One thing you can say about Mitch Gitelman, head of FASA Studio and Shadowrun's daddy: He's forthright. So when he says "I think the reviews on my game suck ass and I want to respond" on this week's OXM Podcast to senior editors Ryan McCaffrey and Dan Amrich, that's the start of 45 minutes of pure honesty, and one of the more interesting conversations you're likely to hear this week.

Addressing the criticisms that the game was scored while factoring in its price more than its execution or innovation, Gitelman says, "The most important thing is the value of what you're getting...and I think there is value there at the $60 price point." He's not apologetic in defending his creation, but as the conversation evolves to discuss the context of scores away from their reviews, whether Halo 3's beta hurt the game's release, how many different ways you can play football, and simply what goes into a game's fiscal worth, it's hard not to get sucked in - at least, if you're one of those people who either reads reviews or pays for games. Gitelman is neither hostile nor baiting; it's just a good, meaty discussion.

Above: Another kind of dialogue is about to happen between this troll, the elf and human players in Shadowrun

Go to oxmpodcast.com to listen, or grab the podcast through iTunes. It'll make your commute that much easier.

June 22, 2007