We compare the Power Pak and Everdrive N8 Nintendo flash carts, discuss a slew of microtransaction-related news, and then dive into our thoughts on the 2017 Game Awards!

Show Notes

* FREE GAME Contest Announcement

* Win a free game, details here:

Want a chance to win a FREE video game and help out a new gaming podcast all at the same time!?!

Follow us, RT this post, & leave us a review on iTunes for a chance to WIN your choice of #FireEmblemWarriors, #SamusReturns, #FinalFantasyXII, or #GearsofWar!

See pic for details! pic.twitter.com/N8iM5zrGxV

— Masters of Unlocking (@MoUPodcast) November 16, 2017

* Gaming Archaeology:

* Caleb and Scott recap their recent game pickups, including Road Rage, Axiom Verge, and Mario Kart 8.

* Epic Set List:

* Discussion of what we’ve been playing recently & our spoiler-free thoughts

* South Park: Fractured But Whole, Wolfenstein II, & more.

* Listener Q&A

* What is the best Nintendo NES flash cart – RetroUSB’s PowerPak or Krikzz’s Everdrive N8? (from: @itsrocketsauce)

* What’s News:

* EA reverses course on Battlefront II microtransactions

* Activision patents matchmaking system that pushes microtransactions

* Wall Street freaks out as EA caves to social media outrage

* Main Event:

* We discuss the 2017 Game Awards – including our votes and what games we think will win

We wish the Microsoft Xbox a happy 16th birthday and prepare you for Black Friday 2018 with a discussion of video game deals and strategic tips for scoring your epic Black Friday loot.

Show Notes

* Gaming Archaeology:

* Caleb and Scott recap their recent game pickups, including Xbox One X and a Neo Geo Pocket Color flash cart!

* Epic Set List:

* Discussion of what we’ve been playing recently & our spoiler-free thoughts

* Super Mario Odyssey, Assassin’s Creed Origins, Wolfenstein II

* What’s News:

* Happy 16th Birthday Xbox!

Highlights & thoughts on Playstation’s Paris Games Week announcements

* GameStop’s new Power Pass rental program

* ActivisionBlizzard reports record revenues as a result of Destiny 2 digital sales

* Playstation VR finally gets a redesign

* Telltale Games lays off 25% of its workforce

* Main Event:

* Black Friday is here!  We discuss some of the best gaming deals, Black Friday resources, and some of our previous Black Friday scores.

* CheapAss Gamer’s 2017 Black Friday Deals thread

* BFads.net

Caleb J. Ross & VGCollectaholic explore what’s in store for the Nintendo Switch in its inaugural holiday season as more physical games begin to arrive.

Show Notes

* Gaming Archaeology:

* Caleb and Scott recap their recent game pickups, including this weekend’s gaming barrage of Mario, Wolfenstein, & Assassin’s Creed

* Caleb starts a new collection & starts a gaming book club

* Epic Set List:

* Discussion of what we’ve been playing recently, including South Park: The Fractured But Whole, Kholat, & more

* What’s News:

Analouge announces FPGA-based SNES console (the Super NT)

* Microsoft axes Kinect, what is its legacy?

* Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus forgoes multiplayer & focuses on story

* Article discussion on “Video Games Are Destroying the People Who Make Them“

* How video games scare us (and why we like it)

* Main Event:

* Nintendo’s Switch preps for a banner inaugural holiday season

 

Happy Halloween everyone!  This week we get into the spookiness of the season by discussing horror games, sub-categories of horror games, and some of our favorite spooky game experiences.

Show Notes

* Gaming Archaeology – Caleb and Scott recap their recent game pickups… Caleb discusses his crazy childhood collections… like this one:

* Epic Set List – Discussion of what we’ve been playing recently, including more Ys VIII, Golf Story, Virginia, and Mario Kart 8

* What’s News:

Bethesda embraces anti-Nazi stance: That’s ‘what Wolfenstein represents’

What happens to your Steam account when you die?

