Throwdown Show

The Japanese helped to save the video game industry in the mid 1980s. After the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System, and for more than a decade afterward, Japan was the undisputed king of video games. No other countries, despite their efforts, could hope to touch Japanese game design and innovation.

After the early to mid 2000s however, things changed. Western studios became the new darlings of the gaming industry and initiated many of the revolutions and innovations that we enjoy today. During all of this, Japanese gaming's influenced has severely declined and the former rulers no longer dominated the industry as they once did.

Why has this happened? This question is the basis for our main topic. What made Japan the giants of gaming that they once were and why have they become a mere shell of what they used to be? What can Japan do in order to become relevant again in the eyes of the gaming community? We tackle these questions and more.

[NOTE: Before we go into the main topic, we have a heated discussion about The Witcher 3 and its additional content and whether it was good will by CD Projekt RED or if they are capitalizing on how badly the games industry treats its customers.]

Also on this episode:

*Ultra Street Fighter IV on PS4 being a buggy, choppy mess.

*Resident Evil 0 HD Remaster and how Capcom wasn't lying about doubling down on remakes.

*PlayStation Vita becoming a "Legacy" system and how this isn't as bad as people think it is.

*Sony admitting they have "sparse" first party line-up this Fall.

This episode features: Tony Polanco (host), Emilio Lopez, Brian Munjoma, Brett Murdock, Chris Sealy, and special guest, Corey Dillon.

Thanks as always to Shawn Daley for our intro and outro music. Follow him on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/shawndaley

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Welcome to another episode of Throwdown Your Questions. This is the show which is run by you, our loyal followers. We answer any and all Video Game, Pop Culture and Tech related questions on this podcast.

Here are all of the questions we answer this week:

*Which gaming magazines did you subscribe to and which one was your favorite?

*Is the motion control gaming fad finally dead?

*Which is the bigger marketing scam: Sega’s “blast processing” or Microsoft’s “power of the cloud”?

*What was your favorite old-school beat ’em up?

*Do gamers nowadays spend more time playing games or commenting about them on message boards?

*Do gamers play more exclusives or multiplats?

*Is only God of War III being remastered because the first two games can be played on PS Now?

*What do want to see in the Bloodborne expansion?

*What characters do you want to see announced for Street Fighter V?

*What is your favorite post apocalyptic story?

*If the world was ending, what are the last three things you would love to do since there would be no repercussions?

*What would the last meal you eat be before aliens destroyed Earth?

This episode features: Tony Polanco (host), Emilio Lopez, Brett Murdock, and Chris Sealy.

Thanks as always to Shawn Daley for our intro and outro music. Follow him on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/shawndaley

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Does it sometimes feel like you buy less AAA games than you used to? Is this an actual fact or does it just appear that way due to what others say? If wrote down all of the AAA titles you've bought in previous years and compare them to what you bought in the last couple of years, would the quantity be less or more? Do you actually buy less AAA games now than before?

Tonight's main topic is about the lack (or perceived lack) of quality AAA games this generation. Though this generation is barely two years old, it appears to have less bigger releases than the previous generations did at this same time. If there is a lack of AAA games, what is causing it?

Also on this episode:

VIDEO GAME NEWS:

*Capcom deciding to release more remastered games

*Phil Spencer admitting that Xbox One doesn't need the Kinect

*Anita Sarkeesian attacking Metal Gear Solid and Hideo Kojima.

*Need for Speed and HipHopGamer's video about Driveclub vs Project Cars.

POP CULTURE NEWS:

*The controversy surrounding Sansa Stark from Game of Thrones

*The rumor of Matthew McConaughey playing Norman Osborn in the upcoming Spider-Man movie.

This episode features: Tony Polanco (host), Emilio Lopez, Brian Munjoma, Brett Murdock, and Chris Sealy.

Thanks as always to Shawn Daley for our intro and outro music. Follow him on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/shawndaley

Subscribe to us on

YouTube: http://bit.ly/1utYrZf

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1tz9G57

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Welcome to another episode of Throwdown Your Questions. This is the show which is run by you, our loyal followers. We answer any and all Video Game, Pop Culture and Tech related questions on this podcast.

