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GameSpot presents The HotSpot Podcasts

PodcastDirectory / Games and Hobbies / Games
PodcastDirectory / Regions / NA / USA

GameSpot.com, your #1 destination for video game news, reviews, previews and more, presents The HotSpot! Join GameSpot editors as they discuss the hottest topics from the week in gaming headlines.

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Games

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English

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The HotSpot - Infinity Blade II - 11/30/11

Infinity Blade II is no Angry Birds. Yeah, I said it. Shaun McInnis, Kevin VanOrd, Giancarlo Varanini, and Tom Magrino take a seat with Chair Entertainment's Donald Mustard, who politely informs us that comparing a game like Infinity Blade II to Angry Birds is kind of dumb. We also talk about the importance of creating a game that suits its platform, and Chair's plans to make use of the PlayStation Vita's ability to run Unreal Engine 3 (Hint: They currently aren't.) Shadow Complex 2 questio ...

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The HotSpot - Saints Row, Need for Speed - 11/23/11

Of dildo bats and played-out tropes, The HotSpot crew tackles Saints Row: The Third and Need for Speed: The Run. Here me out on this: Including a bat shaped like a dildo--indeed, uttering the phrase dildo bat--is a progressive step for the game industry. Seriously, that's an argument that's made, as Carolyn Petit, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Tom Magrino tackle played-out tropes in the context of Saints Row: The Third. Also, Need for Speed: The Run does not leave us breathless, panting, ...

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The HotSpot - Zelda Skyward Sword - 11/21/11

First of all, oh my god spoilers! Whew, OK, now that we have that out of the way, Tom Mc Shea, Peter Brown, and Tom Magrino dig in to Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, a game that we will emphatically call pretty good. We also take a few live calls, some of which are on topic!

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The HotSpot - 11/16/11 - Let's keep this short

In a cruel twist of irony, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Shaun McInnis, and Tom Magrino are booted out of CNET's studios early (eff you, Google and your new music whatsitsname!) during a discussion on excessive run-time length in games. The context? The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, and yeah maybe a bit of Rayman Origins, too. Also, what's this? The 3DS is matching the Nintendo DS in first-year sales? Nintendo, you so crazy!

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The HotSpot - 11/9/11 - Post-Modern Warfare 3

The HotSpot enters its adolescent years in its journey to video competency, and what better way to celebrate that milestone than with the game on loads of adolescent boys' wishlists, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Chris Waters, Kevin Van Ord, Tom Mc Shea, and Tom Magrino delve into how fun, and amoral!, it is to wreck wanton paths of destruction in Activision's latest, before launching into the particulars of the leaked Mass Effect 3 beta.

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The HotSpot - 11/02/11 - And there are dragons, obviously

Bethesda Softworks' Todd Howard educates the HotSpot crew on what his studio did differently with Elder Scrolls: Skyrim; also, how many prostitutes did you count in the first GTAV trailer? Todd Howard swings by the...wait, you don't know who Todd Howard is? Oh. How about: The guy who you have to thank for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (not to mention Fallout 3) talks to The HotSpot about his latest project, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Tom Mc Shea, Kur ...

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The HotSpot - 10/12/11 - The End of the HotSpot as We Now Know It

Yeah, you read that title right: The HotSpot is transitioning to a video format next week. But the show As We Now Know It must go on, and the disembodied voices of Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Justin Calvert, and Tom Magrino are here to talk Forza 4, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, Dead Rising 2: Off The Record, Mass Effect 3 multiplayer, and, erm, the late Steve Jobs.

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The HotSpot - 09/28/11 - Afraid of the Dark Souls

GameSpot editors prove that they don't hate PC games and talk about that wormlike thing that is growing on Kevin's head... in Dark Souls. Jody Robinson makes an appearance to represent the community. Also, Sophia Tong begins her farewell tour by substitute hosting, and reviewers Kevin VanOrd and Carolyn Petit round out an (almost all-female) panel in this week's HotSpot!

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The HotSpot - 09/21/11 - Gears got soul

Some said it was a fight that could not be won, a useless and feeble toil that would end only in anguish, remorse, and the second-guessing of formative action. But doomists be damned, Epic Games dodged a bros to the close finish for Gears of War 3, and Chris Watters, Kevin Van Ord, Marko Djordjevic, Maxwell McGee, and Tom Magrino tell you why. Also: Up-skirt shots from TGS!

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The HotSpot - 09/14/11 - Jonathan Blow, can I get a Witness?

The HotSpot asks Braid and The Witness creator Jonathan Blow to stop by the studio. In turn, he, erm, veritably carpet bombs Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Shaun McInnis, and Tom Magrino with game-design insight. And then Tom Mc Shea said this: "Braid isn't a game I'd really classify as fun." So, in sum, things went pretty well. Pretty, pretty well.

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The HotSpot - 09/07/11 - Guns! Guns! Guns!

Look everyone, triplets! And oh my god... they're all holding rifles. They're coming right for us! Run! Err... Tom Mc Shea, Kurtis Seid, Shaun McInnis, (sort of) Chris Watters, and Tom Magrino take a fresh look at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in the wake of last week's COD XP event. We then take a trip down the desultory road that is Resistance 3, and wrap up with why, actually, you can't murder children in Battlefield 3. See? Triplets!

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The HotSpot - 08/31/11 - The Madden NFL Blues

Much to everyone's relief, Tom Mc Shea, Carolyn Petit, Marko Djordjevic, and Tom Magrino manage to spend 15 minutes talking about Madden NFL 12 without actually talking about Madden NFL 12. We then hand-off to Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2, who promptly fumbles, Rock of Ages recovers, GameStop strips, and then someone is sacked. After an interception. That led to a field goal.

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The HotSpot - 08/27/11 - Halo Fest!

Nigh on unusable audio be damned, we got a podcast to do! Halo franchise director Frank O'Connor and 343 Industries executive producer Dan Ayoub join Tom Magrino on the PAX Prime 2011 show floor to talk Halo: Anniversary and Halo 4.

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The HotSpot - 08/24/11 - Deus Ex HotSpotina

What do Deus Ex and Kirby have in common? They both serve as an existential contemplation in a world where cybernetic enhancements have blurred the line between humanity and technology. I mean, have you seen Kirby eat? That is not natural. Sophia Tong, Kevin VanOrd, Shaun McInnis, and Tom Magrino also continue the conversation on 3D and the 3DS. We then take phone calls and make wildly unfounded accusations that now exist, permanently, on the Internet.

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The HotSpot - 08/17/11 - Guten Tag aus Deutschland!

Guten Tag! Tom Mc Shea, Sophia Tong, und Tom Magrino kann von San Francisco werden Rundfunk, aber Gamescom hat Deutschland in unseren Kopfen. Lassige Ketzerei auf dem Menu mit der Rede von El Shaddai. Plus, Kettensagen! Viele, viele Kettensagen! (Das heisst, wir sehen, was was ist mit Gears of War 3 und Lollipop Chainsaw.) Warum ist das alles in Deutsch? Ich habe keine Ahnung!

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The HotSpot - 08/10/11 - Hello, you are on the air!

Bodycount takes the truth in advertising award with its new mode that lets you honest to god quantify your kills. Kevin VanOrd, Marko Djordjevic, Carolyn Petit, Eddie Makuch, and Tom Magrino give this new mode some air time, while also taking a stand against pretentious indie games (namely Trauma). Plus, we see what's what with this whole live (-to-tape) calls thing that's sweeping the nation. Unmitigated disaster? You be the judge!

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The HotSpot - 08/03/11 - 3DeadSystem

Never ones to shy away from tolling a death knell, Thomas Mc Shea, Ricardo Torres, Marko Djasdfkl;jewafkjl, and Tom Magrino dissect Nintendo's Hail Mary price cut on the 3DS. We also touch on Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet and Dead Island, and then shake our fists in feeble protest at Diablo III's persistent online connection requirements. During our Evo 2011 talk, Ricardo performs a tatsumaki senpukyaku. It was crazy, you should have been there.

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The HotSpot - 07/29/11 - Terraria Spoilercast

Shaun McInnis, Kurtis Seid, Tom Mc Shea, and Synthia Weires explore the depths of Re-Logic's open-ended 2D exploration, crafting, and combat game. Along the way, Kurtis is revealed as a multiplayer Terrarorist, bringing misery to (and taking loot from) all those whose worlds he enters. 'Cause he's a big ol' jerk.

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The HotSpot - 07/27/11 - Comic-Con Casualties talk Catherine

The HotSpot's under new management, and what better way to kick things off than taking an in-depth look at Catherine and wondering why oh why are we aroused right now? Kevin VanOrd, Giancarlo Varanini, Chris Watters, and Tom Magrino do just that with Atlus' sexually disorienting puzzle game, as well as talk about Ubisoft's From Dust and San Diego's Comic-Con.

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The HotSpot - 07/20/11 - A Passion for Bastion

Greg Kasavin joins Tom Mc Shea, Maxwell McGee, and Brendan Sinclair for an in-depth (but spoiler-free) discussion of Supergiant Games' Xbox Live Summer of Arcade game Bastion. Then it's time to talk about the dilemma of sports reviews, a sobering month of NPD sales figures, and more!

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The HotSpot - 07/13/11 - Harry Potter and the Botched Adaptation

Kevin VanOrd, Chris Watters, Carolyn Petit, and Brendan Sinclair are on hand to see if Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 sends the series out on a high note (it doesn't), if Ms. 'Splosion Man lives up to the combustible platformer's reputation (it does), and if griefing Kingdom Hearts fans ever gets old (not yet!).

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The HotSpot - 07/06/11 - Earth Defense Farce

Kevin VanOrd, Shaun McInnis, and Tom Mc Shea shoot the breeze...and ants, spiders, robo-daddy long legs, and all manner of invertebrate invaders in Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon. Then, the panelists reflect on their Games of the Half-Year, sniff Team Bondi's dirty laundry, and weigh in on rumors of the next PlayStation and Xbox.

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The HotSpot - 06/29/11 - The Free Speech Episode

The Supreme Court came down on the side of free speech in the industry's fight against a California law restricting sales of violent games, and Tom Magrino, Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair celebrate by speaking a lot for free. Also, more love for Shadows of the Damned, Child of Eden, Alice: Madness Returns, and a special treat for those who listen to the bitter end.

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The HotSpot - 06/15/11 - Never Bet on Duke

Duke Nukem Forever is finally out, much to the chagrin of Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair. Also, Mc Shea addresses the blowback from his Infamous 2 review, THQ shutters the Homefront studio, and absolutely everything's getting hacked.

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The HotSpot - 06/08/11 - E3 2011 Conference Rundown part 2

Coherent thought has left the building, as GameSpot's Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, and Tom Magrino string together words that are nothing if not English. In our discussion of Sony's and Nintendo's press conferences, we expound upon the Wii's new U and ways in which playing the Vita is a lot like tickling a small child. Special guest: vacuum cleaners!

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The HotSpot - 06/07/11 - E3 2011 Conference Rundown

Chris Watters, Carolyn Petit, and Brendan Sinclair try to recap all the major E3 conferences in chronological order and fail miserably! The gang covers Microsoft, Electronic Arts, and Ubisoft (and just a bit of Vita!) before the clock runs out on the first of two podcasts straight from the E3 show floor. Check back Wednesday night for the rest of Sony's show, Nintendo's unveiling of the Wii U, and everything else we can cram into our second (and sadly, final) E3 podcast!

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The HotSpot - 06/01/11 - Infamous 2, Red Faction: Armageddon

Infamous 2! Red Faction: Armageddon! Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm! Terraria? It's a packed prE3 podcast with Tom Mc Shea, Chris Watters, Kurtis Seid, Maxwell McGee, Carolyn Petit, and Brendan Sinclair sifting through the latest scuttlebutt as we head into the biggest gaming event of the year.

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The HotSpot - 05/18/11 - The Shifty Eye Episode

Tell me, do you want a new HotSpot? I have a dead bird's wing, some chopped-up bits of string, and a pen that's run dry, all of which say you do. ARE YOU CALLING THIS EVIDENCE FALSE?! Oh, you are? Well, OK then. Carolyn Petit, Kurtis Seid, Maxwell McGee, and Tom Magrino practice the fine art of zetetics as we discuss LA Noire, and then, hey, do some wenching with The Witcher 2. NPD drama, PSN saga, and Modern Warfare 3 bonanza are also on the agenda.

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The HotSpot - 05/25/11 - Musings From the Infinite

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Ricardo Torres, and Brendan Sinclair trade in their scuba gear for an ornithopter. Why? Hard to say. It may have something to do with BioShock Infinite, which receives a healthy amount of chit-chat on this week's HotSpot. Other topics include The Witcher 2, Kung Fu Panda, Gotham City Impostors, and that new Modern Warfare 3 trailer.

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The HotSpot - 05/11/11 - Podcasting on the Brink

After Chris Watters stops by for an opening salvo on Bethesda's class-based shooter Brink, the significantly less class-based quartet of Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, Tyler Winegarner and Brendan Sinclair go all Kratos on Thor: God of Thunder, bug out over Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury, and answer a bunch of listener questions.

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The HotSpot - 05/06/11 - The Portal 2 Spoilercast

Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, Chirs Watters, Carolyn Petit, and Brendan Sinclair share their experiences as the latest Aperture test subjects and examine the hows and whys of Valve's much-loved sequel. Caution: Spoilers ahead!

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The HotSpot - 05/04/11 - In From the Outland

Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair take a trip through the Outland before shining a light on Darkspore. Then the gang recaps the woes of Sony Offline Entertainment, questions whether Need for Speed is putting on too many miles, and ponders the potential for game-themed musicals.

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The HotSpot - 04/27/11 - Wii 2 and the PlayStation Not-work

Nintendo announced a new console this week, but Sony somehow steals the headlines as Ricardo Torres, Sophia Tong, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair talk about their fears for the PlayStation Network's massive security breach, their hopes (and pet names) for the Wii's successor, and a homework assignment crammed full of vaguely vulgar gaming terms.

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The HotSpot - 04/20/11 - Portal Kombat 2

Shaun McInnis, Chris Watters, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair have laser-focused, tangent-free discussions about a huge week of new releases with Portal 2, Mortal Kombat, and SOCOM 4: US Navy SEALs. Also, Epic Games executive producer Rod Fergusson answers all our questions about the Gears of War 3 beta, rumors of Nintendo's next console start flying, and Sonic attempts an umpteenth comeback!

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The HotSpot - 04/13/11 - A Cornucopia of Capcom

Shaun McInnis, Tom Magrino, Justin Calvert, Tyler Winegarner, and Brendan Sinclair recap Capcom's Captivate event, with impressions of Dragon's Dogma, Azura's Wrath, Street Fighter x Tekken, Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, and Resident Evil: Operation Raccon City! Also, Justin bangs the drum loudly in support of Patapon 3, and Nintendo lays out its second quarter release slate.

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The HotSpot - 04/08/11 - Dragon Age II Spoilercast

Kevin VanOrd, Kurtis Seid, and Carolyn Petit share a spoiler-filled discussion of BioWare's latest fantasy role-playing game from start to finish on a bonus Dragon Age II-devoted episode of the HotSpot!

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The HotSpot - 04/06/11 - Monster Season

Tom Mc Shea, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair make amends for April Fools with a sports-free show offering a hearty endorsement of DreamRift's Metroidvania-style Monster Tale for the DS, a hearty "meh" to PlayStation Move Heroes, an update on Sony's ongoing battle against hackers, and new games on the way for Spider-Man, BloodRayne, and Burnout!

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The HotSpot - 04/01/11 - The Ball and Juice Episode

April is the busiest time of the year for HotSpot game-breakers Tom Magrino, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair. To mark the month's arrival, the gang goes around the horn with expert opinions, predictions, insights, and rants about all the hot topics YOU care about! Game on!

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The HotSpot - 03/30/11 - Rubbing Is Racing

For the overwhelming majority of you who have a Jimmie Johnson bumper sticker and a surgically raised eyebrow, I'll just say, wow, are you in for a treat. Sophia Tong, Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, Kurtis Seid, and Tom Magrino manage a mostly coherent conversation about this week's top non-3DS releases, NASCAR 2011 and WWE All-Stars. For the rest of you? Duke Nukem's misogyny, Rockstar's (in?)competent storytelling, and 3DS sales records. Enjoy!

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The HotSpot - 03/25/11 - The 3DS Spoilercast

The 3DS is finally here, so it's time for Chris Watters, Justin Calvert, Carolyn Petit, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair to share their impressions of the hardware itself and take an in-depth look at the launch lineup, including Pilotwings Resort, Nintendogs + Cats, Steel Diver, Super Monkey Ball 3D, Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars, and more!

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The HotSpot - 03/23/11 - Incredible Crysis 2

Sophia Tong, Kevin VanOrd, Maxwell McGee, and Brendan Sinclair suit up for Crysis 2, preview Sega's summer one-two punch of Captain America and Thor: God of Thunder for all major platforms, and diagnose Square's latest flare-up of Dissidia for the PSP. Also, we have more details on the NGP, Quantic Dream's follow-up to Heavy Rain, and the MotorStorm: Apocalypse delay.

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The HotSpot - 03/16/11 - All Vocal on the Homefront

Chris Watters, Carolyn Petit, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair strike a blow for God and country in THQ's near-future first-person shooter Homefront and then savagely rain down blows for fun and profit in Sega's Yakuza 4. Also, a roundup of game delays and disruptions due to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, the first word on Prey 2, and fun with anagrams!

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The HotSpot - 03/09/11 - Dragon Age II - Take 2

Knights-errant Tom Magrino, Tom Mc Shea, Kurtis Seid, and Brendan Sinclair quest for entertaining podcast fodder in Dragon Age II, Mortal Kombat, and the Game Developers Conference. And, in honor of Duke Nukem Forever, we have the return of ESRB Rating Description Theater!

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The HotSpot - 03/07/11 - Deadly Premonition Spoilercast

Deadly Premonition director Swery and localization head Tad Horie pay a visit to the HotSpot studios to talk at length about last year's survival horror standout. What was left on the cutting room floor due to ratings concerns? What does he think of the state of Japanese game development? Will Deadly Premonition be ported to 3DS and NGP? What does he want to experiment with next?

