Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers and Brandon Sheffield cover that big Sony event, art styles for games, and the thrilling return of Violence Island. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: How ’bout that Playstation showcase? (05:13) Other than “realistic,” “cel shaded,” and “pixel art,” name some video game art styles. (18:20) Write some of those in-game Elder Scrolls books. (24:44) What wo...
May 29, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 289
The panel you know and love reconvenes to weigh in on Overwatch 2, the GameCube handle, and Minter’s thing. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: What does it mean to beat a video game? (05:04) In the “games as service” era, when do you update a game, and when do you make a sequel? (11:20) What’s the best non-game feature a gaming console has ever had? (18:32) What kinds of things a...
May 22, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 288
IGN news director and Axe of the Blood God creator Kat Bailey joins the panel to discuss Metacritic scores, ranked polls, and what the ESRB actually does all day. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield, and Kat Bailey. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: Frank Cifaldi asks: What are the best British games? (05:11) Why doesn’t a Sight & Sound-style poll work for video games? (12:22) How does IGN review games? (25:33) If ...
May 15, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 287
Kinda Funny Games host and producer Blessing Adeoye Jr. joins the panel to cover review scores for video games, Frank’s answer for good adventure game design, and the Capcom Five. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield, and Blessing Adeoye Jr. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: What do people expect from a review of a new game? (06:29) Who have been the best level designers since Doom? (17:23) How can a difficult video gam...
May 08, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 286
The panel returns to classic formation to cover UX design, Microsoft acquisition developments, gross Yoshis, and sellouts within sellouts. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: From Simone de Rochefort: What else should Microsoft acquire and make exclusive? (03:33) What is The Day The Clown Cried of video games? (10:19) What makes a New Game+ feature the most enticing? (11:41) What ...
May 01, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 285
What starts as a lively episode with Polygon editor and podcaster Simone de Rochefort becomes something far more interesting when one panelist’s audio goes missing. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield, and Simone de Rochefort. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: From Frank Cifaldi: What is the Criterion Channel of video games? (10:48) Sega just bought Rovio. Why? (25:29) Simone, please convince the panel board games are ...
Apr 26, 2023•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 284
Necrosoft founder Brandon Sheffield sits with Necrosoft programmer Lotte May , Necrosoft producer Son M. , and Necrosoft marketing director Jenna Stoeber to mostly talk about romancing Merlin. Hosted by Brandon Sheffield, with Lotte May, Son M., and Jenna Stoeber. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: What kinds of games should we be making with text? (03:05) What are the best untapped genre mashups in video games? (05:12) What are some under represented veh...
Apr 17, 2023•55 min•Ep. 283
Insert Credit reports directly from GDC 2023 . Brandon Sheffield relives past GDC memories with new and familiar faces, while Liz Ryerson and Ty Underwood dive into the dark underbelly of Web3 Cryptopits and explore the show floor. Segments: Brandon picks up his badge (00:00) Liz and Ty wait in line (02:33) Brandon interviews Greg Miller about GDC memories (08:10) Ty and Liz interview Evan Balster and Tammy Duplantis about why GDC is bad this year, lines, and lunch (14:46) Brandon hangs out with...
Apr 10, 2023•1 hr 58 min•Ep. 282
Twitch streamer Casey Explosion joins the panel to talk Resident Evil 4 Remake, Ash Ketchum, and region locked soda machines. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield, and Casey Explosion. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: Vincent Diamante asks: What’s the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done to obtain a video game? (03:08) Has the Steam Deck lived up to everything we thought it might be? (11:17) How do you pick what to pl...
Apr 03, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 281
Composers Vincent Diamante and ThorHighHeels join Tim in covering modern video game news sources, mysterious games, and excellent yacht names. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Tim Rogers, Vincent Diamante, and ThorHighHeels. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: Here and now in 2023, how do you get video game news? (08:59) What qualifies a game as mysterious? (14:39) Tell me about a project that you really believed in at one point, but couldn’t find a way to make ...
Mar 27, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 280
Video game journalist Jeff Gerstmann sits down at the Insert Credit table to cover video game history, AI, and the return of Violence Island. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield, and Jeff Gerstmann. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: Have any of you seen the news lately? (09:58) Let’s examine the evolution of the endless runner. (21:53) Wrestling games. Glorified character creators, or is there something there gameplay-...
