It's a sexy, intimate podcast this week with the three of us. We learn that Giang can kill a sheep with his bare hands, Russ becomes a graduate and Steven turns Irish in the first 5 seconds.
We return this week to talk about Crackdown 2, iPad gaming, Dexter, Nier, Monkey Island 2, Deathspank, Deadliest Warrior, Uncharted 2 DLC, babies and we finish with a listener email.
Oops! It seems that in all the excitement, I forgot to post last weeks Shoes And Socks Off track. Without further ado, then, here is track six from the new album Robin Hood Waiter Champion have-Not, entitled "Sit Down Shut Up".
The video for this track features footage from an episode of The Moomins (the 80's stop-motion puppet version), called "The Lady Of The Cold". I don't know if The Moomins aired in the US or Australia, but this brings back some memories for me!
As you'll no doubt be aware, it was my 30th birthday yesterday, and in between bouts of crying, warm milk and rocking chair-induced sleep, I started to wonder about what life would be like if it were an RPG; or more specifically, what kind of status awards you would receive for reaching such a milestone birthday. Here are some of the ones that I came up with, but feel free to leave a comment if you can think of any good ones to add to the collection.
+1 Wisdom +1 Hairy Eyebrows -1 Attractiveness to women +1 Back problems +1 "Ooh, are those hard candies?" -1 Dress sense +1 Titanium hips -1 Bowel control +1 Fear of technology
I have maintained a digital-only music library since 2003 (which currently boasts over 22,000 songs), and have used iTunes every step of the way. And as much as everyone likes to complain about iTunes - myself included - there are a few simple ways to tweak iTunes and turn it into something much more useful than you'd think. Here is how I organize my iTunes library, which significantly upgrades its functionality and ease of use.
Here is the seventh track from Shoes And Socks Off's upcoming album Robin Hood Waiter Champion Have-Not, which is due out on August 9th on Big Scary Monster Records. Interestingly enough, this is the most expensive video yet, costing an whopping £5 to make.
The majority of the video is filmed with a camera attached to a kite, and it makes for interesting viewing, though you might want to be careful if you suffer from motion sickness. The song itself is another interesting one, and rather uncharacteristically, swells quite subtly from lone singer/songwriter to a full-band affair in the lead-up to the track's climax. For being shot on such a low budget, it's actually quite impressive how well the music and video both come to a crescendo together. don't just take my word for it though, check out the video below.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 twists, turns, warps, mixes, remixes and defies the conventionalism of many modern games. But so did the original Super Mario Galaxy, and there lies the begging question: Is SMG2 really a SMG1.5?
Yes, the man who has kung-fu-ed his way into our hearts (and our stomachs) turns.. umm… old(er) as we speak, at GMT +1. Please wish Steven happy birthday, because he does so much for the site. Did you know Steven actually recorded the last podcast by himself by recording 4 different tracks of him mimicking our voices? AMAZING. It's a real shame I didn't buy him anything. Real shame.
Knowing Steven, he's probably already out partying with Horseboy, Gerald Butler and Macbeth. Sorry, invite only. I would know because I wasn't invited. That's okay because in Easy Mode tradition, I baked you a penis cake. And this time, I wasn't tempted to eat the whole thing. Well, maybe just the tip.
As a last push before they start promoting their forthcoming album, UK band Talons are releasing their new single "Trevelyan" -- named after the James Bond bad guy, played by Sean Bean -- as a free download.
Talons' music has been described as a mix of hardcore and post-rock, with violins (the band are a six-piece, made up by a drummer, three guitarists and two violinists), and it makes for interesting listening.
The single is available to download now, and can be found here. As previously mentioned, it's free, so go ahead and check it out.
We have a mixed bag of downloadable titles this week, and coming solely to PSN this week is Landit Bandit, a 3D helicopter game which looks a little bit like Crazy Taxi with helicopters. And flying land sharks(?!?). Whatever! The game is set to release on PSN on July 13th, for $9.99 US, and you can find a video for it after the break.
We also have a game that is coming exclusively to XBLA this week, but don't get too excited; it's just Deadliest Warrior: The Game. Ever wondered who would win in a fight between an pirate and a ninja? No? Oh well, me neither! The game will cost 800MSP, and is set to release on July 14th. The game will be coming to PSN at a later date, though no date has been given, and again, you can find a trailer after the break.
The big game this week, which is set to release on both PSN and XBLA is Deathspank. The brain-child of Monkey Island creator, Ron Gilbert, Deathspank has been described as a cross between Diablo and Monkey Island. The game is very tongue-in-cheek, and looks like it could be a lot of fun; I mean, what other game lets you use "Unicorn Poop" (which apparently tastes like innocence) as a weapon? Deathspank is set to release on PSN on July 13th, for $14.99 US, and is set to land on XBLA on July 14th, for the price of 1200MSP. Trailer, break, you know the drill.
If you haven't played the Xbox Live Indie game Try Not To Fart, stop what you're doing right this second and go play it. I actually woke up my wife, who was sleeping in another room, this morning because I was laughing so hard. I swear to god, please go play it right now.
I don't want to tell you too much about the game in order to avoid ruining the surprise, but I will say that you play a guy who is placed in various social situations where you simply just try not to fart. There is a free demo with four levels, and the full version is 80 points, which I'm downloading as we speak.
I don't want to speak to soon, but it may be GOTY in July here.
Mark Hill Editor, Podcast Host Tyler Miller Editor, Artistic Director Steve McKay Contributor, United Kingdom Giang Cao Contributor, Australia Russ Crandall Contributor
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics.
Advertisers
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
Bloggers Wanted
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account!
If you haven't played the Xbox Live Indie game Try Not To Fart, stop what you're doing right this second and go play it. I actually woke up my wife, who was sleeping in another room, this morning because I was laughing so hard. I swear to god, please go play it right now.
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account!