GameOnGNT - GameNTrain

It's our 39th episode of GameOn and we're celebrating a new year!

Join us as we celebrate the end of 2012 with some hot interviews and some great reviews!

We're joined by Drew Seldin, the co-owner of Project Triforce. Drew is here to talk about what Project Triforce does and some of the amazing 1:1 scale models they create!

GameOn Contributor Roger Dalke is here with us this week. Roger is going over his results from four months on Isagenix. If you remember Fighting For Fitness, GameOn Host Jeff Johnson was on the Isagenix program throughout that series. Now, Roger Dalke is here to share his results from the program. He's seen incredible progress!

Roger sticks with us  as we gather together the GameOn Review Team once again! GameOn Host Jeff Johnson, along with Roger Dalke, Shayla Brissette, Erin Rhodenizer and Rob Rhodenizer take a look at two great dancing games to get the heart pumping on New Year's Eve, Just Dance 4 and Zumba Fitness Core! Special thanks to Majesco Entertainment for providing us with a review copy of Zumba Fitness Core!

We've also got two great interview guests joining us this week.

Voice Actor Kimlinh Tran talks about her career in voice acting and her role as Fidget in Dust: An Elysian Tail.

And we're joined by our feature interview guest, Austin Wintory, the composer of the soundtrack for Journey! This soundtrack is the first video game soundtrack to be nominated for a Grammy! Austin talks about this moment in history, his reaction to the nomination and the work put into this soundtrack, along with his own career history as a composer!

Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in every Thursday for another episode of GameOn! 2013 will be a big year for GameNTrain and GameOn!

Audio was used from the following sources:

Video games – Just Dance 4, Zumba Fitness Core, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Mario 64, Mortal Kombat II, Metal Gear Solid, Super Mario Bros 3,  Star Fox 64, Super Mario Bros, Mass Effect 2, Chrono Trigger, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario Bros 2, Dr. Mario, Red Dead Redemption, Darkwing Duck, Zelda 2,

Internet – New Year's Eve in Time Square, Leeroy Jenkins, Rejected Cartoons, Cinemassacre.com, JamesNintendoNerd, Little Kuriboh (Yu-gi-oh! Abridged)

Movies – Mortal Kombat, Wayne’s World, SpaceBalls, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Back to the Future, Zoolander, Super Mario Bros: The Movie, Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail, Rocky

TV series – Spongebob Squarepants, Futurama, Family Guy, World Wrestling Entertainment, Dragon Ball Z, G Gundam, The Simpsons, Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Sat AM, Family Matters, WWE, WCW.

Music –  The Easton Ellises – Liquorstore, Motorhead – The Game, Disturbed – The Game, Drowning Pool – The  Game, Cindy Lauper – Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Gamestage Music #1 - Smashes Cupcakes, Wreck – Jim Johnston,  Yacht – Utopia (Instrumental), Stephen Millis – Luigi’s Haunted Travel Theme (There Will Be Brawl soundtrack), Waterflame – Run!, Stage 3-1 – Mike Tyson’s Punch-out Medley, Giuseppe Cilfone – Crazy Experiment, You’re the Best Around – Joe Esposito, Don Henley – Dirty Laundry

Big thanks goes out to our interview guests, Drew Seldin of Project Triforce, Voice Actor Kimlinh Tran and Composer Austin Wintory!

To learn more about Project Triforce, check out their website http://www.projecttriforce.com/

To learn more about Kimlinh Tran and the work that she has done as a voice actor, check out http://hnilmik.newgrounds.com/

And to learn more about composer Austin Wintory, you can check out his website, http://austinwintory.com/. Austin will be performing the music from Journey at Video Games Live's show in Austin, Texas on January 5th! 

Thanks to Natalie Hoover for providing the new voice for the GameOn intro. Visit Natalie for your voiceover needs at http://www.nataliehoover.com/

Thanks once again to the Easton Ellises. They are the band that contributed GameOn’s theme song, Liquorstore.  Be sure to check them out at their website. http://www.theeastonellises.com/

Be sure to check us out on GameNTrain, Like us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/gameongnt), follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/gameongnt) or check out our podcast on iTunes!

