Video Game Generations

This week, Addie throws honesty out the proverbial window in pretty much every segment of the podcast. She seemed to enjoy herself, and it kept her talking, but don't get too excited when she announces the release of Portal 3. After a Steam code give-away for Suda51's The Silver Case (fill in the blanks by solving simple show-related trivia questions), we do news, new releases, and email. Email includes Jason's response to last week's question about mobile game genres we need to see more of, and Pawel writes in with hands-on pre-launch impressions of PlayStation VR. In gaming chat, we talk more about Stacking (Xbox 360) and Wasteland 2 (PS4). My pre-recorded segment breaks records when it comes to the longest pre-recorded segment ever. It starts at around 27:04 and runs until almost the end, a whopping forty-eight and a half minutes. Half of my three-day weekend was spent playing and reviewing Interactive Fiction Competition games, so that makes up the entirety of this oversized segment. In total, there are s

Unlike last year and the year before, I actually made time to play some of the entries in the annual Interactive Fiction Competition, which is going on now. This pre-recorded segment starts with a few thoughts about interactive fiction in general and the competition in particular, at around the 36:27 mark. Hopefully I'll be able to include more IFComp reviews as the competition continues. In a later segment, I have ongoing thoughts on Wasteland 2 (PS4). Addie's gaming time was limited over the past week, but she played a lot of Disney Crossy Road. Early in the episode, after some off-topic updates, we give out the final two codes for free copies of Retro City Rampage DX -- one for Playstation and one for Steam. Like last week, the codes have a few blanks to fill in by answering a few simple show-related trivia questions. Most of them are easy to get just by looking at our prior show notes. If you're the lucky listener to redeem either of these codes, please write in or message us on Twitter so we know. After

Free game codes return this week, with a give-away for Retro City Rampage DX on Steam (PC/Mac/Linux/MS-DOS) and PlayStation (PS4/PS3/PSP/Vita). It's just one of each this week. Will you be the lucky listener to solve the puzzle, fill in the blanks, and redeem one of the codes? If not, we're giving away two more codes the same way next week, so be sure to listen! We talk a little about the annual Interactive Fiction Competition, which is just around the corner. These text-based adventure games are always free and range in quality from great to abysmal, and there's a possibility I may review or discuss some of them during the competition. After that, Addie reads this week's new game releases with her own commentary. Then our one listener email for the week is full of content, including an answer to last week's QotW about games with mismatched elements. We have no quiz or top ten list this time, but game chat is abundant. My pre-recorded segments include a wrap-up on Recore (Xbox One), short spoiler-free reviews

Occasional guest-host Bill joins us this week for an oversized episode full of game discussions. We relegate most of this to a post-recorded segment that appears late in the show, although it's as long as the main show, so that happens about halfway through the episode. That starts with a new top 10, courtesy of Bill, where he lists out the ways Xbox One has recently gotten a proverbial leg up on the Playstation 4. This leads into a general discussion about the Sony vs. Microsoft console war (sorry Nintendo; you're not even involved). After this, Bill catches up on several months of gaming, with some talk about Wofenstein: The New Order and The Old Blood, the previous Wolfenstein on Xbox 360, The Banner Saga, Zombi (the PS4 version of ZombiU), Gone Home, To the Moon, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, The Order 1886, The Last of Us Remastered, Life is Strange, The Cave, Costume Quest 1 and 2, Broken Age, and Remember Me. Our usual segments before that include this week's new game releases, listener email, and a

News for this week includes the PlayStation 4 Pro, the release of PS4 firmware version 4.0, and the announcement of mobile game Super Mario Run. After a long list of this week's new releases (which is made even longer by a tangent discussion about Black Friday), we read this week's one and only listener email. It's about Fallout 4 and Skyrim mods not coming to PS4 after all, and a bit about earning trophies or achievements in games. My pre-recorded segment is a review of point-and-click adventure Deja Vu II (GameBoy Color), and a partial review of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (PS4). I haven't quite finished this latest Deus Ex, but felt it was time to give more than just surface-level impressions. With luck, I'll wrap it up for next week with some final thoughts. Addie and I then talk about the recently-released Ghostbusters game again (PS4), and Addie talks briefly about Roblox (PC) and Splatoon (WiiU). This leads into a new top ten list. This week, I count down my favorite point-and-click adventure games, with

