I joined SG in 2007 after seeing the PS3 parody “How You Killed Your Brand” on Youtube.  I was looking for a great community and some new friends to play with on XBOX live, and I knew this was the new home for me. I started listening to the podcasts and became a big fan of what the people here were doing.

Nine months later I dragged my wife  to meet the staff (Hey Frawlz!) at PAX and watch Doc, Dave and Lono podcast live in a hotel meeting room with free pizza and prizes. A few SG game nights later, I had met more of the staff and made even more friends that I have been gaming with to this day.

After hosting my own community cast “The Resonator,” I was asked to join the SG staff to run the community casts in which I got to meet many community members and podcasters (Jitterbug!) and get a chance to work with the staff on various projects which included an awesome Christmas special.

When Lono left SG for a while, he recruited me to co-host and edit Respawn Radio. I am still thankful to this day to have that opportunity to podcast with him and other various co-hosts and guests. As a middle child between warring parents, I remained on SG staff and was glad to be part of bringing Respawn Radio to SG. Although things did not end well on Respawn Radio for me (no hard feelings now) the support of our community and fans made it all worth while.

Now is the time that I am embarking on new journeys in life. One of these is grad school, in which I will be busier than ever juggling job, family and school all at the same time while trying my best to maintain my passion for gaming. The other journey is one with some of the best people I have had the pleasure of working with here at SG. I look forward to many more good times ahead with this crew on this upcoming new adventure.

It has been an honor to be part of SG and to get to know and game with many of you. Thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for listening to our podcasts, reading my (few) articles, visiting with me on XBL and the forums and, finally, for some awesome memories at PAX including BBQs, parties, brew pubs, movies and karaoke. You can follow me @8bitBass on twitter for further life and updates. Goodbye SG and God Bless.

After nearly four years, I have decided to close this chapter of my life.  I’m not expecting this goodbye to make nearly as big a splash as the preceding ones, but there’s just one thing I need to say before I leave.

I’m here to say thank you.  Thank you to the owners of Sarcastic Gamer for giving me an opportunity to be a small part of a truly amazing community.  Thank you to my colleagues in arms, no matter how long they stuck around, who will always hold a special place in my heart.  Most of all, I want to thank you and every other member of the Sarcastic Gamer community.  Without you, I am just tossing words into a void.  No writer wants to be the crazy person talking to an empty room.

Through it all, I wrote straight from the heart.  I always gave my heartfelt opinion, and I never wrote to stir shit up.

I wanted to start conversation and make readers engage each other, respectfully, in spirited debate, but I also wanted to entertain readers and make them laugh.  If over these 3+ years I have never made you laugh or smile, then I failed miserably.  Sometimes I went off the rails and wrote like a bull in a china shop, but it was all for you – you and the rest of the SGC.

As for what the future holds … well, I promise that you’ll see me around.  I plan to leave the moniker (Havok) behind, but I hope that you will recognize my writing style, which is overrun by references to 1980s cartoons and former New York Knicks all-star center Patrick Ewing.  If not, just look for a byline of “Alex Saunders,” which is the name that my parents gave me once they found out that Elton John was already taken.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.  Thank you for reading and thank you for supporting Sarcastic Gamer.  Goodbyes are always so hard, so it’s good that I’m not saying goodbye.

With love and Cheez-It crumbs on my lap,

Alex “Havok” Saunders

Photo credit: Comic Vine

Oh, hey. Yeah, remember me? I quit a little over a month ago.

I figured that there were a lot of questions as into “Y U HAV MASS EXODUS!?!?!?!” and I realized a lot of you wanted answers and even though I couldn’t lay it all out on the line easily, you all deserved a little bit more. I was writing and I was on podcasts and I was doing my thing with Sarcastic Gamer, but it seems it all came to a head in December, right? Knowing what would be on the horizon, I stepped down from Sarcastic Gamer because I knew I had a solid month that I could just RELAX and (Gasp!) play video games. I knew that whatever I was going to do next — and yes, there’s a plan — was going to be on hold for at least the end of the year, right? I could take a break. I’m pretty sure, through absolute transparency of this intention, that a lot of our writers felt exactly the same way. That’s when everyone noticed that the blog stopped churning, the reviews stopped coming and suddenly all you had were podcasts and very little explanation. There’s a good reason for that, I can assure you.

