Just before it got out of control

(Credit: Wilson Tang, Justin Yu/CNET)

Now that we've had ample time to recover, Wilson and Justin take a few moments out of today's episode of The 404 Podcast to attempt to retrace the events of Wilson's Friday night birthday bash. The night started with a stomach full of Korean Fried Chicken, which you should definitely check out if you live in New York--it's addicting, for real. After that, Wilson surprised us all (not really) with a night of karaoke, which started off innocently enough with Aqua's Barbie Girl and Enrique Iglesias' "Escape," but quickly turned into a rockstar-wannabe free-for-all as Justin and Wilson laid waste to their dignity and belted out that awfully addicting Black Eyed Peas song "I Gotta Feeling." MAZEL TOV! Check out the show to hear all the details and follow the photo slideshow to witness our humiliation.

(Credit: Facebook)

If you've ever wanted to show a Facebook friend how much you despise their mundane status updates and links, a "dislike" button might be your dream feature come true. French developer Thomas Moquet created a Firefox Extension that adds a dislike button to Facebook pages, but other Facebook users must have the extension installed as well to see the note. If you're not a fan of the open-source browser, there's also a Facebook Group that you can join to petition for the absent feature. The question is, should we really bring that element of negativity to our beloved social network? Listen the entire episode to hear our point of view.

In atypical Monday fashion, we actually dig deep into Internet censorship and the age that kids should be allowed to play games rated "Mature." The conversation is sparked by a very informed 13-year-old who left us a voicemail bringing up a great point about the different maturity levels that exist within a specific age bracket, and we're happy to discuss a topic that raises so many questions about maturity level, parental responsibilities, censoring Web content, etc...it all goes down in the second half of the show, so listen up and leave us a voicemail (1866-404-CNET) or e-mail the404[at]cnet[dot]com to voice your opinion!

Are you ready for Brutal Legend?

(Credit: Brutal Gamer)

Get ready to have your faces melted, because Brutal Legend finally comes out today for XBox 360 and the PS3. To quote Jeff, the game is a "metal fan's absolute fantasy come true." It stars Jack Black as the voice of Eddie Riggs, a roadie for a metal band that must fight off metal-infused demons to save the world. Unfortunately, Jeff has some criticism about the game that might influence your buying decision.

Speaking of video games, though, it just so happens that Uncharted 2 also comes out today exclusive to Playstation 3, although it's already garnering excellent reviews from critics, including our own Dan Ackerman. The game is essentially the male-centric version of Tomb Raider, a take on the Indiana Jones adventure-style franchise. The antihero of the story, Nathan Drake, acts as a treasure hunter and art thief for hire, and it's up to you to navigate him across the world as he battles through firefights and explores virtually limitless environments that add to the overall realism of the game. Can't decide between Brutal Legend and Uncharted 2? Jeff's got your answer on today's show!

Jon Heder likes Raisinhill...isn't it time you did too?

(Credit: MySpace/Raisinhill)

Big congratulations goes out to Natali Del Conte for making onto Manolith's list of the 12 hottest geeky girls in tech! NDC joins the ranks of other Internet hotties like Jade Raymond, Jessica Chobot, Morgan Webb, and more, so be sure to take a peek at the list and let us know who YOU think is missing! Don't even think about nominating Wilson...he's booked solid for the next decade.

Finally, it's my turn to choose the Beck's Beer Semi-Weekly Audio Draft Pick! Today's band is Raisinhill, a couple of talented chums hailing from Redding, Conn., who play a modernized version of up-tempo jazz/rock fusion. The trio are all classically trained and use their wide range of talents to create their dancey jams.

We understand that today's generation probably isn't running to record stores to pick up jazz CDs, so we're hoping you'll keep an open mind with Raisinhill and appreciate their instrumental talents. Besides, any band endorsed by Mr. Belding, Ron Jeremy, and Napoleon Dynamite HAS to be pretty good. The songs of the day are called "Nameless" and "The Ridge." You can listen to both songs on their MySpace page. If you like what you hear, you can buy their self-titled album as well. Enjoy!

This month in video games screenshots: September 2009

View the full gallery

While Batman: Arkham Asylum may have saved the summer's brutal video game drought, it looks like September will really bring the goods. With this resurgence of quality gaming titles also comes our monthly slideshow tradition.

Both virtual band franchises have major releases this month as Guitar Hero 5 and The Beatles: Rock Band go head to head.

The Wii gets some exclusive love this month with two notable releases that include Dead Space Extraction and Muramasa: The Demon Blade. It seems portable gaming also gets a much-needed boost with the release of Bowser's Inside Story, Scribblenauts, and MotorStorm: Arctic Edge.

Hockey fans will be able to start the season early with two releases on the same day. Both NHL 10 and NHL 2K10 are set to drop the gloves on September 15.

There's a whole lot more to see by checking out our slideshow. What September video games are you looking forward to?

Somehow we make it past the wild Tesla coil in the room to bring you an awesome (if not kind of late) show! Today we show you how to self-destruct your private data, discuss how 3D is totally lame, and why we think Jon Stewart should run for president.