Featured this week are a podcast-related new top ten list, a challenging round of video game "Who Am I?", and a bit of monologue about retro game collecting. First, though, it's the usual segments: news, new releases, and email. News this week includes the free games line-up for September, for PlayStation Plus and Xbox Gold subscribers, which we just missed last week due to recording a few days early. My pre-recorded segment includes more brief thoughts on Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (PS4), which I'll still be playing a week or two more. Also, I finished Deja Vu (GameBoy Color on Retron5) and Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (PSP on PlayStation TV), so I have reviews for both. Addie's first Mobile Game of the Week for her new iPad is Tiny Tower (iOS). Apparently it's pretty great. This week's ending music is a selection of tunes from retro classic point-and-click adventure game Deja Vu. Have feedback? Write to us at podcast@vggpodcast.com Find links and show notes at http://www.vggpodcast.com

Despite recording this episode earlier than usual, we have plenty to talk about. For Addie, it's more Roblox (PC), more Minecraft (PS4), and her Mobile Game of the Week, Word Trace (iOS). My pre-recorded segment is a No Man's Sky wrap-up (PS4) and a review of classic 8-bit action adventure game Xexyz (NES). In a second segment, post-recorded and added to the episode afterwards, I have opening thoughts on three more games I started playing. These are Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (PS4), Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (PSP), and Deja Vu (NES). Eight-year-old Heath, Addie's younger brother, is also back with a new episode of Mini-Gamers. It's episode 13, and as usual, he goes from game to game quickly. Unless I missed one, this includes Tennis in the Face, Headlander, Seralim, Minecraft, Bakugan Battle Trainer, and Armikrog. In off-topic or tagentially-related discussions, Addie is amazed that people can actually build a PC, I discovered a few DOS 3.5" disk-based games in some old boxes for my collection, I ex

More off-topic stuff than usual opens this episode of the Video Game Generations Podcast. Part of that is due to Addie's well-intentioned question about my favorite books, which I answer thoroughly; not too thoroughly, though, because I can think of a dozen more favorites I didn't even mention. After Addie reads the news and new releases, we have plenty of listener email to read and discuss. This includes questions about kids and their attraction to games based on movies and other non-game IP, a Playstation humble bundle, the games our listeners are playing, and answers to last week's QotW about which thing would be more welcomed: reviews or impressions of games outside my comfort zone (fighting, sports, racing, etc.) or more retro game coverage. Our new Question of the Week comes from email as well. As a gamer, how do you keep from getting sore and uncomfortable while playing? Do you have a tip to share? Or is it just a matter of getting up to stretch frequently? My pre-recorded segment is a final wrap-up on

We have no quiz or top ten list this week, but in its place early in the show, it's the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine awards! It's a brief off-topic bit where I name DS9's most deserving characters in several categories: most changed, most annoying, most useless, and best acting. Guess which character gets the coveted Wallace Shawn award. Then we have news, new releases, and email. Christian's android-based mobile game AsteroidDefense has been released. Pawel keeps it brief this week with his thoughts on Murdered: Soul Suspect and Shutshimi. Finally, good friend Bill (who needs to return as a guest host again) answers our recent QotW about favorite Double Fine / Tim Schafer games. Game talk begins with my pre-recorded segment, in which I have very favorable opening thoughts on No Man's Sky (PS4). Next week, I hope to dive deeper into a discussion on the game's systems and what I'd like to see improved. After that, Addie and I talk about Stacking (Xbox 360) and Ghostbusters (2016/PS4). It's always nice when Addie

Did you know that a limited edition of Unravel for PS4 and Xbox One was recently released in small quantities as a BestBuy exclusive? I managed to get one, only to find out that the box only contains the Yarny figure. It doesn't actually come with the game, which they provide separately as a download code. We already have it digitally, and due to a mix-up in the process, I ended up with two codes. Both are given out in this episode, but as of posting this, the first one is already redeemed. If you're quick, and if you want Unravel on PS4, listen for the second code a short ways into this episode. After news and new releases, it's our Fall Games Preview segment. It's that time again, when many big new games are scheduled for release in the last few months of the year. At the end, I share my top five most anticipated games coming out this year. Write in and let us know yours! Then, our solitary email this week is a great, thorough answer to last week's QotW about your favorite Double Fine games. In game talk, A

