It’s one thing to try to translate a video game plot and characters into a movie, but movies that are about the culture of video gaming, the people who play them, and what it’s like to be stuck in one are an altogether different animal. Many such movies were released in the 1980s, coincidentally around the same time as the video game crash that threatened to destroy this nascent industry forever. Vinnk and SeanOrange reminisce about Scott Pilgrim, TRON, The Wizard, The Last Starfigher, Cloak and Dagger, and War Games: when we saw them, what kind of impact they had, and if we’ll ever see their like again. And, look — most of them had better reviews than movies adapted from actual video games!

Direct Link: Famicom Dojo Podcast 11: Movies About Video Games

Check out trailers for all the films we talked about, and their RottenTomatoes.com scores at our show notes:
http://famicomdojo.tv/podcast/11

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Zac is joined by Crazy, The Captain, and the ever present aDam for talk about beating kids at Pokemon, beating Nazis with a shield, beating ourselves over San Diego news, and finally giving Voldemort a great big hug.

Listen live on this page, or subscribe via RSS or iTunes.
Direct Link: Powetcast 100: Get Physical

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It’s hard for the average gamer to play absolutely EVERYTHING, even everything that’s good. But is that any excuse? Should gamers be shamed for failure to expose themselves to certain kinds of games? In our first Video Game Confessional, Vinnk and SeanOrange talk about the game franchises we should have played, but didn’t. And for good measure, we also discuss a few games we love to death, but have no business liking.

Direct Link: Famicom Dojo Podcast 10: Never Played Pokemon

Listen to Pokemon Days of Summer and read the complete show notes only at:
http://famicomdojo.tv/podcast/10

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Region locking is nothing new. It hasn’t taken many different forms, but wasn’t always deliberate either. Many handhelds were exempt from this scheme for the longest time (including the Game Boy and DS series), but with time all things change. SeanOrange and Vinnk discuss the very state of affairs that necessitates the existence of organizations like Operation Rainfall, how they came to be, and where they might go from here.

Direct Link: Famicom Dojo Podcast 09: A History of Console Region Locking

Get a complete rundown of console region lockouts in the show notes:
http://famicomdojo.tv/podcast/9

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If you want the original game footage without our comments (if you missed it the first time), you can Watch 15 Minutes of Bioshock Infinite NOW. Enjoy.

Future Powetracks will include commentary on full legnth movies, the first planned is Masters of the Universe, the original 1987 live action film based on the popular He-Man action figures. Order up your DVD now, the commentary track will be available next month!

Be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts on Bioshock Infinite and Powetracks!

Xenoblade, Pandora’s Tower, and The Last Story have been released in Japan and Europe, but the US has been passed over. That’s where Operation Rainfall comes in: to urge Nintendo of America to release these games that have already been localized for the major languages spoken in North America. At a time when the Wii is suffering a drought of games — let alone good ones — don’t we deserve better?

Direct Link: Famicom Dojo Podcast 08: Operation Rainfall

Find links to support Operation Rainfall in the show notes:
http://famicomdojo.tv/podcast/8

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Michael Bay delivers his ultimate Transformers movie. Beyond good, beyond evil, beyond your comprehension! We spend the first half of the show digging into the little things and broad points about the movie and the second part of the show talking specific plot points and spoilers. Discussion of toys, games, and comics will follow in a supplement later this week!

Spoilers begin at 44:30. You have been warned.

Listen live on this page, or subscribe via RSS or iTunes.
Direct Link: Powetcast: We Will Kill Them All [Read the rest of this entry…]

Can a movie based on a video game ever be any good? If their Rotten Tomatoes scores are to be believed, these films are never critical darlings. Some find fans in niche places, but many are just… you know… BAD. Vinnk and SeanOrange plumb their memories of video game movies to find out if either of them belong to the “so-SO-bad-but-I-still-love-it-even-though-geez-it-sucks” club!

Direct Link: Famicom Dojo Podcast 07: Video Game Movies

Check out the show notes to see the trailers for these films, JewWario’s Mario Monologues, and more thoughts at FamicomDojo.TV:
http://famicomdojo.tv/podcast/7

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