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The HotSpot - 03/02/11 - The 3DS Launch (Japan Edition)

Guy Cocker, Tom Mc Shea, Brendan Sinclair, and a thoroughly jetlagged Ricardo Torres run down the Japanese 3DS debut, including impressions of all the biggest launch games. Then it's time to take on the trailer trifecta of Skyrim, Dead Island, and We Dare. Finally, Stanford researcher Ingmar Riedel-Kruse tells us how he re-made Pac-Man, Pong, and other games using living paramecium instead of pixels(!).

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The HotSpot - 02/23/11 - More Like Cursin-storm...

What do Bulletstorm and this week's HotSpot have in common? They're both kind of short and overly profane! Sophia Tong, Chris Watters, Kevin VanOrd, and Tom Magrino take turns with the censor button to discuss Epic's latest over-the-top shooter, before switching gears (get it? get it?) to delve into Telltale's upcoming lineup. PS3 hackers, NPD sales figures, and Gabe Newell being a very, very rich man also receive some love! Stop by and have a listen!

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The HotSpot - 02/16/11 - Marvel, Capcom, Activision, Oh My!

What's better than 20 solid minutes of conversation concerning Marvel vs. Capcom 3? How about 21 solid minutes of conversation on Capcom's latest fighter?! Ricardo Torres, Giancarlo Varanini, Tom Mc Shea, Maxwell McGee, and Tom Magrino deliver the goods, while also rolling the DICE on last week's convention, dwelling on Guitar Hero's demise, and pontificating on the possible union of Activision and Take-Two.

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The HotSpot - 02/08/11 - Once, Twice, Three Times a Killzone

Kevin VanOrd, Carolyn Petit, Ricardo Torres, and Brendan Sinclair rush headlong into Guerrilla Games' Killzone 3 with reckless abandon before contemplating the many layers of Double Fine's Stacking. Then, the panel of Demon's Souls fans assesses the first details on From Software's follow-up Dark Souls and brace for a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved. Also, Claremont Graduate University's Tim Lisk goes over his latest research on leadership in massively multiplayer online games like EVE Onlin ...

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The HotSpot - 02/01/11 - All About the NGP

Ricardo Torres joins Shaun McInnis, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair in the studio to give hands-on impressions on Sony's Next Generation Portable and the HD Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection. Also, we have more on the 3DS rollout, a new Kirby game, and Pokemon Typing for the...DS?

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The HotSpot - 01/25/11 - DS2 and the 3DS

This week, the Dead Space 2 necromorph invasion claims Chris Watters, Carolyn Petit, Kurtis Seid, and Brendan Sinclair. Then, the gang discovers there's only one cure for 3DS fever: an announcement of the system's price coupled with a sketchy launch lineup! Also, when do crossovers stop being cool fan service and start being shameless shilling?

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The HotSpot - 01/18/11 - Little Big Podcast

Sophia Tong, Kevin VanOrd, Justin Calvert, and Brendan Sinclair saddle up with Sackboy a second time in Little Big Planet 2, swap first impressions of Final Fantasy XIII-2, and open up on Portal 2. Then it's time to grab a pencil and take the "Are You a Pathological Gamer" quiz!

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The HotSpot - 10/12/11 - The End of the HotSpot as We Now Know It

Yeah, you read that title right: The HotSpot is transitioning to a video format next week. But the show As We Now Know It must go on, and the disembodied voices of Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Justin Calvert, and Tom Magrino are here to talk Forza 4, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, Dead Rising 2: Off The Record, Mass Effect 3 multiplayer, and, erm, the late Steve Jobs.

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The HotSpot - 10/05/11 - Rage! Syndicate! More Dark Souls!

Kevin VanOrd just can't stop thinking (and talking about) Dark Souls with Chris Watters, who has been playing the game as well while going through Rage. The reviewers address listener concerns over scores, difficulty, and other angry e-mails we receive. Meanwhile, Maxwell McGee discusses the new Syndicate and computer chip implants, and Sophia Tong reveals that her dog is already micro-chipped.

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The HotSpot - 09/28/11 - Afraid of the Dark Souls

GameSpot editors prove that they don't hate PC games and talk about that worm-like thing that is growing on Kevin's head... in Dark Souls. Jody Robinson makes an appearance to represent the community. Also, Sophia Tong begins her farewell tour by substitute hosting, and reviewers Kevin VanOrd and Carolyn Petit round out an (almost all-ladies) panel in this week's HotSpot!

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The HotSpot - 09/21/11 - Gears got soul

Some said it was a fight that could not be won, a useless and feeble toil that would end only in anguish, remorse, and the second-guessing of formative action. But doomists be damned, Epic Games dodged a bros to the close finish for Gears of War 3, and Chris Watters, Kevin Van Ord, Marko Djordjevic, Maxwell McGee, and Tom Magrino tell you why. Also: Up-skirt shots from TGS!

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The HotSpot - 09/14/11 - Jonathan Blow, can I get a Witness?

The HotSpot asks Braid and The Witness creator Jonathan Blow to stop by the studio. In turn, he, erm, veritably carpet bombs Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Shaun McInnis, and Tom Magrino with game-design insight. And then Tom Mc Shea said this: "Braid isn't a game I'd really classify as fun." So, in sum, things went pretty well. Pretty, pretty well.

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The HotSpot - 09/7/11 - Guns! Guns! Guns!

Look everyone, triplets! And oh my god... they're all holding rifles. They're coming right for us! Run! Err...Tom Mc Shea, Kurtis Seid, Shaun McInnis, (sort of) Chris Watters, and Tom Magrino take a fresh look at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in the wake of last week's COD XP event. We then take a trip down the desultory road that is Resistance 3, and wrap up with why, actually, you can't murder children in Battlefield 3. See? Triplets!

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The HotSpot - 08/31/11 - The Madden NFL Blues

Much to everyone's relief, Tom Mc Shea, Carolyn Petit, Marko Djordjevic, and Tom Magrino manage to spend 15 minutes talking about Madden NFL 12 without actually talking about Madden NFL 12. We then hand-off to Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2, who promptly fumbles, Rock of Ages recovers, GameStop strips, and then someone is sacked. After an interception. That led to a field goal.

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The HotSpot - 08/27/11 - Halo Fest!

Nigh on unusable audio be damned, we got a podcast to do! Halo franchise director Frank O'Connor and 343 Industries executive producer Dan Ayoub join Tom Magrino on the PAX Prime 2011 show floor to talk Halo: Anniversary and Halo 4.

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The HotSpot - 08/24/11 - Deus Ex HotSpotina

What do Deus Ex and Kirby have in common? They both serve as an existential contemplation in a world where cybernetic enhancements have blurred the line between humanity and technology. I mean, have you seen Kirby eat? That is not natural. Sophia Tong, Kevin VanOrd, Shaun McInnis, and Tom Magrino also continue the conversation on 3D and the 3DS. We then take phone calls and make wildly unfounded accusations that now exist, permanently, on the Internet.

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The HotSpot - 08/17/11 - Guten Tag aus Deutschland!

Guten Tag! Tom Mc Shea, Sophia Tong, und Tom Magrino kann von San Francisco werden Rundfunk, aber Gamescom hat Deutschland in unseren Kopfen. Lassige Ketzerei auf dem Menu mit der Rede von El Shaddai. Plus, Kettensagen! Viele, viele Kettensagen! (Das heisst, wir sehen, was was ist mit Gears of War 3 und Lollipop Chainsaw.) Warum ist das alles in Deutsch? Ich habe keine Ahnung!

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The HotSpot - 08/17/11 - Guten Tag aus Deutschland!

Guten Tag! Tom Mc Shea, Sophia Tong, und Tom Magrino kann von San Francisco werden Rundfunk, aber Gamescom hat Deutschland in unseren Kopfen. Lassige Ketzerei auf dem Menu mit der Rede von El Shaddai. Plus, Kettensagen! Viele, viele Kettensagen! (Das heisst, wir sehen, was was ist mit Gears of War 3 und Lollipop Chainsaw.) Warum ist das alles in Deutsch? Ich habe keine Ahnung!

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The HotSpot - 08/10/11 - Hello, you are on the air!

Bodycount takes the truth in advertising award with its new mode that let's you honest to god quantify your kills. Kevin VanOrd, Marko Djordjevic, Carolyn Petit, Eddie Makuch, and Tom Magrino give this new mode some air time, while also taking a stand against pretentious indie games (namely Trauma). Plus, we see what's what with this whole live (-to-tape) calls thing that's sweeping the nation. Unmitigated disaster? You be the judge!

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The HotSpot - 08/10/11 - Hello, you are on the air!

Bodycount takes the truth in advertising award with its new mode that lets you honest to god quantify your kills. Kevin VanOrd, Marko Djordjevic, Carolyn Petit, Eddie Makuch, and Tom Magrino give this new mode some air time, while also taking a stand against pretentious indie games (namely Trauma). Plus, we see what's what with this whole live (-to-tape) calls thing that's sweeping the nation. Unmitigated disaster? You be the judge!

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The HotSpot - 08/03/11 - 3DeadSystem

Never ones to shy away from tolling a death knell, Thomas Mc Shea, Ricardo Torres, Marko Djasdfkl;jewafkjl, and Tom Magrino dissect Nintendo's Hail Mary price cut on the 3DS. We also touch on Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet and Dead Island, and then shake our fists in feeble protest at Diablo III's persistent online connection requirements. During our Evo 2011 talk, Ricardo performs a tatsumaki senpukyaku. It was crazy, you should have been there.

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The HotSpot - 08/02/11 - 3DeadSystem

Never ones to shy away from tolling a death knell, Thomas Mc Shea, Ricardo Torres, Marko Djasdfkl;jewafkjl, and Tom Magrino dissect Nintendo's Hail Mary price cut on the 3DS. We also touch on Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet and Dead Island, and then shake our fists in feeble protest at Diablo III's persistent online connection requirements. During our Evo 2011 talk, Ricardo performs a tatsumaki senpukyaku. It was crazy, you should have been there.

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The HotSpot - 07/29/11 - Terraria Spoilercast

Shaun McInnis, Kurtis Seid, Tom Mc Shea, and Synthia Weires explore the depths of Re-Logic's open-ended 2D exploration, crafting, and combat game. Along the way, Kurtis is revealed as a multiplayer Terrarorist, bringing misery to (and taking loot from) all those whose worlds he enters. 'Cause he's a big ol' jerk.

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The HotSpot - 07/29/11 - Terraria Spoilercast

Shaun McInnis, Kurtis Seid, Tom Mc Shea, and Synthia Weires explore the depths of Re-Logic's open-ended 2D exploration, crafting, and combat game. Along the way, Kurtis is revealed as a multiplayer Terrarorist, bringing misery to (and taking loot from) all those whose worlds he enters. 'Cause he's a big ol' jerk.

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The HotSpot - 06/22/11 - Comic-Con Casualties talk Catherine

The HotSpot's under new management, and what better way to kick things off than taking an in-depth look at Catherine and wondering why oh why are we aroused right now? Kevin VanOrd, Giancarlo Varanini, Chris Watters, and Tom Magrino do just that with Atlus' sexually repulsive puzzle game, as well as talk about Ubisoft's From Dust and San Diego's Comic-Con.

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The HotSpot - 07/27/11 - Comic-Con Casualties talk Catherine

The HotSpot's under new management, and what better way to kick things off than taking an in-depth look at Catherine and wondering why oh why are we aroused right now? Kevin VanOrd, Giancarlo Varanini, Chris Watters, and Tom Magrino do just that with Atlus' sexually disorienting puzzle game, as well as talk about Ubisoft's From Dust and San Diego's Comic-Con.

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The HotSpot - 07/20/11 - A Passion for Bastion

Greg Kasavin joins Tom Mc Shea, Maxwell McGee, and Brendan Sinclair for an in-depth (but spoiler-free) discussion of Supergiant Games' Xbox Live Summer of Arcade game Bastion. Then it's time to talk about the dilemma of sports reviews, a sobering month of NPD sales figures, and more!

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The HotSpot - 07/20/11 - A Passion for Bastion

Greg Kasavin joins Tom Mc Shea, Maxwell McGee, and Brendan Sinclair for an in-depth (but spoiler-free) discussion of Supergiant Games' Xbox Live Summer of Arcade game Bastion. Then it's time to talk about the dilemma of sports reviews, a sobering month of NPD sales figures, and more!

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The HotSpot - 07/13/11 - Harry Potter and the Botched Adaptation

Kevin VanOrd, Chris Watters, Carolyn Petit, and Brendan Sinclair are on hand to see if Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 sends the series out on a high note (it doesn't), if Ms. Splosion Man lives up to the combustible platformer's reputation (it does), and if griefing Kingdom Hearts fans ever gets old (not yet!).

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The HotSpot - 07/13/11 - Harry Potter and the Botched Adaptation

Kevin VanOrd, Chris Watters, Carolyn Petit, and Brendan Sinclair are on hand to see if Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 sends the series out on a high note (it doesn't), if Ms. 'Splosion Man lives up to the combustible platformer's reputation (it does), and if griefing Kingdom Hearts fans ever gets old (not yet!).

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The HotSpot - 07/06/11 - Earth Defense Farce

Kevin VanOrd, Shaun McInnis, and Tom Mc Shea shoot the breeze. And ants, spiders, robo-daddy long legs, and all manner of invertebrate invaders in Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon. Then the panelists reflect on their Games of the Half-Year, sniff deeply of Team Bondi's dirty laundry, and weigh in on rumors of the next PlayStation and Xbox.

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The HotSpot - 07/06/11 - Earth Defense Farce

Kevin VanOrd, Shaun McInnis, and Tom Mc Shea shoot the breeze...and ants, spiders, robo-daddy long legs, and all manner of invertebrate invaders in Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon. Then, the panelists reflect on their Games of the Half-Year, sniff Team Bondi's dirty laundry, and weigh in on rumors of the next PlayStation and Xbox.

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The HotSpot - 06/29/11 - The Free Speech Episode

The Supreme Court came down on the side of free speech in the industry's fight against a California law restricting sales of violent games, and Tom Magrino, Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair celebrate by speaking a lot for free. Also, more love for Shadows of the Damned, Child of Eden, Alice: Madness Returns, and a special treat for those who listen to the bitter end.

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The HotSpot - 06/29/11 - The Free Speech Episode

The Supreme Court came down on the side of free speech in the industry's fight against a California law restricting sales of violent games, and Tom Magrino, Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair celebrate by speaking a lot for free. Also, more love for Shadows of the Damned, Child of Eden, Alice: Madness Returns, and a special treat for those who listen to the bitter end.

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The HotSpot - 06/22/11 - Shadows of the Daaamn this Game Is Good

There's a reason Tom Mc Shea, Shaun McInnis, Maxwell McGee, and Tom Magrino have never joined in cacophonic unity on a HotSpot panel before. That reason can be found in our discussion of the Suda-51/Shinji Mikami collabo Shadows of the Damned (which people seem to like). Trenched gets its due, news is hashed out, and we also talk about dinosaurs... in the context of Colonial warfare... on Mars.

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The HotSpot - 06/22/11 - Shadows of the Daaamn this Game Is Good

There's a reason Tom Mc Shea, Shaun McInnis, Maxwell McGee, and Tom Magrino have never joined in cacophonic unity on a HotSpot panel before. That reason can be found in our discussion of the Suda-51/Shinji Mikami collabo Shadows of the Damned (which people seem to like). Trenched gets its due, news is hashed out, and we also talk about dinosaurs... in the context of Colonial warfare... on Mars.

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The HotSpot - 06/15/11 - Never Bet On Duke

Duke Nukem Forever is finally out, much to the chagrin of Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair. Also, Mc Shea addresses the blowback from his Infamous 2 review, THQ shutters the Homefront studio, and absolutely everything's getting hacked.

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The HotSpot - 06/15/11 - Never Bet on Duke

Duke Nukem Forever is finally out, much to the chagrin of Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair. Also, Mc Shea addresses the blowback from his Infamous 2 review, THQ shutters the Homefront studio, and absolutely everything's getting hacked.

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The HotSpot - 06/08/11 - E3 2011 Conference Rundown part 2

Coherent thought has left the building, as GameSpot's Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, and Tom Magrino string together words that are nothing if not English. In our discussion of Sony's and Nintendo's press conferences, we expound upon the Wii's new U and ways in which playing the Vita is a lot like tickling a small child. Special guest: vacuum cleaners!

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The HotSpot - 06/08/11 - E3 2011 Conference Rundown part 2

Coherent thought has left the building, as GameSpot's Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, and Tom Magrino string together words that are nothing if not English. In our discussion of Sony's and Nintendo's press conferences, we expound upon the Wii's new U and ways in which playing the Vita is a lot like tickling a small child. Special guest: vacuum cleaners!

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The HotSpot - 06/07/11 - E3 2011 Conference Rundown

Chris Watters, Carolyn Petit, and Brendan Sinclair try to recap all the major E3 conferences in chronological order and fail miserably! The gang covers Microsoft, Electronic Arts, and Ubisoft (and just a bit of Vita!) before the clock runs out on the first of two podcasts straight from the E3 show floor. Check back Wednesday night for the rest of Sony's show, Nintendo's unveiling of the Wii U, and everything else we can cram into our second (and sadly, final) E3 podcast!

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The HotSpot - 06/07/11 - E3 2011 Conference Rundown

Chris Watters, Carolyn Petit, and Brendan Sinclair try to recap all the major E3 conferences in chronological order and fail miserably! The gang covers Microsoft, Electronic Arts, and Ubisoft (and just a bit of Vita!) before the clock runs out on the first of two podcasts straight from the E3 show floor. Check back Wednesday night for the rest of Sony's show, Nintendo's unveiling of the Wii U, and everything else we can cram into our second (and sadly, final) E3 podcast!

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The HotSpot - 06/01/11 - Infamous 2, Red Faction: Armageddon

Infamous 2! Red Faction: Armageddon! Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm! Terraria? It's a packed prE3 podcast with Tom Mc Shea, Chris Watters, Kurtis Seid, Maxwell McGee, Carolyn Petit, and Brendan Sinclair talking sifting through the latest scuttlebutt as we head into the biggest gaming event of the year.

