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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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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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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Greetings Axe Heads! Today we’re pulling the canvas off a new feature here on EBA: Under the Axe, where we go one-on-three with gaming industry insiders to bring you the straight slice on all matters gaming. On our maiden voyage, we’re talking with Blacklight: Tango Down lead designer Jared Gerritzen of Zombie Studios. We chit the chat on downloadable games, platform exclusive titles, and when we can expect to see Blacklight on PSN.

So form the phalanx and prepare for glory as we go Under The Axe!
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Sound the horns and lay waste the city, its time for another edition of EpicBattleCry! In this week’s skirmish, we mull over the news that Zelda: Skyward Sword is on track for an early 2011 release, check out the trailer for James Bond 007: Blood Stone, discuss the 360 exclusive window for Lara Croft and The Guardian of Light, and the PS3-exclusive DLC for Mafia II.

First up in the main course this week, we go Under The Axe with Zombie Studios’ Jared Gerritzen, lead designer on Blacklight: Tango Down. We talk platform exclusives, milking gamers, and changing expectations for downloadable games. Be sure to check out the full interview with Jared only on EpicBattleAxe.com!

With the slew of Limited Editions, DLC goodies, and promotions that were announced this week, we take a moment to consider whether or not these premium priced goodies make sense and whether game publishers and marketers get gamers.

The Battle Cry of the Week goes to King of Fighters XIII, The teaser-announcment-trailer for Mega Man Universe, Breach, and Assassin’s Creed 2.
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Raise your axes, raise your glasses, its time for another edition of EpicBattleCry! In this week’s Skirmish we banter on Enslaved, which now has a release date, prepare for Red Dead Redemption’s own zombie apocalypse, reflect on the announcement of Dragon Age 2, and discuss the Blizzard Real ID fiasco from last week.

With the release late last week of Blacklight: Tango Down, and plenty of chatter in the EBA Forums on the subject, we sit down to talk about wether or not gamers are ready to give up discs in favor of Downloadable Games. Services like Steam are doing well on the PC, but are console gamers onboard with DLG?

The Battle Cry of the Week goes to the devs behind Super Stardust HD for making everything better (in 2d or 3d), Microsoft’s (and Valve’s) Summer Sales, the beginning of beta testing for Star Wars: The Old Republic, and John Marston, for being quite the character.
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