It's 2014, and the Pantsless Ones are back! Well, Angelo and Patrick had to wear layers for this recording, as they were smack dab in the middle of BLIZZARD 2014(tm)!

Hey there, Julian here. Yeah, I'm not your usual Backloggers Anonymous host, but we're tackling a game that I have a really huge soft spot for: Asura's Wrath.

First off, I'm sorry about the audio. Technical issues caused my feed to sound a little on the distorted side. It's not horrible, but it's noticeable. I believe I've found the cause of the problem and fixed it, but unfortunately this recording is what it is.

If you’ve still got an NES kicking around your entertainment center, chances are it’s been a long time since it’s had a brand new cartridge popped in. Lucky for you and your forlorn, reliable console, there’s a fresh game slated for release early next year. Although there have been a smattering of games released for the NES recently, Armed for Battle is pretty unique. Not only was the project put together by a solitary programmer, but Frank Westphal is giving us something the king of ‘80s consoles never had before: a real time strategy game. Frank was nice enough to take some questions about his development process, his game, and what he expects from Armed for Battle.  Budding homebrew developers and fans of the NES will learn a lot from my conversation with Frank.

After not one, but two special format shows with guests, it's high time for the main NWP crew to get together and talk some games. Like, a lot of games. Like, too many games.

So, this was supposed to be a Halloween special, but clearly we're a little bit late for that. Oh well. 

Join Joaquim as he streams some games live!

Well, we're a bit late thanks to technical difficulties and busy schedules, but the Nerds Without Pants are back with another special format. Once again there is no time for the media we've been consuming, as we are joined by fan favorite John Gholson to talk all things comic books.

Welcome back to marketing 101, where we look back at the historical console campaigns of the “Big Three.” Last time was all about Nintendo, the dominant force in the video games industry from 1986 on. Well, at least until a little electronics company from Japan decided to get into the market in 1995. Let’s see how this upstart conquered the gaming landscape, only to fall far behind due to their own hubris.

So, we wrapped up El Shaddai, and, for better and for worse, our expectations were pretty spot on. As you might imagine considering our previous podcast, stuff got deep again. We also had some theories and conjecture about a lot of the messages and artistic choices present in the game. Even if El Shaddai ended up not being for you, we hope you'll listen anyway to see what we took away from it. 

The next round of console wars are upon us! With the big three companies--Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft--on the board with their new machines, it's time for people to pick sides and see who comes out on top. No matter which machine you're backing, it's worth looking back at how each company has handled their systems in the past. Since Nintendo came onto the scene first, we'll start by going back in time and checking out how they marketed their machines. From the NES to the WII U, PixlBit's got ya covered!

Let's get right to it, people. There's no time to talk about current media we've been consuming, because this episode of NWP is an epic look back at the seventh console generation and a bit of a look forward at the eighth generation. So sit back, strap in, and get comfy, folks!

Greetings, my fellow Draugrs! The Halloween season is upon us, so The Elder Scrolls Forge is celebrating in grand fashion by bringing you the most bone-chilling mods for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Whether you are looking for some terrifying quests, Halloween-themed overhauls, greater immersion, or just a little aesthetic character embellishment we've got you covered. Remember, all images are scalable if you'd like to get a better look, and if you are interested in snagging yourself a copy of any of the mods just click on the title to be taken to its respective Skyrim Nexus page. So whenever you are done cursing off Valgar Vinicia for running out of pumpkin spice, dim the lights and prepare to celebrate Halloween, Dovahkiin style!

Being a tough guy is hard, but being a badass can be even tougher unless you follow my lead, of course. Anyone can claim to be badass, but more often than not their badassery can’t hold up when it’s truly tested. I, however I am the complete embodiment of all that is badass in video games, and it’s time for me to share some of my knowledge with you all. You may think you’re hot stuff, and you may think you’re tough, but in reality you’re only an apprentice.

