Pcgamer Podcasts

It's a wrap on yet another year, and what better way to wrap 2021 than by gathering with friends and breaking down the many games and trends that kept us going this year? Sure there weren't many real Greats to speak of, but we looped through time and commiserated with online friends and saw glimpses of a couple genres at their best. So grab a glass…

This week on BAD END, we're diving into Riot's new animated series Arcane, which feels like videogame nerd fanservice (not the sexual kind) as an act of benevolence. We're also talking about Forza Horizon 5's magnetic, often overwhelming extroversion, and the half-baked tactical/arcade crossover that is Halo Infinite Multiplayer (prepared for the f…

BAD END is back talking about videogames, and with about a month since our last time discussing things we played, we got a lot to cover! This week, we tear into Metroid Dread (despite digging it quite a bit). Not a bad game, but it loses a bit of Metroid's soul in exchange for some great action sequences. We're also discussing the 4th wall-breaking…

In today's episode we're joined by two special guests - game developers Greg Kythreotis of Shedworks (Sable) and Gareth Damian Martin (In Other Waters). We discuss the game development process, the act of pitching and marketing a game in a world where streaming and Steam reviews exist, the beauty and nostalgia of in-game architecture, and the secre…

This week, we're diving into the sandy, Jbrekkie-soundtracked expanses of Sable, along with a Hades-like called Dandy Ace, the ending of Deathloop, and some board games. Which, by the way, are becoming more like videogames with every passing day. We're also covering some viewer questions about things like Far Cry, NPCs, desert island games, Twitch …

Is there an echo in here? This week we're digging into the time loopy antics of Deathloop, and not the time loopy antics of 12 Minutes, which we discussed last week. We're also talking about the 20-year cultural cycle and whether or not it applies to games. We've also got the war re-enactment-esque Hell Let Loose, and a bit of organizational feng s…

This week we've got our gamer plates full, but we're spending most of it airing out our grievances with 12 Minutes - a game so clunky (and occasionally desperate) that we can't help but laugh a bit at its expense. We're also talking about the brilliant Psychonauts 2, our tangled-up issues with Boyfriend Dungeon, and the spreadsheet-like antics of H…

Kyle's slammed with deadlines, and this week's BAD END features writer/art director/Superculture Network member Yussef Cole. We're discussing Halo Reach and the lost serenity of early Halo, as well as the so-good-it's-meh appeal of Death's Door. Then we're rambling about crit (again) with new Cyberpunk twin-stick-shooter The Ascent, and talking a b…

This week's episode is all about videogames' artsy, cool, well-dressed younger sibling: creative technology. We're joined by Nicole He, one of the finest in the space today, whose works include a mind-reading Tinder-swipebot, a voice-activated game that parodies CSI "zoom and enhance" sequences, and an AI that interviewed Billie Eilish for Vogue. W…

Welcome to BAD END 101! This episode, we tackle the draw-em-up metroidvania Chicory, the flailing and absurd attack animations of Nioh, and the weird (but fun) vibes of card-roguelike Griftlands. Find us on YouTube: Support us on Patreon to join us live: https://www.patreon.com/badend BAD END is proud to be part of SUPERCULTURE, a network of podcas…

It's our 100th episode, and to celebrate, we're finally revealing our definitive top 10 games EVER. We're also discussing the last 4 years in videogame journalism/crit, and where we want things to go from here. Thanks to everyone for listening to our show, and here's to 100 more. This is the same audio version you know and love, but this episode al…

Welcome to BAD END's first-ever video podcast! This is the same audio version you know and love, but this episode also lives on YouTube with video to go along with the sound. This week, we're talking about the paradox of fun survival horror in Resident Evil 8, along with the potential modern appeal of a Mass Effect Remaster. Since it's a video epis…

As life transitions back into the weird alien world of reality, we're dipping our toes into the post-quarantine world with New Pokemon Snap and the open fields of Nier Replicant... which we're now experiencing for a second playthrough. Maybe we're more ready for a return to normal(ish) life than we think. BAD END is proud to be part of SUPERCULTURE…

