In this episode:
E.J. gets married, and nearly faints in the process. Photos of the events discussed. Then Mr. and Mrs. E.J. go to Maui, the lucky pair of them. An unfortunate turn of luck upon returning: E.J. gets a classy send-off from Activision QA manager. Way to go, jackass. Looking forward to new gig at Squeenix, working on a secure undisclosed project. Guitar Hero Umpty Umpth considered, along with Beatles: Rock Band. Pictures of ridiculously excessive plastic instrument collections and potential animal neglect. G3 gets in trouble for an early Halo 3 ODST embargo. Also gets ridiculed for crappy prose, and ridiculed some more. The multi-fonted banner itself comes in for some criticism. The G3 chief, praised for his initiative and persistence. Nothin’ says leavin’ like somethin’s in the oven. Sound Opinions dissed roundly by Randall; unknown to other hosts. Alex recounts two days at a strangely subdued Tokyo Game Show. Explains the two NIER games, sort of. Meets with publishers at the show, most notably The Behemoth’s Dan Paladin: Dofuss’s face still glows such that he must cover it in front of the people. The question of full price roster-update games considered. Leads directly into fanboy squeeing over Super Street Fighter IV thinly disguised as debate over buying decision. More joystick talk.

Related links:

• E.J.’s fainting picture
• Pics of ridiculous guitar controllers and sad animals
• A painful Halo 3: ODST review
• Attract Mode
• 100-sided die that looks like the compass in grandpa’s Coupe de Ville
• The worst logo at TGS (Joystiq article)
• Street Fighter cell phone straps (Joystiq article)

Music:
Intro and outro music excerpted from “Shapes” and “Scared Straight,” by The Long Winters. You can find both songs on their CD When I Pretend to Fall. Songs used by permission, courtesy of Barsuk Records. Thanks to both John Roderick of TLW and Emily Alford at Barsuk.

In this episode:
Griffin reveals his descent into geekitude of fantastic proportions, despite his acknowledged misgivings of the intuitively obvious sort. Randall eggs him on. Griffin gets to play D&D with Chris Perkins, inciting the envy of Randall and the puzzled boredom of the rest of the hosts. Kevin Kelly is the man to know if you know what I mean, man. Ben dishes in an E3 retrospective. Oh, the places you’ll go, when you go with Joystiq. The direction and purpose of E3, debated at length. The highlight of E3: Mike Schramm’s Burrito of Fate (detailed in Joystiq Podcast of June 4 2009). Wesley Johnson’s Throat Nodules biopsied, by a nurse with Parkinson’s and this little Italian Mario-lookin’ dude. Wesley barely restrains himself from lewd laughter in front of nurses. Dragonslayer! Batman being enjoyed by Ben and Wes. Randall sits in corner, alone and sad. Wes describes yet another date possibility from his ongoing Zoosk matches. Ben gets to see the Monsters of Podcasting, the lucky bastard. Merlin Mann’s productivity work considered. Wes recounts attending the live GFW podcast at PAX. Turns out Shawn Elliott’s a shy guy. Apparently the old gang still has that podcasting magic, right down to outlandish Hero of the Web segments. The Joystiq Podcast: should it go on the road? If so, the opening acts may even scare away loving mothers.

Related links:

• Cool Mini or Not?
• 43 folders (Merlin Mann’s site)
• Joystiq Podcast: Burrito of Fate Edition
• Kogi (the Korean BBQ taco truck!)

Music:
Intro and outro music excerpted from “Shapes” and “Scared Straight,” by The Long Winters. You can find both songs on their CD When I Pretend to Fall. Songs used by permission, courtesy of Barsuk Records. Thanks to both John Roderick of TLW and Emily Alford at Barsuk.

