Vic's Basement

THIS WEEK ON THE BASEMENT: Vic and Scott open up the old listener mailbag and answer questions from three podcast fans. Scott complains about the fact that he desperately needs a haircut, then—how risque—confesses that he enjoys watching Netflix in bed on his iPad. Vic and Scott do a very short, very painless postmortem on Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby. (Scott liked it; Vic didn't. Weird, right?) Also: Vic and Scott play a round of "What We're Playing/What We're Watching," during which Vic confesses that the TV show Luther is on his to-watch list. And then, as always, Scott yells the word "stitcher" at the very, very end.

The Basement Smell Report is in: Cheese smell: 8/10; Feet smell: 7/10; Unidentified smell: 3/10. Vic and Scott make room in their piquant subterranean lair for a truly special guest: actor Michael Mando. He, of course, plays Vaas Montenegro in Far Cry 3, the baddest bad guy since the Mother Brain. (Who, technically, is a woman.) (Side note: What if Mother Brain and Vaas made a baby? WHAT THEN?) Anyway, Mando was a special guest at the recent Canadian Videogame Awards. That's where Vic and Scott became friends with Mando. Oh, and he's also one of the stars of the TV show Orphan Black, which is really good, if you need a new TV show to watch. Mando tells all kinds of crazy stories on today's show. And some of his stories are downright moving. No kidding. Listen, and you will be moved. Also: Vic and Scott talk Iron Man 3, which is in theaters this weekend. Vic describes the movie as "amazing." Scott, on the other hand, wonders if Happy has any weight-related health issues. Ah, Vic and Scott: WILL THEY EVER LEARN TO GET ALONG? Let's hope not.

Today on The Basement: Vic and Scott do a little postmortem/pre-mortem on the 4th Annual Canadian Videogame Awards (which air this weekend on City TV and G4; check your local listings). Scott and Vic both share their favorite behind-the-scenes moments from the Awards, and from Fan Expo Vancouver, which was also held last weekend. And then things take a turn for the serious, as Vic and Scott—for the very last time, folks—offer their definitive answer on how one can get into this business. If you have aspirations to be on TV, or to cover videogames and entertainment in some capacity, today's show qualifies as a must-listen.

Today on The Basement: Vic and Scott find the only person in North America who actually finished Aliens: Colonial Marines. The boys grill this Mystery Person—actually, it's our producer, Rob Koval, who is such a huge Aliens fan that he felt compelled to see the game through to completion—on the game's ending, which sounds like it might actually be even more terrible than the game's awful beginning. (Who would have thought that was even possible?) Man, what a P.O.S. that game is. Also: the boys get into a deep, super nerdy discussion about the Aliens universe. Finally, they talk games, Fan Expo: Vancouver (which takes place this weekend), and the Canadian Videogame Awards (which also takes place this weekend). And, as always, someone makes it weird at the end.

Today on The Basement: Scott confesses that he's on a spirit quest/year walk to rediscover his love of videogames. Yes, it seems that after 10 years of reviewing every game ever created, Scott HAS HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH THIS B.S. The first stop on his magical rediscovery tour: 2005's Ico. Then Vic and Scott get a surprise visitor in The Basement: It's Man Of Steel star MacKenzie Gray. Gray is contractually forbidden to reveal what role he plays in the film—two guesses: it's either Luther or Brainiac—but nonetheless Gray tells us what it was like to enjoy craft services with Henry "Supes" Cavill each day. Slight spoiler: Director Zack Snyder apparently loves to have makeshift football games on his set. It's a revealing, fascinating talk on The Basement—but then again, aren't they all?