This week we're joined by writer and FUNLAND magazine creator Zack Kotzer to talk about the lost ethos of early gamer magazines, the amusing terribleness of Balan Wonderworld, and videogame genre-busting in Nier Replicant. Support FUNLAND at patreon.com/funlandmag, and follow the magazine's accounts on Twitter and Instagram @FunlandMag for more upd…

We're joined by journalist/streamer/podcaster Bijan Stephen to talk about gaming's greatest power fantasy: unalienated labor. We're also discussing the glorious perfection of Final Fantasy XIV, the ecstasy of shounen in 2021, and games like Bloodborne, Before Your Eyes, Valorant, Adios, and Deliver Us The Moon. BAD END is proud to be part of SUPERC…

We're back on our Normal Episode beat this week, talking about videogame core loops of all kinds - some peaceful, some way too complex for their own good, some infuriating. We're talking about Loop Hero, the new indie hotness that's taken the idle roguelike world by storm, the new demo for Monster Hunter Rise, and FFXII the Zodiac Age, an old class…

This week, we're joined by Lukas Frank (Storefront Church) and Cole Smith (DIIV) to talk about Thoughtseize Interviews, a new show where they interview artists and gaming personalities while playing Magic the Gathering. We talk about community-building, the value of art in an increasingly-monetized world, the crossover between music and games, tast…

Today we're joined by game creator and critic Gareth Damian Martin about In Other Waters, their new sci-fi exploration game. We discuss the interplay between game criticism and game design, the game development process as seen through the eyes of an outsider, and the discipline of architecture as it applies (and doesn't apply) to videogames. We als…

Now that we've been quarantined for almost a year, we're actually playing through our backlogs. We have a lot of games to talk about, including the new Steam bestseller Valheim, the weird beautiful stealth of Hitman 3, the mindless carnage of Gunfire Reborn, and more! We're also talking about videogame patents, and arguing whether or not stealth ga…

This week, we're joined by music label founder and musician Maxwell Allison AKA Mukqs to talk about videogame music, DIY and experimental spaces for music and games, a 2020 arcade-style game called Disc Room, and the inherent value of videogames (if there's any to be had). BAD END is proud to be part of SUPERCULTURE, a network of podcasts and websi…

This week, we're joined by Fanbyte contributor and The Game Awards Future Class member Natalie Flores (@heartimecia) to talk about Cyberpunk 2077's best character, an incredible 45-minute indie game called Promesa, the anime detective game AI: The Somnium Files, and maybe even a little K-pop... BAD END is proud to be part of SUPERCULTURE, a network…

BAD END's long-awaited GOTY awards are here to conclude 2020. We're hashing out our favorite picks, recapping the trends that defined the year, and making way for the videogame landscapes yet to come. So lean in real close, keep your voice down to a whisper, and make sure the coast is clear. 2020 is finally gone, and we've got some crap to talk. BA…

The year's biggest game - Cyberpunk 2077 - is officially out, and we're doing our best to avoid crashes so that we can actually talk about it. We're also discussing recent backlash against the game's developer CDProjektRED, as well as a sweet little game about death called Spiritfarer. BAD END is proud to be part of SUPERCULTURE, a network of podca…

This week we're joined by narrative designer, writer, and long-time friend Roy Graham. Get ready, because we're greasing up your cyberchips and dusting off our 20-barrel plasma guns to do an ADVANCE REVIEW of Cyberpunk 2077! It is satire so please dont get mad at us. We didn't actually play the game. We're also talking about the quietly brilliant n…

New consoles are out! Exciting new games are... potentially on the horizon! Joined by writer and game maker Emma Kidwell, we talk about a few recent games of interest and the inflated appeal of new videogame systems in these strange pandemic times. BAD END is proud to be part of SUPERCULTURE, a network of podcasts and websites dedicated to the unde…

