Tonight, on a very special episode of Barrel Roll! A Videogame Podcast, Jonah has gone missing and it’s up to Jesse, Adam, and their rag tag crew of Mega Man Network staff to fill in the gaps.

Listen as the group recalls Art Alive! (the SEGA equivalent of Mario Paint) and geeks out about Mega Man Legends 3. You’ll also hear discussion of the design philosophies of 3D Mario games and a riveting discussion of Third Person Sworders, all while managing to bring up Falkor again.

In “What we’ve been playing,” Andy tells us how to be the most powerful laser shooting elephant in the world in Elephant Quest, Adam takes down soldiers with Two Lances Jackson in Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes, and Jesse beats thugs senseless with a bicycle in Yakuza 4. Oh… and I guess Portal 2 came out which everybody played. Don’t worry. We didn’t spoil your precious portals.

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It’s that classic situation you’ve had nightmares about. Your essay on the Sengoku Period for your Japanese History class is due, and you haven’t even started studying the subject yet. What’s a student to do?

Instead of reading boring ‘ol books, why not play Capcom’s study aid, Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes? Insert this learning tool into your Playstation 3, and within minutes you’ll be able to answer such questions as “Which General is actually a robot?”, “What magical element does Yukimura Sanada use?”, and “At what battlefield did Masamune Date declare a One Eyed Dragon Party Time?”

Don’t worry about the cash! We have a free copy waiting for one of the commenters on this post. Simply read the rules below and tell us both a historical period and how you’d like to see it spiced up. For example, how about adding ninjas to the American Civil War?

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"A lesson on Japanese history... with magic robots."

Sengoku Basara has a strange history in the states. This first game technically made it here, but in a bastardized form known as Devil Kings that was far removed from its original Japanese identity. The sequel didn’t make it here in any form. Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes is actually the third game in the series, but the first real version to make it to North America with its identity intact.

The game is exactly what its title advertises it to be with “Sengoku” being the warring states period of Japanese history in which the game takes place, and “Basara” roughly translating to “stylish” or “over the top”. And let me tell you, they aren’t messing around when they use the word, “Basara”.

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On a very special eighty-eighth episode of “Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast”, it’s an all-night dragon dance party. And there ain’t no party like a one-eyed dragon party, ’cause a one-eyed dragon party has historically accurate robo-samurai.

In our segment where we talk about the games we played the previous week, simply titled “video games”, Jesse and Jonah talk about the remix tour of NBA Jam, Jesse tries to get into Alan Wake and has even checked out the DSiWare title Shantae: Risky’s Revenge.

Jesse and Adam break down Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, which Adam managed to pull himself away from Minecraft for a few minutes to try out. Jonah finally started his epic western quest in Red Dead Redemption, and even had a chance to try out the multiplayer with Wes (even though he didn’t make the show).

In “Let’s Play Together”, Jonah and Jesse talk about Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes and its constant one-eyed dragon parties.

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It’s that time of year. You know, the time when your wallet begs you for mercy? Yes, as the last quarter of 2010 comes, so does the deluge of new releases. But have no fear, WingDamage is here to help you remember which games are coming out for the Playstation 3. Let the insanity begin!

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It’s that time of year. You know, the time when your wallet begs you for mercy? Yes, as the last quarter of 2010 comes, so does the deluge of new releases. But have no fear, WingDamage is here to help you remember which games are coming out for the Nintendo Wii. Let the insanity begin!

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As I mentioned yesterday, finding out when and where to eat at E3 is important business. While there is food on site, like at the Convention Center’s Galaxy Cafe, it’s just so-so and fairly overpriced. “Either eat on a budget or pay for a decent meal,” is my motto. But what’s the best way to go?

On day one, after exploring the grounds a bit, my friend and I left the Convention Center and found our way to Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge. They offered an $8 lunch special that included a round of bowling (yes, there are lanes on the site). That atmosphere was very laid back and comfortable, and the cheeseburger and fries were very satisfying. Sadly, we had no time for bowling. A fine meal, but a little pricey and time consuming.

For day two we decided to go totally budget. Unfortunately, there isn’t any fast food around the Convention Center, but we were still in luck. To promote the game Homefront, an upcoming FPS about North Korea taking over the US in the future, THQ subsidized a traveling food vendor to sell themed food items, like Korean BBQ tacos and kimchi quesadillas (clever, if not controversial). The food was pretty good for its simplicity, and two tacos and a quesadilla cost a mere $4.

But the best way to go is eating for free, though this may take investigation and connections. When we finally found Activision’s area (which was separate from the two main halls) and saw a presentation for Call of Duty: Black Ops, we realized they were serving free pizza. It was awful, but shoot, it was free. A little later we got free beef and cheddar sandwiches from Capcom, as we were invited to their swanky special event on site. I should also mention that there are plenty of people in and near the Convention Center who will give away free energy drinks, so keep your eyes peeled for them.

Boy, all this talk is making me hungry. Let’s get on with some games. Today I’m here to give impressions on NBA Jam, Bionic Commando ReArmed 2, Okamiden, Ghost Trick and Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes. And yeah, that’s me and Charles Martinet up top! Woohoo!

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