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The HotSpot - 06/01/11 - Infamous 2, Red Faction: Armageddon

Infamous 2! Red Faction: Armageddon! Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm! Terraria? It's a packed prE3 podcast with Tom Mc Shea, Chris Watters, Kurtis Seid, Maxwell McGee, Carolyn Petit, and Brendan Sinclair sifting through the latest scuttlebutt as we head into the biggest gaming event of the year.

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The HotSpot - 05/25/11 - Musings from the Infinite

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Ricardo Torres, and Brendan Sinclair trade in their scuba gear for an ornithopter. Why? Hard to say. It may have something to do with BioShock Infinite, which receives a healthy amount of chit-chat on this week's HotSpot. Other topics include The Witcher 2, Kung Fu Panda, Gotham City Impostors, and that new Modern Warfare 3 trailer.

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The HotSpot - 05/25/11 - Musings From the Infinite

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Ricardo Torres, and Brendan Sinclair trade in their scuba gear for an ornithopter. Why? Hard to say. It may have something to do with BioShock Infinite, which receives a healthy amount of chit-chat on this week's HotSpot. Other topics include The Witcher 2, Kung Fu Panda, Gotham City Impostors, and that new Modern Warfare 3 trailer.

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The HotSpot - 05/18/11 - The Shifty Eye Episode

Tell me, do you want a new HotSpot? I have a dead bird's wing, some chopped-up bits of string, and a pen that's run dry, all of which say you do. ARE YOU CALLING THIS EVIDENCE FALSE?! Oh, you are? Well, OK then. Carolyn Petite, Kurtis Seid, Maxwell McGee, and Tom Magrino practice the fine art of zetetics as we discuss LA Noire, and then, hey, do some wenching with The Witcher 2. NPD drama, PSN saga, and Modern Warfare 3 bonanza are also on the agenda.

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The HotSpot - 05/18/11 - The Shifty Eye Episode

Tell me, do you want a new HotSpot? I have a dead bird's wing, some chopped-up bits of string, and a pen that's run dry, all of which say you do. ARE YOU CALLING THIS EVIDENCE FALSE?! Oh, you are? Well, OK then. Carolyn Petit, Kurtis Seid, Maxwell McGee, and Tom Magrino practice the fine art of zetetics as we discuss LA Noire, and then, hey, do some wenching with The Witcher 2. NPD drama, PSN saga, and Modern Warfare 3 bonanza are also on the agenda.

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The HotSpot - 05/11/11 - Podcasting on the Brink

After Chris Watters stops by for an opening salvo on Bethesda's class-based shooter Brink, the significantly less class-based quartet of Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, Tyler Winegarner and Brendan Sinclair go all Kratos on Thor: God of Thunder, bug out over Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury, and answer a bunch of listener questions.

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The HotSpot - 05/11/11 - Podcasting on the Brink

After Chris Watters stops by for an opening salvo on Bethesda's class-based shooter Brink, the significantly less class-based quartet of Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, Tyler Winegarner and Brendan Sinclair go all Kratos on Thor: God of Thunder, bug out over Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury, and answer a bunch of listener questions.

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The HotSpot - 05/06/11 - The Portal 2 Spoilercast

Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, Chirs Watters, Caroline Petit, and Brendan Sinclair share their experiences as the latest Aperture test subjects and examine the hows and whys of Valve's much-loved sequel. Caution: Spoilers ahead!

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The HotSpot - 05/06/11 - The Portal 2 Spoilercast

Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, Chirs Watters, Carolyn Petit, and Brendan Sinclair share their experiences as the latest Aperture test subjects and examine the hows and whys of Valve's much-loved sequel. Caution: Spoilers ahead!

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The HotSpot - 05/04/11 - In from the Outland

Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair take a trip through the Outland before shining a light on Darkspore. Then the gang recaps the woes of Sony Offline Entertainment, questions whether Need for Speed is putting on too many miles, and ponders the potential for game-themed musicals.

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The HotSpot - 05/04/11 - In From the Outland

Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair take a trip through the Outland before shining a light on Darkspore. Then the gang recaps the woes of Sony Offline Entertainment, questions whether Need for Speed is putting on too many miles, and ponders the potential for game-themed musicals.

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The HotSpot - 04/27/11 - Wii 2 and the PlayStation Not-work

Nintendo announced a new console this week, but Sony somehow steals the headlines as Ricardo Torres, Sophia Tong, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair talk about their fears for the PlayStation Network's massive security breach, their hopes (and pet names) for the Wii's successor, and a homework assignment crammed full of vaguely vulgar gaming terms.

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The HotSpot - 04/27/11 - Wii 2 and the PlayStation Not-work

Nintendo announced a new console this week, but Sony somehow steals the headlines as Ricardo Torres, Sophia Tong, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair talk about their fears for the PlayStation Network's massive security breach, their hopes (and pet names) for the Wii's successor, and a homework assignment crammed full of vaguely vulgar gaming terms.

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The HotSpot - 04/20/11 - Portal Kombat 2

Shaun McInnis, Chris Watters, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair have laser-focused, tangent-free discussions about a huge week of new releases with Portal 2, Mortal Kombat, and SOCOM 4: US Navy SEALs. Also, Epic Games executive producer Rod Fergusson answers all our questions about the Gears of War 3 beta, rumors of Nintendo's next console start flying, and Sonic attempts an umpteenth comeback!

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The HotSpot - 04/20/11 - Portal Kombat 2

Shaun McInnis, Chris Watters, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair have laser-focused, tangent-free discussions about a huge week of new releases with Portal 2, Mortal Kombat, and SOCOM 4: US Navy SEALs. Also, Epic Games executive producer Rod Fergusson answers all our questions about the Gears of War 3 beta, rumors of Nintendo's next console start flying, and Sonic attempts an umpteenth comeback!

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The HotSpot - 04/13/11 - A Cornucopia of Capcom

Shaun McInnis, Tom Magrino, Justin Calvert, Tyler Winegarner, and Brendan Sinclair recap Capcom's Captivate event, with impressions of Dragon's Dogma, Azura's Wrath, Street Fighter x Tekken, Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, and Resident Evil: Operation Raccon City! Also, Justin bangs the drum loudly in support of Patapon 3, and Nintendo lays out its second quarter release slate.

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The HotSpot - 04/13/11 - A Cornucopia of Capcom

Shaun McInnis, Tom Magrino, Justin Calvert, Tyler Winegarner, and Brendan Sinclair recap Capcom's Captivate event, with impressions of Dragon's Dogma, Azura's Wrath, Street Fighter x Tekken, Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, and Resident Evil: Operation Raccon City! Also, Justin bangs the drum loudly in support of Patapon 3, and Nintendo lays out its second quarter release slate.

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The HotSpot - 04/08/11 - Dragon Age II Spoilercast

Kevin VanOrd, Kurtis Seid, and Carolyn Petit share a spoiler-filled discussion of BioWare's latest fantasy role-playing game from start to finish on a bonus Dragon Age II-devoted episode of the HotSpot!

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The HotSpot - 04/08/11 - Dragon Age II Spoilercast

Kevin VanOrd, Kurtis Seid, and Carolyn Petit share a spoiler-filled discussion of BioWare's latest fantasy role-playing game from start to finish on a bonus Dragon Age II-devoted episode of the HotSpot!

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The HotSpot - 04/06/11 - Monster Season

Tom Mc Shea, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair make amends for April Fools with a sports-free show offering a hearty endorsement of DreamRift's Metroidvania-style Monster Tale for DS, a hearty "meh" to PlayStation Move Heroes, an update on Sony's ongoing battle against hackers, and new games on the way for Spider-Man, BloodRayne, and Burnout!

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The HotSpot - 04/06/11 - Monster Season

Tom Mc Shea, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair make amends for April Fools with a sports-free show offering a hearty endorsement of DreamRift's Metroidvania-style Monster Tale for the DS, a hearty "meh" to PlayStation Move Heroes, an update on Sony's ongoing battle against hackers, and new games on the way for Spider-Man, BloodRayne, and Burnout!

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The HotSpot - 04/01/11 - The Ball and Juice Episode

April is the busiest time of the year for HotSpot gamebreakers Tom Magrino, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair. To mark the month's arrival, the gang goes around the horn with expert opinions, predictions, insights, and rants about all the hot topics YOU care about! Game on!

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The HotSpot - 04/01/11 - The Ball and Juice Episode

April is the busiest time of the year for HotSpot game-breakers Tom Magrino, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair. To mark the month's arrival, the gang goes around the horn with expert opinions, predictions, insights, and rants about all the hot topics YOU care about! Game on!

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The HotSpot - 03/30/11 - Rubbing is racing

For the overwhelming majority of you who have a Jimmie Johnson bumper sticker and a surgically raised eyebrow, I'll just say, wow, are you . Sophia Tong, Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, Kurtis Seid, and Tom Magrino manage a mostly coherent conversation about this week's top non-3DS releases, NASCAR 2011 and WWE All-Stars. For the rest of you? Duke Nukem's misogyny, Rockstar's (in?)competent storytelling, and 3DS sales records. Enjoy!

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The HotSpot - 03/30/11 - Rubbing Is Racing

For the overwhelming majority of you who have a Jimmie Johnson bumper sticker and a surgically raised eyebrow, I'll just say, wow, are you in for a treat. Sophia Tong, Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, Kurtis Seid, and Tom Magrino manage a mostly coherent conversation about this week's top non-3DS releases, NASCAR 2011 and WWE All-Stars. For the rest of you? Duke Nukem's misogyny, Rockstar's (in?)competent storytelling, and 3DS sales records. Enjoy!

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The HotSpot - 03/25/11 - The 3DS Spoilercast

The 3DS is finally here, so it's time for Chris Watters, Justin Calvert, Carolyn Petit, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair to share their impressions of the hardware itself and go in-depth with the launch lineup, including Pilotwings Resort, Nintendogs + Cats, Steel Diver, Super Monkey Ball 3D, Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars, and more!

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The HotSpot - 03/25/11 - The 3DS Spoilercast

The 3DS is finally here, so it's time for Chris Watters, Justin Calvert, Carolyn Petit, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair to share their impressions of the hardware itself and take an in-depth look at the launch lineup, including Pilotwings Resort, Nintendogs + Cats, Steel Diver, Super Monkey Ball 3D, Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars, and more!

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The HotSpot - 03/23/11 - Incredible Crysis 2

Sophia Tong, Kevin VanOrd, Maxwell McGee, and Brendan Sinclair suit up for Crysis 2, preview Sega's summer one-two punch of Captain America and Thor: God of Thunder for all major platforms, and diagnose Square's latest flare-up of Dissidia for PSP. Also, more details about the NGP, Quantic Dream's follow-up to Heavy Rain, and the MotorStorm: Apocalypse delay.

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The HotSpot - 03/23/11 - Incredible Crysis 2

Sophia Tong, Kevin VanOrd, Maxwell McGee, and Brendan Sinclair suit up for Crysis 2, preview Sega's summer one-two punch of Captain America and Thor: God of Thunder for all major platforms, and diagnose Square's latest flare-up of Dissidia for the PSP. Also, we have more details on the NGP, Quantic Dream's follow-up to Heavy Rain, and the MotorStorm: Apocalypse delay.

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The HotSpot - 03/16/11 - All Vocal on the Homefront

Chris Watters, Carolyn Petit, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair strike a blow for God and country in THQ's near-future first-person shooter Homefront, then savagely rain down blows for fun and profit in Sega's Yakuza 4. Also, a roundup of game delays and disruptions due to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, the first word on Prey 2, and fun with anagrams!

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The HotSpot - 03/16/11 - All Vocal on the Homefront

Chris Watters, Carolyn Petit, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair strike a blow for God and country in THQ's near-future first-person shooter Homefront and then savagely rain down blows for fun and profit in Sega's Yakuza 4. Also, a roundup of game delays and disruptions due to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, the first word on Prey 2, and fun with anagrams!

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The HotSpot - 03/09/11 - Dragon Age II - Take 2

Knights-errant Tom Magrino, Tom Mc Shea, Kurtis Seid, and Brendan Sinclair quest for entertaining podcast fodder in Dragon Age II, Mortal Kombat, and the Game Developers Conference. And, in honor of Duke Nukem Forever, we have the return of ESRB Rating Description Theater!

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The HotSpot - 03/09/11 - Dragon Age II - Take 2

Knights-errant Tom Magrino, Tom Mc Shea, Kurtis Seid, and Brendan Sinclair quest for entertaining podcast fodder in Dragon Age II, Mortal Kombat, and the Game Developers Conference. And in honor of Duke Nukem Forever, the return of ESRB Rating Description Theater!

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The HotSpot - 03/07/11 - Deadly Premonition Spoilercast

Deadly Premonition director Swery and localization head Tad Horie pay a visit to the HotSpot studios to talk at length about last year's survival horror standout. What was left on the cutting room floor due to ratings concerns? What does he think of the state of Japanese game development? Will Deadly Premonition be ported to 3DS and NGP? What does he want to experiment with next?

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The HotSpot - 03/07/11 - Deadly Premonition Spoilercast

Deadly Premonition director Swery and localization head Tad Horie pay a visit to the HotSpot studios to talk at length about last year's survival horror standout. What was left on the cutting room floor due to ratings concerns? What does he think of the state of Japanese game development? Will Deadly Premonition be ported to 3DS and NGP? What does he want to experiment with next?

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The HotSpot - 03/02/11 - The 3DS Launch (Japan Edition)

Guy Cocker, Tom Mc Shea, Brendan Sinclair, and a thoroughly jetlagged Ricardo Torres run down the Japanese 3DS debut, including impressions of all the biggest launch games. Then it's time to take on the trailer trifecta of Skyrim, Dead Island, and We Dare. Finally, Stanford researcher Ingmar Riedel-Kruse tells us how he re-made Pac-Man, Pong, and other games using living paramecium instead of pixels(!).

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The HotSpot - 03/02/11 - The 3DS Launch (Japan Edition)

Guy Cocker, Tom Mc Shea, Brendan Sinclair, and a thoroughly jetlagged Ricardo Torres run down the Japanese 3DS debut, including impressions of all the biggest launch games. Then it's time to take on the trailer trifecta of Skyrim, Dead Island, and We Dare. Finally, Stanford researcher Ingmar Riedel-Kruse tells us how he re-made Pac-Man, Pong, and other games using living paramecium instead of pixels(!).

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The HotSpot - 02/23/11 - More Like Cursin-storm...

What do Bulletstorm and this week's HotSpot have in common? They're both kind of short and overly profane! Sophia Tong, Chris Watters, Kevin VanOrd, and Tom Magrino take turns with the censor button to discuss Epic's latest over-the-top shooter, before switching gears (get it? get it?) to delve into Telltale's upcoming lineup. PS3 hackers, NPD sales figures, and Gabe Newell being a very, very rich man also receive some love! Stop by and have a listen!

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The HotSpot - 02/23/11 - More like Cursin'-storm...

What do Bulletstorm and this week's HotSpot have in common? They're both kind of short and overly profane! Sophia Tong, Chris Watters, Kevin VanOrd, and Tom Magrino take turns with the censor button to discuss Epic's latest over-the-top shooter, before switching gears (get it? get it?) to delve into Telltale's upcoming lineup. PS3 hackers, NPD sales figures, and Gabe Newell being a very, very rich man also receive some love! Stop by, have a listen!

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The HotSpot - 02/16/11 - Marvel, Capcom, Activision, Oh My!

What's better than 20 solid minutes of conversation concerning Marvel vs. Capcom 3? How about 21 solid minutes of conversation on Capcom's latest fighter?! Ricardo Torres, Giancarlo Varanini, Tom Mc Shea, Maxwell McGee, and Tom Magrino deliver the goods, while also rolling the DICE on last week's convention, dwelling on Guitar Hero's demise, and pontificating on the possible union of Activision and Take-Two.

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The HotSpot - 02/16/11 - Marvel, Capcom, Activision, oh my!

What's better than 20 solid minutes of conversation concerning Marvel vs. Capcom 3? How about 21 solid minutes of conversation on Capcom's latest fighter?! Ricardo Torres, Giancarlo Varanini, Tom Mc Shea, Maxwell McGee, and Tom Magrino deliver the goods, while also rolling the DICE on last week's convention, dwelling on Guitar Hero's demise, and pontificating on the possible union of Activision and Take-Two.

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The HotSpot - 02/08/11 - Once, Twice, Three Times a Killzone

Kevin VanOrd, Carolyn Petit, Ricardo Torres, and Brendan Sinclair rush headlong into Guerrilla Games' Killzone 3 with reckless abandon before contemplating the many layers of Double Fine's Stacking. Then, the panel of Demon's Souls fans assesses the first details on From Software's follow-up Dark Souls and brace for a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved. Also, Claremont Graduate University's Tim Lisk goes over his latest research on leadership in massively multiplayer online games like EVE Onlin ...

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The HotSpot - 02/08/11 - Once, Twice, Three Times a Killzone

Kevin VanOrd, Carolyn Petit, Ricardo Torres, and Brendan Sinclair rush headlong into Guerrilla Games' Killzone 3 with reckless abandon before contemplating the many layers of Double Fine's Stacking. Then the panel of Demon's Souls fans assesses the first details on From Software's follow-up Dark Souls and brace for a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved. Also, Claremont Graduate University's Tim Lisk goes over his latest research on leadership in MMOs like EVE Online.

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The HotSpot - 02/01/11 - All About the NGP

Ricardo Torres joins Shaun McInnis, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair in the studio to give hands-on impressions on Sony's Next Generation Portable and the HD Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection. Also, we have more on the 3DS rollout, a new Kirby game, and Pokemon Typing for the...DS?

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The HotSpot - 02/01/11 - All about the NGP

Ricardo Torres joins Shaun McInnis, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair in the studio to give hands-on impressions on Sony's Next Generation Portable and the HD Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection. Also, more on the 3DS roll out, a new Kirby game, and Pokemon Typing for the... DS?

