1up.com - 1up Radio

What's the proper way to say "Dragon Age?" Both Jeremy and Scooter show how it's done as they join Kat to chat about both BioWare's upcoming sequel and the Tactics Ogre PSP port. Whichever game you prefer, you will most assuredly leave this episode with a better appreciation for epic enunciation.

We welcome back Matt Leone and get him to deliver some final details on his experience with the Sony NGP (and how Japanese KFCs have a "Krusher" beverage). After that, we talk a bit about Namco's announcements -- ranging from the new Dark Souls and Armored Core titles to the role of the Power Rangers and whether "Unbounded" is a word. Afterwards, we deliver some thoughts on whether we should attend "Duke Nukem's Titty City" next week. Other topics include the new zombie MMO Class3/Class4 from Undead Labs and Microsoft, the rise of Hiphopgamer, a passionate (and lyrical) defense of Gamefan, the price of downloadable versions of retail games, and why Call of Duty isn't like Meet The Fokkers. Because of so many events and things, the show is a bit shorter, and we still haven't figured out what's going on next week due to the DICE Summit, but until we get our act together, keep listening!

PSP2...NGP...whatever you want to call it, Sony's new handheld has the gaming world in a tizzy, and we've got just the thing to satisfy your next-generation portable cravings: two hours of hardcore, hands-on impressions fresh from Sony's PlayStation Meeting 2011 in Tokyo. Matt Leone of 1UP, Phil Kollar from Game Informer, and podcast phenom Shane "El Shaddai" Bettenhausen join the 8-4 crew for a heated rundown of the games, the hardware, predictions for the future, and much, much more.

For this week, since Matt Leone is out in Japan, we invite Reviews Editor Justin Haywald to be his stand-in. Despite the one guy who saw and played with the Sony NGP not being present, we still manage to talk some thirty-odd minutes about Sony's new portable, and how it's a miracle that no one else had done a rear-facing touchpad before. Besides the NGP, other topics include: comic books we recommend, racial diversity in videogames, our memories of the Atari Lynx, more storytelling in games, the trouble with doors, and violence in games. Oh, and we finally declare the end of the Elevator Action joke, so don't leave any more messages on that topic. If you wanted one hour and forty minutes of lovable nonsense, this is the episode for you!

In the most "xtreme" episode of Active Time Babble to date, Kat, Travis and Mike Nelson offer the final verdict on DC Universe Online, and it isn't pretty. Before that though, Atlus' Aram Jabbari joins Kat and Jeremy in the studio to discuss the upcoming Radiant Historia while taking questions from listeners. Yes, we do take the time to ask about the whereabouts of 7th Dragon and its ilk. We ask because we care.

It's a sad, but not unexpected, day in comic book-land as Wizard Magazine closes its doors. Frank, Mike, and Travis discuss that news a little before Mike complains about a bad movie he purposely went to see. Also on tap, idiots and epic meals.

It's Nintendo 3DS madness this week, as we get Jeremy to dish out a whole lotta details about the Nintendo 3DS event in New York City earlier this week. We also talk up rumors about a Walking Dead game, a pair of twos (Portal and Final Fantasy XIII), and Frank delivers his final thoughts on Fallout New Vegas: Dead Money. We go through even more Elevator Action calls, and answer questions about how we do list features, how to vote with your dollar, the fate of Daily 1Update, storytelling in games, and more. Oh yea, and we have a totally different "cold open" for this show -- so yes, Frank just rambling on in the beginning is what you're supposed to hear. And yes, we even talk about food for quite a while.

After wrestling with some Banana Turkish Taffy, Jade discusses her new podcast, CouchBound, with Mike, Travis, and Frank. The crew also do some catch up as to what's been going on the last few months. And, of course, there's the usual fun off-topic talk that at1UP is known for.

Oddcast is 50 years -- er, episodes old! In our old age, we've grown senile, and can't remember what was said, revealed, or otherwise shouted across the airwaves this week. For all we know, we've murdered Chris, and he'll never be heard from again, except as a ghost, like in that one movie. Well, we're at least pretty sure this episode also includes Dog Football.

It's the return of the traditional Games, Dammit! crew! Since Frank Cifaldi rejoins Scooter, Matt, and Jeremy in the studio and we all talk about Fallout: New Vegas' Dead Money DLC, Swarm, our musings about CES and Nintendo World, and the PSP2 (along with its "feel-y nipples"). Questions-wise, we tackle topics such as handholding in games, horseriding in Red Dead Redemption versus sailing in Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, a special boardgame from Brenda Braithwaite, M-rated sports games, and way too many voicemails about Elevator Action. Frank gives a special shoutout to the excellent video series Chrontendo, and we even conduct a live conversation with special guest/Oddcast contributor BallsRog. Enjoy!

