or female character which do you typically choose?  Female.   Not because I identify with them, but because the dialogue is hilarious.  Also, who wants to stare at a dude for hours!?

-Stereotypes about female gamers.  How do they make you feel?  Frustrated because they’re broad sweeping generalizations that just aren’t fair.  It kinda bugs me that if you look a certain way you either are a gamer or aren’t gamer.  When you look at my grandma do you think she loves Wii Bowling?

-Are there any reasons why you love being a female gamer?  I think it’s actually more frustrating than it is positive.  I think the positive part is that if I’m vocal about playing games then maybe other women will find it’s on okay hobby.  It’ll help with the stereotype that gaming is only for boys.

-Why do you continue to play?  I think part of it is that there’s some sort of association with playing games and relaxing.  Without it there it feels like something’s missing.  I use video games as my way to get stories.

-And what are you currently playing?  Persona 3, Persona 3, Persona 3 (no it’s not a typo),SFIV, Trash Panic.
Randomness

-Do you have any other geeky Hobbies? No, not really.  Jujitsu, but that’s not quite as geeky as video games.  My job is geeky enough.

-What’s the weirdest weapon you would use to kill someone? I wish I could kill someone with paper.  Like if I could paper cut someone to death?  You’ve been killed by index card.

-Pirates Vs Ninjas: Ninjas.  I mean pirates can say “yar” and all, but ninjas can blend into the night!

-Let’s play a little word association:
-Zombies: Braiiinnnnnssss
-Pink: Drinks! I might have a problem…
-Controller: Joystick.  Just saying!  I dunno why.  Because it’s phallic!
-Vibration: Trans vibrator.  Or Rez.  Rez is the more correct response.

-Why do all your writers at SomeOtherCastle have staff pictures, but you and Leah, who run the site, do not?  Because we’re lazy is the official lie.  We’re really afraid that every picture of us is when we’re drunk.

-And, of course, the most important question for our male audience.  Relationship status?  Married, soon to be divorced.  DIVORCE!!!

The Basics
-Name: Cassadi
-Age: 25
-Location: Columbus, OH
-Occupation: Banking
-Favorite Movie: The Princess Bride
-Favorite Drink: Alcoholic: Vodka Cran, Non-alcoholic: Red Bull

Gaming Specific
-What’s your first gaming memory? Playing Pong with my dad on the Atari 2600. To continue with memory; tell us the game that made you fall in love with the hobby.  Final Fantasy VII. I played a little before then, but was really a late bloomer into the hobby.

-And, of course your favorite gaming genre? RPG. Why? The stories and character development. The way everything seems to be a part of something bigger. And least favorite? FPS. Why? I get motion sickness anytime I play something or watch something from a first person view. Also, I can’t ride roller coasters or any other rides with spinning or crazy ups and downs for that matter.

-If you were to have a crush on any video game character who would it be and why? Zidane from Final Fantasy IX. Something about the tail!

-If you could be any video game peripheral which would you choose and why? Keyboard attachment for the 360 and PS3 controllers. Useful, small, and keeps people in contact.

-Given the option to play a male or female character which do you typically choose? Female. If I get the choice I’d rather play a character that more closely resembles me so I can pretend I’m kicking ass.  That and, you know, girl power and all.

-Stereotypes about female gamers. How do they make you feel? It’s hit or miss. I either get hit on a lot or quizzed. They really don’t bother me so much anymore, but when I worked in the retail gaming industry it got tiresome.

-Are there any reasons why you love being a female gamer? Of course! Playing WoW as a female toon always had it’s perks! Except for when you ran into the guys that didn’t believe you were really a girl… I like being able to throw people off guard, and the attention, sometimes, isn’t so bad.

-Why do you continue to play? There are more and more games coming out that are “girl friendly”. Plus, they keep making pink accessories! It’s like reading a book. I love being able to throw myself into a world that isn’t my own, and occasionally kick some ass too!

-And what are you currently playing? Final Fantasy III in my quest to complete them all, most of them for the first time.  Rhythm Heaven, Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, MtG: Duels of the Planeswalkers, and soon I’ll be starting Persona 3.

Randomness
-Do you have any other geeky hobbies?  CCGs, Magic the Gathering mostly. Boardgames, fantasy books, D&D and other table top games. Basically, anything that’s at least a little geeky I’ve dabbled in. Maybe it’s not an every day hobby, but I can understand why it would be for someone else.

-What’s the weirdest weapon you would use to kill someone? A spoon possibly.  It’s weird, and probably damn near impossible.

-A staple, must ask question: Pirates vs Ninjas? Pirates all the way!  Give me some rum and a sword, and I’ll show ya how to beat on some ninjas!