Here are all of the questions we answer this week:

*What is your favorite Metal Gear Solid franchise boss fight of all time?

*Where is Aaron Greenberg?

*Have you ever attended a midnight launch?

*How will Ant-Man change the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a big way?

*What is the main reason for PS4 sales? A. Price, B. Games, C. Mindshare(due to Microsoft’s blunders) D. Mark Cerny, E. All of the above

*What is the main reason for XBOX ONE sales? A. Price, bundles, free games and trade-in deals, B. Games, C. XBOX LIVE, D. Mark Cerny’s shirt

*How many action figures do you own?

*If someone bought you another system which one will you pick: Xbox, PS4, Wii U, PC, or Ouya.

*What is your favorite animal?

*Which company do you feel has suffered the most from talent leaving the company: Capcom or Konami?

*Do you think the current PR section of the video games industry is lacking or doing a good job? How can it be improved?

*Take the gaming platforms and assign them Final Fantasy Mage Classes (White, Black, Red, and Blue)

*Will developers utilize Dynamic Res to bump up the resolution of Xbox One games?

*Is Mad Max: Fury Road a better movie than Avengers of Ultron?

This episode features: Tony Polanco (host), Emilio Lopez, and Brian Munjoma.

Thanks as always to Shawn Daley for our intro and outro music. Follow him on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/shawndaley

Subscribe to us on

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This was a very busy news week in both the video game and pop culture worlds. As such, we do not have a real main topic tonight since all of the topics are equally as important.

In Video Game news we discuss:

*Bloodstained's success and why developers should give fans the types of games they demand.

*Konami saying its future lies in mobile gaming and how this is another sign of the company's steady decline.

*How Microsoft is punishing those who leaked details about the HD remake of Gears of War.

*April NPD numbers and how the Xbox One managed to outsell the PlayStation 4.

In Pop Culture news we discuss:

*Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch no longer being mutants and how the bickering between Marvel and Fox is hurting comic book fans.

*Fox's New Mutants movie and how this is a way for them to create a Marvel-style on-screen mutant universe.

*The new trailers for Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow and how DC's TV shows are lighter in tone than their upcoming movies.

*Asa Butterfield being cast as the new Spider-Man and what we think of this announcement.

This episode features: Tony Polanco (host), Emilio Lopez, Brian Munjoma, Rachael Murdock, Brett Murdock, and Chris Sealy.

Thanks as always to Shawn Daley for our intro and outro music. Follow him on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/shawndaley

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We're back! On this episode we recap the events of episodes 2-5 and give some book spoilers as well near the end.

This episode features: Rachael Murdock (host), Tony Polanco, Brett Murdock, Carlos Romero, and Colby Schumacher.

Intro & Outro by Anamanaguchi.

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Welcome to another episode of Throwdown Your Questions. This is the show which is run by you, our loyal followers. We answer any and all Video Game, Pop Culture and Tech related questions on this podcast.

Here are all of the questions we answer this week:

*What is the best site you ever worked for?

*To the PC gamers: do you use mouse and keyboard or controller? If controller, which one do you use?

*If you could harness the power of only one infinity stone, which one would you choose and why?

*If Konami created a next-gen Contra, do you think it would sell well?

*Would otherzinc be happy if Sony ceased to exist and everyone bought an Xbox One?

*Do you think Forza 5 cut corners to achieve 1080p/60fps?

*Does only owning one system blind gamers' view of their system and of other consoles?

*Why do PS4 games have the resolution specs on the back of the box and Xbox One games don't?

*Tony, if you bought a high end PC, what game will you be happy to test out?

*If Konami were to sell off their assets/ IPs such what third party or first party companies would you like to see pick them up?

*What are your thoughts on the fact that the next COD is skipping last gen and that Activision seems to be going neutral in marketing the PS4/XB1/PC at the same time?

This episode features: Tony Polanco (host), Brian Munjoma, Chris Sealy, and Brett Murdock.