THIS WEEK: We tried to get Shaun Hatton as a guest on The Basement this week. You'd think that, since he works here, this would be no problem. WELL, AS IT TURNS OUT, THIS IS A PROBLEM. Shaun was apparently TOO BUSY to join us. Maybe we'll all learn from our mistake and remember to book Shaun at least a week in advance in the future. Anyway, today's 100-percent Shaun-free episode features a live, on-air un-boxing of the Ultimate Songbird Edition of BioShock: Infinite. Yes, it's the world's first audible un-boxing. Also, Vic and Scott have some somber news to report—LucasArts, which has been making games since 1982, closed its doors this week. Vic and Scott bid adieu to the old gray lady. Then Vic and Scott read some listener mail. And, as usual, it gets weird at the end. Oh, and buy your tickets for the CVA's and/or Fan Expo Vancouver! Vic and Scott, and maybe Shaun Hatton, will be LIVE AND IN PERSON. Yes, the people on your TV and on your computer will be STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!

Today on The Basement, the boys get a visit from a special guest: it's the Rocketeer himself, actor Billy Campbell. We won't lie to you—Billy is a personal friend, and often takes Vic and Scott (well, mostly Vic) up in his Celebrity Helicopter, where they race against James Cameron and other Hollywood types in Celebrity Helicopter Races. Some highlights from the show: Billy reveals his super-nerdy gamer side; Scott reveals his man-crush on Billy; Billy gives Vic's mom a ride to her reducing class. So, lots of fun stuff in today's show. You should really listen to it. Seriously, it's good. Oh, and Billy will be attending Fan Expo Vancouver next month as well as the Canadian Videogame Awards. Right there, you've got two opportunities to see Billy Campbell in person. And, according to Scott, he's truly something to see. Insert wolf whistle sound effect HERE. If you missed the Rocketeer Commentary Video, you can check it out here.

On today's show, actor Elias Toufexis—the voice of Adam Jensen in Deus Ex: Human Revolution and the just-announced host of the 2013 Canadian Videogame Awards—drives Vic's mom to Target. Really. But before he does that, he has a chat with Vic and Scott about what it feels like to be named the host of this year's CVA's, which take place on April 20th in Vancouver, B.C. (Buy your tickets here.) The star of films, television shows, and countless videogames, including the upcoming Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Toufexis tells Vic and Scott how he manages to make art inside a tiny sound booth for four hours a day. Also: Vic and Scott talk about the pending release of BioShock: Infinite, which Scott describes as a Groundhog Day for the industry. Finally, if you want to know how to unlock the "Yawn Of Encouragement" in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Scott and Vic tell you how. The show begins in three, two, one...

THIS WEEK IN THE BASEMENT: It's true-confession time as Vic comes clean about the fact that he was unable to get past "The Trials of Archimedes" portion in God Of War: Ascension. Yes, Vic's gaming skills were apparently not up to snuff when it comes to this controversial section of the game. Scott, on the other hand, HAD NO PROBLEM GETTING THROUGH IT WHATSOEVER. NONE. NOT EVEN A LITTLE. Ahem. Anyway, this is the jumping-off point for a conversation about difficulty in videogames, and how sometimes this can both help and hinder one's enjoyment. Games that are invoked include Driver 2, Ninja Gaiden Black, and Devil May Cry 3, among others. Also, Vic and Scott discuss the viability of sequels, including God Of War, Gears Of War (lots of war this month), and BioShock: Infinite. Do we all need these damn things? And what's the point of them, besides, you know, making some cold, hard cash? Vic and Scott offer an answer—sort of—on today's show. Also: Scott makes it weird at the end.

Today on The Basement: Vic and Scott discuss the Marchvalanche of games. Or, as Vic calls it, Marvember. (Since Revengeance, the boys have been more disposed to portmanteaus than they used to be. Also: "portmanteau" is the word of the day.) Vic and Scott offer their pro tips for surviving the deluge of upcoming games. Also: Vic rants about SimCity while Scott dozes off. Then Vic and Scott get a surprise visit from Syd Bolton. He's owner and curator of the PC Museum in Brantford, Ontario. He is also the world's most serious collector of videogames. Seriously, it's nuts what this guy has collected. Oh, and the museum has a Star Wars room. And one more "oh": Syd is in a relationship with a living, breathing woman. Anyway, Syd's an amazing guy, as you'll discover when you listen to this week's episode of The Basement.

