It’s our 50th episode and we celebrate the milestone by talking about video games! But first, we break down all the non-news surrounding the reveal of the Xbox One, Chuck gets an OUYA in the mail and Maki buys a Nintendo 3DS XL. There’s games talk galore too with Poker Night 2, Fast & Furious Showdown, Star Trek, Neptune’s Pride 2: Triton, Dragon Age, EVE Online and lots more. Come listen to our merriment!

(Note: Audio quality degrades from 2:48 to 3:07. This was on our end, do not adjust your whatevers.)

NQcast50 – Flawless Victory

 

First half!

* 1:37 Xbox One reveal (We talk about it a LOT, despite Microsoft telling us basically nothing. The short version? Wait for E3.)

* 31:53 Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (Listen to our previous episode! The short version? It’s awesome!)

* 32:49 Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (Harlo gets his $15 worth in this cel shaded, looping narrative story. The short version? Worth $15!)

* 37:42 Star Trek (Chuck enjoys this game (ironically?), though Harlo disagrees! The short version? Don’t pay full price!)

* 46:04 Fast & Furious: Showdown (Maki and Harlo hated it and quit very early on, but Chuck beat it! This leads to discussion of why Chuck plays “bad” games. The short version? Don’t listen to Chuck!)

* 56:36 Skyrim (Chuck likes it but says it’s broken! The short version? Chuck hates bugs and lockups more than bad gameplay.)

* 59:24 Dead Island (It takes Chuck 6 hours to realize it’s not fun. Harlo likes it, though! European game design is a love or hate thing. The short version? You either “get” this game or you don’t.)

* 1:07:29 Poker Night 2 (Maki and Harlo play some video game poker! The character list is pretty good, the poker AI, not so much. The short version: Come for the jokes, not the poker.)

* 1:17:15 Ouya (Chuck got a Kickstarter Ouya! It’s a mobile phone on your TV screen. The short version? It’s pre-release, so it needs some serious updates.)

* 1:23:53 Nintendo 3DS XL (Maki got a 3DS XL! The screen is HUGE, the 3D works well once you’re in the sweet spot and some games are better than others! The short version? It’s pretty good and finally has some games.)

Second Half! (1:32:16)

* 1:32:32 Neptune’s Pride II: Triton (All of us join in on this browser-based multiplayer 4X strategy game. Alliances are made and broken, along with friendships. The short version? It’s worth playing, just find a game with a smaller galaxy so it doesn’t take a month for a single game. Also, never trust Maki. Ever.)

* 2:17:00 EVE Online (Chuck journeys into space and gets scared at the vastness of it. The short version? Life’s too short!)

* 2:20:10 Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet (Maki enjoys it, but realizes there’s really not much depth to it at all after beating it. The short version? Play for the gameplay and exploration, not for the story.)

* 2:22:22 Zombie Apocalypse (Maki clears out the final achievement in this game. And now he will never play it again. the short version? Developers, know the point where your game becomes too repetitive!)

* 2:24:35 Demon’s Souls (Harlo questions the sanity of those who play games this difficult and frustrating. the short version? He didn’t like it.)

* 2:32:31 Dragon Age: Origins (Harlo tries to scratch his Game of Thrones itch and longs for more from this Bioware game. Will the PC version change his mind? The short version? It’s not the Bioware game he wants. Still.)

* 2:38:21 Tropico 3 & 4 (Chuck & Harlo scratch that SimCity itch, as well as unleash their inner despot with this fun sim game. The short version? Well worth playing!)