Gaming on the Rocks

This week, we discuss the Wonder Woman casting, Bioshock's first piece of story DLC, and give a few ideas for gifts this holiday season. WB/DC recently announced Gal Gadot will play Wonder Woman in the upcoming "Man of Steel" sequel, which is slowly and unsettlingly becoming "Justice League: The Prequel." Gadot is most well-known for her role in the "Fast and Furious" franchise, which we love here at GotR, but we have our concerns with the announcement. And before getting into the short but not so sweet "Burial at Sea" DLC for "Bioshock Infinite," we play into the commercialism that is the holiday season with our own gift guide. And we'd love to hear back from you about our very first listener question: who/what is the best robot of all time? Write to us (gameontherocks@gmail.com), tweet at us (@GOTR_podcast), or check out our Facebook page to send us your answer. We'll share them on next week's episode. Links for the gift guide below. Ethan: - http://www.blurb.com/user/store/gamespite - http://www.amazon.com/Endless-Fantasy-Anamanaguchi/dp/B00C5JHDY0 - http://fiveoutoftenmagazine.com/ Ben: - http://us.playstation.com/playstation-plus-new/ - http://www.amazon.com/Hyperbole-Half-Unfortunate-Situations-Mechanisms/dp/1451666179 - http://www.amazon.com/Anderson-Collection-Matt-Zoller-Seitz/dp/081099741X Greg: - http://store.magicalgametime.com/products/magical-game-time-vol-1/ - http://www.amazon.com/Akira-Anniversary-Edition-Blu-ray-Combo/dp/B00ENNA62W - http://society6.com/ScottParkIllustration/Synthespians#1=45

PS4 and Xbox One are out. We give our thoughts on the new consoles before diving into the newest installment in the Hunger Games franchise. Track Listing: Tetris Attack - Ice World

This week, in the midst of PS4 and Xbox One launches, we take a step back and look at reviewing consoles. Then we go deep into the machinations of "Thor: The Dark World" and the  "Marvel Cinematic Universe."  Follow us on Twitter: @ethangach @TheManofSeal @greggaliffa Track Listing: Tetris Attack - Flame World Theme

This week, Ben, Ethan and Greg discuss Quantic Dream's newest title, Warner Bros. Games Montreal's take on Batman, and whether or not trying something new is important for an established brand. Ellen Page stars in David Cage's newest eight-hour quick-time event. Ethan's digging the latest outing in Gotham despite criticism's from around the internetz. And then we discuss changing a familiar/popular formula for the sake of ambition. Also, Arcade Fire.

Join us as we discuss Guacamelee, Injustice: Gods Among Us and Nintendo ducking out of an E3 press conference (as well as few other topics). It's a hodgepodge episode of Gaming on the Rocks this week as the four of us break down several tidbits. Chief among them: Nintendo will not be holding a press conference at E3 this year. We reflect on the company's progress thus far and what this could mean for the possible future. Ethan brings up Injustice: Gods Among Us while I share thoughts on Drinkbox Studio's new game, Guacamelee. Ben, meanwhile, holds down the film and music portion of our show with his review of "Mud" and the new Phoenix album. Track Listing (found here): The Bounty of a Brain [Metroid] - Big Giant Circles,   OverClocked ReMix (http://www.ocremix.org)  

We discuss how to deal with spoiler issues in today's world as well as two films: The Place Beyond the Pines and Trance. The crew is back in full form this week -- Ben AND Jim were able to come back. We start out with reviews for Derek Cianfrance's new film, The Place Beyond the Pines (starring Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper), and Danny Boyle's newest vehicle, Trance (starring James McAvoy and Rosario Dawson). Then we get deep in the trenches with a discussion about spoilers. What is the proper way to handle spoilers today? How long is long enough? Do they even matter? We try to find out while enduring Jim's passionate dissertation on two movies no one remembers...except Jim. To reach the podcast for comment or question, you can email us at gameontherocks(at)gmail(dot)com, or reach us on Twitter: @ethangach @greggaliffa @TheManofSeal Track Listing (found here): Red Plateau (Arizona) - Dain Saint  

We get newsy this week with discussion about the Ouya, Elysium and, of course, some Bioshock Infinite. While Ben's away, we decide to switch up our formula a bit. This week, we do a news breakdown of ten stories involving: Microsoft moving forward, the Ouya's release, Flashback's HD remake and some talk about the Bioshock Infinite DLC. To reach the podcast for comment or question, you can email us at gameontherocks(at)gmail(dot)com, or reach us on Twitter: @ethangach @greggaliffa Track Listing (found here): Whopping Kef (Kefka, Final Fantasy VI) - Insert Whoopee, OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org/)  

*WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD* Join us for a breakdown of Bioshock Infinite's heady ending and all the parts leading to it. Welcome to another episode of Captain's Log Supplemental. This time around, we get into a spoilerific discussion about Bioshock Infinite. Primarily, what exactly happens in the end? What was the meaning of it all? Who are we anymore? What are we anymore? And other such existential questions. Listen and enjoy. To reach the podcast for comment or question, you can email us at gameontherocks(at)gmail(dot)com, or reach us on Twitter: @ethangach @greggaliffa @themanofseal Track Listing (found here):  - The Life and Death of Kirby (Kirby) - Insert Rupee, Benjamin Briggs, halc, OverClocked ReMix (http://www.ocremix.org)

