Favorite Gaming Podcast?

[KWKBOX]

There are a lot of different podcasts out there nowadays. Which is your favorite and why? Mine is in the link below.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/VGBSPodcast

[Tanooki]

Honestly, none. None of those previous generation gaming podcasts, youtube videos, or the rest offer one piece of genuinely interesting or useful information that makes their existence even worth while. I find the whole lot to be an internet based waste of space. People just keep going back over the same games, the same info that has been out there for 10-30 years anyone with 2 brain cells and google could figure out.

[KWKBOX]

Honestly, none. None of those previous generation gaming podcasts, youtube videos, or the rest offer one piece of genuinely interesting or useful information that makes their existence even worth while. I find the whole lot to be an internet based waste of space. People just keep going back over the same games, the same info that has been out there for 10-30 years anyone with 2 brain cells and google could figure out.

There are a lot of podcasts like you have described that really ruin the idea and image of the entire scene. This podcast covers current events more than just talking about old games and that is why I enjoy it. I understand people can use the internet but having a podcast is great for people to be on the go and just listen to current events that do not have the time to sit on a computer all day.

[celerystalker]

I agree with Tanooki. None. The same old "hidden gems" aren't hidden anymore. The information is all but useless to me. I get it for a younger generation that hasn't been exposed to these games their whole lives, but for anyone who grew up alongside all of this, we're usually just re-treading old ground. I'm also utterly disinterested in industry news. I'm into games to enjoy playung them, not to dive into Ubisoft's practices, and to make matters worse, I can't even read a simple magazine to find out what games are on the horizon without being bombarded by industry news and current events. I'm not looking for a source on it. I can't avoid it if I want to...

[KWKBOX]

I agree with Tanooki. None. The same old "hidden gems" aren't hidden anymore. The information is all but useless to me. I get it for a younger generation that hasn't been exposed to these games their whole lives, but for anyone who grew up alongside all of this, we're usually just re-treading old ground. I'm also utterly disinterested in industry news. I'm into games to enjoy playung them, not to dive into Ubisoft's practices, and to make matters worse, I can't even read a simple magazine to find out what games are on the horizon without being bombarded by industry news and current events. I'm not looking for a source on it. I can't avoid it if I want to...

I agree. That is why I listen to current events but not the ones you speak of. The podcast I listen to pertains to Homebrews, Indy Games, Kickstarters and more obscure news not just a shoveling about big companies decisions and their opinion on it. You guys must of listened to some pretty bad podcasts to have such a negative perspective on them. It is no different then television. I like maybe 1 or 2 shows on FOX but that does not mean the entire channel is garbage. Now TBS on the other hand...

[WCP]

There are lots of podcasts that I like for modern gaming, but I haven't really found any retro gaming podcasts that really speak to me.


I do like some of the episodes of Retronauts. Some of the episodes are really fascinating, but some of the episodes are quite lame, so it can be a real roll of the dice.


For modern gaming, I really like Giant Bomb, Player 1 Podcast (slight retro discussion sometimes), 8-4 Play (when Gaming Jesus is hosting), Kinda Funny Gamescast and DLC (with Jeff Cannata)

[celerystalker]

I agree. That is why I listen to current events but not the ones you speak of. The podcast I listen to pertains to Homebrews, Indy Games, Kickstarters and more obscure news not just a shoveling about big companies decisions and their opinion on it. You guys must of listened to some pretty bad podcasts to have such a negative perspective on them. It is no different then television. I like maybe 1 or 2 shows on FOX but that does not mean the entire channel is garbage. Now TBS on the other hand...

Don't care for podcasts on that subject. Any subject, really. The content is my biggest gripe, but really, it's more that it isn't a faster way to get that info. 10 minutes of reading will get me through 4 hours of podcast. The entertainment aspect is filler, and is rarely actually entertaining. I don't like to be as negative as I've been in these topics regarding videos and podcasts, but I believe that they are oversaturated in existence, overlapping too heavily in content, and largely devoid of engaging personality, as in order to be different from the copy/pasted news they report, they have to inject a sizable dose of hyperbolic opinion. It's like listening to a series of the worst, slapped together documentaries designed to make living off of hobbyists who have a tough time finding conversation about their interests in day to day life. I know that's a generalization, but enough attempts at enjoying these things has led me to this opinion. Sorry to be so negative on the subject.

