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

Special Ep: Never Been a Better Podcast 005: Where We Learn About Phrogging

We're out on break this week, so we bring you another episode from the Never Been a Better Podcast archive, this time from October 2022, when Halloween was in the air and Dan, Abby, Bakalar, and Austin all gathered to share in the spirit, or SPIRITS, of the season. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:01:05) Intro (00:02:06) How is Jeff Bakalar? (00:03:39) Candy corn vs nougat (00:07:21) Going out on Halloween (00:10:48) Some takes on Ghostbu...

Aug 08, 20241 hr 26 min

161: A Jedi Named Kyle

With Vinny out, Will Smith drops by to tell us about playing a few hours of Star Wars Outlaws, plus Earth Defense Force 6's giant bugs and Clickolding's, uh, fetishistic clicking, mass layoffs and a reorg at Bungie, SAG-AFTRA's game industry strike, the first trailer for Amazon's Yakuza series, the value of skill-based matchmaking, what to get an 11-year-old PS2 fan, and more. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes m...

Aug 01, 20242 hr 49 minEp. 161

160: The Megatron-Contra Affair

The summer games are really piling up as we discuss Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, the Marvel Rivals beta, Flintlock, Arranger, and more. In the news, job cuts at Humble Games and NetherRealm, unionization at Bethesda, and the future of the Mega Man series. And lastly, a bajillion emails about college sports! 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 Patr...

Jul 25, 20242 hr 13 minEp. 160

159: This Guy's Gonna Fight a Baby!

Vinny braves the wilds of NYC to check out some upcoming PS5 games (and braves the end of FF7 Rebirth to boot), we're all playing a bunch of new games like Kunitsu-Gami, Anger Foot, Flock, EA Sports College Football 25, Concord, and Cataclismo, Nintendo's new horror game is actually a big throwback, they're practically giving away Xbox 360 games, and a bunch more on this week's show. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some time...

Jul 18, 20242 hr 28 minEp. 159

158: Orbital Yakuza Laser

This week, Alex bought a new (plastic) guitar, Brad's turning RTS esports pro, Vinny is way into the latest D&D patch notes, Game Pass is fracturing and getting more expensive, Nintendo's uploading weird stuff to their YouTube channel, and a bunch 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 ca...

Jul 11, 20242 hr 59 minEp. 158

157: Saving in a Bathroom

This week Brad dishes on the last of his SGF fare, including Steamworld Heist 2, Hyper Light Breaker, Phantom Blade Zero and Chainstaff, Vinny finishes Harold Halibut, the news is rotten with remakes, remasters, and reboots, and we spend a lot of time talking about the most consequential game in history. That's right: Fracture. 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-fr...

Jul 04, 20242 hr 6 minEp. 157

156: The Premium Wheel Lifestyle

We're right about at the midpoint of 2024, so how's about a rundown of everything we've played, are playing, and will play for the year? Also, in the news: console ports to iOS aren't selling, Elden Ring's DLC gets a rebalance, Dead Rising gets a re-remaster, the original Resident Evil comes to GOG, 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 ...

Jun 27, 20242 hr 41 minEp. 156

155: She's Got a Great Mario!

Nintendo has dropped one of their better Directs in recent memory, so it's time to dig into Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, and Metroid Prime 4, go through some more of the games Brad played in LA like STALKER 2, REPLACED and Kunitsu-Gami, dig into some currently releases like Still Wakes the Deep, the Alan Wake II Night Springs DLC, and more. That's a lot of video games! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NO...

Jun 20, 20242 hr 28 minEp. 155

154: Tights in Fight Spaces

Summer Game Fest is over, Brad's back from LA, and it's time to talk three hours of upcoming video games, among them firsthand impressions of AstroBot, Monster Hunter Wilds, UFO 50, Battle Aces, Arranger, DeathSprint 66, Fear the Spotlight, and more, plus our thoughts on Doom: The Dark Ages, Star Wars: Outlaws, Dragon Age 4, and (nearly) all the other games that got streamed this weekend. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some...

Jun 13, 20243 hr 55 minEp. 154

153: Standard at The Standard

Head to https://www.squarespace.com/NEXTLANDER to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code NEXTLANDER. Summer Game Fest is here, so we put on our best E3 (and Guitar Hero) hats and talk about all the stuff we hope and expect to see, plus what stood out from Sony's State of Play, and then dig into games like Arctic Eggs, Platform 8, more Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, and -- that's right -- Vinny's almost done with FF7 Rebirth! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audiobo...