Mar 20, 2023•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 279
Insert Credit Scottish Correspondent Mathew Kumar sits with the panel just before the March 27, 2023 closing of the Nintendo 3DS eShop to cover the console’s legacy, hardware innovations, and games worth playing. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield, and Mathew Kumar. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Segments : How was the 3DS hardware used? (08:37) What 3DS games need to be brought to another console? (25:04) 3DS Recommendations (38:25) LIGHTNING ROUND ...
Mar 13, 2023•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 278
Guest host and frequent dirtbag Colin AKA MoxBagel keeps the panel in order as they discuss the definition of “visual novel,” fighting games, and, finally, Fortnite. Questions this week: What is your “The Last Starfighter” game? (05:20) How would you redesign pinball to be more of a 30 minute experience than a five minute experience?(11:25) What fighting game has the most creative single player campaign?(18:57) If Capcom made a Mega Man Legends every year since 1997, what would it be like now? (...
Mar 06, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 277
Brandon Sheffield and Frank Cifaldi report from Las Vegas, where they supposedly attended the 2023 DICE Summit, but mostly ran into used game stores and friends of Insert Credit. Featuring Alex Jaffe, Brandon Sheffield, Frank Cifaldi, Chris Kohler, Ally McLean, Mathew Kumar, and Kris Graft. SEGMENTS Retro City Games shopping with Chris Kohler (00:51) Retro City Games shopping with Ally McLean (10:48) Driving with Chris Kohler, Ally McLean and Frank Cifaldi from Retro City Games to another used g...
Feb 27, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 276
A single episode could never hope to contain all the video games of 2022 played by Tim Rogers and Brandon Sheffield. Get comfortable and sit down for a hang out with some of the rest of last year’s best. Hosted by Tim Rogers and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Games Discussed: Square-Enix HD-2D Games (Live A Live, Triangle Strategy, Bravely Default II, Diofield Chronicles) (07:42) Valkyrie Elysium (26:40) Star Ocean: Divine Force (30:52) Voice of Cards (...
Feb 20, 2023•2 hr 37 min•Ep. 275
Our panel debates the rankings greatest video games of 2022, and devises cryptic inscriptions for each one so that others may follow their path. Hosted by Alex Jaffe , with Frank Cifaldi , Tim Rogers , and Brandon Sheffield . Edited by Esper Quinn . Original Music by Kurt Feldman . NOMINATIONS: Frank Round 1 (08:37) Tim Round 1 (12:35) Brandon Round 1 (17:46) Frank Round 2 (28:29) Tim Round 2 (33:55) Brandon Round 2 (36:49) Frank Round 3 (44:22) Tim Round 3 (57:18) Brandon Round 3 (01:04:08) Fra...
Feb 13, 2023•2 hr 43 min•Ep. 274
Insert Credit returns to once again rank the best games of all time. Hosted by Alex Jaffe , with Frank Cifaldi , Tim Rogers , and Brandon Sheffield . Edited by Esper Quinn . Original Music by Kurt Feldman . NOMINATIONS: Brandon, Round 1 (05:35) Frank, Round 1 (10:24) Tim, Round 1 (13:58) Brandon, Round 2 (19:15) Frank, Round 2 (24:45) Tim, Round 2 (31:41) Brandon, Round 3 (39:59) Frank, Round 3 (46:58) Tim, Round 3 (51:59) Brandon, Round 4 (58:44) Frank, Round 4 (01:04:21) Tim, Round 4 (01:09:11...
Feb 06, 2023•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 273
Ep. 272 - New Donk, Michigan Our beloved panel covers big game worlds, big game choices, and big twin Tallaricos. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by goop lord , original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: Jason Schreier asks: Which Mario stage/level/kingdom/board would you want to live in and why? (04:02) How do you trick a player into feeling like your video game world is big? (10:23) What do people mean when they say that choices you...
Jan 30, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 272
Bloomberg Game Journalist and Author Jason Schreier joins the panel to cover Wizards of the Coast, the greatest story in video games, and whether or not buying games is ethical. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield, and Jason Schreier. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: Cliff Bleszinski asks: What food do you associate with your best gaming memory? (07:16) Why is everybody so mad about Dungeons & Dragons? (15:22) Wha...