[Tron 2.0]

Most i listen to is retronauts.That's all really for me.
http://www.retronauts.com

[sfchakan]

These are the podcasts I typically listen to that discuss video games to some capacity. I've noticed that as time goes on, having been involved with "retrogaming" since the 90s, I listen to less and less retro-focused content. Most of them are lead by people who are either fairly new to retrogaming overall or individuals pimping out their own products. A LOT of them spring up and peter out pretty quickly.

CAGCast
Cheap Ass Gamer podcast. Weekly mix of game news, what they've been playing, movies/shows/comics, etc. It's a grab bag. They don't force themselves into a particular theme and it just ends up being 3 guys bullshitting around about whatever, usually joking around most of the time. I typically enjoy most of the episodes.

Giant Bomb
Pretty long podcast, but it's usually fairly decent.

No More Whoppers
This is another grab bag mix of things. Ray and Alex talk about Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy often, but will also discuss random dumbass shit that happens in their every day life. Lots of drops, references, and silly humor. Probably not for everyone, but I like it.

Retro Gaming Roundup
It's publishing monthly and totals a huge amount of time, but that's to it's credit. If you don't like one segment, you can just switch to the next one. The highlight for me is typically their interviews with classic game developers. I've never really bothered with classic gaming conventions, so hearing some of these guys talk is a real treat.

Retronauts
I remember really enjoying this podcast years ago, but the appreciation has really taken a nosedive in recent years. I still play an episode from time to time if the topic sounds interesting, but Jeremy and Bob have such limited experience with games. For individuals who have been paid to write about games for over a decade now, you think they would have gone out of their way to become more experienced and knowledgeable.

[calgon]

Retronauts from its inception to slightly before the 100 mark was the golden age of any retro games podcast. Unique voices and perspectives on a myriad of topics which is now sadly just completely narrowed and void of all its charm.

That and Bob Mackey seems to dismiss many games and genres outside of SNES and final fantasy. I really feel like his inclusion and then bump to host is what killed the show. His effeminate mile-a-minute delivery is also off-putting.

Back in my play has picked up the slack rather nicely, and has plenty of SEGA and even TG 16 coverage, by enthusiasts, press, and sometimes developers. Great podcast and I credit Kevin for getting me back into gaming.

[sfchakan]

I think the lack of frequent Chris Kohler visits really kills it for me. When Chris was on, I knew the show was generally going to be pretty decent.

[Alianger]

GC9X's Post Mortem series
Clan of the Gray Wolf

[Az]

I agree with Tanooki. None.

Seconded. I own a camera but it doesn't make me a photographer, I own MS Word but that doesn't make me an author. Way too many people assume since they own either a microphone or webcam and have an opinion they're the gaming media equivalent of the next Paul Harvey or Howard Stern. Just because you have the ability to create something doesn't mean anyone should give a shit.

Retronauts is the only podcast I've ever found even remotely entertaining and even then sometimes I'm left scratching my head. They'll treat certain topics like they're bipolar; something that's popular in Japan but bombed or never released in the west (Wonderswan, NGPC, TG-16) is treated with the utmost respect but other things like the SMS is an hour of dead air since nobody on the show owned one.

Retroforce Go felt like I was eavesdropping in a college dorm room of annoying people that may have played a SNES once. What time wasn't spent making stupid in-jokes and "funny" voices was the equivalent of dead air. "Hmmm..... I can't remember that, I never played that, I have no idea what you're talking about" etc. The one Segafans episode I listened to was enough. You'd think if you're recording an hour about one particular game or series the participants would have a passing familiarity with it or at least tried a few out on an emulator before sitting down to record.

Seems like every podcast (and most Youtube videos) consist of annoying or bland personalities with horrible speaking voices, nothing to actually say, and contributing absolutely nothing to my appreciation or understanding of a topic.

[Steve W]

One of the problems with a lot of podcasts is that the people doing them are not performers. Listen to a standup comedian's podcast to hear somebody who speaks in front of crowds for a living and can make statements without saying "uhhh" a thousand times.

The last audio show I used to listen to was Retro Gaming Radio, before he decided to give it up. They were great for long distance drives, considering each show would be two or three hours long. Nowadays I don't want to listen to a retro game podcast because I usually know more about the subject than the hosts do, and I don't think Nintendo is the greatest company in the universe and don't give a damn about Japanese RPGs. I want a podcast with an intelligent speaker who talks about pre-NES era console games, arcade games and computers. And that doesn't seem to exist out there, just rambling 20-and-30-somethings who jerk off over Nintendo's output for 45 minutes.

