THE RUNDOWN

• This week, we talk about what we’re playing, take some calls, we read some e-mails and more!
• Like to play games on Steam? Check out The Final Score on Steam.

THE BIG TALK

• Elder Scrolls MMO announced. To be made by former Dark Age devs.
• Black Ops 2 looks kind of awesome! 2025 is the setting, and lots of flashbacks to the 80′s.
• No Tribes coming to consoles
• Pokémon Battle Royale’ Art Paintings
• EA Asks for “It” – A conversation about Origin.

OLD SCHOOL

• PaRappa the Rapper – Playstation One
• “Parappa the Rapper is a rhythm video game for the Sony PlayStation created by Masaya Matsuura (the former leader of the Japanese “Hyper Pop Unit” PSY S) and his NanaOn-Sha company.

  Considered ahead of its time in its day, PaRappa the Rapper is somewhat similar to the classic 1980s game Simon, in which the player is required to repeat a sequence of sounds and buttons. PaRappa the Rapper demands that the player not only get the sequence correct but also the timing of the sequence, in a call and response format. The game provides small portions of spoken vocals that are triggered when the appropriate buttons are pressed. Pressing the buttons in the correct order, with the correct timing, provides an intelligible imitation of the words spoken by the character; pressing the buttons in an incorrect order or with incorrect timing rewards the player with unintelligible gibberish.”

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THE RUNDOWN

• This week, we talk a lot about what we’re playing, take lots of calls, Brian gets the DotA2 beta, we read some e-mail and more!

THE BIG TALK

• Nicole tells us about The Art of Video Games exhibit at the Smithsonian, and we get a call from a listener who went as well. Want to see some of the exhibit for yourself? Check out Nicole’s Flickr gallery of the exhibit.
• Playstation All-Stars: :Battle Royale is coming.
• Wii U and 3DS to offer first-party games via the Nintendo eShop.
• Torchlight II now available for pre-order with bonuses! Coming Summer 2012
• Tribes: Ascend has more than 800K registered accounts!

OLD SCHOOL

• Skull & Crossbones – Arcade
• “The game’s player characters are One-Eye (player one) and Red Dog (player two), pirates on a venture to find a wizard stole their treasure. Skull & Crossbones has seven game levels. In some ports of the game, the first six levels may be played in any sequence: One-Eye’s Ship, Pirate’s Ship #1, Castle Keep, Pirate’s Ship #2, Far-Eastern Castle, Pirate’s Ship #3, and Medusa’s Lair. Once the first six are complete, the game advances to the seventh and final level, the Wizard’s Lair.

  In the Arcade version the players are also given four opportunities to change the difficulty of the game, when they defeat the captain of each of the three pirate ships and have a chance to get a opportunity item in the Castle, Ninja Lair, and Beach Cave. However the levels are forcibly played in the written sequence above. In two player, there are a few specific changes to how the game plays. Players must duel at the end of the level to see which gets the invulnerability item in the levels that have them (The non Pirate Ship levels)”

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THE RUNDOWN

• Nicole, wouldn’t Mateo look adorable in his very own Captain’s Chair, just like James T Kirk? Now he can with the inflatable Star Trek captain’s chair one of the many awesome goodies available from our friends at ThinkGeek . Or if you prefer Star Wars to Star Trek, they don’t take sides in the franchise wars over there and offer things like their new Lightsaber Umbrella too. You can find the geekiness that is right for you at ThinkGeek by going to tiny.cc/tfsthink
• Too many awesome games available to buy them all? Want to try the latest blockbuster before you plunk down the $60 to buy it? Gamefly offers an easy and affordable rental service that is pretty darn good. Use our link and you can get a free 10 day trial plus they just started a new deal this weekend where your first month is only $5.95! Already a Gamefly member? You can also use our link when you check out the great prices on used games that they offer. And Gamefly also sells PC games now and has an Unlimited Play service for older games that is free for subscribers to the rental service. Check them out at tiny.cc/tfsgamefly
• Plus, we talk about what we’re playing, take your calls about DoTA 2, read an e-mail and more!

THE BIG TALK

• Kickstarter getting overrun with game projects. Nearing bubble status?
• Gamestop randomly drops price of PS3 160GB Slim (yes new..not used) to $199.99
  • Playstation 3 for $199.99
  • Console Purchase with Free Game
• Great Weekend For Betas:
  • Diablo III
  • Tera
  • Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
• Did you see the new Dishonored trailer from Bethesda?
• Halo 4 out in the fall!
• Kinect update is free for Skyrim.

