Send us a text The Game Awards aired last week, and thanks to the Wednesday curse, we’re just now able to do our wrap-up of the live stream. So for our main topic, we’re going to review our predictions and find out which one of us got the most picks correct. Then we’ll be recapping the biggest game announcements from the show, including Hades 2, Crime Boss: Rockay City, Death Stranding 2, and more. We'll also be discussing Bloomberg's claim that the esports boom is fading as investors and sponso...
Dec 16, 2022•1 hr 22 min
Send us a text So much has changed in the video game industry in the last 30 or so years that sometimes it feels like modern games are nearly unrecognizable when compared to their retro counterparts. We're joined by Christopher Cross, a long-time game dev who has worked in the video game industry since 1996 (Diablo, Medal of Honor, and Marvel Avengers are just a few of the titles on his resume), to chat about how gaming has changed over the past few decades and even where it may go in the next f...
Dec 09, 2022•1 hr 14 min
Send us a text The feud between Sony and Microsoft surrounding the Xbox maker’s attempted acquisition of Activision Blizzard has continued to heat up, so for our main topic this week, we’re looking at a roundup of Sony vs Microsoft headlines. This includes Sony's claim that Microsoft is trying to turn it into Nintendo, Sony's assertion that Xbox Game Pass has reached 29 million subscribers, and Microsoft's admission that "many" PlayStation exclusives are "better quality" than those on Xbox. We'l...
Dec 02, 2022•1 hr 20 min
Send us a text The nominees for the Game Awards 2022 have been revealed, but the response from much of the gaming world has been... *shrug*. Why do the Game Awards garner such apathy from gamers (if not outright hatred)? And having acknowledged that the awards are largely nonsense, which games are we rooting for? We'll also be discussing the mayhem caused by Twitter Blue users impersonating video game companies, how Xbox proactively suspended up to 4.8m user accounts in the first half of 2022, t...
Nov 18, 2022•1 hr 30 min
Send us a text Sales numbers always generate big headlines in the video game industry. But while some titles come and go, others remain heavy hitters, sitting atop the sales record books and accumulating numbers that most games can only dream of. We take a look at these top 10 video game juggernauts and wonder... is this not only a list of the best-selling games of all time but the flat-out best games of all time? We'll also be discussing how Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 hit $1 billion in reve...
Nov 11, 2022•1 hr 15 min
Send us a text Xbox boss Phil Spencer gave several interviews this week, and his quotes have fueled much of the world’s recent gaming news. This week, we're diving into a roundup of Xbox headlines, including Spencer's claim that Xbox loses as much as $200 on every console it sells, Xbox 's changing tone on Game Pass in light of the service failing to hit target numbers, and Spencer's admission that "it’s been too long" since Xbox ’s last big first-party game. We'll also be discussing Sega 's ann...
Nov 04, 2022•1 hr 17 min
Send us a text Most video games have a good mixture of easy and hard levels to keep gamers properly entertained and challenged throughout the game. But some levels dial the difficulty up to 11, and apparently, Reddit has a lot to say about what it considers to be the hardest video game levels ever. We're joined by Brian from Drink A Beer & Play A Game to debate the levels on this list while adding a few of our own. We'll also be discussing how the system requirements to run the upcoming Sile...
Oct 28, 2022•1 hr 25 min
Send us a text The long-awaited release of Platinum Games' Bayonetta 3 has been marred by a rather messy controversy. The voice of Bayonetta in the previous two entries publicly stated that she did not return for the third installment because the pay was insultingly low. She then encouraged fans to boycott the game, igniting a debate about the chronically low pay offered to video game voice actors. Platinum Games has disputed her claims, and as more information comes to light, which party's vers...
Oct 21, 2022•1 hr 15 min
Send us a text The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has released its initial report on Microsoft 's buyout of Activision Blizzard , and the Xbox maker is not happy. The company is calling the criticism of the deal “unsupported” and accusing the CMA of listening too much to Sony 's lawyers. Is Microsoft 's Activision Blizzard deal really a good thing for the gaming industry? We debate the possible implications of the largest acquisition in gaming history. We'll also be discussing how Blizza...
Oct 14, 2022•1 hr 17 min
Send us a text Google Stadia 's 2019 announcement promised several features that actually could have been disruptive game-changers for the industry (such as State Share, Stream Connect, Crowd Play, and Crowd Choice). Unfortunately, however, each of those features was absent from launch, and as of late 2021, less than 10% of the total library included one or more of these features. As the death knell tolls for Stadia , we look back on the service and wonder what could have been had Google taken t...
