The Crate and Crowbar - podcast cover

The Crate and Crowbar

The Crate and Crowbarcrateandcrowbar.com
A group of friends who work in the games industry meet up once a week to talk about PC games over a drink. “Off-the-cuff” is a polite way to say “unprofessional”, right?

Episodes

Episode 266: Julian, Son Of Hades

Tom F, Alex and John return to the velvet plinth to discuss the Games Awards announcements, ReCore, Dusk, and Hades. Far Cry: New Dawn has flowers. The Last Campfire is by two folks at Hello Games. Xbox One flagship game ReCore is on PC now and very 7/10. Dusk is a 97/100 game according to Steam [...]

Dec 14, 20182 hr 50 min

Episode 265: Gold, Funsense And Myrrh

Chris, Tom, Alex and Tom discuss the Epic Games Store, more Artifact, Mutant Year Zero, Just Cause 4, and so on. Here’s the rundown on the Epic Games Store. Everybody has been playing Artifact, but you are not allowed to touch the little imp bottoms, and this is garbage. Tom F is still playing alternative [...]

Dec 07, 20182 hr 11 min

Episode 264: Viking Longboards

Tom F and Alex gather around a velvet plinth, sip beer, and discuss vikings and hitmen. Featured: Skin Deep: Brendon Chung’s Die Hard in space. Bad North: defend tiny islands from vikings. Hitman 2 (2018): Tom’s liking it more now, play his Contract. Race for the Galaxy: an empire building card game where the strategies [...]

Nov 30, 20182 hr 39 min

Episode 263: He Failed His Shaving Throw

Chris, Tom F and Alex convene to talk Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus, Artifact, and Hitman 2. Then Chris, Tom F, Alex and Pip convene to talk, er, foxes? Or something. Alex has been playing Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus. Chris has been sinking hours into Artifact. Here’s the guide he wrote, if you’re interested. Tom’s been playing Hitman [...]

Nov 23, 20182 hr 15 min

Episode 262: The Roast Dinner Tank

Chris, Tom, Tom and Alex talk strategy remake news, Void Bastards, One Hour One Life, Battlefield V, Thronebreaker, Roblox and more. Those crazy kids are remastering Command & Conquer. They’re also remastering Warcraft III, the absolute madmen. Chris has been playing One Hour One Life. Everybody’s excited about Void Bastards. Tom Senior’s been playing Battlefield [...]

Nov 15, 20182 hr 15 min

Episode 261: Max Level Sprant

Chris is joined by both Toms to discuss Blizzcon controversy, The Blackout Club, Forza Horizon 4, Return of the Obra Dinn and more. Here’s Diablo Immortal, and Tom S’ article about said game and its attendant controversy. Chris and Tom F have been playing The Blackout Club. Do a cool flip off the time ramp [...]

Nov 08, 20182 hr 14 min

Episode 260: Wands And Tanks All The Way Down

Tom joins Zack Johnson and Kevin Simmons from Video Games Hot Dog to discuss the games of Fantastic Arcade. Spelunky 2! Noita! Samurai Gunn 2! Additional games besides these! Note: Patreon backers won’t be charged for this episode. Zack and Kevin are from Video Games Hot Dog, also Asymmetric. They have created two forms of [...]

Oct 31, 20181 hr 10 min

Episode 259: Yelp At The Moon

Pip, Chris and Alex discuss the return of Hellgate: London, ponder Return of the Obra Dinn, and go for a wander around Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Hellgate: London! It’s back! But why! Pip’s been playing that Return of the Obra Dinn. Alex has looked at some things and slid down some things in Shadow [...]

Oct 27, 20182 hr 42 min

Episode 258: The Tragedy Of Protagonistus The Extreme

Both Toms and Chris dig into this week’s developing Rockstar story and then share stories from Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, because all we’ve done for two weeks is kick people off boats. Here’s that story about the Red Dead 2 working conditions, and subsequent coverage of Rockstar‘s reaction. We recorded this podcast on Tuesday, for reference. [...]

Oct 19, 20182 hr 33 min

Episode 257: Kick Left, Kick Right

Tom S, Tom F and Chris talk Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Race for the Galaxy and Distance, and then get distracted by literary theory and swearing. Tom Senior has been kicking his way to friendship in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. Here is Alice Bell’s excellent article about the same. Tom Francis has been playing Race for the [...]

