The Exploding Barrel Podcast

Show #279 – Set Phasers to Fun

AJ — Fri, 03 May 2013 04:07:04 +0000

Mike and AJ boldly go where not a lot of people are going. It’s Star Trek: The Video Game. We also are now fully engulfed in the world of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. Nintendo gets desperate about Wii U messaging, Microsoft may be releasing the Fusion, and Respawn’s upcoming game may be a Microsoft Exclusive.

Show #278 – This Ain’t No Game

AJ — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:26:34 +0000

Mike and AJ wonder: Will the next Xbox not be focused on games? And what kind of statement is Nintendo making by not doing the big E3 presser? We also take a look at the Dragon’s Crown controversy, the Homeworld IP, and AJ’s first timid steps into the world of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for the Wii U. Yes, this does in fact mean that AJ bought a Wii U game.

Show #277 – Past Tense

AJ — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 03:51:28 +0000

Mike and AJ discuss the latest Nintendo Direct and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening 2, Square Enix says something about Final Fantasy Versus XIII, and Bethesda somewhat unceremoniously announces the end of Skyrim content. We talk about Injustice: Gods Among Us, Guacamelee, and Path of Exile to round out the show.

Show #276 – Shocking Conclusion

AJ — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 03:55:36 +0000

Mike and AJ look at what could have been with Maverick Hunter, the lost Mega Man X FPS. Mike asks how EA could have better handled they’re second go as the worst company in America, AJ frets about the new Batman: Arkham Origins game, and Mike may be right about the always on Xbox. After we talk about Path of Exile, Age of Empires 2 HD, Shootmania Storm, and Gaucamelee, join us after the show for a spoiler filled talk about Bioshock Infinite.

Show #275 – Partied Out

AJ — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:14:55 +0000

Mike and AJ are here to talk about the end of LucasArts, the trend of laying off developers after a game is finished, shooting in games, and crazy industry parties.

Show #274 – To Infinite and Beyond

AJ — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 02:49:28 +0000

Mike and AJ played Bioshock Infinite. Spoiler: we really like it. We also played and like Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. Battlefield 4, Metal Gear Solid V, Ducktales, and Square Enix round out the rest of the show.

Show #273 – Constructive Criticism

AJ — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 01:58:14 +0000

Mike and AJ talk about the latest press preview of The Elder Scrolls Online, rumors of the next Xbox, Richard Garriot’s harsh criticism of game designers, and the Wii U port of Deus EX: Human Revolution. Mike beat Tomb Raider, played HarmoKnight, and takes his first stab at Ridiculous Fishing after hearing AJ and others rant and rave about it.

Show #272 – Old Hat

AJ — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 04:22:50 +0000

Mike and AJ discuss the Vita’s Japanese price drop, the effect of ad blockers on gaming sites, tired franchises, and the Xi3 Piston PC thing. We’ve played Tomb Raider, Mike beat Ni No Kuni, and we’ve got some MMOs and hunted monsters.

Show #271 – Reformat

AJ — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 06:10:48 +0000

Mike and AJ present a slightly new format for EBP. The first segment is taking a more topic based approach. This week, we discuss Assassin’s Creed IV, SimCity’s always online launch woes, Respawn Entertainment, and the ever changing free to play landscape.

Show #270 – Big Surprise

AJ — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 05:44:01 +0000

Mike and AJ talk about the Playstation 4! We also talk about the Wii U’s chances, some more handheld gaming discussion, and Mike’s disdain for boardgames.

Show #269 – Portabliss

AJ — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 03:35:33 +0000

Mike and AJ check out Nintendo’s latest Nintendo Direct. And now that AJ is also playing Fire Emblem, we gush about that for a while.

Show #268 – Badonk

AJ — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 03:45:07 +0000

Show #267 – Who Could It Be?

AJ — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 04:11:51 +0000

Mike and AJ talk about the upcoming Playstation announcement, the magical world of Ni no Kuni, the also magical world of Fire Emblem: Awakening, and the rather real world of SimCity.

Show #266 – Nintend- Oh No They Didn’t!

AJ — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 03:20:19 +0000

Mike and AJ are excited that there’s gonna be a Wind Waker HD!!! And a new 3D Mario!!! And a new Zelda!!! And a Yoshi game made with yarn!!! Also, THQ is gone. And we played the Revengeance demo. Did we like it? You’ll have to listen to find out.