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The HotSpot - 01/25/11 - DS2 and the 3DS

This week, the Dead Space 2 necromorph invasion claims Chris Watters, Carolyn Petit, Kurtis Seid, and Brendan Sinclair. Then, the gang discovers there's only one cure for 3DS fever: an announcement of the system's price coupled with a sketchy launch lineup! Also, when do crossovers stop being cool fan service and start being shameless shilling?

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The HotSpot - 01/25/11 - DS2 and the 3DS

This week, the Dead Space 2 necromorph invasion claims Chris Watters, Carolyn Petit, Kurtis Seid, and Brendan Sinclair. Then the gang discovers there's only one cure for 3DS fever: an announcement of the system's price coupled with a sketchy launch line-up! Also, when do crossovers stop being cool fan service and start being shameless shilling?

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The HotSpot - 01/18/11 - Little Big Podcast

Sophia Tong, Kevin VanOrd, Justin Calvert, and Brendan Sinclair saddle up with Sackboy a second time in Little Big Planet 2, swap first impressions of Final Fantasy XIII-2, and open up on Portal 2. Then it's time to grab a pencil and take the "Are You a Pathological Gamer" quiz!

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The HotSpot - 01/18/11 - Little Big Podcast

Sophia Tong, Kevin VanOrd, Justin Calvert, and Brendan Sinclair saddle up with Sackboy a second time in Little Big Planet 2, swap first impressions of Final Fantasy XIII-2, and open up on Portal 2. Then it's time to grab a pencil and take the "Are You a Pathological Gamer" quiz!

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The HotSpot - 01/11/11 - Las Vegas - Gaming CES-pool

Ricardo Torres, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair recap the Consumer Electronics Show and Nintendo World, from Avatar Kinect to the 3DS launch lineup and battery life. Then it's time for Wii gamers to get Lost in Shadow, and the gang shares less-than-heroic intentions for DC Universe Online.

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The HotSpot - 01/11/11 - Las Vegas: Gaming CES-pool

Ricardo Torres, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair recap the Consumer Electronics Show and Nintendo World, from Avatar Kinect to the 3DS launch lineup and battery life. Then it's time for Wii gamers to get Lost in Shadow, and the gang shares less-than-heroic intentions for DC Universe Online.

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The HotSpot - 01/06/11 - Red Dead Redemption: Game of the Year

It's bonus podcast time, as Chris Watters, Justin Calvert, Tyler Winegarner, Jody Robinson, and Brendan Sinclair saddle up for a spoiler-filled discussion devoted to GameSpot's 2010 Game of the Year, Red Dead Redemption!

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The HotSpot - 01/06/11 - Red Dead Redemption: Game of the Year

It's bonus podcast time, as Chris Watters, Justin Calvert, Tyler Winegarner, Jody Robinson, and Brendan Sinclair saddle up for a spoiler-filled discussion devoted to GameSpot's 2010 Game of the Year, Red Dead Redemption!

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The HotSpot - 01/04/11 - Playing Favorites

Shaun McInnis, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair trade their personal Best of 2010 lists, with all kinds of love for Mass Effect 2, Vanquish, Dead Rising 2, and Z.H.P.: Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman. Then it's time for Dead Rising: Case West, lots of e-mails, the return of phone calls, and some New Year's resolutions.

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The HotSpot - 01/04/11 - Playing Favorites

Shaun McInnis, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair trade their personal Best of 2010 lists, with all kinds of love for Mass Effect 2, Vanquish, Dead Rising 2, and Z.H.P.: Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman. Then it's time for Dead Rising: Case West, lots of e-mails, the return of phone calls, and some New Year's Resolutions.

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The HotSpot - 12/30/10 - The 2010 Outtakes Episode

It's a thin line between comedy and tragedy. This collection of scraps and leftovers from a year's worth of podcasting shows what happens when the HotSpot crosses that line (or just goes off the rails). WARNING: This episode of the HotSpot contains suggestive language. Listener discretion is advised.

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The HotSpot - 12/30/10 - The 2010 Outtakes Episode

It's a thin line between comedy and tragedy. This collection of scraps and leftovers from a year's worth of podcasting shows what happens when the HotSpot crosses that line (or just goes off the rails). WARNING: This episode of the HotSpot contains suggestive language. Listener discretion is advised.

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The HotSpot - 12/21/10 - Putting Down 2010...

Kevin Van Ord, Tyler Winegarner, Ricardo Torres, and Tom Magrino are joined by GameSpot's newest editor, Maxwell McGee, as we walk the HotSpot to the 2010 finish line. In this brave, bold episode, GameSpot's editors discuss Game of the Year winners, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam, Blizzard's new MMORPG Titan, the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta, and John Lithgow's curriculum vitae. Happy Holidays, all you lovely people!

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The HotSpot - 12/21/10 - Putting down 2010...

Kevin Van Ord, Tyler Winegarner, Ricardo Torres, and Tom Magrino are joined by GameSpot's newest editor, Maxwell McGee as we walk the HotSpot to the 2010 finish line. In this brave, bold episode, GameSpot's editors discuss Game of the Year winners, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam, Blizzard's new MMORPG Titan, the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta, and John Lithgow's curriculum vitae. Happy Holidays, all you lovely people!

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The HotSpot - 12/14/10 - And the Winner Is

Justin Calvert, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair recap a raft of game news from the VGAs, getting entirely too excited way too early about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Guillermo Del Toro's Insane, Uncharted 3, Mass Effect 3, Prototype 2, and SSX: Deadly Descents. Also, Justin delivers firsthand impressions after a week of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, and the gang assigns the easiest homework yet!

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The HotSpot - 12/14/10 - And The Winner Is

Justin Calvert, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair recap a raft of game news from the VGAs, getting entirely too excited way too early about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Guillermo Del Toro's Insane, Uncharted 3, Mass Effect 3, Prototype 2, and SSX: Deadly Descents. Also, Justin delivers first-hand impressions after a week of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, and the gang assigns the easiest homework yet!

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The HotSpot - 12/07/10 - Cataclysm: Apocalypse WOW!

It's the end of the World of Warcraft as we know it, and Giancarlo Varanini, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair feel fine. The gang goes over what's included in the game's free Shattering patch, what's exclusive to the Cataclysm expansion, and where the world goes from here. Then it's time to talk about the future of Tomb Raider and Assassin's Creed, Games for the Holidays, Binary Domain, and more.

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The HotSpot - 12/07/10 - Cataclysm: Apocalypse WoW!

It's the end of the World of Warcraft as we know it, and Giancarlo Varanini, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair feel fine. The gang goes over what's included in the game's free Shattering patch, what's exclusive to the Cataclysm expansion, and where the world goes from here. Then it's time to talk about the future of Tomb Raider and Assassin's Creed, Games for the Holidays, Binary Domain, and more.

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The HotSpot - 11/30/10 - Not-Quite-Epic Mickey

Supergiant Games' Greg Kasavin returns to the HotSpot to talk about the upcoming Bastion and game-planning for an increasingly crowded indie marketplace with Ricardo Torres and Brendan Sinclair. The gang also shares impressions of Disney's long-awaited Epic Mickey and Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, followed by some long-overdue love for ZHP: Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman!

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The HotSpot - 11/30/10 - Not-Quite-Epic Mickey

Supergiant Games' Greg Kasavin returns to the HotSpot to talk about the upcoming Bastion and game-planning for an increasingly crowded indie marketplace with Ricardo Torres and Brendan Sinclair. The gang also shares impressions of Disney's long-awaited Epic Mickey and Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, followed by some long-overdue love for ZHP: Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman!

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The HotSpot - 11/23/10 - Gran Turismo 5 and Donkey Kong Returns

Justin Calvert, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair take Gran Turismo 5 for a long-awaited test drive before emigrating to Donkey Kong Country Returns and invading Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom. The gang also weighs in on a busy week of news, from the closures of Bizarre and Budcat to BioWare's next game and the dullest NPDs in recent memory. It's on like Trapper John!

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The HotSpot - 11/23/10 - Gran Turismo 5 and Donkey Kong Returns

Justin Calvert, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair take Gran Turismo 5 for a long-awaited test drive before emigrating to Donkey Kong Country Returns and invading Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom. The gang also weighs in on a busy week of news, from the closures of Bizarre and Budcat to BioWare's next game and the dullest NPDs in recent memory. It's on like Trapper John!

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The HotSpot - 11/16/10 - All Good in the Brotherhood

Kevin VanOrd usurps the HotSpot host's chair to preside over the Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood review recap while Tom Mc Shea and Carolyn Petit praise Pac-Man Championship Edition DX, and Giancarlo Varanini picks a very bad time to play devil's advocate for Activision. (Note: In light of recent events, Giancarlo retracts pretty much all of that.)

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The HotSpot - 11/16/10 - All Good in the Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Kevin VanOrd usurps the HotSpot host's chair to preside over the Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood review recap while Tom Mc Shea and Caroline Petit praise Pac-Man Championship Edition DX, and Giancarlo Varanini picks a very bad time to play devil's advocate for Activision. (Note: In light of recent events, Giancarlo retracts pretty much all of that.)

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The HotSpot - 11/09/10 - The Call of Duty: Black Ops Debriefing

Chris Watters sheds light on Call of Duty: Black Ops before deserting, while Carolyn Petit, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair stick around to talk about the NBA Elite that never was, gaming's day in Supreme Court, and the Dragon Age Facebook spin-off.

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The HotSpot - 11/09/10 - The Call of Duty: Black Ops Debriefing

Chris Watters sheds light on Call of Duty: Black Ops before deserting, while Carolyn Petit, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair stick around to talk about the NBA Elite that never was, gaming's day in Supreme Court, and the Dragon Age Facebook spin-off.

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The HotSpot - 11/04/10 - Hooking Up With Kinect

Chris Watters, Justin Calvert, Giancarlo Varanini, Ricardo Torres, and Brendan Sinclair get themselves Kinect-ed in a special launch day edition of the HotSpot. Does Microsoft's new camera peripheral work? Are the games any fun? What should parents know before picking one up for the kids? Is it worth buying? Answers lie within!

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The HotSpot - 11/04/10 - Hooking up with Kinect

Chris Watters, Justin Calvert, Giancarlo Varanini, Ricardo Torres, and Brendan Sinclair get themselves Kinect-ed in a special launch day edition of the HotSpot. Does Microsoft's new camera peripheral work? Are the games any fun? What should parents know before picking one up for the kids? Is it worth buying? Answers lie within!

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The HotSpot - 11/02/10 - God of War versus Force Unleashed and the Muzyka-Go-Round

Between Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, God of War: Ghost of Sparta, Fable III, Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, Inafune leaving Capcom, 5th Cell's latest game, and a Dragon Age II interview with BioWare's Ray Muzyka, this podcast is so packed there's no room left to even say who's on the panel!

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The HotSpot - 11/02/10 - God of War versus Force Unleashed and the Muzyka-Go-Round

Between Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, God of War: Ghost of Sparta, Fable III, Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, Inafune leaving Capcom, 5th Cell's latest game, and a Dragon Age II interview with BioWare's Ray Muzyka, this podcast is so packed there's no room left to even say who's on the panel!

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The HotSpot - 10/26/10 - Fable III and the Rhythm Game Round-Up

It's an episode crammed full of cameos as Chris Watters, Kevin VanOrd, and Ricardo Torres bail out after talking up Fable III, BlizzCon, Rock Band 3, DJ Hero 2, and the console editions of The Sims 3. Without a panel to keep them on topic, can Shaun McInnis and Brendan Sinclair stop the runaway train that is the HotSpot?

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The HotSpot - 10/26/10 - Fable III and the Rhythm Game Round-Up

It's an episode crammed full of cameos as Chris Watters, Kevin VanOrd, and Ricardo Torres bail out after talking up Fable III, BlizzCon, Rock Band 3, DJ Hero 2, and the console editions of The Sims 3. Without a panel to keep them on topic, can Shaun McInnis and Brendan Sinclair stop the runaway train that is the HotSpot?

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The HotSpot - 10/19/10 - Fallout: New Vegas, Vanquish, Super Meat Boy

The holiday rush is here, as Kevin VanOrd, Justin Calvert, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair tackle a busy week's worth of games, including Fallout: New Vegas, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Vanquish, EA MMA, and Super Meat Boy. Then it's on to recap a week packed with bad news, as layoffs hit Propaganda and Robomodo, Sony hits the brakes on Gran Turismo 5's release date, and more.

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The HotSpot 10/19/2010 - Fallout: New Vegas Vanquish-es Kirby

The holiday rush is here, as Kevin VanOrd, Justin Calvert, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair tackle a busy week's worth of games, including Fallout: New Vegas, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Vanquish, EA MMA, and Super Meat Boy. Then it's on to recap a week packed with bad news, as layoffs hit Propaganda and Robomodo, Sony hits the brakes on Gran Turismo 5's release date, and more.

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The HotSpot 10/14/2010 Dead Rising 2: The Facts

Shaun McInnis, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair loved Dead Rising 2 so much that they invited Blue Castle senior producer Josh Bridge to bask in their praise for public consumption. In exchange, Bridge revealed how a Canadian developer wound up making the game in the first place, the secret of Chuck's coffee, what was too offensive and gory to make the final game, and more!

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The HotSpot 10/14/2010 Dead Rising 2: The Facts

Shaun McInnis, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair loved Dead Rising 2 so much that they invited Blue Castle senior producer Josh Bridge to bask in their praise for public consumption. In exchange, Bridge revealed how a Canadian developer wound up making the game in the first place, the secret of Chuck's coffee, what was too offensive and gory to make the final game, and more!

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The HotSpot 10/12/2010 Medal of Honor, Gears of War 3

Kurtis Seid, Kevin Van Ord, Sophia Tong, Chris Watters, and Tom Magrino are on hand to deliver a perfectly adequate discussion on the perfectly competent shooter that is Medal of Honor. Our Gears of War 3 discussion, on the other hand, whoa boy, that's some visceral stuff! Also hear a bit about Dance Central, OnLive, and how to get a job in the game industry!

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The HotSpot 10/12/2010 Medal of Honor, Gears of War 3

Kurtis Seid, Kevin Van Ord, Sophia Tong, Chris Watters, and Tom Magrino are on hand to deliver a perfectly adequate discussion on the perfectly competent shooter that is Medal of Honor. Our Gears of War 3 discussion, on the other hand, whoa boy, that's some visceral stuff! Also hear a bit about Dance Central, OnLive, and how to get a job in the game industry!

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The HotSpot 10/05/2010 Castlevania Lords of Shadow, Final Fanasy XIV

In this episode of the HotSpot, Giancarlo Varanini explains Castlevania: Lords of Shadow's blood-sucking bent, while Kevin VanOrd and Kurtis Seid explain how Final Fantasy XIV just kind of sucks. Elsewhere, Tom Mc Shea says why Enslaved just might be his third favorite game of the year, all the while fending off Tom Magrino's insistent cries for manumission. Everyone send happy birthday wishes to Brendan! And cake to Tom!

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The HotSpot 10/05/2010 Castlevania Lords of Shadow, Final Fanasy XIV

In this episode of the HotSpot, Giancarlo Varanini explains Castlevania: Lords of Shadow's blood-sucking bent, while Kevin VanOrd and Kurtis Seid explain how Final Fantasy XIV just kind of sucks. Elsewhere, Tom Mc Shea says why Enslaved just might be his third favorite game of the year, all the while fending off Tom Magrino's insistent cries for manumission. Everyone send happy birthday wishes to Brendan! And cake to Tom!

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The HotSpot 09/28/2010 Dead Rising 2 Eats Brains, Steals Hearts

Capcom's latest absurdly comic zombie action game steals the show as Dead Rising 2 makes Tom Mc Shea, Ricardo Torres, Kurtis Seid, and Brendan Sinclair start thinking about the Game of the Year awards. Then it's time to revisit the Japanese game industry slump, celebrate the Secret of Monkey Island reunion at Double Fine, and consider the potential of HD Mortal Kombat remakes.

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The HotSpot 09/28/2010 Dead Rising 2 Eats Brains, Steals Hearts

Capcom's latest absurdly comic zombie action game steals the show as Dead Rising 2 makes Tom Mc Shea, Ricardo Torres, Kurtis Seid, and Brendan Sinclair start thinking about the Game of the Year awards. Then it's time to revisit the Japanese game industry slump, celebrate the Secret of Monkey Island reunion at Double Fine, and consider the potential of HD Mortal Kombat remakes.

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The HotSpot 09/21/2010 Tokyo Game Show a Go Go

Kevin VanOrd, Andrew Park, Justin Calvert, and Brendan Sinclair lovingly cradle Civilization V for a few minutes before a rundown of the massive Tokyo Game Show, including Team Ico Collection, Suda 51 and Mikami's Shadow of the Damned, and a possible successor to Demon's Souls. And what do the dramatic overhauls for franchises like Devil May Cry, Steel Battalion, and Yakuza tell us about the state of the Japanese game industry?

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The HotSpot 09/21/2010 Tokyo Game Show a Go Go

Kevin VanOrd, Andrew Park, Justin Calvert, and Brendan Sinclair lovingly cradle Civilization V for a few minutes before a rundown of the massive Tokyo Game Show, including Team Ico Collection, Suda 51 and Mikami's Shadow of the Damned, and a possible successor to Demon's Souls. And what do the dramatic overhauls for franchises like Devil May Cry, Steel Battalion, and Yakuza tell us about the state of the Japanese game industry?

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The HotSpot 09/14/2010 Halo: Reach vs. Earth Defense Force

Justin Calvert, Tom Magrino, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair explore the just-released Halo: Reach and where Bungie's iconic shooter series might go without the studio at the helm. Also, a court ruling threatens the used gaming market, Earth Defense Force returns for another tour of duty, New Super Mario Bros. DS hits the charts four years after release, and HotSpot listeners hit rock bottom.

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The HotSpot 09/14/2010 Halo: Reach vs. Earth Defense Force

Justin Calvert, Tom Magrino, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair explore the just-released Halo: Reach and where Bungie's iconic shooter series might go without the studio at the helm. Also, a court ruling threatens the used gaming market, Earth Defense Force returns for another tour of duty, New Super Mario Bros. DS hits the charts four years after release, and HotSpot listeners hit rock bottom.