Oct 05, 20182 hr 51 min

Episode 256: The Fate of Kale

Chris and Pip embark on another Friday morning podcast, covering the Telltale layoffs and highlights from EGX. Here’s Wesley Yin-Poole’s article for Eurogamer about remembering that people, not companies, create games. Pip’s been enjoying Parkasaurus. Chris’ picks of EGX are Total War: Three Kingdoms, Kine, Yellow Rock Road and Valfaris. Pip’s picks include Small Talk, [...]

Sep 28, 201857 min

Episode 255: Kelp Evasion

Pip, Chris, Tom F and guest John R discuss EGX, Frozen Synapse 2, Megaquarium, Streets of Rogue, advanced noodle techniques, and more. Here’s the Heat Signature Twitter, so you can find out about them sweet updatez. John and Chris have been playing Frozen Synapse 2. Pip’s been playing Megaquarium. Tom’s been playing Streets of Rogue. [...]

Sep 21, 20182 hr 56 min

Episode 254: Multi Gazebo! Mega Gazebo! SHOPPING CENTRE

Alex, Chris and Tom F discuss game dev authenticity, Industries of Titan, Destiny 2, Dragon Quest XI, and Concrete Jungle. Plus: automatic toilet theory, figuring out how much we actually know about each other, and winning the trust of the shotgun people. Here’s Lindsay Ellis’ video essay about manufactured authenticity on YouTube (and elsewhere.) …and [...]

Sep 14, 20182 hr 12 min

Episode 253: If Malfoy Could Ice Skate

Pip and Chris discuss MMO woes, Destiny 2’s new expansion, Two Point Hospital and a bit of Graveyard Keeper. Find out more about the V&A’s videogames exhibit right here. Carbine Studios – and their MMO, Wildstar – are shutting down. CCP has been bought by Black Desert Online devs Pearl Abyss. Chris is very much [...]

Sep 07, 20181 hr 17 min

Episode 252: Püpsok

Chris and Tom S sit down for a chat about Spelunky 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 news, Tom’s highlights from Gamescom, and assorted nonsense. Here’s that Spelunky 2 footage and PlayStation Blog Q&A. We spend a bunch of time with the Cyberpunk 2077 footage. Tom S had a strong first impression of Life is Strange 2. [...]

Aug 31, 20182 hr 52 min

Episode 251: Shrimp Gun

Chris, Tom F and Pip catch up on a bit of Gamescom news before delivering sizzingly fresh takes on recent hits ‘Spore’ and ‘FTL’. Here’s the trailer for Man of Medan, part of the Dark Pictures anthology. Also, the Life is Strange 2 trailer. Here’s Burrito Tim’s Good Tweet. Pip has returned to Spore, ten [...]

Aug 24, 20182 hr 4 min

Episode 250: Close Your Eyes And Grind For Boltor

It all goes a bit wrong as Chris, Tom, Tom and Alex return from a week off to talk Red Dead and Doom news, EXAPUNKS, Warframe, Unavowed and Monster Hunter. Plus: Horse Up Displays, 90s FPS ASMR, Resident Evil 2 by The B-52s, why it’s good when the spaceships do it, sensible missiles, the Mamma [...]

Aug 17, 20183 hr 34 min

Episode 249: They Really Pulled It Off

Alex, Tom S, Chris and Marsh (!) convene to discuss many Metroidvanias, Yakuza 0, console games (!), when to move on, Six Ages, and so on. Marsh! Has been playing Chasm. Chris has been catching up with Dead Cells. Alex’s Castlevania of the moment is La-Mulana 2. Here is Goro Majima’s introduction from Yakuza 0, [...]

Aug 03, 20182 hr 51 min

Episode 248: The Lonely Splatching Of A Spaceman

Chris, Tom S and Alex take several trips back to 2016, including but not limited to No Man’s Sky, StarCraft II, DOOM and Battlefield 1. We’ve all been playing No Man’s Sky‘s NEXT update. Alex has been teaching valuable lessons in StarCraft II. Tom’s been revisiting the best of 2016 in DOOM. Chris is happily [...]

Jul 27, 20182 hr 58 min

Episode 247: Throwing Pebbles At A Leopard For Fifteen Years

Chris, Alex and both Toms celebrate the 5th anniversary of the podcast with gin and a digression to The David Cage. Plus: more Mooncrash, Yoku’s Island Express, Warhammer 40K: Gladius, and Objects In Space. That’s for my nan! And her house! Tom F’s further explorations of Prey: Mooncrash reveal a few rough edges. Alex has [...]