In this episode:
A show full of Johnson, and not Barrel Roll. Not Sidequesting either. Mic talk for geeks. Wes producing a walking tour of Greenville. Penny Arcade / PvP D&D podcast Series 3 now going up, and fantastic. Four-person format in place. No Wes filter available to streamline editing, unfortunately. Jonah doing major PAX catchup — witnesses unboxing of NOS Dreamcast, to the amazement of all. The staying power of the Dreamcast and its games considered: a generally positive consensus. Randall scores the greatest Threadless videogame shirt of all time. Wes devours biscuits from Britain, courtesy of Rob Coleman. Randall recounts the unpackaging the pallet of sweets sent his way by James Gillard. Wes shares some of his auto-generated prospects in Zoosk. Best practices in scaring a potential mate the hell away. A Craigslist deal 0n a sweet lapt0p s0me0ne in Ariz0na is saleing. The dish on Wes’s date last week: close cuddling during sappy chick flick Inglourious Basterds. Dragonslayer! Randall played no games, but became geekier. Richard discovers graphic novels, via The Watchmen; also loathes/loves Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus. Wesley looking forward to The Men Who Stare at Goats.

Related links:

• The Unboxening of the Dreamcast (at WingDamage.com)
• Penny Arcade/PvP/Wil Wheaton D&D podcast series 3
• Trailer for The Men Who Stare at Goats

Music:
Intro and outro music excerpted from “Shapes” and “Scared Straight,” by The Long Winters. You can find both songs on their CD When I Pretend to Fall. Songs used by permission, courtesy of Barsuk Records. Thanks to both John Roderick of TLW and Emily Alford at Barsuk.

In this episode:
A musical tribute from Him to Whom We Often Pay Tribute. Wes getting ready for a hot date. Randall appreciates the redhead factor. Longest pre-intro ever. Holly the proud owner of a brand-new PS3 Slim. Klee adopting machiavellian tactics to win an election. Or Randall thinks he should. Wes accused of credit card fraud, and swears off Huck’s. The New Cypress News. Wes a fan favorite, apparently. Dragonslayer. Klee gets some sweet surround headphones. Zachary Tuttle’s amazing JPAG avatar portrait. Wishlist of avatar accessories. Wes prepping for his trip to PAX, and his first plane voyage. Randall working, a lot. Nick joins late, and regales with tales of travel to roadside attractions. Nick also dissed pretty much every JPAGer along his route, by ignoring them, damn his eyes. Nick’s trip a relationship jumpstarter.

Related links:

• Future Birthplace of Captain Kirk (at Roadside America)
• Posters from Klee’s electioneering
• Kyle’s new Turtle Beach Headphones
• Steel Series Xbox 360 headphone adapter

Music:
Opening ditty by Justin McElroy. Intro and outro music excerpted from “Shapes” and “Scared Straight,” by The Long Winters. You can find both songs on their CD When I Pretend to Fall. Songs used by permission, courtesy of Barsuk Records. Thanks to both John Roderick of TLW and Emily Alford at Barsuk. New Cypress News music: “Freja’s Breakdown” by Freja Bluegrass Band, available on the Podsafe Music Network.

In this episode:
Wesley Kirk introduces the show. Dragonslayer. Matt writes his first review, based on five minutes of a bait-and-switch RTS game. Wes attends Rifftrax live, and makes the most of photo opportunities. Zach changing sides in the ever-escalating 7-11 cartel wars, and getting his own place. Randall still playing BF: 1943. Clayton gets lasik surgery, and entertains with tales of eyeflaps, suction cups, lasers, and griping hospital roomies with leaking stents. Sound gets bad, then good, then bad again.

Related links:

• Rifftrax
• Matt’s review at Insulinfunk.net

Music:
Intro and outro music excerpted from “Shapes” and “Scared Straight,” by The Long Winters. You can find both songs on their CD When I Pretend to Fall. Songs used by permission, courtesy of Barsuk Records. Thanks to both John Roderick of TLW and Emily Alford at Barsuk.

In this episode:
Eff off, JPAG! Meet Jeffrey Abt, a man next to God and a fan of inventive gaming. Also, a fan of his diabetic dog. First donater to the JPAG site, and he wins a kewpie doll, AKA Mainfinger’s Mode 7 CD. Jeff earns more achievements without earning achievements. Randall suggests that Jeff go find a dozen pigeons or so in GTAIV - easy achievement points. Jeff hosts Chicago Game Night #2, full of sweat and beer. Dragonslayer! The McElroys convene pizza night at Giordano’s, prior to seeing Harvey Danger. More complaining about Aaron Kirchhoff’s uncanny achievement collection abilities. The sound gets worse, then better, then worse again. Wes recaps the report from Wizard world. Wes goes to the Harry Potter exhibit.