With Addie away on vacation this week, we recorded most of this episode Saturday afternoon. There wasn't much news at the time, but we do cover this month's free Playstation Plus games and the new games releasing this week. Email includes an answer to our recent QotW about games that surprised you, plus a final decision (maybe?) on the "honorable mentions" debate. Addie started playing two games, so her "what we're playing" contribution is opening thoughts on Double Fine's Headlander (PS4) and Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS). I have a brief bit to say about Mighty No. 9 (PS4), and a pre-recorded segment that includes an update on my ongoing year-long play-through of Suikoden II (PS1 on PSTV) and a review of Resident Evil 5 (PS4). Instead of a new top ten list, Addie takes my video game console quiz. Play along and find out how well you know the makers and decades of launch for twenty consoles of prior generations. Our Question of the Week, devised by Addie, is to let us know your favorite Double Fine game. T

Early in this week's episode, we try something new. Recently, Addie has been a little too quiet at the start, so I decided to get her involved with a mini-quiz, where she must think of games that feature a certain detail or subject of my choosing. This may be a returning segment, since it seemed to help this week. Before we read this week's email, news includes next month's free Xbox Games With Gold and the new games releasing this week. My pre-recorded segments are about my initial impressions of Resident Evil 5 (PS4), plus reviews of three games I finished -- Christopher Brookmyre's Bedlam (PS4), Broken Sword 5 Episode 2 (Vita), and Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma (Vita/PSTV). Addie's Mobile Game of the Week is Little Alchemy (iOS). A new top ten list this week is about games from this console generation that seem very underrated. As for last week's QotW about games that surprised you, we're carrying that forward another week, since our next episode will be recorded three days earlier than usual. It'll relea

After news and new releases, this week's listener email provides us with several topics. These include Pokemon Go, Firewatch, an ongoing discussion about top ten lists, more great short games to finish in one or two sittings, the NES Classic Edition, underrated games, and responses to last week's QOTW about handheld vs. mobile gaming. After my brief opening thoughts on Christopher Brookmyre's Bedlam (PS4) -- the game, not the book -- and a brief update on where I am in Zero Time Dilemma (Vita), I have a pre-recorded review of The Technomancer (PS4). I think it's destined to be another underrated gem. Addie's Mobile Game of the Week is Circle (iOS), from Ketch App. Following that, Addie talks a bit about her ongoing efforts to collect all the ties in Octodad: Dadliest Catch (PS4). This leads into her list of the top five plot holes in Octodad. Once we wrap that up, Heath returns with Mini-Gamers Episode 12 where he talks more about Octodad, Yasai Ninja (PS4), and Kirby: Planet Robobot (3DS). He also insists on

This week's lone email gives me a chance to talk about the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney series again. Also, Addie isn't sure whether Avatar is a kid with magical wind powers, or tall blue aliens. We get that sorted out, though. First up in game chat is my pre-recorded segment, which includes opening thoughts on Mega Man Legends (PS1), The Technomancer (PS4), Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma (Vita), and spoiler-free thoughts in a sort-of review of Playdead's Inside (Xbox One). Addie's Mobile Game of the Week is Pokemon Go (iOS), of course, because it's everybody's Mobile Game of the Week it seems. The two of us spend some time talking about that, with Addie explaining how it works. In a feature this week, I present my list of favorite games that can be finished in one or two sittings, prompted by last week's question from a listener. It's a long list, so it doesn't fall under the "top-10" umbrella, but hopefully it'll provide a few good suggestions for different kinds of games on different platforms, if you're l

Listener email is a big focus of this week's episode, with questions about shorter vs. longer games and speedrunning games. Also included are comments about my habit of including honorable mentions in my Top 10 lists, watching stuff on YouTube, Sony's E3 press conference, System Shock on Kickstarter, a listener's favorite open world games following on my lists from last week, the trouble with Darksiders, challenging puzzles in The Talos Principle, and more. Our Question of the Week also comes from email. Write in to let us know if you've ever just gotten bored playing an otherwise good game. Maybe some hundred-hour epic grabbed you at first, but you lost interest entirely, before finishing? Game talk is mostly my pre-recorded review of last year's open world Mad Max (PS4). Addie's latest Mobile Game of the Week is Mahjong Adventure (iOS). Neither of us played much else since the last episode. In honor of Mad Max, though, this week's Top 14 (including the honorable mentions in the list, per Pawel's suggestion)

