Thumbstick Athletes

We all have at least a game or two that we haven't finished, so the Athletes and guest Todd discuss those games, and why we didn't finish them. Featuring Fez, Legends of Grimrock, Pottermore and why we don’t finish games! 00:00;36 Nibblebits 00:02;00 Will: Rovio turns down Zynga’s offer – Halo 4’s release date – Dishonored trailer 00:04;20 Dan: Darksiders 2 moved back to August – Narrowing of the Madden 13 cover candidates 00:05;20 Eric: Nintendo will show off new Mario game  and Pikmin at E3 – James Bond’s glorious return to consoles 00:09;50 Corey: More Dark Souls for PC details 00:11;00 How was our week (Including our guest Todd’s top 5) 00:26;54 Main Segment: Why don’t we finish games? We break down all the games we’ve played without beating by discussing the reasons behind their abandonment. 01:02;35 Feedback We discuss whether there will be and what kind of Mass Effect 3 sequels we’d like to see.  We’re asked who the biggest gamer is out of us.                                                 Also poo

We tackle the controversial topic of gaming addiction, delving into the symtops causes, cures and even some games that have the stigma of being "addicting" 00:00;37 Nibblebits: 00:01;14 Will - New Multiplayer DLC for ME3 and new ending DLC – Joe Danger coming iOS – Gamestop is selling Skylanders toys now – Resurrection, Lazarus and Cerberus 00:06;55 Eric - Madden 13 cover vote finalists – Resident Evil 6 Platinum Edition – Legend of Dragoon 00:09;00 Corey – Release dates for Lost Planet 3, Resident Evil 6 and a Wii U price rumor 00:11;29 Dan - Civilization Revolution on Windows phone and Sid Meier Pirates on iPad - Skyrim 1.5 patch 00:13;00 How was our weeks (Including some NHL playoff predictions) 00:24;24 Music Break: 2nro8ot – “Crash of the First Interstellar Channel” 00:27;23 Main Segment: Video Game Addiction We don our psychiatrist’s hats and diagnose video game addiction, the symptoms and discuss if we might be victims of the disease. 01:03;17 Music Break: 2nro8ot – “Look Back” 01:06;34  Feedback We di

The Athletes try to make some sense of the Pokemon phenomenon as well as offer their own experiences with the franchise. 00:00;37 Nibblebits 00:01;49 Eric: Amazon releases Amazon Prime Instant Video on PS3 – Xbox 360’s new chrome controllers – Xbox 360’s Battlefield 3 update (rent your own server!) – Reports on the Wii U launch date – Reports that the Wii U is completely outdated, already – Next Xbox may need a constant internet connection. 00:08:35 Corey: Orcs Must Die 2 – Leisure Suit Larry Kickstarter campaign – Journey is fastest selling PSN game. 00:10;45 Will: Madden NFL 13 cover voting – Sword and Sorcery coming to the PC – Mass Effect 3 cupcakes are sent to a local youth shelter. 00:12;57 Dan: PlayStation Vita firmware update is pulled – Halo is passed from Bungie to 343 Studios. 00:28;09 Music Break: Carsie Blanton – “Smoke Alarm” 00:29;39 Main Segment All things Pokémon. 01:21;53 Music Break: Carsie Blanton – “Together Too Long” 01:23;23 Feedback We get reprimanded for not giving the music in FF6 as

The Athletes and special guest Chris (from episode 21) relive one of their favortie games of all time, Final Fantasy 6, and Eric plays it for the first time. 00:00;35 Nibblebits 00:02;30 Eric brings in some leaked and alleged details on the PS4. 00:08;50 Dan talks Gamestop Gamecube tradeins. Corey pimps the new Audiosurf game coming this summer. 00:13;00 Will brings up Angry Birds Space, and we talk some WiiU. 00:32;00 Music Break 00:33;08 Main Segment We drop the air anchor and delve into quite possibly the greatest game of all time: Final Fantasy 6. 01:53;37 Feedback News Eric and Dan discuss why no used games consoles might be a good thing. Will and Corey talk about Shay Pierce taking a stand against Zynga and holding on to his integrity. What We Played Angry Space and Mass Effect 3 dominate the conclusion to this episode.  

The title says it all, we hit on the controversial ending to Mass Effect 3.  Chock full of SPOILERS too!!

We discuss ESRB ratings, breaking down all the different ratings as well as offer a few different games as examples for each ratings.  Notes: 00:00;35 Nibblebits We talk Dark Souls on the PC, iPad sales figures, language translations for Diablo 3. 00:20;30 Music Break 00:21;33 Main Segment: The ESRB In light of recent government action, we delve into the gaming industry’s police force: the ESRB. How are game’s rated by the ESRB? Who rates them? Why aren’t there any Adults Only rated games in retail stores? 00:52;04 Music Break 00:53;10 Feedback We’re asked whether we prefer dark, somber stories or lighthearted fun stories in games. Another listener weighs in on the Mass Effect 3 controversy. Sword and Sorcery receives a free recommendation. Dragon Age 1 and 2 get a brief treatment. News Corey discusses the future of videogames featuring virtual glasses. Dan leads a discussion based on the migration of players from WoW to SWToR. Eric drops a heavyweight and gives his thoughts on changing the Mass Effect 3 endi

Saint Patty's Day, need I say more?

