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!

[Read the rest of this entry…]

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.

[Read the rest of this entry…]

Gaming can be deadly. Oh, we’re not preaching about violence in games becoming violence in real life. More about self-inflicted injury — like playing Starcraft in an internet cafe for 36 hours straight until your heart gives out. Sean and Vinnk discuss their narrow brushes with that big game pad in the sky by way of a variety of titles mobile, PC, and console.

[Read the rest of this entry…]

Does allowing gamers to create their own worlds within a game make that game better, or does it just excuse the developers from having to create any content themselves? Vinnk and Sean discuss their first experiences with user-generated content (on the NES!), the wonders of the Famicom Data Recorder, and which games they thought were helped or hampered by being able to draw dongs on the sides of racecars.

[Read the rest of this entry…]

It seems like it’s getting harder to play video games all the time: an especially embarrassing realization when you’ve gone halfway across the country to attend the tenth annual Music and Gaming Festival aka MAGFest, Sean is joined by guest panelists Justin "JewWario" Carmichael, Brenna "Sindra" Wilkes, and Zac Shipley discuss the potentials and pitfalls of the Wii U, the events of the first day of MAGFest, ruminations on the seeming necessity of the waiver policy in light of ninja refrigerator attacks, and the importance of personal hygiene — even if in Pikachu form. Also, Vinnk (unable to attend due to living on the other side of the planet) regales is with HIS version of a fun convention!

[Listen to the episode after the jump…!]

What a year! 2011 brought its share of good games, bad weather (including a tsunami that devastated parts of Japan), and lots of changes for Famicom Dojo. Sean and Vinnk discuss what games they’re looking forward to in 2012, if the PS Vita is already a failure before it’s even been released in the US, and if the Wii U will be making its appearance before the end of the year.

[Listen to the episode after the jump…!]

The Christmas season, in the video game industry, is more about big sales of blockbuster titles, console launches, and a bit of rubbing-it-in-the-face for people who perennially spell Nintendo’s doom. (The 3DS is already outpacing sales of the DS in its first year.) If you’re a kid, subsequently, it means new video game time! Vinnk and Sean talk about their favorite Christmases, the games they got, their favorite Christmas games (yeah, there are a few), their most HATED Christmas games (there are even more), and more!

[Listen to the episode after the jump…!]

With a slow shift to digital-only content, and the inability to share such content like you would lend a book or a disc, and publishers deliberately devaluing their game content through the use of activation codes and central server authenticaion, will there ever come a time when used games become a thing of the past? Sean and Vinnk explore why console games cost so much, why iOS games cost so little, and the ruin that would be visited upon the gaming industry if no one could lend out their games or buy used ones ever again.

[Listen to the episode after the jump…!]