Behind-the-scenes at Sarcastic Gamer, things were getting complicated and to say it was as simple as all that is a disservice to those that have dealt with those problems for far longer than I had been around. While I was brought on by one of the owners due to my writing and obviously brash tendencies — most of the staff here have been around since the beginning. They’ve dealt with A LOT. Most of them have cut their teeth in on this very place that you all come to for snarkish behavior and silly outlooks on the hobbies you all know and love.

There’s only so much some people can take though, right? I’m sure you guys get it.

Despite my having only been with the site for a little less than a year, I came to absolutely love and appreciate the staff. They became VERY close and loving family — and you never, ever wanted anyone more on your side than these guys (And girls.) if you were having problems. Our email blasts were legendary, the threads of imagination and both turbulence were some of my best and worst days with SG and I seriously say with no uncertainty that it’s been the BEST experience of my seven year long career with games writing.

I hope you all know that it’s not the end though — like a family who has been through a lot, we regroup. We have to be, tight-lipped as Capn put it, about the whole business of where we’re all going to be in the future but please know — we WILL be around. Maybe it won’t be under the SG banner that you guys have come to daily (And we thank you for it!), but we will be there.

Make sure to keep an eye out on everyone’s respective Twitter feeds and stay posted for news on where we’re all headed — because we cannot wait to show you what we’ve got hidden up (Not under, I swear I’m not an Alien.) our sleeves.

Peace, Love & Headshots,

Candice

Stay frosty!

For those not looking to read a long goodbye, here’s the short version:

I am leaving Sarcastic Gamer. I will still be podcasting (Da Blu Show is foreva!) and writing, just not here. Tony Danza. Pineapple. Walrus.

For those who want to read my whimsical goodbye to the community I love and find out how to find me in the future, stick around. [continue reading →]

In October of 2008 I discovered podcasts. It was a revelation to me that I became obsessed with. I downloaded everything that even slightly piqued my interest. Sarcastic Gamer’s Red show was one of the many that I discovered, and it was one of the few that was of high enough quality to make me a fan.

Doc, Dave, and Lono had great chemistry, and listening to them chatter about the gaming industry was a highlight of my weekly podcast catalogue. Shortly after starting to listen to podcasts, I approached a good friend of mine about starting our own show. Within a week, Talkingship was born, and I had the greatest excuse to sit around and drink beer that I had ever come up with.

In October of 2008, Doc announced that Sarcastic Gamer was inviting aspiring podcasters to produce a SG show of their very own for the Community Cast feed. My friend, Nerves, and I jumped at the chance. We did several episodes of the SG-Talkingship show, and had a blast with each and every one. Through this we gained a large following to our own show, and we have been thankful ever since.

Over the years, Doc, Dave, and Lono became friends of mine and of Talkingship. Each of them have appeared on our podcast at some point or another, and they have always been good to us. I had the pleasure of meeting Doc for dinner in Denver to discuss a collaborative effort to help Extra Life, and Dave has become a close personal friend through countless hours of Call of Duty. Dave also asked me to take part in the SG Flix podcast, and I’ve had a blast yelling at our fellow co-host, Yoshi, about the Star Wars movies ever since.

Sarcastic Gamer also introduced me to hundreds of people I would have never met otherwise, and I cherish the opportunity to get to know them. The community has been rich, diverse, hilarious, and maddening all at the same time.

As my time at Sarcastic Gamer comes to a close, I look back on it with great fondness. The people I have met, the friendships I have made, and the arguments I have screamed through will always resonate with me in the best possible light. While certain friendships might have tarnished, I hope there is no bridge too badly burned to cross over again one day.

As of December 31st, 2011, I will be waving goodbye to the good ship Sarcastic. I’ll take my seat among friends to set out upon a new adventure. One where I hope to see you again.

As a certain maligned, green, big-eared Force wielder might say, “Goodbye SG. Real it has been.”

One day, in the summer of 2007, I was looking at Youtube videos (I never look at Youtube videos.  Random that I would be doing it on that day).  I stumbled upon a video parodying a Microsoft Surface commercial and laughed harder than I can ever remember laughing at Youtube.  I noticed at the end of it, there was a plug for a site called “Sarcastic Gamer”; something I had never heard of.  Assuming I could find more of these videos, I headed to the site.

[continue reading →]

Pip-pip.