-Let’s play a little word association:
-Zombies: Braiiiinnnnsssss
-Controller: Gimmie!
-Pink: Is my favorite crayon
-Vibration: Yes please? Haha!  Actually, that’s usually when I know I’ve been hit.    Ouch!

-And, of course, the most important question for our male audience. Relationship status? Happily dating a fellow geek.

This Week:

Seth “Chorazin” Dodson
Karl “Karf” Fite
Mike “jdarksun” Berard
Ben “TheFid” Fidler
Ray “Charpunk” Elbert

We discuss this week’s gaming and TV news, and we discuss in depth Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, Kings, Burn Notice, True Blood, Merlin, ArmA2, and the Conduit.

Send us an email with comments or suggestions! podcast@geeksofunusualsize.com

Download the episode directly!

Subscribe to us on iTunes!

Subscribe to us on Zune Marketplace!

This Week:

Seth “Chorazin” Dodson
Ryan “DigitalisticGmr” Schaefer
Mike “jdarksun” Berard
Ben “TheFid” Fidler
Ray “Charpunk” Elbert

We discuss this week’s gaming, TV, and a little comics news, and we discuss in depth the new Ghostbusters game, Magic the Gathering for Xbox Live, the iPhone 3G S, and SPOILER WARNINGS we discuss last weeks episodes of True Blood, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Kings, and Harper’s Island.

Send us an email with comments or suggestions! podcast@geeksofunusualsize.com

Download the episode here

Subscribe to us on iTunes!

Subscribe to us on Zune Marketplace!

This Week:

Seth “Chorazin” Dodson
Ryan “DigitalisticGmr” Schaefer
Mike “jdarksun” Berard
Ben “TheFid” Fidler
Ray “Charpunk” Elbert

Discuss the week’s video game( tactics and smugglers), comic (clones FTL), and TV (Earl Shmerl, GOOD NEWS EVERYBODY!) news, and we discuss Resident Evil 5, Burn Notice, True Blood, Left 4 Dead, Killzone 2, Infamous, and Prototype!

Send us an email with comments or suggestions! podcast@geeksofunusualsize.com

Download the episode here

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iTunes coming soon!

Trash Panic is a Playstation Network exclusive game made by Sony’s StudioJapan. In Japan, the game is called Gomibako, which literally means “trash box,” which is pretty much the perfect name for what this game is.The game is $4.99 at the time of this article.

You begin the game with an empty trash can, which gets larger as the levels progress. Your goal is simple: get all the trash in the bin, with as little falling out as possible and with the least amount of ecological damage. Sounds easy, right? Well, think again! This game requires that you think about every peice, assess how breakable it is and how you will fit it in your steadily growing pile of junk! If you loose three unbroken pieces of trash, your game is over.

The game has a pretty similar (I.E. almost identical) layout to most modern Tetris games. Garbage comes in from the right, and the one peice you can hold is on the left. You can see the next three pieces in line, which is pretty nice when having to do forward thinking to managing your garbage pile. Each object is about as breakable as you would expect, pencils being easy, dumbells being harder, and safes being the hardest. Objects break like you think they would, wooden objects, glass, porcelin, ect will all break on contact with harder items, where as metal and plastic items will take more of a beating.

You will get peices which have a big yellow circle around them, and if you destroy them you will end up with a ton of penalty garbage everywhere, and the peices that end up in your bin are indestructable. Get these peices safely to the lowest part of the bin, and the little black and white garbage monster dude will take it out and safely get rid of them.

You can, as the game progresses, set your trash on fire. The game will give you flamable things, and then a lit match or torch or another flaming object. This is when you really need to worry about the Eco (Ecological) vs Ego (Egotistical) system, which is what you’ll need to manage to get the best rankings on each stage. You can let the fire burn with the lid off, and it will burn longer and spew toxins into the air, or you can put a lid on the can and the fire will burn hotter, but not as long and not spew toxins. You don’t need to worry about this just to advance through the levels, but if you want to max your rankings you’ll need to be careful and worry about this. You can also let items decompose instead of burning, and while this takes a while, you will get the best Eco score using that method.The choice is yours!

Close to the end of the stage, you will have to break a Boss peice within 10 seconds of it landing on your pile. By this time, you’re close to full and panicing when the Boss trash shows, because it’s very large and can take a beating. This is can be a giant pain in the ass if you aren’t ready for it, and if the Boss peice falls out of the bin, or you fail to break it, Game Over. This will be your main source of frustration in the game hands-down.

I also wanted to mention the music, which is up-beat and reminds me a lot of mid-90’s dance music. You WILL have Stage 2’s music stuck in your head, I promise!