Related links:

• Mainfinger.com

Music:
Intro and outro music excerpted from “Shapes” and “Scared Straight,” by The Long Winters. You can find both songs on their CD When I Pretend to Fall. Songs used by permission, courtesy of Barsuk Records. Thanks to both John Roderick of TLW and Emily Alford at Barsuk.

In this episode:
A slow start to a long-delayed episode. Alex teaches children English in Japan, and has taught himself to clench tightly during the school day. For certain reasons Alex does not intend to teach forever. Mike an editor-in-chief at The Wiire, taking his sweet time finishing school. Klee finishing his summer job in the biology department forensically researching ballistic zombie pathogens; preparing for the Manhattan transfer. Wes relates a story of ancient weed. Comics about mice discussed. Wizard World interim update from Wes, delivered. A report from the BSG panel: Edward James Olmos a swell chap. Autograph pricing lamented. Dragonslayer! All about The Wiire: that’s a smoove podcast and pretty site. Dofuss.net perhaps slightly less polished, but fearless and inventive, and featuring fantastic song challenges. A harrowing tale of weightlifting woe: AKA the source of Alex’s nickname. The best games of the decade: a list debated.

Related links:

• The Wiire
• Dofuss.net
• Mainfinger.com

Music:
Intro and outro music excerpted from “Shapes” and “Scared Straight,” by The Long Winters. You can find both songs on their CD When I Pretend to Fall. Songs used by permission, courtesy of Barsuk Records. Thanks to both John Roderick of TLW and Emily Alford at Barsuk.

In this episode:
Welcome to all. Chris teaches English, maliciously, and thinks often of gaming while biking. Lego games great for all ages. Chris a teacher of Shakespeare. Peanut Gallery laughter. Justin tells us all about his two journalism awards for bidness writing. Why a theater degree is wholly unnecessary. A rude tongue-twister. Sidequesting.com update from Dali and Ryan. Jordan writing a podcast roundup on InsulinFunk, called Weekly Sound Check. Not much of an arguer. Matt catches high blood glucose, most likely from Wesley; now eating six square meals a day. Dragonslayer. Dali decorating the nursery in non-gaming theme; suggestions offered for recovering from this blunder. Randall gets a birthday present: Red Faction: Guerrilla from Dali and the folks at Sidequesting! Ryan should have bought Avatar. New Cypress News. Matt relates a real Dragonslayer, with Cooking Mama. The rest of the hosts feel dumb for complaining about food; fortunately, Shelley brings in brownies to cheer us up. A gaming abecedary. A last admission from Dali regarding photoshop fakery.

Related links:

• Gaming Abecedary
• American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (the illness Matt’s daughter has)
• Jordan’s Weekly Sound Check at InsulinFunk.net
• Sidequesting.com’s podcast interview with J. Goldberg of Volition, developer of Red Faction: Guerrilla

Music:
Intro and outro music excerpted from “Shapes” and “Scared Straight,” by The Long Winters. You can find both songs on their CD When I Pretend to Fall. Songs used by permission, courtesy of Barsuk Records. Thanks to both John Roderick of TLW and Emily Alford at Barsuk. New Cypress News music: “Freja’s Breakdown” by Freja Bluegrass Band, available on the Podsafe Music Network.

In this episode:
An opening note from the Internet’s own Matt. M. Alexandre Ferreira, Tourism Policeman, gamer, podcaster, major-league human billboard for Portugal. His Brazilian connection, punctuated by a thunderous exclamation point. Driving wheels considered, both as buying and building options. Matt gets his SF Tournament stick modded. Marie is actually a girl, WoW fools; stop wasting time in the chat channel and start raiding. If you’re Horde, that is; Alliance players need not apply. The dangers of glomping. Dragonslayer. A discussion of the merits of the XBLA Magic: The Gathering game. Wes goes to see his friend Dan Smith AKA “The Listener” play. Advice on how to play in Marie’s D&D campaign, straight from the DM herself. A discussion had re: games that take far too long to play, and piles of gaming shame. The shameful lack of Rock Band in Portugal, and the lack of anything to be done about it. The unfair burden of translation placed on Alex by GTA and a wife who does not speak English.