Oct 07, 2022•1 hr 17 min
Send us a text Super Mario Bros. , The Legend of Zelda , Mega Man , Metroid ... the best NES games are all classics. They aren't just fantastic video games in their own right, but experiences that helped to establish Nintendo 's biggest franchises and make the manufacturer a force to be reckoned with in the industry. We debate the ten best titles of the NES library, and (spoiler alert!) we don't all agree. We'll also be discussing how the US Department of Homeland Security has awarded a nearly $...
Sep 30, 2022•1 hr 16 min
Send us a text With the much-hyped Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake changing developers, fans are hoping that the game will survive its problems and live to see its release. However, if it doesn't, it would be far from the biggest title to ultimately get canceled. We're joined by G to the Next Level to look at the ten video game cancelations that gamers found most disappointing. We'll also be discussing how the big Grand Theft Auto 6 leak may not be so big after all, Sega 's explana...
Sep 23, 2022•1 hr 26 min
Send us a text It's been a big week for gaming news! This past Tuesday brought us both a Nintendo Direct and a PlayStation State of Play , so we're covering as much as we can from both showcases. We'll also be discussing how PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan says Xbox's Call of Duty offer was "inadequate on many levels," how Gargoyles is the next classic Disney game getting a remaster, and Billy Mitchell 's claims that his doctor won't see him due to accusations that he cheated at Donkey Kong . Finally, ...
Sep 16, 2022•1 hr 14 min
Send us a text Having a backlog of games can be overwhelming. Knowing that you have potentially hundreds of games that you haven't played yet has been a lament of many gamers. In this episode, we're joined by Jim from Drink a Beer and Play a Game to discuss tips and tricks on how to manage your backlog of games like a pro. We'll also be talking about Xbox 's Game Pass Friends and Family Bundle, Nintendo 's removal of loot boxes for its mobile title Mario Kart Tour , the rumored new 2D Super Mari...
Sep 09, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 38
Send us a text When someone thinks of video games, they might imagine playing their favorite games with their friends or competing against others for the top score in competitive-style leaderboards. Naturally, these services need internet access to function, but not everyone takes time to think about the servers that host these features — at least not until a company announces that they're going to shut them down. We discuss our favorite ones that have gone by the wayside, as well as the current...
Sep 02, 2022•1 hr 13 min
Send us a text Gamescom 2022 is upon us, and Geoff Keighley 's Opening Night Live kicked things off with a ton of new announcements for games including Dune: Awakening , Lies of P , Sonic Frontiers , and more. We go over both the highlights and the lowlights of the evening. We'll also be discussing how Xbox boss Phil Spencer believes there will be fewer console exclusives in the future, how Embracer is set to acquire the Lord of the Rings IP, and the pair of obscure Sega games now being adapted ...
Aug 26, 2022•1 hr 14 min
Send us a text The digital-only age is coming, folks. We may not like it, but it's hard to deny that streaming services are the future of entertainment, including for video games. But when customers no longer need a console to play games, what will that mean for Sony and Nintendo , which don't have the PC presence that Microsoft has? We also discuss how Nintendo of America contractors are calling out the company for sexual harassment and a "frat house" environment, how the Final Fantasy 16 direc...
Aug 19, 2022•1 hr 22 min
Send us a text This week, Nintendo treated Splatoon fans to an in-depth look at the series' upcoming entry, Splatoon 3 . We chat about the new stages, mechanics, game modes, and weapons, as well as what else we hope to see in the soon-to-be-released title. We'll also be discussing Twitch and YouTube Gaming 's plummeting viewership figures, how fewer than 1% of Netflix subscribers play Netflix Games , and whether video games are really that expensive (or it only seems that way). Finally, class is...
Aug 12, 2022•1 hr 12 min
Send us a text This past week has seen a ton of Sony news, so we’re doing a roundup of PlayStation headlines. We'll be talking about how Sony will retire the PS5 's Accolades feature later this year, Sony 's fear that Microsoft 's ownership of the Call of Duty franchise will have the power to influence users' console choices, and the official PlayStation mobile controller coming from Backbone . We'll also be discussing how Nintendo ’s digital software sales now account for over half of its overa...
Aug 05, 2022•1 hr 13 min
Send us a text The Nintendo Switch 's 5th birthday has come and gone, and in that time, it's made headlines over and over again in ways that other consoles haven't. We remember some of the moments that have shaped and defined the Nintendo Switch 's reign, for better or worse, as well as what has made the console special to us on a personal level. We'll also be discussing the news that Grand Theft Auto 6 will feature a female playable character and add new cities over time, Sony 's new program to...