(Credit: The Sisyphus Files)

Sorry for starting late today, live listeners! I think today's show made up for the tardiness, and it all starts with Little Big Planet celebrating one million user-created levels. Since the game's popular release, a level is created every 21 seconds or so, on average, which means that if you were to play all of the levels it would take 5 years to finish them all, and that's only if you're playing 24 hours a day. Wild!

I'm also very excited (big surprise!) about the rerelease of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game, dubbed TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled. Who can forget that classic side-scrolling beat-em-up? I logged so many hours at the local nickel arcade next to my house just sitting there with my friends feeding nickels into that machine. Those were always my favorites kinds of games, and there used to be so many titles, too, including Streets of Rage, Final Fight, Simpsons, and Sunset Riders! Ahh, the old days when you actually had to go to an arcade to play a video game...

We also complain about the recent upsurge of all things 3D and how even YouTube is jumping on the bandwagon, offering users the capability to display their 3D videos in multiple formats. Later on in the second half, we analyze Jon Stewart's role as America's Most Trusted Newscaster, according to an online poll by Time Magazine. Should we be scared that America is relying on a comedian to report the daily news? We're not questioning Stewart's credibility here--he's clearly a smart man--but we're wondering how Comedy Central will leverage such a powerful figure.

OK, I have to bring up the Wikipedia page one more time and then I'll shut up: after a brief recess following yesterday's announcement, the page is now in Wiki-limbo. We need users and 404-supportive Wikipedians to populate the page with more details about the show, the hosts, references, guests, etc...since we can't do it ourselves (no, really, we can't), feel free to insert our appearance on "Fox Strategy Room" as well as other blogs on the Internet that mention The 404, even if it's your own! Anything helps, but please remember not to edit the redirection page; only edit the content at the existing address. Thanks, everyone!

We always try our best to keep a positive mental attitude on The 404, so it makes sense that we've chosen The Hold Steady's latest album, "Stay Positive," as today's Audio Draft Pick. We also run through the accidental video game archive, shame the Guinness World Records, and warn our listeners about open manholes, literally.

Today's "Best Web site you've never seen" award goes to Derek Yu's Accidental Video Game Porn Archive that showcases sexual innuendos found in your favorite video games. It's an easy way to waste a few hours at work. They're all hilarious, but this Menage a Kong has got to be one of my favorites, with this Star Fox violation in a close second. I also like that Derek and I share the same last name--this Web site is totally something a Yu would do. Nice job, cuz!

We don't wag our fingers as much, but we have to scold the Guinness World Records for this record-breaking fail. One of the entries on its Web site awards the "Most Individuals Killed in a Terrorist Act" to the terrorists behind the attack on the World Trade Center towers and even invites viewers to "break this record."

Instead of immediately taking down the award, Guinness World Records compounded the fail by threatening legal action on the ICanHaz network for posting a screengrab that features the Guinness World Record logo without proper authorization. If that isn't a case of corporate cowardly B.S., I don't know what is. Daps to Fail Blog for their hilarious response complete with a Rick Roll at the end!

The Hold Steady's "Stay Positive".

(Credit: Last.FM/The Hold Steady)

Jeff's pick for today's "Audio Draft," sponsored by Beck's Beer in conjunction with Last.FM, is Brooklyn local band The Hold Steady. In our own words, these guys sound like the aural lovechild of Bruce Springsteen, Social Distortion, Joe Strummer, and Billy Joel. The music combines various instruments (banjos, organ, piano, theremin) to produce a jamming rock theme, and then adds gruff vocals with epic storytelling lyrics to complete the circle.

The band's latest album, "Stay Positive," keeps the party going with a steady balance of hilarious stories from the road ("Sequestered in Memphis") and heartbreaking admissions of love lost, but not forgotten ("Lord, I'm Discouraged"). Check out the entire discography and let us know what you think in the comments!

(Last.fm is a part of CBS Interactive, which also publishes CNET News and Reviews.)

Our good buddy Russ Frushtick of MTV Multiplayer (formerly of UGO) comes onto the show today to talk shop and give us the inside scoop on Project Natal, "Ghostbusters," and the Nintendo Wii Motion Plus.

Russ of MTV Multiplayer

(Credit: CNET/Dan Ackerman)

We're always stoked when Russ Frushtick drops into the studio because he always brings us the best news, and today is no different. Russ recently accepted an offer to work at MTV Multiplayer as the only guy covering video games! Now that he's the head honcho, we feel extra special that he's willing to talk with us about E3. Granted, E3 was awhile ago, but Russ gives us his take on Project Natal and how he thinks it will effect the industry as a whole. Believe it or not, I'm actually kind of psyched to play the handball game despite how weird I'll probably looking flailing my arms around like a maniac in that 3-foot square. Russ also talks about the Milo demo, where you apparently have to establish a relationship and "connect" with a young boy in order to win the game? Maybe they should've called it "Project Wilson Tang."