This week, we're joined by videogame critic Yussef Cole to discuss the motherly horror of the new Amnesia game, the compelling aesthetic mishmash of Paradise Killer, and the upcoming (?) "event" game Cyberpunk 2077. We also delve into the declining appeal of graphical fidelity, and the gradual fall of realism in mainstream gaming. BAD END is proud …

Promise yourself not to spend too much cash as we discuss Genshin Impact, the latest anime gacha craze, with producer/viral artist/streamer Yung Skrrt. We're also diving into the Mortal Kombat 11 scene, our inability to understand the appeal of "lying games," and the exhausting, lucrative world of Twitch streaming. BAD END is proud to be part of SU…

Caty is off to bigger and better things, so this is her final episode. To stave off the debilitating grief, we send her off with love from our listeners and some good ol' gamer talk. We're discussing a new all-time great roguelike/dungeon runner in the form of Hades, and Spelunky 2 - the sequel to one of the former best roguelikes ever. BAD END is …

Another week of quarantine, another multiplayer meme game to stave off debilitating loneliness. This week it's the social deception game Among Us, but we're also playing a VN/RTS with beautiful art, a tactical shooter that everyone seems really good at, and a puzzle game that might just be better than Portal (insert incredulous gasp here). BAD END …

This week, we're joined by Matt Margini, author of a new Boss Fight Book about Rockstar Games' now-classic Red Dead Redemption. We discuss the overwhelming complexity of Crusader Kings 3, the ahead-of-its-time '90s RPG moon, and the legacy of RDR. Read an excerpt of the book at Kotaku and pick it up at Boss Fight Books. It's also available digitall…

We usually play the Small Games but this week we have been playin' pretty much nothing but the Big Games. We talk about the new "casual battle royale" of Fall Guys and whether that's a self-contradicting concept. We talk about the tonal disconnect of online multiplayer shooters like CoD Warzone. We talk about the match structure and beautiful styli…

Between following an internet league sport, getting yelled at by teens for not aiming well, and sticking aliens with plasma grenades, it feels like we're going back to high school in episode 79 of BAD END podcast. We talk about the imaginative fandom that drives Blaseball, the beautifully-designed meathead shooting in Valorant, and the merry-go-rou…

Ghost of Tsushima is out, and we're joined by Matt Kim (IGN) and Emma Kidwell (Gamasutra) to talk about the game ~~as Asian Americans~~. Join us as we wrestle with ideas on representation, intersectionality, appropriation, and Asian-American identity, all while answering the most important question: is the game fun and/or worth 60 bucks? We're also…

We're not gonna lie, we spent a chunk of this episode talking about TLOU2 again. But it's spoiler-free! And on top of that, we're answering listener questions about summer gaming and talking about a bunch of other miscellaneous quarantine gaming stuff. So sit back, put a lil paper umbrella into your can of Monster Energy Drink (not a BAD END sponso…

After a one-episode hiatus, we're joined by friend of the show Emma Kidwell in a full-length episode where we ONLY discuss The Last of Us Part II. Sprinkled in there we've also got some discussion of single player AAA's role in 2020, diversity, new consoles, and ~~stuff that's going on~~ in the world today. BAD END is proud to be part of SUPERCULTU…

We're joined by critic/streamer/podcaster Bijan Stephen to talk about streaming on Twitch, the trials of the videogame press, battle royale games, and the future of games criticism. BAD END is proud to be part of SUPERCULTURE, a network of podcasts and websites dedicated to the underobserved. Tweet us @superculturenet Special thanks to our Patreon …

Hope you're all doing well during lockdown, cuz we're trying to find games to keep us entertained that aren't CoD or ACNH. This week, Caty played a bit of the (still mostly embargoed) Xenoblade Chronicles remaster, while Josh tried out the new Streets of Rage joint. Then we dig through a pile of listener questions, diving into games vs film, annoyi…