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The HotSpot 09/14/2010

Justin Calvert, Tom Magrino, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair explore the just-released Halo: Reach and where Bungie's iconic shooter series might go without the studio at the helm. Also, a court ruling threatens the used gaming market, Earth Defense Force returns for another tour of duty, New Super Mario Bros. DS hits the charts four years after release, and HotSpot listeners hit rock bottom.

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The HotSpot 09/07/2010

Not-so-fresh from the long weekend, Tom Magrino, Kevin VanOrd, Chris Watters, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair talk Penny Arcade Expo, Duke Nukem Forever, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, Batman: Brave and the Bold, Elemental: War of Magic, PlayStation Move launch titles, and how not to market pizza.

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The HotSpot 09/07/2010

Not-so-fresh from the long weekend, Tom Magrino, Kevin VanOrd, Chris Watters, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair talk Penny Arcade Expo, Duke Nukem Forever, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, Batman: Brave and the Bold, Elemental: War of Magic, PlayStation Move launch titles, and how not to market pizza.

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The HotSpot 08/31/2010

Giancarlo Varanini, Tyler Winegarner, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair explore Team Ninja's Metroid: Other M from every angle and inoculate against the infectious fun of Dead Rising: Case Zero before talking Golden Sun, Xbox Live price hikes, DSi price drops, and more.

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The HotSpot 08/31/2010

Giancarlo Varanini, Tyler Winegarner, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair explore Team Ninja's Metroid: Other M from every angle and inoculate against the infectious fun of Dead Rising: Case Zero before talking Golden Sun, Xbox Live price hikes, DSi price drops, and more.

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The HotSpot 08/24/2010

Tom Magrino, Justin Calvert, Kurtis Seid, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair meddle in the family business of Mafia II before bundling up for a harsh Neverwinter and tackling Dawn of War III, a second DeathSpank, Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One, Fighters Uncaged, PSP2 rumors, and Sony's 3D gaming push.

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The HotSpot 08/24/2010

Tom Magrino, Justin Calvert, Kurtis Seid, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair meddle in the family business of Mafia II before bundling up for a harsh Neverwinter and tackling Dawn of War III, a second DeathSpank, Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One, Fighters Uncaged, PSP2 rumors, and Sony's 3D gaming push.

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The HotSpot 08/17/2010

Justin Calvert, Kevin VanOrd, Ricardo Torres, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair while away the dog days of summer with talk of Kane and Lynch 2, BioShock Infinite, QuakeCon, and slightly creepy Call of Duty Prestige Edition pack-ins.

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The HotSpot 08/17/2010

Justin Calvert, Kevin VanOrd, Ricardo Torres, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair while away the dog days of summer with talk of Kane and Lynch 2, BioShock Infinite, QuakeCon, and slightly creepy Call of Duty Prestige Edition pack-ins.

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The HotSpot 08/10/2010

Sophia Tong makes a cameo and bolts before Chris Watters, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair begrudgingly talk Madden 2011, Ace Combat and the ongoing Bruckheimer-ization of the industry, and how the upcoming Lara Croft Summer of Arcade game ruined Christmas. Also, HotSpot listeners settle the games-as-art question once and for all. (Not really.)

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The HotSpot 08/10/2010

Sophia Tong makes a cameo and bolts before Chris Watters, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair begrudgingly talk Madden 2011, Ace Combat and the ongoing Bruckheimer-ization of the industry, and how the upcoming Lara Croft Summer of Arcade game ruined Christmas. Also, HotSpot listeners settle the games-as-art question once and for all. (Not really.)

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The HotSpot 08/03/2010

Andrew Park, Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair dish out real-time discussion on Starcraft II and indulge in Castlevania's Harmony of Despair before tackling narrative-based downloadable content, the upcoming GoldenEye remake, and a rash of social media creativity-driven mystery projects.

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The HotSpot 08/03/2010

Andrew Park, Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair dish out real-time discussion on Starcraft II and indulge in Castlevania's Harmony of Despair before tackling narrative-based downloadable content, the upcoming GoldenEye remake, and a rash of social media creativity-driven mystery projects.

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The HotSpot 07/27/2010

It's a Comic-Convalescent HotSpot as Shaun McInnis, Chris Watters, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair try to recuperate from a wild week in San Diego with talk of Dragon Age II, Street Fighter x Tekken, and loads more.

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The HotSpot 07/27/2010

It's a Comic-Convalescent HotSpot as Shaun McInnis, Chris Watters, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair try to recuperate from a wild week in San Diego with talk of Dragon Age II, Street Fighter x Tekken, and loads more.

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The HotSpot 07/20/2010

The HotSpot crew finds itself in Limbo this week, but not that creepy Inception kind. Instead, Tom Mc Shea, Kevin Van Ord, Giancarlo Varanini, and Tom Magrino attempt to wrap our heads around Playdead's artistic plaftormer. And with not much else happening on the release slate, the merry band shifts its focus to news of the NPD kind. Oh, and hey, by the way, it's the HotSpot's 5th anniversary. Our gift to you? Wooden banter!

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The HotSpot 07/20/2010

The HotSpot crew finds itself in Limbo this week, but not that creepy kind. Instead, Tom Mc Shea, Kevin Van Ord, Giancarlo Varanini, and Tom Magrino attempt to wrap our heads around Playdead's artistic plaftormer. And with not much else happening on the release slate, the merry band shifts its focus to news of the NPD kind. Oh, and hey, by the way, it's the HotSpot's 5th anniversary. Our gift to you? Wooden banter!

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The HotSpot 07/13/2010

Ron Gilbert's in the studio, need we say more?! The DeathSpank creator sits down with Kevin VanOrd and Tom Magrino to discuss his latest madcap downloadable creation, while Sophia Tong, Chris Watters, and Tom Mc Shea devote some very serious discussion to Dragon Quest IX and NCAA Football 11. Plus, one Canadian takes serious exception with Xbox Live's flagrant regionalism. Brendan's back next week!

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The HotSpot 07/13/2010

Ron Gilbert's in the studio, need we say more?! The DeathSpank creator sits down with Kevin VanOrd and Tom Magrino to discuss his latest madcap downloadable creation, while Sophia Tong, Chris Watters, and Tom Mc Shea devout some very serious discussion to Dragon Quest IX and NCAA Football 11. Plus, one Canadian takes serious exception with Xbox Live's flagrant regionalism. Brendan's back next week!

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The HotSpot 07/06/2010

Shaun McInnis, Chris Watters, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair clean up the mean streets in A.P.B. and Crackdown 2, ponder slumping May sales amidst a wave of big-name releases, whether Microsoft should have expected low Kinect preorders in the first place, and squeeze in a shocking "Did You Know?"

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The HotSpot 07/06/2010

Shaun McInnis, Chris Watters, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair clean up the mean streets in A.P.B. and Crackdown 2, ponder slumping May sales amidst a wave of big-name releases, whether Microsoft should have expected low Kinect preorders in the first place, and squeeze in a shocking "Did You Know?"

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The HotSpot 06/29/2010

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Tyler Winegarner, and Brendan Sinclair enlist in the Transformers' War for Cybertron and go into the uniquely entertaining Singularity before contemplating Beyond Good and Evil 2, Seaman for 3DS, the future of Kinect and 3D, and who really cares about 1080p.

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The HotSpot 06/29/2010

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Tyler Winegarner, and Brendan Sinclair enlist in the Transformers' War for Cybertron and go into the uniquely entertaining Singularity before contemplating Beyond Good and Evil 2, Seaman for 3DS, the future of Kinect and 3D, and who really cares about 1080p.

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The HotSpot 06/22/2010

Kevin VanOrd, Brian Ekberg, Ricardo Torres, and Brendan Sinclair recover from E3 with a few final thoughts on the show and a slew of listener e-mails, phone calls, and homework assignments! WARNING: This episode of the HotSpot contains suggestive language. Listener discretion is advised.

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The HotSpot 06/22/2010

Kevin VanOrd, Brian Ekberg, Ricardo Torres, and Brendan Sinclair recover from E3 with a few final thoughts on the show and a slew of listener e-mails, phone calls, and homework assignments! WARNING: This episode of the HotSpot contains suggestive language. Listener discretion is advised.

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The HotSpot 06/17/2010

Tor Thorsen, Tom Magrino, Sophia Tong, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair kill the final moments of E3 2010 talking about the best and worst of the show, and giving yet more impressions of the 3DS, Kinect, and Move. Also, Kevin VanOrd crashes the show because he can't contain his excitement for thatgamecompany's Journey.

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The HotSpot 06/17/2010

Tor Thorsen, Tom Magrino, Sophia Tong, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair kill the final moments of E3 2010 talking about the best and worst of the show, and giving yet more impressions of the 3DS, Kinect, and Move. Also, Kevin VanOrd crashes the show because he can't contain his excitement for thatgamecompany's Journey.

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The HotSpot 06/16/2010

Justin Calvert, Kevin VanOrd, Ricardo Torres, Eddie Makuch, and Brendan Sinclair tackle E3 head on, picking their games of the show and trading impressions of Gran Turismo 5, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Kirby's Epic Yarn, the 3DS, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, Gears of War 3, and more!

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The HotSpot 06/16/2010

Justin Calvert, Kevin VanOrd, Ricardo Torres, Eddie Makuch, and Brendan Sinclair tackle E3 head on, picking their games of the show and trading impressions of Gran Turismo 5, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Kirby's Epic Yarn, the 3DS, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, Gears of War 3, and more!

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The HotSpot 06/15/2010

Shaun McInnis, Tom Mc Shea, Brian Ekberg, and Brendan Sinclair recap the big news of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, straight from the show floor! The noisy show floor, complete with cleaning crews, neighboring rhythm game booths, and audio equipment difficulties. It's one for HotSpot completists sure to make you feel like you survived the show right along with us!

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The HotSpot 06/15/2010

Shaun McInnis, Tom Mc Shea, Brian Ekberg, and Brendan Sinclair recap the big news of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, straight from the show floor! The noisy show floor, complete with cleaning crews, neighboring rhythm game booths, and audio equipment difficulties. It's one for HotSpot completists sure to make you feel like you survived the show right along with us!

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The HotSpot 06/08/2010

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Brian Ekberg, Ricardo Torres, and Brendan Sinclair brace for the Electronic Entertainment Expo with early talk of WWE All-Stars, Red Faction: Armageddon, Infamous 2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Dungeon Siege 3, and the new Harry Potter cover-based third-person shooter.

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The HotSpot 06/08/2010

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Brian Ekberg, Ricardo Torres, and Brendan Sinclair brace for the Electronic Entertainment Expo with early talk of WWE All-Stars, Red Faction: Armageddon, Infamous 2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Dungeon Siege 3, and the new Harry Potter cover-based third-person shooter.

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The HotSpot 06/01/2010

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Tyler Winegarner, and Brendan Sinclair lament the unpolished ambition of Alpha Protocol, consider Natal's rumored $150 price point, revisit EA's Online Play scheme, and ponder whether the new Prince of Persia movie would have been better as an hour and a half of someone punching Jake Gyllenhaal square in the face.

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The HotSpot 06/01/2010

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Tyler Winergarner, and Brendan Sinclair lament the unpolished ambition of Alpha Protocol, consider Natal's rumored $150 price point, revisit EA's Online Play scheme, and ponder whether the new Prince of Persia movie would have been better as an hour and a half of someone punching Jake Gyllenhaal square in the face.

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The HotSpot 05/25/2010

It's substitute teacher week on the HotSpot as Brian Ekberg fills in as guest host, and the classroom of Justin Calvert, Tom Mc Shea, Tom Magrino, and Shaun McInnis is getting away with murder. The crew discusses Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Blur and revisits Prince of Persia on the Wii. Elsewhere, there's in-depth analysis on UFC 2010 Undisputed, the new "ham" with World of Warcraft, and some quality time spent with Winnie Cooper and Topanga Lawrence.

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The HotSpot 05/25/2010

It's substitute teacher week on the HotSpot as Brian Ekberg fills in as guest host, and the classroom of Justin Calvert, Tom Mc Shea, Tom Magrino, and Shaun McInnis are getting away with murder. The crew discusses Super Mario Galaxy 2, Blur, and revisits Prince of Persia on the Wii. Elsewhere, there's in-depth analysis on UFC 2010 Undisputed, the new "ham" with World of Warcraft, and some quality time spent with Winnie Cooper and Topanga Lawrence.

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The HotSpot 05/18/2010

The HotSpot posse of Justin Calvert, Tom Mc Shea, Giancarlo Varanini, Chris Watters and Brendan Sinclair saddles up for Red Dead Redemption before crowning the new Prince of Persia games. Also, April NPD sales, more Call of Duty spin-off talk, and a Video Game History Month interview with Leonard Herman, author of Phoenix: The Fall and Rise of Video Games.

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The HotSpot 05/18/2010

The HotSpot posse of Justin Calvert, Tom Mc Shea, Giancarlo Varanini, Chris Watters, and Brendan Sinclair saddles up for Red Dead Redemption before crowning the new Prince of Persia games. It also has April NPD sales, more Call of Duty spin-off talk, and a Video Game History Month interview with Leonard Herman, author of Phoenix: The Fall and Rise of Video Games.

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The HotSpot 05/11/2010

Ricardo Torres, Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair get caught up in Alan Wake before nuking Lost Planet 2 from orbit. After that, it's time to talk Little Big Planet 2, Wii Party, God of War: Ghost of Sparta and subject everyone to some tragically bad stand-up comedy.

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The HotSpot 05/11/2010

Ricardo Torres, Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair get caught up in Alan Wake before nuking Lost Planet 2 from orbit. After that, it's time to talk Little Big Planet 2, Wii Party, God of War: Ghost of Sparta and subject everyone to some tragically bad stand-up comedy.

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The HotSpot 05/04/2010

Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, Shaun McInnis, and Brendan Sinclair scratch the surface of the Halo: Reach beta before weighing in on the Bungie-Activision blockbuster 10-year deal. The gang also goes into Nier, 3D Dot Game Heroes, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and the Red Faction movie.

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The HotSpot 05/04/2010

Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, Shaun McInnis, and Brendan Sinclair scratch the surface of the Halo: Reach beta before weighing in on the Bungie-Activision blockbuster 10-year deal. The gang also goes into Nier, 3D Dot Game Heroes, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and the Red Faction movie.

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The HotSpot 05/04/2010

Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, Shaun McInnis, and Brendan Sinclair scratch the surface of the Halo: Reach beta before weighing in on the Bungie-Activision blockbuster 10-year deal. The gang also goes into Nier, 3D Dot Game Heroes, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and the Red Faction movie.

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The HotSpot 04/27/2010

The HotSpot experiences what we'll call a trundling week, as Ricardo Torres, Giancarlo Varanini, Justin Calvert, and Tom Magrino talk at great length about Halo: Reach, Super Street Fighter IV, Monster Hunter Tri, and something called...soccer? Also, do you want to be a social maven? If so, have we got some hot conversation starters for you! (Hint: Think earnings reports.) Brendan's back next week! Probably!

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The HotSpot 04/27/2010

The HotSpot experiences what we'll call a trundling week, as Ricardo Torres, Giancarlo Varanini, Justin Calvert, and Tom Magrino talk at great length about Halo: Reach, Super Street Fighter IV, Monster Hunter Tri, and something called...soccer? Also, do you want to be a social maven? If so, have we got some hot conversation starters for you! (Hint: Think earnings reports.) Brendan's back next week! Probably!

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The HotSpot 04/20/2010

Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, Ricardo Torres, and Brendan Sinclair geek out over the possibilities of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and try to figure out whether to be excited or apprehensive of the new XCOM first-person shooter. Also, talk of Dead Rising 2, Kojima's "taboo" project, whether Kick-Ass lives up to its name, and lots of noses being thumbed at "the man."

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The HotSpot 04/20/2010

Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, Ricardo Torres, and Brendan Sinclair geek out over the possibilities of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and try to figure out whether to be excited or apprehensive of the new XCOM first-person shooter. Also, talk of Dead Rising 2, Kojima's "taboo" project, whether Kick-Ass lives up to its name, and lots of noses being thumbed at "the man."

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The HotSpot 04/13/2010

Chris Watters and Kevin VanOrd team up to take on Splinter Cell: Conviction, Giancarlo Varanini whips up impressions of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, and Brendan Sinclair still gets nightmares from Typing of the Dead. Also, more of the Infinity Ward-Activision "he said, she said," Gears of War 3, Bulletstorm, Silent Hill, and the most commercially X-treme homework yet.

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The HotSpot 04/13/2010

Chris Watters and Kevin VanOrd team up to take on Splinter Cell: Conviction, Giancarlo Varanini whips up impressions of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, and Brendan Sinclair still gets nightmares from Typing of the Dead. Also, more of the Infinity Ward-Activision "he said, she said," Gears of War 3, Bulletstorm, Silent Hill, and the most commercially X-treme homework yet.

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The HotSpot 04/06/2010

Kevin VanOrd, Ricardo Torres, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair take a bite out of Apple's iPad, The Conduit 2, and Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. Then it's time to ponder Epic Games' mystery announcement, pour an O'Douls out for the developers of Iron Man 2, and get back on the road again with Big Rigs.

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The HotSpot 04/06/2010

Kevin VanOrd, Ricardo Torres, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair take a bite out of Apple's iPad, The Conduit 2, and Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. Then it's time to ponder Epic Games' mystery announcement, pour an O'Douls out for the developers of Iron Man 2, and get back on the road again with Big Rigs.

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The HotSpot 03/30/2010

Brian Ekberg, Kevin VanOrd, Tyler Winegarner, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair ponder the potential of the 3DS, gush about Resonance of Fate and Cave Story, and then lay down the law when it comes to the rules of trash-talking. Also, the gang rises to the challenge of a particularly tough homework assignment.

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The HotSpot 03/23/2010

Kevin VanOrd, Chris Watters, Shaun McInnis, and Brendan Sinclair hitch their wagon to a propane tank in Just Cause 2, plumb the depths of the Moscow subway tunnels in Metro 2033, and explore every last bit of Infinite Space. Then it's time to ponder a slimmer Xbox 360 and draw the line on acceptable trash talk in online games.

