Checkmate Arcade Podcast

What happens when two game companies merge? They need a new name, obviously. Steven tries to help speed up the process by offering his input. For his effort, he gets gutted by Kratos from God of War 2. Jason consoles himself by joining the military in Valkyria Chronicles and by playing more then double the number of games Steven did this week. Plus we throw in our Top 5 Favorite Old School Game Endings. Its a long one this week, so kick back and enjoy.

We discuss the possibility of the 360 Friend List cap going up to 200, decide not to get the collector's edition of Resident Evil 5, and Steven gets angry that FF XIII won't be out this year. Jason and Steven get in a friendly co-op scuffle in Call of Duty: World at War. Then round out the show with the NPD numbers for December.

Yes, that is the title. I find it funny. If you listen to the show you'll know why as well. This week we decide to plunk down the cash to get joysticks and gamepads for Street Fighter 4, as well as weep for the fall of a game coverage giant. Jason joins the Battle for Asgard and Steven hates on Halo 2. Plus, we give you a brand new Top 5.

In what is our first and hopefully longest episode of the year, we give all you faithful listeners our picks for the greatest games of the year. Jason rattles off his stats for World at War and gives us his take on the new Resident Evil movie. Steven finds that the impossible is possible (barely) in Dead Space and heads off for a weekend getaway in The House of The Dead. We sprint past the news in less than 3 minutes and get the show on the Zune Marketplace. Tune in for the big reveal of our Games of the Year.

Its the last podcast of the year 2008 and we stuff your stockings with a ton of gaming goodness. The November NPDs are out and even with the bad economy, console sales are up. Jason goes treasure hunting with Lara Croft and throws some hadokens in Ryu's general direction. Steven finds himself out of air in Dead Space and tries out an MMORPG beta. Have a merry Christmas, a happy Hanukkah, and a great New Year.

Don't forget to enter our contest, check out this link for more details:

http://www.vsrealms.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64229

PS3 fans rejoiced this week as Killzone 2 has a release date and Uncharted 2 was revealed to exist. Jason plays Gears 2 online co-op this week and not much else. Steven losses his cool with a rant about tiny text in games and finally gets around to playing Dead Space. We also give you our best video game related Christmas stories. Plus, the news and the NPD numbers from October round out the show.

After an impromptu break, we come back out fighting. Jason joins the survivors in the fight to not be, Left 4 Dead and makes a game winning shot form downtown in NBA 2K9. Steven gets drafted by the Cog army in Gears of War 2 and discovers the fun of playing Uno on Xbox Live. In the news from the last three weeks, PETA declares war on Majesco's Cooking Mama, the NXE update froze many a system, and Square Enix has at last set up a studio in the US. Plus, we kick off our biggest contest yet with some great prizes. Listen to the last 20 minutes of the show for details.

This must be the week of the greatest comments ever, with the Wii being called "The Most Expensive Board Game On Earth" and someone at Activision getting called a "Super Douche". Jason tries his hand at being a runner in the demo for Mirror's Edge, goes out for revenge with 007 in Quantum of Solace, and grinds Steven's gears by playing Gears of War 2 to completion. Steven does some level grinding in Summon Night: Twin Age and becomes a diplomatic blood drinking thief in Fallout 3. Plus, Jason's favorite story of the week, Press Your Luck will be returning to video games on all consoles and handhelds. So, tune in and hear just how crazy Jason gets.

This week Jason and Steven dig into Fallout 3 at the same time. Plus, we find some fun downloadable content from EA and discover where Riddick has been hiding. The show starts off sleepy but ends up ranty, so kick back and enjoy.

This episode is rated T for Teen. We delve into why MK vs DC is now a Teen game and what games are now infested with zombies. Jason becomes the gangsta we all know he is on the inside in Saints Row 2 and hacks up some bandits in Fable 2. Steven goes to Atlantic City and brings back a Minish Cap for his cat to wear on Halloween and casts magic missile in Summon Night: Twin Age. Plus, the Top 5 Movies Based on Games rounds out the show.

Show Rundown

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Opening Song (Hypnotize by: Motoi Sakuraba)

Introduction

Contest Winner

Jason's Now Playing

-Call of Duty: World At War (Xbox 360)

-NBA 2K9 (Xbox 360)

-Saints Row 2 (Xbox 360) *SPOILERS*

-Fable 2 (Xbox 360) *SPOILERS*

Steven's Now Playing

-Casino games in Atlantic City, NJ

-Okami (PS2)

-Summon Night: Twin Age (DS)

-Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA)

Fable 2 Game Breaking Glitch

News

-MK vs. DC: The Joker's Fatality Gets T-Rated

-Penny Arcade Adventures Continue Next Week

-Ys: Books I & II Coming To Nintendo DS In February

-Grand Theft Auto IV Plagued By Zombies, Among Other Games

-World at War Will Feature A "Zombie Mode"?

-David Hasselhoff To Be Put In Pain

-Activision Taps Ratner For Star-Studded World Tour Ads

-Army of Two marches on Hollywood

-NXE loses Xbox Live Primetime

-Sony clamps down with PSN user agreement

-Star Wars: The Old Republic Revealed As Ambitious MMO

-E3 2009: It's Officially On June 2nd

Feature - Top 5 Movies Based on Games

Wrap Up