You can listen to GameOn on 88.3 CKXU in Lethbridge, Alberta. Listen online at http://ckxu.com/

You can also listen to GameOn on CJ 106.5 in Brandon, Manitoba. Listen online at http://cj-106.assiniboine.net/

If you are interested in joining the GameOn podcast team, be sure to e-mail us at gameon@gamentrain.com.

If you want to make your thoughts known on what you like about GameOn, leave a post below or hit us up at the GameNTrain forum!

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Here we are, the Top 10 Games of 2012. GameNTrain been counting down the last days of 2012 by taking a look at the top games of various genres and systems, as chosen by GNT's staff, volunteers and fanbase.

Today, we've tallied up all the votes and will take a look at the games you voted as the best of 2012.

And 2012 was an interesting year for video games. We witnessed the birth of both Nintendo's Wii U and the PlayStation Vita. We also witnessed announcements for both the Ouya and the Steam Box, both expected to make an appearance in 2013. These platforms are expected to change the console wars as we know it, with many gamers expecting announcements from Sony and Microsoft regarding next generation consoles to be coming soon.

We also saw a plethora of great games make their way into our household, either by download or by picking them up in a store near you. Not only that, but we saw the unveiling of Day One Digital Downloads, the first time major blockbuster or AAA titles have been available for purchase online on day one of a game's release.

This year, we saw the rebirth of franchises like Doom and SSX, as well as the continuation of franchises like Halo, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and Assassin's Creed. We saw some amazing downloadable titles like Dust: An Elysian Tail and Mark of the Ninja, as well as standalone titles like Sleeping Dogs and Dishonored, both seemingly the start of brand new gaming franchises.

With these great titles out this year, which one got the most attention from gamers? Which of 2012's crop of games left the biggest impression and will go down as the best game of 2012?

You can check out the GameNTrain Top 10 Games of 2012 here - http://gamentrain.com/gamentrains-best-games-of-2012-top-10-games-of-2012/#.UOHIIuRX39k

GameNTrain is made up of a diverse group of volunteers and staff. We come from countries all over the world, we play video games on our PCs, macs, PlayStation 3s, XBox 360s and even the Wii U (I still break out a bloody Game Boy from time to time!)

We play games on the road, onlijne, or in the comfort of our own home. We engross ourselves in RPGs and pawn noobs online in shooting matches.

We couldn't present the regular coverage of gaming and fitness that we do on a day-to-day basis without the support of our team of volunteers and dedicated staff. All of our members have a valuable opinion that they bring to the team.

Today, we share with you GameNTrain's Staff Picks for the top games of 2012. Click here for more - http://gamentrain.com/gamentrains-best-games-of-2012-staff-picks/#.UOHJ0-RX39m

We're nearing the end of our Best Games of 2012 countdown. There are only three days left and only two more lists to go before we take a look at the GameNTrain Top 10 Games of 2012.

Today, we look at one of the greatest aspects of this generation of console gaming; downloadable games.

Downloading your games has long been a staple of PC gaming. Instead of going to the store to buy your game and installing it onto your computer, PC gamers could simply download the game from the game developers website or from an online retailer.

Finally, console developers were able to add this useful way of shopping for games in the current generation of consoles,  as part of the PlayStation Network, the XBox Live Arcade and the Wii Shop Channel.

This option has been a boon for both major developers and independents. as its provided an avenue for developers to release smaller projects that normally would not make up for the development cost of printing games to disc and producing the packaging. By bringing these games directly to online markets, it also decreases the cost associated with these games, making them more affordable for gamers.

The fact is, many of the games that have been included as downloadable games through these services are actually better than a lot of the games that have come out this year. Of the over 70 games nominated through GameNTrain's Best Games of 2012 survey, four of the games in the top 15 are downloadable titles... and a large part of that has to do with accessibility.