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The HotSpot 03/23/2010

Kevin VanOrd, Chris Watters, Shaun McInnis, and Brendan Sinclair hitch their wagon to a propane tank in Just Cause 2, plumb the depths of the Moscow subway tunnels in Metro 2033, and explore every last bit of Infinite Space. Then it's time to ponder a slimmer Xbox 360 and draw the line on acceptable trash talk in online games.

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The HotSpot 03/16/2010

With the 2010 Game Developers Conference a thing of the past, Ricardo Torres, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Guy Cocker, and Tom Magrino bust a...oh man, it's gonna be good, wait for it...Move, talking up Sony's new motion-sensing controller. We also get touchy with Fable III, express abject confusion over the GDC Awards, and become overly excited about NPD sales figures. Brendan's back next week! Please don't hold this show against him!

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The HotSpot 03/16/2010

With the 2010 Game Developers Conference a thing of the past, Ricardo Torres, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Guy Cocker, and Tom Magrino bust a...oh man, it's gonna be good, wait for it...Move, talking up Sony's new motion-sensing controller. We also get touchy with Fable III, express abject confusion over the GDC Awards, and become overly excited about NPD sales figures. Brendan's back next week! Please don't hold this show against him!

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The HotSpot 03/09/2010

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Giancarlo Varinini, and Brendan Sinclair drop the Nemean Cestuses and duke it out with God of War III and Final Fantasy XIII before picking sides in the Infinity Ward-Activision fight, kicking Ubisoft's new DRM policy while the servers are down, and recapping an absurdly busy week of news.

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The HotSpot 03/09/2010

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Giancarlo Varinini, and Brendan Sinclair drop the Nemean Cestuses and duke it out with God of War III and Final Fantasy XIII before picking sides in the Infinity Ward-Activision fight, kicking Ubisoft's new DRM policy while the servers are down, and recapping an absurdly busy week of news.

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The HotSpot 03/02/2010

Chris Watters, Tom Magrino, Sophia Tong, Ricardo Torres, and Brendan Sinclair invest in Battlefield: Bad Company 2, fret about their (temporarily) busted PS3s, and take a look at a Nintendo lineup featuring Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid: Other M, and Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands. Also, there are more release dates than is appropriate for stick-shaking purposes!

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The HotSpot 03/02/2010

Chris Watters, Tom Magrino, Sophia Tong, Ricardo Torres, and Brendan Sinclair invest in Battlefield: Bad Company 2, fret about their (temporarily) busted PS3s, and take a look at a Nintendo lineup featuring Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid: Other M, and Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands. Also, more release dates than is appropriate for stick-shaking purposes!

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The HotSpot 02/25/2010

It's a spoiler-ridden Heavy Rain podcast as Justin Calvert, Lark Anderson, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair trade notes on who lived, who died, and why in each of their paths through Quantic Dream's serial killer thriller.

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The HotSpot 02/25/2010

It's a spoiler-ridden Heavy Rain podcast as Justin Calvert, Lark Anderson, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair trade notes on who lived, who died, and why in each of their paths through Quantic Dream's serial killer thriller.

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The HotSpot 02/23/2010

Tom Mc Shea and Lark Anderson swing by to talk Heavy Rain and Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing, then leave it to Justin Calvert, Tyler Winegarner, Brian Ekberg, and Brendan Sinclair to recap the latest news out of the DICE Summit, Civilization V, Starcraft II, free PSP Go games, and God Eater.

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The HotSpot 02/23/2010

Tom Mc Shea and Lark Anderson swing by to talk Heavy Rain and Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing, then leave it to Justin Calvert, Tyler Winegarner, Brian Ekberg, and Brendan Sinclair to recap the latest news out of the DICE Summit, Civilization V, Starcraft II, free PSP Go games, and God Eater.

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The HotSpot 02/16/2010

Chris Watters, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair have a front-row seat for Aliens vs. Predator vs. Kevin VanOrd. Then the gang goes over an X10 lineup boasting Fable III, Alan Wake, and Dead Rising 2 before recapping a busy week of layoffs and studio closures for the absurdly profitable Activision.

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The HotSpot 02/16/2010

Chris Watters, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair have a front-row seat for Aliens vs. Predator vs. Kevin VanOrd. Then the gang goes over an X10 lineup boasting Fable III, Alan Wake, and Dead Rising 2 before recapping a busy week of layoffs and studio closures for the absurdly profitable Activision.

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The HotSpot 02/09/2010

Shaun McInnis, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair return to Rapture with divergent takes on BioShock 2, then find common ground again thanks to Dante's Inferno. Also, Sonic returns to his 2D roots, and Mature-rated games on the Wii suffer another setback.

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The HotSpot 02/09/2010

Shaun McInnis, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair return to Rapture with divergent takes on BioShock 2, then find common ground again thanks to Dante's Inferno. Also, Sonic returns to his 2D roots, and Mature-rated games on the Wii suffer another setback.

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The HotSpot 02/02/2010

Justin Calvert, Tom Mc Shea, Chris Watters, and Brendan Sinclair cautiously go where others go on a regular basis--they talk about an armada of new releases, including Star Trek Online, MAG, and White Knight Chronicles. The gang also runs down a huge week of news, including the Dead Rising movie, the iPad, and some stuff about actual games!

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The HotSpot 02/02/2010

Justin Calvert, Tom Mc Shea, Chris Watters, and Brendan Sinclair cautiously go where others go on a regular basis, talking about an armada of new releases including Star Trek Online, MAG, and White Knight Chronicles. The gang also runs down a huge week of news, including the Dead Rising movie, the iPad, and some stuff about actual games!

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The HotSpot 01/26/2010

Mass Effect 2 fever afflicts the HotSpot crew, as BioWare project director Casey Hudson stops by the studio. Kevin VanOrd, Chris Watters, and Tom Magrino do their best to manage some intelligent comments about the game, while Lark Anderson drops by to offer word on No More Heroes 2. Plus, industry news! Sales figures! Tetris sells 100 million! Wow! Brendan's back next week! Do not worry!

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The HotSpot 01/26/2010

Mass Effect 2 fever afflicts the HotSpot crew, as BioWare project director Casey Hudson stops by the studio. Kevin VanOrd, Chris Watters, and Tom Magrino do their best to manage some intelligent comments about the game, while Lark Anderson drops by to offer word on No More Heroes 2. Plus, industry news! Sales figures! Tetris sells 100 million! Wow! Brendan's back next week! Do not worry!

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The HotSpot 01/19/2010

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Chris Watters, and Brendan Sinclair peer into the Dark Void, and the Dark Void peers back into them. With Capcom's latest out of the way, it's time to close the book on 2009 with December's NPD figures and take a look at recent innovation in games, or the lack thereof.

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The HotSpot 01/19/2010

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Chris Watters, and Brendan Sinclair peer into the Dark Void, and the Dark Void peers back into them. With Capcom's latest out of the way, it's time to close the book on 2009 with December's NPD figures and take a look at recent innovation in games, or the lack thereof.

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The HotSpot 01/12/2010

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Shaun McInnis, Tyler Winegarner, and Brendan Sinclair explore the subtle nuances of Army of Two: The 40th Day before addressing the Xbox 360 Game Room and rumors of a new developer for Modern Warfare 3.

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The HotSpot 01/12/2010

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Shaun McInnis, Tyler Winegarner, and Brendan Sinclair explore the subtle nuances of Army of Two: The 40th Day before addressing the Xbox 360 Game Room and rumors of a new developer for Modern Warfare 3.

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The HotSpot 01/07/2010

It's a bonus spoiler-filled podcast dedicated to GameSpot's 2009 Game of the Year, as Kevin VanOrd, Justin Calvert, Lark Anderson, and Brendan Sinclair spend the better part of an hour gushing over Demon's Souls.

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The HotSpot 01/07/2010

It's a bonus spoiler-filled podcast dedicated to GameSpot's 2009 Game of the Year! Kevin VanOrd, Justin Calvert, Lark Anderson, and Brendan Sinclair kill an hour gushing over From Software's brilliant Demon's Souls.

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The HotSpot 01/05/2010

Kevin VanOrd, Justin Calvert, Giancarlo Varanini, and Brendan Sinclair kick off the New Year with impressions of the week's gruesome twosome of angelic beatdowns, THQ's Darksiders and Platinum Games' Bayonetta. Plus, a brief primer on street talk, courtesy of Def Jam: Fight for NY: The Takeover on PSP.

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The HotSpot 01/05/2010

Kevin VanOrd, Justin Calvert, Giancarlo Varanini, and Brendan Sinclair kick off the New Year with impressions of the week's gruesome twosome of angelic beatdowns, THQ's Darksiders and Platinum Games' Bayonetta. Plus, a brief primer on street talk, courtesy of Def Jam: Fight for NY: The Takeover on the PSP.

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The HotSpot 12/29/2009

GameSpot HQ is all quiet this week, which means it's time for an all-clips show of outtakes from a whole bunch of 2009 shows. If mic checks, double takes, and non sequiturs are your thing, we've got a show for you! If they aren't, well, at least it's only 41 minutes long. WARNING: This episode of the HotSpot contains suggestive language. Listener discretion is advised.

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The HotSpot 12/29/2009

GameSpot HQ is all quiet this week, which means it's time for an all-clips show of outtakes from a whole bunch of 2009 shows. If mic checks, double takes, and non-sequiturs are your thing, we've got a show for you! If they aren't, well, at least it's only 41 minutes long. WARNING: This episode of the HotSpot contains suggestive language. Listener discretion is advised.

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The HotSpot 12/22/2009

Ricardo Torres, Tom Magrino, Tyler Winegarner, and Brendan Sinclair wrap up an exhausting 2009 with a second opinion on Bayonetta, differing views on despicable downloadable content, and more junk than you can shake a stick at.

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The HotSpot 12/22/2009

Ricardo Torres, Tom Magrino, Tyler Winegarner, and Brendan Sinclair wrap up an exhausting 2009 with a second opinion on Bayonetta, differing views on despicable downloadable content, and more junk than you can shake a stick at.

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The HotSpot 12/15/2009

All aboard! Tom Mc Shea, Justin Calvert, and Brendan Sinclair go hobo and ride the rails with Link in Zelda: Spirit Tracks, take aim at PixelJunk Shooter, and give their memories of God of War I and II an HD face-lift. Also, November NPD numbers, Batman: Arkham Asylum II, Force Unleashed II, and more.

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The HotSpot 12/15/2009

All aboard! Tom Mc Shea, Justin Calvert, and Brendan Sinclair go hobo and ride the rails with Link on Zelda: Spirit Tracks, take aim at PixelJunk Shooter, and give their memories of God of War 1 and 2 an HD facelift. Also, November NPD numbers, Batman: Arkham Asylum 2, Force Unleashed II, and more.

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The HotSpot 12/08/2009

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Brian Ekberg, and Brendan Sinclair bleep all over the bleepin' bleepfest that is Rogue Warrior; save France from cows, as well as Nazis, in Pandemic's Saboteur; and look forward to Dead Space 2, Medal of Honor, and...House, M.D.?

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The HotSpot 12/08/2009

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Brian Ekberg and Brendan Sinclair bleep all over the bleepin' bleep-fest that is Rouge Warrior, save France from cows as well as Nazis in Pandemic's Saboteur, and look forward to Dead Space 2, Medal of Honor, andÂ… House, M.D.?

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The HotSpot 12/01/2009

Shaun McInnis, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair briefly oppress indigenous cultures in James Cameron's Avatar before looking forward to Mass Effect 2, a new Prince of Persia, and the fiscal ramifications of incorporating the Mercenaries franchise.

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The HotSpot 12/01/2009

Shaun McInnis, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair briefly oppress indigenous cultures in James Cameron's Avatar before looking forward to Mass Effect 2, a new Prince of Persia, and the fiscal ramifications of incorporating the Mercenaries franchise.

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The HotSpot 11/24/2009

Kevin VanOrd stops by to talk about the inverted 720 face-plant that is Tony Hawk: Ride, then Ricardo Torres, Tom Mc Shea, Sophia Tong, and Brendan Sinclair look forward to the year-end awards, lament the apparent passing of Pandemic, and peruse the latest ESRB ratings.

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The HotSpot 11/24/2009

Kevin VanOrd stops by to talk about the inverted 720 faceplant that is Tony Hawk: Ride, then Ricardo Torres, Tom Mc Shea, Sophia Tong, and Brendan Sinclair look forward to the year-end awards, lament the apparent passing of Pandemic, and peruse the latest ESRB ratings.

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The HotSpot 11/17/2009

Left 4 Dead 2 and Assassin's Creed II make Justin Calvert, Shaun McInnis, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair feel all tingly, but layoffs at EA and slumping October sales bring the mood back down.

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The HotSpot 11/17/2009

Left 4 Dead 2 and Assassin's Creed 2 make Justin Calvert, Shaun McInnis, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair feel all tingly, but layoffs at EA and slumping October sales bring the mood back down.

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The HotSpot 11/12/2009

Ricardo Torres, Chris Watters, Ryan Mac Donald, and Brendan Sinclair unload praise and scorn on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in a spoiler-ridden podcast covering the game's single-player campaign, from the controversial airport level to the game's ultimate message (if there is one).

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The HotSpot 11/12/2009

Ricardo Torres, Chris Watters, Ryan Mac Donald, and Brendan Sinclair unload praise and scorn on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in a spoiler-ridden podcast covering the game's single-player campaign, from the controversial airport level to the game's ultimate message (if there is one).

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The HotSpot 11/10/2009

Ricardo Torres, Lark Anderson, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair offer a piercing perspective on Bayonetta, ponder the possibilities of Jake Gyllenhaal's Prince of Persia, and pick apart the potential for Captain America and Thor games.

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The HotSpot 11/10/2009

Ricardo Torres, Lark Anderson, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair offer a piercing perspective on Bayonetta, ponder the possibilities of Jake Gyllenhaal's Prince of Persia, and pick apart the potential for Captain America and Thor games.

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The HotSpot 11/03/2009

Shaun McInnis, Justin Calvert, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair get all gushy about Dragon Age, GTA: Ballad of Gay Tony, Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time, and Tekken 6. Then it's time to tackle the DSi XL and Modern Warfare 2's latest controversies in one preposterously packed podcast.

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The HotSpot 11/03/2009

Shaun McInnis, Justin Calvert, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair get all gushy about Dragon Age, GTA: Ballad of Gay Tony, Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time, and Tekken 6. Then, it's time to tackle the DSi XL and Modern Warfare 2's latest controversies in one preposterously packed podcast.

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The HotSpot 10/27/2009

Brian Ekberg, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Magrino, Chris Watters, and Brendan Sinclair craft a Shakespearean SmackDown in THQ's latest WWE game, while Dead Space: Extraction is dead-on-arrival in stores, Modern Warfare 2 for the PC gets controversial changes, and the gang casts future game-to-movie adaptations.

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The HotSpot 10/27/2009

Brian Ekberg, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Magrino, Chris Watters, and Brendan Sinclair craft a Shakespearean SmackDown in THQ's latest WWE game while Dead Space: Extraction is dead-on-arrival in stores, Modern Warfare 2 for PC gets controversial changes, and the gang casts future game-to-movie adaptations.

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The HotSpot 10/20/2009

Brian Ekberg, Justin Calvert, Tyler Winegarner, and Brendan Sinclair shift into gear with Forza 3, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on the PSP, and Demon's Souls. Also, Chris Watters swings by to talk Borderlands, and Tom Mc Shea drops in for the monthly NPD sales figures.

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The HotSpot 10/20/2009

Brian Ekberg, Justin Calvert, Tyler Winegarner, and Brendan Sinclair shift into gear with Forza 3, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on PSP, and Demon's Souls. Also, Chris Watters swings by to talk Borderlands and Tom Mc Shea drops in for the monthly NPD sales figures.

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The HotSpot 10/13/2009

Tom Mc Shea, Giancarlo Varanini, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair get giddy over Uncharted 2 and Brutal Legend, tune up Guitar Hero: Van Halen, propose bad ideas for EA's Jack the Ripper game, and set a record for most unrelated 1980s sitcom references in single podcast.

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The HotSpot 10/13/2009

Tom Mc Shea, Giancarlo Varanini, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair get giddy over Uncharted 2 and Brutal Legend, tune up Guitar Hero: Van Halen, propose bad ideas for EA's Jack the Ripper game, and set a record for most unrelated 1980s sitcom references in single podcast.

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The HotSpot 10/06/2009

It's go time, as Kevin VanOrd, Lark Anderson, Sarju Shah, and Brendan Sinclair recap the PSP Go before delving into Demon's Souls and Ninja Gaiden Sigma and breaking out the extra-snooty monocles for ESRB Ratings Description Excerpt Theatre.

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The HotSpot 10/06/2009

It's go time, as Kevin VanOrd, Lark Anderson, Sarju Shah, and Brendan Sinclair recap the PSP Go before delving into Demon's Souls, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and break out the extra-snooty monocles for ESRB Ratings Description Excerpt Theatre.

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The HotSpot 09/29/2009

Tom Mc Shea, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair recap Tokyo Game Show week, from a Wii price drop to Dead Rising 2 to rumors of Microsoft buying EA. Also, more Halo 3: ODST, a touch of Williams Pinball, and a heated debate over whether Batman is, in fact, a scientist.

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The HotSpot 09/29/2009

Tom Mc Shea, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair recap Tokyo Game Show week, from a Wii price drop to Dead Rising 2 to rumors of Microsoft buying EA. Also, more Halo 3: ODST, a touch of Williams Pinball, and heated debate over whether Batman is, in fact, a scientist.

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The HotSpot 09/22/2009

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair lock and load with Halo 3: ODST, tune up The Beatles: Rock Band, recap last week's GDC Austin convention, and instill a healthy dose of Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick's skepticism, pessimism, and fear.

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The HotSpot 09/22/2009

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair lock and load with Halo 3: ODST, tune up The Beatles: Rock Band, recap last week's GDC Austin convention, and instill a healthy dose of Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick's skepticism, pessimism, and fear.