Jul 29, 2022•1 hr 15 min
Send us a text Time codes at the bottom! There is plenty to enjoy in Sony 's newly revamped PlayStation Plus service, but is it really worth the cost? We explore the idea that the biggest challenge facing PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass (or any game subscription service on the market for that matter) isn’t money. It’s time. Or more accurately, lack of it. As adults with more responsibilities than time, are gaming subscription services actually a good deal for us? We also discuss Sony 's claims that P...
Jul 22, 2022•1 hr 16 min
Send us a text Time codes at the bottom! What does it truly mean to be called one of the worst video games of all time? We're going to the very bottom of Metacritic’s rankings to find out which games rank as the worst of the worst, as well as gripe about the very worst games we've personally played. We'll also be discussing how GameStop fired one of its top execs in the midst of the company's transition towards NFT s, how PAX organizer ReedPop is partnering with the ESA to run E3 2023 , Bayonett...
Jul 15, 2022•1 hr 16 min
Send us a text Web 3 company Polium claims its " Polium One " system will be “the world’s first multi-chain gaming console” that will be capable of running games built on different blockchains. Unsurprisingly, the announcement has been met with much criticism from gamers who are, at best, not yet convinced of the merits of blockchain gaming, and at worst believe it to be a scam (Spoiler: We're the latter). We talk about the Polium One as history comes full circle on the 6-month anniversary of Ga...
Jul 08, 2022•1 hr 10 min
Send us a text The June 2022 Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase has come and gone, and left us with a host of fresh announcements, release date news, surprise drops, and other tidbits. We discuss the good, the bad, and the underwhelming of Nintendo 's latest. We'll also be talking about how Final Fantasy 16 will use "British English only" to avoid pissing off Americans, the new Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration collection, the Mega Drive Mini 2 console's $150 controller, and the new stud...
Jul 01, 2022•1 hr 23 min
Send us a text The video game industry is in flux. We’re 19 months into a fresh console cycle, the pandemic slowed or paused development on a generation of games, and studios of all sizes are being absorbed by the biggest names in the room. Put simply, there aren’t a lot of huge games coming out in the second half of 2022. But is this actually a bad thing? We discuss the pros and cons of the AAA development machine and wonder if the indies will save us. We'll also be discussing Sega 's new multi...
Jun 24, 2022•1 hr 14 min
Send us a text Although there's technically no E3 this year, you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise. Over the course of a few days, we got a ton of trailers, gameplay reveals, and announcements for some huge titles, including Starfield , Diablo IV , Silksong , and more. We're joined by Kade Call of the Gaming Memories Podcast to break down all the biggest news from not-E3 week. We'll also be discussing how Sonic Team 's boss says Sonic Frontiers won’t be delayed as a result of fan feedback, th...
Jun 17, 2022•1 hr 22 min
Send us a text The latest PlayStation State of Play has arrived bringing with it a new look for Final Fantasy 16, the long-awaited reveal of Resident Evil 4 Remake, th e first gameplay of Street Fighter 6 , and much more. We're joined by Hugues of the Retro Game Club Podcast to discuss the titles featured in this State of Play . We'll also be talking about how Sega chose the Mega Drive Mini 2 over a Dreamcast mini or Saturn mini due to worries over extreme costs, the new Nintendo leak teasing mo...
Jun 10, 2022•1 hr 4 min
Send us a text Sonic Frontiers , Sega 's upcoming open-world video game starring everyone's favorite Blue Blur, got a seven-minute gameplay video, and well... it all looks strangely familiar. We're joined by our good friend, streamer, YouTuber, and all-around great guy Ducks in Disguise to help us break down this first look at gameplay and talk about what we still hope to see in the full game. We'll also be discussing Microsoft 's confirmation that the company is working on a "Keystone" Xbox gam...
Jun 03, 2022•1 hr 15 min
Send us a text In 1980, Atari held a tournament to determine the best player in the nation on its 2600 port of the arcade sensation Space Invaders . The tournament was won by a Los Angeles teenager who went on to change the landscape of video games. We're joined by Rebecca Heineman to hear her stories of the world's very first esports tournament. We'll also be discussing how the Xbox Series S outsold the PS5 in Japan for the first time since 2014, how Activision Blizzard employees have finally f...
May 27, 2022•1 hr 34 min
Send us a text To the surprise of almost no one in the retrogaming sphere, game-grading company Wata Games is the target of a new US class-action lawsuit. The suit accuses Wata of "engaging in affirmative acts to manipulate the retro video game market" and of "engaging in unfair business practices." We discuss the allegations and what this could potentially mean for the future of the retrogaming secondhand market. We'll also be talking about how Saudi Arabia’s PIF now owns a 5% stake in Nintendo...
May 20, 2022•1 hr 12 min
