On the ShackCast, we talk about video games!

In our weekly online audio show, Shacknews editors discuss gaming news, industry trends, upcoming titles, and recent games we've been playing. We cover all major gaming platforms. Check back regularly for a new episode.

Send your comments or questions to shackcast@shacknews.com--if you've got something interesting to say or ask, we'll highlight it on the next ShackCast!

ShackCast Season 2, Ep. 2 - March 28, 2008 (Play, Download, iTunes, RSS, Digg)

The ShackCast continues its second season as Shacker Abigail Sponge continues her tyrannical rule, ensuring that Shacknews editors Nick Breckon, Chris Faylor and Aaron Linde remain somewhat on-topic.

This week, the crew discusses their love-hate relationship with boss fights, Ninja Gaiden DS and Ninja Gaiden II, and the upcoming content update for Team Fortress 2.

Don't forget to send in your questions and comments about video games, the Shack, or the ShackCast to shackcast@shacknews.com!

Show breakdown:

00:01: ...Hello?
1:08: Faylor and Linde discuss Ninja Gaiden DS and Ninja Gaiden II.
8:34: Breckon almost breaks up with Team Fortress 2.
11:28: Abigail is playing Resident Evil 4, causing all to reminisce about their first time.
18:03: Does anyone like boss battles?
32:03: Favorite boss battles.
41:18: News! Battlefield: Bad Company pay-to-play weaponry, potential BioShock and Civ MMOs.
46:35: A lone piece of reader mail causes arguments about innovation in GTA 4.
54:55: Faylor aplogizes for past musical outbursts, talks rolling hills.
57:19: Outtakes!

ShackCast Season 2, Ep. 1 - March 23, 2008 (Play, Download, iTunes, RSS, Digg)

The staffers adjust to the tyrannical, yet pleasant rule of their guest host. Also, the week's news is briefly digested, Faylor counteracts a dull release week by gushing on golf games, Steve squeezes cows into submission, and Aaron professes his perverse love of video game olfaction.

Don't forget to send in your questions and comments about video games, the Shack, or the ShackCast to shackcast@shacknews.com!

Show breakdown:

00:01: Was that a girl?
1:05: It was! Aaron introduces our illustrious guest host.
1:30: News. Acer's purported console development is cleared up, the Sins of a Solar Empire demo is released (along with an apt description), and a Tom Clancy MMO is feared.
4:20: Gibson goes lawsuit crazy. Faylor sorts things out.
5:40: Under/over segment is introduced. Nobody really knows what it is. Faylor doesn't know what a ratio is. Nobody really knows how he exists.
11:30: Nick forces Aaron to tell his endearing/bizarre story involving several sealed copies of Super Tennis.
13:45: Faylor forgoes Smash Bros. discussion to talk about Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds and Ribbit King. Nick is puzzled, then briefly touches on Vegas 2, lamenting the Ubisoft-proclaimed death of hardcore tactical PC shooters in the process.
20:45: Aaron continues with his love of boxes, and plugs Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection.
23:30: Shacker mail.
27:55: Next week's video game releases are dissected.
31:00: Faylor sets up his own destruction. Tune in next time.

ShackCast Ep. 29 - February 1, 2008 (Play, Download, iTunes, RSS, Digg)

We talk Electronic Arts news, including Rock Band for the Wii, Spore, and the oft-discussed quandary of parallel Xbox 360/PS3 development.

No More Heroes is reviewed and endorsed ad infinitum, with Remo, Faylor, and Aaron gushing over the Suda 51 Wii title. Also: Reader mail, Velociraptor Safari, and more. Tune in!

Don't forget to send in your questions and comments about video games, the Shack, or the ShackCast to shackcast@shacknews.com!

ShackCast Ep. 28 - January 25, 2008 (Play, Download, iTunes, RSS, Digg)

In this week's ShackCast, we discussed the imminent changes to Team Fortress 2, the announcement of Battlefield Heroes, recent information regarding GarageGames' Tribes-esque Fallen Empires: Legion information, Grand Theft Auto 4's final ship date, and the monstrous system requirements for Assassin's Creed on PC.

We have impressions of Rez HD and N+ on Xbox Live Arcade as well as Advance Wars: Days of Ruin on Nintendo DS, and a few more thoughts on Burnout Paradise. There is reader mail as always--plus, Nick has been playing "fancy joystick." You'll just have to listen!

Don't forget to send in your questions and comments about video games, the Shack, or the ShackCast to shackcast@shacknews.com!

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ShackCast Ep. 27 - January 18, 2008 (Play, Download, iTunes, RSS, Digg)

Join us for this surreal episode of the ShackCast, in which Faylor, much like a ninja might, totally flips out at Nick for speculating about Valve's upcoming Team Fortress 2 changes. We also discussed some news, including the Independent Game Festival Audience Awards (go download and vote!), Kane & Lynch's million sales, Super Smash Bros. Brawl's delay, Uwe Boll stepping down from big-budget films, the video game industry getting involved in Washington political lobbying, and Sam & Max coming out to the Wii.

There are impressions of Supreme Commander on Xbox 360 and the full version of Burnout Paradise, and of course we dedicate some time to reader mail. Steak, a current obsession among Shacknews regulars, is on the menu.

Don't forget to send in your questions and comments about video games, the Shack, or the ShackCast to shackcast@shacknews.com!

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ShackCast Ep. 26 - January 11, 2008 (Play, Download, iTunes, RSS, Digg)

A new face voice joins the ShackCast this week, as Aaron Linde comes aboard from Destructoid. He and Chris Faylor visited Valve this week and checked out Turtle Rock Studios' co-op zombie shooter Left 4 Dead, as well as the upcoming Badlands map remake for Team Fortress 2.