Jul 20, 20182 hr 17 min

Episode 246: Tough On Rogues, Tough On The Causes Of Rogues

Chris and Pip discuss The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, The Sims 4: Seasons, and lots more. This is definitely episode 246, and not, as Chris says, episode 247. Pip’s been playing these videogames: The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit The Sims 4: Seasons Cognizer Dr Frank’s Build A Boyfriend Ashi: Lake Of Light You [...]

Jul 13, 20182 hr 54 min

Episode 245: You’ve Got Bad Skeleton

Chris, Tom F and Alex consider the lovely Prey: Mooncrash, big Fortnite murders, a bit of Six Ages and why late capitalism is cool, actually. Here’s a Polygon article about the Fortite murder story, including videos and facts. We’ve all be playing Prey: Mooncrash, which we like a lot. The video that Tom mentions isthis [...]

Jul 06, 20182 hr 41 min

Episode 244: Impenetrable, Like A Creme Egg

Chris, Tom, Tom and Alex contend with Guilty Gear Xrd, Lumines Remastered, Sword With Sauce, Jurassic World: Evolution, a bit of Vamypr, and get in deep with Big Scorsese. Tom S has been watching, and sometimes playing, Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-. Tom S and Alex have been playing Hackmud, which is weird for Chris. Alex [...]

Jun 29, 20182 hr 44 min

Episode 243: Frogs Find A Way

Pip and the Toms discuss a surprising amount of news, most of it Steamy, then share thoughts on Jurassic World Evolution, Cryptark, Fortnite, and Assassin’s Creed: Origins. Chris has been hard at work on the wordy side of hackmud 2.0, which is going live next week and will be 25% off when you read this. [...]

Jun 22, 20182 hr 57 min

Episode 242: I Am The Stringman With The Staring Eyes

In which Chris, Alex and Pip promise to avoid overanalysing E3, and to focus on the things we’re excited about, and then do exactly the opposite. John Shuttleworth’s I Can’t Back To Savoury Now, the soundtrack to this year’s E3, and indeed every year’s E3. From Bethesda: Fallout 76 (don’t forget to look up the [...]

Jun 15, 20182 hr 19 min

Episode 241: Tactless Beach Wizards

Chris, Tom F and John R chat Far: Lone Sails, Dicey Dungeons, Totally Accurate Battlegrounds and a bit of Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire. Plus: the secret handshakes shared by the kin of the brood-sergeant, top chuffin’, the Haddaway collab we’ve been waiting for, our hottest takes of 2013, an endless sense of Bluth, the [...]

Jun 08, 20182 hr 54 min

Episode 240: Far Cries To Candlekeep

Pip, Chris and Alex consider the pre-E3 videogame news wasteland, revisit City of Brass, clean up House Flipper, and consider Idle Champions and the specific anxieties of the clicker genre. Plus: tragedy as volcanic death comes to Emmerdale. Here’s the trailer for Fallout 76, and Kotaku’s article about what it actually is, maybe. Here’s the [...]

Jun 01, 20182 hr 3 min

Episode 239: Bad Men And Their Funfairs

Chris, Pip, Tom S and Alex dig deep to yield icy cold takes on Call of Duty: Blops Four, ‘Bio-Shock’, A Quiet Sleep, and assorted nonsense. Plus: the importance of Little Boots on the ground, the medium’s most lootable subcultures, whether it was or wasn’t all yellow, whether two Ayn Rands do indeed make an [...]

May 25, 20182 hr 9 min

Episode 238: Lionel Falconboobs

Chris, Pip, Tom F and – for one night only – Marsh (!) discuss Atomic Heart, more Far Cryin’, more Spire Slayin’, SpyParty, Murderous Pursuits, and City of Brass. Also: feeling nothing about sunsets, playing with orbs, holding for a moment in the hope position, the struggle of games to be effectively didactic, the history [...]

May 11, 20182 hr 3 min

Episode 237: Thank You For The Hats, Lore Horse

Chris and Tom S discuss Red Dead Redemption 2, new Tomb Raider, the state of triple-A development in general, dogs again, and videogame Millibands. The Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer – a splash? Of musky cowboy… water? Destiny 2: Warmind – Chris will play it, because he’s already bought it. Tom was left cold by [...]

May 04, 20182 hr 31 min