[Alianger]

Retroforce Go felt like I was eavesdropping in a college dorm room of annoying people that may have played a SNES once. What time wasn't spent making stupid in-jokes and "funny" voices was the equivalent of dead air. "Hmmm..... I can't remember that, I never played that, I have no idea what you're talking about" etc. The one Segafans episode I listened to was enough. You'd think if you're recording an hour about one particular game or series the participants would have a passing familiarity with it or at least tried a few out on an emulator before sitting down to record.


Sounds like you'd enjoy GC9X then, unsexxxy voices aside.

[A.C. Sativa]

I have never listened to a podcast of any kind in my life.

[Hep038]

Retronauts from its inception to slightly before the 100 mark was the golden age of any retro games podcast. Unique voices and perspectives on a myriad of topics which is now sadly just completely narrowed and void of all its charm.

That and Bob Mackey seems to dismiss many games and genres outside of SNES and final fantasy. I really feel like his inclusion and then bump to host is what killed the show. His effeminate mile-a-minute delivery is also off-putting.

I am glad I am not the only person that thinks this. I remember them doing a podcast on the intellivision and and basically knowing nothing about it. I think Ray had played in back in the day and "mis-remembered" quite a few things about the system ( saying the controller had no buttons, only keypad). Up until that point I pretty much pu up with Mackey ripping at any system that did not have SNES in its name.

But I do have to give them credit for turning me on to Watch out for fireballs. They do a good mix of classic and PC games. And they actually play them before they do their podcast.

[Porksta]

I listen to the CAGCast. It isn't too video game-centric as it does dabble into other areas. They talk about their daily lives and what they have been up to recently (trips or events or the like). CheapyD is big on technology so he likes to talk about his recent purchases and upgrades. Shipwreck is a hardcore collector and always talks about his finds or his theatre upgrades, and Wombat is the lovable sidekick. They bounce off of each other really well and I am usually laughing several times throughout each podcast.

[calgon]

I am glad I am not the only person that thinks this. I remember them doing a podcast on the intellivision and and basically knowing nothing about it. I think Ray had played in back in the day and "mis-remembered" quite a few things about the system ( saying the controller had no buttons, only keypad). Up until that point I pretty much pu up with Mackey ripping at any system that did not have SNES in its name.

But I do have to give them credit for turning me on to Watch out for fireballs. They do a good mix of classic and PC games. And they actually play them before they do their podcast.

If I could pinpoint a moment where I just said "nope, this isn't for me anymore" is when they did their live sega Genesis special. Mackey went into a diatribe about the console being for "trash people" because he had a neighbor who had one and was beat up by him or something. Condensed all sega's history and brief overtaking of Nintendo to "well, sonic was good" and then complained about the sound chip for the rest of the episode. You compare that to classic episodes like the phantasy star, street fighter 2, pc engine and horror game episode and it's like a whole different show that just happens to have the same name.

Watch out for fireballs is great! Also loving retroblast and back in my play.

[badinsults]

I usually try to keep up with the Totally Unnecessary Podcast by Pat the NES Punk. He keeps up with the drama in the retro video game community so I don't have to!

[Az]

Pat and Ian's podcast comes off to me as two enourmously pious, hypocritical, two-faced whiners discussing clickbait material and pandering to the lowest common denominator collector fanbase.

Ian constantly throws in these incredibly lame and out of place "whoa look at me drug use is cool and I advocate it" comments that people should have outgrown by the time they're 14 years old, along with snide or not-so-subtile political comments that have absolutely no place in a video game podcast. Pat constantly throws out ill-informed info (with Ian constantly correcting him) and their constant rallying against certain topics is completely stupid.

Both rally against people with large collections that don't actively play their collections, all while doing this in front of a massive shelf of hundreds of NES games (that I'm so sure they play on an hourly basis). Ian subscribes to this weird crackpot theory that sought after NES games are high priced due only to people buying them who have no intention of playing them, and a "true" appreciating gamer would buy it, play it, then sell it back (to the store he works at, no less) so others could enjoy it and somehow keep the prices lower.

Flash carts are constantly advocated as these wonderful shotgun solutions to everything yet people who make bootlegs (even when plainly marked as such) deserve death. After all, flash cart useage for high dollar commercial carts is legal, right? And *nobody* makes money when flash carts are sold, right?