Jun 06, 20242 hrEp. 153

152: THEY'RE TAKING YOUR FUDDRUCKERS

With SGF approaching and the console wars heating up, this week we consider Sony's newly announced State of Play, Xbox's decision to put Call of Duty on Game Pass, and Atari's ruthless takeover of Intellivision, plus we catch up on all the recent games with more on Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, (the end of) Hellblade II, Animal Well, Hades II, 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 versi...

May 30, 20242 hr 6 minEp. 152

151: Cool Puzzle Wonderland

Head to https://www.squarespace.com/NEXTLANDER to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code NEXTLANDER. This week we all dig into Hellblade II, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes impresses mightily, we ponder the state of both games media and arcade "cabinets," cat ownership is debated in its many aspects, Big Rigs gets a shocking amount of airtime, and a bunch of other stuff! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon ...

May 23, 20242 hr 3 minEp. 151

150: Indie-cent Proposal

A ton of interesting indies hit last week, and we picked Animal Well, Cryptmaster, and Crow Country to dig into this week. Also in the news, PlayStation's new leader(s) announced, a multiplatform future for Square Enix, our initial thoughts on Assassin's Creed Shadows, and a new Doom next month?! 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 dynami...

May 16, 20242 hr 12 minEp. 150

149: Stylish Nun Action

It's been a week in the games industry with both Xbox's closures of Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks and the Helldivers 2 account backlash, and we dig into the whole mess. On the upside, Hades 2 came out! Nintendo said the words "Switch successor!" We played Indika, Minishoot' Adventures, and the Balatro update! 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 Pat...

May 09, 20242 hr 17 minEp. 149

148: No Mall Katanas

We're thrilled to be joined by Remap Radio's Rob Zacny this week to talk about everything from Shogun: Total War to Qui-Gon Jinn's Force balls, Manor Lords, Another Crab's Treasure, the post-Embracer troika, strategies for truly unplugging, 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 ca...

May 02, 20242 hr 26 minEp. 148

Special Ep: Never Been a Better Podcast 004: Snakes, Sneaks, and Stew Leonards

Head to https://www.squarespace.com/NEXTLANDER to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code NEXTLANDER. We're taking a week off of the regular podcast, so in its place we offer an episode of our monthly reunion show, in which Dan Ryckert and Jeff Bakalar join us to talk about snakes in the basement, Stew Leonards, and cotton candy versus popcorn! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:01:03) Intro (00:02:06) Oh, it's ma...

Apr 25, 20241 hr 23 min

147: Ah, Yes, He Is Internet Boy?

Let's talk about such games this week as Harold Halibut, Life Eater (eater of life!), and Laysara: Summit Kingdom, plus news and sundries like the games of the Triple-I initiative, what "PS5 Pro Enhanced" is going to mean, $90,000 copies of Castlevania, awkward dining experiences in Japan, 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...

Apr 18, 20243 hr 30 minEp. 147

146: I'm a Fan of Clothespins!

Head to https://www.squarespace.com/NEXTLANDER to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code NEXTLANDER. This week we all bend bullets in Children of the Sun, Vinny parties at the Gold Saucer, Brad digs deep into the childhood archive, and we enjoy our new post-eclipse mutations. EA reassigns Motive to Battlefield (and kiboshes a Dead Space 2 remake?), Gears 6 appear to be imminent, and the 3DS and Wii U servers are gone... or are they?? Advertise on The Nextlander Podcas...

Apr 11, 20242 hr 6 minEp. 146

145: The Game That Clips Well, Ships Well

This week we all dig (lol) into the indie drilling platformer Pepper Grinder, continue catching up with FF7 Rebirth and LAD: Infinite Wealth, and do battle with American air travel. Also: Embracer and Sega divest of Gearbox and Relic (respectively), a disc-less Xbox Series X is sighted in the wild, we think seriously about Krull and Willow and Ladyhawke, and more! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccur...

Apr 04, 20242 hr 59 minEp. 145

144: You Sparkled My Darkle!