After the break, we jump right back into more video game talk. We chat about the a game called Scribblenauts for the Nintendo DS. From how Russ described it, it sounds pretty cool: you just wander around and when you encounter a problem, all you have to do is write in what you'd need to get out of it and the object appears onscreen. And the game has 10,000 words you can write in! Listen in for more details about Prototype and a hilarious rant about the Wii MotionPlus.

EPISODE 367

Yesterday was the first time that I've ever seen Jeff doing actual work at his cube, so I relent for once and let him and Wilson talk about E3 2009. Video games, video games, video games on today's show, specifically about the new XBox 360 Project Natal, Halo sequels, new Metal Gear Solid, the Beatles: Rock Band, and even Facebook and Twitter! Wake me up when it's over.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET)

Yesterday's Microsoft press conference at E3 2009 unveiled some pretty exciting video game news, even for an antigamer such as myself. First up is the new Project Natal, the company's new motion-sensing bar for the XBox 360 that allows the gamer to control gameplay with motion, sound, and even 3D movement. As exciting as it sounds, unfortunately Microsoft didn't mention a release date, so we definitely won't see it in stores for Christmas 2009, which Jeff and Wilson think is a bit of a tease.

Aside from a few big game announcements, the big release news comes by way of everyone's favorite British gentlemen, with Beatles: Rock Band. Paul, Ringo, and even a few surprise visitors were there to kick off the game, and although Jeff is decidedly negative about the rise of plastic gaming, the game looks pretty cool. Check out the slideshow for pictures of Christopher "McLovin" Mintz-Plasse and Dhani Harrison taking a crack at the game.

Check out the FINALISTS in our 404 logo competition

Later on in the show, we announce the FINALISTS for our 404 logo competition. We received over 150 submissions and while they were all fantastic, we can only choose one for the official logo, so be sure to check out the final slideshow above and vote for your favorite in the comments section! Also, don't forget that even if your entry doesn't win the grand prize, we'll still use it for our mosaic/quilt/poster/sticker/shirt/etc...Thanks one million times over and again to everyone that submitted--you guys rule!

EPISODE 354

This show is getting too many mascots. First Boxxie McFinderberg, then our soon-to-be beta fish, and now a baby panda?! On today's show, we discuss "Terminator Salvation," Asian actors in Pixar's "UP," E3 2009, the Sony PSP Go, and the leaked Palm Pre review on Boy Genius Report.

Someone saw 'Drag Me To Hell' over the weekend...

(Credit: Edward McInTyre/CNET)

Sony and Palm are clearly using the same marketing team, because they're both mucking things up with the release of their latest products, the Palm Pre and the recent Sony PSP Go leakage. Jeff and Wilson suspect that they released it early on purpose, but the real story here is how boring it is. None of the internal specs have changed, it's the same screen as the PSP 3000 except for minor upgrades to the onboard memory. The most obvious difference is the sliding keypad. Wilson thinks it's simply useless and just another piece of hardware prone to break over time. Not surprisingly, the dudes think it's a wise move not to include a UMD slot in the new PSP Go. After all, everything is going the way of cloud computing, and you can still put a game on a Sony Memory Stick anyway. Wait a second, what the hell? Why am I even writing about all this gaming garbage? Up until five minutes before the show, I didn't even know what a PSP Go was!

Moving on: if you're running out of toilet paper for the day, print out Boy Genius Report's Palm Pre review and wipe away. BGR unveiled the "world's first review" of the new handheld on Friday, and it also happens to be the "world's most poorly written review" as well. First of all, there's a code of ethics that comes into play here, and BGR still hasn't revealed how or why they decided to leak the review before anyone else. Journalistic integrity, anyone? And come on, dude: if you're going to leak a high-profile review that you know will get a massive amount of hits, maybe spend a tiny bit more time shaping the text. We get that it's a blog, but this review reads like someone wrote it on the pot. Or maybe we're just jealous that we didn't get one first. :)

Finally, thanks again to EVERYONE that submitted logos over the weekend for our contest. It ended today, so don't send any more unless you have one that can seriously compete with the finalists (which we will debut tomorrow). Check out the final submissions below and let us know what you think in the comments. Do you have a favorite out of all of them?

Last round of submissions for our 404 logo contest!

The PlayStation 3 has already had the benefit of a triple-A title this calendar year as Killzone 2 certainly helped fill a gaping hole in the console's exclusive games library. With the release of inFamous, developer Sucker Punch hopes to extend the list of quality 2009 PS3 exclusives.

We sat down for a phone interview with Sucker Punch game director Nate Fox and chatted with him about the story in inFamous and how players' actions can dictate the narrative. While most superhero games offer somewhat of a linear experience, inFamous strays from the usual pack of games by offering an open-world "sandbox" experience.

Fox talks about why Sucker Punch chose the superhuman ability of shooting electricity for the main character, and how the developer was able to create the effect of feeling like a superhero in city torn by anarchy.

Make sure you listen all the way through as Fox sheds light on the future of Sucker Punch and whether we can expect to see a Sly Cooper game in the PS3's future.

Listen to the entire interview below

Download the interview

inFamous is out now exclusively for PlayStation 3. Make sure you listen to The 404 every day to find out how you can win a copy.