Show #265 – To Infinity and Beyond

AJ — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 05:59:58 +0000

Mike and AJ take a look at Disney Infinity. Square Enix is up to their usual shenanigans. And Mike fights off giant BUGS! in Earth Defense Force 2017.

Show #264 – And Now For Something Completely Different

AJ — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 03:06:05 +0000

Mike and AJ present their top 5 games of 2012. For the first time ever, their lists are completely different! Drama! We also look at all these new “consoles” coming out, get excited about the new Pokemon, and discover the true meaning of friendship.

Show #263 – But… The Future!

AJ — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 02:25:12 +0000

Mike and AJ get out the crystal ball as we make some predictions for 2013. The community also weighs in with their own predictions. Will AJ win $10 from Mike when Half Life 3 is not announced?

Show #262 – 2012, A Retrospective

AJ — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 07:03:08 +0000

Mike and AJ take a fond look back at 2012. Join us as we talk about the highs and lows from various genres and platforms. We also get your input thanks to our shiny, new Google+ community.

Show #261 – Warz

AJ — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 03:37:23 +0000

Mike and AJ weigh in on the whole War Z debacle, THQ’s bankruptcy, and some really cool DOTA 2 DLC. Mike has been playing Far Cry 3, AJ has been playing Penny Arcade: Gamers vs. Evil, and everyone is playing Street Fighter x Mega Man.

Show #260 – Cover Boy

AJ — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 02:21:57 +0000

Mike and AJ talk about the Bioshock Infinite cover scandal, Lego Lord of the Rings, and a sort of new Mega Man game.

Show #259 – You Shall Not Pass

AJ — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 04:59:26 +0000

Mike and AJ are guarding Middle Earth in Guardians of Middle Earth. We also bought the Humble THQ Bundle, played some Dragonborn, and yell at our dog.

Show #258 – I Lied

AJ — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 04:45:42 +0000

Mike and AJ have both finished Assassin’s Creed 3. We have a spoiler filled, post show discussion about the ending for you. We also get a look at Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition, and Lego Lord of the Rings (in demo form). We also pay tribute to the recently concluded Totally Rad Show with out own video gamey take on VS.

Show #257 – Wii U and Wii Mii

AJ — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 22:02:53 +0000

Mike and AJ have a Wii U and we tell you about it. We also got to play a good chunk of Playstation All Stars Battle Royale. It’s a rolicking good time.

Show #256 – Soooo Good

AJ — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 03:50:30 +0000

Mike and AJ talk about the new Grand Theft Auto V trailer this week. We also spend some more time with Halo 4, Assassin’s Creed 3, and Skyrim: Hearthfire. AJ gets to finally try out the demo for Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion, and he’s a bit smitten.

Show #255 – We’re Old and Halo

AJ — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 09:03:31 +0000

Mike and AJ are here to talk about Wii U online stuff, Xbox Smartglass, and Halo. We’ve also got a slight spoiler post show talk on Assassin’s Creed 3.

Show #254 – Liberated

AJ — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 05:03:30 +0000

Mike and AJ are here to talk all things assassin with Assassin’s Creed III and Assassin’s Creed IIIL Liberation. AJ also spent some time in giant walking tanks of death with the betas for Hawken and MechWarrior Online. We also talk about the Eurogamer debacle and our good ol’ friend Denis Dyack.

Show #253 – Guess Again

AJ — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 03:14:15 +0000

Mike and AJ are here to look at the voice chat situation with the Wii U, talk about a great new iOS word game, Letterpress, and play another round of Guess Game. This time, the tables are turned as AJ challenges Mike to unscramble some classic video game titles.

Show #252 – The Bird’s the Word

AJ — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 03:01:39 +0000

Mike and AJ are here with a new segment, Guess Game! See if AJ can figure out Mike’s scrambled game titles. We also have talk of the Mega Man “celebration”, a quick look at Xcom: Enemy Unknown and Mark of the Ninja, and for this week’s First 20, we play Kirby’s Dreamland 3.

The music break this week is an orchestrated version of Fountain of Dreams from Super Smash Bros. Melee, which itself if rom the Kirby games. This CD is a recording of the Smashing Live concert in Japan.

Show #251 – Mike Yells at AJ

AJ — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 04:25:35 +0000

Mike and AJ have a… spirited discussion about the Kevin Butler lawsuit. There’s also some talk of Sega classics, the disappointment of Roller Coaster Tycoon 3D, and our first impressions of Dishonored.

Show #250 – A Long Jungle Run

AJ — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 05:24:31 +0000

Mike and AJ are celebrating our 250th show with our first video production! You asked for it, and now you’re getting it. The First 20 will not only be contained within the podcast, but shown on our YouTube Channel as well. This week, Mike plays the indie darling FTL while AJ provides some guidance. We also get a deeper insight into Mike’s time with Pokemon Black and White 2, and we say a (presumably temporary) farewell to Cliffy B.

This week’s music break comes from the Rayman: Origins soundtrack. This track also plays in the amazing Rayman Jungle Run, and it’s one of my favorites.

Show #249 – FTL FTW

AJ — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 22:29:11 +0000

Mike and AJ play the first 20 minutes of the Resident Evil 6 demo in this week’s First 20. Can this game turn the typically sour Ajguy into a RE fan? We also get a quick look at World of Warcraft’s latest expansion, Mists of Pandaria, an early glimpse of Pokemon Black and White 2, and AJ boldly goes into the newest indie darling, FTL.

Show #248 – It’s Actually Good?!

AJ — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 18:53:32 +0000

Mike and AJ are here with their Borderlands 2 impressions, some news from TGS, and a surprising First 20. Be sure to comment below with your suggestions for next week’s First 20!

This week’s music break is the Normandy Reborn from Mass Effect 2. Given all the turmoil at Bioware this week, I figured we’d send them a little love.

Show #247 – Wii U For U

AJ — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 16:37:28 +0000

Mike and AJ just saw the Nintendo Direct Wii U show… thing. We’ve got most of the details of the Wii U launch along with some nagging questions. Mike also got to play the new 3DS downloadable title Fractured Soul, and we’re still playing Guild Wars 2.

Show #246 – Grounded

AJ — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 23:36:48 +0000

Mike and AJ share their reactions to the unveiling of Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes. We also talk some more Guild Wars 2, see what awaits in the latest patch to World of Warcraft, and pontificate the promise of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.

This week’s music break celebrates the original coolness of Metal Gear with the original theme from Metal Gear Solid composed by TAPPY and Harry Gregson-Williams. Not some Russian guy.

Show #245 – Skysim

AJ — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 22:00:55 +0000

It’s been 5 years of the Exploding Barrel Podcast! And to celebrate, we’re introducing a new segment. Join us as we play the first 20 minutes of the original Time Splitters. We also get a good, in-depth look at the excellent Guild Wars 2, Rock Band Blitz, and the PSOne emulation on the Vita.

This week’s first ever music break is “Baby Mario and Papa Yoshi” by Brentalfloss. Check out more of his excellent work here.

Show #244 – Minotti Vs. Minotti

AJ — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 03:50:29 +0000

Mike and AJ have a good ol’ fashioned shout match about Valve’s documentary about DOTA 2 players. Plus we played New Super Mario Bros. 2, Team Fortress 2′s Mann vs. Machine update, Counter Strike: GO, and all sorts of fun things!

Show #243 – Kickstop

AJ — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 23:59:38 +0000

Mike and AJ get into one last discussion about the Penny Arcade Kickstarter. And if you’re a fan of Valve and/or Team Fortress, you’ve probably been having a pretty good week. Plus Sony did some exciting things at Gamescom vis-à-vis the Vita. Ah how I love auditory alliteration.

Show #242 – Sound Scapes

AJ — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 22:45:26 +0000

Mike and AJ have burned their dread with Persona 4 Arena. When not duking it out, they’ve been spending time in the PS3/Vita music platformed Sound Shapes. This week in Everyone Calm Down, we look at the happenings of Bioshock Infinite developer Irrational, the state of the Last Guardian, and the EA v. Zynga lawsuit.

Show #241 – Over Under Yonder Adventure

AJ — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 21:06:39 +0000

Mike and AJ are here with Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance. I leave it to you to decide if our imaginary Ouya Kingdom Hearts title is dumber. We’re leaving for Las Vegas now. Good bye.

Show #240 – Steam Summer Sold

AJ — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 02:06:29 +0000

Mike and AJ are back after a hiatus (it’s Mike’s fault). But we’ve got the goods, as it were. There’s heady discussion about Valve, Linux, Fez, Mario, and the 3DS. Mike played the futuristic city builder Anno 2070 after picking it up during the Steam Summer Sale. Meanwhile, AJ has had his mind blown by Dyad.