Related links:

• Portal Xbox Brasil
• Matt’s SF Arcade Stick

Music:
Intro and outro music excerpted from “Shapes” and “Scared Straight,” by The Long Winters. You can find both songs on their CD When I Pretend to Fall. Songs used by permission, courtesy of Barsuk Records. Thanks to both John Roderick of TLW and Emily Alford at Barsuk. Matt’s Announcement Music: “K Lounge” by The Four Bags, available on the Podsafe Music Network.

In this episode:
Joel a biochemist, and an electron microscopist specialising in the molecular structure of viruses. Also able to reverse the bat-polarity and track cloaked starships. Joel a Tejas native, now in Maryland. More Five Guys appreciation. Tom a complete apostate for his silly stance on FFVII. Dragonslayer. Joel finds a novel way to play Uncharted with his significant other. Randall changes his mind about Prince of Persia, and changes Jarret’s mind by spoiling the ending. Joel asks about getting back into fighting games. The 2009 Bulwer-Lytton fiction awards, read aloud severally. Jewish Super Heroes considered and admired, more or less. Bible man schlock found amusing. More irritation at the Oak Park Festival Theatre. Game anticipations for 2009. Long Island [re/se]ceding, a fact which does not disturb young Tom Johnson in the slightest. D&D campaign preparing; Wes names his character to connote insecurity.

Related links:

• 2009 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
• Jewish Hero Corps
• Bible Man
• Oak Park Festival Theatre which Randall detests

Music:
Intro and outro music excerpted from “Shapes” and “Scared Straight,” by The Long Winters. You can find both songs on their CD When I Pretend to Fall. Songs used by permission, courtesy of Barsuk Records. Thanks to both John Roderick of TLW and Emily Alford at Barsuk.

In this episode: A rocky start, but one that still incites envy, doesn’t it, Gentle Listener? Zach Tuttle an oil rig man, and a 3D modeler to boot. The worst boat ride ever. There are no fish on the ocean floor, people: just buy the drilling equipment already. Zach a fan of derivative beat ‘em ups. Sam recounts his big break in game journalism with some site Wesley has done on the side. Wesley’s throat nodules huge, but hugely benign, to the relief of all. Russ creates the greatest banner ever, featuring a plushie Snufflupagus. The JPAG D&D campaign, and tales of dumb characters from campaigns past. Dragonslayer. Questionable gaming peripherals, and envy-inducing game peripherals. Day of the Tentacle recommended to those who missed it, like Zach and Randall. Appreciation for Justin’s ripping the Double Helix guy a new one. Battlefield Heroes pimped big time. Randall complains about the outdoor theatre in Oak Park.

Related links:

• Gamespress.com
• Wesley Johnson’s Throat Nodules Facebook Group
• El Diablo Coffee Co. in Queen Anne, WA
• The JPAG D&D campaign page
• Q-Workshop (makers of awesome dice for roleplaying games)
• Novint’s Falcon game controller
• Oak Park Festival Theatre which Randall detests

Music: Intro and outro music excerpted from “Shapes” and “Scared Straight,” by The Long Winters. You can find both songs on their CD When I Pretend to Fall. Songs used by permission, courtesy of Barsuk Records. Thanks to both John Roderick of TLW and Emily Alford at Barsuk.

In this episode: Ben “Ben Pack” Pack is in fact Chris Grant, when it comes to Mass Effect impressions. Chad Boyce is freaking amazing, and has been clean for over three years. Good on ya, mate. iPhone games considered and recommended. InsulinFunk.net named a million times gratuitously. Sidequesting.com named a few times gratuitously. New Cypress News. Dali and Ryan get together in Chicago and drink with a DJ. Chad also a DJ. DJ Hero looking good, actually. Real DJs discussed. Transformers, Megan Fox discussed in a certain tasteless fashion. Other stuff I probably missed.