Jan 24, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 271
Game Designer and Broadway Producer Cliff “CliffyB” Bleszinski joins a very sensual episode to cover what makes good third person shooters, Avatar 2, and disrespecting Hitman. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield, and Cliff Bleszinski. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: From Brandon Sheffield: What makes a good third person shooter? (06:18) Who has more power, a game director, or a game producer? (14:44) Design a video g...
Jan 16, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 270
Console modification expert Christa Lee joins Brandon and Tim on the panel to cover raytracing in 4K at 120 fps, the things players care about that developers don’t, and the return of Violence Island. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield, and Christa Lee. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: From Ash Parrish : What video game would you swear into Congress on? (01:59) What can you tell about a video game cartridge from its circuit board? ...
Jan 09, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 269
The original panel reunites for Frank Cifaldi’s two point-and-click adventure game recommendations, the best kind of game for Tim Rogers right now, and Brandon Sheffield’s selection as the Whitney Houston of video games. Plus, Bennett Foddy designs a new game for the Steel Battalion controller. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: What’s your favorite tribute to a video game in ano...
Jan 02, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 268
A grand cast of holiday favorites are subjected to a gauntlet of questions. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Brandon Sheffield, Ash Parrish, Patrick Miller, Topher Florence, Esper Quinn, Andrés Velasco y Coll, Azurelore Korrigan, Liz Ryerson, K Thor Jensen and Fūnk-é Joseph. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week : What are the worst trends, currently or historically, in video game character design? (w/Ash Parrish) (06:38) Design a unique custom rule ...
Dec 27, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 267
Our standard party of panelists covers the newly announced God of War and Death Stranding adaptations, what they’d teach in game design school, hangout flavors, and Christopher Lambert. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: Who were the kings of the lost art of video game packaging? (05:40) Which games make the weird controllers they were designed for worth using? (12:57) Other than...
Dec 19, 2022•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 266
The panel is ill-prepared for these questions, but unites once more to cover The Game Awards 2022, cool ladies, and the greatest game of all time no one is talking about yet. Brandon Sheffield reviews the first four episodes of Bleach and One Piece. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: Do we want to talk about the FTC suing to block Microsoft from buying Activision Blizzard? (06:37)...
Dec 12, 2022•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 265
Video Game Reporter Ash Parrish joins the panel to cover unfinished games, Mario’s origins, and the friendship-building return of Violence Island. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Brandon Sheffield, and Ash Parrish. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: Is Mario Italian? (04:22) From Esper Quinn: If a game offers you a starting class of Warrior, Wizard, Rogue or Cleric, which do you choose and why? (09:30) With Sonic Frontiers and the new Pokemon ga...
Dec 05, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 264
Editor Esper Quinn joins the table to give thanks for a feast of listener submitted questions. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield, and Esper Quinn. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: Max asks: What is the most fun or interesting scoring mechanic in a shooting game? (10:59) Malcove asks: How would you reintroduce vampires to modern video games? (14:44) A Most Handsome Boy asks: Thoughts on a good steam? (16:56) ColdPie ...
Nov 28, 2022•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 263
Journalist Gita Jackson joins the full panel to decide how much video games should cost, share research tips, and reveal Barbies in the garbies. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield, and Gita Jackson. Featuring Harper Jay, Azurelore Korrigan, and Vincent Diamante, with writing by Mark Cerny. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: From Andrés Velasco y Coll: Has there been a speedrun that particularly impressed you? Or, how w...
Nov 21, 2022•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 262
EVO tournament organizer Andrés Velasco y Coll and PC Gamer editor Fūnk-é Joseph join Frank and Jaffe for the new Sonic game, predatory publisher tactics, and Nickelodeon’s Fortnite. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Andrés Velasco y Coll, and Fūnk-é Joseph. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: Are 3D Sonic games a failed experiment? (04:17) How do games best emulate being able to fly? (10:03) What precautions should developers take to avoid being t...
Nov 14, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 261
The full panel reunites to determine what a video game is, how to do RPG dungeon music right, and Bob Oldfather. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Questions this week: Why did Embracer Group acquire Square Enix Montreal, change its name to Onoma, and then immediately shut it down? (05:25) What kind of video game items do you never want to use again? (08:09) When you’re playing an RPG and you complete...
Nov 07, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 260
