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! Music provided by Shacknews community band Jesuit Arrival.

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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!

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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 lobbying, and Sam & Max on Wii (or not).

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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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!

Play or download the podcast now, or browse the episodes through iTunes, RSS, or Digg. (Digg experts: if you have any idea why our podcast isn't updating properly through Digg, please contact us! You're our only remaining hope!) ... Read more

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!

Play or download the podcast now, or browse the episodes through iTunes, RSS, or Digg. (Digg experts: if you have any idea why our podcast isn't updating properly through Digg, please contact us! You're our only remaining hope! And thanks to Don for the iTunes help!) ... Read 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! Even if your name isn't Pendergrass!

Play or download the podcast now, or browse the episodes through iTunes, RSS, or Digg. (iTunes or Digg experts: if you have any idea why our podcast isn't updating properly through those services, please contact us! You're our only remaining hope!) ... Read more

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! Even if your name isn't Pendergrass!

Play or download the podcast now, or browse the episodes through iTunes, RSS, or Digg. (iTunes or Digg experts: if you have any idea why our podcast isn't updating properly through those services, please contact us! You're our only remaining hope!) ... Read 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!

Play or download the podcast now, or browse the episodes through iTunes, RSS, or Digg, or continue on for the full breakdown. ... Read more

There are also substantial impressions of BioWare's Mass Effect (X360), Nintendo's Super Mario Galaxy (Wii), and Naughty Dog's Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3), some goofier-than-usual reader mail, and a Jam Sessions contest song by Remo, with lyrics by Shacker AndyGoin.

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

Play or download the podcast now, or browse the episodes through iTunes, RSS, or Digg. ... Read more

These subjects include Spore, Eye of Judgment (PS3), Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3), the rumored new Star Wars MMO, Samba de Amigo Wii, Soldier of Fortune 3, Hellgate: London, Jade Raymond at the grocery story, and more. We also branch out into the realm of visuals this week, supplying you, our gentle listener, with visual aides for the Impossible Creatures segment.

Unfortunately, in our rush to bring you the latest in Shack auditory entertainment, we neglected to sketch out the traditional timestamped breakdown. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience.

Photo: Kotaku

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Episode 12 focuses almost entirely on game impressions, with no time left for news. On tap is discussion of Gears of War on PC, Crysis, Portal, Guitar Hero III and its differences on the three main platforms, Hellgate: London, and Dementium: The Ward on DS.

Faylor also played a bit of Treasure's N64 classic Sin & Punishment, officially available in the West for the first time thanks to Virtual Console on Wii, and we have some listener mail involving missing game discs at retail and the unsettling growing number of simultaneously offered models of various consoles.

Play or download the podcast now, or browse the episodes through iTunes, RSS, or Digg. ... Read more