The Nextlander Podcast - podcast cover

The Nextlander Podcast

The Nextlander Podcastaudioboom.com
Longtime friends and games media colleagues Vinny Caravella, Brad Shoemaker, and Alex Navarro share their combined decades of knowledge, expertise, and passion for games with weekly discussions about what they're playing, what's happening in the industry, and whatever else they're up to.

Episodes

190: Big Buccaneer Hunter

While we spend a good part of this week's show grappling with the resurrection of the Acclaim name, we also find time to discuss Split Fiction, Knights in Tight Spaces, Gears of War on PS5, buying a (cheap) record player, the whereabouts of Bam Margera, a big week for video game source code, and the Sonic Unleashed PC port with big implications for Xbox 360 game preservation. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes ma...

Mar 06, 20252 hr 19 minEp. 190

189: Return to the Upper Yo

This week we attempt to get back to the positive end of the yo-yo cycle by playing Monster Hunter Wilds, LAD: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, more Avowed, and some Steam Next Fest demos, plus the shocking closure of Monolith, some new Fable footage, Microsoft's games AI model, and your emails! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad inser...

Feb 27, 20253 hr 42 minEp. 189

188: The Garrus Gambit

This week we're wowed by Avowed (sorry), and also playing Void Crew, Keep Driving, and Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. In the news, shocking Marvel Rivals layoffs, a State of Play impressions roundup, Grand Theft Auto Online's user-generated future, and Everwild still exists. Also there might be an asteroid on the way? Tune in and hear all about it! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for version...

Feb 20, 20252 hr 24 minEp. 188

187: A Podcast About A Game About Digging a Hole

Brad and Vinny dig holes this week and have a great time doing it, Alex dons his Civilization hat once again, and we all consider this weekend's mysterious PSN outage, the tumultuous development of Monolith's Wonder Woman, yet another Arkham game from Rocksteady, an upside-down Switch 2, the release date of Grand Theft Auto 7, and some rapid-fire State of Play coverage. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be i...

Feb 13, 20253 hr 31 minEp. 187

186: The Blood God Jonathan Davis

Before February really gets going, we check in with some new indies this week like While Waiting and Rift of the Necrodancer, catch up on news about downsizing at BioWare and Iron Galaxy, Forza Horizon 5 on PS5, the Sleeping Dogs movie, and the long lost Nintendo PlayStation game, learn some interesting facts about industrial paper cutters, and more. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versio...

Feb 06, 20252 hr 53 minEp. 186

185: An A-Tier Pac-Main

We played a bunch of games this week and now we're here to talk about 'em, including Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, Tokyo Xtreme Racer, Total War: Warhammer III, Crow Country, and... Smash Ultimate? and... Hollow Knight? Plus, in the news, Ninja Gaiden 4, the Celeste dev's next game is canceled, the VGHF opens its digital archives, and more. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ...

Jan 30, 20252 hr 2 minEp. 185

184: The Fear & Greed Index

We've got a spate of new and upcoming games to talk about this week, including Assassin's Creed Shadows, Doom: The Dark Ages, and Dynasty Warriors Origins, plus they announced the new Switch! They announced the new Switch. Also: looming tariffs in the US that may raise game prices, Bluepoint's canceled online God of War game, and more. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than t...

Jan 23, 20252 hr 7 minEp. 184

183: Creative Solutions to Stupid Problems

Are they going to announce the Switch 2 this week? Did they announce it already? Is this long nightmare almost over? While we debate those questions, we also discuss The Roottrees Are Dead, Hyper Light Breaker, the "legendary" Japanese IP possibly being resurrected by Xbox, and moshing at Games Done Quick. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due...

Jan 16, 20252 hr 41 minEp. 183

182: Dumped in a Food Court

We're barely a week into 2025 and we basically already know what the Switch 2 looks like thanks to CES, plus new GeForce cards, PlayStation movies, and Steam Deck-likes. Also, games we caught up on during the break like Caves of Qud, LOK Digital, Indiana Jones, and Clone Hero, the best restaurants to drown your sorrows in, and the ever-increasing absurdity of the Terminator franchise. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some tim...