Thanks as always to Shawn Daley for our intro and outro music. Follow him on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/shawndaley

Subscribe to us on

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Nintendo hasn't had it good for the last few years. With the Wii U underperforming for most of its life, Amiibos being scalped for exorbitant prices, a dubious mobile games plan, and the company's overall inability to get with the times, things have not been great at the house that Mario built.

Amid all of this however, it turns out that Nintendo has managed to turn a profit for the first time in years. What was the cause of this and can the famous Japanese games company continue this momentum? This story and the questions surrounding it form the basis of our featured topic this week.

There hasn't been much on the gaming front thanks to the looming E3, but we managed to find some interesting tidbits to talk about.

First up is the news that Sony will not be holding a major press conference at this year's Gamescom event. This is surprising given how Sony always has a presser for this event. Even more interesting is that Microsoft, a company who usually doesn't hold a press event at Gamescom, will be this year. What does this all mean?

Speaking about absences, we also talk about how Sega will not have a booth on the E3 2015 show floor and will instead showcase its games with partners. Is this yet another sign of Sega's downfall? Lastly, we talk about how the Oculus Rift will be released in the first quarter of 2016. Will its launch usher in a new age of virtual reality or will it all prove to be a fad?

Quite a lot of interesting and exciting news happened in Pop Culture this week.

The biggest thing to happen is Joss Whedon's departure from Twitter. Despite his movie Avengers: Age of Ultron being massively successful over the weekend, the director was assaulted by a wave of angry feminists and white knights who claimed that he and his movie were misogynist. Even though Whedon is himself a staunch Social Justice Warrior, his allies turned on him in the blink of an eye.

Other superhero news includes: Hugh Jackman leaving Wolverine behind after Wolverine 3, the Suicide Squad cast reveal, and how Captain America: Civil War has officially gone into production.

This episode features: Tony Polanco (host), Brian Munjoma, Chris Sealy, and special guest CJ Betancourt.

Thanks as always to Shawn Daley for our intro and outro music. Follow him on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/shawndaley

Subscribe to us on

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iTunes: http://bit.ly/1tz9G57

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Welcome to another episode of Throwdown Your Questions. This is the show which is run by you, our loyal followers. We answer any and all Video Game, Pop Culture and Tech related questions on this podcast.

Here are all of the questions we answer this week:

*What is your favorite new feature in consoles today?

*Why aren’t multiplat games under the same microscope as exclusives?

*If Sony never gave us PlayStation, do you think video games would still be just for kids?

*What game do you think Capcom will show during E3 other than Street Fighter V?

*If you could sit down and play a Sony game with otherzinc, what game will that be?

*Do you think Sega would have a chance of success this generation if they had a console?

*Which old-school 2D fighting game could you see as a legitimate rival to Street Fighter V if revised: Darkstalkers or Samurai Showdown?

*Did you guys think we’d see a new Dragon Ball series, or just more one-off movies?

*Do you see more series undoing canonical events in the way Dragon Ball Super is?

*Which comic book superhero do you think would be the hardest to translate to the big screen?

*What order would you put the Marvel Studios movies in from best to worst?

*What are your thoughts about DC’s Convergence?

This episode features: Tony Polanco (host), Emilio Lopez, Brian Munjoma, and Chris Sealy.

Thanks as always to Shawn Daley for our intro and outro music. Follow him on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/shawndaley

Subscribe to us on

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iTunes: http://bit.ly/1tz9G57

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It goes without saying, but Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron was easily the most anticipated superhero movies of the year. Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe took a radical shift after The Winter Soldier and Age of Ultron needed to push things even further ahead while continuing to establish the continuity of the universe. It has done this and so much more.

On this episode we break down the movie's main plotline, how it moves things along in the MCU, and how, despite its gargantuan scale, the film is more character driven than the previous Avengers. We of course discuss the future of the MCU and how Marvel has once again shown the world how to do properly construct a superhero movie.

This episode features: Tony Polanco (host), Emilio Lopez, Brian Munjoma, Chris Sealy, Gary A. Swaby, and Charles Singletary Jr.

Intro and outro by Simon Stevens.

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