Well, hello there chaps, chapettes, bounders, cads and any other denomination of internet-dwelling denizen that I’ve left unmentioned.  It’s my last day here at the good ship Sarcastic Gamer – so, now that I’ve cleared out my desk and hung up my monocle, I thought I just ought to do one last post.

As many of you know, SGUK came to a close with episode 52.  I’d just like to say a very sincere thank you to everyone who ever listened to the show.  I could never quite believe that thousands of people were listening to MightyMutt, Yamster and I ramble on in a nonsensical fashion every week, and reading all the unexpectedly wonderful things people said about the show was very humbling.

[continue reading →]

The Blu show is back to tell you the good news about Sony. This week Rothbart, PacMan Polar Bear and Frawlz discuss the Vita numbers, all things android, Anonymous, SOPA, and much more. There’s bonus content for SG iphone and android app users.

We appreciate you guys taking time out of your day every week to listen to our show. For your convenience, you can simply download the MP3 by clicking HERE or if you’re one of those “set it and forget it” types, you can subscribe via iTunes, RSS, or Zune and stay in “real time.”

If you do use iTunes, we’d love to hear what you think about our show. A great way to show your support is by leaving us feedback on iTunes. Remember, you can also email us at any time at PlayStationPodcast@SarcasticGamer.com! You can also call and leave us a voicemail at 1-805-8SGBLUE (regular long distance charges apply.)

After 25 solid hours of podasting, Dave, Jitterbug and Yoshifett finally complete their “Be Kind Rewind” of the entire Star Wars saga. It has been quite a journey thank you for taking it with us. May the force be with you until next week when SG Flix returns to the old format with brain rotting, trailer trash, and a BKR of another movie.

Feel free to stop by the forums and talk about Star Wars with us.

Here’s the RSS feed.  Leave an iTunes review and subscribe here.  Download the show here.

The Brown show is back to vibrate your speaker box. This week DogsDie, Smelly Pirate and Yoshifett nerd out about Kinect, Battlefield 3, the ipad, and much more. There’s bonus content for SG ipod and android app users. Listen up, and find out what Brown can do for you.

IMPORTANT: Please note that the Sarcastic Gamer Brown is on its OWN iTunes and RSS feed. Please be sure to subscribe to the new Brown Show feed in iTunes or RSS. If you insist, you can always just download the mp3. If you are currently using a computer with iTunes on it, would you mind heading over there and leaving us some feedback? Thanks for the Diggs!

Sith Lords are “revealed” as Dave, Jitterbug and Yoshifett fail to wrap up their “Be Kind Rewind” of Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith.  Join them next week as the SG Flix crew wraps up the Star Wars saga. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Feel free to stop by the forums and talk about Star Wars with us.

Here’s the RSS feed.  Leave an iTunes review and subscribe here.  Download the show here.

The Blu show is back to tell you the good news about Sony. This week Rothbart, PacMan Polar Bear and Frawlz discuss the Vita launch in Japan, what they got for Christmas, game of the year, and much more. There’s bonus content for SG iphone and android app users.

We appreciate you guys taking time out of your day every week to listen to our show. For your convenience, you can simply download the MP3 by clicking HERE or if you’re one of those “set it and forget it” types, you can subscribe via iTunes, RSS, or Zune and stay in “real time.”

If you do use iTunes, we’d love to hear what you think about our show. A great way to show your support is by leaving us feedback on iTunes. Remember, you can also email us at any time at PlayStationPodcast@SarcasticGamer.com! You can also call and leave us a voicemail at 1-805-8SGBLUE (regular long distance charges apply.)

Flix’s “Be Kind Rewind” of the entire Star Wars saga continues! Dave, Jitterbug and Yoshifett are midway through their break down of Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith. Look for part 4 to be out later this week and the 5th and final part will be out after the new year.

Feel free to stop by the forums and talk about Star Wars with us.

Here’s the RSS feed.  Leave an iTunes review and subscribe here.  Download the show here.

Welcome back to SG Flix’s “Be Kind Rewind” of the entire Star Wars saga. Dave, Jitterbug and Yoshifett are having trouble getting the ball rolling in Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith, but they will overcome as long as they can stop going off on tangents. It’s a good thing they were thorough and went 5 episode deep with this movie. Look forward to part 3 at the beginning of next week.

Feel free to stop by the forums and talk about Star Wars with us.

Here’s the RSS feed.  Leave an iTunes review and subscribe here.  Download the show here.