Jan 09, 20252 hr 13 minEp. 182

181: Game of the Year 2024, Part 2

We conclude our rundown of our favorite games of the year this week, focusing on the top four spots on each of our personal top 10 lists, plus some honorable mentions for the games that almost made it. Thanks for listening and happy new year! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around ...

Jan 02, 20252 hr 50 minEp. 181

180: Game of the Year 2024, Part 1

This year, we get together for a nice, casual, conflict-free two-part dissection of our personal favorite games of the year, with a focus in this first installment on numbers 10 through 5. Hope everyone is having a nice holiday, and thanks as always for your support! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use ca...

Dec 26, 20242 hr 51 minEp. 180

179: Zenless Zone Zenzo

Sandwiched right between 2024's game calendar winding down and our GOTY podcasts kicking off next week, why... it's the Game Awards! We spend this week's show dissecting all the news about The Witcher 4, the Okami sequel, Naughty Dog's new IP, and plenty of other stuff. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use...

Dec 19, 20242 hr 47 minEp. 179

178: creepy brother sister coffee commercial

The holidays approach, so we're in GOTY cramming mode with discussions this week about such games as Indiana Jones, Mouthwashing, Infinity Nikki, Beyond Galaxyland, Kill Knight, and Marvel Rivals, plus some loose Game Awards predictions, emails, and plenty more! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution...

Dec 12, 20242 hr 5 minEp. 178

177: San Francisco's Not a Minion Town

We're back from Thanksgiving and catching up on the news (Sony might be making a handheld, Ubisoft is shutting down Xdefiant, NES Tetris returns at last), games (Star Wars Outlaws, Dragon Age, STALKER 2), and your emails (Alex's celebrity doppelganger, our dream farewell concerts). Podcast! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad i...

Dec 05, 20242 hr 4 minEp. 177

Special Ep: Never Been a Better Podcast 006: The World's Greatest Detective in Your Mouth

With the NXL crew off for the holiday, we bring you another very special episode of Never Been a Better Podcast featuring Austin Walker, Jeff Bakalar, and lengthy discussions about Jell-O universes and pizza drones. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS: (00:01:10) Intro (00:01:41) Fun times with the oral surgeon (00:18:17) Bakalar lives in a sitcom (00:26:08) Let's talk some Batman (00:38:03) What happens with a reverse Superman? (00:42:32) The A...

Nov 28, 20241 hr 20 min

176: Positive Hanson Energy

MinnMax's Ben Hanson stops by to share production stories, his love for Final Fantsy 7: Rebirth, his thoughts on The Game Awards nominees, and much more! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening. (00:00:10) Intro (00:00:37) The positive energy ...

Nov 21, 20242 hr 17 minEp. 176

175: Wouldst Thou Like to Switch Deliciously?

This week, video games and the people who love them: the PlayStation 5 Pro, Rise of the Golden Idol, Tetris Forever, the return of Battle Aces, backwards compatibility on the successor to Nintendo Switch, a future handheld Xbox, and more. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to a...

Nov 14, 20242 hr 42 minEp. 175

174: Another One in the Woods With Spirits

Time to talk about video games into microphones again, with chatter this week about the great Call of Duty account fiasco, Metal Slug Tactics, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the full list of PS5 Pro games, big changes coming to Star Wars Outlaws, how to put in your two weeks, dream airplane gaming setups, and more. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon versio...

Nov 07, 20242 hr 40 minEp. 174

173: Consider Duck Hunt

They did it: they shipped a new Dragon Age game, and we grapple with this momentous event, along with the definitive end of Concord and Firewalk Studios, a disappointing decision from the US Copyright Office about old game access. Plus, our thoughts on Echo Point Nova, the Vampire Survivors Castlevania DLC, Sonic x Shadow Generations, the Shadows of the Damned remaster, our group-pizza dealbreakers, and plenty more! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CH...

Oct 31, 20242 hr 57 minEp. 173

172: The Bloober Redemption Arc

New on the show this week: Fear the Spotlight, Neva, and some hot Steam Next Fest recs. Plus, follow-ups on the Silent Hill 2 remake, Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and Phoenix Springs, along with Remedy's reveal of FBC: Firebreak, Nintendo's maybe-sorta MMO/crafting playtest, no Prince of Persia sequels anytime soon, and more. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Pat...