They rally against something as small as reproduction label makers, constantly tossing the term "illegal" around, yet hardly an episode goes by they're not advocating illegal ROM useage with flash carts. They constantly cry about pirated carts but are always sure to mention the eBay seller ID, Alibaba storefront link, or seller forum name providing a huge audience of buyers they wouldn't have had normally, so all these herp derp mouthbreathers who can't distinguish even the most obvious fakes can run as fast as their browsers can take them to place an order.

[bb_hood]

Flash carts are constantly advocated as these wonderful shotgun solutions to everything yet people who make bootlegs (even when plainly marked as such) deserve death. After all, flash cart useage for high dollar commercial carts is legal, right? And *nobody* makes money when flash carts are sold, right?

They rally against something as small as reproduction label makers, constantly tossing the term "illegal" around, yet hardly an episode goes by they're not advocating illegal ROM useage with flash carts. They constantly cry about pirated carts but are always sure to mention the eBay seller ID, Alibaba storefront link, or seller forum name providing a huge audience of buyers they wouldn't have had normally, so all these herp derp mouthbreathers who can't distinguish even the most obvious fakes can run as fast as their browsers can take them to place an order.

Flash carts are great because they enable people to enjoy classic roms on the original hardware. No money is being exchanged for roms when you can download them yourself. I just think its a scumbag thing to do, selling roms on bootleg carts when the roms have been freely available for over 10 years now. THAT is stealing and further more it takes advantages of noobs who want to play games like Sweet Home. People should be able to enjoy the older classic games without paying, and when you buy bootlegs/repros you are paying someone who has no right to sell them. You can argue to legality of downloading roms but really thats it, because whats your other option, paying 900$ for a loose little samson copy.

[Kwyjibo]

Pat and Ian's podcast comes off to me as two enourmously pious, hypocritical, two-faced whiners discussing clickbait material and pandering to the lowest common denominator collector fanbase.

Ian constantly throws in these incredibly lame and out of place "whoa look at me drug use is cool and I advocate it" comments that people should have outgrown by the time they're 14 years old, along with snide or not-so-subtile political comments that have absolutely no place in a video game podcast. Pat constantly throws out ill-informed info (with Ian constantly correcting him) and their constant rallying against certain topics is completely stupid.

Both rally against people with large collections that don't actively play their collections, all while doing this in front of a massive shelf of hundreds of NES games (that I'm so sure they play on an hourly basis). Ian subscribes to this weird crackpot theory that sought after NES games are high priced due only to people buying them who have no intention of playing them, and a "true" appreciating gamer would buy it, play it, then sell it back (to the store he works at, no less) so others could enjoy it and somehow keep the prices lower.

Flash carts are constantly advocated as these wonderful shotgun solutions to everything yet people who make bootlegs (even when plainly marked as such) deserve death. After all, flash cart useage for high dollar commercial carts is legal, right? And *nobody* makes money when flash carts are sold, right?

They rally against something as small as reproduction label makers, constantly tossing the term "illegal" around, yet hardly an episode goes by they're not advocating illegal ROM useage with flash carts. They constantly cry about pirated carts but are always sure to mention the eBay seller ID, Alibaba storefront link, or seller forum name providing a huge audience of buyers they wouldn't have had normally, so all these herp derp mouthbreathers who can't distinguish even the most obvious fakes can run as fast as their browsers can take them to place an order.
I agree with almost everything you said, but I definitely find their podcast to be pretty entertaining. Pat and Ian have a very good dynamic in a lot of ways. Their personalities are different, and they often have completely opposite perspectives on a topic. They seem to have differing investments in gaming as well, with Pat being more of a collector and someone who is into the collecting scene, and Ian as less of a collector and more of someone who just has a strong enthusiasm for playing the games(though I'm sure Pat shares that enthusiasm). Pat is also sort of a celebrity personality, while Ian is just some belligerent dude who works at a game store, which I think helps the dynamic.

And about the "flash carts vs repros" thing, I think their stance is more that repros themselves don't make much sense from either a collecting or a gaming standpoint, and that repros that cannibalize a game are bad. Maybe that wasn't their stance in the past, but that seems to be it now.

[CastlevaniaDude]

No love for the Completely Unnecessary Podcast w/ Pat Contri?

I know it's not 100% gaming-based, but for retro stuff, they do a good job for someone like me who doesn't live on the forums catching up on the news and what's going on.

[calthaer]

I am with Tanooki on this one. None of them are telling me anything new, interesting, or valuable.

