On this, the one-hundred and fifty-seventh episode of Barrel Roll, Jonah and Jesse are on their own. It’s up to the two of them to talk about video games and attempt to keep you edutained.

The Portal 2 authoring tools dropped, and both the guys have been playing around with them. They go into the good and bad of using it with no prior design experience. On the board game front, Jonah picked up a copy of Tetris Link, which is kind of broken but has the potential to be really fun. Jonah also finally got his own copy of Kid Icarus Uprising, which leads to talk of multiplayer, and leads Jesse down a dark path of discussing the original Kid Icarus, which he was playing via the 3D Classics edition.

Since there hadn’t been nearly enough wizard talk in a while, Jonah brings up the Civ V styled wizard strategy game Warlock – Master of the Arcane, and the obscure end of the world, flashlight based Wii game Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon.

All this and more on Barrel Roll #157, “Is that Snake Coming on to Me?”

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On this, the one-hundred and fifty-sixth excursion into Barrel Roll country, Jesse and Jonah are joined by the internet’s own Michael Bachmann. While Mike was off playing the Diablo III open beta, Jonah and Jesse spent time with the Dragon’s Dogma demo and character creator. Jesse has also finished up Kid Icarus: Uprising while Jonah played through Journey.

There is discussion of Space Quest and Leisure Suit Larry, as well as Bizarro Shenmue, which isn’t a real game, but probably should be.

Getting back to games we actually played, Jesse breaks down Ridge Racer Unbounded and it’s strange drifting mechanics. Jonah started in on The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition on the Xbox 360 while Mike completed the first chapter of The Walking Dead adventure game from Telltale. All this and more on Barrel Roll #156, “Bizarro Shenmue”.

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Some people would like to believe I record this podcast up in a tree fort with a cardboard sign on the door that reads, “No vocals allowed.” To them I present the sixth episode of the game music podcast, Sound in Action. 100% vocals. 100% awesome.

In this episode I take a look at vocal tracks from games as obscure as the cancelled version of Ragnarok Online 2 to as publicly appreciated as the indie darling, Bastion. There’s an unintentional consistency in style between many of the tracks, but music from Gravity Rush, Xenosaga II, and NieR come to the rescue with their wonderfully unusual sound.

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This week on show, Jonah and Jesse are joined by two returning champions of guest hosting, Adam Milecki, who may or may not be a robot, and Wesley Johnson. After shooting the breeze about remix contest and albums you should definitely go check out, they get right into the video games discussion.

First up is Skullgirls, the indie fighting game from Autumn Games that dropped on XBLA and PSN last week. Then Adam and Jesse have an in-depth discussion on Kid Icarus: Uprising. After the break we unfortunately lose Adam due to his suddenly getting down with the sickness. But the show must go on and Jesse gives his thoughts on Asura’s Wrath and how much he wishes there was a game there. Jonah has actually played a new game, Legend of Grimrock, even though it plays like an old game. He also finally gave in and bought the Rock Band 3 keyboard bundle he has been putting off since the game’s initial release nearly two years ago. Before he falls asleep (it was approaching 2am on his end), Wes gives us his thoughts on Fallout: New Vegas.

All this and more random banter on Barrel Roll #155 – “Adam is (Probably) A Robot”.

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This may be our most tangent filled podcast yet (but probably isn’t if you dig back far enough). Adam Milecki returns and is afraid to miss a thing, so he focuses his attention on Brogue, a better Roguelike. Jesse and Adam entered into a blood pact a while back to co-op Armored Core V, and we all get the benefits of their sacrifice. Actually, it turned out to be pretty good.

Jonah was bitten by the MMO bug once again when he decided to give Star Trek Online a second chance. What a difference a year can make. He also explains why you owe it to yourself to give Yakuza Dead Souls a try. Jesse has finished Xenoblade Chronicles after a mere 81 hours, and even after all that says it is a game you have to play, which we will.

The mid-song is a clip from the new album from C-Jeff, Preschtale.

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Games remixing games? What’s next?

After an extended hiatus, Sound in Action finally returns with an episode about in-game remixes. These aren’t bonus tracks or arrange albums. These are remixes features right in the games themselves. Highlights include the always bizarre (and long titled) Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, the little game that almost could, Star Fox Assault, and the shockingly great Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles among others.

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What’s that you say? Jesse has entered yet another remix competition?

It’s true. This week’s show is done entirely in dubstep (but not really) as we are joined once again by Mike Bachmann and Mr. Wesley Johnson. First things first, you should go back the Kickstarter for Heroes of Forevia, because it sounds rad and Jonah wants to play it.

Then it’s onward to video game chat. This week’s topics of discussion include Coderunner, Mass Effect 3‘s multiplayer content, Binary Domain, an in-depth discussion of Street Fighter X Tekken, and Jonah’s quick turn around on Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk 2.

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It’s 2012, and you know what that means? “Lost” references!

This week, Jonah is joined by Jesse and Wesley (Wes to his enemies) for discussions of Mass Effect 3, Binary Domain and the monkey high-five simulator, Rhythm Heaven Fever.

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What happens when video game composers get together to jam? Amazing albums happen. Episode 4 of the Sound in Action podcast is all about in-house bands. From The Black Mages to Alph Lyla, you’ll get your face rocked off before settling down with some smooth jams.

It’s a mix of old and new, both dissolved and current bands. Enjoy!

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Did you know that this month, February of 2012 is the 20th anniversary of a very historic film? A film that captured the imaginations of an entire generation with it’s wit and charm. I am, of course talking about Wayne’s World; still considered by most to be the only Saturday Night Live spin-off worth watching. It rose above it’s source material to bring the world an evergreen classic that will delight viewers for generations to come. Schey, right. And monkeys might fly out of my butt.

It also spawned a few video game tie-ins.

Capstone Software was the king of lackluster movie adaptations from 1980 until it closed its doors in 1996 (Note: a business software company now owns the Capstone Software name & their former website). Of the company’s 35 releases, at least 17 were based on previously existing works. Remember L.A. Law: The Game? Surf Ninjas? Terminator 2: Judgment Day – Chess Wars? No? How about our first game this month – Wayne’s World?

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