As promised last week, I want to finish off this series on Ubercharges by going over the responsibilities of the person being given the Ubercharge. At first glance the goal seems simple: kill and/or destroy as many things as possible, as efficiently as possible, in the allotted 8 seconds. And in fact, it kind of is that simple. Combining the goals I’ve previously gone over for a Medic with the ones I set out in this article however, I’ll give you a new or at least refined viewpoint on what your goals as a pocket are.

The Adventure game was lost to us for a few years - advances in technology had gamers expecting flashier graphics and faster gameplay - but the arrival of downloadable titles brought that genre roaring back. The team over at Telltale Games took up the mantle left behind by Lucasarts and showed the world that episodic content really could work with their recent continuations of the Sam and Max and Monkey Island franchises. Monkey Island is a series near and dear to my heart - the brilliant writing and offbeat humor opened my eyes to a world of video game possibilities. The Tales of Monkey Island series saw excellent reviews (with Metacritic ratings averaging in the low-to-mid 80s), and I absolutely agree with that assessment. But how does the series stack up as an episodic narrative? Find out after the jump.

Warning: ahead thar be spoilers! I'll be dealing with the way the plot and characters develop over the course of all five Tales episodes, and I can't do that without spoiling some of the more significant changes that occur. If you haven't played the series and have a particular aversion to having surprises revealed to you, then you should go play the games. They're excellent.

Microsoft makes a lot of money on Xbox Live Gold subscriptions, but I guess it's not enough.  Maybe they need the money to hire more staff for server upgrades or perhaps they're just greedy but only Microsoft will know that.  Just how much are they raising the prices?  Not that much, but it'll sure add up for them. Hit the jump for details.

Welcome to "Worth It - Games Worth Playing this Week," a weekly column you'll find here every Monday. In Worth It, I'll sift through the games being released this week to let you know what you can look forward to and, sometimes, what is just too bad to ignore.

New ideas in game design are always risky, and this week we have two new entries to existing franchises that go in interesting new directions. I am glad to see major franchises taking chances, but there's a certain amount of inertia that comes with an established brand. So are what are these two games, and do they look like they will be worth your money? Find out after the jump.

Greetings fellow couch goers! As you may or may not know, here at Couch Athletics, we play a wide variety of games ranging from Team Fortress 2 to League of Legends. Now, these games are getting updated pretty frequently, so Couch Athletics has decided to help inform the community about these updates. We are proud to present our newest weekly article "This Week in Updates," where you can find information about your favorite games changes and patches. Now, without any further adieu, here are this week's updates.

Link - Click Me!

[Originally recorded on August 23, 2010]

Using Michael Abbott's (Brainy Gamer) collection of "Fun Factors" [http://www.brainygamer.com/the_brainy_gamer/2010/08/fun-factors-catalog.html], we examine why we like video games. What do you look for? Sweet loot? A detailed world? Fluidity of movement? The ability to destroy everything? We touch on all of these as we reflect on our favorite video games of the past and present.

Dan talks about Star Trek (again), and recommends Dark and Stormy Night. Brian and Ayla saw Scott Pilgrim Versus The World. Cory is still watching Monty Python and closes out the episode with making strange noises.

Enjoy!

If you've ever said to yourself, "Man, I wish I could play that song on Rock Band!" you're in the right place. This is a regular article dedicated to putting the spotlight on musicians, specific songs, or even genres so far absent from the music game industry (notably Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and their many-numbered sequels). I'm absolutely open to suggestions either in comments or messages as well.

There's one genre that is grossly underrepresented in music games, and it ain't heavy metal, despite what your Siege Tank might tell ya. This week's band is a cornerstone of that genre. They enjoy eatin' peaches and Hot 'Lanta but aren't big fans of whippin' posts. Also, like good bands around them, they've suffered from tragedy and line-up changes throughout their time. Then again, I guess that's what happens when you're around for over 30 years. Of course, it's The Allman Brothers Band.

One of the best things about PC gaming is the ability to customize several aspects of your favorite games. This article is dedicated to that very practice. Each week, I'll feature mods from a specific game, and you can rest easy knowing that each one of them was tested thoroughly by yours truly. Want to see mods for a particular game? Can't get enough of a mod I haven't featured? Let me know in the comments section.

I know what you're thinking. "Really? Another Fallout 3 themed Mod Madness article already?" What can I say? I've been bitten by the New Vegas bug and its venom is coursing through my veins at an alarming rate. On top of which, the author of my favorite mod has recently released another. The Book of Earache is an addition to his eXcalibr Universe series and adds even more than its predecessor. Has my recently named favorite mod of all time been replaced already? Hit the jump to find out.

Your Ubercharge and You Part 2 – The Kritzkrieg

I thought that this time we’d look at the responsibilities of the heal target. However I’ve heard people request also that they would like to see some delving into the Kritzkrieg and how/when it should be used. Seeing as we last left off talking about the medic, I suppose we’ll continue with that and move right onto the Kritzkrieg leaving pocket responsibilities for next week.

Registration for the inaugural Couch Athletics Starleague is now open! A new CA event, the Starleague is a series of monthly Starcraft II tournaments open to players of any skill level, with two divisions (invite and open).

To learn more about the tournament format, the rules involved, and to reserve your spot, click here to reach the official forums thread for the competition.

Sign up now! Registration will be closing at midnight on August 31st!