Show #239 – In a World

AJ — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 21:10:05 +0000

Mike and AJ are joined by the always delightful Pete Davison this week. We take a look at the success of the Ouya Kickstarter, discuss the Penny Arcade Kickstarter, and Pete gives his impressions of Funcom’s new MMO, The Secret World, which is not a Kickstarter.

Show #238 – A HD Nights

AJ — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 21:39:33 +0000

See, the title is like the Beatles song A Hard Days Night. Get it? Eh, anyways, Mike and AJ are here to talk about Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (boy is that a pain to type), Quantum Conundrum, and a host of news and topics including the Ryan Perez madness.

Show #237 – With Extended Ending

AJ — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 20:49:48 +0000

Mike and AJ have extended thoughts on Mass Effect 3′s Extended Ending DLC. If you want even more spoilers, stick around for after the show. We also have a ton of other games to talk about. The Amazing Spider-Man, Skyrim’s Dawnguard DLC, the Kingdom Hearts 3DS demo, and The Act on iOS are all on the docket.

The music during the break for this episode comes from the highly talented Malukah of YouTube fame. Check out her channel to listen to the Mass Effect inspired Reignite along with her other tracks (including some amazing Skyrim pieces).

Show #236 – Thematic

AJ — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 04:35:12 +0000

Mike and AJ get all heady in this week’s episode. Join us as we discuss a wide range of topics including the new Microsoft tablet, the Surface, ludonarrative dissonance, and the Diablo 3 real money auction house.

Show #235 – Mike’s Revengeance

AJ — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 18:52:40 +0000

Mike and AJ are reunited to bring E3 2012 to a close. Hear us yell about the Wii U, discuss Mike’s favorite games of E3, and listen to us tell you to buy Gravity Rush one last time. I’m gonna wreck it!

Show #234 – E3 2012

AJ — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 05:23:28 +0000

My body is ready! But Mike’s body is in LA for E3. He’ll report back next week, but in the meantime AJ is joined by GamesBeat’s Jeff Grubb. We’ve got all the big press briefings. Step inside for Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, EA, and Ubisoft. We’ve also get some talk of the hot looking Star Wars 1313, Elder Scrolls Online, and a few more surprises from the show. And finally, we can justify the Vita thanks to an early look at the excellent Gravity Rush.

Show #233 – Error #8008

AJ — Wed, 30 May 2012 01:41:12 +0000

Mike and AJ are reunited at last. We’ve got Diablo 3. We’ve got the whole 30 Studios debacle. We’ve got a week to go before E3! And congrats if the title of this show made you giggle like and 8th grader with a calculator.

Show #232 – The Mike Minotti Show

AJ — Wed, 16 May 2012 05:58:17 +0000

Mike did this show by himself. AJ just drove a car for 11 hours and yet he’s still doing the editing. Who knows what lurks within. Listen to Mike answer your Twitter questions and talk some more.

Show #231 – More Like Coldbar

AJ — Mon, 07 May 2012 22:13:34 +0000

Mike and AJ weigh in on the announcement of the Elder Scrolls Online. It once again leads to a discussion of the MMO industry. How long will companies continue to make hotbar based MMOs? I thought they would’ve stopped two years ago. AJ also gets analog on Mike with some Dominion. Listen to Mike try to comprehend what a deck building game is.

Show #230 – Battle Royale with Cheese

AJ — Wed, 02 May 2012 03:01:26 +0000

Mike and AJ just saw the Black Ops 2 trailer. That’s Call of Duty for those who don’t know. Now that I’m done optimizing our search results, we also discuss Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale, the Walking Dead, some Wii U announcement announcements, and a look at SWTOR’s current subscriber base.

Show #229 – Trials and Tribe-ulations

AJ — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 03:22:06 +0000

Mike and AJ are loving them some free to play. Tribes: Ascend is proving to be an excellent example of a free to play first person shooter done right. Meanwhile, Trials: Evolution is a fantastic upgrade over the previous game. #beadickmode is fully engaged. We also get a look at the Xbox 360 version of The Witcher 2, discuss the current fate of Prey 2, and test Mike’s clairvoyance with the God of War: Ascension trailer.

Show #228 – Fez Dispenser

AJ — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 23:14:31 +0000

Mike and AJ are trying to make the brain pain go away that is the result of playing Fez. We also talk about the new Kinect commands coming to Skyrim, the current prospects of EA, and the World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria beta.