OLD SCHOOL

• Punch-Out!! – Arcade
• “Punch-Out!! is a 1983–84 boxing arcade game by Nintendo. It was the first in a series of successful Punch-Out!! games that produced an arcade sequel known as Super Punch-Out!!, a spin-off of the series titled Arm Wrestling, a highly popular version for the NES originally known as Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!, and Super Punch-Out!! for the SNES. The arcade game introduced recurring video games characters such as Glass Joe, Piston Hurricane, Bald Bull, and Mr. Sandman.

  In the game, the player assumes the role of a green-haired boxer, known by three initials the player chooses when the game begins. During matches, the player’s boxer is viewed from behind as a wireframe so the opponents can be seen. The player must time his punches, dodges and blocks in order to defeat the opposing boxer. Hints are given as to the opponents next move by subtle eye changes (the white of the eyes turn from white to yellow), but the player must ultimately predict what moves the opponent will make and react appropriately.”

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THE RUNDOWN

• Contest: Want to win a copy of Worms Reloaded Game of the Year Edition?
  “Like” the Final Score’s Facebook page, then write a message on our wall about why you should win. We’ll pick three random winners!
• Plus, we talk about what we’re playing, take your calls about looking silly while playing handhelds and some Reckoning DLC, read some e-mail and more!

THE BIG TALK

• Looks like Bioware might make changes for the ending of Mass Effect 3.
• Baldur’s Gate for iPad? We can’t wait!
• Old Xbox’s are possibly containing your credit card info… Microsoft responds.
• Sega cancels games and cuts jobs to restructure.

OLD SCHOOL

• Toobin’ – Arcade
• “Toobin’ is an Atari video game originally released as an arcade game in 1988. It was later ported to systems such as NES, Commodore Amiga, Commodore 64, MSX, and Game Boy Color.

  In the game, you play as the main characters Bif or Jet, guiding them through many winding rivers on an innertube. The game was included as part of Midway Arcade Treasures and Arcade Party Pak, where it was given a remixed soundtrack.

  The player competes in a river race against the computer or another player. The player’s score increases by swishing the gates, hitting other characters with cans, collecting hidden letters to spell Toobin’, and collecting treasures. Players try to avoid obstacles while pushing each other into them.

  Power-ups allow players to carry multiple cans and combinations of gates increase a score multiplier.

  The game has three different classes, each with five rivers, for a total of 15. The rivers in each class are as follows:
  Colorado, Amazon, Okeefenokee, American, and Argentum
  Yukon, Styx, Left Bank, Cuprum, and Nile
  Jurassic, Black Forest, Rio Grande, Canals Of Mars, and Nightmare

  The game’s playable characters are Bif and Jet. Whenever there is only one player in the game, there will be a computer-controlled opponent called Flotsam.”

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THE BIG TALK

• We talk Mass Effect 3… our thoughts and community rumblings.
• Diablo III gets a release date: 05/15/2012
• Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition arrives this summer.
• PONG® INDIE DEVELOPER CHALLENGE!
• The Art of Video Games Exhibit is now open at the Smithsonian and Nicole is going!

OLD SCHOOL

• Toe Jam and Earl – Sega Genesis
• “ToeJam & Earl is an action video game developed by Johnson Voorsanger Productions and published by Sega for the Mega Drive video game console. Released in 1991, it centers on the titular ToeJam and Earl—alien rappers who have crash-landed on Earth. As they attempt to escape the planet, players assume the role of either character and collect pieces of their wrecked spacecraft. ToeJam & Earl’s design was heavily influenced by the role-playing video game Rogue, and took from it such features as the random generation of levels and items. It references and parodies 1990s urban culture and is set to a funk soundtrack.

  The game was positively received by critics, who praised its originality, soundtrack, humor and two-player cooperative mode. It attained sleeper hit status despite low initial sales, and its protagonists were used as mascots by Sega. ToeJam & Earl was followed by two sequels: ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron and ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth, released for the Mega Drive and Xbox, respectively. The sequels’ commercial and critical success was mixed. The game again received positive reviews in 2006 when re-released for the Wii’s Virtual Console.”

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