Oct 24, 20242 hr 39 minEp. 172

171: It's-a Morning!

This week on the show we discuss Vinny's journey into the wilds of Windows 11, games like Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Phoenix Springs, and Space Marine 2, the alarmo-ing news about the origin of Pokemon, fear of flying professionally, the goth-child duality, and more. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad inser...

Oct 17, 20242 hr 53 minEp. 171

170: Behind the Blizzard

Jason Schreier joins us on a deep dive about the history, making, and almost undoing of Blizzard as chronicled in his new book Play Nice. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening. (00:00:10) Intro (00:00:53) Welcome Jason Schreier (00:02:27) Ho...

Oct 10, 20242 hr 24 minEp. 170

169: Spookin' with Scoops

What gets horror aficionado Patrick Klepek scared? Find out as he joins us to chat scary movies, Echoes of Wisdom, and much more! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening. (00:00:10) Intro (00:00:38) Patrick Klepek is here! (00:00:48) Patrick's...

Oct 03, 20242 hr 11 minEp. 169

168: Survive? Let's Thrive!

Assassin's Creed Shadows got delayed in the middle of this podcast, so we discuss that, Ghost of Yotei, Vinny's trip to the Grand Canyon to play Flight Simulator 2024, Frostpunk 2, Deathsprint 66, Beyond Shadowgate, the Nintendo/Palworld lawsuit, the unlikely end of Kingdom Hearts, and like a hundred other things! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon ver...

Sep 26, 20242 hr 28 minEp. 168

167: Epic Wendingos

We're deep into the fall games now, with in-depth discussion of UFO 50 and Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, plus follow-ups on Space Marine 2, Satisfactory 1.0, Astro Bot, and more. Also, uh, the whole staff of Annapurna resigned? Flappy Bird is shilling crypto now?? The first images of the new Switch kinda maybe??? Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon versi...

Sep 19, 20242 hr 17 minEp. 167

166: The East Coast Mario Island

Jeff Bakalar is here this week to chat with us about the later parts of Astro Bot, Utopia Must Fall, I Am Your Beast, the PS5 Pro (and its $700 price tag), the new Destiny roadmap, the mysterious case of the missing MGS4 port, David Lynch's secret love of the CD-i, the hottest games talk at the kids' hockey game, and more. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Pa...

Sep 12, 20242 hr 11 minEp. 166

165: September Will Kill Again

They're, uh, shutting down Concord after less than two weeks, so we all take some time to grapple with this fairly startling news, along with hands-on thoughts about Astro Bot, Star Wars Outlaws, Star Truckers, and Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown, plus a maybe-imminent PS5 Pro announcement, the Jon Hamm of video games, and plenty of other stuff! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions ...

Sep 05, 20242 hr 16 minEp. 165

164: Ringo Snubs Queen!

There's a whole stack of games discussed this week, including Tactical Breach Wizards, Black Myth Wukong, Concord, Castaway, and Cygni: All Guns Blazing. Plus, Tetris Battle Gaiden finally comes west, Valve finally announces Deadlock (sort of), the clock is ticking on the PS5 Pro, and Peter Molyneux is still very much Peter Molyneux. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the...

Aug 29, 20242 hr 25 minEp. 164

163: The Daimyo of Tatooine

Rob Zacny joins us to discuss where to find the good Star Wars and to get at what's eating away at Darth Vader, our thoughts on Gamescom Opening Night Live, and more! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening. (00:00:10) Intro (00:00:39) Welcome back Rob Zacny! (00:03:08) So, what's up with Star Wars? (00:21:57) ...and ho...

Aug 22, 20242 hr 1 minEp. 163

162: Silly British

We're back from break with two weeks' worth of pent-up video game talk about Thank Goodness You're Here, the new Madden, PSVR2 on PC, World of Goo 2, and winning Balatro strategies, a farewell to Game Informer (plus a lot of reminiscing about old magazines (and old websites)), an unexpected tour of what's in our pockets, and more. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad...

Aug 15, 20242 hr 4 minEp. 162