In this bonus episode, Andrew and the crew get deep into their thoughts about Mass Effect 3. How does the game compare to its predecessor? Is Garrus still awesome? Does Admiral Hackett say “Hackett out” a lot? These answers and more are just one listen away! (Warning: minor spoilers ahead, and major spoilers of previous games. We avoid spoiling anything after the first few hours of gameplay, though.)
Writers Andrew Passafiume and Graham Russell tend to be on opposite sides of the debate when talking about handheld games: Andrew would usually rather be playing on a big screen, and Graham likes that lower system specs makes devs focus on gameplay. In this two-part feature, the two get together and make their picks of the games that best and least fit on a portable.
Pokemon Red and Blue Versions Graham: What made the Pokemon games special was the idea that you built up these teams, carried them around and obsessed over them and then took on friends. Later games (and later tech) allowed for online play and profile porting, but even then, that’s not the same experience. Andrew: The Pokemon series always felt like it was just perfect for handhelds. It was all about the ability to take your team wherever you wanted and trading with friends, like you said, so I completely agree. READ MORE
Andrew, Gerry, Graham and Shawn are joined by new writer Jeff DeSolla to talk about their early Vita experiences in this new episode, like Hot Shots, Lumines, Uncharted and Rayman Origins. Also in this edition: Asura’s Wrath, Crusader Kings II, Assassin’s Creed III and The Last Story.
The Vita’s an exciting piece of tech, but any launch system has holes in its launch lineup. Here are six suggestions for which downloadable PSP titles to enjoy, especially if you didn’t have that system and just now have the chance to play them.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Trails in the Sky was our PSP Game of 2011 for a reason. It’s that rare gem that hearkens back to the heyday of JRPGs and still manages to feel fresh and modern. It has a great roster of characters and manages to tell a pretty good tale without many of the usual overused plot devices. If that’s not enough for you, the art style should make the transition to the Vita screen extremely well. If there’s only room for one PSP RPG on your Vita, this should be it. – Shawn Vermette READ MORE
Do you have the rhythm? In this episode, new columnist Grant Potter joins the crew to discuss soul patches, Andrew thinks Twisted Metal is good except for most of the parts of it, Graham has Rhythm Heaven Fever fever and also an actual cold, Gerry plays Hakuoki (a visual novel about dating samurai and dealing with vampires) and Shawn can’t remember the year 1994. We also discuss our favorite rhythm games of yesteryear, like UmJammer Lammy, Patapon 2 and Space Channel 5!
Graham: What made the Pokemon games special was the idea that you built up these teams, carried them around and obsessed over them and then took on friends. Later games (and later tech) allowed for online play and profile porting, but even then, that’s not the same experience.
Andrew: The Pokemon series always felt like it was just perfect for handhelds. It was all about the ability to take your team wherever you wanted and trading with friends, like you said, so I completely agree. 
