Vic's Basement

Vic and Scott are alone in The Basement this week. They’d just come from a screening of Elysium, which they [EDITED OUT BECAUSE OF EMBARGO]. Instead of deconstructing Neill Blomkamp’s latest film (tune in next week for that), they talk about 2 Guns, starring Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington. Sure, it sounds like it sucks, … Continue reading "Episode 56, Our 2 Guns Talking About Superheroes"

Vic is back from Comic-Con with a whole bunch of cool things to tell Scott about. He ticks off a list of all the celebrities he met—Henry Cavill, Jeff Bridges, Eva Green, to name just a few—which Scott believes is Vic’s way of making him feel small and unimportant. (Vic assures him that it’s not.) … Continue reading "Episode 55, Comic-Con 2013 Experiences and Elysium’s Josh Blacker"

Vic and Scott exchange recipes for summer salads. Wait. That’s a different podcast, called “In Da Kitchen With Vic & Scott.” In this podcast, we talk about the sure sign that the apocalypse is nigh: Grown Ups 2 beats out Pacific Rim at the box office last weekend. Still, the boys have a special guest … Continue reading "Episode 54, Comic-Con, Pacific Rim, and Heather Doerksen"

Today on The Basement: Vic and Scott weigh in with their supplementary review of Pacific Rim. In short: Vic liked it, with some reservations; Scott didn’t like it at all. Scott: You’re so stupid sometimes. Also: the horrid Grown Ups 2 gets picked apart; Scott tells the story of how he miraculously hooked up his … Continue reading "Episode 53, Clyde the Radioactive Cat and Pacific Rim"

Vic and Scott discuss Microsoft exec Don Mattrick’s “dramattrick” jump from Xbox to Zynga. Then, once all the boring business-y talk is finished—yawnsville, man—Vic and Scott really lay into The Lone Ranger, a.k.a the longest, most indulgent movie of summer. After that, the boys wax poetic about their upcoming screening of Pacific Rim, which they’ll … Continue reading "Episode 52, Mattrick Jumps, Lone Ranger Indulges, and Scott Moves"

Today on The Basement: Vic and Scott kick off Season 2 of the show with plenty of Ouya talk. Right now the Ouya is the biggest, little story in gaming. Vic and Scott weigh in with their thoughts on this future of the world’s tiniest console. Also: Scott unleashes his first expletive-filled Rant of the … Continue reading "Episode 51, Ouya, Pre-Movies Ranting, and Listener Mail"

Vic and Scott step into the virtual octagon to discuss all things Man of Steel. Vic loved it. Scott would rather have his eyes removed than see it again. These two titans of criticism go at it like they’ve never gone at it before on the show. Yes, there are swear words. And yes, there … Continue reading "Episode 50, Part 2: Man of Steel Shouting Match"

FIFTY EPISODES. Wow. Just…wow. Vic and Scott celebrate by inviting a few members of the design team behind The Last Of Us down into their underground hell-pit. That’s right, it’s Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann, dishing all the behind-the-scenes dirt and waxing poetic on the frontrunner for what could be Game Of The Year. Who … Continue reading "Episode 50, Part 1: A Visit From Naughty Dog"

Descend into Vic and Scott’s subterranean lair—IF YOU DARE!—to discuss all things E3 2013. Vic and Scott share memories from on, and off, the show floor. Vic travels to a top-secret panel, all by himself, to listen to three of the entertainment industry’s biggest luminaries. (Hint: Their names rhyme with “Peel-blerg,” “Mucus,” and “Hat-trick.”) Scott … Continue reading "Episode 49: Vic and Scott’s E3 Adventures"

Vic and Scott get a surprise visit from long-time industry vet, Adam “The Artist Formerly Known As The Dude On X-Play” Sessler. Adam tolerates the stench of the basement, as well as Scott’s bad mood and Vic’s good cheer. What a pro, this guy is. No kidding, Adam weighs in on all sorts of subjects, … Continue reading "Episode 48: The Basement Sizzles with Sessler"

