ShackCast Episode 10: Team Fortress 2, Pre-TGS, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, The Force Unleashed

After last week's slightly abbreviated show, Episode 10 runs a little longer than usual, clocking in at a little under an hour and a half. Chris Remo, Chris Faylor, and Carlos Bergfeld are joined by Nick Breckon, checking in from Japan as he prepares to take on the Tokyo Game Show. Topics include the wackiness of Japan, Tokyo Game Show, Team Fortress 2 and The Orange Box, Super Smash Bros. Brawl going online, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on Wii, Warmonger and AGEIA PhysX cards, Peggle, and superhero video games ranging from average to bad. Reader mail sparked discussion on the role of originality in video games, as well as crucial entries in the gaming pantheon. Keep sending in your comments and questions to shackcast@shacknews.com. Play or download the podcast now, browse the episodes through iTunes, RSS, or Digg, or check out the full breakdown. 00:00: It's a song! 00:44: Nick is in Japan, "absorbing the culture." He talks about it! 02:22: Faylor describes something truly horrible. 03:22: Mr. Breckon goes to the arcades. 08:44: A bit of TGS talk. 10:18: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) will be online! Praise be! (Story) 15:04: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed coming to Wii. Will it avoid sucking? 21:42: Warmonger, O:DD is out next month. We discuss the required PhysX. 27:30: What happened to the Hellgate: London beta? 30:40: Apparently launching games online is hard! 32:17: Team Fortress 2 beta came out, and we played it! Woo! 37:49: Is Valve using the beta as a marketing tool to push PC? (Yes) 41:16: Nick played BioShock on Xbox 360, not PC--and regrets it! 44:24: The Orange Box is a great deal! Seriously! Plus it's good for modders! 48:53: Faylor on Peggle: "Makes you feel like the ultimate badass." ...What? 51:32: For some reason, Carlos played a bunch of Spider-Man games. 54:50: Faylor returns to Resistance: Fall of Man and still has fun. 58:43: Listener mail! We read your mail, then respond to it! 59:25: Someone makes a bizarre hypothesis regarding Remo's extremities. 60:33: We discuss the role of and need for originality and innovation. 70:22: We touch on a few historically significant games. 83:54: Las Vaygas? Las Veegas? Las Vehgas? Who cares? 84:43: Closing music and not-quite-outtakes.