It looks like the overwhelming internet consensus has won the battle with Microsoft’s controversial policies for its Xbox One. Just a couple of weeks after releasing somewhat vague details about the upcoming console’s used game, game sharing, and connectivity restrictions, Microsoft has essentially negated every last bit of its planned policies. Is this a big win for gamers and their hobby, a speed bump on the road to the inevitable, or a big step backward from a glorious future of digital game sharing?

The best answer at this point is that we don’t know what this will mean a few years from now. Certainly, most gaming communities seemed to prefer sticking with the status quo – allowing used games without restriction, allowing trading and renting of physical discs, and allowing games to be played without an internet connection. Sony fed these desires and received huge applause (and pre-orders) by announcing it would be keeping the same policies that the PS3 uses on its new PS4. This fact and the outcry from many corners of the internet apparently had enough of an impact to force Microsoft to change course and return to the rules we’re used to. The only exception is that the Xbox One must be initialized online prior to use, but can be used thereafter without an internet connection – not unlike the way iPads were issued until recently.

We’ve known about Infamous: Second Son for a while now, but never did I imagine that the game would look this enticing. Sucker Punch had a strong showing during Sony’s Press Conference with this latest entry into the Infamous universe, and all signs are pointing in the right direction for the series.

Taking place seven years after Infamous 2’s good ending, the world has become extremely averse to the idea of super powered beings. In order to keep people safe, the government has been keeping close tabs on the population, and taking extreme action if they discover people who have superhuman abilities. This brings us to our new hero.

Every party has an energy. You can feel it wax and wane when people come and go, eat and drink, and talk or uncomfortably look around. The greatest way to completely sap a party’s energy at any stage is to flip on the TV– even if it is to play a “party” video game. Thankfully, Spin the Bottle: Bumpie’s Party may be the solution for people who want to try to integrate a video game into their next social gathering… even if the event has a few non-gamers in attendance.

Ok, I didn't exactly follow the typical SIA format, but if you're gonna kick off a podcast with Bad to the Bone, you better be the kind of guy that writes his own rules. This weeks feature? Music to blow up your fellow racers by, because any competition is so much better when things can explode.

Seriously Nascar, pay attention here. I'd be fine with the endless series of left turns if someone shot somebody with a rocket every once in a while and your announcers were more like this guy: