Idle Thumbs

A minicast of rambling awaits you within. Activision continues to cut its baffling path through the industry, as Chris and Steve discover that an enemy never forgets. With special guest star Video Games.

Special guest Sean Vanaman joins us on a slow motion journey through strategy and space as we talk about the Infinity Ward kerfuffle, the most honest week in StarCraft history, and how from the outside, bullet time looks really fast, and dumb. We think it will pique your magic, in an interesting way.

Thumbs returns from its whirlwind tour of every convention and expo one could reasonably cram into two weeks, to ruminate on the rise of connectivity, the future of "real games," and whether or not Nicolas Cage will ever leave the bathroom. Also lots of games.

In a daring escape accompanied by expert commentary, The Idle Thumbs Podcast crew managed to narrowly evade being overrun by a rampaging army of BigDogs flying the Sony flag, aided only by a pneumatic rifle and a an infinite supply of parachutes. Video games.

GDC 2010 ends and we emerge, stumbling through our sleep-deprived, Will Wright-fueled mental haze, to bring you this podcast. We're joined by special guest Sean Vanaman of Telltale Games. 2010.

Video game news explodes, as two unrelated sentient robots -- one good, one evil, both out of control -- battle to the death for headline dominance. Amidst the wash of corporate power-plays, decapitations, and ASCII art, we also talk about the Indie Fund, and play some games.

This week the past returns, distilled to its core and a little prettier. And on a hex grid, most likely. Also discussed: Scoops horn. If video games made you fly, that would probably be really scary.

Idle Thumbs is dead. Long live The Idle Thumbs Podcast. It took a little longer than we thought, but we're here. Chris, Jake, and Steve catch up on the last few months, talk about video games a lot. Welcome back!

Idle Thumbs goes out with some attempt at a bang, by way of a two and a half hour mega episode. The unrelenting Dragon Age revokes Nick's gamer card, Chris can't stop playing Torchlight, and Jake keeps spinning around on the floor. Also featuring farewells aplenty, Dreamcast 2, exclusive Steve Ballmer DLC, and good news.

For all your bustin' needs, we present: video games. We create a scale and proceed to visit both ends, taking gentle, guided adventures with famed explorers and robot pals, while our asses are gingerly handed to us by murderous hoards and off-brand knockoff platformers. Note: No bargos were busted in the making of this episode.

After putting the finishing touches on Torchlight, Runic Games co-founders and Diablo co-creators Max and Erich Schaefer did what game industry luminaries always do after wrapping a project: drive over to the Idle Thumbs podcast. We chat at length with Max about the new action RPG, the Blizzard North days, and unreleased football games. And Erich pipes in at the end.

As the darkness draws in and the last days creep ever closer, we're joined by 2K Marin's Steve Gaynor for a rousing discussion of video games in the outer reaches of space. While there, we discuss the PS3's recent trips to polar opposites of the hand-holding spectrum, lament the disappearance of Modern Warfare 2's dedicated servers, and are paid a surprise visit by an asshole.

All rise. At his command, Chris and Jake play a bunch of Brutal Legend, while Nick frantically stockpiles gas cans to make it through Left 4 Dead 2's Scavenger mode, all the while trying to come to grips with his feelings on Borderlands. Plus a song about video games, but probably not what you're thinking.

The Idle Thumbs podcast turns one year old on Saturday, and to celebrate we bring you a regular episode. This week we wipe a curmudgeonly tear from our classic PC gaming eye, and find yet again that making fun of something we thought could never exist only seems to bring it to life. Plus: "Video game stories are serious business," says madly hopping, car-flipping, building-smashing man.

Bred in a top secret government lab, or maybe an orphan or a robot or something, this episode hopes to punch you in the face and call you a bitch. Our marketing research shows that this appeals to you. Really, though, we talk about some games.