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The HotSpot 09/15/2009

With Brendan on assignment covering GDC Austin, Chris Watters, Shaun McInnis, Kevin VanOrd, and Tom Magrino grapple with the week's crush of games. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, Wet, Scribblenauts, Need for Speed: Shift, (take a breath), Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, NHL 10, and...My Boyfriend? Plus, Courtney Love goes crazy and NPD numbers--both very, very exciting!

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The HotSpot 09/15/2009

With Brendan on assignment covering GDC Austin, Chris Watters, Shaun McInnis, Kevin VanOrd, and Tom Magrino grapple with the week's crush of games. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, Wet, Scribblenauts, Need for Speed: Shift, (take a breath), Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, NHL 10, and...My Boyfriend? Plus, Courtney Love goes crazy and NPD numbers--both very, very exciting!

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The HotSpot 09/08/2009

Ricardo Torres, Giancarlo Varanini, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair get wistful on the Dreamcast's 10th anniversary with EA Sports president and Sega vet Peter Moore. Also, the gang recaps PAX 2009, talks All Time Greatest Game Heroes, and digs into Muramasa: The Demon Blade.

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The HotSpot 09/08/2009

Ricardo Torres, Giancarlo Varanini, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair get wistful on the Dreamcast's 10th anniversary with EA Sports president and Sega vet Peter Moore. Also, the gang recaps PAX 2009, talks All Time Greatest Game Heroes, and digs into Muramasa: The Demon Blade.

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The HotSpot 09/01/2009

Chris Watters, Shaun McInnis, Sophia Tong, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair sound off on Guitar Hero 5, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and Disney's big acquisition of Marvel. Also, God of War gets collected on the PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 Elite hardware gets a price drop.

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The HotSpot 09/01/2009

Chris Watters, Shaun McInnis, Sophia Tong, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair sound off on Guitar Hero 5, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and Disney's big acquisition of Marvel. Also, God of War gets collected on PS3, and Xbox 360 Elite hardware gets a price drop.

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The HotSpot 08/25/2009

Justin Calvert, Giancarlo Varanini, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair get committed to Batman: Arkham Asylum, level up in Dissidia: Final Fantasy, and recap a frenzied news week featuring a PS3 price drop, Fable III, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, and Rock Band 3.

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The HotSpot 08/25/2009

Justin Calvert, Giancarlo Varanini, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair get committed to Batman: Arkham Asylum, level up in Dissidia: Final Fantasy, and recap a frenzied news week, featuring a PlayStation 3 price drop, Fable III, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, and Rock Band 3.

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The HotSpot 08/18/2009

With HotSpot mastermind Brendan Sinclair giving his dulcet tones a rest for the week, Brian Ekberg, Chris Watters, Sophia Tong, and Tom Magrino do their best to make with the video game talky-talky. Subjects on tap for the week include Shadow Complex, EA Sports MMA, those irascible NPD sales numbers, and washing-machine Wii peripherals. Do not worry! Brendan's back next week!

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The HotSpot 08/18/2009

With HotSpot mastermind Brendan Sinclair giving his dulcet tones a rest for the week, Brian Ekberg, Chris Watters, Sophia Tong, and Tom Magrino do their best to make with the video game talky-talky. Subjects on tap for the week include Shadow Complex, EA Sports MMA, those irascible NPD sales numbers, and washing-machine Wii peripherals. Do not worry! Brendan's back next week!

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The HotSpot 08/11/2009

It's Madden week, which means it's time for Brian Ekberg, Chris Watters, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair to expose just how much (or little) they know about football. Also, the crew dissects Activision's plans for Call of Duty, Tony Hawk: Ride, and Guitar Hero: Van Halen before delving into games with a message and picking fights with FireHouse and Gallagher.

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The HotSpot 08/11/2009

It's Madden week, which means it's time for Brian Ekberg, Chris Watters, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair expose just how much (or little) they know about football. Also, the crew dissects Activision's plans for Call of Duty, Tony Hawk: Ride, and Guitar Hero: Van Halen before delving into games with a message and picking fights with FireHouse and Gallagher.

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The HotSpot 08/04/2009

Tom Mc Shea, Shaun McInnis, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair celebrate the 200th episode of the HotSpot by putting the moves on Fat Princess, enlisting with G.I. Joe, and doing whatever one is supposed to do with a "BlazBlue." Then its time to talk about game-based movies, still more 2010 delays, and a surplus of fun greater than is appropriate for stick-shaking purposes.

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The HotSpot 08/04/2009

Tom Mc Shea, Shaun McInnis, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair celebrate the 200th episode of the HotSpot by putting the moves on Fat Princess, enlisting with G.I. Joe, and doing whatever one is supposed to do with a "BlazBlue." Then, it's time to talk about game-based movies, still more 2010 delays, and a surplus of fun greater than is appropriate for stick-shaking purposes.

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The HotSpot 07/28/2009

Freshly back from a trip to Comic-Con, Chris Watters, Ricardo Torres, and Lark Anderson tell their war stories to Brendan Sinclair. Also, Splinter Cell Conviction is overturned until next year, the Warcraft movie gets a director, and the holiday release schedule takes shape.

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The HotSpot 07/28/2009

Just back from a trip to Comic-Con, Chris Watters, Ricardo Torres, and Lark Anderson tell their war stories to Brendan Sinclair. Also, Splinter Cell Conviction is overturned until next year, the Warcraft movie gets a director, and the holiday release schedule takes shape.

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The HotSpot 07/21/2009

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair tune up for make-your-own Rock Band songs, bemoan the Bayonetta delay, run down the monthly sales charts, and more. WARNING: This episode of the HotSpot contains suggestive language. Listener discretion is advised.

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The HotSpot 07/21/2009

Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair tune up for make-your-own Rock Band songs, bemoan the Bayonetta delay, run down the monthly sales charts, and more. WARNING: This episode of the HotSpot contains suggestive language. Listener discretion is advised.

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The HotSpot 07/14/2009

Justin Calvert, Andre Segers, Tom Mc Shea, Chris Watters, and Brendan Sinclair storm Battlefield 1943 and kick back with Wii Sports Resort, and look forward to another Summer of Arcade before discovering the awful truth of the BioShock 2 delay.

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The HotSpot 07/14/2009

Justin Calvert, Andre Segers, Tom Mc Shea, Chris Watters, and Brendan Sinclair storm Battlefield 1943, kick back with Wii Sports Resort, and look forward to another Summer of Arcade before discovering the awful truth about the BioShock 2 delay.

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The HotSpot 07/07/2009

Kevin VanOrd, Tyler Winegarner, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair keep busy punishing The Punisher and trying to describe Trine. Then it's time to get online with Starcraft II, LucasArts, and Gaikai. Plus, who thinks Asteroids would make a good movie? Hint: It's nobody on this panel.

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The HotSpot 07/07/2009

Kevin VanOrd, Tyler Winegarner, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair keep busy punishing The Punisher and trying to describe Trine. Then it's time to get online with Starcraft II, LucasArts, and Gaikai. Plus, who thinks Asteroids would make a good movie? Hint: It's nobody on this panel.

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The HotSpot 06/30/2009

There's more to the HotSpot than meets the ear when Ricardo Torres, Brian Ekberg, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair stick a verbal potato in the cinematic tailpipe of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (spoilers!). But that still leaves plenty of time to talk about The Conduit, id Software being acquired by the owners of Fallout and Oblivion, Mortal Kombat's day in kourt, and Uncharted setting sail for the silver screen.

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The HotSpot 06/30/2009

There's more to the HotSpot than meets the ear when Ricardo Torres, Brian Ekberg, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair stick a verbal potato in the cinematic tailpipe of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (spoilers!). But that still leaves plenty of time to talk about The Conduit, id Software being acquired by the owners of Fallout and Oblivion, Mortal Kombat's day in kourt, and Uncharted setting sail for the silver screen.

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The HotSpot 06/23/2009

Tom Magrino, Tom Mc Shea, Lark Anderson, and Brendan Sinclair threaten to drop support for the PS3 and PSP if Sony doesn't drop the price, and then jack up the cost of its Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor and Prototype discussion. Also, Angry Barry cocreator Aaron McCray talks about his political beat-'em-up and what's wrong (and right) with Xbox Live Community Games.

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The HotSpot 06/23/2009

Tom Magrino, Tom Mc Shea, Lark Anderson, and Brendan Sinclair threaten to drop support for the PS3 and PSP if Sony doesn't drop the price, then jack up the cost of their Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor and Prototype discussion. Also, Angry Barry co-creator Aaron McCray talks about his political beat-'em-up and what's wrong (and right) with Xbox Live Community Games.

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The HotSpot 06/16/2009

Who you gonna call for impressions of Ghostbusters, Prototype, and Legendary Starfy? The HotSpot fab five of Justin Calvert, Kevin VanOrd, Sophia Tong, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair, of course.

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The HotSpot 06/16/2009

Who you gonna call for impressions of Ghostbusters, Prototype, and Legendary Starfy? The HotSpot fab five of Justin Calvert, Kevin VanOrd, Sophia Tong, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair, of course.

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The HotSpot 06/09/2009

E3 2009 saw a lot of people drop a lot of megaton bombs. Brian Ekberg, Sophia Tong, Shaun McInnis, and Brendan Sinclair reflect in the aftermath of the big show, talk a little Sims 3, and pick sides in the cases of Activision v. Double Fine, Darksiders v. New Year's Day, and PC Gamers v. The World.

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The HotSpot 06/09/2009

E3 2009 saw a lot of people drop a lot of megaton bombs. Brian Ekberg, Sophia Tong, Shaun McInnis, and Brendan Sinclair reflect in the aftermath of the big show, talk a little Sims 3, and pick sides in the cases of Activision v. Double Fine, Darksiders v. New Year's Day, and PC Gamers v. The World.

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The HotSpot 06/03/2009

Giddy from lack of sleep and abundance of gaming goodness, Tom Magrino, Tom Mc Shea, Shaun McInnis, and Brendan Sinclair close out the HotSpot's E3 2009 coverage with a micro-cast recap of what was learned, seen, and played on the show floor. Highlights include Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, APB, Left 4 Dead 2, and hands-on impressions of Scribblenauts.

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The HotSpot 06/03/2009

Giddy from lack of sleep and abundance of gaming goodness, Tom Magrino, Tom Mc Shea, Shaun McInnis, and Brendan Sinclair close out the HotSpot's E3 2009 coverage with a micro-cast recap of what was learned, seen, and played on the show floor. Highlights include Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, APB, Left 4 Dead 2, and hands-on impressions of Scribblenauts.

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The HotSpot 06/02/2009

Kevin VanOrd, Chris Watters, Tyler Winegarner, and Brendan Sinclair burn through the Nintendo and Sony press conferences, pausing briefly to reflect on motion controls, Mario, Metroid: Other M, the PSP Go, Mass Effect 2, God of War 3, and so much more.

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The HotSpot 06/02/2009

Kevin VanOrd, Chris Watters, Tyler Winegarner, and Brendan Sinclair burn through the Nintendo and Sony press conferences, pausing briefly to reflect on motion controls, Mario, Metroid: Other M, the PSP Go, Mass Effect 2, God of War 3, and so much more.

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The HotSpot 06/01/2009

Tor Thorsen, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair recap a news-packed first day of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, with all the latest from E3 briefings held by Activision Blizzard, Microsoft, Ubisoft, and Electronic Arts.

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The HotSpot 06/01/2009

Tor Thorsen, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair recap a news-packed first day of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, with all the latest from E3 briefings held by Activision Blizzard, Microsoft, Ubisoft, and Electronic Arts.

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The HotSpot 05/26/2009

Shaun McInnis, Tom Mc Shea, Ricardo Torres, and Brendan Sinclair bask in the electric glow of Infamous, take a few swings at Punch-Out, and scratch their heads over leaked footage from Team Ico, the price of Tony Hawk: Ride, and what to expect from next week's Electronic Entertainment Expo.

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The HotSpot 05/26/2009

Shaun McInnis, Tom Mc Shea, Ricardo Torres, and Brendan Sinclair bask in the electric glow of Infamous, take a few swings at Punch-Out!!, and scratch their heads over leaked footage from Team Ico, the price of Tony Hawk: Ride, and what to expect from next week's Electronic Entertainment Expo.

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The HotSpot 05/19/2009

With E3 mere weeks away, Shaun McInnis, Giancarlo Varanini, Kevin VanOrd, Chris Watters, and Brendan Sinclair run down who needs to show what. Also, Activision's latest Tony Hawk game wants to take you for a Ride, and we've got impressions of Bionic Commando and Terminator: Salvation.

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The HotSpot 05/19/2009

With E3 mere weeks away, Shaun McInnis, Giancarlo Varanini, Kevin VanOrd, Chris Watters, and Brendan Sinclair run down who needs to show what. Also, Activision's latest Tony Hawk game wants to take you for a Ride, and we've got impressions of Bionic Commando and Terminator: Salvation.

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The HotSpot 05/12/2009

Tyler Winegarner, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair bombard Treyarch Call of Duty community manager Josh Olin with questions about the game's latest add-on, the studio's ambitions, and more. The gang wants to go even further Beyond Good and Evil, Thief 4 steals other people's hearts, and Tom comes out as a zombie sympathizer.

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The HotSpot 05/12/2009

Tyler Winegarner, Tom Mc Shea and Brendan Sinclair bombard Treyarch Call of Duty community manager Josh Olin with questions about the game's latest add-on, the studio's ambitions, and more. Also, the gang wants to go even further Beyond Good and Evil, Thief 4 steals other people's hearts, and Tom comes out as a zombie sympathizer.

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The HotSpot 05/05/2009

Tom Magrino, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair welcome Telltale Games cofounder Kevin Bruner into the studio to talk Wallace & Gromit, Wolverine, the rumored disc-less redesign for the PSP, games as art, and new developments on the BioShock feature film.

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The HotSpot 05/05/2009

Tom Magrino, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair welcome Telltale Games co-founder Kevin Bruner into the studio to talk Wallace & Gromit, Wolverine, the rumored disc-less redesign for the PSP, games as art, and new developments on the BioShock feature film.

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The HotSpot 04/28/2009

It's no-holds-barred podcasting action as Shaun McInnis, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Tyler Winegarner, and Brendan Sinclair submit to Ultimate Fighting Championship, BioShock 2, and Uncharted 2. Once the bleeding stops and the bones knit, it's time to sit down with ESA executive Rich Taylor about the Video Game Voters Network and the imminent arrival of a new and improved E3.

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The HotSpot 04/28/2009

It's no-holds-barred podcasting action as Shaun McInnis, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Tyler Winegarner, and Brendan Sinclair submit to Ultimate Fighting Championship, BioShock 2, and Uncharted 2. Once the bleeding stops and the bones knit, it's time to sit down with ESA executive Rich Taylor about the Video Game Voters Network and the imminent arrival of a new and improved E3.

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The HotSpot 04/21/2009

Tor Thorsen, Chris Watters, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair draw a thin line between tangents and actual topics such as Fallout: New Vegas, a bad month for NPD numbers, M-rated games for the Wii and DS, and Activision's Scratch lawsuit. And for those who enjoy linearity, a perfectly coherent interview with Leisure Suit Larry creator Al Lowe!

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The HotSpot 04/21/2009

Tor Thorsen, Chris Watters, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair draw a thin line between tangents and actual topics like Fallout: New Vegas, a bad month of NPD numbers, M-rated games for Wii and DS, and Activision's Scratch lawsuit. And for those who enjoy linearity, a perfectly coherent interview with Leisure Suit Larry creator Al Lowe!

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The HotSpot 04/14/2009

Shaun McInnis saw Saw, and he shares impressions of the horrifying puzzle game with Tom Mc Shea, Andre Segers, and Brendan Sinclair. Then the gang gets up in arms about Dead Space's debut on the Wii, Nintendo's problems in Japan, the screenwriter for the new Shadow of the Colossus movie, and a slew of five-word game reviews.

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The HotSpot 04/14/2009

Shaun McInnis saw Saw, and he shares impressions of the horrifying puzzle game with Tom Mc Shea, Andre Segers, and Brendan Sinclair. Then the gang gets up in arms about Dead Space's debut on Wii, Nintendo's problems in Japan, the screenwriter for the new Shadow of the Colossus movie, and a slew of five-word game reviews.

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The HotSpot 04/07/2009

Kevin VanOrd, Sophia Tong, Andre Segers, and Brendan Sinclair go hands-on with the Nintendo DSi and rundown the launch lineup in every sense of the word before moving on to Ninja Blade, Riddick, and more. Also, the largest HotSpot collection of corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies yet!

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The HotSpot 04/07/2009

Kevin VanOrd, Sophia Tong, Andre Segers, and Brendan Sinclair go hands-on with the Nintendo DSi and rundown the launch lineup in every sense of the word before moving on to Ninja Blade, Riddick, and more. Also, the largest HotSpot collection of corrections, clarifications, retractions, and apologies yet!

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The HotSpot 03/31/2009

Tom Mc Shea, Shaun McInnis, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair recover from the Game Developers Conference with speculation about The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, impressions of Batman: Arkham Asylum, praise for Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, and mixed reactions to the OnLive on-demand game-streaming service.

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The HotSpot 03/31/2009

Tom Mc Shea, Shaun McInnis, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair recover from the Game Developers Conference with speculation about The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, impressions of Batman: Arkham Asylum, praise for Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, and mixed reactions to the OnLive on-demand game-streaming service.

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The HotSpot 03/24/2009

Tom Mc Shea, Shaun McInnis, Sophia Tong, Andre Segers, and Brendan Sinclair play Animal Crossing for all the wrong reasons before digging into news of Max Payne 3 and Ninja Gaiden Sigma II. Then it's time to put the Resident Evil 5 discussion to bed, revisit GTAIV's full-frontal nudity in lingering detail, and dig up what we can on a 360 gamer by the name of Xkamun1k80r.

