Welcome to one of the greatest episodes of Vic’s Basement, ever. We realize that this is hard to believe, but “The World’s Greatest Podcast” (that what Scott calls it anyway) just leveled up. We have an exclusive interview with one of the gaming world’s most vaunted developers: Warren Spector. This is the man who worked on legendary games like System Shock (the spiritual precursor to BioShock) and Deus Ex. Warren, of course, is busy putting the final touches on his latest creation, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, but he found time to chat with Vic and Scott. Naturally, they ask him only the pithiest of questions, including queries about his ongoing Disney/Mickey Mouse obsession (he holds a special pass that gets him into any Disney theme park in the world) and his magnificent beard. (Well, his former beard. It seems Warren has shaved it since the last time we saw him. What a shame. A perfectly good beard down the drain.) Here’s the deal: 1. you listen; 2. you get smarter. It’s really that simple.

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This week on The Basement: Vic and Scott take a break from the annual November gamevalanche to have in-depth discussions about two of the biggest ones: Halo 4 and Assassin’s Creed III. Scott reveals that he is, in fact, human when he confesses that the score he hung on one of these games might have been a little too high. (You’ll have to listen to the show to find out which one.) Also: Vic once again professes his undying love for Apple’s tiny new tablet, the iPad Mini, while Scott holds his stomach and groans in the background. I know we say this every week, but this time we really, really mean it: THIS IS OUR BEST EPISODE YET. Don’t miss it.

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Today in The Basement: Scott eats leftover Halloween candy until his stomach hurts. Then Vic brings up the whole Disney-taking-over-Star Wars thing, which only makes Scott’s stomach hurt even worse. Is this the new hope that Star Wars fans have been waiting for? Or has the empire struck back one more time? Then Vic and Scott get a visit from—can you believe it?—Josh Holmes, the Creative Director on Halo 4. Josh talks about the pressure behind making a game that’s 49-percent game and 51-percent pop-culture moment. Finally, all jokes go out the window in The Basement’s closing moment when things get genuinely emotional. No kidding. Even the Covenant Jackals and Brutes out there in the listening audience will be misting up when they hear this heart-wrenching, behind-the-scenes story. The best episode ever of The Basement begins in 3…2…1…

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Vic and Scott discuss the pros, cons, and everything in between regarding the iPad Mini. But wait, there’s more: Brian Provinciano is in “da house.” Brian, in case you don’t know, is the man who made the superb videogame RetroCity Rampage. Gaming’s ironman—he built Retro all by himself—gives Vic and Scott a candid behind-the-scenes look at what goes in to making a game all by yourself. Hint: the personal cost is, to put it mildly, not small. Future game developers of the world, do not miss this episode.

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This week, Vic and Scott do terrible impressions (Bill Cosby, Christopher Walken). They offer three ways to fix New York Comic-Con. (You’re welcome, New York Comic-Con.) They discuss Retro City Rampage, a new downloadable game for the PlayStation 3 and Vita that has been blowing Vic and Scott’s minds. Dream Come True Alert: Vic and Scott are both characters IN THE GAME. Does this fact color their review? (Vic: “No.” Scott: “No.”) Finally, the boys discuss the latest Bond videogame, Activision’s 007 Legends, which turns out to be just plain wretched. Who thought it would be anything but wretched? (Answer: Vic did.)

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Today on The Basement, Vic and Scott leave the smelly confines of the basement—fly free, little birds!—and travel 3,000 miles to New York City where they interview Insomniac’s Brian Allgeier. Three things you need to know about Brian: 1. he worked on seven Ratchet & Clank games; 2. he’s working on a new game called Fuse; and 3. he sports a well-groomed, lustrous beard on his face.
Behind-The-Scenes Pro-Tip: The interview took place in a subterranean nightclub in midtown Manhattan, which was eerily basement-like. Let the mind-blowing begin in 3…2…1…

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Today down in Le Basement (which is French for “The Basement”): Vic and Scott argue over the need for cases for electronic devices. Scott says no; but Vic says yes. After that, they both rave about Arkane Studio’s new game, Dishonored. This incredible experience is, well, incredible, with one extremely minor exception: Scott does not like reading the game’s virtual books. So he complains about it for awhile, then Vic makes fun of him. Hey, it’s just another typical day down here in The Basement.

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Vic and Scott are still talking about Looper, so they decided to share their most intimate thoughts with you, dear listener, in a spoiler-packed bonus episode of Vic’s Basement. Yes, we said “spoiler-packed.” Because we reveal everything in this episode. So, if you haven’t seen Looper, and you’re planning to, wait until after you’ve seen the movie before listening to the show. Get it? AFTER THE MOVIE. OK. As long as we’re clear on that. Enjoy.

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Today on Vic’s Basement: Vic talks about all the things he loves; Scott rants about all the things he hates. In other words, IT’S PRETTY MUCH BUSINESS AS USUAL DOWN IN THE BASEMENT. A couple of love/hate topics: annual “iterations” of sports videogames, and the iPhone 5. Vic sees all of this as progress; Scott sees the disposable nature of it all as the exact opposite of progress. Also: Vic and Scott discuss the controversial final play in Monday night’s NFL game, then quickly realize that they’re out of their depth, and go back to discussing the nerd things they actually know something about. Also: Scott reaches into Ye Olde Listener Mailbag, and finds an email from a listener who wants to know what classic fighting game featured the words “BURNING RUBBER.” Answer: You’ll have to tune in to find out.

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Vic and Scott head underground to Vic’s game-cave/man-room/fart-thedral to fart, game, and scream obscenities at one another. This week they talk about/scream about the new Indiana Jones Blu-ray collection, the iPhone 5, and the big Wii U reveal. Bonus Topic of the Day: Scott and Vic discuss their need to curse like sailors on shore leave while gaming. Why do gamers curse so much? What primal need does it satisfy? Beyond that, are there bugs in the middle of the ocean? Tune into this week’s episode of Vic’s Basement for all the answers to all of your existential questions.

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