Grab a hammer and nail the headphones to your ears, its time for Force Feedback! This is the show where we turn the spotlight over to you the mighty Axehead army. This week, we’re talking about the Xbox Live price increase, the rumors Brad Pitt will be playing John Marston, used games, BioWare and much more.

Prepare yourself for Force Feedback!
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Prepare your frontal lobe for a frontal assault, its Force Feedback! This is the show where we give you the spotlight so you can Cry Havoc and Let Your Voice Be Heard! This week, the Axehead army sounds off on the playing-as-a-terrorist debate, Red Dead Cheaters, subscription-based multiplayer, Botox as a nuclear deterrent, and mucho more.

Hold on to your socks, its time for Force Feedback!
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Ready your earth and water to receive victims of sparta-ing, its time for another edition of EpicBattleCry! In this week’s Skirmish, we revel in the release date of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, snuggle with a companion cube for Portal 2 next February, check out the collectors edition of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, moan and groan on the pre-order madness for Hunted: The Demon’s Forge, and roll our eyes as F.E.A.R. 3 is delayed.

First up on the main course, we reflect on the recent news that Mass Effect 2 is headed to the PS3 and the announcement of Dragon Age 2. With all the talk of streamlined combat systems and selling games to the widest possible market, we ask the question: Is EA’s corporate influence beginning to sink BioWare? Next up, Sony had a strong showing at GamesCom 2010; with exclusives like Resistance 3 and Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One as well as the newly announced console bundles for PlayStation Move, we discuss what lies ahead for Sony.

The Battle Cry of the Week goes to Gran Turismo 5’s cart racing mode, Virtua Tennis 4, and Dead Space 2.
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As happens often when we record a fresh Skirmish of EpicBattleCry, sometimes we have a discussion topic that doesn’t make it into the show simply because of time constraints. This past week, when features writer, Lorin Baumgarten joined us for EBC Skirmish 86, we discussed the news that Blockbuster will begin offering games as part of their discs-by-mail program. Lorin did some research on the matter and discovered some interesting facts about the new initiative which spawned quite the discussion regarding what this will mean for big blue, dedicated game services like GameFly, and ultimately gamers.

So, strap in, fire it up, and punch yourself in the face, we’ve got EBC On Tap!

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By Lorin Baumgarten

Hazaa my fellow ‘Axeheads – and welcome to another edition of Gaming Matters! As many of you already know, I had the privilege of guest hosting on this week’s episode of EpicBattleCry in the absence of the show’s illustrious host, Anthony Scalia Grice (that is, of course, not his real name). Before getting into the topic of this week’s Gaming Matters, I would like to say thanks to the fellas for having me on the show. I also would like to thank you guys for the awesome response to the episode in the comments section! It sounds as if you enjoyed the show, and I certainly enjoyed doing it. Which brings me to my topic for this week. Traditionally, my column is a related to, if not a direct response to, the most recent episode of EpicBattleCry. This being a week where my take on things was actually included in the show, I thought I would do something a bit different. I thought I might use this time to talk about the EpicBattleCry podcast itself. I thought that perhaps I might pontificate on why EBC is such a high quality show and simultaneously give you a bit of insight into the inner workings of the worlds best video game podcast, as gleaned by someone who managed to sneak into the lair!
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Greetings Axeheads and welcome to Force Feedback! This is the show where we give you the spotlight so you can Cry Havoc and Let Your Voice Be Heard! This week, the EBA community checks in for the win with poetry, sweet-ass GOG withdrawal, the final word on what the internet thinks of Bobby Kotick, and so, so much more.

Buckle up, release the bees, and hold on to your face, Force Feedback has been unleashed!
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Ride! Ride now; its time for another edition of EpicBattleCry! This week we welcome a new member of the EBA team in a debut appearance on EpicBattleCry. Please extend your most epic welcome to EpicBattleAxe features writer Lorin Baumgarten, filling in while Tony is on vacation.

In this week’s skirmish we ponder the Call of Duty: Black Ops prestige and hardened editions, run down the cast of voice talent for Fallout: New Vegas, marvel at the rumors of Duke Nukem Forever may be in active development, and discuss Quake Live’s subscription business model and what it might mean for other titles.

With the big event in NYC last week, the big news in gaming is undoubtedly BioShock Infinite. With that title consciously moving away from familiar territory, the Axe Crew talks sequels and the balance developers must find between forging new ground and alienating fans hunger for more of the same.

The Battle Cry of the Week goes to BioShock Infinite, Mafia II, and Little Big Planet.
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Since the beginning, EpicBattleAxe.com has been dedicated to inciting opinion and debate in our community. We love hearing from you all. Its why we started reading Member Battle Cries on EBC and eventually expanded to include a host of feedback from across the EpicBattleAxe online community.

Today, however, we’re giving YOU the spotlight and launching a new feature podcast dedicated entirely to your comments from around the webs. We asked you to Cry Havoc and Let Your Voice Be Heard and you did, with a vengeance. We’ve felt a little cheated each week forcing ourselves to pick a single comment from the various EBA outlets of discussion. Now we don’t have to. Each week, we’ll be picking several of our favorite comments from the Member Battle Cry topics, the EBA channel on GameTrailers, The EpicBattleAxe Forums, our Facebook fan page, and Twitter to share with all the Axeheads!

So, welcome to the show devoted to your comments, your discourse, and your voice.

Welcome to Force Feedback!
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Shields forward and hold the line; its time for another edition of EpicBattleCry! In this week’s Skirmish we relish the announcement of Batman: Arkham City, revolt over the news Assassins Creed: Brotherhood is getting a PlayStation/GameStop exclusive multiplayer beta, fein surprise that Crysis 2 is being pushed back to 2011, sing a hearty song at word Torchlight 2 is coming our way, and bemoan the announcement that NBA Jam is coming to PS3 and 360 for free, but only, with NBA Elite 11.

We talk about gaming a lot round the Axe, but this week we take a step back to ponder the greater existential question our hobby/lifestyle raises: why do we game? Whether its for story, social interaction, the challenge, or just fun, we all have a reason (probably several) for doing what we do. So, this week, we, your humble Axe Lords, try to answer that question and we’re inviting all of you to do the same throughout the week here on EpicBattleAxe.com. Vote in the EBA poll over in the sidebar, hit up our Member Battle Cry post to share your thoughts, or leap in the discusion going on right now in the EBA forums. Whatever your course, be sure to Cry Havoc and Let Your Voice Be Heard!

The Battle Cry of the Week goes to Plunder, Vanquish (the game, not the tailer), and IGN’s decision to switch up their scoring system.
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Back in Skirmish 83, we tackled one of the most significant issues in the gaming biz: reviews. Its a heated topic among many gamers and we had plenty to say on the matter. We were also full of opinions on Destructoid.com reviews editor Jim Sterling. Mr. Sterling is a polarizing figure for many readers; just as likely to be accused of bias as acclaimed for his (brutal) honesty. We thought it only fair to get his side of the story, so we were thrilled when Jim agreed to go Under The Axe and share his thoughts on ratings, reviews, and the abuse we dished out in EpicBattleCry 83.
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