Live in Tokyo, do you? And you attended Nintendo's recent 3DS event? ...So you know everything there is to know about the upcoming glasses-free 3D handheld? Fine then, don't listen to this podcast. The rest of us will tune in to hear the 8-4 crew's full report on Nintendo World 2011, including first-hand impressions of playable games like Kid Icarus, Pilotwings, Resident Evil, etc. and thoughts on the launch lineup, bundled software, battery life, stage shows, ceiling Miyamoto, glory holes -- even the friggin' Virtual Boy fer cryin' out loud.

Dabbling in a brief bout of necromancy, Jeremy Parish grabs Frank Cifaldi, Scott Sharkey, and Chris Kohler to do a year-end roundup for 1971, '76, '81, '86 (and so forth) before letting the show return once again to the grave.

Scooter and Justin join Kat for a 2011 RPG Preview in the first Active Time Babble of the New Year, where they discuss Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, The Old Republic the general lack of Square Enix RPGs and Pokemon musks. Also, Kat bravely goes solo and takes questions while discussing Kingdom Hearts Recoded and the newly-announced Super Robot Taisen Z2. Will she be successful, or did she disastrously split the party? You be the judge!

What happens when one podcaster goes to CES, you have a new office with a podcast studio that lacks headphones, and you bring in guests from Double Fine? You get this Work-In-Progress-Sounding version of "Games, Dammit!" for the first week of 2011! Subbing in for Frank Cifaldi, we invited Tim Schafer (studio founder) and Lee Petty (project director) from Double Fine to sit and jabber with us. As a result, we have about an hour-and-a-half's hour of talk about games like Minotaur Rescue, Enslaved, Limbo, Dead Space 2, Heavy Rain, and, of course, Double Fine's Stacking. We also have Tim and Lee tackle questions about writing, the funniest thing that's happened to them, and CES memories. Unfortunately, as we recorded this without headphones (still setting up our new office space), we didn't know how our podcast actually sounded until post-production. So unfortunately, while you can get the essence of jokes about Weekend At Bernie's and how it relates to games, the definition of a "scotch nipple," or Lee's office

After an extended holiday break filled with snow, sake, and SASUKE! (look it up), the 8-4some is back and they got some 'splainin' to do! (:LAUGHTER:) Good thing former EGM and Turn 10 hipster Che "China Warrior" Chou joins in to talk iPhone game shame, his personal wall of give a s*** -- basically ANYTHING but his current workplace (Microsoft's 343 Industries) and their shadowy Halo project. Come for the New Year's cards, stay to hear what a former Forza guy thinks of Gran Turismo 5 (oh no he de-ent!). (:LAUGHTER:)

Ready for the new year? We're putting 2010 behind us the only way we know how: Odd Awards! Listen to us talk about such categories as, "He gave it to his Mama," or "PMPNP" (Predict Michael Patcher's Next Prediction).

It's the final show of the year, and sugar-addled adventurers Kat, Scooter, Travis and Jeremy sit down to talk about the best RPGs of the year. Nier, Infinite Space, Resonance of Fate, Costume Quest and more all get their due as ATB closes the book on a blockbuster-filled (but perhaps flawed) 2010.

It's a Games, Dammit! holiday miracle! We start out thinking that because we're recording early in a short week before heading out for the holidays, that we'd have a short show, but nope, we still fill your ears with nonsense for nearly two hours. Games-wise, we talk about Stacking and Back to the Future -- in addition to each cast member detailing his personal Game of the Year (and the one 2011 he's looking forward to). You also learn that Scooter has a frankly irrational association with the number 12. Besides that, we tackle listener questions about elevator action pitches, time travel paradoxes, whether a game can address a heady issue like the Holocaust, and what is worth a dollar nowadays. And just like your uncle who keeps on ranting long after he's no longer relevant to your conversation, we close out the year by reminiscing about our Ziff-Davis days for way too long. Happy holidays,and we'll be back in 2011!

Happy holidays from the 1UP Oddcast crew! Special remix by @tole_cover.

Nearly two hours of lovable nonsense this week! Games-wise, we chat a bit about Killzone 3, Intellivision Lives, and Jeremy's disappointment with Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Limited Edition. Plus, we learn all about the Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer game via Amazon reviews (and Frank also attempts to buy Rudolph on-air), and Jeremy and Frank discuss the merits of the original TRON movie. After a very magical appearance from a "special guest," we get into listener queries about seasonal games, gaming guilty pleasures, elevator action, the state of survival horror games, Europeans and embargoes, and how Jeremy can play Vagrant Story on his PSP. All this, and a special offer from one Jeremy Parish to one lucky listener.