Today on The Basement: Vic returns from New York and Scott thanks him for the postcard (which only just arrived today—THANKS FOR NOTHING, VIC). Scott and Vic discuss the Oscars, including the fact that their favorite movie of the year, Looper, WAS NOT NOMINATED FOR ONE DAMN THING. NOT ONE. WHICH IS A HUGE OVERSIGHT ON THE ACADEMY’S PART. Ahem. Sorry. Then Vic spends an inordinate amount of time explaining his dislike for Ben Affleck—which is the only thing that Vic has ever disliked, ever, pretty much. After this, the boys discuss something known as “The Binge.” It’s when you consume an entire game or an entire season of a TV in one or two sittings. Why do we do this? Are we so entertainment-starved and weak-willed that we can’t tear ourselves away, even from the most mediocre of entertainments? Vic and Scott offer and answer—sort of—on The Basement.

Today on The Basement: Vic is on the road, so Scott has The Basement all to himself. Naturally, the first thing he does is call Vic, who delivers a full report from the PlayStation 4 press conference in a very frigid New York City. Vic talks about his deli experiences in New York—apparently, all they serve is corned beef topped with more corned beef—as well as his big night on the town with Kanye. (Hint: He doesn't really ever have a big night on the town with Kanye.) So did Sony knock it out of the proverbial park with their PS4 presser? And, more importantly, what movie is Scott taking Vic's mom to tonight? (Hint 2: It's an Oscar-contender.) Listen to the podcast, and *wizard motion with our wands* you'll have all the answers.

Vic and Scott order more pancakes—or, as Vic calls them, "flapjacks"—from Vic's mom. Then Scott discusses the recent trip he took to go look at a game only to eventually deduce that there was no game to actually see. So, instead of describing the game that wasn't there, Scott describes the nuances of the "low flow" toilet in his hotel room. If you don't like toilet humor, or poop, or any references to poop and toilets and toilet paper and things of that nature, be sure to skip over this part of the podcast. Also: Vic and Scott talk about the debacle of Aliens: Colonial Marines. So, what the hell happened? And, more importantly, how is Randy Pitchford feeling about the whole thing? Are the game makers, after being locked away in a game-making vacuum for months or even years at a time, shocked to learn that their game is terrible? Scott and Vic plumb the depths of this argument. Finally, things get weird at the end thanks to Victor and not Scott this time. Also: If you've read this far into the podcast description, you are probably someone who is easily hypnotized. So, congratulations—you've learned something new about yourself today. Also check out: Brian Martel on Aliens: Colonial Marines and Aliens: Colonial Marines with Lance Henriksen

This week down in The Basement: Vic and Scott discuss David Cage's recent controversial D.I.C.E. talk, "The Peter Pan Syndrome: The Industry That Refused To Grow Up," in which Cage ticks off a list of nine things that the videogame industry can (and should) do in order to evolve. Cage is, in many ways, spot on. As a medium, we're still much too in love with guns and what they can do; we still dress women in tiny bikinis and give them amnesia. "It's time to assess who we are, and what we are doing," Cage said. Vic and Scott reflect on many of Cage's sobering claims. Then someone farts and Scott blames Vic and Vic blames Scott. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Special guest Lorne Lanning joins Vic and Scott down in The Basement this week. Lanning, as you no doubt know, is the creator of the Oddworld series of videogames, which includes one of Scott's all-time favorites, Stranger's Wrath. So what has Lanning been up to lately? To find out, Scott and Vic put Lanning through The Basement equivalent of waterboarding, which is different from traditional waterboarding in the sense that The Basement's style of waterboarding involves action figures and several delicious cakes. Also: Vic and Scott discuss what they're playing, which includes Vic's digression on his recent "Mr. Mom" day. And finally, as always, Scott makes it weird at the end by eating a banana on air in total silence.