Injuries in video games tend to be minor annoyances rather than the game-stopping events they should be. But wouldn’t having to heal from actual injuries be a sure way to kill gaming fun? Vinnk and Sean discuss how injury has been taken out of games with the advent of armor and shielding, and on the other side of the spectrum games that are all about healing. And somewhere in between, there’s the worst offender of the blurry line between life, death, and severe crippling injury: RPGs. Also, we give out copious amounts of Phoenix Downs.

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Hype is great… until your game comes out. Quite different from development hell, these are games that come out, but when they do they don’t quite live up to the promises made by the marketing department — and sometimes the developers themselves. Sean and Vinnk discuss the raft of hate against the Mass Effect 3 ending, the lack of ending for the Shenmue series, Peter Molyneux’s retirement from Lionhead Studios, and more. Suffice to say, it’s been an interesting year for the hype machine and its consequences.

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There’s something to be said for a game missing its release to make it more awesome, but after a while there’s the law of diminishing returns. Then there’s also the trap of trying to make everything SO MUCH MORE awesome than anything else out there, you keep changing things — even things that have or should be long since settled — that you enter the inferno known as “development hell” where ideas both good and bad go to eternally torment fans and developers alike. Sean and Vinnk discuss Duke Nukem, the fate of Silicon Knights and their dedication to Too Human that took them under, and how Rare going to Microsoft Studios changed the company forever.

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Kids get a bad rap in video games. Sometimes they’re beat up to pull emotional heartstrings, but mostly they’re just annoying. Is there a way for kids to be used or portrayed in games that isn’t exploitative or make you want to cause yourself bodily harm? Vinnk and Sean run down the appearances of children in games, from the NES all the way to the upcoming Mass Effect 3, across consoles and the PC. We also run down the history of unlicensed NES publisher Color Dream, and what their originally shocking games turned into.

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There are a lot of couples in video games, but is there romance? Mario and Peach, Luigi and Daisy, Link and Zelda, The Brooding Loner and the Star-crossed Japanese Flower Girl Who Loves Him, and — of course — Samus and the baby Metroid. Do any of these games do romance well, or is it just assumed? And how far is too far with player-to-NPC romance? Sean and Vinnk wonder if video games can truly ever be your Valentine as they discuss these problems, the likelihood of your characters ever finding true digital love, and the potentially unfortunate state of Princess Zelda’s armpit hair.

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Video games aren’t just about blowing up bad guys, pretending to be a secret agent, or saving galactic civilization from moon-sized cuttlefish. Sometimes they’re about everyday, ordinary things, like stock brokering! Or newspaper delivery! Or making dinner! Vinnk and Sean discuss these more “mundane” titles, and how surprisingly fun they can actually be. Haven’t you ever wanted to be a lawyer? Or start your own football league? With the power of video games, this could be you!

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The Wii U is set to launch by the end of 2012… but is it really? We’ve been seeing the same tech demo since E3 2011, but no actual titles running on Wii U hardware. Will Nintendo make the projected launch date, or is it all smoke and mirrors? Sean and Vinnk disagree about what this means, encourage Sony to get out of the hardware market since the PS3 has never gotten above third place in North America, the PS Vita’s launch has been a larger thud than the one for 3DS, and rumors that the Next Xbox from Microsoft will somehow ban used games. RAMPANT SPECULATION!

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What is the amazing truth behind the Bungeling Empire, Sim City, Bomberman, and Choplifter? You’ll be surprised! No, really! It’s pretty surprising! But you’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out. Hint: they’re all connected by HudsonSoft, makers of the TurboGrafx-16, PC Engine, countless awesome 8-bit peripherals, and home of the honeybee — may they rest in peace. Vinnk and Sean reminisce about the company that they thought they knew, but clearly didn’t, and now will miss more than they thought possible.

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