Related links: NONE! NONE, damn your eyes!

Music: Intro and outro music excerpted from “Shapes” and “Scared Straight,” by The Long Winters. You can find both songs on their CD When I Pretend to Fall. Songs used by permission, courtesy of Barsuk Records. Thanks to both John Roderick of TLW and Emily Alford at Barsuk. New Cypress News music: “Freja’s Breakdown” by Freja Bluegrass Band, available on the Podsafe Music Network.

In this episode: Matt attempts to get Randall to say that he did it perfectly; Randall rolls on. Microbiologist Kyle Baker finishing his sophomore year, researching mass zombification. Quick check re: microbiology chops. Kyle the Bug Nazi a Centipede player of old. Kyle says “intendo.” Kyle henceforward to be known as “Klee.” E.J. works for the Evil Empire. QA lead for Guitar Hero 5, CONFIRMED. The limits of QA feedback roles. E.J.’s favorite tester, and advice for software testers everywhere. A harrowing story of DS COD testing. E.J. is pretty good at drums on GH, except when he sucks. Also good at COD 4. E.J. soon to be married, actually. Wesley’s latest account of dating, and then unsuccessfully lying to precocious children. A recap of Yaris damage. Wes going to PAX. Randall jealous. Matt pledges to attend PAX if Randall does. Randall more unhappy. Dragonslayer — NDAs not included. Reference to Joystiq Podcast 99, when Wes discusses Infamous. Discontent with Prince of Persia. A heartwarming story of a dying child’s wish to murder an animal.

Related links:

• Baking Powder Submarine FAQ
• World’s Largest Baking Soda Volcano
• A boy’s last wish…TO KILL

Music: Intro and outro music excerpted from “Shapes” and “Scared Straight,” by The Long Winters. You can find both songs on their CD When I Pretend to Fall. Songs used by permission, courtesy of Barsuk Records. Thanks to both John Roderick of TLW and Emily Alford at Barsuk.

In this episode: The gang’s all here, sort of. The Yaris jumped by a sneaky wall. Horrific run-ins with automatic glass doors. Richard tubercular no more! Randall recovers his dulcimer. Dragonslayer, featuring Holly Attesi. Patrick impressing potential employers with podcasting experience; potentially shooting himself in foot by listing Holly as reference, particularly in that he lists her job as “superhero.” Go! Gaming Giant now has an awesome video show. E3 excitement for 360 owners. Beatles Rock Band controllers — gonna buy that Gretsch, Patrick?

Music: Intro and outro music excerpted from “Shapes” and “Scared Straight,” by The Long Winters. You can find both songs on their CD When I Pretend to Fall. Songs used by permission, courtesy of Barsuk Records. Thanks to both John Roderick of TLW and Emily Alford at Barsuk.

In this episode: Jokes, jests, and japes at Randall’s expense. Alexander is not from French, but from Washingtonian. Goes to college on the cheap and writes toward an English degree. Wants to be Leonard Maltin of videogames. Dumb jokes about college names. Meet Alexander: PAX veteran, volunteer, enforcer, and Pokemon proponent. Also loves the single player experience. Dragonslayer. Knockoff toys and t-shirts. UFC game pleases Gillard, who is now resolved to take up mixed martial arts. Infamous discussed. James suggests that this is the year to take the plunge and buy a PS3. Wes agrees. Wii Punch-Out!!! hits the nail on the head, says Dan. The problem of originality in Wii game design. Insulinfunk.net plugged ad nauseum. PSP Go discussion. E3 hopes and fears. Fahrenheit. Dan complains of canine flatulence. Alan Wake debated. Wesley reads from a website. The dietary impacts of teleportation. Spider-man’s powers considered from a realistic perspective. Wes’s diabetic powers imagined at length. Marie’s public/private D&D campaign posting. James big into Public Enemy lately. Other favorite groups discussed. Books about videogames introduced with flair by Alexander. The sad decline of John Romero. Megaman haiku. The Bioshock novel, and Bioshock 2. Ineffectively quieted ukelele strumming my fate in the background.

