10
July 24, 2010
Nasty/Good/Badass
Though the above choices may seem limiting, we feel they'll be sufficient. Also discussed: space marines, branching narratives, childhood and the human condition. With special guest Sean Vanaman.
Games Discussed: Limbo, Alien Swarm, Dead Space 2, Rayman: Origins, Moonbase Alpha, Transformice, The Adventures of WIlly Beamish, Alpha Protocol, Mass Effect, Dragon Age 2, Far Cry 2, Rock Band 3, The New York Times Crosswords
9
July 15, 2010
Rolling With the Pope
In video games, you can trust no one. Everyone is in on it, everyone but you. In video games nothing is real. Or, if it is, we're pretty sure you're seeing it via the visions of a comatose police officer, through the projection of genetic memories hurtled into your brain through time at tremendous speed, or in the dreams of a sleeping cartoon dog. With special guest Sean Vanaman.
Games Discussed: Assassin's Creed 2, Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands, Portal 2, Snoopy's Flying Ace, Driver San Francisco, Alpha Protocol, Crackdown 2
The Idle Thumbs Podcast
Idle Thumbs casts its pod into your face with off-the-cuff, incisive, multiplatform video gaming discussion. No on-air schedules, no Skype. Hands-on accounts and stunning commentary abound.

The Idle Thumbs podcast is currently:
Chris Remo
Editor-At-Large, Gamasutra
Jake Rodkin
Designer, Misc., Telltale Games
Steve Gaynor
Designer, 2K Marin
♫ Music of the Thumb
Bask in the aural glow of the Thumb's digital music archive.
The Idle Thumbs Podcast 0:51
From Idle Thumbs ??: What is game?
Space Asshole 4:16
From Idle Thumbs 48: In Space
Remember 5:10
From Idle Thumbs 43: Jeff "Gone" Goldblum
You Gotta Use the Kid (To Kill That Old Snake) 1:16
From Idle Thumbs 22: Put On the Top Ghost
A Letter To Edge 2:44
From Idle Thumbs 18: Citizen Killzone
The Ballad of John Riccitiello 5:46
From Idle Thumbs 10: The Ballad of John Riccitiello
Sincerely These Nuts 1:24
From Idle Thumbs 8: Green Lantern is the Blindfolded Fool
Stop (Doing Interviews) 2:17
From Idle Thumbs 7: Stop Doing Interviews
The Wizard 1:41
From Idle Thumbs 5: The Wizard
The Fable of Love 2:56
From Idle Thumbs 4: The Fable of Love
Ultra-Boost 0:28
From Idle Thumbs 3: Field of Dreams
The Fanboy's Lament 4:20
From Idle Thumbs 2: The Fanboy's Lament
Wuxtry! (Let the Games Begin) - Love Theme from Idle Thumbs 0:33
From Idle Thumbs 1: Let the Games Begin
There were a bunch of good PC games this year
Posted by Chris Remo, December 8, 2009
As Gamasutra's resident PC gaming nerd*, I was again tapped to provide our PC-specific Best of 2009 awards. Since I'm not sure if Idle Thumbs is going to bust out another GOTY.cx this year, I figured I'd let you guys know what I thought of this year's offerings by way of my Gamasutra rankings.

The more I reflected on the list, the more I remembered that although this fall has been fairly unremarkable for the PC -- lots of competent but expected multiplatform games, mainly -- the first half of the year was jam-packed with amazingly interesting and unique PC games, many of which were exclusive, with an impressive range of indie to high-budget experiences.

Along with the digital distribution price war really kicking into effect, it's been a fantastic year for the platform. My opinion that the PC is not the place for mainstream triple-A action game experience was solidified; people looking at the platform through that lens (which is understandable, as it's how the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are sold) are likely to come away feeling the PC is comparatively anemic, but those willing to broaden their horizons and examine a more diverse array of genres and scopes will better perceive the true strength of the format.

Here's a quick alphabetical list of all the games I highlighted:
AAaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! - A Reckless Disregard for Gravity (Dejobaan Games)
Batman: Arkham Asylum (Rocksteady Studios)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Infinity Ward)
Dawn of Discovery/Anno 1404 (Blue Byte/Related Designs)
Dragon Age: Origins (BioWare)
Empire: Total War (The Creative Assembly) (Confidential to Nick: Ha ha.)
League of Legends (Riot Games)
Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve Software)
Plants vs. Zombies (PopCap Games)
Risen (Piranha Bytes)
The Sims 3 (Maxis)
Tales of Monkey Island (Telltale Games)
Torchlight (Runic Games)
Trine (Frozenbyte)
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II (Relic Entertainment)
Zeno Clash (Ace Team)

The full Gamasutra article has the Top 5 ranking as well as justifications for each choice. As with other blog posts, we still have no comments, so feel free to discuss in the forums.

*My colleague Kris Graft, who joined this year, has fortunately doubled our staff's PC gaming ranks.
The above post may contain: video games, PC games, Gamasutra, AAaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! - A Reckless Disregard for Gravity, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Dawn of Discovery, League of Legends, Empire: Total War, Plants vs. Zombies, Risen, Dragon Age: Origins, The Sims 3, Left 4 Dead 2, Tales of Monkey Island, Trine, Zeno Clash, Far Cry 2, internet lists, Torchlight, internet lists are stupid, Warhammer 40, 000: Dawn of War II
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