Take a break from taking a break and join us as we discuss all the biggest games of the season. We're taking a deeper dive into FF7 Remake from a FF7 newcomer's perspective, Call of Duty Warzone, more ACNH, board games, and Anno 1800, which is way better than the screenshots would ever have you believe. We're also answering listener questions about…

We break quarantine to hang out with Austin Walker (Waypoint Radio, Friends at the Table) and discuss some of the biggest games of the month - Final Fantasy VII Remake, which captures at least some of the magic of the original, and Animal Crossing New Horizons, which has been softening our brains into mush for almost a month now. We wrap up with so…

We are on lockdown and we are obsessed with Animal Crossing, just like you are (perhaps). Here's us talking about it for an hour and a half. We try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, and do our best to give you a little warning when we're gonna drop the names of objects and functions we've acquired. BAD END is proud to be part of SUPERCULTURE, a ne…

Take a load off from your days of isolation and come hang with the BAD END crew as we talk about the new Call of Duty, Ori, and CoD. We're also delving into the specifics of taste and our perspective on videogame crit. BAD END is proud to be part of SUPERCULTURE, a network of podcasts and websites dedicated to the underobserved. Tweet us @supercult…

One of us went to PAX East, one of us is playing a game under embargo, and one of us played a bunch of beloved games that are no longer protected by the sheen of newness. We discuss the Metroidvania frustrations of Hollow Knight, the woes of min-maxing in Noita, and Animal Crossing's influence. BAD END is proud to be part of SUPERCULTURE, a network…

With one co-host gone this week, the remaining two end up shooting the breeze for like 2 hours straight in this one. We discuss the new Dragonball Z game, we rag on Ori and the Blind Forest, we talk about Slay The Spire and the concept of "perfunctory" game mechanics, and we answer a very, very long list of listener questions. We've also got a fun …

dramatic voice Wherein lies the magic of videogames? Is it in the understated brilliance of Kentucky Route Zero? Is it in the schoolyard fantasies of Magic: The Gathering brought to digital life? Is it on The Beach being snatched up by the beak of a seagull? Or is it somewhere else? Join us on BAD END 67 as we attempt to find the answer in an unlik…

A thought: maybe "influential" is not a net positive when assessing a game's quality! We talk about the idea while discussing AGDQ and digging through our backlogs. Kyle enjoys The Witcher 3 despite living in a post-Disco Elysium world, Caty is surprised at how well FFVII holds up, and Josh finally gets to unleash his inner hacker with Quadrilatera…

To wrap up the decade, we're joined by Ben Pack of Giant Bomb and talking about our favorite games of the 2010s. Listen for our thoughts on some all-time heavy hitters like Dark Souls, The Witcher 3, Mass Effect 2, Breath of the Wild, and more. BAD END is proud to be part of SUPERCULTURE, a network of podcasts and websites dedicated to the underobs…

It's the end of the year, and we're celebrating with our annual awards ceremony that includes crowd favorite "Oh Yeah, That Came Out" and "Dope, But Not For Me." We also discuss our top picks of the year. We don't really spoil specific plot points in this episode, but we sometimes discuss *things certain games do* that might be considered spoilers …

You might know Tim Rogers as any number of things: a pioneer of "New Videogame Journalism," a prolific game developer, a video personality, an industry consultant, a friend of Suda51, Mr. Rogers' relative, a CPA. He is all of those things, and that's why he's uniquely qualified to talk about all of the videogame-related things that happened this de…

Indie games have come a long way from their roots as a way to spite Roger Ebert (kidding!), and we've teamed up with rebind.io founder Emily Rose (@caravanmalice) to discuss the decade in indie, from "AA" hits to powerful "micro-indies." We explore the impact of influencers, the birth/death/resurrection of indie game journalism, the importance of p…

A new Pokemon game is out, so we're asking the question that everyone asks when a new Pokemon game comes out: Is it the Pokemon game I've always dreamed about? We also discuss the weird lack of hype surrounding Half-Life: Alyx, which when you think about it, should be the most hyped game of the decade. Finally, we wrap our conversation on Death Str…