Related links: • Ryan O’Donnell’s twitter feed • Masters of Doom • EGM Now!

Music: Intro and outro music excerpted from “Shapes” and “Scared Straight,” by The Long Winters. You can find both songs on their CD When I Pretend to Fall. Songs used by permission, courtesy of Barsuk Records. Thanks to both John Roderick of TLW and Emily Alford at Barsuk.

In this episode: Matt builds planes, likes fighting games. REALLY likes fighting games. First take of this episode lost in time. Russ crayoning, and a crayoning playground bully. Richard non-plussed by conversation so far. Now running G3 podcast, and writing for Go! Gaming Giant. Also kinda tubercular. Dragonslayers, emotional and otherwise. Five Guys burgers. Terrifying and/or hilarious Youtube videos. Gillard’s bike swiped anew. Parody movies. Gulliver’s Travels: a compendium of excremental onomatopoeia? Swift’s misanthropy exemplified. More food descriptions than you can handle.

Related links: • Five Guys Burgers and Fries • Vin Diesel on helium (Friday Night with Jonathan Ross) • Snuffleupagus’s first terrifying appearance • Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus trailer • Pride and Prejudice and Zombies • Who is Jon Black? (”Gravity” theme from the Joystiq Podcast) • “The Lady’s Dressing Room” (Poem by Jonathan Swift) at Poem of the Week • Zaxby’s

Music: Intro and outro music excerpted from “Shapes” and “Scared Straight,” by The Long Winters. You can find both songs on their CD When I Pretend to Fall. Songs used by permission, courtesy of Barsuk Records. Thanks to both John Roderick of TLW and Emily Alford at Barsuk.

In this episode: Ben’s a Dallas emigré, now residing in Olympia, Wa, and mostly games on his PC. Nick a native of Olympia now residing in Yelm, WA, and like Ben also at THE Evergreen State College. Nick is a cheapskate and only buys bargain games. Also, a bot-biased gamer. A brief appreciation of older games with bots. Great deals on Crackdown and other games at New Egg. Jarret implements Squash the Beef Friday in his classroom; has to explain concept repeatedly to un-hip students. Jarret not exactly bumping chests with fellow teachers. Jarret takes in a Flight of the Conchords concert; FoTC roundly appreciated by all. Wes returns from Spinal Tap: Unwigged & Unplugged, and provides a report. Also, meets a single flight attendant at the show. Jokes about joking about joking, at one another’s expense. All roads lead to Yelm. Dragonslayer: Plants Vs. Zombies (Wes), Dragon Quest V (Ben), GTA: Chinatown Wars (Jarret), Fable II (Nick), and Crackdown (Randall). Cheap games at New Egg! Beard survey, taken and discussed. Beardlessness lamented by Nick, Jarret, and Randall; Wes and Ben content with their facial lots. Star Trek discussed. Randall recommends the Creative Screenwriting podcast with a caveat. Three out of four other hosts recommend Star Trek to Jarret; three out of four other hosts think Nick Coffman is an unappreciative clod. Star Wars One-Minute Fanfic Theatre. Nick Coffman just a bit too eager to pen Angel fanfic. Lost ending debated, and the word “poutrage” makes an appearance. Note: our hosts this week mistake the statue on the island as Anubis; it’s clearly identified elsewhere as Sobek.

Related links: • Newegg games under $10 (360/PS3) • Beards.org beard survey • Creative Screenwriting Magazine’s blog/podcast • Star Wars fanfiction at starwarschix.com

Music: Manualist performance of Twentieth Century Fox theme by R.A. Wilson, viewable here. Manualist performance of Star Wars Cantina theme by Gerry Phillips, viewable here. Intro and outro music excerpted from “Shapes” and “Scared Straight,” by The Long Winters. You can find both songs on their CD When I Pretend to Fall. Songs used by permission, courtesy of Barsuk Records. Thanks to both John Roderick of TLW and Emily Alford at Barsuk.