Show #227 – A Lot O’ Monado

AJ — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 02:24:27 +0000

Mike and AJ are here again. Can you believe it?! AJ actually bought a jRPG. And he’s really enjoying it too. We also talk more Bioware damage control, Capcom’s interesting DLC policy, and take a quick look back at the last console generation.

Show #226 – The End Effect

AJ — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 03:18:45 +0000

Mike and AJ are joined by Mark “Beige” Whiting. We talk about Mike’s visit with Warren Specter to see Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, the possible fate of Prey 2, and a spoiler filled discussion of Mass Effect 3. The Mass Effect conversation take place after the main show, so this is either a really short or really long episode depending on how much you want to listen to. And please share your thought on our take on the ending in the comments! Just please mark all spoilers.

Show #225 – He’s Gone!

AJ — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 03:45:55 +0000

AJ is joined by Jeff Grubb while Mike is away in Austin, Texas. That means AJ is going to talk about Windows 8 and Mike can’t stop him. We also take a look at more Mass Effect controversy, all sorts of new info for World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, and discuss the recent shake ups in the games journalism industry.

Show #224 – These Effects Are Massive

AJ — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:23:03 +0000

Mike and AJ have played Mass Effect 3. Mike even beat it. Enjoy our very spoiler free discussion within. We also get AJ’s impressions of Journey on the PS3. Come inside to learn about Mass Effect controversy, Peter Molyneux’s latest career move, and some thoughts on Kickstarter’s future in game development.

Show #223 – Don’t Tread on Me

AJ — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 01:59:06 +0000

Mike and AJ are joined by none other than the FixXxer (or Kevin if you’re not into Mike’s weird mythology). This week we’ll be discussing the super exciting Assassin’s Creed 3 announcement, the rumors of a Valve console, and the Diablo 3 beta!

Show #222 – Vita Information for Your Everyday Life

AJ — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 04:53:07 +0000

Mike and AJ bring you impressions of the Playstation Vita. How are the games? How does it stack up to the 3DS? What’s with the back touch? We tell all. We also take a new spin with the news segment, combining it with Let’s Go Topical to provide more meaty discussion about the world of gaming.

Show #221 – Werebear Stare

AJ — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 04:49:10 +0000

Mike and AJ are joined by George Kokoris to discuss all sorts of heady topics. We talk about everything from the relevance of publishers to the public attitudes of journalists, and we even the role of story in games. To keep things in good measure, we played some stuff too. Get some impressions of the Mass Effect 3 demo, the Jak and Daxter HD collection, and Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D.

Show #220 – The Day of Reckoning

AJ — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:47:26 +0000

Mike and AJ are joined by the ever delightful Pete Davison. Hear us discuss DoubleFine’s Kickstarter success, the upcoming Twisted Metal, and the whole DOTA debacle. Also, AJ gushes about Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning, Gotham City Imposters, and Hero Academy. He will kick your ass at that game. For reals. His username is Ajguy. Bring it on.

Show #219 – The Soul Burns a Little Less

AJ — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:40:04 +0000

Mike and AJ bring the fun with Soul Calibur V, Ghost Trick, and a sneak peak at the upcoming Playstation Vita. This week finds us talking about Naughty Dog’s decision to not go back to Jak and Daxter, the merits of super long games, and the Half Life “protest.”

Show #218 – The Best Around

AJ — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:54:48 +0000

Finally! The Rock… er, we have our Game of the Year show! Mike and AJ give their top 5 games of 2011. We also take a look forwards at some of the top games (that we know of) for 2012. There’s talk of the used games market, more Nintendo stuff, and the latest iPhone craze, PuzzleJuice. Plus, we reveal the winner of our GotY contest!

Show #217 – One More Week

AJ — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:27:40 +0000

Mike still hasn’t finished Zelda, so GotY has to wait another week. Normally AJ would tie Mike to a chair and make him finish, but this is not possible thanks to the evils of motion gaming. So blame Nintendo, I guess. We do talk about the demos for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and Resident Evil: Revelations, so all is not lost.

Show #216 – The Clear Choice

AJ — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:34:55 +0000

Mike still has a game he needs to finish (it rhymes with “meld a”), so we’re pushing back our game of the year picks to next week. Instead, we match up some top games of 2011, discuss the future consoles, get a bit deeper into SWTOR, and the ever interesting December NPDs.

And because the GotY picks are pushed back a week, this gives you 7 more days to enter our DOTA 2 beta key giveaway. Check out last week’s show and post for details on how to enter.