This week we discuss the new season of Game of Thrones, the passing of Roger Ebert, and Bioshock Infinite (no spoilers). We haven't posted a normal number episode for a few weeks, but we're back with some great discussion...and broken microphones. Listen in as we discuss season three of Game of Thrones and few preliminary thoughts. Then we get into a bit about the late Roger Ebert and how his writing has influenced our own. Finally, we wrap it up with a talk about Bioshock Infinite. Spoiler free! To reach the podcast for comment or question, you can email us at gameontherocks(at)gmail(dot)com, or reach us on Twitter: @ethangach @greggaliffa @themanofseal Track Listing: God Only Knows -- The Beach Boys Will the Circle Be Unbroken -- Josephine Cameron

After some last-minute schedule changes, IGN PlayStation Executive Editor and host of Podcast Beyond, Greg Miller, kindly stopped by to chat some games, comics, and Sony's strategy with the PS4. We start with some games of PAX East 2013 like Transistor, Journal and Saint's Row 4 to name a few. Then we get into Sony and how it's handling its PlayStation 4 marketing. And wedged in between we have a tangential breakdown of DC comics. To reach the podcast for comment or question, you can email us at gameontherocks(at)gmail(dot)com, or reach us on Twitter: @ethangach @greggaliffa Track Listing (found here): Philadelphia (4 a.m.) – Dain Saint  

Chris Grant, Editor-in-Chief of Polygon.com, was kind enough to join us for a quick interview while at PAX East 2013. We chat about trying to build a new gaming media outlet, monetizing content, the next console generation, and how organizations like the Philadelphia Game Lab are helping to foster a game development scene in the city of brotherly love. To reach the podcast for comment or question, you can email us at gameontherocks(at)gmail(dot)com, or reach us on Twitter: @ethangach @greggaliffa Track Listing (found here): Philadelphia (4 a.m.) - Dain Saint  

It's Saturday night. PAX East is almost over. Here's what  we've seen so far. Greg and I discuss Transitor, Super Time Force, many more games we've seen and played, and wax poetic about the strange beast that is PAX. To reach the podcast for comment or question, you can email us at gameontherocks(at)gmail(dot)com, or reach us on Twitter: @ethangach @greggaliffa Track Listing (found here): Philadelphia (4 a.m.) - Dain Saint Duck Tales Theme - The Disney Afternoon Studio Chorus  

How to enjoy Dead Space 3, what Tomb Raider gets wrong (and right), and why sometimes it's enough just to have great style. On this episode Greg and Jim talk about two recent AAA titles they've been playing and why enjoying them requires setting the right expectations beforehand. Also, Ben tells us about Stoker, the first English film by Chan-wook Park, and asks us to think about other media we love that are really great at saying nothing in particular. To reach the podcast for comment or question, you can email us at gameontherocks(at)gmail(dot)com, or reach us on Twitter: @ethangach @greggaliffa @themanofseal @JPontheChase Track Listing (found here and here): Echoes (Shevat, the Wind Is Calling) - Fishy, OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org/) An Encore In Time (Jay-Z vs. Chrono Trigger Mashup) - 2 Mello  

Do second screens really make playing video games and watching television that much better? And if not, how is Nintendo going to keep the Wii U relevant? On this week's episode we discuss Noel Murray's recent article at Grantland on why he finds second-screen viewing so useless, and why Nintendo runs the risk of becoming a boutique gaming company (if it isn't already). Finally we'll take a look at Rob Thomas' stunningly successful "Veronica Mars" movie Kickstarter, and what that does or doesn't mean for producing movies going forward. To reach the podcast for comment or question, you can email us at gameontherocks(at)gmail(dot)com, or reach us on Twitter: @ethangach @greggaliffa @themanofseal @JPontheChase Track Listing (found here): JENOVA Celestial (J-E-N-O-V-A) - bLiNd, OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org/)  

On this week's episode we get down to business on the details surrounding Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and why they mean that game could be awesome (or not). In addition, Greg tells us about his time with Antichamber and how the indie game messes with players by using what they know against them. Finally, Ben talks about the HBO series Enlightened which just concluded it's second season, and analyzes media that don't try to control our emotions. And just to note: from now on you should be able to find every subsequent episode posted here weekly on Monday's. We've been wanting to nail down a less erratic schedule for a while; here's hoping we stick to it! To reach the podcast for comment or question, you can email us at gameontherocks(at)gmail(dot)com, or reach us on Twitter: @ethangach @greggaliffa @themanofseal @JPontheChase Track Listing (found here and here): It's a Jungle Out There! (Primal Rave) - Joshua Morse, OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org/) Jurassic Park Meets Metal (Jurassic Park Theme) - Erock