Here are some topics that would be useful and interesting to a retro-gamer, at least in my view:

There are all sorts of new retro products coming out - sweatshirts, t-shirts, fridge magnets, board games, whatever - you name it. Which ones are garbage, and which ones are worth my time?
Which modern indie games are high-quality, and which ones have that retro feel? Which games might be good for people who liked retro-game X? E.g., Stardew Valley might appeal to those who liked Harvest Moon.
Where are some good books, magazines, newspaper adverts, from the classic era that relate to the topic of retro-gaming? Or, which modern books on the "history of games" are worth reading?

Tell me something new and help me focus my time and money on things that are worthwhile. Otherwise, it's not worth my time, effort, or energy - I'll just listen to music.

[MetalFRO]

Wow, it seems like there's a lot of cynicism in this thread. I quite like a number of retrogaming podcasts. I actively listen to Sega Does, Genesis Gems, the RF Generation Collectorcast, and sometimes the Master System Masterpieces. Sure, I've been in the scene long enough to know about most games, but I always find it interesting listening to perspectives of others who have played the games, or for some who are discovering it for the first time.

[8bitgamer]

On HoldSquare Reapers Videogame Podcast, we talk retro and modern games. I hope many of you will check it out--I think it's a lot of fun. Thanks for watching!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA0C4YWW3OOl5xxi3hcFBtQ

[stlgamer75]

Big fan of Retro Game Squad podcast even though it's coming to an end after 4 years this Sept. Lots of back log information. I'll listen while going for a run or mowing the lawn.

Not technically a podcast but Classic Gaming Quarterly youtube channel is informative and entertaining as well.

[rmaerz]

Honestly I don't get the allure of gaming podcasts especially these "game-by-game" podcasts. I tried listening to podcasts over several months last year and I just wasn't getting anything out of it. In some instances, there were facts about a game I thought the hosts would be aware of and mention but nada.

I don't understand how anyone has the time to be listening to all these podcasts either. The only time I have is on the commute back and forth to work and maybe at my son's soccer game. Even then, I'd rather listen to music. Podcasts seem to demand a lot of time of which I'm not willing to commit to.

[eskobar]

I have a recommendation, this podcast is called SCORE VG and as the name suggests, its about video game music, but the core of the podcast is the discussion around the game that was referenced. Anecdotes and technical data is discussed and among the persons that are doing the podcast are very well documented, two programmers that are into the development scene:

Artemio Urbina, developer of the 240p suite and several other projects like the translation patch of Policenauts and a new method to revive suicide capcom arcade PCBs.

Rolando Cedillo that worked with Nintendo in México developing games for different consoles and huge fan of Tekken.

There are many other guys invited to the podcast and everyone of them is a huge fan of video games in general. The intro was composed by Akira Yamaoka and one of the regular members of the show is PunisherIV that is the CEO of Mariachi Games and creator of VCON, a series of concerts of video game music that had great musicians on its roster, like Akira Yamaoka, Michiru Yamane, etc.

The only problem is that the podcast is in spanish ... this is the link to the soundcloud website: soundcloud.com/scorevg

[Damaramu]

Giant Bombcast, Giant Beastcast, 8-4 Play, and Retronauts are the only gaming podcasts I listen to these days. I really miss Weekend Confirmed.

[Tron 2.0]

Big fan of Retro Game Squad podcast even though it's coming to an end after 4 years this Sept. Lots of back log information. I'll listen while going for a run or mowing the lawn.

Not technically a podcast but Classic Gaming Quarterly youtube channel is informative and entertaining as well.
I been listening to the retro game squad recently.So far what i've been listening to is damn good.It's a shame though.Since by the fall it will end man really good podcast on video games,rare thing as of late.

[JSoup]

I never really got into podcasts. The few I tried, back when podcasts were new, where filled with so much cross chatter that it was hard to listen too.

[Felixthegamer]

I dig http://spritecastle.com/ (C64 games) and http://podcast.robohara.com/cactus-flacks-episode-list/ (Chronicles how Rob got his Arcade games, memories and the games themselves)

[Emperor Megas]

One of the problems with a lot of podcasts is that the people doing them are not performers. Listen to a standup comedian's podcast to hear somebody who speaks in front of crowds for a living and can make statements without saying "uhhh" a thousand times.You should NEVER listen to The Wrecking Crew Comedy Podcast with Vito D'Amico. He's a comedian and ALL HE DOES on this podcast is say "UHHHH" for an hour and a half every episode.