Also on tap is discussion of Star Wars characters in Namco's Soul Calibur IV (PS3, X360), Valve's acquisition of Turtle Rock Studios, and David Jaffe's wishes for a one-console future. Nick Breckon also reflects a bit on the Consumer Electronics Show.

As usual, this is all capped off with reader mail (including one from sgtsanity!). Don't forget to send in your questions and comments about video games, the Shack, or the ShackCast to shackcast@shacknews.com!

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ShackCast Ep. 25 - January 5, 2008 (Play, Download, iTunes, RSS, Digg)

Welcome to the new year of ShackCasts. This week, with little major news, we mainly focused on talking about our nominees and winners for the top category in our Game of the Year Awards 2007. It was a great year with many great releases, as we hope you all agree.

We also spoke a little bit about what we've been playing in the couple weeks since we last recorded a show, which included Assassin's Creed (Faylor vs. Breckon!), Scene It!, Call of Duty 4, the board game Alhambra, and more. Steve, once again, had some kind of wacky emergency, this time involving his neighbor and a quick trip to the hospital.

As usual, this is all capped off with reader mail (including one from mr.sleepy!). Don't forget to send in your questions and comments about video games, the Shack, or the ShackCast to shackcast@shacknews.com!

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ShackCast Ep. 24 - December 21, 2007 (Play, Download, iTunes, RSS, Digg)

Duke Nukem Forever and its teaser dominated the news this week, and so it kicked off ShackCast 24, but there were plenty of other topics for Chris Remo, Steve Gibson, Chris Faylor and Nick Breckon--the announcement of Command and Conquer Tiberium (PC, PS3, Xbox 360), low sales of Unreal Tournament 3 and Crysis, Jerry Bruckheimer and his MTV-funded game studio, the possibility of a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. MMO, and more.

As usual, this is all capped off with reader mail. Don't forget to send in your questions and comments about video games, the Shack, or the ShackCast to shackcast@shacknews.com!

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ShackCast Ep. 23 - December 14, 2007 (Play, Download, iTunes, RSS, Digg)

ShackCast 23 features Chris Remo, Chris Faylor, and Nick Breckon--but where's the ever-scatalogical Steve Gibson? This web 2.0 broadcsat contains a twist worthy of M. Night Shamalamadingdong! You will just have to listen yourself!

In the news, we touch on Activision and Harmonix squaring off over Guitar Hero and Rock Band controllers, the NPD industry sales data for November, Killzone 2's doctored screenshots and the practice of altering screenshots, and the arrest made through Call of Duty 4 on Live.

Those current events are followed up with discussion of Unreal Tournament 3, the Burnout Paradise demo, GripShift, and, of course, reader mail from good old Pendergrass.

Don't forget to send in your questions and comments about video games, the Shack, or the ShackCast to shackcast@shacknews.com!

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ShackCast Ep. 22 - December 7, 2007 (Play, Download, iTunes, RSS, Digg)

In this week's ShackCast, we discussed the newly formed mega-publisher Activision Blizzard, the release of the latest Grand Theft Auto IV trailer, EVE Online's XP-killing bug, the inconclusive conclusion to Gerstmanngate, Garriott defending his Tabula Rasa, Michael Bay's optical media conspiracy theories, and more!

Plus, reader mail, as well as what we've been playing: Pirates of the Burning Sea (PC), Omega Five (X360), Draglade (NDS), Pain (PS3), and Half-Life 2: Episode Two (PC).

Don't forget to send in your questions and comments about video games, the Shack, or the ShackCast to shackcast@shacknews.com!

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ShackCast Ep. 21 - December 1, 2007 (Play, Download, iTunes, RSS, Digg)

In a very special episode of the ShackCast, we discuss the facts and rumors regarding the firing of Jeff Gerstmann from GameSpot/CNET, general trends in game journalism, and the relationship between publishers, ad sales, and editorial.

We also take a few questions from readers regarding this specific incident and the larger environment that surrounds it. Finally, for those bothered by the annoying voice clipping in yesterday's episode, that should be fixed today. Sorry about that!

Don't forget to send in your questions and comments about video games, the Shack, or the ShackCast to shackcast@shacknews.com!

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ShackCast Ep. 20 - November 30, 2007 (Play, Download, iTunes, RSS, Digg)

We recorded this thing before the super-crazy exploding news of the week broke, but ShackCast 20 does include discussion of Assassin's Creed (someone on our staff finally played it!), the just-announced Deus Ex 3, the upcoming Xbox Live update, and Harvey Smith and his departure from Midway Austin after comments regarding BlackSite: Area 51.

Plus, reader mail and what we've been playing, which includes Pain on PS3 and Gears of War on PC.

Don't forget to send in your questions and comments about video games, the Shack, or the ShackCast to shackcast@shacknews.com!

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ShackCast Ep. 19 - November 21, 2007 (Play, Download, iTunes, RSS, Digg)

There wasn't much news in this short work week, so for today's laid-back episode we mainly talked about what we've been playing. Chris Remo, Steve Gibson, Chris Faylor, and Nick Breckon discuss Time Crisis 4 and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune on PS3, Mass Effect on Xbox 360, Crysis on PC, the just-released Rock Band, and Call of Duty 4.

We wrap it up with some reader mail harkening back to the good old days of competitive Quake, and some discussion about Shacknews' ad policy. While listening to our reader mail, follow along with these pages of classic Quakeworld demos and Quake poll results.

Don't forget to send in your questions and comments about video games, the Shack, or the ShackCast to shackcast@shacknews.com!

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Check out the full breakdown.

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