In this episode: Oscar the greatest drummer the JPAG Show has ever known. A big Wii fan, and unimpressed with the 360. Holly heads to Maine for vacation; has no chow-daa. It’s not like that, Gentle Listener. Based on voice, Holly possibly a burly man; Mike Tyson used as point of reference. Holly acquires a green DS Lite; predictions of regret made. Oblivion mods discussed, yearned for. Fallout 3 a depressing place to game, apparently. Dan wants fauna and flora; also wants to kill Moira. Wes’s despotic boss not a “tyrant,” he claims. Wolverine commercial cameo. Yaniv, Dalibor Dimovski, and Ryan Gan now powering SideQuesting.com. Dali headed to E3! Dan explains why Randall is missing this week. Yaniv guarantees he will never be on another JPAG Show. Dan takes advantage of background noise to nosh. 3D Realms’s death, discussed. Duke Nukem Forever = Chinese Democracy of games. 1 VS 100 considered. Oscar goes to see Maps and Atlases, and is impressed. Wes takes a leave of absence for several critical minutes, and returns to discuss forum postings. Battlefield Heroes enthusiasm. Appreciation for Twitter. The perks of a man on the inside at Gamestop.

Related links: • Cygnus (Oscar’s Band) • SideQuesting.com • Maps and Atlases

Music: Intro and outro music excerpted from “Shapes” and “Scared Straight,” by The Long Winters. You can find both songs on their CD When I Pretend to Fall. Songs used by permission, courtesy of Barsuk Records. Thanks to both John Roderick of TLW and Emily Alford at Barsuk.

In this episode: Identity theft. The etymology of vittles, and what happens when Randall leaves to go consult the OED. A disturbingly cerebral story of flatulence. Matt wrapping up the term and the papers thereunto associated. Jesse Gregory AKA Mainfinger AKA JG-05, pimps his album Mode 7. Turns out it’s awesome, actually. Clayton now running Jayplay at the Kansan. A tale of journalistic fraud. The return of Matt M. Dragonslayer! Hydrox origin stories. DS buying decisions, revisited. Nightmares of console acquisition remembered. The New Cypress news, delivered by Matt M; faithfulness to actual text somewhat in question. Moral controversy in war games considered. A brief lexical symposium re: “plethora.” Tom De Haven’s It’s Superman! recommended.

Related links: • Mode 7 (Album) at Mainfinger.com • Wikipedia entries: Samurai Shodown / Klonoa: Door to Phantomile / Hydrox cookies • Jayplay (U of Kansas Newspaper) • It’s Superman! by Tom De Haven • Gallery of Regrettable Food at lileks.com

Music: Intro and outro music excerpted from “Shapes” and “Scared Straight,” by The Long Winters. You can find both songs on their CD When I Pretend to Fall. Songs used by permission, courtesy of Barsuk Records. Thanks to both John Roderick of TLW and Emily Alford at Barsuk. New Cypress News music: “Freja’s Breakdown” by Freja Bluegrass Band, available on the Podsafe Music Network.

In this episode: Updates from one and all. Scott and Zach playing WoW; Tom enjoying the corner office at the student paper. Wes gives one last update on the romance angle, which is immediately put into perspective by Tom’s own story of S.O. horror. Dragonslayer returns in full! Randall eats last week’s words re: Assassin’s Creed. Subtle attempts to determine whether or not Zach is a possible angle on getting early games. Fifty Cent: BoTS still a great game, says Tom. Wes enjoys Ninja Blade in much the same way. Achievements as a thang discussed, again. Randall wants a weighted achievement cred algorithm. Sequels and tired franchises, considered. Notable JPAG discussion threads discussed. Overlooked gems in this-gen games. A slang dictionary for the youth ministry set. New Cypress News, a year in arrears. The JPAG an inhospitable place for newcomers? Hazing rituals for noobs.

Related links: • The Source 4 YM - Slang Dictionary • Mike Tyson’s Brunch Out!!

Music: Intro and outro music excerpted from “Shapes” and “Scared Straight,” by The Long Winters. You can find both songs on their CD When I Pretend to Fall. Songs used by permission, courtesy of Barsuk Records. Thanks to both John Roderick of TLW and Emily Alford at Barsuk. New Cypress News music: “Freja’s Breakdown” by Freja Bluegrass Band, available on the Podsafe Music Network.