Kole, Ben, and Dennis convene for a spoilerific discussion of Heavy Rain, only 6 months late! Don’t worry if you haven’t played Heavy Rain, there are 30 minutes of pure gold before that discussion kicks in.

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The featured song this week is “Fresh Blood” by the Eels.

Let us know what you think! Send your thoughts in an email to dont.tree.riddle@gmail.com.

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Kole (@donttreeriddle)
Dennis (@dfuria)
Ben (@merkelizer)

Topics:

What’cha Been Playin’?

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
• Mod Nation Racers.
• Final Fantasy XIII.
• Starcraft 2.
• Alan Wake: The Signal.

Discussion

• Heavy Rain.

Kole, Ben, and Dennis talk about Bioshock Infinity, Starcraft II, and ask the listeners how difficult they like their games.

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The featured song this week is “Nugget” by Cake.

Let us know what you think! Send your thoughts in an email to dont.tree.riddle@gmail.com.

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Direct download.

Follow us on Twitter:
Kole (@donttreeriddle)
Dennis (@dfuria)
Ben (@merkelizer)

Topics:

Quick Hits

• Bioshock Infinite announced.
• Dragon Age II dated.
• Mass Effect 2 coming to PS3.
• Ratchet and Clank: Four Play announced.
• Resistance 3 announced.

Portraits of Shame

• 3D might not make your eyes fall out.

What’cha Been Playin’?

• Starcraft II.
• Bioshock 2.
• Modern Warfare 2.
• Warhawk.
• Little Big Planet.

Discussion

• How difficult do you like your games?

Kole and Dennis talk about Batman: Arkham City, the WoW cybersex epidemic, classic Starcraft, and we ask the audience what game made them into gamers.

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The featured song this week is “Turning on the Screw” by Queens of the Stone Age.

Let us know what you think! Send your thoughts in an email to dont.tree.riddle@gmail.com.

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Topics:

Quick Hits

• Batman: Arkham City announced.
• Ueda to announce “Something” at TGS.
• “Everquest Next” unveiled.

Portraits of Shame

• The World of Warcraft cybersex epidemic.

What’cha Been Playin’?

• Final Fantasy XIII.
• Jak and Daxter: The Last Frontier.
• Starcraft.
• Limbo.

Discussion

• What game made you into a gamer?

Preview:

Kole and Dennis discuss Kinect pricing, the California games ban, Alan Wake, and sales numbers. Oh, and we also give some terrible advice regarding hirsute babies.

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The featured song this week is “The Ruling Class” by Loose Fur, a side project of Wilco.

Let us know what you think! Send your thoughts in an email to dont.tree.riddle@gmail.com.

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Direct download.

Topics:

Quick Hits

• Microsoft prices the Kinect.
• June NPD.
• Rock Band 3 dated.

Portraits of Shame

• 11 states come out in support of the California violent game ban.

What’cha Been Playin’?

• Alien Swarm.
• Dungeons and Dragons: Online.
• Company of Heroes: Online.
• Braid.
• Final Fantasy XIII.
• God of War 3.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
• Alan Wake.
• Dead Space.

Discussion

• Is online multiplayer killing game sales?

Kole, Ben, and Dennis discuss Mass Effect 2, EA Sports Active, the May NPD numbers, whether or not games can be art, and the classic film “Over the Top.”

Many of the audio issues have been ironed out, but Ben experienced significant lag and had to be dropped for the discussion.

Be sure to tell your friends about this podcast!

Let us know what you think! Send your thoughts in an email to dont.tree.riddle@gmail.com.

Subscribe in iTunes.

Topics:

Quick Hits

• May NPD Sales Numbers
• Playstation Plus not required for Hulu Plus.
• Sony acknowledges that Team ICO HD Collection might be a good idea.
• Rock Band 3 to have pitch correction for vocals.

Portraits of Shame

• Blizzard forces forum users to attach their full names to posts.
• Finland makes broadband access a human right.

Segue Challenge

What’cha Been Playin?

• Mass Effect 2
• Guitar Hero 5
• Mini Ninjas
• Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
• EA Sports Active

Discussion

• Roger Ebert, and “Can Games Be Art?”

Kole, Ben, and Dennis discuss Red Dead Redemption, Hulu Plus, and debut the Audio Challenge.

We’re back to the original format, but with the added bonus of the Audio Challenge (submit your ideas to @donttreeriddle on Twitter!) and the Segue Challenge.

Many of the audio issues have been ironed out, but Ben experienced significant lag and had to be dropped for the discussion.

Be sure to tell your friends about this podcast!

Let us know what you think! Send your thoughts in an email to dont.tree.riddle@gmail.com.

Subscribe in iTunes.