This week's PB & Jason will probably lie to you. Don't believe what I say in the show's intro, as there isn't really anything about Pokémon in the podcast at all! If I were a betting man, I would also wager that somehow both Epic Mickey and Scribblenauts are discussed. Surprise! Tune in! Leave a comment! Send an email! Suggest more ways to end sentences with exclamation points! Listen! Click through!

Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to listen to. Something like this extra-large edition of Nerds Without Pants, Halloween-style!

In this issue of PB & Jason, we have Pokémon X & Y, a weirdly-worded Joystiq story, potentially low Xbox One and PS4 console pre-order sales, and an inferred reason for the delay of Ubisoft's Watch_Dogs. Tune in! Leave a comment! Send an email! Suggest more ways to end sentences with exclamation points! Listen! Click through!

Though we all know the next holiday approaching is Halloween, for Nick and Chris, Saturday night was more like Christmas Eve. Starting at midnight Sunday morning, Namco Bandai opened up the first play session for the Dark Souls II beta and the duo got a chance to check out a portion of the game for 3 full hours. While there's quite a bit of coverage from the event forthcoming, this first tidbit is a discussion between the two about their time in the game and the things that they observed and experienced.

Yes, that's right, we brought in a special guest for this one: Richard Clark of, well, half the internet really. Mostly he's known for his work at Christ and Pop Culture and Game Church. For our intentions however, it's his work covering our next game, El Shaddai, that got my attention. He's written pretty extensively on the game, and we're very happy to have him on board for these next two podcasts.

Do you have money? If so, please send it to Precursor Games. They're probably going to develop a video game with it. Maybe. Maybe not. They've totally been working on it for the past year! Scout's honor! They'd show you proof, but where's the fun in that? Oh, right, also on the podcast is some Dungeon Defenders II news, some Pokémon X & Y hype, and some Nintendo Direct reactions. Tune in! Leave a comment! Send an email! Suggest more ways to end sentences with exclamation points! Listen! Click through!

I was in Elementary School, at the young age of 7 when I first discovered Pokémon Red and Blue. Many people around my age will tell you similar stories about how this series first drew them into gaming. Traveling a huge world, collecting cute and cool monsters. Watching them grow and evolve. Trading and battling with friends via link cable. Everything about it kept the game alive whether I was at school, or summer camp, or at a local park. It was a feeling that not many games have been able to replicate, and now it seems X and Y are evolving the series itself even further in new and interesting ways.

It's a shorter episode of Nerds Without Pants this week. That's either a blessing or a curse depending on your feelings on the Pantsless Ones. Life got in the way of our normal show format, but that's probably a good thing since you're all playing Grand Theft Auto V right now anyway.

Yes, it's true. PixlTalk is still alive despite an almost year long hiatus. Between moves and children being born and a slew of other excuses events, we haven't had an opportunity to get together to do one of these in a very long time. Like most episodes of the show we're all over the place, but the unique dynamic between all participants makes it something worth tuning in for.

This week's PB & Jason still has a bit about GTA V. Nothing disparaging, mind you, rather, GTA V is used to point out trouble with the ESRB, the (non-gaming) media, and the Molyneux. After that? Expect to hear my opinion on Square-Enix's disappointing Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy as well as some initial impressions on the enjoyable The Wonderful 101. Tune in! Leave a comment! Send an email! Suggest more ways to end sentences with exclamation points! Listen! Click through!

Argue all you want about which RPG has the best characters and story, but neither of those things matter nearly as much as a game’s battle system. Since we typically spend upwards of forty hours in an RPG, the bulk of that time is spent fighting foes within the rule set the designers created, so it has to be compelling enough to keep pulling us along. Sometimes, a combat system is formulated with just the right amount of intricacy, a satisfying splash of spectacle, and exactly what was needed to get in our heads and keep us plugging away until we save the world on the brink of decimation. We’ve picked our favorite RPG battle systems and wanted to explain why we love them so dearly. Maybe you’ll gain an appreciation for a combat system you felt was a drag or you’ll decide to dig into a game you never tried before. Maybe you’ll think we’re daft and forgot the real greatest system around. We’re bound to have a big assortment of faves, so read through our picks and tell us what yours is too.