Today on The Basement: Vic is in a good mood; Scott’s in a bad mood. So what else is new, right? In fact, we’re going to temporarily change the name of the podcast to “The Good Mood-Bad Mood Hour With Vic And Scott.” Anyway, moods aside, the boys discuss summer blockbusters, including Star Trek: Into … Continue reading "Episode 47: Star Trek Spoilers, Summer Movies, and E3 Prep"

It’s war! (Yes, again!) Vic and Scott go toe-to-toe over the Xbox One unveiling, and pretty much everything else. Does the TV-centric “game” console do enough for gamers? Listen, and Vic and Scott, as usual, will give you two very different takes on things. Also, Vic and Scott answer some reader mail about—what else?—the new … Continue reading "Episode 46: Xbox One, Views: Two, E3"

Vic is on the road again, so he has to call into The Basement, just like a guest on an A.M. radio station. You do remember what radio is, right? Yes, Vic sounds tinny and far away, and his voice cuts out on occasion. DEAL WITH IT. Vic and Scott have a brief conversation about … Continue reading "Episode 45: Vic, Ben, and the Future of All Things"

THIS WEEK ON THE BASEMENT: Vic and Scott open up the old listener mailbag and answer questions from three podcast fans. Scott complains about the fact that he desperately needs a haircut, then—how risque—confesses that he enjoys watching Netflix in bed on his iPad. Vic and Scott do a very short, very painless postmortem on … Continue reading "Episode 44: Mailbag, The Great Gatsby, And Netflix In Bed"

The Basement Smell Report is in: Cheese smell: 8/10; Feet smell: 7/10; Unidentified smell: 3/10. Vic and Scott make room in their piquant subterranean lair for a truly special guest: actor Michael Mando. He, of course, plays Vaas Montenegro in Far Cry 3, the baddest bad guy since the Mother Brain. (Who, technically, is a … Continue reading "Episode 43: Michael Mando: Actor, Storyteller, and Really Kind Guy"

Today on The Basement: Vic and Scott do a little postmortem/pre-mortem on the 4th Annual Canadian Videogame Awards (which air this weekend on City TV and G4; check your local listings). Scott and Vic both share their favorite behind-the-scenes moments from the Awards, and from Fan Expo Vancouver, which was also held last weekend. And … Continue reading "Episode 42: 4th Annual CVA’s and How To Get On TV"

Today on The Basement: Vic and Scott find the only person in North America who actually finished Aliens: Colonial Marines. The boys grill this Mystery Person—actually, it’s our producer, Rob Koval, who is such a huge Aliens fan that he felt compelled to see the game through to completion—on the game’s ending, which sounds like … Continue reading "Episode 41: CVA’s, Fan Expo, and ALIENS"

Today on The Basement: Scott confesses that he’s on a spirit quest/year walk to rediscover his love of videogames. Yes, it seems that after 10 years of reviewing every game ever created, Scott HAS HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH THIS B.S. The first stop on his magical rediscovery tour: 2005’s Ico. Then Vic and … Continue reading "Episode 40: Scott’s Year Walk and Talk to MacKenzie Gray"

THIS WEEK: We tried to get Shaun Hatton as a guest on The Basement this week. You’d think that, since he works here, this would be no problem. WELL, AS IT TURNS OUT, THIS IS A PROBLEM. Shaun was apparently TOO BUSY to join us. Maybe we’ll all learn from our mistake and remember to … Continue reading "Episode 39: Bioshock Songbird Unboxed and LucasArts Boxed Up"

Today on The Basement, the boys get a visit from a special guest: it’s the Rocketeer himself, actor Billy Campbell. We won’t lie to you—Billy is a personal friend, and often takes Vic and Scott (well, mostly Vic) up in his Celebrity Helicopter, where they race against James Cameron and other Hollywood types in Celebrity … Continue reading "Episode 38: Billy Campbell: Actor, Rocketeer, Gamer"