PPR AfterHours: Catching up before PAX

e’re off to the first day of PAX Prime 2013 y’all, but before we go, why don’t we give you guys a new podcast to listen to? This is the official Afterhours debut and hell, we figured we would use it to catch up on some nonsense like all of the shit that happened while we were on our break from the site. George moved to a new house, broke his toes in the process, and found love again, while Andrew was getting shitty in Las Vegas—oh, and we even talk about some of the video games we’ve been playing too…

Rate and subscribe to us iTunes today, follow us on our new Twitch page, mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, and be sure to stop by at our Forums and register as well! Also, if you guys have any specific requests or feedback, be sure to email us at mailbag@presspauseradio.com, and if you guys are going to be there then don't be shy -- come say hello!

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Why the Nintendo Holiday is boring, and their future looks scary

hether most of us (myself included) want to admit it or not, Nintendo has been flailing on the scene as of late. The lack of compelling Wii U software have gradually influenced the deflation of units sold throughout 2013, and with only the 3DS to shoulder the weight, it’s been a frustrating waiting game for those who have endorsed in the promise of the Big N into the next generation. Nintendo hasn’t been completely deaf to their situation though, and during a press release yesterday, made several announcements towards release dates, price drops, and their newest revision of the 3DS for the budget-minded consumer, or parent…and one has to ask if Nintendo has thought this all the way through?

The way I see it, it seems like it’s just more pandering in disguise, and pandering is one of the biggest factors that lead them down to this path to begin with.

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Press Pause Radio at PAX Prime 2013

t’s been a while right? Thank Bullet Heavens (yeah, we just did that) that Ser was able to lead the charge for new content on Press Pause Radio these last couple of weeks, because our extended break was a little longer than we had hoped for. Wouldn’t you know it though? The moment we are ready to come back, it just so happens that it's the week of PAX Prime 2013, so we’re going to come out and hit the streets of Seattle, and we’re hitting them hard, like…uh; hard-hitters--yeah!

We’ll be on the floor mingling with every new indie game we comes across, and expect us to do some talking with the likes of Sega, Capcom, Ubisoft, and more in the biggest PAX we’ve covered yet. We’ll be recording a catch up a podcast just to clear some air from our absence on the web, then we’ll be dropping some podcast specials with some friends and give all the scoops and scores from Friday to Monday so stay tuned on the site!

Also, if you guys have any specific requests or feedback, be sure to email us at mailbag@presspauseradio.com, and if you guys are going to be there then don't be shy -- come say hello!

QCF: Deus Ex: Human Revolution Augmented Edition

eus Ex is a series I've been hearing about all the time for something like 11 years. Since it was a PC-only thing for a very long time, it's no real wonder that I haven't exactly had the means to play these games, given that my first PC since the game came out was bought in 2007 (seriously) and I had kind of forgotten about the series by then. In 2011, Deus Ex finally made the jump to consoles from publisher Square-Enix with Deus Ex: Human Revolution. In addition to PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 owners were finally able to see what the fuss was about. Naturally, I still didn't get on board. Of course.

Maybe that was a wise decision, though, since there is now a whole new version of Human Revolution available that not only makes the graphics prettier, but also adds a ton of new elements to the game, as well as some better balancing of many of the mechanics in the game. Deus Ex: Human Revolution Augmented Edition attempts a daring double-dip for existing fans. With a heavy does of FPS and a liberal dash of RPG, it's definitely an interesting mix... but how is it if you're just getting warmed up?

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QCF: Papers, Please

oral choices in most games are easy. Save enough little sisters in Bioshock- you get the good ending, kill any and you're the worlds biggest monster. These choices are so ultimately binary that it's easy to even forget that they're questions of morality to begin with. Even when dealing with a complex issue, there's always a prompt telling you what kind of decision you made, regardless of your reasoning. "Yes and no" or "right and wrong" stick firmly into our heads to the point where we'll always know where our choices take us and what kind of end game they'll eventually lead us to.

However, Papers, Please doesn't play by those rules. In fact, it doesn't really play by any. There's no right or wrong here, only moral uncertainty and shades of horrific grays that lead to an experience which is devastatingly horrific, monotonous, and perplexing fun at the same time. Basically, it's one of the most interesting and creative video games you'll play all year.

Just don't expect to leave it feeling good about yourself.

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QCF: Fist Puncher

any questions come to mind when determining the worth of a classic arcade brawler: Does the game offer players more than “move right and punch”? Do levels have various weapons and interactive objects scattered throughout? What can one expect in the way of character selection, boss battles, and other classic tropes? In the case of Team2Bit's tribute to the genre, well... there's certainly more than just "keep going."

Enter Fist Puncher, a beat-em-up brawler that combines elements of other popular arcade classics from the golden age of gaming (think Double Dragon and Bad Dudes) and fuses them with the progression elements found in any character-building RPG. And yes -- you’ll have plenty of objects to pick up and throw at enemies. Hell, some levels feature nothing but trash cans and other debris scattered around for this very purpose.

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Bullet Heaven HD, Episode 83 - Bullet Soul

 s there live beyond Cave for region-free import shooting games on home consoles? The answer: A resounding YES! Boundless Shooting continues with Bullet Soul, an Xbox 360 original title by 5bp. But how does it compare to the Cave Cavalcade!?

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Bullet Heaven HD, Episode 82 - DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou

oundless shooting continues! In this episode of Bullet Heaven HD, we're taking a look at one of the very newest shmups released! Hot off the heels of DoDonPachi Resurrection, 2013's DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou is next to bast off! But how does Cave's latest compare...?

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