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The HotSpot 03/24/2009

Tom Mc Shea, Shaun McInnis, Sophia Tong, Andre Segers, and Brendan Sinclair play Animal Crossing for all the wrong reasons before digging into news of Max Payne 3 and Ninja Gaiden Sigma II. Then it's time to put the Resident Evil 5 discussion to bed, revisit GTAIV's full-frontal nudity in lingering detail, and dig up what we can on a 360 gamer by the name of Xkamun1k80r.

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The HotSpot 03/17/2009

Brian Ekberg, Lark Anderson, Kevin VanOrd, Justin Calvert, and Brendan Sinclair go into the gory details on Resident Evil 5, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, and MadWorld. After that, they run through a sequel-heavy news week with tidbits on BioShock 2, Army of Two: The 40th Day, RE: Darkside Chronicles, and more.

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The HotSpot 03/17/2009

Brian Ekberg, Lark Anderson, Kevin VanOrd, Justin Calvert, and Brendan Sinclair go into the gory details on Resident Evil 5, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, MadWorld, then run through a sequel-heavy news week with tidbits on BioShock 2, Army of Two: The 40th Day, RE: Darkside Chronicles, and more.

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The HotSpot 03/10/2009

Chris Watters, Ricardo Torres, Tom Mc Shea, Brendan Sinclair, and game designer David Sirlin talk about watching the Watchmen, balancing fighting games, the used-game business, BioShock 2, Resident Evil 5, and...Quiz and Dragons?

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The HotSpot 03/10/2009

Chris Watters, Ricardo Torres, Tom Mc Shea, Brendan Sinclair, and game designer David Sirlin talk about watching the Watchmen, balancing fighting games, the used game business, BioShock 2, Resident Evil 5, andÂ… Quiz and Dragons?

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The HotSpot 03/03/2009

Tom Magrino, Lark Anderson, Ricardo Torres, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair lean deep into the strike zone and take one for the team with Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li. Once they purge themselves of those memories, it's on to Halo Wars, the future of the PSP, the latest Wii release slate, and more.

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The HotSpot 03/03/2009

Tom Magrino, Lark Anderson, Ricardo Torres, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair lean deep into the strike zone and take one for the team with Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li. Once they purge themselves of those memories, it's on to Halo Wars, the future of the PSP, the latest Wii release slate, and more.

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The HotSpot 02/24/2009

Shaun McInnis, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair provide a dramatic reinterpretation of Killzone 2's gripping narrative before delving into the surreal one-two punch that is Noby Noby Boy and 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand. Then the gang looks to the future and gets psyched to varying degrees for Lost Planet 2, Alice, Dead to Rights: Retribution, and the DSi.

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The HotSpot 02/24/2009

Shaun McInnis, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair provide a dramatic reinterpretation of Killzone 2's gripping narrative before delving into the surreal one-two punch that is Noby Noby Boy and 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand. Then the gang looks to the future and gets psyched to varying degrees for Lost Planet 2, Alice, Dead to Rights: Retribution, and the DSi.

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The HotSpot 02/17/2009

Justin Calvert, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Magrino, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair go nuts for GTA: The Lost and Damned, Dawn of War II, and House of the Dead: Overkill before taking some time out to watch over the Watchmen game's associate producer Jerry Pritchard.

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The HotSpot 02/17/2009

Justin Calvert, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Magrino, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair go nuts for GTA: The Lost and Damned, Dawn of War II, and House of the Dead: Overkill before taking some time out to watch over the Watchmen game's associate producer Jerry Pritchard.

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The HotSpot 02/10/2009

Wanted: Weapons of Fate executive producer Pete Wanat swings by the studio to curve bullets with Shaun McInnis, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair, and then it's time to talk Dead Rising 2, Dead Space on the Wii, Red Dead Redemption, the suddenly not dead Free Radical Design, and tons more.

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The HotSpot 02/10/2009

Wanted: Weapons of Fate executive producer Pete Wanat swings by the studio to curve bullets with Shaun McInnis, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair, then it's time to talk Dead Rising 2, Dead Space on Wii, Red Dead Redemption, the suddenly not dead Free Radical Design, and tons more.

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The HotSpot 02/03/2009

Still buzzing from the weekend's Puppy Bowl V, Brian Ekberg, Sophia Tong, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair try to focus on Resident Evil 5, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Killzone 2, Mortal Kombat vs. Major Dad, and your best box quotes for terrible, terrible games.

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The HotSpot 02/03/2009

Still buzzing from the weekend's Puppy Bowl V, Brian Ekberg, Sophia Tong, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair try to focus on Resident Evil 5, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Killzone 2, Mortal Kombat vs. Major Dad, and your best box quotes for terrible, terrible games.

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The HotSpot 01/27/2009

Chris Watters, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair knuckle up like 3 Ninjas and go a few rounds with Street Fighter IV, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?, the new Ninja Turtles game, and the legacy of Uwe Boll.

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The HotSpot 01/27/2009

Chris Watters, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair knuckle up like 3 Ninjas and go a few rounds with Street Fighter IV, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?, the new Ninja Turtles game, and the legacy of Uwe Boll.

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The HotSpot 01/20/2009

Shaun McInnis, Tom Mc Shea, Sophia Tong, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair whack the Godfather II, play with Deadly Creatures, run down the best-selling games of 2008, and discussion about the story in Doom 4 morphs into an argument about the merits of early American literature in a fairly surreal installment of The HotSpot.

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The HotSpot 01/20/2009

Shaun McInnis, Tom Mc Shea, Sophia Tong, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair whack the Godfather II, play with Deadly Creatures, and run down the best-selling games of 2008 before discussion of the story in Doom 4 morphs into an argument about the merits of early American literature in a fairly surreal installment of The HotSpot.

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The HotSpot 01/13/2009

Tor Thorsen, Shaun McInnis, Tom McShea, and Brendan Sinclair run down the scene at CES 2009, pay a visit to Skate 2's Hall of Meat, ponder a year without a new Rock Band, assess the state of the fighting game, and lament the death of Electronic Gaming Monthly.

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The HotSpot 01/13/2009

Tor Thorsen, Shaun McInnis, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair run down the scene at CES 2009, pay a visit to Skate 2's Hall of Meat, ponder a year without a new Rock Band, assess the state of the fighting game, and lament the death of Electronic Gaming Monthly.

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The HotSpot 01/06/2009

The HotSpot comes out swinging for 2009 with the longest episode yet, far surpassing the surgeon general's daily recommended allowance of inane chatter. Find out all about Nintendo's early '09 lineup, rumors of a new Zelda, why Gears of War 2 wasn't nominated for our Game of the Year, and why Metal Gear Solid 4 took home the hardware.

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The HotSpot 01/06/2009

The HotSpot comes out swinging for 2009 with the longest episode yet, far surpassing the surgeon general's daily recommended allowance of inane chatter. Find out all about Nintendo's early '09 lineup, rumors of a new Zelda, why Gears of War 2 wasn't nominated for our Game of the Year, and why Metal Gear Solid 4 took home the hardware.

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The HotSpot 12/16/2008

Ricardo Torres, Tom Magrino, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair recap the biggest trends of 2008 and look forward to God of War, Brutal Legend, Wolverine: Origins, and (fingers crossed) Michael Phelps vs. Aquaman.

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The HotSpot 12/16/2008

Ricardo Torres, Tom Magrino, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair recap the biggest trends of 2008 and look forward to God of War, Brutal Legend, Wolverine: Origins, and (fingers crossed) Michael Phelps vs. Aquaman.

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The HotSpot 12/09/2008

Shaun McInnis, Jon Miller, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair fight through a serious case of "senioritis" to discuss the new Prince of Persia and a packed week of news featuring Uncharted 2, GTAIV for PC, Killzone 2, Brutal Legend, and casual racism as a PR strategy.

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The HotSpot 12/09/2008

Shaun McInnis, Jon Miller, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair fight through a serious case of "senioritis" to discuss the new Prince of Persia and a packed week of news featuring Uncharted 2, GTAIV for PC, Killzone 2, Brutal Legend, and casual racism as a PR strategy.

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The HotSpot 12/02/2008

Chris Watters, Sophia Tong, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair break down gaming's 10 commandments, lobby for a Halo-Rashomon crossover, show some love to GTAIV, and share their top three games of 2008.

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The HotSpot 12/02/2008

Chris Watters, Sophia Tong, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair break down gaming's 10 commandments, lobby for a Halo-Rashomon crossover, show some love to GTAIV, and share their top three games of 2008.

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The HotSpot 11/25/2008

It looks like the best/worst of the holiday blockbuster rush is behind us, so Tom Magrino, Brian Ekberg, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair have time to reflect on the hits that were and run down the New Xbox Experience before seeing Dead Rising and PETA in court.

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The HotSpot 11/25/2008

It looks like the best/worst of the holiday blockbuster rush is behind us, so Tom Magrino, Brian Ekberg, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair have time to reflect on the hits that were and run down the New Xbox Experience before seeing Dead Rising and PETA in court.

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The HotSpot 11/18/2008

Shaun White answers the Call of Duty as the HotSpot crew gets down to the Nuts and Bolts of Wrath of the Lich King...Gears of War 2. Also, we get elbow deep in discussion about the ESRB's spoiler-rific ratings summaries and dole out mad props to awesome listeners who donated to Child's Play.

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The HotSpot 11/18/2008

Shaun White answers the Call of Duty as the HotSpot crew gets down to the Nuts and Bolts of Wrath of the Lich King...Gears of War 2. Also, we get elbow deep in discussion about the ESRB's spoiler-rific ratings summaries and dole out mad props to awesome listeners who donated to Child's Play.

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The HotSpot 11/11/2008

Ricardo Torres, Tom Magrino, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair shoot the breeze (and the aliens) on Gears of War 2, Resistance 2, and Mirror's Edge, then it's on to shuttered studios, the best inventions of 2008, and more phone calls and e-mails than are probably healthy.

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The HotSpot 11/11/2008

Ricardo Torres, Tom Magrino, Kevin VanOrd, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair shoot the breeze (and the aliens) on Gears of War 2, Resistance 2, and Mirror's Edge, then it's on to shuttered studios, the best inventions of 2008, and more phone calls and e-mails than are probably healthy.

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The HotSpot 11/04/2008

California State Senator Leland Yee comes by to defend his gaming legislation and class up the joint, but only after Shaun McInnis, Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair spend the better part of an hour taking things in the opposite direction.

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The HotSpot 11/04/2008

California State Senator Leland Yee comes by to defend his gaming legislation and class up the joint, but only after Shaun McInnis, Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, and Brendan Sinclair spend the better part of an hour taking things in the opposite direction.

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The HotSpot 10/28/2008

Talking about games is our business, and business is good! Mortal Kombat kreator Ed Boon swings by the studio to talk about taking on the DC Universe and the revitalized Electronic Entertainment Expo. It's a packed podcast featuring six GameSpotters talking up Fable II, Fallout 3, BioWare's Star Wars MMO game, and much more.

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The HotSpot 10/28/2008

Talking about games is our business, and business is good! Mortal Kombat kreator Ed Boon swings by the studio to talk about taking on the DC Universe and the revitalized Electronic Entertainment Expo. It's a packed podcast featuring six GameSpotters talking up Fable II, Fallout 3, BioWare's Star Wars MMO game, and much more.

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The HotSpot 10/21/2008

Ricardo Torres, Jon Miller, Don "The People's Panelist" Francis, and Brendan Sinclair play with fire as they discuss a Little Big Planet blasphemy, Obama's play for gamer votes, playing as a force of good or evil, and franchises that need to die.

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The HotSpot 10/21/2008

Ricardo Torres, Jon Miller, Don "The People's Panelist" Francis, and Brendan Sinclair play with fire as they discuss a Little Big Planet blasphemy, Obama's play for gamer votes, playing as a force of good or evil, and franchises that need to die.

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The HotSpot 10/14/2008

Justin Calvert, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair welcome BioShock 2 lead level designer JP LeBreton to help negotiate the treacherous corridors deep within the week's news, including the Tokyo Game Show, BlizzCon, Saints Row 2, Dead Space, and a ton more.

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The HotSpot 10/14/2008

Justin Calvert, Tom Mc Shea, and Brendan Sinclair welcome BioShock 2 lead level designer JP LeBreton to help negotiate the treacherous corridors deep within the week's news, including the Tokyo Game Show, BlizzCon, Saints Row 2, Dead Space, and a ton more.

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The HotSpot 10/07/2008

Jon Miller, Lark Anderson, and Brendan Sinclair drop the hate before recapping a flood of Nintendo news from the DSi to Punch-Out!! for Wii before digging in to discuss the potential of DLC as a bane to retailers and gamers both. Also, Jon relives a painful childhood memory to the delight and merriment of all.

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The HotSpot 10/07/2008

Jon Miller, Lark Anderson, and Brendan Sinclair drop the hate before recapping a flood of Nintendo news from the DSi to Punch-Out!! for Wii before digging in to discuss the potential of DLC as a bane to retailers and gamers both. Also, Jon relives a painful childhood memory to the delight and merriment of all.

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The HotSpot 09/30/2008

There's a new DS on the way, Jack Thompson was disbarred, Bungie's making a new Halo, and Fable II will ship without a promised feature. There's so much news it took Aaron Thomas, Tom Mc Shea, Chris Watters, and Brendan Sinclair nearly an hour and a half to cover it all!

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The HotSpot 09/30/2008

There's a new DS on the way, Jack Thompson was disbarred, Bungie's making a new Halo, and Fable II will ship without a promised feature. There's so much news it took Aaron Thomas, Tom Mc Shea, Chris Watters, and Brendan Sinclair nearly an hour and a half to cover it all!

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The HotSpot 09/23/2008

Brian Ekberg, Tom Mc Shea, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair hit the week's high notes, from Wii Music's flop potential to the rampant proliferation of Guitar Hero games. For the non-musically minded listeners, the panel goes off on Warhammer Online, Microsoft considering a Nintendo buyout circa 2003, and listeners' all-time favorite glitches.

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The HotSpot 09/23/2008

Brian Ekberg, Tom Mc Shea, Tom Magrino, and Brendan Sinclair hit the week's high notes, from Wii Music's flop potential to the rampant proliferation of Guitar Hero games. For the non-musically minded listeners, the panel goes off on Warhammer Online, Microsoft considering a Nintendo buyout circa 2003, and listeners' all-time favorite glitches.

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The HotSpot 09/16/2008

EA won't be buying Take-Two after all, Microsoft is shutting down Halo Wars studio Ensemble, and Midway laid out the full Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe roster. Shaun McInnis, Sophia Tong, Tom Mc Shea and Brendan Sinclair debate whether any of this is good for the industry in a packed episode of the HotSpot.

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The HotSpot 09/16/2008

EA won't be buying Take-Two after all, Microsoft is shutting down Halo Wars studio Ensemble, and Midway laid out the full Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe roster. Shaun McInnis, Sophia Tong, Tom Mc Shea and Brendan Sinclair debate whether any of this is good for the industry in a packed episode of the HotSpot.

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The HotSpot 09/09/2008

Kevin Van Ord, Chris Watters, Tom Mc Shenanigans, and Brendan Sinclair take a few whacks at Viva Pinata, Spore, TNA Impact, the Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death, and a week's worth of news in a very special Dreamcast ninth-anniversary edition of the HotSpot.

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The HotSpot 09/09/2008

Kevin Van Ord, Chris Watters, Tom Mc Shenanigans, and Brendan Sinclair take a few whacks at Viva Pinata, Spore, TNA Impact, the Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death, and a week's worth of news in a very special Dreamcast ninth-anniversary edition of the HotSpot.

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The HotSpot 09/02/2008

A short show for a short week. This week's installment includes Shaun's report from the Leipzig Games Convention, Jon's impressions of Spore, Chris' response to Brett Ratner's Guitar Hero movie proposal, and Tor's farewell to the host's chair. Also this week: Square Enix's proposed Tecmo buyout, Warhammer Online going gold, Ninja Gaiden II selling 1 million, and the Xbox 360 being cheaper than the Wii...in Japan.

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The HotSpot 09/02/2008

A short show for a short week. This week's installment includes Shaun's report from the Leipzig Games Convention, Jon's impressions of Spore, Chris' response to Brett Ratner's Guitar Hero movie proposal, and Tor's farewell to the host's chair. Also this week: Square Enix's proposed Tecmo buyout, Warhammer Online going gold, Ninja Gaiden II selling 1 million, and the Xbox 360 being cheaper than the Wii...in Japan.

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The HotSpot 08/26/2008

Brendan returns to host Chris, Kevin, and Tom Mc Shark Attack through a minefield of controversial topics, from Kevin's Too Human review to the downside of the casual game trend, a potentially offensive Space Invaders art exhibit at Leipzig, how to fight gaming piracy, and Tom Mc Shawshank's favorite nickname.

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The HotSpot 08/26/2008

Brendan returns to host Chris, Kevin, and Tom Mc Shark Attack through a minefield of controversial topics, from Kevin's Too Human review to the downside of the casual game trend, a potentially offensive Space Invaders art exhibit at Leipzig, how to fight gaming piracy, and Tom Mc Shawshank's favorite nickname.

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The HotSpot 08/19/2008

Tor, Chris, and Jon kick around the week's gaming news like the Nigerian football team in Beijing. Topics on the pitch this week include Electronic Arts inking deals with Epic and Grasshopper, the latest NPD sales figures showing the PS3 on a roll, Spore going gold, Radical getting downsized, and whether or not an abundance of Wiis can improve a certain Midwestern state.

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The HotSpot 08/12/2008

Brendan's back in the host's chair with an all-Thomas team of panelists (Mc Shea, Magrino, and Aaron) to tackle the week's topics, including Braid, Madden 09, Gears of War's replica rifles, piracy, and the intoxicating (or simply toxic) concoction of sex and violence in games.

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The HotSpot 08/19/2008

Tor, Chris, and Jon kick around the week's gaming news like the Nigerian football team in Beijing. Topics on the pitch this week include Electronic Arts inking deals with Epic and Grasshopper, the latest NPD sales figures showing the PS3 on a roll, Spore going gold, Radical getting downsized, and whether or not an abundance of Wiis can improve a certain Midwestern state.

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The HotSpot 08/12/2008

Brendan's back in the host's chair with an all-Thomas team of panelists (Mc Shea, Magr