In a word, no, but don’t worry: we’ll totally qualify that position. Nintendo’s financial troubles in 2011, and initially slow sales of the 3DS, followed by its steep price cut have renewed perennial calls for the company to forego the hardware market and release its titles on other platforms. SeanOrange and Vinnk discuss whether or not such a move would be vialbe for Nintendo, and if the company is leaving a lot of money on the table by not embracing the iOS market.

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Sean goes to Chicago ComiCon, Zac and Zero go to Baltimore ComiCon, and then we all talked about our experiences.
“Ice cold water, One dollar!”
We also talk about whether a good Nicholas Cage movie, even one about a flaming skull that rides a motorcycle, is even possible. Oh god! The bees!

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Direct Link:Powetcast 103: Con Artists
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In our younger days, we couldn’t have all the games we wanted. We had to play what we were given (or could afford), and we often played those games to death. Now? It’s incredibly easy for anyone young or old to buy more games at bargain-basement prices than they could ever hope to play in a lifetime. How much is too much? Vinnk and SeanOrange talk about their trip to Chicago Comic Con 2011, taking photos with Felicia Day, what we expect to see at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show, and more!

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20 years before Michael Bay tried his hand at Transformers, another toy line crossed the line into live action. Masters Of The Universe is an honestly well done movie starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor. Really, for a movie made with 1987 technology, it packs some pretty good action and visual effects. Its short comings are not unlike most 80s action movies: silly plot, some hammy acting, and a lot of posturing.

We’ve recorded a commentary track for this movie intended to be played in sync with the DVD. The DVD is available for less than $5 on Amazon right now. We’re going to release the show on August 31, 2011, and it will be available in our archives here. This is the first time we’re doing this, but it won’t be the last! We’re giving you a couple weeks of advance notice so you’ve got time to order the DVD or dig your copy out of storage or whatever you need to do. In the mean time, dig the teaser video posted above.

When did video games start using “lives”? More importantly, when and why did they stop? With this changing, what does it mean to die in a game? Vinnk and SeanOrange examine the games that pioneered this mechanism, and take a look at when and why it started changing. Was it with games like Myst, or did adventure-style games always buck this trend? Has the fall of arcade gaming lead games to be easier, and therefore no longer need “lives”?

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Outtakes! Most times we don’t have any, but occasionally there are technical difficulties or the show just runs too long so a portion gets cut.
This episode contains a segment cut from episode 101 and a segment cut from our Transformers 3 podcast: We Will Kill Them All.
First part you’ll hear Zac, Ernie, and aDam. The second part has the same crew with Zero added on.

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Direct Link:Powetcast 102: Mamacita

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Nintendo’s steep price cut of the 3DS may have taken some news outlets by surprise last week, but we called it way back during E3. When Sony introduced the PSVita at the same price point as Nintendo’s new handheld that was already struggling in sales, we knew a price cut could not be far behind. It looks like Nintendo agreed! SeanOrange and Vinnk discuss the 3DS Ambassador program, the wisdom of deciding not to release the GBA Virtual Console games to the general public, and whether or not these 20 free games will entice us (or anyone) to buy the system at $250 before the price cut goes into effect next Friday, August 12th.

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Zac, aDam, and Ernie talk ponder the eternal question: What sorcery is this? Sorcery in this episode includes: Thundercats, Wonder Woman, 3DS, Red Faction, and of course Transformers.

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Direct Link:Powetcast 101: What Sorcery Is This?
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