Why You Should Play: The game presents a lot of value for it’s cost, puzzle games are made to be played over and over, and with three difficulty levels per stage, you’ll get plenty of time out of the game. The idea is unique amongst peice-management style puzzle games, and the idea of being eco-friendly is certainly appealing to a lot of people. Did I mention the price already, $4.99!

Why You Shouldn’t Play: If you don’t like puzzlers, this isn’t going to change your mind in the slightest. It boils down to a Tetris game with a unique spin on the idea.

HIGHS:

Mass Effect 2: I’m going to forgive BioWare’s Casey Hudson for showing off what appears to be a huge spoiler (which I will not repeat here) in his demonstrations of ME2. Frankly, if they’re showing that, it makes me wonder what they aren’t, and it did make the point of how the storytelling has advanced. I want this game and I want it NOW. (Note: Mass Effect is my favorite game of this generation of consoles so far, so I’m kind of predisposed.)

Forza Motorsport 3: Forza 2 was a terrific game, with its only real downside being its workmanlike graphics. Forza 3 has totally addressed that issue, and looks amazing. Add the vastly increased car and track roster, and I’m totally sold – even if it’s going to demand gigabytes of my 360’s piddling little hard drive to store all the stuff on disc 2.

Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker: Of the two MGS games announced at the show, Peace Walker is the real deal. Kojima’s on it, his A-team is on it, and it’s a sequel to both the best console game in the series and the best portable game in the series. Sold.

The Last Guardian: Ico and Shadow of the Colossus remain two of the PS2’s greatest artistic masterpieces, and the first PS3 game from Fumito Ueda’s Team Ico looks to continue the tradition. No other development studio in gaming can make emotion between disparate characters so palpable through animation alone, and match that with system-pushing visuals and unique gameplay. Their only tradition I hope The Last Guardian doesn’t continue is their somewhat imprecise controls. Regardless, this is the single best reason to own a PS3 this side of MGS4 – I’m calling it now.

Shadow Complex: Simultaneously one of the most innovative and classically-styled games at the show, this Metroid/Contra/Castlevania hybrid from Epic, destined for Xbox Live Arcade, looks absolutely stunning, despite a game-killing glitch being evident at its press conference demonstration. All Epic need to do is not overprice it; something their Gears of War 2 DLC makes appear unlikely.

Brutal Legend: Tim Schafer’s next game. ‘Nuff said. There’s a reason this man is one of the most respected developers in the world.

LOWS:

No Virtual Console announced for DSiWare: Perhaps the most maligned of the DSi’s new features is in danger of becoming a full-fledged joke, proving once more that Nintendo and online have an uneasy relationship. Giving DSi its own VC selection – some culled from the existing Wii line-up and maybe some more from portable systems of yesteryear – would go a long way towards rectifying that.

Motion control: Don’t get me wrong, Microsoft’s Project Natal looks like amazing technology – when it’s working properly – but I’m unconvinced of its potential applications in gaming, especially with zero tactile feedback. Plus, the very first time it doesn’t quite work 100% properly, a lot of the much-courted casual gamers will ditch it completely. Sony’s motion controllers look more suited to gaming use, and far ahead of the Wii’s increasingly archaic feeling abilities, but will still suffer from not being standard equipment. Expect variants of both in the box with both Sony and Microsoft’s next consoles.

Metal Gear Solid Rising: So the 360 finally got Metal Gear. Only, it’s not MGS4 that everyone wanted; Kojima’s not paying this game much attention and was at pains to point out the A-team at Kojima Productions is instead working on MGS Peace Walker; and it stars cyborg Raiden, thus more than likely making it not a stealth game, but more likely a Devil May Cry clone. Make no mistake, this game is Kojima taking Microsoft’s money hat while thumbing his nose at the entire Xbox 360 audience.

Activision’s lawsuit against Double Fine: The premise of the lawsuit is sleazy enough, but to file it on the morning of E3’s final day is downright insulting.

Max Payne 3 being a no-show due to being the following issue of Game Informer’s cover story: This is not how to save print journalism, kids. It’s how to make nobody care a jot about your sequel people had doubts about already.

PSP Go: Relaunching the PSP is not a bad idea. Nor is including 16GB of internal storage. Nor is making every title – past, present and future – available as a download. The removal of the UMD disc drive isn’t my favorite thing about the new device, but it makes sense. No, the bad ideas with the PSP Go are its non-user-replaceable battery, its unimproved battery life to compensate, the slide-out form factor creating one more thing to break on these famously fragile devices, offering no screen protection, changing every single port and thus requiring all-new accessories, and charging a whopping $250 for the privilege. For me, an unapologetic PSP fan, PSP Go was the most epic fail of the show.