Downloadable games are available directly for home and more gamers can easily shell out 10 dollars to try out a new game online as opposed to spending 50-60 dollars to try out a new game when it comes to stores. This accessibility means more people can try games they normally wouldn't buy if they saw it on a store shelf.

To see GameNTrain's list of the Top 5 Downloadable Games of 2012, click the link here - http://gamentrain.com/gamentrains-best-games-of-2012-best-downloadable-games/#.UOHK-ORX39l

Happy Friday friends! Today’s post is focused on the new year and life changing resolutions. I find that with each new year comes more promises that we make for ourselves. These resolutions are generally things about our lives that we wish to change or to improve.

All year long we are finding ways to re-invent ourselves and better ourselves each day. But for some reason January first brings a lot of promise. This is symbolic of a clean slate, time to start over. Mentally January first is a new beginning, and a time for us to give ourselves the opportunity to change (for real). I am going to give you guys a few tips on how to make your New Years Resolutions stick!

To read the full article from Amy Green, follow the link here - http://gamentrain.com/fit-friday-new-year-new-you/#.UOHL--RX39l

Yesterday, we got the body working with your favorite sports and fitness games of 2012. This was all in an effort to get rid of some of the extra food you've been munching on over the holiday break.

Today, we will be working your mind by looking at this year's hottest racing games and puzzle games. Let's try and get rid of the turkey brain and get ourselves thinking clearly again!

Now, I know what you are thinking, how does a racing game work the mind? Think back to the last time you played a racing game, maybe a Gran Turismo, a Forza or a Need For Speed. As you watch all of the objects going by you in a blur, notice how quickly your mind has to work to process all of the obstacles and sudden turns that come up on any given course. A racing game is an exercise in hand-eye coordination and mental stimulus, a perfect way to wake up coming back from the holidays.

2012 was a great year for racing games, with the latest installments in some hot franchises coming out. Forza Horizon graced the XBox 360, the latest Need for Speed was released and the downloadable Trials: Evolution was available this year. Not only that, but we saw a bevy of kart racing games hit store shelves, including Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing: Transformed and LittleBigPlanet Karting. We also saw the latest installment in Codemasters F1 series, F1 2012.

2012 definitely provided gamers with a number of options in the puzzle game category as well, with gaming projects by independant developers and major gaming companies. Angry Birds made its debut on consoles (surprising many gamers with what's being considered a ridiculous price tag) and European gamers got their first taste of Atlus's Catherine. Gamers also saw some hot puzzle games released from smaller developers and independents, like Fez and Pid, each bringing their own unique take on puzzles that will make you scratch your head.

So, if you are ready to wake up your mind after the holidays, take a look at the top games in 2012 for the racing and puzzle genres, as voted on by GameNTrain's staff and by the GNT fan base. - http://gamentrain.com/gamentrains-best-games-of-2012-racing-to-2013/#.UOHLyeRX39l

With Christmas and Boxing Day behind us, many gamers are still trying to digest their Christmas feasts, as turkey, roast beef, ham and possibly sugar plums dance their way through our digestive systems. Looks like its time to hit the gym again!

GameNTrain is known for its stance on combining gaming and fitness. There are no better genres of games to combine those elements than fitness games and sports games.

2012 definitely provided gamers with a number of options in both of these categories. All manners of sports were represented in video game form this year. We even saw a rebirth of classic video game franchise SSX, which took the snowboarding video game to an entirely new level.

Fitness games really shined this year as developers got a better grip on making games for the Kinect. Many well-known workout routines were adapted to video game training games. Whether you wanted to dance off the pounds with Zumba or Just Dance 4 or you wanted to fight off the weight with UFC based training, there were plenty of options available for you this year.

To will look at GameNTrain's top games in 2012 for the sports and fitness genres, check out http://gamentrain.com/gamentrains-best-games-of-2012-a-sporting-chance/