We're light on news this week, but there are plenty of new game releases for Addie to describe incorrectly. With so many coming out this week, though, she opted to skip a few and just defer to me instead. Xbox Games With Gold for July have been announced, so we list those too. In email, Bill writes in after a long absence to talk about our one hundredth episode, and to provide his list of all-time top-ten favorite games — a standing invitation for all listeners. Without a new Question of the Week this episode, we're sticking to last week's question. Top-tens are fun, so email us to suggest a category or topic for a future top-ten list! Speaking of that, my featured top-ten this week is not one, not two, but three lists of my top ten favorite open worlds in games. These are (1) the top ten open world and semi-open world games set in a real-world location, (2) the top ten semi-open world games in a fictional setting, and (3) the top ten open world games in a fictional setting. That's a pre-recorded segmen

This week's feature is a new top-10 list of favorite female protagonists in video games. There's also a bit of discussion about future top-10 list ideas. Our Question of the Week for listeners is to suggest topics that would make interesting top-10 lists. Before that, in my pre-recorded segments, I review Mirror's Edge: Catalyst (PS4) and Submerged (PS4). Also included are my opening thoughts on Mad Max (PS4), Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed (Vita), Echo Night (PS1), and State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition (Xbox One). Addie's Mobile Game of the Week was a surprise to me. It's Clash of Clans (iOS), which has really captured her interest lately. She also briefly talks about Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) and My Sims Party (Wii). I guess these notes are backwards, but before all that, it's news, new releases, and email. We're also happy to report that all three game prize bundles from episode 100 have been received by the winners. We're thinking of doing more give-aways in the future, but on a smaller sca

News from E3 press conferences makes this another oversized episode. In two pre-recorded segements, I recap each of the five big publisher conferences. Later, it's a top 10 list of the most exciting game reveals and demos from E3. But we aren't done yet. Next week, we'll have more news in an E3 wrap-up, including your emails about what you liked most or what disappointed you about E3 this year. That's our Question of the Week. In email this week, we hear from a new listener for the first time, there's a bit of happy-dancing from the winner of our Xbox game bundle give-away, another top 10 favorite games list, E3 reactions, one listener is playing DS games 999 and the Phoenix Wright series, and we get opposing views about whether or not The Witcher 3 is an unquestionably better game than Fallout 4. We also take a Vita game name quiz late in the show, which also comes to us via email. Addie did very little gaming since last week, but I have a shorter-than-usual pre-recorded segment about what I'm playing. This

This week, we choose the winners in our big game bundle give-away! We'd announce the names of the lucky listeners here, but Addie decided it should be a surprise. You'll have to listen to get the results. Boxes will ship out today, to the winners. It's a normal episode for the most part. We have tons of email this week, plus news and new releases for Addie to speculate on plots. It turns out, most of the new releases this week feature robots of some sort, according to Addie. Some actually do! In our two feature segments, we talk about our hopes for E3 (which is just a few days away), and our top 10 games of all time. This includes answers from several listeners as well, although it turns out it's difficult to choose just ten, or choose just one in a series, or even to put them in a specific order. Addie talks briefly about what she's playing: Mario Kart 7 (3DS), Plants vs. Zombies (Nook), Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare (Xbox One), and Mr. Jump (iOS). In my pre-recorded segment, I talk about Fallout 4: Aut

Only a few days remain for entering our upcoming game bundle give-away. Next week is our 100th episode, so part of our discussion this week is a small bit of planning for that. We also talk about summer plans and vacations in our opening off-topic segment. After news, the free PlayStation Plus games list for June, and Addie guessing the plots of this week's new game releases, we have a few listener emails. This includes Fallout 4 and Witcher 3 talk, an answer to last week's QotW about kids playing or seeing M-rated games, and a suggestion that Addie's Antics are a good thing! Late in the episode, I give honorable mentions to a bunch of great games that didn't quite make my all-time top-10 list. The actual top-10 is planned as a feature for next week. My pre-recorded segment is mostly a review of the new Doom (aka Doom 2016 or Doom 4 - PS4). Then it's Addie's turn. Her Mobile Game of the Week is Two Dots (iOS). She also talks about games played with her step-brother Nathan -- Dark Souls 3 (Xbox One) and Halo: