Online/Multiplayer

Gaijin Repellant

HIGH Nailing a combo with pitch-perfect timing against a similarly-skilled opponent to win a heated match.

LOW Most of the new music is... not good, and several design decisions are a step back.

WTF Coming across a customised Akira online decked out with a leather cap, a handlebar moustache and a pair of stylish red underpants. Then losing.

In this episode we have a good old fashioned "What have you been playing?" Discussion. We then have a debate sparked by an email over Sniper Elite V2 and round it all out with some thumbs! With Chi Kong Lui, Brad Gallaway, Mike Bracken, Richard Naik and Dylan "I have no witty nicknames" Collins.

Download: Right click here and select "Save Target As..."
Subscribe: iTunes | Zune | RSS

Please send feedback and mailbag questions to podcast (at) gamecritics (dot) com.

First, a disclaimer—this is NOT a review. Just saying. So, Persona 4: Arena... like, WOW. As someone who wasn't really a fan of the BlazBlue fighting games, I wasn't overly excited about the thought of those devs taking one of the best Japanese role-playing games from the last decade (if not the last... ever) and making a fighting game out of it, but I just received a review copy and I've been playing it for the last few days.

A Joy from Afar

HIGH Blowing up an enemy capital ship as it tries to jump out of the system.

LOW Getting rocked by pirates right as I'm about to mount an attack on my main enemy's homeworld.

WTF Seriously, screw those pirates.

In this episode, Chi and Brad play Dawnguard, Richard plays League of Legends, Mike plays Demon's Souls (2 years late) and we ALL play The Walking Dead Episode Two. We also took some listener questions. Haven't you always wondered what Chi's favorite Pokémon is? WELL HERE IS THE CHANCE TO LEARN! With Chi Kong Lui, Brad Gallaway, Mike Bracken, Richard "We still hate Duck" Naik and Dylan Collins.

Download: Right click here and select "Save Target As..."
Subscribe: iTunes | Zune | RSS

Please send feedback and mailbag questions to podcast (at) gamecritics (dot) com.

Second Skin is a 2008 documentary by Juan Carlos Piñeiro Escoriaza about MMO players' "second skin"—their avatars and virtual life. While looking at those into titles like World of Warcraft, EverQuest, Second Life, and others, MMO players' lives seem like an easy target for humor, Second Skin manages to avoid that.

Hey Everybody, it's Monday Night Combat's Loveable Mascot, Bullseye! Kill Him. Kill Him Now!

HIGH As Captain Spark, leaping in at the last minute and preventing an enemy player from using the annihilator.

LOW Trying to play as the Gunslinger and being mostly useless.

WTF Staring in awe at the people that have figured out how to dominate everyone with Leo.

I don't often think about the ESRB rating system (apart from the fact that I generally support it) but my oldest son asked me a question today about the difference between ratings, and I had to pause a moment before answering.

Choosing the Archer so I can Kick People in the Face

HIGH Pulling off a big, flashy combo against a boss and watching its health bar plummet

LOW Real money micro-transactions for game-changing,non-cosmetic gear, including... (see below)

WTF I have to spend cash to reset my skill points?!

This fan film is called Aperture: Lab Ratt and made by Synthetic PictureHaus. It is based on the Valve comic called Lab Rat. Lab Rat told the story of an Aperture scientist named Doug Rattman, who apparently was one of the only survivors after GLaDOS's take over. Rattman was responsible for placing Chell (heroine of Portal) at the top of the list of test subject candidates that GLaDOS was to use and he also provided clues and warnings "behind the walls" of the Test Chambers for Chell to follow. Truly an important man whose story had to be told.