Viiiiideo games on the show this week include Dragon's Dogma II, Princess Peach: Showtime, Open Roads, and the Stellar Blade demo, plus we talk about Phil Spencer's comments on an Xbox handheld and third-party stores on the Xbox, Larian moving on from D&D, a possible open-world Resident Evil, busting open your Switch, our dream game show appearances, and more. Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom , or support us on Patreon ! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccur...

Mar 28, 20242 hr 21 minEp. 144

143: Jean-Luc Godard's Dragon's Dogma II

We get our pawn on in Dragon's Dogma II this week and check out the new Outcast, even as we dutifully continue plowing through FF7 Rebirth and LAD: Infinite Wealth, plus we cover the latest on PlayStation 5 Pro, the state of PSVR 2, the new Marvel 1943 from Amy Hennig and team, international standards of measurement, 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-fre...

Mar 21, 20242 hr 22 minEp. 143

142: Private First Class Lance Bean

We're awash in new games this week, with Mars After Midnight, Contra: Operation Galuga, WWE 2K24, and more joining old favs like FF7 Rebirth. Also: the tragic loss of Akira Toriyama, the harassment campaign around Sweet Baby Inc., the mystery of the flying space bugs, 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. Pl...

Mar 14, 20242 hr 51 minEp. 142

141: Whip Out Your CHAD Device

Games! FF7 Rebirth, Skull & Bones, Helskate, Balatro, Helldivers and more. News! The Nintendo/Yuzu settlement, Respawn's Star Wars cancellation, the Halo composer's congressional run, and a hypothetical Chrono Trigger remake (??). Also fleas! And humidity! It's a 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 insertions. Plea...

Mar 07, 20242 hr 15 minEp. 141

140: Black Mold From Space

Brad has played an astonishing amount of Final Fantasy this week, and it's time to talk for like an hour about Remake, Rebirth, Crisis Core, and a bunch of other stuff. Plus: updates on Pacific Drive, Balatro, Infinite Wealth's Animal Crossing thing, PlayStation layoffs and the closure of London Studio, 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 vers...

Feb 29, 20242 hr 21 minEp. 140

139: No Law at the Port Authority

This week we discuss at great length: our strategically tactically strategic Helldivers play, like four different versions of Final Fantasy VII, the full release of Balatro, Enshrouded, the newest details on multiplatform Xbox games (and maybe a new Xbox?!), the rules and requirements for eating a whole pizza, and a bunch 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-fr...

Feb 22, 20243 hr 38 minEp. 139

138: Booing the Boo-er

Helldivers 2 is so good that it was tough not to stop this podcast and go play more of it, but we also managed to talk about demos for FF7 Rebirth and some Steam Next Fest fare like Balatro and Normal Fishing, Disney's $1.5 billion deal with Epic, the future of both PlayStation and 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 dynam...

Feb 15, 20242 hr 19 minEp. 138

137: Phil Spencer Did Not See His Shadow

Microsoft might (might!) go multiplatform, Death Stranding 2 looks relatively bananas, Kojima is making a new espionage action game (!), Suicide Squad finally came out and isn't all bad, and all of it is discussed right here on this week's 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 insertions. Please use caution if skipping a...

Feb 08, 20243 hr 30 minEp. 137

136: Secret Swifties

Will Smith (of game development and Fortnite-streaming fame) joins us this week to unpack the mass Xbox/Activision/Blizzard layoffs and the general state of the games business, plus Tekken 8, more with Prince of Persia and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the secret language of grade schoolers, Taylor Swift's nation-state status, 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 tha...

Feb 01, 20243 hr 48 minEp. 136

135: He Who Smelted It

This week, the early hours of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, deeper into POP: The Lost Crown, plus Home Safety Hotline, all the goings on with Palworld, our thoughts on Xbox games like Indiana Jones and Avowed, replacing your anode rod, 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 if skip...

Jan 25, 20243 hr 33 minEp. 135

134: No Stars Upon Rs

They mixed some Metroid into the new Prince of Persia and it turns out we're all quite down with that. Plus: Brad digs into the new Last of Us Part II rogue-like mode, Rockstar and Remedy in a logo dust-up, Harmonix is finally ceasing Rock Band 4 DLC, 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 ...

Jan 18, 20242 hr 4 minEp. 134