We use the "what we played" segment as our main segment this week, which was really just a fancy way of talking more about Mass Effect 3.  Here's the notes: 00:00:37 Nibble Bits Will starts us off with: Fallout New Vegas developer Obsidian layoffs – Play SWTOR Free This Weekend – EA releases a patch to prevent FIFA hacks. 00:02:37 Eric’s nibble bits are: Guild Wars 2 Collector’s Edition – Xbox Live Arcade games will offer double the Gamerscore – February games sales slide – Mass Effect 3 shipment numbers. 00:05:50 Corey mentions how to get Diablo III for free and Boondock Saints: the video game. 00:07:02 Dan’s bits include: Blizzard shelves Diablo III PvP – Valves dismisses rumors of steambox PC console. 00:10:00 Our Weeks Including weigh ins, family parties, Mass Effect 3 all-nighters, and Mario Williams as a Buffalo Bill. 00:19:40 Music Break 00:21:12 Main Segment In this extended edition of what we played, Corey and Eric retract their Draw Something criticisms, but with a disclaimer. Eric keeps trucking th

Mass Effect 3 is here!  We delve into the beginning of the end of the Commander Shepard saga as well as discuss gameplay and even get into some of of our issues with the game. 00:00:37 Introductions 00:01:30 Nibble Bits: Dan gives us the BioShock Infinite release date, peppers in some EverQuest chatter, and finishes with Final fantasy tactics on the iPad! Speaking of iPad, Will fills us in on the iPad 3 and gets into some Battlefield 3 and Bastion talk. Corey tells us how to  get to level 80 instantly in World of Warcraft, shares the PlayStation exclusive Sorcery release date, and Peter Molyneux’s departure, concluding with IGN’s report of record PC game sales in 2011. Eric rounds off nibble bits with the first details on Assassin’s Creed 3. 00:14:28 Our Weeks 00:28:05 Music Break 00:29:35 Main Segment: Mass Effect 3 We launch into the much anticipated (especially in our circle) sci-fi epic, Mass Effect 3.  Dan, Will, and Corey have a few hours under their belts and are eager to share their thoughts (SPOILERS

SPOILER ALERT!  We have our first repeat guest Billy in studio to do a recap of the first and second Mass Effect games in preparation for the third.  Plot spoilers included in the main segment!

The Athletes have Ken, MMA fan and avid UFC Undisputed 3 player, in studio to talk about the new UFC game as well as offer some insights into the sport itself.

We go long form on Kingdoms of Amalur, talking combat, graphics, questing as well as make some comparisons to similar games. Episode 30: Show Notes 00:00:35 Quick hits: We talk about Guild Wars 2 coming out for consoles, the bestselling sports video game of all time, where PAX East will be for the next 11 years, and the potential Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning sequel. Towards the end of the segment, Eric finds his edge. 00:25:17 Music Break: Butterfly Tea – “DragonTales” 00:26:47 Main Segment: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning We discuss that hot new RPG Curt Schilling had something to do with. From combat to crafting, each of us share our experiences with the game and touch on some Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning tips and advice. 01:47:17 Music Break: Butterfly Tea – “There is Magic in You” 01:48:47 Feedback: A listener writes in about the plotlines in Metal Gear and3DS as a potential indie game platform. A listener chooses Dead Space 2 for game of the year, and we wonder what a Dead Space is. 01:58:50 News: Corey

Dan and Eric have their wives on to talk about their gaming pasts as well as discuss their husband's gaming habits.

With a short week between recordings we decided to list our top 5 favorite videogame characters. 00:01:30 – News Quick Hits: We touch on the best-selling console worldwide in 2011, who Skyrim predicts to win the Super Bowl, the Game of Thrones RPG release date, how many hours of content are in Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, and Zynga’s success thanks in part to Facebook. 00:07:05 – How Our Weeks Were: 00:13:20 – Music Break: “Short Blues” by Redmagik 00:14:50 – Main Segment: Our Top 5 Video Game Characters: We count down our top five favorite video game characters of all time. From Pikachu to Solid Snake, and Garrus to Yoshi, with plenty of Final Fantasy love in between, we break down some of the best characterizations in video games. 01:03:10 – Music Break: “Garou-Blues” by JML 01:04:40 – Feedback A shortened week equals shortened feedback! We discuss a listener’s favorite classic football video games, QB Club ‘98 and NFL 2k5. 01:06:00 – News Dan talks about potential games in the Mass Effect universe. A Mas

The Super Bowl is this week, so we took it upone ourselves to talk about football videogames from the past as well the current state of the Madden games. 00:00:35 – Quick Hits & Our Weeks: 23:47 – Music Break: Sea and Field – “Le Phare” 25:17 – Main Segment: Football in Video Games! From 1979’s Football, to the current Madden monopoly, we break down the evolution of American football in video games then discuss what we’d like to see in future football video games. 1:27:30 – Music Break: Sea and Field – “Matelot” 1:29:00 – Feedback: Eric’s wife plays Skyrim… a lot! 1:35:05 Gamerscore and JRPG talk.  Average Gamerscore somewhere around 12,000? 1:38:59 Next generation games suggestions, and 2D games for girls. 1:43:30 News: Japan has copied its own formula for Pokémon.  Will brings to light the hypocrisy. 1:47:15 Opinion: Call of Duty is boring and needs to change. Eric discusses the IGN article that brings to light Call of Duty’s lack of innovation from title to title. 1:54:55 Corey discusses video game add

With many people's New Year's resolutions probably failing at this point, we get into exergaming, or videogames created for the purpose of exercise.

With the impending release of the next generation of game consoles, we talk things we would like to see in the new systems as well as things that should be left out.

We discuss the pros and cons of the controversial Free to Play model of gaming.

For our first episode of 2012, we do a preview on all the more major game releases coming up this year, and also give our 2011 game of the year awards.

We take listener suggustions via facebook for this between Christmas and New Year's episode.