Topics:

Quick Hits

• Hulu Plus coming to PS3 and Xbox 360.
• Microsoft bringing out Xbox Live Family Plans.
• Classics HD line for PS3.
• Final Fantasy Tactics coming to iPhone.
• Square Enix considering Final Fantasy V and VI for the 3DS.

Portraits of Shame

• Sony details Playstation Plus incentives.

What’cha Been Playin?

• God of War 3
• Red Dead Redemption
• Pixeljunk Shooter
• Mod Nation Racer
• Heavy Rain
• Guitar Hero 5
• Alpha Protocol
• Sims 3: Ambitions

Discussion

• Do you plan on buying Move/Kinect?
• Journey (the game, not the hit band)

Kole and Jason discuss the April sales slump, Green Day Rock Band, and Alan Wake.

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Topics:

Quick Hits

• April 2010 NPD numbers.
• April sales saw worst decline since 2007.
• Michael Pachter calls the sales drop an “anomaly.”
• Capcom is done with original IP from the West.
• Final Fantasy XIII Versus may be released on the Xbox 360.
• Guitar Hero 6 will not feature playable real-life musicians.
• “Super Scribblenauts” announced.

Portraits of Shame

• MTV Games underestimates their audience re: Green Day: Rock Band.
• “Kidz Bop” game exists for some reason.
• Air Force angered by Sony’s removal of “Other OS” function from the Playstation 3.

What’cha Been Playin’?

• Rock Band 2
• Record of Agarest War
• Alan Wake

Discussion

• Are used games worse for the industry than piracy?

Songs Played:

1. “White Winter Hymnal” – Fleet Foxes
2. “Plus Ones” – Okkervil River
3. “The Girl at the Video Game Store” – Nerf Herder
4. “Guest List” – Eels
5. “Monkey Gone to Heaven” – The Pixies
6. “Doin’ the Cockroach” – Modest Mouse
7. “Blood” – Six Gun Sons
8. “Do it Again” – Queens of the Stone Age

This is a big one, folks. Dennis Furia joins me in the studio to discuss the top 20 games of the decade, and I review both DJ Hero and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.

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Topics:

Game News

• Silent Hill 2 adapted for the stage.
• Silent Hill composer leaves Konami.
• MYST brought to GoodOldGames.com

Portraits of Shame

• Woman cuts power to hospital, blames Silent Hill.
• Sarah Palin-signed XB360 marked down to $800.

What’cha Been Playin’?

• Uncharted 2 (PS3)
• DJ Hero (XB360)
• Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Wii)

Songs Played:

1. “Devil’s Haircut” – Beck
2. “Revolution” – The Beatles
3. “Chase the Devil” – Eagles of Death Metal

4. “Pinch Me” – Barenaked Ladies
5. “Little Bird” – The Eels
6. “Movement” – LCD Soundsystem
7. “Sonnet No. 3 (Like a Duck)” – MC HONKY

This week I was joined by Dennis Furia to discuss internet addiction, the McDonald’s at the Louvre, and the design disparity between Zelda games and newer Eastern-developed games. Also, a belated celebration of Shark Week in the “Strange… But” segment.

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Topics:

• New study on internet addiction in teens.
• McDonald’s is coming to the Louvre.
• Woman arrested for video rentals, 10 years overdue.
• Two animal attacks.
• SHARK TWEETS.
• Advance Wars, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, Valkyria Chronicles, Beatles: Rock Band, Scribblenauts
• Jack Thompson sues Facebook.
• PSP GO doesn’t play nice with Macs.
• Hardware pricing outrage.
• Nintendo is apparently the best company in the world.
• Sarah Palin-signed Xbox 360 on eBay for $1.1 million.

Songs Played:

1. “I’m a Loser” – The Beatles
2. “Typical” – Mute Math
3. “Make it Wit Chu (Acoustic)” – Queens of the Stone Age
4. “Fulsom Prison Blues” – Johnny Cash
5. “Imitation of Life” – R.E.M.
6. “7/4 (Shoreline)” – Broken Social Scene
7. “Steady as She Goes” – The Raconteurs
8. “North Col” – Shearwater
9. “Legal Man” – Belle and Sebastian
10. “Bed” – Brand New

Still in a New York State of Mind (yet still hating Billy Joel’s smug attitude), Kole returns to the mic. Alongside him is Jordan, who was successfully returned to the studio after a successful milk carton campaign to find him. Topics include healthcare, samurai swords, Twilight, hardware redesigns and price cuts, a whole bunch of games.

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Songs Played:

1. “Satellite Skin” – Modest Mouse
2. “Fresh Blood” – Eels
3. “Hotel” – Broken Social Scene
4. “Mockingbirdsing” – Ryan Adams & the Cardinals
5. “O, Dana” – Okkervil River
6. “Oh No” – Andrew Bird
7. “Solitaire” – Wilco
8. “When U Love Somebody” – The Fruitbats
9. “WannaBe in L.A.” – Eagles of Death Metal