The Company That Wants To Replace Textbooks With Video Games

There’s No Such Thing as a Hard Game (Or an Easy One)

ESRB says video game loot boxes don’t qualify as ‘gambling,’ despite similarities

* Main Event: Spooky games and memorable experiences

 

The SNES Classic launched this weekend – maybe you’ve heard about that.  Bethesda unveils their new Creation Club.  And out hosts ponder what the prospect of Limited Run Games’ producing replacement longbox cases for Sega Saturn, Sega CD, and Sony Playstation games means – is a replacement case different than a replacement cart label?

Show Notes

* Gaming Archaeology – Caleb and Scott recap their recent game pickups, Scott dives into collecting for Sega Master System and picks up some hilarious Japanese games… Caleb wonders if this is one of them:

* Epic Set List – Discussion of what we’ve been playing recently, including Everything, Last Guardian, Destiny 2, and Ys VIII

* What’s News:

* Nintendo hides the original NES Golf inside the Switch – Flog

* Fallout 4’s Creator Club goes live – is this good or bad for modders?

* Limited Run Games exploring replacement Sega CD/Sega Saturn/Playstation 1 longbox jewel cases – Caleb & Scott dive into the “Ship of Theseus” problem and ask: what does this mean for collectors?

* Sony, Microsoft, & Nintendo mandate all physical games must have ESRB ratings

* Nintendo implores people to not buy SNES Classics from scalpers

* Atari Box details emerge and it looks like a project without a purpose

 

Caleb & Scott discuss their key takeaways from the Nintendo Direct announcements, dive into their post-play-through thoughts on NieR: Automata, and delve into PewDiePie’s most recent faux pas and how it could lead to major legal ramifications for the future of game streaming.

Show Notes

* Gaming Archaeology – Caleb and Scott recap their recent game pickups.

* Epic Set List – Discussion of what we’ve been playing recently

* NieR: Automata In-Depth Discussion (Spoiler-Free)

* Nintendo Direct

* Major Announcements and Key Takeaways

* PewDiePie: Copyright, Fair Use, & the Future of Game Streaming

 

Several games have recently released or announced major updates that overhaul the original game.  Caleb J. Ross & VGCollectaholic ask – Can video games like No Man’s Sky and Yooka-Laylee truly ever get a second chance to erase a bad first impression?

Show Notes

* Gaming Archaeology – Caleb and Scott recap their recent game pickups.

* Epic Set List – Discussion of what we’ve been playing recently

* Main Event – Post Launch Game Pivots

* Yooka-Laylee Backpedals on its Pure Retro Experience

* Major No Man’s Sky Update… too little too late?

* Eve: Valkyrie Adds Non-VR Functionality… is this an indictment on VR?

* Capcom & iam8bit Re-Release Street Fighter II for SNES… for $100+

 

In the wake of Limited Run Games’ release of the 25th Anniversary remaster of Night Trap, Caleb and Scott dive into the science behind violent video games and their effect, or lack thereof, on the brain.

Show Notes

* Gaming Archaeology – Caleb and Scott recap their recent game pickups.

* Epic Set List – What have we been playing recently?

* Current Event Commentary

* Metroid: Samus Returns Gets a New Nintendo 3DS XL (but no copy of the game!)

* Is the Nintendo Switch a Replacement for the 3DS?

* Shenmue 3 Gets a Publisher

* Nintendo 2017 World Championships

* Do Violent Video Games Blunt Out Brains?

* Limited Run Games & The Difficulties of Managing Growth

 

A new video game podcast is born, with your hosts Caleb J. Ross (@CalebJRoss) and Scott the Video Game Collectaholic (@VGCollectaholic).

Show Notes

* Gaming Archaeology – Caleb & Scott discuss their recent video game pick-ups

* Epic Set List – What have we been playing?

* Current Event Discussions

* Wolfenstein 2 announces three DLC packs 3 months ahead of the game’s release

* New Order/Old Blood combo and $10 rebate for $30US

* Doc, write me a prescription for Wolfenstein II

* Walmart cancels all SNES Classic preorders

* “Pong to Pokémon: The Evolution of Electronic Gaming”

* No more first-class treatment from TSA for iPads and gaming handhelds

* Science for the win, peer review and replicated study finds less evidence that games are bad for brains.

* Nintendo sees massive revenue & earnings rise (Q2 earnings report) – stock up 62% since Jan 1

* YouTuber “The Wulff Den” Almost Perfectly Predicted the Switch in January 2015

* Barrie Game Exchange