The Rumble Pack Posts

 The wars of the future will not be fought on the battlefield or at sea. They will be fought in space, or possibly inside colossal, lumbering mechs, which suits Titanfall cadets Kaz and Neil just fine. Meanwhile, Justin is sipping Retro’s cool Tropical Freeze, which goes down quite smoothly, and Tony barrels through Bravely Default, unaware of the terrors that await. Plus, surprisingly competent Steel Diver: Sub Wars, 3DS oddities, Twitch on Xbox One at last, and puppeteers for hire.

The Pack has a job to do this week! Kaz and Justin’s final fantasy has arrived in the form of Bravely Default, a 3DS RPG that has them talking for nearly half the show. Meanwhile, Tony moves into his Animal Crossing: New Leaf town, only to find that most of his neighbors have moved out. The handheld love continues with Threes, Eliss and an obligatory mention of Flappy Bird. (Just a few seconds, we swear!) Plus, The Castle Doctrine, Hearthstone and StreetPassin’ on the Cleveland RTA.

Metal Gear?! This week, Justin and Tony discover what Tom already knew a year ago – that Revengeance is pretty great. And Kaz now has both a Vita and a Wii U, so he can finally try out favorites like Super Mario 3D World and Tearaway. Plus, the brilliant OlliOlli, bold Nintendo predictions and tweets read completely monotone for your amusement.

Welcome to 2014! This week, the guys start of by expressing some interest in The Banner Saga (and various tangents), as well as picking apart the various season passes and early access plans cluttering digital storefronts. It’s still early in the year, but Justin’s already got a Game of the Year candidate – not really – in Chibi-Robo! Photo Finder, while Kaz, Tony and Michael explore the first act of Broken Age.

Kaz:

1. The Swapper
2. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
3. Rogue Legacy
4. Antichamber
5. Forza Motorsport 5

Justin:

1. Tearaway
2. Papers, Please
3. Animal Crossing: New Leaf
4. The Wonderful 101
5. Super Mario 3D World

Tom:

1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
2. Super Mario 3D World
3. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
4. Device 6
5. Risk of Rain

Tony:

1. BioShock Infinite
2. Year Walk + Device 6 (Tie)
3. Rogue Legacy
4. Gunpoiint
5. Antichamber

Neil:

1. BioShock Infinite
2. Tearaway
3. XCOM: Enemy Unknown (iPad)
4. Hotline Miami + Thomas Was Alone (Vita) (Tie)
5. Candy Box 

Mike:

1. Rogue Legacy
2. Risk of Rain
3. The Swapper
4. The Stanley Parable
5. Gunpoint

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Our Games of the Year show is finally here. Or at least the Games This Year that Some of Us Managed to Play. The entire Pack – Kaz, Tom, Tony, Justin, Mike and Neil – gather to share their top picks, which definitely include a few surprises.

How do our lists stack up to yours? Let us know in the comments!

Recorded Wednesday, November 27th, 2013

Our Thanksgiving-ish XBox One special is finally here! Kaz and Tony talk hardware, controllers and launch games like Dead Rising 3 and Killer Instinct in the back half of the show. But the guys must also face the Holy Justin Triumvirate of Super Mario 3D World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Tearaway. Also, Tom searches for the good bee and McFadden prepares for a Risk of Rain once again.

The PlayStation 4 is here, and so is the Pack! Justin, Kaz, Neil and Mike talk about their launch highlights (and lowlights), including Resogun, Killzone: Shadow Fall, NBA 2K14, Battlefield 4, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Contrast, Flower (again) and more. But the guys haven’t shoved their old game boxes in the closet just yet; don’t miss impressions of Risk of Rain and Shadowrun. Yes, on the iPad.

The Pokémon Master has returned. Following his Italian honeymoon, Justin quickly jetted off to the Kalos region, where not a single Bidoof was safe. Kaz, Tony and new Pack-mate Michael McFadden listen in bewilderment. But the guys don’t get bogged down in Poké-madness for long – not when there’s Hearthstone, The Stanley Parable, Rogue Legacy, The Wonderful 101, 868-HACK, rain and more to talk about. Plus, McFadden and Tony spend 15 minutes talking about how hard drives work. GET READY!